“Make sure you keep track of what you’re throwing out,” Hawk had said. “We’ll see if it can be claimed on insurance.” He was pretty sure that would never happen, but he wanted Jessica to know what they’d done with her inventory.
“How long are they going to keep her?” Lizbeth asked.
“I have no clue,” Hawk responded. Willis had told him they had no real evidence that Jessica had been involved in Mrs. Dobbs’ murder, but they had to interrogate her. Willis also told him he’d been taken off the case because Milan Jackson found out Willis had dinner at the Coleman house on Friday evening, and was therefore close to the suspects.
“Do you think?”
Hawk glanced up. He hadn’t even realized Lizbeth had spoken to him. “What?”
“I said do you think we should close tomorrow if she doesn’t come back tonight?”
He had thought about that. “Can the two of you run the store?” He waved his finger between Lizbeth and Natalie. He knew they could, because they’d done it before.
“I can help, too,” Austin said.
“I’d be happy to have one of us here,” Hawk said. “I don’t trust Grant Dobbs. We need to watch out for him.”
“What does he look like?” Austin asked.
“Holt found a picture this afternoon,” Hawk said. Holt and Aurora were at the house, cleaning up after the search. He knew his brothers were not happy that the rangers had taken all the guns at the ranch for testing. They hadn’t gone to the cabins, which was a good thing. Hawk would have fought the search warrant going past the main house.
He hadn’t been at her house since the search. He thought getting the bakery back in order was the best thing to do. Something told him the house was a wreck, but he would worry about that later.
“Thanks for that, Austin,” he said. He really did have the best family in the world, and one more would be added when he and Jessica got married.
“We’re almost ready to start baking,” Lizbeth said. “Should you try to call her?”
“They would have taken her phone,” Hawk said. If they kept her at the jail he might go over there and punch Ranger Jackson in the nose.
“We’re staying,” the retirees called out as one. “If we have to storm the jail to break her out we want to take part.”
“I’ll make coffee,” Austin said.
“For the breakout?” Hawk asked and laughed for the first time since the rangers had shown up at the front door.
“Caffeine makes everything easier,” Steve said.
Hawk paced a little more, then stopped and grabbed at his pocket as his phone rang. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and stared at him. He pulled it and sighed heavily.
“It’s her.” He clicked it on and held it to his ear. “Where are you?”
“You’re not my first phone call,” she said. “They didn’t arrest me so I didn’t get one. Leslie is bringing me to Bookman Springs. Where are you?”
“The bakery,” he said. He held up the thumb on his free hand and everyone cheered.
“Who all’s there?” she asked.
“Everyone except Holt and Aurora,” he said. “They’re at the ranch.”
“How much damage did they do?”
“Not that much,” Hawk said. It was the truth. They moved things around, and dumped out containers of flour, but it was just part of the regular search. “But it’s sparkly clean now, and Austin is making coffee. The ladies are making cookies and cakes.”
He heard the hitch in her voice when she said, “Thank them all for me. I’ll be there soon.”
“I love you,” he said.
She cleared her throat and said, “I love you, too.”
It was something she’d never said to him before, and he was grateful to hear the words. He hoped it wasn’t the shock of what had happened to her tonight that made her say it, though. He hoped she meant it.
There were so many cars around the bakery when Leslie pulled into the parking lot that Jessica wondered if they were open. She looked at the clock on the dash, which showed just after two a.m.
“I’ve kept you up late,” Jessica said. “I’m sorry.”
“You’ll be sorry when you see my bill,” Leslie said, and then she laughed.
“It’s worth it since you got me out. I think they would have kept me there for hours longer.”
“You’re right, they would have.” Leslie parked the car and put her hand on Jessica’s arm. “Before you get out, can you tell me the last time you made a phone call to Matilda Dobbs?”
Jessica shrugged. “I have no clue. I never did like the woman, so she wasn’t on my favorites list. In fact, I deleted their numbers when Grant and I split.”
“Theirs as in hers and Grant’s?”
“Yes.” Jessica wished it were lighter so she could see her lawyer’s expression.
“That’s all I needed to hear.” Leslie opened her door and said, “I hope they have something to eat I’m starved.”
Once inside, Jessica was surprised to see three pizza boxes, a carton each of regular soda and diet soda, and plates of cookies, partially empty. There was also a room full of people, including the Coleman brothers, Natalie, Lizbeth, and the retirees. They all yelled out greetings, and Jessica started to cry.
Hawk came over and gathered her in his arms. “It’s okay, babe, it’s okay.”
“Thank you, everyone,” she said.
“Have some pizza,” Marty said. “We can warm it up for you.”
“Cold pizza is the best,” Jessica said. She looked over to where Leslie stood with Reed near the pizza. They went to a corner and sat down, and Jessica moved toward the food, Hawk’s hand on the small of her back.
“We’re not going to let them get away with railroading you,” Marty said. “I’ll testify that there’s no way you killed that woman.”
“Me, too!” Steve called out.
“Thanks, guys,” Jessica said as she put a slice of pizza on her plate. She should eat, but when she thought of what was happening, she thought she would vomit. Still, she should try. She picked up a can of diet soda and took a spot at an open table.
