“Fig’s here. You all have work to do,” Cowboy said, hoping they’d move on to another target for their gossip.

  “Yeah, Fig’s the only single person left in the office,” Chase said. “She might be even more fun to watch when she flounders around in a new relationship.”

  “I’m not floundering,” Cowboy said. “And you need to mind your own damn business.”

  “Don’t know if I can. Rhonda’s involved.”

  “And if Rhonda’s involved, so is Laura,” Marti said. “Won’t be long until Elaine’s in your business, too.”

  “Elaine’s not a busybody,” Cowboy said.

  “Sure about that?” Marti asked. “Who do you think shared the nanny-cam video of Chase and Rhonda when they babysat the twins?”

  Cowboy groaned. “I’ll have to warn Colleen.”

  A twig snapped behind him, and he whirled toward the sound. It was just the cameraman, and he was closer than Cowboy expected. Just how much had he heard? The last thing he needed was for his relationship with Colleen to be fodder for the show.

  Cowboy gave him a glare and the man stepped back behind the tree he’d been designated to hide behind, but not before he gave Cowboy a little smirk.

  Just great. As if he didn’t have enough to worry about.

  Chapter 8

  The next evening, Colleen sat in Cage and Elaine Morgan’s living room, with six-month-old Violet bouncing on her knee.

  She’d never held a child so young and had worried about how to entertain her, but Elaine had assured her that Violet was destined to be a cowgirl because she loved nothing better than to ride a horsey.

  So here she was, Violet making uh-uh-uh sounds with each bounce, interspersed with squeals of delight. Colleen was bemused by the tiny human. Even more so by the fact that her mother, who had borne twins, was so thin and elegant. She wanted to hate the beautiful brunette, but couldn’t. The woman had been nothing but kind and had given her a big hug when she’d entered the house.

  “Any friend of Cowboy’s,” she’d said.

  “Laura mentioned that you and Cowboy met while you were both at the hospital in Bozeman,” Elaine said, adjusting her son, Heath, in her arms. “That was a lucky happenstance.”

  “Almost like fate, don’t you think?” Rhonda said, grinning.

  Well, she’d thought that once or twice, too, but the way all the women were looking at her, she didn’t want to admit it. Their gazes were avid, as though waiting for her to blurt out some secret they would enjoy. Not in a predatory way, but they were certainly curious about her and Cowboy.

  “He and Chase were there because they were waiting for a prisoner to be released. My brother just so happened to be their prisoner’s doctor.”

  “Fate, just like I said,” Rhonda said with a nod.

  “What was the prisoner there for?” Elaine asked.

  Both Laura and Rhonda grimaced.

  Colleen blushed and placed her hands over Violet’s ears. “He fell on his…uh, manhood and broke it.”

  “The man broke his dick?” Elaine said, her eyes widening.

  “From what I understand, it broke right in the middle,” she said, nodding.

  “Your brother told you that?”

  “He told me it wasn’t something a young woman should be talking about in mixed company, and shame on Chase for telling me.”

  “Chase told you…a stranger?”

  Colleen shrugged. “I asked what had happened. I had thought that, maybe, they had shot him or injured him in a fight. But no, he fell on his dick.”

  “Just fell?” Elaine asked. “I had no idea a cock could be that delicate. I mean, men ride bucking horses and cows. How does that even happen?”

  “The dick has to be hard,” Laura said.

  “Well, Cowboy told me night before last, that the man, Toby, was…um, getting it on with a woman on his porch when they shouted to get his attention. He turned and tripped over his jeans, which were around his ankles.”

  “Ah,” Elaine nodded. “And he fell right on the porch, right on his dick?”

  “Does everyone have to say that word so much?” Laura asked, rolling her eyes.

  “We just like to say it because we aren’t getting any of it right now,” Rhonda said.

  The women laughed.

  “Speak for yourself. I got me some before Cage headed out to join Preacher on his hunt today,” Elaine said.

