Hidden Ranch Peril by Michelle Aleckson

Author:Michelle Aleckson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-05-05T23:07:53+00:00

TWELVE

Talia pressed her fingertips to her temples, trying to work this new information into her brain as she walked back and forth in Noah’s hospital room.

Sally wasn’t her aunt. But she did have an uncle now. Her father’s brother. Her immediate family was killed, but not in a car accident. They were murdered by some gang hired by an unknown enemy. And now someone kidnapped Sally, burned down their ranch, shot up her home, and—was it all some bizarre nightmare?

“Talia?” Noah’s voice reached through her muddled thoughts. “Are you okay? We’ll find, Sally. I promise.”

She wasn’t sure how she felt about Sally right now. So many feelings were ricocheting through her. On a good day she had a very tentative handle on slippery, ambiguous things like emotions. This was about the furthest thing from a good day.

But no matter how she felt, finding Sally was a must. If nothing else, Sally held too many secrets. Secrets Talia needed to hear.

She stepped up to Noah’s bedside, arms folded across her chest.

“Why do you think my...uncle—” it sounded so foreign “—can help us find her?”

“He’s rich. Connected.”

“Rich?”

“Like mega-rich. He broadcast commercials on television stations across the country asking the public for help in finding you. I can’t believe you haven’t seen them.”

“I never watch broadcast television, ironically, because I hate commercials. And I would rather read. Work and the ranch always keep me busy.”

“I wasn’t lying when I always wondered what happened to you.” He searched her gaze, his brown eyes intense. He grabbed her hand. “The first time I saw your uncle’s commercial seven months ago, it sparked hope. I remembered the stories Carol would tell us. And I thought maybe I could find you. Try to help find answers to what happened. Now I’ve found you. Sally wanted to wait, but your uncle would have resources, tech, people we can hire to help find her. The only thing I have are the memories, the stories that helped connect me to you and the Owyhees. But now? I think we should go to him.”

It made sense. Besides, she had no home to go to. The ranch was a pile of rubble, and her cottage, though standing, had to be riddled with bullet holes. Not to mention there were still people trying to kill her.

Noah swung his legs over the side of the bed. “We should go to Gregory. He would have a vested interest in finding Sally and the people who took her. Justice for your family.”

“Why do you think his wealth will make a difference? How is it going to help us find Sally?”

“Because we know more now. We are right on their tail, not following a cold trail from over twenty years ago. It’s time for you to step back into your life as Anna Coleson. The Coleson Company has state-of-the-art navigational technology. They probably have tools we’ve never dreamed of that could help.”

Step into her life as Anna Coleson? How was she supposed to do that? She didn’t know who Anna Coleson was.

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.