The Texas Ranger's Reward (Undercover Heroes)

by Winters, Rebecca

And when they’d been up in the rustic bedroom she’d turned into a studio, their eyes had met across the room. For a moment he’d imagined the cabin being theirs. Everything appealed to him, from the artwork on the walls to the colorful quilt her grandmother had made years earlier. Mellow with age and life having been lived, the cabin’s interior had a warmth he could feel. Casey would love it. Especially the rope swing.

  He saw black when he thought of the intruders who’d ruined Melissa’s pleasure. Travis now had another enemy he was tracking besides Valerie’s killer. This new project had become personal.

  * * *

  THE MINUTE MELISSA EMERGED from her town house on Tuesday morning, Casey came running, with an adorable black Scottish terrier at his heels.

  “Hi, Casey!” she called out, and was rewarded with a hearty hug around the waist. “This must be Dexter. Hi-ya, fella.” She hunkered down to rub his head and ears.

  After lots of licks from his pink tongue, she got up and unlocked the Jeep. Travis picked up the dog and put him in the backseat with Casey.

  “Quite a change from the first time we showed up at the clinic,” he whispered as he came around to shut her door.

  Their eyes met. “But he did look so cute using his crutches,” she whispered back.

  “Are you talking about me?”

  She turned to peer at the dark-haired boy, strapped in with the dog lying next to him.

  “Yes. We’re glad your leg is all better. Let me see your arm.” He showed it to her. “You’re going to have a scab, but it’s healing just fine.”

  “Since you sprayed me, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

  His father grinned at Melissa, turning her limbs to water.

  She’d confided in John about Travis’s deceased wife and her own resemblance to her. John didn’t have specific answers to that problem, but had warned Melissa to go slowly. In time, things would change with Travis one way or the other. Her brother advised her to just play it cool while the investigation was going on.

  Hah. So much for trying to distance herself from Travis. This talk with John had come too late. She was already in up to her hairline where the Texas Ranger was concerned. Any more looks like he’d just given her and she’d drown.

  Melissa started the engine and they took off. “I’m glad you’re so much better,” she said to Casey. “I was thinking maybe you’d like to do some painting with me. Around the side of the cabin is a big rock where a family of woodchucks play. They have five burrows I’ve counted. Sometimes they stand still on their hind legs, listening for intruders, and then they whistle to warn the others.”

  Casey laughed. “They whistle?”

  “Yes. Some people call them pig-whistlers. My brother calls them pot guts, because they have such big tummies.” Both father and son laughed this time. “I think they’re fun to draw,” Melissa added.

  “I wanna see them.”

  “You will, but we’ll have to sit quietly for a while until they come out.”

  “I can be quiet, huh, Dad?”

  “When you’re asleep,” his father teased. “But I can’t vouch for Dexter.”

  “I’ll keep him in the cabin. Will that be okay, Melissa?”

  “Of course.” She pulled up to the pizza place in the plaza. “I’ve got some old doggie toys of Spike’s I couldn’t bring myself to throw away.” Travis sent her a compassionate glance. “Dexter can play with those while we’re out watching for the woodchucks. Then we’ll let him come outside so he can have fun.”

  Casey beamed while Travis went inside to pick up their lunch. After he came back, the smell of pizza filled the car while she drove them up the canyon. By the time they reached the cabin, everyone was starving, so they decided to eat before doing anything else.

  When Travis announced he was off to do some hiking, Casey seemed fine with it. So was Melissa, because she knew some of Travis’s men were outside, guarding them. But though she pretended nothing affected her, underneath, she worried about him. He’d said it was too dangerous for her to be up here without him and his crew, but who would protect Travis?

  After asking herself that question, she realized how important he’d become to her. So important he was all she thought about. She’d had a life before he came into it, but she couldn’t remember what it was like.

  Melissa knew he enjoyed her company, but he’d done nothing overt to act on any feelings he might have for her. As she’d told John, if Travis still saw his wife when he was with her, you wouldn’t know it. Her brother had suggested it was possible Travis was holding back because he was doing a job for her family, and didn’t mix his private life with his professional one.

  Melissa didn’t have answers yet, but something needed to change soon. She couldn’t bear to be with him like this, not knowing what was going on inside him. Maybe nothing was going on, and she was fantasizing at her own peril. That thought just about killed her.

  Travis didn’t return until it was getting dark and time to go home. She’d fixed peanut butter sandwiches. Luckily, it was food Casey liked. When his dad walked in, Casey asked if they could sleep over, but his father nixed that idea so fast it surprised even Melissa. Since his return she’d sensed his preoccupation.

  In the car on the way down, Casey made up for his father’s silence by telling him about the squirrels that had come out to play instead of the pig-whistlers. While he regaled Travis with their activities, Dexter chewed on one of the toys he’d commandeered.

  They looked like a happy family coming home from a trip to the mountains, but the picture was false. Melissa’s stomach was in knots by the time she drove them back to her town house.

