Cowboy to the Core

by Joanna Wayne

  It would even clarify the confusing images that had troubled her as a young child, the ones her mother had reprimanded her for and accused her of making up. Thinking she’d fallen from a tree when she hadn’t. Begging to go back to a park her mother had insisted didn’t exist.

  And on and on.

  Grams had undoubtedly understood that she was making a psychic connection with the twin sister she’d never known. She’d comforted Dani, but even she never mentioned a baby given up for adoption. Eventually, the connections stopped altogether. Until now.

  Dani sighed and tried to understand why her mother gave up one of the two girls born to her that night. What a shock and disappointment it must have been for her when she realized that the child she’d chosen to keep was psychic. No wonder her mother hated her.

  Whether Ella was her twin or not, the important thing now was saving her life. DNA testing to determine their relationship could come later—if it came to that.

  BY THE TIME THE TWO deputies were seated at the small kitchen table, mugs of coffee in hand, Dani reappeared. Marcus marveled that she’d dressed so quickly in a straight brown skirt and a pale sweater the color of a sun-drenched hay field.

  She hadn’t bothered with makeup, and he had to wonder why she ever did. She looked just as terrific without it, maybe even better. Good enough to make a man drool. In fact, Greg practically was. He hadn’t taken his eyes off Dani since she’d stepped into the room and greeted them with a wary smile.

  Time to get down to business.

  Marcus held a chair for Dani but kept standing himself. “I’m sure you guys didn’t just stop by for free coffee. What’s up?”

  “More to the point, have you arrested Kevin Flanders?” Dani asked.

  Ted sipped his coffee before answering. “No, but we must be doing something right. We had a visit from Kevin’s attorney late yesterday afternoon, a poor man’s shark right down to the sleazy suit with the shiny finish. He accused us of harassing his client.”

  Greg grinned and scratched a pimply spot on his ruddy cheek. “We’re still considering Kevin a person of interest, and we’re heading over to question him again when we leave here.”

  “He’s not a person of interest,” Dani protested. “He’s the person who stabbed Ella Somerville, and you’re letting him walk around a free man so that he can finish what he started.”

  “Unfortunately, Ella may have done that for him,” Ted said. “She was found unconscious and lying in an alley this morning in Old Town Spring. A trash crew discovered her and called 911.”

  “Where is she now?” Dani demanded, her voice shaky.

  Marcus rounded the table and stepped behind her chair, resting his hands on her shoulders. He felt her tremble and hated that there seemed to be no end to this.

  “An ambulance took her back to the same hospital she’d walked away from,” Ted explained. “She’s lost more blood, and the stabbing wound’s become infected. The word is it will be touch and go for the next twenty-four hours.”

  “Is there a guard at her door?”

  “She’s not going anywhere. She’s not even conscious.”

  “But what’s to keep Kevin from going there?”

  Greg leaned forward and propped his elbows on the table. “You don’t have to worry about Kevin. Anywhere he goes, we’re going to know about it. We got a tail on him 24/7. Best thing that can happen would be for him to try something now.”

  Ted pushed back from the table. “You can just relax here at the ranch for a few days or go on back to Austin when you’re ready, Ms. Baxter. We’ve got everything under control.”

  “I appreciate your coming by and filling us in on this,” Marcus said.

  “No problem.” Ted stood and clapped Marcus on the back. “I been knowing Cutter Martin all his life. When he says you’re one of us, you’re one of us. We’ll keep you in the loop.”

  Marcus thanked them again as he walked with them to the door and then hurried back to Dani. He’d just given her a twin sister. Now death might steal her away before she had a chance to find out for certain if that sister was Ella Somerville.

  Dani was washing the cups when he returned to the kitchen. “I want to go to the hospital.”

  “They may not let have Ella have visitors. Even if they do, she’s unconscious.”

  “I know. I just want to be there with her. And I know what the deputies said about tailing Kevin, but that’s not good enough. I want a guard at the door to the ICU. I’ll pay.”

  “I’ll call and make the arrangements. How about breakfast before we leave for the hospital?”

  “Just more black coffee for me. I couldn’t eat, but you go ahead. You really don’t have to go with me. You must have other business you need to attend to. I’ll be fine alone.”

  She still didn’t get it. Nothing he could possibly have to do was more important than being with her until all of the pieces of this complex puzzle fell into place and he was certain she was safe.

  Even then it would be pure hell to let her go.

  “YOU AND MR. ABBOT may go in now, Ms. Baxter, but you can only stay five minutes. You can talk to Ms. Somerville, but don’t say anything that might upset her. She opens her eyes from time to time, but we’re not sure how much she’s hearing and comprehending.”

  “I understand.”

  Her pulse quickened as she stepped through the door and approached the hospital bed. Ella’s face had only slightly more color than the pillowcase beneath her head. Her eyes were closed, the flesh around them dark and puffy. She looked as if she’d aged years in the past few days.

  In spite of all of that, Dani could still see the resemblance between them. It was evident in the shape of her face, the slight upturn of her nose, the bone structure in her cheeks.

  Ella actually could be her twin sister. It boggled her mind. Mostly it touched her heart, now that she’d had time to adjust to the idea of it.

