Leaving Liberty, a Western Romance (Book 5) (Texas Hearts) Read Free Page B

handle. Trying to be supportive of her friend had been hard, especially long distance. But they’d been best friends since the cradle and whatever differences of opinions they had were never enough to keep a wedge between them.
    The grounds outside were quiet except for the horses in the paddock. Occasionally she’d heard the sound of a cow or chicken. But as she finished saddling up Spirit, the chestnut mare she’d raised since birth, she realized she hadn’t heard Cole come back from town.
    Standing by the barn door, she scanned the yard and then the driveway. She didn’t see his truck. Her stomach dropped. Had he decided to leave like he said he might?
    After a few seconds of worry, she realized the ringing she heard wasn’t coming from her head. It was coming from the phone in the barn. She turned and ran through the barn to the other side to catch the call.
    “Lib?”
    It took Libby a second to realize it wasn’t Cole calling her from town. “Dane? This is an unexpected surprise, you calling me in the middle of the afternoon. I was working in the barn and almost ignored the phone.”
    “Good thing you didn’t. This isn’t a social call.”
    “Oh?” Libby’s stomach sank. “Is something wrong? You didn’t get word about Hannah, did you?” If something had happened to Hannah, surely they would have called her directly rather than have Dane send her word. Her heart pounded in her chest.
    “No. Nothing like that.”
    Libby breathed a sigh of relief and pushed wayward strands of hair away from her face as tears filled her eyes.
    “Oh, good. What is it then?”
    “I take it you’ve met Ranger Gentry?”
    “Ah, yes. He stopped by the house yesterday.”
    “He just brought Cole to the station.”
    That station would be the police station.
    “What? I thought all the questions about my father’s accident had been answered. What’s he fishing for?”
    “Don’t know. And I shouldn’t even be calling you. But I know how close you and Cole are.”
    “Do I need to hire a lawyer, Dane?”
    “That’s not for me to say. They’re just talking.”
    Libby bit her bottom lip and swallowed hard. “Thanks for letting me know.”
    She hung up the phone and turned around. Spirit was all saddled up and ready to go. She’d needed this ride as much as Spirit did to clear her mind.
    She walked over to Spirit and stroked her nose, lovingly. “Sorry, girl. We’re going to have to take a rain check on that ride.”
    * * *
    Damn Jackson Gentry. Libby drove the entire way to the police station, fuming about the mess this ranger was making of her life. Didn’t she already have enough to deal with? If grieving wasn’t enough, she still had a ranch to run. Without Cole on the Bucking Hills Ranch to help her pick up the extra work, everything would fall apart. As much as she longed to get back to work, to feel a sense of normalcy again, Libby knew she still didn’t have her full strength back.
    And that thought only reminder her there was work to be done down by the creek beyond the pasture. Three of her cattle were spotted on the roadway the other day. They were getting out somewhere, which meant there was a break in the fence. She’d have to find it and repair it herself if she didn’t succeed today. Just one more chore added to a long list of things this ranch needed.
    Libby parked her truck in the visitor's parking lot alongside a familiar black pickup. Jackson Gentry’s truck. She killed the engine and stepped out into the heat, digging her boots in the hard ground. She paused only to check her purse to make sure she hadn’t forgotten the envelope she’d taken from the house safe. Then she walked toward the front door of the police station, head held high, ready for battle.
    Cool air bathed her face immediately as she walked inside. She’d been here before with her father. Years ago a group of kids had been vandalizing fences on the far side of the property and letting the animals out to run loose. She’d