  Colleen shook her head. “I expect these two,” she said, pointing at Laura and Rhonda, “to talk like that, but you,” she said to Elaine, “it’s just not—”

  “Because she seems like such a lady, and we’re not?” Rhonda said. “I’m not offended. I guess since we talked to you about intersex orgasms, you’re entitled to think we’re sluts—”

  “I do not think any such thing. I’m the one who blurted out that Cowboy gave me my first intersex orgasm.”

  “Intersex…orgasm?” Elaine said, her gaze darting between Rhonda and Colleen.

  Laura giggled. “See how funny she is?” she said to Elaine. “Colleen, here, is a breath of fresh air. She says exactly what she thinks.”

  “It’s not always a good thing,” Colleen said, shaking her head.

  “It probably gets you into trouble every now and then,” Elaine said, smiling.

  “Bet Cowboy loves it,” Rhonda said with a sly wink.

  “As a matter of fact…” Colleen blushed, then covered her mouth to keep from blurting the thought that had just crossed her mind.

  All three of the wives sat forward.

  “You can’t stop now,” Elaine said.

  “Spill!” Laura said.

  Colleen pulled down her hand and wrinkled her nose. “It’s…indelicate.”

  “Who says that?” Rhonda said, laughing.

  “You mean, you were in the middle of having sex, right?” Laura said.

  Colleen nodded, feeling her cheeks getting even hotter. “He was…down there,” she said, waving toward her crotch. “And I couldn’t help it. It just slipped out.”

  “A fart?” Rhonda said. “Happens all the time.”

  “No!” Colleen said, giving her glare. “I never…”

  “We all have,” Elaine said, rolling her eyes. “Continue! What did you say when he was going down on you?”

  “I said, ‘Not fair!’” Colleen felt her eyes begin to water with suppressed laughter. “Then I said, ‘I need something in my mouth, too!’”

  The women shrieked.

  Elaine bent at the waist. “Stop! I’m gonna pee. Stop laughing.”

  “Bet he flipped you around fast!” Rhonda said, sputtering.

  Colleen nodded in the middle of her giggle fit, and Laura shrieked again.

  When the women finally quieted, Elaine drew a deep breath and fanned her face. “You’re right, Laura. This needs to happen,” she said, waving toward Colleen.

  “What?” Colleen asked, still gasping and holding Violet close to her chest.

  “You and Cowboy,” Rhonda said. “We’re all gonna be besties. So, you and Cowboy have to stay together.”

  “Yup,” Elaine said. “I’ll talk to Cage about…the opening.”

  Laura and Elaine shared a glance then both turned to stare at Colleen.

  She had no idea what was churning around in their minds, but she felt good about being among them and hoped that they truly did intend to be her friends.

  * * *

  Cowboy smothered a yawn and straightened in his seat. He and Chase had been watching the Chicken Hut from across the street for twenty-four hours.

  Cowboy was in complete agreement with Chase. Stakeouts were the worst part of the job. They’d both taken turns walking along the street when shops were open, making frequent trips to the restroom, stopping in at McDonald’s for coffees…anything to stretch their legs.

  “Marti and Hardman see anything at the burger joint?” Cowboy asked.

  “Nope. Not since the last time you asked—thirty minutes ago,” Chase said, giving him a baleful look.

  “Sorry. Surveillance in Afghanistan was never this boring.”

  “Having to sit still so no one sees your silhouette rise up on a building so you don’t get shot is plenty of incentive not to fidget.”

  “Am I fidgeting?” Cowboy asked, stretching his left leg then his right.

  Again, Chase gave him a pointed look.

  “How long do you think we’ll have to keep this up?”

  “Until the man shows his face, or we get a better damn tip.”

  Chase’s phone rang as it sat on the dashboard. Cowboy leaned forward to read the screen just before Chase swiped it up and answered.

  Fig was calling.

  “Yeah, on our way,” Chase said, reaching to punch the ignition button.

  The engine rumbled, and Cowboy let out a low, “Yeehaw!” He didn’t know what was happening, but they were leaving the Chicken Hut.

  When Chase put his phone in the cupholder, he turned to Cowboy. “Our boy’s back at the warehouse.”

