Finding Kimber (Canyon Junction; Hearts In Love Book 2)

by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

  She sighed. “I’m who you know I am. I won’t change my name again.” She stomped in the sand, repeating, “I won’t.” Kimber looked up at the morning sky. Windswept clouds passed them by. It looked like any other morning, but this one was oh, so different. “I’m not giving up my ranch and running away this time. If I do, all of this will have been in vain. I can’t do it again.”

  “Your friend, Greg, is ready to see Jerry.”

  “I wouldn’t call him a friend, but more of an acquaintance. He doesn’t know he’s close to me. Greg can’t know I’m in Arizona, or my name. Coincidentally, we, you and I, both have Idaho area codes.”

  “Yeah, one more coincidence in our mixed-up lives.” Zach glanced at Randy who stood out of earshot. He walked away and tossed the big duffel bag into the bed of Randy’s truck, then another. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  Roxanne had come outside with the thermos of coffee. Zach put it in the truck. She hugged Kimber. “When this is over, we’ll get to know each other. I know we’re going to be good friends. Sending luck to you both.” She gave Zach a hug.

  “I’ll be back for the horses. I promise.” Her words cracked when her throat tightened, and she hoped it wasn’t an empty promise. Kimber and Zach got in the truck. Zach turned around, nodded to his buddy, and they drove off. She sipped her coffee, paying attention to where they went. “Is it very far?”

  “Nah, I don’t know. Do you have a hat? Something to cover your fiery hair? Don’t get me wrong, I love it.”

  Searching her purse, she muttered, “Do you like blondes?”

  “I saw one in a doctor’s waiting room once. I sure liked her a lot.”

  “Her name was Tressa.” She pulled her hair up in a high ponytail, then took a silk scarf from her purse and tied it decoratively around her head like a headband.

  “I downloaded an app for the campground to reserve a spot. Your city girl is in for a rude awakening. At least we’ll have electricity and water.”

  “I choose not to be a city girl any longer. I’ll miss my horses.” She reached back to pat Stormy.

  Zach took hold of her hand. “I’m glad you aren’t quitting, Kimber. We’ll make it through this.”

  The bronze had left the sky, and it turned more lemon in color. Dark storm clouds moved in from the distance. She glanced at Zach. He was a kind man with no idea what he’d walked into by taking this job. Her heart was sad over the fact of being betrayed again, this time by a woman she’d trusted. Sam surely had his claws in her now.

  Kimber released a breath. She’d never wanted to know what or how Jerry did this for her. What would become of her if he didn’t make it? Kimber had to prepare her heart for the upcoming news. He was her gentle godfather who she loved. That’s all she wanted to know about him. Her phone rang again. “It’s Greg,” she told Zach. “Hello.”

  “I thought you’d want to know. Samuel Allen is in the infirmary in the prison. He might not make it.”

  Her breath caught. “What the hell did you say?” Greg repeated it.

  “What does that mean? How?” Her heart hit the floorboard of the truck. This couldn’t have been Jerry’s doings. Who else was involved?

  “He was stabbed multiple times. They’ll transfer him to their local hospital.”

  “How do you know? Who did this?”

  “It doesn’t matter how I know.”

  “It matters. His men or woman, is still out there looking for me. There is no guarantee they’d stop looking if he…if Sam dies. I’m sure Melinda is doing this for Sam now.”

  Zach whipped his head around so fast, she thought it’d roll off. She nodded to him, that in fact, he had heard her right. “I’ll get the phone you mentioned.”

  “Stay out of sight.” He paused. “Ah, Tressa, there’s something I have to tell you. Your father is on the way here.”

  “My father will be there?” Her fingers instinctively clasped her necklace, and she pictured her gentle dad.

  Zach pulled into the campground and drove around looking for their site. He stopped the truck and took her hand when he found the spot.

  Greg spoke low into the phone. “I have to go.”

  “Greg, wait. When my dad arrives, make sure they’re both safe. Please.”

  “Jerry is under guard; therefore, your father will be, too.” He hung up.

  Zach faced her, and his eyes held questions she’d become accustomed to. “Your father? Your family isn’t dead?”

