Think, Luna, think.
Even if Boone had heard her on the phone, it would take him at least thirty minutes to get home.
Luna was on her own.
“CALL HIM!” he shouted. His face was red, and a vein bulged in the middle of his forehead. “And put it on speaker.”
Luna didn’t like the way his hand shook as he held her pistol. She had no choice but to do as he said.
She tapped Boone’s number and put the call on speaker. It rang three times before he answered.
“Hey, pookie, what’s up?”Pookie?He’d never called her that before. “Are you calling to make sure I don’t forget my doctor’s appointment? I’m already on my way to his office and should be there in about twenty minutes.”
But he already—
Wait … he must’ve heard Udall! And it sounded like he was talking through his truck’s speakers. Which meant he was probably already on his way here.
A plan popped into her mind, and she had to figure out a way to let Boone know what it was.
“I need you to come home.” Luna kept her eyes on Udall. “I’m … I’m having trouble with Sassy.”
“What’s that crazy horse doing now?” She heard the roar of his truck’s big engine in the background.
She watched Udall for any signs he might be on to them.
“I put her out in the main pasture this morning, and she keeps trying to head up to the ridge.” Would Boone know what she meant?
“She did it again?” He sighed dramatically. “I’ll call the doctor to reschedule, then I’ll head home right away. Are you sure you’re okay until then?”
“Yeah, I can handle it.” Luna assumed he was twenty minutes away, since he’d mentioned that before.
“No, I don’t want you to risk getting hurt.” Boone definitely meant that. “Just relax, and I’ll deal with it.”
Meaning, leave Udall to him? Not if she could pull off her plan.
“I love you, pookie, and I’ll see you soon,” he said.
“I love you, too.”
Udall stomped over, snatched her phone from her hand, and stomped it beneath his boot.
She prayed Boone understood what she was saying and hoped she could make her plan work.
“Pookie? Fucking disgusting,” he muttered beneath his breath. “To think, some chick actually managed to neuter big, badass Boone Langston.” He pointed the gun at her. “How long till he gets here?”
“About thirty minutes.” She shifted so her butt was on the front of the chair and pointed toward the front window. “You’ll be able to see his truck through that window.”
Udall didn’t know there was another way onto the ranch, through a gate at the east side of the property.
As she hoped, he limped back over to the window, peeked through the blinds, and with the gun hand hanging down by his thigh, he returned his attention to the road.
With her eyes only, Luna looked from him to the back door, then back to him.
Now was her chance.
She exploded up from the chair, ran toward the kitchen and straight to the back door as fast as she could. Her fingers wrapped around the doorknob and she started to turn it.
“STOP!” he shouted. The gun went off, and the bullet impacted the wooden doorjamb.
