Swelter

by D. Jackson Leigh

  Teal groaned from her upside-down position. “Put me down. I’m going to be sick.”

  “Almost there.” Just a few more feet. August reached for the door handle on the passenger side. “We’re here.”

  Teal struggled weakly. “Down now.”

  August tightened her grip on Teal’s long legs. “One more second. I’m opening the door.” She pulled the handle and stepped back to swing the door open when an awful retching sound preceded something warm and wet soaking the back of her jeans. “And, I’m guessing I’m just a little too late.” She gestured for Rio to hop over into the backseat, then bent her knees to quickly but gently deposit Teal where the dog had been. She took a big step back as the poor woman braced against the door’s frame to lean out and finish vomiting what little was left in her stomach onto the ground.

  August trotted around to the driver’s side and rummaged behind the seat. BJ kept the jump seat in the extended cab filled with tools and old rags for fixing things he might come upon when patrolling the eight-hundred-acre ranch. She grabbed a couple of rags and cleaned off her backside as best she could. Ugh. She’d just have to ignore the dampness and puke smell until she could get back to the ranch to change. She laid a few more rags on the seat, not that the dirty upholstery would suffer much from her sitting on it. Then she grabbed her melting fountain drink from the cup holder and rounded the truck again.

  Teal was no longer gagging but still sat doubled over with her head between her spread knees.

  “Hey. I don’t have water, but I have what’s left of the Coke I was drinking. It’s pretty watered down because the ice has melted, but you could at least wash your mouth out.” August took the top off and held out the large cup.

  Teal sat up slowly, her eyes bloodshot and watery from retching. She took a mouthful of the diluted soda, swished it around, and spit it on the ground. “I’m so embarrassed,” she said, refusing to look at August. Her hand trembled, and she took hold of the cup with both hands to keep from spilling it.

  “Are you ready to go to the clinic now?” August put her hand on the door and motioned for Teal to swing her legs into the truck.

  “No clinic. Promise me.” Teal’s protest was barely more than a whisper. She shifted her legs slowly into the truck as though weights were tied to her feet, and August closed the door.

  “Lots of people with no insurance go to emergency rooms,” August said as she climbed in on the driver’s side and started the engine. She adjusted the air-conditioning.

  “No.” Teal winced at her loud protest. She closed her eyes and covered them with one hand as if too much sunlight were bleeding through her eyelids. “I can’t go to a clinic.” Less emphatic, but still firm. “Can you…get my purse and the blue duffel from the backseat and lock the car? Then just drop me at a motel. Nothing seedy, but something inexpensive. I’ll be fine once I cool off. I’ll worry about the car tomorrow when I’m feeling better.”

  August weighed the efficiency of continuing their debate. “Keys?”

  Teal’s brow furrowed. Then she dropped the hand covering her eyes and squinted at her car. “Still in the ignition, I think.”

  August retrieved the requested items, stowed the boxes Teal had hastily unloaded to retrieve the fire extinguisher, and locked the Honda securely. Not that it would matter. If anyone really wanted anything, they could strip the tires and inside of the car easily before any other motorists came along. Judging from the things stuffed in the backseat, Teal appeared to be relocating. The beat-up, over-packed car and no insurance felt like a recent college graduate…maybe a grad student since Teal appeared a little older than the usual undergrad. But her designer clothing and something else August couldn’t put her finger on didn’t match up with that scenario…or with the junker car, for that matter.

  Teal was slumped against the door and appeared to be asleep when she returned. August studied her for a few moments.

  She was beautiful—feminine, but not girlish. She had a fine brow, full lips, and long, thick lashes that lay against her smooth cheeks. Even pale from nausea, her complexion hinted of a Mediterranean or Hispanic heritage.

  August argued with herself as she nosed the old truck onto the blacktop. Even if she was Hispanic, that didn’t mean Teal was tied to Reyes. Her refusal to go to a clinic, though, was suspicious. Maybe she was wanted for something. Maybe she was in the country illegally. Hell, maybe August had just spent too many years defending criminals and was too suspicious of everyone. Still, she probably should’ve snuck a look in her purse. No way. That went against every moral code ingrained in her. She should just stay alert and ditch her at the first decent motel. But what if she got sicker? Nobody could fake the symptoms she was displaying. She’d be fine. Maybe. Shit. This was a very bad idea.

