Matt: Texas Rascals Book 2

by Wilde, Lori

  “So you did come for some other reason besides Ginger’s wedding. I knew it.” Savannah’s facial muscles ached from smiling. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Branch, glad you could make it.”

  Hiram and Myra Branch, whose nearby ranch, The Triple Fork, specialized in training thoroughbred racehorses, responded kindly but Savannah barely heard a word. She kept thinking about what Matt had said. What did he want to speak to her about? The sun beat down, suddenly no longer merely warm, but uncomfortably hot.

  Thankfully, the procession of well-wishers ended, and everyone dispersed to enjoy the refreshments. The photographer called for the wedding party to assemble themselves while the guitarist broke into a lively tune. Whimsical chords filled the garden.

  “Come on, folks, gather round,” the photographer said. “You too, sis,” he called to Savannah. “Don’t go running off, I’m sure Ginger wants you in the pictures as well.”

  Savannah went over.

  “Let’s get your husband over here, too.” The cameraman waved at Matt.

  “He’s not my husband.”

  “Can Matt be in the picture anyway, Vannah?” Ginger asked.

  Savannah sighed. She could refuse her sister nothing today, and Ginger knew it. “Sure. Why not?”

  Matt joined them. The wedding party stood in the broiling sun, following the photographer’s instructions—changing position, posing, pasting smiles on their faces. First Matt’s arm across Savannah’s shoulder, then around her waist, finally him holding her hand. Savannah gritted her teeth and endured.

  Thirty minutes later, the photographer clapped his hands. “Okay, everyone, that’s a wrap.”

  Savannah searched the crowd for Aunt Pearl, eager to retrieve Cody and distance herself from Matt.

  “Why he’s the most precious angel,” Aunt Pearl cooed as she relinquished Cody. “But I must be getting old. Holding him for so long has worn me to a frazzle.”

  “Thanks for watching him, Auntie. Why don’t you go get some cake and punch and sit down? I’ll come visit with you in a sec. I think Cody needs changing.”

  Aunt Pearl fumbled in her pocket for a blue tissue and pressed it to her eyes. “Your mama would have been so proud. It was a lovely wedding, Savannah. You outdid yourself.”

  She patted her elderly great-aunt’s shoulder. “That’s nice of you to say so.” Head down, she scurried through the throng and finally made it to the house.

  “Let me get the door for you.”

  Matt stepped from nowhere to open the screen. Damn him. Why couldn’t he simply go away and leave her alone?

  Without another word, he followed her through the house and into Cody’s bedroom. Savannah flicked on the light, settled her son in his crib, and grabbed a fresh diaper.

  Matt leaned against the wall, his long legs stretched out in front of him, his arms folded across his chest. “Savvy, we’ve got to talk.”

  Her hands trembled slightly as she eased the wet diaper off Cody and wiped his bottom with a moist towelette. She cleared her throat. “What about?”

  “That Santa Gertrudis herd.”

  Her stomach fluttered ominously. He seemed so serious.

  “So talk,” she said lightly.

  “Not here,” he replied.

  “Where?”

  He moved across the room, reached out, and took her elbow. Spinning her around, he forced her to look him in the eyes. “I’m sorry to do this to you, Savannah, but I have to take you back to the sheriff’s department for questioning.”

  * * *

  Savannah blinked. Had she heard correctly? She was a suspect?

  Cody gurgled, pulling her attention away from Matt and back to her son.

  “Did you hear me, Savvy?” he asked.

  “I have to diaper Cody,” she mumbled, her mind whirling with the implications of Matt’s statement.

  “You have to go to the sheriff’s department with me.”

  She bit her bottom lip. “Am ... I under arrest?”

  “No,” he said. “Not yet.”

  “But... what did I do?”

  “We need an official statement from you, but I can’t discuss the details here. Please. Let’s just see your guests off, and then we’ll leave.”

  “That’s why you came here in the first place, wasn’t it? To arrest me?”

  Matt sighed, threading his fingers through his hair. “I came to take you in for questioning, not to arrest you.”

