Shotgun Sheriff--A Western Sheriff Romance of Intrigue

by Delores Fossen

  “It’s me, Shane,” the caller said.

  Livvy released the breath she’d been holding. It wasn’t Reed calling to tell her that he’d taken one of those bullets.

  “Where’s Reed?”

  “I’m not sure. Somewhere between the fence and the west side of the inn.” She tried to pick through the darkness and shadows, but she couldn’t see him either. “Where are you?”

  “The back porch of the inn. I’m going to try to sneak up the stairs to the upper porch.”

  It was a good idea. That way, he might be able to spot the shooter. If the shooter didn’t spot Shane first, that was. The outside stairs weren’t exactly concealed, and the shooter might have an unobstructed view of both the stairs and the upper porch.

  “Be careful,” Livvy warned. “But hurry. Whoever’s doing this isn’t giving up.”

  She got instant proof of that. The shooter fired again, and this time the bullet didn’t go into the fence. It went into the wooden gate just on the other side of Charla. The woman screamed, covered her head with her hands and tried to scramble behind Livvy.

  “Were you hit again?” Shane immediately asked.

  “No.” Livvy pressed the phone between her right shoulder and ear so she could focus on keeping aim. No easy feat. The pain was worse now, and it seemed to be throbbing through every inch of her body.

  “Just hang in there,” Shane told her. “We’ll get the medics in ASAP.”

  He’d obviously heard the pain come through in her voice. Livvy hoped the shooter didn’t sense that as well because she was in no shape to win a gunfight.

  “I’ve got to hang up now,” Shane continued. “I’m at the stairs, and—Wait…”

  That wait got Livvy’s complete attention. “What’s wrong?”

  “I see the shooter. He’s wearing dark clothes, and he’s behind the oak tree.”

  Not the mountain laurels as Reed had thought. She quickly tried to remember the landscape, and if her memory was right, Reed could soon be crawling right past the gunman.

  Or right at him.

  Shane cursed, and the call ended.

  Livvy mumbled some profanity as well. She considered phoning Reed but figured it was too late for that.

  “Reed?” she shouted. “Watch out!”

  But her warning was drowned out by the gunfire that blasted through the air. Not from the direction where the shooter had originally been.

  The shots came from directly in front of them.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Reed heard Livvy’s warning, but it was too late for him to do anything but duck his head and hope the bullets missed him.

  And her.

  God knew how much pain Livvy was in right now, and she certainly wasn’t in any shape to be in the middle of this mess.

  “Stay down!” Reed called out to Livvy, Charla and Shane.

  He hoped they all listened and had the capability to keep out of the line of fire. Shane certainly wasn’t in the best of positions. Or at least he hadn’t been when Reed had last spotted his deputy at the base of the stairs. Then Shane had disappeared, and Reed hoped like hell that he’d taken cover.

  Since there was no safe way for him to go forward and because he was worried about Livvy, Reed turned and began to make his way back to her. It was obvious the gunman was on the move, and Reed didn’t want him to manage to sneak up on Livvy.

  Moving as fast as he could while trying to keep his ear attuned to the directions of the shots, Reed maneuvered his way through the damp grass and the shrubs. He spotted Livvy. She was crouched over Charla, protecting her, but Reed knew Livvy needed someone to protect her.

  God, there was even more blood on her shirt.

  He scrambled to her, keeping low because of the barrage of bullets, and he clamped his hand over her wound again. It wasn’t gushing blood, but even a trickle could cause her to bleed out.

  “We can’t wait for the ambulance,” he whispered. “I need to get you out of here.”

  She didn’t argue. Well, not verbally anyway. He saw the argument in the depths of her eyes, but he also saw that the blood loss had weakened her.

  “I’m going to stay in front of you,” he instructed Livvy. “Do you think you can crawl through the gate and onto the sidewalk?”

  “Yes.” Now, she shook her head. “But I won’t leave you here to fend for yourself.”

  He nearly laughed. Nearly. So, there was some fight left in her after all. “I have Shane for backup. I’ll cover you while you get to the sidewalk. Get as far away from the inn as you can, and I’ll have the medics meet you.”

