He shook off his thoughts and smiled at her. "No, nothing's wrong. Everything is right."
"You looked like you were a million miles away."
"I was just thinking about…" His cell phone interrupted him and he gratefully reached for it. He had been about to ask her to marry him and the time wasn't right for that. He first needed to find out how she felt. He knew she wanted a commitment from him, but did she love him?
"Hello. Calhoun, what's up? Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can." He closed the phone and reached for his keys.
"What's going on?"
"I have to go to the police station, Calhoun says there's finally been a break in the case on Davidson. This could be very good news for us, Darlin'." He took her in his arms and kissed her passionately.
"When I get back we are going to have a long talk." He headed for the door before she could recover enough to protest the kiss.
He'd been gone for over three hours. Roxanne paced and Lobo eyed her from his bed in the corner. She was worried. If Davidson were arrested, he'd not be able to send her back. She wouldn't be able to save Papa. Wringing her hands she glanced again at the clock.
Of course Collin could be right. She had no idea if she could trust Davidson to keep his word. He could send her to the wrong time. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the phone rang. She grabbed it from the table and pushed the talk button.
"Hello."
"Are you ready to go back and help your father?"
"Mr. Davidson? But I thought…"
"That I'd be in jail? Sorry to disappoint you, the police questioned me about your kidnapping and then released me. I'm about a mile from your cabin. If you're going back, meet me outside. I don't have time to mess around. You need to leave while Mr. O'Neal is occupied with the police."
The phone went dead and Roxanne paced the kitchen. What was she going to do? She wanted so much to see her papa again, but how could she just betray Collin after all he'd gone through for her. Could she really leave Collin forever?
Stopping mid-stride she knew the answer to that was no. She couldn't leave him. She loved him and she'd stay with him for as long as he wanted her. Coming to that realization lifted the heavy weight of guilt she'd been carrying and she heaved a sigh of relief.
She went out to the deck where Lobo was sleeping and reaching down, she scratched him behind the ear. "You're such a good buddy, Lobo. I love you, boy. Come on, Lobo. We have to go in now."
He cocked his head, looking at her and giving a low growl. "Sorry, boy, you can romp in the meadow when Collin comes back."
Going inside with Lobo following close behind, she locked the French doors and then checked all the other doors and windows. She had no idea what Davidson might do when he learned of her decision, but it was better to be cautious.
* * * * *
Davidson hung up the phone and turned to the man beside him. "She'll probably be outside waiting."
"That was very good, now we're going down to the cellar and have a little chat."
"You're making a mistake, Wellman. It's too soon. If you go now, you'll end up in the wrong time."
"I'll take my chance. I've waited long enough. Black Rock will be mine and I'll finally have Roxanne."
Brad pushed Davidson ahead of him to the cellar stairs, keeping the gun pressed to his back as they negotiated the stairway.
The cold from the cellar caused Davidson to shiver along with the knowledge that he was about to die.
"You're still making a mistake. Why are you doing this? I've helped you and I can send you both back to the exact time you want. Why kill me and take a chance that you'll end up in the wrong time period? You aren't thinking clearly."
Brad laughed. "I appreciate all you've done, especially arranging to have your little friend help me. But, I don't like leaving loose ends and since I have the help I need now, I don't need you."
"You need me if you intend to end up where you want to go. I'm telling you, I'm the only one who can help you accomplish your goal. You're foolishly risking everything."
Brad pointed the gun and Davidson looked down the barrel, sweat breaking on his forehead. The man was either stupid or maniacal. Maybe both and Davidson knew he couldn't be reasoned with, but he had to keep trying. "I guarantee if you manage to get through that rock tonight, you will not go to 1898."
"I don't believe you, Davidson. This has all been a ruse on your part to keep me under your thumb while you sit in my house playing Master. I've been looking forward to this."
"Please…" the last thing he heard was the blast of the gun and then he was falling into darkness.