  Here we go again. No more lies. “No. They knew my death was fake, but I mourned because I’d never see them again. Oh, the guy in prison, Sam, got knifed and he might not make it.” She said that so matter-of-factly, it almost didn’t sound real.

  “The guy you put in prison? That’s terrific. I mean...”

  Kimber peered at her lap. “It’s okay. I know what you mean, but will it make a difference if he dies? This can’t be a coincidence.”

  “We can only hope it does. Should I go to the hospital to see what’s going on?”

  “Sam isn’t in the hospital in this state. No, you can’t go to see Jerry, either, if that’s what you mean. Please, Zach, don’t put yourself in harm’s way. Please don’t. Again, Greg doesn’t know where I am.”

  “You’re right. Did you ever put up a tent?”

  Kimber gave a sardonic laugh. “What do you think?”

  “No.”

  “Jokes on you, fella. Yes, I have. When I’d go to horse shows, a bunch of us girls stayed in tents.”

  “You never cease to surprise me.”

  “There used to be pictures online of some of my shows. Mind you, this happened a long time ago, so maybe they aren’t there anymore. I sure can’t bring back those memories.”

  “Then it isn’t something I need to see. What kind of shows? Rodeo?”

  Kimber glanced around the campsite. “I was a show jumper.”

  Thunder growled in the near distance, and heavy clouds rolled in. “Cool. Let’s get this tent put up, cowgirl.”

  She helped him unload the truck, but wouldn’t let Stormy out. “Greg wanted us to get burner phones so we can’t be tracked. I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary on my phone.”

  “Wait. What? The guy thinks your phone has a tracker on it? Melinda could’ve done it when she visited you. He’s already called you multiple times. What if he’s in on it? Get in the truck.” Zach tossed the bags back into the bed of the truck and sped out of the campground. Hard, blowing rain came down as they pulled out. He drove away from the mountain.

  “What’s wrong? Where are we going?”

  “Away from here. If someone is tracking your phone, or his—”

  “I called his go-phone, but I get it. No camping.”

  “We are camping. While we’re heading west, call him back. Write down the immediate numbers you need from your phone, then write down Tyler’s, Randy’s, Jake’s, and my mom’s from mine. When you’re finished, turn our phones off. I want to open yours up to look for a tracker, or for whatever the hell else could’ve been used.” He stopped at a gas station and checked her phone. “Bastards. I’m deleting this hidden app. I’ve seen it advertised for family tracking. Somebody added it to your phone.”

  She was so angry, she could’ve growled like the wolves in the desert.

  He checked his own. “There’s nothing on mine. I have a better idea. I’ll download a burner app for any other calls we make. Then Greg will think we’re using a disposable phone. The app acts as a burner phone. We can pay extra for a different area code and use a Boise number like we do now.”

  Kimber sat back and sighed. Tiredness caught up with her. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. No worries. Tyler uses the app.” After taking care of the app and new number, he continued driving until they ended up in traffic at a near stand-still miles away. Now she’d made Zach suspicious of everything.

  They headed back to the campsite and unloaded. “Randy gave us a blowup bed. Looks like we have to sleep together, partner.”


  “No problem, Mr. Bryson.” In this awful predicament, his words sparked a glow in her heart. She flashed him a smile and helped him make up the bed. “I’ll never be able to thank you for what you’re doing.”

  Zach glanced at the bed and winked. “My heart’s the only thing you have to thank, sweetheart. Well, maybe one other body part.”

  Chapter 21

  When the rain stopped, Zach and Kimber sat in folding chairs outside the tent in an eerie stillness. Water dripped from the top cover over the tent and off the truck. Country music played somewhere in the campground. Kimber called Greg’s phone to give him their new numbers. She glanced at Zach to see him listening. “Is there any sign of Melinda, Greg?”

  “Not yet. Where are you?”

  “I’m not telling you.” Kimber hung up and took Zach’s hand. She shuddered to think of being asleep in that room. But if she had been, her alarm would’ve been set. She would’ve been safe until she’d unlocked the door to feed the horses—then gunned down on her steps. Would this ever be over?

