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Schumacher frowned but didn’t say anything. Adam wasn’t sure if he was thinking or just staring off into space. They had no time for either. He scrubbed a hand over his face. Why did nothing ever go to plan?
“Come on, let’s get you home.”
Schumacher glanced at him in surprise and hesitated before finally nodding. Adam sent up a quick prayer of thanks to whoever was listening. He’d had to haul Mr. Schumacher into a wagon once, and once was enough. He really didn’t want to have to try and wrestle the man onto a horse when he was actually conscious.
Speaking of horses… Adam looked around, frowning. “Where is your horse?”
They spent a moment looking for his horse before it became clear that she had either run off or been stolen. Since Mr. Schumacher had no idea how he’d gotten so far out of town, he was little help.
“Barnaby can carry both of us,” Adam said, mounting and holding out a hand to help Schumacher up behind him.
The horse grunted when the man swung up. “You sure about that?”
Adam chuckled. “Not exactly. But he should be fine for a mile or two. He just likes to complain.”
Schumacher barked out a quiet laugh, and they headed back toward town. It seemed there was no escape for Adam after all. Not that he wanted one.
“We’ve established whyIwas out here, but what are you doing out here? Last I heard, you and my daughter were hitched. You abandoning her already?”
Adam belatedly realized that putting a man who hated him at his back might not have been the wisest decision. But why break his streak now?
“No. Quite the opposite,” he said. “I’m trying to protect her.”
“Right. You’re going to have to explain your thinkin’ on that one,” Schumacher said, understandably not believing him.
Adam spent the ride back into town filling Schumacher in on the whole Spurlock situation while keeping an eye out for the aforementioned devil.
Schumacher quietly snorted when he was finished. “Well, I can’t say that I’m happy you did something that most likely hurt my girl.” Adam could feel Schumacher sag against him, like what little fight he’d mustered had fled. “I’ve hurt her enough.” He dragged a sharp breath in through his nose. “Still. Even if she hates me, I’m still her father. She’s been through enough.”
“She doesn’t hate you,” Adam said quietly.
“Wouldn’t blame her if she did,” Schumacher muttered. “Still. You’re giving yourself up to keep her safe. I can admire that. Maybe you aren’t so bad after all.”
Adam’s lips twitched. “Thanks.”
They’d reached the house, and Adam pulled up suddenly, quickly dismounting and leading Barnaby behind a couple of trees that were nearby. They wouldn’t hide the horse by any means, but they wouldn’t be so obvious if someone from the house were to look out.
“What are you doing?” Schumacher said, sliding down from Barnaby.
“The gate to the garden is open,” Adam said, keeping his voice low. “Nora wouldneverleave it open. Something’s wrong.”
He pulled the horse farther behind the tree. “Stay here with Barnaby. I’m going to see what’s going on.”
Schumacher grabbed his arm before he could leave. “She’s my daughter. I should go.”
Adam shoved his impatience down. The man wasn’t wrong. Still… “I know you want to help her, Mr. Schumacher, but you’re in no real condition to do so. Let me see what’s going on. I’ll be right back, and we can come up with a plan.”
Schumacher reluctantly nodded, and Adam crept back over to the fence, keeping hidden behind trees and bushes as much as possible.
The house looked quiet, but there was noise coming from the barn. He moved as quickly as he could to the nearest wall, inching along it until he came to a knot in the wood he could look through. And what he found had him seeing red with a fury so strong, his body shook with the force of it.
Nora sat slumped in a chair, her legs and arms tied, her head limp on her neck, obviously unconscious.
He was nearly to the barn door, his gun in his hand, before he realized he’d moved. Cursing under his breath, he stopped short and crept back a few feet. As much as he wanted to slaughter the man where he stood, Spurlock wasn’t some green boy. The only reason to take Nora was to draw out Adam.
He tried to choke back the terror clogging his throat at the thing he’d always feared finally coming to pass. He’d been trying to avoid this exact situation his whole adult life. From the moment he first saw her, he’d known he should just walk away. Being with her, staying with her,lovingher…had done nothing but put her life in danger. And he had no one to blame but himself.
He gritted his teeth so hard, his jaw popped, but he made himself walk away, back to where Schumacher waited. Charging in there without a plan in place would just get them both killed.
