Home on the Ranch: Wyoming Sheriff

by Rebecca Winters

  “Like I said, you’ve been a friend to me and Chase.” Jessica had done some fast thinking to answer him that way.

  “I guess friends is as good a way to start as any,” he drawled.

  Seth was so tied up in knots talking to her, he wasn’t being careful.

  “I’m sorry, but I have to start getting Chase ready for bed. See you tomorrow after work.”

  “Shall I come to the front or back door of the salon?”

  With that question Jessica had to know he’d been stalking her. She doubted that any of her clients knew she used the back door. She lost a little color. “The front is fine.”

  After she hung up, her beautiful green eyes—darkened by fear—met Holden’s. “He’s driven by here and probably followed me home many times. He’s got me terrified.”

  “You may be reeling, but you handled that call like a pro. I know how hard it was on you. You were very courageous considering who was on the other end of that phone. Just remember that tomorrow night he’ll be put out of commission on a permanent basis and you’ll never have to talk to him again.” He cocked his head. “Tell me something. Has he ever called you Jess before?”

  “Never.”

  His lips twisted. “After waiting for so long, he thinks he’s finally gotten the green light with you.”

  Jessica’s mother stood nearby. “Sheriff Granger?”

  He turned to her. “Please, call me Holden.”

  Jessica made the introductions. “This is my mother, Erica Harrison Stevens.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Stevens.”

  “I’ve been so anxious to meet you and thank you,” Erica spoke up. “Per your instructions I’ve canceled every appointment for tomorrow, and have told my other employees to take the day off.”

  “You’ll all be reimbursed.”

  “That won’t be necessary. I’m still trying to find a way to repay you for finding out what really happened when Trent took that car for a test run. And now you’re saving Jessica’s life.” Gratitude filled her eyes and voice before she reached out to hug him.

  Holden could have told the charming woman that all the payment he wanted was to go on seeing her daughter in the nonprofessional sense. If he were being honest, he couldn’t think about anything else. His attraction to Jessica had been worrying him from the beginning and had played havoc with his guilt. When Cynthia died, he’d thought he’d buried his heart with her.

  “I’m more anxious than you to rid this world of the man who brought such pain to your lives.” He looked at Jessica. “If you’re ready, we’ll go pick up Chase and drive you home.”

  She nodded and gave her mother a long, hard hug. “See you in the morning at the usual time. Just so you know, undercover officers are out in front and will stay there all night.”

  “That’s good to know. Thank you, Holden.”

  “Your safety is everything.”

  Holden walked Jessica out to his car and she gave him directions to Donna’s house. When they pulled into the Sillses’ driveway, he spotted the officers parked across the street in an unmarked car and pointed them out to her.

  “They’ll follow us to your house.”

  She stared at him for a minute. “What if I had never come to your office? I can’t think about it or I get deathly sick.”

  “Then stop thinking.”

  “You’re right. It’s getting late. I’ll run in and get Chase.”

  “I have two car seats and put one in the back for him. I use them when I drive to Cody to see the family. I’m planning on getting away soon. After this whole business is over, I’d like to take you and Chase with me.”

  “I can’t imagine anything more wonderful than going on a little vacation with you. Chase would be in heaven. I’m sure I can arrange it. Millie and I trade off at work when something important comes up.”

  “Then we’ll plan on it.” Until he’d met Jessica, he’d never dreamed of taking a woman home to meet his family.

  She got out of the car and hurried to the front door. He walked around to open the back door of the car for Chase. The cute kid rushed out ahead of her and ran to him. “Holden!” he cried and gave him a big hug.

  Holden picked him up, liking the feel of Chase’s arms clinging to him. This boy had become precious to him in more ways than one. “It’s good to see you, too.”

  The three of them chatted all the way to her house where he pulled into the driveway. After he stopped the car, he turned to Chase, who sat behind Jessica.

  “I have a little surprise for you. In the morning you’re going to go stay at the Whitebark Hotel with your mom and your nana for the day.”

  He undid his seat belt. “How come?”

  “Because tomorrow I have to arrest a really bad guy. While I look for him, I want the three of you kept safe so I can do my job as sheriff. If I had to worry about you, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate. Can I commission Wolverine to wear the sheriff’s hat and protect your family until it’s over?”

  Chase’s face lit up in a huge smile. “Sure, I’ll do it!”

  Holden’s heart melted. “I knew I could count on you. It’ll be fun with lots of food and TV to watch. They also have an indoor pool and a gym so you’d better pack your swimsuit.”

  “Will you come and swim with us after you’ve caught him?”

  “Maybe. But if it’s too late, I’ll come by your house tomorrow night after you’re home.”

  “Are you scared?”

  “Nope. This is one criminal I can’t wait to catch.”

  “When I grow up I’m going to be a sheriff just like you!”

  Holden saw tears in Jessica’s eyes, but didn’t quite know what they meant. He was struggling to blink back his own. To have a son like Chase...