  She fastened the diaper securely around Cody’s body. What had she done wrong? Confusion clouded her mind, and she couldn’t think straight.

  “I’d forgotten it was Ginger’s wedding day,” he mumbled.

  “Well, thank you for waiting until the wedding was over. It would have ruined everything for Ginger if you’d interrupted the ceremony.”

  “I know.”

  “We don’t have to tell her about this, do we?”

  Matt shook his head. She picked Cody up and held him to her shoulder. Matt stuffed his hands into his suit pockets. He appeared weary, exhausted, A five o’clock shadow shaded his jaw, and a worried furrow creased his brow.

  “Okay,” she said quietly.

  Because she felt confident the whole matter would be straightened out in a few minutes, she refused to get upset. No cause for panic. She’d done nothing wrong.

  They joined the group outside for the reception. Three hours later, Todd and Ginger left for their honeymoon trip to Cancun while the guests slowly filtered away. By nine p.m. only Matt, Savannah, Clem, Cody, and the caterers remained.

  “You ready?” Matt asked, dangling the Jeep keys from his index finger.

  Her satin dress was crumpled. Her new high-heeled shoes bit her toes. She wanted to ask him if she could change, but he’d been kind enough to postpone this ordeal until after the wedding. She didn’t feel right asking for more favors.

  “What am I going to do with Cody?” she asked fretfully, pushing back a lock of hair that had fallen from her elaborate hairdo.

  “Bring him along. I’ll watch him during the questioning.”

  “You won’t be conducting the interrogation?”

  “No,” Matt said.

  And Savannah couldn’t decide if that made things better or worse.

  9

  Matt heard the anxious keen in her voice, and the sound burned his gut. “I can’t conduct the interview. I’m not impartial. And it’s not an interrogation, Savvy. Just a few questions.”

  “Are you sure, Matt?”

  What could he tell her? That by the end of the night she might possibly find herself locked in a jail cell? Matt shuddered at the image. He simply could not believe she was guilty of deliberate fraud, but he wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t take her in.

  The trip into Rascal was a solemn one.

  The final rays of dying spring sunlight slanted in through Matt’s window. He snatched occasional sidelong glimpses of Savannah as they drove. Her pale ivory skin glowed like a beacon. Her full, lush lips turned down in a sad expression.

  The sight snagged strings of loneliness deep in Matt’s soul. How he wanted to draw her into his arms and comfort her, to kiss her and tell her not to worry. But he couldn’t. He’d already gone too far allowing his emotions to affect his judgment.

  He called in and told Midge, the dispatcher, he was bringing Savannah to the department. The radio crackled, and Sheriff Langley’s voice came on the line. “’Bout time, son. I was fixing to put out an APB on the both of you. Thought you’d gotten lost.”

  “Did I get you into trouble?” Savannah asked after the sheriff signed off.

  “Naw.” He shrugged.

  “Thanks again for waiting.” She stared down at the floorboard.

  Lord, he felt like such a jerk. Sometimes his job was the pits.

  They pulled into the parking lot of the sheriff’s department. Matt killed the engine, then got out and helped Savannah and Cody out.

  Holding the toddler on one hip, he took Savannah’s elbow and escorted her inside the buildi
ng.

  “Hey, Joe,” he greeted a young officer lounging back in his chair at the front desk. “Why don’t you get your feet off the desk?”

  Joe dropped his feet to the floor, sat up straight, glanced from Matt to the baby to Savannah and back again, then hid a snicker behind his hand. “You look plumb fatherly, Forrester.”

  “Something wrong with that?” Matt asked dryly.

  “No, sir.”

  “Then you won’t mind keeping your comments to yourself.”

  “Sheriff Langley’s been grumbling about you all afternoon,” Joe said.

  “Yeah? Where is he?”

  “Right here.” Sheriff Patrick Langley loomed in the doorway of the jail.

  “What are you doing here so late on a Saturday evening?” Matt asked his boss.

  Sheriff Langley grimaced. “Mae’s out of town visiting her sister and to tell you the truth, the house is pretty lonesome without her.”

  “Couldn’t you find a better place to hang out?” Matt asked.

