Page 49 of The Cowboy's Promise

“Fine, but if I see you behind me again I’m calling the sheriff!”

Before he could respond she spun around and marched through the door. But her bravado was contrived. Her legs felt like jelly and her heart was racing. Desperate to sit down and catch her breath she hurried to Cabin Four, and with trembling fingers she punched in the code.

“I guess he’s not so timid after all,” she muttered under her breath. “He’s like Jeckyll and Hyde.”

Pushing open the door and stepping inside, she flopped into the nearest chair and took in several long, deep breaths. When she started to feel calmer her focus turned to the bracelet. She had to have a quick look and get back to the restaurant before it opened.

Glancing around the floor and seeing nothing, she rose to her feet and began checking behind the chairs. Still coming up empty, she was lifting up the sofa cushions when she heard a noise from the bedroom. For a moment she froze, then thinking the guests must not have left she crept to the front door.

“Hey. I don’t know how you found me but you can’t get away that easy!”

Instantly she knew the voice.

It was Courtney.

* * *

A short time before the sheriff’s unexpected visit, Joe had helped Courtney as she’d painfully hobbled to the next door cabin. After making her way up the steps to the back porch, she’d picked the lock, limped into the bedroom and laid down.

“I’ll be back with something to eat soon,” Joe had said. “You’ll be safe here for a while. We’re lucky. Apparently this is the slow time of the year.

“Oh, yeah, real lucky,” she’d grunted sarcastically.

“Get some rest. This afternoon we’ll figure out where to go from here, but we should leave overnight.”

“I agree, but I think we should still go to Puerto Rico. Will we need new ID’s?”

“Probably. We’ll discuss all this later. I won’t be long.”

A few minutes had passed when she’d heard what she thought was someone walking in through the front door. Startled, she’d sat up, but her elbow knocked an ornament off the side table. Realizing she needed to check, she’d hobbled across the room to peek.

Seeing Heather she’d almost cheered.

Now staring at Heather’s wide eyes and shocked face, Courtney knew, in spite of her painful, bandaged ankle, she had the upper hand.

“Sit down, Heather.”

“The hell I will. I’m calling the sheriff right now, and from the looks of things, you can’t stop me.”

“If you don’t sit down, I’ll make sure King Henry won’t survive the next six months.”

“You’re crazy!”

“So I’ve been told, and maybe I am, but I don’t make empty threats. It doesn’t matter where I am I can still make a call, and there are people I know who will do exactly what I tell them.”

“But why would you do something like that?”

“I said sit down and you’re still standing. If you don’t do as I say that’s what will happen. Did you forget I’m a drug dealer? I do other things as well, but that’s irrelevant. The point is, I have friends, and those friends are not people you want visiting your horses. Now sit the fuck down or you’ll be sorry.”

Seeing Heather’s fright and fear Courtney savored the heady feeling of power and triumph. She’d learned early in life that she could make people bend to her will just through nasty threats. It didn’t matter if she could make good on them or not. All that mattered was the victim believing she would.

“Okay, okay, but will you at least tell me what you want from me? What’s going on? Why was Joe stalking me?”

“Why do you think, you stupid cow?”

“I have no idea.”

“Did you forget what happened at the show? Your fucking boyfriend turned me into the cops, that’s what happened.”

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