“Thank you. I’m sorry that we’ve been so much trouble. It’s even worse since you’re doing this for free.”
“Kayla hasn’t been any trouble at all,” she said with a smile playing at her lips.
He laughed and then winced. “That’s pretty much exactly the story of our lives. She was always the easy one, and everybody loved to be around her. Then there was me.”
“It’s a good thing that I’ve always liked a challenge.”
Gavin reached up and this time tried not to wince. He put his rough, work-beaten palm against the smoothness of her cheek. She laid her head into it for just a second before there was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” she said, taking hold of his hand and laying it gently back down on the bed.
Colt came in, standing there for a few seconds to allow his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. “Hey, he’s awake.”
Lucy stood up. “I’m going to let you two talk. Gavin, I’m going to get your pain medicine. I’ll be back.” Gavin nodded and instantly regretted it. He watched Lucy leave and then looked up at Colt. Colt was smirking.
“What?”
“That’s the most full-service attorney I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh hey, the Keystone Cops are funny. Have you caught who shot at me?”
“Nope. Unfortunately, no one saw anything, and I can’t even find a shell casing out there. The brush is two feet high. Did you see anything?”
“No. Not that I remember, anyway. You and I both know who it was.”
Colt nodded. “I went over and talked to him. His son was there. He says they were having supper at the time the guys reported hearing the shot. They said they heard it too. Just figured you were out chasing coyotes.”
“Bull. You know that’s complete bull.”
“I know, Gavin. I just need some evidence.”
“As soon as I get out of this bed, I’ll go get you some.”
“I hope you’re not saying you’re going to take the law into your own hands right here in front of the county sheriff.”
“I would never,” Gavin insisted. Colt just shook his head at his friend. Before he could lecture him though, Dr. York had arrived.
Chapter Fifteen
Gavin slept off and on for the rest of the day, and Lucy kept watch over him. She had spoken to Kayla and let her and Brance know that he was awake and seemed to be doing well other than being sore. Poor Brance had really been beside himself when it happened. He even seemed more upset than Kayla. Kayla tried to call the ambulance, but Brance said it would take too long for them to get him to Houston. He was the one who ran and got the doctor. Dr. York checked Gavin out and seemed to think that, since he was coming in and out, it would be okay to let him stay home as long as someone watched him closely around the clock. Lucy volunteered for that job. She told herself that it was only because Kayla needed to go to Dallas, but she knew it was more. She was growing fond of the ornery cowboy, in spite of herself.
When the doctor came back out this morning, he’d tried to talk Gavin into going into Houston for x-rays. Gavin moved all of his extremities, looking like he was trying not to scream the whole time. Doc then tried to tell him that he could have internal injuries and should have a CT scan, but Gavin scoffed at that as well. He finally left Lucy with a list of things to watch for and instructions to call him or an ambulance immediately, depending on how serious it was.
At lunch time, Lucy came in with a tray of chicken soup that one of the ladies had brought and some fresh baked bread that Sylvie had made. “You want to try to eat something?”
“I was going to say no when I saw you bring it in, but it sure does smell good.”
“It does. Sit up and try just a little,” she told him. She sat the tray down and helped him sit up.
When he was all situated, he asked, “Did you eat?”
“Not yet, I will in a while.”
“You need to eat,” he insisted.
She laughed. “You sound like Miss Hildie now.”
“Miss Hildie is one of the smartest women I know. You should listen to her.”
“I’ll eat in a while. You eat.” Gavin took a bite of the soup and closed his eyes.
“Mmm, that is so good. You want a bite?”
“You would let me use your spoon?”
He grinned. “Well, I thought since I already had my tongue in your mouth yesterday.” Lucy felt herself blush slightly.
“Wow, was that just yesterday? It seems like it was a long time ago.”
“Yeah it does,” he said. His eyes looked faraway for a second, and she wished she knew what he was thinking. When he came back from wherever he went, she said, “You had a lot to say when you were delirious.”
He was about to take a bite of his soup but stopped halfway to his mouth. He put the spoon down and raised an eyebrow. “What did I say?”
“You were talking to Satan and calling the dogs, arguing with your sister.” He was also saying things about being handcuffed and going in front of the judge and parole. But Lucy wasn’t going to ask him about any of that right now, although she was more than curious.
He finished taking his bite of soup and then remarked, “I guess I should be glad I didn’t tell you all of my secrets.”
“I guess you should be,” she agreed. They were silent then until he finished his lunch.
As she got up to take the tray into the kitchen, he said, “Put it over there on the dresser and come sit down for a minute.” He patted the bed next to him. She gave him a curious look but didn’t argue. She put down the tray and sat on the bed next to him. He reached up and put his hand back on her face. This time, though, he pulled her down so that their lips met. Lucy stiffened a bit. She warned herself that the things he’d said in his unconscious state needed exploring before she let whatever this was go any further. But the feeling of his mouth on hers made rational thought difficult. She didn’t want her unwanted thoughts intruding on their moment. She leaned in further and returned the kiss. She wanted this man, right or wrong. When his tongue slid out and parted her lips gently, she was awed by how sensuous it was and how it stirred the fire in the pit of her belly. He let his tongue play softly against hers, and she could taste the salty soup. He pulled back, too soon she thought, leaving her wanting more. He still had his hand on the side of her face as he stared deeply into her eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered.
