Texas Ranch Justice (HQR Romantic Suspense)

by Karen Whiddon

  “I can think of several reasons. Maybe they’d been drinking. Or it was a teenager who doesn’t have their license yet, or was driving the truck without permission.”

  “Maybe.” She didn’t sound convinced. “Or it could have been the same person who sent me the note.”

  Interesting that she linked the two. He’d forgotten about the note, mainly because it seemed so innocuous.

  Once he’d located the quick clinic, he helped her inside. The nurse practitioner cleaned up the scratches and cuts on her arms and hands, before moving on to her leg. “You’re going to need to take those jeans off,” the woman said. “Do you have something else you can wear home? Something loose, like a skirt? I have a feeling we’re going to have to bandage that.”

  Scarlett shook her head.

  “I’ll go buy something,” Travis said.

  She nodded. “I’ll need a new shirt too. There’s a cute little shop called Annie’s near the bookstore. If you could, get me a maxi skirt so it will cover the bandage. Size small on everything.”

  Since she clearly wanted him to go before removing her jeans, he nodded and took off. He knew exactly what store she’d referenced, as he’d bought his sister gifts from there.

  On his way, he called the sheriff’s office and told the detective on duty what had happened.

  “Is she sure it was deliberate?” the detective asked.

  “She seems pretty sure.” Travis scratched his head and decided to be honest. “Me, I don’t know. It could have been a drunk, or some kid out joyriding. But since she got that note telling her to leave or she’d be sorry, she thinks the two are tied together.”

  To give the detective credit, he didn’t completely discount the idea.

  “Would you mind swinging by the new clinic on Main and taking her statement? She’s there getting patched up.”

  “She was injured?” the detective’s tone changed. “Why didn’t you say that up front? How seriously was she hurt?”

  “Just a few cuts and scratches. One probably will need stitches. Nothing serious.”

  “Good.” The detective breathed a clear sigh of relief. “I’ll run over there right now and talk to her.”

  “Thank you.” Parking in front of Annie’s, he went inside. To his relief, he didn’t know the woman working behind the counter. He told her what he needed, hoping she would have what Scarlett had requested.

  “A maxi skirt?” The older woman smiled. “I just put a bunch of those on clearance. They’re popular in the summer, not so much in the fall. Any particular color?”

  He frowned, but then remembered what his sister always said. “Black goes with everything, so a small one in black would be great.”

  “I’m pretty sure I have one.” She went to the back of the store. A minute later, she returned carrying a long black skirt. “Here you go. Did you want to buy your wife a shirt to go with it?”

  He didn’t correct her since he saw no need to explain the entire situation. “I think so, yes.” He took a quick panicked look around the store. “I have no idea what to choose. Can you recommend something?”

  By the time he was done, he’d ended up purchasing the skirt and two shirts, as well as some sort of long sweater thing that the salesclerk had assured him would “complete the outfit.”

  Back at the clinic, he carried them inside and found Scarlett sitting up and wearing a hospital gown, talking to the detective. She had a large white bandage on her leg.

  They both looked up as he entered.

  “You were right,” she said, pointing to her bandage. “It needed stitches.”

  “Then I’m glad we came here. Looks like they’ve got you all fixed up.”

  “They did. And now I’m giving this nice police officer my report.”

  “I’ve just finished taking the info I needed,” the detective said, his measured, professional tone seeming to indicate he took Scarlett seriously.

  “Thank you.” Scarlett smiled at the man and his face instantly reddened. He mumbled his goodbyes and hurried out the door.

  Amused, Travis held out the shopping bags. “Here you go. A complete outfit. The saleslady was overjoyed to put it together for you.”

  “Perfect.” When she turned that smile on him, he understood how the detective must have felt. Because he didn’t want to stand there grinning back at her like an idiot, he simply managed to jerk his head in a nod and turned away.

  “I’ll wait for you out here,” he told her.

