Natural Born Lawman

by Sherryl Woods

  A huge spotlight was shining on the twisted wreckage of Kyle’s car, guiding him through the maze of rescue vehicles, police cars and ambulances. One glimpse was enough to make Justin want to retch. He heard Patsy’s gasp beside him at the sight of the crushed passenger compartment.

  “Get back into the car,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do to help. I’ll find out what’s happening.”

  “Sharon Lynn,” she began in a whisper every bit as tormented as his own thoughts.

  “Shh, don’t think the worst. Let me get some answers.”

  He herded her back toward his car, then moved again through the tangle of debris and people. He saw the expressions of sympathy and knew then that the news wasn’t going to be good.

  Swallowing hard, he forced himself to face the deputy in charge. “My cousin,” he began. It was all he could say without falling apart.

  “Sharon Lynn’s badly injured, but she’s going to make it,” Dusty assured him. “She’s unconscious, but her vital signs were good. She’s already on her way to the hospital.”

  Justin’s gaze was drawn back to the collapsed mass of metal on the passenger side. “But how?”

  “She was driving,” Dusty said succinctly. “The air bag saved her. Kyle took the brunt of the impact.” He looked as if he wanted to cry, too. “He…he wasn’t so lucky, Justin. There was a faint pulse when we got here, but we couldn’t get him out in time to save him. The guys did everything they could.”

  Justin felt the world begin to spin. Sheer will kept him upright. “Do you know what happened?”

  “A drunk crossed the center line. It looked as if Sharon Lynn tried to get out of his way, but with no shoulders and those deep ditches, there was no place to go.”

  “Is he dead?”

  Dusty looked startled that he cared. “The drunk driver?”

  Justin nodded.

  “No, he’s over there. Some minor cuts and bruises. He’ll walk away.”

  Pure rage made Justin see red. He turned in the direction the deputy had indicated, ignoring Dusty’s commands to stop, to let it go. He had to see for himself, had to look into the face of the man who’d murdered his cousin’s husband, who’d almost killed her, as well.

  And then he might very well beat that face into a bloody pulp.

  Chapter Nine

  Patsy saw Justin walking toward the side of the highway. There was something about his jerky, dazed progress that brought her scrambling from the car and heading straight for him. She reached him just as a deputy she recognized as Dusty Patterson got to his side and clamped a hand on his shoulder.

  “Get away from me,” Justin demanded, his voice like ice.

  “Don’t do this,” Dusty pleaded. “You’re not thinking straight.”

  Anger radiated from Justin in palpable waves. Even without knowing what was going on, Patsy sensed that he was about to do something he would come to regret. Instinctively she stepped in front of the two men.

  “Justin?”

  When he didn’t even glance at her, she spoke his name again, more sharply this time. As if he’d been drawn out of some distant hell, his gaze finally shifted to clash with hers. The sight of the tears streaking down his cheeks was almost her undoing. There was no doubt in her mind now that something truly terrible had happened to Sharon Lynn and Kyle. What else could create such despair in such a strong man?

  She reached up and touched his face. “Come with me, please,” she begged.

  For the longest time, she wasn’t sure he would agree. He seemed torn between anger and a distress so deep and heart wrenching, she could only fear its cause. At last, he turned away and went with her.

  He got into the car and leaned forward, his head resting on the steering wheel. Quiet sobs shook his shoulders. Patsy scrambled across the seat and put her arms around him. As desperately as she wanted to know what had happened, how badly Kyle and Sharon Lynn were injured, she kept silent, letting Justin do his grieving in silence while she fought her own fears.

  It seemed they remained like that forever, but in truth it was no more than a minute or two, she realized, before he drew in a shuddering breath and faced her.

  “We have to go to the hospital.”

  “Sharon Lynn and Kyle are there?”

  He shook his head. “Only Sharon Lynn.”

  The implication of that tore through her. “Oh, my God. Kyle?”

