Tyler shook his head and looked away. “Sorry, ma’am. Us Brysons stick together.”
Zach took a step toward Melinda, and the sheriff moved closer to him. He laughed to himself. Leon wouldn’t let him deck her, huh? He sure as hell wanted to, no matter whose side she was on. Zach darted his finger at her. “This is a bunch of bullshit. Somebody should’ve said something. This isn’t right. Do you know what you put Kimber through? She could’ve shot your ass today.”
“It had to be done this way, Zach. Once they’d discovered your whereabouts, I had to learn their plans. Believe me, it wasn’t hard. They’re idiots. This is what I had discovered after you called Jerry about the car following you that day. The car had been reported stolen. Imagine how surprised I was to later learn Greg was the leak in his own office. Then you reported the second car outside your home, and I knew they were getting close to making their move.” She cocked her head around him to see Kimber better.
“They were casing my place. So, I had a good reason for freaking out. You should’ve told me so I could prepare.”
“You were prepared, and a deputy monitored the area.” Melinda held her palm up. “Everything I’ve done since was to keep eyes on you. You’re a mighty stubborn young lady. But, I knew you weren’t in your house the night they made their move here.”
Zach narrowed his eyes. She’d had the barn bugged. He’d bet money on it. But he reflected on that night, and how Stormy had perked her ears and stared at the door. “You were here.”
Melinda lifted her chin and folded her arms. “Was I?”
Kimber took a step closer to Melinda, and Zach moved closer to her again. “But the guys putting up the fake cameras? The man at the coffee shop with you?”
“Aw, you’ve done your homework. I’m proud of you, Kimber. They were a part of the team.”
This brought him down. He wanted to punch something, and he wanted a smoke. “You should be proud of her.”
Melinda ignored him and diverted her gaze back to Kimber. “The cameras were there to dissuade the bad guys, but your handsome ranch foreman here, had his own idea about what to do with them. Seems you’ve met your match, Kimber.” Melinda winked at Zach. “You missed the real camera though.”
Kimber gasped then gave a quick glance to Zach, “Not inside my house, I hope.”
Melinda shook her head. “It covered the exterior of the house and barn.”
Zach rolled his eyes. Shit. “Hey, I was only thinking of Kimber. It didn’t make sense to have them up there if they didn’t do anything.” Still harboring an ounce of doubt, he glared at her. “Have. It. Removed.”
“Jerry had approved it all. He planned on calling you before going out of the country, Kimber, but while I was here visiting you, someone moved in on him.”
Zach huffed. Jerry would’ve put up a fight to prevent them from finding Kimber. Well, Melinda’s people hadn’t seemed too smart, either. They didn’t know about the guy going after Jerry.
“That’s why you called the hospital late that night?” Kimber asked.
Melinda gave her an inquisitive look. “After checking in with a contact, I learned what had happened. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t because you’d want to see Jerry. Our plan still had to be carried through to catch these guys in the act. They learned to trust me. The news of what had happened to Jerry came as a total surprise…and shock.”
Zach recollected on the car he’d caught leaving the driveway that night and another out by the road. It added up now. He peered at Randy. Roxanne still had no idea what happened. She had to be sick with worry. He still needed answers. “Why’d they return here?”
“There was no news of a woman’s body being found, so the imbeciles came back to check. This was as good a place as any to catch them with their pants down, so I went along with their little plan. I knew you had taken Kimber away from here, Zach, but—”
“And I’d take her away again if I had to.”
“Of course, you would.” Melinda said to Kimber, “They waited here for you to return home. Then Zach’s brother showed up, and after Randy arrived, the nutty bunch squelched their plans. They were about to leave to regroup and come up with another plan.”
Zach held Kimber and shuddered inside. What had they planned on doing with his brother and Randy? Dammit all to hell. He and Dane had arrived here at the right time. He needed that cigarette and a shot.
Kimber removed herself from his arms. She glanced at Zach. “Then why had Greg been so determined to put Sam away? He went to great lengths to seal my deal to testify. Why?”
