Page 81 of The Cowboy and the Stray

Once Pearl left, Tess eyed me. “So are you going to tell me what’s actually going to happen when Lance shows up?”

I eyed her back. “I’ll deal with him. I’m not worried about that part.”

“But he has guns. He has people.”

I nodded.

“Then what makes you think—” She broke off, looking at Pearl as she delivered the plates. “Thank you,” she said, with her best smile.

When Pearl was gone, Tess stabbed her eggs a few times and tried again. “Why aren’t you scared?”

I reached for the syrup. “Because I’ve seen worse than Lance Creed.”

Tess studied me across the table, and I let her.

“Eat,” I said. “You’ll need it.”

She obeyed, but she looked at me over her fork like she was memorizing my face.

We finished breakfast without another word then hopped in the truck. I rolled down the window and let the wind batter my face. We were almost home in no time.

Reid met us in the driveway, boots braced wide, hat pulled low.

“House is clear,” he said. “Midge is making biscuits and threatening murder. Sloane locked herself in the office. The kid’s doing laps around the barn.”

“Where’s Buck?”

Reid snorted. “Patrolling with Eli. Sloane gave them the shotgun and the night-vision for later. If a raccoon farts within a mile, they’ll know.”

I nodded. “Good. I need you to keep an eye on the creek trail. That one shows as an old road on maps. He’d see it as an easy way in.”

Reid nodded once. Nobody would get past him.

The front door banged open, and Midge appeared, flour up to her elbows and a rolling pin clutched like a club. She glared at Tess, then at me.

“You’re late. Sloane’s been up since three, and the boy’s making everyone nuts.”

I didn’t know which boy she meant, Noah or Eli, but it didn’t really matter. “Sorry, Midge.”

She scowled. “You want breakfast, or you want to tell me what the hell’s going on?”

I led Tess inside. The kitchen was chaos, flour dust everywhere, oven blasting, and Midge’s ancient coffee percolator bubbling like lava. Sloane was at the table, pale and tight-lipped, typing on a laptop and ignoring everyone. Apparently, she’d come out of her office. Noah sat on the floor under the window, reading a comic book.

Sloane didn’t look up as I asked her, “Did you find out anything?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think either of those names are his real name.”

Sloane’s eyes flicked to Tess, then to me.

I looked at Noah. “Hey, bud. You ready for a trip?”

He looked up, eyes huge. “Where to?”

“Austin. Sloane’s going to take you and Eli for a few days.”

Noah’s face collapsed. “But I want to help.”

“You’re helping by staying safe,” I said.