His Forever Texas Rose

by Stella Bagwell

  “What’s that?”

  “Good lawmen don’t give up on righting an evil wrong. And you’re evil, Ike. Right down to the core.”

  “Somebody needs to get her out of there! The monster will kill her!” Blake moved desperately toward the screen as if he could pluck Ginny out of danger.

  “Hang on, Mr. Hollister,” one of the detectives assured him. “Officers will be moving in any second.”

  Trey was about to echo Blake’s fears when Ginny suddenly threw the glass pitcher directly at Ike’s face.

  Roaring and sputtering, he jumped to his feet, but by then three detectives burst into the kitchen and quickly shackled his hands behind his back.

  When the video feed went dark, Ike was cursing a blue streak and Ginny was weeping.

  The room full of men went quiet until Gil finally turned to face his nephews. His usual swarthy complexion had gone pale and his features were taut. No doubt he’d been struck hard by what they’d all just witnessed.

  After clearing his throat and wiping a hand over his face, he said, “I don’t know about you guys, but that was damned hard to watch—to hear why my brother died.”

  Blake stepped forward and placed a hand on his uncle’s shoulder. “Hard, but necessary. Everything is going to be good now, Gil. Especially for Mom. And that’s what matters the most.”

  Gil gave his eldest nephew a grateful nod. “Yes, she does matter the most. And if any of you are wondering about the legal end of this, I’m fairly certain the DA of Yavapai County will prosecute Ike Patterson. A lawyer will probably advise him to retract his confession, and there might be a fight about entrapment, but one way or the other, he’ll pay for his crime.”

  Beside him, Trey could hear Chandler let out a long breath of relief. A reaction, not only to the end result of tonight, but to years of unanswered questions.

  Holt said, “I don’t know how the rest of you feel, but I think Ginny Patterson deserves a medal for bravery.”

  “I damned well second that,” Chandler added. “He would’ve killed her. Maybe not tonight, but at some point in the coming days, he would’ve silenced her.”

  “Poor, poor woman,” Trey said. “All these years with no one to help. Except for your dad. And he died trying.”

  Chandler looked at him, and Trey didn’t miss the mist of tears in his friend’s eyes.

  His voice raw, Chandler said, “Dad died because he loved helping people. He wanted everyone to be as happy as he was.”

  Gil said, “You’re right, Chandler. And that’s the way we’re going to honor Joel. Let’s go home and be happy.”

  As Trey followed the Hollister men out of the interrogation room, he couldn’t think of anything he wanted more.

  * * *

  Monday mornings were always chaotic at the clinic, but that didn’t stop the staff from celebrating the happy news that Joel’s murderer had been arrested and would likely remain behind bars.

  Knowing the Hollisters had suffered for years over the ordeal, Nicole was thrilled for all of them. The family could finally put the how and why of that awful incident to rest. But at the moment, Nicole wasn’t celebrating; she was doing her best to stop a flow of tears from streaming down her face.

  Why, oh why, had she answered her cell phone? One glance at the ID had told her the call was from Texas. She should’ve ignored it. But the waiting room had momentarily cleared and the business phone was quiet. And since her father often updated his cell phone, she’d feared it might have been him calling to tell her that Angela had relapsed with another mental breakdown. Instead, she’d been totally shocked to hear Randy Dryer’s voice in her ear.

  The Hollisters weren’t the only ones who could put the lid on an unpleasant memory, she thought, as she dabbed a tissue to the corners of her eyes. And now that she had a moment to think, she realized she was thankful for the call. For so many reasons, it had been cathartic.

  “Wow! No one in the waiting room and the phone is quiet! Ready for some lunch?”

  The sound of Trey’s voice entering the room had Nicci sniffing back her tears and swiveling her chair to face him.

  “Hi, Trey! Uh—yes—I’m ready for lunch.” Another pesky tear slipped from the corner of her eye, but she managed to give him a bright smile. “I’m—”

  As soon as he spotted the tears on her cheeks, his smile turned into a frown. “Are you crying? What’s wrong? This is a happy day! You’re supposed to be celebrating.”

