by Susan Stoker
Mina’s brow crinkled. “Is this necessary?”
“Yes.” Treven and Bennet chorused.
“Best to be safe.” Clint pulled out his phone and typed.
“I think it’s a good idea.” Delta leaned close to her husband. “I can come with you to help protect Mina here inside the—”
“No.” Treven reached out and laced her fingers with his. “You’ll be at home. The fewer people we have to worry about, the better.”
Rex noticed Mina’s gaze shift to the burn scars on Treven’s hand, then quickly look away. Her gaze locked with Rex’s. Heat flooded his body, centering in his groin. There couldn’t be a repeat of this afternoon’s episode in the bedroom.
“I’ll take tonight and tomorrow night.” Clint pointed to Rex’s paper. “I’m on call with the fire department the next night.”
Rex set up the schedule and everyone snacked on sandwiches and brownies while talking about anything and everything, except the thing most on their minds. Mina’s safety.
*
Half an hour later, Mina stood at the screen door, watching Rex and his buddies walking around the house, discussing possible blind spots and directions from where trouble could come.
Delta came back from the bathroom. “Feels like I’m in there all the time, now.”
Mina nodded, catching Delta’s vague reference, but concentrating on trying to hear what the guys were saying. Bennet had gone into his room, and loud snores now sounded from that part of the house.
With an elbow nudge, Delta gestured to the porch. “Let’s go sit. Enjoy the afternoon sun.”
They headed outside and sat on two of the old rocking chairs. “It’s so unspoiled here.” Mina didn’t often wish for a different life than the one she had, but after the last few days, she could use an extended vacation. She heard Treven calling to Rex.
Mina watched Delta listen to her husband speak. The woman had a small smile on her lips. “How did you and Treven meet?”
Delta tucked her shoulder-length shag-cut hair behind her ears. “He saved my life.”
Mina crinkled her nose. “Honest?”
“Yep.” Delta held out her hand, palm down. “Did you notice the burns on his hands? I was racing, my car burst into flames, and he pulled me out, but he wasn’t wearing safety equipment.” Wrapping her arms around her middle, she rocked her chair. “He’s a true hero. And so is Rex.”
Mina didn’t know where she was going with that, but she nodded. “I agree.” He’d saved her.
“He’s exceptionally serious.” Delta stared off into the distance. “But he’s faced a lot in his life.”
“Many people who choose crime fighting as a livelihood, do.” He and Bennet had made some references, but she hadn’t wanted to ask personal questions. “He’s been exceptionally decisive and surprisingly kind.” Not nice, really, but understanding of her desperate maneuvers, which was more than she had expected.
Delta looked at Mina out of the corner of her eye. “You like him?”
She wasn’t going to participate in girl talk. “He’s a likeable person, but there’s no room in our situation for enjoying each other’s personality.” Mina sounded stiff, even to her own ears. It was odd, she usually only talked like a professor when she had something to hide. And what had happened upstairs earlier…that was probably something she’d like to keep hidden.
“Yet, your cheeks are bright red.” Delta grinned like a devious toddler.
Bright red, probably due more to guilt than infatuation. Guilt from crawling into bed with the detective and boldly kissing him. She sighed. That kiss. It had shaken her pretty darn good. But how did she feel about him? “I guess I could grow to like him.” Hopefully they’d all live long enough for that to be a possibility. As the sun eased toward the western horizon, her anxiety level increased. What would happen tonight?
Delta reached over and squeezed Mina’s hand once, quickly. “It’ll be okay. These guys know what they’re doing.” The race car driver sat back and breathed deeply, her face going pale.
“Are you okay?” Mina wasn’t sure what to do. “Are you ill?”
Delta shook her head slowly, then a slow, mysterious smile curved her lips. “Not sick.” She glanced Mina’s way and set the palm of her hand on her lower belly. “I haven’t told him yet.”
