by Leann Harris
April gaped at she watched Rafe nuzzle and play with the toddler.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Alex said to April. “How Becky can wrap a grown man around her little finger. Sometimes when Derek is playing with her, I have to stop and wonder at the miracle of it all.”
Alex looked from April to her family, then shook her head. “I’m sorry, April, I haven’t introduced you to my dad and sister.” She quickly made the introductions.
The family resemblance was strong. George’s heritage was stamped into each of his children. Alex shared his eyes and nose. Toni had his hair coloring and dark eyebrows. Rafe had his father’s eyes and stubborn chin.
George pumped April’s hand and smiled. “You’re much prettier in person than the pictures in the newspaper and on TV.”
“Thank you.”
“Well, Rafe, what have you discovered about this lady?” George asked, sitting in the lounge chair.
Rafe sat down on the sofa and set Becky in his lap. “We just came across a car out on Dick’s ranch. We pulled it out of an arroyo. We think it’s April’s. We need to check the VIN number on it.”
“I was just getting ready to run the VIN numbers through the state’s computer,” Derek informed everyone. “It will only take a few moments.”
“Make it fast,” Alex told her husband. “Dinner’s ready.”
Rafe, April, Alex and Derek waved as the helicopter lifted off and headed northeast.
“I feel like I’ve been through the wringer:” April paused and looked around to see if any of the others caught her faux pas.
Alex’s lips twitched. Rafe and Derek’s eyes danced with amusement.
“I didn’t mean...uh...what I meant was—”
“That George Anderson is a whirlwind and sometimes the best you can hope for is to survive the encounter.” There was still amusement in Derek’s tone.
April glanced at Alex, then Rafe, to see their reaction to Derek’s words. Neither appeared offended.
“I guess that’s the best way to put it. Let’s go inside.”
Alex nodded toward the door. “I’ll make some coffee and tell you a couple of stories about our growing up.” At the screen door, Alex looked back. “You and Rafe coming?” she asked her husband.
“Why don’t you give us a few minutes to discuss business, then we’ll join you for coffee and another piece of that cake you got from Mabel.”
Rafe watched as the women went inside. Derek waited until they were alone, then asked, “Have you heard back from the lab on the bullet?”
“No. But I’m hoping that spot CNN ran on April will bring results.” Rafe crossed his arms. “There’s something damn fishy going on here. It’s ugly, just waiting for the right moment to pounce.”
Derek studied Rafe. “There’s a different look in your eyes, friend, when you look at April.”
Rafe looked off into the distance. “Damn, is it that obvious?”
“No. But you forget, I walked that trail. And it was hell. I shouldn’t have touched Alex when I did. But then again, I’m human. And when I saw a good thing, I didn’t let it get away from me.”
Rafe faced him. “Yeah, but Alex knew who she was. Neither April nor I know anything about her. And that’s killing me. Did I repeat the same mistake as my dad?” It was an ugliness that taunted him.
“The only way you’ll make the same mistake is by walking away from April,” said Derek. “And I don’t think you’ll do that.”
“I may have no choice.”
Chapter 11
April glanced out the kitchen window at the barn door. Where was Rafe? He’d been gone a long time, much longer than it usually took him to feed the stock. When they had arrived back from town, he had gone directly into the barn to feed the animals.
She glanced at the kitchen clock again. Twenty-six minutes had passed since she walked inside and left Rafe alone. April had been nervous and jumpy ever since that piece on her ran on the TV earlier today. Seeing her mangled car hadn’t eased her fears. The detour into Saddle for dinner had been a welcome relief. But as they had driven back toward Rafe’s ranch, her tension had returned.
Glancing at the kitchen clock again, she realized another five minutes had slipped by and still there was no sign of Rafe. Something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones. Squinting her eyes, she tried to see out into the barn. What was he doing? Had something happened to him?
With dark thoughts filling her brain, she went to the back door, opened it, and called, “Rafe? Are you there?”
