Stalking Season

by Sandra Robbins

  “I didn’t say that. What I meant is...”

  “I know exactly what you meant,” she huffed.

  The anger on her face fueled his, too. He couldn’t believe she was being so unreasonable. All he wanted to do was keep her safe, and she appeared to be saying that wasn’t necessary. If that was the case, he’d back off and let her do as she pleased.

  “I think it’s time we left,” he said, almost flinching at the icy tone of his voice.

  She lifted her head, threw her napkin on the table and stood up. “That’s fine with me. I’ll go to the ladies’ room, and you can settle up the bill.” She pursed her lips. “Unless of course I misunderstood, and you want me to pay for my meal since you’re only spending your time protecting me.”

  He pushed to his feet and glared at her. “Of course I don’t expect you to pay. I’ll take care of it and meet you by the hostess station.”

  She didn’t say anything as she turned and flounced away. Jasmine had been emotional like that, too. It seemed she was always getting upset at something he’d said. Most of the time he didn’t even know what it was. This was why he hadn’t been involved with a woman in a long time. There was no understanding them, and you couldn’t reason with them like you could a man. With a groan he pulled out his wallet, dumped some bills on the table and stormed toward the entrance.

  By the time she joined him, he had settled down and was now feeling guilty for having upset her so. When she came out of the ladies’ room, she looked contrite, too, but neither of them said anything as they walked to his car. Twenty minutes later they still hadn’t spoken as they rode along the curving mountain road that led back to Little Pigeon Ranch.

  He glanced at her from time to time, but she stared straight ahead without wavering. After a while he sighed and decided it was probably best that this had happened. Stop this relationship before it got a chance to get started. He had enough to worry about without guarding against everything he said or did in order to keep Cheyenne from being upset with him.

  The thought had barely flashed in his mind when he spotted a vehicle bearing down on them at a high speed. He gritted his teeth. What kind of idiot would drive like that on a mountain road? Beside him Cheyenne straightened in her seat. She was staring at the side-view mirror with a look of disbelief on her face.

  “That car is going way too fast,” she said.

  Luke nodded. “I know. I wonder if something is the matter.”

  Suddenly the vehicle swerved into the opposite lane and accelerated to pass them. Luke glanced out his window and realized it wasn’t a car but a black truck that was crowding his lane. “Get over!” Luke yelled, as if the driver could hear him.

  He glanced back at the truck and his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. The window on the truck rolled down and Luke could see an arm clasping a gun extended from the person behind the wheel.

  “Get down!” Luke yelled as he grabbed the back of Cheyenne’s neck and forced her down.

  He saw the flash and heard two bullets rip through his car, then they were crashing through the guardrail and picking up speed as they plunged down the mountain. He released Cheyenne and grabbed the steering wheel with both hands just as the air bags exploded. Then with a jarring impact, the car came to an abrupt halt against a tree.

  For a moment he couldn’t move, then he shook off the dazed feeling as he turned to stare at Cheyenne. With a strangled cry he pushed the air bag off her and touched her face. “Cheyenne, are you okay?” he said.

  She didn’t answer, and when he pulled his hand away, he felt a sticky substance on it. She was bleeding badly. He pushed his air bag away, twisted in the seat and put his arm around her as he gave her a little shake.

  “Cheyenne, please wake up.”

  She didn’t move, and the most hopeless feeling he’d ever had in his life ripped through him. She had to be all right. He had too much to tell her. She had to know he was sorry he had lost his temper at the restaurant, and he was sorry he wasn’t able to keep her safe.

  With a sinking heart, he realized that this was too much like the night of his father’s accident, and Luke didn’t think he could survive anything like that again.

  He tightened his hold on her and gave her another slight shake. “Cheyenne, open your eyes.” When she didn’t move, he reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

  “9-1-1,” the voice on the other end said. “What is your emergency?”

  “This is Deputy Luke Conrad. A truck forced my car off the road, and we’re down the mountainside against a tree. We’re on the road that goes to Little Pigeon Ranch.”

  “I have your location on GPS, Luke. Just sit tight. I’ll get the rescue team out there. Are you hurt?”

  “I think I’m okay, but Cheyenne Cassidy, who is with me, is unconscious. She needs help.”

  “They’re leaving now and should be there in a few minutes.”

  Luke disconnected the call and turned back to Cheyenne. It was beginning to grow cold in the car. He reached for the ignition. If he could get the motor on, he could turn up the heater. He turned the key, but nothing happened. There had to be more damage to the car than he’d first thought.

  Beside him Cheyenne groaned. She was wearing a jacket, but he felt her body shiver. He quickly pulled off his coat and wrapped it around her.

  “Hang on, Cheyenne. There’s help on the way.”

  TEN

  Cheyenne awoke to bright lights shining in her face. She frowned and raised her arm to cover her eyes. Something about her surroundings seemed familiar, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. She turned her head to the side and almost gasped when she saw Luke sitting in a chair beside her. He was bent forward with his hands covering his face and his elbows propped on his knees.

  She tried to speak, but her throat was dry and his name came out of her mouth in a raspy sound. “Luke.”

