Ranch Refuge

by Virginia Vaughan

  He turned to Laura. “Mrs. Greer comes in to clean and do laundry.”

  “That’s right, I do. You wouldn’t think one man would have so much laundry to do, but this one does. He works too hard around this place and he’s got the dirty laundry to show for it. If you have anything you’d like me to wash for you, Laura, just bring it down.”

  “No, thank you,” she said, smiling politely back at her. “I’m fine for now.”

  “I should probably go work on that tractor. It keeps breaking down on me.”

  “You go on, Colton. Laura and I will be fine. Maybe she can keep me company while I work. Won’t that be lovely?”

  “Certainly,” Laura agreed.

  Colton walked to the door and grabbed his hat. He looked back at the two women already chatting away. He knew Mrs. Greer was probably already playing matchmaker, talking him up to Laura, but he was now more convinced than ever that he couldn’t allow anything to happen between them. And it wasn’t just the fact that she would never want anything to do with him if she knew about his past.

  Mrs. Greer had managed to sneak up on them in his own house. He hadn’t even heard her car approach. He couldn’t allow that. If Laura Jackson had that kind of effect on him, he would never be able to keep her safe.

  * * *

  Laura tried to help Mrs. Greer with the breakfast dishes, but the woman shooed her away. “This is my job. I don’t mind doing it. I’ve been taking care of Colton now for a while. He’s such a nice person. He hired me after my husband passed away. I’d already retired from my job at the courthouse and then Walter got sick and we had all these medical bills. Colton helped me through it. I don’t know what I would have done without him.”

  “I’m sorry about your husband,” Laura stated.

  “Thank you. I don’t know what the problem you’re having is, but Colton will help you.”

  “I hope so. I honestly don’t know if anyone can.”

  “Do you have family?” Mrs. Greer asked.

  Laura nodded. “My father. He’s actually why I’m in this mess.”

  “I’ve lived a lot of years, Laura, and trust me, we all make mistakes. The ones that hurt us aren’t so bad. We go on. But it’s the ones that hurt those we care about that follow us for the rest of our lives. I’m sure whatever your father did to you, he regrets it.”

  Laura hung her head. Her father had tried to apologize, but she hadn’t wanted to hear it. She still didn’t want to hear it. She wanted to hold on to her anger. It was the only thing that was keeping her from falling apart.

  “It doesn’t matter that he regrets it,” she told Mrs. Greer. “It doesn’t make things any better.”

  She didn’t like the look Mrs. Greer gave her. It was as if the older woman felt sorry for her. Why did she need to be pitied for not forgiving her father? He was the one who had messed up, not her.

  Milo bounded at her feet as Laura stepped outside. She reached down and scratched the dog behind his ear. She’d taken a liking to this old mutt. In fact, she’d taken a liking to this entire place. Smiling despite herself, she thought about how Colton had described this as a peaceful haven and it really was. It was a slowdown from all she knew, a refreshing change of pace from the way she’d lived her entire life, and it was a good change.

  But sitting around doing nothing was driving her crazy. She was used to hard work and she needed to occupy her mind. There had to be something around here she could do to keep herself busy.

  “Let’s go, boy,” she said and he trotted along behind her as she headed toward the shop, where she figured Colton would be if he was working on the tractor. She walked inside and didn’t see him. Strange. He’d said he would be out here, but the shop was empty.

  She heard a noise and turned. “Colton?”

  Laura started out the door. She jumped at the figure in the doorway, a tall, muscular man wearing work clothes and a baseball cap.

  She backed away from him, fear rippling through her. She shouldn’t have left the safety of the house. “Who are you?” she demanded. He’d sneaked up on her so silently—or had he already been there waiting for her and watching? “What do you want?”

  “I came in for a wrench,” he said, moving past her to the workbench of tools. He grabbed a wrench, then held it up for her to see. “I work for Colton. My name is Tony Hurst. You must be the lady he’s helping out.”

