“It’s the perfect place for you.”
“I agree. Knowing I can come and go without worry, I’ll have breakfast with you in the morning, then follow you as far as Alpine. While you go on to Big Bend, I’m going to take a commuter flight to El Paso. From there I’ll fly to California.
“I want to spend a day with Rosita and Consuela. Then I’ll visit Mom and Dad. There’s no one I want to see when I get back, so I don’t have to keep to any deadline.”
“When you and your dad talk shop, you always come away rejuvenated. Much as I’d hoped you come to Big Bend with us, I’m glad you’re going home for a few days. It’ll do you a world of good.”
“I think so too. Excuse me while I go wash my face.”
While she was rinsing off the soap at the bathroom sink, she heard a phone ring.
“It’s yours.” Heidi called out.
“I’m coming!”
She grabbed a hand towel and wiped her face, then hurried into the other room. The phone was in her purse. She pulled it out and said hello.
“Dana?”
Every time she heard his deep male voice, she went weak all over. She supposed that was one reaction she’d never conquer.
“Are you still in Alpine?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
“It looks like I’m going to be stuck here for a few more hours while they iron out schedules. You don’t know how sorry I am. I’ll meet you for breakfast first thing in the morning. You name the place.”
Did he honestly think she could eat?
“Just a minute. I’ll check with Heidi.”
She turned to her friend, who was eyeing her with too much compassion. “What time do you think you’ll want to eat in the morning?”
“Probably eight.”
Dana put the phone to her ear once more. “Eight o’clock at the café.”
“I’ll be there.”
“See you then.”
As she was hanging up, she thought he called her name. But it was probably her imagination. No more wishful thinking. She’d already had her miracle in this life. To want another one was greedy.
The Bible had been her constant companion in prison. She knew what it said about the sin of ingratitude.
“Dana? When Gideon gets back, do you want me to come over and spend the night with you? I’ll sleep on the couch. Kevin will love it if he and his dad can have a whole boys’ night out together.”
Dana smiled in spite of her pain. “Kevin might love it, but I saw the way your husband was looking at you at dinner. He can’t wait for bedtime. To be honest, neither can I. Suddenly I’m very tired.”
“Then I’ll run you home now.”
“No. You know how Gideon feels about you going anywhere at night alone. The cop in him worries about your safety, so we’ll wait.”
In the stillness, Dana’s cell phone rang again. She didn’t dare look at the caller ID or pick up. She’d had all the pain she could handle for one night.
Heidi stared at her, but bless her heart, she didn’t say anything.
After ten rings, it stopped.
“Care if I look?”
“Go ahead.”
As she watched Heidi reach for the phone, her heart pounded in her ears.
Their gazes met. “It says R. Mitchell.”
So it wasn’t Jace calling after all.
“I forgot to phone Cathy about the flowers she sent. I’d better call her right now.”
She purposely turned her back on Heidi so she wouldn’t fall apart.
GLEN EYED every person who walked into the Gray Oak. If Lewis didn’t show up soon, he’d drive over to his apartment.
After going one more round of pool and a beer, it was a no-show. He tossed the cue on the table and cut a straight line through the crowd to the door, hell-bent on finding Lewis.
Just as he was backing out of the parking lot, he saw the Harley streak by. When he realized Lewis wasn’t about to turn in the parking lot, he took off after him. At the next light he slammed the heel of his hand on the horn until the bastard turned around shaking a fist.
When the light changed, he roared away. At first Glen thought he was trying to ignore him. But three streets farther, Lewis turned the corner into a shopping-center parking lot and came to a full stop. Glen pulled up alongside him.
“Are you still set on waiting till your vacation?”
“Why?” Lewis demanded. He’d stepped off his Harley and was walking up to the truck with an expression in his eyes that always scared the hell out of Glen.
“’Cause I’m leaving with Dana this weekend.”
“She’s not going anywhere with you. You’re a loser.”
Glen swallowed hard. “She won’t feel that way when she sees my half of the money.”
Lewis’s hand closed around his throat so fast, he didn’t see it coming. “Let’s get something straight. No one’s touching that money until I say so. It had better still be where we left it.”
“It is, but I’m just saying I want what’s mine now.”
“What’s the big hurry?”
“She started sleeping with that IPS driver. Now she’s moved out of the trailer.”
“So what? We don’t need her.”
“I want her, Lewis, and I’m taking her with me as soon as I can find her. The truck’s all packed with everything we need.”
“How far do you think you’d get? As soon as your grandfather can’t find you, he’ll sic the cops on you and you’re history. Then they’ll come after me!”
“I don’t give a crap anymore. And I’m tired of waiting around till you’re ready.”
For once Lewis didn’t have a ready comeback. “Where does the guy she’s shacking up with live?”
“I would have found out if it hadn’t been for that damn speed trap coming into Alpine today. I got pulled over with a bunch of other cars and lost his trail.”
Lewis’s eyes looked as if they were about to bulge from their sockets. “You got a ticket?” He hissed the question.
