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clicked off the TV and turned on the side table lamp to light up the entire room.
    Walking into the kitchen, she turned on the light and cleaned her plate and glass, dried them and put them away. She’d just turned off the light in the kitchen and started to walk into the living room when she thought she heard a knock at the door.
    Apprehension washed over her and her heart rate slammed in her chest as she peeked out the kitchen window. No one appeared to be standing at the back door, but she noticed a glow that drew her gaze. An oil lantern sat on the railing holding down a piece of white paper that fluttered in the wind.
    No way would an escaped murderer take time to write a note, let alone find a lantern. Feeling better, she opened the door, walked outside and lifted the lantern to retrieve the paper. She set the lantern back down as she read the note.
    Elise,
    Meet me at the stables. I’ve got a couple of things to go over with you.
    Josh
    With a smile, Sabrina crumpled the note and set it on the railing beside the lantern. That news flash on TV had really spooked her. In more ways than one she was thankful for Josh’s company. Grabbing the lantern, she carefully walked down the stairs in her high-heeled sandals.
    She didn’t care about the wind slamming into her or the thunder off in the distance, announcing an impending storm. She just wanted to see Josh again. Hmmm, he might be disappointed that it wasn’t Elise meeting him concerning the horse, but as her heart raced in anticipation of seeing him again, she hoped her appearance in the stables would make him glad he came by anyway.
    The wind had apparently blown the large stable doors closed. She had to pull hard to open one of the heavy wood panels against the wind. Once she’d opened it enough for her body to squeeze through, she slid inside.
    As the door slammed closed behind her, a couple of horses neighed, drawing her attention. Holding up the lantern, her heels sank into the dirt floor as she turned in the direction of the agitated horses and called out in a loud whisper, “Josh, are you there?” Why the heck am I whispering? she wondered.
    Maybe it was because, with the main doors closed, the stables were almost pitch-black. The darkness combined with the sound of the wind buffeting the stable walls outside made knots form in her stomach. Hearing that story on TV and knowing some psycho-killer was running around free didn’t help either, she thought with a smirk.
    As she walked toward the neighing horses’ stalls, she realized Josh never answered her. She held the lantern higher and found herself hissing out in a whisper once more, “Josh Kelly, I’m spooked enough as it is tonight. I don’t need you goofing around. You’d better show yourself or…or I’m going to tell Colt what you said to me yesterday.”
    When Josh didn’t answer her joking threat, the knots in the pit of her stomach turned to queasiness and then a cold feeling shot down her spine as fear caused the hairs on her arms to stand up. Something definitely didn’t feel right.
    “Colt can’t have what belongs to me,” a man said from behind her, his low voice dripping with hatred.
    As Sabrina started to whirl around to shine the light on the man, a sharp pain flashed through the back of her skull. She fell to the dirt floor, felt the bits of scratchy hay underneath her cheek and then nothing.

* * * * *
    Sabrina awoke feeling like someone had beaten her with a baseball bat. When she tried to turn her head to see around the room in order to determine where she was, she moaned at the pain the small action caused in the back of her head.
    Lifting her hand to her head, a sharp sting in her hand caused her to gasp. Josh leaned over her and grabbed the IV pole that had tilted with her swift movement, righting it. Apparently that’s what had caused the pain. She had an IV needle stuck in her hand.
    “Hi there,” Josh said softly as he pushed her hair back from her forehead. Concern