Page 33 of Rancher to the Rescue

“Hey.” He seemed to notice she wasn’t behind him based on his hushed, irritated tone.

She rounded the corner to where he was standing, looking at her like she’d just stole the keys to his truck.

“You’ve been with me for the past eighteen hours, Adam,” she said, not bothering to hide her frustration.

His expression was unreadable as he studied her.

“Have you made up your mind about my character yet?” She couldn’t help but let off some steam with her comment. A growing part of her was proud of the bravado. The old Prudence would never have confronted anyone or demanded to know what they thought of her. The new one wanted to know where she stood.

“I’m doing my best here,” he said by way of defense.

“Yeah? So am I. And, by the way, your best isn’t good enough for me.” There. She’d said it. She deserved to be around someone who believed in her.

Rather than stand there while moisture formed in her eyes, giving away just how emotional saying that to him was, she tucked her chin to her chest and circled back.

There were no footsteps behind her like her foolish heart wanted there to be.

His loss, she decided. She might not know why she’d scribbled his name on a piece of paper or tucked it inside the baby’s blanket. Hell, she still didn’t know why she had the child in the first place. But she knew herself, which was far more important at the moment. She would never harm another person. It just wasn’t in her DNA. She could barely be rude to someone who cut her off in traffic.

And no matter how forthright she seemed to be becoming with her emotions, she didn’t have a mean bone in her body. No one could tell her different. She wouldn’t conspire against anyone or take a child away from her mother.

Prudence dropped onto her hands and knees to search inside the shrubbery. She poked around in bushes. Although, she should probably be searching the back of the house where the perp had come from when he left her house.

The creep must have been watching from somewhere in front of the house. She glanced up at the windows that looked onto the street. Again, the thought of someone setting up inside her house ready and waiting caused painful stabs in her chest.

A few rogue tears spilled out of her eyes, dropping onto the hard dirt.

Hurt filled her chest at the thought of Adam distrusting her so much, especially after feeling like he’d been her lifeline. Running her hand along the parched earth, she felt around.

When she found nothing, she sat back on her heels.

“Hey,” Adam’s voice startled her.

She gasped before bringing her hands up to take off her glasses and then wipe her eyes. No way was she going to let anyone see that she’d been crying. Technically, only a handful of drops fell but they were a few too many.

“Did you find anything?” she asked, not bothering to turn to look at him. She needed a minute to remember her frustration because making eye contact with him when she felt so vulnerable would be a mistake.

“No. I couldn’t concentrate with you up here looking around on your own, so I thought I’d join you if that’s okay with you.” There was an emotion present in his voice that she recognized as guilt. He’d stopped short of apologizing, not that it would matter. If he didn’t believe in her there was no use in being around each other.

“You can look anywhere you want. No one is going to stop you.” The words came out a little sharper than she intended.

She had no plans to take them back, though.

Adam didn’t know what to think. His heart wanted to believe she had nothing to do with the case beyond showing up on his family’s land with the baby. A Good Samaritan who’d stepped in to help a child in need.

How naïve would he be to go down that road again? One that led with feelings instead of logic. He’d been burned once and still felt the sting almost a year later. The baby, if she belonged to him, was a stark reminder of how quickly a relationship could go south and how much collateral damage could be done.

But, man, his heart wanted to go hook, line, and sinker into believing in Prudence.

He was so angry at hearing about Libby’s senseless murder and the fact this child would be forced to grow up without her mother that he couldn’t think straight. The whole situation was unfair to an innocent child.

Even if Angel wasn’t his, he had half a mind to file a petition to adopt her. Libby couldn’t possibly have believed in the father or she would have sent the child to him.

Those last words stuck in his thoughts. Maybe she had been.

Either way, he didn’t like Prudence being out here exposed with no protection. The sheriff’s SUV parked in front of the home might not detour the sonsofbitches who’d orchestrated a break-in. Don’t even get him started on what they must’ve planned to do with her once she came home.

These creeps must have known she had the baby. It was the only explanation that made sense. Were they coming for Angel? What would they have done to Prudence? The same thing they’d done to Libby?