by Joanna Wayne
He stared at them, avoiding eye contact. “It happened like I said. Now get out of here, Riley, and don’t come back. Not you or your brothers. Life is over for both me and Charlie. Get out there and find your own life.”
Dudley stood and strode away as if he was in a big hurry to get somewhere.
He’d been lying. Definitely about himself. Maybe about Charlie, as well. Riley likely wouldn’t be around long enough to get to the bottom of this, but someone should.
Get out there and find your own life.
The essence of Dudley’s order echoed through Riley’s mind as he walked the long tiled corridor to the exit.
He’d thought that was what he’d been doing for years. Traveling the world. Taking risks. Never settling. Finding his own life.
Yet here he was, back in Winding Creek, and all he wanted to do was get back to Dani.
* * *
RILEY PULLED INTO the pickup lane near the gate to the fairgrounds. He spotted Dani almost immediately, her arms full of packages, her coppery curls catching the afternoon sun rays.
He got out of the car and waved. It wasn’t until she’d started in his direction that he noticed how upset she looked. No smile. No rhythmic sway to her shapely hips.
He helped her load the packages into the backseat and then held the door for her.
He waited until he was seated at the wheel before questioning her. “What’s wrong?”
“Am I that easy to read?”
“No, I’m that talented a reader. Judging from those packages, including the one you’re still cradling like a precious treasure, you enjoyed the shopping. And yet you’re still not smiling.”
He eased into traffic as the car in front of him pulled forward.
She looked around, turning so she could see out the back window. “I’m being followed.”
“You mean someone followed you around the booths?”
“I mean someone has apparently been following us ever since we left Winding Creek this morning.”
He grew madder by the second as she shared the details of the alarming phone call.
“Are you certain the caller wasn’t Haggard disguising his voice?”
“If it was, he did an excellent job of it.”
“He may have hired a private detective to take over his dirty work for him. Not that he gained much from following us around all day.”
“He knows we visited a lab.”
“That shouldn’t come as any surprise except that Haggard may not have realized you have a sample of his DNA.”
“I still don’t like the ideas of being stalked.”
“I agree. I think it’s time we do a little snooping of our own—find out everything we can about James Haggard. His past might prove him so unfit to be a parent that no judge would ever grant him custody of Constance.”
“After some of the bizarre rulings I’ve read about, it’s still risky trusting judges. But I’m game,” Dani admitted. “I don’t suppose you know any private detectives.”
“Better. Pierce has a close friend with the FBI. Andy Malone, an old SEAL buddy. I know he helped out when Grace was in danger. He might be able to run a check and find something on Haggard, especially if has a criminal record. I’ll talk to Pierce tonight and run the possibility by him.”
“I’d like that, but about my staying at the ranch—”
“I already don’t like where this is going.”
“I’m being followed, Riley. I can’t take this kind of trouble to the Double K Ranch.”
“Are you going to sit there and tell me that you don’t think Pierce, Tucker and I can handle the worst of what James Haggard can dish out?”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“You did. I’ll forgive you this once. Don’t let it happen again or we’ll have to titillate you with thrilling recaps of Pierce’s Navy SEAL exploits and videos of Tucker’s mastery over a ton of bucking bull. If that doesn’t do it, I’ll demonstrate my legendary quick-draw skills.”
“This isn’t a joking matter, Riley.”
“I’m not joking. It’s all set. You and Constance need this vacation. Either you go with me willingly or I’ll have to hog-tie and drag you there. Your call.”
“Do you really want us there in spite of everything?”
“I’ve never wanted anything more.” And that scared him a thousand times more than threats from James Haggard ever could.
* * *
IF DANI HAD any remaining doubts concerning the Double K vacation, they disappeared the second she saw the excitement in Constance’s eyes as Jaci, Esther and Grace came running out to the car to welcome them.
“We’re staying two days and two nights,” Constance announced ceremoniously as she reached back into the truck for her backpack.
“Everybody’s here,” Jaci said, clapping her hands. “It’s a giant slumber party all over our house.”
“It’s a vacation for us,” Constance amended. “We’re going on a trail ride.”
“I know,” Jaci said. “Mommy told me. I’m riding Dreamer. And guess what?”
“I can’t guess what I don’t know. You have to tell me.”
“You can sleep in my room just like after the wedding.”
“Except this time there better be more sleeping than giggling or you’ll be too tired for an early morning trail ride,” Esther warned.
The girls ran ahead.
“I swear to goodness,” Esther exclaimed. “Those girls are quicker than jackrabbits and have more energy, too. Grace, why don’t you show Dani to the bedroom with the private patio? I’ll show Riley to the sleeping alcove off the back porch.”
“What, no patio for me?” Riley asked.
“In town three days and you’ve yet to put your head on one of my pillows. You’re lucky to get a bed, young man. If you’d been doing anything besides helping out Dani, you’d have gotten a pile of hay in the barn.”
Riley put an arm around Esther’s shoulders. “Aw, c’mon, admit it. You know I’m your favorite.”
