All Chapters of Redheads & Ranchers: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Chapter 71: I Need a Minute"You sure you guys won't stay for lunch?" Cole asked as Beth put her suitcase in the back of the Prius."We have reservations to keep. We'll grab something along the way." She hugged her brother tightly. "You know, the shit's going to hit the fan when I get back to the office with Jenny's testimony."Cole nodded tightly. "I know.""It won't just be law enforcement. The press is going to have a feeding frenzy. But we'll do everything we can to keep her safe.""I know you will. Thanks, sis."Jenny and Alicia came out of the house and walked to the car. "Jenny, I'm so happy to meet you," Alicia said, giving her a tender hug. "It was time for Cole to find someone wonderful."Jenny blushed bright red. "I'm happy to meet you, too."Beth nodded to Jenny. "You've been a huge help. Thank you for talking to me today."Embarrassed, Jenny just nodded."Alright, we'll stop back by on our way home." There was another round of hugs, and Alicia and Beth got in

Chapter 73: Nice Work"So what do you think about a race car theme for Everybody Rides next weekend?" Jenny glanced up at the hayloft in the direction of Cole's voice. "Race cars?""Yeah. We can hang banners with numbers over the horses, and I can pick up some little plastic trophies at the dollar store. I think the kids will love it." Cole swung himself down the loft ladder and looked at Jenny expectantly.She shrugged slightly. "I could come up with some kind of race car cupcakes. I'll look online for some ideas."Cole grinned at her. "Perfect! It's a plan, then."Jenny frowned slightly. A thought had been swirling around in her mind, but she was nervous to bring it up to Cole."Um, I was thinking about something," she began.He stopped what he was doing and watched her expectantly."I was wondering, actually…"Cole quirked an eyebrow and waited, curiosity twinkling in his dark eyes.She exhaled sharply. "I wondered if maybe you would teach me how to use a gun." She felt

Chapter 75: A New ClientIn his office after dinner, Cole tapped out an email to the Everybody Rides families, confirming the date and time of the event the following weekend. His finger hovered over Send as he considered the way things might unfold when Beth returned from vacation and went back to work with Jenny's video statement.The fact that Jennifer Stone from Boulder was no longer missing would be big news. Cole sighed deeply, wondering if Jenny had any idea how crazy things might get, with interviews with law enforcement and requests from the media. More than anything, he wanted to protect her, to shield her from anything that would make her nervous or uncomfortable. Whatever happens, we're in this together, he concluded. We'll ride out the storm and get back to our lives. He thought back over the day and a gentle smile played across his lips. Jenny had been beyond brave learning to shoot. She'd pushed aside her fear and had actually done well for someone who'd never

Chapter 77: BlindsidedAfter he'd worked the clients' horses one at a time and sent them out to join Apollo, he headed into the barn to get the kittens' stall ready for his potential new client. Finding the hay stall nearly empty, he climbed up into the loft and began lugging bales to the edge, dropping each one with a dusty thud onto the floor below.He was just hooking a third bale when he thought he heard gravel crunching in the drive. Momentarily distracted, he accidentally dropped the hay hook with the bale. He peered over the edge of the loft and saw the steel hook glinting in the light down below."Son of a…" he muttered to himself.Hearing the rumble of a large engine, he made a mental note to pick up the hook later and climbed down the ladder to greet his guest.As Cole walked out of the barn, he saw what had to be a brand-new black F-350 with a new state-of-the-art horse trailer in tow. The image of his own battered vintage trailer popped into his head and he had to smile

Chapter 79: You Don't Own MeWith a leering grin at Jenny, Victor aimed at Cole and pulled the trigger, hitting the rancher in the shoulder. Cole's body lurched on the floor and he cried out as a bloody patch bloomed on his blue shirt."NO!" Jenny screamed. Pulling against Slater's iron grip, she leaned forward then straightened fast, swinging her head back into his face, feeling his nose shatter against the back of her skull. He roared in pain and let go. Jenny dived across the floor and scrambled toward Cole."Cole, are you okay?"Breathing against the searing pain in his shoulder, Cole nodded. The truth was, he felt faint. But he had to protect Jenny if that was the last thing he did.Sorkin looked over his shoulder and gave a withering look at Slater, who knelt on the barn floor holding his bleeding face."You are utterly useless," Victor growled. He turned back to Cole. "On your feet." He gripped Cole by the front of his shirt and stood him up. Using that momentum, Col