Cowboy ransom, p.1
Cowboy Ransom, page 1
Cowboy Ransom
Barb Han
TorJake Publishing
Copyright © 2020 by Barb Han
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Editing: Ali Williams
Cover Design: Jacob’s Cover Designs
To my family for unwavering love and support. I can’t imagine doing life with anyone else. I love you guys with all my heart.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Also by Barb Han
About the Author
1
Coby McGannon stopped cold. He’d walked down this same aisle at Feed and Seed countless times over the years and never once had someone caught his eye or had his pulse race like a school kid.
Even Diesel, his four-legged faithful companion, seemed to catch onto the shift in the air. The dog stared up at Coby with quite the confused expression.
An impulse struck to go talk to the leggy blonde with silky ash hair cascading over her shoulders. Her back was turned to him, but she must be new in town. There was no way he would have missed her if he’d seen her before. Her teal green off the shoulder dress fell mid-thigh, exposing long legs that were tucked into a pair of custom boots. The boots were brown with delicate white flowers etched in them. A belt cinched at her waistline showed off her figure
She wasn’t tall, coming in at five-foot-two-inches if he had to venture a guess. So, basically, she was all legs—creamy skin and…
He stopped himself right there. Had it really come to this? Gawking at the first attractive unattached woman he came across? He hoped she was single. He didn’t have a clear view of her ring finger. And, granted, he hadn’t been on a date in too long, but that was no excuse. Considering everything going on with his family after his uncle’s ‘accident’ and his father’s subsequent arrest his mind had been pre-occupied. Dating was the last thing on his mind.
He’d been picking up slack for one person or another at the ranch more than usual, not that he minded. Plus, two of his brothers had up and walked out to start a taco truck business. Coby suspected they were tired of the drama that had been stretching on for too many months at the family’s successful cattle ranch. It was getting to him too.
Clearly. He was standing in the middle of Feed and Seed staring at a stranger. The thought of the mystery woman turning toward him, busting him, got his feet moving in the opposite direction. Diesel followed.
Diesel was the best dog Coby had ever known, one hundred and thirty-five pounds of solid muscle, loyalty, and devotion. Having been dumped ‘in the country’ when he was barely weaned from his mother, Coby had rescued him before any permanent emotional damage had set in. Since Coby was all the dog knew as family, his loyalty had no bounds. They were inseparable, save for Diesel’s occasional desire to stick around the barn for a day, and Coby wouldn’t have it any other way.
He ran a mental checklist, focusing on his shopping list and the reason he’d driven to the store in the first place. He had a new pair of gloves and the heartworm medicine in hand. He could check those off the list.
As soon as he’d walked in the front door, Mick had nodded and waved. He would have Diesel’s food in a cart waiting at checkout. Personal service was one of the many reasons he preferred shopping at the feed store versus doing his shopping online. Plus, he liked to support local businesses. Feed and Seed delivered, but his order wasn’t big enough to warrant a special trip. Plus, he and Diesel had to pass by on their way home from their favorite fishing spot. Sunday mornings in the fall were for fishing. Coby almost laughed out loud because he probably smelled like he’d had his hands stuck in a fish’s mouth too, not that he’d caught any worth keeping. Another reason to hightail it the opposite way of Legs over there before she caught a whiff and ran in the opposite direction to get away from him.
He could admit that a big part of him was curious about her. Who was she? Where did she live? Why was she in town and for how long? If she was passing through, he didn’t really need to waste his time. If by some stroke of luck she was sticking around, it would be difficult to hide in a town this size where everyone knew each other’s business. At some point, he’d run into her again.
Patience. That was a word Coby understood.
“Hey, Mick.” Coby acknowledged the owner. The man was average height. His build could best be described as wiry. He had a full head of white hair and amazing strength for a man of fifty-plus years. He could out bench press guys half his age if we wanted to and was always quick to hop on a truck bed and load up whatever supplies a customer needed help with. His enthusiasm made him a favorite in Cattle Cove.
“What are you up to today?” Mick asked as he punched codes into the register. He put a hand up momentarily as if to stop Coby from spilling the beans. “No, wait. It’s Sunday.” He took a sniff in Coby’s direction. “You’ve been to the quarry. What did you catch?”
Coby gave a quick update on the state of his fishing as the older gentlemen finished ringing him up, nodding in appreciation at each of Coby’s catches. Mick grabbed a treat from the container sitting on top of the counter and came around to say hello to Diesel.
“How’s this guy today?” Mick’s treat was basically licked off the flat of his palm.
“He’s as ornery as ever. Ended up in a burr patch that cost me a trout because I couldn’t stand for him to suffer for even a second.”
“Better than a skunk,” Mick quipped with a wink.