“We’ve yet to know the answer. Sam had plenty of money to weaken a man. It would’ve been enough to make Greg’s retirement worthwhile. Greg had put in for his retirement and would’ve left with a clean slate.” Melinda laughed. “Well, until he got caught.”
“He told me and Zach to get burner phones so we couldn’t be tracked. Why? Are you sure he’s dirty?”
Melinda shrugged. “Maybe he had a change of heart at the last minute. They don’t know everything yet, Kimber.”
Kimber peered at the cracks in the floor. Zach’s heart ached for her. Sure, it was over, but how long would it take for her to recuperate from this?
A car pulled in and Sheriff Thompson peeked out the door then nodded to Melinda. “Your ride is here, Ms. Richards.”
Melinda peered at everyone. “Now, if there are no more questions, I need to go to the hospital to check on Jerry.”
“Oh, Melinda. You do care for him.” Kimber hugged her. “I’m so sorry for doubting you.”
Melinda brought her in closer. “I’m the one whose sorry it had to be this way. I wish you the best from here on in. Take care of your man over there.”
“I plan on it.” Kimber gave her a squeeze then wiped the tears from her eyes. She smiled at Zach and went into his arms. “Take care of yourself, too, Melinda. Thank you.”
Leon watched out the door until the car drove away. He came to the crowd and nudged Tyler. “Go on with your story. We still have criminals to deal with.”
“Well, damn, what a story huh, Sheriff?” Tyler continued where he’d left off, “I came into the barn looking for Zach. Melinda persuaded me to get the hell out, and I had intended to. I started to leave, but outside the door somebody hit me over the head. Next thing I know, I’m waking up in the dark, tied up and with a hell of a headache. Then today, I heard a motorcycle. The door flew open and they dragged in an unconscious Randy. That’s when I got a good look at those two guys. Randy had been lying there in and out of consciousness until you all arrived.” Tyler peered at Randy sitting in a lawn chair all this time. “How you doing, Randy?”
He nodded and held his head in his hands. Zach went over to him. “Come on, let’s get you checked out.”
“Randy, you need an EMT?” Leon Thompson nodded at his own assumption.
“I don’t think so.” He sounded dazed, and he narrowed his eyes to focus more than likely.
“Yeah, you do.” Zach checked his head. “I don’t know, bud, it looks like you might need some sewing up. Take him, Sheriff.”
Kimber stood in front of the sheriff. “It’s true? Melinda went to you about all this?”
“Yes, ma’am. Your godfather still has a lot of clout. So does Frank Brooks.” Leon pointed at her. “Being a good friend of Frank’s, I don’t want to know how he’s involved. Find another place to stay tonight. I’ll keep you informed.”
Leon took a hold of Randy’s arm to lead him out to the car. He turned to the rest. “Now, get those weapons put away. Before long, I’ll have to make y’all deputies, if you keep this up.”
Zach chuckled and made eye contact with his brother. None of them would want the job. They didn’t need a boss telling them what to do. They collected their weapons.
“Those scoundrels will be questioned. I’ll call you all when I need ya down at the station.” The sheriff spoke to Kimber. “Stuff like this don’t usually happen around here.” Then Leon looked at Randy and
Dane. “I guess that all depends on if a Carlson or Drake is involved.” With a frown to Zach and Tyler, he continued, “And, I suppose now a Bryson or two can be added to the list?”
“Sheriff, this was all my fault. I guess Sinclair will be added to your list now.”
Leon ran his hand over his chin. “Hmm, I haven’t had too many incidences with females around here. Well, unless their names were Carlson or Drake. Looks like you’ll fit right in with this crew.”
Leon escorted Randy away. “You’ll get taken faster in the ER if I take y’all in.”
“Randy, I’ll call Roxanne for you.” Zach held his hand out for Kimber and called Stormy over.
“I’ll call her. Find my pistol and phone, man.” Randy went along with Leon with no rebuttal.
“That’s a crime scene. It’s the second time in two damn days. You best keep your asses out of there,” the sheriff said rather loudly. “I will throw every last one of you in jail if you enter. Come down to the station tomorrow, and I’ll see about releasing your property to you.”
