After Tex

by Sherryl Woods

  She wandered over to the wide expanse of windows that overlooked Central Park and the spectacular view beyond. Usually she found such peace and satisfaction in knowing that she’d earned the right to look on such grandeur every single day. Tonight she would have given almost anything for a view of a snowy expanse of nothingness and a star-filled sky.

  Had she changed so much in a few brief weeks? Had her priorities shifted so dramatically? Apparently so, because the truth was she missed Tess and Jake and even Whispering Wind and the friends who’d come back into her life.

  Without realizing it, she’d begun anticipating Christmas, looking forward to filling the house with the fresh scent of pine, the sparkle of lights, mounds of presents and a host of friends. She couldn’t wait to see Tess’s eyes widen with wonder when she found everything she wished for under the tree.

  Maybe it was foolish, but Megan hoped that by giving Tess her heart’s desires, it would make up for the things Megan’s mother and Tex had never given Megan herself. Even as she had the thought, she realized that those weren’t what mattered. She and Tess had both had Tex’s love, and that counted more than all the rest.

  And then there was Jake and the steadfast way he’d made a place for himself in their lives. Beyond the extravagant gifts, she realized she could hardly wait until she and Jake were alone together with only the lights from the tree to illuminate the room and the sound of carols as background for quiet talk and the sort of kisses to which she’d become appallingly addicted.

  She sighed heavily when the phone rang, but when she heard Jake’s voice, her spirits brightened.

  “You okay?” he asked at once. “You sound down.”

  “Just thinking about home,” she admitted.

  Silence fell for what seemed like an eternity before he asked, “Does that mean what I think it does?”

  “That I miss you and Tess and the ranch? Yes, I’m afraid it does.”

  “You don’t sound happy about it.”

  “I’m…” She searched for the right word, settled for saying, “Confused, I guess. I didn’t expect to feel like this. I thought I’d want to jump into the fray, take this fight with Dean Whicker to the bitter end, strangle Micah.”

  “And instead?”

  She chuckled. “Well, I still want to strangle Micah,” she said. “But I don’t much care about the rest. There are other syndicators who’ll pick up the show. I suppose I want to sue Dean on principle, but I can’t work up a lot of enthusiasm for the battle itself.”

  “Then allow me to have enthusiasm enough for both of us,” Jake offered. “Nobody messes with Megan O’Rourke while I’m around. I talked to Evan Porter today. He’s every bit as outraged as I am. He’ll file the papers tomorrow. We’re going to take them all to the cleaners.”

  “You sound downright eager.”

  “There’s nothing I like better than a good fight, a worthy opponent and a just cause.”

  “It’s only business,” Megan said.

  Jake seemed to be stunned into silence. Finally he said, “Excuse me? Did I hear you say this was only business?”

  “I know. I’m as astonished as you are. I must be losing my touch. What’s happening back there? Is Tess okay?”

  “Tess is safely tucked into bed. She got through the school day without getting sent to the principal’s office even once. Flo came for dinner, then spent the evening helping me finish up the legal papers to fax to your guy in New York. She’s got a quick mind, even if her typing leaves a lot to be desired.”

  “Don’t tell me she’s actually working out,” Megan said, startled by the tone of approval in his voice.

  “As a matter of fact, she is. I owe you.”

  “Does that mean that someday she’ll be ready to be a full-time mother to Tess again?” Megan asked with an odd little quiver of trepidation in her stomach.

  “I think she’ll be ready to be a part of Tess’s life, but it’ll be a long time before she’s eager to take on the responsibility of raising a daughter. This arrangement is working out well for all concerned, especially Tess. She’s beginning to thrive, Meggie. She’s beginning to have faith that she’s surrounded by love. Flo is a part of that, but so are you.”

  Megan found she was surprisingly gratified by his assessment. “And Peggy?” she asked, realizing that she felt strangely left out after only a day away. “How are things going with Johnny?”

