Читать книгу Point Blank Protector - Joanna Wayne - Страница 9

Chapter Four

Learning to fire a pistol was not the way Kali had envisioned spending her first weekend in Texas. In fact, the horrors that had greeted her arrival seemed to be dictating every aspect of her life. The peaceful, pastoral existence she’d dreamed of seemed to be balanced on a bed of hot coals with every step she made holding the potential for disaster.

Sitting in the front seat of a pickup truck and bumping and grinding down a maze of ranch roads with Zach Collingsworth merely switched the danger from an unknown killer to risks of heartache. There was simply no way to be around him and not pick up on his sensual, sexy vibes.

Their eyes met as they turned toward each other at the exact same moment. Kali struggled to breathe as if oxygen were in short supply. She turned away quickly, but couldn’t shake the vision of his dark hair spilling from under his Stetson and falling across his forehead, highlighting his chocolate-brown eyes.

Get a grip, girl.

It was a warning she had to heed. She hadn’t given up her job and apartment in Atlanta and withdrawn every cent of her savings to get buried in an old schoolgirl crush.

“I enjoyed seeing your mother and sisters again,” she said, choosing what should be a safe topic. “I remember Jaime a lot better than I remember Becky, but I don’t think I would have recognized either of them. Your Mom looks much the same, though, still as nice and attractive as ever.”

“Mom liked you, too. She’s never that talkative with people she doesn’t like.”

“Where was the rest of your family?”

“Probably up at Langston’s weekend cabin.”

“Oooh. Look. What was that?” Kali asked, as a large olive-and-brown bird that looked as if it was having a bad-hair day raced across the road in front of them and then disappeared into the brush.

Zach laughed at her enthusiasm. “Nothing but your common every-day roadrunner.”

“I thought they were just cartoon characters.”

“No, they’re for real.”

“Texas is different from Atlanta in more ways than one.”

“Surely you have birds in Atlanta?”

“None that looked like that, at least not in my neighborhood.”

“Did you live right in the city?”

“In the suburbs, but there were no wooded roads like this one, not even at the riding stables. Our trails meandered along a scenic creek at the edge of a park, but there was a shopping center just across the water that spoiled the effect.”

“Sounds far too confining for my tastes, not that I don’t like the excitement of city life on occasion. But you must have gotten out of town sometimes.”

“Not nearly often enough. Mom worked two jobs for most of my life to make ends meet. But somehow she always found the money for my riding lessons. She was pretty terrific.”

“I know all about terrific moms. Mine was always there when we needed her. She still is, but she’s taken on a whole new persona these days.”

“How’s that?”

“My grandfather had a stroke las summer and we found out he’d named her as acting CEO of Collingsworth Enterprises should he become unable to fulfill his duties for any reason. It blew our minds, but she jumped right into career mode. She’s doing a bang-up job of it—when she’s not driving Langston nuts. She loves to focus on what she calls the humanitarian side of the company.”

“I would guess that just from talking to her today. She’s involved in lots of charities and community events.”

“I’m sure she’ll do her best to enlist you in some of them.”

“I’d like that after I get settled in. So what exactly is Collingsworth Enterprises?”

“The whole kit and caboodle, to put it in our neighbor Billy Mack’s vernacular. It includes Jack’s Bluff Ranch, Collingsworth Oil and several production-related subsidiaries.”

“Sounds impressive.”

“That’s why I throw it around,” he teased. “How is your mom these days?”

Kali was hit by the familiar ache, but she tried to keep it from seeping into her voice. “Mom died of cancer last year.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thanks,” she said. “It was a tough loss.” Kali dropped the subject and hoped Zach would, too. The painful loss made her feel vulnerable and the events of Friday night had already left her feeling defenseless enough.

Zach stopped the car on a gentle incline at a spot where the dirt road disappeared into a sea of yellowed grass and scrubby brush. “Is this the shooting range?” she asked, not sure what she expected, but sure it was more than what looked to be just another pasture—albeit without cows.