The silence chilled her.
“Rafe?”
A moan filled the air, stopping her heart. Then, from the dark shadows of the barn door, she saw a figure stumble.
“Rafe,” April cried, running toward him.
As she reached him, an arm wrapped around her neck and jerked her away from Rafe’s sprawled form. She couldn’t see the man holding her, but she felt a hard object poke into her side.
Without thinking, April jabbed her elbow into her assailant’s stomach. Simultaneously, she stomped on the arch of her attacker’s foot. He didn’t release her, but grunted and fell back into the corral fence. The next thing she knew, her attacker’s arms fell away. He howled and dropped his gun. She kicked it out of reach.
The man turned and swatted at the goat on the other side of the fence. When the goat finally released him, the man ran off into the darkness.
For a moment, April was so stunned by what happened that she could only stare at the spot where the man had disappeared.
“April.”
Rafe’s voice brought her back to the situation. She ran over to him and helped him stand. With her arm around his waist, she helped him inside and to one of the chairs at the kitchen table.
“I’ll be back in a moment,” she told him. Immediately she went to the phone and called Derek, telling him what had happened and that Rafe was going to need to have Alex look at him again. She next went to the bathroom to get a washcloth, and tried to clean up the slash on Rafe’s forehead.
“You didn’t have to call Alex again,” Rafe protested as she cleaned him up.
“Stop griping. If I hadn’t, your sister never would’ve forgiven me.”
Rafe looked at her, his eyes silent and searching. April blushed at what she had just said. It sounded like she was expecting to be around for a while, and Rafe had just told her this afternoon that he wasn’t ever going to repeat his mistake of marrying again. At least that’s how she had interpreted his words.
They didn’t have to wait long for Alex and Derek to show up. Alex rushed into the house, her face filled with concern.
“How is he?” she asked April.
“When I called, it was bleeding badly. But it’s stopped now and doesn’t look too bad. It just frightened me.”
“I’m glad you called, April.” Alex set to work examining Rafe.
“Tell me what happened, Rafe,” Derek said.
“I was finishing up feeding the horses. When I went to get the oats, someone hit me on the side of the head. When I woke up, I staggered out of the barn. Whoever hit me was still there, and followed me outside. When April came out of the house, he grabbed her from behind. I can’t tell you too much after that. I fell again, and all I remember is the man yelling and running off.”
Derek turned to April. “Why don’t you explain why the man ran off.”
“When he grabbed me, I started to fight. I elbowed him and stomped on his foot. He backed into the corral fence, then howled. I think Callie bit him on his rear end and he dropped his gun. I kicked it away from him. When Callie let him loose, he tore off into the night.”
April felt her cheeks heat as she related the story. There was stunned silence when she finished. Alex snorted as she tried to swallow her laugh, then gave up any attempt to hold back. Derek grinned, and Rafe shook his head.
“Your suspect shouldn’t be too hard to find,” Alex quipped. “He won’t be able to sit and he’ll have bite marks on his buttocks.”
“Do you think the attempt on April was connected to the last incident?” Derek asked. Derek and Rafe were in his office. The attacker’s gun sat on the desk between them.
“Sure. And I think it’s more than a coincidence that the piece on CNN ran this afternoon—immediately followed by the second attempt on April’s life. I think it’s time we moved April.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“For tonight, I’d like to drive into Alpine. Ralph Moore—you remember him, he teaches at the university, and does some work for the Rangers—he’s traveling overseas with his wife. I’m going to use his house. It has all the computer links and setup that I need. I’d also like to leave my truck here and use Alex’s car to drive April there. Is that okay with you?”
“It’s fine with me, but you’ll need to ask Alex. I learned the hard way not to talk for my wife.”
Rafe sat back in his chair. “Stepped in it, did ya?”
“Let’s say, I won’t repeat that mistake again.”
