A Cowgirl at Heart

by Christine Lynxwiler

He turned and walked away from the yard, keeping the front yard trees between him and the window. At the road he made a right turn and walked to where Elyse had parked her Jeep that day back in October. Then he cut through the woods. Since there was no foliage except for the evergreens, he could already see the chain-link fence. He stayed down low and kept his eyes wide open as he approached the back of the house.

  The fence was partially collapsed from where Zeke had thrown Elyse onto it. Andrew easily stepped over it. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he imagined someone watching him from the house. The windows appeared to have the blinds drawn, but if a person was in just the right place...

  He shook his head and started praying silently instead. “My strength comes from the Lord,” he whispered as he crept up to the busted basement window. He reached through the jagged glass and flipped the latch. It opened easily.

  He slid his phone open and dialed the sheriff’s direct line. Talking low, he quickly explained the situation. Without giving Jack time to argue, he laid out his plan, such as it was. “Give me fifteen minutes. Then do what you have to.” He slid the phone shut and examined the open window. Just enough room to slip inside.

  He landed softly on the concrete floor. Dust flew up around him like a cloud. He put his hands to his face and bit back a cough. When the dust settled, he squinted, letting his eyes adjust to the dim light. Stairs against the far wall led up to a closed door.

  His movements were careful and slow, in direct contrast to his heart, which was beating wildly and faster than he could ever remember. He crept past shelves filled with jars of canned vegetables, arranged neatly by type. The shelf at the bottom of the stairs had old toys, coloring books, and other children’s items. A large paper bag with handles overflowed with empty glass jars.

  He stared at the lettering on the bag, the familiar logo of Melanie’s favorite coffee shop. He’d only gone with her a few times, but she and her friends from work practically lived there. It was a local shop, though, so what would a bag be doing here? He choked back a gasp as his memory pulled the final pieces into place. Unfortunately, the realization only meant that Elyse was in twice as much danger.

  CHAPTER 35

  Andrew tiptoed up the stairs far enough that his eyes were level with the two-inch slit under the door. He could see most of the living room floor. He recognized Elyse’s shoes. She was sitting on the couch facing him. One set of old work boots and one pair of loafers were standing on either side facing her. Occasionally the loafers paced over to the window and back. He couldn’t see Pal’s feet at all, so he was guessing the dog was on the couch next to Elyse.

  If Andrew opened the basement door, even a crack, they would most likely all either hear a squeak or see a movement in their peripheral vision. He thought Elyse would guess that he would come from the basement, so even though he couldn’t see her face, he felt sure she was watching the door.

  He strained to listen. He could hear voices, but thanks to the old heating unit under the stairs, he couldn’t make out what they were saying. He turned and made his way slowly back down the stairs. It only took a minute for him to find what he needed.

  Back at the top of the stairs, he used the thick red crayon and scratched out the words BATHROOM—LOCK IN in big letters on the white cardboard. Then he put his eye back to the slit. The boots were gone, but Elyse’s feet still faced him, and the loafers faced her. The boots walked back into view.

  The heater stopped suddenly, and the silence was terrifying. He could easily hear what Zeke was saying. “If he don’t come soon, I’m goin’ to go ahead and kill the dog.”

  “You promised,” Elyse said.

  “It won’t matter to you either way, nosy girl.” Zeke laughed. “Once Stone gets here, he’s going to go crazy and kill you and the dog. Then turn the gun on himself. After that, the police will figure out that he killed his wife three years ago and made it look like a robbery.”

  “No one will believe that.” Elyse’s voice was strong.

  “We’ll see,” Zeke said. “But either way, Doug and I’ll be long gone.”

  Both sets of men’s shoes were facing away from him. Andrew slowly slid the cardboard under the door, being careful not to touch the floor with it. He tilted it with his fingers to where the words should be visible to Elyse if she was watching. He could only risk leaving it for a few seconds. Just as he pulled it back in, the boots turned around. “Did you hear something?” Zeke growled.

  “I’ll go check,” Doug said. Andrew could hear the stress in the younger man’s voice.

  The loafers came straight toward him.

  Andrew stepped soundlessly up the last few steps, ready to take the man down if he opened the door.

  He heard footsteps go down the hall. In a minute, Doug’s voice came again. “Aunt Maxine is still asleep, but she may have moaned or something.”

  Andrew lowered himself back to where he could see under the door. When he was able to see all three sets of feet again, he waited until the two men were turned away and flashed the sign for a count of five. Finally, after four times, he heard Elyse say, “I have to go to the bathroom.”

  She stood.

  Andrew silently thanked God.

  “Go with her,” Zeke said.

  “I—” Doug started.

  “You’ve got my phone,” Elyse broke in. “And Pal. I’m not going to do anything stupid. Can’t I have a little privacy?”

  “Hurry up. If you’re not out when Stone gets here, I’m going to shoot him on the spot.”

