A shiver of warning skittered up her spine. She started to turn. Every instinct was shouting, Escape.

  The door began to close, pushed by a gloved hand. No!

  Reality blurred. A shadow loomed, moving toward her.

  Jamie staggered backward, gasping, then screamed at the top of her lungs as the door latch clicked.

  * * *

  “Call nine-one-one,” Ben shouted.

  Barking, Shadow raced up the stairs ahead of him and was clawing at the closed door by the time he grabbed the knob.

  “Settle,” Ben commanded, wanting to see a clear target before he released the K-9 to attack. “Settle.”

  In the second it took for Shadow to respond, he braced himself. “Jamie? You okay?”

  One “Help!” was all Ben needed to hear. He shoved open the door and burst in, gun drawn. Jamie lay on the bed, her body curled around her baby bump, hands pressed over her eyes.

  Shadow headed straight for the window and shoved his nose behind the drapes while Ben approached Jamie. He touched her ankle. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

  She didn’t uncurl but she did peek out from behind her fingers. “Where did he go?”

  “Who? What did you see?”

  “A—a man.”

  “Up here? That’s impossible.”

  She pushed herself into a sitting position and pointed. “Oh, yeah? Tell that to your dog.”

  Ben realized she was right. Shadow had stayed at the window, growling and pawing at the sill, so he joined the eager K-9 and shoved back the curtains. “What is it, boy? Show me.”

  A feed truck was lumbering down the long drive toward the gate. No other strangers had been around so it stood to reason that, if Jamie actually had seen somebody, he would have come from that truck.

  When Ben turned, Jamie was standing. If she hadn’t looked so unsteady he’d have left immediately and chased down the departing truck. “Are you okay?”

  “Not really.” Her gaze kept darting to the window. “Did you see him?”

  “Yes and no. A delivery truck is leaving but the driver and his helper were familiar. At least I think so. What did this prowler say to you?”

  “Nothing. He just—he just came at me.”

  “What did he look like? Would you recognize him if you saw him again?”

  Her pause wasn’t reassuring. Neither was the shake of her head. “He had a mask tied over his face.”

  “Mask? What kind?”

  “A scarf. You know. The kind cowboys wear.”

  “A neckerchief. I see. What about his eyes?”

  Tears filled her emerald gaze and spilled down her cheeks. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

  Against his better judgment, Ben slipped an arm around her shoulders. “Okay. I’ll take you downstairs and then see if I can pull prints off this window.”

  “Gloves,” she said with a sniffle and a swipe at her tears. “I remember gloves when he reached for me. Leather ones.”

  “All right. Tell me what you need to work downstairs and we’ll take that with us. You’ll feel better if you’re not alone while I figure out how he got in and out and see that it doesn’t happen again.” His voice rose. “Shadow. Come.”

  “There really was a man up here,” Jamie insisted. “There was. I didn’t imagine it like...”

  “Like what?” Ben asked, frowning.

  Although her head was bowed and her voice quavered, he had no doubt she said, “Like when I have the awful nightmares.”

  * * *

  By the time the sheriff checked in with Ben to report nothing out of the ordinary regarding the suspicious truck, Jamie had calmed down enough to realize how well the K-9 had defended her. That made his gentle approach tolerable and when he again rested his chin on her knee she didn’t flinch.

  “You can touch him,” Ben said. “He’s trying to make friends.”

  “He is pretty special,” she replied. “It’s almost as though he knows what I need.”

  “In a way he does.”

  The fur between Shadow’s ears felt silky and very short as she ran her fingertips over it. When he sighed and raised those big brown eyes to look into hers she had to smile. “I may have to rethink my prejudice against dogs.”

  “That would be best, considering.”

  It startled her a bit when a big pink tongue licked her wrist. “Ewww.”

  Ben laughed. “That’s how Shadow shows he likes you as much as his favorite chew toy. Get used to it.”

