“You can’t stop it?”
“Nope,” Colton answered Noah. “It’s like a silly puppy that can’t sit still.”
“Like Bane!” Noah said.
Now it was Colton’s turn to be curious. He looked to Lane and Charlie.
“It’s our dog.”
“His dog.” Lane stuck out her thumb toward Charlie. “Apparently it was a package deal.”
“And I got the better deal.” Charlie kissed Lane’s temple while placing a protective hand on her protruding belly. “Right, buddy?”
“Colton’s going to teach me some football moves,” Maceo said proudly. “Maybe even the Saint James Fake.”
Noah’s eyes lit up and he turned to Colton. “You are? Can you teach me? Mom said I’m not allowed to play football with the other kids because she doesn’t want my brains to get scrambled like eggs.”
Colton laughed along with Lane and Charlie. “Your mom is pretty smart.”
Noah made a face and Lane bumped him with her hip. “Hey.”
“So, will you teach me too? I can throw the ball real good, right, Dad?”
Charlie scooped Noah up and lifted his arm. “The best. Now, why don’t we let them finish dinner so they can have some of Aunt Byrdie’s cobbler?”
“I’m already finished.” Maceo pointed to his plate. “Can Noah and I have dessert together?”
“It’s alright with me,” Lane said, looking to Pecca, who nodded. “Alright, both of you to the counter.” The words were barely out of her mouth before the boys were scrambling toward the barstools.
“I’m going to get in on that.” Charlie grinned. “Great to meet you, Colton. Even if you fought on the wrong team. Oorah.” He winked at Lane, who shook her head before returning her attention to Colton.
“Don’t mind him. Before he wore that uniform, he wore one for the Marines.”
Colton was grateful for the explanation, but it didn’t explain how half the town knew who he was. He shifted in his chair. “You wouldn’t happen to know if there was some kind of announcement in the paper about me moving here?”
“Welcome to Walton,” Lane said with a laugh. She placed a hand at the small of her back, the other on her stomach. “I’m going to go grab you two some dessert before those guys eat it all.”
“Lane’s not kidding.” Pecca pushed her plate aside. “I think half the town knew my name before my change of address even took effect.”
“And I thought where I grew up was bad.”
Bethany delivered two bowls of cobbler. The smell was too tantalizing for Colton to resist. With a purposeful movement, he grabbed his spoon and carefully scooped a bite into his mouth. The tangy sweetness took him back to his summers camping near the Brazos River with his family. He missed Texas. Missed his family.
Pecca took her first bite, closing her eyes as she chewed. Colton let his gaze wander over her features. Tiny lines edged her eyes, no doubt from the way the skin crinkled when she smiled. Her nose had a delicate slope that highlighted her cheeks, balancing the roundness of her face in a very flattering and feminine way. His eyes fell to her lips, and he swallowed as they moved—
“It’s the best, isn’t it?”
Colton tried for another bite, determination making his movements slow and deliberate. A good distraction from the way he was staring at his nurse. His mouth was watering by the time the spoon reached his tongue. His eyes flickered back to Pecca, and he realized she was waiting for his answer. He gave a nod, embarrassed.
“So, you’re a dessert first kind of guy, huh?” Pecca said, eyeing his bowl.
He looked down. His dinner plate was barely touched. Maybe he could get it to go.
“I can wrap that up for leftovers.” Lane was at their table again, a coffee pot in her hand. “Even add an extra helping of cobbler.”
“I’d appreciate that, ma’am.” Colton leaned forward and retrieved his wallet from his back pocket. “I’ll also take the check.”
“No.” Pecca reached across the table and laid her hand on his arm. The heat of her touch sent his gaze right back to her lips. “I told you this was my treat to make up for the other day.”
“I can’t let you pay—”
“Neither of you are paying,” Lane cut in with a smirk. “It’s on the house.”
Colton opened his wallet. “It’s okay, I can pay.”