“Yeah.” He hunched his shoulders to hide the shivers. “Everybody did. It wasn’t any big deal.”
“You couldn’t let that broad alone, could you,” he muttered. “Because of that mistake, the police have your driver’s license on record. It’s your funeral now.”
“I’ve got blond hair. There’s no way they’ll match me with any of my old mug shots.”
“I’m talking about fingerprints, you ass. They could have lifted them right off your license.”
When Glen remembered the officer taking his license back to the patrol car with him, the moisture in his mouth dried up.
Lewis wasn’t saying anything. As the silence lengthened, Glen’s skin broke out in a cold sweat till he was wringing wet.
“This is what you’re going to do,” he finally spoke. “Get the hell out of here and go home. Now. When it’s dark, you slip away without anyone seeing you and head for the cave on foot.”
“Hell.”
“Just shut up and do it! I’ll meet you there.”
“What about Dana? I told you, Lewis. I’m not leaving without her.”
“I heard you the first time. You let me take care of her.”
“How?”
“She runs that damn observatory. No matter where she is or what she’s doing, she’ll show up there at some point. Right?”
Glen hadn’t thought of that.
“Right.”
“We’ve got enough stuff stored in the cave to last a week. We’ll keep a watch out for her with the binoculars, then nab her. Now get the hell out of my sight while I figure out how I’m going to disappear. If you’re busted before you get there, that’s your problem!”
GIDEON WENT INSIDE the apartment with Dana and checked everything out.
She smiled. “I’m perfectly safe here.”
He winked. “It’s a habit I can’t shake.”
“Go home to Heidi and Kevin. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He
put his finger under her chin so she couldn’t look away. “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
“You’re talking to the woman who found that out the day the judge said, ‘You’re free.’”
“I’m not referring to your case.”
“I know.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. When he walked away, she shut the door and turned the dead bolt. After moving to the center of the room, she looked all around.
This is your life, Dana Turner. Get used to it.
Except the more she thought about it, the more she realized she couldn’t. With or without Jace in her world, she hadn’t lived in a place that reflected her personality and taste since her apartment in Pasadena.
She’d planned on running the observatory until her father retired. But that probably wouldn’t happen for another three to four years. It was too long a time to live with whatever was available.
Though this apartment was a vast improvement over the trailer, it wasn’t home. Not in any sense of the word.
When she’d first come to West Texas, she’d been in a rush to separate herself from the past. Her only priority had been to escape the demons plaguing her. To her chagrin, she hadn’t considered that she’d brought a lifetime of habits and interests with her, integral parts of her that were being ignored or stifled here.
If she really expected to take hold and make a life, she needed to entrench herself as a member of the community. One way to do that was to become a home owner.
An inheritance from her grandmother Howard remained untouched in a money-bearing account. Once upon a time Dana had imagined saving it for her retirement. But she could just as easily invest part of it in a house.
When she got back from California, she’d contact a Realtor and find out what was available. It might be wiser to buy something in Alpine where she could expect good resale value when it came time to leave. She loved the drive to Cloud Rim, so that wasn’t a factor.
Her parents had put all her treasures in storage. They were still there. If she had a place of her own, she could send for them. How would it be to have her piano again? And all her sheet music, favorite books, paintings and the furniture she’d bought over the years from working at the furniture store Heidi’s family owned.
She’d acquired some wonderful pieces on her trip around the world with Heidi. Being in this apartment made her miss her things. An armoire from France, a wood-and-tile table with hand-carved chairs from Italy. Oriental rugs for hardwood floors. A fabulous inlaid mother-of-pearl Japanese screen. Handblown Venetian glass goblets, a set of Sevres china from Paris, an Alençon-lace banquet cloth.
She climbed into bed still cataloging the many happy associations with the past.
Of course, her favorite things could never replace a broken heart. But they would help her to feel a stronger sense of who she’d been, and who she still was.
She’d lost her sense of self in prison.
It was time to get it back. If she didn’t, she’d remain needy. Too many women fell into that category. She refused to let that happen, otherwise she would never meet the right man.
A man whose heart hadn’t been permanently buried with his wife.
Jace—
She turned on her stomach and sobbed quietly into the pillow.
IT WAS THREE in the morning. So far, Jace and Gideon had come across half a dozen ranches with barns, but they’d found nothing else. Twice they had to leap a fence when someone’s guard dog came after them.
There hadn’t been time to delve into the land records to pinpoint Ralph Mason’s exact ranch location. Hunkering under a pine tree, they consulted the map using a flashlight. Jace crossed out the section they’d just covered with a pen. That left one more small area to explore over the hill on their right. He drew a circle around it.
“X marks the spot,” Gideon muttered.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if it were true. Let’s go.”
A few minutes later they came to the crest.
Jace’s breath caught. “Do you see what I see?” Below them lay a long stretch of grassy meadow with a barn at one end.
Gideon nodded. “You’re looking at Ralph Mason’s legacy to Glen. A good pilot could land a plane there with little problem.”