  “Don’t do this. Pierce Walker will piss his pants,” August said softly. She didn’t want to wake Teal, but if she said it aloud, maybe she’d listen and take her own advice for once. Fat chance.

  Chapter Three

  BJ was pacing the wide porch of the house when August rounded the last bend of the long driveway of The White Paw ranch. This couldn’t be good. The ranch’s foreman should still be with the hands checking fences and counting new calves. She slowed the truck to a gentle stop and turned to check her passenger slumped against the door. Teal didn’t stir, even when August gently touched her forearm. Chilled now by the truck’s air-conditioning, her skin was too dry, and it worried August that she didn’t wake. They needed to hydrate her soon.

  BJ yanked her door open. “We’ve got trouble. That law fellow—” BJ’s eyebrows shot up, his blue eyes traveling to Teal’s slumped figure, slowing over her bare legs. “Damn, August.”

  She held her finger to her lips and slid out of the truck, closing the door quietly behind her.

  BJ shook his head. His face was an expressive road map weathered by years in the sun and wind, the deep creases rearranged into a half grin. “You always did bring home the pretty ones.” His smile transformed into a scowl. “But since Julio and your grandpa ain’t here to advise you, I reckon that falls to me. Chasing girls ain’t what you need to be doing right now.”

  “I ain’t—” August almost laughed at her immediate step back into her teen years. “I’m not a kid anymore, BJ, and I’m not chasing girls. Her car engine caught fire out on the highway. Her cell phone was dead, and I’m guessing she was sitting out there in the heat for a couple of hours before I came along. She has heat exhaustion. I couldn’t leave her there.”

  “Should’ve taken her into town and dropped her at the ER then.”

  “She refused. Said she didn’t have insurance.”

  “Half the people around here don’t have insurance.”

  “I know that, but she absolutely refused. Then she threw up on me and passed out.”

  BJ made a show of sniffing the air. “Well, I wasn’t going to mention how you smell.”

  August gave him a gentle shove. “Let’s get her in the house.” She circled the truck and carefully opened the passenger door. Teal blinked and struggled weakly when the door gave way and she fell into August’s arms. “I’ve got you.” August shouldered under Teal’s right arm and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull Teal snuggly against her side. “Can you walk a little?”

  Teal clumsily moved her feet as August propelled them toward the porch. “Where are we?”

  “We’re at my ranch. You can stay here tonight.”

  August tightened her hold when Teal stumbled on the two steps up to the porch. “BJ, can you get—” She paused when Rio appeared next to them with Teal’s purse in her mouth. “Can you give Rio a hand and get that duffel out of the back?”

  “Damn dog is too smart…hold up and I’ll get the front door for you first.”

  “I don’t want to be any trouble,” Teal said softly as they waited for BJ to open the door.

  “It’s not a problem. We have a couple of empty guest rooms. Coming here was a lot closer than going all the way back into town
.” August maneuvered them through the door BJ held open and turned into the first guest suite on the left, across from her bedroom. “When you’re feeling better tomorrow, you can call someone about your car and we’ll get you into town so you can take care of things.”

  August continued through the bedroom to the attached bathroom and lowered Teal to sit on the closed commode. “You should soak in a cool bath for a while. Towels on the rack are clean.” She hesitated. Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. What if she fell asleep and slid down into the water?

  BJ appeared with Teal’s duffel and a couple of cold sports drinks. “Here’s your bag and something better than plain water. Drink one of ’em before you get in the tub.”

  August stared at him.

  He stared back. “What?”

  “I didn’t know we had any of that.”

  He shrugged. “It’s my private stash. I don’t take the heat as well as I used to. It helps.” He glared at her. “But I ain’t buying it for all them young guys in the bunkhouse. They drink it up like candy water. They’d break our food budget in less than a month.”

