Comeback Trail

by Carolina Mac

  “Should we be following Harper?” asked Jack. “Think she’d lead us anywhere?”

  “I’ve been keeping my eye on her myself, son, the odd night, and she hasn’t left Hutton’s place. She seems a might attached to that boy.”

  “I feel sorry for him,” said Jack. “If that wild shooter was attached to me, I’d want her off me.” Jack wriggled. “Be like getting a leech off.”

  Sheriff Tucker laughed. “She’s brutal, son. We’ve got to catch her on something and lock her up. I usually put my faith in the system, but this time the system fucked up huge. We got to get her ourselves.”

  “We’re on the same page, Sheriff. Same page.”

  McKenna Ranch.

  I tied Bowie in the shade and gave him a bath. He seemed to appreciate being cooled down. Texas in June could be a little warm for man and beast alike.

  After he was dried off, I brushed him and gave him a carrot. I wanted him to enjoy his day off before I pushed him hard tomorrow at Lubbock.

  I’d just finished with that job when I received a call from a reporter asking for an interview. “Mr. McKenna, I’m Tom Fredericks from Rodeo News and I wondered if you’d grant me an interview in Lubbock on the weekend?”

  Over the course of my career, I’d been interviewed dozens of times and it never bothered me. “Sure, Tom. Track me down while I’m up there and we’ll have a beer and talk.”

  “Thanks so much. I’ll see you in Lubbock.”

  Butternut Circle. Preston.

  I rang the bell and a tall man with dark hair opened the door. He was large, broad shouldered and solid and wore a huge smile on his face.

  He stuck out his hand and I shook it. “Hey, there, Logan. Darla told me she was seeing Logan McKenna and we both been fans for so long I thought she was pulling my leg.”

  “Nope, it’s true, sir. We met by chance and already had our first date.”

  “Happy for the two of you,” he said. “Step in. I think Darla’s almost ready.”

  “You coming up to Lubbock this weekend, sir?”

  “I believe I might drive up tomorrow. Be a good time, wouldn’t it.”

  “Sure would. We might have time for one in the beer tent.”

  “I’ll look forward to that, son.”

  Darla kissed her father on the cheek and I picked up her overnight case. “We’ll see you tomorrow, sir. Looking forward to it.”

  Darla raised an eyebrow as she slid into the front seat of the truck. “You’re going to see Daddy tomorrow?”

  “He said he was driving up to the rodeo.”

  Darla giggled. “He didn’t tell me that.”

  “Maybe he was saving it for a surprise to make sure I was behaving myself with his daughter.”

  “No. He just loves the rodeo.”

  “My brothers are meeting us at the Spur. They’re all hyped up to meet you.”

  “This is going to be the best weekend, Logan. I’m all tingly just thinking about it.”

  Broken Spur Roadhouse.

  AS I escorted Darla through the double doors at the front of the roadhouse, I whispered, “The first person you’re going to meet is my almost Momma, Miss Jane, who owns the roadhouse. She was my Daddy’s girlfriend and we’re her boys.”

  “Oh, that’s sweet.”

  “She spoils us and kind of hovers over us. Don’t let her scare you.”

  Darla smiled. “How could anything scare me when I’m with you, Logan?”

  Miss Jane zeroed in on us and greeted us with hugs. “Good evening, my darlings. I’m thrilled to meet you, Darla. Yes, I know who you are because I know everything that goes on with my boys. You treat him right now, hear me?”

  Darla smiled. “I intend to, Miss Jane.”

  I pointed to a booth down the back where Jack was waving to us. “Jack has a booth for us.”

  “I see him waving.” Darla headed that way through the building Friday night crowd and I followed her.

  Clay was sitting beside Jack and Darla and I sat on the opposite side. “This is Darla. I know she’s gorgeous so don’t stare at her too much, okay?”

  “Okay,” said Jack, “but it’s gonna be hard. Nice to meet you, Darla. You’re the only thing Logy is talking about these days. Just so you know.”

  Darla looked up at me with those dark eyes and I almost melted. “It’s true. I’d better have a beer. What would you like to drink, Darla?”

  “I’ll have red wine. Uh huh. Red wine.”

