All About Zane (Travis County Legal Book 1)

by Avery J. Moon

  Released from her hold on Lawrence, Dakky ran for the next target, namely the man on the ladder. By now, he had figured out something was wrong. Most likely from his dad’s steady stream of threats and curses.

  Half-way down, he stopped and braced himself, drawing a nine mil pistol out of his hip holster. Then he took aim at Dakota.

  That wasn’t happening.

  I took aim with my shotgun but turns out Dakky didn’t need my help. She saw the threat and bumped the ladder, hard. Ladder and man went sideways on the way to the ground, and the gun went flying from a hand grappling for a hold to stop his fall.

  He didn’t find one. Mike hit the ground hard and Dakota was on him. When Gabe once again called her off, I would have sworn she gave him a dirty look. Spoilsport.

  Seconds later, Michael had been thoroughly searched and was sporting handcuffs matching the ones Lawrence was wearing.

  Damn. I didn’t get to shoot either of them like I’d hoped.

  Double damn, my freaking house was burning to the ground. Now that I was off the adrenaline rush I realized I’d been smelling Kerosene for quite some time. They must have soaked the house in it before lighting the walls.

  I heard the sirens from the fire truck getting closer, but they weren’t going to be able to save this one.

  We got the bad guys, but now it appeared Zane and I were homeless.

  But at least we had all the evidence we needed to get full justice for Becca. And if they ever did manage to get out of jail, I’d be waiting.

  By then Zane would be grown, and I wouldn’t have nearly so much to lose.

  CHAPTER TWENTY: Picking Up the Pieces (Colin)

  We got the two limping arsonists into the back of Gabe's SUV and headed for the hospital. They would require medical assistance before reaching their final destination. Neither of them was all too happy with the fact that Dakky Dog took her place in the back.

  No way would they try anything funny. They had enough injuries between them already. And neither of us had laid a hand on them.

  Knowing Michael, even with all the circumstances, he'd probably try to sue me. Let him. That was a court trial I'd enjoy.

  The emergency room stitched up Lawrence's arm from where he tried to jerk free from Dakota's teeth. Here's a hint for you, if a big dog has your arm in their mouth, holding it, don't try to jerk it out. Especially if that dog has been trained as a police canine.

  Lawrence was actually the lucky one with just stitches. Michael ended up with a broken left leg and wrist from his fall. With his casts, he would be moving slower than me for a while.

  I sat out in the waiting room while they were treated. Truthfully, I didn't trust myself in the same room with them. After all, they had just burned down my house.

  Oh yeah and tried to kill me and kidnap Zane too. I owed Sheriff Gabriel Green everything at this point. And I had absolutely no idea how to even begin to repay him.

  Gabe had stayed with them, promising me that he wouldn't let either of them out of his sight even for a second. I believed him. We had come too close to losing them once before. That wasn't going to happen again.

  When they were finished, Gabe helped load them into a deputy's squad car. Then we followed them in Gabe's. That gave Dakky Dog much more room as she now had the whole back and back seat to herself.

  My car was still at the station, and Gabe sent me home. I would have argued, but I'd done all I could for the night. Yes, I thought briefly that I should have asked about Mom, but the pain was too fresh to deal with still.

  She had defended them right up to the end. It would take a while to get over that. Besides, my mom was active in church and there were a lot of friends there that would come stay with her while she got her feet back under her.

  I imagined that would take some time.

  And I know I said that Gabe sent me home, but of course, what I meant was his house. Home is where the kid is.

  I hadn't thought to ask Gabe if it was okay to bring Dakky in with me, but I couldn't see him really minding. After all, she was a hero of a dog, and I wasn't about to reward her good work with being put on a chain outside.

  We hadn't mentioned what the sleeping arrangements were, and Molly had thought to bring her sleeping bag with her. She had laid it out in Matt's room and was sleeping at the foot of their beds.

  She woke up when I peeked in on them.

