her into trying harder. Heaven knew she was pitifully lonely these days. Somebody to share her life with would be nice.
She kept thinking about that as she drove to pick up her son, not liking at all that for some reason Moses Mann kept popping into her head.
“Look what I won, Mom!” Dylan held up a bag of books, his face radiating joy.
“I’m so proud of you. How about I take you for ice cream?”
“Ice cream!” He was hopping on one foot in excitement all the way to the car, then chatted on the drive to the ice-cream shop, filling her in on everything that had happened at the treasure hunt.
All right, so a boyfriend would have been nice, she thought, but as long as she had Logan, she was more than okay. The most important thing was that her son was happy.
They had ice cream, drove home singing to country songs on the radio, did their evening chores. After dinner, they moved on to their bedtime routine. Then she did some more work, washing glass jars, getting ready for the last of the canning. Eleven o’clock rolled by before she fell into bed, exhausted. But her rest was short-lived.
Shortly after midnight, she woke to the dogs barking outside.
Probably a coyote, she thought, fuzzy-brained. She turned onto her other side and tried to go back to sleep, but the dogs wouldn’t give up. Then she came awake enough to remember the shed and all her recent problems with people prowling her property. Her heart rate picked up as she slipped from the bed.
She left the lights off so she could look outside and not be seen. Plenty of moonlight filtered into the room to make sure that she wouldn’t trip on anything, so she shuffled to the nearest window.
The door on one of the outbuildings hung open. Had she forgotten to close the latch? No, she couldn’t have. She’d been paying extra attention to make sure everything was closed up tight.
She tried to see the dogs but couldn’t. One of them cried out, the long whine cutting through the night. She hurried downstairs and jumped into her boots. Then she stopped in her tracks when she thought about Mo’s revelation that the knife used to slash her tires had also been used in a murder.
The dog whined again. She wasn’t going to hide in here while one of her animals suffered, dammit. Who knew if Mo was even telling the truth? Could be he was just trying to scare her into spilling her brother’s supposed secrets. She grabbed one of Dylan’s rifles to be on the safe side and reached for the door, but then froze in her tracks as she put her hand on the doorknob.
She could see through the glass as a shadow, a human shadow, slipped from the outbuilding and ran around it, the dogs in close pursuit.
She opened the door and whistled for the dogs.
She had to whistle repeatedly before they came at last. She ordered them inside then locked the door and the doggie door. Then she went around to make sure all the other doors and windows were locked tight, too. And then she dialed Kenny. Shane and the Hullett police couldn’t care less about her.
The phone rang and rang, but Kenny didn’t pick up.
Her gaze fell on the card Mo left on her fridge. Okay, so it was possible he’d been right. Maybe someone was out there trying to do her harm.
Mo refused to believe that Dylan was innocent, but at least he cared about her and her son’s safety. She dialed his number.
He picked up on the first ring. “Are you okay?” he asked before she could even say her name.
She had to raise her voice to be heard over the barking dogs that were jumping on the door, wanting to be let out. “There’s someone outside.”
“Go upstairs.” His voice snapped tight. “Barricade yourself in one of the bedrooms with Logan and the dogs. I’ll be right there. You have a gun with you?”
“Yes.”
“If you need to use it, use it,” he said before he hung up.
She had to practically drag the dogs upstairs with her. They wanted to go back outside, barking their heads off.
Waking up Logan,
She kept thinking about that as she drove to pick up her son, not liking at all that for some reason Moses Mann kept popping into her head.
“Look what I won, Mom!” Dylan held up a bag of books, his face radiating joy.
“I’m so proud of you. How about I take you for ice cream?”
“Ice cream!” He was hopping on one foot in excitement all the way to the car, then chatted on the drive to the ice-cream shop, filling her in on everything that had happened at the treasure hunt.
All right, so a boyfriend would have been nice, she thought, but as long as she had Logan, she was more than okay. The most important thing was that her son was happy.
They had ice cream, drove home singing to country songs on the radio, did their evening chores. After dinner, they moved on to their bedtime routine. Then she did some more work, washing glass jars, getting ready for the last of the canning. Eleven o’clock rolled by before she fell into bed, exhausted. But her rest was short-lived.
Shortly after midnight, she woke to the dogs barking outside.
Probably a coyote, she thought, fuzzy-brained. She turned onto her other side and tried to go back to sleep, but the dogs wouldn’t give up. Then she came awake enough to remember the shed and all her recent problems with people prowling her property. Her heart rate picked up as she slipped from the bed.
She left the lights off so she could look outside and not be seen. Plenty of moonlight filtered into the room to make sure that she wouldn’t trip on anything, so she shuffled to the nearest window.
The door on one of the outbuildings hung open. Had she forgotten to close the latch? No, she couldn’t have. She’d been paying extra attention to make sure everything was closed up tight.
She tried to see the dogs but couldn’t. One of them cried out, the long whine cutting through the night. She hurried downstairs and jumped into her boots. Then she stopped in her tracks when she thought about Mo’s revelation that the knife used to slash her tires had also been used in a murder.
The dog whined again. She wasn’t going to hide in here while one of her animals suffered, dammit. Who knew if Mo was even telling the truth? Could be he was just trying to scare her into spilling her brother’s supposed secrets. She grabbed one of Dylan’s rifles to be on the safe side and reached for the door, but then froze in her tracks as she put her hand on the doorknob.
She could see through the glass as a shadow, a human shadow, slipped from the outbuilding and ran around it, the dogs in close pursuit.
She opened the door and whistled for the dogs.
She had to whistle repeatedly before they came at last. She ordered them inside then locked the door and the doggie door. Then she went around to make sure all the other doors and windows were locked tight, too. And then she dialed Kenny. Shane and the Hullett police couldn’t care less about her.
The phone rang and rang, but Kenny didn’t pick up.
Her gaze fell on the card Mo left on her fridge. Okay, so it was possible he’d been right. Maybe someone was out there trying to do her harm.
Mo refused to believe that Dylan was innocent, but at least he cared about her and her son’s safety. She dialed his number.
He picked up on the first ring. “Are you okay?” he asked before she could even say her name.
She had to raise her voice to be heard over the barking dogs that were jumping on the door, wanting to be let out. “There’s someone outside.”
“Go upstairs.” His voice snapped tight. “Barricade yourself in one of the bedrooms with Logan and the dogs. I’ll be right there. You have a gun with you?”
“Yes.”
“If you need to use it, use it,” he said before he hung up.
She had to practically drag the dogs upstairs with her. They wanted to go back outside, barking their heads off.
Waking up Logan,
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