LITMIR.BIZ

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she didn’t stay here with us,” Claudia said.

      “Good question.” Elijah nodded. “Where would you go and how would you know when you were safe?”

      “Wow.” Olivia looked him up and down. “You really know how to make a girl feel better.”

      “Running off in a blind panic could make things a whole lot worse for you.”

      She hugged her arms over her chest. Elijah could see goose bumps on the surface of her skin even though she was standing in the sun.

      “I’m so glad to have you here,” Claudia said, reaching out to squeeze her niece’s hand.

      Oh, yeah, that. Sometimes Elijah forgot to say the warm fuzzy words. A fair amount of the time he couldn’t say them because he didn’t really believe them. But in this case he knew they were true. Claudia had been very excited about the visit.

      “I’m glad to be here.”

      In the bright sunlight, Elijah could see the purple half circles under her eyes. Probably been missing out on sleep for a while. She was pale for a woman who lived in Vegas. And her clothes hung loosely on her. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she needed all the help she could get.

      “Your house is beautiful,” Olivia said to Claudia, scanning the yard. Elijah watched her gaze settle on the junipers planted at the corners of the small guest cottage fifty feet away, current home of Raymond and Denise Bauer. Then she looked toward the numerous wooden sheds on the property, their interiors darkened and impossible to see into.

      “You looking for Kurtz?” Elijah asked.

      She snapped her attention back to Claudia, ignoring his question. “Painted Rock is such a pretty, peaceful town. It’s everything I’d hoped for. I don’t want to stay and ruin it for you.”

      “If you leave, you’ll break an old lady’s heart.”

      Olivia let go a laugh. “Please don’t try to guilt me into staying.”

      “I will if it works. And don’t forget about the job interview I lined up for you at the senior center. Are you going to throw away that opportunity after all the effort I put into getting it for you?”

      “You’re merciless.” Olivia had already returned to scanning her surroundings. She looked toward Claudia’s corrals and stables, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

      “There’s nobody out here,” Claudia said, following her gaze.

      For a moment, there was only the peaceful sound of the breeze rustling through the trees and chickens clucking as they moseyed around the yard.

      “I’ve got too many dogs for anybody to sneak up on us,” Claudia added.

      “I don’t know how much help Jasper, Feldspar and Opal would be as watchdogs,” Elijah said.

      Claudia shot him a quelling look. Unfortunately, it looked as if today was his day to annoy Claudia as well as Olivia. Claudia obviously wanted to wrap her niece in comfort and reassurance. Elijah didn’t think that was a good idea. Not now. Not if it made her ignore the fact that she was still in danger.

      Now that he knew more about the danger she was facing, he wasn’t so anxious for her to leave town. He still didn’t want Claudia at risk—but Olivia didn’t deserve to be constantly on the run, either. Not when her only crime was crossing the line to try to help someone who’d been hurt.

      “If you stay here,” he added, “you’ll have quite a few people looking out for you. If you take off running, you’ll be alone. And it could be a very short run.”

      Olivia’s eyes glistened. Claudia sniffed loudly and brought her hand to her mouth.

      Oh, yeah, Elijah had quite the way with the ladies.

      “I don’t want to go,” Olivia blurted out. “But I don’t want to stay, either. Not if Ted Kurtz has tracked me here. And yet I’m so tired of hiding. It feels like I’ve been hiding forever.”

      “Right here, right this minute, we’re fine.” Claudia frowned at Elijah while she pulled a tissue out of her pocket and handed it to Olivia. “Sometimes we just have to focus on that.”

      Olivia drew in a deep breath and wiped her eyes and nose with the tissue.

      Both women were upset and on edge. Elijah’s work here was done. It was a shame doing the right thing didn’t always make people feel good. But it might keep them alive.

      “I’ve got to get to work on that fence,” Elijah said to Claudia. “Call me if you have any trouble. Call 911, but have someone call me, too. I’ll be closer. I’ll get here faster.”

      “Okay.” Claudia nodded.

      Elijah climbed on his bike, cranked up the engine and headed back toward the Morales ranch. Mission accomplished. He’d found out what he’d wanted to know, he’d told the ladies what he’d wanted them to know and Olivia hadn’t killed him with a look.

      * * *

      “I’ve got eleven hundred acres, most of it heading due east from here.” Claudia pointed toward the far reaches of her ranch. “It joins up with federal parkland so there aren’t any public roads for a long ways. Ted Kurtz couldn’t sneak up on us from back here even if he was in the neighborhood.”

      Olivia gazed at the grassy land closest to the house, with stables, corrals and fenced pasture fanning out in every direction. The land to the north was rocky, forested foothills heading up into the mountains.

      “Raymond will be out here doing his maintenance work and looking after what few animals I’ve got left.” Claudia sighed softly. “This place used to be a lot busier, but after Hugh passed away I sold off most of the herd and started leasing out my grazing land.”

      “It’s gorgeous.” Olivia wondered why her parents never came to visit. How come her dad, Claudia’s nephew, never brought her out here?

      “Getting outside always raises my spirits.” Claudia lifted her chin. “I’ve kept a few horses. Do you ride? I could saddle one up for you.”

      “I never learned how to ride.” Until recently, Olivia didn’t even realize she had a relative who owned horses.

      “Well, now you’ll have to stay around so you can learn.”

      In the quiet, they heard the rumble of Elijah’s motorcycle growing fainter. “So, Elijah likes to get into other people’s business?”

      Claudia laughed. “He’s been that way since he was a kid. He’s always on the lookout for trouble, always wanting to take care of things. He was an army ranger. I think he must have been pretty good at it, too. But he said he missed his family’s ranch after a few years and he came back home.”

      “I can see why he’d miss it. I wouldn’t mind living in a place like this.” Even though she couldn’t help picking out potential spots where Ted Kurtz or some thug he’d hired might be hiding. She was being irrational; she knew it. Jumping at shadows wouldn’t do her any good. Elijah was right, much as she hated to admit it. She had to make smart choices, be logical. But she also had to stop letting fear control her life. She had to stop letting Ted Kurtz control her life.

      “Fresh air and sunshine will do you a world of good.” Claudia leaned over to pull a weed from the flower bed. “I’m expecting a call—I’ve got to get back inside.” She tossed the weed aside and wiped her hands on her jeans. “You’re welcome to come back in the house with me or stay out here. Your choice.”

      Claudia was right. It really was her choice.

      “You know what? I’m tired of being afraid.” What kind of life did you have if you were afraid to go for a walk in the sun? “I think I will stay out here and meander around a little bit. Maybe I’ll find Raymond and see if he can use some help.”

      “He’s working in the stable this morning.

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