Page 90 of Christmas with Three Cowboys

“She’s to blame!” our aunt shouts, red with fury.

Colton steps in and unceremoniously drags her farther away from Sammy and Louisa, while Kavanaugh sticks by our side.

“Okay, what the fuck is going on here?” my brother asks, giving both the sheriff and Darla equal shares of glaring attention. “Where’s Melissa?”

“Louisa said she wanted to talk,” Darla says with a trembling voice. “So, she takes me out of the pub and down the road. But it was all a ruse. She wanted me distracted so they could take Melissa.”

“I had nothing to do with it!” Louisa cries.

“I will smack the shit out of you!”

“Darla, focus!” I snap. “Talk to us, come on!”

Darla takes a deep breath, shaking like a leaf. “I brought Melissa into town. We stopped by the Cavalier to eat. We’re waiting for our order when Louisa comes over and says she wants to talk to me in private.”

“Okay, we’re with you so far,” Colton says. “Go on.”

“I go out, Louisa’s with me. She keeps inching away from the pub until we reach the Pink Flamingo coffee shop—”

“That’s almost a block from here,” Kavanaugh mutters.

“Aunt Darla, you said Melissa’s missing,” Colton cuts in.

“I turn around, and I see Melissa coming out of the restaurant.” She points at the diner. “She was looking for me. Next thing I know, I’m running toward her… and I see Jake Miller pop out of the service alley. He drags her in. I’m shouting, calling out hisname and Melissa’s, but I was too late. By the time I got back here, he had her in his trunk and was swerving out onto the road.”

She breaks down crying, and Colton holds her close.

“Shit,” I mumble, understanding precisely what this means.

“I put out an APB on Miller’s car. I’ve got the deputies combing through and around town, looking for them,” Kavanaugh assures us. “But I don’t understand what Louisa’s role is in any of this.”

Darla curses under her breath. “She was in on it. I don’t know if Jake was going to go into the diner and get Melissa out, or if Melissa simply walked into the trap, but I wasn’t supposed to be there. Louisa said so. She kept shouting after me to let it go, to get out of his way.”

And then it hits me.

I open my phone and do a quick search on social media. It doesn’t take long to see it. The subtle relationship-hinting posts. The obscure selfies that show enough but not everything—just enough for me to recognize half of Jake Miller’s face as he smiles and holds Louisa close. I show Colton the feed.

“Keep Darla away,” he tells Kavanaugh.

The two of us switch focus and walk over to Sammy and Louisa. Sammy is understandably annoyed and confused. Louisa’s crocodile tears don’t impress me, though. I can tell from the way her gaze keeps darting around that she knows she’s about to be found out, whether she likes it or not.

“What the hell is going on here, fellas?” Sammy asks. “What’s gotten into Darla?”

“How long have you and Jake been hooking up?” Colton addresses Louisa directly.

“What… Who? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the girl replies, her eyes wide with faux innocence.

Colton shakes his head and shows her the social media feed. “This isn’t a joke, Louisa. A woman’s life is at stake.”

“Oh, you mean the skank you’ve been shacking up with,” she blurts.

Immediately, Sammy’s protective demeanor changes. “Excuse me, miss? What did you just say? Is it true? Is it? You and Jake Miller?”

“He’s a good man! it’s not his fault that bitch ruined him!” Louisa insists.

Colton can’t help but groan with frustration, running his fingers through his hair. “Oh, God, Sammy, you need to do something about this, ’cause I’m about to lose my damn mind.”

“So, it’s true, then,” Sammy says to Louisa, then grabs her by the arm. “Listen to me very carefully, little girl. That man has been feeding you lies, and you’re gonna tell us everything you know, every goddamn detail, or I swear I’m gonna let Kavanaugh arrest you!”

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