Free Rancher Rescue by Barb Han

shop.
    Coffee.
    There couldn’t be much better at the moment than a good cup of coffee save for finding Noah and having this whole nightmare behind her.
    Caleb handed her a cup and took a drink from his while he pulled out of the parking lot.
    “I ordered black for you.”
    “Perfect.” Katherine took a sip of the hot liquid. The slight burn woke her senses. A blaze of sunlight appeared from the east. “You’ve been driving all night. You must be exhausted.”
    Caleb took another sip from the plastic cup. “I’m more worried about that leg of yours. At some point, we need to take another look. Didn’t want to disturb you last night while you looked so peaceful.”
    “I’m surprised I slept at all.” Katherine stretched and yawned. She glanced down at her injuries. Blood had soaked through a few of the bandages and dried. Most were intact and clear. All things considered, they were holding up. “You dressed these well. My ankle feels better already.”
    She touched one, then two bandages. “I think they’ll hold awhile longer. At least the bleeding has stopped.”
    “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.” He cracked a sexy little smile and winked. “We’d better park here.” He cut the engine. “We’ll walk the rest of the way.”
    “Do you think they’re watching my apartment?”
    “A precaution,” he reassured her. His clenched jaw belied his words.
    “Why didn’t they stop us last night? They could’ve waited at Leann’s and shot us right then.”
    “I thought about that a lot on the drive. They want you to find what we’re looking for. And fast.”
    “I didn’t say anything about the file on the last call. I was too focused on Noah. They must realize I don’t have it.” She glanced toward her purse where the cell phone had been stashed.
    “Stores don’t open until ten o’clock. We have to wait to find a charging cable until then.” He took a sip of coffee. “I’m guessing Noah’s breathing problems must’ve forced them to ask for a meeting before they were ready. I think they’d rather let you locate the evidence, and then snatch you. Once they’re convinced you have it, I have no doubt the game will change.”
    He watched over their shoulders a few times too many for Katherine’s comfort, as they did their best to blend with pedestrians.
    “Wait here while I scout the area.” They were a few hundred feet from the front door of her apartment. He pointed toward the row of blooming crepe myrtles. There hadn’t been a cold snap yet to kill the flowers. Fall weather didn’t come to Dallas until mid-November some years. This was no exception.
    “Okay.”
    A few minutes later he returned. “Looks fine from what I can tell. If they’re watching, they’re doing a good job of hiding. Either way, keep close to me.”
    She had no intention of doing anything else as she unlocked the door and followed him inside. “I wish we knew what kind of file we were looking for.”
    Her office had been temporarily set up in the dining room so Noah could occupy the study. From where she stood, she could see they’d taken her computer. “First Leann’s laptop is missing. Now my computer. I’m guessing we’re looking for a zip drive or other storage device.”
    “If it wasn’t at your sister’s place and it’s not here, where else could the file be?”
    “I work from home, so there’s no office to go to. All I need to schedule appointments for my trainers is a computer and a phone. I keep everything here. I’ll check the study where Noah’s been sleeping. You might be right about Leann slipping it into his things.” Katherine moved to the study that had been overtaken by her nephew. Toys spilled onto the floor. She stepped over them and rummaged through his things. No red flags were raised.
    This approach wasn’t working. If she were going to get anywhere, she had to figure out a way to think like Leann. Where would she stick something so incredibly valuable? Maybe