Unrepentant Cowboy

by Joanna Wayne

  The number of interested men didn’t surprise Leif in the least. Joni was smart, engaging, friendly and seemingly oblivious to the sensual effect she had on a man. It was an unbeatable combination.

  The sheriff asked a few more questions that Joni couldn’t answer. By the time he was through, they were still no closer to knowing the identity of the man who’d left the note.

  Leif could sit still no longer. He stood and began to pace the small kitchen area. Garcia pushed his chair back from the table and stretched his legs under the table but didn’t stand.

  “Detective Morgan of the Dallas Police Department is sending out one of their crime-scene teams to check for fingerprints inside the house and to take a look around outside the house,” Garcia said.

  “Isn’t that a little overkill?” Joni asked. “Considering nothing was taken and no harm was done except a broken lock that I’m changing out anyway.”

  “It could be,” Garcia admitted. “Except that the note referred to a woman whose murder is currently under investigation.”

  “What time will the crime-scene team show up?”

  “All they told me is sometime this afternoon. If you got somewhere you need to be, I can let them in and oversee the operation for you. ”

  “I can be here,” Joni assured him.

  “Suit yourself, but most find it upsetting to see their home treated as a crime scene. And most of the time, they make you wait outside anyway, sometimes for hours.”

  “Why don’t we go to Dry Gulch Ranch?” Leif asked, grateful to the sheriff for pushing this his way. He couldn’t leave Joni alone in the house but he did need to get back to Effie.

  “Great idea,” Garcia agreed. “Hang out with Hadley Dalton for a while. You two are friends, aren’t you?”

  “How did you know that?” Joni asked.

  “I told you. I know what goes on in my county. Might be a good idea for you to go ahead and spend the night there, you having a broken lock and all. R.J. has plenty of room.”

  “I’m not sure what I’ll do tonight,” Joni said, “but I’ll leave you to handle the crime scene. Just let me know when they finish up here.”

  “Sure thing. Leave me your cell number and I’ll give you a call when they’re done. But before you leave I’d appreciate your showing me around the house, especially the room where you found the note.”

  “Of course.”

  Garcia stood and she led the way on their tour.

  Leif went back for another cup of coffee. It had been a long time since their breakfast on the trail, and hunger pangs were beginning to stab at his stomach. He started to look through the fridge for sandwich makings but decided against it.

  He was eager to get back to the Dry Gulch. That was a feeling he’d never expected to have. But this was all about Effie.

  Once he’d rinsed the empty cups and set them in the sink, he took out his phone and punched in her number. He got her voice mail again.

  Hopefully, that wasn’t because they were being harassed by news media or because she’d gotten the wrong idea about Jill’s murder trial from the spin an irresponsible TV newscaster put on the story.

  Jill Trotter wasn’t the only thing he needed to discuss with Effie. She’d deliberately lied to him and her mother about getting in touch with him. He couldn’t just ignore that, but he had a feeling that had as much to do with her mother getting remarried as it did with him.

  Even if she liked her stepfather-to-be as much as Celeste said, sharing her mother with him would be a big adjustment. As would moving to London. Leaving her home. Leaving her school. Leaving her friends and Celeste’s parents, the only grandparents Effie had known before R.J. insinuated himself into the picture.

  Perhaps somewhere in the muddle of emotions, she might even be sorry about leaving him. So far she’d showed no sign of that. Nonetheless, Joni was right. If he was ever going to make a real connection with her again, it had to be now, when Effie was at her most vulnerable.

  If he failed her now, she’d be lost to him forever.

  * * *

  EFFIE TOOK HER time currying Dolly. Working with the horses was more a treat for Effie than it was for the animals. She loved the scent of horses and fresh hay and the way the sun slanted through the open door, making everything the color of butterscotch.

  The ranch and even her grandfather were all she’d hoped for and more. Before she’d arrived at the Dry Gulch she’d been afraid it would feel like a funeral since R.J. had an inoperable brain tumor. She’d expected him to be in bed all the time and so confused he might have forgotten inviting her.

  The Dry Gulch was anything but gloomy. Lila and Lacy were partly responsible for that. The twins were so cute and funny. She’d always wished she had a little sister. Having twin cousins was the next best thing.

  Both Hadley and Adam were super nice, as well. They made her feel like family.

  But nothing was different with her dad. Even when he’d met her on the trial for breakfast, he’d spent more time on the phone than with her. Then he’d rushed off after the ride without even stopping by the big house to tell her he was cutting out.

  Memories of the day her dad had packed his suitcase and marched out of the house crept back into her mind. She’d be sure he wouldn’t stay away long. Daddies always came back home.

  Only hers hadn’t.

  Tears burned at the back of her eyes as Effie put the grooming brush away and walked to the back of the horse barn. She kicked out of her boots and dropped to a mini mountain of fresh hay.

  Her cell phone rang. She checked the ID. Her dad again. Probably calling to say that he couldn’t get back out to the ranch today. She tossed the phone, curled into a ball and cried until there were no more tears left inside her.