“The range is off to your left,” Zach said, “just past that cluster of water oaks and sweet gum trees.”

She craned her neck for a better view. There was a mound of high grass that rose at least twenty feet, topped by a flat expanse that gave it the appearance of a plateau. In front of that was a cable with hooks. A bull’s-eye-type target hung from one of the hooks about midway down the cable. Not as sophisticated as she’d expected on what Sheriff Guerra had mentioned was the second-largest ranch in the state. No one could accuse the Collingsworths of being pretentious.

“The hill stops the bullets?”

“Right,” Zach said, shifting into Park, and killing the engine. “That’s the backstop to make sure that bullets that are shot here stay here, though there’s nothing beyond it but about forty acres of woods.”

“I’m guessing someone had to construct the mound since most of the terrain is relatively flat.”

“My dad built it years ago so that he could teach his kids to shoot in a safe environment. Unfortunately, he died before I was old enough to handle a gun.”

He climbed out of the truck and Kali followed suit, walking to the front fender to get a better look. “Do you always hit the bull’s-eye?”

“Not always, but I’m never far from it.”

“Well, don’t expect that from me,” she said. “I can barely see the target much less find it with a bullet.”

“I’ll pull it closer. That’s what the cable’s for. Accuracy at close range is what you’re looking for anyway—until you take up hunting.”

Which would be never.

Zach walked to the back of the truck and opened the large metal toolbox. “Aidan left some police targets here last time we had a little competition going. They should be perfect for our purposes.”

He held up his find, and a hard knot settled in her stomach. The targets were tri-folded cardboard cutouts of a man’s body with markings for the brain and the heart. Hit the mark, take out a life.

She backed against the truck. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this, Zach.”

“You need to be able to protect yourself if you’re going to live out here.”

“It seems so…so deadly.”

“That’s the point.” Zach shrugged. “But it’s up to you.”

Up to her, and she’d never had any desire to pull a trigger. Yet she’d gone for that shotgun quickly enough when she’d feared the killer might have returned to the scene of his brutal crime. And what if he had? Or if he hadn’t run the other night? Suppose he’d been waiting when she opened the door?

A gust of wind tousled her hair and blew it into her face. She raked the wild strands back and tucked them behind her ears. “Don’t guns make you even a little nervous?”

“Only if one’s pointed at me. I grew up with firearms. It’s just the way it is out here. Not that we have much crime, but a well-placed bullet can stop a copperhead in its tracks or protect a young calf from a predator.”

Copperheads and predators. She was definitely starting a new life. This was no time for her to wimp out.

“Okay, Zach. I’ll give it a try.”

He nodded. “We’ll start slow, let you get used to the gun in your hand. Then we’ll cover safety and get in a little target practice. Don’t expect to master this in one day. You’ll need practice to become accurate.”

“I hope I’ll never have to depend on my shooting ability to protect myself.”

“Speaking of protection…”

He hesitated, and her nerves grew taut. “Yeah, go on.”

He propped a booted foot on the truck’s front bumper. “I’m going to say this straight out, Kali, not to frighten you, but just because it’s how I feel about it. I don’t think you should stay alone on the Silver Spurs until the man who abducted and killed Louisa Kellogg is arrested.”

“The sheriff said there’s no reason to think he’ll come back to the ranch.”

“That’s a nice, sensible assumption. I wouldn’t stake my life on it.”

Zach left it at that and walked over to attach the target to the cable. The heels of his boots crushed the dry leaves and rustled the grass. His head was high, and he looked as if he owned the world. He did own his world.

She was the imposter here—a rancher wannabe. But her dream of raising horses had miraculously fallen into her hands when her grandfather had left her the Silver Spurs, and she’d do whatever it took to survive and prosper—even if it meant learning to shoot.

And she’d do it without falling again for Zach Collingsworth— or for any other sexy cowboy who waited in the wings. Ranch first. Romance a distant second.

