Sunrise Crossing

by Jodi Thomas

  “Clint loaned it to me. He told me to keep it while I’m here.”

  “Who?” Tori asked as if she didn’t know who had left a smile on Parker’s face that didn’t seem to fade.

  “The cowboy next door.” She winked. “My cowboy, I guess.”

  “Oh.” Tori grinned. “The grumpy one you don’t want to have anything to do with. The one who waits at twilight every evening at the end of your lane.”

  “Yes, I believe that’s the one. He’s coming over tonight for dinner.”

  “Really?” Tori fought down a giggle.

  “He’s known about you since you came.” Parker shrugged. “I trust him, Tori, but if you don’t want to see him I’d understand. It’s your call.”

  Tori shook her head. “I think it’s time. When we hatched up this plan of me getting away, I don’t think we considered the long-term strategy. I can’t stay here forever. At some point I’ll have to face my parents and deal with them.”

  Parker nodded. “I know a few lawyers in Dallas who can help you with the legal issues. You’re not crippled or mentally ill, Tori. You never were. They just tried to make you seem that way.”

  “I guess they thought I was weak enough to be manipulated, but you’re right—it’s time I grew up. I need to make it plain that getting drunk at a party when I was still a kid doesn’t equal a suicide attempt—it was just poor judgment. Being shy doesn’t mean I’m weak.”

  “You’re not weak,” Parker said firmly.

  Tori nodded. “It’s time I took charge of my life.”

  Parker smiled. “We should celebrate.”

  Tori straightened. “How about I invite Yancy over tonight, too? I’d like you to meet him. He’s not only kept me from being lonely here, he’s helped me believe in myself again.”

  “I think it’s time I met this fine man.” Parker’s logical mind was putting everything in order. “You’ve been missing so long the news has probably died down. We’re safe here, as long as no one except Yancy and Clint know about us and neither knows who you are. This place is so far out of the loop, the world could probably end and no one in Crossroads would notice.”

  Tori felt a bit guilty that there was one more person who knew about her, but she didn’t tell Parker about the professor she’d saved. After all, he was harmless.

  An hour later they climbed into the Jeep, took the back roads and went shopping at a country store thirty miles away. The selection wasn’t wide, so they settled on simple foods. Broccoli and mushroom pork chops, made with canned mushrooms. Spaghetti and meatballs using a ready-made sauce. Bread created by popping open a can of refrigerated biscuits and desserts made with ingredients that came together in a box. Since neither Tori nor Parker cooked, they mostly picked the menu by pictures. When they got home, both realized they had enough meals for a week.

  “Let’s cook them all, then eat leftovers tomorrow.” Tori couldn’t wait to get started. Everything looked so easy.

  Parker agreed. “And tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.”

  They laughed through the afternoon as they made a mess of the kitchen. A few things they made looked nothing like the picture on the box, so they tossed them like a bad science experiment.

  At six, Tori borrowed the Jeep and drove over to get Yancy.

  He was right where she knew he’d be, working in the shop. She tried to sneak in, but he looked up when the door creaked.

  “Evening, Rabbit. You’re early. I was just setting up.”

  “Have you eaten?” She moved closer, needing to touch him.

  “I brought a sandwich. We could share it if you like. The professor, who said you saved his life, brought over muffins as a thank-you.” Yancy seemed nervous. “How’s that for supper?”

  “No good,” she answered. “How about coming back to my hideout for dinner?”

  “Are you sure?”

  She pressed her hand over his resting on the table. “I’m sure. It’s time I told you all about me. I’m not an outlaw, Yancy. I just ran away from a life I didn’t want.”

  “You’re not married, are you?”

  She knew he’d been trying to make sense of her secrets. “No. I’ve never slept with anyone but you.”

  Tori thought she saw him blush beneath his tanned face. “But, Yancy, there is more to do in bed than sleeping.”

  “So I’ve heard.”

