Read Online Wild Rodeo Nights by Sandy Sullivan - Free Book Online Page A

her since she was little, and I hung out with her dad, but rushing the guy will just get her shot.”
    Cole settled back down next to the cop behind the door of the car. “So what do we do?”
    “We negotiate.”
    “What? We don’t have time to negotiate!”
    “Calm down. The sheriff over there behind the car to your left will handle this.”
    Cole grumbled under his breath and the cop chuckled. “By the way, what’s your name?”
    “Cole Wilder.”
    “Nice to meet you, Cole. I’m Adam Robinson. I went to high school with Carrie's dad.”
    Cole gave Adam an exasperated look. Why were they just sitting there doing nothing? Someone needed to do something!
    “Known Carrie long?”
    “No.” His gaze shifted back to the scene in front of him. Cole was fully aware of the amused sparkle in Adam's eyes.
    “Kind of gets to you, doesn’t she?”
    “Yeah. She sure does.”
    The Captain barked over the megaphone. “Let her go. You can’t get away, you know. We’ve got you surrounded.”
    “Not a chance, pig. I’m leaving, and she’s getting me out of here.”
    Cole watched as the burglar shifted along toward where her truck was parked, pulling her with him. He couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. He needed to help her, somehow.
    "Hey!" Adam said, but Cole ignored him and shifted toward the back of the car.
    Crouched where he was, he didn’t think the man holding Carrie saw him, so Cole worked his way from one police car to another, getting closer and closer to Carrie’s truck.
    When he had himself positioned on the driver’s side, he peeked over the bed to see the burglar almost directly in front of the vehicle. His heart hammering in his chest, he slowly opened the driver’s side door that Carrie left unlocked. The police had the man talking, keeping him occupied enough he didn’t notice what Cole did until he and the robber were mere feet apart.
    “Mister.”
    The criminal spun around, continuing to hold Carrie by the throat. Her terrified eyes met his as he saw her mouth his name.
    “Who the hell are you?”
    “Just let her go. You can take me instead.”
    “Get the hell away from the truck. I’m taking her. She’s worth more than you anyway, cowboy.”
    Cole shrugged like he didn’t care. “That may be true.” He could see out of the corner of his eye that the police were moving closer while he kept the man talking. “Hey—you ever heard of the Wilders out of Wyoming?” The burglar obviously searched his mind if Cole read his narrowed eyes correctly.
    “Maybe.”
    “I’m the youngest son. If you let her go, you can ransom me. My family would pay dearly to get me back.”
    The man seemed to contemplate the latest development while he loosened his hold on Carrie’s neck slightly. Cole could see the plan when it hatched in her mind, and he tried to communicate to her not to do anything stupid.
    Before he had a chance to react, Carrie dropped her hand from the guy’s arm, bent her arm at the elbow and jammed it into his gut. The air whooshed from his lungs when he let go of her throat. The guy’s eyes opened wide, and he dropped to his knees with a painful groan when her fist connected with his balls. The gun flew out of his hand and skidded across the pavement in Cole’s direction.
    He almost laughed when she turned around and kicked the guy in the face, knocking him out cold. She stood over the unconscious man as she yelled, “That’s for hitting me!”
    The fight drained out of her when she turned around and almost flew across the distance separating them, straight into his arms. Stroking her back, he pulled her tight as he whispered in her ear. She clung to him, and her shoulders shook with sobs. The wetness on his shirt broke his heart. A moment later, he was stunned when another set of female arms wrapped around them both.
    Jessica ran her hands down Carrie’s back and whispered, “Are you okay? God, Carrie! I thought he was going to kill you!”
    Cole wrapped both women in his