by Evie Nichole
“That’s not the original report,” Keene finally said. His voice was so quiet that it was almost as if he were afraid to say it out loud. “I don’t think this one was supposed to be uploaded. It’s labeled as a photograph, but it’s the original report.” Keene paused. On the screen, Jesse could see him enlarging the form. “The signature is from an officer who retired and then passed away nearly five years ago now.”
“Everyone who knows the truth is dead,” Jesse whispered. “I sometimes wonder if that’s by accident or design.”
“Better not to speculate,” Cal murmured back. Then Cal cleared his throat. “Is Weatherby listed as an officer who was there because he was working the accident?”
Keene’s expression was tight. He looked dangerously close to losing it. “He was a participant.”
“Excuse me?” Cisco snapped. “Are you telling me that Paul Weatherby was the driver of the second vehicle but managed not to take any blame or any responsibility and then made himself the reporting officer with a click of a stupid button?”
Keene was shaking his head. He sat back in his chair and stared at the screen. “It sort of seems like that.”
“How does that happen?” Jesse wondered out loud. “You guys didn’t even have jurisdiction. It’s a county matter. The sheriff’s office should have been called.”
“Sometimes we do a jurisdictional reciprocity agreement in certain cases.” Keene was starting to look ill. He stabbed his fingers through his hair. “In this case, I have a horrible feeling that Weatherby called in a few favors. He was already living in that county. He was the owner of the Flying W. He had some pull with the sheriff’s department. That means something in those parts, especially back then.”
“So, what do we do?” Jesse wanted to know. She put her hands in her hair and tugged at the roots of her hair until Cal carefully untangled her fingers and pulled them free. “It’s all over. It’s done! My parents are dead, and there’s absolutely no way to know if he was the cause of that or not. We don’t know what was happening that night. The Farrells are gone. Weatherby isn’t going to say anything to incriminate himself. And my parents are dead.” She kept saying that phrase over and over inside her head. For some reason, it was all she could do to keep herself sane.
“I’m sorry, Jesse.” Keene shook his head. “There’s really nothing that we can do from a crime prosecution standpoint. Not that the statute of limitations ever expires on murder, but I can tell you from looking at these photographs that they would have had a hard time claiming vehicular homicide.”
“Meaning what?” Cal demanded.
Keene gestured to the photographs, pulling them up first on his screen. Next he stood and pulled a cord from the wall to attach to his laptop. He flipped off the light, and suddenly the photos of Jesse’s parents’ accident were up on the pristine white cinder block wall for them all to peruse.
“See this here?” Keene was gesturing to the landscape surrounding the maroon SUV that Jesse could remember sitting in their garage from the time she was a tiny girl. “It’s obviously hit something that was submerged in the snow.”
“Okay.” Cal pointed to the tracks on the screen. “So, what it looks like is that they had to swerve in order to miss another vehicle.”
“That might be true,” Keene agreed, then shook his head. “No. I’m going to say that you are exactly right. The Collinses had to swerve practically off the road to avoid Paul Weatherby in his big truck. In that process, they hit a stump. The SUV was decimated by that stump and by the spin that left it upside down in the ditch. But Paul did not drive off and leave them there. He stayed. He helped out. He called emergency services with his CB radio, according to the report. That’s not the actions of a man who intentionally committed murder.”
“Do you think there was alcohol involved?” Daphne asked in a small voice from the back of the room. “It seems kind of likely, don’t you think?”
Jesse could not imagine her father imbibing while at the Farrells’s. “The Farrells’s house was in a dry county.” Jesse glanced at Melody. “Your grandparents didn’t drink and didn’t approve of it.”
“Why were your parents over there?” Keene asked Jesse.
Jesse had to go with her gut. She had been tossing this idea around in her head ever since she’d found out that her parents were not only related to the Farrells but had been having marital issues. “My mom and dad went over there once a week and left me home. I think they were doing some kind of couples mentoring.”
Keene immediately understood. His expression said as much. “So, they were having some marital troubles?”
“I think a bit,” Jesse admitted. She felt like everyone else was staring at her. Finally, Cal took her fingers into his and gave them a little squeeze. “So, I cannot imagine why my father would drink while he was there.”
“Sounds fair,” Keene said kindly. Then he locked his hands behind him and stood at parade rest. “Without some kind of evidence, blood or breathalyzer or otherwise, there’s no way of knowing whether or not Paul Weatherby was drinking that night. Even if we tried to make a case for that in court, they wouldn’t buy it. No jury could believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that he did it.”
Jesse felt her heart sink into her boots. She didn’t know what she’d been hoping for by learning this information. Was she hoping to prove that Weatherby was a liar? That didn’t take a whole stretch of the imagination. In fact, pretty much anyone who knew the man knew that he was a liar. He often used exaggeration in the same way other people spoke regular words. But at the end of the day, it just made him a shitty person.
Then Cisco started to chuckle. He was muttering to himself and rocking back and forth on his boot heels like he was having a fit of some kind. Cal was the one to reach over and smack him. Keene just stared as though he were waiting for an explanation.