* * * * *
Roxanne waited, listening for Davidson's car, but he never came. She decided to read until Collin got back. Propping her back against some pillows on the sofa arm, she quickly became engrossed in her book. She'd been reading for about an hour when Lobo growled.
"Just let me finish this chapter, boy and then I'll play with you."
He growled again louder than before and she glanced up at him. He was facing the door, his ears laid flat and the fur at his neck standing up. Roxanne jumped when someone knocked.
Thinking it was Davidson, she ignored it, praying he'd give up and go away. Lobo continued to growl and when the knock came again, he ran to the door, barking and growling. Roxanne curled her feet under her and stayed quiet. She knew with the drapes closed, no one could see her from outside.
"Roxanne, it's me Edie. Please lock the dog in the bedroom and let me in."
Edie? How did she find out I was here? Roxanne got up and headed for the door, then stopped. Something was wrong.
"Roxanne, please. Collin's been hurt, he sent me here."
Lobo was lunging at the door and barking wildly. Roxanne didn't know what to think, but Collin trusted Edie. She tried to get Lobo to quiet down and move away from the door, but he refused to budge. She went to the window intending to ask Edie to wait for a moment.
When she moved the drape aside to look out, she could see Edie standing at the door in a short green dress. There was a man standing behind her and Roxanne gasped when recognizing Brad. Why would Brad be with Edie?
How on earth could he know she was here and what would Edie have to do with him?
"Come on, Roxanne. Let me in, but lock that dog in the bedroom. I'm terrified of dogs."
Roxanne remained silent and from her place by the window, she could hear the two on the porch talking together. It was muffled and she couldn't make out what they were saying.
Going to Lobo, she tried to get him to follow her away from the door. He still refused to obey and she decided to leave him there while she looked for something to defend herself. Collin had set a wooden ball bat behind the bedroom door and she went to get it.
Picking up the bat and grabbing the cell phone off the bedside table, she locked herself in the bathroom. A woman voice came on saying that the party she was trying to reach was unavailable. Roxanne repeated the process three more times before Collin's voice came over the phone.
"Collin, thank goodness! You aren't hurt are you?"
"No, I just left the station. What's going on?"
Roxanne told him about Edie trying to get in and that Brad was with her.
"Why would Edie tell you something like that? And how would Wellman have met her? Where are you and where's Lobo?"
"Lobo's going crazy by the front door and I'm locked in the bathroom with that ball bat of yours."
"Good, stay where you are. I'm on my way. Don't leave that room. I'm going to hang up for a moment and call the police then I'll call you right back."
"Please hurry."
The phone went quiet and Roxanne held on to it like a lifeline. It was several moments before he called back.
"Okay, just keep talking to me, Roxy. I can be there in just a minute or two. Can you hear anything?"
"Only Lobo barking."
That means they're probably still trying to get you to open the door and not trying to break in."
>
There was a loud crashing noise and Roxanne jumped, dropping the phone. She could hear Lobo growling viciously and then everything went quiet. She snatched up the phone from the floor with trembling hands.
"Collin, Collin!"
"I'm here, what's happening?"
"There was a crash. I think someone broke the glass in the French doors. Lobo must have gone after them and now everything is quiet. Collin, I'm so frightened."
"Stay calm and use that bat if you have to. I'm only about five…"
"Collin? Collin are you there?" There was no answer and Roxanne moved to the door, pressing her ear against the wood. She could hear Lobo snarling and growling, but the sound was low, as if coming from outside. There was a loud explosion of sound and Lobo yelped.
She knew that sound, a gunshot. Lobo! Without thinking, she opened the door and raising the bat over her head, ran to the kitchen. She could hear the sound of sirens in the distance and saw Edie and Brad run past the deck and around the side of the house. Running out to the deck, she searched frantically for any sign of Lobo.
"Lobo! Lobo? Here, boy. Lobo, where are you?" Stumbling down the steps, tears streaming down her face, she looked around the yard and spotted him lying in the grass at the edge of the meadow.