  Although she made a silly face, she had to admit it was nice to be accepted. “I’ll have to work on that.”

  Still chuckling, he pushed back his chair, closed his own laptop and rose from the table. “Cameras are on and the alarms armed. If you think you’ll be okay with just the dog for a little while I’ll go see that the rest of my morning chores get done. The house is secure, and Mrs. E will be in the kitchen if you need her.”

  How could she say no after all he’d done for her? “I guess your furry partner will be enough. When will it be safe for you to take me out and show me around?”

  “After lunch, okay?” He gestured at the expansive living room. “There’s a sofa in there if you need a nap.”

  Jamie yawned. “Unfortunately, I am tired. I can’t understand why I’m so worn out all the time.”

  “The shock you had would have spiked your adrenaline,” Ben said. “A letdown is normal.”

  She knew part of her exhaustion was due to the baby, but chose to not argue. It was bad enough feeling less than her usual self without using pregnancy as an excuse for napping.

  “You’re probably right,” Jamie said. “If I go lie down will Shadow stay with me? I don’t want him to wander off if I doze.”

  Hearing Ben say, “Shadow, guard,” and feeling the dog perk up and tense was very reassuring. So was the click of his nails on the hardwood floor as she made her way to the overstuffed sofa and arranged the loose pillows for comfort.

  As soon as Jamie lay down, Shadow did the same on the floor in front of her. His spine was pressed against the long front edge of the couch, and she could tell he thought he was on duty even out of uniform because he remained alert.

  Affection for her new canine friend swelled and she whispered, “Good boy,” as she reached to stroke him.

  Her reward and confirmation was a fresh lick on the hand. Looking forward to the upcoming photo shoot Ben had promised, she smiled and closed her eyes.

  * * *

  It was afternoon before Ben was free to return to the house, but he wasn’t worried until he checked everywhere and didn’t find Jamie. He did, however, locate the housekeeper upstairs vacuuming.

  “I thought she was with you,” Mrs. E said when he asked.

  “I left her inside with you.”

  “I know, but she said you were going to give her the grand tour after lunch. We ate and I went back to work. I figured you’d come for her when I didn’t see her downstairs.”

  “No. Where’s Shadow?”

  “With Jamie. Has to be. He was sticking closer to her than a tick on a yard dog.”

  Ben hurried to the nearest window and peered out. His already speeding heart took a jump when he spotted her. Shadow was definitely standing guard, which was good, but Jamie had climbed a rail fence and was aiming her camera at a small group of wild mustangs his ranch hands had recently rounded up for vaccinating. Those rough-coated mares and their spunky little early foals were cute, sure, but they were anything but tame, not to mention how protective the herd could be if they felt threatened.

  Wheeling, he raced back down the stairs and straight-armed the back door, letting the screen slam behind him. If one of the four-wheel-drive ranch carts had been available he would have taken that. Since nothing was parked close by he chose to run. Fists balled, arms pumping, breathing rapid, he ran for the corral where he’d last seen Jamie.

  Shadow began to bark. A dark shape whirred overhead. Ben looked up. The object was a drone. Someone was spying on his ranch.

  * * *

  Startled by the dog’s bark, Jamie almost lost her balance. Shadow had taken up a defensive position. The dog barked several times then began to growl so loudly Jamie could hear him over the tramping and whinnying sounds the mustangs were making. Mares circled the pen at a trot, forcing the young foals into a small group. Ears laid back, teeth bared at her, the adult horses behaved as if she was responsible for frightening them.

  Jamie switched to taking video so she wouldn’t miss any shots of the magnificent mustangs. Behind her, Shadow again erupted into thunderous barking, putting so much into it his front feet actually lifted off the ground with the effort. Clearly, he wanted her away from the agitated horses.

  Letting the camera hang from its neck strap she leaned to grab the fence with both hands and maintain her balance, then swung one leg over so she had both feet on the outside. That simple movement would have been graceful if she had not had the baby in the way of a controlled descent.