  She shook her head. Sure, she’d been here only a few weeks, but she’d been so wrapped up in her own problems she hadn’t paid much attention to the things that were different since she’d last been to this ranch as a teen. That was going to change. This was her ranch now. Her new life. She smiled at BJ. “Thanks for sharing.”

  He nodded curtly. “Couple more on the table by the bed. She ought to drink ’em all.” He turned to leave, then hesitated. “You get that part for the pump?”

  “It’s in the truck.”

  He nodded and was gone.

  Teal had downed half the first bottle of sports drink when August turned back to her. She was sitting more erect and her eyes appeared more focused. “Feeling better?”

  A hoarse croak was her first attempt to answer, so Teal cleared her throat. “Yes, I am.” Clear and fairly strong now. “I think that’s actually going to stay down.” Her face reddened. “Sorry about throwing up on you.”

  “Forget it. It’s not nearly as bad as sliding down in a pile of cow poop.” August turned the faucets to start filling the tub. “If you show me you can stand on your own and aren’t too dizzy, I’ll leave you to undress and get in the tub without my assistance.”

  Teal’s eyebrows shot up. “And if I can’t?”

  August’s brain stuttered at the timbre of Teal’s response—a challenge, yet tinged with a hint of tease. She straightened, and the spark of chemistry was undeniable as they studied each other for a long moment. Teal’s gaze was focused but still undeniably weary. August hooked her thumbs in her jean pockets and shrugged, sheepishly. “If you nearly pass out when you stand, I’m staying.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “The last thing I need is for you to lose consciousness in the tub and drown because you’re in here alone.” Naked Teal wasn’t a picture she wanted in her head but—damn. Her face heated at the image. Still, she refused to look away as Teal’s eyes held hers.

  Teal nodded. After another big swallow of the drink, she took a deep breath, placed a bracing hand against the wall, and slowly stood. When she’d straightened to her full height, she dropped her hand from the wall and smiled tentatively at August. “All good. Legs are a little weak and my head’s still throbbing, but no dizziness or nausea.”

  August studied her. Teal wasn’t as pale as earlier and even more beautiful now that her natural olive complexion was returning. “Okay then. Make yourself at home. Dinner won’t be for a couple more hours. You should relax and drink as many of those sports drinks as you can. BJ will pester me to death if you don’t.” She stepped backward toward the door. She couldn’t seem to take her eyes from her visitor. “I have some paperwork to do, so I’ll be in my office that’s…well, it’s a pretty big house.” She slapped the side of her leg and Rio appeared in the doorway. “This is Rio. If you need something, just send her to get me.” She pointed, and Rio settled on the rug by the sink.

  Teal sat on the side of the large tub and trailed her long fingers in the water, then adjusted the faucets to modify the temperature. “Is she going to watch me the whole time?”

  “Rio, turn your head while the lady undresses,” August said, flicking her fingers in a quick signal. Rio lowered her head and covered her eyes with a paw. August liked Teal’s low, throaty chuckle. She smiled. “You let me know if she’s anything but a gentlewoman.”

  Teal returned her smile. “Thank you again. I’ll be fine.”

  “Right. Okay.” August reluctantly stepped out and closed the bathroom door. She crossed the hall to her own suite and searched the bathroom’s medicine cabinet. Aspirin. The woman had a terrible headache. She was getting her some aspirin. That’s all. So, why was her heart pounding? “Shit.” She scowled at herself in the bathroom mirror and willed her heart to slow, then marched back across the hall and placed the bottle on Teal’s bedside table. She stared at it. She shouldn’t be playing Florence Nightingale. Geez. It was just aspirin. She wheeled and strode out of the room before she talked herself into taking it back.

  Still, she shouldn’t be bringing strangers to the ranch. The measures she’d taken after Susan’s revealing visit had put her at the top of both the DEA’s and Luis Reyes’s most-wanted list. So, she’d fled Dallas to the one place they’d never think to look for her. She was being irresponsible to bring this woman here because she could get caught in the crossfire if they found August.

  “Hold up there, Grasshopper.”

