Guardian Cowboy

by Carla Cassidy

  He’d never been so happy to see Clay, Mac and Flint, all riding hell-bent for leather toward him. “Over there,” he said and pointed to the woods. “A shooter.”

  They all dismounted, guns drawn. Mac and Flint ran for the woods and Clay hurried to Sawyer’s side. “Oh, man, you’ve been hit,” he exclaimed. “How bad is it?”

  “I’m okay,” Sawyer said as he sat up. The nausea had passed, leaving only a white-hot, searing pain behind. “Go check on Janis, she’s somewhere by the truck.”

  As Clay ran toward the truck, Sawyer got to his feet and pressed a hand against his burning, bleeding wound. He wasn’t worried about the man in the woods taking another shot at him, not with Mac and Flint hunting him down. He’d be too busy turning tail and escaping to take any more shots.

  What he was most concerned about was Janis. She had to be terrified by the horrible turn the afternoon had taken. He raced to the truck and found her seated on the ground next to the back tire with Clay standing next to her.

  “Sawyer!” She got to her feet, her face pale and her eyes huge. Her eyes grew even wider as she saw the blood on his shirt. “Oh, my God, you’re hurt!”

  “I’ll be all right. Let’s get you out of here,” he replied. “Clay, you want to drive her back to the big house and have Cassie call Dillon, if he isn’t there. I’ll take your horse back.”

  “Sawyer, he was shooting at you,” Janis protested. “You can’t ride a horse back to the house. You’ll be an easy target on horseback. You need to be in the truck with me.”

  “She’s right, Sawyer. Besides, you need medical care as soon as possible. Take the truck and go,” Clay said.

  What Sawyer wanted was to catch the bastard that had shot him, the son of a bitch who had put such fear on Janis’s face. But he knew Janis was right. He didn’t need to make a target of himself and he trusted that if the man could be caught, Flint and Mac would catch him.

  “I can’t believe this happened,” Janis said once they were in the truck and headed back.

  “This wasn’t exactly in my afternoon plans.”

  A sob escaped her. “You’re bleeding a lot, Sawyer,” she said through her tears. “My God, you could have been killed.”

  “But the good news is that I wasn’t.”

  “How badly are you hurt?” She continued to softly cry.

  “I probably just need a kiss and a bandage and I’ll be fine,” he said in an attempt to stop her tears.

  It didn’t work. She continued to weep as he pulled the truck to a halt by the big, two-story house where Cassie and Dillon lived.

  Together they got out and he banged on the back door.

  Cassie answered and gasped when she saw the blood coming from the gunshot wound.

  She ushered them inside. “What happened?”

  “Somebody shot him,” Janis blurted and once again began to cry.

  “You have some kind of a first-aid kit?” he asked. “And if Dillon isn’t here, could you call him and get him here? Somebody just tried to kill me out in the pasture by the pond.”

  “Come with me.” Cassie led them up the stairs and into the large master bathroom. She opened the linen closet and pulled out a first-aid kit.

  “I’ll help him,” Janis said. She had stopped crying but still wore the shock of the horrible events on her pale features.

  “I’ll go back downstairs and call Dillon. I’m also calling Dr. Washington. You need to have a doctor look at that wound,” Cassie replied.

  Once she was gone, Sawyer winced as he shrugged out of his shirt.

  Janis caught her lower lip with her teeth at the sight of the bloody mess.

  “It’s not as bad as it looks,” he said in an effort to staunch any more tears.

  “Sit,” she commanded, pointing to the commode. She turned on the faucets in the sink and grabbed a cloth from the first-aid kit. She adjusted the water temperature, held the cloth beneath the spray and then began to clean up the blood.

  “I’m glad you stopped crying,” he said as she worked.

  “I think I’ve moved from tears to complete and utter shock,” she replied. “I just can’t believe this happened.”