  I waved for Ricki and she came running over. “Hi, Logan, wish I could get up to Lubbock to see you tomorrow, but I have to work.”

  “Clay will take a video for you,” I said and winked at Clay.

  She gave us menus and I ordered red wine and more beer.

  We hadn’t decided on what we were eating before Bonnie Sue arrived and joined us. Clay introduced her and she squeezed in between Clay and Jack.

  “Am I the only one without a date?” Jack made a scary face.

  “Only until tomorrow and you’ll have ten dates at the rodeo. You always do.”

  “True. I can’t help it if I attract gorgeous women.”

  Darla laughed and I could tell she liked Jack.

  Dinner was delicious and lots of fun and it was almost time for Clay to sing. We were all in a good mood and having a great time when Fiona made her appearance.

  Ace was no longer trailing her because his services were no longer needed. Now that the RO was in place I was on my own. Not really my own—Jacky was watching out for Fiona.

  He turned his head and pointed, then said, “Let her come, Logy. She’s been advised by the court. It’s not like she doesn’t know.”

  Darla’s eyes widened wondering what was going on. “I have a stalker,” I whispered. “Don’t worry. Jack will take care of it. He’s a sheriff.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know that.”

  Fiona marched up to the table wearing a smug smile. “Good evening, Logan. Nice to see you and your brothers enjoying yourselves.”

  Jack stood up. “Doctor Lonnigan I have to ask you to keep your distance from my brother. You can’t be within five hundred feet of him.”

  Fiona tossed her head back and laughed. “Or what? You’ll arrest me for saying hello?”

  “That’s right. You leave now or I’ll have to enforce the restraining order.”

  “I’m not leaving. I came here to talk to Logan, and that’s what I intend to do. We have things to discuss.”

  Jack whipped handcuffs on the good doctor and showed her out the back door.

  I let out a breath. “She never quits and I wish she would.”

  “Is she the one you were getting the RO against in our office?” asked Darla.

  “Uh huh. She’s the vet in town and she’s the one who attacked me.” I pointed to my head.

  “Oh, Logan. That’s terrible. I hope that’s the end of it.”

  “Believe me, so do I.”

  CLAY was on the stage singing and I asked Darla to dance.

  “I love it here at the Spur, Logan. It’s the most fun place ever. I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”

  “We’re here a lot. Maybe even too much, but it’s like home to us.” I held her close and steered her around the floor best I could while Clay sang another one of his songs.

  “Your brother is an excellent singer. Does he have a CD?”

  “That’s our next step. As soon as he finishes writing the last song and practices it, we’re having a demo CD made for him to shop in Austin. See if anybody will record him.”

  “They should. He would sound great on the radio.”

  “I wouldn’t know how to write a song, but Clay whips them off easily and they sound great.”

  We returned to our table and weren’t there long when Jack returned from the lockup in Preston. “I processed her and locked her up for the weekend, Logy. At least she won’t be wandering around up in Lubbock distracting you when you need to focus.”

  “Appreciate it, Jack. You’re the best.”


  “I appreciate it too, Jack,” said Darla. “I didn’t realize you were in law enforcement.”

  “Might be only temporary, but I’m enjoying it so far. I was hand-picked by the sheriff and so far it’s working out.” Jack glanced up, his eyes widened and he leaned down and whispered, “Harper is here. I’m going to watch her and follow her.”

  “Where’s Bonnie Sue?” I asked.

  Jack turned around and he couldn’t see her for people. “I think she’s watching Clay sing.”

  “When it’s time, take her with you. Don’t go alone.”

  Jack nodded.

  “What are they doing?” Darla asked in a whisper.

  “Trying to find people who are wanted.”

  “And that girl with the red hair might know where they are?” Darla peered through the dimness to where Harper was sitting.

  “She might. She’s a bad person too. She shot Bonnie Sue and she shot Clay. Not one of my favorite people.”

  “Is she the one? I wanted to go to the courthouse when the verdict came in. Mr. Tomlinson followed the case closely and we were disappointed in the jury’s verdict.”

  “Not as much as Clay and Bonnie Sue. Harper shot them and got away with it.”

  “Wow. Y’all are close to the case.”