By tacit agreement they made their way down the hill clustered with trees, then raced unhampered across the grass toward the barn.
The windows on the sides were boarded up tight.
Gideon shone his flashlight on the barn doors. The handles had been secured with a heavy chain and lock. It gleamed in the moonlight. “This hasn’t been on here long.”
“And it’s not going to be!” Jace insisted as he reached in his backpack for the silencer. Then he drew his gun and screwed the silencer on the end of the barrel. They both stood back. One well-aimed shot and the lock was useless.
Gideon went in with the flashlight. Jace followed. The strong smell of airplane-fuel fumes met their nostrils. That’s when they both came to a standstill.
There sat the twin-engine Beech Craft that seemed to have eluded Jace forever. Several large fuel drums stood next to the side of the barn. He climbed inside and looked around the interior. When he emerged, he said, “They’ve stashed the money somewhere else.”
“You’ll find it, just like you’ve found your evidence and your connection to Glen Mason. How does it feel, Captain?”
Jace jumped down and clamped Gideon on the shoulder. “If anyone knows, you do. I’m indebted to you.”
“For very personal reasons this has been my pleasure, believe me.”
Elation swept through Jace. As soon as he could wrap up this case, he could start over again with Dana. No more secrets.
“I’ve got a phone call to make.”
“Go ahead.” Gideon directed the beam of the flashlight while Jace punched the programmed button.
A groggy-sounding Pat answered the phone. “Jace?”
“We found the plane on Mason property. It’s sitting here fueled and ready to take off.”
His colleague made a whooping sound.
“I’m returning to Cloud Rim to bring Glen in. I should be there within forty-five minutes. Tell backup to surround the Mason house. Have helicopters and ambulances standing by.
“We’ll wait till Glen comes out of the house, to cut down on the trauma for Ralph Mason. You’ll be the one giving all orders through me.”
“Understood.”
“Call Tom Haster and tell him what’s happened. We’re going to need more officers to round up Burdick at his apartment. If it turns out he isn’t Glen’s partner, we’ll worry about that later.”
“You’ve been on the money so far. I ought to be getting a report on his prints any time now.” There was a pause. “Jace?”
“Yes?”
“Take care.”
“Don’t worry.”
After he hung up, he pulled out a flash camera from his pack and took pictures of the plane and the barn’s interior. He snapped a few more pictures of the exterior, then turned to Gideon. “Let’s get out of here.”
Now that he could go in pursuit of Glen, Jace found his second wind. Gideon kept pace with him till they reached the truck.
“I know what you’re going to say,” Jace blurted as soon they were lumbering along the rutted fire road. “But I’ll have a lot more peace of mind if you go to Big Bend with your family and Dana as you’d planned.”
“I’ll stay with them,” Gideon murmured. “However, I want you to know we’re not leaving Cloud Rim until this is all over.”
Jace couldn’t argue with that. During the drive back to the motel, they talked strategy. He lamented that Ralph had to be anywhere around. “No matter how it goes down, it’s going to be ugly. He could suffer a heart attack.”
“I know. That’s always the tough part. No matter how you call it, there are always complications because of the innocent.”
“If the shock doesn’t kill him, the news that his grandson is a wanted felon will. He shouldn�
��t be alone after this ordeal.”
“That’s where my family and I can be of help. Dana will want to comfort him too. Ask one of the officers to contact us when we’re needed. You’ve got my cell phone number.”
Jace nodded. “Thanks, Gideon. I’ll take you up on that.”
He drove the truck into the parking lot of the motel. Gideon climbed out and walked around to the driver’s side. The two men communicated in silence for a moment.
Gideon spoke first. “After you’ve nailed that vermin, Dana will be here waiting for you. We all will.”
“I like the sound of that,” he said in a husky tone.
“I thought you would. Watch your back.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
DANA DRESSED in a pair of white cotton pants and her favorite pale orange cotton top. It would be a comfortable outfit to wear on the plane, and perfect for the warm weather in Southern California. Deep down she wanted to look her best for Jace when he joined them at the café.
If he joined them. Where a change of job location was involved, Jace might not have the choice of when he’d have to leave. It would be foolish to count on anything. She knew he’d phone her if he couldn’t make it. No matter how it pained her, she would handle the bad news with grace—even if it killed her.
The alarm had gone off at six, but she’d been awake long before that. After a shower and shampoo, she blow-dried her hair. It contained enough natural curl so she could brush it until it fell into soft waves.
She packed what she’d need in her overnight bag and made sure everything was turned off before she left the apartment.
If she decided to stay in California longer than a few days, she didn’t want to have to rush back because of something she’d forgotten to take care of. With a half hour to spare, she could run up to the observatory and turn off the main computer.
A gust of wind whipped her hair as she stepped out the door to the garage. When she looked up, there were clouds gathering in the western sky. After a long spell of beautiful weather, it came as a surprise to see a storm brewing.
How ironic she’d picked today of all days to fly. She hoped there wouldn’t be too much turbulence.
Beneath A Texas Sky (Harlequin Super Romance) Page 18