Heart of a Lawman Page 10

  She had that air about her, he thought—a startled doe about to run at the first scent of trouble.

  She hadn’t run when he’d kissed her, though, not at first. And no matter how he tried to shake the memory, it wouldn’t leave him be. He’d been at loose ends since Sara had been killed. No other woman had so much as caught his attention since then. Until now.

  He had to be crazy. He was starting a new life with new responsibilities. He had a ranch to run and kids to raise. He didn’t have time to get involved with a woman—especially one about whom he knew nothing.

  That bothered him still—Josie’s reluctance to give up any details of her past. If he were to get involved, he’d want to know everything there was about her, and he was betting she wasn’t willing to give it up.

  And then there was Mack. Not that he faulted Josie for having a riding accident.

  But that wound…that did bother Bart.

  If he didn’t know better, Bart would say Mack had been grazed by a bullet. But if someone had been shooting at them, Josie would surely have said so.

  Unless she’d had her own reasons for leaving out that little detail….

  But how to find out the truth.

  It all came back to Josie herself, he suspected, and with or without her cooperation, he was going to have to learn more about her. Luckily, with his background in law enforcement, that wouldn’t be too difficult. He could easily call in a few favors. She wouldn’t have to know a thing about it, either.

  Not if she had nothing to hide, that was.

  But…what if she did?

  That thought instigated a whole new problem.

  He’d brought his kids to the Curly-Q to keep them away from trouble and bad influences. He surely wasn’t going to invite danger around them.

  One thing at a time, Bart told himself. He would see what he could dig up before making any decisions. He’d start with the Motor Vehicle Division first. If Josie so much as had a parking ticket, he would know for what and how much.

  Dark had settled around the old adobe by the time he parked. Lights were on in both Daniel’s and Lainey’s rooms. They were no doubt both getting themselves ready for their first day at their new schools. He’d offered to take them himself, to get them settled in properly. They’d quickly set him straight on that idea. They didn’t need to be embarrassed by their dad holding their hands—they weren’t babies.

  He might have expected that of Daniel, but when had Lainey gotten so grown-up without him realizing it? he wondered.

  Entering the house, Bart was surprised to find his father in the living room, ensconced in his favorite chair, television blaring.

  “Hey, Pa, shouldn’t you be in bed resting?”

  The old man waved his hand at Bart and used the remote to click off the set. “I’m tired of resting,” he complained. “That’s all I’ve been doing ever since you arrived. I got more important things on my mind. I was waiting for you to get back. I hear we got trouble.”

  Bart’s thoughts immediately shifted back to Josie’s problem with Mack. Did his father know something about that wound that he didn’t? “Who says?”

  “Moon-Eye told me about the windmill.”

  “Oh, that.”

  “Oh, that?” his father echoed. Voice rising, he demanded, “What else has gone wrong?”

  “Settle down, Pa. Nothing to worry about. First thing in the morning, I’m going to call Rodriguez to bring out his truck and a crew.”

  “Rodriguez? Are you crazy? Do you know how much he’ll charge us?”

  “Frank says he’s the best—he’s seen Rodriguez at work.”

  “I say use Driscoll.”

  Bart folded his arms across his chest. “Who did you say was running operations on this ranch?”

  Emmett got all red-faced and began sputtering. The sputters turned to a wheezy cough that made Bart’s insides tighten. He was about to rethink his challenge when his father said, “You’re in charge, son, just like I said.”

  “Then I’m using Rodriguez.”

  Bart waited for his father to get in another jab, but somehow the old man kept himself in check. He was on his best behavior.

  “I know getting the windmill running again is a big expense, Pa, but it’s not going to break us.”

  “Not that alone, maybe,” Emmett muttered darkly. “As long as things don’t keep going wrong like they’ve been doing.”

  “You make it sound like an epidemic,” Bart said.

  His father appeared about to say something more, then thought better of it. He clenched his jaw, pulling his lips into a tight line exactly the way Lainey did when she didn’t want to talk something out.