  They all got out of the Jeep, and Casey said, “I wish I didn’t have school tomorrow.”

  “But you do,” Travis said, without his usual warmth.

  Melissa bit her lip. “Good night, Casey. Thanks for bringing Dexter.”

  “He loved it. We had fun!”

  “So did I.”

  “See ya!”

  “Good night, Melissa.” Travis’s low voice worked its way beneath her skin, igniting every nerve ending. She felt as if he’d brought her out of a deep sleep. Now she didn’t know where to go with all these awakened feelings.

  Travis bundled his son and dog into his truck before she could say good-night back. When she reached the door of her condo, he waved to her before she let herself inside.

  Too uptight to relax, she got busy doing laundry, then talked with her mom for a few minutes before taking a shower. When Melissa was finally ready for bed, she still couldn’t settle down.

  After wrapping a robe around herself, she went into the living room to watch the ten o’clock news, hoping it would help her get sleepy. She’d just pressed the remote when her cell phone rang. Her heart thudded as she reached for it. When she saw who was calling, she could hardly breathe.

  “Travis.”

  “Sorry for calling you this late.”

  “It’s all right.” More than all right. “I’m still up.”

  “I got a call from work while I was out hiking earlier. Something’s come up that requires me to be in the office tomorrow. But the guys are keeping you under constant surveillance, so you can go up whenever you want.”

  “That’s great. Thank you.” Except the idea of being at the cabin without him suddenly didn’t seem as appealing. Their two sojourns up there had spoiled her. It wasn’t just a matter of him making her feel safe. She’d come to enjoy his company. R
eally enjoy it. “Do you think you’ll be able to get away from the office at some point?” You’re pushing it, Melissa.

  “I’m counting on it. After school I’ll pick up Casey and bring him to the cabin with Dexter.” The news gave her heart a workout. “I’m afraid my son worries about me leaving him when I have business away from Salt Lake. He’s still afraid that I might never come back.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me at all.” Her voice caught. Losing Travis was too tragic to contemplate. Casey needed him terribly. “Tell you what. If you’re going to do that, I’ll fix dinner up there,” she said without hesitation. “I promise I can do better than peanut butter sandwiches.” She’d been afraid she might not be seeing him tomorrow, and now was ecstatic. “What else does Casey like besides pizza?”

  “Candy and doughnuts.”

  * * *

  MELISSA’S LAUGHTER WAS like sunshine.

  “Hot dogs are a safe bet,” Travis told her. “He’s not a big eater.”

  “And what about his dad? Would he like steak fajitas?”

  Travis lounged against the wall, enjoying their conversation more than a little. “I’ve heard he’s rather partial to them.”

  “Then I’ll inform the cook. If I know her, she’ll make a surprise dessert guaranteed to satisfy your boy’s sweet tooth.”

  “Tell the cook he gets that particular tooth from me.”

  She chuckled quietly. “Thanks for the tip. Give me a ring when you reach the church parking lot in Kamas and I’ll drive down to get you.”

  “We’ll be watching for you. Good night, Melissa.”

  “Good night.”

  No sooner had Travis turned off his bedroom light to go to sleep than his cell phone rang. It was quarter to eleven. His excitement that it might be Melissa with something else she wanted to tell him subsided when he reached for it and saw the caller ID. Jose. He must have something important or he would have waited till morning to phone.

  “Jose? What’s up?”

  “I’m still in Kamas. The guy got off work at eight. I followed him to a cabin in the forest about a mile west of town. It was shuttered and looked locked up for the season. There was a garage next to it, and he went inside there.”

  “Give me the coordinates and I’ll check to find out the name of the owner.” It was possible Melissa would know. After jotting down the information, Travis said, “Then what happened?”

  “After a while he and another guy came out. It was too dark for details, but the second guy was smaller. More wiry. They locked the garage door and took off into the forest with a flashlight. I figured I had time to look around, and undid the lock. Inside was a 2005 Fleetwood Tioga 25’ Class C RV camper, but it was locked.”

  “Something’s definitely going on.”

  “Agreed. It had a Utah plate and up-to-date registration. I walked back to my truck before phoning it in. They’ll call me when they know anything. What do you want me to do next?”

  “Ask Lon to coordinate with you and Adam. I want to know where that camper goes when it leaves the garage.”

  “Will do.”

  “Thanks, Jose.”

  Travis hung up, gratified that his suspicions hadn’t proved wrong, even if the situation might not have anything to do with the Roberts case. He stretched out in bed, reliving the day with Melissa. So far he’d seen her only with her hair done in different styles away from her face. He wondered what that light ash-brown hair would look like loose and flowing. How it would feel to bury his face in it…

  When Casey woke him up the next morning, the last thing Travis remembered thinking was that Melissa had been on his mind, not Valerie. That was a first.

