neck prickled and he stared sharply back at his foreman.
“Something wrong, Rand?”
Rand’s cheeks flushed a dull red. Man had always been quiet and almost painfully shy. But he was a
good, hard worker and he’d never given them any reason to complain. They could definitely use more
like him.
“It’s Miss Emily.” He stepped back to allow him and Taggert inside.
“What about her?” Taggert demanded.
Rand looked as though he’d rather eat dirt than have to say what was on his mind.
“Well, uh, she left.”
Greer reared back. “What?”
Rand was openly nervous now. He was sweating bullets, and he twisted his hands together.
“She went down to Sean’s grave. She does that a lot. When she came back, she went upstairs then came
down with her bag. Asked me to take her to town. I didn’t want to,” he added in a rush. “But when I
suggested she wait for you to get back, she said she’d walk if she had to. I didn’t think you and Taggert
would want her going alone so I drove her.”
Greer’s hands were shaking. He couldn’t even get his thoughts together. Gone? What the hell?
“Did I screw up?” Rand asked as he rubbed his palms on his jeans.
“No, Rand, you did right,” Taggert said in a tight voice. “But we need more information. Anything she
said. Don’t leave a word out. We need to know where you took her.”
Greer dragged a hand through his hair and leaned back against the wall. “Why did she leave?”
Rand colored again and shoved his hands into his pockets. “She didn’t say. I mean she didn’t talk to me.
She was upset. I could tell she’d been crying. Maybe the visit to Sean’s grave put her over the edge? I
took her to the motel. She wouldn’t listen to reason. I tried all the way into town, but she wouldn’t even
look at me.”
Taggert let out a curse that made Rand flinch. Then he turned to Greer. “Let’s go.” At the door he glanced
back at Rand. “How long ago did you take her into town?”
Rand shrugged. “Couple of hours.”
“And you only just now saw fit to tell us?” Greer asked incredulously.
“I didn’t want to disturb the work on the fence. Already lost enough cattle.”
Trust Rand to be focused on work. Of course he wouldn’t understand the seriousness of Emily taking off
in a fragile emotional state.
Greer followed Taggert to the truck and the two tore down the drive. Taggert’s hands gripped the wheel,
and his face was locked in stone.
As they neared town, Taggert finally turned to Greer. “What the fuck, Greer? When we left this morning,
Emmy was fine. She seemed happy. What could possibly have happened? She’s visited Sean’s grave
several times since she’s been back but she’s never taken off on us.”
“I don’t know,” Greer said in frustration. “Let’s hope she’s at the motel.”
***
An hour later, a cold sweat gripped Taggert’s entire body. Panic hovered, and it took everything he had
not to give in to it. No one had seen Emily. Or Rand, for that matter. But if Rand had dropped her at the
motel on the edge of town, he wouldn’t have gained a lot of notice. And if Emmy didn’t want attention
drawn to herself, all she had to do was go the opposite way. But how?
He met Greer back at the truck, helpless rage snaking through his veins.
“What the hell do we do? No one’s seen her. She’s not in Creed’s Pass.”
Greer’s face hardened, but Taggert could see the worry in his eyes.
“Maybe she got a ride into Hodges. Hell, Tagg, I don’t know. I don’t understand any of this. It’s late and I
don’t know what we should do. One of us should go back to the ranch in case she comes back. We don’t
know if she planned to leave permanently or if she just got upset.”
“Buck and Rand can wait up,” Taggert said. “You and I can keep looking for her. They’ll call if she
shows up at the ranch.”
“Tell them to sit on her if she shows,” Greer said in a low growl.
“Let’s go find our girl,” Taggert said.
Chapter Sixteen
Dawn had long since come, bringing with it the grim realization that Emily was gone. Not just gone but
vanished. For hours, Taggert and Greer had searched every conceivable location. They’d questioned
motel owners, cab drivers, they’d gone to the airport and every spot in between. She simply wasn’t
anywhere they looked.
They both needed sleep, but they also knew that with each passing minute, Emily was further away. Hell,