Top Gun Guardian

by Carol Ericson

  Maybe the sheriff had some news about the man who had drugged and attacked her. Buzz had convinced the sheriff to keep the details of the crime quiet, but that didn’t mean the sheriff and his men weren’t keeping an eye on the strangers who still cluttered White Cloud.

  Raven eased her legs off the sofa and scooted past Josie and Austin on the floor. She limped toward the hallway, and her gut churned as Sheriff Tallant watched her approach with deep lines engraved on his face.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  Buzz drew her hand through his arm. “I don’t know. Sheriff Tallant was just about to tell me. Sheriff?”

  Sheriff Tallant shifted from one booted foot to the other. “I’m not sure if this has anything to do with your…accident last night, Raven, but it all seems kind of suspicious. Is your maiden name Pierre?”

  “Yes.” A cold fear clutched at her heart and she sidled in closer to Buzz.

  “We found a dead man tonight…and he had your name and number on a piece of paper crumpled in his fist.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Raven’s body jerked once and slumped against Buzz’s. He tightened his arm around her. Maybe they had just gotten lucky. Maybe Russell had taken out the man who had assaulted Raven.

  “Was it murder?”

  “I’d say a bullet to the back of the head was murder.” The sheriff widened his stance and tipped back his hat from his forehead.

  Buzz cleared his throat. “Do you have an ID for this man, Sheriff?”

  Scratching his chin, Sheriff Tallant said, “That’s where it gets hinky, or hinkier. The dead man’s a CIA agent—Agent Russell.”

  Buzz could feel the blood draining from his face and he clenched his jaw. Raven melted into him further as she emitted a small noise from the back of her throat.

  Russell had gotten sloppy. In his eagerness to get his hands on Malika, he’d neglected his own safety. If Raven had gone out to meet Russell when he called, she might have met the same fate.

  Sheriff Tallant narrowed his faded blue eyes. “Would a CIA agent have any reason to contact you, Raven? Do you know this Agent Russell?”

  “I—I…” She pressed against Buzz’s side and he could feel her body trembling.

  “Yes.” Buzz squared his shoulders and tilted his chin. “Agent Russell was here to ask Raven some questions.”

  “Is this connected to the fire, Buzz?”

  “We don’t know, Sheriff.”

  “Hi, Doug. What’s going on? Did you find the kids who started that second fire?” Josie shuffled into the hallway, big bunny slippers on her feet.

  Sheriff Tallant glared at Buzz from under his shaggy gray brows. “Not yet, Josie. Just wrapping up some business.”

  Buzz nodded at the sheriff in acknowledgment of his discretion. He stuck out his hand. “We’ll keep in touch after we leave, Sheriff.”

  “Do you want some pie, Doug?” Josie waved her arm behind. “Austin’s already started digging into one even though I told him to save it for tomorrow.”

  “That’s okay, sweetheart. Linda’s got plenty of pie at home.”

  “All right, then. Happy Thanksgiving.” Josie swung around, yelling, “Don’t you give the kids any of that pie, Austin.”

  Sheriff Tallant put his hand on the doorknob and turned to the side. “One more thing, Buzz. When I called the Agency to report the murder of Agent Russell, the guy on the phone told me Agent Russell wasn’t on any official case for them. He was on vacation. Now why do you suppose he was vacationing in White Cloud?”

  Buzz lifted a stiff shoulder. “Maybe he likes rodeos.”

  When the door slammed behind the sheriff, Raven clutched his arm with cold fingers. “What does it mean, Buzz? Why was Russell killed and what was he doing here in the first place?”

  He clasped her hands and tried to rub some warmth into them. “I’m not sure. Obviously, the man who’s been after you killed Russell. Maybe the CIA didn’t want to tell Sheriff Tallant what their agent was doing here any more than we want to tell him why we’re here. Or maybe…”

  “Russell was working on his own.” She loosened her hands from his and pushed her hair from her face. “I knew it. Russell wanted Malika for himself, not the Agency. He probably wanted to strike a deal of his own. Maybe he was even working with Farouk and was murdered because he strayed from the path. You said he might be a rogue agent.”

