Were they all as honorable as they claimed to be? Probably, but she wasn’t willing to bet either of their lives on it.
“Where exactly are we headed again?”
Grateful for the change in subject, Mackenna brushed back a few stray hairs that had escaped her braid and smiled. “Cuna Mundo. It’s this little ranching town out in the middle of nowhere.”
A lot of people claimed to live in similar places. She’d heard it a lot in Colorado, but in her case, it wasn’t just hyperbole. The only things worth noting inside the town limits was a feed store and a hole-in-the-wall diner with a limited menu. The residents of Cuna Mundo had to drive at least half an hour in any direction to even buy a gallon of milk or a pack of cigarettes.
Neither of them spoke for a long time after that, and Mackenna used the quiet to reflect on her current emotional state. She probably should have been freaking out, at least a little. They’d just been attacked by a pack of rabid wolves, and she’d watched a man—well, he’d been a man at one point—die right in front of her.
She didn’t know what it said about her that she felt nothing beyond a vague sense of relief. After another few minutes, she decided it was probably better not to consider it too deeply. It had happened. It was over, and they had survived it.
Shit happens. Then you die.
It wasn’t just a funny T-shirt anymore. It was kind of a mantra.
“So, if this is where you’re from, what were you doing in Colorado?” A frown tugged at his lips, and he snorted derisively as he shook his head. “Damn, I guess I never even asked you what it is you used to do.”
In fairness, two years felt like a lifetime ago. They weren’t those people anymore, and that past didn’t even seem real, let alone important. She knew Cade had been in the military, but if he hadn’t volunteered the information, she honestly didn’t know if she would have thought to ask.
“I was a student at Colorado State University in the Veterinary Medicine program.”
“Damn.” He whistled. “Impressive.”
She sat up straighter in her seat and preened a little. It had been one of the top-rated vet programs in the country, and the competition for admission had been fierce. She was proud of what she had accomplished, even if she’d never been able to complete the final year of her graduate degree.
“I was on my way home for winter break. Everything was madness. Traffic was basically at a standstill on the interstate, so I pulled off to take the backroads.”
“And you got lost.”
Mackenna huffed. “I was not lost.”
Cade shrugged, clearly not believing her. She opened her mouth, prepared to defend herself, even if they both knew anything that she said would be a lie. Instead, she pulled in a sharp gasp as a shiver of excitement raced down her back.
“We’re here.”
There was no sign welcoming them to Cuna Mundo, nothing to distinguish the town line, but she knew the landscape. She knew the big boulder on the side of the road, the one she and Jess had secretly carved their initials into the summer before they’d started high school. She recognized the iron fences with their wooden posts, as well as the big tree she’d fallen out of when she’d been nine. Luckily, she hadn’t broken anything, but she’d scared the hell out of Jess.
“Right up here.” She pointed ahead of them through the windshield. “There should be a turnoff on the right. Yes!” Still pointing, she jabbed her finger excitedly. “Right there. That’s it.”
The big arch that welcomed them to Coyote Ridge Ranch had faded and rusted over the years, but it was still the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. The fields were a dull yellow now, but come spring, bright green grass stretched for miles.
Damn, she missed colors.
Following the winding gravel path to the modest ranch house tucked behind a grove of trees off the highway, Cade pulled to a stop and cut the engine. “Be careful.”
“I know.” Neither of them could be sure what awaited them within the house. “Hold on.” Without opening her door, she stuck her head out of the broken window and closed her eyes. She sniffed the air, pleased when she didn’t find anything out of place. There also weren’t any footsteps or heartbeats nearby, human or otherwise. “It’s okay. There’s no one here.”
She’d known the likelihood of Jess still hanging around the ranch was remote, but that didn’t stop her from feeling the pang of disappointment.
Stepping out of the vehicle, Cade ejected the clip in the 9 mm, checked the number of rounds, then slid it back into place with a snap. “Not that I don’t trust you, but…just in case.”
Meeting him at the front of the SUV, Mackenna nodded her approval. Her instincts and senses said they were alone, but still, best to be cautious.
The steps creaked beneath their boots as they ascended to the covered porch. The front door was completely missing, but a crack in the frame showed where it had been forced open at some point. A thick layer of sand covered the hardwood floor in the entryway, but it remained smooth and unblemished without any signs that someone had been there recently.
Mackenna just prayed that Jess hadn’t been there when the door had been knocked down. “Raiders?”
“Yeah, probably. Come on.” Cade led the way into the