  Relief flooded her and Laura felt her face flush at the realization she’d jumped to conclusions. “Tony. Yes, hello. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Laura. Laura Jackson.”

  “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

  “Do you know where Colton is? I thought he was going to be out here.”

  “He’s out back, behind the barn. That old tractor started fine but then conked out on us. I was getting this for him. If you’re going out there, you can take it to him.”

  “Sure.” She took the wrench from him.

  “Tell him I’m heading out to the pasture. I’ll catch up with him later.”

  She walked around to the back of the barn and found Colton squatting, working on the tractor. Mesmerized, she watched the way the muscles in his arms pressed against his tight T-shirt as he lifted a heavy object. He was strong and physically fit. She could imagine him storming in raids. It was an attractive vision. She pushed those thoughts from her head. Yes, he was handsome and powerfully built, and he’d swooped in and rescued her, but she’d been let down too many times by the men in her life. She wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  He wiped grease from his hands with a rag and turned to see her standing there. “Hey, Laura, what are you doing out here?”

  “I have something for you,” she said, handing over the wrench. “I met Tony. He said he would see you later.”

  “Okay, thanks.” He set the wrench aside. “Laura, you should stay inside the house. It might not be safe out here, especially alone.”

  “I need something to do, Colton. I don’t enjoy being idle. There must be something I can do to help around here. This is a ranch, after all.”

  “It’s not necessary. You should take it easy, relax. I know you need to sleep.”

  “I can’t relax and I can’t sleep. I need to keep busy. It helps to keep my mind off what’s happening.” She blew out a breath. “Without something to occupy my thoughts, I’m going to drive myself crazy with worry.”

  He must have seen her frustration because he finally gave in. “I could use some help in the barn, cleaning out the stalls. It’ll keep you busy and I’ll be close by so I can keep an eye on you.”

  “I’ll do it.”

  He led her to the barn and showed her the rack of tools that included a broom, a shovel and a pitchfork, then walked her through the steps for cleaning each stall.

  “Are you sure about this?” he asked, giving her another opportunity to back out. She could see he wanted her to spend her days lazing around as if she was on a vacation or at a retreat and not in a fight for her life. But that wasn’t who she was. She needed to stay busy and mucking out the stalls was just the kind of physical work that could keep her mind off her troubles.

  She took the broom from his hand. “I’m sure. This is just what I need.”

  She got to work, glad to have something to occupy her mind, and realized she was less on edge here with Colton than she had been in weeks. That said something. She felt comfortable here, but she had to be careful. Couldn’t get too comfortable. She had to look out for herself.

  As she was finishing up the last stall, Colton appeared, leaning against the railing and watching her. “Is this what you had in mind?”

  Laura wiped sweat from her forehead and laughed, knowing she must look horrible from the sweat and muck, and probably smelled even worse, but she felt good. “I do feel better,” she admitted “It feels good to accomplish something.”

  “Blake phoned. He has some information about Mrs. Duncan’s murder. He and Miranda invited us over for supper.”

  “That sounds great. I like Miranda. It’
s nice to have another woman to talk to.”

  “Great. I’m going to shower and change. You should, too.” He smirked at her, then winked.

  She couldn’t help but smile at his wit. Could anyone else basically tell her she smelled bad without putting her down? She watched him stride back to the house and realized he did more than make her feel safe...he also made her feel good about herself. And that was something she hadn’t felt from anyone in a long, long time.

  * * *

  Colton enjoyed watching Laura interact with Miranda. The two women seemed to have bonded quickly and he liked spending time with her. He could imagine many more meals with him and Laura and Blake and Miranda. It was like the perfect life he’d always dreamed of but knew would never happen for him. It still wouldn’t. He had to remember that. Laura had no idea who he was. When she discovered the truth about his past, any future he could envision for them would be over before it even started. Better not to even hope for it.

  After dinner, he joined Blake on the front porch and Blake caught him up on what he’d found.