  “You’re one to talk, Forrester. You work more hours than I do.”

  It was true. He readily confessed to his workaholic nature. No one waited for him in his empty apartment.

  The sheriff smiled. “You must be Savannah.”

  “Yes, sir,” she replied.

  Pat Langley stepped forward, extending his hand. “I knew your husband, Gary. Fine man. Sorry to hear about his passing.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And I’m really sorry to disturb you, ma’am, especially at this late hour.” He shot Matt an accusing glance.

  “Am I under arrest for something?” Savannah asked in a quiet, subdued voice that made Matt ache.

  Her slender shoulders slumped in defeat, and the material of her satiny dress whispered as she moved. He wanted to gather her close and erase her concerns and problems. There was no way he could be the one to question her. He’d totally lost all objectivity.

  “Oh, no, ma’am. We’ve just got to get a few things straight about your missing cattle. Things just aren’t adding up.”

  “I see.” She twisted her fingers together.

  “Let’s go into my office and have an informal chat. Would you like a cup of coffee? Or something else to drink?”

  “What about Cody?”

  “Forrester can look after him.”

  Matt nodded. “Sure.”

  “He hasn’t had his supper yet.” Savannah nibbled her bottom lip.

  “Don’t worry,” Matt insisted. “I’ll find something for him to eat.”

  Laying a hand on Savannah’s shoulder, Sheriff Langley guided her toward his office. She looked at Matt, fear in her eyes.

  Damn. Damn. Damn. Matt spun on his heels, unable to bear her despair.

  He hated this part of the job. When innocent people suddenly found themselves afoul of the law. What he liked was chasing the bad guys and seeing them get their just desserts, but this? Walking as swiftly as his legs would take him, Matt left the building for the fresh, clean night air, Cody riding comfortably at his hip. The boy’s fuzzy halo of hair stirred in the breeze.

  “Da?” he asked, placing a tiny finger on Matt’s chin.

  “No, I’m not your Da.” Matt whispered. “But I sure as hell wish I were.”

  It was true, he realized. For a man whose job had always been everything, he now wanted a wife and kids. And not just any wife and kids. He wanted Savannah. He wanted Cody. When had his thinking changed?

  Cody’s face wrinkled. He whimpered.

  “Now, now, little fella, don’t go changing your moods on me that quick.” Matt held him in both hands and jostled him gently.

  A sad, worried expression crinkled Cody’s eyes. His bottom lip quivered. Did the kid sense something was wrong?

  “Come on, none of that.” Matt tucked him in the crook of one arm and started across the parking lot. Before he reached the Jeep, Cody exploded into a full-fledged howl.

  Gritting his teeth, Matt settled the baby in his car seat. Huge crocodile tears rolled down the child’s cheeks. Oh, Lord. What had he gotten himself into?

  Get a grip, Forrester. If you can wrangle thieves and murderers, you can definitely handle one tiny kid.

  Cody’s squalling increased.

  “Okay, okay. Food.”

  What in Sam Hill did babies eat? He certainly hoped Savannah wasn’t still breastfeeding the little tyke.

  “Want a hamburger?”

  Cody hiccupped.

  “Does that sound good?”

  The kid stared at him and sniffled.

  “Right. Bad idea.” He needed something baby food-ish. Mashed potatoes or a banana. He could stop by the store, then take Cody back to his apartment to feed him.

  Matt found a Stop & Shop. Cody’s sobs dwindled to soft sighs. Matt undid the boy from his car seat. Lifting the boy onto his shoulders for a piggyback ride, Matt clamped his palms across those chubby little thighs. Instantly, tears turned to giggles as Cody clutched Matt’s hair in both hands. Matt grinned. Did he possess a natural gift with babies or what?

  “Okay, kiddo, what’ll it be?” He stood before a shelf of baby food and surveyed the selection. “Strained peas?” Matt made a face. “Carrots? Green beans? Apricots?”

  “Da!”

  “Yeah, that’s what you always say. We’re going to have to do some serious work on your vocabulary, son.”

  Son.

  Why had he said that word? Wishful thinking?

