Chapter Thirteen

I n the faint glow of the flashlight Ledger held, he glanced around at the faces of his brothers. Colton and Hunter stood with rifles resting on their shoulders. Wolfe was loading his weapon while the woman he loved, Livia, huddled close to him, hands thrust in the pockets of a huge canvas barn jacket.

Webb met Ledger's gaze. "We'll split up in pairs. You and me." He flicked his finger between himself and Ledger.

He gave a brisk nod. Just then, Colton's phone buzzed. He slapped it to his ear. His voice when he answered was gruff. "Nox. Yeah, Ross. We're actually all gathered together to hunt a wolf that attacked some cattle. I'll put you on speaker."

He swiped his thumb over the screen. When the deep voice of Ross Wynton projected from the speaker, everyone stilled.

"A wolf attack? Is that normal in your part of the mountains?"

Colton looked to Webb.

"Not unheard of, but it's rare. I've never seen it on the Gracey."

"Here on the Wynton Ranch, we don't have much trouble with wolves, and we aren't too far from you."

"Ross, this is Ledger Bell. The veterinarian and I darted three wolves tonight. Another one a few days back."

"I see. Well, I won't keep you from your hunt. But my team uncovered a bit of information that I didn't want to delay in sharing."

"We're listening." Colton swept his gaze around the circle.

Ross went on, "There's a company that's been looking into the Gracey."

Webb's glare darkened. His brows snapped together like lightning bolts. "What kind of company?"

"From what we can tell it's a shell corporation. It only exists on paper. Usually companies like this are built to hide illegal activities like money laundering or selling drugs."

"Damn." Ledger gripped his weapon harder.

"We also discovered that the company is owned by Eli Feldman, the investor. There's something else too. Remember that planning firm?"

"Yes." Colton stared at the device in his hand.

"We got hold of the plans. It's for a big resort in Montana. I'm shooting you the link now."

Colton swiped his thumb over the screen. The link took them to a site plan of the resort.

Webb leaned in to get a closer look. "Fucking hell. The resort's taking up some of our land, some of the Davidsons' ranch…and the Springvale."

Panic stabbed Ledger. "Fuck! Demi's over there right now."

Colton jerked his head around to pierce Ledger in his gaze. "What?"

His muscles locked. "Mr. Vale called about a horse when Webb came to find me. Demi's probably already there!"

A hand came down on his arm. "Call her."

But he didn't have to. His phone vibrated. With dread pulsing in his veins in time with his heart, he whipped it up to his ear. "Demi?"

"L-Ledger."

"What's wrong? What happened!"

"The ranger's dad…Mr. Vale…"

"What the hell happened, baby?"

"He was murdered!" Her harried whisper had an added tremor.

He gripped the phone so tight he felt his knuckles pop.

"You're sure? Could it be an accident?"

"No. Not an accident."

"You're sure?" Webb insisted.

"I'm positive. Unless an ax fell into his back."

Ledger took off in a dead run, weapon in hand. He reached the truck with Webb, who jumped in the passenger seat. He thrust his weapon into his friend's hand and cranked the ignition.

"Demi, stay on the line with me. Are you still on the line?"

"Yes. I'm in my car. With the doors locked."

"Good. Hunker down. Stay out of sight."

"I am. I'm protecting our b-baby!"

A lump lodged in Ledger's throat, blocking off the roar that threatened to erupt.

He wanted to bellow with rage, shake his fists at the sky and dare the universe to take from him again.

"No one is taking her from me," he bit off in a snarl.

Webb gripped both weapons he held. "I didn't serve with you on that battlefield, brother, but I stand with you now."

* * * * *

Demi prided herself on her ability to cope with stress. When a client's pet passed away, she was able to calm them down and empathize. But humans were a different ball game.

Each minute that ticked by while she hid in the vehicle, waiting for Ledger and his men to show up, her anxiety seemed to triple. Was the killer still around? Was it the same man who'd attacked her?

Her stomach threatened to revolt from sheer nerves, and she dragged in deep gulps of air to calm it.

A glance at the paddock showed that the horse was still standing there, waiting for her to tend to its injury. She was too afraid to leave the vehicle. She had the baby to think of first. Besides, if she didn't listen to Ledger on this matter, there would be hell to pay.

Only a few minutes had passed, but it felt like an eternity. When the headlights of a truck panned across her back window, a cry of relief broke from her lips.