  Five minutes later, she opened the door to her room and grinned at him. “You did a great job. I love this outfit! It’s something I’ll actually wear again.”

  He stared. The long black skirt swirled around her legs and somehow managed to look sexy. And the red top clung to her curves, lovingly outlining her shape as if it had been custom made for her.”

  “Wow,” he said. “I can’t believe how well that fits you.”

  “I know, right? Me neither. And the sweater that ties it all together is perfect. I saw the receipt in the bag, so I also know you got a great bargain. I’ll pay you back once we get to the house since I don’t have my purse with me.”

  “No need.” He shook his head. “Consider it a gift. You deserve one, after all you’ve been through today.”

  His comment made her laugh. Enchanted, he smiled back. Damn, he really had it bad where she was concerned.

  “I’m going to have to bring them my insurance card,” she continued. “And payment. Luckily, they knew Hal and are letting me go and get it. I have to say, that’s the nice thing about living in a small town.”

  He agreed.

  By the time they got back to Hal’s, both Vivian and Amber had texted Travis and he had missed calls from both of them. He’d put his phone on silent at the clinic and had forgotten to change it back.

  “Wow,” he said, shaking his head as he scrolled. “They’ve already heard about the truck nearly running you down and are trying to pump me for info.”

  “Are you serious?” Scarlett dug out her own phone from her back pocket. “Nothing here. I wonder why they’re asking you instead of me.”

  “Probably because they know I was with you, since I called the sheriff’s office.” He grimaced. “I sure hope they haven’t said anything to Hal. He doesn’t need something else to worry about.”

  “I agree. Look—” she pointed. “Your mother is here, that’s her SUV. And Delilah is still here. I wonder if your sister came too.”

  “I don’t know. Amber might have come with Mom, but I know Will gets out of school soon, so probably not.”

  Scarlett sighed. Though normally, she was the first one out of the vehicle, this time she waited for him to come around to the passenger side and help her down from the truck. Her color was high, making him wonder if she might be in pain.

  “No, not pain,” she replied once he asked her. “They gave me something for that. I’m dreading all the questions. I think I’m going to say I’m not feeling well and go straight to my room. That might be cowardly, but it’s true.”

  “I don’t blame you.” He squeezed her hand. “I’ll deal with them. You just go to your room and rest.”

  “I want to check on Hal first. I’ve been worried about him ever since that incident.”

  “We all were.” They’d reached the front door. Next to him, he noticed how Scarlett stiffened. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “I’m bracing myself.” Her attempt at a grimace turned into a grin. “I promise you, I’m not usually such a chicken.”

  He found himself grinning back. And when the front door abruptly opened, that’s how Vivian saw them, grinning at each other like a pair of besotted fools.

  “It’s about time,” Vivian scolded, ushering Scarlett inside. “We were all so worried, especially when Travis didn’t respond to my texts or calls.”

  “I..
.” Scarlett could barely get a word out before Vivian continued.

  “You look really nice.” The older woman looked Scarlett up and down. “Not at all like someone who was nearly run over by a drunk driver.”

  Travis held up the bag with Scarlett’s torn clothes. “She had to get a new outfit. Her other one was destroyed.”

  Behind Vivian, Hal barked Scarlett’s name. “Why didn’t you call me?” he demanded.

  Though Scarlett stiffened, she somehow managed to resist shooting Vivian an accusatory glare. Travis did for both of them.

  “I didn’t want you to worry.” Scarlett moved past Vivian, taking a seat on the couch near Hal’s wheelchair. Leaning over, she took his hand in both of hers. Naturally, this drew his gaze to her bandaged arms.

  “How badly were you hurt?” he rasped. “I was given to believe it was nothing major, but...”

  “I’m okay. I had to get a few stitches in my leg and a tetanus shot, but my arms just needed antibiotic ointment.”

  “And I’ve got a team repairing the fence,” Travis interjected.

  “I don’t care about the fence,” Hal snapped. “My daughter was almost killed. Tell me the sheriff’s department is looking into this.”