  Gripping the tissue, just in case she might need it again, she rose from the chair. “I know I’m supposed to be happy. And I am, really. I just need a moment to compose myself.”

  He frowned as he eyed the cell phone lying on the desk. “Why? Has your mother been giving you a bad time? Is that it?”

  “No. I—” She paused as she tried to think of the right way to explain her emotional state without sounding crazy. “Mother hasn’t called yet today, thank God. But I did get a call from Texas—from my old boyfriend—Randy Dryer.”

  One of his brows cocked to a skeptical arch. “The man who asked you to marry him?”

  Nicole’s stomach roiled at the very thought. There would never be any other man in the world for her except Trey.

  She took a step toward him, and in a hurried voice answered, “Yes. The one I turned down. He—uh—he’s a marine now and back in Fort Worth for two weeks and wants me to fly back and join him. He’s dropped his current girlfriend because he says he still wants to marry me.”

  One of the things she’d always adored about Trey was that he had such an expressive face. His eyes and mouth, even the dimples in his cheeks, were constantly revealing his thoughts and feelings. But now as she looked at him, all she could see was a stone-faced stranger.

  “Oh, I see.”

  The odd expression on his face and the three-worded response were hardly what she’d expected from him.

  Frowning with frustration, she said in a wary tone, “I’m not sure that you do.”

  “Don’t worry, Nicci. I get the whole picture—now. Those are happy tears. Congratulations. I can’t say that I blame you for changing your mind. I hear that’s a woman’s privilege, and God knows I’ve learned that the hard way. How soon will you be going back to Fort Worth? Does Doc know yet that he’s going to have to find a new receptionist?”

  She was so stunned by his questions that her whole body began to quiver. But the reaction was only momentary as, right behind the shock, anger poured through her, causing her cheeks to redden and her hands to clench into fists. How dare he assume something so ridiculous! The man had shared her bed. Did he not know her at all?

  She forced her gritted teeth to relax enough to push a retort past her lips. “I haven’t decided yet! It might be sooner than you think!”

  Before he could make a reply, a buzzer announced the door of the main entrance being opened, and Nicole looked across the waiting area to see a beagle trotting into the room followed by a young woman holding the dog’s leash.

  Oh great, this was a fine time for an interruption. She turned back to Trey to tell him she’d talk with him later, but there was nothing but empty air in front of her.

  He’d walked off without a word. He was accepting without a fight what he thought was her decision to marry Randy. Apparently, he was going to let her go just as he’d let the other women in his past walk away. So much for hoping he might actually love her, she thought sadly.

  Drawing in a deep, bracing breath, she blinked her eyes and walked over to the woman standing at the check-in counter.

  * * *

  Any other time, Trey would’ve been thrilled that he and Chandler were headed to the Johnson Ranch. Trey would always be a close friend to Mr. Johnson, the man who’d single-handedly persuaded Trey to enter the profession of animal welfare. Along with seeing Mr. Johnson again, Chandler was in an especially jovial mood. From the moment he’d a
rrived at the clinic this morning, the veterinarian had been laughing and joking. Trey wanted to join in on the man’s merriment, but how could he feel any sort of happiness when his heart felt like two hands had torn it right down the middle?

  He was deep in the misery of his thoughts when Chandler’s hand suddenly landed with a loud pop on the console between their seats.

  With a visible jerk, Trey whipped his head around. “What the hell was that for?”

  “I’m trying to wake you up! I’ve been talking to you for the last five minutes and getting no response. Haven’t you heard anything I’ve said?”

  Trey’s shoulders slunk as he fell back against the truck seat. “No. Sorry. I’ve been thinking.”

  “Is that what you call it? I’d call it sulking.”

  Frowning, Trey cut his eyes toward Chandler. “Okay, I’m sulking. Who gives a damn anyway? I hope we get this job over early. I’m going to the Fandango tonight and getting drunk! I don’t care how long it takes me. Or if Joe hauls me off to jail for public intoxication.”

