“Sure thing, Sheriff.” She finished off her last bite of eggs, grabbed her coat and gloves. “Thanks for the breakfast,” she said to Zoe. “It was delicious. Wish I could cook like that.”
Zoe smiled. “You’re welcome. And anytime you want to learn, I’m happy to give you a few lessons.”
Ginny grinned. “I might just take you up on that. Tracy would flip.” She slipped out the door and Aaron heard her cruiser engine come to life. He looked at Zoe. Cooking lessons? Did that mean she planned on sticking around for a while? The smile slipped from her lips, and her eyes shadowed. Was she wondering the same thing?
Clay started to leave then turned back to her. “Who did you tell that you were leaving Knoxville and coming to Wrangler’s Corner?”
“No one. The day after someone tried to run me off the road, I went home from Nina’s, packed my car with what I thought we’d need, and left.”
“Did you notice anyone following you?”
“No. And I was looking. I drove around for hours before finding an out-of-the-way hotel. We stayed there for about a week before Amber got back to me with this ranch-sitting opportunity.”
Clay blinked. “Amber got you this job?”
Aaron explained what she’d told him last night. Clay shook his head. “Glad to know she’s talking to someone,” he muttered.
Aaron understood. Their sister’s job as a travel writer took her all over the world, and she rarely made it home—or answered her phone. Email was definitely the best way to reach her. “All right, well, stay put and—”
Zoe’s gasp cut him off.
Aaron frowned. “What is it?”
“Smoke, I think.” She moved closer to the window, and her eyes widened. “The barn. It’s on fire!”
*
Zoe grabbed her coat and headed for the door then looked back at Sophia. The child’s eyes were wide and filled with fear. She couldn’t leave Sophia alone. Clay went to the window, peered out then came back. “I’ll stay here. If this is some ploy to get us out of the house and leave you alone with her, we’re not going to let that happen.” He looked at Lance. “You and Aaron go. Zoe, you stay here with me and Sophia.”
She shook her head. “I can’t do that. This is my responsibility. My fault. You stay here with her,” she beseeched him, torn between the desire to stay with her child and keep her promise to take care of the place. But Clay was a police officer. She had full confidence in his ability to protect Sophia. Much better than she could for sure. “Keep her safe, Clay, you hear me? Keep her safe.”
Zoe raced out the door with Aaron on her heels, and Clay’s frustrated shout ringing in her ears. Lance brought up the rear, but he didn’t bother to argue with her. There was no time to consider how foolishly she might be behaving. As long as Sophia was safe, Zoe’s only thought was to take care of the property she’d been entrusted with.
Smoke now poured from the open door. She covered her nose and mouth with her scarf and stepped inside. The two horses she’d left in their stalls whinnied their fear and paced restlessly in the confined space. The thick smoke nearly blinded her, and Zoe squinted against the haze. “Where’s the fire?” she asked. Then coughed.
Aaron stepped in behind her and pulled the collar of his coat up over his mouth and nose. Through the haze, she could see him, but visibility was getting worse by the second. He pointed. “There!”
At the end of the barn, she could make out flashes of orange. “The hay,” she said. “You let the animals out. I’ll get the extinguishers. There are two in the office.”
“Be careful!” Aaron hollered at her even as he moved to the stalls of the two horses. Aaron released them and they headed for the exit without hesitation. Zoe entered the office and grabbed the first extinguisher from its mount on the wall then snagged the one behind the desk. She raced back into the center of the barn to see Aaron leading the mama heifer and her baby out. When she came up behind him, he held out a hand and she slapped the larger extinguisher in it. Lance had already pulled the hose from the rack and cranked the water on full blast. He began to drag it toward the back of the barn wetting everything in his path.
Once the animals were safely out, she and Aaron moved through the smoke. The heat was intense, the flames already reaching for the nearest wooden stall. She pulled the pin and held the held the nozzle of the extinguisher toward the flames.
Aaron came up beside her and did the same. At first the flames fought back and Zoe despaired that the extinguishers weren’t doing any good. She struggled for breath and began to grow dizzy, but gritted her teeth and held the stream of foam steady. And slowly, they started to win the battle. The flames flickered then faded. But the smoke was fierce.
