by R. C. Ryan
While the two described the uneventful evening walk home, and the sudden, shocking shooting, Ben stood as still as a statue, watching and listening.
“You didn’t hear a car approaching?”
Rebecca shook her head.
Will did the same.
“How about after the gun was fired? A car door slamming? A screech of tires like before?”
Rebecca thoughtfully mulled that over before responding. “I was so scared, all I could think of was getting away. I don’t recall any other sounds.” She turned to Will. “Did you hear a car?”
“Not that I can recall.” He looked at the sheriff. “Could the shooter be still out there, hiding in the darkness?”
Virgil looked over at Ben, who was out the door in an instant.
While he was gone, the sheriff asked both Will and Rebecca dozens of pointed questions, sometimes making notes, at other times merely nodding his head as they answered. Whenever they paused, he waited patiently, giving them as much time as they needed to formulate a response.
When Ben returned, he met their questioning looks. “The back lawn is damp. Anyone out there would have left prints. Except for those leading to the back door, there are none. The same with the front yard. It appears our shooter followed his targets along the sidewalk, and took the shot while they were distracted on the porch.” He spoke to Rebecca. “Were you digging out a key?”
“I may have been.” She thought a moment before shaking her head. “Wait. The key was in my hand. We were talking…” She closed her eyes a moment. “I remember. We were talking about that fact that Will needed to contact his mentor about serving as pastor at the church where he interned before ordination.”
Will was nodding in agreement. “That’s right.”
“Were you face-to-face? Or were you both facing the door?”
At Ben’s question, Will answered for both of them. “Face-to-face. I remember thinking that Rebecca was challenging me, and I wasn’t exactly happy about it.”
That had the sheriff raising an eyebrow. “Challenging you?”
Will shrugged but said nothing.
Ben was looking at the two of them. “On your walk home, did you hear anything out of the ordinary?”
The two were shaking their heads when Rebecca suddenly remembered. “There was a barking dog.”
Virgil frowned. “You’d hear that in any neighborhood.”
“Well, yes, of course.” She nodded. “But even after its owner brought it inside, it kept on barking.”
“Maybe it spotted the two of you.”
She considered. “We were well past the house by then. But if someone was following us…”
Ben exchanged a look with the sheriff before asking for the exact location of the house. “I’ll find the dog’s owner and talk to him.”
Virgil rubbed his knee. “If you don’t mind, I’ll just stay here.”
As Ben walked outside, Virgil turned to Rebecca. “This could turn into a long night.”
She crossed to the kitchen counter, idly noting that her hands were still shaking. “I’ll make coffee.”
At a knock on her door, Rebecca hurried over to peer through the window. Seeing Ben, she quickly unlocked the door and opened it to admit him.
He paused to touch a hand to her cheek. “You okay?”
She nodded, but he could see the strain in her eyes.
“Hold on,” he whispered as he strode to the kitchen, where the sheriff and Will were seated at the table sipping coffee and nibbling some of Susan’s chocolate chip cookies.
Virgil looked up. “What did you find out, Ben?”
“The dog’s owner is Adlai Iverson.”
Virgil thought a minute. “I know him. Works for the fairgrounds, outside of town.”
Ben nodded. “Adlai relaxed once I assured him no neighbors had complained about his barking dog. He said the dog was clearly agitated and kept standing at the front window, barking its head off, even after being called inside. When he started to pull the dog away, he noticed a stranger standing behind a tree, watching something up ahead. The dog’s owner couldn’t see past the ring of streetlights, and after a while, his dog gave up and retreated to the laundry room, where his dish of kibble is stored.”
Ben turned to Rebecca. “So your instinct about the barking dog was right on.”
“Good work, Rebecca.” Virgil drained his coffee before getting stiffly to his feet. “We’ll head on back to my office now. Before we go, I’ll have Ben retrieve that bullet from your door frame. The state lab will be able to tell us more after they run some tests.”
Ben yanked open the door and reached up with a Swiss army knife he’d retrieved from his pocket. After removing the bullet, he bagged it and handed it over to the sheriff.
When Will started out the door, Ben paused and turned. “You’re not sticking around?”
“It’s late. I need to get home.”
Ben looked beyond Will to where Rebecca stood, her hands twisting nervously at her waist. “You don’t want to be alone tonight.”
“I’ll…be all right.”
“No.” He thought a moment before saying, “I know you don’t want to ask for help, but maybe just for tonight…”
She was already shaking her head, anticipating his suggestion.
He turned to the sheriff. “You need me tonight, Virgil?”
The older man smiled. “I’m grateful for your help, Ben, but the state boys will take over as soon as I get back to my office.”
Ben nodded. “Okay then.” To Rebecca he said, “As soon as I drive Virgil back to the station, I’ll come back for you. Pack what you need for the morning.”
“Where…?”
“To my family’s ranch. Just for the night.”
If he expected her to argue, he was pleasantly surprised when she merely nodded. “Thanks, Ben. If you’re sure they won’t mind, I’ll be ready.”
