by Dana Mentink
Carl planted his hands on his hips. “Some things cross the line, Logan. Cassie was a nice gal, a sweetheart. It never should have happened to her. She was young and had her whole life to go yet.” Tears rolled down his fleshy cheeks.
John looked uncertainly from his mother to his father.
Sheila put a hand on his arm. “Not now, Carl.”
He shook his head. “It’s not right. A young girl like that, just wanted to care for her horses and be left alone.”
John pushed his hat up with a thumb and turned to Isabel. “I always wondered how come you never came to visit, only got one sister and you stayed away. Didn’t have the courage to come here and kill her yourself? Had to hire someone to ambush her?”
“No,” Isabel whispered. “No.”
Logan said, “I think you’d better leave, both of you.”
John puffed up. “You don’t give me orders.”
“Yes, on this one, I am giving you an order. Leave here. Now.” John took a step forward and Logan readied himself for a fight. Hand to hand would be no problem with John, but he didn’t want to hurt him.
John’s eyes moved in thought, fists balled at his side.
They both stood tense and ready until Sheila broke in.
“John, go with your father to the truck. He’s been drinking and I don’t want him behind the wheel.” Sheila’s voice was commanding and John obeyed, a look of hatred on his face.
Carl stumbled and Logan reached out to steady him. Carl leaned against him for a moment. “Think about your choices, son. You’ve finally got a shot to get back into pararescue, don’t you? You make the wrong decision, ally yourself with a murderer, and you can kiss that shot goodbye. She’s a stranger and an outsider. You can’t trust an outsider.”
Logan set him back on his feet. “Go home, Carl.”
“You think about what I said. Are you willing to bet your dream on her?”
Carl and John went to the truck. Sheila took Isabel’s hands. “I’m sorry, honey. Carl gets real emotional. I’m sure when he calms down, he’ll realize you couldn’t have done those things. It will all be forgotten in time.”
Isabel stood stiffly and Logan knew it would never be forgotten in her mind.
Sheila followed the men.
Isabel could have been a statue, standing immobile in the afternoon light, staring at the departing truck. Logan drew closer.
“They’re upset, not thinking straight.”
“They’re right about one thing. You shouldn’t be associated with me.”
He tried to play it light. “I’m a big boy. I can pick my own playmates.”
“It’s not funny. Supporting me, especially against a mayor who is soon to be a senator, could kill your chances in pararescue. Isn’t that right?”
“Isabel…”
“Isn’t that right?” Her eyes glittered.
He allowed the thought to surface. Pararescue would not consider reupping him if there was the slightest hint that he’d become involved in a murder investigation, no matter how innocently. There were too many other soldiers who wanted the job. He knew it, even though he couldn’t say the words.
She gave him a searching look and turned away.
“I won’t abandon you,” he said, catching her by the shoulders. She tried to twist out of his grasp, but he held firm.
“It’s not abandonment if I ask you to leave.”
Her face was so close. Was this stirring in his soul a warning to leave before he was so entangled he’d ruin his career? You could lose everything, Logan. He left logic behind as his hands moved up to cup her cheeks.
He kissed her, surprised that there could be such tenderness in him and that it could find expression with this woman, a memory from so long ago. Her mouth was soft and he moved his lips over hers again. “Are you asking me to leave? Say it then.”
Her breath came fast as she clung to him. “I’m asking you to leave. I—I don’t want you here.”
The words should have hurt, but he felt in the grip of some strong tide washing over him. He was supposed to be here, with her, at least for now. The strength of the feeling tingled through his body. He didn’t release her. Instead he traced his lips down her cheek and across her jaw until he came to her ear. “Sorry,” he whispered. “But I’m going to have to disobey your order.”
She jerked away, angry now, or doing a good job pretending. “I don’t want your career to end because of me. You should be packing your bags to get out of here, off this ranch, back to your brigade.”
“Squad.”
“Whatever you call it.”
“I call it a squad, and when they call then I’ll deal with that.”
“Logan, it’s crazy to stay here. The only reason I’m still here is because I have to be, at least until Cassie’s killer is found and I can unload this place.”
“Fair enough. You have your reasons and I have two tasks to complete here. First, I own six horses that need caring for while I find them permanent homes. Second—” He pulled a coil of tubing from his pocket to repair the backhoe. “I haven’t finished the job for Cassie.”
Isabel’s mouth fell open. “You have got to be kidding. You’re thinking about that idiotic ravine in the middle of this madness?”
He grinned. “I do my best work during periods of madness.”
FOURTEEN
The following morning, Logan rose with the sun and began tinkering with the backhoe until Isabel emerged from the house, heading for the truck.
He did a double take at her clothing, nice slacks, soft floaty blouse. “Where are you headed?”
“To church. Are you coming?”
He looked down at his jeans and T-shirt. “I forgot it was Sunday.”
“God doesn’t care what you’re wearing. Come on.”
She was giving orders now? He put the tools down and washed his hands at the pump. He’d fallen out of the habit of church after he married. Nancy had plenty of reasons not to go, and he discovered the biggest one after they broke up. The wife of the man she was having an affair with was a regular church attender.