  Sawyer winced as she began to clean the wound itself. To take his mind off the pain, he focused on her...on the incredible length of her eyelashes and the gold flecks that kept her eyes from being a plain boring brown.

  He concentrated on the light floral scent of her that he now identified as belonging to her alone and the shiny strands of her hair that he knew was soft and silky.

  Lordy, but he wanted her. He’d wanted her when her face had lit with excitement as she’d reeled in her fish. He’d wanted her when they were picnicking together. He wanted her now, even with pain racking his shoulder and her fighting back tears.

  Maybe he should focus on the pain. He’d never felt this kind of sharp craving for a woman before. It had always been so easy for him to put the physical aspect of his relationships with other women on the back burner. However, there was something about Janis that had him fevered for her.

  What he should be thinking about was who in the hell had held the gun that had shot at him. There was no doubt in his mind it was the same man who had written him the anonymous note warning him to stay away from her. It was the same person who had slashed his tire. But who was he?

  Hopefully, Clay and the others would come back with the creep hog-tied to one of their saddles. He wanted the man in jail for attempted murder.

  “At least I don’t see a bullet,” Janis murmured, her breath a warm caress on the side of his face. “And it looks like the bleeding has stopped.”

  “I told you I’d be fine with just a bandage and a kiss,” he replied.

  “We’ll let Dr. Washington be the judge of that,” she replied.

  “Why? Is he going to kiss me?”

  “Stop.”

  He looked at her innocently. “Stop what?”

  “Stop trying to make me laugh. This isn’t a laughing matter, Sawyer.” Her lips trembled and she looked like new tears were just a blink away.

  “You’re right.” He stood and waved away any further help from her. “Now all I need is a kiss from my woman and then we’re going downstairs to wait for Dillon.”

  She didn’t hesitate. She rose up on her tiptoes and gave him a gentle kiss filled with caring on his cheek. It was short and sweet but that didn’t stop him from responding to it.

  He grabbed his bloody shirt off the sink and together they headed down the stairs, where Dr. Eric Washington was already waiting for them.

  Dr. Washington had been the town doctor in Bitterroot forever. He was far past retirement age, still made house calls, and told everyone who would listen that he’d retire when he was dead.

  “Let’s see what we have here.” He motioned Sawyer into one of the chairs at the kitchen table and took off the bandage Janis had placed over the wound only moments before.

  “Hmm, looks like a flesh wound that has been nicely cleaned,” he said with approval. “Did you apply anything to it?”

  “Some antibacterial cream,” Janis replied.

  “Good.” Dr. Washington reapplied the bandage. “Keep applying the antibacterial cream and if it starts to look red and angry, come see me. I’ll call in a prescription for some pain medication. You can pick it up at the pharmacy later this afternoon.”

  At that moment Dillon came in through the back door with Officer Ben Taylor at his side. “What’s going on?” Dillon asked.

  “I believe Janis’s innocent stalker just tried to kill me,” Sawyer replied.

  “I’ll just get out of here so you all can talk,” Dr. Washington said.

  “Send me the bill, Doc,” Sawyer called out to him as the old man headed for the door.

  Dr. Washington gave a wave over his head as he walked out the back door.

&nbs
p; “Now, tell me exactly what happened,” Dillon said.

  Sawyer went over the events of the afternoon from them fishing to the moment the bullets had flown.

  “Whoever it was didn’t appear to be shooting at Janis. Thank God a couple of the men heard the gunfire and rode out to save us.”

  “Where are those men now?” Dillon asked.

  “I’m assuming they’re still out there looking for the creep,” Sawyer replied and tried to ignore the pain shooting through his shoulder. Janis stood right behind him and he could feel her concern draping over him like a heavy cloth.

  “What pasture?” Dillon asked.

  “Down by the pond.”

  Dillon turned to look at Ben. “Head down there now and see what’s going on.”

  With a nod, Ben disappeared out the back door.

  Dillon pulled a small notepad from his slacks’ pocket and made several notes.