  “Didn’t make it.” He looked so shattered that all she wanted to do was reach over and hold him again, but he was already starting the engine. The grim set of his mouth told her he wouldn’t appreciate a show of sympathy right now, that he’d only tolerated the first display because he’d been nearly oblivious to it. All she could do was stay with him, be there when he needed someone and be there for Sharon Lynn, whose world had just come crashing down around her head. She thought of Sharon Lynn’s terrible premonition that her future with Kyle was jinxed and realized the enormity of what lay ahead for her.

  * * *

  At the hospital, they found the rest of the family already gathered, most of them still in the clothes they’d worn to the wedding. Patsy faded into the background once she was certain that Justin was being taken care of by his family.

  She wandered from the emergency room waiting area and went in search of a chapel. When she found it off the main lobby, she went inside and found Janet Adams already there, her face damp with tears.

  Patsy started to tiptoe out again, but the older woman spotted her and held out her hand. “Come, sit with me. I just came to tell God how grateful we are for sparing Sharon Lynn.”

  “What about how angry we are that Kyle was taken from her?” Patsy asked, unable to hide her own bitterness on her friend’s behalf. “How could this happen to someone as decent and kind as Sharon Lynn?”

  “God never gives us any pain he doesn’t think will make us stronger.”

  Patsy wondered about that. Then she thought of her own life up until now. When she’d been caught up in Will’s web of snide remarks and psychological abuse, she’d thought only about the terrible sense of failure he was instilling in her. When she’d run, she’d felt more like a victim than ever and she’d cursed him for that, hating him every bit as much as if he’d hit her.

  But she was stronger now and her strength had come out of that pain. Would the same be true for Sharon Lynn? She could only pray that Janet was right.

  They sat quietly side by side, lost in their own thoughts, taking comfort from each other’s presence. It was a long time before she looked up and saw Justin standing hesitantly in the doorway. “I heard this was where you’d gone,” he said, still not coming into the quiet, dimly lit chapel.

  Janet regarded him with sympathy. “I’m sorry you had to be there tonight. It must have been terrible for you.”

  Anger flashed in his eyes. “I’m not the one who needs your pity. Save it for Sharon Lynn. I only wish I could have killed the man responsible when I had the chance.”

  “You don’t mean that,” Janet said gently. “The courts will hand down justice. It wasn’t up to you. You know that’s the way it has to be.”

  “Do I?” he asked bitterly. His gaze shifted to Patsy. “There’s nothing more we can do here tonight. I’ll take you home.”

  She nodded and squeezed Janet’s hand. “Thank you for what you said. It meant a lot to me. If there’s anything I can do for any of you, let me know.”

  Janet glanced toward the doorway. “Stay with Justin,” she said, her expression worried. “He’s going to need you. You heard him just now. This doesn’t fit with his sense of justice at all. It won’t be easy for him to reconcile it.” She sighed. “If I’m being totally honest, no matter what I said before, even I know it won’t be easy for any of us.”

  * * *

  The next few days went by in a terrible haze. Patsy did the only thing she could think of to do that might help. She kept the lunch counter at Dolan’s running smoothly from dawn to dusk. The news on Sharon Lynn was more positive each
day and by the beginning of the following week she had been released from the hospital. Patsy went to visit her at the ranch, where the whole family was hovering over her. When she went into Sharon Lynn’s room, she was horrified by what she found.

  Though Sharon Lynn’s injuries were healing nicely and the bruises had begun to fade, she was lying in bed staring dully at the ceiling. When Patsy had walked into the room, her friend had not even glanced in her direction.

  “Hey,” Patsy said softly. “I’m so relieved to see you safe at home again.”

  Sharon Lynn nodded, her expression blank. “Thanks,” she murmured with no emotion in her voice at all.

  “Everyone at Dolan’s misses you like crazy. They’re asking when you’ll be back.”

  No response. Patsy tried again.

  “What is the doctor saying about getting back on your feet again?”

  “Not much.”