Chapter Eighteen
That didn’t take long.” Rebecca stepped out her door the minute Ben knocked.
“The state police fill in whenever Virgil needs them. They take pride in being on time.” He took the overnight bag from her hand and led her toward his truck, helping her into the passenger side before circling around.
She fastened her seat belt. “I hope you called ahead to alert your family that I’m barging in.”
“You’re not barging in. You’re my guest. Zachariah took my call and said I could expect a surprise when I got home. He made it sound like something good. I wonder what that’s about.”
Rebecca smiled in the darkness. “Yeah. I wonder.”
“We’ll find out soon enough.” He reached over to put a big hand on hers. “You feeling all right?”
“I’m fine now. But I have to admit, I was really scared.”
“Not according to Virgil.” He gave her a steady look. “The sheriff said that Will admitted to freezing the minute he heard the gunshot, until you caught his arm and nearly dragged him around the house to the back door. You were the one who locked the door. You were the one who called Jeanette. Virgil said you did all the right things.” His voice warmed in the darkness. “You sure you’re not a secret agent?”
She laughed, and it felt so good to have something to laugh about. “More like a secret coward.”
“You just don’t get it, do you?”
At his question, she turned to him.
“Anybody would be afraid when they hear a gunshot. Especially if it’s directed at them. But cowards don’t react the way you did. Whatever you may think about yourself, Becca, you’re no coward.”
“Thanks. Now if only my inner child can remember that.”
“Your inner child is doing just fine. And your outer child is, too.” He fought to keep his tone bland. “Where were you and Will coming from?”
“Hmm?” She glanced up. “Oh. I was walking home from the store with Dad, and Will was heading home from a visit with Reverend Grayson.”
Ben felt a wave of unexpected relief.
Though he didn’t want to read too much into his reaction, he had to admit the truth. He’d experienced a wave of jealousy at the thought of Will spending time with Becca.
Rebecca’s voice lowered. “When we got to Dad’s street, he asked Will to walk me the rest of the way.” She took in a deep breath. “At the time, I was annoyed with Dad for trying to play Cupid again. But now I’m so grateful I wasn’t alone. There’s no telling what might have happened if Will hadn’t been there with me.”
“Unless…” Ben paused, wishing he could call back the word. It had slipped out before he’d had time to compose himself.
“Unless?”
He sighed. “Unless Will is the target, and you just happened to be with him.”
“Will?” She pulled her hand away and turned toward Ben. “Why would anybody want to harm a minister?”
“Why would anybody want to hurt you?”
“I don’t have an answer. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to cause me harm.” She fell silent as she turned to stare out the side window.
Even though Ben was relieved that she hadn’t been on a date with Will, he couldn’t take any comfort in that fact. There were just too many questions swirling around in his mind.
So far, nobody had been harmed. But this bullet came closer than the others. And even under the best of circumstances, a stray bullet could prove to be deadly.
Someone wanted to create a sense of fear. But was the target Will? Or Rebecca?
Almost at once his mind rejected that. Not Rebecca. Please not Rebecca.
He could keep her safe for tonight. But what about all the tomorrows?
Ben drove along the familiar gravel driveway that stretched for nearly a mile before the lights of the ranch house came into view. It was a sight that never failed to stir his soul. Each time he approached his home, he found himself wondering what his life would have been like without this place, and these good men offering him and his brothers a haven.
Folks around here referred to that historic blizzard as the storm of the century. He would always think of that fateful night as a gift from heaven.
As he parked behind a row of trucks, his first thought was that every light in the house was on.
He stepped down and circled around to take Rebecca’s hand. When they turned, the entire family had gathered on the back porch.
Ben looked up at the gathering. “Somebody having a party without letting me in on it?”
“We’re having a celebration of sorts.” Mac walked down the steps and greeted Rebecca with a hug. “But now that you two are here, the party’s complete.”
“I don’t get it.”
At Ben’s words, the sea of men parted, and Roscoe threw on the porch lights to illuminate Rebecca’s handiwork.
“What the…?” Ben bit back the oath before studying the array of furniture. He turned to her. “How did you…? When did you…?”
“How do you know I had anything to do with this?”
He grinned. “Because it looks just like that display in town. All pretty and perfect. But when did you do this?”
She was flushed with pleasure. “Earlier today. After I drove to the Platt ranch to pick up more stock. I realized just how perfect these would be here.” She climbed the steps and smiled as Zachariah, Otis, and Roscoe settled comfortably in the log chairs, while Sam and Finn staked out the swing.
Ben was shaking his head in disbelief. “Wait a minute. You drove to the Platt ranch?”
She nodded. “I had to do some fancy persuading to get my father to trust me with his new truck.” She glanced around. “The one with the hydraulic lift.”
“A little thing like you drove that monster piece of equipment?”
She blushed.
“But how could you load all this?”
“Oh.” She laughed. “My father insisted on sending Eli and our stock boy, Rodney, along. Dad did it because he didn’t think a female could handle his precious equipment. But those two were a blessing in disguise. They easily handled all the heavy lifting.”
