She might as well have sent an anchor and told him to drop dead, because sure enough. Death hurt a helluva lot worse than what his cheating ex had done to him.
Within one week, he accompanied the body of his brother home to Ohio. His baby brother. The annoying youngster who had to have everything his way when they were growing up. The kid who tagged along relentlessly and bugged the hell out of Maverick’s friends. The guy who joined the Marines simply because his big brother did. The kid who had everything Maverick ever wanted. A faithful woman. A baby son. Every reason to live. Gone in a flash on the stinking hillside in a land that smelled like an open sewer twenty-four-seven.
Gone.
Just gone.
Maverick focused on his fingertips. This old guitar felt sure and sweet tonight. Heaven opened up and poured the missing words into his heart while he serenaded a mongrel dog and a couple of cats. The love song he’d been struggling with was born.
Baby Brother
They don’t make ’em any better.
That’s the good Lord’s honest truth.
Batman always had his Robin.
Baby Brother, I had you.
We were outlaws. We were firemen.
We were heroes through and through.
Superman had Jimmy Olsen.
Baby Brother, I had you.
Cops and robbers. Cowboys. Indians.
Every bullet we fired true.
We were white knights on wild horses.
Baby Brother, me and you.
Then the day came to be warriors,
To be noble, to be true.
I led proudly and you followed
Like most baby brothers do.
Always lucky. Always daring.
Always brave and bulletproof.
Nothing seemed too hard or dangerous,
Baby Brother, not for you.
Now I sit here and I wonder
‘Bout the old red, white, and blue,
‘Bout the awful price of freedom,
Baby Brother—about you.
How you charged straight into glory
Never doubting time or place.
Tell me now, my baby brother,
Do you sing Amazing Grace?
Do you shout grand Alleluias?
Maybe, oh, say can you see?
Do you wonder why you followed
Someone wrong and weak like me?
Maverick dropped the melody to his voice and whispered the final tribute to the best friend in his whole life.
You’re my hero, Baby Brother.
You’re the man I want to be.
I’d give anything to have you back.
I miss you...
Hell, I miss me...
He ended the song with a quiet thump to the face of the guitar. Thinking about Darrell still hurt. It always would. But sitting there under the wide Wyoming sky with a million stars scattered overhead, the hole in his soul didn’t seem as deep. He wondered more how his mother was handling the loss.
Maverick swallowed hard and scrubbed a quick hand over his face. Cadence Carson was a strong woman with rock-solid beliefs, but he had left her to grieve alone. He had Taylor and Gabe for company, but who did she talk to when the hole in her heart opened up and swallowed the sunshine out of her day? Who did she cry to? His father? The same sky her only living child was looking at right then and there?
Maverick didn’t know, and he wished he did. She needed him, but what’d he do? He deserted her because it hurt too much to face her without his brother at his side.
He set the guitar aside. Yeah. Losing his kid brother would always hurt, but losing Kim? Not so much. He wasn’t angry with Landon anymore, either. Heck. He couldn’t really blame him for stealing a woman like Kim. If anything, those two cheaters deserved each other. But his mom? She hadn’t deserved to lose both of her sons the way she did.
China’s new barn stood across the yard like a huge wooden skeleton in the dark. Before long, the neighbors would return to hoist the crossbeams and wrap the frame in rough-sawn cedar. It would make a handsome replacement to the weathered building that stood there before.
He had seen the plans. The horse stalls were designed with individual outside doors, in case there should ever be another fire. The foaling stall was huge. Someone with foresight had included a fold-down shelf on the wall, or maybe it was intended as a bunk. It was long enough. Had to have been China’s idea.
The tiniest trickle of relief dripped into his heart.
Not even death had kept China down. Because of her, hope still lived at the Wild Wolf. He could feel it in the air. He could hear it in the chirp of crickets and the gentle murmuring of the finest horses in the world. He should’ve recognized it for what it was the second he laid eyes on that elfin woman on the broad back of her noble steed. The instant he thought of unicorns and flying horses and glittery fairy wings. China made him think of magic even then, and if anything was magical, it was hope.