  “So I did some digging into the River City police. The detective in charge of Laura’s neighbor’s death is named Merle. He’s been with the RCPD for two years, but he’s a ten-year veteran of the US Navy. I placed a few calls and, from what I can tell, he seems to be on the up-and-up. I’m going to call him and see if I can find out any information about the murder. See if they have anything connecting Randall to it.”

  “He’ll want information on Laura,” Colton said in a low, worried tone. “What if he wants her to return to River City to give a statement?”

  “I’ll do what I can to keep that from happening, but we may have no choice, Colton. And I would rather go to them than have them come to us. We have a better chance of keeping Laura’s location a secret if we take her back to make her statement.”

  A muscle ticked in his jaw. “If this guy Merle is in Randall’s pocket, it won’t matter one way or the other. Either way, we’ll be in trouble.”

  “I’ll do my best to feel him out.”

  “I trust your best, Blake. I’m just concerned.” He stared through the window into the house, where Laura was talking and smiling with Miranda.

  “I know you are. It’s only been a few days and she’s already gotten under your skin, hasn’t she?”

  “She has in a big way.” He saw Blake’s grin, but he didn’t find it the least bit amusing. “It’s a real problem,” he grumbled. “This morning, Mrs. Greer was inside the house before I even realized it. What if that had been one of Randall’s men?”

  “Well, Mrs. Greer did work as a constable for years before she retired. I imagine she got good at sneaking up on people who didn’t want to be served with papers. And you know she drives that little scooter thing that doesn’t make much noise.”

  He felt a sudden urge to wipe that annoying smirk off his friend’s face. “I’ve got to keep my focus on protecting Laura,” he bit out. “She’s really shaken up over the death of her neighbor. She blames herself, since the men were after her.”

  “Actually, buddy, we don’t know that yet. You’re both jumping to conclusions. It might turn out to be a simple break-in that Mrs. Duncan interrupted.”

  Colton hoped his friend was right. Mrs. Duncan’s death was a tragedy, but linking it to Randall and his obsession for Laura would make an already dangerous situation even that much worse. If Randall was willing to kill an elderly woman to get to Laura, there was no telling what else he might do.

  One more reason for Colton to keep his wits about him and not let his attraction to Laura distract him.

  * * *

  Colton was quiet on the drive back to the ranch. Laura had noticed the men slip away onto the porch after supper and wondered if their conversation had prompted his terse mood.

  When they were back at the ranch, she broached the subject. “I can see something is wrong, so you might as well tell me.”

  He gave her a slight grin. “Think you can read me that well, do you?”

  “You’re obviously on edge.”

  He rubbed his face and sighed before he broke the news to her. “Blake says the lead investigator into Mrs. Duncan’s death may want to question you.”

  She took her cue from Colton. He looked worried, so she was worried, too. “You don’t think I should?”

  “I’m hesitant. Randall is a powerful man in River City. There’s no telling how many of the police are on his payroll. I could be delivering you right into his clutches.” He clenched his jaw and Laura could once again feel how important her safety was to him. “Blake assures me he’ll talk to the detective. He doesn’t believe he’s a dirty cop, but...”

  “But what? You don’t trust Blake’s judgment?”

  “Without a doubt I trust his judgment, but anyone can be fooled, Laura. Even the Rangers.”

  She sensed an underlying reference in his words and knew he was thinking about the ambush. They’d trusted someone who had betrayed them all.

  “What if we don’t go? What will happen?”

  He shrugged. “The police will be spinning their wheels looking for Mrs. Duncan’s killer without all the necessary information. Plus, they’ll keep looking for you. You’re on the police radar now. But if we do go and Randall owns the police...” He leaned against the kitchen island, obviously wrestling with this decision. Finally he turned back to her. “I think you should do it. When it comes down to it, I trust Blake. If he believes the detective can be trusted, we go.”

