Randall on the Run

by Judy Christenberry

  Then she put a movie in the DVD player, enticed him to the couch and tucked a pillow under his head. He got another kiss before she slipped out of the room.

  Steve lay there a moment trying to remember where he’d gone wrong. Somehow, she’d convinced him to do what he’d sworn he wouldn’t do and made him feel good about it.

  She was one slick customer.

  JESSICA DIDN’T REVEAL her plan until after dinner that evening. Once everyone had finished eating, she asked them if they’d listen to her idea and perhaps even contribute to it.

  She was hoping that they wouldn’t laugh and think of it as the playacting she’d done as a child. The reason she’d gone to Hollywood was to prove that her imagination could serve some purpose.

  “I think Steve and I should play the roles of tourists,” she told them. “We’ll be in disguise and hopefully go unnoticed. We can go into the building and make it to our appointment with the DEA head. Once we’re in, Steve can show him his proof. After that we’ll be safe.”

  “You make it sound easy,” Steve said. “I’m afraid that’s not the reality. They will have pronounced me a rogue agent, a bad guy. I’ll bet there’ll be people at the airport looking for me. Once I show my ID, I’m dead.”

  “You still don’t understand that you won’t be using your ID.”

  “But I can’t board an aircraft as a plain citizen without ID,” Steve protested.

  “Of course not. You’ll have ID. I’m hoping you’ll be Howard Hensen.”

  There was a murmur around the table. Steve just looked disappointed. “Couldn’t I have a better name than Howard?”

  “He’s a real person, Steve,” Brett said, looking at his daughter in approval. “Do you think he’ll let you borrow it?”

  “Probably not if I asked him. I thought I’d ask Mike to talk to him. And maybe promise not to give him a ticket for not having ID if they stop him for a couple of days.”

  B.J., Jake’s wife, said, “That’s such a good idea, Jess, and so much simpler than having IDs faked. Howard kind of looks like you, Steve. Not quite as handsome or as big, but close enough to pass.”

  “Who are you going to be, dear?” Anna asked.

  “Betty Jean,” Jessica returned with a big grin.

  “But you’re a redhead,” her father pointed out. “Betty Jean has been every shade of blond that exists.”

  “I will have blond hair too after Betty Jean finishes with me,” Jessica said.

  To Steve, she added, “Betty Jean went to school with me and runs the local beauty shop in Rawhide. It’s only been in existence for two years, but she’s doing a good job.”

  “You can’t go to the beauty shop to get your hair dyed.” Steve was adamant, obviously not willing to negotiate. “You could be followed and kidnapped as a means to force me out.”

  Jake concurred. “He’s got a point.”

  Jessica defended her plan. “That’s why we won’t be going to the shop. Betty Jean can come here and do both our hair.”

  “Both? You mean me?” Steve asked in consternation.

  “Yes, you. But you’re not going to be all blond. You’re going to have blond tips and spike your hair.”

  “Oh, that’s clever,” Megan said. “It will immediately make people think he’s younger than he is.”

  “Exactly, Aunt Megan. And he’s going to wear jeans, boots and a leather coat lined in sheepskin. Or at least he will if someone else will go shopping in Sarah and Jen’s store for me.”

  “You think that will be enough of a disguise, a change of shirt and a pair of boots?” Steve didn’t sound remotely convinced. “I won’t make it out of the airport.”

  “Yes, you will, if you’ll listen,” Jessica insisted. “We’re also, assuming someone will go to Buffalo, going to change your brown eyes to blue.”

  “I don’t think—”

  “Do you have to be so resistant? I’m trying to help you. The colored contacts won’t affect your vision, but they will change your appearance.”

  “Are you going to wear some?”

  “No, they haven’t been close enough to me to know my eye color. Besides, I have more to my disguise. I’m along to lend credence to you and to distract.”

  “What do you mean?” Pete asked. “I’ve followed everything so far, but…”

  Jessica smiled at her uncle. “If they scrutinized Steve close enough, he wouldn’t fool them. But if Steve were accompanied by someone…seductive, they’d barely give him a once-over.”

