The only sound that broke the silence was Dash chewing a bite of waffles. Finally he swallowed a gulp of coffee and said, “I guess I’ll see you there then.”
Okay, this is going well. Carmen’s pleasant anticipation of the evening ahead dimmed considerably. Apparently he didn’t want anyone to know they were seeing each other. That pretty well explained why they hadn’t gone out for dinner a single time, even though he’d spent the last five nights at her house, rocking her world. He wasn’t the first guy she’d slept with who’d wanted to keep it a secret. She’d just thought Dash was a better caliber of man than Johnny Dowling or Brett Beck, two men she’d dated briefly in Houston when she’d lived with her parents. Johnny had fucked her then never spoken to her again, moving on to date one of her former best friends. Brett had been the one who admitted outright that while Carmen was an all-right lay, she wasn’t someone he’d want to show off to his friends or family, even if her father was rich enough to almost compensate for her personal shortcomings.
She’d moved here to Morgan’s Creek shortly thereafter.
Not this time. If Dashiel Hyde was ashamed to be seen with Carmen, he could just take a god damn hike.
Before she could work herself up into an even bigger lather, Dash’s cell phone chirped. He stepped away from the table before flipping it open. “Hey, Captain, what’s up?” There was a long pause while he listened to the voice on the other end.
“Fuck.” The single word was infused with a wealth of emotions, ranging from anger to dread. Something bad had happened. “Why the hell didn’t anyone notify me immediately?”
Another pause.
“Okay, I get that—even you’re entitled to a vacation now and then, but surely one of those fuckwads in the department could have given me a call.”
After another few moments, Dash sighed. “All right. I’ll let the ranch hands know. You call the local cops for me, okay? Make it all official. And thanks, Captain. I appreciate the warning.”
“What’s wrong?” Carmen forgot all about her hurt and anger at Dash for a moment, concerned only with the roiling emotions that radiated from where he stood.
Dash came back to the table and chugged down the rest of his coffee. “You know that feeling we both had the other day of being watched?”
“Yeah?” She had a sinking feeling she knew where this was going.
“I told you about my injuries—that I was shot and left in a burning warehouse, right?”
“A little.”
“Well, my partner—a good man with a wife and kids—didn’t make it. Neither did one of the gangbangers. A career thug named Carlos Arroyo. The uniforms who arrived for backup did manage to catch Arroyo’s older brother Luis. During his trial, it came out that it was my bullet that killed Carlos, and in typical gangbanger style, Luis swore revenge.”
“So, I’m betting that call from your captain was to tell you that Luis has escaped and they think he might have followed you to Texas.”
“Pretty much,” he admitted. “I don’t suppose you’d consider going to visit your parents in Houston for a few weeks?”
Carmen shook her head, though she was warmed by his concern. “If he’s been watching you for several days, then he already knows about me,” she reminded him. “But I promise I will be careful. Will you promise me the same?”
“I’m always careful.” He set his plate down on the floor for Silver, indicating his appetite had fled, just as hers had. “I’m still going to ask your grandfather to keep an eye on you during the day, along with his big-ass shotgun.”
“I’m a big girl, Dash, but if it will make you feel better, then fine. Grandfather can help with the deer and the rabbit that came in yesterday.” She had two new patients in the barn, which Dash had already helped her feed and water this morning. “Maybe he can even run me into town for a haircut and to get my nails done before dinner tonight.”
“Don’t cut it,” Dash replied immediately. Then he chuckled. “Sorry, knee-jerk reaction. I like your hair, but it’s up to you of course.”
Carmen smiled. She was still pissed at him, but maybe, just maybe there was still hope. “Just a trim, I promise.”
She rinsed plates and loaded the dishwasher while Dash called her grandfather and explained the situation. Of course the man never mentioned that he was standing in her kitchen making the call—he just told Ken that the killer might have seen them riding together the other day. Carmen tapped her foot impatiently. Pretty damn soon, Mr. Hyde was in for a long, long talk—or else he could find somewhere else to sleep.