  And Bart started to get a sinking feeling.

  What, exactly, was his father not telling him?

  THE HOUSE WAS FINALLY QUIET.

  Having slept a few hours after soaking in a hot tub, dosing herself with ibuprofen and eating the meal that Alcina had so thoughtfully left for her, Josie rose. She felt a whole lot better—not nearly as achy as she’d suspected she would be, and a lot more clear-headed. She knew what she had to do.

  “I’ve got to be leaving now,” she told Miss Kitty, who’d been sleeping with her and now watched from the middle of the rumpled bed. “It’s best for everyone. I only wish I could take you with me.”

  She fetched the leather bag from the corner of the room, then gathered her meager possessions from the closet and dresser and set all on the bed. Miss Kitty had to investigate, of course, and Josie had to gently remove the cat from the bag so she could pack.

  “I am going to miss you,” she murmured.

  A pang coursed through her as she thought about leaving the animal behind. Only two days and already she felt as if she were abandoning an old friend. But the cat had an owner somewhere, she reminded herself, setting her underwear and socks in the bottom of the bag. And she’d put up all those signs.

  Besides, under the circumstances, she would do well just to take care of herself.

  Shirts next—Josie folded them carefully so they wouldn’t wrinkle and thought how she just couldn’t be responsible for a helpless animal on the road. She didn’t have a clue as to how far she would go or where she would end up—only that she had to get out before something terrible happened.

  She worked faster, throwing in a small cloth bag of toiletries, a leather bag holding her spurs, a cotton sweater and a pair of jeans. Running her hands over the clothing to smooth any wrinkles, she felt an odd lump. Curious, she tracked the lump to the fifth jeans pocket—the one perfect for holding coins.

  Only it wasn’t a coin she removed, but a small fancy silver pin, initials inscribed in the middle.

  “N-B-R-A?”

  Wondering if this could be a clue to her identity, Josie thought hard, but nothing came to her. In the end, she shook her head and returned the pin to the pocket.

  With a lump in her throat, she kissed the cat and rubbed those soft ears she loved one last time. “Alcina won’t throw you to the coyotes, so don’t worry.”

  She felt guilty about saddling Alcina with the responsibility she had taken on, but if someone got hurt because of her, she’d feel even worse.

  That was the crux of the matter, she told herself. People getting hurt. Her. Anyone around her. Maybe even Alcina. She had no choice.

  With regret, she left the tiny room—the only home she could even remember. Thinking to take some rolls or crackers in case her stomach fired up, she set the bag and her hat in the mudroom and entered the kitchen. She practically ran into Alcina, who was lifting a steaming kettle from the stove.

  “Can’t sleep, either?”

  “Alcina!” Josie was at a loss—the last thing she wanted was to have to explain herself.

  “I thought some tea might help.” Alcina filled a pot with hot water. “Join me?”

  “Uh, sure.”

  “Let’s take it into the parlor.”

  Adding an extra cup and saucer to the tray, Alcina led the way and sat on the couc
h, whose upholstery was barely a shade darker than the blonde’s silk wrapper. Even ready for bed, Alcina had an elegance that matched her surroundings.

  An itchy Josie perched on the side chair. She wanted to get going. Now here she was trapped for the moment.

  Alcina had barely poured the tea when she asked, “So, where are you headed? You are in the process of leaving, aren’t you?”

  Josie gaped at the other woman. “I, um, yeah, I was…am.”

  Alcina concentrated on her cup for a moment, taking a few sips before murmuring, “Mmm, that’s soothing,” as if nothing were wrong. “Nothing like a nice cup of tea to put things into perspective.”

  “Yeah, right,” Josie muttered, taking a swallow and feeling not a whit better for it.

  Looking up from her cup, Alcina fixed Josie with her gaze. “How much trouble are you in?”

