Front Range Cowboys (5 Book Box Set)

by Evie Nichole

  Weatherby didn’t speak for a long time. He glanced over his shoulder at Officer Keene. It was obvious that he was trying to figure out what Keene was going to say or do that would then put pressure on Weatherby.

  Keene was a good man. That much was obvious. He was staring at his captain as though he were equal parts confused and disgusted. Finally, he cleared his throat. “If you have had conversations with this individual, then it would be nice to know if he’s said anything that might connect him with these constant and long-term harassment and stalking attacks on Ms. Evans.”

  “So, this is about Ms. Evans,” Captain Weatherby said. Did he honestly need clarification of that? “And it has nothing to do with the fact that Mr. Sorenson was accused of taking unflattering photographs of Met Hernandez at Cody’s Bar and Grill?

  Met was going to kill him. The guy was such an arrogant ass! But beside him, Daphne put her hand on his arm and smiled so sweetly at Paul Weatherby that Met was sure the guy was going to get a toothache just from looking at her.

  “Captain Weatherby, it’s odd that you should talk about those photographs that Mr. Sorenson took of Met. See, he might have intended for those to be negative. I don’t know. I haven’t spoken with him about it, although it sounds like you have.” She let that statement hang for just a moment before continuing her sweet little commentary. “But it didn’t work out that way because those photographs were just a setup for the interviews in Denver Magazine and The Front Range Wayfarer that came out just a few days later that same week. See, those articles wouldn’t have packed nearly the punch they did as a positive move for the Hernandez family if that article in the Tattler hadn’t made everyone worried for Met’s health.”

  “Excuse me?” Weatherby was shifting from foot to foot looking uncomfortable. “You’re saying those photos were a good thing?”

  “Well, yes.” She shrugged. “But that’s not really the issue. Is it? This is about Justin Sorenson stalking me. I want very much for this to stop. The man is even trying to blackmail my boss into rehiring him to our company.” Daphne kept going. She needed Weatherby to see reason. “So, by putting your information with that of Officer Keene’s, you might stand a chance of breaking this case wide open. And since it’s been ongoing for almost a year, that would be such a huge help to me.”

  Met could see the wheels turning in the man’s head. Oh, he certainly liked the idea of being the hero. But was he honestly going to admit that he’d been the one to tell Paul to sell those photos in the first place?

  “I suppose I could have a look at Officer Keene’s information,” Weatherby finally agreed.

  Keene’s nostrils flared. It was obvious that he was not appreciative of how this was going. “Sir, the man needs to be arrested. The crime lab has already established that the cardboard boxes full of gasoline are the same as they were in previous cases. There was a photograph on the box left on Ms. Evans’s porch this last time. It is photographically similar to the photos in the Tattler. If you can place Sorenson as the photographer without a doubt, then we can get a warrant for his arrest. This is all we need. Your confirmation that Sorenson was indeed the man who photographed the pictures for the Tattler of Mr. Hernandez and Ms. Evans.”

  Captain Paul Weatherby sighed heavily. It was easy to see that he didn’t like this at all. He was in a position where he had to give up information without much of a return. It was helping the Hernandez family and not hurting them as he had initially hoped. And there was still the idea that Weatherby had promised Sorenson a favor. What would Paul Weatherby have promised, and would he have to hold up his end of the bargain?

  “Thank you, sir,” Officer Keene said before his gaze slid right back to Met and Daphne. “We’ll issue the warrant right now.”

  “Good.” Daphne clapped her hands together. “Thank you, Captain! Thank you so much!”

  Weatherby’s lips were tight, and he looked like he’d eaten something sour. “Of course. I’m just a public servant, you know?”

  Met and his brothers did not comment. They’d managed to turn this neatly and get what they needed from Weatherby. It would remain to be seen if there was a cost to what had happened today. But for now, it was enough to know that Daphne’s stalker would not be bothering her again for a very long time.

