Читать книгу One Tough Texan - Barb Han - Страница 11

Chapter Four

Joshua hoped he’d get back to the motel before Alice woke. He’d slipped out to pick up breakfast supplies. Outside the local coffee shop, Dark Roast, he called his twin brother. Ryder picked up on the second ring.

“What’s going on at the ranch today?” Joshua asked.

“Where are you?” Even though the sun wasn’t up Ryder sounded wide awake, typical hours for a rancher. Joshua had always been more of a night owl. In fact, he’d done little more than doze off for a few minutes here and there in the past few hours. His seniority at the Denver PD had given him the right to choose his shift. Unlike his peers who worked the day shift, he’d picked evenings. Even though he’d been home for weeks, his internal clock hadn’t made the adjustment.

“I’m in town at the coffee shop.” It wasn’t a lie.

“Don’t tell me you have a hot date this early?” Ryder joked.

“Nothing like that. Just needed to make a run into town.”

“How’d it go last night with the Nelson widow?” Ryder asked. He must’ve picked up on Joshua’s tone and figured she was to blame.

“As well as can be expected when she opened the front door in a silk bathrobe.” Joshua hadn’t been thrilled.

Ryder laughed and that didn’t help Joshua’s mood.

“How’d you manage to get out of that one without hurting her feelings?” His brother must’ve known the widow would pull something. She always did.

“I pretended not to notice.”

Ryder roared with laughter. “And she let you get away with that?”

“No, she let her robe fall open at one point,” Joshua said, still not enthused. “I almost told her to go put on a turtleneck.”

“That would have sent her into the other room crying,” Ryder said defensively. “She’s a little out there, lonely, but she’s harmless.”

“I didn’t actually say that even though someone should. If you wanted diplomatic you should’ve sent Tyler.” Joshua didn’t hide his irritation. Their older brother was known for his ability to navigate sticky situations, evaluate all sides and come up with a solution everyone could live with. No doubt he would’ve handled the Nelson widow with ease.

“You don’t have to bite my head off, man. I’m just here to shovel cow patties in the barn,” Ryder shot back. “Besides, you’re the one who drew the short straw at the family meeting last week.”

That didn’t cover the half of it. Joshua didn’t mean to be terse with his brother. The two had always been close. Keeping his secret about applying to the FBI was eating at his conscience, especially as he moved through the rounds. Then there was the woman sleeping in the motel room twenty minutes away. “I haven’t had my morning coffee yet. I don’t mean to be a jerk.”

“You’re fine. Besides, the Nelson widow can have that effect on people,” he teased, lightening the mood. “What’s she donating this year?”

“A bronze statue called Horse and Rider. It’s actually nice,” Joshua said, thinking that an expensive piece of art like that needed to be out of the back of his Jeep before someone figured it was there and helped themselves to it.

“Sounds heavy,” Ryder joked. “And classy.”

“Should help with our fund-raising goal this year at the silent auction.” He had no idea what that ultimate number was but he was sure a few of his brothers did, and rightfully so. They seemed like naturals when it came to stepping in for their parents.

“We ever going to talk about what’s really been bugging you, because I know it’s not the Nelson widow?” Leave it to Ryder to come right out with something on his mind. Then again, his twin would be the first to pick up on his underlying mood.

“It’s just not the same without them at the ranch,” Joshua said quietly, referring to their parents and that was 100 percent the truth. It was hard to think about being home without them there. And yet, that wasn’t what was really bothering him. He hoped his brother would buy the excuse or give him a pass without digging further.

“I miss them, too.” Ryder’s tone said he was giving Joshua a pass. This conversation wasn’t finished but would be saved for a later time.

“How’s everything going this morning?” Joshua asked, ready to change the subject.

“Fine. Dallas and Tyler are out checking fences. Austin and Tyler are in the office today. Austin said something about being up to his neck in financials and Tyler is negotiating next year’s supplier contracts. Are you coming in today? Uncle Ezra called last night and requested a family meeting,” Ryder said.

“What’s that about?” Joshua asked, distracted. He didn’t feel good about leaving Alice alone. He checked his watch, 5:40. It’d been less than twelve hours since their first encounter with The Ghost. Perez could be anywhere. Based on his reputation he was most likely searching for Joshua, not Alice. Joshua still didn’t like it. He scanned the parking lot aware that he had to watch his back a little more carefully until this whole situation blew over.

