GI Cowboy

by Delores Fossen

  “You get up again,” the sheriff warned both men, “and I’ll arrest you for disturbing the peace, attempted assault and any other charges I can think up. Got that?”

  “Yeah. I got that.” Sidney’s anger was evident in every part of his body, especially his eyes. He aimed venomous glares at Bailey and Parker.

  Chester just seemed amused by it all. If this was act, it was a good one.

  “So, let me get this straight,” the sheriff said, his drawl calm and easy despite having just broken up a fight. “You two aren’t working together. Both of you claim you’re so innocent that I’m surprised I don’t see halos circling around your knot-hard heads. But last night somebody rigged a gun with a silencer to shoot into Parker McKenna’s house. And I’m thinking one of you two saints did that.”

  “Not me,” Chester piped up.

  “Darn sure not me,” Sidney concurred.

  Bailey huffed, and Parker felt every bit of her frustration. The sheriff just shook his head and mumbled some profanity. He added an apologetic murmur to Bailey for using the Lord’s name in vain in front of her.

  “Why did you drive the black car around Bailey’s neighborhood and in front of the day care?” Parker asked Chester.

  Chester lifted his shoulder. “Somebody left me money and another note in my mailbox. Not half of a hundred, but the whole thing. The note said to use part of it for gas to drive around. So, that’s what I did. I drove around and used the rest of it to buy some barbecued ribs and beer over at Jo-Jo’s. Last I heard that wasn’t a crime, neither.”

  Parker bracketed his hands on the table and got right in Chester’s face. “You expect us to believe you weren’t stalking Bailey?”

  “I wasn’t.” Chester motioned around the room. “You think I would have come here if I thought Sheriff Hale had any reason to arrest me? I’ve done nothing wrong other than buying a car with bogus plates, which, by the way, I’ve already worked out with the Department of Motor Vehicles. And, of course, there’s that littering citation the sheriff gave me, but I’m here to pay the fine for that.”

  Chester took out his wallet. “The fine for littering is steep. Don’t Mess with Texas,” he joked, repeating the phrase used on many road signs. He pulled out five one-hundred-dollar bills from his wallet and slapped them on the table. One had been torn in half and then put back together with tape.

  Parker wanted to punch this moron so bad he could taste it. “Let me guess. Your secret employer gave you that to pay your fine.”

  “No. That was birthday money from my mama. I accidentally tore the bill and had to fix it.” The oily smile returned in full force.

  “He’s guilty,” Sidney spat out. “Arrest him.”

  “Careful,” Chester warned Sidney. “Or you might be the one to land in jail. You know ol’ Sheriff Hale will do anything Lila Lockhart tells him to do, and I’ll bet Lila’s pushing hard to arrest somebody, anybody.” Chester paused. “Especially since it could be the governor herself who’s doing all this.”

  “What?” Bailey practically shouted.

  Chester’s expression didn’t change. “Just think about it. All this fuss, and you’re not really in any danger. But you and your family, including your mama, are getting a lot of sympathy. Now, if she weren’t a politician, I’d say no big deal, but we all know she’s gonna make a run for president. What better way to start than to get a whole bunch of free publicity?”

  “That’s absurd,” Parker insisted.

  Chester shrugged again. “Believe what you will, but just this morning I was reading in the paper about how the governor’s approval rating is up. Sympathy can get her a lot of votes.”

  “I’ve heard enough of this,” Bailey mumbled and started for the door.

  “Listen to him,” Sidney spoke up, “because somebody is doing this stuff to you, and it’s not me.”

  “Well, it’s not my mother.” Bailey stormed out and into the hall.

  Parker followed her. “I’m sorry.”

  Bailey waved him off, but the wave did nothing to calm the tension in her face. “I should have known Chester would try to put the blame on anyone but himself. Coming here was a waste of time.”

  Maybe. But Parker had learned more about the potential enemy. Before this little chat, he’d thought that maybe Sidney and Chester were working together.

