Protect and Serve: Soldiers, SEALs and Cops: Contemporary Heroes from NY Times and USA Today and other bestselling authors

by J. M. Madden

  He leaned in close to take a look. “I see you made it back. Did you have any major problems getting it here?”

  “Yeah, we did.” Rylie came out from underneath wiping his hands on a shop towel. “Once Harvey and I towed her out onto the highway, we didn’t see any reason not to drive her in. There was only a small amount of oil sitting on the snow, but shouldn’t have been enough to keep us from driving her.”

  “That sounds like better news than you originally thought.”

  “Guess again.” He reached for his coffee cup and drained the contents. “I got in following behind Harvey in the truck. We made it down the service road about a mile before the godawfullest racket you ever heard started up.”

  Harvey joined them. “Sounded like a damn threshing machine. By the time he got her to a full stop, the engine‘d seized.”

  “I’d say that pretty much takes the coach out of the picture.”

  “Yeah, the engine’s toast.” Riley confirmed.

  “Does Lilah know yet?”

  “I haven’t told her.”

  Lighting a cigarette, Harvey propped his foot on a toolbox and asked, “Either of you yahoos interested in hearing what I found?”

  Jack and Riley both gave him their undivided attention.

  “Well, I got to checkin’ on why there was so much oil all over everything underneath.” He took a long drag off the cigarette, exhaled the smoke, and walked over to the coach. “What year model do you think this is?”

  Jack wondered where Harvey was going with this, but decided to play along. “I’d say it’s fairly new. No more than two or three years old.”

  “I agree.” Pulling a small part from his pocket, he held it out and said, “This here’s a used plug from the oil pan off that old clunker out back.” He held another similar plug in his other hand. “And this is the one I just took off the coach. Notice anything?”

  “Sure do.” Riley took the two plugs and examined them closer. “This one from the coach looks like the threads have been filed off.” He handed them to Jack. “See, the older one shows some wear, as I’d expect, but the other one—“

  “Is completely smooth in spots. What would cause that?”

  “Nothin’ short of tamperin’,” Harvey said. “So what’s next, Boss?”

  Jack tossed the altered plug up and caught it. “Keep looking, see if you find anything else suspicious. I’ll head over to the motel. I want to talk to Lilah’s driver, what’s his name?”

  “Tag Swift,” Riley answered. “But I think I can save you some travel time.”

  “How’s that?”

  “He’s in my kitchen having coffee.”

  * * *

  “I don’t know what to do, Tag,” Lilah groaned. “Ugh, I hate not being in control.”

  Tag nodded in agreement. “You’ve always run a little short on patience, but let’s wait for the verdict on the coach before we throw in the towel.”

  “Logically, I know you’re right. Impulsively, I want to snap my fingers and be in Fort Worth.” She sighed, stood, patted Tag on the shoulder and grabbed the pot to pour more coffee. “In a perfect world, right?”

  “Lilah?” Callie looked up from the paper she was drawing on. “I bet I can help you.”

  She sat back down at the table, added cream to her cup, and smiled at the little girl. “Thanks for the offer, sweetie, but short of my motor coach being fixed or a helicopter, there’s no way I’m going to get out of here.”

  Undaunted, Callie continued, “You can use my Grandma Meg’s horse, Sadie. Grandma sometimes calls her Old Faithful. She’ll get you to Fort Worth.”

  Lilah’s heart warmed at the child’s simple way of looking at a situation. It’d be nice to view the world that way again. “Callie, you’re something else, do you know that?”

  “She sure is.” Jack came in to the room and kissed his daughter on the top of the head. Sitting next to her, he pulled her into his lap and hugged her. “Thing is, turns out Callie’s suggestion may be your best hope.”

  “Why? Is the coach damaged that badly?” She looked from Jack to Riley for an answer.

  Riley hesitated, then said, “I’m afraid she’s going to need a new engine.”

  “Okay.” Finally, she thought, progress. “How soon can you put one in and have it ready to go?”

  “An engine isn’t something I keep in my toolbox and, even if I could get one, I couldn’t have it ready to drive for at least a week.”