“I’m sorry,” Cisco said finally. “I was just considering the fact that we’re so worried about Paul Weatherby bringing a suit against us for compensation on the behalf of an unknown party for part ownership or compensation of monies lost on the ranches. Right?”
Keene was nodding. The rest of them were clueless. Yes. That was the problem. Jesse just didn’t see how this was going to help.
“A civil suit,” Cisco reiterated. Then he smiled. It was almost frightening. “But right here we have enough circumstantial evidence—not to mention intentional hiding of that evidence with intent to deceive insurance companies, law enforcement officials, and family members—that we could bring a civil suit for murder against Paul Weatherby.”
“That’s true,” Keene agreed. He pointed at Cisco. “That’s actually a very good point. You only need a preponderance of the evidence in a civil suit. I think you could convince a jury that Weatherby is fifty-one percent guilty of this crime.”
“And that’s all it takes!” Cisco said eagerly.
Jesse started to feel hope again. She turned to Cal and smiled up at him. Then she looked at Cisco. “So, what do we do?”
“That’s definitely a good question,” Cisco murmured. He put his arm around Melody as though that was going to help him think. “I’m almost convinced that I should start the proceedings. I’ll file a motion to have all of this investigated by Internal Affairs. Since Weatherby is a cop, he’s already under investigation thanks to Cal’s suggestion to the deputies from the county sheriff’s office.” Cisco nodded to Keene. “With your permission, I would like to give this to the Internal Affairs people as well. They can add this to their file, and then it becomes part of the official record.”
Keene gave an emphatic nod. “Absolutely. I think that’s the best way to proceed from your perspective. Weatherby is going to know that he’s been had. He’d have to be a fool to pursue anything against your family. He would have to know that he was opening himself up to retribution.”
“Thank you!” Jesse told Keene. Then she added Daphne to that. “And thank you for finding someone who isn’t a Weatherby puppet.”
Keene held up his hand. “Daphne had her share of crazy, and I watched her handle that with grace under pressure that would have caused most people to collapse under the strain. When she told me what was going on with Weatherby, I knew I could believe her. You guys have to give us poor cops some credit. We don’t all blindly follow the party line.”
“We know that.” Cal shook Keene’s hand before putting his arm around Jesse and giving her a squeeze. “Sometimes we just forget that we don’t always have to take the law into our own hands.”
Thank goodness for that! Perhaps Cal would stop wanting to create teenaged havoc all over the Flying W just to make himself feel better about what a horrible person Paul Weatherby really was.
Chapter Twenty-Five
By the time Cal pulled his truck up in front of Jesse’s house, she was so ready to be done that she almost couldn’t get the door open fast enough. It had been great to see Cisco and Met and to know that they were so willing to drop everything and lend a hand. Yet right now, the only thing that Jesse could think about was solitude.
The twilight was just shading into night. It was going to be a beautiful night on the front range. Jesse could see her horses grazing in the front pasture. Someone must have let them out. Obviously, it was a lot easier than cleaning their stalls when some poor ranch hand had to draw the short straw to come over here and do her chores. Since the weather was good, it didn’t make any different to Jesse or the horses.
She automatically walked in that direction. The peace and quiet of that tranquil scene was exactly what Jesse needed. She hooked her boot heel on the bottom rail and watched the horses meandering around the pasture.
“You okay?”
“Just glad to be away.” She didn’t bother to expand. She wouldn’t have been able to explain what she meant anyway.
But Cal turned to walk back to his truck. “Then, I guess I’ll take off. I don’t want to encroach if you need some peace and quiet.”
“Are you stupid?” She managed to snag his arm before he made it very far. “I don’t mean you. I’ve never had a problem feeling like you’re encroaching. And who uses that word anyway? Seriously! You don’t stress me out.”
“But everyone else does?” Now he sounded amused.
She sighed. What was she feeling? It was back to that roller coaster effect. “It just seems like everything is so up and down and up and down, and I just want the ride to be over. When can we go back to just living?”
He sighed and rested his forearms on the top rail of the fence. “I know what you mean. It would be nice just to wake up one day and not have to think about stolen stock or missing stock or what the Flying W is going to do. I want to think about breeding another crop of good broncs. I need to replace my bull. And now I’d like to focus on exactly what I need to do with Widowmaker to get him nominated for the pro finals this season.”
“Widowmaker,” Jesse moaned. She put her face in her hands. “Is it not messed up that you’re worried about furthering the bucking career of the bronc that ended your brother’s rodeo riding career?”
“I stopped thinking about that years ago when Met started riding the pro circuit.” Cal nudged her shoulder. “Come on, now. I think Met has made peace with it. Can’t you?”
“I suppose I could.” She sighed. “Maybe I’m just chasing rainbows or something.”
“Because you want a ranching career to be filled with cute calves and spindly legged foals?” Cal stood up and gently pulled her into his arms. “Sweetheart, ranching is hard, thankless work. We get stomped on from sunup to sundown. Maybe the only thing that makes it possible to think about going from morning to evening is the promise of someone to share it with.”
