A Cowboy to Keep

by Karen Rock

  “And you have proof of this?”

  “Just his word, but...” She could hardly speak over the wet hammer of her heartbeat. Kevin had changed and so had she. Her instincts couldn’t be that off anymore. Jack had made her trust them again. Why couldn’t he have faith in her?

  “So you never thought any of this—your past, Kevin—was worth mentioning?” he asked without looking at her.

  A muscle jumped in his clenched jaw. His fingers dented the denim covering his knees. His profile could have been carved from rock, unyielding, giving nothing away. “Not even when I told you about Jesse and why I need to catch his killers? Confided in you. Kissed you.” His voice sounded as though it’d been dragged over pebbles. Harsher, somehow, because he wasn’t yelling. Because he sounded hurt.

  Silence. Heavy for a long moment. Then, she said, “I wanted to tell you but I was afraid.” Still am.

  When she opened her mouth to say more, nothing emerged but her own silent plea for him to understand her, to see that she wasn’t perfect, she’d messed up, but that she loved him.

  Loved him so much.

  He had his eyes intent on the hat he was crushing in his lap. After a moment, he seemed to get himself in hand and he turned, slowly, like he was moving underwater and regarded her with grim despair. “You need to turn yourself in.”

  Every hair on her body stood on end.

  “And if Kevin’s in any way linked to what’s going on at the ranch, you may become a person of interest in the Denver murder case, as well,” he continued.

  “You can’t think I have anything to do with that?”

  “In God we trust. Everyone else is suspect,” he muttered. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t trust you anymore.”

  “What?” Her legs went weak as it sank in that his hurt and anger, the disappointment at having been deceived, had already trumped whatever feelings he’d had for her.

  “You haven’t held yourself accountable. Running away doesn’t mean you’ve left it behind.”

  “No. It’s not that...” she insisted, but it was. It was.

  Dani swallowed hard. She wasn’t far from tears or fury with herself. “You’ve been running from your past, too, unable to face a brother you haven’t forgiven, unwilling to see your family, hiding from what you think you’ve done or didn’t do.”

  He resettled his hat on his head and pulled the brim low. “You need to confess to the authorities or I’ll have to say something myself. Please don’t make me do that.”

  His words settled around her heart, stinging. Stunned silence had a different quality from any other, she realized at that moment. It stretched, took on greater meaning, then imploded under the weight of unspoken questions. He still saw the world in black-and-white, and it was clear which side he thought she belonged on.

  Around a corner, Jori Lynn appeared with Blake, who was laughing so hard he wheezed.

  “Hey, we’ve been looking for you two,” Jori Lynn called. “We came in a taxi but thought maybe we could catch a ride home together.”

  Dani caught Jack’s head shake out of the corner of her eye and wobbled to her feet. “Actually, could I split a cab ride back with you?”

  Blake’s loopy smile faded. “Sure.”

  “I’ll meet you in a minute.”

  Blake tugged a staring Jori Lynn’s arm and they disappeared.

  “What are you going to do now?” she asked, clenching and unclenching her shaking hands.

  “Ask Ray for Kevin’s address, unless you have it.”

  She shook her head. Miserable.

  His anguished eyes lifted to hers and he pushed to his feet. “You have twenty-four hours to make up your mind.”

  The words had guillotine force. She staggered backward, cleaved in two, the slice into her heart sharp and sudden.

  As he stood there, she watched every recriminating thought she’d had about herself flicker across his face, like clouds scudding across the sky. Without another word he turned and left her.

  She crushed her stinging eyes closed and her breath, which had risen like a bubble, stalled in her chest.

  She’d finally done the right thing and everything had gone wrong. It was what she deserved. Exactly the outcome she’d imagined. Dreaded. Run from. Only now there was no hiding; life as she knew it—over.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  BACK IN HER ROOM, Dani fell forward onto her bed, holding the hole that seemed to have opened in her chest. Jack. All the love she had for him clobbered her body. Her chest ached. All of her ached. How could she have messed everything up so badly? She should have told him everything the moment she’d seen Kevin. Now he’d never trust her or care for her again.