  Now that he thought about it, he recalled that Chaz had experienced something similar. His friend had lost his first wife to cancer before he’d done his stint with the Navy SEALs. Not until last spring had he become emotionally involved with another woman. One night he’d confided to Travis that he knew Lacey was the one when he’d found himself dreaming about her, instead of his deceased wife. It had happened the first night he’d met Lacey, during his investigation of her stalking case.

  Travis wasn’t thinking Melissa was “the one,” far from it. He wasn’t in the market for another wife. But he had to admit no other woman since Valerie had interested him to this extent. The problem was, he didn’t trust this attraction. Was it because, deep down, he wanted a woman who reminded him of Valerie? Maybe. How sick was that?

  Casey followed him out of the bathroom, where Travis had just finished shaving. “Can Melissa come to dinner at our house tonight?”

  Travis wasn’t surprised that that was the first question to pop out of his son’s mouth. He could hardly avoid this situation while he was working her case. Once he’d pulled on jeans and another T-shirt, he turned to his son. “Guess what? I’m going to pick you up after school and we’re driving to the cabin again. Melissa’s fixing dinner for us.”

  “Hooray!” Casey ran to the kitchen, whooping the whole way. Travis followed, to fix them fruit and cereal. Once they’d fed Dexter, they left for school in the truck.

  After dropping off Casey with a hug, Travis stopped for gas, then headed to the office. Jose and Roman were waiting for him with coffee and doughnuts. The boss had a big smile on his face. “Come on in.”

  Bemused, Travis reached for his coffee and sat down, eyeing both of them. “What’s going on?”

  “Congratulations are in order.”

  Chapter Six

  “What are you talking about?”

  Roman smiled. “I’ll let Jose tell you.”

  Travis eyed the other man. “Is this about that camper?”

  His colleague nodded. “An hour after I phoned in the license plate number, I got a call. That Utah plate was stolen off a new blue Jetta on June 5 of this year. So they checked to see if the camper was stolen.”

  “Wait till you hear this next part,” Roman interjected.

  Travis was all ears.

  “The police in Cochise County, Arizona, have been looking for the killer of an elderly couple, a crime that happened on June 3 of this year. They were found in their home in Douglas, with their camper stolen. I checked the VIN number, and it’s their camper, all right. As you know, Douglas is in that border territory between the U.S. and Mexico.”

  Travis’s heart dropped any time he heard that another innocent person had been murdered. It hit too close to home. But a part of him was elated that his hunch had been on target.

  “What about the man you followed?”

  “Adam said the guy came back to the garage about an hour later and got in the camper. He was in there all night, and still is. He thinks the guy’s living there. The other man disappeared into the woods and never came back.”

  Travis’s mind was reeling with possibilities. “This could be connected to what’s going on at the Roberts cabin. Considering the close proximity between the camper and their place, that other man could be making himself at home there. But it’s still early days.”

  “I agree,” Roman said.

  Travis looked at his boss. “Let’s sit on what we know for now, and just keep them under surveillance. I’ll be talking to forensics in a few minutes, to see what they’ve come up with so far. Later on I’ll be going up to the cabin again, to check the tapes and the listening device.

  “Before we make official inquiries, I’ll ask Melissa if she knows who owns that vacant cabin and garage. I meant to ask her earlier, but got distracte
d. If the intruders were there last night, then we’ll know a lot more than we do now, and can decide how to proceed. Jose? Have we found out who bought Grampy’s yet?”

  “Lon’s still working on it. Hopefully he’ll get back to us sometime today.”

  Roman leaned forward. “You’re on to something big, Travis. I feel it in my bones.” His solemn expression changed to a gleeful one. “I barely put you on the case and already you’ve turned up a couple of possible killers.”

  Travis eyed Jose. “Thanks to a great backup team.”

  “Agreed,” Roman said. “How did you know about the hidden camper?”

  “On Monday the guy with the buzz cut waited on Melissa and me at Grampy’s, this burger shop in Kamas. He leered at her in a way that alarmed her. I sensed something about him wasn’t right, so I asked Jose to check him out.”

  Their boss grinned. “And just like that you’ve helped solve cases that have stumped lawmen in two states. I’ll get the police chief on the phone. He’ll contact the cops in Douglas, but I’ll make it clear you’re in the middle of a sting and don’t want anything to leak until you find out what’s going on at the cabin.”

  “Appreciate that, Roman.”

  “You were born with an instinct for this business, comrade. Talk to you later.”

  Travis nodded and stood up. “Come to my office, Jose. Let’s listen to what Forensics has to say.”

  A few minutes later Travis had Rudy, in Forensics, on the line. He was the best in the business. “What have you got for us?” Travis turned on the speakerphone so Jose could hear.

  “That tire print was pretty good. I saw two cuts that could have been made by rocks or glass. They’re year-old Goodyear tires.

  “As for the fingerprints, you got some decent ones off that pine table you noted on the tape. I’ve sent them on to headquarters, and they’ll run them through the database. The other items had some interesting elements.”

  “Like what?” Travis hadn’t realized he was holding his breath.