by J. M. Madden
Cheyenne and her issues had faded away, at least until he’d run into her at the gas station one day. For some reason he’d looked over just in time to see her putting a compact away and slipping a pair of sunglasses on. But it had been enough time for him to see the bruises. Stalking across the lot to her pump he’d walked straight up to her and removed the glasses.
He could remember the look of fear in her eyes even now. It had gutted him. And as his focus sharpened, he realized Cheyenne had changed. She was almost haggard in appearance, and her brilliant auburn hair hung lank and lifeless around her face. But the vivid purple smudging the pale creamy skin of her cheek was stark. She’d snatched at her glasses but he’d kept them away from her. Instinctively he knew what had happened.
“You better tell Wade that this does not happen again. Do you understand me? No, never mind. I’m going to go tell him. No man should treat a woman like that.”
With a cry she’d lunged out, grabbing his arm. “No, you can’t, please. It’ll only make things worse.”
“How much worse does it need to be before you do something?”
“I’m working on it now. He’s in Austin with a friend. Please just give me time.”
Something in her appeal had convinced him, and he’d given her her glasses back.
Within hours, though, Wade had gotten a DUI. One of his deputies had picked him up leaving Spurs, not Austin like he’d told Cheyenne. Truman, the deputy, had been friends with Wade at one time and had admitted to Sheridan that he probably would have just driven him home if he hadn’t plowed into another car, then tried to leave the scene. It had been after everything had closed, and if Deputy Truman hadn’t actually seen it happen Wade would have gotten off scot free.
That DUI had been the beginning of the end. Wade had done three days in jail and his license had been suspended. Then he’d had to rely on other people to haul his ass around, which had infuriated him further. Sheridan had seen the crash coming, but when it had it was so much worse than he’d expected.
In an effort to sweeten the news of Wade’s release he stopped at Ground Zero and grabbed her one of those caramel things, then he blasted the air all the way out to the school. The morning was beautiful, but it promised to be a hot one.
When he pulled up into the turnaround in front of the school he parked his truck and locked it, then headed into the office. He would get looks and there would be whispers around town for this, but it needed to be done.
Joy Overland, the elementary school secretary who had been on the job almost thirty years, smiled at him when he was buzzed through the security door.
“Sheriff! What a nice surprise!”
Sheridan took off his hat, holding it against his thigh. “Hey, Joy. Any chance I can talk to Cheyenne for a minute?”
She glanced up at the clock and nodded. “Yes, I think I can swing it. Julie.”
A girl at a student desk looked up. “Yes, ma’am?”
“Can you go get Ms. Lowell please?”
With a nod the girl grabbed the bright green hall pass and swung through the door.
“So, how’s that girl of yours?,” Joy asked. “I miss seeing her sweet face.”
Sheridan smiled. “I do too, actually. She’s a bit of a pistol recently. Gonna be driving soon, so you better watch out.”
Joy laughed, her cheeks turning pink with pleasure. “She can’t be that bad. I’ve lived through many years of students becoming responsible drivers. She’ll be fine.”
“Yes, you’re probably right. It’s just a little traumatic for me right now.”
The young girl came back, hall pass swinging in her hand. Steps behind her was Cheyenne Lowell, looking curious and a little concerned. Her pale eyes widened when she saw him, and something shifted behind her gaze.
He held the coffee out to her and her expression lightened with delight. “Oh, my goodness! You didn’t have to do that.”
He smiled as she ripped the paper off the straw and plunged it into the drink. The sultry, satisfied expression on her face as she took a drink had him shifting in his boots. Damn, she always looked good, but that expression made him think needful things. Things he hadn’t been a part of in a very long time.
“Is there somewhere we can talk privately, Cheyenne?”
Her expression turned cautious and she nodded. “Follow me.”
Sheridan would have said happily, but that probably wasn’t acceptable in the elementary school. In spite of himself though, he did glance at her loose-limbed walk. Cheyenne was tall for a woman, and strong. Came from working for her daddy all those years on the ranch.
She led him into a conference room and when he passed through, she closed the door behind them. The silence was suddenly very loud, and he was very conscious of her proximity.
Damn. Why couldn't it be someone else to share this info? She was never going to let him in after this.
Moving around the table she sank down into one of the seats. “So, what’s going on? Did Grace do something I don’t know about?”
In spite of himself he laughed. “Not that I know of.”
He sank down across from her and placed his hat beside him on the table. “Wade had a parole hearing the other day. Did you know that?”
The color swept from her cheeks and Sheridan was very glad she was sitting down. She shook her head. Now he really felt like shit. “I didn’t know you didn’t know. Their system is fu-messed up,” he changed at the last minute. “They let me know he was going up for a hearing, but they didn’t let me know the judgment, or when he was to be released. I’m assuming you didn’t hear that either?”
She shook her head, her gaze going unfocused as she stared out the window beyond the table. She managed to whisper, “Is he out now?”
He nodded, hating the fearful desperation he could see creeping into her face. “I’m sorry, Cheyenne. I did everything I was supposed to do but things still fell through the cracks.”