  “Tell me again exactly what happened,” he said.

  With a deep sigh, Sawyer went through the events of the day once again. There was something niggling at the back of Sawyer’s mind, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.

  Dillon took more notes, stopping only when Clay and Ben came in through the back door.

  “We searched everywhere, but all we found was a depressed area in the grass where the shooter must have sat waiting to get a good shot.” Clay swept off his hat and released a deep sigh of frustration. “We really wanted to catch him, but he was obviously one step ahead of us.”

  “Did any of you hear a vehicle taking off?” Dillon asked.

  Clay shook his head. “I asked all the other men if they’d seen a vehicle on the property, but nobody saw anything. He must have left on foot.”

  “He probably parked just up the road,” Sawyer said.

  For the next half an hour they talked about who might have been behind the gun, but no real suspects came to mind.

  “Now that I know this person wants me dead, I’ll make sure to be a little more careful of where I go,” Sawyer said as he got up from the table.

  All he really wanted to do at the moment was to take Janis someplace where the two of them could relax. He didn’t want her to have all this drama in her head when he took her home. He wanted her to have happy thoughts when she drifted off to sleep that night.

  “If you need me, I’ll be at the café with Janis, enjoying some great dessert and conversation,” he said. He offered Janis a reassuring smile. “All I have to do is stop by my room and grab a clean shirt.”

  He threw his good arm around Janis’s shoulder.

  “Cassie, thanks for the first-aid kit,” he said and then, together, he and Janis left the house.

  They got into the pickup and he drove toward the cowboy bunkhouse.

  “Sawyer, could we just call it a day? I really don’t feel like going to the café or doing anything.”

  He stopped the truck and turned to look at her. “Are you sure?”

  “Sawyer, you just got shot in the shoulder. An inch difference could have seen you dead. I thought we both were going to die out there. Sorry, but I just don’t feel like sitting around in the café and eating dessert like nothing happened. I’m a little sick to my stomach and I really just want to go home.”

  “It was a dumb idea,” he replied. “I was just trying to salvage something good out of the day so that our time together would end on a better note.”

  “And I appreciate the thought,” she replied.

  He turned his truck around and headed for town. He didn’t like the silence that rode with them. It was a weighty, close silence that made him nervous.

  He cast a quick glance at Janis as they pulled into the small parking area behind the bar. Her shoulders were stiffened and her face still wore a sickly shade of pale.

  Together they got out of the truck and he walked with her to the door. She pulled her key out of her purse and unlocked it.

  She then turned around to look at him and the intensity of her gaze formed a ball of tension in the center of his chest.

  “Sawyer, I like you. I like you a lot. But I don’t want to go out with you anymore.”

  Chapter 6

  Her heart was breaking, but she’d made up her mind. It didn’t matter that Sawyer’s eyes had darkened and his entire body had stiffened at her words.

  “Can we talk about this inside?” he asked.

  She immediately allowed him entry into the room. The last thing she wanted was for him to stand around outside where another bullet might find him.

  “Janis, I like you, too. In fact, I like you better than any woman I’ve ever dated before. I feel like we’re moving toward something really good. You can’t stop it now.”

  Tears blurred her vision and she directed her gaze down to her feet. “I can’t take a chance on your life, Sawyer. You got hurt today and it’s all my fault.”

  “Don’t you dare take the blame for what happened today,” he replied with an edge of anger in his tone. “Whoever shot me is a nut. Are you’re going to let some nut keep you away from me?”

  “If it means saving your life, then the answer is yes.” She wiped at her eyes and returned her gaze to him. The bandage was stark white against the bronzed skin of his bare chest. His hair was in disarray but shone with gold highlights woven into the copper color. He’d never looked as handsome, as sexy, as he did right now while she was telling him goodbye.

  “Then are you willing to never date again for the rest of your life?” he asked. “Because I have a feeling this guy isn’t going to just go away. He’ll be a risk to any man you choose to date in the future.”

