Free Man on a Mission by Carla Cassidy Page A

she’d face was getting Matthew’s approval for such a project.
    Still, she would face that particular chore after viewing the barn.
    She picked up her pace as the barn rose before her. Although weathered to a dull gray and needing obvious cosmetic attention, the building looked sturdy and sound from the outside.
    She approached the barn eagerly and saw that the large double door hung open, spilling light into what would have been a dark interior.
    Stepping through the opening, she saw that the floor was completely covered in a thick layer of sand and dirt. An old broom stood in the corner as if awaiting the hand of a ranch worker.
    It would be perfect, she thought with a touch of excitement. She could easily imagine a band playing in one corner while couples danced in the vast open area in the center.
    No light shone through the walls, indicating to her that the building was relatively sound. She could tell Matthew that very little work would need to be done. Keeping the building as rustic as possible would only add to the charm of the activities she would plan to take place here.
    The floorboards creaked beneath her feet as she walked the length of the barn, her mind whirling with all the possibilities.
    A rustling noise echoed through the large building, followed by what sounded like a deep male voice emitting a single inaudible word. April froze, her heartbeat suddenly thundering in her ears.
    â€œHello?” she called.
    Silence. Deep and profound silence.
    Had she only imagined the noise? She was certain she’d heard something, and it was impossible in the cavernous building to discern where the sound had come from. Whoever had made the noise, it was obvious by the silence greeting her now that they didn’t intend to show themselves.
    She suddenly realized being here alone was probably not a great idea. Neither was coming here without telling somebody where she was going.
    Thoughts of Marietta’s murder filled her head. The killer hadn’t been arrested and might possibly be hiding out right here in the old, abandoned barn.
    She turned and raced for the door. It wasn’t until she was outside in the waning evening light that the momentary panic faded and she felt foolish. Surely she’d just imagined the noise, or it had been an animal of some sort, scurrying to hide from her.
    Unless a person was thin enough to conceal himself behind the broom handle, the barn had contained no other viable hiding place that she could immediately see.
    She had panicked for nothing. Silly goose, she chided herself. She walked for what seemed like a long time, a new flutter of anxiety sweeping through her as she saw no sign of the ranch in the distance.
    Night was falling quickly, painting deep shadows across the sand, transforming cacti and rocks to black silhouettes. The last place she wanted to be was lost in the desert in the hours of darkness.
    She half jogged for another few minutes, the flutter of anxiety transforming to near full-blown panic when she still didn’t see the ranch.
    Was it possible that in her panic in leaving the barn, she’d been disoriented and taken off in the wrong direction? Had she unconsciously been veering completely off course since leaving the barn?
    She’d been a fool to go exploring so far from the main buildings in the late-evening hours. Nobody would know where she had gone. With Brian stayingat Ricky’s house, nobody would even know she was gone until morning when Brian returned.
    Icy fingers of fear danced up her spine. She stopped walking, afraid she was going in the wrong direction, afraid to worsen her stupidity by possibly moving even farther away from the ranch.
    She took a sip of her water in an attempt to calm herself. Panic would serve no purpose. As she screwed the lid back on the bottle, she looked around.
    In the distance she thought she saw the pale glow of a light against the encroaching night. A house?
    She hurried forward, relief coursing