Page 62 of A Whiskey River Princess

Kenzie nodded. “I’ll see you there.” She was about to turn away, but added, “I’m so glad to see you here. When I saw the men walking after you—”

“Well, I’m fine now.” Gabriella cut her off. “Merry Christmas.”

Kenzie gave her a warm smile and then nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you then!” Gabriella grinned as she linked her arm in Dirk’s and they headed toward the sheriff’s office. “I’ll wait out here.”

Dirk shook his head. “Not on your life.” He pulled her toward the door. “I’m sure that Daxton would like to see you again.”

Gabriella nodded.

Dirk fell quiet for a moment, thinking, but said nothing.

Gabriella hated to cut Kenzie off like that but vowed to tell her everything privately after the holidays. Dirk knew that she had been kidnapped but she didn’t want anything to spoil their holiday together. She just hoped that the sheriff would give them some good news.

“Here we are,” Dirk said as he opened the door to the sheriff’s office. Daxton and Colton rose to their feet. “Hey, Daxton! I appreciate you checking in on the stables for me.”

Daxton’s face lit up when he saw Dirk. He rose to his feet and held out his hand to him. Dirk gave him a hearty handshake. “It was my pleasure, but I didn’t have to do anything. Billy has everything under control.”

Dirk nodded. “Thank you.”

The sheriff smiled and then nodded to Gabriella. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, miss.”

Gabriella extended her hand. “The pleasure is mine.”

The sheriff inclined his head toward Dirk. “So, has he been treating you good?”

Gabriella giggled. “Yes, Dirk’s been taking good care of me.”

Daxton shook her hand and gave her a kind smile. “Yeah, that sounds like him.”

Gabriella nodded in agreement. “He’s one of the nicest men I know.”

“Miss, it’s good to see you again,” Colton said as he crossed the room. He wore a cowboy hat, gun belts tied down to his legs, and spurs.

Gabriella nodded. “It’s good to see you again, too. How’s Ella?”

“Not as well as I’d like.” Colton frowned as he pulled his hair back at the nape, then let it fall down his back. It appeared to be a habit of his.

Gabriella’s heart went out to him. “Well, I’m sure that everything will work out fine. Please, give her my best. Even though we’ve never met before, I’ve heard so much about her that it feels like I know her.”

Colton smiled. “Well, we’re going to have to remedy that. Let’s plan on getting together after the holidays.”

A pang of guilt pulled at Gabriella’s heart, unsure how long she would be there, unable to see past the holidays. But she didn’t want to think about that, not now. For the moment, she wanted to enjoy the time she had with Dirk… for as long as that might be.

Dirk wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. “We were in town getting some things for the holidays and we thought we’d check in to see if you had heard anything.”

Gabriella noticed that he was careful not to say their names. She squared her shoulders as she listened.

Daxton glanced over at Gabriella first, obviously wondering how much to say in front of her. Then let out a deep breath, relenting. “They’re still at large, but the U.S. Marshalls found their hideout that you told us about.” He shook his head. “The horses there were half starved, so it’s obvious that they hadn’t been back there since… since the kidnapping.”

Dirk nodded. “You’ll let us know if anything turns up, won’t you?”

The sheriff nodded. “Yes, of course.”

“Will we see you two at the church tomorrow night?” Dirk asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

Colton shook his head. “Ella and I won’t be there. Doc Morgan has Ella on bed rest until the baby comes.”

---