  “I’ll never be able to sleep in that room again.” She rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. The smell of straw and sawdust wafted through the air from her clothes. They smelled more like the barn than the barn itself. “I’m so tired, but I need a shower. I should’ve danced in the rain.”

  “I’ll go over with you. Guess I could use one.”

  Kimber peered around. No other campers were near them. “It’s desolate around here.”

  “I’ll be your guard.”

  “I appreciate that, and I’ll be yours. Let me get a change of clothes. I had my PJs packed in the small bag. I don’t know what I thought I’d do with them.”

  “Now you can wear them, or nothing.” Zach’s heated gaze brought a vision of them tangled up in the tent.

  “Sounds nice.” She stood and stretched. Kimber removed the hairband from around her wrist and pulled her hair into a ponytail. “I’ll be right out.” Inside, she considered their plight. Randy and Roxanne gave them everything they’d need, including a camp stove and cooler.

  She removed two towels, not knowing how she thought to grab towels. Outside, she smiled at Zach. “I have an extra towel for you.” He went in to get clothes. They walked to the showers hand in hand in the dark of night with Stormy. A dim light on a pole lit their way to the showers. A clap of thunder startled her, and she squeezed his hand.

  “Better make it fast,” he said. “Come on, Stormy. I don’t want to smell a wet dog in the tent.”

  Hurrying along, she mumbled, “I can’t imagine the deputies searching my house. How embarrassing.”

  “Why, you keep a nice house. You did nothing wrong.”

  Her sexy panty drawer? “I know. Now let me look and smell somewhat presentable.”

  “You always do. You’re a beautiful woman, Kimber, and I’ve thought that since the day I saw you.”

  He held a sincere gaze. “Thank you. Thank you for everything. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t there to help with Honey. You even gave me the dog, sat with me…”

  Zach squeezed her hand. “After they apprehend the perpetrators, I’ll get my truck back from Randy’s, and we’ll go away for a while.”

  If only it were that easy. She nodded, but was afraid it wouldn’t happen. “No matter where either of us ends up tomorrow, I need to be sure the horses and Stormy are safe.”

  “Hey, that almost sounds like good-bye. Tell me you haven’t changed your mind. You’re not leaving, right?”

  “I’m not. No matter what. But, I might need to go north. It sounds like a nice get-away break with you.”

  “Yep, it would be, but like I said, this isn’t a good time for you to be signing any papers. Let it slide for now. I’ll talk to my dad and brother so the paperwork can get redone. Trust me, Kimber. That’s all I ask of you.”

  “I have no choice, it seems. You got me and the horses through last night.”

  Under the overhang and outside the shower, Zach wrapped his arm around her. “They couldn’t be safer.”

  Kimber peered into his eyes under the dim lighting and smiled. She broke free then headed inside. Oh, Zach. Everything seemed so good between them. She rushed back to where he stood, dropped her bag, and threw her arms around his neck. She didn’t say anything, but praised each minute of being in his arms. His arms tightened around her. “I thought we had it all figured out once. We’re good now?”

  “My junk got in the way, that’s all. Not yours. I’m here for you, Kimber. Don’t you know that yet?”

  “Please get some help when this is all over?”

  Zach’s throat tightened, and he held her gaze. He pressed his teeth against his lip. “Okay.”

  She stepped back and grasped his hands. “It’ll be better one day, and you’ll get through this time of the year with my help, too.” She left for the shower, and once inside, she let the hot water roll down her back as she thought of the agony he’d endured. She was about to be sick from being overly tired and hungry, so she breathed in and out a few times until the nausea passed.

  Zach spoke from outside of the shower. “Kimber?”

  He wasn’t supposed to be in the ladies’ shower. She pulled the door open and proudly stood there naked in front of him. “What?”

  His tongue nearly hung out, and he blinked. “Whoa. I was going to say save me some hot water, but damn. Hurry up so you can watch the dog while I get washed. Damn. You’re torturing me.”

  “It’ll be worth it.” She closed the door, but he pushed it open and dropped the leash. Zach pressed her up against the opposite wall. “You can’t be in here, Zach.”

  “So what. Arrest me.” He shouted the words.

