Colton Cowboy Hideout (The Coltons of Texas, Book 7)

by Carla Cassidy

  And in this moment, with the acrid scent of gunpowder in the air, he recognized the undeniable fact that he was completely in love with Josie Colton.

  A volley of bullets slammed into the building, splintering wood on the outside but thankfully not piercing through the thick wood to the inside.

  Then silence.

  A minute ticked by...then two...then three. The silence was heavy and thick with dreadful anticipation. At least when the man was shooting at them they had an idea of his whereabouts. The silence told them nothing.

  “He didn’t just go away,” Tanner said after several more minutes had passed. “He’s come after the watch twice before. He’s definitely determined to get your father’s treasure.”

  Trevor’s features were taut, his dark eyes narrowed as he looked at his sister and then back at Tanner. “I don’t know about you, but I didn’t bring enough ammunition for a long standoff.”

  “And we have no idea what kind of ammunition supply this creep has,” Tanner replied with a new squeeze of his gut.

  “Peek out that window and see if he’s still in the same place,” Trevor said and then stepped into the open doorway. Tanner slid his head around the side of the window to peer outside.

  Several shots rang out. Trevor hit the floor and rolled backward to safety as Josie released a scream. “Are you okay?” Tanner asked Trevor. Trevor nodded and got to his feet.

  “I saw him behind the big oak tree right behind the truck,” Tanner said. “We’re sitting ducks in here. He can keep us pinned down until we run out of bullets.”

  “If you can provide me some cover, I’ll sneak out of here and try to get behind him, where hopefully I can get a jump on him,” Trevor said.

  “No, Trevor,” Josie protested frantically. “It’s too dangerous. Just stay here. Maybe somebody from the ranch will hear the shots and come to help us.”

  “Is that possible?” Trevor asked Tanner.

  “I don’t know,” Tanner replied truthfully. “We’re quite some distance from the house, and as far as I know, none of the cowboys have any reason to come out here. I don’t think we can wait for anyone to ride to our rescue and we can’t call for help because there’s no cell phone service out here.”

  Trevor’s dark brows pulled into a frown. “As far as we know, it’s just one creep.” He walked toward the back of the building, where a doorway provided an easy exit.

  He faced Tanner once again. “You make sure nothing happens to my sister.” He offered a grim smile. “We haven’t had her in our life long enough yet to want to get rid of her.”

  “Trevor!” This time Josie’s cry was filled with tearful emotion.

  Trevor held Tanner’s gaze. “When I go out, give me five seconds and then shoot a few shots to provide a bit of a distraction.”

  “Got it.” Tanner moved into place at the window and then watched as Trevor disappeared out the back of the building. He waited five seconds and then fired out the window, garnering a volley of return fire that assured him the man hadn’t moved from his position.

  Then silence once again. Silence except for the sound of Josie softly sobbing.

  “He’ll be all right, Josie,” Tanner said softly. “He’s a trained FBI agent. He knows what he’s doing.”

  “He’s all I have. My brothers and sister are all I have in the world. I can’t bear the thought of losing any of them.”

  How he wanted to comfort her. How desperately he wanted to crouch down next to her and pull her into his arms, but he couldn’t.

  He needed to keep his attention focused outside and he feared in touching her, in pulling her into a comforting embrace, he’d only give her mixed signals.

  Instead he kept his gaze out the window, not wanting the shooter to creep up on them and take them by surprise. At the moment Josie’s safety was far more important than any reassurance he might give to her.

  Once again the silence grew to stifling proportions as minutes ticked by. Tanner focused on the large tree where he’d seen movement before. Was the man still there?

  And where was Trevor? There wasn’t a lot of cover the FBI agent could use, and it would take time for him to get behind the man. Did they have that kind of time?

  Tanner did a mental calculation and realized he had only four bullets left. If the man did a full-out assault, he’d probably win. The thought dried Tanner’s mouth and a rivulet of perspiration trickled down the center of his back.

