Lonestar Sanctuary

by Colleen Coble

  Allie shook her head. "The calls stopped for six months. I began to relax, to believe they were a bad joke. My sister was murdered a month ago. It seemed a burglary gone bad." She shuddered and hugged herself. "Then he came to my trailer and trapped me in the bathroom, stuck a knife between the door and the jamb. He taunted me, saying he'd killed my sister. I knew he'd hurt Betsy. I'd planned to bring her here anyway, so I packed my suitcase and lit out."

  His glance lingered on Betsy's head. "What about Betsy? You've never said why she doesn't talk."

  She kissed the top of her sleeping daughter's head. "We were watching the plane take off at the airport. Betsy saw the crash, the fire. She's not talked since. It was a horrific scene." Her voice thickened. "Neither of us will ever forget it."

  "I'm sorry."

  He actually sounded like he was. For a Neanderthal, he was surprisingly sweet. "Thanks."

  "How do you know the plane was sabotaged?"

  "He claimed responsibility for it. I told the police, and they investigated."

  "Did they find any evidence?"

  "They don't tell me anything"

  "And your sister? He claimed to have killed her too?"

  "Yes."

  Rick shook his head. "I don't buy it. How do you know you're not being stalked by some jerk who gets off on trying to scare you? Maybe both events were just tragic accidents. And who is this guy anyway? What's he got against you?"

  "I don't know who it is! And he's not just trying to scare me. He was sticking a knife through the door when he told me he'd killed Tammy."

  He sighed and took out a knife and a small block of wood. "Okay. But I don't see how this relates to Elijah. The guy can't know where you are." Sitting on the porch railing, he began to whittle. "I don't know what's going to happen to the ranch. Elijah didn't have any family." Putting the knife on his knee, he stared at her. "Elijah mentioned that guy who wanted to buy the ranch. I wonder ..."

  "What?"

  He looked down at his block of wood and began to work it again. "Maybe it wasn't an accident. Elijah would have had no reason to be climbing that mountain. And the truck was kind of hidden, now that I think about it."

  "You just tried to tell me it was an accident." She grabbed hold of the thought though. If only his death had nothing to do with her. If only it really was caused by something else.

  "Maybe I was wrong. With no family to inherit, the killer might have assumed the ranch would go to someone more willing to sell."

  She should tell him the truth, but she didn't want the ranch anyway. "Betsy loves that new mare," she said. "I had hopes that she'd ..." She looked off into the darkness where the stars were beginning to wink on.

  Rick looked up at her, then back down to the wood in his hand. "That's usually how the healing starts."

  "What will happen to the horses here if the ranch is sold?"

  "They'd probably go to the glue factory. Or be slaughtered for cat food." His mouth twisted as if he'd bitten into something bitter.

  All the horses that had already been mistreated. A sick knot formed and grew. She couldn't bear to think about it. Maybe she could buy the one they rescued. Losing the mare now would crush Betsy.

  "Maybe Elijah left the ranch to you."

  "I don't know what he'd planned."

  Allie squinted through the darkness at his face. "I think you do. He left it to you, didn't he?"

  "He'd talked about it." Rick's voice was grudging.

  "You'll keep the ranch going, won't you?"

  "If it's my choice." He cleared his throat. "I found out about the marriage license today," Rick said. "There's a three-day waiting period."

  "Do I have to wait for state residency?" She couldn't keep the hope out of her voice.

  "Nope."

  There went that idea. She wet her lips. "When do you want to do it?"

  "I thought we'd just go get the license tomorrow. The sooner the better, if the Siders are after you. They could come riding up here anytime. We can at least get temporary custody papers drawn up in case the adoption isn't final when they track you down."

  She couldn't believe this. Her life was scattering in all directions like sand in a dust storm. The tornado was sweeping her up and plunking her down in a life she didn't recognize.

  "What about Elijah? It seems heartless to make these plans before he's even buried," she said finally.

  "He'd want you and Betsy taken care of," he said.

  Rick was right. If there was one thing she'd recognized in Elijah, it was his great heart. Tears welled in her eyes again. "Okay," she said.