  “I don’t care about that, all I care about is you,” she said fervently. How could this be happening to her...to them? Who was this person who’d tried to kill Sawyer just for dating her?

  Sawyer stepped closer to her, close enough that he reached out and stroked his fingers down the side of her face. She couldn’t help the way her face turned into the caress even as her heart was breaking.

  “Honey, don’t let him win. I’m a big boy and I can take care of myself.”

  “But you were shot,” she cried plaintively. “You could have been killed.” The tears she’d been trying so hard to keep at bay slowly slid down her cheeks.

  He nodded and dropped his hand to his side. “But, I wasn’t. I don’t intend to hang out in a pasture with you again until after this man is caught. As long as we’re smart, we’ll be all right. Just don’t cut me out, Janis. Don’t give up on us.”

  Her head told her to send him packing for his own good, but her heart wavered. She wanted to do the right thing, but why did it have to hurt so badly?

  When he reached out to pull her into his arms, she tried to resist by stepping back from him. But he wouldn’t be denied. He stepped forward and embraced her. She also couldn’t help the way her arms wrapped around his neck as if they belonged there.

  “I’m so afraid for you,” she whispered into the crook of his neck.

  “Whoever he is, he’ll show his hand sooner or later. In the meantime we’ll make sure we’re either here or in a crowd when we do go out. It will be all right, Janis. Please, don’t be afraid.” His arms tightened around her. “For God’s sake, give us a chance. Don’t let this creep have his way and rip apart what’s just beginning.”

  “Okay,” she relented, hating herself for being so weak where he was concerned. She stepped out of his embrace. “But if you wind up dead, I’ll never, ever, forgive you.”

  He grinned...the slightly crooked smile that warmed her heart. “Trust me, I’ll be a little upset with myself if I wind up dead. And now I’m going to get out of here and let you get a good night’s sleep.”

  “I think you’re the one who needs some rest.” Her gaze lingered on the bandage. “Don’t forget to stop at the pharmacy and get your pain medication. You’ll
call somebody if you start to run a fever or if you don’t feel right?”

  “I promise I will. Good night, Janis. I’ll see you tomorrow and we go forward with no regrets.”

  “No regrets,” she repeated.

  After he left, she got into a hot shower and cried with the residual fear of those moments when she’d been behind the truck and listening to the gunshots that she knew were directed at Sawyer.

  No regrets, he’d said. Yet she couldn’t help worrying that seeing Sawyer again after today was a huge mistake. But, God help her, she didn’t want to stop seeing him.

  Surely they could be safe if they were never out in public together without other people around. And there was no reason why they couldn’t hang out in her room. She could even cook him dinner here, using the bar equipment on Sundays when the bar was closed.

  They could be safe, couldn’t they? But was that her head talking or her heart?

  She got out of the shower, pulled on her nightshirt and, even though it was early, she got into bed. Immediately visions from the afternoon slashed through her mind.

  The sudden pop... Sawyer slamming her to the ground and the horrifying knowledge that somebody was shooting at them... The acrid scent of Sawyer’s gunfire filled her nose as fear accelerated her heartbeat...

  Then there was the moment she’d seen his shoulder...the shirt ripped and bloody. She sat up, her heart racing so fast she could scarcely catch her breath. He was safe, she told herself. It was over and both of them had survived.

  Who was responsible for this? What person did she know who was a potential murderer? What man wanted nobody else in her life? Or, was it possible it was a woman? It didn’t matter. It was crazy. It was a sick game and somehow she needed to figure out who it was.

  In the meantime she’d just have to wait to see how things played out. Sawyer seemed adamant that he didn’t intend to go anywhere and she didn’t know whether to be happy or horrified by his decision. All she knew for sure was that she was precariously close to falling in love with Sawyer Quincy.

  As she stretched out once again in an effort to fall asleep, she had that creepy-crawly feeling again...like somebody was watching her.