  He immediately lowered his hands and sat up straight. A look of relief flooded his face as he stared down at her. “You’re finally awake. The doctor said you’d come around when you were ready, but I was beginning to doubt he knew what he was talking about.”

  “Doctor?” she croaked. “Am I back in the hospital?”

  “Yes. Do you remember what happened last night?”

  She lay still for a moment and tried to recall what had happened after they left the restaurant. Slowly the thoughts began to form in her mind. “A truck. I remember a truck. He was going so fast, and then you grabbed my neck and pushed me down.”

  Luke nodded. “Someone shot at us. We went off the road and hit a tree. You’ve been unconscious ever since.”

  Cheyenne tried to push up in bed, but Luke put a restraining hand on her shoulder. “Don’t sit up. You’ve had a bad bump on your head. The doctor ordered a CT scan, and it didn’t show any internal injuries, which is why I couldn’t figure out why you didn’t wake up. You do have a bad cut across the back of your head. They put some staples in it, but you lost a lot of blood.”

  She frowned as she tried to take in all that he was saying. They’d been shot at and they’d gone down a mountainside? She closed her eyes and tried to remember, but she couldn’t. It was rather frightening not to be able to recall something, but the fact that Luke was the first person she’d seen when she opened her eyes made it seem not as bad as it might have been. Her eyes closed for a moment as the guilt consumed her.

  His hand squeezed her arm, and she heard his soft voice. “Cheyenne, are you all right? Do I need to call a nurse?”

  She shook her head, opened her eyes and stared up at him. “I can’t believe you stayed after the way I talked to you. I’m sorry, Luke. I didn’t mean those things I said. Can you forgive me?” Her last word ended on a sob.

  His face softened, and his hand gave another little squeeze on her arm. “I forgive you, but I was wro
ng, too. I overreacted to your going back to the Wild West show, and I shouldn’t have. I don’t have any right to tell you what to do. So I have to ask you to forgive me, too.”

  “Of course I do,” she said. “You were only trying to help me.” She was sure that she’d hurt him, a man who had been nothing but kind to her ever since they met. Suddenly the thought of losing his friendship was worse than what any stalker could do to her. She took a deep breath to dredge up the courage she needed to ask the question she had to. She feared the answer he might give. “So where do we go from here?”

  His tired eyes raked her face, and a small smile curled his lips. “We’ve asked and given forgiveness. Now I think it’s time to pick up where we left off and choose to forget what’s happened.”

  Her heart beat in her chest so hard she thought she would burst. “I like that idea. The next time we get out of sorts with each other let’s remember what it felt like when we were angry. I don’t want to feel that way again.”

  “Neither do I,” he whispered. “If anything had happened to you...”

  She reached up and put her fingers on his lips. “But nothing did, and we’re going to put this behind us.”

  He reached up, pulled her hand from his mouth and threaded their fingers together. “But there’s one thing we can’t overlook, and that’s the guy who shot at us. He’s getting bolder, Cheyenne. He attacked you last week, and last night he tried to kill both of us. We’ve got to find out who he is.”

  “Do you think we can?”

  Luke sat back in his seat, rested his elbows on the chair arms and tented his fingers. As he tapped them together, he pursed his lips like he was deep in thought. Finally he inhaled and leaned forward. “I think so. I’ve been thinking about that all night. I don’t think we can afford to wait around any longer for him to strike and hope we catch him. I think we’re going to have to be aggressive and go after him.”

  “Aggressive?”

  “I think your idea of going back to the Wild West show may be the answer, not because of your reason but because that’s where he struck before. He was able to get close to you, close enough to cut your drag strap. It just stands to reason that he’s walking among us, that he’s somebody we all know and probably working there. A stranger would have stood out backstage, but someone who’s there all the time would fit right in and have access to you.”

  Her heart thudded and she swallowed hard. “Are you asking me to go back and be a decoy?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “But last night you didn’t want me anywhere near that place. You thought I’d be in danger.”

  “I still think you will be, but I’ll be there with you. I know this is a lot to ask, but it may be our only chance of catching this guy. If you don’t feel you’re up to doing this, tell me. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

  She thought about it for a minute before she answered. “It may be the only way. So I’ll do it.”

  A serious look came across his face and he scooted closer to the bed. “I want you to be sure about this, Cheyenne. You can’t go back in there and act like you’re scared. We can’t do anything to tip him off. I’ll talk to Bill and Trace and tell them what I want to do. They can help keep an eye out, too.”

  She took a deep breath. “Okay. When do we start?”

  “As soon as the doctor dismisses you. He’ll be by later to check on you. Jeff Swan has another guard posted outside your door. So I’m going to go home and take a shower, then I’ll go over to Bill’s place and talk to him. I’ll come back by after that, and we’ll see if the doctor’s going to keep you longer or let you leave.”

  He started to push up from his chair, but Cheyenne reached out and grabbed his arm. “Wait. What about work? Aren’t you supposed to be on the day shift today?”

  He shook his head. “After I gave Ben my statement about what happened last night, he gave me today off. So I’ll come back here.”