  She groaned into her pillow, then sat up, brushing the dampness on her cheeks at a knock on the door.

  “Dani?”

  She hurtled off the bed swung the door open.

  “Tanya!” They collapsed in each other’s arms, Dani’s joints loosening with relief to have her friend here, safe. “Where’ve you been?” she asked when she got hold of herself, pulling Tanya inside.

  “Shawnee.”

  They dropped to the mattress. Tanya shoved messy hair behind her ears. Dark circles pouched beneath smudged eyes, her makeup looked like she’d slept in it and a cloud of sadness settled across her face. Beneath the artificial light, she looked pale and exhausted.

  “Can I get you anything? How about a cola?”

  At Tanya’s nod, Dani grabbed a couple from her minifridge, handed one over and popped the top on hers. The long, cold swallow soothed her aching throat. Tanya sipped her drink, then lowered the shaking can and cradled it on her lap.

  “Smiley and I got in a fight.”

  “When?”

  “He showed up a couple of nights ago. I thought he’d come back because he changed his mind. Had wanted one last romantic evening before he turned himself in, so I lit some candles and...”

  Spots of cola dripped onto Tanya’s lap and Dani grabbed the tilting can. She set it beside her own and gathered her friend close. Tanya trembled against her.

  “Take your time.”

  Tanya rested her head on Dani’s shoulder. “He hit me.” She started to cry in a drowning kind of way.

  Dani stiffened, rage washing away her initial shock, sadness for her friend following. “That’s awful. I’m so sorry,” she said, “I’m so, so sorry. He’s a snake.”

  After a couple of minutes, Tanya choked out, “We were fighting. Turned out he wasn’t planning to report to the sheriff’s department. He just wanted some alcohol. Other supplies. When I told him I was going to turn him in for his own good, he slapped me so hard I fell on that table, you know, the one that tilts when you touch it. Then we really started yelling, so I didn’t notice the candle caught the curtains on fire until it was too late. Smiley threatened me. Said he’d kill me if I said anything, and ran off.”

  “Oh, sweetie.” Dani smoothed a hand down Tanya’s back, feeling every vertebra through her shirt. “He can’t hurt you anymore. I’ll make sure he doesn’t.”

  Tanya leaned back and her gaze drifted all around the room. “Took me a while to realize that. First, I panicked. Drove. Then my car ran out of gas. Was so afraid Smiley would find me that I hitchhiked to my sister’s friend Amanda’s house in Shawnee. Been there since.”

  “I’m glad you came back. So you think he’s still in the area?”

  Tanya snuffled and Dani grabbed a tissue box from her nightstand. “Yes. He mentioned something about staying out at Spark Canyon. It’s why I didn’t want to come back here...in case he found me... But that’s not all.” She blew her nose noisily. “He did something terrible, Dani.”

  Her heart squeezed so hard in her chest she could barely breathe. “Okay.”

  “He said he killed two peopl
e in Denver.” Tanya lifted red-rimmed eyes. “A married couple. That’s why he couldn’t turn himself in.”

  Dani’s thoughts hummed desperately. She needed to tell Jack that he’d been right about Smiley...about Spark Canyon... If he was speaking to her again. Her shoulders squared. Well. He’d have to, because this was too important.

  “Did he say why he did it?”

  “No. That was all he said, because then the fire started.”

  “That must have been terrifying.”

  Tanya pressed another tissue to her mouth. “I can’t believe it. I just can’t. If you could have seen his face. It was like looking at a stranger. I was scared.”

  “You were brave to stand up to him,” Dani insisted.

  “But I shouldn’t have run off,” Tanya said, a hint of an apology in her voice. “Should have told you sooner.”

  Dani squeezed her friend’s hand. Truth time. “I did the same thing once, except I never spoke about it to anyone until today.”