  “Oh.” Once again, logic and practicality had deserted her. “I’m sorry, Riley. Of course you can’t.”

  “Tag, what can you tell me about the coach?” Jack joined them at the table. “How long have you been driving her?”

  “A little over a year. It belongs to Lilah’s manager, Connor Hill.”

  Lilah watched Jack scribble notes in a pocket tablet.

  He underlined Connor’s name then continued. “Who does your maintenance and when was it last done?”

  “A couple of the boys, Chase and Tucker, fancy themselves as auto techs, shade-tree mechanics we used to call ‘em. I’ve been lettin’ ‘em work their magic to keep ‘em busy. As to the second part of your question, Chase Clary, he plays lead guitar, checked her over day before yesterday.”

  “I see.”

  “Wait a second, here, what are you getting at?” Lilah waited for Jack to acknowledge her, but he kept scribbling on that damnable tablet. She briefly considered shoving his pen up an orifice of his choosing. “Are you accusing my band members, my friends, of doing a poor job?”

  “Not yet. Just asking questions.”

  “Well, cut it out. They’re my family.”

  “Have you talked to any of them today?”

  “No, not yet.”

  “I knew you’d like to know if they’re all right, so I went ahead and contacted the Police Departments in the next several towns south of here. They’ll call if they find your guys or their van.”

  “Thank you, Jack.” She gave him a half smile and placed her hand on Tag’s forearm. “We appreciate it.”

  “Sure, no problem.” Jack picked up a yellow crayon and drew a big sun, with long rays all the way around it, in the upper corner of Callie’s simple drawing. When she beamed at him, he hugged her again. “I’m about to head out to our place to check on the cattle.”

  “Do you have to go Daddy?”

  “I do. I need to make sure they have enough to eat and drink. I went out early this morning while you were sleeping, but I have to be sure the tanks and ponds aren’t frozen over by now.” He tapped her on the tip of her nose making her grin. “Can I count on you to stay here and keep Aunt Tara and Miss Lilah company?”

  “Yes, sir. Will you go to the house and get my CD so Lilah can put her name on it for me?”

  “I will. Is it in your room?”

  “On my dresser.”

  “Deal?” He held out his hand and she shook it.

  “Deal.”

  He put Callie back in her chair and stood. “Okay, I’m headed out and won’t have cell coverage for a while, so if you need me, shoot me a text and I’ll get it on my way back into town.”

  Tara came out of the kitchen with a thermos. “Here’s some hot coffee. Stay warm.”

  He gave her a quick hug. “You know, if you ever get tired of that slug you’re married to, I’m available.”

  “Unfortunately, you couldn’t handle me.”

  Lilah listened to the repartee and found a tinge of the green monster tugging at her. She had friends, a lot of friends in fact, but none she hung out with, none she was really close to. Maybe they even fell into the category of friendly acquaintances. Lately, she’d isolated herself from just about everyone in order to concentrate on rebuilding her career. Thanks to one snowstorm, she could end up alone and a has-been at thirty.

  “Jack?”

  He stopped, his hand on the door knob, and looked in her direction. “Yeah?”

  “Can I ride with you?”

  “Sure, I can use the com
pany. It’ll be cold, so put on some layers. I’ll be out front warming up the truck.”

  “I’ll hurry.”

  She couldn’t have said where that had come from. Maybe it came from her thoughts of being alone, maybe she wanted a glance into the life she’d missed when they’d both decided to pursue separate lives. Whatever the reason, she found herself humming while dressing for the weather. And that felt good.

  FIVE

  Lilah bounced up and down on the seat of Jack's ancient Dodge pickup truck as they drove over the pot-hole filled pasture road to check on his cattle. The pristine blanket of snow surrounding them reminded her of the rolls of white cotton she and her mother put down for their snow village displayed under the Christmas tree when she was a kid.

  She should have been more nervous about the drive to the ranch, but Jack was so relaxed and self-assured behind the wheel that he put her at ease.