“I don’t have any favorites among my boys, but come around more often and you might work up to a room with a view of the woodshed.”
“You have no heart.”
Dani followed Grace to the end of the west hall. Grace opened the door and they stepped inside.
“Wow,” Dani said. “I wasn’t expecting this. A Queen Anne four-poster bed that looks so inviting I think I could melt in it. An antique dresser. The beautiful brass lamp. Fresh bluebonnets in a milky white vase. I had no idea Esther collected antiques.”
“The furniture was all handed down from her maternal grandmother. She likes the part of her house where she says the living goes on to be simple. She keeps her treasures, as she calls her heirlooms, in the seldom-used guest rooms.”
“I’m impressed.”
“Be sure and let her know. She’ll be delighted.” Grace dropped to the edge of the bed. “What’s the latest with your problems with James Haggard?”
“How much do you know?”
“Only what Riley has had time to tell Pierce.”
“I feel terrible that my problems cut into your honeymoon,” Dani said.
“Don’t give it a second thought. I know it sounds a bit pretentious, but every day with Pierce is a honeymoon. I love him so much. I seriously can’t put how happy he makes me into mere words.”
“That’s a powerful endorsement of commitment.”
“So, back to the subject. Did you get the DNA to the lab today?”
“I did.”
“I’m glad you came to the ranch with Riley.”
“To be honest, I tried to back out, but Riley insisted.”
“I’m glad you caved in. This much I know—the Lawrence brothers stick together and
James Haggard will not get the best of them. Remember that Pierce’s bravery and fast thinking are the reasons I’m alive today.”
“I think Riley must have those same protective genes.”
“He’s a great guy, but Pierce says he’s a rambler. Definitely a man you can depend on in a jam, but perhaps not a man to hitch your star to.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“I know. You heard it from me, but I don’t want you to get hurt. You don’t deserve a broken heart.”
“I’m not going to fall for him.”
True, she already had done so. That didn’t mean she expected a miracle, or that she’d let Riley or anyone else make the final decision about how to best keep Constance safe.
* * *
DANI WALKED CONSTANCE back to bed for the third time in the last hour.
“I know how excited you are about all the fun activities you and Jaci have planned for the next two days, but if you don’t get some sleep you’ll be too tired to get up for the trail ride in the morning.”
“I know, but I was too thirsty to sleep.”
She was extremely creative when it came to excuses for prolonging bedtime. First her thumb had itched. Then her sheet was too twisted.
Constance stopped at the bedroom door. “I wish we had a ranch with horses and chickens and four-wheelers to ride through the mud.”
“Who would I sell my pastries to?”
“We could still have the bakery. Some people have two houses. Bridget’s family has a beach condo. They’re there this week.”
“But they don’t have a bakery. I’ll make a deal with you, though. It stays light a lot longer in summer. We’ll try to come out to the Double K Ranch more often to ride horses.”
“And feed the chickens?”
“And feed the chickens,” Dani agreed. “Right now you need to get some sleep. And we have to be very quiet not to wake Jaci.”
Constance nodded and put a shushing finger to her lips as she eased open the door. She tiptoed across the wood floors in her bare feet, then climbed into bed and crawled between the sheets.
Dani straightened the comfy coverlet and tucked it beneath Constance’s chin. “I love you, sweetie,” she whispered.
“Love you, too.”
Dani kissed her good-night and Constance closed her eyes, hopefully this time to fall into a deep sleep colored with sweet dreams.
Her niece’s life had never been easy before she came to live with Dani. Without the intervention of Health and Human Services on more than one occasion, she might not even be alive.
Dani had never been given the chance to make a difference then. Now she had. Biological father or not, James Haggard would not rob Constance of happiness—not as long as Dani was alive to stop him.
The house was whisper-quiet when Dani left the girls’ bedroom. Esther might have retired for the night, but the others were more likely outside catching up on each other’s lives. It was practically the first time Riley had managed any bonding time with his boisterous brothers.
She definitely wouldn’t barge in on that. A shower and early to bed actually sounded good. She might have needed this time away as much as Constance.
She stopped off in the kitchen for a glass of water for herself. The back door swung open, letting in a cool breeze and a grinning cowboy who sent her senses whirling.
“We were starting to wonder what happened to you.”
“Constance was resisting bedtime.”
Riley reached into the fridge for some beers. “Maybe I should go back for my guitar and play her a little George Strait.”
“Like that wouldn’t have Jaci and Constance both up and ready to dance. Actually I think they’re both sleeping now, so let’s leave it that way.”
“Does that mean you’re ready to join the party that’s going on outside?”
“I was thinking I’d take a shower and hit the bed.”
“I like your idea better. Your shower or mine?”
“Nice try, but I don’t think that’s in keeping with the rules of the house.” Not that the offer wasn’t titillating.
“I don’t do rules. Did I not mention that?”
“You’ve given a few indications.”