“You’re going home after you eat,” Lizbeth said.
“No arguments,” Natalie put in.
“None at all,” Austin said. “I’ll be here to keep watch on things, making sure no one comes in and causes problems.”
“I appreciate that.”
“We have something to help with that.” Marty stood and ran out the door. He was back moments later with a sheet of paper. “We’re going to plaster these all over town.” He handed the paper to Jessica. Once it was in her hands she examined it, then she laughed.
“He’ll sue you,” she said.
“Let him try,” Marty said.
“What is it?” Lizbeth asked.
“It’s a photo of Grant, and it says he is trying to railroad the authorities into pinning a murder charge on me. Then it says to call Hawk if you see him in town.”
Everyone laughed, and Jessica handed the paper to Hawk.
“You really should just say to be on the lookout for this guy,” Hawk said. “Don’t give him any ammunition to, as Jessica said, sue you.”
“Not changing it,” Marty said. “And we’re putting them up tomorrow—I mean today.”
“Damn straight,” Steve said.
“Thanks guys,” Jessica said. “I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.”
“We started the gossip, and we’re ready to fight the problem,” Marty said. “You can count on us.”
Jessica smiled at them, and all of a sudden she felt ready to face the world with her friends behind her. But she was also tired. Her eyes drooped.
“Let’s go,” Hawk said. “We’re going to sleep at the ranch tonight, and then go to your house to face the music there tomorrow—today.”
She didn’t argue with him. After she’d said goodbye to everyone she climbed into Hawk’s truck. She laid her head on his lap and started to cry as
he pulled out of the lot. As he drove he stroked her back, and Jessica knew there was nothing she couldn’t face without Hawk by her side.
Chapter 12
Jessica stumbled into the kitchen at noon the next day, wondering how she’d ever slept so long. The room was empty, and she let her gaze roam the counters. There were various appliances lining the walls, but she couldn’t find the one she really wanted—a coffee maker.
“It’s over here.”
Jessica turned toward Leslie’s voice. She sat at the table near a counter across the room. It had a single-cup coffee maker, and an old-fashioned one that made a huge pot of coffee. “I had trouble finding it, too,” Leslie said.
“Austin keeps this kitchen so tidy and organized,” Jessica said. “I’m usually here for dinner, so I don’t look for coffee until after the meal, and he always has it made.” She crossed the room, examined the pods and picked a flavor. As it started to brew she said, “Thanks for all you did last night.”
“I’ve informed them if they want to talk to you again they need to call me.” Leslie took a sip from her own coffee. She had a laptop open in front of her, and various papers scattered around. “If they call you, you call me. Understand?”
“Got it.” Jessica glanced out the window at the ranch, which spread for miles and miles. “Where are the men?”
“Out,” Leslie said.
“That answer sucks.” Jessica picked up her coffee. “Out where?”
“Not sure,” Leslie said. “They all left around eight, except for Holt, who is upstairs in his office. They said they’d be back later.”
She supposed that wasn’t so strange. Hawk would be patrolling the streets. Kyle and Wyatt were with the horses. She remembered Austin was at the bakery, but why wasn’t Reed with his woman? Maybe he was helping at the ranch too, she thought.
“I need to get to the house so I can clean,” she said.
“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Leslie said. She picked up her phone, tapped a few keys, then handed it to Jessica. On the town’s message board there was a listing asking for people to help clean Jessica’s house and put it back in order.
“Oh shit,” Jessica said. The idea of the townspeople finding her stash of sex toys, or the box of toys for her Little time, made her head swim.
“Don’t worry, I think Hawk and Holt hid all that stuff.”
Jessica looked at her attorney, who laughed in response.
“I hope so,” Jessica said.
“You should know reporters have been coming into the bakery to question you, at least according to Austin.” Leslie took a drink of her coffee. “If one of them finds you, your answer is ‘No comment’.”
“Got it,” Jessica said. This wasn’t something she’d ever thought she’d have to deal with. “Do you know anything about evidence? Do they have any, I mean?”
“Nope,” Leslie said. “As far as I can tell they consider you a suspect because your ex says you did it. To me, he’s shifting the blame. He’s the guilty party.”
Jessica took a drink. She was afraid if she opened her mouth to talk about Grant a string of cuss words would spew forth, and it would cause anger, anger that would be hard to get over.
“Don’t worry, you’re going to be out of this soon,” Leslie said. “Go back to bed and rest.”
“I think I’ll go to the bakery,” she said. She put her hand on the counter. Where was her phone? Had she had it earlier when she’d come out of the bedroom? She couldn’t remember.
“Hawk has your phone,” Leslie said, as if she’d read Jessica’s mind. “It started dinging early this morning and he didn’t want it to wake you.”
She realized he was trying to protect her, but it didn’t make her happy. One glance around the room showed a landline on the wall. She crossed, picked up the phone, then stopped, handset in hand.
“I can’t remember his phone number,” Jessica said.
“Curse of the modern world.” Leslie picked up her phone and moments later she rattled off a number.