She reached to open the door and then pulled her hand back. She had to wait for Ledger. There wasn't time for him to lecture her about safety precautions—his people needed to hunt down a murderer, and she had to tend to that horse.

Gazing out the side window, she waited, gripping the wheel. Two men leaped out of the truck and approached. Even in the darkness, she could see they carried rifles.

A shiver rippled down her spine. What was happening to their small, sleepy town? The most crime they saw was petty theft or the occasional drunk driver. Now they were dealing with a murderer on the loose in a town where she planned to raise a baby.

As Ledger approached her vehicle, she couldn't hold back anymore. She threw open the door and hurled herself into his arms.

He clasped her against him, palm cradling her skull against his chest. "Thank god. Are you okay?"

"Yes. But Mr. Vale isn't!"

"Shh. I've got you now."

Webb gave them a hard nod as he passed them. "Stay with her. I'll have a look around before the others get here."

As he spoke, more headlights flashed across the yard when a second vehicle turned into the driveway. Still holding her, he twisted his head to watch a second truck come to a stop.

Though her lover was standing here with his arms wrapped around her, she felt the distance in him. At the first sign of danger, he'd transitioned into the cold, methodical SEAL he was trained to be.

Meadow jumped out of the truck and came running, with Livia and Ivy right behind her. "Demi! Are you all right?"

She slowly withdrew from Ledger's grasp and turned to the ladies, placing her palm over her womb. "I'm fine."

"Is it true?" Ivy's eyes swam with tears. "Mr. Vale?"

She nodded, throat constricting with emotion. Seeing the older man lying facedown like that wouldn't fade from her memory for a long time.

Meadow covered her mouth with both hands. Colton touched her side as he walked by, and she reached for him too.

Their fingers trailed over each other's in a display of love that shouldn't stand out to Demi so much right this moment. A man was dead. His family members—Opal and her little girl—would be devastated when they learned of his passing.

But despite the crime committed here tonight, there was still love in this world. Meadow and Colton were proof.

Colton nodded at Ledger. "I'll guard the women. You check the barn."

Ivy had a thick blanket bundled in her arms. She wrapped it around Demi, and she couldn't be more grateful for its warmth. Of course, Ivy and Meadow were experts when it came to loss—first their momma, then their brother.

Livia and Wolfe climbed out of their truck and strode toward them. Livia's eyes were rounded with worry as her man took his leave from her and joined the others in the search for the killer. Colton stood a few feet away from their little cluster, weapon at the ready.

Demi wrapped the blanket tighter around herself. "My guess is the murderer ran off. Why would he stick around?" She spun to look at the paddock. "I really need to tend to that horse."

"We'll come with you." Colton produced a flashlight from his jacket pocket, and Ivy used the flashlight on her phone to illuminate the shadows as they all made their way to the paddock.

Demi cast off the blanket and went straight into work mode. While the guys stalked around the ranch and searched each crack where a person could hide, she cleaned and stitched the wound on Maple.

Still hunkered in a crouch, Meadow caught her attention. "It wasn't a wolf, was it?"

"No."

"The same person who attacked Lonesome Rose attacked this horse."

She nodded and reached for the thick gauze to wrap the wound.

As a new set of headlights entered the driveway, Livia turned to look. "The sheriff's here."

"One of the guys must have called the station."

Sadness burned in Demi's chest for Opal. She and her father had been close, and her young daughter often spent time here on the ranch with her grandpa. It broke her heart to think of breaking the news to Opal, but she was the best one to do it.

The ranger had been there for her several times over the past few weeks. Now Demi would be there for her.

"I need to call Opal. Have her come."

Livia gaped at her. "Is that a good idea? It's her father!"

Of all the people who knew how it felt to lose a father, Livia had firsthand experience with it.

Demi hesitated for a moment, considering other options. Then she nodded. "I'll call her to come and I'll break it to her."

Ledger emerged from the shadows. His focus pinned on Demi. "Did I hear you say you're calling Opal?"

She fiddled with the remaining clean gauze in her hand. "Yes."

"Wolfe just gave her a call. She's on her way."

He moved off to meet the sheriff and a deputy. All of them armed, the men continued their sweep of the ranch, the house and all the outbuildings where a person could hide.

Being the first person on the scene, Demi knew she would be questioned. She had to prepare to recount all the moments leading up to when she discovered Mr. Vale.