“What’ll you have? Beer? Wine? Margarita on the rocks?”
“As a chaser for the margaritas I had earlier?”
“That was hours and one of Esther’s five-thousand-calorie meals ago.”
“I hate to crash a family gathering especially after stealing you from your brothers for days.”
“They’ll probably thank you for that. Besides, it’s not like we’re shaking old family skeletons around. We’re mostly jamming out a little and laughing a lot.”
“In that case, make mine a light beer.”
“Got it.” He pulled another bottle from the fridge.
“Let me grab a wrap and I’ll help you carry those.”
“Forget the wrap. The temperature’s dropped several degrees, but we’ve got a campfire roaring. If that’s not enough, my denim jacket’s out there somewhere. And don’t worry about the girls. Esther will hear them if they wake up and call for anyone.”
She fell in step with Riley as they left through the back door and closed it behind them. The smell of smoke and the sound of laughter led them to the impromptu party.
Pierce and Grace shared an oversize lawn recliner and were entwined like the lovebirds they were. Grace had kicked off her shoes and tossed a red sweatshirt over her feet.
Tucker was in a folding lawn chair next to them, his booted feet stretched toward the fire, a banjo around his neck. There were two more chairs in the circle, one holding a guitar, one empty. She might not be wanted, but she’d evidently been expected.
She exchanged greetings and took the empty chair. Riley passed around the beers, then picked up his guitar and dropped into the chair next to hers.
“What did I miss?” Riley asked.
“Truth or lie,” Tucker said.
“Ugh, I came back too soon.”
“But you lie so well,” Pierce said.
“I’ll sit this one out a round or two until I get the hang of it,” Dani offered. She wasn’t a legitimate part of the family and she was a terrible liar, a virtue that sounded as if it would work against her in this game.
“Your turn, Tucker,” Pierce said. “What’s the least amount of time you stayed on a bull during a rodeo event?”
“Six seconds.”
“Lie,” they all shouted at once.
“You’re right. It was seven.”
“Lie.”
“You gotta make music.” Grace threw out a song title. “‘Won’t You Come Home, Bill Bailey.’”
Tucker jumped into the song on his banjo. Riley strummed a few hot chords on his guitar. Pierce pulled out a harmonica and joined in.
To Dani’s surprise, they were all good. Really good. Even more impressive, they were all having fun. Surprisingly, so was she.
“Okay, Quick Draw,” Grace said. “What’s the longest time you ever stayed in one town?”
“That’s easy. Winding Creek. Home, sweet home. I was here for almost fifteen years.”
“I mean one town after you left college, rambling man,” Grace clarified.
Dani couldn’t help worrying if that question was for her benefit. She knew Grace meant well, but love didn’t always come wrapped in neat packages. It had for Grace. Dani had no expectations that it would for her.
“Let’s see,” Riley said. “That would probably be Kentucky. I fell in love with a golden-haired beauty and couldn’t bear to leave. Fastest two-year-old I ever worked with. I trained her so well I had hopes she might end up winning the roses.”
“What happened?” Tucker asked.
“Boss�
��s daughter didn’t like being rejected when she threw herself at me. Lied and accused me of coming on to her. I got fired. Horse lost the race.”
“How long were you there?” Grace asked.
“Eight months, give or take a week or two.”
“I’ll buy that as true,” Grace said.
Riley grinned and played a run on the guitar. “Sucker. I’ve never lived in Kentucky and never trained a racehorse. I’ve thought about it, though.”
“Never believe a thing old Quick Draw says,” Pierce said.
They went around a few more times. More lies than truth from all of them.
Tucker kicked at a log, stirring up a few more flames before their fire died. “You haven’t asked a question yet, Dani.”
“I have one for Quick Draw.”
“Sorry. Out of time,” Riley teased.
“Where did you get the name Quick Draw?”
“So happens I got that name by using my considerable skills with a very large gun to save my brother’s life.”
Tucker groaned. “Here we go again.”
“Dudley Miles and Charlie were giving Tucker, Pierce and me a shooting and gun-safety lesson. I won’t go into all the details, but as usual, I was catching on faster than my brothers.”
Pierce and Tucker booed on cue.
“We’d put the guns on safety. Tucker and Pierce returned their guns to our instructors. I slid mine into the holster I had buckled above my hips and took a few steps away from the group.”
“The next thing we heard was his gun firing in rapid succession,” Tucker said.
“Followed by Charlie yelling at me. All I’d done was aim my pistol at a humongous rattlesnake lying dead less than a foot from where Tucker was standing. The viper had been ready to strike when I spotted him. If I’d yelled, Tucker would have jumped and the snake would have nailed him. So my quick draw and even quicker thinking saved Tucker’s life.”
Riley stood and took a bow.
“Lie,” Dani said, sure she’d been taken.
“Tsk-tsk. How can you look into these honest eyes and doubt me?”
“It was the truth,” Tucker said. “I could never forget that day, especially since Riley misses no opportunity to remind me.”
