through her.
"I thought you'd gone back to Chicago," she said to Luke as he got out
of the car. She tried to ignore how achingly handsome he looked, the
quickening in her heart as he stepped up on the porch.
"I decided to stick around for a little while longer."
"Morbid curiosity?" she asked.
He smiled. "Perhaps, and a need for closure where Greg's case is
concerned."
She nodded, unable to fault him for that. If one of her sisters had
been murdered, she'd want to see it through, make certain the guilty
was punished. "Where are you staying?"
"Owl's Nest Motel." He moved closer to her, his gaze intent as he
scanned her features. "You look tired."
"I am." She almost resented his observation. She resented that he
knew her well enough to know she looked tired, yet couldn't see the
fact that she was helplessly in love with him. "I had three men quit
today."
His dark eyebrows raised in surprise. "Why?"
"Henry Carsworth. He hired them away from me." "Did he buy a place
around here?"
Abby sighed. "From what I understand, not yet. He seems to be certain
he's going to get this place before long." She wrapped her arms around
herself and stared out at the landscape, cold despite the heat of the
summer evening. "I feel like a rabbit waiting for the hawk to dive
toward me." She looked at Luke once again. "So, what brings you back
here?"
"I saw Junior this morning. Yesterday he took your cocoa mix to a lab
and he should have the results sometime in the next couple of days. He
also told me before he requested any phone records from Greg's room, he
wants a copy of the tape you made. You still have it?"
Abby nodded. "I put it in the office." But she didn't move to get it.
Instead her conversation with Belinda replayed in her mind. If she
didn't tell Luke how she felt about him, would she always wonder?
Always regret?
"Abby, it's possible in the next day or two we'll have enough
information to vindicate you," Luke said as he took a step closer to
her.
She looked at him, studying his face, loving each and every feature
that made him who he was. "And is that important to you? There was a
time when you were certain I was guilty."
"That was before I knew you, when I only had Greg's perceptions to form
my opinion. Abby, certainly it's important to me that you don't go to
prison for a crime you didn't commit."
In his eyes she saw the whisper of an emotion that gave her hope,
buoyed courage through her. She leaned toward him and placed her palm
against his cheek. "Luke, don't go back to Chicago. Stay here. Stay
here with me."
His eyes flamed with heat at her touch and she heard his breath catch
in his chest. For a moment she couldn't speak. The words she wanted
to say to him were filled with emotion too huge. His hand covered hers
on his cheek, "I love you, Luke. God help me, I don't want to; but I
do. I want you to be the man in my life. I want my dreams to come
true with you at my side."
"Abby." He whispered her name with a wealth of regret that seemed at
odds with the expression on his face. Gently he removed her hand from
his cheek and stepped back from her. "I never intended for this to
happen."
"Neither did I," Abby replied, a dull ache sweeping through her as he
took another step back from her.
"Abby, you just think you love me because I've supported you through
these rough times. It's only natural you'd feel a certain fondness for
me."
She stared at him, anger riveting through her. "How dare you. How
dare you try to tell me what I feel and why. How dare you minimize my
feelings because I've obviously made you uncomfortable by speaking of
them."
He raked a hand through his hair and averted his gaze from hers.
"You're right." He walked over to the railing and stood with his back
to her. "But it doesn't matter how you feel about me, or what I feel
for you. There's more involved here."
Again hope filled Abby's heart. Of course he was reluctant to bind
himself to a woman with a court case hanging over her head. "But,
Luke, you said yourself hopefully Junior will come up with some answers
that will help vindicate me. Once we get this court mess behind us, we
could make a go of the ranch."
She drew a deep breath. "Can you honestly look me in the eyes and tell
me you don't feel something for me? That you don't love me?"
He turned back to her, his eyes darkened with pain. "No, Abby, I can't
honestly tell you I don't love you." He sighed wearily. "I came here
hating you, believing you were a coldhearted woman. And I'm leaving
here loving you, but I am leaving."
"But why?" She searched his features, needing to understand, joy
battling with pain.
He clenched his hands into fists. "Because I can't be the man you
need. I can't be the man Cody needs."
"Cody?" Again confusion swirled inside Abby. "What does he have to do
with this? Cody loves you."
"Cody needs a man to be his father, just like Greg needed years ago. I
blew it with Greg, and I won't make the same mistake with your son.
I'll live the rest of my life with guilt over the fact that I let Greg
down. I couldn't live with that same kind of guilt where Cody is
concerned."