"Opal is going to take this so hard." Ivy's murmur brought all four of the women to a moment of silence, broken by yet another set of headlights cutting through the night.

Demi pulled the blanket off her shoulders and draped it over her arm at the ready to wrap Opal in. Steeling herself, she walked over to the ranger's truck.

Opal exploded out and took off running for the house. "Dad! Dad!"

"Opal."

She stopped in her tracks. Spun to face her.

The expression she wore told Demi that she had already guessed what happened.

"Where is he?" she croaked.

Moving forward, Demi wrapped the woman in her arms just as she burst into tears.

The next hours were a blur of emotions. She couldn't help but think of the group as a family, all there to support and protect.

When Colton and Webb emerged from the barn to join the women, Demi knew it was a distraction from what was really happening. The coroner had arrived.

Colton gave Webb a look. "We're finished here and headed back to the Gracey. Can you bring Opal?"

Webb's lips pressed into a flat line. "I got her. See you at the ranch."

They made a solemn procession to the ranch. Once Opal entered, red-eyed and devastated, Demi walked up to her and hugged her tight.

"Where is your daughter? Do we need to pick her up from somewhere?"

"She spent the night with the babysitter. Our daughters are close."

Demi turned to Webb, but he was already moving to the door, intent on the errand. In this minute, they all knew that no one was safe.

With a hand on Opal's back, she guided her to the guest room to lie down.

When she returned, Meadow had started the coffee flowing, and Ivy had begun to set out food. When Demi reached for a mug of coffee, Ledger smoothly took it out of her hand and replaced it with another.

The highhanded man had actually taken away her coffee. Women did not love a man telling them what to eat.

She gave the contents a sniff. Hot chocolate. Okay, maybe he was really being sweet.

Livia's red brow shot upward in question.

Demi twitched her head toward Ledger, who disappeared from the kitchen as quick as he'd entered. "He's worried about too much caffeine for the baby."

"The baby!" Meadow rushed over, plucked the hot chocolate from her hand and threw her arms around her.

Ivy let out a squeal and hurried over too. Despite the solemnity of the night, Demi couldn't resist smiling.

Ivy looked down at Demi's still-flat stomach. "I'm so excited for you. Oh my god!" She clapped both hands over her mouth. "It's Ledger's baby?"

She shot a look at the kitchen door, but he wasn't around to overhear. She nodded.

"How amazing." Meadow's eyes were shining with genuine happiness for them, which only added to the feeling of having a supportive sisterhood that Demi had been feeling all night.

"Does anyone else know?" Meadow clasped Demi's hand.

"I think Colton might. He keeps looking at me weird."

Meadow gasped. "I can't believe he didn't tell me!"

"Or Hunter."

Livia joined the group, a mug of coffee in hand. "I know Carver wouldn't tell me."

They all laughed.

Some of Demi's chill from the shock eased. "Okay, same, girls. Ledger is a man of few words. I guess he's more of a man of action. He insisted that we start dating, if you can believe it. Earlier, he took me on a picnic."

"Oh, Colton took me on a picnic too," Meadow added.

Ivy bobbed her head. "Me too."

They all turned their attention to Livia.

The petite redhead gave them a sly look. "We tried to have a picnic, but it got interrupted. So I made us one and got this." She held up her hand with its fat diamond engagement ring glinting.

Demi melted for her friend. "It's really beautiful. But why do all the guys do picnics?"

Ivy chewed her bottom lip. "Do you think it's because they can't cook?"

Livia shrugged. "It makes sense. They're SEALs. They're fighting all over the world. They don't have decent kitchens."

They all laughed again.

The sound faded when they heard Webb's voice. He swept into the kitchen holding a sleeping little girl in his arms, grabbed a mug of hot chocolate, and walked back out.

Demi's heart was shattered for Opal and her child. How sad that a man's life had been cut short. Now they were in dangerous too, which was the reason Zach fetched her from the babysitter's house.

Ledger hadn't been wrong about the weight of the danger they were all in. She was lucky—she'd only been shoved into the stall wall.

They would find the criminal and stop him. The sheriff's department was involved now, and the local police too. Along with the steps that Colton, Hunter, Carver, Zach and Ledger were taking, they would surely find the person responsible.

If anything happened to Ledger…

With a small flip of her heart, Demi realized how lost she'd be without Ledger.

She wasn't just falling for the SEAL. She was in love.