  "Did you get them?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. I hated having to tell her that all of that stuff I'd helped her save from her crappy roommates was now most likely nothing more than ashes.

  "Yeah, but it came at a huge cost," I said, easing into it.

  She sat up and looked at Matt, sleeping that sound sleep that only babies and small children can seem to master. "Sheriff Green?" she whispered.

  "No, no, he's fine, and his men too," I ran my hand through my hair, wishing I could put off telling her the bad news until tomorrow. "Michael and his dad decided to try to grab Zane before they left town." My jaw clenched. "They didn't intend for me to be around afterward to follow them."

  I met her questioning eyes and just spilled it. "They burned down our house, Molly. All of our stuff... it's gone."

  She laid back down, eyes closed. "Don't scare me like that," she said. "Stuff can be replaced. People can't." Then she thought. "You did have insurance, right?"

  I smiled. "Oh yeah. That house was insured to the hilt, so there will be plenty of funds to replace anything we lost." I got quiet, thinking of all the pictures and other memories that were irreplaceable. "At least the things that can be replaced."

  Molly shrugged. "A fire doesn't take away the memories, and it was time for some new stuff, anyway." She gave a big yawn.

  I started backing out of the room. "Go back to sleep. You have a couple of hours before we need to get the kids off to school. Then we can both go back to bed and sleep the day away."

  Provided of course that Gabe wouldn't mind us doing that. If he did, there would be a waiting period while I found us rooms to stay for a while. Luckily, the insurance covered that too.

  When I laid down on the couch, my full intention was just to rest my eyes. But the next thing I knew, Gabe was shaking me gently.

  When had he gotten home? And more importantly, how had he gotten this close without me hearing him? I must be losing my touch. That worried me. There were far too many Michael Lawsons out there to let your guard down.

  "I wanted to give you a heads-up before I woke the boys. The pandemonium will soon begin."

  I yawned and nodded. "Thanks. How did it go?"

  He gave me a huge grin. "The Lawsons are all residents of my jail for now. I figure Joan's visit won't be too long of a one, but she will have some time to serve as an accomplice after the fact." He placed his hand over his mouth, stifling a yawn of his own. "Your mom's minister came to get her. She's going to stay with them for a while. She really didn't know anything."

  I sighed. "I know. I'm glad they can be there for her. Maybe I really am a bad son, but I just couldn't be."

  "You're a son who's been put through the wringer by his own family. You have a right to let someone else handle her for now."

  That did make me feel a bit better. He started towards the boys' room.

  "Oh, Gabe?" He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Would you mind if Molly and I crashed here tomorrow?" Then my fuzzy brain connected. "Well, I guess actually I mean today."

  He smiled at me. "I'd planned to talk to you about that tomorrow when we were all rested up and better able to think, but as far as I'm concerned, all of you can stay here while you rebuild."

  While I was still processing that, he went to wake the boys and pandemonium did, indeed, follow.

  We got the kids showered, dressed, fed, and on the bus. Then we crashed again. I'd already helped myself to a blanket and pillow from the hall closet, so I claimed the couch. Gabe hesitated for a minute like he was going to say something, but in the end, he just said goodnight and went into his room.


  He had a guest bedroom at the far end of the hall, and that's where Molly crashed. On an actual real-life bed. If we did stay, I wondered if the couch was to be my new home.

  Personally, I was hoping to upgrade to roommate status with Gabe. Now, that would make being homeless almost worthwhile.

  Ah, hell, who was I kidding? It would be totally worth it. Like Molly said, things can be replaced.

  *** (Gabe)

  Gabe woke up around noon with a pleasant feeling in his stomach. That was more than odd because he couldn't really remember the last time he had felt that way. Really looking forward to what the day ahead held.

  He realized that feeling had everything to do with the man currently occupying his couch only a few yards away. He had wanted to offer him space in his bed last night as it would have been much more comfortable for Colin. But he hadn't.