  “Oh!” Daphne pulled her phone from her purse. “I need to contact Mr. Abernathy and tell him that he doesn’t have to worry about rehiring Justin. That should change things a little bit.”

  Met could not resist giving Paul Weatherby a jaunty wave as he and his family made their way back out of the police station and onto the street. It was a beautiful afternoon. It looked as though it would be an even more beautiful evening. There might even be time to take a walk. It would be the kind of walk that did not require a set of stairs or any other kind of accessory. Just a stroll through the park would be a heavenly way to end the night.

  Of course, that was before they got back to the parking lot where they’d left their vehicles and spotted Jesse’s truck sitting there in the lot. Jesse was leaning against the fender with her arms folded and a scowl on her face.

  “What’s gotten up your butt?” This came from Darren. He was really quite astute and even better at expressing himself. “You look like you’ve gotten bit by a big horse fly.”

  Jesse pressed her lips into a tight line. She looked at the brothers, and then she sighed. “I just came to tell you that your father had a heart attack a little while ago. He’s in the hospital a few miles away. Your mother would very much appreciate it if you boys would go and help her take care of some things.”

  It took the Hernandez brothers a good minute or two to process what their adopted sister was saying. Joe Hernandez had a heart attack? How was that possible? Beside him, Met felt Daphne grabbing tightly to his arm as she struggled to keep her composure. In his mind, he could not stop thinking that it was impossible for his father to have a heart attack because the man had no heart.

  “Is he stabilized?” It was Daphne who had the wherewithal to ask intelligent questions. The brothers were all still speechless.

  Jesse gave a tight nod. “He’s stabilized, but they’re talking surgery and stints and other crap I don’t really know anything about.”

  “Did you call Cal?” Met asked her carefully. He was all too aware of the implications they’d come up with regarding Cal just the other night when Met had been the one in the hospital. “Is he coming?”

  “He’ll be here in an hour,” Jesse said tightly. “He had to find someone to take over at the ranch while he was gone.”

  “The ranch,” Met murmured. “Does anyone know if Dad’s been having health issues?”

  “Does it matter right now?” Jesse asked impatiently. “Go to the hospital. Talk to your mother.”

  “What are you doing?” Met asked her suddenly. It occurred to him that she was not talking about joining them there to support the family. It was like something had happened. “Are you going back to the hospital?”

  “No.” Jesse turned toward the driver’s door of her truck. It was not an HLC branded company vehicle. Had she always driven her own vehicle, and why had Met never really noticed? “I’m not part of your family. Not really. I’m a Collins. And right now, I don’t want to be a Collins in a room full of the Hernandez family.”

  Jesse got in her truck and started the engine. Met and his brothers had to back off quickly or be run over as she left the parking lot in a squeal of tires. Met turned to Darren. Were they really going to let her just drive off like that?

  Then Daphne touched his arm. “Let her go,” Daphne advised. “You really have to let her go for now. You’ve got more important things to think about right now, and the rest of that will wait.”

  “She’s right.” This came from the private investigator. He slapped Cisco on the shoulder with a promise to call him soon. “I’ll be in touch!” Then Nick Rich waved over his shoulder and was gone before they could blink.

  Met turned to his brothers. “I can’t eve
n imagine Dad in the hospital.”

  “Well, imagine it fast,” Laredo muttered. “Because this is probably going to be a hell of an uncomfortable situation we’re walking into.”

  “What was up with Jesse?” Darren asked, speaking the words they were all thinking.

  Daphne linked her arm with Met’s and started dragging him toward his truck. “That doesn’t matter right now. The only thing that matters is getting to the hospital to be with your mother. All right?” She gave Met a squeeze and then kissed his shoulder. “I know you’re all hospital avoidant. I get that. But right now, it isn’t about you. I promise.”

  Laredo snorted. Then he pointed at Daphne and gave her a nod. “This one is a keeper. That’s for sure.”

  “Agreed,” Cisco murmured.