“I’m sure you can, but another thing this town is known for besides its gossip is its appreciation for the men and women who serve in the military. We’re grateful for the sacrifice. Giving you a home-cooked meal is the least we can do.” She smiled. “Just promise you won’t call me ma’am anymore. Makes me feel old.”
“I can do that.” Putting his wallet back into his pocket, he took in the gracious woman who couldn’t have been much older than Pecca. “Thank you, I appreciate the meal.” He pushed his chair back gently. “I should probably get back.”
Lane handed the coffee pot to Bethany and grabbed his plate. “Let me get that wrapped for you.” She shot Pecca a look before walking to the counter and disappearing into the kitchen.
“Let me get Maceo, and we’ll be ready to go.”
“Not necessary.” Colton stood. “Home for Heroes is not that far from here. I can walk back.”
Pecca looked out the window and back at him. “But it’s dark.”
“The trail is lit.”
She frowned. “I really don’t mind. We don’t live far, and it’s on the way.”
Colton wasn’t sure, and he was probably reading into her offer, but it sounded like Pecca wasn’t ready for him to leave. Yeah right. He was definitely reading into it. The result of many long and lonely nights since his diagnosis.
“It’s a nice night, and I could use the exercise.”
Pecca gave his body a once-over and then blushed, her brown eyes wide in disbelief before she cringed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to look the way it did. It’s just that you look fine—I mean, not like fine-fine, just like you don’t need to run or walk or burn calories—”
“What my flustered friend is trying to say is that if you’d like a ride back, she’d be more than happy to take you.” Lane held up a bag holding his untouched dinner as Pecca gave her a less-than-subtle jab.
“It’s alright, really. It was nice meeting you and your family.” He took the bag of leftovers and started toward the door, overhearing Lane’s loud whisper.
“You didn’t tell me he was so good-looking.”
“I heard that.” Charlie’s voice echoed across the room and the remaining customers, hearing the exchange, laughed.
With his cheeks flaming, Colton waved a quick farewell before slipping out the door. Pecca had talked about him? When? He hadn’t been in town more than forty-eight hours yet. And what had she said? He took a deep, purposeful breath. His hand clenched open and closed, the joints in his fingers aching. A walk would do him good. He could burn some energy and not think about—
“Colton, wait.”
He turned and saw Pecca exiting the Way Station Café with Maceo at her side.
“Mom, I forgot my backpack.”
“Hurry and go get it.” Pecca tilted her head toward the café. “One minute or I’m leaving without you.” She turned to Colton and held up her car keys. “You wouldn’t let me drive you here, but I insist on giving you a ride back.”
“It’s really not necessary. I don’t mind walking back.”
“Maceo insists. Says it’s the nice thing to do, but I think he just wants to chew your ear off about Vincent James.” Pecca clicked the key fob and a horn beeped from a silver Camry. “If you don’t let me give you a ride back, then he’ll torture me about a game I know nothing about.”
Colton found it hard not to smile. He looked over at the trail and back to her, struggling to find the willpower to refuse. “Okay.”
“Thank you,” she said with exaggeration as she walked toward her car. “Look,” she began, turning so abruptly he almost ran into her. “Oh. Sorry.”
He took a step back. “My fault.”
“I’m sorry about Lane. What she said in there. I never told her you were, um . . .” She bit her lip. A loose strand of hair danced around her face on a breeze. “She’s pregnant. Hormonal. And recently married. To Charlie. Which has her all ‘la-la’ for love or trying to match people up.” Her eyes rounded. “Not that she was trying to do that with us. You and me. She knows I’m your nurse.” Pecca gave a nervous laugh and then sighed, regaining her composure. “What I’m trying to say is that when she said I didn’t tell her you were, um . . . well, I only told her I had a new patient and you were from Texas. Nothing else.”
The reflection from the twinkling lights on the patio danced in Pecca’s eyes, and suddenly he wanted to let his eyes drift to her lips. He might’ve given in to the temptation if a flash of green hadn’t caught his attention.
Colton, instinctually on alert, jerked back. He swung his gaze over his shoulder, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him, when he caught the reflection of light again and had no doubt.