  Tanya stared at her, mouth agape. “You? What could you have possibly done?”

  “It’s true.” Dani filled Tanya in on her history with Kevin, ending with, “...and now Jack hates me.”

  “So Jack’s a bounty hunter?” Tanya marveled. She smoothed a finger along a stitched seam in Dani’s quilt. “And you like him? I’ve missed a lot.”

  “You’ve had a lot of other things on your mind.”

  “I’m amazed you held it together as long as you did... Much better job than me.”

  Dani exhaled heavily. “No. I didn’t. I’ve been living a lie, thinking it’d save me when it really cost me a future with Jack.”

  Tanya brushed Dani’s hair back, her eyes gentle. “Maybe he can forgive you.”

  “No. He’s made up his mind and I don’t blame him.” She sank her chin into her hands, looked out the window, wondering where Jack was underneath those stars. “He’s an honest man and I’m a liar.”

  “But you’re a good person, Dani, and good people make mistakes. If Mr. Do-No-Wrong can’t see that, then he’s not good enough for you,” Tanya declared, and her staunch support made Dani’s heart swell.

  She dabbed at the wetness on Tanya’s cheek and her friend returned the favor, their short laughs mingling. “What would I do without you?”

  “I never want to know.” A scratch at the door propelled Dani to her feet. “Oh! And I’ve got a surprise for you.”

  Tanya bolted ahead and flung it open. “Mittens!” She scooped up her gray kitty and rained kisses on his face, clutching him close. “Thank you for finding him.”

  “Of course. I couldn’t let this cutie get lost.” Dani rubbed Mittens behind his ear and earned a rough lick against her palm.

  After a few minutes of Tanya cooing, “Who’s my good boy?” and cuddling him, she set Mittens on the bed. “Well, I’d better go tell Larry and Diane.”

  “Hold on, I’ll come with you.” Dani swept her hat off her bureau. “I need to talk to them, too.”

  Time to face her past.

  Jack’s words haunted her. She’d been furious at his ultimatum, but deep down, she knew he was right. Secrets had a way of putting space between people. She’d hidden her crime, hoping to distance herself from ugliness rather than facing it head-on. It was a pattern she’d followed before and it’d kept her from her family. Now, acting the same way had stopped her from being with the man she loved.

  She needed to change.

  Starting with confessing, alongside Tanya, to the Mays. But first, Jack. It didn’t surprise her when her call was forwarded to voice mail. She left three messages about Smiley and Spark Canyon while en route to the main house, hoping Jack’s disappointment in her wouldn’t mean he ignored this important call entirely.

  Hoping he’d hear her unspoken apology.

  An hour later, back from talking to the Mays, Dani finished her call to the sheriff’s office setting up a meeting the next day. She hung up the phone in her office and stared at the receiver, her mind turning cartwheels. Not only had the bighearted Mays forgiven Tanya and settled her in one of their spare rooms, they’d refused to accept Dani’s resignation, even when she warned them she’d most likely be arrested when she turned herself in to the Oklahoma authorities.

  They were family, Larry had said. “And family sticks together,” Diane had finished.

  Now. Only one last, terrifying call to make. She took a deep breath, gathered her courage and dialed home.

  Her sister answered the call with a yawn.

  “Claire, it’s Dani.”

  “Are you okay?” Her sister’s voice rose. “It’s after one. Well. Midnight your time...what’s going on?”

  “Can you ask Dad to pick up the other line?”

  “You’re scaring me now.” At a couple of quick barks, she heard Claire say, “Hush, Roxy.”

  “Please,” she said, weary, dread rising, the horrible feeling of letting down her family nearly choking her.

  “Hold on, honey.”

  “What is it, darlin’?” The warm concern in her father’s voice a minute later made her eyes sting. Her throat swell. “Are you in trouble?”

  Dani pressed the receiver to her hot ear, her fingers clenched around it. “Yes,” she croaked. “But it’s my fault.”

