by Becky McGraw
When they got to the Bird, the place was packed with the regulars he usually saw there, but there quite a few new faces too. It looked like his sister's new business was thriving, and he was very happy for her.
Her career change from being a police detective in Phoenix, to the owner of a restaurant, sure put his mind at ease. Although Sabrina had been a damned good detective, she was a better cook, and this was helluva lot less dangerous for sure. Her meeting and marrying Cole Jackson kind of helped ease his tremendous guilt too, because she'd fallen in love and had another chance at a happy life, the life he'd taken away from her two years ago.
Gabe held Karlie's hand and led her to a booth on the right side of the cafe. Once she slid into a booth, he slid in beside her, and put his arm across her shoulders. He couldn't help but touch her when she was near. As wild as he thought she was, touching her soothed something inside of him, made him feel happy for a change.
Karlie picked up a menu from behind the sugar dispenser and flicked it open. "So, what's good?" she asked running her finger down the plastic covered paper.
"Everything...my sister is a master in the kitchen, but unfortunately Cole won't let her go in there right now." She raised an eyebrow at him and he told her, "Too hot, she's pregnant and passed out in there a while back. Not to mention the smells make her sick."
"She's pregnant too?" Karlie snorted, then told Gabe with a grin, "Remind me not to drink the water."
Sabrina chose that moment to walk up with an order pad in her hand, looking harried and tired. "Hey, big bro, what'll ya'll have today?"
"Ya'll?" he teased with a quirk of his lips.
"Yes, sugar, ya'll. Now, come on I'm in a hurry," Sabrina told him, then put her hand on her hip. Her gaze wandered to Karlie and she smiled, then evidently noticed his arm over her shoulders, because she looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.
Gabe flinched, because he really didn't want to put a label on what was going on with him and Karlie, and he didn't want to talk about it with his nosy sister. Without answering the question in her eyes, he asked her, "Bri, you met Karlie Upton in Dallas at the rodeo right?"
Sabrina nodded and smiled then leaned over Gabe and stuck out her hand to Karlie. "Of course, I remember you...I would have spoken, but I can't tell ya'll apart. Didn't want to stick my foot in it," she said and laughed, "Good to see you again."
Karlie shook her hand and told her, "Good to see you too...you'll be seeing a lot more of me around here, I'm working at the Double B with Cassie now."
Sabrina's face showed her relief, when she said, "Yeah, Cole told me, and that's such a relief. Cassie needed the help and I felt so bad about leaving her in the lurch..."
Gabe's stomach growled and he put a hand to it, "I thought you were in a hurry, Sis?"
Sabrina shot him a look then dragged her eyes back to Karlie. "Never in too much of a hurry for girl talk. Cole told me a little, Karlie, but you've got to tell me the whole story about how you and my brother met," she said with a teasing glint in her blue eyes, obviously holding back laughter. Gabe cringed when she added, "We'll have to get together soon, all three of us and have a girl's night."
"That sounds great, just give me a call at the Double B when you're free." Karlie gave her a thousand-watt smile and Gabe about melted to the vinyl-covered seat.
"Hamburger and fries sound good to you, Karlie?" Gabe asked her shortly, desperate to quiet the gnawing in his stomach, and his chatty sister.
"Cheeseburger for me please, side salad instead of fries...and sweet tea."
"Got it, I'll be back in a flash with your drinks," Sabrina told them, with a wink for Karlie.
"Your sister seems to like what she's doing," Karlie told Gabe then added, "What did she do before she came here?"
"Police detective in Phoenix..." he told her and grabbed a packet of saltines from the silver condiment rack. Maybe the crackers would take the edge off his hunger, he thought.
"Wow, she's so tiny, that surprises me...well not miniature, but not what you'd picture a female cop to be."
"Do not let her hear you say that," he hooted, then informed her, "And don't let her size fool you...she can kick some serious ass, but I'm glad she doesn't want to anymore."
Well maybe she didn't want to kick bad guy ass, but Gabe was sure she'd want a piece of him tonight for not telling her he was sort of dating Karlie. He hadn't mentioned the gorgeous redhead at all, after the roping incident, hoping his sister and Cole would stop laughing at him.
"Here you go," Sabrina said and carefully set down two large glasses of tea then said, "Your burgers will be here in about five minutes...and Karlie I forgot to tell you someone was in here looking for you earlier. He grilled my waitress about you, then me, and I had no idea who he was, so I didn't tell him anything."
Just then the portable radio attached to Gabe's hip sounded an alarm and he pulled it off his belt and answered it. It was Julie Beth's frantic voice on the radio and she told him she'd just gotten a 911 call from the Double B, then the line disconnected.
"Give us two bags quick, sis...we've gotta go," he said and looked over at Karlie who's face was as pale as the paper napkin she was holding to her trembling lips.
Sabrina ran for the serving counter and was back in a flash then quickly stuffed their food into the sacks. Gabe grabbed the bags and Karlie's hand then dragged her out the door.
"Oh, god Gabe, I hope Jake didn't hurt Cassie..." Karlie told him on a sob as they crossed the street with fear clutching her gut and tears tracking down her cheeks.