“Assuming that it’s okay with Alex, I’ll need to forward my calls to the sheriff’s office there in Alpine. I’ll alert Wes that I’m doing that. I don’t want to miss any leads that might come in. I can take this gun with me to Alpine and drop it by Wes’s office. He can forward it on to the lab.”
“Sounds reasonable to me. Why don’t we go tell the ladies?”
Before they could leave the room, the phone rang. Rafe picked it up. “Sanchez, here.”
“Ranger Sanchez, my name is David McMillan. I’m a surgeon at San Antonio General. I’m responding to the segment on CNN. I recognized the lady in the picture.”
Blood pounded through Rafe’s veins. “That’s terrific, doctor. Can you give me her name?”
“Her name is Lynn A. Carson. She lives in San Antonio. She came to me two years ago for hernia repair surgery.”
“Could you give me her home address and phone number.”
“Sure.” The doctor rattled off the information.
“Does it list on her chart if she is single or married?”
“Let me see...ah, here it is. Yes, the lady is listed as married.”
If a bomb had exploded in the room, Rafe couldn’t have been more stunned. It was like being kicked in the head by a horse; disorientating and painful as landing on a prickly pear.
He gulped. “Thank you, doctor. I’ll be sure the lady gets the information.” When he hung up, Rafe stared at the phone as if it were a devil from the hell he’d been thrust into.
“Who was that?” April asked from the doorway. She and Alex were waiting, along with Derek, for news of the call.
What did he tell everyone? The truth—with all its ugly implications? That was his only option.
Steeling himself, he looked at April. “It was a doctor from San Antonio. Apparently, he recognized you as one of his patients.”
She came slowly into the room. “It wasn’t good news, was it?”
Rafe’s poker face failed him. “How could it not be good news? You’re Lynn Carson and you live in San Antonio.” He gave her the address and her phone number.
April’s expression was wary, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. “What else did he say?”
“Why don’t I call the telephone number he gave me?” He didn’t look at her.
Alex walked to her husband’s side and they watched quietly.
Stepping to the desk, April touched Rafe’s shoulder. When he looked at her, she asked, “What else did you ask, Rafe?”
He considered ignoring the question, but one look into her eyes told him he couldn’t do that. He cursed under his breath. “Your marital status.”
Her shoulders straightened. “I assume from your reaction, the doctor gave it to you.”
“Yes.” He couldn’t bring himself to say more.
“I take it I’m married.” Her voice was so soft that it shouldn’t have sliced through him as it did, but it left him bleeding.
“We don’t even know if this doctor was right. Maybe it was a mistake. Why don’t I get into the DPS computer and call up a copy of Lynn Carson’s driver’s license. That will give us more to go on than just conjecture.” He ignored Alex and Derek sitting on the couch. It had to be as obvious as the mountains outside his window that April and he were more than just a lost soul and the Ranger guarding her.
“That sounds good to me.” Her voice held a note of hope.
Rafe pulled another chair close to his computer screen.
When she settled next to him, he called up the license for Lynn A. Carson of San Antonio. It took only a few moments, but Rafe lived a lifetime in those seconds. Finally, the machine put up Lynn’s license. It was a picture of the woman sitting next to him.
Pointing, she said, “Unless I have a twin, that’s me.”
Rafe was fighting this each step of the way. “Let’s call the phone number the doctor gave us. Maybe there is someone there who could answer our questions about you.”
Biting her lower lip, she nodded.
With a sense of dread, Rafe punched in the number the doctor gave him. After the fourth ring, the answering machine clicked on. The woman who recorded the message sounded like April. He pulled the phone away from his ear and let April listen. When the message was over, he hung up.
She glanced at him. “I’m married.” Her face had lost all its color.
The visions of last night’s ecstasy taunted him, turning pleasure into pain. “At this point, it would appear you are. But remember, when I found you, you didn’t have a wedding ring on, nor did it look like you had worn one recently.” He glanced at Alex and Derek. Their expression said they sympathized with him. It didn’t help. Not one damn bit.