  Chandler shot him an indulgent look. “I don’t have to remind you that intoxication is a fool’s remedy. What’s brought on this sour mood? You were fine until lunch.”

  “Something left a bad taste in my mouth. Mainly a strawberry blonde who has a horrible penchant for talking on the phone.”

  Chandler’s laugh was loud and long. “Hell, Trey. She’s a receptionist. It’s her job to talk on the phone.”

  “This has nothing to do with her job,” he argued. “Did you know that she’s constantly getting calls from her mother? That sometimes she even turns off the phone so she won’t hear it?”

  Chandler shrugged. “I’m aware that her mother is problematic. But I’m sure all of that is going to get better. Once Mrs. Nelson accepts the fact that Nicci isn’t going back to Texas.”

  Trey’s teeth snapped together. “That’s where you’re wrong,” he muttered, then shook his head. “I shouldn’t be the one to tell you this, Doc, but Nicci is going back to Texas. She’s going to marry that marine she used to date.”

  Chandler laughed again. “You’re messed up, Trey. I think you need to take off tomorrow and get some rest.”

  “Right. I’ll need it to nurse my hangover,” he agreed in a petulant voice. “Guess this will teach you not to be hiring city girls. I tried to tell you she wouldn’t last. The only thing that surprises me is that she hung around for this long!”

  Losing his patience now, Chandler pulled the truck to the side of the highway and braked the vehicle to a jarring halt. “Gabe is waiting on us right now! But I’ll be damned if we go to the Johnson Ranch before you explain all of this to me. And not in those damned innuendos!”

  Lifting his hat from his head, Trey raked both hands through his hair as he related the whole encounter he’d had with Nicole and then ended it with a self-directed curse word. “I was a fool, Chandler. That’s all. I should’ve never let myself get to thinking that she could seriously care for me.”

  “She does seriously care for you. Are you an idiot?”

  Trey leaned his head toward the passenger window and stared at himself in the side mirror. “Yep. That’s me.”

  Chandler muttered a curse. “Tell me this, Trey. What did Nicci say when you left her desk?”

  “Nothing. She went to wait on Mary Ferguson and her beagle. I didn’t hang around to hear more. And what else could I say?”

  “Damned plenty!” Chandler blasted at him. “Why didn’t you grab her up and tell her you loved her? Why didn’t you say there was no way in hell you’d ever let another man have her? That he’d have to go over your dead body to get her!”

  Trey’s mouth fell open as the gist of Chandler’s words slowly sank in on him. “I’ve messed up.”

  Chandler made an impatient sound. “Did she say that she loved this guy? Did she come right out and say she wanted to marry him?”

  “No. Not that I can remember, but as soon as she said the word boyfriend, my brain turned to scrambled eggs. Besides, she was crying. And she said she was happy. And that’s the way I want her to be.”

  “Yeah, you’ve messed up.” He put the truck in gear and gunned the vehicle back onto the highway. “But I wouldn’t worry. Nicci will forgive you for being a lamebrain.”

  She might forgive him for being stupid, Trey thought miserably. But what about the rest? Like loving him. Marrying him.

  “I’ll talk to her tonight.”

  “If I was you, ole buddy, I’d be doing more than talking. You might think about stopping by the flower shop before you see her.”

  Chandler reached for the knob on the radio and tuned it to Trey’s favorite station. As soon as the Frank Sinatra tune floated out of the speaker, Trey turned a grateful look on him.

  “Thanks, Doc.”

  “Brothers have to help each other out at times. That’s the way I see it.”

  That’s the way Trey saw it, too.

  * * *

  “Nicci, what were you thinking?!” Roslyn exclaimed as she scrubbed a wire dog crate with disinfectant. “Why didn’t you run after Trey and explain exactly what was going on with you? Now the poor guy thinks you’re going back to Texas to marry Randy!”

  At thirty minutes past closing time, the front door of the clinic was locked and Nicole had gone back to the recovery room to help Roslyn with the last of the cleaning chores.

