This man was tall, with broad shoulders, and a distinct twang in his voice. He did sound familiar, but Luke couldn’t put his finger on it. This man was also much better dressed than all the others, and his fashionable fur coat and tall leather boots made him stand out among the men.
“I’m here,” Phineas groveled in front of this man.
“What did I tell you about kidnappings?” the stranger shouted, and Phineas visibly winced. Luke liked seeing this.
“He wouldn’t shut up!” Phineas declared defensively as he walked around a third man, sitting there on a small barrel. From what Luke could make out, that third man had his arms bound to his body with rope, and his legs were tied to the barrel he was sitting on the same way. Poor guy, Luke thought.
“He is a liability!” the rich man shouted at Phineas, poking him with what looked like a walking stick. The kind very wealthy people would carry around. “What are you planning on doing with him? Keeping him as a pet?” The sarcasm in his voice spoke volumes.
“Maybe we can use him to extort money, or something!” Phineas suggested, but he didn’t sound very confident.
“Extort money from whom?” the man yelled. “You burned down the sheriff’s ranch, you imbecile! He doesn’t have anything left!”
Luke nearly jumped up from his hiding spot when he heard them talking about him. Taking a closer look at the third man, the way he was slumped in his position, Luke suddenly recognized the man’s boots. Their prisoner was Alvarez! It took everything in him not to expose himself and his scouts.
Shooting a look over to Caleb, he saw that he’d recognized him, too.
Focusing back on the rich man, Luke ground his teeth as he watched how they degraded Alvarez right in front of him.
“Come on, Ezra!” Phineas exclaimed. “He’ll be good for something! We’ll figure it out. If not, well…”
Luke froze when he heard that name. He only knew of one Ezra in this region, and if this man was the same Ezra Blackthorn he’d met before—a wealthy, cocky, and manipulative businessman with a stronghold near Fort Missoula, north of Stevensville—it could give them yet another strong lead.
Listening to Phineas’ suggestions, Luke decided to leave this place. Either that, or he’d run in guns blazing to rescue his trusted stable hand. He would free him as soon as he could. He silently promised him that.
Having to leave Alvarez there was the tougher choice, but it was the safer one. He would free him as soon as he could. He silently promised him that.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Timothy’s Ranch — Early next morning
Madelaine was deeply disappointed in Luke for keeping such a big secret from her. Granted, he was the town’s sheriff, and he probably shouldn’t tell her about his professional business—if it were any other case than this. She couldn’t help it—she felt excluded, because she strongly believed that they should at the very least have talked about it.
It was still very early, and Luke was sleeping on his spot on the floor as if he’d been there all night. Belle and Simon were fast asleep; the only one who wasn’t was Madelaine.
When Luke stirred, Madelaine got up from her bed and put another log on the fire, even though it didn’t actually need it. She’d been so cold last night when she got back—thankfully, the children hadn’t woken up—she’d put a rather large pile of wood in the fireplace, which had burned all through the rest of the night, and the room was still nice and cozy.
Luke had come back not that long ago. He’d been so quiet that, if she had been sleeping, he wouldn’t have woken her. Now, he stretched his long arms, blinking profusely at the sudden light in the room.
“What are you doing?” he asked with a raspy voice, scratching his beard. His hair looked soft in the warm glow of the fire, and his sleepiness was kind of endearing. If she hadn’t been so mad, Madelaine would have been hard-pressed not to swoon over this man in his current state. But as it was, she was very mad.
“Did you go out last night?” she asked very quietly, but a little too briskly.
Luke closed his eyes and raised his eyebrows at the same time. “What—” When Simon made a noise from the bed, he lowered his voice to a whisper. “What time is it?”
“It’s early. Very early. So, did you?” she scolded under her breath as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, staring down at him. The only thing missing was her tapping her foot impatiently, but she held off on that. “Tell me what is going on!”
“Madelaine, nothing’s going on. Can’t we just go back to sleep? I’m very tired …” he moped, as he turned his back to her.The audacity!
“Of course, you are tired! You only got in an hour ago!” she whisper-screamed at him, and that got his attention. He abruptly turned back around, sat up, and combed his strong fingers through his soft brown curls with a deep sigh.
“I was working,” he finally said, quietly and after a pause that felt too long for Madelaine’s liking.
“Working,” she repeated with a deadpan expression. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Luke scrunched up his face as if he was trying to process what she was saying. “Since when do I have to report back to you?” he asked a little gruffly.
Madelaine balled her hands to fists, digging her fingernails into her palms so she wouldn’t explode. His question wasn’t unfair, but it still made her angry. She spun back around to the fireplace and stared into the flames.
