Houston's Hope: A clean cowboy romantic suspense (The Brothers of Copper Pass Book 4)

by Cynthia Hickey

  Houston chuckled. “Yes, she does.”

  The doctor shook his head. “Maybe someday, you’ll learn to keep your women out of trouble. I leave you in the nurse’s hands. Good evening.”

  Houston sat and held Hope’s hand while a nurse gave her four stitches where her hair ended on her forehead. The pain in her eyes had him wishing he could take it on himself instead. He wouldn’t let her leave the ranch without him again. Not until her uncle was found and put behind bars.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “The kids must be so upset to have their evening’s activities ruined because of me.”

  “Hush. The rain stopped all that. Crystal and the others are keeping them occupied with games. They’re fine and looking forward to a fishing trip tomorrow.” He doubted Hope would be joining them, unfortunately.

  “The lawyer said there’s no way Roy can get his hands on my aunt’s money.” She smiled.

  “That’s good.” He returned her smile, knowing she had the means to purchase the adjoining property and would be staying in Copper Pass. All he had to do was keep her alive and well so she could fulfill her dream. It might be a harder task than he’d thought.

  Chapter Six

  The next morning, Hope woke with a dull throb in her head and soreness in her stitches. Still, the sun shined through her bedroom curtains and she still breathed. A good start to the day in her opinion.

  She also fully intended to work and attend the afternoon’s fishing trip. Houston would argue, but he couldn’t force her to remain behind. She hadn’t fished since she was a child and the creek he mentioned had been one of her favorite places to wile away an afternoon.

  “Should you be out of bed?” Enid turned as Hope entered the kitchen. “Sit and I’ll fetch you some coffee. Did you take a pill?”

  “I don’t like the way they make me feel.” Hope sat in the nearest chair. “Do you need help making lunch?”

  “No, Crystal and I have it all under control.” Enid handed her a cup of coffee. “Houston won’t let you go fishing.”

  “He can’t stop me.”

  “I’m your boss.” Houston frowned from the doorway. “You’re in no shape to go.”

  “I’ll be sitting with a pole in my hand keeping an eye on the kids.” She added cream and sugar to her drink. “I won’t argue with you.” Her head hurt too much. “Short of tying me up, you can’t keep me here.”

  “Tying you up might be fun.” He winked, although the set of his jaw said he wasn’t pleased.

  “Behave. She’s in no mood to flirt.” His mother tapped him on the shoulder with a spatula. “Let me finish here with no shenanigans so I can help Crystal with the food for the guests.”

  “I can manage here.” Houston took the spatula from her. “Why aren’t we eating with the guests?”

  “I thought Hope could do with some quiet. Everyone else will eat in the dining hall.” Enid tossed him an apron.

  “I’m sitting right here,” Hope said, rolling her eyes. Even that hurt. “I don’t need special treatment.”

  “Yes, you do.” Enid smiled, then sailed out the backdoor.

  “Let her fuss.” Houston tied the apron around his waist, looking adorable in red ruffles. “I really need to get a more manly apron for the few times I cook. How do you like your eggs?”

  “Hard.” Hope sipped her coffee willing the ibuprofen she’d taken to start working.

  With efficient ease, Houston fixed two plates of eggs, bacon, and toast, then set one in front of her. “I’ll worry about you all day. Be kind to me and stay behind.” He sat across from her.

  “Nope.” She bit into a slice of perfectly cooked bacon. “I’ve been looking forward to this. You can go with me later to express interest on the property I want to buy.”

  “Later means tomorrow, right?” He narrowed his eyes.

  “Yes.” She laughed, then winced. “Wyatt told me he believes my uncle is in town.”

  “He told me the same.”

  “My bet is he’s behind the attack on me.”

  “That’s also my guess.” Houston crossed his arms. “I don’t want you leaving the ranch again without me.”

  She nodded. “That I can agree with.” She wouldn’t feel safe again unless he was with her.