  “Honey, we’ll be right out first thing tomorrow,” Claire said, fast.

  “No. I’ve got to go to Oklahoma.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Dani, what’s going on?”

  Her blood galloped through her veins. “I have to turn myself in as an accessory to a bank robbery.”

  Her sister gasped and her father harrumphed. Dani’s chest burned. It was as if her lungs were being crushed slowly in a vise, trapping her breath as she waited and waited and waited for someone to speak, the moment excruciating.

  What they must think of her.

  “That’s crazy,” Claire said faintly, at last. “You haven’t been there in...”

  “Six years. I drove a getaway car for Kevin.”

  “Dani,” her father said heavily. “Why would you do such a foolish thing?”

  She filled them in on what’d happened.

  “So that’s why you never moved back home,” Claire said, her voice soft and more understanding than Dani deserved.

  “I felt guilty. Plus, Kevin knew I came from Texas and I didn’t want to take a chance on him finding me there, no matter how small the risk. Didn’t want trouble.”

  “It would have been trouble for him,” her father growled. “Never liked that boy. Where is he now?”

  “Dad. Calm down,” she insisted, alarmed that her father, who’d been making good progress after his stroke, would get worked up. “He’s here in Shawnee. He could be involved in an even bigger crime, something that, if I’d spoken up about him earlier, told Jack...”

  “Who’s Jack?” her father asked.

  “A bounty hunter.”

  The man I love...

  “Hmm.” Claire’s tone sounded suspicious. Dani could actually feel their sister intuition kicking in.

  “Anyway, it’s a long story, but Kevin could lead Jack to his bounty and I may have hindered his investigation.”

  “Okay, enough with the hair shirt.” Dani could practically hear her sister’s eye roll.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Look. You messed up. You ran away. Did you kill anyone?”

  Dani wandered over to the haphazard state-magnet arrangement on her file cabinet, needing an outlet for the nervous energy firing through her, making her fingers shake. “Not that I know of.”

  “Sounds like they caught Kevin, so the bank got justice. You drove him, but it’s not like he got away.”

  Was Alabama the first state, alphabetically? She slid it to the left
. “Yes, but I shouldn’t have stepped on the gas.”

  “Hindsight is twenty-twenty.”

  “But I could have said something before.” She grabbed Alaska and pressed it into place, followed by Arizona, Arkansas.

  “True. But you’re coming clean now.”

  “So you’re not disappointed in me?” She dropped back into her seat and all the air seemed to leak out of her.

  “What?” her father exclaimed. “Darlin’, you and your sister have made me proud every day. I’m the luckiest man in the world to have two daughters like you and I know your mom would feel the same way.”

  Dani’s eyes pricked as she summoned a mental picture: her mom waving to her in that crazy, over-the-top way she had as she’d watched Dani accept her first blue ribbon in a jumping competition. She’d been eight.

  “We’ll meet you in Oklahoma with Mr. Redmond,” Claire said firmly, referring to their family lawyer.

  “Text us the info when you start the drive,” added her father.

  “No. I need to face this on my own.”

  “We’re going to be there whether you like it or not,” Claire said.

  Dani laughed through her tears, marveling. “I love you.”

  “Love you, too,” her family chorused, and she hung up.

  Back at her file cabinet, she turned over the Oklahoma magnet. It’d be her home soon...but for how long?

  She supposed wherever she stayed next, her heart would be broken either way, without Jack.

  Back in her room, Dani began to pull off her boots, but froze when gunshots cracked through the air, faint but unmistakable.

  Smiley? Kevin?

  Jack?

  She snatched up her cell and her rifle, and dashed out into the black night.

  Toward Spark Canyon.

  * * *

  JACK CROUCHED BEHIND thick scrub brush, starlight winking off the barrel of his Glock. Far away, an owl called—a hollow, lonesome song that made him feel the same way. A chill settled in his bones. He stared down at Jesse’s belt buckle tattoo, his forearm muscles clenching.