“I’m guessing he’s fighting with Aunt Bea again and wants us on his side,” Ryder said.

“Maybe he has another ‘opportunity’ for the family to invest in,” Joshua quipped.

“Yea, like his others have been so successful.” Ryder laughed.

Joshua tucked his free hand inside the front pocket of his jeans, staving off the morning chill. “What time’s the meeting?”

“Said he’ll come around suppertime. Think you can make it or do you need me to cover and then fill you in later?” Ryder asked.

“I’ll do my best to be there. Can I text you later when I know for sure?” Joshua had missed three of the last four family meetings and he was starting to feel guilty. No matter what else he decided he would always need to be involved in the family business on some level. As for his life, he needed to set his priorities and work from there.

“Of course. I better get back to it. These cows don’t clean up after themselves,” Ryder said.

Joshua resisted making a snappy comeback as he ended the call. His next was to his friend, Sheriff Tommy Johnson.

“We got trouble in town,” Joshua said after exchanging greetings.

“What happened?” Tommy asked, sounding half asleep.

“Did I wake you?” His friend was normally up and running by now.

“Not really. I’ve been working a case and didn’t get much sleep last night. What’s going on?” Tommy didn’t say it but Joshua knew that his friend was staying up late working on his parents’ case. He’d been poring over the guest list at the art auction the night before their deaths.

“Marco Perez was sighted last night at the gas station off Highway 287 near Harlan and he may be coming to Bluff next,” Joshua said.

“What makes you think he’ll come here?” Tommy asked.

“Me.”

“Okay, back up and tell me everything.” Tommy sounded wide awake now as ruffling noises came through the line.

Joshua relayed the details from last night up to the point of Alice taking him to her motel room. Even though it felt like he was betraying her, Tommy needed to know about any threats to the area. Joshua couldn’t have innocent people being caught in the crossfire if Perez was on a hunting mission—the prey he was after might be Joshua. “Can you check out Alice Green? She’s tracking these guys and she’s a cop out of Tucson.”

“Green. Got it,” Tommy said. “I’ll run her through the system.”

“Would you mind keeping this quiet instead? Do you know anyone out west you could contact and ask unofficially?” Joshua didn’t want to alert her boss to her whereabouts.

“I can’t think of anyone offhand but I’ll ask my deputies and see what we can come up with,” Tommy replied after a thoughtful few seconds of silence.

“I’ll owe you one.” Joshua figured that line pretty much covered his morning, and his life ever since he’d clocked out the last time with Denver PD and returned to the ranch. He loved the land, there was no question about that, but living the life of a rancher was for his father, his brothers, not him. So, his twin had been doing nothing but covering for him. And Joshua couldn’t keep up the charade much longer.

* * *

A SUDDEN NOISE woke Alice with a start. Heart thumping, she shot up and fumbled around for her Glock. The room was cast in darkness. Her heart raced at the sound of the door closing and the snick of the lock.

“It’s just me,” the familiar voice, the cowboy, said as a reading light clicked on. “And I brought coffee.”

Alice sank onto the bed, trying to shake the feeling of heavy limbs that came with suddenly waking in the middle of a deep sleep. “Coffee sounds like heaven right now.”

“How do you take yours?” he asked.

“Black works for me.”

He handed over a cup and the warmth was amazing against her cold fingers.

“Okay if I turn on another light?” he asked.

“Sure.” She took a sip, enjoying the dark roast taste and the burn in her throat.

“Mind if I join you?” He motioned toward the foot of the bed.

“Not at all.” It was nice to have company for a change. She’d basically spent the past three weeks alone aside from being kidnapped, stabbed and burned. In all fairness, the burn was an accident. She missed her boys, home, her job. Even though she couldn’t tell the cowboy everything about herself, she didn’t have to pretend to be a sixteen-year-old with him.

Alice glanced around the room. “Someone around here is into bluebonnets.”

“It’s the state flower.”

“I know that.” She took another sip. “I’m not an idiot.”

“Never said you were.” He arched his eyebrow.