  Her father and Steve objected vehemently and bonded again when Steve asked, “What do you mean seductive?”

  “You know, general things, like I’ll dress in a short skirt, low top, things like that.” She wasn’t willing to reveal her total disguise, especially not in front of her father. But she’d learned to play roles that had nothing to do with her, and that was exactly what she was going for.

  Steve began to object again. “I don’t think—”

  “Couldn’t you have just a little faith in my abilities?” Jessica demanded, hoping that would make her father reverse his opinion. Steve might not be as easily manipulated, but she figured she’d give it a go.

  “Of course you have abilities, Jess,” Brett said, as she’d predicted.

  Steve wasn’t that easy.

  “This is life or death, Jess, for both of us. Guessing won’t work,” he growled.

  “I know that. I got you here, didn’t I, when you couldn’t help yourself? I’ve helped protect you while you healed. I’m asking for one more time. If you’re not convinced Friday morning, we won’t board that plane.”

  “What else can we do?” Janie asked.

  “I’ll need these items bought by someone in Buf falo, too,” Jessica said, sliding a piece of paper toward her mother.

  “We’ll also need someone to take us to the airport in Denver, preferably. I’m not too eager to change planes once we get started.”

  “I can do that,” her father immediately offered.

  Jake added, “I can ride shotgun.”

  “I appreciate that,” Jessica told them, “but I’m afraid they might have the license plates of the ranch vehicles, which would make it easy to spot us at the airport. I was wondering if we could get Mike or Jon to drive us, once we get to Rawhide, since their last names are not Randall.”

  She’d known her father in particular wouldn’t like that idea. There was a silence for several minutes. Then Jake said, “Much as I hate to say it, she’s probably right. But maybe we could just convince one of them to swap cars with us. I bet Jon would do that. He and Tori sometimes ride together. He wouldn’t even miss it.”

  “Good idea,” Brett agreed, relieved to be a part of the plan. “I’ll go call him.”

  After her dad left the table, Jessica said, “Thanks, Uncle Jake. That way Dad can help.”

  “Yeah, me too. I want to be a part of your big production,” he replied with a grin.

  She couldn’t hold back a giggle. As a child, she’d dragged the other children into her produc tions and the parents had dutifully sat and watched for what had to have added up to a hundred miserable hours.

  “You were all so patient when I was a child,” she said with a grateful smile.

  “I think it was good for all the kids,” Megan said. “There wasn’t anything in school that let them try different things.”

  Jessica stared at Megan. “I think you’ve given me an idea, Aunt Megan. I’ve been wondering what I would do now that I’ve come back home. I could start an acting club at the school. I could even have a little theater group here in town where adults could participate, too. What fun! I hadn’t thought of that before.”

  Anna beamed at her daughter. “I’m just glad to hear you’re planning on staying.”

  “Yes, Mom, I’m going to stay. I’ve missed life here too much to go away again.” As she spoke, she looked down at her lists, avoiding Steve’s gaze. But she could feel his eyes on her, burning her. An awkward moment passed.

  Int
o that pool of silence, Chad said, “Is there anything else to do, Jess?”

  “I haven’t thought of anything else. That’s why I wanted to tell you the plan and let you add details if they’re necessary.”

  “Are you sure you’ll be able to distract them?” Steve asked.

  “I will for sure if they’re men,” she said, giving him a sweet smile. “But even if they’re women, they won’t be able to ignore me.”

  “Don’t we want them to ignore us?”

  “No, we want them to ignore you, not me,” Jessica explained. “I’m part of your disguise. I’m going to borrow Casey’s senior ring, or anyone else who can find his. And a big letter jacket. That’s going to be my coat.”

  “You are so good at this, Jessica,” her Aunt Megan said. “You get the concept and carry it out perfectly!”

  “Thank you. I know it’s not an essential skill, but it’s the skill I have.”

  “But it is essential,” her aunt said. “I think children need to experiment before they find their places in life. You would let them experiment with safe things, things that help them understand themselves, instead of experimenting with drugs.”

