Colton Cowboy Jeopardy

by Regan Black

  So the woman planned to impersonate her as she’d impersonated Norton. If Regina had her way, Mia wouldn’t leave this house alive. She had to do something or Regina would get away with murder. Hers, her father’s and, probably, her son’s.

  Staring into Regina’s pitiless eyes, Mia felt her blood ignite. No way would she let this woman walk off as the sole beneficiary of the Graves estate, playing the part of a grieving widow.

  “Go.” Regina waved the gun, motioning Mia out of the bedroom.

  She backed up, deliberately bumping her shoulder and then the baby carrier into the door frame. Silas started to fuss. Setting the carrier down, she made an issue of rubbing her shoulder while soothing her son.

  “You’re as clumsy as a cow,” Regina snapped. “Worse than before you were pregnant. Trust me, a bullet will hurt more than a door frame. Pick up the brat and move.”

  Mia braced for the worst as she twisted around, but instead of picking up Silas, she grabbed a stone bust from the pedestal in the hallway. Only Regina would consider this cheap knockoff an artistic statement.

  Swiveling around, she threw the bust at Regina. The woman screamed, squeezing the trigger as Mia wheeled back and tried to duck. The bullet hit the ceiling and dust rained down on them as Mia launched herself at Regina. But something caught her at the waist and hauled her back out into the hallway. Did Regina have help?

  With a scream, she clawed at the thick forearm, desperate to escape with her baby.

  Someone else shoved past her, shouting at Regina.

  “Easy, Mia. Mia! It’s me.”

  “Jarvis?” She slumped to her knees and he followed her to the floor. “What are you doing here?”

  “Keeping Silas’s mother out of jail.”

  Indignant, she looked around. “Where is he?”

  “Spencer put him in the bathroom.”

  Despite the sounds of an ongoing fight in her father’s bedroom, Mia jumped up and darted through the closed bathroom door across the hall. Jarvis’s voice followed her, warning her to wait, but she couldn’t possibly. Silas was awake and gurgling happily, flapping his arms. The car seat, safely in the center of the bathtub, rocked with his motions.

  “Oh, my baby.” She couldn’t help herself—she had to hold him. Lifting him from the seat, she cradled his head to her shoulder, kissing his chubby cheek. “It’s all over now, my sweetheart.”

  “He’s okay?”

  “Perfect.” She twisted to find Jarvis staring at her. “It’s over, right?”

  He nodded.

  “Thank you.” She realized what a fool she’d been rushing out here alone. As her errors stuttered through her mind, she realized how she’d played right into Regina’s plans. If Jarvis hadn’t shown up, with police backup, there was no telling how badly this might have ended.

  “Jarvis—”

  He cut her off with a sharp look. “Why would you do this? You could’ve been killed.” His face was pale and she knew she had to find a way to reassure him. “I—I was only thinking of my dad. He asked for my help.”

  Jarvis folded his arms. “You called but didn’t wait. You didn’t give me much chance to help you.”

  “And yet you showed up in time. Thank you,” she said again.

  But timing wasn’t the point. She saw the pain in his eyes and realized how her lapse in judgment, how putting herself and the baby at risk, hurt him. This man had gone above and beyond for her and she’d returned his kindnesses by being cruel, forcing him to worry that another person he cared for would be injured. Or worse.

  “I’m sorry, Jarvis.” He turned away, as if he couldn’t bear to look at her. “You would’ve told me it was a trap.”

  “It was!” He hitched a shoulder, shuffling his feet. His brother called for him and he stepped into the hallway. A moment later he returned. “Regina’s in cuffs,” he told her, his voice flat. “I’ve called an ambulance.”

  Of course he had.

  “They should be here any minute. Wait in the bedroom with your dad. All three of you are safe now.” He held her gaze for a long moment, then his eyes shifted to her son, lingered there. “I’ll see you around, Mia. Be well.”

  She stood there, feelings and words a logjam in her throat. He couldn’t be walking away. Yet, this wasn’t the time or place to demand he uphold his promise.