Okay, she was probably being too defensive. She needed to tone down her attitude. “Thanks for the coffee, by the way. I appreciate it.”

He nodded and half smiled. “How’s your side?”

“No fresh blood. That’s a good sign.” She lifted her shirt enough to get a good look at the bandage.

“We’ll need to clean up the wound this morning to make sure infection doesn’t set in.”

“Hold on a second, cowboy. We don’t need to do anything. I’ve got this.” Her defenses were set to high gear again.

He shot her a disgusted look that she didn’t want to overanalyze.

“Of course you do,” he said.

Well at least he took a hint. Or so she thought. Until he got up, moved to the bathroom and then returned with the first aid kit he’d stashed there last night.

“I’m not the most agreeable person before coffee and I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot this morning,” she started but he interrupted her. He was trying to help and, although that grated on her, she also realized how nice it was to have a friend.

“Letting me clean and bandage your wound doesn’t make you dependent on me, or weak.” He spoke slowly as though he didn’t want to leave any question about his intentions. There was also a sharp edge to his voice.

“I never said it did,” she protested but he was already by her side, kneeling down. And if it wasn’t for those intense green eyes of his she’d stop him right there.

“Then lift up your shirt and quit being a baby about it,” he dared.

Alice did and then took a sip of coffee, realizing for the first time in weeks just how tired she was. Her still-foggy brain wasn’t helping with her disposition. The caffeine was starting to make headway toward clearing it. As it was, she’d been running on power bars and adrenaline, and even though she’d slept like a champ last night she knew it barely scratched the surface of what she really needed. Careful not to hurt her already aching side, she tried to stretch the kinks out of her arms and legs.

“I need to come up with a new plan,” she said on a heavy sigh, not sure why she was confiding in the cowboy.

“Since I have no confidence in your plan-making abilities, I’m willing to offer my services,” he said with a smile.

“Great. Thanks for the confidence,” she said and then laughed. The cowboy had a point. And a great smile. “I guess I can see where I might look a little crazy from someone else’s point of view.”

“Desperate or determined are probably better words. I just don’t want you to get yourself killed in the process,” he said. Maybe it was too early in the morning and Alice’s brain hadn’t fully engaged but the deep timbre of his voice sent sensual shivers down her back. “Why don’t you tell me what you’ve done and where you’ve been so far? We can go from there.”

Alice took another sip of coffee and then leaned her head against the headboard. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Okay. Let’s see. Isabel went missing six weeks ago.”

“And we’ve already determined that she’s not a disappear-with-a-band type,” he said with another endearing half smile.

“She’s more of a Taylor Swift person,” Alice said, wishing she could return the smile. Just talking about Isabel made her heart ache.

“When did you realize she was gone?” He said the last word quietly and his reverence was duly noted and appreciated.

“We were supposed to meet at Lucky Joe’s Café right after school. She didn’t show.” Alice took another sip and opened her eyes.

“Is that when you realized something was wrong?”

“No. Not right away. I called her first and her phone went straight into voice mail. I thought maybe she got tied up with a teacher. She’d been stressing over her upcoming exams and didn’t feel prepared. The whole semester had been stressful. I thought maybe she was biting off more than she could chew. She’s a motivated student and she signed up for AP World History, Pre-AP Chemistry, Pre-AP English, and Pre-AP Algebra 2. Even though she speaks fluent Spanish, she signed up for AP French.”

“Sounds like an intense load,” he said. “I think I took one AP class before graduating.”

“Times have changed. Kids push themselves harder these days. Isabel wanted to get a college scholarship and she had no athletic ability.”

“So, she had to push herself that hard?” His dark brow arched.

“She thought she did. Her parents didn’t leave her any money and she didn’t have any other family in the US. The rest of her family is poor and live in Mexico. Conditions are worse there. She wanted to stay in the States and make a better life.”

“Why don’t you sound convinced?”

“Part of it was true. I do think she wanted to make a better life for herself but I also believe she was pushing herself so hard because she wanted to keep busy. Not deal with the fact that her parents were gone or that her foster parents didn’t care. She and her parents were close-knit and I could see how much she missed them.” An emotion passed behind the cowboy’s eyes that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. He didn’t say anything, so she kept going. “She’d been spending a lot of extra time at school, going to tutoring early in the mornings and staying late so I figured she forgot about our plans.”