  They had both been far too tired to deal with all the considerations that would require. When Colin first slept in Gabe's bed, and Gabe had every intention of that happening sooner rather than later, he wanted them both to be up for more than just sleep.

  But for now, things were looking up. He didn't really like mixing business with pleasure, but it had been really hard to keep that line in the sand while Colin had been helping him with Becca's case. There had been far too many times when he had almost crossed it.

  Now, however, the case was in the hands of the judicial system. Yes, they were in his jail, but he had the personnel to handle them there. He wouldn't even have to see them until they went to court.

  That was more than fine with him.

  All of that meant that, finally, Colin was free for him to pursue. He laid there a few minutes pondering the best way to go about it.

  He had already planned to offer to let them all move into his house. If they wanted to call it a temporary move, that was okay. Gabe would have plenty of time to change that status to a permanent one. Rebuilding a house from the ground up took a lot of time. And from the condition of the house the last time Gabe saw it, a complete rebuild would be necessary.

  Gabe stretched his muscles and reached for his phone on the nightstand. The office gave him the all clear.

  Good. After last night's excitement, the department could use an easy day. He just hoped it stayed that way. For more than a day would be nice.

  He laid out his day's outfit on the bed and hit the shower. By the time he got out, he could hear movement in the living room. As he didn't think Molly would risk waking a sleeping Colin, Gabe figured he must be up too.

  They both were. Molly and Colin sat on the couch talking quietly when he walked in.

  "Good afternoon, everyone," Gabe said.

  Colin looked up with a smile. "Hey, there, Sheriff. Thanks for the crash pad today."

  "No problem, partner. In fact, we might as well get this out of the way first thing." Gabe crossed to sit in the recliner facing the couch. "It's going to be awhile before the insurance company can have your home rebuilt."

  Colin grimaced. "Don't remind me. That's what Molly and I were just talking about. I'm thinking we should rent one of those furnished short-term apartments in town. That way we wouldn't have to move furniture twice. If we wait until the house is done, we can just buy what we want and they'll deliver it."

  Gabe nodded slowly. "That would be a good plan, but mine is better, I think." He grinned at both of them. "Why don't you just stay here?"

  Molly's face fell, and she glanced at Colin then down at her feet. But she didn't say a word.

  "I know you mentioned that option last night, but I hate to impose for that long. You only have three bedrooms, right?" Colin asked.

  "Yup." Gabe's grin got bigger, almost wolfish. "So in order for it to work, you would have to be willing to share my bedroom with me. I'm kind of hoping you wouldn't mind that?" It came out as a question.

  Colin's grin matched Gabe's. Extremely wolfish. "Wouldn't mind that one little bit, Sheriff," Colin said.

  Molly sighed. "Would you mind if I slept on the couch until I found someplace?"

  Gabe looked at her in puzzlement, shocked to see tears in her eyes. He reached out and put two fingers under her chin, lifting her face until their eyes met.

  "Sweetie, as I recall you're an important member of Colin's family now. The offer stands for you and Zane too." Her eyes widened.

  "Really?"

  "I wouldn't have it any other way. With two boys to take care of, and my job and Colin's writing that he has to get back to eventually, we are really going to need you here." He paused. "Unless having two boys instead of one would be more than you bargained for." Another pause. "Or you just don't want to live here."

  Molly gave her head a strong shake. "No, that would be great by me. But are you sure you really need me? I wouldn't feel right, Mr. Sheppard paying me and you giving me a place to stay if I wasn't really needed." She glanced at each of them in turn. "Two men and two boys seem like enough to do the job okay."

  Colin lifted his cane to her. "Eventually, maybe, but for the next six months at a minimum, I could really use your help. I'm sure the Sheriff keeps really odd hours, and I'm kind of used to writing in the evening hours. To be totally truthful, I don't want to lose you. I'm not sure I can do this without you. Even with Gabe's help." Colin reached out and grabbed her hand in his. "If you'd feel better in our own place, we can do that."