  Parker didn’t think that now.

  There was too much distrust and animosity between the two men. And there was Chester’s hatred for Sidney’s assault on a woman. Chester was cold and callous, but that anger toward Sidney was real.

  And that brought Parker back to the allegations Chester had made against Lila. They were probably nonsense.

  Probably.

  But he made a mental note to do some checking. Lila truly seemed to love her children, and Bart trusted her. However, it wouldn’t hurt to make a few inquiries.

  “You believed him,” he heard Bailey say. She was staring at him as if she could read his mind.

  “No,” he tried to assure her, but he obviously wasn’t very convincing, because Bailey started for the door.

  Parker turned to go after her, but the sheriff stepped out of the interrogation room.

  “Just so you know, I’ll keep both of them for an hour or two,” Sheriff Hale explained, “but I got no grounds to hold them any longer.”

  Parker cursed. This was not what he wanted to hear, but he had known it was coming. The sheriff could have possibly held Chester if he hadn’t cleared up that littering citation and the bogus plates on his car. But he had fixed those things. And as for Sidney—well, there was no proof of any current wrongdoing.

  “I’ll cut them loose and then have one of the deputies follow them,” the sheriff continued. “I can’t tie up all my men though. Not with the big parade tomorrow.”

  This was a critical conversation, but Parker kept checking on Bailey. He had to talk to her. “Bart Bellows might be able to help. I’ll call Corps headquarters and get someone over here to tail them both.”

  That would take care of Chester and Sidney, but Parker didn’t have a clue how he was going to handle the possible situation with Lila.

  Parker thanked the sheriff and went after Bailey. This was about to get ugly.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Bailey felt as if she were moving in slow motion. Everything was off-kilter, especially her mood, and she doubted that would improve anytime soon unless she got off this emotional roller coaster that she had been on for days.

  At least in the past twenty-four hours no one had stalked her, slashed her tires, shot at a house where she was staying or left her menacing notes. That was something, but it was a sad testament to her life nonetheless.

  She finished her shower and dressed in a red cotton dress, the only clean outfit she had left in her suitcase. She put on her makeup and stared at herself in the mirror.

  What was she going to do?

  After Chester Herman’s outlandish accusations against her mother the day before at the sheriff’s office, Bailey had seen the flash of doubt in Parker’s eyes. Maybe it was little more than a passing consideration, but the point was, Parker had considered that her mother might have been responsible for the threats. She wasn’t. Her mother might be domineering, but Lila loved her children.

  Bailey cursed and tossed her makeup back into her cosmetics bag.

  Yesterday, Bailey had the best sex of her entire life, but after that visit with Chester, they had hardly spoken, and Bailey had slept in the guest room last night—alone.

  It riled her to think of how easily Parker had accepted the sleeping arrangements. He darn sure hadn’t argued when she’d told him that was her plan. Where was the invitation to his bed? And why hadn’t he come to her to try to work things out?

  She cursed again.

  Why hadn’t she gone to him?

  Because his doubts had hurt her to the core, that’s why. Still, after a restless night’s sleep and an equally restless morning, Bailey was seeing things in a new light
.

  And her heart was breaking.

  Bailey had done exactly what she had sworn she wouldn’t do. She had fallen hard for the hot GI who wasn’t emotionally available. She should admit it—when it came to men, her judgment just plain sucked.

  With the battle still going on inside her, she threw open the bathroom door and ran face-first into Parker.

  He caught her in his arms but then quickly let go and stepped back. Way back. In fact, he leaned against the wall, as far away from her as he could get. He had that look on his face. The we-need-to-talk look, and he was probably going to verbalize the conclusion that she had already reached—that sex had been a mistake.

  A mistake that had felt great.

  But a mistake nonetheless.

  “I know what you want to say.” Bailey went for a preemptive strike. “You’re breaking up with me. Except it’s not an actual breakup, I suppose, since we never went out on a date.”