  “We should go soon. I don’t want to drink too much or be tired tomorrow.”

  “Sure, whenever you’re ready. I’d like to come back here another time and dance some more. I love to dance when there’s a live country band.”

  “We’ll come next Friday. How’s that?”

  “Perfect.” Darla tipped up her face and kissed me. “I’ll get my purse.”

  CLAY and Bonnie Sue said goodbye to Logan and Darla and settled into the booth for some alone time while Jack was circulating and watching Harper.

  “Why didn’t you ask me to go to the rodeo with y’all if you and your brothers are getting hotel rooms?”

  “I talked it over with Logan and I decided that I’m not ready for that step yet, and I might never be.”

  “With me, you mean.”

  “I guess that’s what I mean. I’m sorry, but that’s the way I feel and I’m not going to take advantage of you just for a sex-filled weekend.”

  “I was planning on driving up tomorrow anyway to watch Logan, but I don’t have to hang with you if you don’t want me to.”

  “It’s not that at all. I enjoy your company, Bonnie Sue, and we’re close friends since we both got shot, but I have no desire to be a couple. Does that make sense?”

  “It’s not what I wanted from day one, Clay, but I can live with it. At least I get to spend time with you.”

  “Sure.” Clay smiled but he could tell Bonnie Sue was disappointed in him and he felt bad for it. He didn’t love her and he wasn’t going to lead her on and hurt her even more. It wouldn’t be right.

  McKenna Ranch.

  THE house was quiet when I got back to the ranch with Darla. It made me nervous bringing a new woman home, but I wanted a relationship with Darla and it had to have a beginning.

  “Come in and welcome. We aren’t the tidiest guys on the planet, but I try to make them toe the line a little bit.”

  “It’s fine, Logan. A charming old farmhouse. I love the big rooms and the spacious feel of it. Lots of windows.”

  I smiled. “I’ll carry your bag up for you and show you where you’ll be sleeping. I didn’t want to put any kind of pressure on you when we hardly know each other.”

  “You’re very sweet, Logan, and I appreciate the courtesy. I’ve been saving myself for the right man and I’m thinking I’m close to getting there.”

  “We’ll get there at our own speed,” I said. “Let things happen naturally.” I opened the door to Daddy’s old room that I’d made into a guest room and set Darla’s case on a chair. I took her in my arms and held her close to me, then kissed her gently and ran my fingers through her long wavy hair.

  She kissed me back with passion and sizzle and we eased down onto the bed, lying close together and making out until I figured I’d better go to my own room.

  Reluctantly, she let me go. “I feel we’re right for each other, Logan. I’ve never had these feelings for any other man.”

  “I have to agree, Darla. I want you in my life.”

  JACK hurried back to the table a half hour later and said, Hutton and Harper are moving out. You two want to come with me? I’m going to follow them for fun and see where they go.”

  “I’m coming,” said Clay.

  “Sure,” said Bonnie Sue. “You might need backup.”

  “Let’s go out the backway and play it cool.”

  “What are they driving?” asked Clay.

  “Hutton’s pickup,” said Jack. “That dark red one.”

  “Yep, I know the one.”

  The three of them piled into Jack’s truck and eased their way out of the parking lot and along the road following the disappearing tail lights.

  “Going south,” said Bonnie Sue from the back seat. She had her gun in her hand checking the mag.

  “Planning on shooting somebody?” asked Clay.

  “Sure am. Just watch me.” The edge in her voice said she wasn’t kidding.

  They followed Hutton’s tail lights for about fifteen miles. He put on his blinker and turned west. Along that road another mile he turned into an acre plot of land with a trailer sitting on it. Lots of trees and weeds around.

  Jack parked on the road and doused the lights. “We’ll walk from here.”

  “Clay, stay here,” said Bonnie Sue. “I’m not risking you getting shot again.”

  Clay didn’t say a word but when Jack and Bonnie Sue ran down the road in the dark, he followed at his own pace carrying Jack’s shotgun.

  Doyle Hutton and Harper Gabriel had gone inside the trailer by the time Jack and Bonnie Sue caught up. Lights were on and there were a lot of raised voices.