  “Stay,” Elyse commanded Pal.

  “Watch her,” Zeke barked at Doug.

  Andrew watched Elyse’s feet as she stood and walked toward him then turned and went by close enough for him to touch.

  Doug’s loafers stepped over right in front of the basement door, as he apparently watched her walk down the hall. Andrew heard the bathroom door close noisily and lock. Zeke’s boots walked toward the window, with his back still to Andrew.

  It was now or never. Andrew erupted up the stairs, opening the door with all his might.

  He felt the wooden door connect with a body on the other side. “Oomph.” Doug hit the floor with a bang.

  Andrew went into a rapid series of forward rolls toward where Zeke’s feet had been. Just as he came up low, he saw Zeke raise the gun. Andrew grabbed his arm and the gun went flying. He brought Zeke’s arm up behind his body, and the big man went to his knees.

  “Déjà vu,” he murmured softly, and Zeke swore.

  Andrew held Zeke easily. “Put the gun down, Doug,” he said without turning around. He heard a gasp behind him and turned around to face the pistol, now in Doug’s shaking hand. “You’re not a killer.”

  “You don’t know,” Doug said, his eyes wide.

  “Shut up, boy,” Zeke growled.

  Andrew yanked up on Zeke’s arm a little harder. This was between him and Doug. “I do know. I remember why you look so familiar. You worked at the coffee shop.” Andrew made no move toward Doug. “Melanie really liked you. She thought you had potential if you could get your head on straight.”

  Doug’s eyes were red, but he didn’t lower the gun. “I liked her, too.”

  “She knew you had a problem with drugs. That’s why I remembered you.”

  “She said y’all were going to be gone for the weekend,” Doug yelled, as if angry that she’d broken her word. “I was only going to take what I needed to score a hit then put everything else back. But I had it all in a sack to carry down to the living room to go through it when she came in and surprised me.”

  “And you had the pistol you’d gotten out of her nightstand drawer in your hand,” Andrew guessed.

  “I didn’t mean to shoot. She scared me. When I saw her fall, I panicked. I used her cell phone to call 911, and I ran with the bag. All the way back here.” Doug’s eyes darted down the hall. “Aunt Maxine knew I’d done something bad, but she had no idea how bad. She let me stay here for a few days. I hid everything in the botto
m of the closet. When I left, I started a new life.” Now Doug’s hand with the gun in it was shaking so badly that for the first time Andrew was a little afraid he might shoot.

  “Put down the gun, Doug,” Andrew said gently. “Before somebody gets hurt.”

  Doug lowered the gun slowly to the ground.

  “Don’t be a fool, boy. Shoot him. We can still get out of this,” Zeke pleaded.

  Doug shook his head. “I’ve spent the last three years trying to get out of the trouble you got me into by raising me like you. Now it’s time you and I both face the consequences for what we’ve done.”

  “You’re going down by yourself, boy. I wasn’t even in Texas three years ago.”

  Andrew shoved Zeke toward the door. “But you’ve got plenty of crimes here in Arkansas to pay for. And there are policemen waiting outside to help you get started.”

  Andrew opened the front door and turned Zeke over to two of Jack’s deputies. They walked him away, reading him his rights. Andrew looked at Jack and the deputy beside him. “You might want to call an ambulance for Maxine. They said she just had a sleeping pill, so she’s probably fine. But just in case...”

  Jack nodded.

  “I’ll do it,” the deputy said and took off for the car.

  Doug stepped out behind Andrew, tears evident in his eyes. “Sheriff, I killed Melanie Stone.”

  Jack looked over at Andrew with his eyebrows raised.

  Andrew shrugged. “I’ll be down to the station in a little while to talk to him if that’s okay.”

  Jack nodded slowly. “As long as you don’t bring any weapons.”

  Andrew gave him a sad smile. “Nothing sharper than a Bible, I promise. And maybe a friend.” He knew just the man who could help Doug see that his life wasn’t over.

  Doug stood without moving while Jack cuffed him.

  Andrew watched them walk to the car. In the distance, he heard an ambulance. That was fast.

  “Did you ever know that you’re my hero?”

  Andrew spun around to see Elyse standing on the porch step with Pal on a leash beside her. “Didn’t I tell you to lock yourself in?” He couldn’t believe how good it was to see her up close rather than just following her from a distance. It was all he could do to keep from running up the steps and pulling her into his arms.

  “I did lock myself in.” She gave him a sheepish smile. “Until I heard you tell Doug to put the gun down. Then I unlocked the door and cracked it open slightly so I could hear better. I thought you might need my help.”

  He returned her smile. “You’re really brave.”

  She touched the gray hoodie she was wearing. “I had to wear your jacket for that.”

  “I’m glad I left it.”

  “Me, too,” she said softly. She motioned over her shoulder. “I checked on Maxine before I came out here. She seems to be sleeping soundly but not unconscious.”

