Saddled Hearts by Jan Sikes

Author:Jan Sikes [Sikes, Jan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Horse Sanctuary; Romantic Suspense; Murder; Music; Band; Psychic Medium; Estranged Father
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2022-06-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

Colt flung his guitar toward Jag, who caught it mid-air. He jumped from the bandstand, wildly waving his arms in front of the cattle to turn them back toward the door. Their heavy hooves pounded on the wooden floor accompanied by frantic bellows.

The dogs nipped at their legs in an attempt to gather the herd.

Folks screamed and scrambled to get out of the way, grabbing chairs and belongings. Tables went flying in all directions as the frightened cattle barreled through.

Heart pounding and acutely aware of the safety of the crowd, Colt jerked off his hat and flapped it in the air. Dust flew, stirred by the trampling hooves.

With Melanie close behind, Holden dashed to swoop up a child in the path of the stampeding creatures. Thankful for the help, Colt nodded in their direction, then turned back to the task of getting the herd out of the barn with no mishaps.

In minutes, Hank and two other ranch hands joined him. Together they herded them out.

“How in the hell did this happen?” Colt jammed his hat back on his head and frowned at Hank.

“I have no idea, boss. We were taking the saddles off the horses and putting them back in their stalls when I heard the commotion.”

“Well, grab some men and get these cattle back in the fence and see how they got out.”

Hank nodded and hurried off.

Colt returned to the bandstand. “Sorry, folks. Life’s never dull on this ranch.” He stopped to catch his breath. “Is everyone okay?” He scanned the crowd, mostly looking for a golden-haired woman who made his heart skip a beat. He breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted her, and she flashed a tremulous smile.

“We’re all good out here, Colt. But a few of us may need a change of underwear.” A man’s voice rang out, followed by hoots from the crowd.

“If that’s the worst damage, I’d say you lucked out.” Colt picked up his guitar. “Now back to some music. And let me remind you we have a surprise guest who will be here soon, so you don’t want to go anywhere.”

He struggled to bring his focus back to the music, but unanswered questions niggled the back of his mind. How did the cows get through the fence? Was it a diversion to take the attention away from something else bigger and more deadly? He hated the paranoia. Surely, it was just a coincidence, a careless action from one of the cowboys.

And who was the man he’d seen earlier that looked so hauntingly familiar?

Jag took the lead on the next song. It gave Colt a chance to catch his breath. When he captured Sage’s attention, he motioned for her to move closer to the stage. Something about her nearness helped to make everything settle.

Once he had his bearings, Colt took over again, and the band played with renewed vigor. Couples found places to dance while others scooted their chairs closer.

He rolled his shoulders and relaxed, back in his zone.

****

Sage situated her chair directly in front of the stage, then carried the bin with her table decor to her car.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.