He slid into the truck in the passenger seat and they took off.
The people mingling outside stopped their conversations when Isabel stepped out. He saw her press her lips together. “Word travels fast,” she said.
“Sure you want to do this?”
“Yes. God is the only thing I’ve had to hold on to and I’m not letting go now.”
Logan’s gut tightened to see the determination on her face, the same glimmer of earnest emotion he’d seen that day so many years ago in the barn. She had courage. It was more enticing than the most expensive perfume.
He took her arm and they walked into church together. The Triggs, minus John, were in the front row. Sheila waved at Logan and Isabel. Carl nudged her, a scowl on his face. He gave Logan a meaningful look.
Again he wondered as he caught the surreptitious glances from the congregation, was he risking his future standing beside her? Probably, but for a reason he did not fully understand, he didn’t care. Seated in a row close to the back, with her leg pressed against his, the warmth drove away whatever objections his brain could come up with.
After the service, they found Sheila waiting at their truck.
She hugged Isabel and Logan. “Isabel, I wanted to say again that I believe you had nothing to do with the unpleasantness, and I’m so sorry my husband is being such a fool. If I could buy that property from you and set you free, I would, honey, but we’ve got so much money tied up in Carl’s campaign.”
He could see Isabel was moved by the offer.
“Thank you, Sheila. Just having you believe me is more than enough.”
“No, it’s not.” She sighed. “It doesn’t make up for the gossip, which is no doubt running rampant right this very moment. Listen, if you don’t want to deal with this, I can take over your Moonlight Ride guests. We’ve got two extra horses that can fill in.”
Isabel shook her head. “I can do it.
”
Sheila looked dubious.
“The horses rode very well when we took them out,” Logan said. “The couple we’re taking is looking to add several to their stable, so it’s too good an opportunity to pass up.”
“I guess so. In this economy it’s rare to find someone willing to take on more than one.” She gave him a close look. “You know you’ve got grease on your shirt.”
He felt his face heat up. “I was fixing the backhoe before we left for church.”
“Why in the world would you do that?”
“Clearing the ravine.”
She stared for a long moment before her face split into a smile. “You two are quite a pair. Nothing fazes you, does it?” A movement from behind caught her attention. “I’ve got to go. Carl’s looking for me. I’ll come see you, Isabel, and we can set a date for Cassie’s memorial. I didn’t forget about it.” She gave them both a quick kiss and hurried back toward the church.
On the drive back, Isabel was silent.
“You okay?”
“I was just thinking that maybe Autie took off. You wounded him, the police are searching. Could it be he’s disappeared?”
“Nothing is impossible. Why do you sound unhappy about that?”
“The guy’s crazy, Logan, but if he vanishes, how will I ever prove that he killed my sister?”
“And who hired him.”
“Right.”
“You given any more thought to Rawley as a suspect?”
Her fingers gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I don’t think it’s him, but I could be wrong. He’s crazy and vindictive.”
“How did you get involved with him?”
She hesitated, then swallowed hard. “I ran away, found myself in L.A. with no money. Scared and lost at sixteen, and there he was. Handsome, friendly, and he kindly gave me a place to stay, a nice apartment. When I came of age, we fell in love. Or at least I thought we did. He kept up the facade for quite a while until I figured out it was all a pretense. He was running a drug ring and he needed a wife to provide cover, go to drops and be places he didn’t want to be seen. It took me so long to get wise that by the time I figured it out, it was too late. I was married to him for four years, the worst years of my life. I tried so hard to get away, to get help. The last time I crossed him, he broke my wrist.”
Rage coursed through him. “He beat you?”
She bit her lip. “I ran away several times but he or one of his cronies always found me. Then one time I was approached by a man I thought was a buyer, only he turned out to be an undercover cop. He said if I wore a wire, they could send Rawley to jail, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Logan marveled. “That took some guts, to wear a wire.”
She nodded. “He would have killed me if he realized.” She let out a breath. “He’ll kill me if he ever gets the chance.”
“He won’t.” Logan heard the menace in his own voice.
She gave him a rueful smile. “Autie knew all about Rawley, that’s why I figured he was behind it. Autie must sympathize with Rawley, I think because his own father is in jail. But now, I’m not sure my ex hired him anymore. Rawley doesn’t beat around the bush. If he’d hired Autie, I think he would have told him to kill me straight out, and so far I’m still alive.”
And I’m going to keep it that way. He caressed her shoulder, her muscles knotted tight with fear.
“I was ashamed of myself, the way I left Cassie and got tangled up with Rawley. I couldn’t face my sister. I wanted to go back, to call her so many times, but I didn’t.” She sighed. “I didn’t.”
Logan wished he had something to say to ease her grief. Instead he squeezed her shoulder and tried to show her in the gesture that he understood.