ZACH SHOULD BE getting ready for a night spent seducing a gorgeous artist. Instead, for some reason he hadn’t quite figured out yet, he was sitting on the hood of his truck drinking a beer with Kali and watching the water in the creek pummel the rocks that blocked its path.

“Look at that unusual squirrel,” she said. “He’s watching us.”

“That squirrel is a weasel.”

“It’s adorable.”

“From a distance. Don’t try to pet or pick one up. They’re not nearly as friendly as they seem once they sense they’re cornered or captured.”

“He’s still cute.”

“Didn’t you see weasels when you visited your grandfather?”

“Not that I remember.”

“How come you never came back after that one summer?”

“My dad and my grandfather had a serious falling out right after that. I don’t think they ever spoke to each other again. I’m not sure about that, though, since my parents divorced when I was in eighth grade. Dad got transferred to the West Coast and started a new life. I didn’t see him much after that.”

But still her grandfather had left her the ranch. There had to be more to that story than she’d said.

“There’s a deer,” Kali said, pointing to a small white-tailed doe that had stepped into the clearing and was staring at them through soft brown eyes. “She’s absolutely regal.”

Zach swallowed hard, moved more than he wanted to admit by Kali’s reverence for the animal in its unspoiled habitat. She reminded him a bit of the deer. Cautious. Curious. Vulnerable. Sexy—well not the doe, but Kali.

He was definitely attracted to her, but he had the feeling that getting involved with her would lead to complications. He never liked complications or longevity in romantic relationships.

“I can’t wait to explore the Silver Spurs on horseback,” she said. “I hope I have lots of deer.”

“You will.” He swatted at a persistent horsefly that had taken a liking to his neck. “Did you know ahead of time that your grandfather was leaving you the ranch?”

“No, I was stunned at the news, but he didn’t actually leave it to me outright. The Silver Spurs only becomes fully mine if I live there for a year,” she explained. “Otherwise it goes to Hade Carpenter. He’s the son of Grandpa Gordy’s third wife. I never met her, but her son is an arrogant clod. He’s fought my taking possession of the ranch with months of legal haranguing.”

“I’ve run into Hade a time or two over the years,” Zach said. “Once when he was in Cutter’s Bar trying to pick up one of the local women. Your description of him is a lot more suitable for mixed company than mine would be.”

“Another beer or two and I’d tell you what I really think about him,” she said. “But not today. It’s getting late, and I still have cleaning to do.”

Zach shifted for a better look at Kali as he took another swig of his beer. “You don’t seem the type,” he said, voicing the thought as it popped into his head.

Her eyebrows arched. “The type to drink a beer outside in freezing weather?”

“It’s not freezing. The low tonight is only going to be in the low forties. And there’s never a bad time for a cold beer.”

“Is that why you keep them in a cooler in the back of your truck?”

“Always be prepared.”

“A Boy Scout, too.”

“Not me. Little League was the extent of my organized participation.” He reached over and knocked away a small black bug that had landed in her flyaway auburn hair. The strands felt as soft and silky as they looked. “You don’t seem the type to move out to a ranch by yourself,” he said, going back to his original statement.

She stretched and leaned back on her elbows, her gaze fixed on the clouds that floated above them. “What type do I seem?”

“The type who’d hook up with a guy right out of college and have a couple of kids, a dog and two hamsters in the suburbs.”

“An interesting pigeonhole. But not for this pigeon.”

“Horses are your thing, huh?”

“Yeah. Horses. I fell in love with them on my first visit to the Silver Spurs and they’ve never let me down. They’re far easier to bond with than any man I know. They’re honest and readable—most of the time.”

“You’re not one of those weird horse whisperers, are you?”

“I don’t whisper,” she said, her voice not only rising, but also taking on a defensive edge. “I relate. If that makes me weird, then I’m one of those.”

“Don’t get bent out of shape. I’m just asking. Jaime dated a guy who claimed to be a whisperer once. The only thing he was whispering that worked was sweet nothings in Jaime’s ear. She finally saw through him just about the time I was ready to knock out his lights.”