  And still the silence continued. As the sun moved higher in the sky, the building was quickly becoming an inferno and they had no water. It wouldn’t take long for that to become an issue as well.

  “We should have known he’d still be out there.” Josie had stopped crying and her voice was a little stronger than it had been before. “We should have anticipated he wouldn’t just give up and go away.”

  “You’re right,” Tanner replied.

  “I should have just left here yesterday when I had the watch. My father could have been buried with the stupid treasure map and that would have been the end of it. We all just wanted a chance to give back a little bit of what our father took.”

  “And that’s still going to happen,” he replied with as much assurance as he could muster, although with every minute Trevor was gone, tension twisted tighter in Tanner’s stomach.

  What was happening? Would Trevor manage to neutralize the threat or would the man somehow manage to overtake Trevor? If Trevor got hurt would they even know it? Dammit, what was taking so long?

  Tanner didn’t even want to think about something bad happening to Josie’s brother. She’d only recently had a chance to reunite with him.

  “I should have never come here,” Josie said. “We all should have just let the watch stay buried. It was stupid of us to all be manipulated into giving in to his wishes.”

  A gunshot rang out and Josie jumped to her feet, her eyes huge with terror. “Trevor?” Her lips trembled with his name.

  Tanner stared out the window, his heart pounding fast and furious. He released a sigh of relief as Trevor stepped out into the clearing with the familiar man at gunpoint in front of him.

  “Trevor is okay. He’s got him. He’s got him, Josie.” He grabbed her by the arm and together they left the building and ran toward Trevor.

  As they approached, the man’s curses filled the air.

  “Let me go, damn you,” he exclaimed to Trevor, who held him in the back by his belt.

  “That’s not going to happen,” Trevor replied. “You have any rope in that pickup?” he asked Tanner.

  “I’m sure we can find something to truss him up like a turkey and take him to Sheriff Watkins,” Tanner replied. “He’ll be facing charges of attempted murder, among other things.”

  “His name is Walt Cleaver. His wallet was in his back pocket. I imagine if I run him through the system there are probably some outstanding warrants to answer to,” Trevor said.

  “I didn’t do nothing wrong,” Walt yelled. “I have as much right to Matthew’s money as anyone.” He glared at Josie. “You bitch, all you had to do last night was give me the watch.”

  Trevor cuffed him on the side of his head. “Watch your mouth.”

  “I’ll just get that rope and see if I can find something to shove in his mouth while I’m at it,” Tanner said, wanting nothing more than to smash his fist into Walt’s face.

  Minutes later Walt was tied up. They tied his wrists and ankles, and he sat in the cab where he was out of the sun.

  The three of them headed back to where the shovel was still stuck in the dirt. “Now, let’s see what we find.” Trevor began to dig.

  The morning hours slipped away as Tanner and Trevor took turns digging in the hard ground. The sun beat down on them as they widened the search area, unsure exactly what they might find. The only sound was an occasional curse and shout from Walt.

  Josie stood silently by and more than once Tanner felt her gaze lingering on him. Whether this dig ended in success or not, he knew she would be leav
ing the Colton Valley Ranch before nightfall.

  He shoved back the rise of emotions he didn’t want to feel, that he didn’t want to analyze. At that moment Trevor’s shovel thrust clanged against something in the ground.

  Both Tanner and Josie stepped closer to the hole as Trevor carefully used the end of the shovel to move dirt away from what appeared to be a small tin box.

  “That’s got to be it,” Josie said with excitement. “It’s right where the map said it would be.”

  Even though Tanner had no real vested interest in what they found, excitement thrummed in his veins as well. Trevor threw the shovel aside and crouched down to grab the metal box that could only hold Matthew’s treasure.

  “This is it, Josie girl,” Trevor said as he cradled the box in his hands. He smiled at Tanner. “Thank you for risking your life so we can all have a little bit of closure.”

  “Just open it,” Josie replied with a small laugh of impatience.