Dropping to her knees, she reached out and smoothed his fur. His muzzle was stained with blood and there was huge bloody spot by his shoulder. Roxanne sobbed, as she stroked him. Lobo responded to her touch by trying to raise his head and whining.
Roxanne sucked in a harsh breath, trying to control her sobs. "Oh, Lobo, you're alive."
"Roxanne!" Seeing the blood on her blouse, his heart nearly stopped. Running down the deck steps, Collin fell beside her and wrapped her tightly in his arms. "Are you hurt, Darlin'?"
"No…it's Lobo. He shot him, Collin."
"We'll take him to the emergency animal hospital."
"They have a hospital for animals?" She looked at him hopefully.
"Yes, they do and I'm sure they can fix him up." Collin let her go and reached to pick up Lobo. "This will probably hurt, boy, but I need to get you to the car." When Collin raised him in his arms, the dog yelped and whined.
"It's okay, boy."
He carried the injured dog around the side of the house just as two police cars skidded to a halt in the drive. Four officers jumped from the cars and cautiously approached the house.
"They've already gone. They shot our dog, we have to get him some help."
One of the policemen hurried up to him. "We need to have you answer some questions about what happened."
"You can either follow us or have someone meet us at the vet hospital, but we're leaving now."
"I'm sorry, sir, but you need to tell us what happened here."
"There was an intruder and he shot our dog. If you want a statement, you'll have to wait or come with us, but we're leaving now."
He looked at the wounded dog and then at Roxanne's tear stained face. "Okay, go on. Ramsey! Follow these two and get a statement."
Roxanne got in the car, as Collin laid Lobo on the back seat before getting in and driving toward town.
* * * * *
Roxanne paced the waiting room. They had taken Lobo to surgery and it seemed like the waiting would never end.
"Darlin', please sit down and try to relax. You're going to be exhausted."
"I can't sit still, Collin. I'm just so worried. Lobo got hurt trying to protect me."
"He probably saved your life by keeping Wellman occupied until the police could get there."
"I know. He just has to be okay, Collin. He has to be."
Collin wanted to tell her again that Lobo would be fine, but the doctor had said he wasn't sure yet and he knew it could go either way. That was one fantastic little guy in there and Collin prayed he'd pull through.
The police officer had followed and taken a statement from Roxanne. He'd gotten Brad and Edie's names and written down descriptions. Collin sure as hell hoped they managed to find them. He'd let Roxanne use her real name to file the report. There wasn't much use in using assumed names now.
The vet walked into the room and Roxanne rushed to him. "Is he okay, Dr. Ellis?"
"The vet looked at them both and smiled. "He's a very lucky fellow. The bullet missed his vital organs and with some rest, he's going to be as good as new."
"Thank you so much, Doctor."
"Yes, thank you." Collin shook the vet's hand and then pulled Roxanne close.
"Can we see him?" She asked anxiously.
"Sure for a moment or two. He'll need to stay here for about a week and then you can take him home."
Lobo was still pretty groggy, but he managed to lick Roxanne's hand. They sat with him and spoke soft encouraging words for as long as the vet allowed and then left the hospital. As they walked to the car, Roxanne smiled brilliantly.
"I'm so happy he's going to be okay. I love this great big modern world. This animal hospital is much nicer than any human hospital I've ever seen."
"Yeah, nicer than most I've seen too."
"Huh? You're teasing, right?"
"Yes, I'm teasing. That Lobo is quite a character. He adores you. Of course that's understandable because you're so adorable, especially in those jeans and tank top."
She blushed. "So far, these are my favorite clothes. They're very comfortable."
Collin grinned. If Roxanne knew how provocative her bottom looked outlined by the jeans, she'd not be so happy with them.
