Shadow of the Hawk [Wayback Texas Series]

by Judith Rochelle

  Hawk tried to roll away from the flashing hooves, but his body was frozen to the ground.

  "Get your ass out of here, Riley.” His voice sounded like it came from the bottom of a canyon. “Unless you want to spend your life in hell, in an endless chase with demons whipping you along, get your act together."

  "But I'm already in hell,” he said, his heart shaking.

  "Not even close. But this is your last chance. Go back to Maggie, the sweetest woman you'll ever meet. I had one like her and I did the same thing you're doing."

  "But—"

  "Make it right. Throw away that bottle. And get right with your family. You don't want to see me again. It means I'll own your soul and that's worse than hell."

  He dug his spurs into his horse and raced off. For the first time in his life, Hawk felt real fear.

  Something was chirping near him. A bird? He swam up through a fog, trying to find it, realizing he'd fallen asleep. The chirping was his cell phone.

  He shook himself, hard, and dug it out of his pocket.

  "Here's the skinny on Owen Grainger,” Greg began with no preamble. “He's a major but silent land speculator throughout the Southwest. A national development company wants to put in a mixed use community right where your ranch and his are, plus a couple others."

  "Shit. So he needs the land for his deal."

  "The project is worth billions,” Greg told him. “He's been told to acquire the land or else he loses his investment. And people who got in his way before have known to get hurt. Badly. I'm trying to track down the key figure in the land deal and see if I cam get us some leverage. Meanwhile watch your back."

  Hawk shut the phone feeling sick. The dream was still so vivid in his head he wasn't sure it hadn't really happened, and now this. What kind of loser would he be to run out on Maggie now? The woman he finally realized he loved? Maybe the rider from hell was right and he'd been given this one last chance. Maybe Maggie was his last chance. If he hadn't blown it.

  He looked over his shoulder and swore he saw the devil's rider staring at him, red eyes reflecting the sunlight. He blinked his eyes and the image was gone. But the hawk was still shrieking at him, shouting its warnings.

  He got himself to his feet, took the flask and tossed it as far as he could. As he did he saw a thick curl of smoke rising in the air, and his heart nearly froze in his chest. Fire! Mercy Creek was on fire.

  Jesus. Maggie! He couldn't lose her now that he'd finally realized he loved her. And he couldn't let her lose the ranch.

  Cursing his injuries and clumsiness, he hoisted himself into the saddle as fast as he could, urged Jocko into a fast gallop and took off in the direction he'd come from. The hawk followed him, screeching as it whirled and turned.

  Go away. You're bad luck.

  But when he looked up again, he saw not one, but two hawks, flying in tandem. Red tailed hawks mated for life. Maybe that was the message the bird had been trying to send him all along.

  "Okay,” he shouted, as he raced across the pastures. “I get it, I get it."

  The hawks dipped, then flew away.

  By the time he pulled into the yard the fires in the second barn had been contained, but thick smoke still swirled everywhere. Charlie and one of the men were in the corral calming the horses they'd managed to get out of the barn unharmed. Everyone else was either taking care of the horses still in their stalls or helping the Wayback Volunteer Fire Department finish putting out the blaze.

  Hawk urged Jocko close to the corral. “Where's Maggie?” he hollered.

  Charlie gave him a look that reminded him of the cowboy in his vision. “What the hell do you care?"

  Hawk gave him a steady stare. “More than you can possibly know. More than even I thought possible."

  Whatever Charlie saw in his eyes or heard in his voice, he nodded toward the arena building. “With the clients trying to make sure they don't pull their horses with this latest disaster."

  Rather than wasting time with his clumsy walk he rode down to the third building and right through the large door. Maggie was standing in the walkway behind the glass talking to an agitated woman in riding clothes. Hawk simply rode right up to them, got himself off of Jocko and grabbed Maggie.

  "I love you. I'm sorry I'm such an ass.” And then, ignoring the woman standing there, he kissed her with more emotion than he'd felt in ten years.