  “Do you have a lot of that here?” Steve asked.

  “Not a lot, but it’s growing here just as it is all over,” Brett said as he reentered the room at the tail end of Megan’s comment. “We’re trying to head it off at the pass.”

  Steve nodded but didn’t say anything.

  Jessica drew a deep breath and looked at him. “So that’s my plan, Steve. What do you think?”

  It took him a minute, during which Jessica’s heart beat ten times as fast as normal. Then he lifted his head and said, “You’ve got a good plan, Jess. You’ve convinced me.”

  Jessica broke into a big smile. She wanted to go around the table and hug him, but she had to be more discreet in front of her father. She settled for a courteous “Thank you, Steve.”

  “No, thank you, Jess, and I’m sorry I doubted you. I didn’t realize how thorough you’d be. You’ve planned down to the smallest details in our disguises.”

  “Yes. Fortunately, you don’t wear any jewelry and if you have any tattoos,” she said, pretending she hadn’t seen him naked, “we’ll be able to cover them.”

  “Uh, yeah. I mean, no, I don’t have any tattoos.”

  “Good. Then I think we’ve planned for everything.”

  “So you’re not staying over in D.C.?” her father asked, relief in his voice.

  “I don’t think we’ll need to. At least I won’t need to. Steve may have some business that requires he be there longer, but by then he’ll be out of danger.”

  “And you’re coming home?” he asked again.

  “Yes, Dad, as I said earlier, I’m here to stay.”

  “There may not be a lot of excitement here,” Brett warned.

  Janie laughed. “There will be with Jessica back in the fold. I can’t imagine life being dull with her around!”

  Chapter Eleven

  When everyone dispersed to go to bed, Steve kept his eye on Jessica. He wanted her to come to him again tonight. It might be his last time to hold her.

  When she started up the stairs, he immediately moved behind her. As soon as they were alone, he called her name softly.

  She looked over her shoulder and then continued up the stairs. “Yes?”

  He moved faster. “Are you sharing with me again tonight?”

  “No, I don’t think so,” she said calmly. “You need your sleep to get better.”

  That wasn’t good enough. He knew he’d sleep better with her beside him. He took her arm. “Jess, I want you to share my bed.”

  “That’s very flattering, but I can’t tonight.”

  “Why not?”

  They had almost reached his bedroom door. She turned fully around and looked up at him. “I can’t, Steve. We’re not destined to be together. In a week or two, you’ll be back in L.A., being an undercover drug agent, and I’ll be here, in Rawhide. I can’t make a habit of sleeping with you, because I’d miss you too much when you’re gone.”

  “Twice is making a habit of it?”

  She dropped her gaze. “I’m afraid so. But don’t worry, you’ll be safe.”

  “Damn it, Jess! I’m not worried about my safety. I just want—I want to hold you again.” He hated admitting the weakness he’d discovered, but if it made a difference in her decision, then admitting his need for her would be worth it.

  He thought he saw a response in her eyes before she shuttered them. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Relief flooded him. He’d have one more night and morning with Jess. The world would disappear and he’d be safe and happy here in Rawhide.

  Waiting patiently in the hallway, he saw her door open and straightened, ready to hold her again.

  Jessica emerged from her bedroom with Murphy at her heels. If he had to take the dog to get Jessica, he’d do it. He smiled and held out his arms.

  “Murphy is going to sleep in your room tonight to be sure no one disturbs your rest.”

  He stared at her. She couldn’t be serious. Murphy wasn’t what he wanted. “Jess, you don’t understand!”

  “I told you before I have a superior brain, Steve Carter. I know what you want, but you need to stay strong and concentrate on the next few days. I’m not going to sleep with you. But I won’t leave you unprotected, either. If anyone comes in, yell. Now, I’m going to take Murphy into your room and explain everything to him.”

  “You’re going to explain to the dog? Like you think he can understand?” Steve said derisively.