Silver whined and licked her hand, sensing her emotional turmoil, just as Dash hung up. “Your grandfather is one spooky old man. Don’t know how he knew I was here with you, but he said to tell you he’d be over in an hour or so.”
Carmen shrugged. “I’ve never understood how he knows stuff. He just does.”
“Will you wait inside until he gets here? Please?” He stepped over and took her hands in his.
“Since you asked nicely, fine. But I won’t be a prisoner in my own home, Dash.”
“I know.” He leaned down and kissed her, first on the forehead then the tip of her nose then a gentle, butterfly-soft kiss to her lips. “I’m going to go talk to the sheriff today. If Arroyo is here, we’ll find him and get his ass back to jail, I promise.”
“You be careful too,” she reminded him. “You’re the one he’s after, remember. Watch your back, Dash. Promise me that.”
“Cross my heart.” With one more soft kiss, he turned on his heel and picked up his duffel bag as he headed out the door. “See you tonight, sweet thing.”
Carmen turned back to the dishes. How the hell was she supposed to stay mad at him when he said things like that?
* * * * *
The first thing Dash did after leaving Carmen’s house was to drive into town to meet with the sheriff, who’d been briefed by Captain Brady. All the deputies were on alert, the sheriff confirmed, as well as the neighboring ranches. Then Dash headed for the ranch where he informed Mac and Mick, the foreman, as well as all the hands. Mick made sure all the White Eagle hands were riding armed and in pairs. There wasn’t much more they could do.
When Leah arrived in the barn shortly after noon, they filled her in, and then Dash spent a few hours with her, going over the computer records, which she had gladly ceded to him after deciding he knew what he was doing. Dash taking over some of the day-to-day business of the ranch operations would free her up to expand her horse-training business, she’d admitted, which was what she really wanted to be doing.
Mac, they’d all agreed, would help out at the ranch on an as-needed basis since he had his own business to run, but in exchange for lighter duties, he’d take a proportionately lower share of the profits. When Mac had made that suggestion, Leah and Dash had argued at first—White Eagle Ranch was his heritage too, but Mac had stood firm. Finally they had worked out a deal they could all live with—Mac would get more than he wanted, but part of his share would be invested back into the ranch. Frankly, after they’d hashed things out, Dash had been proud as hell to call them both his siblings. He finished the afternoon by riding out with Leah to show off some of the fence work he and Mac had done in her absence.
He couldn’t help a pang of guilt when he showered in the bunkhouse after the day’s work and headed up to the ranch house for dinner with the newlyweds. Should he have gone and picked up Carmen? He’d wanted to, but wasn’t sure how Leah would take the notion that her half brother was sleeping with her cousin, and he didn’t think her welcome-home dinner was the right place to spark a family feud.
“Nice to see you again, Dash,” Carmen said coolly when she arrived on her grandfather’s arm, Silver padding protectively alongside her.
He honestly did not know what to say. He could tell she wasn’t pleased with him—and he wasn’t really proud of himself either. Part of him wanted nothing more than to lean in and kiss her—he’d been missing her all day. But with Leah and Ken both watching li
ke hawks, he settled for a quick peck on her cheek. “How are your patients doing?”
“Yeah, I want to hear all about that eagle Dash rescued,” Leah interjected, pulling Carmen off to the other side of the room while Dash accepted a beer from Shane, who was conversing with Mac. “And you have to see the adorable foal he carved for me as a present.”
“And I want to hear more about this psycho who may have followed you from Chicago,” Shane growled.
“Look, if you want me to leave the ranch until Arroyo is apprehended, I will,” Dash said.
“No,” Mac and Shane replied at once.
“I just want to know as much as I can,” Shane added. “And I’m doing my best to convince Leah to stay close to the house. You’d think she’d learn after being shot once.”
“Both of my granddaughters are stubborn women,” Ken agreed, joining the other men. “That’s something the men in their lives will have to learn to deal with, I’m afraid. They get it from their grandmother.” He accepted a beer as well and took a long swig.
