“She wouldn’t.” Grady pulled out his cell phone and called Linx. This time, it rolled straight to voice mail. “Dang, she’s turned off herphone.”
“We’re not going to get anything done here,” the pastor said. “I’m going to check in with the police to see if they have anything. The kidnapper could be miles away bynow.”
“Or right under our noses,” Grady said. “I keep feeling the dogs have something to do withit.”
Beside him, Sam grunted and huffed as he put his nose to the ground andsniffed.
* * *
Miles rolledby as Linx drove through the Nevada desert. The sky had darkened into dusk, and the ghostly hills on the horizon barely dented the big, black skyabove.
Tears rolled down her face as the cruel words of her mother taunted her. How could she hate her somuch?
From the sound of it, she also hated the Colsons—including her dad, calling them goody-two-shoes. She never imagined her mother could store up all thatspite.
The Colsons were the original settlers in town and the most prominent residents. Her uncle was the mayor, and her grandfather had even been a congressman. Her family also toiled the land, built the towns, fought the fires, and operated thebusinesses.
She had always been proud of her family. But Mean Minx said she wasn’t one of them—that she was pretending to be a Colson. What had shemeant?
Linx’s breath stilled inside her, hardly daring to stir as a new thought took root. Suppose she, Linx, wasn’t a real Colson. Then who was she? And where had she comefrom?
Her heartbeat stuttered as a deer leaped across the road. She slammed on the brakes and swerved, narrowly avoiding theanimal.
How did her mother know about Grady and the dog unless she’d been spying on her? Or maybe one of her siblings spoke to her and told hereverything?
Or, maybe she was the one who burned down the cabin and left the railroad spike cross to taunt her. But why hurt Grady when it was she her motherhated?
Duh, of course. Minx must have figured out that Linx lovedGrady.
Cedar whined and Linx realized she hadn’t fed the dog or taken her on a bathroom break. It would be miles before another exit, so she pulled to the side of the road and led Cedar onto barrenlandscape.
“Sorry, girl. I need to find food, too. Kind of skipped dinner.” She stared up at the rising moon and the distant stars while large semis whooshedby.
Linx leaned against her SUV as a wave of exhaustion and fatigue pressed down on her. Her mother’s words washed over her.No one will ever trust you. No one will ever believe inyou.
“No one will ever love me,” Linx spoke the omen aloud. “Because I turned out just likeyou.”
Cedar finished her business and rubbed her nose against Linx’shand.
“You’re kind of stuck with me, aren’t you?” Linx bent down and let her lick her face. “I wonder how Ginger’s doing. I hope Nessa found someone to feed her. Crap. I am just like Minx. I abandoned all my dogs except foryou.”
Worry hovered at the edge of her mind. Poor little Ginger could be starving and crying for food, and here she was with another hungry dog out in the middle of thedesert.
Meanwhile, if her mother was lurking around her cabin, she could be planning her next step to hurt those Linx loved: Ginger, the dogs, Jessie, and of course,Grady.
Cedar nosed her and nudged her, licking her hand, and a fury of anger boiled inside hergut.
She wasn’t going to be like hermother.
She was a Colson like herfather.
A hard-working, honest, loyal, and brave frontier-woman. She had a heritage—a proud one, and she was just as courageous as the strong women who tamed thewilderness.
And most of all, she was not MeanMinx.
She would face her problems head on and stand her ground. Like red, white, and blue, her colors didn’trun.
She had to goback.