  Parker blinked. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.” His forehead bunched up. “You thought I was going to break up with you?”

  “You weren’t?” just flew right out of her mouth.

  “No,” said in the same tone as when pigs fly.

  She studied his expression to make sure this was no breakup. And Bailey suddenly felt a little stupid. “Well, we haven’t exactly been on speaking terms in the past twenty-four hours.”

  He nodded, stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and leaned the back of his head against the wall. “I wanted to give you some time. I know I upset you when I doubted your mother’s innocence.” He paused, made eye contact with her. “I don’t have a good track record when it comes to trusting people. I just wanted to make sure I was doing everything to keep you safe.”

  “I know.” And she did know that, but it stung. “Are you still suspicious of my mother?”

  “No. The other things—the slashed tires, the note and the vandalized office—those were situations where you couldn’t have been hurt. But the bullets could have done some damage. You could have been killed. Plus, your mother has an alibi for the night your office was vandalized. Bart was at the ranch with her, and they stayed up late talking until the early hours of the morning.”

  “So, that’s what you’ve been doing,” she mumbled. Checking her mother’s alibis. Bailey hated that he’d even had to do that, but she was glad that her mother was no longer a suspect in Parker’s mind.

  She was also glad there was no breakup.

  Of course, that didn’t eliminate the obstacles between her and Parker. There were plenty of things that could get in their way. Like Zach. Parker’s feelings for his late wife. Bailey’s bizarre family.

  Oh, and the fact that she was in danger from a psycho stalker who had put Parker’s son in harm’s way.

  Yes, that was a biggie.

  Bailey stared at him, and for a just a moment, she could forget the obstacles and the danger. Parker was a tasty morsel, all right, in his jeans and snug T-shirt that showed off his body. She was familiar with that body now. She’d had her hands and mouth all over him, and that one time with him had only left her wanting more.

  Like now, for instance.

  “I’ve also been on the computer or phone,” Parker explained. “Lots of security issues to work out.”

  Bailey heard what he said, but her mind was already starting to spin a fantasy. One where she kissed him and dragged him to the floor.

  She felt herself blush and then reminded herself that just minutes earlier she had considered a breakup between them to be a good thing. There was still a possibility that Parker was not yet over his wife’s death.

  But he hadn’t mentioned Amy recently.

  Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t thinking about his wife right now, while he was looking at her. Heaven knows the kind of guilt trip he’d put himself through. Yes, the sex had been amazing, but now both Parker and she were dealing with the aftermath and consequences.

  She huffed.

  That didn’t stop her from wanting him all over again.

  “Did you hear me?” Parker asked.

  Uh, no, she hadn’t. Her expression must have conveyed that, too. Hopefully, it hadn’t conveyed anything else that she’d been thinking.

  “I said I hope you weren’t planning to go into town for the parade.” Parker said it slowly and cautiously as if she might argue. “It starts in less than an hour.”

  Yes. That was indeed today. Bailey loved Freedom’s Independence Day parade. It was one of her favorite things, right up there with the Christmas lights on Main Street and the annual Easter-egg hunt in the city park.

  But she understood his concern.

  “You’ll be able to see some of it from the front porch,” Parker explained. “The floats will pass by at the end of the street, and I can even tap in to the traffic camera on my laptop if you want a closer look.”

  She nodded. “It won’t be the same….” But then, not much was the same these days.

  “Good.” And after a deep breath, Parker repeated it. “I wish I could talk your mother and sister into staying home, as well.”

  Bailey was still looking at him as if he were a box of premium chocolates, but that got her attention. “Excuse me?”

  “Your mother and Chloe. They’re both insisting that they go to the parade.”

  “What? Have their lost their minds? That would be the perfect place for a stalker to strike.” She’d put her phone in her dress pocket, and she couldn’t get it out fast enough. She tried Chloe’s number first. “Her bodyguard couldn’t talk her out of this?”

  “No. And he tried, trust me. I was worried that you’d demand to go, too.”