“For what?”
“Everything you’re doing for us. I don’t know many attorneys who would serve their clients chicken soup. Especially the mean ones like me.”
“Well, you must not know many attorneys," she said. “We’re trained to serve chicken soup.”
He smiled. “That must be why you do it so well then.” He let go of her face, and sitting back a little, he added, “Have you always wanted to be an attorney?”
“No. When I was a kid, I thought about being a veterinarian.” She saw him stiffen, and she remembered that was what he was supposed to be. He hadn’t told her that, though. Kayla had.
“What made you change your mind?” he asked.
“When I was a little girl, my father owned a horse ranch in San Antonio. He loved it. He was so good with the horses, kind of like you. He got hurt one day trying to train a wild horse. He was kicked in the head repeatedly and almost killed. His recovery was slow. He couldn’t move his extremities like he used to, and he had trouble sometimes with his memory. He tried to file for bankruptcy, but the courts made him sell the horses first. Then, before he could finish the process, the bank repossessed the land and the house. We were staying with my aunt and uncle when he got the letter from the tax board saying they’d frozen his bank accounts and put a lien on the horse equipment that he’d managed to hang onto for back taxes from the years he was sick. I guess he’d forgotten to file them, and they were saying that he owed them a lot of money. He tried to fight. He got an attorney, and after almost a year of paying the attorney from the account he set up for my education, the only account they hadn�
�t cleaned out, he lost and was ordered to pay the government tens of thousands of dollars, and then he got a final bill from the attorney.”
“Wow, poor guy,” Gavin replied.
“Yeah. He was a good man. All he wanted were his horses. He killed himself when I was eleven years old.”
Gavin winced. “Oh jeez. I’m so sorry, Lucy.”
She nodded. “Me too. I was angry with him for a really long time. I finally decided that maybe the brain injury had taken away his ability to cope. I don’t know if that was true, but it helped me cope to believe it.”
He reached up and brushed her face with his fingers. “I’m sorry,” he whispered again.
Lucy felt tears stinging her eyes. She didn’t want to cry in front of him. “What about you? Have you always wanted to work on the ranch?”
He got that faraway look in his eye before answering. “I thought that I might want to be a vet too, for a while. I wanted to do it from here, though. I never wanted to leave the ranch.”
“You’re so good with animals. You should have become a vet. I was never as good with them as you are, so an attorney is probably better for me. Why didn’t you become a veterinarian?”
“Life just got in the way.” Lucy could tell there was more, but he didn’t continue.
She looked at the time and said, “If you’re okay, I’m going to see if our happy helpers out there are ready for some lunch.”
“I’m good. I could probably go out there and help them now.”
She laughed. “No, you can’t. You need to rest. I’m going to check on you in a while, and if you’re not asleep, I’m going to knock you back out.”
Gavin laughed too. He closed his eyes and Lucy got up to go. He opened them again and whimpered, “Come back soon.”
“I will.” She took a deep breath as he closed his eyes again. He was so handsome; it was hard to tear her eyes away sometimes. It was actually easier at first, when he was being an ass most of the time. Now, it was just difficult; he was intoxicating.
She took the lunch tray and closed the door behind her. While she cleaned up and got lunch ready for the neighbors and ranch hands, she couldn’t help but think again that there was something he wasn’t telling her. Maybe it was her over-active imagination, but she didn’t think so.
When she first arrived, he had been the suspicious one. He thought that she was hiding something and that she had some kind of sinister intentions. With Gavin, she didn’t get the feeling that he had any bad intentions, but something was definitely there. She thought sure it had something to do with the time he’d disappeared, as Kayla put it, to Corpus Christie. Something happened that he still had nightmares about and that caused him to stop trusting people.
“Hi, Lucy!” Clint walked in the back door. Lucy was still getting used to the way people just walked in and out. It was a little bit unnerving and endearing at the same time.
“Hi, Clint. I was making lunch, so when everyone is ready, just send them in.”
“You don’t have to do that,” he said. “I was coming in to let you know that Miss Hildie and Sylvie invited us all to come into town for lunch. She’s laying out a spread of ribs and potato salad and all the fixin’s. If you’d like to go, I can stay with Gavin.”
She smiled at him. “No, thank you. We have plenty to eat here, and I have some work I can get done while Gavin is sleeping. You go and enjoy yourself, and please tell everyone that Gavin was thrilled and very, very appreciative for their help.”
“I will, and I’ll bring you some of those ribs back.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Sure I do. You’re working as hard as the rest of us. I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but you’re not at all what I would have expected of a lady lawyer from the city.”
“Since I’m acquainted with more than one lady lawyer from the city, I take it as a compliment.”