Pulling his cell phone from his pants pocket, he took a deep breath. It was later in Ohio, but time didn’t matter in magical worlds. The phone only rang once. Cadence Carson must’ve been waiting to hear from her boy.
“Hi, Mom. Yeah. It’s me.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Whispered conversation roused China.
You gotta keep yer big mouth shut if... It ain’t fair... We gotta make her think... Just two itty bitty pinpricks... I’ll try, but I ain’t... Two weeks... It’ll all be ours.
The voices faded into the mist. She woke with a heart-pounding start to the ugly face of Reardon peering down at her, so near she could smell the stench of cigarettes and decaying teeth on his breath. “You awake?”
Panic choked her. He had gotten too damned close. She shoved backward into her pillow and turned her head. “Get the hell away from me.”
“Hey, now.” He patted her forearm as if he had a right to touch her, but he didn’t step back. “Take it easy, ma’am. Just trying to help. That’s all I’m doing.”
“You shot me,” she hissed. “Get out of my room!”
“Me?” God, he couldn’t act worth a lick.
Leezel lifted her butt from the molded plastic chair in the corner and joined her pig of a boyfriend at China’s bedside. “You’re talking out of your head, Sis. Troy’s been with me all day. Just lay down and take it easy.”
China shifted her gaze to Leezel, angry enough to knock her sister on her ass for covering for Reardon. Then you’re in on it, too. “Back off. I’m leaving. Where’s Kyrie?”
“Oh no, you’re not.” Leezel pushed her into the pillow. “And don’t you worry about my little girl. She’s in real good hands.”
China shoved her hands off. “Get the hell out of my way. I said I’m leaving.”
Damn. Wearing a hospital gown didn’t help her fight or run. The damned IV in her arm wasn’t much help, either. She pulled the blanket up to her chin to cover up until these two left. The hole in her hip didn’t hurt, but damn it. Reardon was behind what had happened. The fire. The shooting. Everything. She had never been so sure.
Take it easy? Horseshit. It ends today.
China meant to track Sheriff Hammer down the minute she got out of the hospital. Maverick, too. They’d both help her get Kyrie away from Leezel. Leezel could run to Hell with Reardon, but from this day forward, she would do it alone. Kyrie wouldn’t be dragged along with her.
Until today, China didn’t have enough proof to file for custody of her niece. By hell, proof or not, Kyrie would stay at the Wild Wolf from now on if China had to fight the world. She would sell every one of her horses if needed. Anger climbed up her spine that she hadn’t been brave or mad enough to go after child custody of that sweet little girl before.
Well, I’m plenty brave now. Reardon and Leezel can go to hell.
The IV had to go. She pulled the taped needle out of the back of her hand. “I’m only going to ask you one more time. Where’s Kyrie?”
Leezel nodded toward the door. “Shit, she�
�s just out sitting with the nurse. Troy, would you go get her so Sis will stop acting like a crazy woman?”
China bit her lip. Trapped and outnumbered, she needed to bide her time. You haven’t begun to see crazy.
Reardon stepped out of the room and quickly returned with Kyrie’s little hand in his big ugly paw. She looked so small and scared. Why was she made to sit outside with the nurse?
She came to the bedside with worry in her big round eyes. “Is you okay?” she asked quietly.
“Come up here.” China pulled Kyrie into her side, away from Reardon. She hated that he touched Kyrie at all. Sinking her nose into the little girl’s hair, relief flooded her soul for the first time since she had opened her eyes. Her hip was still numb. It wouldn’t have mattered if it hurt like a sonofabitch. She wanted Kyrie with her from now on. “Are you okay, baby?”
“Uh huh.” Kyrie cupped her hand and whispered into her aunt’s ear. “And I helped Unca Mavwick, too.”
“Yes, you did. You were a brave girl today.”
“I picked purdy fwowers, huh?”