  A few days ago, she would have demanded. Correction: she would have gone to the parade. But things were different now. If she went, so would Parker, and she wasn’t a fool. Both of them would be in danger. She didn’t want to put Zach’s dad at risk because she was stubborn. It just wasn’t that important.

  “Chloe’s call went to voice mail,” Bailey mumbled. Her sister had likely done that on purpose because Chloe would have known why Bailey was calling and probably wanted to avoid an argument.

  “I spoke to Harlan McClain less than a half hour ago,” Parker assured her. “He’ll stay right beside her.” He placed his fingers beneath her chin and gently lifted it to look in her eyes. “Harlan is former black ops. He can handle a stalker and Chloe. Plus, there have been no threats of any kind made to your sister.”

  Bailey knew he was right, and she also knew she stood zero chance of changing Chloe’s mind. Her sister was stubborn, just like the rest of their family.

  Especially their mother.

  “Mom doesn’t have a black-ops bodyguard,” Bailey pointed out. “She has Tim.” And since Bailey wasn’t sure she could even trust him, she pressed her mother’s number next.

  When Lila answered, Bailey put the call on speaker.

  “Did something happen?” her mother immediately asked.

  “No. Not yet anyway. But I just found out you’re going to the parade.”

  “Of course I am. I’ve been the grand marshal of the Freedom parade for the last eleven years. Nothing’s changed.”

  “Everything has changed,” Bailey reminded her. “You’ve been threatened.”

  “Just letters, Bailey. There has been nothing even remotely dangerous. You are the one I’m worried about so I called Parker this morning. He assured me that he’d do everything possible short of hog-tying you to keep you away from the parade.”

  Bailey looked up at Parker who only shrugged. He obviously wasn’t going to apologize for doing his job.

  “I’ll be fine,” her mother continued. “I spoke to Bart a couple minutes ago, and he’s sending out several of his men to shadow me.”

  That gave Bailey some relief. Tim wouldn’t be the only one guarding her, but that didn’t eliminate all her worries. “It would be better if you stayed at the ranch. Or you can come here and watch from the porch with me.”

 
; “Thanks for the generous offer, but I’m going to the parade. I’m already in town, waiting at the sheriff’s office. Besides, I couldn’t get to Parker’s house except on foot. The streets have already been closed so the crews can do the final decorations.”

  True. For most of Independence Day, downtown Freedom wasn’t accessible by car, and all the shops were closed. Bailey definitely didn’t want her mother walking the half mile or so from where she would have to park.

  “Mother, just promise me that you’ll stay with Bart’s men or the sheriff until the parade is over and you get back to the ranch.”

  “I promise, if you’ll give me your word that you won’t leave Parker’s side.”

  That sounded a little sexual, even though she knew her mother hadn’t meant it that way. Perhaps that’s because Bailey still had sex on the brain when it came to Parker.

  “Deal,” Bailey promised. “I love you, Mom.”

  “Oh, Bailey, I love you, too.” And her mother sounded so surprised that Bailey made a mental note to tell her more often. Because she did indeed love her mother, and she prayed this day would end with her family safe and sound.

  “I tried,” Bailey said to Parker when she ended the call. “Now, what about Zach? I suppose he’s going to the parade, too?”

  Parker nodded. “But he’ll be with Josh and his dad, and they’re going to watch from the street in front of the sheriff’s office. Zach said when he goes to any of the food booths, Josh will go with him.”

  Good. That was one less worry.

  And one less thing for them to discuss.

  The silence that followed settled uncomfortably between them.

  Bailey was about to tell Parker that she was sorry for the silent treatment she’d given him the day before. She was also sorry that things weren’t going so well between them. She needed to remind him of her track record with men, and then he could tell her all about how complicated his life was.

  But she didn’t get to say any of those things.

  That’s because Parker leaned down and kissed her.

  It was so unexpected that the gesture alone nearly robbed her of her breath. What little air she managed to hang on to evaporated because of the heat of the kiss.