  “I feel like there should be a drumroll or something,” Trevor replied.

  The light mood was a welcome relief after what they had all just gone through. “I’m with Josie,” Tanner said. “Just open it.”

  It wasn’t locked, but it took Trevor a couple of hard pulls before he managed to open the rusty lid. Inside were three old cans of soda, several sticks of beef jerky, a pocketknife and a wad of money.

  Trevor said nothing. He handed the money to Josie, who counted it. “Sixty-five dollars,” she said flatly. “We all risked our lives for a lousy sixty-five dollars and a couple of cans of old soda.” She started to laugh, the sound holding just a little touch of hysteria.

  “We should have known,” Trevor said in disgust. He took the cash from Josie and shoved it back in the box, then put the lid back on top. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Tanner tried to think of something to say that would take away the sting of their father’s obvious manipulation, but no words came to him.

  He was grateful when Trevor slung an arm around Josie’s shoulder in an obvious effort to console her. Tanner didn’t have that right.

  As he walked behind the brother and sister, he wondered how many minutes, how many hours before he had to say a final goodbye to Josie Colton.

  CHAPTER 14

  The next three hours were sheer torture for Josie. They called Troy and he arrived to take statements and custody of Walt.

  As Trevor and Tanner explained to the sheriff everything that had happened during the morning, all Josie could think about was that she and Tanner had faced yet another dire situation together and still he hadn’t fallen to his knees and proclaimed his love for her.

  When Troy had left with the prisoner, they all returned to the suite, where the twins’ loving greeting only splintered her heart even more. Tanner put them down for their afternoon nap and then returned to the living room, where he and Trevor chewed over all that had happened.

  Had she truly mistaken Tanner’s love for her? Had she only fantasized the softness of his gaze when it had lingered on her so many times over the past couple of weeks? Had she misheard the depth of caring in his tone of voice, in their shared laughter?

  Had he only pretended to be on fire when they kissed? When they had made love, had it really been passion without love? Had it just been sex?

  It would be so much easier if she believed all that in her heart. But she didn’t. She knew with a woman’s instinct that he loved her. He was just too stubborn to embrace it. He was just too scared to believe in it.

  Although she’d been disappointed by the treasure that wasn’t there, none of that mattered now. It was time to say goodbye to Tanner and his girls.

  “Tanner, it was a pleasure to meet you,” Trevor said as the two men shook hands. It was after four and time for them to get home to Granite Gulch. Trevor turned and looked at Josie. “Are you ready?”

  “Could you give me a few minutes?” she asked. She couldn’t walk away without giving it one last try, without one final fight for her future.

  “Sure. I’ll just wait for you out by the cars.” Trevor left the suite.

  The twins were still napping, and when she turned to look at Tanner, his features held the same kind of yearning that burned in her heart. The naked, raw emotion was there only a moment and then was masked by a pleasant but distant smile.

  “At least you aren’t sneaking off like a thief in the middle of the night so that we can say a proper goodbye,” he said.

  “I don’t want to say a proper goodbye. I don’t want to say goodbye at all.”

  His eyes darkened. “Josie, please don’t make this hard.”

  “But it should be hard for you to turn your back on love.” She took a step closer to him. “Tanner, I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life as I am about our love for each other. I want to raise your baby girls as if they’re my own.”

  Her heart beat a little quicker and she took another step closer to him. “Tanner, I want to give you more children and spend my days and nights with you. You’re the man I want to grow old with.”

  “Josie,” he said softly. She didn’t realize she was crying until he reached out and gently swiped the tears from her cheeks. His touch caused an ache inside her and stirred a tiny ray of hope.

  She gazed up at him, her love a piercing pain only he could stop. “Josie,” he repeated.

  His hands lingered for a long moment on the sides of her face and then he stepped backward and dropped his hands to his sides. “You’re so beautiful, not just on the outside, but on the inside as well. Go home, Josie. The last thing you need is to be dealing with me and my daughters. You’re too young to be burdened with dirty diapers and temper tantrums.”

