by Rita Herron
“Let’s get a late lunch,” he said as he snagged his phone. “I want to see if I can locate Harry’s daughter before we visit the vet.”
“I could eat,” Melissa said softly, reminding him that she loved burgers and barbecue and wasn’t one of those picky women who only ate rabbit food.
The popular café boasted the best brisket in Austin, and was decorated Western-style, with a metal pig beneath a rustic wagon wheel, surrounded by beef cattle made from metal and wire.
“I know learning about your sister and your father was difficult,” Melissa said as they settled at a booth in the corner. “How’s your family doing?”
Dex pushed the menu aside. He knew what he wanted.
Time with Melissa.
Dammit, he couldn’t have that. He had to focus.
“Everyone’s hanging in there,” he said gruffly.
The waitress appeared, and he paused so they could order. Melissa asked for a pulled pork sandwich and iced tea while he ordered the pork plate and coffee.
“Of course we were hoping to find Chrissy and Dad alive, but after eighteen years, I guess we’d all prepared ourselves for the fact that might not happen. The sad thing is that Chrissy’s death was really accidental. The guy who killed her was mentally challenged and infatuated with kids. He just wanted to play with her, and got too rough when she tried to leave.” The waitress brought their drinks, and he sipped his coffee. “Unfortunately, the guy’s mother covered for him to protect him. That was a mistake.”
“He did the same thing to some other children, didn’t he?” Melissa asked.
Dex nodded, the guilt back.
Melissa covered his hand with hers. A tingle of warmth shot through him, making him shift in his seat. He’d always liked Melissa’s touch. Her hands were so gentle. Soft. Filled with tenderness and love.
A love he didn’t deserve. Chrissy wouldn’t have died if he’d watched her that night.
“I realize you blamed yourself,” Melissa said in that uncanny way she’d always had of reading him. Maybe that was the reason he’d left her. He didn’t like anyone seeing his vulnerabilities.
“But I hope you’ve let that go, Dex. You were all just kids. Siblings argue and fight. Your sister obviously adored all of you, or else she wouldn’t have followed along. That night was just a series of unfortunate events.” She squeezed his hand, and he had to force himself not to turn his palm over and clasp hands as if they were a couple. “Like you said, it was an accident,” she said softly. “Your sister wouldn’t have wanted you to blame yourself.”
She was right. On an intellectual level he knew that. But his heart and conscience refused to let him off the hook.
* * *
MELISSA SENSED DEX was still beating himself up over his little sister’s death as they dug into their food. She wished she knew how to help him move past it.
She wiped barbecue sauce from her mouth. “Your mother took in some of the victims of that human trafficking ring, didn’t she?”
Dex nodded and shoveled up a forkful of coleslaw. “Yeah, it’s been great for everyone. Mom struggled after Chrissy disappeared. Then when Dad left, I think she blamed herself because he abandoned us. The house was quiet, sad, for a long time.”
“Even with four boys in it?” Melissa asked.
Dex chuckled. “Well, maybe it wasn’t always quiet. But my brothers and I bore the brunt of guilt over the whole thing. We kind of all shut down for a while, retreated into ourselves, tried not to make trouble and upset her even more.”
Melissa gave him a sympathetic look. “You mean you behaved?”
Dex chuckled. “For a little while. But then I couldn’t help myself. I was angry and took it out on everyone. I started breaking all the rules.”
Dex’s mischievous, daredevil attitude had drawn her from the beginning. He was a bad boy, yet he had morals and fought for the underdog. A potent combination.
Ignoring the seed of desire sprouting inside her, she finished her meal while he excused himself to make a phone call to his brother Lucas. Maybe his brother could locate Harry’s daughter and she could tell them if he was all right.
* * *
“HER NAME IS Sally Layton,” Dex told Lucas. “She’s the daughter of a homeless man who might be missing.”
“Hang on, I’ll see what I can find.”