Mina’s heart thudded. “Congratulations.” Delta and Treven were obviously in love. Deeply. And this baby would be a lovely blessing for them. “I’m so happy for you.” The vision of a very-pregnant Delta behind the wheel of a racecar flashed into Mina’s mind. “How long can you drive your—”
The men came around the side of the porch and Mina pressed her lips shut.
Delta leaned closer. “We’ll talk later.”
Mina nodded, hoping—praying—there would be a later for her.
Clint, with his loose-limbed swagger, leapt up the three steps onto the porch and sat on the chair next to Mina’s. “Looks like I’ll be your company tonight, Miss Mina.”
Treven snorted. “That’s Doctor Mina, redneck.” He held out his hand toward Delta. “Come on, wife. Let’s get you home so I can finish the chores before comin’ back for my graveyard shift.” His eyes went wide. “That didn’t come out too good, did it?”
Delta strolled over to him and down the steps. “You have such a clever way with words.”
They laughed, but Mina caught Rex’s stare. It could be a graveyard for all of them if just one slipup occurred. One overheard conversation at the police station. One person trusting the wrong coworker. She blinked and looked away. She was putting all these people in jeopardy.
“Why the frown, hun?” Clint set his booted ankle on his knee and rocked back in his chair. “You’ve got me here to protect you, and while I’m at it, I’ll keep an eye on Rex and Ben too.” He laughed at his own joke.
“Don’t need that, son.” Bennet’s voice came from behind them. “But, thanks.”
Mina jerked around and spotted him just inside the screen door. Sneaky fellow. Had he heard her and Delta talking about Rex?
“Stay safe.” Delta and Treven left, and Rex came up the steps.
“I’m gonna lay out the ammo.” Rex walked into the house.
Clint stood, blessedly serious, finally. “I’ll bring in my arsenal.”
What would Rex say if she asked him to show her how to shoot a gun?
*
Hours later, Rex patted his full stomach. Mina was good in the kitchen. Really good. Clint had gone out of his way to compliment her, but Rex could see that the doctor wasn’t falling for the other man’s bad boy charm.
Rex had spent the afternoon cleaning, loading, and positioning weapons at points around the house, with spare ammo close by. Clint and Bennet helped, but spent more time arguing over the best manufacturer of pistols, rifles, and shotguns than working on them.
Mina asked if she could try shooting a gun, but Bennet and Rex had talked her out of it. They were well covered with Rex and Bennet’s lawman skills, and Clint was a deadeye trap shooter. After that, she had paced until Bennet politely suggested she get her mind off things by cooking up something for supper.
The white kitchen walls turned a soft orange as the sun hugged the horizon.
“Miss Mina.” Clint stood. “Would you care to go for a stroll?”
“No.” The word shot out of Rex like hot lead out of a forty-five.
Everyone looked at him, frozen in place.
“Too dangerous.” He grabbed his plate and Mina’s and walked to the dishwasher.
“Probably right.” Bennet worked a toothpick through his teeth. “Maybe you two should go on into the parlor and work on that jigsaw puzzle that’s been half-finished for a month.”
A fork slipped out of Rex’s hand and hit the floor. He picked it up, frustrated with himself for catering to his emotions instead of adhering to the cold details of this case.
The sound of a chair pushing back from the table grated on his nerves. He needed to focus, or things would s
tart slipping. He needed to be on point.
“Mina.” Clint helped her with an elbow on her arm. “It’d be my pleasure to give the ol’ jigsaw puzzle a spin with you.”
She laughed softly. “Rex? Bennet? Would you like to join us?”
Rex shook his head. “I’m gonna take a look around, check on things.”
“I’ll go with him.” Bennet stood and balanced on his walker.
“Suit yourselves.” Clint led Mina to the small room off the far side of the living room, where Bennet entertained visitors of the female persuasion.
“Leave the dishes.” Bennet stuck a pistol in the holster on his walker and made tracks out the screen door, across the porch, and down the long ramp that covered half the width of the steps.
Rex picked up a rifle and jogged to catch up. “What’s your hurry?”