  There was a tug on the leg of her jeans near the ankle. Jamie looked down. Shadow had taken hold and was pulling. So much for being friendly.

  “No! Let go!”

  The K-9 not only ignored her, his angry barking had brought a motley assortment of farm dogs and they were joining the chorus. The din was enough to panic the wild horses and cause them to bunch up against the side of the pen.

  The rail fence shook, vibrated, made creaking, cracking noises. Jamie stopped worrying about the dogs, pushed away and jumped to the ground. A stomach cramp temporarily doubled her over and fear for her baby caused her to rue the decision to scale the fence in the first place.

  “I’m sorry, little one,” Jamie started to say.

  Suddenly, Ben was at her side, his arm around her shoulders. “That’s it. Stay down,” he shouted over the din.

  Just then, she heard the same singing whine she’d heard in the FBI parking garage and instantly knew someone was shooting. Ben’s grip tightened, keeping her on her feet and ushering her toward the barn.

  Shadow stayed close. Mustangs were rearing and fighting each other, falling against the wooden fence rails until something gave with a mighty snap and crash.

  Jamie shrieked. Ben pressed them both against the side of the barn while Shadow stood his ground, teeth bared, and the herd passed within mere feet. “Please, Jesus,” she prayed aloud, “help us.”

  A second shot whined. She heard it impact the barn. Felt Ben’s strong arms encircle and lift her. In seconds he had carried her into the barn and placed her on a square bale of hay. He knelt at her feet and took her hands. “What were you doing out here?”

  “Looking for you.” She glanced at her grimy camera. “Oh no. I can’t afford to replace it.”

  “Never mind that. Are you hurt?”

  “I—I don’t think so.” Her tender glance fell on the Doberman who was sitting and staring at her with as much concern as the man. “Thank you. Both of you.”

  “What started Shadow barking, the drone?”

  “What drone? I thought he was upset at the horses.” She shook her camera, hoping to remove some of the dirt without scratching the lens. To her surprise, it was still recording.

  “Don’t worry about the camera right now. Talk to me. Tell me what happened. Did you see the shooter?”

  A smile of relief insisted on blossoming despite the trauma and Jamie didn’t fight it. “No, but never mind that,” she said. “I have video of the whole thing.”

  “You’re kidding.” He rocked back on his heels, staring at her state-of-the-art camera.

  “Nope. I wanted to catch the horses in motion so I turned on the video and it kept running while I did my trick with the fence.”

  Ben rolled his eyes. “That was a lot more than a trick, lady. We’d spent weeks rounding up those wild horses and now they’re on their way back to the open land.”

  “Good. They deserve to be free,” she said before thinking.

  “Now you sound like the activists who try to stop every roundup, regardless. I agree the horses should be free. We were going to give the foals health checks and vaccinate before we released them.”

  “Oh.” Oops. Not good, she thought, penitent.

  “Stay right where you are,” Ben ordered. “Don’t move. I’ll be back in a sec.”

  Jamie watched him stride purposefully to the barn door and speak to several men who had gathered there, warning them to arm themselves and search for a potentially active shooter, first. Later, he said, they’d mount another roundup of the mustangs.

  Using the time alone to take a detailed inventory of her physical condition, Jamie was convinced that no harm had been done to her or to her baby in spite of her foolishness. That was a praise, for sure, and she sent it heavenward. “Thank you, Jesus.”

  Beyond that, however, she was clueless. Was this most recent shooter actually aiming for her? That was beginning to seem likely after she had disturbed the prowler in her room. Nevertheless, just because one rifle shot sounded like another didn’t mean the same gunman from the FBI garage had tracked her down.

  Ben had mentioned activist groups that didn’t approve of rounding up wild horses. Maybe some of them had been behind the shooting. It would have pleased her a lot more if she’d been able to convince herself that was the case but she was not.