  “It could be, Raven. I’m not going to be so quick to point the finger at a CIA agent. Most of those people I know work hard and are committed to justice.”

  She shivered. “One more day. We eat turkey and then we trot on out of here.”

  BUZZ ROLLED TO THE SIDE and nuzzled Raven’s neck. She smelled sweet and musky and he wanted to wake up next to her every day for the rest of his life.

  They’d made love in the night—slowly, sweetly, tenderly. He’d wanted to ravish her, claim her as his own as they moved along this path of uncertainty. But she’d needed comfort, security…love.

  And he had that…in aces. Could she return it this time? Could she return it without worrying about living up to some family ideal that he’d come to realize he had forced on her before?

  She opened one sleepy eye, and he kissed her soft lips. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

  Her lashes fluttered as she untangled her legs from his and stretched her long limbs toward the foot of the bed. “It’s going to be good, isn’t it, Buzz?”

  “Yeah, all good, babe. We’ll hightail it out of White Cloud tomorrow with Malika. I’ll rent a plane somewhere and we’ll take off for a safer place.”

  She smoothed her hands across his stubble. “I didn’t mean all that. I meant Thanksgiving would be good. Kids, family, good home-cooked food.”

  He grinned as his heart ached for the lost little girl who wanted what she thought she could never have, didn’t deserve to have. “That too.”

  Someone banged on the bedroom door, and Raven clung to him. Was he ever going to get her off this precipice of danger?

  “Yeah?”

  “Are you decent?” Josie inched open the door and stuck her head through the crack.

  “You didn’t wait for an answer.”

  Josie jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “I have jobs for everyone in the kitchen, even the kids. I’m using riding as an incentive for getting the chores done. Shep promised he’d take them out once more before dinner. Malika insisted. That girl is turning into a good little rider already.”

  “You missed your calling, Josie. You should’ve been a drill sergeant.” Buzz tossed a pillow at the door and Josie slammed it with a huff.

  “Do you think Malika will be safe out there with Shep?”

  “I’ll go out with them, too. I always have my weapon with me. Nobody is going to get to Malika while I’m there.”

  She kissed his chin. “I know that, Buzz. Now we’d better shower, dress and report for duty.”

  Twenty minutes later, Buzz jogged down the stairs. The smells coming from the kitchen made his mouth water. He hadn’t had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner since his parents died. At least one good thing had come from his journey to White Cloud—he’d reconnected with Josie.

  Josie shoved a pot of potatoes against his chest as soon as he walked into the kitchen. “Peel these. Is Raven coming down or is she shirking her Thanksgiving responsibilities?”

  “She’s on her way, boss.”

  “You know, she’s kind of grown on me.” She elbowed him in the ribs. “And she’s a good mom to Malika.”

  Yeah, she was. A good mom.

  When Raven joined them in the kitchen, she surveyed the scene with wide eyes. “There’s so much food.”

  “That’s why we’re just having bagels for breakfast.” Josie waved a knife at a plate of bagels and a tub of cream cheese. “Help yourself and then I’ve got a job for you.”

  “I’ll bet you do.” She scooted next to Buzz at the sink. “You’re peeling potatoes?”

  “It’s my job, and don’t distract me or I’m
going to peel my finger.”

  After everyone had eaten breakfast, and the turkey was in the oven, the kids begged to go riding.

  Shep pushed to his feet, his gaze still lingering on the football game on TV. “Okay, but Malika’s gotta stay in the paddock, and I don’t want the rest of you going so far we have to fetch you for dinner or we’re going to leave you out there.”

  Raven shifted a glance toward Buzz and he felt it like a needle. “I’ll go out with you, Shep. Then you can go with the kids if they want to take a short ride. I don’t think they should be out on their own…not on Thanksgiving.”

  “Thanks, Buzz.”

  Josie yawned. “I’m going to take a nap for an hour.”

  Austin gestured to the TV. “Want to watch the rest of the game with me, Raven?”

  Raven agreed to sit through the game with Austin, and a smile tugged at Buzz’s lips. She really wanted the full Thanksgiving experience.

  He trudged out to the stable with Shep, the kids dancing around them. The excitement of the festival and the Thanksgiving holiday had given all the kids an extra dose of energy. They all seemed switched into overdrive, the air around them buzzing with electricity.

