Rugged Cowboy - Elana Johnson Page 0,83

to his mother’s for Valentine’s Day, as she’d recently fallen and needed help until her hip surgery. Hannah had still gotten a card and a huge heart-shaped box of chocolates from the cowboy, and Jess had received nothing.

She showered and got dressed, as usual. She lingered on her cowgirl boots, as they were the pair she’d worn when she’d first met Dallas. They were almost to the point where she needed to throw them away and get new ones, but she’d kept holding onto them for some reason.

She poured herself a cup of coffee that Jill had likely made, and she buttered a single slice of toast before heading out the door. The ranch was beautiful in the morning, with a golden glow that Jess was convinced could only be seen in Texas. Everything in Montana was blue, but here, this close to the Gulf of Mexico, the sun turned everything to gold.

She breathed in the crisp air, as February and March were her favorite months in Texas. She felt her lungs expand and her spirits lift. Today was going to be a good day.

Midnight Madness had made amazing progress since he’d been delivered to Hope Eternal Ranch, and when she looked at the magnificent creature, she understood the meaning of hope. When she looked at herself, she wasn’t sure she had anything left to hope for.

Pushing away the negative thoughts, she finished her coffee and tossed the paper cup into the recycling bin outside the stable. She almost always arrived first in the morning, and today was no different. She loved the stables when they only held the soft snufflings of dozens of horses and her own footsteps against the concrete.

Only a few steps inside today, though, and Jess paused. There was something wrong here. She first thought the air conditioner had gone on the fritz again, because everything was too quiet and too still.

But the cool kiss of air against her skin told her that the air conditioner was functioning. She cocked her head, listening.

The silence was absolute. There were no horse’s hooves shuffling along in their stalls. No huffs or nickers. Not even any breathing.

Her heartbeat started to sprint, and that was all Jess could hear now. She hurried past the place where they kept the tack and feed to the first row of stalls.

All of the horses were gone.

She sucked in a breath as a scream built in her chest. Running now, she hurried to the next row over. No horses.

She ran through the whole stable, and she didn’t find a single horse anywhere. Tears gathered in her eyes as she fumbled to get her phone out of her pocket. She didn’t see Ginger in the West Wing anymore, as she and Nate lived in their own cabin now, but Jess knew she’d be awake.

She dropped her phone, her fingers trembling as the first tears streaked down her face. She’d never heard of a ranch getting robbed so completely, and all she could think about were the horses she’d befriended and trained over the years.

Diamond Valley.

Midnight Madness.

Marshmallow Crème.

Texas Tyrant.

Weeping Willow.

Noah’s Ark—and that blasted horse had finally learned to leave his bandages alone.

Her chest pinched as Ginger’s phone rang, and once again, Jess cocked her head. She could hear the line ringing in her ear…and nearby. Outside.

She strode that way, hearing someone say something on the other side of the door just before the call to Ginger disconnected. Jess paused, her heart pounding and sprinting now.

“What’s going on?” she whispered to herself. Nothing else about this morning had been different or odd. “One way to find out.”

She squared her shoulders and pushed through the doors that led west, out to the pastures and paddocks, the training circles and the arenas.

She didn’t have to take more than two steps to find what was going on, and she only took those because of her momentum.

Every single horse the ranch owned stood there, forming half of a box, all of them facing her. Instant relief painted her insides, and she quickly wiped her face clean of the evidence of her tears. She saw Spencer, Jack, Bill, Nick, Rich, Nate, Ted, and a few other cowboys. They were spaced every three or four horses. Hannah stood next to Noah’s Ark, and Ginger had her hand on Midnight’s neck. He nickered as if saying good morning to Jess, and through her confusion, she managed to smile.

“Why are all the horses out here?” Jess asked, but no one attempted to answer her. And