Lookin' for Trouble (Honky Tonk Angels Book 6)

by Ciana Stone

  Not that she was about to give up. She went back at it, stopping now and then to check the progress and rest. It seemed like hours before she felt the rope loosen as the first strand parted. With frenzied motion, she twisted and tugged until she worked one hand free.

  Tears of relief threatened as she tore the rope from her other wrist. Just as she stood she heard a noise at the door. Jolene raced across the shed and crouched behind the stack of old crates, praying that her rat friend had vacated the area.

  The door opened. She didn't move a muscle and breathed through her mouth, trying to be as silent as possible. A man stepped into the shed. “Time to wake up bitch.”

  Jolene heard him moving and peeked up. It didn't take long for him to realize she wasn't where he'd left her.

  "What the fuck?"

  Jolene tensed as he whirled around. "Where are you, bitch?"

  She looked from him to the door and back at him. There was only one thing she could do. Run. Jolene bounded to her feet and headed for the door.

  Two things happened almost at the same moment. Her foot snagged on one of the crates and sent her stumbling forward, trying to get her balance. The man lunged forward. His foot landed on the long curved tines of the rake which sent it shooting upward.

  Jolene regained her balance as the rake came up and smacked the man right in the nose. He fell back screaming and clutching his face. That propelled her legs into motion and she raced for the door. Jolene didn't stop as she exited the building, she just kept running.

  She had no clue where she was, but it didn't matter. There was no way she would stop. As she passed an old truck parked beside an abandoned house, she noticed the rutted road leading away from the house. She almost headed down the road, but realized that's what he would expect her to do. There wasn't much cover to be had on either side of the road, but on the other side of the house were scrubby bushes and brush that was easily as high as her head.

  Jolene ran as fast as she could and made it to cover. She hunched down and kept running, hoping she was heading toward a main road. When she heard the man yelling she stopped and crouched down.

  He shouted and cursed for a few minutes then went silent. She was scared to move. If he was looking for her she needed to stay put. As long as she was still she could hear. If she heard him she would run. Until then she was staying where she was.

  That proved to be a longer wait than she expected. It must have been two hours he shouted, searching the house and yard. When she finally heard his truck engine, she peered up. Sure enough, he was leaving.

  Maybe she would just wait until he'd gone then follow the road. Or not. What if he figured she'd do that? She didn't want to be caught again.

  So what the hell did she do?

  It came to her as she looked around. When it got light she could see and avoid him if he was waiting. Until then she just had to wait.

  She crept back to the house and made her way around it, looking for a good place to hide, a place she could see if he came back. At the back of the house she found an old wooden ladder with several rungs missing. She dragged it over to the edge of house. It took a couple of attempts but she managed to stand it up and then lean it against the roof.

  The roof probably was weak, rotten in places, so she tested each step as she climbed toward the ridge. Once at the top she could see out a good distance. There was no sign of the truck, no lights from vehicles. In fact, there were no lights as far as she could see in any direction.

  Jolene sat down and then lay back, staring up at the sky. She had to believe that when the sun rose she would find her way somewhere she could get help. She would make it back to Cotton Creek.

  She kept telling herself that, over and over as the night stretched on.

  Chapter Eleven

  The sound of pounding on the front door propelled JD out of his chair. He opened the door to see Cody Sweet standing on the porch with her hands on her hips.

  "You left her? You just drove off and left her?"

  She was shouting loud enough to be heard clear back to town. "Cody, there's no need – “"You left her? God almighty, JD. You know that woman is bat shit crazy over you and you just left her?"

  He reached out to take her arm and pull her inside. "It's not like I left her standing on a back road somewhere. I left her in front of Nellie Mae Baker's house."

  "And that worked out so well."

  JD knew Cody was upset, and understandably so. She and Jolene had become friends and Cody was ferociously protective of people she cared about. "Look, I would never have left her if I'd thought—"

  "Save it." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, JD, me and you go way back. I've known you since I had the wherewithal to know anyone and until now I've always thought of you as one hell of a stand-up guy. Honest and dependable and someone who was kind. But the way you've been treating Jo is just wrong."

  Understanding Cody's emotional status and allowing her to butt into his private affairs were horses of different colors. "What's between me and Jo isn't your business."

  "Well, I'm making it my business and you can wipe that I'm gonna annihilate you look off your face. She's my friend and I know what happened with you two. I know she never got over you leaving her the way you did and that she's still crazy about you. And I've seen the way you look at her. You haven't any more gotten over her than she has you. So why the hell do you treat her like she's the enemy?"

  "Again, none of your business, so if you don't mind…" He pulled the door open in invitation for her to leave.

  Cody blew out her a breath. "Okay, look, I'm sorry. I get a little wound up when something happens to someone I care about. And it's not just her, JD. You're my friend and I hate like hell seeing the two of you with all that heartbreak and misery, knowing full well that what you both really want is – well you want each other."

  "Cody, it's not that simple."

  "But it is, JD." She stepped closer and put her hand on his arm. "It doesn't matter what happened back then. Krissie would have killed herself whether you were home or not. She was one messed up woman, JD. She showed up that way, and close your mouth 'cause I'm not finished and this has been building for three years.