  She smiled, knowing that somehow even at twenty-four and thirty-two, they needed to pass through this part slowly. Moving gently from friendship to flirting to loving. She’d almost rushed into passion a few times and hated how it didn’t feel right. She guessed he’d had his heart broken, too. They were both a little shy, a little broken. Maybe they could mend together. If sleeping curled up beside him could feel so good, Tori couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

  “I’ll come to dinner, but I don’t need to know any more about you.” He took a breath. “I know enough to love you, Tori.”

  Moving into his arms, she whispered, “The truth may frighten you away.”

  “I doubt it.” He kissed her forehead. “I think I loved you the minute you tumbled out of my loft, and I can’t think of anything you can tell me that might scare me off.”

  They just held one another for a while. Then she helped him put up his tools. It was dark by the time they made it back to the house. She’d told him how she’d run away. The bus rides, the boys’ clothes, the backpack, and walking from the bus station to find Parker’s place.

  Yancy didn’t say much. She knew she’d shocked him with the invitation and now with her chatting, but his hand never let go of hers. Whatever secrets remained between them could wait. They now had each other and that was enough for the moment.

  Once they were at the house, she introduced him to Parker. Yancy was polite, but quiet. He sat on the kitchen stool and listened to them talk.

  Tori told him about how she and Parker had met in an airport. “I was crying because I didn’t want to go back home.”

  “That must be hard,” Yancy commented.

  “It was.” Tori could tell he didn’t understand. “I told Parker I wanted to run away, and she not only agreed to help me, she said she’d join me in the hideout.”

  “What about your parents?” he asked. “Are they worried?”

  “I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “But I don’t think so. Parker and I have been talking about sending them a note just to let them know I’m fine and they can stop looking for me.”

  Yancy turned to Parker. “Anyone looking for you?”

  Parker shook her head. “No. I have no family and I’m sure my employees think they’re on vacation while I’m away.”

  Tori saw that Yancy was a bit confused. The story didn’t seem to have all its parts. “We’ll talk about it later,” she whispered.

  He nodded.

  “I’m glad you came tonight.” She leaned close when Parker went outside to welcome Clint. “I miss you when you’re not close.”

  “It seems strange to share you. I thought you were my rabbit.” He kissed her, but when he pulled away, there was a sadness in his eyes. “I wish we were back in the shop, just me and you. I have a feeling that time of just us is going to come to an end.”

  “No, it won’t, Yancy.”

  Their friendship ran deep, but their relationship was still newborn. Tori saw Yancy’s big heart but she wasn’t sure others would. Parker was nice to him, but the very proper art director didn’t seem to relate to Yancy.

  When Parker introduced her cowboy, Clint, Tori saw that he was good-looking, but his intense gaze made her feel like one of the fish in a waiting room aquarium. She couldn’t relate to him any more than Parker could to Yancy.

  Parker didn’t talk to her cowboy much either; she didn’t even look at him. To Tori’s surprise, Parker seemed
nicer to Yancy than she was to Clint Montgomery. She almost felt sorry for the neighbor.

  “Thanks for the doughnuts, Clint,” Tori managed. “And the cookies and socks were great. I know they were for Parker, but I enjoyed them, too.”

  The cowboy looked at Parker as he answered, “You’re welcome. I’m sorry I almost ran over you that one night right after you arrived.”

  “I’m guessing not many people walk that road.”

  “It’s a private road. Only goes to my place and here.”

  Well, this is interesting, she thought. She couldn’t wait to see what they’d talk about next.

  “Those your paintings?” He surprised her with the question.

  Tori glanced to the far wall. “Yes.” She held her breath. Since she was a teen, everyone who had seen her work thought they got to decide whether it was any good.

  “They’re beautiful,” he said simply. “You could make a living at it.”

  “You think so?” She fought down a laugh.

  “I do.”

  They both turned back to the kitchen when Parker laughed. Yancy was busy tossing something burning out the back door.

  “We are not having appetizers tonight, ladies and gentlemen,” Parker announced. “They seem to have vanished.”

