Colorado Abduction - By Cassie Miles & Marie Ferrarella Page 0,67
What if she doesn’t want to get back together with him?”
“That’s her decision.”
His job ended when Nicole was released.
AS BURKE HAD PREDICTED, the scene at the ranch house was crazy. Every light in the house was lit. Headlights from vans and trucks raced back and forth. There were terse conversations from cowboys and commandos alike.
Carolyn climbed down from the saddle and stood looking up at the man who had saved her life for the second time. The man she loved.
“Go ahead, Burke. I know you have a lot to do. I’m going to the corral to wait for Dylan.”
He dismounted. “I’m staying with you.”
It felt good to have him put her first. “Aren’t there a lot of people you need to be ordering around?”
“They’ll manage.” He hooked his arm around her waist.
Together, they strolled toward the corral. The horse Burke had been riding trailed behind them. Though the night was far from silent, they seemed to be in their own little bubble of safety—a bubble that could be easily burst if Dylan didn’t return to the ranch with his wife.
From across the moonlit field, she spotted her brother riding toward her. Alone.
Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t be happy in her newfound love if Nicole was…
She ran to meet Dylan.
He dismounted slowly.
“I saw her,” he said. “We talked.”
“Is she all right?” Carolyn asked. “Where is she?”
“Not with me. Not anymore.” He held out his open palm, showing her the wedding ring. “Nicole isn’t coming back to me. She wants a divorce.”
Carolyn took the ring and read the inscription: My horizon. This couldn’t be true. “I don’t believe—”
“Believe it,” he said. “My horizon. My ass. The sun has set. She doesn’t love me anymore.”
There had been hints. When Carolyn first showed up at the ranch, Nicole hadn’t wanted to talk. Not that they’d had many conversations lately. Carolyn had been too busy, hadn’t expected to encounter a problem like this. A divorce.
“Your wife picked a hell of a way to break up with you,” Burke said. “Was the kidnapping staged?”
“No.”
She searched her brother’s face for a clue. He wore a stern mask to hide his pain and humiliation. “I want some answers, Dylan. Why did she keep signaling us that she was at the Circle M?”
“We didn’t talk about that. She told me that being kidnapped was a blessing in disguise. It gave her time to think.”
“I want to talk to her.” Carolyn needed to see for herself, wanted to hear the words from Nicole’s lips.
“That’s why she’s not coming back to the ranch. Doesn’t want to explain herself to anybody.” He gestured to the ranch house where teams of FBI and cowboys hustled in and out. “It’s over. All these damn people can go back to where they came from.”
“Sorry,” Burke said. “But that’s not how this type of investigation works. I need to be sure the victim is all right.”
“She’s well.” Dylan spat the words. “The only thing wrong is that…she’s gone.”
Carolyn pressed, “Tell me her exact words.”
“None of your business. This is between me and my wife.” He straightened his shoulders. “My ex-wife.”
“What about the ransom?” Burke asked.
“Money well spent,” Dylan said, “if it means I’m done with her. I’m calling off the investigation. Nicole isn’t a missing person. Nobody was holding a gun to her head. She’s leaving of her own accord.”
He turned his back and walked slowly toward the barn. Though his posture was erect and stoic, Carolyn knew that he was falling apart inside. And so was she. Her brief moment of happiness seemed to be crumbling. “Do something, Burke.”
“Legally, I can’t track down a person who isn’t missing.”
“You’ve picked a fine time to play by the rules.” Her hand closed around the wedding band. “Can’t you make Nicole come back? Make her explain to me.”
Her gaze searched his face, looking for a reason to hope that this would turn out.
“I won’t lie to you.” His dark eyes shone in the night. He kissed her forehead. “Dylan is satisfied that Nicole is well. I don’t have the authority to pursue further investigation.”
“But I’m not satisfied.” This wasn’t the happy ending she’d hoped for. “Dylan might be willing to write off a million dollars, but I’m not. I want the ransom back.”
“Good point.”
Nicole had simple tastes. She wasn’t the sort of woman who needed a million dollars to start a new life. “I can’t believe she took the money.”
“That might have been the price the kidnappers required. The price of her freedom.”