  "I'm not speaking ill of the dead, just telling you how it is. There wasn't anyone or anything that was gonna stop that gal from destroying herself. Hell, she put the move on all your brothers, even your dad. She just wanted money and a ticket to somewhere that didn't have cows. And she didn't stop at your family. I don't know how many nights Hannah or me had to drive her back home to keep her from taking off with some roustabout. Anyone who'd buy her liquor she'd take up with.

  "She didn't care about you and your boys. Hell, she said as much. She showed up here thinking you were rich and she'd live high on the hog. When it turned out you were regular folks like everyone else it grated on her something fierce. She wanted bright lights, fancy clothes, and parties that went on for days and lord knows that wasn't going to come from you, salt of the earth that you are.

  "But my point is, she had no real love for you JD. Hard as it is to say, and hard as it is for you to hear, it's the god's honest truth. That girl was a goner before she ever set foot in Cotton Creek, and if there was any good in her, then you got it in Dawson and Briggs.

  "So, as your friend, I'm telling you that it's time to take off that hair shirt and stop blaming yourself. You had no hand in what happened. That was all on her. What you're responsible for is everything that has happened since then, including cutting a woman you're crazy about out of your life and treating her like she's to blame for all your misery.

  "I've always known you to be an honest man, so I'm gonna ask you to be honest now. Not with me, but with yourself. Ask yourself – what did Jo ever do but offer you love?"

  JD found himself speechless at her diatribe. Surprisingly, he wasn't one bit angry, but he was a whole lot of ashamed. "It's late, Cody and –"

  "Yep. I'm going. Just think about what I said, will you?"

  "I
will."

  "Okay I'll leave you in peace." She walked out onto the porch, stopped and looked back at him. "You'll call if you hear anything?""

  "Yes."

  "Okay. Good night, JD."

  "Good night, Cody."

  He watched her walk to her truck, get in, and drive away before he closed the door. The silence of the house was too loud. Dawson and Briggs were sleeping over at Jayce's with Carson, playing video games and he had nothing to distract his mind.

  JD went back into the den and sat down, staring at the black screen of the television. Cody's words kept running through his mind. He knew she wasn't lying to him about Krissie. Krissie had never been an angel. And she'd never loved him. He was simply a means to an end.

  But knowing her shortcomings didn't erase his own. With a growl of frustration, he got up and headed for the bedroom. Sitting and stewing would not bring Jo back and until the police got a lead there was nothing he could do but wait. He didn't know that he could stand much more of that. Might as well go to bed and pray that morning would bring word she'd been found. If she hadn’t… he had a hard time finishing that thought. She’d been missing for twenty-four hours and every hour that passed made the chances of her being okay slimmer.

  Two hours later, JD threw back the sheet and rose. There was little point in being in bed. He wasn't going to sleep. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning and he'd done nothing but lie there think about what Cody had said and worry.

  He called the police station and got Deputy Tom Greene. There was still no sign of Jolene. Chief Wallace had put out a bulletin with the county and state police but so far there was no word. He raked his hands back through his hair and pulled on a pair of jeans.

  The night was cool but not so much he couldn't take a seat on the front porch step and stare at the sky. Where are you? JD wracked his brain, trying to figure out what to do or where to look.

  Chief Wallace had spoken with everyone who knew Jo. JD was the last one to see her. At present, the speculation was that she'd been taken by the man who'd threatened her at Billy's. JD thought about that. The man wasn't a local which meant he was more than likely one of the men hired to help with the renovations or the upcoming rodeo.

  Jayce and Bryson had checked with the other builders in town and no one knew anything about a man matching that description, which left the Pursells to question. Wes Pursell said he knew no one matching the description JD had given. His father, Herbert said that could describe a dozen temporary men he'd hired for the rodeo. Wes had all the trailers belonging to the help checked, along with the bunkhouse and there was no sign of Jolene.

  JD thought about it. If the man was a temporary worker hired on for the rodeo and wasn't familiar with the area, then chances were he'd know little more than his way back and forth from town to the Pursell ranch, and the way from the ranch to the highway.

  Which meant he'd look for a place on one of those routes. A place he could hide and… JD couldn't let that thought complete. What he could do, however, was think about what was available. How many abandoned buildings, farms, or ranches that had gone bust were there along those routes?

  JD had lived in Cotton Creek his entire life and knew almost everyone. Ranchers and farmers did business with one another. He got up and went inside to fix a pot of coffee. As he waited for it, he leaned against the counter.

  Suddenly it came to him. The Pursels had bought out at least four farms or ranches bordering their own place. Two of them had access from the main road leading to the Pursell ranch. He forgot about the coffee and ran to the bedroom.

  It took him two minutes to dress and another minute to return to the kitchen and pour what coffee there was into a big mug. His last stop was the gun cabinet. It was rare for him to carry a weapon, but tonight he loaded his 45, grabbed his shotgun and a box of shells.

  As he drove he thought about Jolene, about their ride from Billy's to Mrs. Bakers. He remembered what she said. "For what it's worth, I never forgot about you, JD. I don't think I ever will."