  The kids knew enough to saddle their own horses, and he and Shep supervised and secured. Did Malika know it was her last day with Star? It seemed so as she leaned forward and whispered to the pony in her own language. Great, now Star would only understand commands in Chichewa.

  The air outside was heavy and Buzz inspected the leaden sky. The wind carried a whiff of rain and a hint of doom.

  Buzz shook it off. The imminence of their departure was heightening his sensitivity. Everything had an air of finality because they were leaving the ranch tomorrow.

  Shep unlatched the gate to the paddock, and the kids filed in on their horses. The others were a big help to Malika. They were anxious for her to join them on a real ride. Unfortunately for all of them, that was never going to happen.

  The horses plodded around the circular paddock until the older kids spurred theirs on to a trot. Shep clapped his hands. “Okay, let’s go for a short ride, but we need to be back and cleaned up for Josie’s dinner or she’ll have my hide.”

  The kids giggled, and Buzz gripped Star’s reins as Malika turned the pony toward the gate that led from the paddock to a tree-lined riding trail. “We’ll put Star into a trot, give him a workout. What do you think, darlin’?”

  She bestowed a dazzling smile on him. “That is good, Buzz-Daddy.”

  That was easy. Buzz puffed out a sigh of relief. He really didn’t feel like arguing with a five-year-old.

  As he watched the last tail flick through the gate, a chill seized him. “Be careful, Shep. Watch the kids.”

  Shep twisted his body in the saddle and patted the breast of his jacket.

  Shep must be armed, too. Had he picked up on Buzz’s tension? How could he have missed it? Every fiber in Buzz’s body seemed taut and his jaw ached with the stress.

  He forced his face into a smile. “Okay, let’s see what this pony can do.”

  Malika contentedly put Star through his paces around the paddock. She had a real connection with the pony, and he seemed happy to do Malika’s bidding. Malika had never shown one ounce of fear with Star, and the pony knew he could trust his rider.

  He had wanted to get Raven on a horse, but he knew she was afraid. Maybe she could work up to it. Buzz snorted at his hazy dreams of a life with Raven. They hadn’t decided anything yet. As far as he knew, she planned to go back to her life in Manhattan when this was all over.

  And he planned to find Jack once President Okeke told him what he knew about Jack’s disappearance.

  The sky darkened and a fat raindrop splashed on the toe of Buzz’s boot. His gaze darted toward the shaded entrance to the riding trail. The damned thing was too dark. He’d have Shep hire someone to clear the heavy foliage from the beginning of that path.

  A distant squeal sent Buzz’s heart slamming against his chest and he squinted at the trail. A scream jolted him from his boot tips to his head and he strode toward the gate.

  “Settle down. Slow down. We’re coming to the end.” Shep’s calming voice washed over Buzz like a dose of tranquilizer, and he closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose.

  The riders drew up to the gate with Shep’s grandson in the lead. Malika trotted over to them eagerly, almost as at ease in the saddle as the rest of the kids.

  Shep glanced at the sky. “Looks like a downpour is coming.”

  “Grandpa, we can still ride horses in the rain, can’t we?”

  “Sure you can. Horses like the rain, but my old bones don’t and I can hear a turkey calling my name.”

  The kids gobbled all the way to the stables and Buzz and Shep allowed them to unsaddle the horses and put away their gear. Buzz hung on the stable door and stared at the black clouds gathering on the horizon. He couldn’t shake the feeling that a dark menace lurked in those clouds.

  Raven must have been drinking the same Kool-Aid. When they walked through the side door, she tossed aside a magazine and searched his face. “Everything go okay?”

  He took off his hat and hung it on the hook. “Everything went fine. Malika’s becoming a fine horsewoman. Shep took the others on a ride up the trail.”

  Raven shifted her gaze to Malika, shrugging out of her jacket. “Did you have fun, Malika?”

  Malika smiled. “Yes, Mama. I had fun.”

  She clutched her jacket to her chest and scrambled upstairs after the other kids.

  “Is it raining yet?” Biting her lip, Raven ducked her head to look out the window.