  Charla moved when Livvy did, but Reed latched on to the woman. “You’re staying here.” Though he doubted Charla was truly involved in the shooting, he didn’t want Livvy to have to worry about watching her back.

  Livvy had barely made it to the gate when Reed heard the sound. Not more gunfire, but movement. It wasn’t just footsteps either. There seemed to be some kind of altercation going on, and whatever it was, it was happening in front of them.

  Shane.

  Hell, his deputy had likely come face-to-face with the gunman.

  Reed motioned for Livvy to keep moving, but she didn’t. She stopped and aimed her gun in the direction of those sounds. Someone cursed. It was definitely Shane, and then there was a loud thump. Reed had been around enough fights to know that someone had just connected with a punch.

  The silence returned.

  But it didn’t last.

  It was mere seconds before the footsteps started. This wasn’t a quiet skulking motion. Someone was running straight toward them.

  Reed couldn’t call out Shane’s name because it would give away Livvy’s and his positions. Besides, whoever this was, it wasn’t Shane. His deputy was well-trained and would have identified himself to avoid being shot.

  The gunman darted out from one of the eight-foot-high mountain laurels.

  Reed fired.

  And missed.

  But he’d gotten a glimpse of the person. Shane was right about the dark clothes, and it was definitely a man.

  Reed got a sickening feeling. He hoped it wasn’t Woody out there.

  The shots started again, and the man rushed out, coming closer. Each shot and each movement was wasting time, and Reed was fed up. He needed to get Livvy out of there.

  He motioned for Livvy to stay down. Whether she would or not was anyone’s guess. Reed picked up a chunk of the limestone that’d broken off in the attack, and tossed it to the center of the yard. When the stone landed on the ground, the gunman left cover.

  Reed fired again.

  This time, he didn’t miss.

  The shooter howled in pain and clamped his hands onto his left thigh.

  “Fire a couple of shots into the ground but in that direction and then get to the medics,” he told Livvy, pointing to the area on the west side of the inn but still far enough away from where he would be heading. He needed a diversion in case their attacker could still manage to shoot.

  Reed hurried, racing toward the gunman who’d done his level best to kill them. And this wasn’t over. He had no idea just how badly Livvy, and maybe even Shane, were hurt. There had to be a good reason his deputy wasn’t responding.

  When he was closer, Reed saw that the shooter was wearing a black baseball cap that was tilted down to cover the upper portion of his face. Reed didn’t stop or take the time to figure out who this was; he dove at the guy.

  The shooter lifted his gun.

  Aimed.

  But he didn’t get off another shot before Reed plowed right into him.

  Both of them went to the ground, hard, and the guy’s gun rammed into Reed’s rib cage. It nearly knocked the breath right out of him, but Reed fought to pull air into his lungs while he fought to hang on to his gun.

  But he wasn’t successful.

  The man swiped at Reed’s arm, and it was just enough to send his weapon flying.

  Still, Reed wasn’t about to give up. He used every bit of hi
s anger and adrenaline so he could slam his fist into the man’s face.

  It worked.

  The guy’s head flopped back. He wasn’t unconscious, but the movement caused his baseball cap to fall off. And Reed got a close look at the gunman’s face.

  He cursed.

  Because it was a face he knew all too well.

  The shock stunned Reed for a moment. Just a moment. But that was apparently all the time the man needed to get his weapon back into place.

  The gun slammed hard against the side of Reed’s head.

  * * *

  LIVVY COULD no longer feel the pain. That was good. Because one way or another she was going to make her way to Reed, and dealing with the pain was one less obstacle that could get in her way.

  Charla was still sobbing and cowering against the fence. It was a risk to leave her there alone, but it was an even bigger risk to let Reed take on the gunman without backup. Yes, Shane was out there somewhere, but he didn’t seem to be responding. She hoped he hadn’t been shot, or killed.

  Livvy forced herself to stand, and since there were no more bullets flying, she didn’t exactly crouch. Her goal was to make it to Reed as quickly as possible.