  “They are,” Travis hastened to reassure him. “The truck has got to have some damage. Hopefully, someone will notice and report it.”

  For the first time, he found himself wondering what kind of vehicle Kendra drove these days.

  Chapter 9

  For the next thirty minutes, Scarlett gamely battled her exhaustion while everyone, including Vivian, made a huge fuss over her. Part of her reveled in the knowledge that someone cared, but mostly she just wanted to crawl beneath her covers and sleep.

  Several times she caught Travis watching her, the calm confidence of his expression letting her know he’d catch her if she fell. Something about this touched her deeply, making her eyes sting.

  Delilah brought out a platter of meat, cheese, crackers and fruit for everyone to munch on. Just the sight of food made Scarlett feel nauseous. She figured it must have been due to the drugs they’d given her at the clinic.

  When the room started spinning, she knew she had to get to her bed. Hoping to slip out unobtrusively, she stood, but swayed from dizziness. Travis immediately came to her and offered his arm, which she gratefully took.

  Everyone went quiet as he escorted her down the hall. She could only imagine what they’d be thinking, but right now didn’t care.

  Travis helped her to her bed and then, once she was seated, bent down and removed her poor running shoes. Though they’d been almost new when she’d originally put them on, they were dirty, stained and torn. She winced. “Those will have to go in the trash along with that bag of my clothes.” Then she remembered her cell phone and asked him to get it out of the bag, which he’d put on her dresser.

  Once he did, he handed it to her. She pressed the button to mute the sound and placed it on the nightstand next to her bed. “Thank you,” she told him.

  “Do you need help getting undressed?” he murmured. The slight curve of his mouth told her he was most likely joking.

  “You know, I’m too tired to take you up on that offer,” she managed to tease, her voice husky. “I’ll take a rain check.”

  “Sounds good.” Soothing back her hair from her face, he gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. “Get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Staring after him as he left, she wasn’t sure whether to be elated or worried. She decided not to worry about it and closed her eyes instead.

  * * *

  When she woke up in the morning, still in her new outfit, everything hurt. She removed all her bandages and took a hot shower, wincing as the hot water made her cuts and scratches sting. The gash with stitches looked angry and swollen, but they’d given her antibiotics so she wasn’t worried.

  Since she’d slept later than usual, Delilah was already busy in the kitchen when she went downstairs.

  “Sit, please. I’ll get your coffee and something for you to eat.”

  Grateful, Scarlett thanked her and took a seat at the table. “Where’s Hal? Is he all right?”

  “He seems to be. Travis took him into town.” Delilah glanced sideways at her. “Mr. Hal wanted to have a word with the sheriff.”

  “About what happened to me? Why?”

  “He’s pretty upset.” Delilah placed a mug of steaming coffee in front of her, fixed exactly the way Scarlett liked it. “He says it happened on his property and he wants whoever did it caught.”

  While Scarlett sipped her coffee, Delilah fixed her a plate of biscuits and gravy. “This is what Hal had earlier. I kept the gravy warm on the stove for you.”

  “Oh wow. Thank you.” Though Scarlett rarely indulged in this kind of food, after the day she’d had yesterday, she felt she deserved it. She dug in with gusto, polishing off her entire plate. “That was absolutely wonderful,” she said.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” The older woman seemed strangely hesitant. After carrying the plate to the sink, she returned and pulled out the chair next to Scarlett. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what’s going on with you and Travis?”

  A little surprised, Scarlett shrugged. She liked and respected Delilah, so she figured she’d be honest. “I’m not sure. We are definitely attracted to each other, but I have no idea where it might go.”

  “He’s a good man. He’d give you the shirt off his back. He works hard and everyone in town knows they can count on him in an emergency. There aren’t an awful lot like him.”

  Touched, Scarlett nodded. “He’s easy on the eyes too,” she quipped.

  But Delilah didn’t laugh. “That man has had his heart broken once. I wasn’t working here then, but I’ve heard stories. Mr. Hal said he didn’t think Travis would recover.”

