Read Online Montana Midwife by Cassie Miles - Free Book Online

the tires and put a couple of holes in the doors of the truck just to teach these guys a lesson. But he didn’t want to give them a reason to press charges against him for destroying their property.
    “Tab, you stay put.” He stood with his rifle still held at the ready. “This might be a trap.”
    “Could be somebody else in the back of the truck,” she said. “Be careful.”
    Walking toward them, he yelled, “On your knees. Hands locked behind your head.”
    Quickly, they followed his order. As he approached, he could see the fear in their eyes. They were young, not much older than Misty. One of them wore a beat-up Denver Broncos cap and an oversize jersey with the number fifteen celebrating Tebow, the former quarterback who pulled off a couple of miracle wins. The other appeared to be part Crow.
    After he checked the bed of the truck and was satisfied that nobody else was hiding amid the junk that had accumulated there, he took a position in front of the young men. Aiden didn’t lower his rifle.
    “Where are your guns?” he demanded.
    “In the truck,” said the Bronco fan. “We didn’t mean any harm. We fired into the air to get your attention.”
    “Nobody threatens my home.” Aiden was dead serious. “If you have a problem, you come to me. Like a man.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Give me your names.”
    “I’m Woody Silas.” He wore the Bronco cap. “And this here is Chuck Longbeak.”
    Aiden heard Tab come up behind him. “Longbeak,” she said. “I know your sister.”
    His dark eyes pleaded. “You can’t tell my sister. She’ll tell my mom.”
    “Your mom will know,” Tab said. “You boys are about to get yourselves arrested. The deputies are already on their way.”
    “We didn’t do nothing wrong,” Woody said. He was almost crying. If this was an act, it was a good one. “We just flung something in your driveway and fired into the air.”
    “You broke plenty of laws,” Aiden said. “You fled a police officer. You were speeding. You did malicious mischief. If I really pushed, that mischief charge might get upgraded to assault with a deadly weapon.”
    “Nobody got hurt,” Woody yelped.
    “What did you throw into my driveway?”
    The two young men exchanged a nervous glance. This time it was Chuck Longbeak who did the talking. “We wrapped up a note inside a hunting magazine so it would have some heft. Woody threw it. He’s got a good arm. He was a quarterback.”
    “What did the note say?” Tab asked.
    Chuck buttoned his lip. He was acting like this was nothing but a harmless prank, and Aiden was running short on patience. “Answer the lady.”
    “David Welling was my friend,” Chuck said. “He got me a job with his uncle at the gas station. I liked David. He shouldn’t be dead.”
    “His death,” Tab said, “saddens us all. David should have had many more years.”
    Chuck turned his head to glare at Aiden. “It’s your sister’s fault. He loved her. And she shot him.”
    He spoke with the kind of assurance that came from knowing what had happened, almost as though he’d been there at the time of the shooting. “How do you know? Were you there?”
    “No.” Chuck shook his head. They both looked guilty as hell. Something else was going on with them.
    “But you know the area. You know where David got shot.” Aiden paused. “I’m going to ask you again. Think hard and tell me the truth. Were you there?”
    “Not this time.”
    His answer implied that there had been other times. “It wasn’t sheer dumb luck that David ended up in a place where my sister was. He must have been following her.”
    Woody spoke up, “We don’t know nothing about that.”
    “I think you do,” Aiden pressed. “I think you were all spying on Misty, keeping an eye on her. How many times did you drive by the ranch, looking for her?”
    “Maybe once or twice,” Chuck admitted.
    “Shut up,” Woody growled. “We don’t have to tell him that. He’s not a cop.”
    “I’m going to