Cowboy, Cross My Heart

by Donna Grant

  “I think I’m offended,” Clayton murmured.

  Caleb grinned. “I thought it was just between us four, but I’m all about including you in that.”

  Cooper was shaking his head before Caleb finished. “No. No way, man. Clayton beats all of us.”

  “Yes, he certainly does,” Abby stated proudly.

  Clayton walked to the back of the sofa and bent over as Abby leaned her head back so they could kiss.

  Naomi moved her gaze to Whitney to find her friend turning a ring round and round on her finger, her eyes on the floor, seemingly deep in thought.

  This interlude had been fun, but Naomi was ready to sort out the truth of her attack.

  And issue some payback of her own—Suellen style.

  Chapter 13

  There was something heartening about walking into the house and having Naomi there. Brice wasn’t sure if it was because he’d shied away from any relationships over the past year, but suddenly, all he thought about was Naomi.

  While he would have liked to remain on the sofa beside her and hear more stories about the past, they had gathered for something else entirely.

  Brice swung his gaze to Abby and gave her a small nod. She frowned, unable to discern what he meant until Brice cut his eyes to Ms. Biermann. Abby’s mouth formed an O before she winked at him.

  “Ms. Biermann, my daughter has shown interest in the rodeo pageant,” Abby said.

  Clayton’s brows snapped together in confusion. Before he could say anything, Caleb elbowed him. Clayton looked between Abby and Brice and Caleb before he realized what was going on.

  “Is Wynter a good rider?” the woman asked.

  Clayton let out a loud snort. “She lives here. What do you think?”

  “Good,” Ms. Biermann said. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

  When the woman started to walk around the sofa to sit, Abby held out her hand as Brice stood and helped her to her feet. His sister smiled at the chaperone. “I want to write down everything you tell me. Let’s go into the office.”

  “But…” Ms. Biermann said, hesitating as she glanced at Whitney.

  Clayton grinned. “No one will leave this room. You have my word.”

  “Okay,” the woman finally relented and followed Abby out of the room.

  Once they were out of earshot, Clayton looked pointedly at Brice. “You owe Abby for this. She’s going to want a play-by-play of this conversation from the moment she walked away until everyone leaves.”

  “Maybe we should record it,” Caleb teased.

  Whitney’s head snapped in his direction as she sat upright. “No.”

  “It was a joke,” Naomi told her.

  “Sorry,” Whitney said and slowly rested back against the cushion. “It’s just … y’all don’t understand.”

  Clayton took Abby’s place while Jace and Cooper occupied the hearth, and Caleb sat on Brice’s other side. All eyes were on Whitney.

  “I don’t know how long we have before Ms. Biermann returns,” Cooper reminded her.

  Whitney nodded, swallowing loudly as she looked at the coffee table. “I don’t know where to begin.”

  “The beginning,” Naomi suggested.

  Whitney’s eyes lifted and landed on Naomi. “The beginning? I don’t even know when that was. It just all sort of … happened.”

  “What did?” Jace asked softly.

  Whitney’s smile was forced as she looked around the room. It faded quickly as she shrugged. “I don’t think anyone knows how hard the pageants are. I mean, we don’t have to just look perfect all the time, we also have to act a certain way and ride without messing up. All the contestants want is to win. But winning comes at a steep price.”

  Naomi rose and went to sit beside Whitney. She took her friend’s hand in her own. “You never said anything. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I got exactly what I wanted,” Whitney said and turned her head to Naomi. “Why would I complain about it?”

  “Because things aren’t always as they seem. And you had a friend to turn to,” Clayton said.

  Whitney rubbed her lips together. “At the beginning, I thought it was just me being paranoid. That first win was everything I thought it would be and more. The attention, the attentiveness of everyone was unbelievable. But then things began happening.”

  “Like what?” Brice asked.

  “Any event I was required to attend, someone always messed with my things.”

  Naomi’s face creased in confusion. “What do you mean messed with?”