Dex paced by the men’s room as he waited. Dammit, he needed distance from Melissa. Talking to her, being with her again, stirred old feelings that he thought he’d left behind in the dust.
“I found her,” Lucas said as he came back on the line. “She’s a nurse at a clinic near the main hospital. I’ll text you her address and phone number.”
Dex thanked him and hung up, then waited on the text. When the address appeared on his screen, he called the clinic but Sally wasn’t at work. He returned to the table and paid the bill, then he and Melissa drove to the woman’s house.
Sally lived in a neighborhood with small ranch homes that appeared to have been updated.
“These are nice,” Melissa said.
“They remind me of the homes Harrison’s wife, Honey, renovates. She bought a bunch of older places in Lower Tumbleweed and has completely revived the town.” Melissa should be living in a cute little house like this, not in that dump where she was now.
A station wagon sat in the driveway, and a flower bed filled with impatiens in various colors brightened the neatly kept yard. The front porch boasted two rocking chairs, making the place look homey and inviting.
They walked up to the house in silence, and Dex knocked. Footsteps, then a voice sounded inside. A few seconds later, the door opened. A petite blonde carrying a baby stood at the door, rocking the infant in her arms.
Melissa’s expression softened as she looked at the infant, a hint of yearning in her eyes. Dex shifted, wondering why she’d never married and had a family herself. Although the thought of her with another man didn’t sit well in his gut.
“Sally?” Melissa said.
The young woman nodded and glanced between the two of them. “Can I help you?”
Dex gestured for Melissa to take the lead, and she explained about their visit with Bill.
Sally’s eyes widened. “You’ve seen my father?”
“I’m afraid not,” Melissa said softly. “I work at a homeless shelter called Lend-A-Hand. Earlier, we spoke with a man named Bill at another shelter.”
Pain wrenched the young woman’s face. “My father is in a homeless shelter?”
“He was,” Melissa said.
“His friend Bill is worried because Harry left and hasn’t come back. Have you seen or talked to him recently?” Dex asked.
The baby started fussing, and Sally lifted the child and patted its back, soothing it. “Not in months. I kept hoping he’d contact me.” She pressed a kiss to the infant’s head. “Sari is two months old today. I wanted Dad to meet his granddaughter.”
Melissa smiled. “Bill said that Harry had just earned some cash and that he was going to send it to you. He wanted to see you and the baby.”
A sliver of hope sparkled in the woman’s eyes, but worry quickly replaced it. Or maybe it was disappointment. Dex knew what it was like to wonder where your father was and why he’d left.
“But I haven’t heard from him.” Her voice cracked. “He probably just changed his mind. It wouldn’t be the first time.”
A heartbeat passed, then Melissa squeezed Sally’s hand. “Did you know he carries a picture of you wherever he goes?”
Tears moistened Sally’s eyes, but she blinked them away and shook her head.
“Dad blamed himself for my brother’s death, but it wasn’t Dad’s fault. I tried to reconnect with him, but Dad started drinking and disappeared.”
“I’m so sorry,” Melissa said softly.
Dex removed a business card from his
pocket and offered it to her. “Please call me if you hear from him.”
Sadness tinged Sally’s expression. “If you find him, please tell him that I love him, and that I want him to come home.”
Compassion filled Dex, and he nodded, his throat too thick to speak.
Melissa reached out and stroked the baby’s head. “She’s beautiful.”
“Thanks,” Sally whispered. “I just hope Dad gets to meet her.” A tear trickled down Sally’s cheek and Melissa hugged the young woman.
“I hope so, too,” Melissa said. “We’ll keep in touch.”
Sally hugged the baby tighter and closed the door. Melissa wiped a tear from her cheek as they walked back to the car, and they settled inside in silence.
He hoped to hell Sally’s search had a better ending than his had.