  “Yes. Excuse me.” She shoved past him and opened his door, motioning for Murphy to follow her. “Come on in, Steve.”

  What choice did he have? He walked into his bedroom. “Okay, now what?”

  “Murphy, guard.” Then she turned to leave.

  “That’s it? That’s the discussion?”

  “There’s no need for anything else. Good night.”

  She left him, closing the door behind her.

  Murphy woofed gently, as if to remind him to move. Steve absently patted the dog’s head. Then, with a sigh, he stripped, turned off the light and got in the bed, pulling the covers up.

  Suddenly something landed on the bed with a thud. Murphy had joined him.

  “Hey, boy, aren’t you supposed to sleep on the floor?”

  Murphy ignored him and dug under the covers, turned around and laid down, his head all that was visible.

  “Okay. I guess we’re stuck with each other.” He settled down beside Murphy, just a pair of guys together for the night.

  JESSICA HAD PLANNED TO rise early and let Steve sleep late that morning. However, after a restless night, without both Steve and Murphy to warm her bed, she’d awoken hours after she’d intended.

  Fortunately, last night she’d divided up the tasks she needed done the next day among her aunts, her mother and her cousin Patience.

  The kitchen was completely empty when Jessica finally entered it. But when Red and Mildred heard Jess pouring herself a cup of coffee, they appeared out of the back bedroom.

  “Well, there’s our sleeping beauty,” Red said with a grin. “We thought you’d taken up Hollywood ways and would be sleeping until noon.”

  “Come on, Red, it’s not that late,” Jessica protested with a grin. “It’s not even ten o’clock yet.”

  Mildred ignored her husband’s teasing. She heated up a cinnamon roll and put it in front of Jessica.

  “Bless you, Mildred,” Jessica said, inhaling the cinnamon scent. “I’m hungry, I’ll have to admit.”

  “Where’s that boy of yours?” Red asked. “I don’t want to have to cook two different breakfasts.”

  “He’s a man, Red, not a boy.” And she should know, after their one incredible night together. Before she flushed from the memory, she got up from the table. “I’ll go wake him up. You’d better heat up another cinnamon roll, Mildred. I know he’s going to want one.”

&n
bsp; She ran up the stairs to Steve’s room, knocked and opened the door.

  Murphy greeted her with a woof. But there was no sign of Steve. She petted her dog. “Where’s Steve, Murphy? Did he run away?”

  “No, he didn’t,” Steve said from the door. “I was just taking a shower.” He was wearing a clean T-shirt and warm-up pants and socks. “It would be kind of difficult to run away without shoes,” he said, nodding to the pair beside the bed.

  “True. You’d better hurry. Mildred and Red are making your breakfast.”

  “I’m ready.”

  “Did you sleep all right?”

  He gave her a level look. “Surprisingly well, thank you. And you?”

  “No. I missed Murphy,” she said and walked out of his room, the dog at her heels.

  When they entered the kitchen, Red was putting their plates on the table.

  “I fixed you a smaller breakfast this morning because you need a big appetite for lunch,” Red said.

  Steve stared at the loaded plate in front of him. “Lunch? I won’t be able to eat lunch. Not after this.”

  “You have to, boy. We’re fixing barbecue. You can’t skip that.”

  Steve fought the urge to eat faster so he’d be ready for that mouth-watering lunch. “It’s a good thing I don’t have any of my old pants because I don’t think I’d fit into them.”

  Jessica smiled. “It’s a new form of torture. They cook the greatest meals in the world, and we all have to watch our weight.”

  “Now, missy, you don’t have any problem with that,” Red said. “You need more meat on your bones. They must have not fed you well in California.”

  “The film adds ten pounds, Red. I had to stay thin.”

  “I think you look perfect.”

  At Steve’s remark, Jessica almost choked on her eggs. She glanced up at him and saw him rake his eyes down her body, seated next to him.

  The few seconds of ensuing silence felt like a lifetime. Why didn’t Red or Mildred say something? She certainly couldn’t.

  Thankfully, at that moment they heard a vehicle coming down the driveway.