“Heavy indeed.” Zachariah patted the arm of the chair. “These logs are good and solid.”
“Lamar says they’ll last a lifetime in sun and rain, snow and sleet.”
Mac was smiling broadly. “We’ll be happy to take Lamar at his word. This old porch has never been so comfortable. When Ben called to say he was bringing you here, we decided to surprise him the same way you surprised all of us.” He shook his head. “I can’t remember the last time we could all gather around this old porch at one time. Thanks to you, Rebecca.”
“You’re welcome.” She was beaming with pride as she glanced at Ben.
He caught her hand. “I’m going to take your things upstairs to the guest room. If you’d like, you can sit here with the family.”
Zachariah’s words stopped him. “Have you two eaten?”
Ben shook his head at the same time that Rebecca did.
The old lawyer got to his feet. “Then come inside. There are enough leftovers from supper for a couple of hot roast beef sandwiches.”
Both Ben and Rebecca were salivating as they followed him to the kitchen.
A short time later, as the others gathered around the kitchen, talking and laughing, Ben and Rebecca devoured everything Zachariah set in front of them. Slabs of tender beef on sourdough bread and covered with rich, brown gravy. A plate of oven-roasted potatoes. Corn from the garden. And for dessert, Susan’s chocolate chip cookies and mugs of steaming coffee.
Ben sat back, replete, content. “That was almost as good as the surprise out on the porch.”
Rebecca merely smiled, feeling a warm glow. “I’m so glad I followed my instincts. Afterward, I worried that I might have offended your family. After all, I never asked anybody’s permission to leave all that furniture.”
Ben looked around at the others. “Apparently you’ve never heard the Monroe code.”
At her arch look he grinned, and every man there sing-songed in unison: “Remember this. It’s always easier to ask forgiveness than to seek permission.”
There was a round of raucous laughter, and it was obvious they’d shared those words many times before.
They took their coffee out on the back porch, and once again the entire family gathered around, enjoying the comfort of the new furniture.
Rebecca and Ben took to either end of the swing, until Sam and Finn crowded in, forcing them to sit close together.
Mac and Zachariah settled into the log chairs, while Otis and Roscoe drained their coffee before excusing themselves to retire to the bunkhouse for their nightly game of gin rummy.
Rebecca sat listening to the rumble of masculine voices as Finn talked about his day in court, and Mac made plans for bringing the herds down from the hills.
The gentle motion of the swing and the rumble of easy laughter had her letting go of the tension that had earlier held her in its grip.
Why did she feel such a sense of peace here, so far from town?
Why did she feel safe here, with Ben and this strange assortment of men?
The answer came instantly. Here in this place, she didn’t feel she was being judged. She didn’t have to live up to her father’s strict code of behavior. She didn’t have to prove anything.
She was, quite simply, accepted for who she was.
Ever since Ben had told her about how he and his brothers had come here, she was fascinated by the goodness of Mackenzie Monroe. What a gift he had. A gift of being able to accept people and love them as they were, not as the world wished them to be.
She was so caught up in her thoughts, it took a moment for Ben’s words to break through.
“…know you’re tired. Come on. I’ll show you the guest room.”
“Thanks, Ben.” Rebecca turned to the others. “Good night all.”
A chorus of deep voices called their good nights as she and Ben walked inside and climbed the stairs.
He led her along the upstairs hallway before opening a door. “Since Mary Pat is
n’t here, you can have this room tonight.” He set her bag on the bed. “It’s bigger than the second guest room down the hall.”
“I don’t need a big room, Ben.”
He smiled. “This one has its own bathroom. That way you won’t have to share with a bunch of big hairy guys in the morning.”
That had her laughing. “Then I’m grateful. Being an only child, I’m not very good at sharing.”
“Oh, I have to disagree with that.” He was standing very still, watching her in that quiet way he had. “You shared something special with my family today, and look how happy you made them.”
“They are happy, aren’t they?” Her smile was radiant. “I’m so glad now I followed my first instinct, before I could talk myself out of it.”
“Why would you talk yourself out of something so generous?”
She shrugged, obviously uncomfortable talking about herself. “I’ve never been spontaneous. I was raised to think things through before acting on my impulses.”
“That’s too bad.” His smile faded.
“Why?”
“I’m about to do something impulsive, and I don’t want you running like a rabbit.”
She lifted her chin, though it quivered slightly. “I’m not a scared little rabbit, Ben.”
“I know.” His big hands were at her shoulders, drawing her ever so slowly toward him. His eyes remained steady on hers. “You’re a woman, Becca. A beautiful, tempting woman who makes me want things I have no right to.”
He dipped his head, his mouth on hers. The kiss was slow and easy, but the underlying tension was a palpable thing, shimmering like a wall of fire between them.
The heat, the need, came sneaking up, catching them both by surprise.
Ben lifted his head, staring at her with a look she couldn’t fathom. For a moment it seemed he would step back, but then with a savage oath he dragged her firmly against him and kissed her until they were both breathless.