* * *
MELISSA TWISTED HER hands together, her nerves on edge as they drove toward the vet’s office. So many sad stories of families torn apart. Tragic circumstances, folks wandering around homeless and alone while the people they left behind struggled with grief and fear and guilt. She wished she could give them all a happy ending, but she’d learned a long time ago that she couldn’t. She’d expected to become immune to the pain, but each story got to her.
Dex’s face looked strained as he drove. No doubt he was probably thinking about his own father and how he and his family had wanted him to return. They’d waited eighteen years only to find him dead in a DUI accident. That had to be a hard blow.
Dex veered off the main road down a bumpy country one with acres of farmland spread out on both sides. A rustic wooden sign bearing the name Huckleberry Animal Hospital dangled from a post as Dex steered the SUV toward the clinic.
It was situated about thirty miles outside of Austin on farmland equipped with emergency facilities, as well as barns and stables for livestock if the animals needed housing for treatment. A mobile unit and attached trailer used to travel to farms and ranches was parked by the main office.
“Do you think Harry is dead?” Melissa finally asked, breaking the strained silence as they bounced over the ruts in the road.
“I don’t know,” Dex said. “The bodies of the three men recently reported missing haven’t been found, so they may still be alive. Lamar could be right, and I’m looking for trouble and connections when there is none.”
“But you may be onto something,” Melissa said. “We have to find out, Dex.”
“I won’t argue with that.” His mouth twitched. “Can I ask you something?”
Melissa tensed. She refused to admit he’d broken her heart. Maybe he’d walked away and hadn’t given her a second thought. She didn’t want to know if that was the case. It hurt too much to think the feelings she’d imagined between them had been completely one-sided. “Depends on what it is.”
“Fair enough.” He parked by the mobile unit and cut the engine. “Did you and your father stay at Retreat when you were young?”
Melissa averted her gaze, afraid he’d see too much. There was agony in her heart when she remembered roaming from one place to another, sleeping in the car, or a park, or an alley. And the shame.
She’d always been so ashamed.
“No,” she said honestly. “It’s reserved for single men.”
He nodded in understanding. “How about Candace? Did you two meet through work?”
“Yes and no. We met in college when we were both volunteering at a women’s shelter. We instantly bonded over shared goals.” She rubbed her finger over a silver charm on a chain around her neck. “We’ve been close friends ever since, although she married last year, so we haven’t seen each other quite as much lately.”
“Doesn’t her husband worry about her working at a men’s shelter?”
Melissa laughed softly. “Yes, but he loves her, and he knows that her work is a part of her, that she’s passionate about it. I think it’s one reason he fell in love with her. How could he ask her to give it up?”
Dex’s dark eyes flickered with some emotion she couldn’t define. “You’re right. He couldn’t.”
A second later, he opened his car door and slid out. Melissa joined him, and they walked side by side up to the vet’s office, a long building that looked as if it was once a barn that had been converted. A tin roof topped the dark red painted building. Dex was scanning the property as if anticipating trouble, and she did the same.
In the distance, she spotted two horses galloping across a field, but no cattle. A small herd of goats roamed the field to the right, and a gray cat lay sleeping on the front porch of the brick ranch house. The driveway to the house was empty.
The area seemed unusually quiet, as if no one was around. Maybe Dr. Huckleberry was on a call.
Except his mobile unit was parked in front.
Perhaps he had a second one or only took the mobile unit when necessary. Routine calls might not require all his medical supplies. Or heck, he could just be running an errand.
Dex knocked, then called out for the doctor as he opened the metal door. “Dr. Huckleberry?”
Silence greeted them as they entered, then the scent of strong cleaning chemicals hit her. The cement floor looked fairly clean, an office with a desk to greet clients facing the door. It was empty. Did Huckleberry have a secretary? An assistant?
Dex strode past the desk through a double door, and Melissa followed, an eerie quiet enveloping her as they checked two exam rooms, a surgical unit and a room that served as the pharmacy. A locked glass case held medical supplies and drugs. Everything appeared to be intact.