  Patsy didn’t know too much about clinical depression, but it seemed to her that Sharon Lynn was sinking into the kind of dark despair that needed quick attention. She wondered if anyone had broached the subject with her, then wondered if she dared do it herself. She was still debating whether she had any right or even an obligation to say something, when Sharon Lynn spoke.

  “I killed him, you know.” She whispered it matter-of-factly.

  Patsy reacted angrily. “Don’t be absurd. Kyle was killed by a drunk driver. Don’t you ever think otherwise.”

  “But I was driving our car. I should have done…” Her voice trailed off before she finally added forlornly, “Something. I should have done something.”

  Patsy reached for her hand. It was ice-cold and limp. “There was nothing you could have done, no place you could turn,” she insisted. “The road’s narrow, and there are deep ditches on either side. The only person responsible for this tragedy was the other driver.”

  The door to the room opened just as she spoke.

  “Damn right!” Justin said fiercely. He came over to the bed and reached down for Sharon Lynn’s hand. “Don’t you dare blame yourself. The slime who did this should be locked up for a long, long time. The sheriff will see that he is.”

  Sharon Lynn retreated visibly, staring back up at the ceiling again, her expression blank. Patsy beckoned to Justin and led him from the room. It was the first time she’d seen him in days as well. He looked only marginally better than his cousin. She wanted to throw her arms around him and hold him. It was a strange feeling to think of herself as the strong one after so many years of believing herself to be weak.

  “Are you okay?” she asked quietly.

  A ghost of a smile came and went. “Better now that I’ve seen you.”

  “You don’t look as if you’ve slept a wink in days.”

  “You mean I’m not as handsome as ever?” he asked, a twinkle bringing a momentary light to his eyes.

  “Oh, you’ll always be handsome enough, Justin Adams, but right now you’re pale and drawn. Haven’t you been eating? You haven’t been by Dolan’s since this happened.”

  He did smile at that. “Did you miss me?”

  “Of course not. I just worried that the thieves were going to start getting ideas now that there hasn’t been a lawman parked at the counter for days.”

  “So it’s my badge you’ve been missing,” he teased. “I’m surprised. I always had the feeling it made you nervous.”

  Patsy’s pulse thudded dully at the taunt. It was too close to being squarely on the mark.

  “I don’t hear you denying it,” he said.

  “Because it’s so ridiculous it doesn’t deserve a reply,” she said, trying to brazen it out. She met his gaze unblinkingly.

  Eventually he grinned. “If you say so, darlin’.”

  “Can we talk about Sharon Lynn for a minute?” she asked.

  She knew it was a topic that would fully capture his attention and get the glare of the spotlight off her for a bit. As she’d anticipated, a worried frown creased his brow.

  “What about her?”

  “I think maybe she’s going to need some help getting through this.”

  “She’s getting help. We’re all here. All she has to do is say the word and any one of us will get her whatever she needs.”

  “I’m not talking about soup or some custard when she says she’s hungry. I’m talking about professional help.”

  “A shrink?”

  She nodded.

  “That’s crazy,” he said indignantly. “Anyone would be upset after a tragedy like this. Sharon Lynn’s strong. She’s an Adams. She’ll pull herself together in time.”

  Patsy was doubtful. “Will she? She’s eaten up with guilt. She told me she killed Kyle. You heard her yourself.”

  “That’s the grief talking. She’ll put this into perspective. Once the other driver is convicted and locked away, she’ll see it wasn’t her fault.”

  Patsy remained silent in response. Finally Justin said, “You don’t believe that, do you?”

  “No, I don’t. There’s something about the way she’s staring off into space, as if she’s slowly disconnecting from the world. It worries me. Maybe it’s just grief, but it seems to me it goes deeper than that. It’s not just that she’s lost Kyle.” She struggled to put it into words. “It’s as if she’s lost her reason for living.”

  “And you got all that from a five-minute visit?” Justin asked, his expression incredulous.