  Maggie, startled, at first tried to resist. But his kiss was so hot and persistent her arms eventually wound around his neck and she held on for dear life. A chuckle beside them forced them apart after a few seconds.

  "Sorry,” Maggie apologized, her cheeks pink.

  "I'm not,” Hawk grinned. “I can't wait to do it again."

  "Hawk, we have a problem,” she said as softly as she could.

  "Not for long.” He turned to the woman standing beside them. “Ma'am, I'm Hawk Riley, Maggie's fiancé. And I give you my word, Mercy Creek will continue to take very good care of you and your horse. We have a no good crook trying to put Maggie out of business, but we're about to stomp him into the ground."

  The woman stared for a moment, then broke out laughing. “How can I pass up an offer like that? Maggie, you assured me everything was under control, so I'm getting back to my lesson."

  "Thanks, Jeanne.” Maggie's sigh of relief was audible.

  "If not,” Jeanne told her, “I'll just come and steal this cowboy from you. I want one like that for myself."

  Hawk's phone chirped again and he moved to the side to take the call. Greg again, with more information.

  "I owe you big time for this,” Hawk told him.

  "Just remember what my payment is,” Greg reminded him.

  "I'll get back to you on that.” He shoved the phone in his pocket and grabbed Maggie's arm. “I want you to know I've been the biggest ass in the world, but that's all over. I'm through running. I love you and I want to marry you. For real."

  Uncertainty clouded her eyes. “What brought all this on? The way you rode out of here this morning I thought you were leaving us on horseback."

  He cupped her cheeks in his big hands. “I got a glimpse of hell, Maggie. The hell I've been dancing around for years. And it scared the shit out of me.” He pressed a light kiss to her lips. “Last night when you said you wished this was for real? Well, I do, too. And I'm going to make it so. Just as soon as we get that shithead Grainger off your back."

  Maggie just stared at him.

  Hawk cleared his throat. “Last night I was so caught up with you, so hot with wanting you, I didn't even think to bring up protection. I want you to know..."

  Maggie found her voice. “It's all right. I think I'm out of the dangerous part of my cycle."

  He pulled her tight against him. “If not, that's okay, too. Because whether it happens now or later, I want us to have children, Maggie. I love you and I want a family with you."

  Maggie blinked hard to clear the tears from her eyes. “I love you, too, Hawk. And I never thought I'd be saying that to anyone."

  "Meanwhile,” he reminded her, “We have some work to do."

  "I think I know who set the fire,” she told him. They were walking out of the building now, leading Jocko.

  "Everything all right?” Charlie ran up, panting. “Riley, what the hell's going on?"

  "Everything's fine, Charlie.” Maggie blushed again. “Hawk was just helping me convince Jeanne McRae not to pull her horses. She's agreed to stay."

  "The fire's under control but there's some damage to the barn. We'll have to shuffle the horses around to get them all stabled, but we'll be okay."

  "I'm willing to bet that new hand we hired had something to do with it,” Maggie told him. “He ran past me in a hell of a hurry and peeled rubber out of here just before the fire broke out."

  "I'll take the blame for him,” Charlie grimaced. “When those other two went down with injuries and we were short-handed, I hired him on. I thought his arrival was just a little too much good luck. I already called the
sheriff when I couldn't find him."

  "I want his name,” Hawk said. “I'm going to have someone check him out."

  Charlie's eyebrows rose. “You are?"

  So Hawk told them about his friend Greg, the call he'd made to the attorney, and the information he'd dug up. He included the most recent news, the name of the buyer for the property once Owen had it altogether.

  "Plus Grainger would get a big piece of the project if he put it together,” Hawk finished.

  "That lowlife,” Maggie raged. “We have to do something."

  "We will, princess. Now that I have the full scoop, I'll be paying him a little visit. But I want to wait until I have the information on the firebug, first."

  "His name's Thad Lowry,” Charlie told him.

  Hawk punched Greg's number into his phone, and when the man answered, said, “I need you to find out one more thing for me.” He swallowed hard. “And then I'll give your request serious consideration."

  "What request?” Maggie's eyes were full of curiosity.