China closed her eyes for a second. “You did real good.” Everything would work out. She would call Maverick to come get her, then Sheriff Hammer. Holding her niece helped her think. Life would be simple and good again as soon as she got home.
“Let’s go home, Kyrie.” China caught the look Reardon shot Leezel. They’d both drawn closer to the bed. By hell, if they wanted a showdown, she would give them one. Her fingers curled. Her shoulders squared. “What’s wrong with you two?” Why the hell are you even here?
“We was just wondering what the whispering’s about. That’s all.” Reardon settled back in the empty chair by China’s bed. “Don’t want that little gal of mine bothering you while you’re recuperating, do we? You gave us a nasty—”
“It’s none of your business what this little gal does.” China stared them both down. “And she’s not yours. What’s really going on? Why are you here?”
He lifted one shoulder. “Nuthin’. Just taking care of my family the way I see it.”
“Get this through your thick skull, Reardon. I’m not your family and you’re not mine. Now, where’s Maverick?” She shot a quick glance to her nightstand and counter, wanting to place a call to Z. No phone rested on either. Had Reardon hidden it? Her hackles lifted.
“Now don’t you go getting yourself all riled up now—” Leezel started to adjust China’s blanket, but China was having none of it. She pushed her sister’s hand aside.
“Knock it off. I asked you a question. Where is he? And where’s my phone?”
“Why, Sis, he’s back at the ranch taking care of your horses. You know how he is.” Leezel smoothed the covers anyway. “He’s working the same as always.”
China pulled Kyrie onto her lap even while she prepared to get out of bed. It hurt, but she needed that little girl out of Reardon’s reach. She could call Maverick from the nurse’s station. “Get out of my room. I’m getting dressed.”
“That might not be a good idea, Sis.” The way Leezel kept playing with her blanket irritated China. “They haven’t released you yet and—”
“Will you knock it off?” She pushed her sister’s hand away again. “I’m leaving. You can either get Reardon out of my room and help, or you can both get out and I’ll do it myself.”
China caught the subterfuge out of the corner of her eye. He placed a finger to his lips, but dropped his hand when she noticed and left the room. Panic climbed onboard with anger. She and Kyrie needed to run and run fast. Whatever Reardon and Leezel were up to, it wouldn’t end well. First, clothes. Then boots. Then Maverick. In that order.
China jerked the blanket off her legs and placed both feet to the floor. Her clothes had to be in the hospital bag setting on the counter.
Kyrie dropped to the floor. “Kin I hewp?”
“Yes, baby. Can you hand me that bag right there?” China pointed at the counter.
A smile brightened Kyrie’s angel face. She brought the to China’s side.
Dragging her jeans up and over her hip proved difficult with the bandage, but China managed. Little Kyrie stayed at her side and tried to help as much as a five-year-old could. She lined China’s boots up next to the bed. China tussled her hair, shoved into her footgear and headed for the door. “Come on. Let’s go home.”
Kyrie smiled. “Goodie. I is ready to go, too.”
They limped down the emergency room corridor with Leezel hovering close behind, but where the hell had Reardon gone? Apprehension slithered up the back of China’s neck. The farther away from Leezel and Reardon, the better.
The nurse at the nurses’ station looked her up and down when he spotted her. “Miss Wolf. I’m surprised you’re up and walking around already. Are you leaving?”
“Yes, I am.” She grabbed the edge of the counter for support. Her shaky legs threatened to dump her on her ass, not the best way to prove she meant what she said. “Sign me out of here. I have work to do.” And a lawyer to contact and a man to hug.
“Well, if you’re sure.” He laid a single sheet of paper on the counter along with a pen. “Your doctor had already authorized you to leave. Sign and date this line and we’ll get you on your way.”
China signed without reading the paperwork. “Is Sheriff Hammer still around?”
“I’m afraid he left an hour ago.”
“How long have I been here?”
“Three hours. You were sedated when you arrived, but don’t worry. The sheriff wants to talk with you, too. Do you want me to call him?”