"You're afraid." Abby stared at him incredulously. "You're afraid of
Cody's love."
He didn't answer and again he averted his gaze. "I promised my father
when he died that I'd do the right thing by Greg, raise him to be a
good man. I failed miserably. Cody needs a man who knows how to be a
father."
"Luke, you told me Greg was sixteen years old when he came to live with
you. By that age he." d already developed into the man he became. No
matter how much you loved him, guided him, tried to help him, he was
what he was. Cody needs a man who will love him. That's all he needs.
"
He looked her right in the eyes. "I'm not willing to take on a child.
I love you, Abby, but I won't become a part of your life. I'd be no
good to Cody, and eventually that would make me no good to you."
She wanted to scream at him, use common sense to pound him over the
head. Cody wasn't Greg and never would become a man like Greg. But
she saw in Luke's stance, in his eyes, that it didn't matter what she
said. He intended to turn his back on her and walk out of her life
because he was afraid.
"Tn go get the tape," she said dully. She turned to go into the house,
but hesitated as Luke caught her arm.
"Abby, I'm sorry." Emotion thickened, 'deepened his voice.
"For what?" She gazed at him dispassionately, all hope dead, all
dreams lost. "Sorry for being man enough to bed me, but not man enough
to stay with me, build a life with me? Don't worry, Luke. I'll get
over it." She pulled her arm from his grasp and went into the house.
As she walked down the hallway toward the office, she refused to give
in to the tears that burned, threatenin
g to overwhelm her. He loved
her . but not enough to overcome his fear. It seemed that even beyond
the grave Greg's legacy to her continued to be one of unhappiness.
She entered the office and froze in the doorway. Rusty stood behind
the desk, the checkbook open in front of him.
"Rusty?"
He jumped, obviously startled by her sudden appearance. "Oh, uh, I was
just..."
"Rusty, not you." Abby had thought her heart incapable of any more
pain, but as she looked at the man who'd worked for them for so many
years, a man she'd trusted beyond doubt, her heart found a new place to
ache.
"You've been stealing checks and forging my name." It wasn't a
question, it was knowledge. Knowledge gleaned from the hatred that
radiated from his eyes as he glared at her. "Why, Rusty?"
"Why? Because you owe me. I should own this place." He appeared to
grow younger, more alive with his rage. "I've put fifteen years of my
sweat into this ranch and I've got nothing to show for it. I've just
been taking what I deserve."
"You've been bleeding us dry." Anger swiftly overrode the pain.
"You're going to jail, Rusty."
Rusty laughed. "For what? Nobody is gonna believe you. Everyone's
talking about how confused you've been, how you haven't been yourself
at all lately. Nobody is going to believe whatever you say."
Fear swept through her as she realized he might be right.
"They'll believe me." Luke stepped into the room. "Abby, call Deputy
Helstrom and get him out here. I think we're about to get some much
needed answers." '
Chapter Fifteen
"Have a seat, Rusty. I'm not letting you out of here until you're in
Helstrom's custody," Luke said as he pointed to the chair behind the
desk.
The old man sank into the chair, once again looking old and defeated.
"Deputy Helstrom is on his way," Abby said as she hung up the phone
receiver.
Luke stared at the old man. "It's over now, Rusty."
"It ain't over till it's over," Rusty returned. "You wrote those
checks to Greg, didn't you?" Abby asked. Luke could tell by the
pallor of her cheeks how hard Rusty's betrayal had hit her. He refused
to consider that her paleness might be a result of their conversation
moments before.
"Greg was a stupid, greedy man," Rusty exclaimed angrily. "He found
out I had access to the checks, and demanded he get cut into some of
the action."
"And when you tired of paying him, you killed him." Luke's blood ran
cold in his veins as he stared at the foreman. He'd always known
Greg's greed had probably gotten him killed," but there had been
another human being on the opposite end of that branding iron and as
Luke looked into Rusty's eyes, he saw the eyes of his half brother's
killer. " You killed Greg, didn't you? "
"I don't see a lawyer present, so I reckon I don't have to answer any
of your questions." He crossed his arms and leaned back in the
chair.
"Did you try to hurt me by throwing a bale of hay from the loft?" Abby
asked.
Rusty looked at her in surprise. "I don't know what you're talking
about."
"You didn't throw a bale of hay or put a tack under Blackheart's saddle
blanket in an effort to hurt me?"