  “Not yet.” Buzz came up behind her and massaged her rigid shoulders. “But a storm’s on the way. And it’s a big one.”

  RAVEN PATTED HER BELLY after she popped the last forkful of pumpkin pie into her mouth. She might have to buy a whole new wardrobe at Daisy’s after this stint in White Cloud. “That was yummy.”

  Buzz reached over and touched a finger to the corner of her mouth. “Whipped cream. You were shoveling it in so fast, you missed.”

  She smacked his thigh and giggled. Really, what had she been so worried about before? A sense of impending calamity had hung over her head the entire time Buzz and Shep had the kids out riding. Must be the weather. The sky was still threatening, but it was teasing them. It wasn’t ready to unleash its deluge yet.

  Malika sat at Raven’s feet, scooping all the whipped cream off her pie. She rested her head against Raven’s leg. “Horses like rain, Mama.”

  “Do they? Don’t drop that whipped cream on the floor.” She shoved Malika’s napkin toward her on the coffee table. “And how about you? Do you like rain?”

  “Yes, just like Star.”

  Raven felt a tightness in her throat. Malika was going to miss that pony. Raven and Buzz planned to tell Malika tonight about their departure tomorrow. Austin and Josie were leaving first thing in the morning, and she and Buzz would be right behind them. Different direction.

  A snore drifted from the other sofa, and Josie rolled her eyes. “That’s my husband on Thanksgiving—OD’d on football, stuffing and pie.

  Shep carried his coffee cup and plate to the kitchen. “Thanks for the hospitality, folks. I think we’ll head back to the house.”

  “But Grandpa, we’re going to play Xbox in Wyatt’s room.”

  Josie shrugged. “If that’s okay with you, Shep. We let Wyatt bring his Xbox to connect to the TV upstairs and told the kids they could play after dinner.”

  “If it’s okay for you to have a few extra kids on your hands. I think I’m going to go home and follow Austin’s example.”

  “It’s fine. Walk carefully.” Josie snorted at her own joke.

  The kids scurried off to Wyatt’s room and the sound of lasers and blasts wafted downstairs.

  Josie adjusted Austin’s head in her lap and hit the remote on the TV. “I hope you don’t mind, Raven. The games aren’t too violent, mostly space aliens and that kind o
f thing. Shut the door, Wyatt.”

  The sound of alien weapons was muted with the click of the door.

  “Do you two want to watch a movie?” Josie aimed the remote at the TV. “There are usually some good classic movies and musicals on for Thanksgiving.”

  Buzz grunted and opened his newspaper. “Just what I want to watch, a musical.”

  “Whatever you want, Josie.” Raven jumped up to collect the rest of the pie plates and coffee cups. When she settled back on the sofa next to Buzz, he nudged her leg and tapped the newspaper.

  She followed his finger on the newsprint to a black headline: New Burumandan Government Quashes Rebel Forces.

  The nightmare was almost over. But had it really been a nightmare? It had brought her and Buzz back together, and she wanted to keep it that way…just as soon as she told him. And it had brought Malika into her life.

  Raven smiled and settled back to watch Dorothy. There’s no place like home.

  As the movie neared its conclusion, spatters of rain hit the window. “Rain’s finally here.”

  “Mmm?” Buzz had switched from newspaper to book and rubbed her thigh absently.

  Austin still lay sleeping, his head resting in his wife’s lap, and Josie had joined him in slumber land, her head tilted back against the cushions of the sofa, her mouth slightly ajar.

  Warm domesticity.

  “What did you say, babe?” Buzz rubbed his eyes and rested his book on his chest.

  “The rain, it’s coming.”

  “I hope the storm spends itself tonight so we don’t have a tough drive tomorrow morning.”

  “We’ll tell Malika tonight before she goes to bed, right?”

  “Yes, and we can give her some good news too about her country. We should be able to reunite her with her father any day now.”

  “Who’s going to give you the word?”

  “Colonel Scripps.”

  “I’m going to get some water and check on the kids. They’ve been destroying aliens for over an hour.” Raven strolled into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. A low rumble of thunder drew her to the window. Her hands tightened around the glass. “Buzz? Did you and Shep leave the gate to the riding trail open? It looks open.”