Cardwell Christmas Crime Scene

by B. J Daniels

  She stared at him even though she’d expected this. “You can’t be serious, and for how long?”

  “As long as it takes. But if you could just give me a few days and not leave, it would be better. If whoever shot at you is still here, it will give me the chance to catch him.”

  She didn’t like the sound of this. She’d come to care about this man. She didn’t want to see him get killed protecting her and said as much.

  “Have more faith in me,” he said with a grin. “Let’s go get your things.” They drove in silence to the Cardwell Ranch.

  Dana put up a fight when Beau told her his plan.

  “Christmas is only a few days away,” she argued. “DJ is family. She should be here with us.”

  “With luck, this will be over by Christmas,” he told her. “Hud thinks it is best, too.”

  “Hud.” With that one word, Dana looked resigned.

  DJ hugged her. “I’m so sorry. I would never have come here if I thought it might be dangerous for your family.”

  “You have nothing to be sorry for,” Dana said. “You take care of her,” she said to Beau. “I’m depending on you.”

  “I hate this,” DJ said as he drove them off the ranch. “I hate that I involved them and, worse, you. You’re only doing this because of some stupid promise you made when you were a boy to a man who had no right to ask anything of you.”

  Beau was quiet for a long moment as he drove. It almost surprised her when he finally spoke. “The first time we met, I wished that I could help you,” he said without looking at her. “I’ve regretted it ever since.”

  She spoke around the lump that had formed in her throat. “I don’t want you to get killed because of me.”

  “I don’t want that, either,” he said with a chuckle. “But I’m not that ten-year-old anymore.” He finally glanced over at her. “I can help you. I know what I’m doing.”

  She looked away, fighting back tears. All this was because of her father falling in love with the wrong woman? Now he was in the hospital possibly dying and she was... She was in Montana with a cowboy who was determined to save her.

  They hadn’t gone far when Beau turned off the highway and crossed a narrow bridge that spanned the Gallatin River before driving back into the canyon. At the heart of the valley was a large log house. Behind it was a red barn and some outbuildings. A half-dozen paint horses raced around in a large pasture nearby.

  “This is where you live?” she asked, a little awed by the beauty of the scene.

  “Do you like?” he asked and glanced over at her.

  “I love it.” She felt a lump form in her throat. She could see Beau here. “You’re a real cowboy.”

  He laughed. “You’re just now realizing that?”

  She turned to look at him. She was just now realizing a lot of things, she thought as she stared at his handsome profile in the last light of the day.

  * * *

  JIMMY WAS LATE picking her up, making Stacy have even more second thoughts. But he seemed so glad to see her that she pushed them aside and tried to have a nice time.

  He took her to one of the local restaurants, ordered them both a cocktail and drained half his glass before letting out a sigh. He actually looked nervous, which made her laugh and forget her own nervousness.

  “So tell me about this cousin staying on the ranch,” he said.

  “Dee Anna Justice. She’s the daughter of my mother’s brother, whom we didn’t know anything about.” She really didn’t want to talk about DJ, though. “So, what did you say you’re doing in Big Sky again?”

  “Working. A brother no one had ever heard of?”

  “Working at what?” she asked, wondering why he was so interested in the Justice side of the family.

  “This and that.” He drained his glass. The waiter came over and before Stacy could look at her menu, James ordered for both of them, including more drinks. “You don’t mind, do you?” he asked after the waiter had already left.

  She shook her head, although she did mind. “How long did you say you’ve been back?”

  “Did I say? A few weeks. Actually, I’m looking for a job. Anything opening up on Cardwell Ranch?”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “What do you know about working on a ranch? As I recall, you hated helping on your uncle’s.”

  “I forgot what a good memory you have.” That didn’t sound like a compliment. The waiter came with their drinks and he downed his quickly.

  “Jimmy—”

  “But you can’t seem to remember that I go by James now.” He was clearly irritated and not trying to hide it.

  “Sorry. Why did you ask me to dinner tonight?”

  He leaned back, giving her a what-do-you-think look. “I thought for old times’ sake...” He shrugged. “You dating someone?”

  Fortunately their meals came. They talked little. Jimmy ate as if he hadn’t had a meal in days. He devoured his steak and then asked her if she was going to finish hers. She’d lost her appetite early on in the date, so she gladly slid her plate over and let him clean it.

  What had she been thinking? Her sister was right. The Jimmy Ryan she’d been in love with all those years ago wasn’t the man sitting across from her.

  “Ready?” he asked as he signaled the waiter for his bill.

  Turning, she spotted Burt Olsen, their mailman. He nodded and smiled at her. He appeared to be picking up something to go.

  Stacy just wanted this date to be over. When Jimmy saw her looking at Burt, he threw an arm around her waist and propelled her toward the door.

  “Maybe I should drive,” she said as they started toward his truck.

  “I don’t think you should think.” He still had hold of her as they neared the pickup. He opened the driver’s-side door and practically shoved her in, pushing her over to get behind the wheel.

  “Jimmy—James.”

  “I remember you being a lot more fun,” he said, gritting his teeth.

