Texas Fire

by Gerry Bartlett

  “How’s he doing?”

  “Fine, except for a lingering headache. So, where should we go, Mason?”

  “You need to remain in Pecos until Wallace signs that contract. See if you can find a short-term rental RV.” Mason cleared his throat. “You think that asshole Stephens tried to kill you?”

  “They found a bullet hole in our fuel tank. The sheriff is taking our allegations seriously, but we don’t have proof the man did it. We’ve been promised that they’ll keep an eye on Stephens while he’s still in the area. If he’s smart, he’ll leave town.” Megan glanced toward Rowdy’s room and saw the doctor go inside. “They’re releasing Rowdy now. I’ve got to go. When will her contract be ready?”

  “Tomorrow. All the nondisclosures had already been executed by e-mail, so we’re good there. Can’t believe you thought of that.” He cleared his throat. “We’ll make an oilman out of you yet, Meg. As soon as you have Wallace’s signature, you can get transportation to the nearest airport and fly home, both of you. I think you’ve earned a break. We’ll talk about how you can spend the rest of your year when you get here.”

  “Not in the field?” Megan had her fingers crossed. “And what about Rowdy?”

  “He works for Calhoun now. I like how he handled the situation out there. With his field experience, I think we have plenty of things he can do for us here in Houston. Conrad’s will says you need to learn the oil business. You’ve been in the field, now maybe you can learn the rest of what you need to learn at Headquarters. From Rowdy. If that suits you.”

  “Don’t tease me, Mason. It would suit both of us very well.” Megan was grinning when the doctor came out and tapped her on the shoulder. “Got to go.”

  “See you soon. Stay safe.” Mason hung up.

  “He’s ready to go. I’ve given him some medication for those headaches, but they should be gone by tomorrow, the day after at the latest. Let me know if they’re not.” The doctor handed her a prescription. “You can get this filled downstairs in the pharmacy or in town.” He looked down the hall. “Here comes a nurse with a wheelchair now.”

  “Oh, we have to figure out transportation. And where we’re going.” Megan looked down at her phone.

  “No, you don’t.” Raylene walked up behind the nurse. She was dressed in khakis and a red leather jacket with fringe. “I’ve got you all taken care of. An extra RV just came free at my place. You and Rowdy can use it till you leave. And my truck’s outside.” She exclaimed when the nurse wheeled Rowdy out of his room. “There’s our guy! Lucky’s been pining for you, Rowdy.”

  “Doubt that. You know he wants to be your dog, Raylene.” Rowdy reached for Megan’s hand. “Where are we going?”

  “Looks like back to Ray’s Rest.” Megan smiled. “Thanks. I was totally at a loss.” She walked beside the wheelchair. Raylene chattered all the way to the door, where she’d parked illegally, insisting that she needed the front door to take home her “dear friend.” After a stop in town to have the prescription filled and to buy Raylene lunch, they drove out to the RV park. The suddenly available trailer was next door to the landlady and had obviously been hastily emptied. It smelled strongly of her lavender air freshener.

  “Sorry about that, kids. He was a smoker. But he’s doubling up with his buddy next door now. One of your oil field workers, Rowdy. He don’t mind.” Raylene hurried to get Lucky, who put on his usual show of jumping for joy. “That’s our hero, that dog. Megan told me how he smelled the smoke and went crazy that night. Whoever was out there in the desert must have been waiting to see if the tank would blow on its own because of the fire he set. When you two ran out of there, I guess he got desperate and shot at the tank. Boom!” She shuddered, then patted Lucky’s head. “Thank God for this little guy. He’s a damn fine watchdog. Saved your lives.”

  “Yes, he did.” Megan sighed. “I’m hoping whoever it was has decided scaring us was enough and left town.” She helped Rowdy sit in the vinyl recliner that was part of this RV’s décor.