"Me too, honey, because Luke is at a cattle sale today...I need to call Cole," he told her and flipped out his cell dialing as they got into his cruiser.
When Cole answered, he asked rapid fire questions, "Cole, this is Gabe...where are you? Did you get the call? Good, I'll meet you there."
He hung up and told her, "He's already on his way, he'll beat us there," as he started the car and pulled out of the lot with a squeal, then flipped on the lights and siren. Karlie put on her seat belt and hung on for the ride. Once they were out of downtown, Gabe pressed the accelerator to the floor, and cars on the road pulled to the side quickly when they saw them coming. It was a good thing, because Gabe wasn't slowing down, and thanks to her mods to the cruiser, he was hauling tail.
"I'm so sorry, Gabe...I probably should just go somewhere else. All I've brought to ya'll is trouble. I was stupid to think he wouldn't find me here."
She saw Gabe's grip on the wheel tighten, but he didn't take his focus off the road when he told her, "This is not your fault, Karlie Upton...and it wasn't your fault that bastard was abusing you. He's just an asshole who needs his ass kicked, so stop apologizing."
He could say what he wanted, but Karlie knew better...if she wasn't here, this definitely wouldn't be happening, so it was her fault.
They made it to the dirt driveway of the Double B in record time, and she saw through the trees that Cole was already there. What she didn't see made her sigh in relief, Jake's truck was nowhere around. "He's not here, unless he's walking," she told Gabe.
Gabe parked in front of the house and was out, before she even unhooked her seat belt. He ran up the porch and through the front door without even knocking. Karlie got out and ran inside too. There was pandemonium in the foyer, as everyone was talking at once, and then she saw Sarge on the floor trying to poke his way through the crowd to get to her. She elbowed people aside then bent down and hugged him, while he thoroughly licked the tears off of her face.
"Carl, put the shotgun down, he's gone...Cassie, are you okay?" she heard Cole ask, yelling to be heard over the crowd. Gabe stood to the side, his face a thundercloud. Cassie's face was white, but Karlie saw a gun in her hand too, and Bud the ranch manager was standing behind them with his hands on his hips, his face red as a beet. There were a couple of men behind him that Karlie hadn't met yet, cow hands maybe.
/> "If that sonofabitch comes back on my property, he'll leave with lead in his ass. I'm not kidding Cole, he's not going to talk to Cassie Bee like that...or threaten Bud...over a damned dog, even."
Karlie hugged Sarge tighter and wanted to correct Carl and tell him that Sarge was anything but a 'damned dog', he was her best friend, but she didn't. This was his house, and he was upset over Jake tearing into Cassie. Emotion surged up inside of her, she truly had brought this trouble to their doorstep, and it was time she took it elsewhere.
Grabbing Sarge's collar, Karlie led him toward the stairs, then went up to her bedroom and yanked her suitcase out of the closet and began stuffing her clothes inside. She couldn't take JoJo with her now, but she felt like Cassie wouldn't mind her leaving him here, until she could move him. When she had all her stuff packed, she called Sarge to follow her and went back downstairs. They were still having heated conversation in the foyer, so nobody noticed her walking out the front door and closing it softly behind her.
Karlie didn't know where she was going, all she knew was that she was getting away from here. These friends, who had been so good to her since she'd arrived, deserved their peace back. And Jake knew where she was now anyway. If she stayed here, he would be back, she was sure of it, and he'd either get Sarge, or hurt somebody. Gabe was right, he was a mean bastard.
If a few of the few brain cells Jake had kicked in, and he thought about it, he would probably press charges against her for stealing Sarge, like Gabe had said. Then one of them would have to arrest her, and she was not going to put them in that position. After loading Sarge in the backseat, Karlie slid into the driver's seat and cranked up Freddie. He roared to life then she did a circle and headed down the driveway.
When she hit the main road, she floored it toward the interstate and away from Bowie. Her heart tweaked at the thought of leaving Gabe, because she had gotten pretty attached to him, but this was best for both of them. To nip their budding friendship, or whatever it was in the bud, was best because she wasn't good for him or anyone else right now.
Maybe she'd head to Amarillo and look up that guy Cassie had told her about...the place where she'd gotten Titan from. Tommy Tucker, she'd said his name was, and the ranch was the Rockin' D...maybe he needed help. If not, there had to be other horse ranches there she could check into. If worse came to worse, she'd sign on as a cowhand somewhere.
CHAPTER FIVE
When the confusion at the Double B cleared, Gabe went looking for Karlie to make sure she was okay. He didn't like how upset she was after she heard the call on his radio. He'd seen the stark fear in her eyes, and her tears, but he'd been so worried about Cassie, he hadn't been able to stop to comfort her.
It was obvious that Karlie was scared shitless of that bastard Jake Johnson. Who could blame her? All he done to her was intimidate, bully and abuse her...he was still doing that. Gabe knew that was his purpose in coming to the Double B today.