There was no more threat between them of biological relation. At least not in Jesse’s mind. She’d seen enough today to put that to rest. Now there was just the usual bit of nervousness and insecurity. Great.
“Are you sure you want someone like me in your life?” she asked suddenly. “I’m a mess, Cal. I can’t even figure out what I want my ranch to be—as you were so gracious in pointing out. What if I never get my act together? What if you spend the next twenty years rolling your eyes at me because I can’t get it right and manage to support myself or even make a go of this place?”
He lowered his face to hers and brushed a gentle kiss over the tip of her nose. “Best twenty years I would have ever spent. I promise.”
“You can’t promise that!” Jesse protested. “You can’t know how you’ll feel at the end of that time!”
She would have kept right on protesting except he started kissing her and she couldn’t remember what she was going to say. Cal wrapped her in his warm embrace and kissed the breath right out of her. He kissed the thoughts from her head and the doubts from her heart. She knew nothing but the feel and taste of this man as he lightly ran the tip of his tongue over the seam of her lips.
With a soft sigh, she opened her mouth. He slid his tongue deep inside her mouth and rubbed it alongside hers. He made love to her with his lips and teeth and tongue, and she could not have protested if she’d wanted to. Her brain was mush, and her heart was full to bursting.
The light breeze ruffled her hair. Every inch of her skin felt utterly alive. She flung her arms around his neck and tangled her fingers in his hair. Pushing his hat off his head, she heard it hit the ground and didn’t care. They were outside under the sky, and the first stars were twinkling overhead. It was the perfect moment, and she never wanted it to end.
The hunger she felt coming from Cal was in every single press of his fingers against her skin. He cupped her face and lightly touched her jaw before sliding his hands lower. He wrapped his arms around her body and then gently stroked her back. As his kiss deepened, she felt him pull up the hem of her T-shirt.
His touch against her bare skin was electric. He splayed his hands across her back and growled lightly against her lips. He pulled her shirt up until it came off over her head. The feel of the breeze against the bare tops of her breasts made her shiver. It was naughty and exciting all at the same time. Yet she felt safe here on her own property. There was nobody but Cal within twenty-five miles. What was there to fear?
He drew back just enough to speak. “I want you so badly.”
Any words she might have said stuck in her throat as he pressed his face to her breasts. He kissed and touched her as though she were made of the most precious glass. His fingers teased and aroused her to a point below pain, and she knew nothing but her desire for this man.
Her clothes seemed to melt from her body. She grabbed at Cal’s T-shirt and lifted it over his head as well. She reveled in the feeling of finally being able to touch his chest as she had wished for so long. She felt the crisp hairs on his belly and followed their trail down to his waistband. She wanted more. She wanted it all. And when he kicked off his boots, she knew that he was finally going to give her the moon.
The two of them sank to the ground together. Still kissing, they tugged and squirmed to get their clothing off. Boots flew and belt buckles jingled. Soon there was nothing but soft grass beneath Jesse’s back, and she cradled Cal’s hips between her legs and felt him press lightly against her core.
Their bodies fit together so perfectly. He moved against her, and the promise of fulfillment made her gasp in pleasure. She sifted her fingers through his hair. Tugging lightly at the roots, she bit his lower lip as she anticipated more to come. He laughed in response, and the low sound only served to heighten her excitement.
Jesse lifted her leg and let her calf glide down the back of Cal’s body from hip to toes. The sheer muscled expanse of his body beggared her ability to describe it. Every inch of him was firm and hard with muscle. This man worked. He worked hard. And right now, he was being so utterly careful with her that it was making her head spin.
It had been a long time for Jesse. In fact, as Cal entered her, she realized that she had never truly known what it was like to be with a man before. The pressure and friction made her gasp. She c
ried out in pleasure and pain and surprise.
He cradled her in his arms as he whispered words of praise and softly kissed her face as she adjusted to him. Then he began to move, and she forgot anything else. The feel of him was everything. This was what she had waited for her whole life. Until this moment, she had never truly loved or been touched by anyone in her life.
She held tightly to his arms as the storm began to rise inside her body. Her eyes closed, and she squeezed them tightly shut as a thin sheen of sweat broke out across her skin. The scent of Cal was everywhere. She inhaled deeply and felt as though she was soaking him into her very soul.
“Come for me, sweetheart.”
The whisper seemed to come from thin air. His lips tickled the shell of her ear, and she felt as though the whole world stopped turning. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her body. She could not keep quiet. She arched her back and thrust herself up toward Cal as she screamed his name into the empty sky.
Finally, she felt him surge deep and push hard against her cleft. His body seemed to pulse inside hers. The heat of him filled her, and she held tight as he gave her everything he had. Never had she felt such a sensation of intimacy with a lover. But then she was beginning to think that she had never truly been loved like this before.
Jesse didn’t know how long they had lain there on the ground before the world finally began to creak forward and she became aware of things. Things like several of the horses coming up to the fence to see what all the noise was about. Jesse turned her head to find Mora staring at her with ears up and a very quizzical expression on her horsey face.
“Oh my God, we have an audience,” Jesse whispered to Cal.