  CROSSING THE STREET TO THE COURTROOM, A COLD WIND SNAKED DOWN Rick's back, but he wasn't sure if it was real or the product of his desire to turn tail and run. He'd planned never to stand before a judge like this and tie himself to a woman, not with the way his mother caused him to distrust the gender. He reminded himself that Allie wasn't anything like the woman who put the scars on his back.

  He spared a sideways glance at her. She wouldn't do anything to hurt Betsy. At least she had that much going for her.

  The events of the past three days had left him numb. They'd had a quiet funeral for Elijah, attended only by a few friends in the area, the ranch hands, and the kids. Tomorrow, the day after the wedding if you could call this sterile affair a wedding-Elijah's attorney, Wally Tatum, wanted to talk about Elijah's will.

  Another issue Rick wasn't looking forward to dealing with. Had Elijah left him the ranch? While he hoped the good they'd done wasn't about to end, he didn't relish the thought of shouldering the burden by himself. But what if Elijah hadn't left him the ranch? He might have willed it to the feds to be part of the national park.

  Maybe he could buy it. Rick examined the thought. He'd set by a little money in his savings account. Not enough for a down payment, but the bank manager knew him and trusted him. It might work.

  But what about counseling for the kids? Elijah had done most of that, and while Rick had a degree in welfare, he didn't have the experience these kids would need. Devon's face flashed in his mind. The kid was so much like Rick when at that age, it was scary. Rick wanted to do everything possible to save him.

  He glanced toward the woman and child beside him. Betsy clung to Allie's hand. She'd explained to the kid that they were getting married, but did Betsy understand how weird it all was?

  Rick held open the door to the courthouse, and the Siderses entered ahead of him. They wouldn't have that name much longer. The shock of realizing he would be giving his name and protection to two people he barely knew made him freeze at the door. The wind whipped past him into the building.

  He pulled the door shut behind him. His boots clicked along the tile floor, echoing against the high ceiling. The sound belonged to a condemned prisoner going to the gallows. Allie still hadn't said a word. She was probably as appalled by their choice as he was.

  Still, Betsy would be safe, and he could dampen some of the guilt he felt about Jon's death.

  Thrusting his hand into the pocket of his jeans, he fingered the simple wedding band he'd picked up for Allie after the funeral. Since the marriage wasn't going to last long, he'd hesitated to spend the money, but it didn't seem right not to have her wear a ring.

  The registrar greeted them and ushered them into the judge's chambers. The place smelled ancient and musty, though the desk and chairs looked new.

  He'd known judge Julia Thompson for years, and her eyes were bright and curious when she greeted them. "Rick, congratulations." Her gaze turned to Allie. "And this is the lucky woman. Half the gals in town are mad at you, and the rest want to know how you managed to lasso this wily character."

  Allie's smile was weak. "I'm very lucky."

  "You certainly are," the judge agreed. She pulled a pair of glasses from atop her head and perched them on her nose to read the documents in front of her. "Just a civil ceremony? I must say I'm surprised, Rick. I would have thought you'd be married in the church."

  Rick hadn't even told h
is pastor what he was doing. Grady would try to talk him out of it. "We were in a hurry," he said, ignoring the speculation in her smile. Let her think what she wanted. He didn't owe anyone an explanation.

  Her expression sobered. "I'm sorry about Elijah." She riffled through some papers and pulled out a small book. "Let's get on with this, shall we?"

  "Fine,"Allie said. Her voice trembled, and she swayed on her feet. Her complexion was pasty.

  "Are you both entering this agreement of your own free will?"

  "Yes," Rick and Allie said in unison.

  "Good." The judge turned to Rick first. "Rick, will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto her, for so long as you both shall live?"

  He hadn't realized that forever promise would be in a civil ceremony. It felt wrong as a Christian to deliberately lie. If he made this promise, he'd have to keep it. He realized his silence had to look bad, but he needed to think, to decide. Glancing at Allie, he saw her go even paler.

  Jon's face came to mind, so earnest and good. The man had believed in Rick even when he had no reason to. How could Rick not give his life for him?