Obviously the bastard used those tactics with all women, because Cassie said he'd threatened her too, got up in her face when she wouldn't give him Sarge. Being an equal opportunity abuser, he'd also pushed Bud, who was nearly seventy years old, when he and Carl had come in to see what was going on, after they heard the ruckus.
Carl had walked off and got his shotgun, and only then did the guy leave. Gabe figured he must've seen that Carl meant business, and would fill his ass full of lead. Thank god, Carl had been there, or it might have ended a lot differently. Luke was going to be pissed and might even try and track the guy down. Nobody messed with Luke's wife and baby, without paying the price, Gabe knew that.
After Gabe checked the house and didn't find Karlie, he went outside to go check the barn. A knot formed in his throat when he saw her Lincoln was gone. Cassie walked up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, "I checked her bedroom and her clothes are gone, and Sarge is too."
"Fuck!" he spat, then rubbed a hand over his face. "I should have kept an eye on her, I knew she was upset...she was blaming herself."
"Well, her leaving isn't your fault. She's as stubborn and hard-headed as I am, and she would've left regardless, if that's how she felt. She'll turn up, her horse is still here."
"How the hell can I watch out for her, now?" Gabe groaned, then added, "That asshole could find her alone, and she's really going to be in trouble."
"Karlie has a way of landing on her feet, Gabe...all you can do is wait til she turns up."
"Let me know if you hear from her..." Gabe told Cassie, and he didn't correct her, but there was no way he was going to sit back and wait. The bad thing was though, he didn't have a clue where to start looking for her. "Hey, I need to talk to Luke too. I heard he's planning on selling his cabin"
"Yeah he's thinking about it, you interested?" Cassie asked him, then put a hand on her stomach as if she had a pain.
"You okay, sugar? Need to go to the hospital?" Gabe asked with concern racing through him. He didn't know squat about pregnant women, but he knew they weren't supposed to be having pains, and what she'd been through in the last few hours couldn't be good for the baby.
She shook her head and told him, "No, I don't need to go to the hospital...so you're interested in it?"
"If he's selling it, then yeah I want to buy it. I need to get out of Cole and Sabrina's hair..." Gabe told her. He had enough from the settlement on his dad's farm to buy it outright, depending on how much Luke was asking for it. Some of the money was tied up, because he'd invested it and couldn't get his hands on it.
"You might want to catch him before he advertises, then. I'll make sure to let him know." Cassie told him then said, "I think I need to go upstairs and rest a while, I'm not feeling so hot."
She didn't look so hot either right now, her face was pale and he saw a tremble in her hand when she raised it to her forehead. That bastard Jake Johnson had a lot to answer for, and as soon as he saw the man, he was going to be asking the questions, with his fist. But first, he had to find Karlie, and he was going to start with her twin. "You go rest, sugar...you mind if I use your phone?"
"Sure, no problem, Gabe...I'll let you know what Luke says about the cabin. Let me know if you hear from Karlie too." She gave him a weak smile then walked toward the front door.
Gabe followed her inside then went to the alcove where the phone was. He scrolled down his cell phone and found her number, then dialed on the land line. She answered on the second ring in a slightly worried tone, "Karlie?"
"No, this is Gabe...have you heard from Karlie?"
"Um...you're calling from the Double B right? Isn't she there?" her voice trembled over the question.
"Well, there's been some problems out here. Jake Johnson came out and caused an uproar, and Karlie left. I have no idea where she went...I was hoping you might," he told her, hoping she could help him.
"Problems have cropped up here too...Jake came to my trailer, and demanded to know where she was, when I wouldn't tell him, he pushed me around. I've got to get out of here..." she told him in a strained voice, then added, "It's not the same without Karlie here anyway, I'm ready to toss in the towel too."
"Cassie's in a bind here now that Karlie left, and I know she probably would hire you to help her...you ought to talk to her. She went upstairs to rest, but you could call her later."
"Nah, I can't wait, he might come back and I don't want to be here. I'll just head down there...at least I know there are some people there who can help me...protect me," she said with a sob.
"Yes, there are...you'll be safe here...and if your damned stubborn sister hadn't taken off, she would be too. Let me know if you hear from her, call me on my cell...if I'm out of range, just leave a message, and I'll call you back."
"Okay, I'll see ya'll soon...and thanks Gabe." Katie disconnected the phone and Gabe hung up, more worried now than ever that Karlie was in big trouble. Maybe once Kate got here, they could put their heads togeth
er and figure out where her twin was.
Three days later, when Kate still hadn't arrived at the Double B, Gabe was worried times two. Both of the beautiful twins were AWOL, and he didn't have any idea where they could be. He'd tried both of their cell phones repeatedly, and neither answered, or returned the messages he'd left.
Sitting behind his desk at the station, he felt useless and frustrated. How could he, a man who'd been in the military, a cop and then a private investigator, not be able to find them? Cole had contracted with a firm to install new computer equipment and programs in the office, so they could have better access to national databases, but it wasn't online yet. Supposedly, it should be active any day now. Gabe wished that day was today, because being able to track them would be a helluva lot easier.
The phone on his desk rang and he jerked it up. "Yeah?"