“Get down!”
“What?”
Pecca’s question was muffled as he grabbed her and pulled her to the ground beneath him before a crack over their heads shattered the passenger-side window, raining glass down on them.
Thwap-thwap.
Pecca screamed, and Colton sheltered her. “Shh, just stay down.”
“Wh-what’s happening?” Pecca wiggled beneath him. “What’s going on?”
I have no idea. Were they really just—Colton’s head swiveled side to side, his eyes scanning the area, but it was too dark to see. Pecca’s panicked breathing pressed against his chest rapidly and—not wanting to crush her—he shifted his weight.
“Colton—”
“Hold on.” He looked around a second and third time before turning his eyes on the café. No one inside seemed aware of what had just happened, and truthfully, he was still trying to wrap his own head around it. After another quick look overhead at the missing window, his eyes trailed down to where he thought he’d find two more holes, but he didn’t.
Did that just happen?
With Pecca’s scream still ringing in his ears, he began analyzing the events like he always did when he was in the field. Except he wasn’t in the field. He was in Walton.
“What happened?” Pecca asked. “Was it a rock or something?”
Colton rolled to his side, putting his body in front of her like a shield, and glanced over his shoulder in search of the green laser. Nothing. He turned to her.
“It wasn’t a rock, Pecca. Someone just took a shot at us.”
EIGHT
NOT JUST ONE SHOT.
Three.
Someone had taken three shots at her.
Pecca surveyed the activity in her home. Charlie was pacing in her kitchen on his cell phone. Deputy Wilson’s huge frame stalked around her home, checking windows and doors. Colton . . . where was he?
The sound of voices drew her eyes to the front window, where she found him and Sheriff Huggins talking on the porch. Someone just shot at us. Colton had refused to let her get up until he was sure the shooter was gone. Pecca hadn’t even had a chance to register his words as he helped her up and into the Way Station Café. She must’ve looked a mess because every eye turned to her direction, and in a dizzying blur, things started happening.
Pecca looked at her trembling fingers. Three shots. She’d had no idea what was happening when Colton pushed her to the ground the second before her passenger-side window exploded. Charlie and Sheriff Huggins located two more bullets buried in the trunk of the live oak next to her car. She hadn’t heard any of them—only the explosion of glass erupting over her.
Ms. Byrdie had come to the house and was putting Maceo to bed. The town’s matriarch was also Sheriff Huggins’s wife and one of the gentlest souls Pecca knew. Just being in her presence evoked peace. Exactly what Pecca needed right now.
Charlie ended his call and came over to the couch just as Colton and Sheriff Huggins walked in. “How’s Lane?” Pecca asked.
“She’s fine.” The sheriff’s blue eyes remained on her. “Everyone is fine.”
Except her. She was not fine. “Wh-what happens next?”
Sheriff Huggins sat on the couch next to her and grabbed her chenille throw and wrapped it around her shoulders. If the sheriff was well-known for anything, it was his patriarchal protectiveness, which he extended to everyone in Walton. Pecca had seen glimpses of it a few months ago with Vivian DeMarco, Ryan’s girlfriend, but now she was on the receiving end.
“Well, honey, we’re going to ask you some questions.” His bright blue eyes peered down on her with an almost fatherly love. “Are you feeling up to it?”
Movement from the corner drew her attention to Colton. His arm was shaking. More than it had been earlier. Pecca feared it was because of her. Because of this whole ordeal. Colton came to Home for Heroes to recover—not to get shot at.
Colton shifted under her gaze. “I can leave.”
“Actually,” Sheriff Huggins said, turning his focus to Colton. “We need to ask you some questions too.”
Confusion dimmed Colton’s hazel eyes. “Like?”
“You served in military intelligence.”
It wasn’t a question, and Colton’s expression tightened. “Yes, sir.”
“Any reason you might be a target?”
“Me?”
“Him?”
Pecca’s and Colton’s voices collided, as did their eyes. She quickly turned hers on Sheriff Huggins. He couldn’t be serious.