When Hawk answered he said, “What?”
“Thanks for the great greeting,” Jessica said.
“What are you doing out of bed?”
“Don’t bark at me,” she said. “I want to go home, but I don’t have a car. Come and get me.”
“Nope.”
Jessica held in her anger and formulated a response that would, hopefully, get her what she wanted.
“The town is going crazy,” he said. “The retirees plastered the buildings with those fliers, and people are putting up “Save Jessica” signs.”
Jessica held the phone against her thigh as she wiped away tears. She didn’t want him to hear her crying. By the time she lifted it back to her ear she heard, “TV crews and all.”
What had she missed? “TV crews?” she asked.
“The media is all over town, some local, some from Amarillo.” She heard a car horn blast, and then another. Then she heard Hawk yell out, “Thanks, I’ll let her know.”
“Let me know what?”
“That the bank employees support you,” he said. She didn’t know how to respond and he said, “Are you okay, baby girl?”
“No,” she whispered.
“I’ll be right there.”
By the time Jessica hung up the phone, Leslie was beside her. She led her to a chair and said, “How about something to eat? I can make you a sandwich.”
Jessica nodded, because she didn’t think she could form words. She also didn’t think she would be able to eat without it coming right back up. Moments later, Leslie set down a plate with a huge sandwich and a pile of potato chips. Despite her fears about not being able to eat, Jessica’s stomach rumbled at the sight.
She picked up the sandwich and took a big bite, then mumbled her appreciation as she chewed. Roast beef with horseradish sauce, lettuce, tomato, and a bite of onion.
“Delicious,” she said after she’d swallowed. She took another bite, and by the time Hawk showed up about fifteen minutes later she was working on the second half of the sandwich.
Leslie left after he arrived. He took a few of her chips and they ate in silence. When the plate was empty he put his hand on hers and said, “Nick Dole offered us his hunting cabin if we want to get away from the craziness. It’s near the lake, but there are no neighbors. We’d have time by ourselves.”
“When can we leave?” she asked.
“I’ve asked the sheriff for three days off,” he said. “He wasn’t thrilled about it, but he said he understood. I’d like to leave after dark tonight, so we can see if anyone is following us out there. Holt offered us a ranch truck, so nobody will notice mine, or yours.”
“Perfect, except for the bakery.”
“The girls are going to keep it running, and Austin will stay on too.” He ran his finger over the plate. She could tell by the look on his face there was something he wasn’t telling her.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing.” He ran his finger over the plate again.
“Liar.”
“Business is booming,” he said. “Aurora is helping man the counter while the girls cook.”
“I’ll have to remember to give them both a raise, and to do something nice for Aurora and Austin.” She paused for a moment. “Did you pay the ladies who cleaned the house?”
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said. “They wouldn’t take it. And don’t worry, I put all our toys in the truck before they came in the house.”
Jessica giggled. “The rangers won’t see us leaving town as running, will they?”
“I’ve already talked to Jackson about it,” Hawk said. “He’s just doing his job, and I think Nate has convinced him to look in another direction.”
“I hope so,” she said. “I hope so.”
By the time they arrived at the cabin around ten, Jessica’s nerves had settled. For the most part, anyway. She’d ordered groceries from the market and Mags had them delivered to the ranch. Tomorrow she would make a huge
pan of lasagna, one of Hawk’s favorites, and later meals would be sandwiches and whatever they could think of.
After Hawk parked the truck, Jessica took off her seatbelt and turned to him. “I’ve slept most of the day.”
“We’ll tire you out,” he said with a laugh. “Let’s unpack the truck.”
Hawk turned off the security alarm. They carried in groceries and suitcases, and Jessica looked around the cabin. “This place is nicer than my house.”
Hawk laughed. “Nick does have oil lease money.”
“True.” She sat down on the sofa after she’d put up the food. “He spends lots of money in the bakery, so I’m not going to complain about him being rich.”
“What should we do?” she asked.
“Wanna watch a movie, sweet pea?”
Jessica closed her eyes and nodded. His use of sweet pea let her know what sort of movie to pick. She got up and looked around. There was a huge entertainment center in what she thought would be a bedroom. Shelves surrounded both sides of a large flat-screen TV. She ran her fingers over the spines as she examined the titles. Hawk came in the room and moved the table from in front of the sofa. He left, and she turned her attention to him and watched as he put down a huge bag of popcorn, and several candy bars. He left once more and came back with drinks.
“Found one yet?” he asked.
She picked out an animated version of Robin Hood and handed it to him. “How about this one, Hawk-Daddy?”
“Perfect.” He took it from her and said, “Go change.”
In the bedroom she dug around in her suitcase and found her baby-doll pajamas. She changed quickly and when she came back, Hawk was sitting in the middle of the sofa, his legs splayed. He pointed between them and she sat down on the floor, savoring the feel of his warmth as his legs surrounded her. He started the movie, then handed her the bag of popcorn. Seconds later he started to brush her hair. She hadn’t even seen the brush when she’d come in, but feeling the bristles go through her strands was perfect.
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