  Darren put his hand out to Daphne. “Welcome to the family, Daphne Evans. It’ll be quite a ride. That I can promise you.”

  Met tugged her away from his womanizing brother and started helping her into the passenger seat of his truck. “It’s nothing she can’t handle,” he told his brothers. Then he winked up at the woman who meant everything to him. “I know she can handle it all.”

  COWBOY LIES

  Chapter One

  Calvin Hernandez was speeding. The needle on the speedometer was approaching eighty. He didn’t care. The crosswinds were whipping against the side of his pickup truck, and the skies were darkening with clouds as though even the heavens had had enough. Soon the dark clouds would open up and a torrent of cold rain would soak the front range. Cal could only hope that he got to the Denver city limits before the roads grew slick with rain and the visibility lessened to zero.

  At least the weather made it very unlikely that any cops would feel inclined to call him out on his speeding. He had a reason. He could just tell the police that he was speeding because his father was in the hospital. Except if the policeman heard that Cal’s father was Joseph Hernandez, he would wonder why anyone cared if old Joe died.

  The tires on the big pickup slid going around a curve, and Cal spun the steering wheel to keep the truck on the road. The last thing he needed was to wind up in the ditch. He should slow down. There was no good to be had in pushing the big truck to travel more than eighty on the narrow two-lane highway. It wouldn’t get him there any faster.

  But Cal could not stop thinking about the phone call he’d gotten from his adopted sister, Jesse, just that afternoon. She didn’t call him very much anymore. Or rather it was sporadic. And the relationship between the two of them was so very complicated. She wasn’t his sister. He didn’t think of her as his sister. And yet Cal had watched Jesse grow up. He had stood back and tried to help her as much as he could as she grew from gangly girl to a very beautiful young woman. Now, at twenty-one, the feelings and emotions that hit him every time he heard her voice or saw her or even smelled her perfume were enough to send him crashing to his knees.

  A dark shadow darted across the road. Cal cursed and swung the wheel wide while trying gingerly to pump the brakes and keep them from locking up. The big dual rear wheel truck began to swing from side to side. Cal touched the brakes a little harder. Then harder still. The truck wasn’t getting any fuel, but it was still gathering speed as he headed down a hill into the valley where Denver was located.

  Another dark shadow darted across the road. This time he caught sight of antlers. Mule deer, a whole slew of them on both sides of the road as they emerged and tried to cross from one shoulder to the other.

  “Shit,” Cal groaned.

  He heard a thump. His headlights briefly spotlighted a set of antlers on the front passenger corner of his hood. The animal went down, and Cal heard the shatter of plastic as the lens of his headlight shattered. The truck lurched as he ran over the deer and pushed it aside.

  At that very moment, the heavens opened up and a sheet of water hit the truck’s windshield. Cal suddenly could not see where the road was on the lonely stretch of highway. He flipped on his wipers, but the water was falling too quickly. The inside of the windshield began to steam over. He flipped on the defroster, and the air roared to life in the cab.

  This was a bad beginning. Cal hated leaving the ranch anyway. But as the first lights on the outskirts of Denver twinkled to life in the gloomy evening, Cal felt a lurch in his midsection. He still had to get all the way to the hospital. He was missing a headlight, and there was no telling what else on the front of his pickup, thanks to his run-in with the poor deer. And he had no clue what would be waiting for him at the hospital.

  The city skyline came into view. The amount of traffic picked up. Lanes were added until Cal was scooting along in a line of other cars all heading in the same direction. The city closed in, and he felt as though his chest was constricting to the point where he could not breathe. He hated the city. He hated coming in from the ranch. He hated leaving the ranch at all, especially to go to the city or, more specifically—to see his father.

  The hospital’s lighted sign was like a beacon. Cal exited the highway and went around and around the parking lot trying to find a place to squeeze his truck into a spot. Finally he found a parking space at the very back of the lot. He didn’t care. It would be a mile hike to the front doors of the hospital, and that was okay.