  “You’re already on your way. I’ll walk you up to the house. It’s getting late and we all have to be up early tomorrow to do our jobs.”

  “Yup. Come on, Mom.”

  Jessica flashed Holden a smile that thanked him for handling what could have been a difficult moment.

  Chase opened the door and got out. Jessica followed suit and hurried up to the front door of the house with her son. She unlocked it, then turned to Holden. “I know you have to go. Please call me tomorrow when you get a minute.”

  Her green eyes implored him. “In case you didn’t know, that’s the first thing on my agenda. Don’t hesitate to call me if something alarms you, even if it’s the middle of the night.” If they’d been alone, he’d have pulled her against his body and shown her exactly what she meant to him.

  Jessica clung to his arm. “This is it then, until it’s over tomorrow night.”

  He sucked in his breath. “It will be over. Don’t doubt me on that.”

  “I could never doubt you,” she whispered.

  “See ya, Holden.”

  Holden got down on his haunches. “We’ll be together tomorrow night, bud.” I swear it, he vowed as the two of them hugged. Before emotions kept him there any longer, he tousled Chase’s dark blond head and rushed back to the car.

  * * *

  Sleep came to Jessica only for a few hours. Fear for Holden’s safety while he faced Seth drove her from the bed at six on Tuesday morning. She slipped out to the barn to take Bucky for a ride. After making sure he had plenty of food and water, she left him in the pasture and rushed inside to fix breakfast.

  Her son came bouncing into the kitchen to eat, wearing his sheriff hat. The other day she’d pinned it in the back to make it tighter so it wouldn’t fall off. He’d dressed in his shorts and another emoji T-shirt. In one bag, he carried his plastic building blocks and blaster gun. The other small bag he carried held his bathing suit and goggles.

  He wolfed down his food he was so excited. “How soon are we going to Nana’s?”

  “The second we finish eating.”
>
  “Did you pack your swimsuit, too?”

  “Yes, darling.”

  “How long do you think it will take Holden to catch that bad guy?”

  Her concern for the man she’d fallen in love with had increased her heart rate to a dangerous level. “I don’t know, but if you remember, he told us it would all be over tonight.”

  “He’s not scared of anything. Does he have a son like me?”

  The fork slipped from her fingers and clattered on the table. “No. His wife died before they could have children.”

  “She did?” Jessica could hear Chase’s mind working.

  Ever since she’d been given the early menopause diagnosis, Jessica had been living with pain because she could never give birth to another child. Which meant she could never have another man’s baby if by some miracle she married again.

  “It made him very sad and he moved here from Cody a few years ago in order to become the chief of police.”

  “But he’s the sheriff!”

  “Not at first. After he’d lived here awhile, then he was elected sheriff.”

  “That’s because he’s so brave, huh?”

  “It’s just one of the great things about him.”

  “I want to be a sheriff when I grow up. I love him.”

  Oh, Chase...

  A while ago he’d told her he wanted to be a mechanic like Trent when he grew up. Now his hero worship of Holden was off the charts. So was Jessica’s. She got out of the chair to clear the table and clean up the kitchen.

  “I think we’re ready,” she finally announced, having already packed some personal items and her bathing suit.

  Together they went out to the car through the garage and left the house. She could breathe more easily knowing the police officers were out there and would follow them to the salon.

  When she pulled around the back of the shop ten minutes later and parked the car, she saw her mother standing there with two undercover officers. The second she turned off the engine, Chase got out with his stuff and ran toward his nana. Jessica followed and hugged both of them before they were ushered into a van.

  Once they reached the hotel and were taken up to their room via the freight elevator, Jessica’s cell phone rang. She felt a sense of dread. What if it was Seth?

  While Chase ran around checking out the room, she exchanged a worried glance with her mom before looking at the caller ID. The relief of knowing who was on the other end sent her into the bedroom for privacy.

  “Holden?” She was out of breath with excitement to hear his voice.

  “I only have a second. The deputy guarding your hotel room let me know you’re all there safe and sound. Now I can do what I have to.”

  “Please don’t let anything happen to you. I—”

  “Got to go. See you tonight.”

  It was a good thing he’d cut her off before she had the chance to pour out her love for him. Though he’d continue to say it was his job to rid the world of criminals, he was putting his life on the line for her and Chase.

  Chapter 9

  Holden and two other deputies had been parked in unmarked cars around the outside of the Mid-Valley dealership since following Seth from his condo early that morning. He could have arrested him there, but in case he’d seen Holden with Jessica and figured something was going on, Holden wanted to catch him off guard. No one could get inside that unstable mind of his or know what he was planning. Holden needed to be prepared for the unexpected.

  At ten after one in the afternoon, he watched Seth leave the building and go out to the east parking lot for his truck. He could be on a lunch break. But as Holden and the deputies followed him to his upscale condo on the other side of town where he disappeared inside, it was clear he’d left work for the day.