  As she rushed into her father’s bedroom, gratitude and relief soared through her. He wasn’t awake, but he was alive. A chair and table had been upended, items and pictures from the top of his dresser scattered and broken. A framed picture of Silas and Mia was distorted by shattered glass.

  Still, her father slept on, oblivious to the chaos Regina had staged. Jarvis had been right. There was no telling what might have happened if he and his brother hadn’t shown up in time. Guilt blotted out the relief and tears threatened. She’d ruined everything, damaged something beautiful between her and Jarvis.

  When the paramedics arrived, she stepped aside, watched with a new fear as they gathered the pill bottles from the nightstand and transferred her father from the bed to the stretcher, wheeling him away.

  Chapter 12

  Jarvis listened to the updates on Spencer’s police scanner as Regina fumed in the back seat. She tossed out threats even after Spencer read her her rights.

  The ambulance was transporting Norton Graves to Mustang Valley General Hospital. He was sure Mia was with them. At the very least, she was following. Maybe he’d see her again when she returned the truck. A pulse of heat zipped through his veins at the idea. He was a fool.

  Seeing her again wouldn’t change the facts. She was more than a beautiful woman he’d fallen for. She and Silas were a ready-made family he wasn’t convinced he could have.

  “How do you do it?” he asked Spencer when Regina had been hauled deeper into the police station for processing.

  “Do what?”

  “Love. Your relationship with Katrina.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “You put your life on the line in this job.”

  “Not too often,” Spencer said. “Is there a question in there?”

  “Everyone left us,” Jarvis said. “Everyone has let us down. What made you take that kind of chance?”

  “Mom and Dad didn’t exactly choose that car wreck,” Spencer said. “Aunt Amelia did her best by us, considering she wound up with three kids when she didn’t want any.”

  Jarvis slumped into a chair near his brother’s desk, one normally reserved for criminals in processing. He should be happy Mia and Silas were out of danger, but he kept thinking about that expectant look on her face. Thinking about the promise he’d made that he had to break. Anything else would be emotional suicide.

  “I’ve let her down,” he muttered.

  “Mia?”

  Jarvis nodded. To be fair, she’d let him down, too, when she rushed into danger. “I can’t be what she needs.”

  “Why the hell not?” Spencer demanded.

  “Come on.” He stood up, restless. “She has a kid. Me and fatherhood? That’s a joke.”

  Spencer leaned back in his chair, fingers drumming on the armrests. “Is it? Do you love her?”

  “How would I know?”

  Spencer glared at him. “Only you can answer that.” From the back, they heard Regina shouting. “Get out of here,” he said. “I’ll keep you posted.” He clapped Jarvis on the shoulder as he walked by. “You do the same.”

  Twitchy as the adrenaline faded, Jarvis didn’t know what to do with himself. He wasn’t ready to go back to the ranch and talk with Asher. Spencer didn’t need him here and neither did Mia. She was set now that her stepmother was in custody and she had her father back.

  Family sucked, he thought. Always had. He walked out of the police station, guilt digging into the back of the neck. Mia and Silas were a family and they didn’t suck at all.

  No, Mia a
nd Silas were a sweet temptation he’d never expected to crave.

  Jarvis slid into the driver’s seat of the old pickup and tried to imagine how he’d fill his time without them. The idea left him hollow. He’d found evidence that his family, several messy generations ago, had tried their best with various degrees of success. All the way down to his parents.

  Lost in his wandering thoughts, Jarvis drove through town, a little surprised to find himself at his aunt’s old house. They’d sold it right after she died. He wouldn’t find absolution here. He drove on to the cemetery where his parents, Amelia and his granddad were buried.

  Herman’s box had slipped out from under the towel, like some ghostly challenge. Jarvis owed it to Isaiah to let someone know the old man had been right about the family legend, even if those folks weren’t around anymore.