  Out front beside Swain’s blue Ram and Hutton’s pickup were two Harleys parked side by side.

  “Check for a back door,” Jack whispered to Bonnie Sue.

  She ran around the trailer and came back shaking her head. “Only one door. They have to come out that way.”

  “Okay, I’m going to bang on the door then kick it in. You get ready to back me up if they’re firing at me.”

  “I’m ready, Jack,” said Bonnie Sue. “Once you kick the door in, stand to the side. You know the drill right?”

  “Makes sense not to stand in the middle and get shot.”

  “Let’s do it.”

  “Police. Open up,” hollered Jack, then with a vicious kick, he planted his boot just below the lock and the frame around the door gave way. The cheap door flew inward.

  Jack jumped back to his left expecting Bonnie Sue to do the same. She didn’t do that.

  She ran into the trailer firing and Jack heard half a dozen shots before he cleared the doorway. It happened in seconds.

  The air stunk of cordite and it took Jack a minute to see who was breathing and who wasn’t after Bonnie Sue’s rampage.

  Two biker guys with guns in their hands were laid out on the floor. Doyle Hutton stood with his hands in the air looking like he might shit himself. Mickey Swain lay moaning on the sofa. Harper Gabriel was dead meat at Bonnie’s feet and Carson Wagoner was gut shot and bleeding out on the filthy floor.

  “Shitfires, Bonnie Sue, this is a mess.” Jack called Sheriff Tucker on his cell phone.

  “I’m in bed, Jacky, this better be important.”

  “Couldn’t be more important if it tried, Sheriff. We got the whole works here in a trailer and Bonnie Sue shot most of them. You better come as fast as you can and sort it out.”

  “Swain?”

  “Yep, we need an ambulance and the coroner and you.”

  “I’m up, son. Tell me how to get wherever the hell y’all are.”

  “I followed Harper and Doyle and this is where they led us.” Jack gave directions to the sheriff, then sat down on the porch to s
moke while they waited.

  Clay walked up and joined him. “Who’s dead? Can I look?”

  “Bonnie Sue cleaned house,” said Jack. “Harper’s dead, Carson is gonna be dead, two bikers are dead and Micky is moaning on the sofa. Bonnie Sue is cuffing Doyle.”

  “Shit,” said Clay. “It happened so fast you weren’t even in there.”

  “That’s what I said. Couldn’t you wait for me?”

  “I hear the sirens,” said Clay. “Where are we anyway?”

  “No idea. Out in the boonies. I just followed Hutton.”

  Sheriff Tucker pulled in and parked out of the way of the ambulance and the medical examiner. He stopped at the bottom of the step and waited for an explanation.

  “Harper came to the Spur, Sheriff, and it was my idea to follow her. Bonnie Sue and Clay came with me.” Jack hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Just so you know, Sheriff, my gun ain’t been fired.”

  “Fucktards, Jacky. Let me look.”

  Sheriff Tucker came out of the trailer and lit up a smoke. “That’s one savage looking mess in there. Bonnie Sue seems a bit out of it, but I guess she’ll be okay.”

  “I’ll put Hutton in the back of your squad, Sheriff. Get him out of the way.”

  “Thanks, Jack. I’m a bit unnerved by the way this turned out, but happy as hell to have these trouble makers off my plate.”

  Jack secured Doyle Hutton in the back of the sheriff’s squad and said, “Why don’t you get some sleep in the truck, Clay? We have to wait until this mess is cleared.”

  The ambulance arrived and loaded up Micky Swain and his wife, Carson Wagoner. Both of them looked to be in bad shape—Carson being the worst with a hole right through her middle section. Swain wasn’t up to saying a single word and Sheriff Tucker was thankful for that.

  “Now that the injured are off to the hospital, all we have left are the corpses,” said Sheriff Tucker. “Jack, you better bag and tag Bonnie Sue’s sidearm.”

  “Yes, sir, I can do that.”

  “Can’t believe all that happened before you got yourself in the door.”

  “I saw and heard it happen,” said Clay. “Jacky was right behind Bonnie Sue and it was already too late. She was like greased lightning.”

  “Unbelievable. But those biker boys had weapons in their hands. She knew what she was doing.”