  “Burdened?” She stared at him incredulously. “For every diaper I change, I get a kiss and a hug. For every tear I dry, I get back so much love it fills me up. They would never be a burden. They’re a gift. I want to be your wife. I want to be their mother.”

  He stuck his hands in his pockets and appeared completely unmoved by her words. “You haven’t had time to figure out what you’re good at, what you really want to do for the rest of your life.”

  “I know what I’m good at,” she replied fervently. “I’m good at loving you and Lily and Leigh.” Tears once again leaped to her eyes and she angrily swiped them away. “I survived having a serial killer for a father and foster care and the wrath of a drug lord. Don’t you understand I’m old with life experience?”

  “Josie, go home and build a wonderful life for yourself. Before long you’ll find some nice young man and you’ll forget all about your time here. You’ll forget all about me.”

  “You’re wrong,” she replied flatly. Any hope she might have momentarily entertained died in the fathomless depths of his eyes, in his body posture that spoke of stark, cold rejection. “You’ll tell the girls I said goodbye?” A new grief pressed hot tears behind her eyelids, but before they could fall, she murmured a goodbye and then turned and left the suite.

  It was over. No matter what she believed in her heart, in her soul, she couldn’t force Tanner to believe in her love for him, in his love for her.

  The late afternoon sunshine half blinded her as she left the house and headed toward her car. Trevor’s car was parked next to her and he got out of his as she approached.

  “Everything all right?” he asked.

  “Fine,” she lied. “It’s time to get home. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about any more danger where the watch is concerned.”

  “Speaking of...” Trevor pulled the old watch out of his pocket and handed it to her. “You’re the one who got it for him. You can take it to him tomorrow or whenever you decide.”

  Josie thought about going to the Blackthorn County Prison to see Matthew. She would give him the watch and then she’d never go to see him again. The little girl who had needed her father no longer needed him. “I’ll take it to him tomorrow.”

  Trevor gave her a quick hug. “I’m so proud of you, Josie. We’re all so proud of you
.”

  On any other day, in any other circumstance, his words would have warmed her. But with the cold wind of heartache blowing through her, she didn’t think she would ever be completely warm again.

  Within minutes she was in her car with Trevor following behind her in his. She managed to hold it together through the drive back to the tiny town of Granite Gulch. She continued to remain strong after her brother left her at her apartment door.

  She’d lived in the apartment about a month before she’d left to travel to the Colton Valley Ranch to retrieve the watch, and the small one-bedroom place still didn’t feel like home.

  Tanner’s suite had felt like home, not because of the place itself, but rather because of the man and his daughters. It was a home that had needed a wife and mother to complete it.

  She unpacked her clothing and fixed herself a microwave dinner from the freezer. She ate the tasteless meal while thinking about all the meals she’d shared with Tanner and the twins.

  She threw the container in the trash and then went into the tiny bathroom and showered. As the hot water spray pummeled her skin, she remembered Tanner’s soft, caressing touch as they’d made love.

  Every thought, every memory, was wrapped in a welcoming fog that kept her from actually feeling.

  She remained in the shower until the water turned tepid, and only then did she dry off and change into a nightshirt.

  It was only when she was in bed that she allowed herself to really think...to really feel once again. Tears burned her eyes as deep sobs choked in the back of her throat. She let them loose. She allowed her grief over saying goodbye to her dreams to consume her.

  She finally fell into an exhausted sleep that was haunted by visions of a blue-splattered fence and a mother who wouldn’t wake up and a man who refused to love her.

  Morning came late for her. She was shocked to open her eyes, glance at her alarm clock on the nightstand and realize it was after nine.

  There were no sweet babies to wake her up this morning, with their half sentences and funny gibberish. There was no joy in slicing bits of fruit and cutting buttery toast in half. Happy little laughter didn’t fill the air and no deep male voice caressed her senses with a sweet greeting.