  This new complex had been built only eight months ago. Seth’s well-to-do attorney father who did business all over the state had to be footing the bill. How else could his service writer son afford to live here and drive the Lexus he could see as Seth pulled into the two-car garage?

  An hour later he left in his truck and drove to Jessica’s house. Holden knew it! The paranoid stalker wanted to see if she’d stayed home instead of going to work. Was he worried she was trying to avoid him?

  Seth wasn’t leaving anything to chance. Holden broke out in a cold sweat as he imagined what Seth had been planning. He had no doubt he carried a weapon, maybe more than one.

  After telling the deputies to watch Seth’s every move, Holden sped away and headed for the hair salon. Five minutes later he heard from Deputy Green out at her house.

  “What’s happening, Rick?”

  “The suspect went to the front door of her house. When there was no answer, he walked around the back and knocked on that door for a while. Then he looked in the windows, but they’re all shuttered. We have it on tape.”

  Holden’s eyes closed tightly for a minute. It was terrifying to think what was going on in Seth’s brain. The tape would provide more evidence to add a stalking charge.

  “Where is he now?”

  “He just got back in his truck and we’re following him.”

  “Keep me posted.”

  He nodded to the deputies already set up outside and in back of Style Clips. Once he’d parked his car across the street, he entered the salon.

  “Sheriff,” the three undercover female officers greeted him. One of them looked like she was getting her hair frosted. Another held a brush. Deputy Otterson stood at the desk. No one walking in would know what was really going on.

  “We’ll be having a visitor soon. He’s dangerous.”

  “We’re ready, sir.”

  “You know the drill. When the suspect walks in, tell him Jessica is in the back room, but she’ll be out in a minute.”

  Holden knew it was the place where they mixed the ingredients for hair color. He walked back and hid himself behind the door. With it left partially open, he could see the salon interior. Before long he got a call from Rick, the deputy following Seth in a van with Deputy Jose Romero.

  “He just parked near the salon and is getting out of his truck.”

  “Good work. Be ready to close in.”

  No sooner had he clicked off than Seth entered the shop. Seth had changed out of his work uniform and wore a short-sleeved shirt and jeans.

  “Hi!” Deputy Otterson spoke to him. “I haven’t seen you here before. Do you want a haircut? If so, you’ll have to wait about five minutes.”

  “I’m here to see Jessica.”

  “Oh. You must be the man she’s going out to dinner with. But I thought she said you were leaving at the end of the day.”

  “We are, but I came by to talk to her for a minute.”

  “She’s in the back mixing a color, but she’ll be right out. Do you want a soda while you wait?”

  Adrenaline surged through Holden as he watched Seth stand there, looking around. He could tell the guy was trying to decide what to do next.

  Without giving her an answer he said, “Maybe I’ll just walk back there.” The man was out of control.

  The deputy had to think fast. “I guess that’ll be all right.”

  Holden backed against the wall as Seth started toward the room. “Jess?” he called out and rapped on the door before coming all the way in.

  At that moment Holden tripped Seth so his legs went out from under him and he fell to the floor facedown. A surprised cry rang out before he started spouting venom and tried to get up. But though he struggled violently, Holden held him pinned and was able to cuff him.

  By now the three male deputies appeared. One of them searched him for weapons and retrieved a Glock revolver and a knife. The other two pulled Seth to his feet and secured him while Holden read him his Miranda rights. The man’s eyes were dark slits of rage.

  “Seth Morten Lunt, you’re
under arrest for the murder of Trent Fleming. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford one, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand the rights I’ve just read to you?”

  Seth spit at him, but it just missed Holden and ran down Seth’s shirt.

  “Take him out to the van.”

  “What murder? You can’t do this to me!” he shouted as they dragged him through the shop. “Do you know who I am? My father’s going to hear about this!” he snarled. “You’ll never get away with it!”

  Once he was taken outside and put in the van, Holden pulled Deputy Green aside. “Get the keys to his truck and drive it in. I want to take a look at the interior after I see him booked.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “It’s been nice working with you. Your superior is going to hear about your outstanding service.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Holden shook the hands of the female deputies. “You made this the perfect setup in what could have been a lethal situation. Our suspect had a wild look when he came in, but you handled it like the pros you are. Your bravery in the line of fire is commendable. This case was particularly important to me. I’m recommending all three of you for promotions.”

  “Thank you, Sheriff Granger.”

  “Thank you. You’re free to leave and go back to the police station to report to Chief Wayland.”

  He followed them out the door and locked it before walking across the street to his car. The next order of business was to drive to the jail and make sure Seth was booked properly. When he’d seen the process through, he would phone Jessica and tell her the good news.

  Right now it was hard to believe he’d caught Seth and had made it impossible for him to ever hurt Jessica or anyone else again.

  Seth’s eyes glittered with hatred when Holden entered the room and watched him being fingerprinted and photographed. Once he was hauled to his cell where he’d be kept overnight before his arraignment in the morning, Holden walked to another part of the facility to take a good look inside Seth’s truck.