“Sir, with all due respect, I’ve been out of the Army for more than a year now and was”—Colton’s arm shook—“discharged with a clear record. No one knows I’m here but family.”
In that half-second explanation, Pecca watched Colton’s body shift into the rigid posture of a soldier. She licked her lips. Why would Colton’s career in the military make him a target? Only one person was responsible for what happened tonight and it was her. She needed to tell them the truth.
“It’s me.” Her voice shook. “I think I’m the target.”
Three sets of eyes locked on her, and she shifted beneath the tension. Sheriff Huggins put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“What do you mean, honey?”
Pecca looked over her shoulder toward the hallway where Maceo’s room was. He had to be sleeping by now, right? She turned her attention back to the men in front of her and took a breath.
“My brother, Adrian, called me a few nights ago and told me that my ex . . .” Her eyes fluttered to Colton, and a pang of fear entered her chest. Did she really want him to hear this? What would he think of her? And why was that bothering her? She’d just been shot at and so had he. The least he deserved was to know why.
“My ex, Javier Torres, is up for parole. My brother told me members of the South Side Barrio, a gang he belonged to, might be looking for me to testify on his behalf.”
“Why?”
She turned to Charlie. “Adrian said the gang wants Javier out of prison. I hadn’t realized until his arrest how influential he was—it’s the main reason I left El Paso. I wanted to protect Maceo from that atmosphere.”
“And you think the gang members would come after you here?” Colton’s face was as grim as his tone. “Shoot at you?”
Pecca ran her palms down the thin material of her scrubs. “If you’d asked me that a few hours ago, I would have said no, but now . . . I’m not sure.” Her eyes lifted to Colton again, and her pulse slowed at his expression. She’d seen that look before when he was in the gym and was angry with himself, except this time—was he angry with her?
“Look, I’m having a really hard time trying to make sense of this. When I spoke with Adrian, he didn’t think anyone from the SSB knew where I was and . . .” She looked at Sheriff Huggins and Charlie but avoided looking at Colton. “As crazy as this sounds, I can’t imagine Javier doing this.”
“Given what you’ve told us,
” Charlie said, his eyes sympathetic, “it’s going to be hard to rule this out as accidental. We don’t normally have random shootings—”
“Sir,” Deputy Wilson said as he walked up, his attention directed to Sheriff Huggins. “Beverly Wilcox called in a complaint a few days ago. Said someone had been shooting at the old barn on her property.”
“See.” Pecca, feeling slightly desperate to find another explanation for what had happened tonight, latched onto that fact like a lifeline. “Maybe someone was out there shooting for fun. They do that in small towns, right?”
“Not usually with a laser scope.” Colton pressed off the wall. “Or a silencer.”
“Which is why we’re going to investigate all possibilities.” Sheriff Huggins rose to his full height. He ran a hand through his thick white hair before settling both hands on his gun belt. “Pecca, if it’s alright with you, I’d like Charlie to contact Adrian and get all the information he can regarding the South Side Barrio and Javier’s upcoming parole.” Pecca nodded. “Until we rule them out, I’m going to leave a patrol outside your home—”
“What about when she’s not at home?” Colton’s voice was cold as steel. “Tonight they took the shot when she was out.”
Pecca studied the man standing sentry near her door. If the SSB had found her, she had just put his life in danger too. Yet his concern was for her. Emotion burned the back of her throat. The moody man she had tried to win over was winning her over with his unassuming grit, and it felt like she’d barely scratched the surface. What else was Colton hiding beneath that gruff exterior?
Charlie shifted. “We don’t have the manpower to put someone on her at all times.”
“No,” Pecca said. “That’s too much.” She looked to Sheriff Huggins. “I’m happy to give you Adrian’s number and let him work with Charlie in your investigation. And if you want to put a car outside my house, I’m okay with that too, but I moved across the country because I was desperate for Maceo to grow up where he feels safe. We don’t know for sure that it was the SSB that fired the shots.”
Silent Shadows Page 6