“And you’re sure that’s all she was doing?” the cowboy asked.

Alice shot him a look.

“Whoa. Don’t get mad at me. I have to ask and you know it.” He put his hands up in the surrender position, still gripping his coffee with his right. “Don’t mind me. I’m just a rancher.”

Alice noted that he seemed to be pretty darn good at asking questions for someone claiming to work on a ranch. A simple life sounded damn amazing to her at this point. Was there a place she could get away with Isabel and the twins? Away from the world and all the stressors it contained? Or did a place like that even exist? Alice was anxious and that was the only reason she was thinking about escaping. The truth was that she loved everything about her job except for the guilt that came with making a critical mistake. When she had a bad day, someone could die.

The thought sat bitterly on her chest.

“Isabel didn’t have a lot of friends. Her school counselor said she’d always been a shy, bookish girl. She never got into trouble.”

“Did she have any friends?”

“No one close. She liked school and turned all her homework in on time.”

“You mentioned that she was feeling overwhelmed with her studies,” he said.

“Well, yeah, wouldn’t you? She was pushing herself too hard and I told her that I thought she should lighten her load,” Alice said.

“How did she respond?”

“She agreed with me. But the school wouldn’t let her change out of her Pre-AP classes until the end of the semester. She was worried about her GPA dropping in the meantime, so she started going to all available tutoring sessions,” Alice defended.

“Which is the reason you didn’t think too much about her blowing off a meeting with you?” he asked.

“I should’ve realized she was in trouble or that something had happened right then. She was dependable. I should’ve known that she would’ve shown if she’d been able to.” Alice couldn’t hold back the tears threatening any more than she could stop the heavy feeling pressing down on her chest. “I should’ve sounded the alarm right then and maybe we would’ve found her before she was taken out of town.”

“Hold on there a second,” the cowboy said. “Had she ever missed a meeting with you before?”

“Well, yes. Once or twice at midterms,” she supplied, trying to tamp down her guilt before it overwhelmed her and tears flooded.

“So, this time was no different than before. Experience had taught you that when Isabel got stressed she could get distracted like any normal human being, let alone a fifteen-year-old.” His words stemmed the flow of tears burning the backs of her eyes.

“I guess you’re right. I just keep replaying that day over and over again in my mind trying to figure out what I could’ve done to stop all this from happening in the first place,” she admitted, unsure why she was dumping the truth on a complete stranger. Maybe it was easier to confess her sins to someone she didn’t know and would never see again once she left Bluff, Texas.

“Unless you have some kind of crystal ball that’s not possible.” His tone was matter-of-fact.

She took a minute to let those words sink in.

The cowboy spoke first. “When did you realize she was missing?”

“Not until the next morning when her foster parents called, Kelly and Bill Hardings. Kelly assumed that she’d gone home with me to spend the night. When the school called the next morning to say she didn’t show up, they called to find out what was going on.”

“Sounds like they cared about her,” he said and she could tell he was reaching for something positive out of the situation.

“I think they were more worried about them looking bad to the state. They’d already talked to her caseworker about having her removed from their house and replaced with someone younger,” she said, frustration rising.

“Why would they do that? She sounds like the perfect foster kid. Studied hard. Got good grades.”

“She’s also fifteen, which pretty much means moody and self-absorbed. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a great kid. But teenagers aren’t exactly the easiest people to deal with. Plus, Isabel still hadn’t gotten over missing her parents so she didn’t really open up to them like they’d hoped.”

“Why take her on in the first place? They had to know what they were getting into.”

“I’m not sure they did. They were new. After reading her file I think they thought she’d be a good way to get their feet wet with foster care. And then when she didn’t bond with them right away they got discouraged.” Alice knew that scene a little too well.

“I don’t understand that thinking. I mean, either you want to help or you don’t. These are human beings we’re talking about not pieces of furniture.” She appreciated the outrage in his tone because she felt the same way.

“The caseworker said the couple is asking for someone quite a bit younger next time.” Alice bit back her anger. “Isabel is a good kid and she doesn’t deserve any of this.”