  “We have an ETA for when everyone will be in place?”

  “Forty-five minutes.”

  Cowboy whistled. The drive here had taken an hour. He buckled his seatbelt. “Let’s roll!”

  * * *

  When they arrived at the designated location, Marti and Hardman were already there, but the ops van was nowhere in sight. Cowboy lifted his chin in greeting to the other two hunters. “Where’s Fig?”

  Marti shrugged. “She said she was running behind because she was busy training new office help.”

  “Didn’t know they were hiring,” Chase said.

  She glanced at her watch. “She should be here any minute now.”

  Sure enough, headlights shone in the distance. Two sets, which meant the production crew was in tow as well. Fig parked behind their vehicles, held up two fingers to indicate “two minutes”, then disappeared into the back.

  They all headed to the rear of the vehicle, and seconds later, the door opened. All the hunters climbed into the back, leaving the cameramen outside the open door.

  The hunters stood behind Fig, who was talking to someone on the phone, likely Cage.

  Cowboy’s gaze went straight to the monitors. Their guy was inside the warehouse, and he had company. Another male, and the two of them were sharing words.

  They didn’t have audio on the pair, but from their posturing—both of them standing with their chests out, their hands gesturing, and their expressions hard—they weren’t exchanging pleasantries.

  “This is good,” Chase said. “They won’t notice us coming up on them.”

  “Or it could be bad, if one of them pulls a weapon on the other,” Hardman said. “Then we’ll be entering in the middle of a firefight.”

  Cowboy didn’t care which way it went. In a little while, this job would be done, and he could head back to Dead Horse and Colleen. His only goal was to get through the next few minutes without getting hurt or killed and to make sure his teammates did, too.

  “Gear up, guys,” Fig said. “Cage is in agreement that we should sweep the place. Hardman, since you’re the longest here, you’re the lead.”

  Marti cleared her throat.

  “The longest with combat experience,” Fig corrected.

  “Just so we’re straight here,” Marti said, her expression a little bullish.

  Hardman glanced at Marti. “Cowboy and Chase will be first in the door, one heading left, the other right. I’ll come down the middle. Marti—you hang back. Make sure no one gets out the door.”

  Marti frowned but nodded.

  Cowboy was surprised she conceded so easily but figured she knew the guys would be more worried about how she was doing rather than watching their own asses. Might not be fair, but it was just a fact. And it wasn’t like Hardman was relegating her to the ops van. She could still see plenty of action.

  The team, followed by the film crew, circled the outer fence, looking for the holes they’d already cut.

  “I’m inside,” Chase said. “Heading toward the building.”

  Cowboy slipped through the fence and let it bounce back against the cameraman. Smiling, he said, “I’m inside.”

  “Let’s move in,” Hardman said.

  Through his night vision goggles, Cowboy found the opening in the back of the warehouse. He heard the two men inside, still shouting at each other. Hoping their noise would cover the sound of him widening the hole, he pulled back the siding and slipped inside. “In the back,” he whispered.

  “I’m here, too,” Chase said. “Ready when you are, Hardman.”

  “On three,” Hardman whispered. “One, two, three!”

  Cowboy charged forward, passing the boxes and the car, just as Hardman shouted, “Fugitive Recovery Agents! We have you surrounded.”

  As Cowboy came up behind the two men who were turned toward Hardman, he saw Sidney Coleman reach behind his back and pull a handgun from the waist of his jeans. “He’s got a gun!”

  Hardman dove to the side, taking cover.

  A shot sparked off the concrete floor as it ricocheted.

  Cowboy ducked behind the car with the cameraman.

  “You ain’t gettin’ out of here,” Cowboy shouted. “We have more people outside.”

  Sidney turned toward Cowboy and raised his gun.

  “Motherfucker, put down the gun!” Chase shouted.

  Sidney’s friend hit the floor and stretched out his arms, but Sidney ran for the car.

  Cowboy didn’t know what the hell Sidney was trying to do, but he came around the side, watching as Sidney opened the car door and began to slide inside. He darted forward and slammed Sidney against the door, then grabbed the door and slammed it against Sidney, crushing him in the opening.