Shane nodded. “I know—I’m working on it. It’s hard after almost losing her to a bullet.”
Dash didn’t say anything, though he knew Ken’s words were as much for him as for Shane. Funny, Carmen’s stubborn streak wasn’t even a factor in his concerns about their relationship and where it was headed. If anything, he loved—liked—her the more for her independent attitude, even in the face of her handicap.
No. He choked on his beer and coughed for a bit while Mac pounded on his back. He’d meant love, damn it. Surrounded by a dinner party was a hell of a time to realize he was in love with a woman who was far too good for a broken-down wretch like him. Especially since there was a gunman out there trying to kill him. No, any thoughts about love were just going to have to wait.
Unfortunately, the night only got worse.
After dinner, Leah and Shane led them out to the yard where Shane had built a bonfire. The sight and crackle of the flames made his skin crawl. He knew he had to get past his fear of fire sometime, but so far he hadn’t even been able to build a fire in his own hearth. Even the barbecue at Carmen’s had taken conscious effort to work with. Maybe he should have listened to the doctors and his captain about seeing a shrink. Instead he sat on a lawn chair, as far back from the flames as he could.
Carmen sat next to Leah, shooting occasional dagger glances at Dash. He wanted to go to her, but every time he tried to move his feet, his stomach knotted up and he broke out in a sweat. How the hell was he supposed to tell her he loved her in the middle of a crowd, and how was he supposed to say anything else to her when those were the only words running through his mind?
Finally, Mac stood up, claiming he had to be in town by ten to relieve someone at the bar. He’d already gotten everyone to agree to the party at Hell’s Bells the following evening.
“Can I catch a lift, Mac?” Carmen asked. “It’s not far out of your way. That way, Grandfather can stay a little longer with Leah.”
Mac agreed, taking Carmen’s arm as they said goodbye to the newlyweds.
“I’ll be by your place at dawn,” Ken said to Carmen, coming over to kiss her cheek and shake Mac’s hand. “Don’t go out to feed your patients until I get there.”
“I won’t,” she assured him. Without a word to Dash, she whirled and left.
Moments later, Ken pulled up a chair next to Dash. “So,” the older man said quietly, so Leah and Shane couldn’t hear. A few of the hands had joined them for the bonfire and were crowded around Leah, talking horses. “You ashamed to be seen with my granddaughter?”
“What?” Dash’s beer fell to the ground as he jerked in response and his gimpy hand refused to grip properly. “Hell no!”
“Then want to explain why she came here with me and left with your brother?”
Dash rubbed his hands across his eyes. “Because I’m an ass.”
Ken’s short bark of laughter was a relief. At least he didn’t sound as if he were about to shoot Dash where he stood. “Can’t argue with that, my boy.”
“It’s just…you did know Leah threatened my life if I hit on Carmen, right? And this is her party. Plus, the more time I spend with Carmen, the better chance Arroyo will get her in his sights when he’s looking for me.” God, it sounded lame as hell when he said it out loud.
The older man just nodded thoughtfully. “Women are strange critters, boy. Not going to argue with you there. And I can’t say you’re wrong to try to keep her safe. Just don’t forget to take her feelings into account. Right now I’d say she’s hurting. It wouldn’t be the first time she dated someone who wasn’t man enough to be seen with her in public.”
“What? You’re fucking kidding me.” That was ludicrous! What man in his right mind would be ashamed of Carmen?
“Nope. So keep that in mind when you see her at that party she doesn’t want to go to any more than you do tomorrow.”
With little more than a whisper of movement, Ken left his side and was across the fire, talking to Shane and Leah.
Well, he’d messed that the hell up, hadn’t he? His head pounding and his leg aching, he said his goodbyes and climbed into his truck. Knowing he had to make things right, he turned at the last minute and headed to Carmen’s instead of his shack. Odd how that felt a whole lot more as if he were headed home.