  “She’s making him jump through hoops. She called him an hour ago—past his very early bedtime, as I understand it—and hinted that she felt a wild craving for mint chocolate chip ice cream. Johnny was here within thirty minutes. They’ve gone into town. If you ask me, she was just testing to see if he was at home when she called.”

  “No doubt it was the first of many such tests,” Megan said. “Is Barbara Sue okay?”

  Jake hesitated. “For the moment,” he said finally.

  It didn’t take much to figure out why he sounded so worried. “Lyle’s out of the hospital, isn’t he?”

  “Oh, yeah. He’s at home with Mama and mean as a snake. I’m not at all sure Bryce can handle him. He’s got a deputy posted to keep an eye on Barbara Sue, but there’s not enough manpower to do that for long.”

  “Lyle’s been served with the restraining order?”

  “Yes, but we both know how much good that will do if he decides to ignore it and the deputy turns his back for a split second.”

  “And Barbara Sue won’t even consider taking a vacation, leaving town for a while?”

  “Not a chance. Henrietta’s backing her up, more’s the pity. She thinks it’s important for her to finally take a stand. She says it will be a big boost to Barbara Sue’s self-esteem that she stood up to him.”

  Megan glanced down at the sheet of upcoming topics for her magazine. There were articles on refinishing junkyard furniture finds, making silk flowers, restoring vintage clothes, designing quilt patterns to fit a child’s interests. Did anybody really need to know that stuff? she wondered. What mattered were the things going on in Whispering Wind. That was real life. She sighed heavily.

  “What’s wrong?” Jake asked.

  “Nothing. I just have some thinking to do. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

  “Okay,” he said, sounding puzzled. “Love you, darlin’.”

  “Oh, Jake,” she whispered. “I love you, too.”

  For the first time ever, she finally realized that that alone was more than enough to make her truly happy. The rest was all window dressing.

  Jake perched on a stool at the diner in the morning, sipping a cup of coffee and pondering the odd mood Megan had been in the night before. All the while he kept a careful eye on Barbara Sue, who was waiting tables and laughing with the customers.

  “She looks happy, doesn’t she?” Henrietta asked as she refilled his cup.

  Jake nodded.

  Henrietta sighed deeply. “I have to wonder how long that will last.”

  “As long as Lyle steers clear of her, I imagine,” Jake said, then caught Henrietta’s expression. The color had drained out of her face and she was reaching for the phone.

  “What is it?” Jake said.

  “Bryce, get over here right now,” Henrietta barked into the phone, then jerked her head toward the window for Jake’s benefit. Lyle was making his way toward the diner, limping and in obvious pain, but with a grimly determined expression on his face. Barbara Sue caught sight of him just then. Her order pad slipped from her fingers. Her whole body trembled.

  “I’ll stop him,” Jake said, heading for the door.

  “You get Barbara Sue out of sight. Keep her in the kitchen. Take her out the back door. Just don’t let her come out where Lyle can see her.”

  Henrietta moved quickly. Jake didn’t wait to see if Barbara Sue moved. He headed outside and met Lyle on the sidewalk.

  “It’s a public place. You can’t stop me from going in there,” the man told him, trying to push his way past. He was too weak to shove a toddler, much less a very d
etermined man like Jake.

  “That is exactly what I’m going to do,” Jake replied. “Go on home, Lyle. You know you’re not supposed to go anywhere near Barbara Sue. Henrietta’s already called Bryce.”

  Lyle stared at him with bloodshot eyes. Apparently he’d spent the night mixing booze with his painkillers. Or maybe he’d skipped the painkillers altogether. Before Jake could guess what he intended, Lyle had reached in his pocket and pulled out a gun.

  “Either you get out of my way or I’ll take you down with her,” Lyle said with blood-chilling calm. “It makes no difference to me. I have nothing to lose.”

  “You have your freedom to lose. Any hope of a future,” Jake said, not flinching. He kept his gaze trained on Lyle’s face, avoiding so much as a glance toward that wavering gun. He had to stall him until Bryce could get here. Where the hell was the sheriff, anyway?