  “We’re going to keep a sharp eye out anyway. I’ve got my gun and you’ve got yours. That dog starts a ruckus, we’re going after that son of a bitch.” Raylene looked Rowdy over. “Hon, you look a little worse for wear. Headache?”

  “Afraid so. Maybe I’ll take one of those pills and go to bed.” Rowdy closed his eyes.

  “I put on fresh sheets, and there’s bottles of water in that icebox.” The landlady headed for the door. “You need anything, you know where to find me.” She laughed when Lucky followed her. “No, pup, you stay here. I’ll see you tomorrow if these two want to go to work.” She closed the door behind her.

  “Let me help you.” Megan brought Rowdy a pill and handed him some water so he could drink it down. “Bed?”

  “I just needed to get rid of her. I don’t need a bed. I’m fine here.” Rowdy leaned back in the recliner. “Tell me the news. Did they find Clint Stephens? Arrest him?”

  “No to the arrest. They don’t have proof. He rented a truck, but he still has his room in town. Since no one saw him out here, they couldn’t charge him with anything. But they’re keeping an eye on him.”

  “Why’s he staying, then?”

  “Guess he’s in no hurry to go back to Nevada, where they really want to talk to him.” Megan shrugged. Then she told Rowdy about the job waiting for him in Houston.

  “Really? That sounds too good to be true. This isn’t because of our connection, is it?”

  “Not at all. Mason has no idea we have anything going on. He likes how you handled the job out here. And how you handled me.” Megan sat in Rowdy’s lap, sighing when his arms came around her. “I like it, too.”

  “Well, then. I think it sounds like a perfect opportunity.” He kissed her, then closed his eyes. “Those pills make me sleepy. Maybe I will stretch out for a while.”

  Megan looked around the small RV. “Only one bedroom. We’re going to have to get tough with Lucky tonight.”

  “At least the bedroom has a door.” Rowdy pushed her off his lap, got up, then took her hand and pulled her toward the bed. “I need you to help me with something. I have to see whether my injury has had any lasting effects.” He dragged her down onto the clean sheets that smelled strongly of lavender. “But be gentle, okay?”

  Megan laughed and ran her hands down his body. “Hmm. I think I feel you stirring to life, but I may need to take a closer look.”

  * * *

  It was much later when Rowdy heard the dog barking. Damn drugs. He’d slept the day away, and now it was after midnight. Megan had slept with him, because spending the previous night in a chair in the hospital room with him hadn’t given her much rest. They’d closed the door on Lucky, but now he was scratching at it and going crazy. Just like he had the night the other RV had blown up.

  Rowdy jumped out of bed, even though it made his head hurt, then pulled on his only pair of jeans. He’d be damned if he’d lie there and wait for something to happen. If it was Clint Stephens and he was crazy enough to come after them again, then he was going to find out they weren’t passive victims.

  “Rowdy?” Megan sat up. “What is it?”

  “You hear Lucky?” Rowdy pushed his feet into shoes and shrugged into his jacket. “Where’d you put the gun?”

  “Not again.” Megan was up, too, throwing on a new white robe and digging for shoes. “It’s in the cabinet next to the stove.”

  “Stay here.” Rowdy threw open the door and almost stepped on Lucky. “Pup, you are an excellent guard dog. But you need to stay here.”

  “Rowdy, you can’t go out there.” Megan was on his heels. She held a small handgun.

  “Where the hell did you get that?” Rowdy pulled his own gun out of the cabinet.

  “I took a cab to a pawnshop and bought it while you were in the hospital. I told you I can shoot. I’m not going to let you do this by yourself.” She shoved Lucky into the bedroom and slammed the door. “Cut the lights, and let’s see if we can catch this bastard.”

  �
��My woman.” Rowdy grabbed her and planted a kiss on her mouth. Then he doused the lights. “Be careful.” He eased open the door to the outside. He could still hear Lucky barking.

  “I’ll go right,” Megan whispered.