  She saw Colton still had his doubts, but he chose to believe in his friend. She wished she could trust as easily has he did. What would it be like to have someone in your life who you believed in so completely? She stopped, momentarily stunned to realize that she did have someone in her life like that. She had Colton.

  She nodded. She would trust his judgment. “I’ll go, but I want to do something while we’re in River City.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I want to go to my apartment.”

  He was shaking his head before she’d even completed her sentence. “That’s not a good idea.”

  “I want to see Mrs. Duncan’s apartment and I want to check on mine. My cat is still there. She’s probably frightened. Mrs. Duncan was going to feed her and clean the litter box. I need to check on her.”

  “It’s not a good idea, Laura. Randall’s men may be watching your place in case you come back.”

  “I doubt they’re hanging around the scene of a murder they’ve committed. Besides, you’ll be with me and I trust you to protect me if that happens. I need to do this, Colton. Please say you’ll come with me.”

  He gazed at her and she hoped he saw the determination in her face. She needed to see her apartment and check on Misty, and if they had to go to town to meet the detective, then there was no reason not to do so.

  He finally gave in and agreed. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, but I’ll go along with you.”

  * * *

  Laura stared at the opening of her neighbor’s door. Crime scene tape still cordoned it off, but the front door was broken and she could see evidence of a struggle inside. She was so sad about what had happened to Mrs. Duncan. She hadn’t done anything wrong...except perhaps stand up to her attackers. Mrs. Duncan was a strong lady and Laura knew she wouldn’t have backed down quickly. She’d probably had a few choice words to say to the men who’d broken into her home.

  The police might have an idea of what had happened, but all Laura had was a vision of Mrs. Duncan fighting for her life. Had she interrupted Randall’s men ransacking Laura’s apartment? Or had they targeted her for what she might know? Had they meant to kill her or had things escalated? She shook away those questions. None of them mattered. A woman she cared for was dead. Guilt and anger welled up inside her once again. Her father’s choices continued to affect others and Mrs. Duncan had paid the ultimate price.

  Colton nudged her, pulling her out of her reverie. “It doesn’t do any good to beat yourself up over
this. It wasn’t your fault.”

  He could keep saying that all he wanted, but it didn’t stop Laura from feeling responsible. Still, she headed up the stairs to her apartment. She’d lost her keys in the hospital parking lot, so she’d stopped by the apartment office and gotten a spare set.

  “I don’t like this,” Colton told her again. “We shouldn’t be here. Randall’s men might be watching this place.”

  She turned the key in her lock. “I image they’re staying far away from here. They’re wanted for questioning in a murder, remember? Besides, you’re here to protect me.”

  She opened the door and stepped into her apartment. She’d expected it to be trashed, but she was shocked by the manner of things. Randall’s men had torn it up. Every drawer in her kitchen had been pulled out and dumped on the floor, causing her utensils to scatter across the floor. Her furniture had been overturned, her plants unpotted and even her television busted. She felt violated at the condition of her home and was glad Colton was there with her. This intrusion tarnished the safety of her little home. She’d always considered this place her sanctuary, but now it was anything but. Randall had managed to run her right out of her home. She doubted she could ever feel safe enough to return here now after what had happened to Mrs. Duncan.

  “They must have been looking for a clue to where you might run to.”

  Laura picked clothes off the floor as she moved through the apartment heading toward the bedroom, which had been equally trashed. She picked up a suitcase that used to be stored inside her closet, hoisted it onto the bed and started stuffing clothes into it. Afterward, she also grabbed several personal items from the bathroom, a photograph book with her mother’s pictures, a crocheted blanket her grandmother had given her and several other sentimental pieces.

  “Where’s Misty?” she asked, glancing around the apartment. She hadn’t seen her since they’d walked inside.

  “Misty?”

  “My cat. She must be hiding.” She noticed the door. Misty wasn’t fond of strangers and there was no telling how she might have reacted when men she didn’t know barged into her home. “I hope she didn’t run out when these men did this.”