  Still, that wasn’t nearly fast enough.

  She felt as if she were walking through sludge, and it didn’t help that she had to keep her shooting hand clamped to her shoulder. That meant her gun was out of position if she had to fire, but she would deal with that if and when it came down to it. She couldn’t let the blood flow go unchecked, or else this rescue mission would fail, and she would be in just as much serious trouble as Reed and Shane.

  She trudged through the grass and shrubs, and she heard the sounds of a struggle.

  Reed and the gunman, no doubt.

  At least they weren’t shooting at each other, and even though she dreaded the idea of Reed having to fistfight his way out of a situation, he’d apparently cornered the shooter, and maybe that meant this was on its way to being over.

  Just ahead of her, Livvy heard a different sound. Much softer and closer than the battle going on at the other side of the yard. This was a moan, and it sounded as if someone was in pain. The person was lying on the ground just ahead of her. She unclamped her arm so she could aim and moved closer.

  It was Shane.

  He moaned again and touched his head. “Someone knocked me out,” he whispered.

  Livvy didn’t take the time to examine him further. The deputy was alive and could fend for himself for a little while so she could get to Reed.

  She silently cursed. The sex had indeed changed everything. Or maybe the sex was just the icing on this particular cake. Livvy had to admit that the reason the sex had happened in the first place was because she’d fallen hard and fast for the hot cowboy cop.

  Worse, she was in love with him.

  She hadn’t realized that until she’d seen him rush away after the gunman. And he’d done that to save her. That’s the kind of man he was. A man worth loving. Too bad that wouldn’t solve all their problems. Still, that was a matter for a different time and place. Right now, she needed to focus all her energy on helping Reed.

  Oh, and she needed to stay conscious.

  She didn’t think she’d lost too much blood, but the shock was starting to take over. Soon, very soon, she wouldn’t be much help to Reed.

  “I’ll be back,” she whispered to Shane and stepped around him.

  Livvy didn’t have to walk far before she saw Reed and the other man. They were fighting, and in the darkness she couldn’t tell where Reed’s body began and the other man’s ended. She certainly couldn’t risk firing a shot because she might hit Reed.

  The man bashed his forearm into Reed’s throat, and Reed staggered back. She saw the blood on his face. And on the front of his shirt.

  Her heart dropped.

  Livvy blinked back the dizziness and raced to get closer. They were there, right in front of her, less than a yard away, but she still didn’t have a clean shot, and she didn’t trust her aim anyway. The shooter would have to be out in the open before she could fire, and it didn’t help that the man still had a weapon in his hand.

  Reed’s fist connected with the man’s jaw, and that put a little distance between the two. Not enough for her to fire. But enough for her to catch a glimpse of the man’s face.

  It was Ben Tolbert.

  God, had Ben knocked out his own son? And why was he doing this? Why was he trying to kill them?

  “Stay back!” Reed shouted to her.

  She didn’t listen. Couldn’t. Ben was armed and Reed wasn’t. Plus, there was all that blood on Reed’s shirt.

  The milky-white moon cast an eerie light on Ben, and she saw him sneer at her. And lift his gun.

  Ben aimed it right at her.

  Her body didn’t react as quickly as her mind did. Livvy recognized the danger. She realized she was about to be shot again, but she couldn’t seem to get out of the way. Nor could she shoot. That was because her hand had gone numb. So had her legs, and she felt herself start to fall.

  Reed shouted something. Something she couldn’t understand. And she heard the shot the moment she hit the ground. The blast was thick and loud, and it echoed through her head.

  “Reed,” she managed to say. She prayed the bullet hadn’t slammed into him.

  Forcing herself to remain conscious, she turned her head and saw Reed lunge at Ben. This time, there was no real battle. A feral sound tore from Reed’s throat, and he slammed his weight into Ben. In the same motion, Reed ripped the gun from Ben’s hand. Both of them landed on the grass, not far from her. And she saw Reed put the gun to Ben’s head.