  "I will," he said, realizing, with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, what he'd just promised.

  "Allie, will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto him, so long as you both shall live?"

  Rick could see the convulsive movement of Allie's throat as she swallowed hard. For just a moment he hoped she'd say she couldn't go through with it. Then he would be relieved of his responsibility.

  "I will," she said in a firm voice.

  "Rick, take your bride's hand."

  When his fingers closed around Allie's hand, his eyebrows went up at how cold it was. He saw the fear in her eyes and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

  The judge's no-nonsense tone droned on. "Take hands and repeat after me: I, Rick, take you, Allie, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, to love and to cherish, from this day forward."

  To cherish. An old-fashioned word. Rick tried to remember if he'd ever cherished anything. He'd once loved whiskey, and he loved God but cherish? What did it really mean?

  "Rick?" the judge prodded.

  "Sorry." Rick repeated the vows. He listened while Allie did the same.

  "Do you have a ring for the bride?"

  Rick nodded and dug the ring out of his pocket. Allie smiled for the first time since they'd entered the judge's chambers. She held out her hand to Betsy, and the little girl handed her a ring too. When had she gotten it? And how did she get the money?

  Her hand had warmed up some, and he slipped the ring past her knuckles. When she tried to do the same to him, the ring got stuck after the first knuckle.

  "Sorry," she whispered. "Jon wasn't as big as you."

  This had been the ring Jon wore? The magnitude of what Rick was doing nearly made his knees buckle. This was Jon's wife he was promising to care for. And his daughter. Rick curled his fingers around the ring to keep it safe. Jon had been like a brother, and Rick remembered something in the Bible about a man's brothers being responsible for his wife.

  "I'll get it sized," he said.

  She nodded, and tears glimmered in her eyes. Did she remember the ceremony with Jon? She had to feel the lack of this one in comparison. He should have thought about what a woman needed in a wedding. He was an idiot.

  "Inasmuch as Rick and Allie have consented together in wedlock and have witnessed the same before this company, and pledged their vows to each other, by the authority vested in me by the State of Texas, I now pronounce you husband and wife." The judge smiled. "You may now kiss your bride."

  Rick put his hands on her shoulders and deposited a quick peck on her lips. They felt as soft as they looked. Her breath smelled minty and fresh, and it was with reluctance that he let his hands fall back to his sides.

  His wife. He was a married man with all the responsibilities and trials of partnership. Not just for a year or two, but forever.

  10

  ALLIE FINGERED THE RING ON HER HAND. JON HAD BEEN GONE NEARLY TWO years, and the metal felt strange on a hand she usually kept bare. It had been all she could do to choke out her responses in the ceremony. Memories of her wedding to Jon nearly brought her to tears. For Betsy's sake, she managed to hold it together.

  She sat on the porch, watching the glimmer of stars and breathing in the scent of creosote bushes, a pungent fragrance she loved. Betsy sat on her lap. Allie had tried to call Yolanda, but she'd been dumped into her voice mail. Not that Yo would be happy to hear the news, but Allie felt a need to share this event in her life with her best friend.

  The kids were playing Yahtzee inside, and the sound of their voices and the rattle of dice on the table comforted her. Life would get back to normal, eventually.

  Car lights winked and grew as a vehicle approached the ranch house. The engine cut off, and the interior lights of the car flickered on as a man got out. The bright yard light revealed a young man who looked like a throwback to the days of Jesse James. His thick mustache appeared waxed, and it curled up on the ends. His jeans were pressed, and his boots glinted in the light.

  The screen door banged, and Allie jumped. Strangers always made her uneasy, and this guy looked dangerous.

  Rick stepped onto the porch. "Wally. I didn't expect you tonight."

  "Howdy, Rick," the man said. "I know you were coming in tomorrow, but I'm going to have to leave town for a few days, and I thought maybe we could handle this tonight."

  "We can go to the office."

  Wally came up the steps and nodded to Allie. "Is this little lady Allie Siders?"

  "I'm Allie," she said. Let Rick announce the marriage if he wanted. Who was this guy? Rick was treating him with respect, and he seemed to know something about the ranch.