  The front door of the opened and two men slunk in. Matt noticed their scruffy reflection in the security mirror, but because he’d been fixated on finding supper for Cody, his sixth sense didn’t kick in immediately. As it was, by the time the hairs on the back of his neck prickled a warning, the men had yanked ski masks over their faces and drawn pistols on the store clerk.

  “Open the cash register. Give us the money. Now!” the taller of the two men growled.

  Oh, hell. Matt swung Cody from his shoulders into the crook of his arm in one fluid motion. Crouching to the ground, he prayed the men hadn’t noticed him.

  Instinct had him reaching for the 9mm Walther he wore in a shoulder holster. His hand patted his unadorned chest. His duty weapon wasn’t there. He’d removed it for Ginger’s wedding and had neglected to strap it back on when the wedding was over. Just as well. Best not have any gunplay with a baby in his arms.

  Cody whimpered.

  Hush, kid, not now.

  The baby stared at him wide-eyed.

  Matt had never dodged a fight in his life. But what could he do?

  He heard the jangle of coins hitting the floor and tasted the bile of his own frustration rising in his throat. He should be able to stop this robbery. Instead, Cody rendered him useless. Matt stared at the row of breakfast cereal in front of his face.

  Every muscle in his body corded, every nerve ending zinged on full alert. He duckwalked forward, Cody still clutched in his arm.

  “Hurry! Hurry!” one of the robbers barked. Matt listened closely to the voice, memorizing it for future reference.

  The slap of running feet and the sound of the door being slammed open.

  Matt popped to a standing position, Cody cradled next to his side like a football in a running back’s arms. He took off after the robbers, ignoring the startled, whey-faced clerk standing behind the counter with his hands still raised over his head.

  The two suspects leaped into a dented black Camaro and blasted out of the parking lot. Matt opened the door to his Jeep and fastened Cody into the car seat as quickly as possible, his gaze trained on the disappearing vehicle.

  By the time he got behind the wheel and roared after them, they had careened around a corner, narrowly avoiding an accident with oncoming traffic. Matt slapped the portable siren to the roof, stomped on the accelerator, and shot after the robbers.

  * * *

  “Now, Savannah. I don’t want you to feel nervous. That’s why I brought you to my office instead of the interrogation room. That place can be pretty intim
idating.” Sheriff Langley smiled at her, yet she felt anything but reassured.

  “I’m not intimidated,” she fibbed.

  “Have a seat.” He waved at a hard-backed wooden chair with his hand.

  She perched on the edge of the chair and took a deep breath. “I don’t understand why I’m here.”

  Anxiety knotted her stomach. The police band radio in the corner crackled and hissed. She stared at the jovial-faced man across from her. He looked like a dark-haired Santa Claus instead of a lawman. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. The room was too warm. Perspiration pooled in the hollow space at the base of her neck. She felt slightly nauseous.

  “We’ve determined that the theft of your cattle is not related to the other robberies Detective Forrester’s been investigating.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Nothing, in and of itself.” He shifted in his chair, laced his fingers together, and laid them over his expansive belly.

  She waited.

  “What concerns me, Mrs. Markum is the fact that your husband took out a large insurance policy on that Santa Gertrudis herd before he died. A policy drawn up by your new brother-in-law, and that is due to lapse by the end of this month if the premium isn’t paid.”

  Savannah gasped and raised a hand to her throat. The news rocked her. “What? Are you sure? Todd never told me about any insurance policy on the cattle.”

  Sheriff Langley pushed a copy of the policy across the desk toward her. “Are you telling me you didn’t know anything about it?”

  “Absolutely not. Where did you get this?” She picked up the papers and scanned them. She recognized Gary’s distinctive scrawl at the bottom of the page.

  The sheriff pursed his lips in a pensive expression. “Detective Forrester found it in the paperwork you gave him.”

  “Let me get this straight. You suspect me of insurance fraud even when I never made a claim on the policy?”

  “We have to weigh all the evidence. You’re in debt to the teeth. For all I know, you and Gary planned this together so you could save the ranch after his death.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  Sheriff Langley cocked a skeptical eyebrow. “Sounds plausible to me.”