it the twins were out on dates and that Zachary had roped Zeke into hanging out with his date’s sister.
Apparently Zeke hadn’t been amused.
Mac looked at her across the fire. “I should have your car ready by Monday or Tuesday.”
She perked up. “That’s good news. Any idea on the cost?”
He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”
“No. I will pay.” She tried to make her voice as firm as his.
He glanced at Trent.
She wanted to get irritated, but it had been a long day, and the wine tasted delicious. Plus, it was mellowing her out a little, and she didn’t want to lose that sense of peace. She cleared her throat. “We need to talk about tomorrow night.”
“No.” Trent rolled his neck. “Did you guys fix those fences along the western ridge?”
“Yes.” Hallie sat straight up. “I’ve let you ignore the subject for almost three nights, but we’re going to discuss it now.” Her gaze swept the men on the other side of the fire. “None of you can think this is a good idea.”
Not surprisingly, they remained silent.
So she focused on the sheriff. “Austin? Speak.”
Surprise, amusement, and then wariness flashed across the sheriff ’s face. “I’m sure any plan Trent told you about is a good one.”
She jerked to face Trent. “Any plan you told me about? What don’t I know?”
He took another drink of the wine. “I told you the plan. We’ve already scrubbed you electronically from the data. Tomorrow night I’ll go in and destroy physical copies. Then we’re turning everything over to the police in Boise to handle. Once the Montgomerys and Marc Lewis are in custody, you’re safe. It’s pretty simple.”
Darn if three heads didn’t nod across the fire. She took a big drink of the Chianti and barely kept herself from coughing. The stuff was strong. “I don’t think you should risk everything you’ve built here by breaking the law in Idaho. It’s just silly.”
“He’ll be fine,” Ford said, lounging in the chair in a way that looked casual but felt anything but. The firelight danced across the white scars on the right side of his face, putting the other side into darkness.
She shivered.
Trent’s phone buzzed, and he tugged it from his pocket, reading the face before lifting it to his ear. “Hey, Jesse. What’s up?”
He listened and then sat up, pulling his legs in. “Got it. We’ll be right there.” He stood just as the other three men did the same, all with that same alert readiness. “We have a mudslide on the north ridge, cattle in trouble. The rain has been horrible.”
“We can get there faster on horseback,” Austin said, setting his bottle near the fireplace. He turned toward the nearest barn with Ford and Mac flanking him.
Thunder pounded and lightning zagged in the distance. The smell of ozone filled the air. Hallie stood. “It’s going to rain again, and it’s dark out there. No moonlight. It’s not safe.”
Trent snagged her around the waist and dragged her against him, kissing her hard. Then soft. Then deep.
She moaned, leaning into him. Fire flushed through her, setting every nerve pounding.
That soon, he released her. “We’ll be fine, sweetheart. I’ll be late, so don’t wait up.”
Then he was gone.
* * *
Hallie startled awake on the sofa and listened. Rain beat against the windows and the wind gnawed on the house with sharp fangs. She blinked and pushed her hair off her face.
Another sound caught her attention. Footsteps.
She sat up and looked toward the kitchen. “Trent?”
“I told you not to wait up.” His voice was strained.
She stood and hurried into the kitchen, flipping on the light as she did so. Then she stopped. He stood at the back sliding glass door and gingerly removed a long black slicker. Blood flowed from a wound in his right cheek and one along his left wrist. “What happened to you?” She moved toward him.
He shoved his boot into a wooden thing on the ground and tugged it off before doing the same with the other one.
She blinked. “What is that thing?”
“A bootjack.” He plunked his hat onto a hook on the wall. Mud and blood coated his throat, and he reached toward the countertop and the paper towels while remaining on the small rug by the door.
She hustled toward him, trying to see how badly he was cut. “Come in and sit down.”
“I’m a mess. Don’t want to ruin your clean floor.” He grinned, and blood slid down to cover his upper lip.
She took the towel from him and wiped off