  When the sobs subsided, she got up slowly, smoothing the worst of the wrinkles from her shirt. She splashed her tear-stained face with cool water from the nearest faucet and then stepped out the barn door and into the blinding afternoon sunlight.

  She wiped her eyes on the hem of her T-shirt. Enough with crying, she decided. And enough with trying to find a way to get through to her father.

  But that didn’t mean she had to give up on her plans. Her grandfather wanted her on the Dry Gulch. She just had to use that to her favor.

  Effie’s pace was fast as she walked back to the big house. Now that she’d made up her mind what she had to do, she just wanted to get it over with. It would be easier if her dad was not around when she talked to R.J.

  She was in luck. Not only was there no sign of her dad’s car when she approached the house, but even Mattie’s car was gone.

  Effie took the back steps, vigorously wiping the bottoms of her boots on the black mat before entering. Only her grandfather wasn’t alone. Her father’s angry voice echoed through the house.

  “The jury has made its decision. The least you can do is have the decency to give Jill Trotter some peace and quiet so that she can go on with her life.”

  Effie hurried to the living room. Her grandfather was leaned back in his recliner, the toes of his striped socks stretched tightly across his big feet. The voices were coming from the TV. She looked up and saw her dad’s face plastered on the screen. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing new. They’re just rehashing an old trial and trying to stir up trouble for Leif now that Jill Trotter’s been murdered.”

  “Who’s Jill Trotter?”

  “A woman who was killed in Oak Grove a few nights ago. Your father was her lawyer several years back.”

  Her grandfather didn’t have to say more. The images on the screen now said it all. A diverse group of people holding signs accusing her dad of helping to free a murderer crowded around her dad and an attractive blonde woman.

  “Is the woman with him Jill Trotter?” she asked.

  “Yep.
They’re standing on the courthouse steps right after she was acquitted. I don’t know a lot about the case, but I’m sure your dad can explain it all when he gets here.”

  “Forget that. He never explains anything to me.”

  “Then I guess it’s time I start.”

  This time the voice was live. She’d been so engrossed in the TV coverage, she hadn’t heard her dad arrive.

  “Let’s take a walk, Effie. We need privacy for what I have to say.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “What do you say we stop here?” Leif said.

  Effie shrugged her agreement and dropped to the pine-straw carpet in the spotty shade provided by the needles of towering trees. She sat Indian-style, her elbows resting on her knees.

  Leif pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head and joined her in the grass. He stretched his legs in front of him and leaned back against the decaying stump of an oak tree that had been chopped down years ago. At his suggestion they’d taken a walk to put some distance between them and the big house.

  Joni had stayed with R.J., but she’d smiled her approval that he was keeping this personal with his daughter. As yet, he hadn’t mentioned anything to Joni about the upcoming marriage of his ex and Effie’s move to London.

  What with the run-in with Serena and the break-in at Joni’s house, there had been too much going on to get into that. But Joni was well aware that he needed to talk with his daughter about more than just the media hoopla surrounding the Jill Trotter trial.

  They’d covered a good two hundred yards while he’d tried to go over exactly what he wanted to say. The fact that he still had no idea where to start evidenced how strained their relationship had become.

  He breathed in the earthy, verdant scents that were so much a part of ranch life and so unfamiliar to him. The pastoral scene he found himself in was as foreign to his life as a trip to Madagascar or a boat ride down the Amazon. Yet, as bad as he hated to admit it, there was something soothing about the fresh air and open spaces.

  He was a Texan by birth and now one by choice. But he wasn’t a cowboy. His cowboy boots weren’t scuffed. He’d packed and brought with him the only Western shirt he owned, one that had been bought for a company barbecue and worn only once. The cap on his head bore a Dallas Cowboys logo instead of the Stetson brand.

  Yet sitting here with Effie, with a cool breeze at their backs and the mournful sound of mooing in the background, he could better understand how a man could get hooked on this lifestyle. He took a deep breath, soaking it all in.

  A rabbit hopped past them, its back legs propelling it forward like metal springs. Blue jays squawked above them, and bullfrogs in the pond a few feet away answered in throaty, croaking calls.

  Finally Effie looked at him. “So are you going to tell me why the newscasters are talking about you and some woman who got murdered or not?”

  The irritation in her voice jerked him back to reality.

  “For starters, you need to know that the media are making a story where one doesn’t exist.”

  “You don’t have to put a pink bow on the facts for me,” Effie said. “I’m not a child.”

  “I realize that.” Too bad. Back then, all he’d had to do was take her in his arms and spin her around and everything was giggles and hugs.

  “Who murdered Jill Trotter?”

  “That’s under investigation,” Leif answered.

  “When we were leaving the house the newscaster said she might have been murdered by some serial killer they called The Hunter.”

  “As far as I know that’s only speculation at this point.” Leif described the Oak Grove murder as best he could without supplying any of the gorier details. He didn’t want to frighten Effie unnecessarily, but he wouldn’t lie to her, either.