  “Hello, Ella.”

  Her eyes fluttered open. Dani’s hands started to shake. She leaned close so that her whispered words were for Ella’s ears only. “You’re going to be okay. No one’s going to hurt you. I won’t let them.” She reached into her pocket for the business card she’d placed there this morning. Hopefully this time Ella would use it if the need arose.

  “I’m putting a card in the drawer beside your bed. Call the phone number on it or have the nurse call if you need anything at all.”

  Reaching to her left, she opened the drawer an inch and dropped the card for the Double M Investigation and Protection Service inside. She’d have to go back to Austin and check on Celeste tomorrow, but Marcus would be close by. Plus he’d be in contact with the guards he was arranging to watch over Ella.

  She bowed her head and prayed silently for Ella to pull through this. It was all she could do for her now.

  Ella opened her eyes again. This time her deep, haunting gaze locked with Dani’s. The fear in them was as palpable as it had been the last time she’d seen her.

  “Kev…” The name was all Ella uttered before she closed her eyes again.

  Dani’s heart skipped erratically, and a thick haze began to fill the hospital room.

  “Forget it, Billy. I’ve paid you all I’m going to. I got you this job. But that’s it. No more cash. No more drugs.”

  “You don’t call the shots. I do.”

  “Not anymore. I’ve had enough of your threats and blackmail.”

  “They’re not threats. One call to the Pensacola Police Department is all it will take.”

  “Yeah, and what will you tell them? That you watched me kill a guy and then helped me get rid of the murder weapon? That you’ve been blackmailing me ever since?”

  “I don’t have to tell them anything. There were plenty of other witnesses in the bar that night. All I have to do is make the call and tell them where to find you. Tell them Kevin Flanders is really the guy they only know as Buck.”

  “You son of a bitch. If I go down, I won’t go alone. I promise you that
.”

  “Get the money, Kev. You have two days.”

  “Don’t threaten me, Billy. I’ll tell that dragon-loving girlfriend of yours what you’re really like.”

  “She wouldn’t believe you. I’ve already told her you’re a killer on the run.”

  They both jumped as a door squeaked open and the shadow of a woman climbed the wall behind them.

  Dani backed away from the bed, her heart slamming against the walls of her chest. She didn’t say another word until she and Marcus had left the ICU.

  But she knew now that things were going to work out fine. Ella was going to live. Why else would the psychic powers have brought Dani into this? Why else would they have given her the means to put Kevin Flanders in jail?

  “I know his motive, Marcus,” she whispered. “I know why Kevin tried to kill Ella and why she knows he’ll try again.”

  “You didn’t hear it from Ella. All she said was Kevin’s name.”

  “No, I heard it from Kevin himself.”

  THEY LEFT THE BUILDING and made a fast retreat to the hospital parking lot where they could talk in private. Bright rays of sunshine warmed the car. Marcus lowered the window and moved his seat back so that he could get comfortable and face Dani.

  “I’m sure she was trying to tell me what happened,” Dani said. “She was so weak she couldn’t get it out. The vision did it for her.”

  About time the visions came through—if they actually had. He half expected more runaround from them, though Dani appeared more confident about the situation than ever.

  “Kevin is wanted for murdering a man in a bar in Pensacola, Florida.”

  Marcus emitted a low whistle. “Now we’re cooking. Tell me more.”

  “Evidently Billy Germaine was with him when it happened, and he’s been blackmailing Kevin.”

  “You discovered all that from the vision?”

  “Yes,” Dani said, “but I’m not the only one. Ella must have overheard the same conversation that I did. That’s why he has to kill her.”

  “Exactly what did you hear?”

  She gave him a blow by blow of the vision. The pieces of the puzzle began to slide into place. The man flashing the snapshot around and calling the woman in it Helena still bothered him, but even that could probably be explained. The authorities in Florida had likely gotten word that Kevin had been seen with Ella Somerville and were trying to track her down. They may have had her actual name.

  “All we have to do is tell the sheriff that Kevin is wanted for murder,” Dani said. “We should call him right now.” She pulled her cell phone from her handbag.

  Marcus reached across the seat and put a hand over hers to stop her. “What are you going to tell him when he asks how you got hold of this information?”

  Her expression grew troubled, and she dropped the phone to her lap. “I can’t tell him the truth. Even if I did he wouldn’t believe me.”

  “Maybe he would.”

  “No.” Worry lines burrowed into her brow. “No one can know I’m a psychic. You promised.”

  “Okay, take it easy. Telling the truth is not the only way to handle this.” Probably not even the best way, but he hated that Dani kept so much hurt bottled inside. Now was not the time to get into that with her.

  “So how do we handle it?” she asked.

  “We do exactly as Billy Germaine planned to do, with an anonymous tip to the Pensacola Police Department telling them that their murder suspect is being investigated in Texas. They’ll call our sheriff. He’ll fax them a photo of Kevin, and then Kevin will be arrested.”

  Marcus returned his seat to the driving position, buckled his seat belt and turned the key in the ignition. “All we need is a prepaid phone that can’t be traced back to either of us. And then we just sit back and let the fun begin.”