  For the first time in three years, tears welled up in his eyes. He swiped at them but they kept coming. No matter how much he tried to fool himself, Krissie's suicide wasn’t Jo's fault. He couldn't fault her for hooking up with him that weekend, either. He'd not worn a wedding ring. He hadn't even told her his full name.

  She had, for whatever reason, found him interesting or appealing. He knew she was falling for him. Hell, he'd already fallen for her. But he'd left her. Left her sleeping because he didn't have the courage to leave her any other way.

  He'd never forgotten her, but he had used her to create a villain in his sordid play. He hated himself for that and didn’t blame her if she did as well.

  But she didn't. He's seen that in her eyes

  For what it's worth, I never forgot about you, JD. I don't think I ever will.

  He hadn't forgotten her either and when he found her he would tell her that. Determined to have that chance, he headed for the first location.

  *****

  The sound of an engine woke her and she almost rolled down the roof at the fear. Jolene scrambled to the crest of the roof to look out over the road leading to the old house, praying that her attacker was not returning.

  A white pickup moved slowly toward the house. From the sound of the engine, it was a diesel and certainly not the truck that had been there earlier. She remained still, waiting. The door opened and the moment the man climbed out of the truck, relief brought tears to her eyes.

  "JD!" She stood and saw him look up.

  "Jo!" He broke into a run, headed for the house and she hurried to work her way down the roof. A cracking sound under her feet had her moving faster than was safe and before she knew it, she was on a skid, headed for the edge.

  "Oh shit. Oh shiiiit." The skid took her off the roof.

  One second she was falling and the next she was colliding with a big hard body. They both went down with her on top.

  "Jo. God almighty, are you okay?" JD pushed her back so she was sitting on him.

  "I am now. Sorry about that. Foot slipped. Are you --?"

  Before Jo could finish the question, he'd pulled her back down on him, wrapping his arms around her. "I thought I'd lost you."

  She didn't care about the tears that streamed from her eyes, or the sob that erupted at the sound of those words. "JD."

  They lay there for a long time, him holding her as she tried to stem the flood of emotion and quell the trembling of her body. Finally, he rolled her over on the ground, propping on one elbow beside her.

  "Are you okay?" His free hand stroked the side of her face.

  "Yes. I think so."

  "The whole county is looking for you. What happened?"

  She didn't really care what the county was doing. What mattered was him, that he was there, touching her, and she felt safe. "You came for me."

  His hand moved to her shoulder and tightened. For a few seconds she feared she would see the anger return to his face and blaze in his eyes. That didn't happen and the emotion she saw surprised her. Almost much as the words that flowed from him.

  "I should never have left you standing there alone. I'm sorry, Jo. For that and for everything. You're not to blame for what happened to my wife. And Pop told me the truth. Krissie had tried twice before to kill herself."

  "I wouldn't lie to you."

  "I know that. I do. I've just been blaming you so I didn't have to blame myself. I wasn't a good husband, Jo. Hell, I didn't even want to marry her. But she was pregnant and I couldn't turn away my own unborn children."

  "You don't owe me any explanations, JD. You're a good father to your boys and the only person to blame for what she did is her. You don't have to feel guilty."

  "But I do. I knew she wasn't happy. Hell, I wasn’t either. But I wasn't about to let her take my boys and I didn't have the money she demanded to walk away without them. So, I ignored her drinking and carrying on. And I cheated. With you."

  "Yes."

  "Do
you hate me for that?"

  "JD, I could never hate you. I might hate something you do, but never you."

  "I never forgot you, Jo. Those three days were some of the happiest of my life. And I didn't leave because I didn't care. I left because if I'd stayed one day more I'd never have been able to leave at all. You… you saw through all the anger and resentment that had built up inside me. The way you looked at me…"

  He shook his head and paused as if searching for the right words. Jolene waited, needing to hear all he had to say.

  "I'd never felt anything like what you made me feel and I wanted it. I wanted it so bad I thought about not going home – about leaving my home and my boys. But I couldn't. I couldn’t leave them. They're my children and – and I couldn't do that to them.

  "I got the call about Krissie after I left your room. And the guilt of not being there, of not being able to stop her ate at me. I lied to my boys about her death. Told them she had a heart attack. And the guilt grew and it competed with the ache I had for you. I wanted you. So bad it was like a taste in my mouth that wouldn't go away. It was there when I woke and still there when I fell asleep.

  "And that wanting made the guilt worse. How could I be wanting you so much and not caring that the mother of my children had been so fucking miserable with me she killed herself? I couldn't face it so I let it turn. I let the guilt become anger and I directed it at you. If it weren't for you, I'd have been there. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be lying to my boys. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be in misery because I wouldn't know what I was missing.

  "I let that happen rather than face my own shortcomings and I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

  There was so much she wanted to say to him, but she couldn't form the words. Since he left her three years ago, she'd carried him in her heart. The man she'd fallen for who had walked away without a goodbye. Seeing him here in Cotton Creek had brought back those feelings and that pain and she wasn't sure she could take much more of it.