  “Cowboy, look out!” Chase shouted.

  Too late, Cowboy saw that Sidney’s arm, the one attached to the hand holding his gun, was above the edge of the door. He lunged to the left to escape, but an explosion sounded and a searing pain struck him in the side a second before he hit the concrete.

  Hearing Chase and Hardman closing in, he rolled away but managed to get stomped a time or two anyway. Didn’t matter. They had their guy.

  Cowboy swore softly, thinking about Colleen and the fact he wouldn’t be coming home that night, a second before he passed out.

  Chapter 9

  A knock sounded on the motel room door. Colleen’s heart revved as she thought Cowboy must have lost his key. She rolled to the side, turned on the lamp beside the bed, and then glanced down at the T-shirt she wore—one of his. Too late to change now.

  She walked to the door and swung it open.

  Only it wasn’t Cowboy standing outside. Rhonda and Laura were there, and both of them looked as pale as ghosts.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, feeling the blood drain from her face. This couldn’t be good. Not with both of them here and no sign of Cowboy. She wobbled on her feet and grabbed for the door to steady herself.

  “Let us come inside,” Rhonda said, reaching for Colleen’s arm then leading her back to the bed where she pushed her down on the edge.

  “Something’s happened. Is it Cowboy?”

  “Honey,” Laura said, lowering to sit beside her, “Cowboy’s been shot. He’s in Bozeman at the hospital there.”

  A wash of cold swept over her, and her teeth began to chatter. “Is—is he going to be all right?”

  “We don’t know yet. He’s in surgery now. We’ve come to take you there, if you want to go.”

  “If I want to go?” Her instinct was to tell them of course she wanted to be there, but then she thought, but we barely know each other. Should she go? Would he want the woman he’d only slept with to be there?

  “Come on,” Rhonda said. “Let’s get you dressed.”

  “Should I?” she asked. “I mean, we hardly know each other.”

  Laura slipped her arm around her shoulders. “I think he’d want you there. Chase said he mumbled something about not getting home to you. He cares, Colleen.”

  A tear slid down her cheek. “I’ll go.”

  “I’ll get you some clothes, honey,” Rhonda said.

  The two women helped her dress—a good thing because the way she was shaking, she’d never have gotten dressed on her own.

  The drive passed in a blur. Laura sat in the backseat, holding her hand, while Rhonda drove. It seemed like only minutes passed before they parked at the hospital.

  They headed towards admissions and were told he was still in surgery, so they made their way to the waiting room where Chase and Marti already waited.

  Chase moved toward the women, gave Rhonda a quick kiss, then reached for Colleen’s hands. “We haven’t heard anything yet.”

  “You don’t know how bad it is?” she asked.

  “No.”

  Colleen glanced at the dark stains on the front of his jeans and shirt.

  “I brought you some clothing,” Rhonda said, reaching into the tote she’d brought with her.

  “I’ll go clean up,” he said, giving Colleen a tight, apologetic smile.

  The women settled into seats. They all turned to Marti.

  “What happened?” Laura asked, her voice hushed.

  “We found our guy,” Marti said, her expression drawn. “He was there with another dude who wanted his cut from the robberies. He worked at one of the banks and fed Coleman information about the ones to hit. We got the drop on them, but Coleman had a gun and fired at Hardman. Cowboy rushed him. Caught him in the door of a car. Coleman was going to try to escape. Too late, Cowboy realized Coleman’s arm was free. He jumped to the side, but still got hit.” She drew a deep breath. “Hardman stayed behind at the warehouse…where it happened. The Feds had questions. Needed statements. Last time I spoke to him, he was winding things up. He should be here soon.” She sat back when she finished. “It happened really fast. I was fucking outside. I couldn’t do a damn thing to help.”

  “Doesn’t sound like there was much you could’ve done,” Laura said. “And like you said, it happened fast.”

  Marti grimaced. “I hope he’s okay.”

  They all looked at Colleen whose eyes filled to the point where all the women were a blur.