Page 25 of Seized by the Lawman

Sitting down on the dirt floor, she leaned against the scratchy wall. With regret, she could pound on the walls all day and no one would hear her unless they were close. The shed was far enough away that no one would hear, and no one had a reason to be close. How could she have been so stupid?

She had found a chocolate wrapper. It if it had been in the building long it would have been weathered, but it wasn’t, meaning it had recently been opened, and the bit of chocolate left inside was melted. Tossing it away, she smirked. Someone had been in the building and she had an odd feeling that it wasn’t a coincidence that she had been targeted. But who? No one had reason to do this to her. Or did they?

Her throat constricted and she felt sick to her stomach. It wasn’t possible that Nix did this to her. What would he have to gain? Except her failure. After all, her father didn’t want her to have the place.

No, she knew Nix well enough.

Didn’t she?

The heat was getting to her.

~~~**~~~

Nix grew frustrated waiting on Melly. They were supposed to meet up at the office thirty minutes ago. Had she stood him up on purpose? Hell, he wouldn’t put it past her. Although he didn’t owe her any explanation, why did it bother the hell out of him that she’d dropped by his cabin that morning and found a naked woman there? He could see why she’d jumped to the conclusion that he’d slept with Hope, but if given the chance to explain, Melly would have understood that he’d slept alone and had simply forgotten to plug his phone in to charge overnight. He wasn’t usually so damn forgetful or frazzled, but here lately he was being dragged from his comfort zone.

Hell, he should forget her and consider himself lucky that he didn’t have to face her again today. After all, she’d done a damn good job of snubbing him during the staff meeting. He didn’t think any of the men caught on to her cold shoulder, and Nix hadn’t wanted to risk catching anyone’s attention by asking her any questions. He’d finally just excused himself with something about a phone call.

As frustrated with Melly as he was, he wanted to see her—wanted to explain why Hope was at his house. If she still chose not to believe the truth, then so be it.

Grabbing his phone from his picket, he dialed her number. No answer.

Walking to the stables, he spotted Randy leading one of the geldings into the small pasture.

“Hey, have you seen Melly?” Nix asked the man.

Randy tipped his hat. “No, but she must have been here sometime after the meeting. Her cell is sitting on the workbench and Jewels has fresh water.”

He wasn’t an expert on Melly and her cell, but he found it odd that it was in the stables and she wasn’t. What woman would leave her phone behind?

Curious, he looked on the screen of her cell and saw his three missed calls and texts. Pushing the phone into his back pocket, he stepped through the back door of the building and gazed across the grassy field. The only thing he could see was a small outbuilding in the distance. He remembered Melly telling him that it was once used for feed bags but was now empty and kept locked. She’d even mentioned tearing it down and building another barn in the spot.

Nix started to turn when something caught his attention. He could see something on the ground near the building. His curiosity thickened. Strolling in the direction of the building he saw that the object was a glove. He recognized it as the same glove Melly had been wearing. At closer examination, the door to the shed was secured with a padlock. He would have expected the metal to be rusted, but it looked new.

His instincts warned him something wasn’t right…

He pushed at the door. The lock clanked. “Melly?” he called.

No response.

Rounding the building, he found a wide enough slat between two wall boards to look inside. His heart dropped. He saw Melly inside and it looked like she was sleeping. His heart kicked up and he raced around to the door. Taking a short step back, he lifted his foot and gave the dilapidated wood a good kick. Wood splintered, but it didn’t give way enough to get in. So, he kicked the door again and this time the hinges popped. He pushed open the door and stepped into the space that was engulfed by heat.

Melly was slumped against the wall and he hurried to her side, lifting her face. “Melly? Melly? Wake up.” Her face was pale except for the rose-color in her cheeks. Moisture droplets beaded across her forehead. She was warm to the touch which warned him she’d been in the building for a while. “Melly. Wake up!” He shook her lightly. A moan gurgled up in her throat and her lashes fluttered, until finally she opened her eyes. “There you are,” he soothed. “Open your eyes fully and talk to me.”

“Nix?” Her color was starting to come back.

“Are you okay?” Worry skitted through his body.

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