Page 100 of The Cowboy and the Stray

She looked at me, hard. “He always finds a way. What if he’s already here?”

I shook my head. “We’d know. Besides, he had no way of knowing where we were going. This land isn’t even connected to ours directly. We own a few acres up here through Midge’s side of the family. This is where she was raised up. It’s in her name.”

She didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t argue. I leaned into her, just enough to remind her I was there. She leaned back.

Ash stomped out. “We got a plan, Captain?”

“Yeah. We set the tracker under the window. If he follows the path we took in, he’ll come up the slope. Gray will see him first. Reid’s on backup. If he brings company, we pick them off before they get close.”

Ash grinned. “You want me to be the decoy?”

“Yeah. Walk the windows, look nervous, make it real.”

Ash did a little bow. “My finest role.”

She started pacing immediately, putting on a show for whatever drone or camera Lance train on the place.

Tess watched her for a while, then said, “She’s good.”

“She is.”

I set up inside, checked the sight on my Ruger twice, then did it again. Tess took the backup pistol, which she loaded and reloaded until it was muscle memory.

Afternoon bled into evening. Nobody talked much. Even Ash, usually running her mouth, just circled the cabin, pausing every now and then to make a face at whoever was inside.

Reid radioed at dusk. “He’s close,” Reid said. “Two cars parked up the ridge. Both empty.”

Gray replied next. “He’s watching. Saw a flash, west side.”

I spoke into the walkie. “He won’t make a move until it’s dark.”

Ash snorted. “He’s more patient than most.”

Tess and I stayed out of sight while Ash occasionally paced in front of the windows.

We ate sandwiches in silence. Tess picked at hers, tore the crust off and fed it to the ants. When she caught me watching, she made a face. “What? They gotta eat too.”

We sat there watching the world go blue and then black. The only light was from a bare bulb on the battery powered light we’d brought. It made the inside of the cabin glow like a lantern, visible for miles. Creed would be watching, making sure Tess was alone here.

Tess leaned into me. “What if he doesn’t come?”

“He will.”

“How do you know?”

I looked at her, really looked, and saw the way her hands didn’t shake, the way her eyes stayed fixed on the tree line. “Because he can’t help himself.”

She smiled, just a little. “Neither can you.”

I shrugged. “Maybe we’re both idiots.”

She kissed my cheek, quick and hard. “Maybe.”

Night brought silence, and the world felt smaller. Even the bugs quit for a while. Gray’s signal came at ten sharp. Two clicks on the radio, then nothing.

“He’s moving,” I said.

Everyone stiffened. Tess went still, every muscle coiled.