“Son, if you like the pretty doctor, why don’t you do something about it?” Bennet stopped in the middle of the patchy grass yard and pointed a finger at Rex. “Since you got divorced from my daughter, you’ve been living like a monk. She’s moved on.” He tipped his head down for just a second. “Moved on so good, you’d think she’d never had a father in the first place.”
Rex kicked a clod of dirt. Even though Bennet was Aletha’s stepfather, he’d been the one who’d raised her from a baby until her momma moved on to Aletha’s next stepfather when her daughter was just nine. “That’s mostly my fault, now that she has no chance of getting her hands on the ranch.” Damn, he hadn’t meant to say it so bluntly. “Sorry.”
“No, Rex. I know how calculating and greedy she is.” The old man patted Rex on the shoulder. “Wish I’d seen it in her before you two got involved.”
Rex slashed a hand through the air. “Old news. We’ve got more critical worries.” He nodded once toward the barn. “Should we lock that up?”
“Probably a good plan.” Bennet wheeled toward the old wood building. “When this is over, though, I’d encourage you to talk with the young doctor. She likes you, and I can see that you’ve taken a shine to her, some.”
Rex stopped. “Old man, why are you playing matchmaker? You don’t know that she likes me any more than you came up with some kind of magic to discern that I like her.”
“Don’t be so sure.” Bennet kept walking.
Rex had to jog to catch up. “What do you mean?”
“I know you, Rex. Known you since you were just a sprout. I’ve seen you getting’ hot and bothered by girls, and Doctor Mina? She’s mighty worth you taking the time to get to know.”
Rex couldn’t argue with that. Not with any of it. Mina was incredibly witty and had to be intelligent to hold down the job she had. That didn’t even cover her physical attributes, which he’d had the pleasure of exploring in his bed earlier that afternoon. And Bennet thought she liked Rex?
“Presuming for a minute that you are right, and I do like her a little, what makes you think she feels the same?”
Bennet stopped and turned, his big ol’ smile wide across his face. “I oiled the wheels on my walker after my nap this afternoon.” He laughed. “The girls didn’t hear me sneak up to listen in on their lady-talk.”
“Jeez.” Rex just shook his head. The man had no concern for privacy after all his years in the sheriff’s department. Rex glanced back at the house, then at Bennet. “So you heard her say she likes me?”
The old man chuckled as he wheeled to the barn door. “Son, you are in big, big trouble with that young lady. As big as it gets.”
So much for keeping his focus sharp. Rex gripped the shotgun tight in his hands to remind him of what was important as he yanked open the barn door and got back to his police work.
Chapter Six
‡
The next morning, Mina jerked awake. The sun had reached a sixty degree angle already. She’d barely slept during the night, listening to Rex and Clint patrolling, talking quietly with Bennet, and taking turns coming upstairs to sleep.
She sat up and looked out her window. She could see beautiful green pastures spreading for acres and acres. A small river flowing in a random path across the land. Off in the distance, a patch of brown and white moved. She guessed it was the cattle.
She hadn’t been on a ranch in years, since a department retreat to “get away from the city.” That night sky had been amazing, but the rest of it—horseback riding and other cowboy pursuits—had been more comical than restful for the group of academics.
She checked the other bedrooms, which were empty, then showered quickly and dressed in Delta’s jeans that were too short and wide. The other woman had sent along a belt, which helped. Pulling on a soft tank top, she dug through the duffle bag and found a gray hoodie. Nice lady, that Delta. During the night, Mina had automatically reached for her smart phone to search for information on the racecar driver, forgetting that her access to technology now resided at the bottom of the river.
She stepped quietly down to the lower level, not hearing voices.
Bennet roused in his chair. “G’mornin’.”
“Good morning. How are you?” The man looked a little gray around the edges.
“I’m just fine. How about you, Doctor?”
“Please, it’s Mina. And I’m well-rested, which is a surprise. Considering.”
“Yep.” He pointed to the kitchen. “Coffee’s on.”
She wandered toward the room. Clint’s truck was gone. “Rex?”
“He’s in the barn, tending to his horse.”
She stopped walking, and turned. “He has a horse?”
