by Rita Herron
The Wrangler careened forward, tires bumping over the sidewalk. She was losing control and struggled to keep from crashing into the hair salon, but as she veered to the right to avoid it, she flew toward her own office building.
Seconds later, she screamed, glass pelting her from the windshield as the Wrangler rammed into the brick wall.
Chapter Seven
Glass shattered and pelted Scarlet, and her head snapped back as the air bag deployed.
Her lungs felt as if they exploded as the impact threw her forward.
She blinked, slightly dizzy from the force of the crash. What had just happened?
Her brakes...they hadn’t worked...
Suddenly a shout erupted outside the vehicle. “Scarlet!”
Someone jerked at the driver’s door. Reality fought through the shock immobilizing her, and she pushed at the air bag, searching for her seat belt. Her fingers found the hook, but when she tried to unfasten it, it was stuck. For a moment, panic seized her. She couldn’t breathe. Her head hurt. Her legs felt numb.
Dear God...she couldn’t move them.
Then the door swung open, and she heard the voice again. “Scarlet, are you all right?”
Her assistant, Hugh Weatherman. He must have had a pocketknife, because a second later, he ripped away the air bag and freed her. She was trembling all over as he cut away the seat belt.
“I called 911 when I heard the crash,” Hugh said. “Are you hurt?”
It took another minute for Scarlet to pull herself from the shock. “I don’t know.” She tried to move her legs, but her right one was stuck.
“Stay still,” Hugh said. “The medics are on the way.”
She nodded, numb and terrified.
Hugh pulled out a handkerchief and wiped at her cheek. “You’re bleeding. Are you in pain?”
She shook her head. “No, but I can’t move my legs.”
“The front end is crunched,” Hugh said. “You’re probably just trapped by the metal.”
A tremor rippled through her, and she fought back a cry of panic.
“Just hang in there, Scarlet, we’ll get you out.”
A siren wailed, lights flashing, and Scarlet laid her head back against the seat and tried to stay calm. A minute later, tires screeched as an ambulance and fire truck roared to stops.
Hugh yelled and waved them over, and a female medic greeted her. “You all right, ma’am?”
She nodded. “I think so. But my legs are trapped.”
A fireman appeared behind her to assess the situation, and Scarlet braced herself as they began the process of sawing away the metal to free her.
* * *
RAY LET HIMSELF sleep for a couple of hours, but then hurriedly showered, dressed and headed to the deputy sheriff’s office. Brett had already called the insurance company to handle the claim. He also insisted that they’d rebuild immediately.
But they had to find out who set the fire and prevent more sabotage.
Ray wanted answers and he wanted them before Maddox returned.
He entered the sheriff’s office and found Deputy Whitefeather on the phone.
“Yes. I’ll be right there.” He hung up and grabbed his jacket. “Sorry, McCullen, there’s been an accident. I need to go.”
Dammit, Ray wanted to ask for his help looking into Bobby Lowman. “What happened?”
“Lady named Scarlet Lovett crashed her Jeep into the side of the building where she works. They’re cutting her out of it.”
Ray’s heart hammered. “Is she all right?”
“I don’t know. The ambulance is there now.” He strode to the door, his keys jangling in his hand.
“I’ll follow you,” Ray said.
The deputy’s brows furrowed. “Why? Do you know her?”
Ray gave a clipped nod. “Not well, but we’ve met.”
“Suit yourself.” Deputy Whitefeather hurried outside, and Ray jogged to his SUV and followed him.
More gray skies hid the sun, making the air feel chillier than it was. Wind beat at the trees, whipping tumbleweed across the side of the road as they turned onto a side street.
A stand-alone brick building bearing a sign for Social Services stood between the library and an empty warehouse.
The deputy veered into the parking lot, and Ray followed, his breath tightening at the sight of the Wrangler crunched into the brick structure. Just as he parked, the rescue workers pulled away a chunk of metal.
He parked and climbed out, tensing at the sight of the medics working to extract Scarlet.
In spite of the chill, sweat rolled down the back of his neck. Had she been hurt?
The deputy greeted one of the rescue workers and gestured toward the Wrangler. “What happened?”
“She said the brakes failed,” the worker said. “She tried to stop but couldn’t.”
Ray’s instincts jumped to life. The fact that Scarlet had just visited him and told him about her relationship to Joe and the will, then the ranch had been sabotaged and now she’d had an accident, all struck him as odd.
And too coincidental.
Had her car crash really been an accident?
A female medic was leaning over Scarlet checking her blood pressure. From his vantage point, he couldn’t see if she was seriously injured.
He made his way to the stretcher just as the medics started to load her into the ambulance. “Scarlet?”
She groaned, and Ray’s chest tightened. Blood dotted her arms and her cheeks looked pale, also speckled with blood. The medics had secured her neck and body on the board with straps, so she couldn’t turn her head.
He stepped up beside her so she could see his face, but the deputy edged his way beside him and spoke first. “What happened?” Deputy Whitefeather asked.
