Chapter 5

Clint Jackson had followed Lauren across the country, with the help of his cop friend, Bill, trailing her by her credit card receipts. Every time she stopped for food or gas, he immediately knew where she was, right down to what road she was on and what hour. Whenever she stopped for the night, he drove, lessening the distance between them.

She was always one step ahead of him, though, until one morning he found her car parked at a diner in the small town of Saddle Creek, Wyoming. It didn't take him long to make friends with the right people. All he had to do was buy them a few drinks, and they were more than willing to help him find out where she'd gone.

He had scoured the wide-open space of the ranch owned by the cowboya man he was sure Lauren was sleeping with. He'd even helped some of his new friends rustle some of the man's herd, just to mess with him. The cowboy's old girlfriend, Edie, was dead set on revenge, and he was more than willing to help her get it.

Clint figured the rancher would use Lauren and then kick her to the curb. He had, and pathetic as she was, she'd come running back to him with tears in her eyes. The difference was this time, Clint didn't want to take her back again. This time, he had better things on the horizon, and to get where he wanted to go, he needed his computer.

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Lauren awoke to a knock on her bedroom door. She bolted upright, completely disoriented.

Clint's found me. He's here to take me back!

She pulled the covers up to her chin. After a moment, she rationalized it couldn't be Clint. He definitely wouldn't be knocking on her door. He would have broken the damn door down or slammed it open. There was no way he could've found her yet anyway. He had no way to track her without her car or credit card receipts. No way! Feeling more confident now, she squeaked, "Who is it?"

"Edie, Edie Benner. I'm a friend of Chase's." A feminine voice sounded from the hall.

She jumped out of bed and ran to the door. She unlocked it and opened it just wide enough to look out and see who was there. When she saw Edie was alone, she opened the door wider.

Edie, not much older than herself, walked in carrying a tray. "Chase said you might like some coffee to help you start the day."

"Sure, of course. What time is it anyway?"

"It's a little past eight, but Chase has been out workin' since well before six. Up with the sun, that one! Anyway, I'm very close to him and help out managing the house."

Her mouth was animated as she held the tray propped against her hip and gestured with her other free hand. Her black hair flowed in waves over her shoulders. Her chocolate-brown eyes were the highlight of a very pretty face covered with a little too much makeup. Thin, but with curves in all the right places, she wore Daisy Duke denim-blue shorts, showing off her long legs, and a stretchy, lightweight sweatshirt-like top, along with tall cowboy boots.

"I'm Lauren. Thank you so much for the coffee. I sure need it." She held out her hand to shake Edie's, but it was ignored.

"Do you need anything else?" Edie placed the tray on the bed.

"No, thanks. I'm good." Lauren covered a yawn. "How long have you worked for Chase?"

"About six months now." Edie looked around the room with her hands on her hips. She walked around the room, moved the drapes to look outside, and then gazed toward Lauren's small amount of toiletries. She glanced at her, then ambled over to the armoire and opened it. After rummaging through her clothes, she turned toward Lauren and slammed the door. She stomped over to the foot of the bed, and stared at her.

Lauren felt uneasy when Edie lingered at the foot of her bed. The weird tension hovering in the air between them was as thick as the butter on the saucer.

Why won't she leave? Is there something she wants to say to me? Maybe she's waiting for a tip, like the bellhops in a hotel.

"Uhthanks for breakfast. I'll be downstairs as soon as I get showered and dressed." Lauren sat on the side of the bed, poured some coffee in the cup, and took a sip. "I thought we had the best coffee at the diner where I used to work, but this is delicious. Did you make it?"

"No. I can't take the credit for it. Chase gets up before I get here in the morning, and he always makes a pot. I'm like his right-hand man in the house and things run very smoothly, thanks to me. He couldn't survive without me."

Lauren vowed it would be the last time she would ever sleep late while she was there. She took pride in taking care of herself, and she didn't like being waited on by anyone. If that cowboy can get up at the butt-ass crack of dawn, so can I. Next time she'd be up and at 'em before Edie arrived.

After she filled her coffee cup a second time, she stood and moved closer to Edie at the foot of the bed. The woman stared at her and didn't say a word.

"Uhis there something else you wanted to tell me?" Lauren asked, her hands fisted on her hips.

"Just one thing." Lauren watched Edie's eyes change from milk chocolate to dark and evil.

"What's that?"

"Enjoy your breakfast." Edie turned and sauntered to the door. Just as she was about to step out, she flung a suggestion over her shoulderone sounding far more like a threat. "I'm sure you can see yourself out the front door as soon as possible." She slammed the door shut behind her.

Lauren rolled her eyes and sighed with relief. With a shake of her head, she grabbed clean clothes, and raced down the hall to the bathroom. After a quick shower, she dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, then headed downstairs, hoping Edie wouldn't be around. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she stopped. No one was in sight and she only heard silence. She quickly headed out the front door, just as Edie had told her to do. Only instead of running off the Jack of Aces ranch like a bat out of hell, she made her way toward the barn to talk to Chase about getting out of there.

Drawn to the beautiful horses in the corral, she stopped to admire the majestic animals. They appeared healthy and happy. A few colts loped around the pasture on their long, spindly, wobbly legs, and she couldn't resist watching them frolic in the clean mountain air.

"Beauties, aren't they?" Chase asked, placing one booted foot on the bottom rail of the fence, letting his strong arms hang over the top rail.

Startled, she clasped a hand to her chest. For a man of such a strikingly masculine physique, likely honed from years of ranch work, he was extremely light on his feet. She moved a few steps away from him. He stood at least a foot taller than she and his presence filled the surrounding air until all she could think or breathe was the heat and essence from his body beside her. Every time she inhaled, his warm, manly scent drifted to her on the breeze blowing through the trees.

"Yes, they are." She looked up at him. His blue eyes were shaded by the brim of his white Stetson hat but were still as vibrant as she remembered from the diner. They were open and honest, and in that unique moment as they searched one another's eyes, the big, strong horse rancher looked every bit as vulnerable as she felt. It was as if they'd both stepped into unfamiliar territory, and he was reaching out to her.

Anxiety swelled in the pit of her stomach, seized her chest, and she trembled. Deep down, she wanted to run to him, to slip into the safety those eyes promised.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, and thank you for everything," she said as she diverted her eyes from his, preparing for the inevitable good-bye.