  “My future’s over and done with,” Lyle said. “She’s ruined my reputation. Do you know Mama fired me from my job over this? She said the customers would stop coming in if I was there. Barbara Sue shoots me and I lose my job in my own family store. Now where’s the justice in that, I ask you? You’re the big-shot lawyer. You going to represent me, help me get my job back?”

  “Either that or help you find another one,” Jake offered. “In another town where you can make a fresh start.”

  “Right. I know you’re on her side,” he said bitterly. “You’ll say whatever it takes to keep me away from her.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Jake saw Bryce easing down the street, gun drawn. If he could just keep Lyle’s attention, keep him talking, maybe this would end without bloodshed.

  “Hey, you said it, Lyle. I’m a lawyer. It’s my job to help anyone who needs it. Representing Barbara Sue wouldn’t keep me from helping you get your job back.”

  “Nice try,” Lyle said sorrowfully. “But I’m not buying it.”

  He lowered the gun, and for an instant, Jake thought he’d gotten through to him. Then, before Jake could even guess his intentions, Lyle aimed for Jake’s leg and pulled the trigger. Even as he fell to the ground and the pain exploded through his leg, Jake heard Barbara Sue’s scream of protest.

  “Stay inside,” he yelled, as another shot rang out and then another. Lyle seemed to fall in slow motion, landing just inches away. He was clutching a gaping wound in his chest.

  Then chaos erupted around Jake. The last thing he remembered was the sight of Henrietta peering down into his face and all but commanding him to stay alive. “Don’t you dare die,” she said. “If anything happens to you, Megan will never forgive either one of us.”

  Megan hung up the phone after an illuminating conversation with Dean. He’d been eating crow and backpedaling so fast on his threat to cancel her show it was a wonder he hadn’t choked on the words.

  “Well?” Todd demanded. “What did he say?”

  “He seems to have had second thoughts.”

  “Did you tell him he could take his second thoughts and shove them?”

  “You were standing right there. Did you hear me say such a thing?”

  “I was hoping maybe you were so subtle it eluded me. So, what have you decided?”

  “I told him I’d get back to him, that I’d been hearing from other syndicators all morning and I wanted time to consider their offers.” She grinned happily. “He’s squirming, Todd. I love it.”

  Just then the phone rang. Todd reached across her desk to pick it up. “Megan O’Rourke’s office.” He paused. “What? Slow down. Who is this?” A moment later, he handed the phone to Megan.

  “Henrietta. She refuses to talk to anyone but you.”

  Acid began to churn in Megan’s stomach. “Henrietta? What is it?”

  The older woman sucked in a deep breath, then blurted, “It’s Jake, honey.”

  “Jake? What’s wrong with Jake?”

  “He’s been shot.”

  Megan’s knees gave way. She sank down into her chair. After swallowing hard, she managed to ask, “Is he…?” That was as far as she could get.

  “He’s alive. It’s his leg. I’m at the hospital now. They’re taking him into surgery in a few minutes.”

  People didn’t die from being shot in the leg, did they? Oh, sweet heaven, could there be more? “Henrietta, there’s nothing else, is there? He’s not going to die, is he?”

  “Not if I have anything to say about it,” the woman said grimly. “You just get on back here as soon as you can.”

  “Wait,” she said when Henrietta was about to hang up. “What happened? Who shot him?”

  “That son of a bitch Lyle Perkins did it.” She hesitated. “He…” Her voice choked up. “He got Barbara Sue, too.”

  “She’s…?”

  “Dead,” she said, her tone flat. “Barbara Sue is dead.”

  The phone dropped from Megan’s fingers. Watching her anxiously, Todd reached over and picked it up. As if from a great distance, she could hear him talking to Henrietta, asking questions, murmuring replies. Then he hunkered down in front of her.

  “You okay?”

  She nodded.

  “I’ll charter a plane. You can go straight to the airport from here. I’ll pack up whatever you need from your place and bring it out later.”

  Megan nodded again.

  “At this rate, we probably ought to buy a plane,” he said, his gaze fixed closely on her as he dialed the charter company.