“I don’t know,” she said in a raspy whisper. “I was on my way to the office when the brakes failed.”
Ray gritted his teeth as the medic frowned at him. “We need to get her to the hospital,” the female said. “She needs tests to make sure she didn’t sustain internal injuries.”
“Ray?” Scarlet said in a low voice.
He squeezed her hand, feeling the tremor running through her. He couldn’t blame her for being shaken. She could have been killed. “I’ll meet you at the hospital, Scarlet.”
The deputy gave him a questioning look, but Ray ignored it. The medics loaded her in the back of the ambulance, then the driver circled to the front, hopped in and they sped off.
“How do you know her?” Deputy Whitefeather asked.
“She was close to my father,” Ray said, giving away as little information as possible. He went to examine the Wrangler while the rescue workers stowed their equipment.
When Ray had first left the ranch, he’d worked at a garage. He wanted a look at those brake lines.
The deputy stepped up beside him. “What’s going on, McCullen?”
“I don’t know,” Ray said as he examined the car. “It looks as if her brake lines were cut.”
A frown marred the tall Native American’s face. “First a fire is set at your ranch, now someone cut this woman’s brakes.” He lifted his hat and scratched his head. “What aren’t you telling me? Do you think these incidences are connected?”
Maybe. Although if Jebediah Holcutt or Arlis Bennett had set the fire at the ranch, they wouldn’t have any reason to hurt Scarlet.
But Bobby Lowman had motive to do both. Still, Ray couldn’t divulge family secrets to this stranger, not before he had a chance to talk to Maddox and Brett.
“I don’t know. It’d be best to talk to Scarlet and see who might want to hurt her.”
* * *
SCARLET WAS SO relieved that she could move her legs and that she had no serious inju
ries that she wanted to shout. How could she have helped the kids at the orphanage if she’d been paralyzed or injured and needed a long recovery time?
But as the staff finished running tests and cleaned the small cuts and abrasions she’d received from the shattered glass, she replayed the morning in her head.
Her car had worked fine on the way to the orphanage, but she’d thought someone was following her. She also thought she’d seen the same car near The Family Farm. Had the driver cut her brakes while she was inside with the children?
The doctor shined a light in her eyes. “Did you hit your head?”
She blinked and followed the light as he moved it from side to side. “No. The air bag and seat belt saved me.”
“Good thing. Although we probably should keep you overnight for observation.”
“That’s not necessary,” Scarlet said. “I’m a little sore, but I’m okay.”
He studied her for another moment. “All right. But if you feel dizzy or nauseous, come back. You may have a slight concussion.”
Scarlet quickly agreed. Hospitals reminded her of being sick when she was young. Of needles and white coats and sterile odors and...being scared and alone.
She wanted to go home.
The doctor paused at the doorway. “Deputy Whitefeather is outside waiting to talk to you.”
She nodded, smoothing out her tangled hair as a nurse escorted the deputy into the room. To her surprise, Ray McCullen followed him inside.
“The doctor said you don’t have any serious injuries?” Ray asked.
“Yes. I guess I was lucky.” Especially considering the way her car was crunched. “My ribs are bruised and I’m banged up, but I’m fine.”
Ray’s look darkened. “I wouldn’t exactly say you were lucky.”
“He’s right,” Deputy Whitefeather said. “Ray examined your car and so did a mechanic. Your brake lines were cut.”
Scarlet’s breath rushed out. “You mean someone intentionally wanted them to fail?”
“Yes,” Ray said through clenched teeth.
Scarlet’s heart hammered with fear. “I...I can’t believe this.”
“Miss Lovett,” Deputy Whitefeather said. “Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt you?”
Scarlet glanced at Ray, her stomach churning. Bobby was at the top of the list. “I’ve made a few enemies with my job,” Scarlet said, hesitant to point the finger at anyone.
“Someone specific come to mind?”
She ran a finger over the bandage on her arm. “A man named Lloyd Pullman was arrested for abuse. I removed his daughter from his custody. He was irate and threatened me.”
Deputy Whitefeather tugged a small notebook from his pocket and clicked his pen, then jotted down the information. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know.” Scarlet wet her lips. Her mouth was so dry she felt as if she couldn’t swallow. “Apparently Pullman made bail yesterday.”
“I’ll issue a BOLO for him and bring him in for questioning.”
The deputy stepped from the room with his phone, and Ray moved closer. He paused at the edge of the bed then lifted a finger to trace the bandage on her forehead. “Does it hurt?” Ray asked.
She shrugged, her skin tingling at the concern in his voice. “Not much. I’m tough, Ray. I’ll be all right.”
“That’s not the point,” he said in a gruff tone. “The point is that someone tried to kill you.”
His words sucked the air from her lungs again. Pullman had reason to hurt her. And Bobby despised her.
But Ray had reason to dislike her, too. If she was gone, she couldn’t demand the McCullens make good on Joe’s will.
Although she couldn’t imagine Ray hurting a woman.