  “I’m not in—”

  “Don’t bother denying it. I’ve sensed something was wrong since I found you standing on my porch. Maybe talking about it would help.”

  The lie that Josie wanted to tell just wouldn’t surface. “I don’t want to involve you,” she said. It was the best she could offer.

  “Honey, I’m already involved. I want to be involved.” Alcina laughed. “Is it a man? Did he hurt you? Those bruises came from somewhere.”

  As did the vision prompted by Alcina’s question.

  Open hand flashing toward her face…contact driving back her head…

  A new surge of fear shot through Josie as she said, “There was a man…”

  Not that she could see him in her mind’s eye, though. She could feel him. Knew he existed without being able to remember more.

  “Where did you think to run this time?”

  “I—I didn’t think,” Josie admitted.

  “Then why leave?”

  She took a big breath. “Because he may be here.”

  That’s what she’d been fearing without being able to define it. No doubt that’s why she’d been so jumpy all along. Her subconscious was aware of danger following her.

  “You’ve seen him?”

  “Maybe. I can’t be sure.” She needed to tell someone, Josie decided. “I can’t remember.”

  Alcina’s brow furrowed. “Can’t?”

  “An accident. The truck I was driving went off the road…not that I exactly remember. Only little bits and pieces. I woke up in the hospital a few days later, I think, without a clue. I don’t even know my real name.”

  “The authorities couldn’t help?”

  “I—I didn’t wait for them to find out. I took off, hitched a ride.” She certainly couldn’t admit she’d stolen a truck or that the authorities had run her fingerprints through their computers—she’d overheard them talking about it. “Maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do, but I was confused and scared.”

  Again, Alcina stared at her. “Is that because of him? The man?”

  “I—I guess,” Josie hedged, not at all certain that wasn’t the truth.

  Instinctively, she could have been running from the very person who’d put her in that hospital bed. That same person who’d shot at her that afternoon. He could have been trying to cause another accident. A fatal accident. He could have missed on purpose, hoping the horse would throw her and that she’d break her neck.

  “What makes you think this man, whoever he is, might be here?”

  Josie shook her head and backed off, fearing that, if she put words to her worry, Alcina would do something drastic like call in the authorities herself. By now they had a line on her via those fingerprints—at the very least there was the stolen truck to account for—and she wasn’t ready to face the consequences, not when she couldn’t even remember enough to make her own defense.

  Josie sweated out the uncomfortable silence. What now?

  “You’ll have to stop running and face your fears sometime,” Alcina finally said.

  “You make it sound like my running away from things is a habit.”

  “Isn’t it?”

  “No—”

  “You ran from trouble at the hospital, and now you want to run from it here. How many other times?”

  To her shame, Josie suspected it might be more times than she cared to admit. Alcina might have her pegged. That she was a coward, making excuses as to why she had to leave, when in reality, she was running from a past that she was only starting to remember—and only in bits and pieces.

  If she stayed put, would the truth all come back to her? And if it did, could she deal with those memories, whatever they were?

  “Besides, you have no money,” Alcina continued, sounding incredibly reasonable. “You’ll have to hitch a ride and be at fate’s mercy. Don’t do that to yourself, please. At least here you have a place to stay, a way to make money and good people you can count on. You won’t be alone. That’s a whole lot more than a lot of unlucky souls in this world can say.”

  Knowing Alcina was making all the sense in the world, Josie sighed. Deep down, she didn’t really want to leave. She didn’t want to be alone.

  “I can try to break bad habits,” she said. “All right, I’ll stay put for a while.”

  “Good. And if you need help, you’ll ask for it, right?”

  Being that she wasn’t sure about that, Josie was glad her friend didn’t press her. A smiling Alcina covered a yawn and set her cup on the tray.

  Rising, she said, “I think I can get some sleep now.”

  “Me, too.” At least Josie hoped so or she would never make it through the day working for Bart. She took the tray from Alcina. “I’ll take care of this on my way to bed.”