“Yep.” Bennet stood, slowly, and with lots of pops and snaps coming from various joints. “I suggested he take you for a ride, get the both of you away from here for a while.” He rolled into the kitchen and plucked a cloth bag out of the refrigerator. “Packed you a lunch, so you can stay gone for a while.”
Mina hadn’t moved. Why would Bennet suggest they ride out and picnic…? “You overheard my conversation with Delta yesterday?”
Bennet had the grace to look a little sheepish. “I did, not on purpose, but it comes naturally to me.” One side of his mouth curved up, as if the small lie didn’t sit well. He picked up his walker and set it down firmly. “Rex is a good man. A skilled detective, honest, and has a big heart that got crushed one too many times by the woman I’m ashamed to call my daughter.”
Mina’s throat clogged with emotion.
He stood a little taller. “You’d do well to find a future with him, even if it’s just a short one. But Mina, honey, he’s got a lot of pride.”
Her lips curved up. “I’ve noticed.”
A short bark of laughter came out of the old sheriff. “Not hard to discern.” He let his head drop. “Just give him a chance, be honest with him, and let him see you’re not out to hurt him.”
Her stomach rolled a little at the “honest” part, but she had good reason for that. Didn’t she? Picking up the bag, she had to carry the heavy thing in two hands. “How many meals did you pack in here?” She eased out the screen door.
Bennet grunted. “Enough for a nice, long afternoon.” He chuckled as he wandered back into the living room.
The springy grass under her feet lifted her heart. The warm sun on her back gave her hope. The sound of Rex’s voice talking to his horse around the side of the barn gave her happy tingles. This was a man of quality, and Bennet was right. It was worth the effort to crack open his pride and see if there was more to their mutual attraction than just…sex.
He stood tall, his feet planted wide as he brushed down a big, big, really big, brown horse with a white mane and tail.
The animal spotted her and nickered.
Rex glanced her way, frowned when he saw the bag in her hands, then went back to work. “You decided to come out of hiding.”
“I think I’ve never slept that well in my life. Thank you for guarding me all night.”
He nodded.
She set down the bag and walked around the front of the horse, holding out her hand. “Who’s th
is lovely lady?”
“Mmmm.” Rex groaned. “This is my gelding, Merle.”
She laughed, letting the sound ease even more of her stress. “My apologies, sir.” She petted the horse’s long nose. “Why Merle?”
Rex shrugged as he worked. “The guy was…and is…Bennet’s favorite singer. He got the colt for me when I was eight, and I’d never imagined owning anything this awesome. So I gave him a name in honor of Bennet.”
“That’s sweet.” She did the math. “When you were eight?” She waited a few minutes, but he didn’t say more. She’d seen another small house a ways down the river. “Was your dad the foreman here?”
“Nope.” He patted the horse’s side and walked away.
“He’s one of those quiet types, huh?” She ran her hand along the horse’s silky neck. “You’re a handsome one.”
“Thanks.” Rex strolled toward her carrying a small blanket and some leather straps. “Bennet suggested…” He sighed and shook his head. “Would you like to take a ride? We only have one horse, but he can carry us both.”
Her mouth opened, but no thoughts formed in her head. She had not expected to share a horse. But what fun, being that close to Rex. “Sure, I’d love to.” Gesturing to her clothes and running shoes, she grimaced. “This okay?”
“Sure is.” He wore jeans, boots, a flannel shirt, and to make things perfect, he had a cowboy hat on the fencepost behind him.
In minutes they were on Merle’s back, Mina behind Rex, wearing an old seed cap and holding the detective very tightly. He’d snugged a rifle in a holder attached to the saddle, and barely moved a leg to make the horse walk.
She glanced down. “We’re way up in the air.” Even though Merle was just walking, the ground seemed to race by at a dizzying speed. “He’s not going to go for a run, is he?”
Rex laughed, quick and hard, sounding almost rusty. “No. I tell him what to do.” He made a clicking sound with his mouth, moved his legs, and the horse did some kind of jarring trot.