  “I was about to explain everything to him when Mary Ferguson walked in with her beagle.” Nicole sprayed cleanser on a countertop and methodically wiped the hard surface, while wishing she could wipe that whole scene with Trey out of her mind. Yes, she’d handled the whole thing badly, but he hadn’t exactly been a model of common sense.

  “Oh pooh! Mary wouldn’t have cared if you’d made her wait!” Roslyn straightened up from the cage and leveled a pointed look at Nicole. “I think you were too afraid to tell Trey that you love him. That’s what this is all about.”

  Clutching the disposable cloth in one hand, she walked over to where Roslyn was standing. “That’s not so!” she exclaimed, then followed it with a miserable groan. “I—well, it was hardly the perfect time or place.”

  Roslyn rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, while across the room a dog barked in protest.

  “Perfection doesn’t fix things. Honesty does,” Roslyn said. “Does Trey know you’ve fallen in love with him?”

  “I’m not sure if he’s guessed how I feel about him,” Nicole said. “But I’ve showed him in plenty of ways that I love him.”

  Roslyn shook her head. “But have you said the words to him? Have you made it clear that you’re totally besotted with him?”

  Clasping her hands behind her back, Nicole walked over to the rows of stacked crates where a few dogs were recuperating until they were well enough to go home. As soon as the dachshund noticed that Nicole was headed in his direction, the bark turned into a happy whine and his tail started wagging.

  “Not exactly. I’ve thought about it, but—I felt like it was a bit soon to spring that on him. And—well, to be honest, I have been afraid. Trey hasn’t said anything to me about his feelings or the future.” She poked a finger between the wires and stroked the dog’s nose. His tail thumped harder. “He told me about those women who left him and how it felt to be deserted. Now I guess he thinks I’m deserting him, too. Oh, Ros, I don’t know what to do.”

  Roslyn turned the crate upside down to drain before she walked over to Nicole. “He and Chandler should be home from the Johnson by dark. You need to be at Trey’s place—waiting for him. That way he can’t run. He’ll have to hear you out.”

  Nicole frowned. “Why couldn’t he run off? If he drives up and sees my car, what’s to stop him from turning around and leaving?”

  “You think he’s that angry with you?”

  Angry? The more Nicole pondered it, the more she’d decided the l
ook on his face had been bottom-of-the-pit disappointment. That was even worse than anger.

  “No. But he—”

  “No buts!” Roslyn interrupted. “This isn’t a time to pussyfoot around. You need to be lying for an ambush.”

  Nicole laughed in spite of her misery. “You’ve been watching too many Westerns.”

  “I don’t need to watch a Western to know how to deal with a man. But it helps,” Roslyn said with a chuckle.

  Nicole’s mind had already moved on to planning mode when Cybil stuck her head around the door.

  “Hey, you two, I’m going home. Are you going to lock up?”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Roslyn answered her. “See you tomorrow.”

  After the blonde disappeared from the doorway, Roslyn turned back to Nicole and smiled.

  “Go home and change, then get over to Trey’s house. And don’t worry. When he gets home, you’ll know what to do.”

  * * *

  Trey wasn’t coming home. Not anytime soon, Nicole decided. Roslyn had predicted the two men would be home by dark, but twilight had come and gone and now the only light that remained was coming from the yard lamp.

  From her seat in one of the wooden rockers, she gazed down the dirt lane that led to Trey’s house and desperately wished his headlights would appear. Was she crazy for sitting here in the dark, waiting for a man who probably wouldn’t want to see her, much less talk to her?

  She loved him more than anything. She’d sit here all night if it would help right things between them. No, she’d camp here on his porch for days, even weeks, if that’s what it took to convince Trey that the life she’d led in Texas was truly behind her.

  The sound of her ringing phone jerked her from her swirling thoughts, and she hurriedly fished it from the handbag sitting next to her feet.

  “Nicci, where are you?”

  Nicole frowned at Roslyn’s abrupt question. “Silly, where do you think I am? I’m sitting on Trey’s front porch—waiting. He’s still not here! I’m beginning to think he’s probably gone to the Fandango or somewhere to have a few beers.”