  As a child, her father had been demanding and often unkind. A heavy hand occurred more than a kind word. Houston was nothing like her father. While she wanted his protection, she still wouldn’t let him order her around. She’d had enough of that from her father and Uncle Roy to last three lifetimes.

  Her mother had been quiet, cowed, flying under the radar whenever Dad had been home. Then, after Aunt Lou’s failed marriages, Hope didn’t have a lot of faith in romance and happily ever after. Sometimes, when she let her guard down, she wondered whether Houston would be the man who could change that mindset for her. Then, she’d see the flicker of anger in her eyes and the resolve to stay a step back would reassert itself.

  She was probably too sensitive. She saw how he treated his mother. He wasn’t the type of man to raise a hand to a woman, nor were his words harsh. It would take a lot for Hope to let down her guard, regardless. Still, sometimes she almost gave into wishful what ifs.

  After breakfast, she made her way slowly to the youth building. Heads turned and eyes widened at her appearance.

  “Wow, Miss Hope,” Billy, a fourteen-year-old African American said. “That’s some shiner you got.”

  “You should see the steering wheel.” She grinned and continued to make an inspection of the girls’ rooms.

  All seemed to be in order. The girls had showered, made their beds, and now sat on their beds or congregated in the common room. Friendships were being formed.

  Hope joined a group of two which included Macey, a young girl she’d decided to spend a little extra attention on. The girl reminded her of herself at that age, withdrawn, shy, and not quick to make friends. She sat next to Sue Ellen, but neither girl spoke.

  “What are you two up to?” Hope sat on the sofa next to them.

  “Trying to decide what to read before we leave,” Sue Ellen said. “I’m not really into fishing. Can I take a book?”

  Hope shrugged. “Sure. You’ll probably change your mind though. The day will be warm enough for wading upstream if you don’t want to fish.”

  “I’d rather read, too,” Macey said. “Books are better than real life.”

  “Not always.” Hope smiled, tugging her hair to cover her stitches. “I’ve read some really scary books.”

  “Ones where killers run defenseless women off roads?” Sue Ellen raised her brows. “That’s what happened to you, right? Billy said he overheard the sheriff and Mr. Houston talking.”

  “Billy shouldn’t eavesdrop.” Hope would have to let Houston know to be more private when having a conversation with his brother. “It was raining really hard. The roads were slick, and I was driving too fast.”

  “You said you would never lie to us.” Macey glared. “We can take the truth. We aren’t innocent babies.”

  The girl was right. “I’m sorry. I was run off the road because someone wants what I have. But, they won’t be able to get it, so all is well.” She really hoped so anyway.

  ~

  Houston packed fishing poles and tackle in the back of one of the vans. The twenty kids mingled around, watching him work. The boys tried not to act interested, but he’d catch looks of excitement on their faces when they thought he wasn’t looking.

  He laughed as Hope got into the driver’s seat of the other van while jokes from the kids about driving better than she had the day before filled the air. She joined in with their laughter, threatening to drive into the creek if they didn’t hush.

  Houston would still keep a close eye on her during the day, but she seemed as if she’d hold up fine. He’d make sure to send her to bed early that night. He could handle the sharing circle alone and let her get the rest she needed.

  He stopped the van half a mile from the creek. “We hoof it fro
m here, folks.”

  “Who knew these vans could go four-wheeling,” Billy said, grabbing a pole. “I expected paved roads.”

  “Not all the way out here, buddy.” Houston handed the boy a tackle box. “Fished before?”

  “Lots before my old man died.”

  “Good. You can help with the newbies.”

  “I’d rather help with Macey.” He grinned and ran off to join his friends.

  Houston should have expected some crushes to happen, but had hoped it would take longer. The last thing he wanted to deal with was drama over hurt feelings. Billy wasn’t the only boy with his eyes on the pretty little Macey. He hoped the girl wasn’t the cause of a fight. That would be devastating to someone preferring to be a wallflower.

  “Why the frown?” Hope grabbed a backpack of food and water.

  “Billy told me he likes Macey.”

  “Why does that bother you?”

