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.She ran for the fence, but she didn't think she was going to make it.Even as her hand slapped the top rail and a splinter stabbed her palm, she felt the animal's hot breath on her neck.Any minute now, she would feel his sharp horns striking her back.Praying for speed and strength, she gripped the railing and began to scramble over.Rick shouted again.She heard her jeans tear and felt a stab against her skin, then the hot spurt of blood on her thigh, but there was no pain yet.Then she was falling on the ground with the smell of manure in her nose and the hard taste of dirt in her mouth.Rolling onto her back, she looked up into blue sky.Her hat was gone, and the pain started, first in her thigh and then in her shoulder.Still trying to get to her, the bull was battering at the fence and snorting.She rose up on her elbows, then sat up."Calm down," she said.She got up and dusted off her jeans.Blood had soaked her thigh, and standing made her feel dizzy."Are you okay?" Rick was still carrying Betsy as he came toward her.A red stain darkened his jeans below his right knee.Allie tried to move toward them as her knees buckled and she sank to the ground.RICK WAS STILL SHAKING BY THE TIME ALLIE CAME AROUND.WORRY wrinkling her brow, Betsy hovered over her mother's bed, and he kept watching the little girl.She'd calmed the bull with a song.Any other person approaching the animal like that would have been trampled.Betsy had a touch with the beasts.Had she always been that way? He'd have to ask Allie.Elijah came to the bedroom door."She will be all right, si?""I think she'll be fine," the doctor said, moving away from the bed."She's lost a little blood, but I think it was probably more shock that made her lose consciousness.She's coming around now." He left the room, and Rick and Elijah moved to stand beside the bed.Allie moaned and moved her head.Her eyes opened, and Rick stared down into their blue depths.Her hand went to her head, and she tried to sit up."Don't move," Elijah said, putting a brown, wrinkled hand on her shoulder."Betsy," Allie whispered."She's right here," Rick said, putting Betsy closer to the bed.Allie touched Betsy's face, and the little girl climbed into the bed with her mother.Allie snuggled her close, and Betsy's eyes closed."The bull?"Allie asked."Safe in the paddock," Elijah said in a clipped voice.Rick had carried Allie in, then went out with the stock hands to capture the bull before coming back to check on Allie.He motioned to Elijah when Allie's eyes closed again.The two men stepped into the hall."The door to Roscoe's stall was standing open.I think someone let him out.Any idea who would do that?" he asked Elijah.The old man hesitated."I have not wanted to worry you, but I have had an offer for the ranch a good offer that I turned down.""Who would want to buy clear out here in the middle of nowhere?""You have heard of Stuart Ifera, si? He wants to put up a fancy resort much like Lajitos.""How would releasing the bull force you to sell?"Elijah shrugged."He thought the animal worth more than it is, si? But perhaps it was not this man." He nodded toward Allie."Could it be something to do with Allie?""I don't see how."Elijah shrugged."If you will keep watch over her, I will get us some coffee and return."Rick needed to talk to her anyway.Right now might not be the best time, but it would have to do.Maybe she'd be truthful in a weakened state.He stepped back into the room.Allie was studying a picture on the wall, with a sleeping Betsy curled beside her."You doing okay?""Fine." She shifted in the bed."I should get up.""I wanted to ask you about something." He let his gaze bore into her like an interrogator."Are you moving illegal Mexicans around with the rodeo, Allie?"Her eyes widened, and her lips parted.She started to sit up but Betsy stirred, and Allie subsided against the pillow."That's ridiculous," she said.The blue of her eyes was as cold as an ice storm."Why would you even ask me that?""So you didn't know the border patrol is looking for you with questions?""Border patrol? Are you serious?"Unless he was a bad judge of character, he'd swear she had no idea about this.But he'd never been able to read women.His mother could look like an angel, then grab up a razor strap and lay his back open."So you know nothing about it?""No," She shook her head violently, dark curls whipping against her cheeks."I can't believe they would suspect me.""They're going to come looking for you.If they take you away, Betsy will have no choice but to go to your in-laws.We need to get moving on protecting her." He needed to tell her all of it."There's more bad news, Allie."She swallowed hard."Okay, give it to me.""Jon's parents have charged you with kidnapping."Her cheeks reddened."They can't do that!""Evidently because they'd sued for custody, they were able to make a case for it.We have to get married right away."She opened her mouth, then closed it again.Swallowing, she tried again."Thank you, Rick." The words seemed pulled out of her.Her obvious struggle to take it all in touched him.He shrugged."You might not thank me after you've had to live with me for a few months.""How how long will this marriage need to last?""Probably at least a year.It will take time for the adoption to go through."Her teeth bit into her colorless lower lip."I'm worried about Betsy.First she has a new stepdad and then she doesn't? What will that do to her?""What will Jon's parents do to her?" he said bluntly.She nodded."It's the lesser of two evils, I guess."She looked like she'd been handed a life sentence, and Rick had to admit he felt like he was facing a stint in a Mexican prison.9ALLIE WAS TIRED OF LYING IN BED.THE NIGHT HAD BEEN LONG, THOUGH she'd slept fitfully.Judging by the sun, it was nine or so.She eased her arm out from under Betsy's head and sat up.She had to think.The border patrol was looking for her.The FBI too, if she'd been charged with kidnapping.It made no sense.How could they think she would be involved in something like trafficking in illegals? Her testimony had sent Jimmy Hernandez to jail, and that should have shown how much she hated that kind of thing.If he hadn't died there, she'd think maybe he had implicated her to take his revenge.And Jon's parents.She felt even more betrayed.They were family.How could they do this to her?In an instant, Rick's marriage proposal had become more pressing [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]