She dropped the extinguisher and went to her knees, her lungs straining and finally succumbing to the lack of oxygen.
A hand on her upper arm pulled her to her feet, and she stumbled after Aaron. Lance held on to her other arm and the three of them exited the barn into the fresh air. “Are you okay?” Aaron gasped then gave a hacking cough.
Zoe sank to the cold ground and gasped, sucked in the fresh air, coughed and finally felt the world settle. “Yes. I think so. Are you?”
He nodded. “Lance?”
“Yeah.”
A sharp crack broke the air, and Zoe felt a burning sting along her left arm.
“Get behind the tractor,” Lance yelled. “Someone’s shooting!”
SEVEN
Just as in the barn, Aaron grabbed her right arm and headed toward the tractor. Lance had his weapon out and was right beside him, his back toward Aaron, his gun aimed in the direction the shot had come from. Aaron pulled her around the front of the tractor and she slumped to the ground, her back against the heavy rubber tire. Lance rounded to the other tire and hovered there.
Aaron’s heart thumped hard in his chest and he dropped to his knees in front of Zoe. “I’m getting really tired of being shot at.”
“Tell me about it,” Zoe muttered. She shifted and sucked in a deep breath. “Ow.”
He looked down and saw blood seeping through her heavy tan coat. Fear thrummed through him. “Oh, no, Zoe, you’re hit.” He scooted closer.
“Hit?” She frowned. “As in shot?” She didn’t protest as he slid her wounded arm out of the sleeve. She gave a low hiss of pain but otherwise stayed silent.
“Yes, but the fact that you’re talking and making sense is encouraging.” He looked up at Lance. “You see the shooter?”
“Not yet.”
“Lance? Aaron?” Clay shouted.
Aaron turned and peered around Zoe and the tire. “We’re okay, Clay! Zoe’s hit, though not bad.”
“You’re sure she’s okay?”
Aaron examined the wound. No bullet hole, but a nice groove in her upper arm that would need a few stitches. “I’m sure.”
“Backup’s on the way. Stay put. I’ve got Sophia right here with me and she’s fine.”
Zoe seemed to deflate once she heard that Sophia was safe. Her eyes closed, and she leaned her head back against the tire. Another shot rang out. A puff of white snow lifted into the air just next to the tractor. Aaron flinched and tucked his head against his chest. Zoe drew in a deep breath, but didn’t move. Prayers slipped from his lips.
This time the sound of gunfire came from the house. Zoe shot into a sitting position. “Sophia!” Aaron spun to see Clay at the window shooting back into the direction the original shot came from.
“It’s okay, she’s all right. It’s just Clay. He must have seen something.” And been absolutely sure of what he was shooting at or he wouldn’t have fired back. Sirens wailed in the distance, and Aaron let out a slow breath, hoping the sound would scare the shooter off the property. And that someone would be able to chase him down and catch him.
Police cruisers pulled into the drive and parked in front of the house. The car doors opened, and officers stayed behind the protection they offered. “Who went to the woods? The shots came from the woods behind th
e barn.” Clay’s voice came from behind the cracked front door.
“Parker and Joy.” Aaron thought he recognized Walter Haywood’s voice in response to Clay’s question. Parker Little and Joy West were two other deputies with the rapidly expanding Wrangler’s Corner sheriff’s department.
“Stay put until we hear from them,” Clay ordered. “Aaron, Lance? You still okay?”
“We’re all right,” Lance called back. He caught Aaron’s gaze. “How bad is it?”
“Not that bad.” Zoe’s pale features worried him. Her eyes were open and watching, though. He leaned in for a closer look. “A couple of stitches, and you’ll be fine. Okay?”
“Yes, it stings, but I don’t think I’m going to die from it.”
If he thought there was any chance she was in danger of dying from the wound, they wouldn’t still be behind the tire. Somehow they’d be on the way to the hospital. He shrugged out of his jacket and pulled his sweater and long-sleeved T-shirt over his head. He yanked the sweater back on then fished in his jeans for the pocketknife he’d started carrying.
