Page 48 of The Cowboy's Unlikely Love

“I feel helpless too, Taylor. But, if you really feel like you need to go to Kentucky, I’ll take you there, honey.” His heart broke for her, and if this would make her feel better, then he’d do it. “If they’re there near Cumberland, they’ll have to come into town for supplies. Maybe we can spot them then.”

Her face radiant with new hope, she said, “Oh, Colt, thank you for understanding. I’ll go pack right now.”

“I’m heading into town to talk to Steve and tell him what we’re going to do.”

On the way, Colt went over in his head what he wanted to say to the sheriff. Steve was in his office when Colt arrived, and he knocked on the door and went right in. When he told Steve of their plans, it was as he’d expected—the sheriff didn’t look pleased.

“There’s plenty of law enforcement up there looking for these bozos,” Steve said. “You’ll just get in the way—and besides, this is dangerous. Those guys are armed.”

Colt nodded. “I understand, but Taylor can’t take doing nothing any longer. Listen, we’ll be careful. If being there makes this whole thing easier for Taylor to handle, then I’m all for it.”

Steve sighed. “Are you going armed?”

Colt nodded. “Of course.”

Steve shook his head and reached into his desk drawer, coming out with a deputy’s badge, which he tossed to Colt. Then he thumbed through his file drawer and pulled out a paper. He handed that to Colt as well. “Recite this oath, and then sign it. I’ll turn in the rest of the paperwork later.” He handed Colt photos of the three men. “You’ll be out of your jurisdiction, but the badge may give you an in with the locals in Cumberland when you get there.”

Colt smiled and pinned the badge to his chest. “I don’t know what to say.”

The sheriff shooed him off. “Just go on before I start regretting this. And you stay out of trouble. That’ll make me happy.”

“Thanks, Steve, for everything you’re doing—and especially for this.” Colt tapped his badge.

He strode out the door, running his fingertips over the badge one more time. If things got dangerous—and he had a strong feeling that they would—he’d be prepared.

***

Taylor grabbed severalT-shirts and put them in her suitcase, along with three pairs of jeans. Now that Colt had agreed to go to Kentucky, there was a much better chance that they would get JJ back. She felt that deep in her soul. She knew without a doubt that she could trust Colt to keep her safe, no matter what happened when they were there in the mountains where Jeb felt so at home. Colt would outsmart him. But she still planned to take her own gun. She was a good shot and would look after herself if it came to it.

Her hands stilled while her mind returned to the night before, when Colt had held her in his arms as she fell asleep. She no longer felt just friendship for this man, who stirred her deepest emotions as no man ever had. Her emotions had strengthened, had become so intense that she couldn’t imagine her life without him.

She sighed and added more clothing to her bag. She couldn’t think about her future with Colt now. The only thing that mattered was getting JJ back. In order to cope, she took every hour, every minute, every second, one at a time. And only with Colt at her side would she survive.

***

After packing his bag, Colt checked his rifles and handguns one by one. This time he would be ready for the Sheltons, no matter what they dished out. When he’d finished, he put everything in the back seat of his truck.

As he walked into the house, Shannon emerged from the kitchen with a picnic basket over her arm. She said, “I packed you all plenty of food for the trip.”

She handed it to him, and he smiled. “Thank you. This will save us stopping on the road.” Her face was lined with an anxious frown, and he said, “We’ll keep in touch, Shannon. Try not to worry.”

She blew out an exasperated breath. “Seriously? Of course I’m going to worry. Those men are bad news, and if I know my niece, she’ll be right in the thick of things.”

“I’ll make sure she’s safe—and that’s a promise,” he said and patted her shoulder.

Taylor walked in with her suitcase. “Are we ready?”

“I made you plenty to eat while you’re driving, honey,” Shannon said and put her arms around Taylor. “You promise me that you won’t do anything stupid.”

Taylor glanced quickly at Colt and then kissed her aunt’s cheek. “I’ll be careful, Auntie. Please don’t worry.”

“I will worry until you’re back here safely with JJ in your arms and Colt at your side,” the older woman said with a frown.

“We’ve got to go. I’ll call you often so maybe you won’t worry so much,” Taylor said and smiled encouragingly at her aunt.

Colt took Taylor’s suitcase. “We’ll be back before you know it, Shannon. And like we said, we’ll keep in touch.”

Soon after, they were on Highway 87 East heading toward Wichita Falls. “How far is it to Cumberland?” Taylor asked.

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