When he was gone, Lucy looked in on Gavin. Fortunately, he was asleep. She stood and watched him from the doorway for a moment, once again having to fight her eyes to turn away. She finally closed the door quietly and took out her laptop. She hooked it up to Kayla’s printer in the office and began printing off forms that she needed to fill out and file. She was about halfway through when there was a knock on the door. She was surprised since she’d just been thinking about how no one knocked. She pulled open the front door, and Heath Stevenson was standing on the porch holding some kind of file.
Lucy tried to close the door in his face, but Heath caught it before she got a chance. “Come on now, Red. Don’t be like that.”
“Heath, what are you doing here?”
“I’ve text messaged you three times and left two voicemails. I was afraid they were holding you captive out here in the middle of nowhere.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, now that you see that they aren’t, you can go.” She pushed the door again, but he pushed it back open.
“I’m here to help you, Lucy. I think you’re going to want to hear what I have to say.” Lucy glanced over to the closed bedroom door where Gavin slept.
“On the porch,” she said. Heath stepped back, and she stepped out with him. “What is it?”
“Can we sit down?” he asked. Reluctantly, she sat. She thought the quicker she heard him out, the quicker she could get rid of him. “My father hired a private investigator. He found out some things about your boyfriend that you need to know.”
She stood up. “I have no interest in your father’s lies.”
“My father would have a stroke if he knew I was here. He plans on using this information to blackmail your boyfriend and his sister into giving up the ranch so this mess doesn’t stay in litigation for years.”
“And as an officer of the court, I’m sure you condoned it.”
“Red?”
“Stop calling me that!”
“Listen to me, Lucy, please. I’m an ass, okay? I admit that I was a cheating, lying ass. But in my own way, I loved you. I still do.” She turned to go back inside, but he grabbed her arm.
“If you want to keep that arm, I suggest you let go of me,” she hissed with the intensity of a snakebite.
“Give me two minutes, and then I’ll go. I won’t come back, I swear. But this is important. You could be in danger taking up with that man. You need to hear me out.”
“Not that it would be your business, but Gavin is a client, and I am not taking up with anyone.”
“Fine, that’s fine. Even having him as a client, you need to know.”
“You have two minutes, go.”
“Are you going to sit?”
“You’re wasting your time, now you have a minute and forty-five seconds.”
“Lucy, Gavin Walker is a convicted rapist.”
Chapter Sixteen
Lucy went back into the house, locking the door behind her, and left Heath sitting there. She had forgotten how to breathe. She began gasping for air as she stood with her back to the door. Heath stood there on the other side of it talking through the door for several minutes, telling her things about Gavin she didn’t want to hear. Before he finally left, he pleaded, “Please, Lucy. You don’t have to believe me. I’m leaving the file here. You can see for yourself.”
She was still standing with her back to the front door when she heard his sports car start up and begin its trek down the long dirt road that led to the main road. When she couldn’t hear the sound of his engine any longer, she pulled open the door and looked down at the manila file folder he’d left sitting in one of the chairs. She didn’t want to pick it up. She didn’t want to look at it. Heath was a liar and a cheat. Tuck was a liar, a thief, and a dirty old man. How dare either of them make up these things about Gavin? Gavin obviously had his faults, but Lucy had a feeling deep down that he was a good man. Suddenly, she remembered how wrong she had been about Heath; perhaps she wasn’t the best judge of character after all.
She hesitantly reached down and slowly picked up the file. For a few seconds, she held it again
st her chest. Finally, she fell into the rocking chair and reluctantly opened it up. The first thing she saw was a mug shot. It was a black and white photo, obviously printed off of a law enforcement website. It was a man that looked very much like Gavin, only much younger. He couldn’t have been more than eighteen or nineteen years old. The look in his innocent eyes at that moment was one of pure terror. Lucy could feel her chest tightening as she sat the mug shot to the side and looked at the next item in the file. It was a complaint. That was the report the police had taken from the alleged victim. The date on it was December 15, 2005. Lucy read through it, and with nausea rolling through her and bile accumulating at the base of her throat, she read through it again.
She sat the complaint down on top of the mugshot. Her hands trembling, she picked up the next piece of paper. It was another court document. This one was a plea that was entered by Gavin’s attorney. Gavin was charged with a second degree felony of aggravated sexual assault. Lucy knew that in Texas such a crime was punishable by not more than twenty years or less than two. What he ended up pleading to was a third degree felony. It was still sexual assault, but they had dropped the battery. Gavin was given five years maximum as part of his plea with credit for time served. He was remanded into custody on May 26, 2006. He was nineteen years old.
Lucy felt the acid inside her cheeks. She was going to vomit. She tossed the rest of the paperwork into the chair next to her and ran over to the side of the porch. She started to retch. Every time she thought she was finished, she would begin to tremble, the nausea would roll through her body, and she’d begin again, until nothing remained. She’d let this man touch her. He’d kissed her and she loved it. She’d wanted more, but why was she crying? She wasn’t in a relationship with this guy. She wasn’t emotionally involved. Maybe she cried because she felt so incredibly stupid. Duped by another man. She retched again, and as she bent over the side of the porch for another round of convulsing, she heard the door open behind her.
A Cowboy Worth Loving (Canton County Cowboys 1) Page 11