  “Move and you die,” Reed warned. Every muscle in his face had corded and was strained with raw emotion.

  Ben obviously believed him because he dropped his hands in surrender.

  It was over. They were safe. Now, they just needed the medics.

  Livvy tried to get up so she could go find them, but she only managed to lift her head a fraction before the darkness took over and closed in around her.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Reed paced, because he couldn’t figure out what else to do with the powder keg of energy and emotion that was boiling inside him. Waiting had never been his strong suit, and it especially wasn’t when he was waiting for the latest about Livvy’s condition.

  He heard the footsteps in the hall that led to the E.R. waiting room and whirled in that direction. It wasn’t the doctor. It was Kirby, his deputy.

  “Here are the things you asked me to get,” Kirby said, handing Reed the plastic grocery bag. “I don’t guess they’ve told you anything yet?”

  “No. One of the nurses came out about ten minutes ago and said I’d know something soon.” But soon needed to be now when it came to Livvy. “How’s Shane?”

  “He’s got another bump on his head, but other than that, he’s fine. The doc will be releasing him soon.”

  Good. That was one less thing to worry about, even though this wouldn’t be the end of Shane’s worries. After all, his father had just tried to murder Livvy and Reed. Ben Tolbert would likely to go to jail for the rest of his life.

  “I called the station on the way over here, and Ben’s talking, by the way,” Kirby continued. “Jerry’s trying to make him hush, but Ben confessed to setting the cabin on fire and trying to scare Livvy into leaving town. He didn’t want any evidence that could link Shane to Marcie’s murder.”

  Reed felt every muscle in his body tighten. He wanted to pulverize Ben for what he’d done. “But Livvy’s the one who cleared Shane’s name.”

  Kirby shrugged. “Ben evidently thought Livvy wasn’t done with Shane. He figured she’d keep looking for anything and everything to put Shane back in jail.”

  Great. Because of Ben’s warped loyalty to his son, Livvy might have to pay a huge price.

  “What about Charla?” Reed asked.

  “The medics took her to Austin, to the psych ward. After they’ve evaluated her, they�
�ll give you a call.”

  Kirby had barely finished his sentence, when Reed heard more footsteps. This time, it was Dr. Eric Callahan, the man who’d forced Reed out of the E.R. so he could get to work on Livvy’s gunshot wound.

  “How is she?” Reed demanded, holding his breath.

  “She lost quite a bit of blood so we gave her a transfusion. She’s B-negative, and thanks to you, we have a small stockpile.”

  “You gave her Reed’s blood?” Kirby asked.

  Dr. Callahan nodded, but Reed interrupted any verbal response he might have given Kirby. Yes, Reed was a regular blood donor, and he was damn thankful the supply had been there for Livvy, but a transfusion was the last thing he wanted to discuss right now.

  “How’s Livvy?” Reed snapped.

  “She’s okay. The bullet went through and doesn’t appear to have damaged anything permanently—”

  “I want to see her.” Reed didn’t wait for permission. He pushed his way past the doctor and went to the room where they’d taken Livvy nearly an hour earlier.

  Reed stormed into the room but came to a dead stop. There Livvy was, lying on the bed. Awake. Her shoulder sporting a fresh bandage. Heck, she even gave him a thin smile, but she looked pale and weak. That smile, however, faded in a flash when Livvy’s gaze dropped to the front of his shirt.

  Reed glanced down at what had snagged her attention and immediately shook his head. “It’s not mine.” The blood on the front of his shirt had gotten there during his fight with Ben.

  Livvy gave a sigh of relief and eased her head back onto the pillow.

  “You shouldn’t be in here,” the nurse on the other side of the room insisted.

  “I’m not leaving,” Reed insisted right back. “Not until I find out how you really are,” he said to Livvy.

  “I’ll speak to the doctor about that,” the nurse warned and headed out of the room.

  Livvy motioned for him to come closer. “I’m fine, really. The doctor gave me some good pain meds so I’m not feeling much.” Her eyes met his. “Well, not much pain anyway. Please tell me Ben Tolbert is behind bars.”