Chapter Eight
Carmen fumed as she sat beside Mac in his truck with Silver in the back of the crew cab. Dash had barely bothered to acknowledge her tonight—just as she’d figured he would. How could she have gone and fallen head over heels in love with such an ass?
A little voice in the back of her brain reminded her that she hadn’t exactly been open about their relationship in front of Leah either. Damn, she hated it when her innate honesty got in the way of a good mad.
“Can you drop me at Dash’s shack instead of at my place?” she asked Mac.
Mac laughed. “Wondered if either of you was going to cop to being involved with each other.” Then he sobered and added, “But I’m not sure it’s a good idea. You heard all the discussion about that gangbanger who’s after him.”
Carmen shrugged. “If he’s been watching Dash, he knows about my place too. I’m as safe at one as I am at the other. And I’ve got Silver with me.”
Mac sighed. “At least call Dash and let him know.”
“No,” she argued. “But if it makes you feel better, I’ll call my grandfather.”
“Fair enough.” Mac took the turn-off for the line shack rather than the one to her cabin. “Because if anything happens to you, they’ll both be standing in line to kill me—right behind Leah.”
“Nothing’s going to happen, Mac.” Except that she was going to either jump Dash’s bones or rip him a new one. She hadn’t quite decided which yet.
Line shacks weren’t usually kept locked since their purpose was to provide shelter for any of the ranch hands who needed it. Mac insisted on walking her inside and waiting while she called her grandfather, who agreed to check on the bunny and deer on his way home. Once Mac was sure she was as safe as she could get, he left, and Carmen wandered around the main room of the little cabin, going over and over possible conversations with Dash in her head.
Finally she sat down at the table and picked up his current carving, running it through her fingers to determine what it was.
“It’s an eagle,” she told Silver, tracing the spread wings of the bird in flight. It was their eagle, she knew, just as she somehow knew he’d intended it as a gift for her. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyelids. He did care about her. His love was in every line of the wooden sculpture.
She’d reluctantly set it down to wipe her eyes when Silver began to growl, running to the cabin’s back door and snarling violently.
“What is it, boy?” As if she didn’t know. She’d never heard her dog this angry. Slowly she sank down behind the table and pulled her cell phone from her pocket, glad that at least here by the road there was a signal. The first number she hit was
Dash’s, but it went straight to voicemail. He was probably on the road and out of signal range.
The second number she dialed was the ranch. They were closer than the sheriff.
“Hello?” Shane’s voice answered just as the back door was flung open. Silver snarled and she heard him launch himself at the killer, heard the man scream.
“I’m at Dash’s,” she whispered.
A shot rang out and Silver’s barking ended in a soft yelp followed by a thud. A sob burst from her throat. Not Silver!
“We’re on our way, Carmen,” Shane assured her, reminding her she still held the phone to her ear. “Hold on, sweetie. Do whatever you have to in order to stay alive. Cavalry is coming.”
“It’s me,” came Leah’s voice over the phone. “I’m staying here while the menfolk come running. Dash should be home any minute—he left not long after you did. Now set the phone somewhere where he won’t see it, and tell us as much as you can without giving it away.”
Carmen slid the phone under the edge of the cupboard just as the killer rounded the table and spotted her.
“Perfect,” the bastard snarled. “Nothing like bait.”
Carmen couldn’t see his face, of course, just the blur of a man in dark clothing. Without needing to see, she knew he had a gun pointed at her—the same one he’d used to shoot her dog.
“What…what do you want?”
“Hyde’s head on a fucking plate.” The man had a Latino accent, but not the same one she was used to locally.
“You and me both,” she muttered.
There was the sound of a chair being dragged across the floor. “Now get up real slow, puta, and have a seat.”
“I can’t see,” she said. “Didn’t anybody tell you I was blind?” It was a stalling tactic—she could have felt her way around and probably found the chair—but she figured she’d use anything she could to delay him. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt if he underestimated her because of her handicap. “You shot my leader dog—you’ll have to show me where to go.”
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