  And vice versa, but she said nothing as she saw Burt getting into his vehicle. He’d been watching the two of them. And she knew that if she said anything to Jimmy, it would turn into a fight. Burt was the last person she wanted seeing her and Jimmy fighting. She told herself that Jimmy hadn’t had that much to drink—and it was only a short drive to the ranch.

  Neither of them spoke during the drive. As they crossed the bridge, he glanced over at her. “You hear me?”

  She hadn’t realized he’d said anything. “I’m sorry?”

  “I’m sure you are.” He drove on into the ranch and pulled up in front of her cabin. “So which one is this cousin of yours staying in?”

  She pointed to the last one at the other end of the row. She knew what was coming, but Jimmy was out of luck if he thought she was going to invite him in.

  “Thanks for dinner,” she said as he shut off the engine. She reached for her door handle. But before she could get it open, he leaned over and grabbed her hand to stop her.

  “I’m sorry about tonight. It wasn’t you. I got some bad news right before I picked you up. I should have canceled.” He drew back his hand.

  “What kind of bad news?” she asked out of politeness.

  “An investment. It fell through. I was counting on it.”

  She hoped he didn’t ask her for money. “I’m sure you’ll be able to get a job.”

  “A job.” He said the last word like it tasted nasty in his mouth. “Just not on your ranch, huh? You don’t even know what I do for a living.”

  “A little of this and that is all you told me.” She reached for the door handle again.

  This time his hand came around the back of her neck. He clamped down hard enough to take her breath away. “You’re kind of a smart mouth. I do remember that about you.”

  Sta
cy tried to wriggle out of his grasp. “Stop!” she said as he pulled her toward him as if to kiss her. “I said stop!” That feeling of déjà vu hit her hard. This was what had happened in high school, only then she’d thought that he was so crazy about her he just couldn’t help himself. She knew better now.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Leah looked up expectantly as Beau entered the kitchen. She smiled quickly as if covering her disappointment. Who had she expected? Her husband? Or someone else?

  Her gaze went to DJ, her expression one of surprise and something else. Jealousy?

  “This is DJ. She’s going to be staying with us. DJ, Leah.”

  “No last names?” Leah asked, pretending to be amused.

  He walked to the stove. “You cooked?”

  “Don’t sound so surprised. I’m a woman of many talents.”

  Beau could believe that somehow, even though he hadn’t been around Leah in years. She’d always seemed...capable.

  “Looks like you made enough for three,” he said, lifting the lid on one of the pots and glancing into the oven, where what looked like a Mexican casserole bubbled. Looking up, he said, “You must have been expecting company.”

  She shook her head, but not before he’d seen that moment of hesitation. Her laugh wasn’t quite authentic, either. But he wasn’t about to get into it with her now.

  He turned to DJ. “Let me show you to a room.”

  “It was nice meeting you,” Leah called after them.

  “You, too,” DJ said over her shoulder, and then added only for his ears as they climbed the stairs and rounded a corner, “She doesn’t want me here. Wouldn’t it be better if I—”

  “She isn’t my girlfriend. She’s the wife of my former best friend. I have no idea what she’s doing here, so what she wants is really of no interest to me.”

  * * *

  DJ WAS SURPRISED at his words. He’d been so protective of her, and yet he seemed angry at the woman they’d left downstairs.

  He saw her surprise as they reached the end of the hall, and he started to open a door but stopped. “I don’t mean to seem cold, but it’s what she’s not telling me about her and her husband that has me worried.”

  “It’s none of my business.”

  He studied her openly. “Come on, let’s hear it. I can tell there is something on your mind.”

  “Did the two of you ever—”

  “No. She was always Charlie’s girl, and before you ask, no, I was never interested in her.”

  “It’s odd, then, because she seems very possessive of you.”

  He shrugged and pushed open the door to a beautiful room done in pastels.

  “What a pretty room.”

  He didn’t seem to hear her. “I’m right next door if you need me. Leah is downstairs in the guest room.”

  “Who’s room is this?” She realized her mistake at once. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “I was engaged to a woman with a young daughter. This was going to be her room, but it didn’t work out.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He shook his head. “Looking back, I loved the thought of having a child more than I loved having her mother as my wife.” He took a step toward the door. “Get unpacked if you like, then come downstairs. Let’s find out if Leah really can cook or not.”

  After he left, DJ looked around the beautiful room. He’d made it so pretty for the little girl. There was such love in the room. She felt sad for him. How lucky that child would have been in so many ways.

  She took her time unpacking what little she’d brought, giving Beau time with Leah. Whatever was going on between them, she didn’t want to be in the middle of it. She had enough troubles of her own.

  Taking out her phone, she put in a call to the prison. Her father was still in serious condition at the hospital.

  She withdrew the photo of her mother from her purse and sat down in the white wooden rocker to study it. This woman had been her mother. She hadn’t died in childbirth. No, instead, she’d apparently given up her first child to make her family happy, then married another man and had another child.