Abby's gaze remained intent on Rusty.
"I didn't do anything like that."
"But you did drug her cocoa," Luke interjected. Rusty's eyes flared
wide, then narrowed, and again he clamped his mouth tightly shut,
indicating he wasn't about to incriminate himself in anything that
couldn't be proven.
"We'll know the truth soon enough," Luke said. "It's only a matter of
time and you're going to be behind bars."
A small smile crept across Rusty's lips. "We'll see when all is said
and done who's where."
Something about the smile caused an uneasiness to ripple through Luke.
What did the old man have up his sleeve? Luke knew in his gut, in the
very core of his being, that Rusty had killed Greg. And the fact that
it had apparently been over money only added to the indignity of
death.
Restlessly he moved over to the window, wondering what in the hell was
keeping Deputy Helstrom.
Abby'd caught Rusty with his hand in the till. At the very least Rusty
would face a charge of theft. But Luke wanted more. He wanted Rusty
behind bars for Greg's death.
He turned and looked at Abby. She stood in the doorway, as if, should
Rusty decide to make a run for it, she'd physically barricade him from
escape. Her color had returned, firing her cheeks with her ire.
His heart had always known she was innocent. Despite the evidence
against her, his heart had known the truth. His gaze met hers across
the room and in hers he saw not only love but a vast relief. He
realized then that until this moment she hadn't been one hundred
percent convinced of her own innocence. He walked across the room to
stand next to her.
"It's almost over, Abby," he said softly. He kept his voice low enough
so Rusty couldn't hear him. "Rusty will break. He'll confess to
killing Greg and everything else he's responsible for. He's an old
man. He'll cooperate for a lesser sentence."
She nodded. "And I'll have my life back." She looked up at him. "And
you can go home knowing the real killer is behind bars."
Home. Yes, he could go back to Chicago, although he had a feeling it
would never feel like home again. Home was here with Abby, holding her
in his arms, loving her with every fiber of his being.
But no matter how much he loved her, he couldn't forget that this
entire situation was partially his fault. Had he done his job in
guiding Greg, none of this would have happened.
A knock resounded on the front door. "That must be Richard. I'll go
let him in," Abby said.
As she left the room, once again a small smile curved Rusty's lips and
another wave of uneasiness crept through Luke. He had a feeling the
old coot had something up his sleeve, but for the life of him, Luke
couldn't figure out what it might be.
"What's going on in here?" Richard Helstrom entered the office with
Abby just behind him. He eyed Luke, then Rusty.
"I walked into the office and surprised Rusty stealing checks from my
checkbook," Abby said.
Richard looked at Rusty with disgust. "You stupid old fool."
"That's not all. We also think Rusty is responsible for Greg's death,"
Luke added.
"I am. I did kill Greg." Rusty came alive with his confession, his
eyes flaming anger as he sat up straight in the chair. "He was nothing
but a mewling, greedy pain. Once he discovered I was dipping my hand
into the till, he demanded a cut of the action."
"And after you paid him a couple thousand, you got tired and killed
him." Luke kept his voice cool and controlled despite the pain and
anger that rippled through him.
"I went to his room to tell him to leave town, that he'd bled me
enough. But he laughed at me, told me he wasn't near half done
collect
ing money." Rusty's faded eyes flashed darkly. "He pushed me,
told me I was just an old man and I'd better do as he told me. I went
out to my truck, got a branding iron and killed him."
"Rusty, why don't you shut up," Richard snapped. He pulled his
revolver from his holster. " Abby gasped when instead of aiming it at
Rusty,
he aimed it at Luke. "I'm afraid Rusty has a big mouth and now it
seems you and Miss Abby here have become liabilities."
Luke stared at the lawman, his brain unable to comprehend this sudden
twist of events. "You're working together? You and Rusty?"
Rusty stood and walked over to Richard. He clapped him on the back and
smiled at Luke. "Oh, guess I forgot to mention that Richard here is my
son. Remember I told you about him. Seems he got a wild hair and
decided to look up his old man."
"Although dear old dad here wasn't supposed to get caught filching
checks," Richard said.
"This has never been about the. small amounts of money you could
misappropriate, it's about the ranch, isn't it?" Luke said.
Richard motioned for Abby to join Luke in the center of the room. As
she moved beside him, Luke placed an arm around her, felt the shivers
that rippled through her. "You're right," Richard replied. "I--I
Cassidy, Carla - Midnight Wishes Page 21