  "Since Rick hasn't introduced us, I'd best do it myself. I'm Wally Tatum, Elijah's attorney. I'm sorry I missed Elijah's funeral. My wife was sick, and I had child-care duty." His smile became fixed. "You'll need to sit in on this meeting too, ma'am."

  Allie saw Rick stiffen. "It has nothing to do with me," she said.

  "Yes, ma'am, it does. Elijah changed some things in his will the day he died."

  "What?" Allie and Rick spoke at the same time.

  Wally's white teeth flashed beneath his mustache. "There was no holding Elijah back when he made up his mind about something" He nodded to the swing. "Mind if I sit a spell?"

  Rick folded his arms across his chest. "What are you talking about?"

  Allie didn't want to know. A vortex yawned above her, like a great Texas twister about to suck her into something deadly. She kept her mouth shut. Get this over with and get to her room. Elijah couldn't have left her much. He didn't even know her.

  The swing creaked as Wally settled into it. He opened his briefcase and withdrew a sheaf of papers. "As you know, this ranch and the kids who have come through here have been Elijah's life for the past forty years."

  "I know that better than anyone," Rick said. "I was a throwaway kid myself and came here when I was fifteen."

  "Elijah could have bust his buttons over you," Wally said. "Until this recent change, he'd left the ranch to you. I'm only mentioning that because he wanted you to know how much he loved you. But he realized he couldn't do that not when he has family who should rightly inherit."

  "Family?" Rick asked slowly. "What family?"

  Allie hadn't meant for Rick to find out the truth this way. Not blindsided. He'd poured so much of his life into this place, it didn't seem right to strip it away at the last minute. She'd refuse the bequest, let Rick have it.

  Wally's gaze darted between them. "Elijah has left everything he owns to Betsy, his great-granddaughter."

  Rick inhaled sharply, but she held her breath. It couldn't be. Why would he do that? Betsy was too young
, and the responsibility would fall on Allie, who knew nothing about running a ranch for kids. Horses, she knew, but that was where her work began and ended.

  "You're his granddaughter?" Rick turned to look at Allie.

  She nodded, but she couldn't push any words past the constriction in her chest. The betrayal on Rick's face wounded her. Did he think she'd done this deliberately?

  "I don't want it."

  "Yes, ma'am, but he left it to Betsy," Wally pointed out.

  "She's too young. I'm refusing it for her."

  Rick finally seemed to rouse from his stupor. "You don't have that right."

  "I know this is a shock, ma'am. Let it settle a spell. Elijah did the right thing" Wally rose, and his spurs jingled as he walked toward the steps. "I have some documents for you to sign in my office. Stop by at your convenience and my secretary can handle everything. The adoption papers are ready too."

  Rick followed him to the edge of the porch. "Thanks for coming out," he said, his voice distant.

  Wally touched his hat. "I didn't want there to be any misunderstandings about the future of the ranch. I'll be in touch."

  Neither of them spoke as the sound of the car's tires on the dirt and gravel faded away. Allie peeked at Rick's face and gulped when she saw his thunderous expression.

  "You liar. You came here knowing Elijah was your grandfather. Why bother with marrying me? You'd have a stable home here for Betsy, and he would have helped you keep custody."

  Did he think she would have tied herself to him if she'd had any other choice? "I didn't plan to tell him."

  He laughed, a short bark of derision. "Yeah, right. One look at you and he had to know. He kept track of his daughter. Did you really think he wouldn't realize?"

  "He guessed," she admitted. "I was surprised at his welcome. I thought he would throw me out." She clutched her cold hands together. Dredging up some anger from the depths, she fired back at him. "Is that why you really married me? Because you knew he'd leave us the ranch? If you knew he kept track of her, you surely knew her name and that I was her daughter."

  "I didn't know what he'd planned or that you were his granddaughter."

  "Really? Then why were you in such a hurry to do this before you talked to the lawyer? Did you think if I had any other way out, I wouldn't do it? And besides, you pointed out my resemblance to Maria."