  Yancy played along by hiding the pan behind his back.

  Tori grinned and glanced back at the cowboy.

  When Clint stared at Parker, he had the look of the big bad wolf who’d just noticed a fourth little pig running around without a house. He didn’t see anyone else in the room.

  This was going to be one terrible dinner party. She should have kept Yancy to herself, and the cowboy should have kept his communications coming in boxed deliveries. Even Parker, who was always organized and in control, was beginning to unravel.

  When they sat down at the little table, Yancy bumped one of the legs and spilled part of the sauce. Parker rushed to clean it up and collided with Clint, sloshing even more sauce. Clint frowned and said he’d prefer not to wear his dinner. No one laughed. No one knew if he was joking or not.

  When Parker moved to the kitchen and Clint went to the bathroom to clean up, Tori leaned over and whispered to Yancy, “I wish we were back at the workshop sharing a sandwich.”

  He smiled. “Me, too. I’ve seen Montgomery around. He’s not as friendly as folks say.”

  Tori’s eyebrows shot up. “They say he’s friendly?”

  Yancy winked. “No, they say he’s rattlesnake-mean, but I’m not sure he makes it that high tonight. If they’re a couple, they must have had one hell of a fight right before they walked in.”

  “I don’t think so. Parker’s crazy about him.”

  Yancy nodded as if he understood. “I knew a guy who kept a huge tarantula in his bedroom.”

  Tori giggled. “Don’t tell me he loved it.”

  “He did, till it bit him one night. After the guy found out he was going to live from the bite, he had the pet made into a paperweight.”

  “That’s a terrible story.” She leaned into him, seeing his lie in his mismatched eyes and loving that he was trying to make her laugh.

  Clint had just walked back into the room when gunshots ripped through the silent night.

  Both men reacted immediately. Turning off lights, closing shutters.

  “What was that?” Parker asked as she peeked around the door.

  Clint pulled her back inside and out of the line of fire. “Those were shots. It sounded like they came from my land or from the road. Either way, they’re close enough for a stray shot to come this way.” He closed the door. “Any of you got any reason to have someone shooting at you?”

  “Not lately,” Yancy answered as he pulled Tori beneath the stairs.

  Tori shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard shots fired except in the movies.”

  Clint pulled out his phone, hit Speed Dial and clicked it to Speaker.

  One ring before someone answered, “Sheriff’s office. What is your emergency?”

  Clint’s even voice relayed the facts. “Deputy Weathers, someone’s on my land again and this time they’re firing shots.”

  “Anyone hurt?”

  “No.”

  The voice came again. “Location.”

  Clint seemed calm, but his arm was around Parker’s waist. “I’m at the little house farther down my road. The two-story hiding behind a hundred-year-old oak.”

  “I’m on my way,” the voice on the phone said. “I’ll call the sheriff from my car. He’ll want to be informed.” The phone went dead.

  The room was silent for a moment. Then Parker asked, “Don’t people say hello or goodbye anymore?”

  Tori didn’t miss the gentle way Clint took her hand. Maybe he wasn’t the stone-cold wall he seemed. “Probably illegal hunting, Parker, but it’s not safe to go outside. Inexperienced hunters see a pair of eyes looking their way and they fire.”

  No one spoke. It seemed only a few minutes before Tori heard the lonely sound of a siren. She wanted to slip up the stairs and vanish. There was no way the shots had anything to do with her, of course, but if she stayed downstairs, this deputy and the sheriff would know she was in town. Knowing her parents, they’d probably posted her picture in every station from here to Canada.

  Yancy must have read her thoughts. “Why don’t you disappear, Rabbit,” he whispered. “We can talk to the police. Whatever this is, it doesn’t involve you.”

  Tori looked over at Parker and Clint.

  Parker nodded.

  As she heard the sound of car doors opening, Tori slipped up the stairs and sat in the darkness of the landing, watching, listening.

  “You okay with keeping silent about Tori?” Parker asked Clint.