  “I don’t understand what any of this has to do with you,” Effie said.

  “It doesn’t, at least not directly. I represented Jill Trotter five years ago when she was accused of murdering her husband. In fact, that was my very first case after joining the Dallas firm.”

  He’d learned later that it was the case that had caused the firm to court him. They’d lost their last two high-profile murder cases. They were hoping some new blood would improve that record, and Leif was already making a name for himself in San Francisco as a tough defender in difficult cases.

  In the end, their extremely lucrative offer along with the problems associated with the divorce had been too much to resist.

  “You must have gotten her off,” Effie said.

  “The prosecution presented their evidence and I presented ours. Based on that evidence, the jury found Jill innocent.”

  “Was she?”

  “I’m convinced that she was, and the evidence supported that.”

  “Then I don’t get it. Why were the people they showed on TV holding up those signs and yelling at you and her?”

  “A lot of people thought Jill was guilty, and they weren’t happy with the outcome.”

  “Doesn’t seem very fair.”

  “I agree,” Leif said. “But it’s just the nature of the job.” To his surprise, Effie seemed not only to understand, but to be sympathizing with him.

  Looked like Joni was right again. Effie was mature enough to handle the situation—at least for now.

  Effie shuffled her feet, making trails with the toes of her boots in the pine straw. “Is being an attorney better here than in California?”

  The hurt in her voice cut him to the quick. He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Nothing is better here, Effie. It’s different but not better. How could it be when I’m so far away from you?”

  Effie scooted away, avoiding his touch. Her back stiffened and she turned to stare at him accusingly. “So why did you move to Texas?”

  Leif knew he had to level with her. She’d see right through his lies. Only he had no real explanation for the move except...

  “The divorce hit me hard. It was affecting my work and my ability to focus. I couldn’t seem to get things in perspective or move past the disillusionment.”

  “Are you saying the divorce was all Mother’s fault?”

  “Absolutely not.” Though he’d seen it that way at the time. “My job was demanding. So was hers. We were both stressed and the pressure affected our relationship. We started arguing more and then not talking at all. I should have seen the divorce coming, but I just thought we’d work it out in time.”

  The words had come straight from the heart. He felt the pang of the heartbreak and sense of failure even now. But it was time for honesty.

  “I must have added to the stress,” Effie said.

  “No. You were the bright spot in both our days. We messed up our relationship, but we both loved you. Always have. Always will.”

  “But you didn’t just leave Mother when you moved to Texas. You left me.”

  “I didn’t foresee that, Effie. I planned for us to spend lots of quality time together. I envisioned you spending summers and holidays with me and we’d be just like we’d always been. I couldn’t stand the way we were splitting up your life then, fighting over our time with you like you were property and not the daughter we both loved so much.”

  “How could you think it would be the same between us? You stopped being a real dad.”

  The indictment in her voice struck him like a punch to the gut. “I’ve never stopped being your dad, Effie. I never will.”

  “Those are just words. A real dad would have been there for my dance recitals. You’d have been there when I played soccer in summer league and for the school plays and all the special events the other fathers attended. A real father would have been there when I went to my first prom and to talk me through the heartache when I broke up with my first boyfriend.”

  Tears moistened Effie’s eyes. She stood and walke
d away. “I prayed for two years that you’d move back to California. Instead you took me on expensive vacations, where we just rushed around from one activity to another. You never invited me into your real life. And you never bothered to come into mine.”

  “I was trying to find a place where we could relax and enjoy each other.”

  “It felt like you were just trying to impress me with all the money you were making in your great new life, the one you never made me a part of.”

  “I made mistakes, but it wasn’t from lack of love, Effie. I never thought you wanted to be part of my life.”

  Not that there ever was much of a life. He’d worked to build his career and participated in social events that impressed the firm’s senior partners but meant little to him. The women he’d dated had been little more than company and occasional sex. Even that had never been particularly great.

  “I’ve failed you, Effie. It’s the last thing I wanted to do, but I have. I know it’s late in the game, but I’d like to start over. I want to be the father you want and deserve, but you’ll have to help me.”

  He walked over and pulled her into his arms. She didn’t pull away, but she didn’t embrace him back.

  “I’m going to give this my best shot, Effie, but you have to meet me halfway. Tell me how to start making up for lost years.”

  Effie pulled away again, but this time she didn’t walk away. “If you really want to make my life different, talk to Mother for me. Convince her that I shouldn’t be forced to move to London.”

  So this visit and the lies to him and her mother did stem from Celeste’s upcoming marriage. Effie was clearly not as okay with it as her mother had claimed.

  “I can understand you being upset that your mother is getting remarried, Effie. It’s been just the two of you for so long and now there will be a husband in the picture.”

  “I’m not upset she’s getting married,” Effie protested with such passion that he had to believe her. “I’m thrilled Mother’s found someone to share the rest of her life with. She deserves to be happy. I just don’t want to finish high school in London.”