  Immersed in her self-lecture, August was halfway through the spacious den when BJ’s stern command brought her up short. She instinctively responded to his nickname for the active child she’d been. “You don’t have to say it. I was stupid to bring her here.” She slowly turned to face him. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  BJ’s drawl was low and firm. “You were thinking that girl needed help and that’s what Gus raised you to do—offer assistance to a stranded traveler.”

  This was true, but she wasn’t that kid dogging her grandfather’s heels any longer. She wasn’t in the mood to reminisce. “I’ll give her a ride into town tomorrow.”

  BJ shook his head. “Not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “What?”

  “Anybody recognize you when you picked up the pump part?”

  August stiffened. “I saw Tank Hansen.”

  “Anybody else?”

  “Nobody I saw or talked to. Why?”

  “Tommy ripped a glove on some barbed wire and radioed in for me to throw his extra pair in the Jeep when I made the rounds with lunch for everybody. Wouldn’t you know that when I went to the bunkhouse to get ’em, Tommy had left the TV on…again. If I’ve told him once, I’ve told him a hundred times—”

  “I thought we were talking about why I shouldn’t go back into town tomorrow.” August pushed down her irritation and added a hint of tease to her interruption. She rubbed her face. BJ hadn’t changed. The man could take two hours to answer a yes-or-no question. Ownership of the ranch made her BJ’s boss, but he’d been an uncle figure to her since she was a kid and deserved her respect.

  BJ scowled. “That’s what I’m telling you if you’ll just listen.” He squinted one eye and pointed a finger at her. “Big-city living’s made you impatient. Details are important, Grasshopper. Didn’t I teach you anything?”

  She pressed her hands together as though praying and bowed slightly. “So sorry, Sensei.”

  “Miss Smarty-pants.” He grabbed her hands, his blue gaze boring into her. “Listen to me, August. That TV was tuned to a news program out of Dallas, and they were talking about you.”

  This was bad. “What’d they say?”

  “Some girlie was reporting about Christine being locked up and you being AWOL, so a judge was complaining that the court schedule was in a huge mess. Then she interviewed that FBI guy—”

  “DEA.”

  “Don’t matter. He’s says you’re a key witness in a big case and possibly kid
napped. He says they’re going to have a press conference in the morning about you going missing.”

  “Shit. I don’t need my face all over the television. I’d better call him.” She felt around her pockets until she located the one that held the simple flip phone and pulled it out. “Do you know how hard it is to find a basic phone these days? Everything is a smart phone, but those are too easy to trace.” She dug her wallet out of a back pocket and was thumbing through credit cards to find the scrap of paper with Pierce Walker’s phone number on it when she felt him watching her.

  “What?”

  His expression was pensive, but he held out the pump part for her take. “After you make that call, you can go fix the pump for me.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to put that girl’s car onto our flatbed trailer and haul it over to Tank’s garage. While he takes a look, I’ll have a talk with him to make sure he don’t spread it around that you’re back in town.”

  August sighed. “Yeah. Okay. That’d be a good idea. Tank’s solid. If you ask, he’ll keep an eye out for anybody asking about me around town, too.”

  “I remember him being a little sweet on you when you were teenagers.”

  “And I was infatuated with Karen Simpson.”

  BJ chuckled. “Joke was on you. She’s married and got three young’uns now.”

  She shook her head, smiling a little. “Better her than me.”

  He rested a large hand on her shoulder. “I know Gus and Julio aren’t around anymore, but old BJ has your back, Grasshopper.”

  August’s throat tightened. In the achingly lonely nights since she’d fled Dallas and taken refuge at the ranch, she felt the absence of her grandfather and his partner, who had been a second grandparent to her. She was like an orphan cast adrift into the cold world. BJ jerked when she surged forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. Then he returned her hug, awkwardly patting her back. She wasn’t adrift. BJ was here. The White Paw Ranch was hers. They were a familiar ship and crew. His wiry frame was a little bent and gimpy now, and the ranch sorely needed an infusion of cash and sprucing up. But she’d get past this trial and put Dallas, her law practice, and Christine behind her. She’d find her true north. She was meant to be a rancher. She’d known that since she’d thrown a leg over her first pony and chased her first calf. “Thanks, BJ. I miss both of them so much.”