He turned the car and headed west toward his house. "We'll go home. I don't want to go back to the cottage. It's not safe now. At least at the house, we'll have the security system." All signs of humor left his face and Roxanne wondered if he were thinking of Edie.
"I'm sorry, Collin. I liked her too."
"We've been friends for so long and I could always trust her. I just don't understand this and I'm worried."
Roxanne studied his frown through the glow of the dashboard lights and hoped that Edie was all right and for Collin's sake that her betrayal was not by her own choice.
A fierce desire to protect Collin from all hurt washed over her. With that desire came the realization of just how much this man had come to mean to her. The physical ache for him was there, even stronger than at first. But the love she'd felt then was childish compared to the overwhelmingly powerful emotion she now felt. It left her shaken.
Collin glanced over at Roxanne and saw the deep frown marring her brow. "Don't worry, Darlin'. The police will catch Wellman and this will soon be behind us." Collin forced a cheerful tone to his voice.
"I know. I'm not worried, Collin."
"As soon as we get back to the house, I'll see if I can locate Edie. Then tomorrow, I'll call your family and tell them about you. I know you're nervous about that, but it has to be done."
"It's okay, Darling. I'm more excited than nervous." She hoped God would forgive her for the huge lie.
* * * * *
They worked until the small hours of the morning trying to find Edie, but had no luck. They finally went to bed and slept for a few hours. First thing the next morning, Collin called the police, but there was still no news of Edie and Brad.
He then placed the call to Roxanne's father. He explained that Roxanne had been found and explained about Davidson kidnapping her. William must have asked Collin a hundred questions and he wanted to see Roxanne right away.
"I need to meet this young woman, Collin. I don't want anyone else in the family being told about this yet. You didn't call Devin, did you?"
"No, sir, you're the first to know.
"That's good. I don't want Rowena and the kids to know anything about this until I've had a chance to thoroughly check her out. More than likely, she's an imposter."
"She's not an imposter, Will. She's your daughter and I don't want you coming here giving her the third degree."
"You sound mighty protective, boy. You got feelings for his girl?"
"I do, yes."
"Just how lon
g have you known about this woman?"
"This woman is your daughter Roxanne, and I've know her for several months."
"And you never mentioned it? Why the hell not?"
"I wasn't able to."
"You weren't able to? What in tar nation is that supposed to mean!"
William O'Malley's big booming voice pierced Collin's ear and he held the phone away from his head for a moment.
"Calm down, Will."
Collin suddenly decided William needed to be told the truth. He was a powerful man in the state of Texas and could offer Roxanne additional protection as well as put a burr up the ass of the police to find Edie and Brad.
"Will, just come on over to my place right away and meet Roxanne. I'll tell you the whole story when you get here."
"I'm on my way."
The phone went dead and Collin placed it on the desk, a worried frown marring his brow. This was turning out to be even harder than he'd expected. William O'Malley could be a stubborn old goat. He went to find Roxanne and tell her the not so good news.
* * * * *
William laughed so hard and so long that Collin began to fear he'd have a stroke. He glanced at Roxanne, sitting so pale and quiet in a chair next to the desk. His heart ached for her. She'd just met her biological father and William had been no more than coldly polite. Now after hearing their story, all he could do was laugh. Collin grew angry.
"There is absolutely nothing funny about this situation, Will."
William sobered and gave Collin a look that could have frozen the whole state of Texas in ice.
"You're right, there's nothing funny about my missing daughter." He glanced briefly at Roxanne with his cold gray eyes.
"You know, boy, your father and I were the best of friends, God rest his soul. But, if this is some kind of morbid joke, you've gone too far. As much as I enjoyed the story, I now want the truth. I can understand you're fascination with this young woman. She's extremely attractive. Turning to Roxanne, he examined her from head to toe.
"Just what do you expect from all this, Miss? You want money? You think you can just waltz in and tell me you're my daughter and I'll bestow you with riches? Or are you after something else?"
E. G. Parsons - Black Rock: Page 18