She thought long and hard for a minute. Hammer was a good man. Hopefully, he had the arson investigation report back from the fire department by now, too. If she had her way, Reardon would go down for arson and attempted murder before the day was done, but she needed to do this in order. For the second time in her life, she would have a real man at her side when hell broke loose. Maverick.
Holy smokes. Leezel had come up too close behind her. Too damned close. With a wheelchair. China clenched Kyrie to her side, needing to keep that baby girl in her possession and safe at all cost.
“Never mind. I’ll call him later. May I use your phone?” She ignored the wheelchair bumping the back of your legs.
“You need to sit down, Sis.” Leezel clutched China’s bicep and—
Sting.
China dropped to the chair. Weak. Dizzy.
“Never mind about that phone call.” Leezel told the nurse as she turned the wheelchair from the counter. “My sister’s just tired. I’m taking her straight home. Come on, Kyrie. Let’s make your Auntie China some chicken soup.”
The hospital walls blurred. A bright red exit sign glimmered at the end of a long tunnel. Glass paned doors opened. Somewhere along the line, Kyrie clambered into China’s lap, but she couldn’t get a grip on her niece. Her fingers didn’t work. It took everything just to draw in a breath.
She managed a whine when fresh air hit her face, but then she caught sight of Reardon at the open door of a van. Leering.
“No-o-o,” she tried to scream.
Kyrie yelped from somewhere far away. China reached for her, but Reardon had Kyrie under one arm. She squealed. She stretched her little arms out for China, and honest to God, China wanted to save that child, but nothing worked. Her arms had turned to dead weight. She had lost all sensation. Could barely think.
Someone shoved her into the van.
“Git in, boss lady.” Leezel folded her legs in next. “Yeah. This is gonna work just fine.”
Her snotty voice echoed in China’s head.
Just fine. Just fine. Just fine...
Maverick couldn’t sleep.
The night dragged on but no word from Leezel or the hospital. He’d seen enough gunshot wounds to know the difference between minor and critical. The round had grazed China, nothing more, and he had applied first aid within minutes. The doctor at the emergency room only needed to clean China’s wound, stitch her up, maybe give her a pain pill and
release her. She should’ve been home hours ago.
So where is she?
He waited by the glowing embers of the campfire, paced the yard and walked the gravel road. Still no China.
It was nearly two in the morning when Z scuffled across the gravel in his pajama bottoms and an old tank top. “Miss Leezel jes’ called.”
“And?”
“She said Miss China had some kinda complication. They’re gonna keep her for twenty-four hours’ observation.”
“A complication?” That surprised Maverick. “Like what?”
Z shrugged. “I don’t know. Miss Leezel didn’t ’xactly say, and I didn’t ’xactly ask, neither. She don’t like me much.”
“When will she be home? Did Leezel tell you that?”
“Said maybe tomorrow night.” Z scuffled back to the bunkhouse. “Maybe the morning after. Miss Leezel moved her into one of them private nursing homes.”
“Which one? You get an address?”
Z shrugged. “I asked, but she wouldn’t tell me. Miss China will git here when she gits here. G’night, son.”
Maverick stifled his anger. The man’s lackadaisical attitude aggravated him. Z was the kind of guy who pretty much did as he was told. No more. No less.
Puppy traded his comfortable chair for the ground beneath it. An owl hooted somewhere in the dark. All seemed peaceful, but Maverick couldn’t shake the unease slithering up the back of his neck.
Something was dead, damned wrong.
The next day dragged. He called the sheriff’s department about the shooter up on the hill, but Hammer wasn’t in. He had been called to another sadistic knifing in town. Maverick left a message.
By noon, Hammer still hadn’t called, and Maverick ran out of patience. He called Deputy Clark, his gut full of angst. Clark was willing to talk. He had recovered casings and blood at the scene right where Maverick said they would be. What was more, he had a suspect under guard at the hospital—one of Reardon’s boys, Vic Cranston. Cranston claimed he had accidentally shot himself in the shoulder while hunting jackrabbits east of the Wild Wolf. With a rifle. A damned difficult weapon to shoot your shoulder with.
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