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Back The Last Goodnight Save as PDF
Chapters (50)
  1. Also by
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. CHAPTER ONE
  5. CHAPTER TWO
  6. CHAPTER THREE
  7. CHAPTER FOUR
  8. CHAPTER FIVE
  9. CHAPTER SIX
  10. CHAPTER SEVEN
  11. CHAPTER EIGHT
  12. CHAPTER NINE
  13. CHAPTER TEN
  14. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  15. CHAPTER TWELVE
  16. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  17. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  18. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  19. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  20. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  21. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  22. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  23. CHAPTER TWENTY
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  33. CHAPTER THIRTY
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  43. CHAPTER FORTY
  44. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  45. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  46. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  49. EPILOGUE
  50. Teaser Chapter

She felt no pity for the man who had become Kade’s enemy.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE STORM RAGED FOR ANOTHER TWO DAYS, BUT THE WINDS HAD died down, and the temperature had risen enough that the cattle were no longer in danger of freezing. Aside from a few stray head that the hands rounded up and drove back to herds in various pastures, the danger had mostly passed. Keeping track of four thousand cows wasn’t an easy job, but the men were used to it, Kade included.

And every day Smoke continued to improve. He was still sleeping in his dog bed in the study, but he was alert and eating. Kade figured that by tomorrow the dog would be up and moving around. With Billy hovering over him, Smoke couldn’t be in better hands.

Riley Parker was back at work. He couldn’t ride a horse, but he was in good spirits and eager to help. He could drive an ATV. Wyatt had come up with a dozen jobs he could handle.

Hungry and tired at the end of the day, Kade joined the men in the kitchen. Ellie was back working with Maria. Tonight they served a hearty meal of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and gravy, with berry cobbler for dessert. After the long hours the crew had been working, the food tasted especially good.

The men were just about finished, relaxed and joking, when Kade pushed back from the table. He still had work to do in his study, and he wanted to check on Smoke. He flicked a glance at Ellie and felt a familiar stirring.

He’d wanted Ellie Bowman since the day he’d walked into her office in Denver. That want had only grown stronger during the time she had been working on the ranch. With a frustrated sigh, he went into his study to check on Smoke. The dog was peacefully sleeping. Kade ran a hand gently over Smoke’s thick coat, then sat down behind his desk and got to work.

A few minutes later, a familiar knock had him lifting his head. Ellie. His pulse kicked up. “Door’s open. Come on in.”

She walked in and closed the door, her gaze going to Smoke. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s sleeping. Looks like he’s going to be okay.”

“That’s great, Kade.” She was wearing a soft yellow sweater that clung to her full breasts and sent arousal burning through him.

“I just got a call from Conner,” she said. “Conn tracked down Frank Keller’s military records.”

Kade rose from his chair. “Tell me.”

“Keller was army E.O.D, Kade. Explosive Ordinance Disposal.”

Kade thought of the bomb in the mine that had wound up costing a man his leg. He thought of Smoke and how close the animal had come to dying. “That rotten sonofabitch. The explosion in the tunnel, the shootings . . . has to be him.”