  He spotted four other HLC-branded pickup trucks in the parking lot of that hospital. It told him that all of his brothers were here. That should have made him feel better. Not because he got along with his brothers and enjoyed spending time with them. It was more that they were skilled at running interference with their mother and father. If Joe Hernandez was in the hospital, then it was a sure thing that his mother, Avery, would be in a very sad state. The woman was loyal to a fault, even to a husband who had been anything but loyal to her.

  The truck that Cal did not see belonged to Jesse. Where was she? He’d expected her here. He had dreaded the chance to see and talk with her as much as he had eagerly anticipated it. As he walked his way into the hospital, he felt his mood darkening. Jesse wasn’t here. He was about to be inundated by family drama. And there was a good chance that he was going to lose his temper and spill secrets that were not his to share.

  “Cal.”

  Oh, that was freaking perfect. Laredo was only a year younger than Cal. In fact, less than that. Laredo was his father’s favored child and a notorious kiss-ass. He generally annoyed the crap out of Cal. His first instinct was to put his fist in Laredo’s face and keep walking. But something in his brother’s expression stopped him.

  The two brothers looked alike. In fact, all of the brothers looked alike. They had their father’s curly black hair and their mother’s brilliant blue eyes. They had swarthy complexions that seemed to stem from a genetic predisposition to being outside. Or perhaps the Hernandez brothers were still sporting a tan that one of the ancestors had received on the range nearly a century before.

  But there was something indefinably different about Laredo right now today. Cal could not put his finger on it, but this Laredo was not the total douchebag that Cal had been expecting. He stopped walking and narrowed his gaze at his brother.

  Laredo gestured toward a coffee shop chain just a few yards away from the hospital entrance. “I came down for coffee.”

  “Okay.” Cal didn’t know what else to say.

  Laredo lifted his coffee and took a sip. “Do you want one?”

  “Sure.” Was Cal surprised? He didn’t know. This was his brother, but they weren’t exactly on social terms. They did not talk or share coffee or do much of anything else that might be considered friendly.

  Laredo headed back over to the coffee shop. The line was short. That was likely because it was almost six o’clock in the evening. Who got coffee at that hour? Except Cal was a pretty old-school cowboy, and he could use coffee at any time during the day. So, when Laredo handed Cal a steaming cup of black coffee, Cal didn’t spend any time wondering if his brother had poisoned the brew. He just inhaled the rich scent and then sipped the bitter liquid and savored it on his tongue.
>
  “Now.” Laredo pointed to a couple of seats. “Let’s sit down, and I’ll bring you up to speed before you head upstairs.”

  “Okay?”

  What was Laredo talking about? This was a heart attack and possible surgery—at least according to Jesse—not a production that required a briefing before Cal went up to see his own family. Still, if Laredo really thought that Cal needed an update, then it was the least he could do.

  The two brothers took a seat in the small waiting area facing the windows and the parking lot beyond. The rain was still coming down in sheets. The sky was black and the asphalt looked blacker. It was as though the world was covered in tar and the sucking death of it was all that was left.

  “Dad had a heart attack,” Laredo began.

  Cal waved his hand impatiently. “Jesse told me all this.”

  “Yes, but she didn’t get all of it.” Laredo shook his head. “Jesse refused to come to the hospital. I don’t know where she is, but I decided to let her go. Mom called her when it happened, and she went to the hospital, but I think something must have happened between the two of them. Jesse won’t pick up her phone or answer texts. We’ve all tried.”

  Cal did not say anything about that. It would have been highly unusual for Jesse to ignore Cal’s calls or texts, but he wasn’t willing to get into that right now. This wasn’t the time or place.

  Laredo seemed to realize that Cal wasn’t going to talk about Jesse. Laredo sighed. “There’s a blockage in Dad’s heart. They’ve already got him prepped for surgery. They have to put a stint in. He’s apparently been battling high cholesterol for years but won’t listen to his cardiologist or anyone else about his diet.”