She waved a hand and forced a smile. Sheridan admired her for being the strong woman she was. This was a shock, but she would rally to protect her kids. “I think you should think about moving in with your mom and dad or something.”
She winced, obviously going through logistics in her head. “They’re getting ready for Chad’s wedding. And the shower. They’re not going to want us cluttering up the house again.”
He frowned. Knowing her parents, they’d love every minute of it. A tidy or orderly house was nothing compared to the safety of their daughter and granddaughters.
“So, you haven’t seen anything recently? Or heard anything?”
She shook her head, her arms crossed beneath her breasts. “No, it’s been pretty quiet out our way. It might take him a while to figure out where we moved to. I mean, we don’t live in the same house we did with him.”
He hated to discourage her, but she needed to be realistic. “I don’t think it’ll be hard to find you, Cheyenne. It’s not like you’ve been hiding for the past seven years. And his family is still around.”
Her face fell, but she nodded. “I know. I was just hoping.”
She turned to look out at the street, then, seeming restless, stood up from the table and crossed to the windows, searching the street. He let her think about things for a few moments.
She whirled suddenly. “Sheridan, can you get a recent picture of him? Grace said something the other day about a man with tattoos. You don’t think that was Wade, do you?”
He’d already dug the phone from his pocket to call Marlene. “Hey,” he said when she answered. “Can you send me the release photo of our village idiot? Thanks, Marlene.”
The phone buzzed in his hand with an email seconds later and he opened it up, as well as the attachment.
Wade’s hard brown eyes stared out at them, and he had gotten ink. This was jail ink though, more dark and undefined than a normal tattoo. Cheyenne could see a skull with four roses grouped around it on his upper neck. To represent her and the girls? She had no idea.
Hi
s face was leaner and his hair had also grown out, long enough now to lay on his shoulders. She returned to the window, fighting nausea.
“What the hell am I supposed to do?,” she asked finally. “Just wait for him to track me down?”
Sheridan winced. “We’re looking for him now. I have an appointment to talk to the warden and I’ll figure out who his parole officer is. We’ll make sure he checked in with him or her and what his plan is. If he’s smart he’ll get a job somewhere other than Honeywell.”
Cheyenne listened to his words and tried to take comfort in them, but it was so hard. The fear in her throat was almost concrete enough she could bite it. Her daughters didn’t deserve to be in danger. They were beautiful little beings.
But they were Wade’s kids. At one time he’d been a wonderful father, but by the time she’d gotten pregnant with Grace things had been on a definite downward slide. He hadn’t hit her by that time, but it had only been a few weeks after the baby was born that he did. Actually, he’d kicked her out of bed when Grace had started crying, and Cheyenne had smacked into the heavy oak dresser. The corner of her eye had struck the knob and had immediately swelled and began to turn colors.
When she’d confronted him the next morning about coming home drunk, he’d laughed at her injuries. “Well, I was tired. If you’d keep the brat quiet we wouldn’t have an issue, right?”
“She’s a baby. They cry. Period.”
He’d shaken his head at her. “Not sure why you had another one anyway. I told you not to.”
Cheyenne had gritted her teeth. Yes, he had, but she’d had hopes of salvaging her marriage. When she’d been pregnant with Carolyn, the oldest, he’d been solicitous and completely involved, at least when he was around. The rodeo circuit didn’t wait for any cowboy, and the fire in his belly to be great had motivated Wade. For a long time Cheyenne had admired that fire, until he no longer had anywhere to expend the energy except against her.
“I think he’ll use the excuse that he wants to see the kids to get to me.”
Sheridan nodded his head. “I suspect so.”
“So what do I do, Sheridan? I can’t live my life running from him all the time.”
He glanced out the window. The trees were as full as they were going to get, giving precious shade to those near them.
“I don’t think you should be alone. I know your dad is still recovering but maybe you should think about mentioning the situation to them. I think they would be angry if you didn’t. There’s plenty of room on the Blue Star.”
Again, she grimaced. “I don’t want to stress him out any more than he needs to be. I’m not sure if I’ll tell them anything.”
Sheridan frowned, knowing she was trying to protect them but not sure it was the correct path. He knew Garrett Lowell. The man would be pissed when he realized people were dancing around him. If Sheridan hadn’t stopped him years ago he would have beaten the hell out of Wade. It had taken several deputies to restrain him when he’d learned what had happened to Cheyenne.
Sheridan wracked his brain for ideas. They needed to be watched at night, when they were alone. At school they had more security, more visibility.
Maybe he could boost patrols out in that direction. That was kind of a stopgap thing, though, and it definitely wasn’t stealthy. You could see a car coming for miles out on these long straight stretches.
If the danger was imminent, he could put someone in the house. Hell, he could be in the house.
He took a breath, wondering if he dared mention the idea floating through his head. He had more flexibility than any of the other men he employed. If Cheyenne didn’t have the room, they could move to his house. Actually, that might be better all around.
“I’m going to make a suggestion and I want you to hear me out before you cross your arms and glare at me.”
Cheyenne halted her movement. She’d been just about to cross her arms, a defensive posture she took a lot. Inwardly, Sheridan chuckled.