When they returned to the ranch, Logan kept Isabel in his range of vision while he worked on the backhoe. She moved among the horses easily, as if she was a part of the herd. He’d seen herds accept outsiders, broken and dispirited, integrating them into the family without conflict or judgment. He thought of Carl’s angry accusations on the previous day. Horses were more humane than humans sometimes.
The backhoe finally grumbled to life again. Logan lost no time easing it to the edge of the ravine to move the small pile of debris he’d managed to accumulate before Cassie’s death. Trip after trip he retrieved the jagged rocks and hauled them away, clearing the way for more to be removed. Sweat poured down his face as the afternoon temperature climbed into the hundreds. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Isabel stiffen.
Instantly he killed the motor and climbed down.
She ran toward him, eyes wide. “I heard something.”
“From where?”
“There,” she pointed toward the woods.
Then he heard it, too. The sound of a woman screaming.
Isabel froze, straining to locate the origin of the sound. Logan was already running toward the direction of the tree-covered ridge.
She ran after him, skirting clumps of jimsonweed, skidding on loose patches of red gravel. Logan outpaced her and vanished over the top. She continued on as fast as she was able, until a riderless horse careened out of the scrub.
Her heart sank as she recognized Sheila’s mount. The horse stopped, stamping uneasily, head tossing, reins whipping around.
“Here, boy. Here, now. It’s okay.” She kept her voice low and moved closer.
The horse shimmied.
She reached out a hand and rubbed him gently on the nose until he calmed enough for her to grab the reins. She led him down the slope and tied him to a tree branch before she continued after Logan.
The screaming had stopped.
She paused at the top, staying in the shadow of the shrubs as she had seen Logan do. The murmur of voices was so faint she almost didn’t catch it. Following the sounds, she crept as quietly as she dared, stepping gingerly over the pine needles.
Behind a tumble of rough boulders, she found Logan kneeling next to Sheila.
Her breath caught as she scrambled to them. “How badly are you hurt? What happened?”
Sheila’s face was pale and a bruise shone on the side of her head. “I saw him. I saw that crazy man.”
Isabel suppressed a shiver. “Did he hurt you?”
“No. I was on my way here, to talk to you about the memorial, and I saw him standing under the trees. I got so scared I turned my horse too sharply and I fell off. I thought he was going to kill me, but instead he ran back into the trees.”
Isabel’s head jerked involuntarily toward the horizon. There was only the unbroken line of green pines and red rock. No sign of Autie.
Sheila struggled to sit.
Logan pressed her back down. “Did you hit your head?”
“I must have, but not hard. I’m okay.” She pushed away his restraining hand and sat up.
Isabel brushed pine needles and leaves from Sheila’s hair. “I’m so sorry.”
“My horse…”
“I got him. He’s tied to a tree.”
She grasped Isabel’s hand. “Thank you.”
Logan and Isabel helped Sheila rise and get her bearings.
Logan looked closely into her face. “Can you walk?”
She managed an indignant look. “I’ve been through two mayoral elections and childbirth. Of course I can walk.”
Isabel stifled a smile as they guided Sheila down to the cabin, retrieving the horse on the way.
“I’ll call Carl,” Logan said.
“No. Don’t.”
Logan’s fingers stopped on the cell pad. “I think it would be best.”
“No. He’s half-bonkers about Isabel in the first place. I don’t want to add fuel to the fire, at least until I have to.”
Though she didn’t say so, Isabel was relieved not to have to deal with Carl and the tension of his presence. While she fetched Sheila a glass of water, Logan summoned Officer Bentley, who arrived a scant thirty minutes later.
He hastened to Sheila’s side. “Do you need a doctor?”
“Did you see which direction he went?” Bentley said, hand on his radio.
“Toward the Badlands.”
The very place they were headed on the Moonlight Ride. She knew Logan was thinking the same thing, though she avoided eye contact. Bentley radioed in the information and then knelt next to Sheila.
“You should go to the hospital.”
She flashed him a saucy smile. “But you know I won’t. A hardheaded politician’s wife such as myself does not need to see a doctor for a little bump.”
He laid a hand over hers. The look Sheila gave him was sad, and intimate, the kind of look shared with a relative or…
Isabel almost gasped aloud.
A lover.
It became clear to her in that moment why John Trigg was so angry at Bentley—because the man had an affair with his mother.
Did Carl know? If John did, chances were excellent the mayor did, too.
Isabel felt uncomfortable.
Logan turned to the window, his face drawn in concentration. Something was bothering him. Had he seen Bentley’s gesture? He would not want to see signs of Sheila Trigg’s infidelity.
She joined him. “Something out there?”
He continued to stare outside. “No. Nothing that I can see.”
“What’s wrong?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure. Let me stew on it awhile and I’ll fill you in.”
There it was again. Soldier in charge. Information on a need-to-know basis only. She made sure Bentley was still tending to Sheila before she went outside to the horses. They leaned against the fence, ready for a caress.
Logan joined her. “Air get too thick in there?”
She sighed. Why tell him? What was he to her that she should bring it up? A friend? A soldier self-assigned to her hopeless mission? Something deeper? “You pulled your commanding officer card and shut me out.”