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As if reading her thoughts, Spike suddenly snorted out a kind of sigh himself

Mary Catherine laughed as she scratched Spike between his ears

“C’ late I

guess it’s ti Time to head them off at the pass”

CHAPTER 39

MARY CATHERINE GOT LOST on her way back to Cody’s farm

It was her own duh a stand of cypress and black oak, she’d spotted a sht looked like a shortcut But it wasn’t After a while, the path started going up instead of down and turning in the wrong direction, north instead of south

She was just about to give up on it, about half a ht and a man stepped out onto the trail behind her Spike, startled, wheeled around, rearing back on his hind legs, al her

Mary Catherine et hiure He was a scraggly, thin, young white guy in jeans and a plaid shirt with the sleeves cut off Beneath his khaki bush hat, long brown hair fell to his shoulders

There was also an olive-colored strap over his ar up over his back

Gun! she thought, freaking out The cartel! They were here! We’ve been found out!

“Can I help you?” the youngsharp in his voice

Not the cartel? Soht, still round eyed and frozen in the saddle An off-the-reservation militia person?

Then she realized it Why he seery She actually clapped a hand to her forehead

“Oh, no I rode onto your property, didn’t I?” Mary Catherine said “I’ at Aaron Cody’s place, and I went out for a ht this was a shortcut back I’m such an idiot I didn’t mean to trespass”