  Now Scarlett understood. “You’re telling me this because you want to make sure I don’t hurt him.”

  “Yes.” Delilah placed her hand on Scarlett’s arm. “I’m not sure what your plans are, whether you’re staying or leaving. And you seem like a kindhearted woman, so please consider all this before you get too involved with him. I’m not sure he’d survive having that sort of thing happen to him again.”

  “I—” Scarlett opened her mouth to reply, but before she could get anything else out, the front door slammed open and Vivian and Amber breezed into the house. They headed directly for the kitchen.

  Delilah jumped to her feet and moved away from the table. Scarlett remained seated, managing to summon up a smile. “Good morning,” she said. “What brings you two here so early?” Heaven help her, if they wanted to talk to her about not breaking Travis’s heart, she might cry. While she had no intention of ever hurting him, things were still too new between them to even think about a future.

  “We’re here to talk to you about your costumes for the ball,” Vivian stated, a determined glint in her eyes. She wore bright orange slacks with sparkly silver shoes. Her long-sleeved, multicolored silky green blouse had stripes of orange and red. Her long, colorful earrings swung as she shook her head. They appeared to be parrots, or maybe cha-cha dancers—Scarlett couldn’t tell.

  Amber noticed her looking and grinned.

  “We haven’t decided yet,” Scarlett replied, tearing her gaze away from Vivian’s vivid attire. “In fact, Travis and I haven’t even had time to discuss it.”

  Vivian grimaced. “Discuss? I realize you don’t know my son very well, but men don’t generally like to talk about stuff like costumes for Halloween balls. It’s better if you just make the choice for them, and simply fill them in.”

  Behind her, Amber’s grin widened. The polar opposite of her mother, she wore her usual all black, from jeans to tight long-sleeved T-shirt emblazed with the name of a heavy metal band. Her jet-colored hair had that spiky, just-got-out-of-bed look, though Scarlett knew t
hat hairstyle took time to achieve.

  Delilah offered coffee but the two women asked for ice water instead. Once Delilah had brought them each a tall glass with a lemon wedge, she excused herself and disappeared.

  “I thought it might be fun if we all coordinated something similar,” Amber volunteered.

  “Are you going?” Scarlett asked, a bit perplexed but overall happy that they’d thought to include her.

  “Of course.” Vivian carried a large plastic shopping bag, which she placed on the kitchen table. “I’m going with Frank, and Amber is going with Mike, who is a friend of Travis’s.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Scarlett said, meaning it. “It’ll be great to have other people I know there. I was a bit worried about sticking out like a sore thumb.”

  The other two women exchanged glances, making Scarlett wonder what they were up to. Finally, Vivian shrugged. “I think you should play up to your strengths.”

  “I agree,” Amber said.

  Once they were all seated around the table with their drinks, she looked from one to the other. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean, playing to my strengths.”

  “You’re beautiful.” Amber took a long drink. “I’d give anything to look like you.”

  Touched, Scarlett thanked her.

  “What she means—” Vivian said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a stack of what appeared to be pages cut out from magazines “—is that you need to choose a costume that enhances or accentuates your beauty, not hides it. Do you follow?”

  Heaven help her, but Scarlett thought of Kendra, the reason Travis had asked her to go with him in the first place. The woman who’d broken his heart. Suddenly, she knew she wanted to look her very best in front of her. “Sounds good,” she agreed.

  Amber clapped her hands in excitement. “I can’t wait,” she said.

  “For the costumes, do you usually order them online or rent them or what?”

  “I’m a pretty accomplished seamstress,” Vivian answered, drawing herself up proudly. “But even I don’t think I can make what we have in mind for everyone in the two weeks we have. Amber volunteered to look online, but if she can’t find anything suitable, we’ve heard great things about a costume rental shop in Dallas. We have to move quickly, though, because if we wait until the last minute, they’ll be sold out.”