“He’s done that before too.” Coby laughed. He started to ask about Legs back there but decided against it. He hadn’t thought to look for a ring and it wasn’t polite to ask about someone who might already be spoken for. It wasn’t polite to gawk at her either, an annoying voice in his head pointed out.
He silenced that pain in the neck real quick.
Mick gave Diesel a good head scratch and the dog ate up the attention. There were times when Coby would swear the animal was smiling. This was one of them.
“You’re a good boy, aren’t you,” Mick practically cooed before rounding back to the cash register and finishing the sales transaction. He nodded toward the cart. “Need any help out with that?”
“No, thanks. I got it.” Coby wheeled the cart outside and toward his Jeep that was parked in the back of the lot. Several vehicles had cleared out, making it easy to identify the few remaining. There was one he recognized four cars and one aisle over as Sheriff Laney Justice’s personal vehicle.
At least he didn’t run into her today. To say things had become awkward after she’d arrested his father for attempted murder was an understatement. What could he say? His family life was complicated and she was at the center of it lately. The conversation he needed to have with her about when his father would be released since making bail could wait. This was Sunday, a day he tried to unplug from all the stress; not invite more in.
Coby cursed at the piece of paper stuck to his windshield as he pushed the cart behind his vehicle. He tossed all four fifty-pound bags in the back along with the gloves and heartworm medication, securing the latter in a side compartment meant for just such items.
Flyers were one of the biggest annoyances known to man. He stalked around the vehicle to snatch this one off his Jeep. He couldn’t have been in the feed store more than fifteen minutes. Someone had worked fast to be able to put these on all the vehicles without being caught.
As he glanced around to see if he could find the culprit, he realized no one else had flyers. How did he end up the lone lucky jerk?
He issued a sharp sigh, thinking it was always a pain to deal with these as he snatched the piece of paper off his windshield. Diesel hopped into the passenger seat, like he always did, ready and waiting.
“I’ll be over in a second,” Coby muttered under his breath.
He never knew what to do with these advertisements. Chunking them on the ground was just littering. It wasn’t Mick’s fault his customers’ vehicles occasionally got bombed with one of these, especially as he’d already politely called a few businesses who thought it was all right to blast Mick’s customers and fill his parking lot with litter. Coby normally wadded the flyers up and chunked them in the trash once he got home, even though he hated bringing them all the way to the ranch.
He smoothed out the edge against the window of his Jeep. The handwriting caught his attention. Weren’t these advertisements normally computer generated?
Coby squinted against the bright sun to get a better look at the writing. His pulse kicked up a couple of notches. He glanced around to see if anyone was standing nearby, watching. A cold chill raced down his back as he took a second look at the threatening note.
He smoothed out the rest of the page and kept reading. Granted, a lot had been going on recently, and his family was at the center of most of the crime wave for reasons he had yet to figure out. No way could this message be meant for him. Right? This note had to be on the wrong vehicle, a case of mistaken identity.
Mother and baby don’t have to die. Ur choice. The message referenced a woman and a baby. Coby had neither in his life. More proof this note couldn’t be intended for him.
Look for cell. No calls. Text only.
Coby glanced around the outside of his vehicle and saw nothing. Nothing on the hood or dashboard. He moved to the driver’s side and immediately caught sight of a sliver of silver on his seat. How had he missed it? He’d been too concerned and frustrated with getting the piece of paper off his windshield.
He surveyed the parking lot to see if there were any suspicious-looking vehicles around. Was this even real? Couldn’t be. His mind snapped to this being some kind of terrible joke. No one he knew would pull something like this, and yet the note couldn’t possibly be aimed at him. A case of mistaken identity?
Frustration nailed his gut. From what he could gather, a woman and her baby had been kidnapped. This was a ransom note. Half a million dollars for the baby and a quarter of a million for the woman. Each delivered separately like some kind of Amazon package.
Another thought struck. Could this note have been meant for someone else in his family? One of his brothers? Cousins? There were no babies in the mix that he knew of. Still, he fished his own cell phone out of his pocket and made a quick call to his brother Reed.
“Everyone okay at the ranch?” he asked his oldest brother before Reed had a chance to speak.
“As far as I know. Why?” Reed’s curiosity was understandable. Coby’s call was coming out of the blue.
“Checking in with everyone.” The last couple of lines on the note kept him from explaining. Bring anyone else into this and the woman dies. Tell the sheriff and the baby goes with her mother.
“I haven’t heard anything,” Reed confirmed.
“Is anyone acting strangely today?” Coby pressed.
“Not that I’ve seen but I haven’t been around everyone. Why?” Reed’s voice hitched on the last word. His concern came through heavy on the line.