  Although that’s what she wanted, she also didn’t want Luke to think she was monopolizing his time. “You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I know you have things you need to do, and I can’t expect you to put your life on hold for me.”

  A smile creased his face as he leaned toward her. “We’ve only known each other a short time, Cheyenne, but you’ve already become very special to me. It’s time this guy is stopped so you can get your life back, and I want to help you do that.”

  Her heart seemed to give a little flip at his words, and she struggled to hold back the tears. “Thank you, Luke. You’ve become special to me, too, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

  He smiled. “No need to thank me. Let’s just concentrate on catching this guy.”

  “Okay,” she murmured.

  He stared at her for a moment longer, and her heart almost stopped. Then he took a step back and cleared his throat. “Get some rest, and I’ll be back later.”

  With that he turned and walked to the door. He was about to open it when she raised her head from the pillow and called out. “Luke, I really am sorry about our argument last night.”

  He turned around and frowned at her. Then he tilted his head to one side and bit down on his lip. After a moment he shook his head. “An argument? You must be mistaken. I don’t remember anything about an argument.”

  Then he was gone out the door, and she let her head sink back to the bed. She pulled the covers up over her, smiled and then suddenly stilled as the truth washed over her. She’d once asked her mother how she would know when she was in love, and her mother had given the typical answer that she would just know.

  At the time Cheyenne had thought that a ridiculous statement. Now she realized it was true. She was beginning to have thoughts about Luke Conrad that had to be ignored. She couldn’t get on with her life until Jesse was caught. Until that time she needed to concentrate on what was important—catching the man who murdered her parents.

  * * *

  Luke found Bill and Trace Johnson in the main office at the Wild West show headquarters. Bill was seated at his desk, and Trace was peering over his dad’s shoulder when Luke walked in. They both looked up in surprise when they saw him.

  “Luke,” Bill said. “Come in. Have you seen Cheyenne this morning?”

  Luke nodded. “I have. She’s awake and talking. The doctor is going to decide later if she can go home or not. But how did you know what happened?”

  Trace straightened and walked around the desk. “Ben came by a while ago and told us. Dad and I had some last-minute details to take care of for tonight’s performance, but I was planning on going to the hospital when I finished.”

  “I’m sure she’d like that. There’s a guard outside her door. Just tell him who you are, and I’m sure he’ll let you in.”

  Bill shook his head and leaned back in his chair. “I can’t believe what she’s been through in the last few years. This guy has upset her whole life. You know her dad was a friend of mine, and he coached Trace on his college rodeo team. To have him and his wife murdered and Cheyenne threatened is more than anybody ought to have to bear.”

  Luke nodded. “You’re right. She needs help, and that’s why I’m here. I think together we may be able to catch this guy.”

  Trace walked around the desk and stopped beside Luke. “Just tell us what to do. Anything to help Cheyenne. You know we’ll do it.”

  “That’s what I was counting on,” Luke said.

  Quickly he laid out his plan to bring Cheyenne back to the show to work backstage with the goal of being able to get a lead on her stalker. When he’d finished, Bill nodded. “Do you really think Cheyenne’s stalker might work for us?”

  Luke shrugged. “I can’t say for sure, but he has to be somebody with access to the backstage area. How else could he have cut her drag strap?”

  “Then we
’ll do everything we can to help you,” Trace said. “The sooner this guy is caught, the safer it will be for everybody around here. Who’s not to say he might decide to go after one of our other employees?”

  Luke nodded. “That’s right. So I thought maybe she could come back tonight and work backstage. I’d like to tag along just to keep an eye on her and make sure everything goes okay. Is that a problem?”

  Bill shook his head. “No problem. You’ve been in the back enough times to know how things work. Just pitch in and give us a hand in getting the acts into the arena.”

  “I’ll do it.” Bill rose, and Luke leaned over the desk with his hand extended. “Thanks, Bill. Maybe we can catch this guy.”

  “I hope so,” he said as they shook hands.

  “And so do I,” Trace added. “Anything you need me to do, let me know.”

  Luke glanced from one to the other. “Thanks, guys. I appreciate your help on this.”

  Bill waved his hand in dismissal. “No thanks needed. We’re as eager to catch this pervert as you are, not only for Cheyenne’s sake, but ours, too. I don’t want word to get around that our show is a danger for its riders. That could be an incentive for the best riders to steer clear of us.”

  “Well, maybe we won’t have to worry about that for long. I’ll see you tonight,” Luke said and headed for the door. As he stepped into the hallway, he spied a figure scurrying in the opposite direction, and his eyebrows arched.

  Virgil Adkins seemed to be in a hurry, and Luke wondered why. Could he have been listening at the door while he was talking with Bill and Trace? He opened the door and stepped back into the office. Both men stared at him when he reentered.

  “Did you forget something?” Bill asked.

  “I forgot to ask something when I was here. How much do you know about Virgil Adkins? He’s not from around here, and I wondered where he came from, what he’s done in the past, things like that.”

  Trace’s face had grown pale, and he swallowed hard before he spoke. “Why? Do you have reason to suspect he might be Cheyenne’s stalker?”