  “My horse’s bridle was either too tight or too loose where someone had moved the buckle. One of my stirrups was also either too long or too short. I thought it was some type of hazing thing from the other girls. After the third incident, I confronted them. Not a single contestant was surprised by my claims. Then, one of the girls looked at me and said it was my turn now.”

  Caleb scrunched up his face. “What the hell did that mean?”

  “I asked,” Whitney said. “No one would tell me. They all vehemently denied touching my stuff. Oddly, after that, everything went back to normal. Or so I thought.” She glanced at Naomi. “I started feeling like I was being watched. I never saw anyone or had proof, but the hairs on the back of my neck would stand on end.”

  Naomi shifted to face Whitney. “Are you telling me this has been happening from the very beginning?”

  Whitney nodded.

  “For four years?” Naomi asked, her voice rising.

  Whitney briefly closed her eyes. “I thought it was nothing. It stayed like that for months.”

  “Then what happened?” Cooper asked.

  There was a long stretch of silence as Whitney stared at her hands. “Right after I won the next pageant, there was a big commotion within the ranks about a girl who’d claimed she was sexually assaulted. But as soon as it blew up, suddenly, everything about it turned to silence.”

  “Jamie Adcock,” Jace said.

  Whitney looked at him and nodded. “I didn’t know her well. In fact, I’d only talked to her once or twice. She seemed nice enough. At first, the other girls were sympathetic about Jaime’s assertions. Seemingly overnight, those same girls acted as if they didn’t know her. She came to us right before she and her mother moved away. Jamie was crying, demanding that we stand up and admit what was going on.”

  “Obviously, no one did,” Clayton said.

  Whitney shoved a lock of blond hair over her shoulder and shook her head. “Jamie was dragged out of the arena by the chaperones. That was the last I saw or heard from her.”

  “Did you believe her?” Brice asked.

  After another pause, Whitney shook her head. “Jaime had been first runner-up, and she and her mother were known to cause problems when she didn’t win. When they left town, I assumed it had all been a lie.”

  Brice met his brother’s gaze. Things were moving much too slowly. At this rate, they wouldn’t learn much of anything before Abby and Ms. Biermann returned.

  Caleb took off his hat and tossed it onto the coffee table. “Then what?”

  “I won a third pageant,” Whitney replied. “Someone started touching my things again. More disturbing was the yellow rose that was always there. Everywhere I went for my title, I’d find that rose. I didn’t think anything of it at first, but it didn’t take long for me to get creeped out. I said something to Ms. Biermann, who said I must have an admirer, and that all rodeo queens did.”

  Naomi rolled her eyes and made a sound at the back of her throat. “Please tell me you didn’t believe her.”

  “Of course not,” Whitney said, making a face. “Those roses, along with the feeling of being watched, only made me hyper aware of everything. But nothing happened. Not until I found a letter attached to a rose in my car.”

  Naomi jumped up and stared in shock at her friend. “You told your parents, at least, right? Or Ms. Biermann?”

  “What did the letter say?” Jace pressed.

  Whitney linked her fingers toget
her. “It simply said that I was beautiful and that he enjoyed watching me. That he would continue to watch me. And, yes, Naomi, I told Ms. Biermann.”

  “And?” Brice asked.

  Whitney shrugged when she met his gaze. “She said she’d take care of it.”

  Naomi resumed her seat. “Did things stop?”

  “For a couple of days. The next note said he could make sure I won the next pageant. I gave it to Ms. Biermann and thought nothing of it. Until I lost.”

  Brice rested his ankle on his knee. “Lost?”

  “First runner-up,” Whitney said. “I went home defeated, until a week later when Ms. Biermann showed up at my house and said the winner had given up the crown. It was mine. I asked why the winner had left, but I never got an explanation. And I never saw the girl again.”

  Cooper blew out a breath and rubbed his hands on his thighs. “There is so much that doesn’t add up, but there is no proof.”

  Brice kept his gaze on Whitney. He could tell that there was still much she hadn’t revealed, and he wasn’t sure she was comfortable telling a roomful of men.