“Zach, the protector. You don’t seem the type.”

“I have my moments. Which brings me back to a statement I made earlier. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay at the Silver Spurs by yourself.”

“So what is it you think I should do, go find any old college grad to hook up with?”

“That’s one option. Another might be to hire a wrangler and let him live in the bunkhouse.”

“I don’t have any livestock to wrangle.”

“But you’ll be buying horses soon. Just put him on the payroll a few weeks before you actually need him.”

She sat up and finished her beer. “This may come as a shock to you, Zach, but not everyone has unlimited funds to work with. I can’t afford to hire a cowboy just for his company.”

“Then take one of our wranglers for a while. We’re not particularly busy on the ranch right now. I’ve got just the man for you.”

“Now you sound like my friend Ellen back in Atlanta. She’s always got just the man for me.”

“I can beat any offer Ellen can make. Take Jim Bob Harvey, expert wrangler, easygoing and according to my niece Gina, he does a dynamite Britney Spears imitation.”

“Now, that’s a selling point.”

“He can be temporarily yours for the asking.”

“I can’t just borrow a cowboy like a cup of sugar, Zach.”

“Sure you can. He’s visiting his brother up in Waco for the weekend, but he’ll come roaring in by bedtime. I’ll leave word with Bart to send him over to your place in the morning. I’d bring him and introduce him in person, but I have to go in to Collingsworth Oil early tomorrow. I’m in meetings all day.”

A nine-to-five job. Hell of a predicament he’d gotten himself into.

“I’m serious, Zach. I can’t just take one of your wranglers and even if I could, the bunkhouse isn’t ready for occupancy.”

“There you go. You’ve already got a job for him.”

“I’m not a charity case.”

“Give it a break, Kali. It’s the good-neighbor policy, not welfare. It’s expected when you live in Colts Run Cross, especially among the ranchers.” He jumped down from the hood of his brother Matt’s truck and extended a hand to her. She ignored it.

“I can take care of myself,” she insisted again as she slid off the hood on her own.

But her tone had lost some of its conviction. He’d send Jim Bob over to meet her. He’d win her over in no time flat. She might even fall for him. Plenty of the ladies in town had. Jim Bob just never fell back.

Only, something told him Jim Bob might fall for Kali Cooper. That thought settled in Zach’s mind like a three-aspirin headache. Maybe Jim Bob wasn’t the right man for the job after all. Not that Zach had any sights set on Kali. But there was no use messing up the mind of a good wrangler for a woman Zach had serious doubts would ever stay in Texas.

IT WAS twenty after ten on Sunday evening and Aidan was still at his desk in police headquarters, currently studying copies of the pictures from the Louisa Kellogg crime scene. The earliest he could expect an autopsy report would be late tomorrow, but he was pretty sure from the photographs that the M.E. wouldn’t find that Louisa had been brutalized in any way.

So why abduct an attractive young coed just to drive her sixty miles to an isolated ranch house and put two bullets in her head? It didn’t add up. Unless she’d been seeing the man and they’d gone there to make out and then gotten into a fight.

Only her roommate was adamant that Louisa never cheated and her steady boyfriend had an airtight alibi. He’d been with his team, playing varsity basketball at the University of Oklahoma.

Which meant this might well have been a random abduction. If that was the case, there was a strong possibility that Louisa’s murder was connected to his original unsolved case. Both victims were students at the University of Houston. Both were attractive. Both had disappeared from the same area. Both of their cars had been found parked and locked at their places of employment.

Not that Louisa and Sue Ann were the only young women who’d gone missing from the Houston area. With a population of over two million within the city limits alone, there were always a number of women who disappeared without a trace. But it was Sue Ann Griffin’s disappearance that haunted him the most.

He stared at his hands, half expecting to see traces of her blood glaring back at him. But all he saw was blurred ink blotches from a leaky ballpoint pen and a smear of chocolate from the candy bar he’d eaten an hour or two ago, washing it down with a diet orange drink out of the machine down the hall.