  “I swear your pickup must be part mountain goat.”

  Jack chuckled. “She's pretty sure footed, all right.”

  “Wait.” She looked around the interior. “This is the same one you had when we were in high school.”

  “The very same.”

  “Looks pretty good.” Lilah looked around the interior. “It's hard to believe you're still driving it.”

  “Her.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Jack gave her a side glance. “She isn't an it, she's a her.” Turning back to the road and his driving, he said, “To date, she's the longest relationship I've ever had.”

  “Wow.” Lilah reached forward and patted the dashboard. “Sorry, Talulah.”

  “Hey, you remembered her name.”

  “Of course, Tara and I named her the first time you took us for a ride.”

  She looked straight ahead, remembering the great summers the four of them had spent together. A lot of life had happened to them since those fun, crazy days.

  Jack had married, had a child and had ridden bulls in the rodeo.

  Riley and Tara were married and were building a good life together.

  She'd pursued her dream of becoming a country western singer, making it all the way to Nashville. In her wake she’d left behind a string of boyfriends, a fiancé and a husband. Apparently relationships weren’t her strong suit. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught him stealing another look in her direction.

  He broke the loud silence looming between them. “I appreciate you riding out here with me, Lilah.”

  “Sure, Tara and Callie talked so much about how beautiful your ranch is, I wanted to see it for myself. And, I figured Tag needed a break from my ranting over our predicament.” She shifted in the seat to face him better. “How long have you lived out here, Jack?”

  “I bought the place about six years ago.” He shifted to a lower gear to maneuver some deeper ruts. “Nessa loved it and didn't mind being out here alone with a small child while I competed on the rodeo circuit.”

  “I was sorry to hear of her passing.”

  “How did you know?”

  “Tara caught me up on town happenings yesterday.”

  “Oh. Of course she did.”

  “I can’t place her. She was, what, three years behind us?”

  “Yes.” His voice cracked and his blue eyes, normally clear, darkened as he fiddled with vents and knobs.

  “I’m sorry, Jack. I didn’t mean to bring up an unpleasant subject.”

  “The only thing unpleasant about Nessa was the cancer that took her from us.”

  She squelched the urge to recoil from his sharp tone. “Again, I apologize.”

  “Stop, Lilah, you’re not at fault here.” His demeanor softened as he drew a deep breath. “We’ve come a long way, Callie and me. She’s been my salvation.”

  “I see why. She's beautiful and vivacious and a complete joy. I'm privileged to have met her.”

  She braced her hand on the dashboard as he navigated a hairy curve then turned onto a road that led to a fence pipe arch. A stylized JM topped its peak. The house and barns sat off in the distance.

  “Callie and Tara were right,” she commented. “This is a beautiful piece of property.”

  “Thanks, we had our eye on it for a long time before we finally bought it.” Driving past the house and out buildings to a gate, he said, “We’re going to drive on out to check the cattle first. After they’re taken care of, we’ll stop to pick up Callie’s CD for you to autograph.”

  “I’m with you.”

  * * *

  Jack wondered if he should tell Lilah he'd been following her and her career the last couple of years since his wife's death. But what would it accomplish? He wasn't a stalker, and he didn't need to bring her kind of drama into his daughter’s life.

  The thought had occurred to him that the stories of her diva tantrums, outrageous spending, and wild one-night stands put out by the tabloids were just that. Stories enhanced or made up to sell magazines. Tara had told him they weren’t true, but, unfortunately, he was human and had fallen for the gossip.

  That altered oil pan plug weighed on his mind, too. No way that was normal wear, so who would do that and why? When he’d brought it up earlier, neither she nor Tag had let on if they’d had any suspicions.

  That was okay, he was suspicious enough for all of them. Before they got back to town, he’d find out all there was to know about Lilah Canfield.

  Finally, he saw the cattle standing close to a natural wind break partially protected from the north wind. He slowed the truck to a stop, slipped the gear shift into neutral and set the brake. He grabbed hold of her arm when she opened the passenger door.

  “Where’re you going?”

  “Out to help you.”