  He got Clayton’s attention. “Do you think you could get Ms. Biermann to stay here tonight?”

  “I think so,” Clayton replied. Then he looked at Whitney. “Is that all right with you?”

  She gave her first genuine smile since the story had begun. “I would like that very much.”

  “Then I’ll see it done,” Clayton said.

  The conversation stopped when Abby’s voice reached them. Brice motioned for Naomi and Whitney to get up and follow them. He took the girls around to the other side of the kitchen. When Abby and Ms. Biermann got to the family area, he took the girls upstairs and showed Whitney to a bedroom.

  “Ms. Biermann will want to be next to me,” Whitney said.

  Brice grinned. “I expected as much. I’ll be sure to put her farthest away from the stairs.”

  Whitney shot them a smile before closing the door.

  He then moved across the hall and opened another bedroom door. Naomi walked inside and turned in a circle, taking it in. “There are others if you’d prefer. I thought you might want to be close to Whitney.”

  “This is beautiful.” She ran her fingers over the dark wood of the four-poster bed.

  Brice left the door open as he made his way into the room and came to stand before her. He lowered his voice to a whisper and said, “I got the feeling Whitney may find it easier finishing the story with just the two of you.”

  “Very perceptive,” Naomi replied with a grin. “Thank you.”

  “You two can sneak out to the barn later. I’ll make sure the house alarm isn’t set.”

  Naomi frowned, her head cocking to the side. “Why wouldn’t we stay in the house?”

  “Because I’m not convinced Ms. Biermann isn’t in on whatever is happening, and I think you feel the same.”

  Naomi crossed her arms over her chest as her lips flattened. “You’re right. I do feel that way. There’s just something about that woman I don’t like. I can’t put my finger on it. She’s nice, but.…”

  “Odd?” Brice supplied.

  “Yes. Odd works. I’m glad I’m not the only one who sees it.”

  Brice shifted so he could see the doorway. “The woman didn’t ask how you were doing, and everyone at the rodeo knew about the accident.”

  Naomi’s brow furrowed. “You’re right. She didn’t. That’s just plain rude.”

  He wanted to stay in the room with her, but he had to get back downstairs. “If we don’t get answers from Whitney, you could be attacked again.”

  “So could you.”

  “I’m more worried about you. See if you can talk to Whitney later. This may be our only chance to discover whatever it is she’s hiding.”

  Naomi grabbed his arm when he started to turn away. “Are you sorry you helped me the other night?”

  “There are a number of things I regret and wish I could change, but that isn’t one of them. Not by a long shot.”

  Her smile was slow as she gazed up at him with her chestnut eyes.

  Brice wanted to lean down and kiss her. He was sure she would accept him. Then he heard Caleb hiss his name from the hallway.

  “Goodnight,” he said.

  She sat on the bed. “Goodnight.”

  Chapter 14

  The minutes ticked by slowly. Naomi didn’t know what Clayton said to Ms. Biermann, but everything went smoothly. She put her ear to the door as Clayton walked the chaperone up to her room, putting the older woman exactly where Brice said she would sleep for the night.

  Ms. Biermann laughed and spoke amicably with Clayton before her door closed and the only sound Naomi heard was Clayton’s footsteps as he walked down the hall.

  She didn’t know how long to give Ms. Biermann before she went knocking on Whitney’s door. Obviously, she needed to give the woman time to get ready for bed.

  So, Naomi walked around the room, looking at the pictures. There was an old, faded wedding picture that looked as if it were taken in the early 1800s. There were pictures of children in various eras, but all either on a horse, with a lasso in their hands, or standing next to cattle.

  She studied each one, trying to determine the ages and their connection to Clayton. It was easy to determine which ones were of Clayton, yet there were some from when Clayton was younger that had another boy with him. The fact that they looked so similar meant they had to be related, but she had heard nothing of Clayton having a brother or cousin.