  “Shh. Shh. Shhhhhh.” She attempted to cover his mouth, but she laughed so loud that she had to cover her own. Zach knelt in front of her. Water sprayed down his back. “What are you doing?”

  “Shh, yourself. What do you expect when you stand there naked? I want you, darlin’. Now.” He eased his hands up her legs, trailing over her midriff to cup her breast where he squeezed gently, and he smiled. Zach slid his hands slowly over her wet skin, lower, then lower. His fingers softly caressed her.

  Quivering, she whispered in a soft moan, “Oh, no, baby. Not here…”

  “You don’t sound very convincing.” Zach mocked her. “Yeah, here.”

  He dipped his head, and her legs quivered in weakness. She pushed her fingers into his hair. Her body nearly collapsed at the first touch of his tongue and warm lips. Outrageous cries came out in moans, leading to louder shouts of glee escaping from her throat, until he finished the job. Zach backed away and looked up at her. “Ah, yeah. You do taste good.”

  Embarrassed yet again aroused, she covered her face with her hands. “I can’t believe you did that.”

  He stood and removed her hands. “It didn’t sound like you minded. That’s only the beginning of our night.”

  She laughed again but caught herself. “I shouldn’t be laughing,” she whispered.

  “Why not? Try to forget for an hour.”

  “I will.”

  “I might as well wash while I’m in here.” He stripped his wet clothes off.

  She clamped her hand over her mouth again. “With my girly-scented soap?”

  He chuckled. “Whatever. Hand it over.”

  She stood watching him lather up and it wasn’t the only thing up. He rolled his eyes when the scent of her body soap filled the shower. She turned him around and ran her soapy hands over his back, and continued over his legs, thighs, then up and between them. He jerked when she grasped him in an oh so sensual way.

  Her moans proved how much she enjoyed touching him this way. He rinsed then switched places with her to rinse his back. Her gaze lowered and she again caressed him, more aroused now than she’d ever been. Touching him like this excited her. He tossed his head back and moaned when she kissed all up on his neck. I love you, Zach.

  “Mmmm, you better stop.”

  Ki
mber slid her hands up his hard chest, the scars invisible to her now. She peeked under the door at Stormy. Her leash wasn’t attached to anything, so she prayed no one came in the main door. Not only for that reason.

  “God, woman.”

  Kimber gave a soft chuckle. “You didn’t like me touching you?”

  Zach laughed.

  Once they were both dried, she dressed while he brought his bag inside the shower to don his clothes. He stepped out and took the dog outside under the overhang. She still tingled inside at the thought of his tongue exciting her with sweet passion. Holy hell. They both needed to relax and sleep, but what could relax them better than being twisted up in the sheets with each other?

  “Come on, babe.”

  “I’m coming.”

  “Not yet, you aren’t.” He scratched on the door. A picture of his sexy smile formed in her mind's eye, and a chill overtook her body.

  She came out dressed and released her hair. She took Stormy’s leash. Thunder rumbled, and a streak of lightning zapped straight down in the distance. She expected to see a saguaro explode. “Oh, Stormy. I’m glad you aren’t afraid of storms.” She shuddered at the thought of camping in a monsoon. “Hurry, Zach.” She picked up her pace and peered at him. “Bet by now you’re wishing I wouldn’t have hired you back after I fired you.”

  “Not a chance in hell. Look what I would’ve been missing. The sight of you standing there naked with my tongue on you is worth taking a bullet.”

  “No, Zach, sweetie, don’t.”

  He kissed her on the temple then they hurried. “Teasing, but the sight was worth camping in a monsoon. At least we’re on high ground.”

  “Yeah.” She shuddered. “I don’t like lightning.”

  “It’ll be all right. I’ll be on top to keep you safe.” The sky opened up. Zach took the leash and they ran the rest of the way. He unzipped the door. “Hurry Stormy, get inside.” He smacked Kimber’s ass when she bent over to hightail it through.

  “Ouch!”

  Zach chuckled and zipped the door closed. “Wow, I’m beat.” Stormy shook water from her fur. “Damn you, dog.” His tone wasn’t harsh.