  Once in the kitchen, she set the tray on the counter. The last thing she expected when she turned around was to come face-to-face with Tim Harrigan.

  “Jeez!” Her hand shot to her breast where her heart palpitated. Where in the heck had he come from? “You nearly scared the life out of me!”

  “Sorry. I did say something, but I guess you were preoccupied and didn’t hear.”

  She noted he was dressed in street clothes—jeans, shirt, mud-caked boots—if not wearing his hat. His light brown hair spilled over his forehead as if windblown.

  “You just came in?” she asked.

  “A while ago.” Tim’s forehead creased, showing his concern. “Listen, Josie, let me be honest here. I overheard you and Alcina talking.”

  “What did you hear?” she snapped, appalled.

  Alcina she trusted; Tim she wasn’t so sure about.

  “Whoa!” Frowning, he backed up. “Take it easy.”

  But she remembered how he’d stopped on the stairway to listen before, and she wondered if he eavesdropped wherever he went. Had he heard the whole conversation, including her confessing to having amnesia, to fearing that some faceless man was after her?

  “Josie, if you really want to leave Silver Springs…well, I do have a truck and can take you anywhere you want to go.”

  “Why would you?”

  “I’m at loose ends. No commitments, nowhere to go myself. As for money, I can spare a couple of hundred—if that’s what you need to help make up your mind.”

  Josie’s natural suspicions continued to rise, making her say, “You don’t even know me and you’re willing to lend me money?”

  “Give, not lend. Look, you seem to be a nice person who just happens to be down on your luck…I know how crummy that can be. It would make me feel good to give someone who needs it a helping hand.”

  He seemed so sincere, Josie wondered if she should feel guilty for suspecting him. “What are you?” she asked, trying to make light of the situation. “A do-gooder who drives from town to town, looking for the neediest person?”

  “Someone gave me a helping hand once. I’d just like to pass on that kindness. That’s all. No strings, I promise. I’m just a guy who has nothing to his name but a decent truck and some bucks in my pocket. No life to speak of.” He frowned. “No wife. No home.”

  “Your wife died?”

  �
�Divorced me. She thought she could change me into something I wasn’t, and when that didn’t happen…let’s just say I was history and she was already on to the next guy.”

  No wonder he was wandering, Silver Springs being as good as the next place for him to stay awhile. “I’m sorry marriage didn’t work out for you, Tim.”

  “Not as sorry as I am.” He sighed. “So, if there’s someplace you want to go, you say the word and I would be honored to get you there.”

  For a moment, Josie was torn. Escape was sounding really good right now. But escape from what?

  Physical danger…or complications?

  Naturally, Bart’s visage came immediately to mind.

  “Talking to Alcina really did change my mind. I’m staying for now.”

  “Well, the offer is open-ended…for as long as I stick around, that is.”

  “I’ll remember.”

  Tim nodded. “Good night, then.”

  “’Night.”

  He headed for the front of the house and the stairs.

  Josie didn’t immediately leave. Still thinking about Tim’s tempting offer, she set the dirty cups and saucers in the dishwasher.

  If she ran, what would she accomplish? Whoever was after her might just follow. Then what? She had to take a stand sometime. Fight for her memories. Fight for herself.

  And in the process, she had to make certain she didn’t bring disaster down on the people who were being good to her. That was the real trick. She prayed this was one challenge she could meet head-on.

  After washing the fancy teapot by hand and setting it in the drain, Josie headed into the mudroom, picking up her bag and hat on the way to her temporary home.

  Entering the ironing room, she flipped on the light, saying, “Well, Miss Kitty, looks like you haven’t lost me yet, after all.”

  Strange. Usually the cat rushed to greet her, but Miss Kitty was nowhere in sight.

  “Miss Kitty? Where are you, sweetheart?”

  A smothered complaint from beneath the bed revealed the cat’s hiding place. Her reaction to a sensed abandonment?