  Colin gave Gabe a wink. "I can always visit Gabe's bedroom on occasion, even without living here."

  Molly dashed the unshed tears from her eyes. "No, it's nice here. And Matt's a good kid. Games are more fun with more people. I just didn't want ..." She stood up, excused herself and ran to the bathroom.

  “I’m sorry,” Gabe said. “I really should have made myself clear from the very start that you were all included.”

  “No harm done,” Colin said softly. “She just isn’t used to feeling cared for. We’re the only family she’s got now.”

  Gabe smiled. “Well, her family just grew by two members, then.” He looked around. “Speaking of new family members, where’s our hero?”

  Colin started when he realized he hadn’t seen Dakky Dog since the kids went to school. Gabe gave him a hand up and they went down the hall to the boys’ room. The door was open, and Dakota was sprawled out on her back on top of Matt’s unmade bed. Snoring as only a dog can do.

  We both backed back out into the hallway. She deserved a good sleep-in too.

  There were a couple of hours before the boys got home, so they all decided to check out just how bad the damage was at the house, and to see if there was anything that could be salvaged.

  As Gabe pulled off to the side of the street—the driveway was completely blocked with rubble—they could see that the house was definitely a total loss. The upstairs was completely gone, and while some of the downstairs looked still intact, the damage was massive.

  Colin made his way slowly to the front porch. “At least the swing made it. Maybe we add a little something to your porch, Gabe? I noticed you didn’t have one.”

  “Okay by me,” Gabe said. “More places to sit is always a good thing.”

  Colin simply nodded and sighed. There was no need to unlock the front door, it had been left open by the fire department. Probably for easy access in case there was an ember still left to flame. Judging from all the water inside, Gabe didn’t think that would have been an issue.

  What wasn’t taken by the flames was pretty much destroyed by the flood of water.

  Colin took his time leading them through the rubble that had been his home and they found one door still in place and unopened. The door to Colin and Becca’s makeshift writing office.

  Inside was the least damage they had seen so far. Portions of the ceiling had fallen, but it looked like for the most part the fire and water both had been kind to the room. The large wooden desk was unharmed, though would need to be well cleaned, as was the office chair.

  Becca had insisted on fireproof filing cabinets, so all their records were okay t
oo. That included hard copies of all their manuscripts.

  “At least your work was saved,” Gabe said.

  Colin gave him a sad smile. “That was the one thing I wasn’t worried about. Everything’s digital these days. All our records, our books, our writing, it’s all saved in a computer program that we... I... can access anywhere there’s the internet.”

  “Oh.” Gabe had hoped that this room would be a boost for Colin, but it sounded like the one and only room that wouldn’t have been too missed if it had been taken.

  Colin ran a loving hand over the desk and Gabe reconsidered.

  “I am glad the desk made it though. Becca loved this old thing. She refinished it herself.”

  “We’ll find a place for it, and the chair too.” Though Gabe wasn’t at all sure where. They’d figure something out.

  Colin scratched his neck, thinking. “I’ve never been in your back yard. Is it decent sized?”

  Gabe just looked at him. “Depends on what you consider decent I guess.”

  “Well, if it’s big enough for a small outbuilding, like one of those pre-made wooden storage sheds, I was thinking I could buy one and use it as an office.”

  “Good thinking. It wouldn’t be hard to run electricity for a one room shed,” Gabe said.

  “Yeah, and if we get a smaller one, it wouldn’t take much to heat it, either. Then I’d have a place to go to write.” Colin gave them a lopsided grin. “I’ve been told I can get pretty grumpy when a story isn’t going my way.”

  Gabe tried to picture a grumpy Colin. For some reason, in his imagination, it just made him even sexier.

  They went through the other downstairs rooms slowly. There were a few things that might be salvaged from the kitchen, but the major appliances and table and chairs were toasted.

  All in all, it looked like a complete start over for Colin and family.

  And if that brought them into Gabe’s life for good, that was more than fine with him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: The Rainbow Horizon (Colin)