“If I’m married, why didn’t my h-husband report me missing?”
That was the question burning through his soul. “That’s what I want to know. If you were mine—” There was heat in his words. He ran his fingers through his hair. “We need to leave, April. Derek and I decided after the attempt on your life tonight to move you. There’s a safe house in Alpine that I can use. We’ll spend the night there. Why don’t you go and pack your things?”
She nodded and left the room.
Rafe turned to his sister. “Do you mind if we borrow your car?”
“No. If you want, I’ll call Dad and have him send the helicopter to take you to Midland.”
“No. This particular safe house has computer, links, and all I need to try to finish tracking down April’s—Lynn’s identity.” He stood and walked to the door. “I need to pack a few things. I’ll also need to make arrangements for the animals to be fed.”
“I’ll do that, Rafe,” Derek volunteered.
“Thanks.”
Alex walked to the door and wrapped her arms around Rafe’s waist, then planted a kiss on his cheek. “Forgive yourself, brother. You’re human.”
Rafe’s gaze locked with Derek’s.
“Trust her,” Derek answered. “She’s been there.”
Rafe wished it were that easy.
April glanced around the new Jeep. “I like your sister’s taste in cars.”
“She has a lot of county to cover.”
“She has a cute baby.”
“I think Alex was surprised at how much she likes being a mom.”
Guilt rode April hard. It was her fault that Rafe was hurt and that he had to leave his home. But what really haunted her was the fact that she might be married. What she was feeling for Rafe at this moment wasn’t what a married lady should feel for someone who wasn’t her husband.
How could the magic of last night have turned into such horror today? What they had shared had been wondrous, deep and intoxicating. How could it have changed with the light of day?
She closed her eyes and rested her head on the seat. This seemed to be a puzzle with no answer. At least no answer that made sense.
Or one she wanted to hear.
Rafe glanced at April. Her expression of misery mirrored his own. He had wanted to yank the pho
ne from the wall when the doctor had informed him that April was married. That can’t be, his mind kept telling him. It simply wasn’t right. And yet, if April had a husband—one she’d had a falling out with—maybe the guy wanted to get rid of her, and why not just shoot her?
And yet, that didn’t make sense. Divorce was a messy thing, but it was simpler than killing one’s spouse. Unless there was something to be gained by the death.
He glanced at April. Maybe that’s what was going on. Well, he wasn’t going to stop his investigation until he had some answers.
Suddenly, he remembered the stranger that had shown up in town. Maybe if he could get a picture of April’s husband, he could have Derek take it to Mabel’s and see if she recognized the guy.
It was a long shot, but at this point he was willing to take the odds, praying that they would pay off.
When they arrived in Alpine, Rafe stopped by the sheriff’s office and dropped off the gun. After a brief exchange with Wes, Rafe drove to his friend’s house close to Sul Ross University. It was in an old neighborhood with sprawling trees. When he pulled into the driveway, he retrieved the hidden key kept in the birdhouse, and then parked the Jeep in the garage. He didn’t want people to know anyone was using the house.
Rafe made sure all the curtains were drawn before he allowed April to turn on any lights.
“If you’re hungry,” Rafe told her after he had stored their clothes in separate bedrooms, “there are frozen dinners, and plenty of soft drinks and instant tea in the kitchen.”
“I think I’d like a soft drink.”
He nodded, grabbed two cans out of the refrigerator, and handed one to her. There was still a wounded look in her eyes.
“April, I—”
“Rafe, there’s nothing for you to be sorry about. I wanted what happened between us.” Her lower lip trembled. “Unfortunately, I still want you.”
Rafe’s mouth went dry. His body hadn’t changed its mind since last night, either. He’d gladly take April back to bed, but...damn, not with a married lady.
“Why don’t I call the sheriff of Bexar County and the San Antonio police and ask if there’s a missing persons report filed on you?”