If he was ever duct-taped again, at least he’d have a fighting chance. Using the knife, he cut off one of the sleeves and wrapped it around her upper arm, pulling it tight to stop the bleeding and to hold the edges of the wound together. He looked at her. “Best I can do without my medical kit.”
“It’s fine,” she whispered. “Thanks.”
“It needs to be washed out and you probably need a round of antibiotics, but we’ll have to worry about that a little later.” She gave him a tight, grim smile and shifted with a grimace. “Pain pills might not be a bad idea, either.”
“No,” she bit out, her eyes hard, jaw tight. “No pills.”
Aaron raised a brow. “Okay. No one’s going to force them down your throat.” He pulled her coat back around her, leaving her arm free of the sleeve, but under the warm material.
She sighed. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to snap. I… I used to have a drug problem.”
He froze for a slight second as her words registered. He saw her face flame red and knew she was already regretting her words. “It’s all right,” he said. “No pain pills then.” He looked at Lance. “Haven’t heard any shots for a few minutes.”
“Yeah.” He glanced toward the house. “Clay hasn’t said to move yet.”
Several tense minutes passed and Aaron thought his heart might beat out of his chest thanks to his rushing adrenaline. Movement near the tree line captured his attention. “Lance?”
“I see it.”
“Hold your fire,” Clay called out. “Joy’s near the trees. The shooter’s gone.”
Lance stood. Aaron waited a few seconds then helped Zoe to her feet. She held her arm against her stomach and he kept a steadying hand at her back. “Let’s get inside and get that cleaned up.”
Aaron led her to the house while Clay and his deputies discussed strategy. Clay had already notified the proper authorities of the incident with a request to have neighboring law enforcement available should they be needed until the shooter was caught.
“Sophia?” Zoe called. “Where are you?”
“Mom!” Sophia rushed from the den to her mother.
Zoe wrapped her good arm around her child and held on tight. “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay.”
“Sheriff Starke pulled the couch from the wall and told me to get behind it. He told me to stay right there between the couch and the wall and I did.”
Zoe kissed the top of Sophia’s head. “I’m very proud of you for obeying.” Her eyes filled, and she looked at Clay. “Thank you for keeping her safe.”
“Of course,” Clay said.
Sophia pulled back and frowned at the blood on her mother’s arm. “Why are you bleeding? Are you hurt? What’s wrong?”
Sophia shrugged the rest of the way out of the jacket and Aaron took it form her. “I’m okay,” she said. “It’s just a scratch.”
He watched them together and felt his heart clench. They were all each other had at this point. “What happens to Sophia if something happens to you?” he asked her quietly.
She stilled. “She goes to live with Trevor’s sister, Nina, and her husband, Gregory.”
“And does Sophia come with any money attached?”
Zoe swallowed and he saw her follow his line of thinking. “Um. Sophia,” she said, “will you go get the first-aid kit out of the bathroom?”
Sophia pressed her lips into a tight line and didn’t release her grip on her mother. She looked back and forth between the adults then nodded. “Sure, I’ll get it, but I know you’re just sending me out of the room so I won’t hear what you’re going to say next.” She shot a look at Zoe’s arm. “But since you’re hurt I’ll let you get away with it this time.” She turned and headed for the bathroom. Aaron lifted a brow, and Zoe’s lips curved slightly even though her eyes didn’t smile.
“You have your hands full with her, don’t you?” Clay asked from his position near the kitchen door. Every once in a while he’d look out.
“A bit.”
*
More than a bit, but she wouldn’t trade raising Sophia for anything. She shook her head. “And no,” she said to Aaron. “Sophia doesn’t come with money attached. The only money I have is from the life insurance policy Trevor had taken out a couple of years ago. I think it’s for two hundred fifty thousand dollars or something like that. Not enough to kill someone for.”
Aaron lifted a brow. “You’d be surprised. Who’s the beneficiary for your life insurance?”
