Captured by Cowboys (Doms of Destiny, Colorado 1)

Jason and his two brothers, Mitchell and Lucas, had grown up in Destiny, just like Bryant and his brothers. But the Wolfe brothers weren’t tight like them. In fact, they were worlds apart in so many ways. Jason, who had more than a few run-ins with the law during his high school years, had turned his former wild-oats-sowing nights into somber, straightlaced days that had landed him the highest office in the county last election.

“Where the fuck is he? He should’ve been back by now.” Cody was pacing like a man isolated from any human contact awaiting the long walk down a prison’s hallway to the electric chair.

He couldn’t blame his twin, since that was exactly how he was feeling, too. They’d come down the mountain mostly on foot, having to dismount their horses several times due to the poor condition of the roads.

They’d come to the rockslide at The Narrows and had seen a white van on its side down the cliff. They both agreed it was too risky to climb down to see if it was Amber’s, but they both knew it had to be. As they’d headed down to town, Bryant had questioned himself about the decision not to scale the cliff to the vehicle below. He and Cody had been quick to let it go for another time, saying they needed different equipment to be safe. To some extent that was true, but it wasn’t the real reason they’d continued the trek, leaving the downed van behind. They were both terrified of what they would find inside the van. With Amber’s identity remaining a mystery, they could fool themselves into believing her past wouldn’t come crashing into their lives and take her away from them. That had been the real reason they’d not descended down to the automobile.

It had taken them all day and three hours after the sun went down to get to the city limits. Instead of heading to their house in town, they’d taken the direct route here. Jason had been out on a call in Clover, one of four other towns in the county besides Destiny. The eccentric dispatcher, Shannon Day, who was well into her sixties and was known in town for her colorful wigs and known by most, though not Jason, for her love of smoking pot, had sent out word to her boss of their need to see him.

The door opened and in came Shannon wearing large sunglasses and a shoulder-length purple wig. “The sheriff just pulled up outside. He’ll be right in to talk to you.”

“Thanks, Shannon.” Bryant’s gut tightened. He wasn’t ready to know if anyone had come looking for Amber. Deep down, he knew he would never be ready. Cody had to be right. Amber was their future. Her arrival at their ranch just had to be more than coincidence.

Jason walked in, wearing his sheriff garb—tan shirt and matching pants, holstered gun and badge, and on top of his close-cropped head, his wide-brimmed hat. “Hello, fellows.” He took off his hat and placed it on the hook by the only window in his office. “Shannon has already told me via the radio about your guest.”

“Good to know you’re ahead of the game on this one.” Cody leaned forward in his chair. “What can you tell us about her, Jason?”

The sheriff walked around his desk and sat down in his leather chair. “You say she looks to be in her mid-twenties, right?” He got a pen and a pad from his desk’s top drawer. He held the tip a fraction of an inch from the paper and looked directly at Cody and then at Bryant.

“That’s right,” Bryant answered. “Long, dark hair. Amber-colored eyes.”

Jason wrote in his pad. “How tall would you say she is?”

“Five three,” Cody answered. “So has anyone been looking for her or not?”

“Let’s see what we can find out.” The sheriff set the pad beside his keyboard and typed the only facts they had about Amber. After what seemed like an eternity, but was likely less than ten minutes, Jason pointed to the screen. “This one looks like a match.”

“Fuck,” Cody blurted out.

Bryant agreed. It was the only word that fit this moment. Amber had a past. Someone was looking for her.

“Hold on. This is from a Chicago precinct. No picture included. That’s odd.” Jason continued. “You say she’s been with you for one week, right?”

“Yeah.” Bryant stood up. “What does it say?”

“Chill out, Stone. Let me see what’s in this report. ‘Missing person’ is a broad term that covers a whole host of possibilities, guys. It covers runaways, people with dementia, missing hikers, crime victims, overdue travelers, and a whole slew of others. A lot of them don’t fall in a bucket that law enforcement can act on, but some do.” He pointed to the screen. “If this is your girl, I’ll find out. I’ll call the officer who uploaded this report in the morning.”

“Call him now, Jason.” Bryant’s heart felt like it was ripping in two.

“It’s a her, but okay, buddy. I will.”

He’d convinced himself into believing Cody was right about fate bringing Amber to them. Why had he chosen to be so reckless and foolhardy? He should’ve followed Emmett’s advice and kept his dick in his pants. But he’d waved the white flag to his carnality, his lust, and now he would suffer and so would Amber once the people in her past came for her.

The sheriff dialed the number on the screen. “Hello, this is Sheriff Wolfe from Swanson County, Colorado. I’m calling for Officer Nicole Flowers. She is?” Bryant was hanging on Jason’s every word, praying that Amber wasn’t the one the Chicago PD was looking for. “Maybe you can help me. I’m calling about a missing person inquiry she put out on the national database. I’m not sure if this is your girl or not, but we do have some details that line up. Yes. You don’t? I understand. Yes. I will call back in the morning. Thank you very much.” He put the receiver back on the phone’s cradle.

“Well?” Cody snapped.

“That was Officer Jaris Black. He works with Flowers. He didn’t have any answers for me, guys, but said he would e-mail me a picture of their missing woman once he got his computer turned on. You guys willing to wait?”

“Of course,” Bryant answered, dread crawling up from his belly and wrapping its claws around his throat.

“Like I said, this is likely a dead end. Most missing persons stay missing, but I’ll do my best to find out who your mystery girl is. Have you considered she might’ve been voluntarily walking away from her life and her relationships?”

He nodded, hoping against all odds that Amber had done just that. “More than you can imagine, Jason.”

Cody chimed in. “Much more.”

* * * *