  She leaned over, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, the kind of teasing, tantalizing kiss that only whet his appetite for more.

  “You’re magnificent, Marcus. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for all you’ve done.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll think of a way.”

  THE SUN WAS LOW IN THE SKY when they drove through the gates of the Double M Ranch. Marcus had been afraid that with Kevin’s arrest imminent, Dani might drive back to Austin that afternoon. He knew she hated being away from Celeste.

  They’d returned to Ella’s hospital room once Marcus had made the phone call on the untraceable phone and stayed there until the nurses assured Dani that Ella was responding to treatment. Both her temperature and her blood pressure were almost back into normal ranges. At that point, it was so late that Dani had decided to spend one more night in Dobbin.

  He could tell she was trying not to get too caught up in the idea of Ella being her twin sister, but whether they were or not, they’d already developed an emotional bond through the visions.

  Marcus was just thankful that he’d have another night with Dani. He wasn’t nearly ready for her to drive off into the sunset. He was starting to get the feeling that he might never be.

  A few days ago he’d been sure he’d never again trust a woman with his heart. A few days ago he hadn’t met Dani Baxter. The attraction had been instant and so strong it was scary. Now it was a burning need that never let up.

  And it wasn’t just the sexual part of their relationship that had his heart kicking around inside him like a bull on a short rope. It was all of her.

  The way she looked when she woke up in the morning, all dewy-eyed and fresh. The way she walked with that sexy little sway to her hips. The way she laughed. The way she connected with Celeste. Even the way she traveled back and forth between this world and the psychic realm intrigued him.

  But mostly it was the way she handled whatever was thrown her way. She was sweet and vulnerable, yet tough and determined, all arranged into one gorgeous, dynamic package.

  She’d slept most of the way home, but she opened her eyes and stretched as they neared his cabin. “We’re here already?”

  “Already as in an hour after I was finally able to drag you from the hospital.”

  “Is it too late to saddle up the horses and ride down to the river?”

  “We have another hour of daylight, but you must be exhausted. You got very little sleep last night.”

  “The catnap helped. But we don’t have to go riding if you’re not up to it. You got far less sleep last night than I did.”

  “An unmarried cowboy never turns down a chance to go riding with a beautiful woman.” Besides, they had things to talk about, like where they went from here. The river where they’d shared that first mind-blowing kiss might be just the place to do it.

  DANI WANDERED TOWARD the bank of the slow-moving river while Marcus tethered their mounts. She’d asked for this ride, but now she wasn’t sure that being out here with him was such a good idea. So much had happened to her the past few days that she could barely register a clear thought. Her feelings for Marcus were tangled up in every aspect of the current confusion and emotional roller coaster.

  A pair of deer stepped into the clearing just across the narrow river. She stood perfectly still, trying not to startle them. They watched her for a few seconds, then one turned and ran back into the brush and the other followed close behind.

  Most men would have run from her that same way given the intensity of her psychic encounters. Marcus was still here, but she knew better than to believe that could last. Yet she ached to spend one more night in his arms, didn’t think she could bear it if she couldn’t.

  Marcus stepped behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his muscular chest. He trailed kisses from her earlobe to her shoulder, sending heated tingles skipping along her nerve endings.

  “I wish you weren’t going back to Austin tomorrow.”

  “So do I, but my life is there the same way yours is here.”

  “It doesn’t have to be.”

  Her nerves grew edgy. She was afraid of where this conversation was going
. She hadn’t expected this from Marcus. He had his life all worked out. He had to know she’d never fit into it.

  “I’m not too good with the mushy stuff, but I’m crazy about you, Dani. I’m guessing you’ve noticed since I can’t keep my hands off you.”

  “You’ve been great, Marcus, but…”

  “Don’t start with the buts until you hear me out. I’m not trying to rope and tie you down this soon, but I’d like to keep seeing you. I’ll come to Austin when we both have a free weekend. You and Celeste can come to the Double M whenever you want. No pressure. We’ll just see what happens.”

  The ache went clear to her soul, but she knew what would happen. The same thing that always happened. Not in the next few weeks, but eventually. His leaving would be inevitable.

  Walking away from Marcus now would break her heart. Losing him later would destroy her.

  “A simple okay will do,” he said when her silence stretched on for painful seconds.

  She had to push the answer from her throat. “I’d love to keep seeing you, Marcus, but I can’t.”

  His arms dropped from around her. “Guess I misread the signals here. Is there someone else?”

  She turned to face him. “There’s no one else. How can you even ask that after the way we made love the other night?”

  “Then you admit we are great together?”

  “Great would be the understatement of the century.”

  “So what’s the problem? That I’m a cowboy instead of some rich Austin businessman?”

  “No businessman ever turned me on the way you do, Marcus Abbot. And you’re not just a cowboy, except in your mind, even though I’d have no complaints if you were. You’re still special ops, just without the official credentials. You and Cutter both thrive on action, on living on the edge.”

  “So it’s my job with Cutter that scares you?”

  “No. The problems with our starting a relationship have nothing to do with you. It’s me. It’s the visions. I never know when or how they’ll disrupt my life. Do you really think you could live with that year after year after year?”