  These reoccurring incidents were a wake-up call. Anonymous evil seemed to be hot on her trail with no sign of letting up and if she’d stayed in Denver where she was known, it would likely have overtaken her before this.

  Us, she corrected. Overtaken us. She was the caretaker of a precious new life. Wanting to call out to God on behalf of the baby and herself she found no adequate words.

  Silent tears and an open heart did the praying for her.

  SIX

  A sheriff’s deputy had arrived by the time Ben had secured the yard and escorted Jamie back to the house. He left her with Mrs. E while he explained the incident at the barn to the lawman. “She’s a murder witness from Denver,” Ben said. “I’m only giving her a place to lay low until the trial in Colorado.”

  “Looks like somebody picked the wrong safe house,” the deputy countered. “I’ll get these bullets to the FBI in Cheyenne unless you need it to go to Denver.”

  Ben stuffed his hands in his pockets. “That’s fine. They can transmit the results to their Denver headquarters.”

  “Gotcha.” He saluted loosely. “See ya, buddy. Keep your head down, okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m working on it.”

  Jamie was in the dining room when Ben returned. A spotless white cloth was spread over one end of the oval table and she was cleaning her camera there.

  Seating himself at the far end of the same table with his laptop, Ben looked at the Jamie over the top of the screen. “Where’s your computer?”

  “On the floor with my camera bag. Why?”

  “I have some files I want you to read before you take any more unauthorized strolls around the ranch.”

  “Sorry. I really did think you were in the barn and I could just join you so you wouldn’t have to come back to the house to get me.”

  He waited until she’d bent to retrieve the computer before he rolled his eyes. For someone who seemed so polite and complacent she certainly knew how to get under his skin. He’d been edgy ever since she’d arrived and the longer she stayed, the more unsettled he became. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, he reasoned, as long as it didn’t negatively affect carrying out his assignment. If being an army ranger had taught him anything, it was to function well in any situation. That was another plus about being in the RMKU. Several others as well as his boss had the same military background and it helped them still.

  Which reminded him of the drone. Somebody had put an eye in the sky to observe his ranch, and he didn’t like it one bit. He did, however, hope the operators were activists, riling up the horses to make them run away, rather than criminals hunting the pregnant photographer. It would be far easier to predict probable next moves, for one thing.

  Jamie had spread the contents of her camera bag on the table with the laptop. Among the lenses and filters was a cell phone. Surely she wasn’t still using the one she’d had back in Denver. The FBI had sent her to him via a DPD officer. One of them must have considered the possibility she could be tracked by her original phone.

  He reached for it. “This is new, right?”

  “New enough.” She shrugged. “I got it a couple of months ago when I upgraded.”

  “The FBI didn’t give it to you?”

  Frowning, she shook her head. “No. Why?”

  “And nobody mentioned turning it off and taking out the battery?”

  Her green eyes widened, her face going even more pale than usual. “No. Nobody said a word about it.”

  “Unbelievable.” Ben was already disassembling the phone and placing the parts on the white cloth. “Anybody with half a brain and access to the internet could have looked up how to hack into your signal and track you.”

  “It can’t be as easy as it looks on TV.”

  “No, it isn’t. But for the right person, it’s not that difficult, either.” He gestured at her laptop. “I’ll make you a USB drive of the files on the criminal organization we think is behind what Hawkins did so you can take your time going over it. That man didn’t just take a wild notion to murder the congresswoman. We’re sure he was hired by some powerful people and you stumbled right into the middle of it.”

  “The FBI special agent in charge did allude to that but he didn’t explain. Just how far-reaching is this gang supposed to be? Could they have traced me here already?”

  Ben quickly decided it was better for her to be scared than to be too brave. “They probably have a greater reach than we know. It’s hoped that by agreeing to testify against Hawk Hawkins you’ll loosen his tongue and convince him to reveal who’s running the show at the very top.”