“Sophia.”
“And who gets Sophia if something happens to you again?”
“Nina. Trevor’s sister.” She raked her good hand through her tangled hair. She felt the color drain from her cheeks. “They would get custody and therefore control of the money and any other assets that I have.”
“Here, Mom.” Sophia came back into the kitchen carrying the first-aid kit.
Aaron took it from her. “Thanks.”
“Can I watch?”
“You may. As long as it’s okay with your mom.” He shot a glance at Zoe and she nodded, her mind not on her arm, but on the deduction Aaron’s questions had led her to.
Nina? Really? “It’s okay,” she murmured. She focused in on Sophia, her eyes automatically monitoring the color in her cheeks. She seemed all right, but she would check her sugar levels again in a bit.
Clay spoke into his phone then turned back. “That was Lance. They’ve cleared the area. The shooter is gone, but they found the place he shot from. A crime scene unit’s on the way from Nashville to process the area. Lance said he doesn’t want to assume anything, but he thinks the shooter is the one who got away. The one they called Jed.”
“I think that’s probably a safe assumption.” Aaron cut the sleeve of her sweatshirt away from her arm then cleaned it up before pulling out a needle and suture thread. Zoe’s eyes widened. “You’re going to sew it up?”
“I carry the stuff for humans, too.” He rolled his shirt up and showed her the scar on his left forearm. “Ever since I got tangled up with that angry bull last year, I make sure I can patch myself up if I need to.”
“A bull did that?” Sophia asked.
“Nah, I got away from him. It was the rusty nail on the fence that got me when I went over. Sliced a big ole gash in my arm.”
Sophia winced. “Wow. How bad did that hurt?”
“Big-time bad.”
“So you’re going to sew up Mom’s cut?”
“Sure. If she wants me to.” He looked at her and Zoe saw a gentle compassion there. And a willingness to let her make the call about her medical treatment. He wouldn’t be offended if she refused to let him work on her arm. “Or,” he said, “we’ll just take her to the hospital and let another doctor do it.”
“Aren’t you a real doctor?” Sophia asked.
Aaron smiled. “The animals think so.”
“It’s fine,” Zoe whispered. “I trust you.” And she did.
; Aaron sobered. “I have some numbing medicine. You’ll only feel the first prick of the first needle.”
“That’s fine.”
“Are you allergic to anything?”
“No, nothing.”
The other officers milled around writing notes and recording every detail so when it came time to do the paperwork, everything would be right there and they wouldn’t have to rely on memory. She watched them from the corner of her eye so she didn’t have to see what he was doing.
Aaron worked quickly and efficiently and soon Zoe had a neat little row of five stitches in her upper arm. He’d been true to his word. Other than the initial prick of the first shot and a few slight tugs, she hadn’t felt a thing. Sophia had never taken her eyes from him and his work on Zoe’s arm, fascinated by the whole procedure.
Zoe’s attention had been distracted anyway. She kept remembering the look on Aaron’s face when she’d said she used to have a drug problem. She felt heat flush her face. Why had she told him that? And at that moment of all times? What was she thinking to let that kind of information loose when they’d been dodging bullets and fighting for their lives?
But other than his initial hesitation, he didn’t seem fazed by the knowledge. She did think he’d bring it up again when they were alone. So now that she’d let the cat out of the bag, what was she going to tell him? The whole sordid story?
Yes. He deserved it. He was putting his life on the line for her, and she owed him nothing less than the absolute truth. She blew out a breath and tried to focus on her arm. Which wasn’t hard. It throbbed with a fierce ache, but she’d deal with it. Without drugs.
Clay finally came back in and sat at the table. “How’s the arm?”
Zoe drew in a deep breath. “Fine. Or it will be thanks to Aaron.”
Clay nodded. “As you know, the shooter got away. We found some cartridges that tell us he was using a .45. Probably a rifle with a high-powered scope.”
“I’m glad he missed.” She looked at her arm. “Mostly missed anyway.”
“Me, too. But…”
“But?”
Protecting Her Daughter (Wrangler's Corner) Page 7