  But what, if anything, did this have to do with the man who’d shot at her? According to what Beau had been able to find out, her mother really had died recently. So who wanted her dead? The grandmother who’d refused to talk to her? Zinnia had said that her mother’s family had money. Surely it couldn’t be that simple.

  But her father had known the moment he looked at the photo. Her mother’s family had found her, and that had terrified him enough that he’d pressured Beau Tanner to protect her.

  But what about the other daughter? The one who’d had the doll? What about her half sister?

  * * *

  AS JIMMY GRABBED at her, Stacy swung her fist and caught him under the left eye. He let out a curse. His grip loosened and she shoved open the door, only to have him drag her back. He thrust his hand down the front of the dress she’d bought for the date. She heard the fabric tear as he groped for her breasts.

  With his free hand, he grabbed her flailing wrists and dragged her hard against him. “You like it rough? You’ll get it rough,” he said, squeezing her right breast until she cried out.

  Stacy hardly heard the driver’s-side door open. Jimmy had been leaning against it and almost fell out as the door was jerked open.

  “She said stop,” a familiar male voice said.

  Jimmy let go of her, pulling his hand from inside her dress to turn angrily toward the open door—and the intruder. All he got out was “What the he—” when a fist hit him between the eyes.

  Stacy saw it only out of the corner of her eye. The moment Jimmy let go of her, she slid across the seat and climbed out of the pickup. That was when she saw who her savior was. Mailman Burt Olsen’s face was set, his voice dangerously calm. “You go on inside now, Ms. Cardwell. I’ll take care of this.”

  She hesitated only a moment before scurrying up the steps. Once on the porch, she turned back. Just as she’d feared, Jimmy was out of the truck and looking for a fight. He took a swing, but Burt easily ducked it and caught Jimmy in the jaw with a left hook. He toppled back toward the open truck door. Burt doubled him over as he fell, shoved him back into the truck and closed the door.

  “He won’t be bothering you anymore tonight,” the mailman called over to her. “But if you need me to stay...”

  She almost couldn’t find the words, she was so surprised. “No, I’m fine now. But thank you, Burt.”

  He tipped his baseball cap. Past him, she could see where he’d parked his car and walked up the mountainside. He’d come to her rescue after seeing what had been going on at the restaurant, and all she could think was that he’d let his supper get cold to do it.

  Inside the cabin, she locked her door just in case Jimmy—excuse me—James, didn’t get the hint. The man was a fool, but he wasn’t stupid, she told herself. Glancing out the window, she saw that Burt was waiting for Jimmy to leave. She was relieved when a few minutes later she heard his truck start up and drive away.

  In the bedroom, she saw that her dress was ruined. She tossed it into the trash. Thinking about Burt Olsen, she had to smile. She’d never seen this side of him before.

  * * *

  JIMMY HAD NEVER been so furious. Who the devil had that man been? Stacy’s sweetheart? Nice of her to mention, if that was the case. But he’d called her Ms. Cardwell. Must have been a hired man.

  Not that it mattered. He’d sat for a moment, stunned and bleeding and planning his revenge. The lights went out in Stacy’s cabin. He considered breaking down the door but realized he wasn’t up to it. There was always another day. The woman would pay.

  As he started the truck’s engine to drive out of the ranch, he thought about the dude who’d hit him. If he ever saw him again...

/>   He hadn’t gone far when his headlights flashed over someone in the shadows of one of the outbuildings. For a moment he thought it was the man who’d attacked him. He slowed and saw his mistake. This man, who ducked behind the barn, was much larger, dressed in all black. He was carrying something. The moonlight had caught on the barrel of a rifle.

  Jimmy sped on by, pretending not to have noticed. As he drove down the road to where it dropped over a rise, he realized he’d seen the man before. It was the lineman he’d seen on one of the power poles when he’d driven in earlier.

  “Lineman, my ass,” he said to himself as he quickly pulled over and cut the engine. He pulled his hunting knife from under the seat.

  It was time to take care of the competition. He quietly opened his door and stepped out into the winter night. He could see his breath as he started back toward the barn. The pro must be waiting for DJ Justice to return. Stacy had said earlier that she thought DJ had left with some neighboring cowboy.

  Well, Jimmy had a surprise for the man, he thought with a grin. He’d take care of the pro, and then maybe he’d double back for Stacy. He was feeling much better suddenly. And if the bitch thought she would get rid of him that easily, she was sadly mistaken.

  * * *

  BEAU FOUND LEAH setting the table for three. “So, what’s going on?”

  She looked up as if she’d been lost in thought and he’d startled her. “Supper is almost ready. I made a casserole. I’m not much of a cook, but—”

  “I’m not talking about food. What are you really cooking up?”

  Leah gave him a blank look. “I told you—”

  “You were expecting a package, but...” She started to interrupt. He stopped her with an angry slash of his hand through the air. “What are you really doing here? Earlier you told me that you and Charlie were in trouble and you needed my help.”

  “I was wrong. This is something that will have to work itself out on its own. I can’t involve you.”

  “You’ve already involved me. I’m tired of whatever game this is that you’re playing. Tell me what the hell is going on.”