  Patsy refused to back down, even in the face of his blatant skepticism. “Okay, it’s just my opinion and I’m not an expert. I’m just saying an expert would be able to say once and for all if she needs some counseling. Don’t trust my judgment, just ask yourself if you want to take the chance that I’m right.”

  Justin sighed and ran his fingers through his close-cropped hair. “Hell, I suppose you could be right. It’s just that Adamses solve their own problems.”

  “Sometimes the solution is asking for help,” Patsy said.

  “I’ll mention it to the family and see what they think,” Justin promised. He reached over and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “By the way, has anyone thanked you for pitching in and taking over at Dolan’s?”

  “I don’t need to be thanked. It’s my job. Dani’s staff has been great about helping with Billy so I could be there longer hours.”

  “Don’t work yourself to a frazzle,” he warned. “You need to look after yourself, too.”

  She gazed into his eyes and saw genuine concern there. It was the first time in as long as she could remember that anyone had been truly worried about her well-being. It had mattered to Will only as far as her ability to campaign on his behalf.

  “I’m fine,” she reassured Justin. “But I’d better be getting back into town. With the hours I’m putting in at Dolan’s, I don’t like to leave Billy with a sitter in the evenings, too.”

  “Mind if I come along?” Justin asked. “I promised him I’d be by to play with those toys we bought. I haven’t had a chance up until now. Frankly, I could use a break from all this.”

  “He’d like that.”

  “And you? Would you like that, too?”

  She knew what he was really asking, but she wasn’t sure she entirely trusted his motives. Did it really matter to him whether she was beginning to care for him or was he simply trying to test her again? Even though it had been days since their last talk and despite all that had happened, she doubted Justin had forgotten all the questions he had about her past.

  “Of course,” she said cheerily. “If you haven’t eaten yet, you can share a pizza with us.”

  “Why don’t I pick it up on my way and meet you at the house?”

  “I can do it.”

  “Why should you when I can and you can get home to Billy that much sooner?”

  She grinned. “Okay, when you put it like that, how can I argue? But I insist on paying for it.”

  “We’ll discuss that later.”

  “Justin!” She took a twenty from her purse and tried to press it into his ha
nds. He jammed his hands into his pockets and defied her to follow with the money. She was tempted to do just that, but the prospect of finding her own hand trapped between his and his body with only a layer of denim in between rattled her too badly. That jittery temptation was proof enough that she had no business getting in any kind of intimate contact with him.

  She sighed. “Okay, you win. We’ll discuss it later.”

  He grinned. “It’s nice to see that you can compromise.”

  “Is that what you call it?”

  “Sure, darlin’. I have it on the best authority that compromise is very important in any relationship.”

  Patsy didn’t know whether to cheer or turn tail and run at the mention of the word relationship. She and Justin weren’t having a relationship. It was impossible.

  But, oh, how she wished it weren’t.

  “Patsy?”

  Startled, she glanced up and met Justin’s worried frown.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Sure,” she lied. “Just trying to remember how big a mess the house is in. I’d hate for you to walk in and wonder if a tornado blew through. After all, it is your sister’s place. I’d hate to have her evict me.”

  “There’s no chance of that,” he assured her. “And don’t worry about the state of your housekeeping. With all the nieces and nephews running around in this family, no one knows the meaning of tidy anymore.”

  “Not even you? You live alone and, as I recall, your place was spotless the one time I came over.”

  “That’s because I’m never there. And it’s not tidy. It’s sterile. Give me chaos any day. It’s what makes the difference between a house and a home.”

  “Maybe I should let Billy come and visit for an afternoon. The resulting mess ought to send you into raptures.”

  “I’d love it,” he said, much to her amazement. “In the meantime, let’s get into town. Suddenly I’m starved for the first time in days.”

  The gleam in his eyes was a reminder that food was not the only thing a man could be starved for. Patsy was drawn to that look, wanted desperately to respond to it, but decency prevented it.