They walked through a hallway to find a small office in back. A metal desk and filing cabinet were the only pieces of furniture. The office was empty, as well. A calendar on the wall marked the days, an appointment book lay on the desk and the bottom desk drawer stood slightly ajar.
Dex gave it a quick glance and scanned the desk, but didn’t touch anything. A photograph on the wall showcased the vet receiving an award. The man was probably in his midforties, with a stout frame, a thick beard and chunky hands.
Dex gestured toward a back exit leading out to the barn. The sound of a dog barking met them as he opened the door.
A big gray shepherd-mix dog greeted them, its head cocked. Melissa froze, giving the dog time to sniff her and recognize that they didn’t pose a threat.
“Shh, buddy, it’s all right.” Dex leaned over to pet the dog, his hand halting in midair. He muttered a curse, then shot her a look that indicated something was wrong.
Melissa inched closer, and Dex gestured toward the dog’s nose. Melissa sucked in a sharp breath. Blood.
Dex rubbed the back of the dog’s head. “Show me what happened, buddy.” He pulled his gun and motioned for her to stay behind him as they followed the shepherd across the back of the property.
* * *
SENSES HONED FOR TROUBLE, Dex gripped his gun at the ready as he hurried behind the shepherd. They passed a small barn, which appeared empty at the moment. The dog barked again, then turned to see if Dex was following.
“I’m right behind you, bud,” he said, then picked up his pace as the dog broke into a run.
Melissa raced behind him. Dry brush crunched beneath his boots as he passed a stable and veered toward a second barn. The sound of cows mooing echoed from the building, then another sound that made his pulse jump.
An angry bull stomping, banging and snorting. He held his hand up, warning Melissa to wait while he checked out the situation.
The dog barked at the open door to the barn, pawing at the dirt and turning circles. “You stay here, too,” he murmured to the shepherd as he inched inside the building.
Stalls on both sides of the barn flanked a hallway. He eased down the hallway, glancing into each stall in case someone lay in wait. Two cows were housed in separate stalls on the left. The angry bull was on the right at the end. The sight of
something dark that looked like blood on the rough wood floor caught his eye, and he stooped to examine it.
Definitely blood.
His senses became more alert. He couldn’t afford to be caught off guard and walk into an ambush.
The stamping and snorting grew louder, and the wooden slats on the stall door vibrated as the angry animal pounded the locked stall door.
Dex had a healthy respect for cattle and horses. He could handle both. But both could be dangerous. A few attempts at bull riding in a local rodeo had taught him the power of the beast.
He approached slowly, and peered over the stall edge. One bull. The angry animal huffed and dug his hooves into the dirt where a man lay, facedown. His clothes were ripped to shreds and drenched in blood.
“Dex?” Melissa called.
“Call 9-1-1,” he shouted.
Although judging from the man’s slack body and the amount of blood loss, they were too late.
Chapter Eight
Melissa gasped at the sight of the man on the stall floor. “Oh, God... Is that the vet?”
“Yeah, looks like he was gored to death by that bull.”
Her mind was reeling as she pulled her phone from her pocket, punched 9-1-1 and backed away from the stall. The operator answered, and she explained what they’d found. “We need an ambulance and the police.”
Her back brushed something hard, then someone grabbed her from behind. She shrieked and dropped her phone, then a cold hand clamped over her mouth.
Panic shot through her, and she kicked and clawed at the man’s arms.
A bullet suddenly whizzed by her head. It had come from behind her. Then another.
She kicked the man again, then bit down on his hand as hard as she could. He cursed and yanked his hand away for a second, but slammed his fist against the side of her head, and she saw stars.
Dex leaned against the wall to avoid being hit by the bullet. Her captor dragged her toward the door while the shooter fired again. Dex fired back and hit the shooter, who dropped to the floor with a grunt. But a bullet from the second shooter pinged by her head.