  "Later.” He pulled her to him for a quick kiss, raising Charlie's eyebrows again. “Right now I have an errand to run. I want you to stay here and oversee the horses and our clients. Charlie, you come with me."

  "Hey, wait a minute,” Maggie protested. “This is my ranch. I don't get left behind."

  "Yes, princess, it is.” Hawk kissed her yet again, hard enough to make her tremble in his grasp. “And we're going to make sure it stays that way."

  Chapter Thirteen

  Over dinner Charlie and Hawk filled Maggie in on their visit to Owen Grainger.

  "After the sheriff picked up Lowry,” Charlie said. “Hawk called the developer behind this and let him know what Grainger was doing. The fire, spraying the pasture, everything. The man immediately said he was out of the picture and would look for land elsewhere. Kind of threw Grainger to the wolves."

  "I'll bet Owen was damned unhappy about that,” Maggie guessed.

  "I had the pleasure of delivering the message myself,” Hawk told her. “He'll be lucky if he doesn't end up in jail with his firebug as soon as Lowry gives his statement."

  "He knows he's done,” Charlie assured her. “Finished. Especially with the statement Lowry gave."

  "He'll be gone or in jail,” Hawk agreed. “I think we'll see his ranch on the market real soon."

  Now Charlie had tactfully taken himself off and Hawk and Maggie were alone, sitting over a last cup of coffee.

  "Hawk,” Maggie began, fiddling with her coffee cup.

  "No,” he interrupted. “Me first.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, choosing his words with great care. “You know how I got to where I am. I told you my story. And to tell you the truth, I figured I'd just keep going until I killed myself. Then I met you and decided living might not be so bad after all. Although it took several knocks on my head to get to that point across."

  He lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

  "Last night meant more to me than you can possibly imagine. That wasn't sex, Maggie. That was making love."

  She dropped her eyes to her lap. “The way you lit out of here this morning I wasn't sure you thought so."

  He took another swallow of coffee, sat back and told her about his dream. “If you want to know the truth, I had a dream up on that ridge today. Or a vision. Or whatever you want to call it. It's kind of been following me around, like that red tailed hawk. It was a real wakeup call for me. Made me realize I was about to screw up the best thing to ever come into my life."

  "Hawk, listen,” she broke in.

  He held up his hand. “After I finish. This is not bullshit talking, Maggie. I really, truly love you. I want that ring to stay on your finger and another one with it. I'm no prize package and if you don't want me I can understand. But I love you and want to marry you. And help you pull Mercy Creek out of its problems.” He sat back, his body tense. “Now you can talk."

  She swallowed twice before she got the words out. “I was sure I'd never be able to be intimate with a man ever again in my life. Alex left me pretty scarred. But last night you showed me what it could really be like. I know I got a little carried away there, and I don't want you to feel—"

  Hawk tugged on her hand to pull her out of the chair. “Come here, princess."

  Reluctantly she let him guide her to his lap, where he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her thoroughly. Her mouth had never tasted so sweet, her small tongue so satisfying. He moved one hand to hold her head in place as he feasted from her mouth, while the other reached up to cup a warm breast. His thumb teased at the instantly hard nipple.

  "Does that answer your question?” He was breathless and his heart was pounding. He also felt his growing erection threatening to burst from his jeans. “I wouldn't do that to you, Maggie. Or to myself. I love you. I want to marry you. For real. If you had half a brain you'd run in the opposite direction, but I'm praying you won't."

  Now Maggie leaned forward and kissed him. “I think Fate sent you my way, with something in mind for both of us. Yes, I'll marry you. Just as soon as the rodeo season is over. We've got a lot of work to do in the next three weeks, repairing the barn, working with the riders."

  "And we'll do it together. But we're not waiting that long for the wedding. You might change your mind. Unless you want the whole big show with a cast of thousands."

  She shook her head. “I had that the first time. Once was enough. Besides, it might jinx us."

  "Then if you have an in with a judge, I'd like to do it here. Next week. You think Charlie would agree to be my best man?"