“Thanks. Don’t worry. I’ll explain everything later.” There would be more questions leaving the conversation on this note. Coby hated leaving his brother in the dark, even though it couldn’t be helped. “I have a few other calls to make and not a whole lot of time. I’ll circle back.”
“Okay.” Reed drew out the word.
Coby ended the call promising to catch his brother up as soon as he could. It took a solid ten minutes to confirm everyone’s whereabouts. Coby breathed a sigh of relief after ending the last call. He leaned against his Jeep, wondering if he should take the bait and pick up the cell phone in his driver’s seat.
As he glanced up, he caught sight of Legs walking one aisle over, heading straight for…
Hold on. It couldn’t be. No. No. No.
This couldn’t be happening. Not when his day had already taken a serious turn for the worse. The woman he’d been pining for couldn’t be her. Just couldn’t be. He could almost hear the universe laughing at him this very minute because Legs was none other than Sheriff Laney Justice in plain clothes. Could this day get any worse?
Never mind. He took those words back because as bad as it felt lately, and bad was an understatement, things could always go further south.
The fact he hadn’t recognized Laney from behind shouldn’t be too shocking. He’d never made an effort to look at her ‘behind’ before.
Coby ducked his head down a little too late because she abandoned her cart and started heading straight for him. He bit back a curse. What the heck was he supposed to do with the paper in his hand? If she saw it, game over. Lives could be in jeopardy. He couldn’t exactly hide it behind his back, like a six-year-old getting caught with candy in his hands before supper.
So, he acted casual, crossing his legs at his ankles.
“Sheriff,” he said as she approached.
“Coby,” she flashed those light green eyes of hers at him. Those, he’d noticed before. Her eyes were the most unusual shade of light green. The color of the dress brought her irises out even more. “I hope it’s okay if I call you by your first name.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he was being intentionally formal with her.
“Please, call me Laney,” she said.
Getting on a personal level with Laney Justice was probably a bad idea after the thoughts he’d had in the feed store. She’d always been pretty, even with her hair pulled back in a bun and tucked underneath a hat most of the time. Sunglasses normally shaded her eyes and, in all honesty, he did his level best to avoid her when she visited the main house.
“Everything all right over here?” Her eyebrow arched.
He could play this scenario one of two ways. The first would be to cover up what was going on and wish Sheriff…Laney…a good day. The second would be to come clean about what he found on his vehicle and risk getting caught by the person who placed it there. The saying caught between a rock and a hard place came to mind. On the one hand, involving law enforcement could anger the perp and cost two lives. On the other, not involving someone with experience and training could cost two lives and possibly his own if he made a misstep.
“What’s that in your hand?” Her curiosity must have gotten the better of her as she nodded toward the evidence.
This situation was serious. Deadly? Coby had no training in law enforcement or kidnappings. He didn’t know what to ask for or when. And there were possibly two lives on the line, none of whom he was related to but that didn’t mean he didn’t care or feel the weight of responsibility on his chest. Weight that felt like a truck had docked on his chest.
When he didn’t immediately answer, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other and repeated her question. “Is everything okay?”
“Fine.”
“I’m not the enemy, Coby. I want the truth of what happened that day too.” She thought he was concerned about the case involving his father? He was, in the broader sense. Just not in this moment.
He weighed his options. If he didn’t tell her and someone died because he made a mistake, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself. If he involved her and someone died because of his actions, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself. Trying to handle this on his own would be stupid. There were so many ways he could be tricked. Plus, he needed help figuring out who this message was intended for.
Since he had zero law enforcement experience and, if he believed the note, lives were at stake, there was no real choice.
“This isn’t about Donny’s case.” He glanced around to make sure no one was watching before tilting the note toward her so she could read it.
Those intelligent and beautiful green eyes widened as she stared at the page. “This is serious.”
“I’m aware.”
“I mean it,” she shot back.
“So do I. In fact, I almost didn’t show you because of the last lines. I’m in over my head here and I have no idea what my next move should be,” he admitted.
“I need to bring in—”
“No one else gets involved. I’m not risking it. Now, I could use your help but you can’t breathe a word of this to anyone.” He stopped there when he heard how that must sound. She wasn’t one to take orders.
Laney’s eyebrow shot up, making him very aware she would be the one calling the shots here. She blinked up at him with concern in her eyes, clearly evaluating options too.
“Who is she?” she finally asked.
“No idea.” He shrugged. “I don’t have a child and there’s no one special in my life.”
2
Laney Justice stared into the most golden pair of brown eyes she’d ever seen. Of course, Coby McGannon was six-feet-five-inches so she wasn’t exactly eye-to-eye with him. A trill of awareness skittered across her skin. Wholly inappropriate under the circumstances. And yet, her body reacted to his strong male presence anyway.