Tyler gave Kimber a squeeze. “Wow, it’s damn exciting around here. No wonder you came back to Arizona, Zach. Way to go, Kimber.”
Zach snickered, saying to Tyler, “You told me she wasn’t normal.” He dodged a swat from Kimber directed toward him. “What? It was a compliment.”
Tyler and Dane left the barn to follow Leon out. Stormy tried sneaking off, but Zach whistled, and she turned around and came back, hanging her head. He embraced Kimber. “Hey, I want another night with you in the tent.”
“Sneaky, aren’t you? Look at all of you. I knew my godfather chose soldiers to watch over me.”
Zach widened his eyes. “Yeah? We’re going to talk about that.” How long before she broke down? They could’ve died today. “All I want to do is hold you in my arms tonight. We make a good team. All of us.”
Looking around the whole area, Kimber sighed. “I’ll be happy never to do this again.”
Outside, Leon put Randy in the passenger seat in his SUV, but he walked up to Zach. “Listen, we still have things to figure out. Sorry for the damage to your wall, Kimber, where we cut out the bullets. That’s the least of your worries in there now.”
“Take care, Zach. Kimber.” Dane spoke to Randy before the sheriff drove off. “Give me your key. I’ll bring back one of my brothers to get your bike if Leon approves.” The sheriff nodded, and Randy handed them over to Dane.
Kimber’s gaze trailed after Dane heading back to his truck out on the road. “I need to get my SUV out of here, Zach.”
“That’s the last thing I want to think about. We’ll get it later.”
She peered back at her house. Kimber sank to the ground. Zach’s gut clenched to see her in emotional pain. He reached for her. When she stood, he wrapped his arms around her and held her trembling body. “I got your back, baby.”
***
Kimber put her arms around Zach. “Can you believe this? Please take me back to the campground. This is no longer home.”
He tossed the keys to Tyler. “I parked out by the road. Give us a minute. Take Stormy.” Zach cupped her face and made serious eye contact. “Are you, or are you not, in witness protection? Don’t keep anything from me now, Kimber. I deserve to know everything.”
She peered into his eyes. Standing here like this after such turmoil, she needed to see that kind of expression on his face—the love in his eyes. “I’m not officially.” She made quote marks around the word officially. “Since Jerry is retired, he didn’t go through the proper channels to arrange this—”
“He did it on his own.”
Kimber laid her head against his warm chest and he held her. She’d never hold anything back from him again. “All this happened because I witnessed something awful, but even before that, I’d found incriminating evidence at one of the places I worked, against the guy…Sam. It’s all so confusing. I wish I could see my family. They won’t be able to cope if Jerry doesn’t make it. It’s all my fault.”
Zach asked candidly, “Did you force Jerry to do this for you?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then it isn’t your fault. Let’s get out of here, darlin’.” He closed the barn doors and took her hand, but she pulled it away.
Kimber turned to go inside, “I want to see what they’ve done to the inside of the house.”
He gripped her arm. “Nope, don’t even go there. You don’t wanna do that to yourself.”
She didn’t argue. On the way back out to where the truck was parked, she asked, “Where will we live in the future, Zach?”
“Can you consider staying here? I don’t mean right away, but later on.”
At the truck, she turned to him. “I can’t sleep in there. What about what happened in the barn? Two important people shed blood there. How can I, or we, forget this? And Melinda? My God, I wanted to kill her today. No, I can’t.”
They got in, and she slid to the middle. Zach put his arm around her and glanced to his brother in the passenger seat. “We could always move to Idaho. What about the cattle ranch? We’ll still own it with Tyler. Right, bro?”
Tyler nodded. “It’ll belong to the three of us.”
Zach pulled onto the road. “Where do you want to go from here, Ty? You should’ve gone to get your head checked out.”
“I’m okay. A bag of ice won’t hurt though. I need to go to the loft. Want me to drive your car back instead, Kimber?”
“No, but I appreciate the offer. I’ll get it later.”