  When Naomi came to a couple of pictures of Brice and Caleb, she smiled. The boys were young and covered in dust as they each sat atop a horse, but their wide smiles told everyone how happy they were.

  Finally, she set down the pictures and walked to the window as she yawned. She very much wanted to crawl beneath the thick covers. Naomi didn’t think too hard about the fact that she didn’t have a change of clothes and would be right back in her clothes the next day.

  She looked out the window facing the front of the house. Far in the distance, she could just make out the headlights of a passing car. She wrapped her arms around herself and thought over the things Whitney had said downstairs.

  How had her friend gone through something like that—and she feared even worse things that had yet to be revealed—and not come to her? Had Whitney felt as if Naomi didn’t have time for her? Was it something Naomi had said? Something she did? She really wanted to know so that she never did it again.

  It made her stomach hurt to know that Whitney had gone through this alone. What would have happened had Naomi cancelled her trip?

  She cut off that train of thought. It would take her to a place she wasn’t comfortable with. As it was, she had a difficult time watching any kind of true crime shows because the thought of someone being that depraved and walking the street next to her made her want to never leave the house.

  Her head jerked to the door when she heard a soft knock. She checked her watch to see that it had been over forty-five minutes since Ms. Biermann had come upstairs. Naomi hurried to the door and opened it to find Whitney.

  “Want to take a walk outside?” Naomi asked in a whisper.

  Whitney nodded, and they quietly walked down the hall to the stairs. When they reached the bottom, the lights were still on. Naomi slowly made her way into the kitchen to find Cooper, Jace, and Caleb each stuffing their faces.

  Jace barely looked up from the roll he was slathering with butter. Cooper gave them a wave as he bit into two cookies at once.

  Caleb set down his fork after taking a bite of his apple pie and walked to them. “Hey,” he said. “Brice mentioned that y’all might want to take a walk. It’s a chilly night, so grab any of the jackets hanging by the door.”

  “Thanks,” Whitney said and moved past them.

  Naomi asked, “Where’s Brice?”

  “Abby made him take some more aspirin and sent him to bed. He must still be hurting for him to listen to her,” Caleb replied.

  “I
’m sorry y’all got involved.”

  Caleb shrugged and shot her a grin. “We aren’t, so stop worrying about that.”

  “Giving orders now, huh?” she teased.

  “You bet.”

  She chuckled and walked to where Whitney waited. Naomi reached for a jacket and slid into it, wondering if it were Brice’s. Then she and Whitney slipped outside.

  Whitney blew out a breath and put her hands into her pockets. She stepped off the porch and started toward the barn. Naomi followed, waiting for her friend to speak. Whitney didn’t even hesitate before opening the barn doors and turning on the light.

  Naomi closed the doors behind them and then stopped at the first stall to rub the horse that stuck its head over the door. She’d already spent time that afternoon with the horses, but in truth, she loved the animals so much that she never really got enough of them.

  “How did you leave town so easily?”

  Naomi turned her head toward Whitney, surprised by the question. It was one that had been answered long ago. “I got a scholarship. You know that.”

  “Bullshit. You could’ve gone to any college,” Whitney stated and leaned against the stall, her hands in her pockets.

  Naomi walked to the center of the aisle and looked at her friend. “That’s true. I could have. I wanted to see some of the world.”

  “You mean get away from here.”

  That’s when she realized what the questions really revolved around. “This has nothing to do with Suellen’s death.”

  “Sure it does.” Whitney kicked at the dirt with the toe of her boot. “You wanted to stay in town and eat at our regular diner. I’m the one who pushed Suellen to go somewhere different.”

  “Suellen’s death wasn’t our fault. It took me a long time to realize I wasn’t to blame. It’s time you did the same.”

  Whitney shrugged and looked at the ground. “Even after all your time away, you fit right back in as if you never left. Your love of horses is just as strong. I don’t know how you stay away.”

  “I don’t either, really. I think I knew what a draw this life was, which is why I rarely visit Mom. I was never interested in marrying a cowboy.”