He lifted her arm and rubbed a finger over the bruise on her wrist. “You didn’t get this from the accident, did you?”
Shame washed over her. On a conscious level, she knew that when a man abused a woman, it was not the woman’s fault. But she also understood the vulnerability the victim felt.
She had decided long ago not to be a victim.
Bobby had caught her off guard last night. She wouldn’t let it happen again.
* * *
RAY SILENTLY WILLED his temper in check. The moment he’d seen that bruise on Scarlet’s wrist he’d known it wasn’t caused by the accident. Hell, he could easily see a man’s thumbprint where he’d gripped her.
“How did this happen? Was it Bobby?”
She bit her lip and nodded. “He came by last night. He was...upset.”
“That doesn’t mean he has the right to hurt you.”
“I know that.” Scarlet stiffened, then slid her legs over the side of the bed. “I handled the situation, Ray.”
“How did you handle it?” he asked. “Did you call the deputy?”
Her hair fell over the side of her face like a curtain of gold as she shook her head. “I stopped him,” she said. “Trust me, Ray. I’m not the kind of girl who allows a guy to beat up on her. I learned that lesson a long time ago.”
Her words both infuriated him and stirred admiration for her. She might look like one of those porcelain dolls his mother had collected, but she was tough as nails and had spunk.
Her legs buckled as she attempted to stand, though, and she muttered a sound of frustration as she reached for the bed to steady herself. “I don’t have time for this. I had a meeting today.”
Ray placed his hands on top of hers, lowering his tone to a soothing pitch. “Don’t worry about your appointments. Your assistant, Hugh, said he would reschedule.”
She gave him a determined look. “That meeting is important, Ray. A family wants to adopt one of the little boys at The Family Farm. Corey is counting on me.”
“I’m sure it’ll work out,” Ray said. “Now, I’m going to drive you home so you can rest.”
Her gaze met his, a myriad of emotions glittering in her eyes. She didn’t like being vulnerable or in debt to anyone, he could see that.
But she was in danger, and quite possibly from her own adopted brother who was irate because of their father.
He made a split-second decision. Deputy Whitefeather would investigate Pullman.
Ray would personally look into Bobby. Hell, he’d planned to anyway.
And if he’d tried to kill Scarlet, blood kin or not, the bastard would regret it.
Chapter Eight
Scarlet winced as she climbed in the passenger seat of Ray’s Range Rover. “I could have called someone else, Ray. You don’t have to drive me home.”
Ray’s jaw tightened. “It’s not a problem, Scarlet. We need to talk anyway.”
Talk? Had he told his brothers about her and Bobby? Had he already found a loophole to exclude them from their inheritance?
She rubbed her forehead and waited, not sure she wanted the answer. She’d fight for her share for the children at the home.
But she was tired right now, her head ached and she needed to pull herself together.
“Where is your place?” Ray asked.
She gave him directions, anxious as he made the turn onto the street where she lived. The houses were small but well kept. The children’s toys in the yards indicated it was a family neighborhood. That was one reason she’d chosen it. She liked the homey feel.
“The one at the end,” Scarlet said.
Ray pulled into the drive, but made no comment. He seemed to be assessing the place, though, as they walked up the path to the house.
“Can I come in?” he asked when she unlocked the door.
She supposed she might as well get it over with. “Sure.” She went inside and dropped her purse on the table by the door, then walked to the kitchen.
“Coffee?”
“Don’t go to
any trouble for me.”
“I’m not, I need a cup,” Scarlet said. “It’s been a long morning.”
She made quick work of brewing a pot while he simply stood and watched her, his silence as unnerving as the dark intensity in his brown eyes.
When she handed him a mug, their fingers brushed and a tingle traveled up her spine. Her gaze flew to his, and something sparked in his eyes as if he’d felt it, too.
Dear heavens, was she so shaken and lonely that she was imagining a connection between the two of them? An attraction?
Ray probably saw her as an enemy or a problem he needed to get rid of.
Ray cleared his throat. “What exactly happened today?”
Scarlet carried her coffee to the den, turned on the gas logs and sank onto the couch. Ray followed, but stood by the fireplace, his posture rigid.
“I went to The Family Farm to check on things. Then I was on my way to the office to meet with this couple about an adoption.”
“Anything unusual about that? Any problems with the adoption?”
She frowned as she replayed the morning in her head. “Not with the adoption. Corey’s parents died in a car accident and he has no family. So there was no one contesting the adoption, if that’s what you mean.”
Ray gave a small nod. “Your car was running okay on the way there?”
A shaky sigh escaped her. “Yes. Although...I thought someone was following me when I first left home.” She picked at a thread on the afghan. “It was a black sedan. I noticed it down the street when I left and it pulled out behind me.”
Ray’s brows arched. “Did you see the driver?”
“No.” She dragged the afghan onto her lap. “Although my nerves were on edge because last night I woke up and the door to the outside was open. I locked it before I went to bed, so I was afraid someone was inside.”
Ray’s expression hardened. “Did you report the break-in?”