  “Because David does, and Kevin, and…”

  “Oh.” Her eyes widened. “I don’t think Macey has a clue.”

  “Neither do I. I’d be more worried if the boys were all over Ashley.” That cute little brunette knew the power of being pretty. She wouldn’t take it well if she knew the boys liked Macey.

  “Don’t worry about it. Today is for fun. I’ll keep an eye on the girls.” Hope flashed a smile, started to tug a cap onto her head, then tossed the hat back into the van. “Won’t feel good on the stitches.”

  “Here.” Houston removed his cowboy hat and placed it on her head. “Big enough not to hurt.” Man, she looked cute in the hat too big for her.

  “I can’t see with this thing on.” She laughed and handed it back. “I’ll be fine, thanks.” She joined the girls and waited for him to lead the way.

  The entire group didn’t chatter and laugh on the way to the creek, but more seemed to be enjoying themselves than Houston thought possible after the silence of the first evening the kids arrived. He suspected the honeymoon period explained by Hope was still going strong, but reaching an end of the shoulder bumping and glares some of the boys exchanged was any indication. He’d need to have a stern conversation with the boys soon.

  Billy and a couple of others immediately peeled off their shoes and socks and waded upstream to fish away from what they called the noisy ones. From the way they cut up, Houston doubted anyone would catch any fish at all that day.

  “They’re up to something.” Hope stared after the group. “David has something in his backpack he keeps showing the others. Were their personal packs checked when they arrived?”

  Houston tried to remember. He’d told John, his helper, to do a search, but couldn’t remember if one had actually been done. “I don’t know.”

  “You’d better stick close to them. Something is definitely up.” She turned and headed to where the girls had gathered, showing them how to string a worm which elicited a lot of “eews” or hook a minnow.

  “That’s disgusting,” Ashley said, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. “I’m not doing that.”

  Houston shook his head. Fishing wasn’t for everyone. Today’s primary objective was to get the kids away from the ranch to explore a bit of the great outdoors. On a sunshine-filled day, surrounded by peers, things were rosy.

  Thankfully, Hope hadn’t been injured to the point they’d have to cancel. He was serious about not leaving her alone again. Strange how his life had turned into one similar to what his older brothers had experienced.

  Mom had predicted a wave of trouble coming to the ranch disguised as pretty girls. They’d all laughed it off when she’d told them years ago after Dad’s death. She’d had a dream, the same one more than once, and all her boys found love in the midst of danger.

  He hadn’t thought such a crazy thing to be possible, and not that he was in love with Hope, but again trouble had arrived at the ranch on the shoulders of a beautiful woman. One he’d saved a long time ago. Fate seemed to have something in store for the two of them. It would be interesting to find out what.

  A shout rose from upstream. Splashing. A shouted, “I’m going to tell!” right before the sound of a gunshot rang out.

  Houston sat down his pole and darted toward Billy and the others. “What’s going on?” He stopped the youngest boy who had been high-tailing it to where Houston stood.

  “Billy has a gun.”

  Houston froze and glanced at Billy.

  The boy stood, gun in hand, face pale. “I didn’t mean to.”

  David writhed on the ground, holding his foot. “He shot me.”

  “He tried taking it away.” Billy dropped the weapon.

  “Where did you get it, son?” Houston dropped to his knees beside David.

  “I found it behind the dumpster by the dining hall. Someone had put it in a brown paper sack. Like they were going to come back for it. Is he going to die?”

  “No, Billy, he isn’t.” Houston shoved the gun into the waistband of his pants, then scooped the injured boy into his arms and raced for the van.

  Chapter Seven

  This was bad. This was really bad. After packing up the remaining youth and sending them to their rooms immediately upon returning to the ranch, Hope paced the common room waiting for Houston.

  What would happen to this house of healing? Would Houston be charged with neglect? Who had left the gun by the dumpster and why? How badly injured was David? They’d been gone for hours with no word from the hospital.

  Her head hurt from all the negative thoughts. She cupped her head in her hands and plopped onto the red and green plaid sofa. This could be the end of it all.