  Damn it, she was too easy to see in her white robe. Rowdy went left, but the sound of a gunshot froze him in his tracks. Megan dropped to the ground.

  “I’m not hit. Did you see the flash?”

  Rowdy tried to get his heart started again, nodded, then realized she couldn’t see him. “Yeah. Stay down.”

  He moved silently toward the area where he’d seen the gun’s muzzle flash. Then something moved on his left.

  “Don’t shoot me.” Raylene waved a shotgun toward the desert where Rowdy thought he saw someone running. “Son of a bitch blows up my park? I’ll teach him a lesson he’ll never forget.” She crouched low and began moving forward, using the bushes for cover as if she’d done that kind of thing all her life.

  Rowdy took her flank, marveling at the woman’s agility. When she silently signaled, he took off running at an angle. He’d spotted the truck when she did and managed to get to the driver’s door in time to catch the man who was about to jump inside. He pressed his gun to the back of his head.

  “Don’t fucking move or it’ll be my pleasure to blow your head off.”

  “You don’t have the balls.” Clint Stephens swung his rifle around, trying to hit Rowdy with it before he brought it up for a shot.

  Rowdy didn’t wait for him to finish the move. He slapped Stephens in the head with his gun butt, then kicked the rifle away when it fell from his hands. “Balls?” He shoved the man against the truck and hit him again. “This from a man who hides in the dark and then runs away?” He realized Stephens wasn’t fighting back. Too easy. He let go, and Stephens dropped to the ground, unconscious.

  “Good job, son.” Raylene kicked Clint’s legs to make sure he was really out, then pointed her shotgun at his back. “Call the sheriff. I figure we get this bastard for trespassing and shooting at Megan. Maybe his bullet will match the one they dug out of your fuel tank, too.”

  Rowdy had to take a moment after he made the call. His head hurt, and he needed to come down from the burst of adrenaline. He still wanted to pound Clint Stephens. He watched him carefully. If he made a move, he was going to shoot him. There was a noise behind him, and he swung around, his gun raised.

  Megan walked up with her hands raised. “Don’t shoot. I’m on your side.” She glanced at Stephens. “Good work, you two. I was getting tired of playing dead. And I didn’t hear gunshots, so I figured things were settled down out here.”

  “Never assume.” Rowdy put his gun down, still shaky. Damn pain pills. He was blaming them. “Woman, you almost got a bullet between your eyes.”

  “Hey, I waited and waited. Didn’t hear gunfire, so I crept out here, risking God knows how many cactus spines, to see if I could help.” She waved her gun toward Stephens. “Sorry if I startled you, babe, but when I saw the bad guy already on the ground, I made enough noise to let you know I was coming. You and I both know that man is too mean to have an accomplice. I bet he doesn’t have a friend in the world.”

  “You’re right about that.” Rowdy finally relaxed. “Come here.” He stuck his gun in his waistband and held out his arms.

  “Guess I’m forgiven.” Megan smiled and slid one arm around Rowdy’s waist. “I hear sirens. Raylene, you look badass with that shotgun.”

  “I am a badass. Ask any of my four ex-husbands.” She grinned and nodded at Rowdy. “Would you let go of Megan long enough to hold this bastard? I need a cigarette.” She passed the shotgun to Rowdy, then dug out her cigarettes and lighter, lit up, and took a deep drag. “Ah. Now, that’s not as good as sex, but it’s about all I’m getting these days.”

  Megan laughed. “Maybe you need to look for number five, Raylene. There will be a lot of oil action out in other parts of this area soon. You never know who’ll show up in your RV park.”

  “Honey, that’s music to my ears. Action of any kind is what I live for.” She waved when they saw the sheriff and his deputy striding toward them. There was a moan from Clint Stephens. “Watch this creep try to talk his way out of it. Guess what? I put in security cameras after that fireball the other day. Infrared. I bet we got this loser on tape.” She smiled. “Rowdy, you’re looking pale. Hand me my gun, and go on back to the RV. I’ll tell them to meet you there.”