  “No, I need you to stay here out of the way,” he told her. “I can’t worry about you and do my job at the same time. I’ll leave the motor running so you’ll have the heater while you wait.”

  “You don’t need to do that. I’ll be warm enough.”

  “What I have to do won't take that long, and besides, I don't want to give Talulah any excuse not to start when we’re ready to go.”

  Half an hour later, he was back in the truck, cold and shivering from exposure to the elements. His face stung from the blowing sleet that had joined the snow for a nasty wintry mix. His gloves had kept his fingers warm enough but he thought his nose might snap off.

  “Man, it's freezing out there.” Reaching over to the dashboard area, he nudged the temp up slightly. “I’m glad you stayed in the truck.”

  “I feel bad for you but, all said and done? Me, too.” She looked at him accusingly. “Glad I wasn’t in the way.”

  “Lilah,” he said with a heavy sigh. Lord, Callie was more mature. “That isn’t the way I meant it.”

  “I know, Jack, I couldn’t resist poking the bear.” She grinned, punching him in the shoulder. Then she added, “Seriously, though, will the cattle be all right now?”

  “They should be. There’s enough to eat for tonight and the tank’s not frozen over. I'll come back out in the morning and do the same thing.”

  She conveyed such apparent care and concern, he almost forgot himself. He had the strongest urge to lean in close and kiss her worry away. Her lips were plump and tempting, and he remembered exactly how she tasted. Tangy and sweet. Immediately, his thoughts went to an image of her sitting astraddle his lap. They’d done some heavy petting back in the day in this very cab. The memories came flooding back like it was yesterday instead of twelve years ago. Holy hell. He had to get a grip and get his hands busy before he got himself into trouble.

  “You ready to head to the house?”

  “Sure, I'm along for the ride.”

  Clearing his throat, he shifted uncomfortably in the seat, then backed around and drove out of the pasture toward the road.

  A few minutes later, Jack led Lilah into his house through the mud room. He hung his coat on one of the hooks and removed his boots that were covered with mud and muck from the pasture. She parked her feminine high-
heeled boots next to his, but left her coat on and followed him into the kitchen.

  Luckily they still had power so he turned on the heater to remove the chill. Grabbing the pot off the stove, he filled it with water then retrieved the canister from the cabinet. “You’ll drink coffee if I make it, won't you?”

  “Yes and, right now, that sounds heavenly.”

  “Good, I'll get it started and then, after the house warms up, I’ll take you on a tour.”

  “I’d like that.”

  When the coffee was ready, Jack poured them both a cup and sliced some cake, too. “Here you go. I hope you enjoy this pound cake Meg brought out for Christmas dinner. She’s a good cook.”

  “As evidenced by last night’s dinner you and Riley brought home.” She shook her head. “You and Tara are doing a good job of ruining my diet, though. Another day or two and I won’t fit into my stage jeans.”

  He thought she looked too skinny anyway, but chose not to voice his opinion. In spite of her grumbling, she did manage to eat a couple bites before pushing the plate away.

  “That’s absolutely evil and the most delicious cake I’ve eaten in I don’t know when.” She sipped her coffee and then stared at him, apparently deep in thought.

  Finally, she said, “Jack, do you really think someone tried to sabotage my trip to Fort Worth?”

  “I don’t know, but I do know that part didn’t file away its own threads. That just doesn’t happen.” He wrestled briefly about asking her certain questions, but personal details were necessary if he was going to help her. “I don’t want to upset you, but how well do you know the members of your band?”

  “With the exception of Charley, we’ve been together five years. I trust them with my life.”

  “You sure about that? What about this guy, Charley?”

  “Oh, Charley’s a young woman I gave a job to six months ago when no one else would even listen to her.”

  “But what do you know about her?”

  “Everything I need to know. She’s a good singer and she’s hungry. She reminds me of myself twelve years ago.”

  Knowing it was possible she had a blind eye where Charley was concerned, he dropped it for now and moved on. “It’s obvious Tag thinks the world of you. How’s your relationship with your manager?”