  With the box under his arm, he walked out toward their graves, staring down at the headstones. “I found it,” he said to the hushed cemetery. “The old family legend is true. Isaiah wasn’t just drunk or confused.” He sat down, resting the box on his crossed legs. “I found the box Herman buried.”

  He looked to Amelia’s headstone. “I was helping a friend with a baby the other day,” he said. “I had to look up what to do on Google.” He thought he had a better perspective now, being furious with Mia and still desperate to hold her and tell her it would all work out. “I’m sorry we were so mad at you. A friend made me realize we were all grieving. Thanks for being a safe person to be mad at.”

  The admission lifted a weight from his shoulders, relieving a pressure he’d lived with for too long.

  “Thank you. All of you.” He toyed with the broken latch on the box. “I should’ve said that a long time ago and a lot more often.”

  With a sigh, he flipped open the lid and pulled out the old Bible. “I figured we could go through this together. I’ll fill in Spencer and Bella later. Turns out Herman Colton and Eugene Colton were cousins, not brothers. Payne can’t deny we’re all related, but we’re not as close as Isaiah thought.”

  Jarvis gingerly leafed through the fragile documents in the box. “The original deed is here, in Herman’s name. He was spitting mad about Eugene being a thief, but it wasn’t true. All of that land around the Triple R changed hands as fortunes changed. I’ll show this to Asher, but it’s only a matter of curiosity. Nothing in here disputes Payne’s ownership. Which is fine. I couldn’t take on all that by myself.”

  He was talking to gravestones and yet it felt right. A normal, peaceful interlude underscored by an intense sense of connection. “After Mom and Dad died, I felt cut off from everything but Spencer and Bella. This helps.” His ancestors were far from perfect, but they’d cared and they’d done their best for those who came after them. “Maybe my generation can overcome some of Payne’s nonsense.” He’d never wanted the family ties just to make a claim on Payne’s precious fortune. He’d simply been looking for roots. Now he’d found them. With questions answered, by this box and the records Mia had uncovered, the bitterness faded.

  Contrary to his siblings’ concerns, he’d never felt like he’d given up anything by leaving the office for the ranch. He’d simply changed his direction to make something better happen. Something he’d hoped would change the conversation around his siblings.

  The search itself, along with what he’d found in this box, had unlocked something inside him. Something fresh and hopeful that wanted to flourish.

  “Thanks,” he said again to the gravestones. “I’ll come back again soon.” And next time he hoped to have his family with him. It would take a bit of planning, but it would be worth it.

  * * *

  Mia’s eyes were gritty from fighting bursts of tears for hours. She’d love to blame it all on hormones, but she had to accept responsibility. She was crying out all the stress of the past month. Weeks of wondering how to protect her son and her father had taken a toll. Without Jarvis... She started tearing up again.

  She’d lost him and she hadn’t been prepared for that price. Here they were, both safe. Her son snoozed in her arms while her father rested under the capable observation of nurses as the heavy sedatives Regina had dosed him with wore off.

  Two of the three most important men in her life, she thought wryly, swaying side to side gently to keep Silas asleep. His car seat was handy, but she wasn’t ready to let go.

  She rapidly blinked away another wave of emotion. Why did she keep falling in love with men who wanted nothing to do with fatherhood? The pain cut deeply and a night without Jarvis hadn’t eased the sting of reality. If time healed all wounds, getting over him would take years.

  It might be better, just her and Silas. If she’d learned anything from her time with Jarvis, it was that giving her son a solid foundation of love and being valued was essential for his future.

  She could do that. Clearly, she had to do that.

  “Mia? Is that you?”

  She turned at the rasping sound of her father’s voice and hurried to his bedside. “Yes, Dad.” She gripped his hand. “I’m here. We’re here,” she added.

  “Oh, honey.” He squeezed his eyes closed. “Honey, I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you about Regina.”

  “Love does that,” she said. “And you loved her.” She loved Jarvis and a piece of her always would, whether or not they ever managed to reconcile. It was the most challenging thing to accept. The heart was stubborn.

  “I love you, too. Loved you first.” He coughed. “Love blinded me to her faults.” Another cough interrupted him.