  “Do it,” she murmured. If she was going to be jetting back and forth across the country at the drop of a hat, she’d better have a plane and a pilot at her disposal.

  Todd took one of her icy hands and held it as he made the flight arrangements. By the time he’d hung up, she could feel the warmth returning.

  “You sure you’re okay?” he asked. “Want me to ride out to the airport with you?”

  “No, just stay on top of things here and fly out later.”

  “He’s going to be just fine,” Todd reassured her. “Henrietta said—”

  “Henrietta’s not a doctor,” Megan retorted, then stared at him, feeling utterly bewildered. “Barbara Sue is dead.”

  “Lyle, too,” he added. “The sheriff got him.”

  Tears spilled down her cheeks. “What about those children? What will they do now?”

  Todd returned her look, his own expression just as helpless as she knew hers must be. “Go, Megan. You’ll do what you can for them when you get there.”

  She was still numb as she left the office. She caught a cab in front of the building, then went through the motions as she made her way through the airport terminal to the waiting charter jet. The trip west seemed to take an eternity, though it was only late afternoon local time when she arrived. A driver was waiting for her at the airport.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t need a driver. I’ll just rent a car,” she told him.

  He smiled. “The boss said you’d say that and I was to give you this.” He handed her a note.

  Megan, I know you think you don’t need a car and driver on your own home turf, but I think you do. Just this once listen to me. Todd.

  She gave the driver a rueful look. “Lead on.”

  “This way, ma’am.”

  He pulled up in front of the hospital in Laramie a few minutes later. “I’ll be right here, whenever you’re ready to leave.”

  “You’re in a no parking zone and I could be here for hours,” she pointed out.

  “I’ll be right here,” he repeated.

  “Thank you.”

  “I hope you find that your friend is doing fine,” he said.

  “Me, too,” she whispered as she went inside to find Jake.

  She found him sitting up in bed and yelling at the nurse to get the blasted needle away from him.

  “Well, that answers one question,” Megan said briskly as she walked into the room. “You’re going to live.”

  “I will if they stop pumping me full of drugs,” he grumbled.

  “It’s for the pain,” the nurse said.r />
  “The only pain around here—”

  “Enough, Jake,” Megan said, crossing the room to silence him more effectively with a long, lingering, life-affirming kiss. “Do you have any idea how glad I am to see you?”

  A discreet cough interrupted Jake’s reply. Megan turned to find Henrietta sitting in the corner. She stood up.

  “I’ll be going now that the big guns have arrived,” she said with a wink at Megan. “Keep him in line, girl, before they decide to toss him out on his rear end. Trust me, if he has his way, he’ll hobble out of here despite doctor’s orders.”

  Megan followed her to the door. “Thank you for calling me.”

  “What else would I do? I’m just sorry it came to this. It’s all my fault for dragging Jake into Barbara Sue’s troubles in the first place. Me and my meddling.”

  “You didn’t meddle,” Megan said adamantly. “You cared. How are the kids?”

  “Janie has them at her place. I’ll go by there and get them.”

  “What will happen to them?”

  “I don’t know. Barbara Sue didn’t get along all that well with her sister and that’s the only family she had left. I’ll shoot somebody myself before I let them wind up with Lyle’s mama.”

  Megan squeezed her hand. “We’ll think of something. Just give them a huge hug from me for now.”

  After she’d gone, Megan walked back into the room. She took a good long look at the bandages on Jake’s leg and the cast that went from ankle to thigh.

  “You’re a pretty picture,” she observed.

  “And you’re a sight for sore eyes. You didn’t have to rush home. I was in good hands.”

  “Oh, yes,” she corrected. “I did have to rush home. I had to see for myself that you weren’t at death’s door. Do you know how many times on that long flight I panicked? I was terrified that Henrietta had lied.”

  “Henrietta? Not a chance. That woman wouldn’t know how to sugarcoat the truth.”

  “She was scared, though. I could hear it in her voice. And she’s blaming herself that Barbara Sue is dead.”