  Megan and Rowdy headed back, stopping just long enough to assure the sheriff that they’d be happy to answer all his questions. Rowdy was tired, and he collapsed into the recliner with a bottle of water.

  “You know, I think we can safely say things are working out here.” Megan sat at the tiny dinette across from him after she let Lucky out of the bedroom.

  “Really?” Rowdy leaned back in the recliner and let his feet pop up. “So, you’re feeling mellow right now?”

  “Yep. My man is looking better, the bad guy is on his way to jail, and my evaluator says I can come in from the oil fields. What else could I want?” She got up and walked over to sit on the arm of the chair.

  “A ring on your finger?” He took her hand and rubbed her left ring finger. “Would that make you happy?”

  “Hmm. It might. Would it make you happy to be tied to one of the horrible Calhouns? Seriously?” Megan gripped his hand, very serious herself. “I know—”

  “Yeah. There are problems. But I love you, Megan Calhoun. Marry me and we’ll work on them together.”

  Tears filled her eyes, and she fell into his lap. “All right, then. Together. I might even get that tattoo you want me to have.” She pointed to her butt. “‘Roland.’ Right here.”

  Want more Heat?

  Then keep an eye out for . . .

  A fight for her rights. A job she can’t quit. And a man who makes her burn…

  It’s not Shannon Calhoun’s first rodeo. She’s supposed to be running the show. But since her father’s will landed her in a wretched cubicle, typing out press releases for her own family’s company, she’s been trapped in a job with no prospects, no control—and barely any cash.

  When her old flame Billy Pagan turns up with a hundred rude questions and a thousand-dollar suit, Shannon isn’t sure if the heat she feels is from humiliation, fury, or desire. But whatever else has happened, the chemistry between them has only intensified.

  Long before he became Houston’s best defense attorney, Billy had a thing for the spoiled rich girl who got away. But now that Shannon is hustling to save the family business, she's more irresistible than ever. Too bad about the murder investigation and the fraud that’s going to bring the company crashing down around her.

  Unless, of course, his Texas princess actually pulls off the save of a lifetime. With Billy’s negotiating skills and Shannon’s determination, the hardest part might be keeping the business away from the pleasure …

  Click here to get your copy!

  And don't miss the first book in the series . . .

  A surprise inheritance. A family of strangers.

  And a man she can’t avoid . . .

  Cassidy Calhoun can’t believe she’s the secret daughter of an oil billionaire. This small-town Texas girl with student loans by the barrel has never gotten a thing she didn’t earn for herself.

  The terms of her late father’s will say Cassidy—and her spoiled newfound half-siblings—must work a year at the family’s floundering business before they inherit a dime. Too bad the only thing Cass knows about oil is that it makes the junker she drives go.

  Mason MacKenzie, the evaluator for their test, will help her get up to speed. Or will he? Mason is a boot-wearing, truck-driving Houston hottie who runs Calhoun Petroleum’s biggest rival. The sparks between him and Cassidy could combust any minute. But the closer they get, the more strange near-accidents Cassidy seems to be having. And Mason has plenty of reasons to play up their attraction for his own benefit.

  If she can trust him, the two of them working to
gether might save a crumbling dynasty. But if she can’t, Cass might just lose both her fortune and her heart . . .

  Click here to get your copy!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  A nationally best-selling author, GERRY BARTLETT is a native Texan who lives halfway between Houston and Galveston. She freely admits to a shopping addiction, which is why she has an antiques business on the historic Strand on Galveston Island. She used to be a gourmet cook but has decided it’s more fun to indulge in gourmet eating instead. You can visit Gerry on Facebook, twitter, or Instagram. You can also check out her latest releases on her website at gerrybartlett.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter and read her series of articles with advice for aspiring writers, “The Perils of Publishing.”

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