  “A deputy called for an ambulance. I almost dread her waking. This is going to be hard on her.”

  “She’s strong though.” Admiration filled Elyse’s voice. “She has God and her friends.” She rubbed the dog’s head. “And don’t forget Pal.”

  “How could we forget him?” Andrew said. “He got you into this mess.”

  Elyse’s arched brow raised slightly. “That’s not exactly how I look at it.”

  “Really? How do you see it?”

  “He’s the reason I met you.” She reached in her jeans pocket and pulled out a dog treat. “And that’s why you’re a good boy, isn’t it, Pal?” she cooed. “Here you go.”

  Andrew laughed as Pal eagerly ate the treat from her hand.

  The ambulance came wailing into the yard. Andrew held his hand out for Elyse’s. “We probably need to go down to the station and give a statement.”

  She smiled. “I’d better stay here and make sure Maxine is okay. I’ll come down when the EMTs say she’s okay.”

  “You sure?” He hated to leave her, even for a second, after just finding her again.

  “I’m sure. Why don’t you come over to the ranch later? I’m sure there’ll be a big gathering at Mama and Daddy’s.”

  “If you keep making a habit of getting kidnapped, they might stop throwing parties for you when you’re rescued.”

  She grinned. “Somehow I doubt it.”

  It was so good to see her grin at him. “Yeah, me, too. You’re always worthy of a party.”

  Her cheeks flamed, but before she could respond, two EMTs hurried up the walk.

  “You should go,” she said softly. “Jack will be needing information.”

  He took a step toward her then stopped. This wasn’t the place. But Jack had better hurry and take his statement.

  ***

  Elyse didn’t realize she’d been waiting for the doorbell to ring until she heard it. She stayed on the sofa between Kaleigh and Matthew and watched her mama walk to the front door.

  “So I still don’t see how you lived such a sedate life for all these years then suddenly turned into a danger magnet.” Luke retrieved a chair pillow and tossed it onto her lap. He sank into the chair next to them.

  “And let me guess,” Kaleigh teased, “you also don’t see why she didn’t call you.”

  “You’re right.” Luke raised an eyebrow at Elyse. “Did you lose my phone number?”

  She shook her head, her eyes straining to see who her mother was talking to in the doorway. Except for Aaron and Bree, the whole family was in the house. Even the newlyweds were here, sitting on—appropriately enough—the loveseat with their heads together and Beka coloring on the floor in front of them.

  “C’mon, Lukey...” Kaleigh continued her teasing, using the name they used to pester him with when they were teenagers. “Give her a break. It took a lot of nerve to go back to where it all started.”

  Mama stepped backward, and Andrew came into the room.

  Kaleigh’s words buzzed in Elyse’s head. “Where it all started” was exactly right. Maxine’s house was where she’d met Andrew and started down a twisty path to today.

  Everyone stopped talking, and silence fell over the room.

  Andrew looked a little embarrassed, but then his gaze fell on Elyse.

  Suddenly she felt as if she was the only person he saw. She felt the heat creep up her face. “Hey,” she said weakly.

  Her daddy stood and stuck out his hand. “Looks like we owe you another big thank you.”

  Andrew shook his hand. “You don’t owe me anything.” He glanced up at Elyse again. “But I was hoping I might steal Elyse for a few minutes.”

  Elyse pushed to her feet. “I need to go down and let the dogs out anyway. Why don’t you walk with me?”

  He nodded. “Sounds good.”

  Elyse almost giggled as she walked over to join him by the door. Her boisterous family was quiet enough that she could hear the seconds ticking by on the big grandfather clock. “We’ll be back in a little bit.” She waggled her fingers at them, and they all waved but still didn’t speak.

  Outside, she glanced up at Andrew. “I think we rendered my family speechless. And believe me, that’s not an easy task.”

  He grunted. “Probably didn’t think I’d ever have the nerve to show up here again.”

  She slipped her hand into his as they walked toward her house. “I’m glad you did.”

  “Really?” He squeezed her hand.

  She nodded, glancing over toward the empty space next to the barn where Andrew’s camper had been parked for so long. “More than you can imagine.”

  They walked in silence for a few minutes, and he looked across at her. “So is Maxine going to be okay?”

  “The EMTs said she was fine. I didn’t leave until we called her sister, Jane. She’s coming to stay a few weeks.”

  “She took the news okay?”

  Elyse cut her gaze at him. “About Doug?”

  Andrew nodded.

  “She didn’t have much choice.”

  He cleared his throat. “I called Luis and a
sked him to help Doug get involved in the prison ministry.”

  “What a wonderful idea.”

  “I was afraid you’d be mad that I contacted him.”

  “Did he tell you I went to see him?”

  Andrew stopped walking and faced her in her driveway. “You went to see Luis?”

  Suddenly shy, she nodded. “I took him some black walnut ice cream.”

  His smile was brilliant. “You forgave him.”