Decker. But my friends call me Caveman.”
The sheriff’s eyes narrowed. “And what do you have to do with all of this?”
Grace leaned back and stared up at the man she’d been leaning on. “Yeah, why were you out in the middle of nowhere?”
“I was sent to check on a Mr. Khalig, a pipeline inspector for Rocky Mountain Pipeline Inc. I was told he’d been receiving threats.”
“RJ Khalig?” the sheriff asked.
Caveman nodded. “That’s the one.”
“He’s been a regular at the Blue Moose Tavern since he arrived in town a couple weeks ago. He’s staying at Mama Jo’s Bed-and-Breakfast,” Sheriff Scott added.
Grace shook her head. “I’ll bet he’s the man I saw get shot. He appeared to be checking some device in a valley when the shooter took him down.”
“What exactly did you see?” Sheriff Scott asked.
“Yeah,” Caveman said. “I’d like to know, as well.”
* * *
GRACE’S INSIDES CLENCHED and her pulse sped up. “I was searching for one of the wolves we’d collared last spring. His transponder still works, but hasn’t moved in the past two days. Either he’s lost his collar, or he’s dead. I needed to know.” Grace took a breath and let it out, the horror of the scene she’d witnessed threatening to overwhelm her.
“I was coming up to the top of a hill, hoping to see the wolf pack in the valley below, so I tied my horse to a tree short of the crown of the ridge. When I climbed to the crest, I saw a vehicle on a hilltop on the other side of the valley. It was an all-terrain vehicle, a four-wheeler. I thought maybe the rider had fallen off or was hurt, so I looked for him and spotted him in the shade of a tree, lying in the prone position on the ground, and he was aiming a rifle at something in the valley.” She twisted her fingers. “My first thought was of the wolves. But when I glanced down into the valley, the wolf pack wasn’t there. A man was squatting near the ground, looking at a handheld device.
“When I realized what was about to happen, I yelled. But not soon enough. The shooter fired his shot at the same time. The man in the valley didn’t have a chance.” She met the sheriff’s gaze. “I couldn’t even go check on him because the shooter must have heard my shout. The next thing I knew, he was aiming his rifle at me.” She shivered. “I got on my horse and raced to the bottom of the mountain.”
“And he followed?”
She nodded. “He shot at me a couple of times. I thought I might have outrun him, but he caught up about the time I reached the truck and trailer Mr. Decker mentioned. He shot at me, hit the truck, my horse threw me and I woke up in the backseat of Mr. Decker’s truck.” She inhaled deeply and let it all out. “We have to go back to that valley. If there’s even a chance Mr. Khalig is alive, he won’t be by morning.”
“I’ll take my men and check it out.”
Grace touched his arm. “I’m going with you. It’ll take less time for you to find him if I show you the exact location.”
“You need to see a doctor,” the sheriff said. “As you said, I don’t have time to wait for that.” He glanced at Caveman. “Do you want me to have one of my deputies take you to the clinic?”
Grace’s lips firmed into a straight line. “I’m not going to a clinic. I’m going back to check on that man. I won’t rest until I know what happened to him. If you won’t take me, I’ll get on my own four-wheeler and go up there. You’re going to need all-terrain vehicles, anyway. Your truck won’t make it up those trails.”
The sheriff nodded toward his deputy. “Load up the trailer with the two four-wheelers. We’re going into the mountains.” He faced Grace. “And we’re taking her with us.”
“I’ll meet you out at Khalig’s truck in fifteen minutes. It’ll take me that long to get to my place, grab my four-wheeler and get back to the location.” She faced Caveman. “Do you mind dropping me off at my house? It’s at the end of Main Street.”
“I’m going with you,” Caveman said.
“You’re under no obligation to,” she pointed out.
“No, but when you find an unconscious woman in the wilderness, you tend to invest in her well-being.” His eyes narrowed. He could be as stubborn as she was. “I’m going.”
“Do you have a four-wheeler?”
“No, but I know someone who probably does.” Given the mission of Task Force Safe Haven, Kevin Garner had to have the equipment he needed to navigate the rocky hills and trails. If not horses, he had to have four-wheelers.
“I’m not waiting for you,” Grace warned.
“You’re not leaving without me,” he countered.
“Is that a command?” She raised her brows. “I’ll have you know, I’ll do whatever the hell I please.”
Caveman sighed. “It’s a suggestion. Face it, if your shooter is still out there, you’ll need protection.”
“The sheriff and deputy will provide any protection I might need.”
“They will be busy processing a crime scene.”
“Then, I can take care of myself,” Grace said. “I’ve been going out in these mountains alone for nearly a decade. I don’t need a man to follow me, or protect me.”
The sheriff laid a hand on her arm. “Grace, he’s right. We’ll be busy processing a crime scene. Once you get us there, we won’t have time to keep an eye on you.”
“I can keep an eye on myself,” she said. “I’m the one person most interested in my own well-being.”
Caveman pressed a finger to her lips. “You’re an independent woman. I get that. But before now, you probably have never had someone shooting at you. I have.” He took her hand. “Even in the worst battlefield scenarios, I rely on my battle buddies to have my back. Let me get your back.”
For a moment, she stared at his hand holding hers. Then she glanced up into his gaze. “Fine. But if you can’t keep up, I’ll leave you behind.”
He nodded. “Deal.”
* * *
SHE GAVE THE truck and trailer’s location to the sheriff and the deputy. Because she didn’t want to slow them down from getting out to the site, she was forced to accept a ride from the man who’d picked her up off the ground and carried her around like she was little more than a child.
A shiver slipped through her at the thought of Caveman touching her body in places that hadn’t been touched by a man in too long. And he’d found her unconscious. Had she been in the city, anything could have happened to her. In the mountains, with a shooter after her, she hated to think what would have happened had Caveman not come along when he had.
If the killer hadn’t finished her off, the wolves, a bear,
