Ranch Refuge - Virginia Vaughan Mills & Boon Love Inspired Suspense

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eaten since her lunch break, now nearly eight hours ago, but the pit in her stomach would prevent her from keeping anything down. “I appreciate the thought, but I’m just going to go upstairs and try to get some sleep.”

      He was by her side in an instant. “Laura, I’m sorry if I upset you.” His handsome face was full of kindness and concern. For one crazy moment she imagined stepping into his embrace and weeping against his strong shoulders. But that was only a pipe dream.

      “None of this is your fault, Colton. In fact, you’re the one bright spot in all of this.”

      In fact, she didn’t know what she would have done without him and his intervention. She should never have doubted him. She’d prayed for a way out of this mess, and God had sent her Colton. For that, she was grateful, although she would have preferred that God make the entire mess go away so she could continue on with her life.

      Would she ever have a normal life again? She realized she’d taken normalcy for granted when she’d had it. When her mom had gotten sick and died, her father had turned to the casinos for comfort. Laura’s life had not been the same since.

      She longed for the assurance of a job where no one knew how dysfunctional her family was, and the stability of a home that didn’t include having to sneak out in the middle of the night because her dad had gambled away the rent money. Mostly, she longed for a loving relationship. That one day she’d have someone who would stand beside her and share her burdens, and she could share his... A lump rose to her throat. But who would ever want to share the burdens she carried? Any man in his right mind would run screaming for the hills when he discovered her twisted family ties.

      She swallowed hard, determined not to let her vulnerability show. For now, she had Colton, and she would take what she could get for as long as she could. Because eventually he would realize the depth of the hole her father had dug for her, and he would realize the futility of trying to help her out of it. He would be gone, just like the rest, because the load she carried was too heavy for anyone else to bear.

      He stopped her before she reached the stairs. “Laura, we all make choices that have consequences. Some of those consequences are worse than others. I’m sure your father never meant to do anything to cause you harm.”

      “He’s getting what he deserves. He brought this on, not me. I can’t concern myself with him right now.” She rushed up the stairs and locked herself in the bedroom before the tears began to fall.

      * * *

      Colton leaned against the sink. Laura might as well have punched him in the gut. It felt the same. Her words had hit him. Hard. She didn’t know it, but she could have been talking about him when she’d spoken about her father. She was a living, breathing, in-your-face reminder of all the people he’d hurt through his dark time.

      If she knew the truth about his past, she would turn tail and run as far from him as she could get...and then Chuck Randall would get to her.

      But if Colton could rescue her, then maybe he could gain a bit of redemption, too.

       TWO

      Laura’s eyes fluttered open. Sunlight filtered in through the curtain. She lifted up onto her elbows and glanced at the bedside clock. It was already afternoon. She’d slept most of the day and had to admit she felt rested for the first time in a long while.

      She owed it to Colton and his presence. But even though she felt safe here, she knew she couldn’t afford to let her guard down. She heard his voice from outside her window. Glancing out, she saw him walking toward the barn, several dogs following along behind him. She raised the window and heard him talking to them. It caused her to smile that he talked to his dogs. She liked that about him. Then her face reddened as she realized that wasn’t all she liked about Colton. She enjoyed the way his shirt pulled tight against him, revealing broad shoulders and muscles for decades.

      Transfixed, she watched him kneel and pet one of the dogs that jumped up on him, rubbing him affectionately. He suddenly glanced her way. She reddened again, this time at being caught staring. But he good-naturedly raised his hand in a wave to her.

      She moved away from the window. Trusting Colton to keep her safe was one thing, but finding herself drawn to the man was another. Still, she couldn’t deny the attraction. But then, why wouldn’t she be affected? A good-looking man had swooped in and rescued her from the bad men. Her feelings were probably natural, but she couldn’t act on them. She didn’t have a great track record with men. Her last serious relationship had ended ugly, causing her to realize the idiom that girls fall in love with men like their fathers wasn’t just a saying. It was true. Lance liked the casinos as much as her father did. Once she’d realized this, she’d quickly ended the relationship. She already had one gambler in her life and certainly didn’t need another.

      * * *

      Before she went downstairs, she took a few moments to phone her neighbor Mrs. Duncan. Laura told her she was going to be out of town for a few days and asked her to check in on her cat, Misty, and to make sure she had food. Mrs. Duncan agreed and wished her a good trip. Laura hated not being honest with her, but she thought this was the best way. Colton hadn’t even wanted her to phone, but she couldn’t go into hiding while her kitty starved.

      Next, she called her friend Denise Jenkins, another nurse in the ER. She wanted to let her know she was safe and ask her to pass along the message to the nurse manager that she’d had to go out of town unexpectedly, so they could remove her from the work schedule and find someone to cover her upcoming shifts.

      Denise sounded groggy when she answered and Laura remembered that her friend had worked the graveyard shift. She’d begun her shift while Laura was finishing hers. Laura glanced at the clock and realized her friend had probably just gotten home and into bed an hour or so ago.

      “Denise, it’s Laura. Are you awake?”

      “I am now,” she moaned. “Why are you calling me so early? You know I just got off work.”

      “I know. I wouldn’t have called, but it’s important. Something happened last night. A group of men tried to abduct me in the employee parking lot.”

      “What!” Denise’s voice cleared and Laura could tell she was now fully alert. “Are you okay? Are you being held captive? Should I call the police?”

      “No, no. I’m fine. Another man was there and he rescued me. I’m safe, but I don’t think I’m going to be returning to River City for a while.”

      “Did you go to the police? Did they find the guys who tried to get you?”

      “No, we didn’t go to the police. You know this wasn’t a random kidnapping attempt. Randall sent those men to grab me.”

      She had told Denise about her father’s gambling debts and Randall’s insistence she pay, but not the rest—the horrible truth that Randall was demanding she marry him. She shuddered, thinking about the idea of him ever laying a hand on her.

      “Are you sure you’re okay?” Denise asked her.

      “Yes, for now. Anyway, the reason I called is that I didn’t want you to worry about me, but I also need you to call the nurse manager and ask her to take me off the schedule. Just tell her I’ll call when I get back into town.”

      “When will that be?” Denise asked, her voice growing ever more frightened.

      “I don’t know. Maybe not for a while. I don’t have my phone anymore, so you can’t call it, but you can reach me at this number.”

      Denise was silent on the other end for several moments. Laura wondered if she’d hung up or fallen back asleep, but when she spoke, Laura could hear the uncertainty and fear in her tone. “Laura, tell me the truth, is someone there with you now? Are they making you say this?”

      “No, Denise. I’m fine. Will you please just do as I asked?”

      “I

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