  “Rest now,” she soothed. “Don’t stress about it. We’re all fine now.”

  “I’ll make it up to you,” he said. He shifted, fiddling with the bed controls so he was sitting up. He patted her hand and beamed at Silas. “Can I hold my grandson?”

  “Of course.” She could see the regrets swirling in his gaze. “He’s overdue for grandpa time.”

  “Because I’m an old fool,” he crooned to the baby. “No more. Your momma is a smart woman. The sooner you learn that, the happier you’ll be.” He lifted his face to meet her gaze. “You come first, Mia. Take the country house, for as long as you need it.”

  As much as she appreciated the gesture, she couldn’t erase the image of her stepmother’s infidelity. Her dad still didn’t know about that. “What if we sell it and donate the proceeds to charity?” she suggested. Single mothers, victims of crimes, an orphanage were just a few options that came to mind. There were countless places that money could make a difference and then she’d never have to step foot on the property again.

  He lifted an eyebrow. “You loved that place.”

  “It’s time for a change,” she hedged.

  “A fresh start is a good idea for both of us.” He smiled down at the baby. “All of us. But where does that leave us? I can’t bear the idea of going back to the house where she...where she abused both of us.”

  “Well, it’s technically a crime scene at the moment,” she said. “I know of a property between the Rattlesnake Ridge Ranch and town. It’s not as grand as the house in the neighborhood or even the country house. But it’s closer to your office and it could work for the three of us while we sort things out.”

  A week ago, in a dreamy, love-induced haze, she’d put in an offer, hoping to tempt Jarvis to build a life there with her. Close enough to the Triple R to keep him in the job he loved, close enough to town to make her real-estate career viable. Though Jarvis might never call it home, it was still perfect for her and Silas and her dad for as long as he wanted to stay.

  A nurse walked in, all smiles. “Now, this is what I like to see.” She took Norton’s vital signs while he bragged on his tiny grandson. “You have a lovely family, Mr. Graves. The doctor will be around soon.”

  She’d barely stepped out before a volunteer knocked on the open door. “Is there a Silas Graves here?”

  Mia bristled, moving be
tween her father’s bed and the doorway. “Silas is my son. He isn’t a patient.”

  The volunteer looked down at a card he held. “We actually have deliveries for Silas Graves, Norton Graves and Mia Graves.”

  Wary, Mia planted her hands on her hips. “Deliveries from whom?”

  “This card doesn’t say.”

  “Then we can’t...” Her voice trailed off as Jarvis filled the doorway.

  “Can’t what?” he asked.

  She stared, utterly dumbstruck. She hadn’t expected to face him this soon. Wasn’t she allowed some time to pull the ragged pieces of her heart together? There should be rules about this kind of thing. She should definitely be allowed a shower and fresh clothes before facing him.

  “I’ll take it from here,” he said to the volunteer. “Can you please bring in the cart?”

  With a nod, the volunteer stepped aside and pushed a cart into the room behind Jarvis.

  “How are you feeling, sir?” he asked Norton, striding right past her to the bed.

  “Grateful to be alive,” her father replied. “Thanks to you and your brother.”

  “Your daughter had it under control,” Jarvis said. “We just batted cleanup.”

  He caught her eye across the bed and she felt the heat in her cheeks, remembering their first meeting when she’d been nearly knocked his head off with that stick.

  “She’s my pride and joy,” Norton said. “Even when I’m a fool. And she has excellent intuition.”

  Mia blinked. It was the first time she’d heard that kind of compliment out of her father since before he’d married Regina.

  “I agree.” Jarvis grinned. “I brought a few things, just to brighten the room until they kick you out.”

  She noticed several items on the cart. Flowers, a few wrapped boxes and a portable crib on the bottom shelf. What did this mean? Hope bloomed, bright as the lilies in the floral arrangement. Tears stung her nose and she sniffed them away. Whatever he was about, she would survive this and cry about it later, when she didn’t have an audience.