  “I won’t say a word unless the deputy asks,” Clint answered. “This has nothing to do with her. If she wants to remain unknown out here, it’s no business of mine.” He turned away from Parker and opened the front door.

  Tori watched a big man dressed in the tan uniform of the sheriff’s department enter. He had to be over six-six, and to her surprise, he had a woman with him who was almost as tall. She was wearing creamy beige pants tucked into chocolate-brown knee-high boots and a leather jacket. They were a striking couple; they matched.

  Clint stepped forward. “Evening, Fifth,” he said, sounding none too friendly, as usual. “Did you bring a date to a 911 call?”

  The deputy didn’t seem to take offense. “I’m off duty, technically, but we were working on a case at the sheriff’s office when you called. Madison O’Grady, meet Clint Montgomery. We’re on his land.” He turned from Clint to Yancy. “I’d also like you to meet my friend Yancy Grey.”

  Yancy just smiled and gave a quick wave as if he didn’t want to get too close.

  Tori fought down a laugh. She would have reacted the same way. Strangers were never welcomed at first sight.

  Madison, a beautiful, auburn-haired woman in her midtwenties, wasn’t the least bit shy. She stepped forward and held out her hand to first Yancy, then Clint. “Among other things, I’m a helicopter pilot, Mr. Montgomery. If the sheriff or Fifth thinks it will help, I’ll be happy to stay over tonight. We could be in the air at dawn, flying over your place.”

  Clint shook her hand but didn’t smile. “I’d appreciate the help. I’m sure whoever is on my ranch will be long gone, but thanks to the recent rain, we might be able to track tire marks. At the least in the morning I’ll know where they’re coming in.”

  Fifth smiled, as if pleased that she’d offered to help. “Montgomery’s spread is big, but nothing like the Kirkland Ranch. With any luck we’ll find something fast, and you can make it back to work before the morning is half-over.”

  The sheriff pulled up and Clint went outside with the deputy. Yancy climbed back on
his stool, showing little interest in becoming part of the posse. Parker moved around the kitchen, nervous as always and seeming to want to keep busy. Madison took the other stool and stared at Yancy.

  “How long you been friends with Fifth?” Madison asked.

  “I don’t know. Ever since he’s been in town, I guess.” Yancy looked nervous. “Is this an interrogation? Do I need to ask for a lawyer?”

  Madison laughed. “Funny. I probably deserved that. Truth is, we were on a date, but he just didn’t know it.”

  “Oh.” Yancy didn’t look any more comfortable. “I’ve been on a few of those myself. If you don’t mind a little advice, I’d encourage you to let him know. Speaking for the whole male race, we’re as likely to guess wrong as right.”

  Tori smiled down at him, loving that he wasn’t flirting or even understanding the tall woman, yet he was doing what Yancy did. He was being friendly because he probably thought it was the right thing to do.

  Tori saw Parker insert herself into the conversation, probably to make things less awkward. Thirty minutes later, when Clint returned, she and Madison were laughing like old friends.

  “Nothing,” Clint announced. “We didn’t find a single clue. Whoever is on my land just seems to disappear when I go after them.”

  No one looked surprised.

  “The deputy’s waiting,” Clint added as Parker shook Madison’s hand. “I’ll see you at dawn. Fifth told me where you park your helicopter.”

  Madison nodded at him and waved at Parker and Yancy as she walked out.

  Tori breathed out in relief. Slowly, she let her tense body relax. They were gone. No one had asked about her, and she’d managed to remain invisible.

  All three downstairs stood there, silently, until the cruisers pulled away. Then Clint spoke first. “You can come down, Tori. No one asked about you.”

  She slipped back into the light, walked down the stairs and hugged Parker, then Yancy, then Clint. “Thanks,” she whispered to Parker’s cowboy.

  He gave her a twitch of a smile. “Anytime. Glad to help. No sense getting you involved in my problem.”

  Then they all moved to the table. The meal an hour ago had looked, if not good, at least edible. Now not so much.