Taking a deep breath, he looked her in the eye. “We don’t know what he knows. Unfortunately he’s had more time to investigate you and what you’ve been doing than we’ve known about. He may already know where you live.”
He paused as a shimmer of something crossed her expression. Terror.
Sheridan stood and crossed the room to circle the table, then he deliberately shoved a few chairs aside to lean his butt against it. He was on her eye level, but she had space.
“I want you to think about packing up the girls to come stay with Olivia and me for a few days, just until we can pinpoint him and try to figure out what his plan is. He has no idea where I live, and it’s an added layer of security. I also have a guard dog, and security cameras I can check on my phone. If you don’t want to worry your daddy or your brothers, this is the second best option. I can drive you to and from school, insuring that no one follows us.
“I know it’s not ideal and I’m not saying you’re incompetent. Quite the opposite actually. In all seriousness, I think you’re the strongest woman I know. But you have little girls that haven’t learned to be as strong as you yet. And they have to be your top concern.”
Cheyenne knew he was right, she just hated to admit it. Angry, impotent tears tightened her throat and made her eyes burn. She cursed Wade for the five millionth time, wondering who she could have possibly pissed off so badly in a previous life to be condemned to live in fear the rest of this life.
Sheridan waited patiently, propped against the table behind him. He’d taken his hat off when he’d run his hands through his hair, and it sat on the table behind him. He seemed as frustrated as she was, his greenish hazel eyes narrowed as he waited for her response.
Why couldn’t she have met him years ago, instead of Wade?
No, that wasn’t fair. At one time, Wade had been her knight in dusty armor. That armor had eventually rusted through though.
Sheridan was the kind of man she’d hoped Wade would mature into. He had a job, paid bills, was a responsible adult, and wasn’t ruled by his baser motivations. And he loved his daughter with the whole of his heart, just like he’d loved his wife.
The concern for her girls was right there in his eyes. He had his own daughter, so he understood the care they needed.
Daddy would be so upset with her.
“Is there any way we can not tell my daddy what’s going on?”
Sheridan’s heavy brows lifted. “Well, I don’t know. If he shows up over there won’t it be a surprise?”
“We can tell Brock. He’ll be on the lookout and he can head Daddy off.”
Cheyenne had five hundred thoughts vying for prominence in her mind and it was driving her nuts. Uppermost in her mind was the safety of her girls. That overruled everything.
Being with the sheriff would be safe. Right?
What would other people say, though? Did she care? There could be worse things than to be connected to Honeywell’s most eligible bachelor.
“Okay,” she said finally. Then immediately cringed. This could be a really bad idea.
When she glanced at Sheridan, he had a hard look on his handsome face. “I won’t let anything happen to you or your family, Cheyenne. I promise.”
She took heart in that and nodded. Then she took a deep breath, firming her spine. “Maybe we need to pull Principal Hedges in here to fill him in.”
Sheridan nodded and stood, hat in hand. “I’ll fill him in.”
Cheyenne was surprised when he reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. But it wasn’t fear that shuddered through her. No, it was something more than that.
The directness of his gaze was almost too much, but Cheyenne forced herself to stand strong.
“It will be all right. I swear to you that we have every deputy in this county as well as the surrounding counties looking for him.”
She nodded, believing him. Sheridan was a good man. If he said he would do something he would. “I thought I was done with all this,” she admitted finally.
He let
his hand fall away and fitted his hat to his head. “Life is full of surprises, Cheyenne. Haven’t you figured that out yet? Both good and bad.”
That was so true.
Cheyenne moved to the table to pick up the iced coffee. “This was a good surprise. Thank you, Sheridan. I will savor this for the next hour and try to forget the bad one you brought me.”
He grinned at her. “Maybe I better bring you a gallon at lunchtime.”
Cheyenne laughed, shaking her head. “No, this will wind me up enough.” She paused in the doorway and looked him in the eye. “Thank you, Sheridan.”
“No problem, Cheyenne.”
Chapter 4
She returned to her class while Joy called for the principal to come down and talk to him. Mr. Hedges had been the principal for the elementary school as long as Joy had been in the office, so she had no doubt that he would remember Wade. And he would remember the scandal that had rocked the county when he’d been arrested for beating her unconscious. And all the rest of it.
The doting older man would do everything he could to keep them all safe, because he loved every teacher, janitor and child that went to school here.
The rest of the day passed in a fog for Cheyenne. She taught her kids sensibly, she thought, but couldn’t for the life of her remember what she’d said. The kids would have called her out if she’d been too discombobulated, probably.
She found herself watching out the windows almost constantly, until she recognized what she was doing. “Damn it,” she muttered.
There was a gasp behind her and she turned to see Grace standing in the doorway. The final bell had rung and kids were filing out of the front of the school, but her girls knew to come to her classroom for the ride home.
“Mama, you said a bad word in school!”
And she wanted to do it again. Only very rarely did she ever curse, and certainly never in school, but today was an exception. Her nerves were frayed. As the day had gone on, she’d gotten more and more fearful. If Wade was out there she didn’t want to run the chance of running into him. But she refused to let him rule her life anymore.