  "If you ask him nicely,” she grinned. “I think I'll see if Gina Logan will be my matron of honor. We've gotten to know each other pretty well.” She bit her lip. “But what about your family, Hawk? Don't you think they'd like to be here?"

  "Maggie.” Hawk swallowed hard, forcing the words out. “I promised Greg if he helped me with Owen Grainger I'd try to heal the past, but I'm not sure I know how to do that. I think there's just too much pain to get past.” He pulled her to him and hugged her. “But I give you my word. I'll love you every minute of our lives, I'll be sober and hardworking, and make every day the best we've ever had."

  She gave him a small grin. “I guess a girl can't ask for more than that."

  * * * *

  The next few days seemed to race by in a blur. Word of Owen Grainger's dirty deeds had spread faster than the fire in Maggie's barn. Word was out, too, that if Grainger got his hands on Mercy Creek he'd be after the adjoining ranches, like the Logans'.

  When Hawk and Maggie turned up at Cranky Hank's for dinner, everyone including the slightly shamefaced Jackson brothers from the feed store, had come by to congratulate them and wish them well. Gina Logan's friend, Patti-Pie Murphy, had even insisted on making a new pair of boots for Hawk as a wedding present.

  And everyone threw themselves in the preparations for the season-ending Wayback Grand Rodeo.

  Then, the day before the wedding, a strange van pulled into the ranch parking area. Maggie, wearing a conspiratorial smile, ran out of the house to greet the visitors. When Hawk, sitting near the corral astride Jocko, saw who it was he nearly fell out of the saddle. Exiting the van were an older couple, a man about Hawk's age in a wheelchair, a beautiful young woman who acted as if that man were her personal property, and a boy and a girl about five or six, dancing with excitement.

  Even when Maggie motioned to him, Hawk waited a full minute before riding toward the gathering. His body was so rigid with tension he thought it might break in two. Then the older man came over to him, a mixture of determination and apprehension on his face.

  "Get off that horse, son, so I can hug you.” Brian Riley blinked back the tears in his eyes. “It's been too many long years."

  Hawk dismounted and found himself embraced first by his father, then by his weeping mother. His own eyes were burning with unshed tears.

  "I'm sorry,” he said in a low voice.


  "We all are,” Brian told him gruffly. “We've wasted too much time being sorry. Time to move ahead.” And he gave his son another bear hug.

  And that was all it took. There were hugs all around and plenty of tears. Kisses for Maggie, who'd arranged the whole thing. And an emotional moment with his brother, Shane, who introduced his wife, Claire, and their two children, Kate and Mark.

  Hawk stared at his brother. “But I thought..."

  "My legs don't work.” Shane grinned. “But everything else works fine."

  Claire blushed but stood proudly beside her husband, hand squeezing his shoulder.

  They all talked far into the night, and the more they talked, the more the tears flowed and the more the barriers fell. When everyone was settle in the guest rooms and Hawk and Maggie were alone in their own room, he put his arms around her, held her tightly to him and cried like he had when he was five years old.

  "How can I thank ever you?” he asked her.

  "Just keep on loving me,” she told him.

  "That's easy. Let me show you just how easy."

  * * * *

  Opening night at the Wayback Grand Rodeo.

  The flags were flapping in the breeze above the rim of the Wayback Arena. The lights were all on, shining onto the arena floor where in less than a minute the rodeo would begin. The parking lot was a sea of cars and pickups and SUVs, horse trailers and house trailers. The ambulance stood ready next to the open white first aid tent.

  Toby Keith blared over the loud speaker, mingling with the sounds of ten thousand voices raised in conversation. In the ready barn immediately behind the arena, bulls stomped and snorted and horses whinnied, caught up in the excitement that danced in the air.

  "This is the best turnout we've ever had,” Maggie whispered to Hawk. “We've got people jammed into every corner. And all the top riders are registered."

  He leaned a little closer to her. “I think the word got out that someone was trying to pull a fast one on the ranch a lot of these people depend on. I know you get a big crowd every year, but this is a way for the competitors to show their support for you. And Wayback."