  Wyatt entered the room. “The boy is fine.”

  Hope slumped. “Thank God.”

  “You look terrible. Go to bed, Houston can take care of David when they get back.”

  “Tonight?”

  Wyatt nodded. “The kid was lucky. The bullet grazed his foot rather than penetrating.” He sat next to her. “Before you take my advice and get some rest, do you mind coming with me to check around the dumpster? I need an extra pair of eyes and don’t want to wait too long.” He handed her a small flashlight from his pocket.

  “Of course.” She wasn’t sure what she could do to help and suspected it was the sheriff’s way of getting her out there, off her guard, to ask questions. She didn’t know anything more than they did at this point.

  She followed Wyatt into the night and clicked on her light. The dumpster sat behind the common building and another behind the dining hall. Wyatt led her to the one where Billy had most likely found the gun.

  Wyatt stopped and gave a heavy sigh. The weight of the world seemed to rest on his shoulders.

  “Should I leave?” Hope swallowed past the lump in her throat.

  “Why?” He faced her and narrowed his eyes.

  “I’ve brought trouble and now a young man has been injured.”

  “Did you put the gun here?”

  “No.” She shrugged.

  “This isn’t your fault. Besides, Houston would kill me himself if I ran you off.” His teeth flashed. “I think he likes you.”

  “He doesn’t trust me.”

  Wyatt made a noise in his throat. “That, my dear, is your fault. He’ll come to trust you again.” He aimed the light around the ground. “Look carefully. There has to be a clue here.”

  Hope wandered to the other side of the dumpster and studied the ground. There wasn’t a sign of a bullet, paper bag, footprint…nothing. Her instinct told her Uncle Roy was behind the gun being left there. He’d probably told his hired goon to leave it so he could find it.

  “Was the gun the type police officers carry?”

  “No,” Wyatt said. “It could belong to anyone. Only an idiot would use an official weapon like that.”

  In her opinion that fit her uncle very well. She squatted down to peer under the dumpster. Nothing but leaves. Going out there had been a waste of time.

  “Why does Minton want you harmed if there is no way he can get the inheritance?”
Wyatt’s voice carried over the dumpster.

  There it was. The real reason they were outside in the middle of the night. “If he can’t have it, he probably doesn’t want me to either.”

  “What was his relationship with your aunt?”

  Hope pushed to a standing position. “They seemed in love at first, but Minton is a cruel man and the façade didn’t last long. He never hit my aunt, but he clobbered me a few times when she wasn’t home. I stuck around to help her because of arthritis settling into her hips. My aunt wasn’t exactly a great judge of character in her husbands, but she loved me. I suspected, toward the end, that she contemplated divorce.”

  “Which made him meaner than a mountain lion?”

  “Yep.” She sighed, hating to relive the past. She was happier on the Rocking 7 then she’d been in a long time. “I didn’t see anything. Can I go to bed now?”

  “Yeah.” He continued to search the ground.

  Hope trudged slowly back to the main house, grief over her aunt returning like a tsunami. She swiped the back of her arm across her eyes and reached for the door handle on the kitchen door. She whirled at the scuff of a boot behind her.

  Raising her arm, she brought the end of the flashlight down on someone’s head. It wasn’t until the man cried out that she breathed in the cologne Houston wore.

  “Ow, woman. Geez.” He rubbed his head. “Remind me to always wear a hat around you.”

  “Why are you sneaking up on me?” She glared.

  “I wasn’t. Can’t a man simply enter his own home without being attacked?”

  “I’m sorry. Let me get you some ice.” She opened the door and ushered him inside.

  While he sat at the table, she gathered ice in a Ziploc bag and wrapped it in a towel. “I really do apologize, but tonight has me on edge. How’s David?”

  “Sleeping and high on pain meds. He’ll be fine.” He took the ice and pressed it to his head.

  She sat across from him and folded her hands on the table. “Your brother and I didn’t find any clues as to who left that gun there.”