“Make sure you use the ice.” Zach asked his brother, “Hey, have you decided your future yet? You plan on running our ranch full-time or going on the bronc riding circuit?”
“I don’t know. Remember I told you I lost the love for competing? Not now. All of us can discuss it later.”
“For now, Kimber and I will go back and forth between somewhere in Canyon Junction, maybe the loft, and Idaho.” Zach bumped his leg against hers, and she nodded. It sounded like a good idea to her.
“How would you like to spend an extended stay in Bakerdale when the sheriff says we can leave? After we buy Honeycrisp and Major, we can take them and stay for an undetermined amount of time.”
“I’ll learn to herd cattle. Oh, boy. Don’t expect me to do the branding. So much has happened here right now, and a break would be nice. I’d like to give Idaho a try for a while.”
“You will learn branding, cattle ranching, and breeding. There will also be fishing and hiking. I might even get you in a kayak.” Zach grinned. “If you wanna.”
Kimber smiled. “It sounds like a good future to me.”
He pulled up in front of the loft and Tyler got out. “Come around here.” When Tyler appeared on Zach’s side, Zach leaned out the window and hugged his brother. “Take care of yourself. Answer your damn phone when I call. Oh, and Ty? Thanks.”
“Take it easy, brah. Stay safe.” Zach waited before leaving until Tyler got inside and nodded from this end of the loft.
Kimber placed her hand on his thigh. “I can’t believe you asked me to marry you on the ground in the middle of such a mess.”
“Should’ve believed me when I said I’d ask you to marry me before the year was up.” Zach winked. He reached back to pat Stormy. “I wonder if your dog can help drive cattle.”
She turned to ruffle her fur. Stormy sat there with the tip of her tongue hanging out, ears perked, and panting like the world was a happy place. “I bet she can.”
Before pulling away, Zach leaned over and she met his kiss. “That was a brave thing you did, Kimber. I’m proud of you for wrangling in Melinda, even though she did turn out to be the good guy.”
She snuggled into him and kissed his lips. “I can’t believe I did it, either. They trained me to protect myself. Thinking about it now, she could’ve taken me out easily.”
“I’d like to take you home to Mama, but they’re already in Florida. She’ll love you. And the old man will have a heart attack to think about me settling dow
n with a family.”
“Don’t let your dad throw a hay hook at us.”
“Without that hole in my face, I never would’ve seen you as a blonde. Well, the blonde on your head I mean.”
She clenched his thigh. “Zachary?”
“Stop calling me Zachary, Tressa.”
She sucked in a breath at her name on his lips. “Point taken. Now wipe my name out of your vocabulary forever.”
“What name?” Zach grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”
Chapter 23
Three months later
Kimber sat in the spare bedroom looking out the window at the Adobe Sunset. Heat rippled across the desert in a feverish haze. Zach brought Major in from the ring. He’d bathe the horse before coming inside. His shirt was drenched in sweat, hair hanging in his face, jeans dusty. Kimber smiled while observing him. She reflected on her last conversation with Jerry at the rehab center when they had returned from Idaho. Improvements in his recovery came slowly.
They’d return to Zach’s family ranch soon. She’d never have peace of mind here. They’d been staying in the loft at the JL Ranch before and after their Idaho visit.
Tyler had taken over the Adobe Sunset for now so it didn’t sit vacant, but soon would return to Idaho to run the ranch. With help from Frank Brooks, they repaired the interior damage the guys had done. She thought of Melinda and Jerry with a joyful heart now. To get through this day, Kimber left the memory of that ordeal behind.
The only reason they were here now, was to have a special dinner, and this place was roomier than the loft. Out of the kindness of his heart, Frank Brooks had adopted three wild mustangs in her name to be delivered soon. He’d sold Major and Honey to them for practically nothing. Wherever she and Zach lived, they’d all be a part of the Bryson family.
They found solace knowing all involved would likely be locked up for a long time. Zach planned on being at their trials without her. Kimber did her best to put it behind her and wouldn’t attend the trials until she needed to be there.
Finding Kimber (Canyon Junction; Hearts In Love Book 2) Page 30