Page 74 of Dairy and Deadly

Caro looked concerned. “Do you want me to ring Johnny for you?”

“Nah.” Ashley liked how her forehead felt against the cold glass. “He has enough on his plate without worrying about me.”

Caro made a scoffing sound. “Worrying about you is the highlight of his existence.”

Ashley smiled. It was amazing that she and Caro had reached the point that they could talk about Johnny like this. “I’m just glad you don’t hate me anymore because of him.” Caro had such a competitive nature that it couldn’t have been easy for her.

“I never hated you.” Caro rolled her eyes. “I just couldn’t understand why he got in such a lather over your ponytails and no makeup days. Let’s be real. You put zero effort into catching his attention and somehow managed to succeed where the rest of us failed.”

Ashley couldn’t explain it either. “It was an accident.” So many other women had tried to land a date with him that maybe it had made her stand out.Who knows?

“Or a God thing,” Caro returned in a milder voice. “Oh, wow! Did you hear that? I wasn’t the least bit religious before I met Clint, but now he drags me to church every Sunday. The stuff that pops out of my mouth these days…” She shook her head, looking like she was trying not to laugh.

“It feels good, doesn’t it?” Ashley liked the changes in Caro. “Letting go and letting God, like Pastor Joe is so fond of saying.”

“I’m not a hundred percent sure what that means,” her friend grumbled, “but, yes. That.”

To Ashley, it meant they weren’t alone in the world — her, Johnny, Caro, Clint, and all the other amazing people she’d met in Heart Lake. It was her biggest comfort right now, considering how overwhelmed and outnumbered they seemed to be. Never before had she felt so much like they were losing the war on crime. Never before had she battled a nameless, faceless set of enemies, people who operated from the shadows and always seemed to be a step or two ahead of law enforcement.

The familiar rumble of Johnny’s work truck made its way up the gravel driveway and paused in front of the house, idling there.

Ashley blinked in surprise. “I wonder why he didn’t pull into the garage.” She thought she remembered her husband driving his Jeep to work this morning, but she must’ve been mistaken.

Caro stood and tucked her electronic tablet into her briefcase. “Maybe he’s planning on taking you somewhere for dinner.”

Ashley followed her to the door. “Let’s find out.”

Caro pulled open the door and grew still.

Ashley, who’d already taken another step, bumped into her. “I’m so sorry, Caro! I’m such a klutz!” The words died in her mouth as her gaze landed on the man standing outside the door.

It was Martin, wearing an outfit that was oddly reminiscent of what Johnny normally wore — a plaid shirt, jeans, and work boots. He had a Stetson pulled low over his eyes, and he was pointing them toward Johnny’s work truck. Or a truck that looked a lot like her husband’s truck.

“If you two ladies will follow me,” he breezed, as if it was no big deal that a fugitive from the law had appeared on their doorstep.

“And if we don’t?” Caro bit out the words.

Martin pulled aside the open flap of his plaid shirt to reveal a gun tucked into the waistband of his jeans. “Just get in the truck, and you’ll be fine.”

Somehow, Ashley doubted the “fine” part, but he wasn’t giving them a choice.

Caro started moving, but Martin held up a hand to make her halt. “After you hand over your weapons. Barrel down.”

Fire flashed in her gaze, but she obligingly removed a pistol from her briefcase and handed it over.

He accepted it with a hard, unmoving expression. “I said weapons, as in plural.”

She silently produced a second gun.

“And your knife.” He glanced pointedly at the hem of her hot pink dress slacks.

She reached down to remove a blade that Ashley wouldn’t in a million years have guessed she was wearing.

“Now your cell phone.” He held out his hand again. “Perkins, you’re next, so get ready.”

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped, sorely regretting being caught unarmed. It was careless of her. Married life was making her soft. So was the bug she was coming down with. Because of her nagging headache and nausea, her hair was down today, and she was wearing a flimsy sundress and cardigan sweater. No doubt she looked as vulnerable and as exposed as she felt.

Martin ordered them to climb into his truck, speaking quietly the whole time their feet were crunching through the gravel. “A sniper will follow us in another vehicle. I can’t stress this enough, so listen carefully. One wrong move, and I can’t promise you’ll live to talk about it. Nod your head if you understand.”

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