Comeback Cowboy

by Sara Richardson

  He didn’t care what it would do. He couldn’t go back to Naomi without Gracie. “I’m guessing they went off the trail.” Mark would’ve taken Gracie in the opposite direction when he saw the smoke. “I’ll head north,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll meet up with—”

  A muted shrill cut him off. Once again, he held his breath. “Did you hear that?”

  The firefighter removed his hat. “What?”

  “A whistle.” His blood pumped hard. “I heard a whistle.” It had to be.

  The guy looked at him like he’d lost it, but Lucas strained his ears and headed a few steps to the east. Something trilled again. So faint. He jerked his head to look at the fireman.

  The man nodded. “It’s definitely something.”

  Lucas stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled. They both stilled. Seconds stretched into a torturous minute. Then the sound rang out again. A whistle and a bark.

  “Bogart!” Lucas darted around a spruce and bolted to the east, calling to the dog and whistling like he’d lost his mind.

  The answer came faster this time. Louder. Dodging trees and rocks, he tore down the mountainside, then stumbled along a rocky slope, his feet slipping on the loose gravel. The fireman stayed close behind him, barking into a radio. But Lucas was afraid to call Dev. To get Naomi’s hopes up. What if it wasn’t Gracie?

  The rocks got bigger, forming a series of jagged shelves that hung over the mountainside. Down below, Bogart sprinted into view.

  “Gracie!” he yelled.

  “Lucas!” She wasn’t far behind the dog. “Lucas, Dad needs help!”

  “We’re coming,” he told her, picking his way down the rocks.

  Moments later he pulled her into his arms and she hugged him so tightly he couldn’t breathe. “Gracie. Oh God, Gracie girl.” Bogart jumped and whimpered like he wanted to be held, too.

  “Dad slipped on the rocks when he was trying to help me,” she sobbed. “He hurt his leg real bad.”

  “Can you show us where?” Lucas held her tighter, trying to stop her trembling.

  Bogart tore away from them, staying near the edge of the boulders.

  “That way,” Gracie said, pointing after the dog. “Bogy knows.”

  The fireman ran ahead of them, following the dog, yelling into his radio. “We’ve located the missing hikers.” He rattled off some coordinates, his voice growing fainter as he disappeared around a bend.

  Lucas tried to breathe, his feet suddenly clumsy. He set Gracie down and knelt. “You’re okay, though?” he choked out, his eyes full. He couldn’t blame that on the smoke.

  “I’m okay,” she murmured.

  “What happened?” He stood and took her hand, continuing toward the sound of Bogy’s frantic barks. “How’d your dad fall?”

  “When we got to the waterfall, we smelled all that yucky smoke. At first we thought it was a campfire, but then it got so dark.” Gracie slowed, her eyes reading the ground. She guided him past a small cave in a rock face. “Dad thought the smoke was coming toward us, so we ran off the trail and came down this way.” Her voice wavered. “I couldn’t do all the big rocks so he was helping me, but his foot slipped and he fell.”

  “I’m sorry, honey,” Lucas murmured. “I’m so sorry that happened.” That she’d had to witness something so terrifying.

  “I just want him to be okay.” She rubbed the tears from her cheeks as though she was trying to be strong.

  “He’ll be okay,” Lucas assured her. “They’ve got all kinds of people ready to help him.”

  They skirted the base of one more cliff before Lucas caught sight of Mark, propped up against a fallen tree, his legs stretched out in front of him.

  Bogy licked his face while the fireman asked him questions.

  “Boy, am I glad to see you guys,” Mark said as Lucas and Gracie approached. Sweat and obvious pain had turned his skin sallow.

  “We’re glad to see you, too.” Lucas took a quick look at the leg. Judging from the blood, it was a compound fracture.

  “Will he be okay?” Gracie asked fearfully, her eyes wide and teary.

  Lucas lifted her into his arms again. It was finally hitting him that they’d found her. That she was safe. “He’ll be fine. You were so smart to use your whistle.” And thank God they’d had the dog with them.

  “Thank you for finding us,” she whispered.

  “You saved him,” Lucas told her. “You were so brave. We found him because of you. And now he’ll get the help he needs.”

  The fireman stood. “It’s a nasty break,” he said grimly. “They’re sending up a UTV.”

  “Hear that?” Lucas brushed a kiss on the top of her head. He held the girl tighter. Couldn’t seem to put her down.

  “I was so scared.” Gracie laid her head on his shoulder.

  He closed his eyes, savoring the feel of holding this precious little girl in his arms.

  “You don’t have to be scared anymore,” he told her. “I’ll always protect you.”

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Gracie hadn’t let go of him since he’d first seen her. All the way down the mountain she’d sat wedged against him in the UTV, holding onto his hand as though they were teetering on the edge of the cliff. Bogy lay on the other side of Gracie, his head in her lap.

  When they broke through the trees and blitzed into the trailhead’s parking lot, Gracie sat up straight, her eyes searching.

  The thing skidded to a stop and Naomi called out, running over to meet them. Then the girl ripped away from him and threw herself into her mom’s arms, sobbing as though she could finally let go. Bogy barked, happily circling them.

  “Oh, baby. Oh, Gracie. I was so worried.” They sunk to the ground, tangled in an embrace no one else could touch. Both crying. Both laughing. So much a part of each other.

  Lucas gave them that moment and hung back by the UTV, making sure the paramedics went easy on Mark.

  As they loaded him onto the gurney, Lucas shook his hand. “She’s lucky to have you for a dad,” he said. He could appreciate all the man had done to protect Gracie up there. He was a decent guy. They’d all come a long way since high school. Including Mark.

  Pain still gripped his features, but Mark held the firm handshake. “She’s lucky to have all of us.”

  They wheeled the gurney toward the ambulance. As they passed Naomi and Gracie, both of them stood.

  Gracie perched on her tiptoes to give Mark a hug and Naomi reached out to squeeze his hand. “Thank you for taking such good care of her.” She brushed away her tears.

  “Actually, she’s the one who took care of me,” Mark said with a laugh. “I’d hate to think what would’ve happened if I’d been on my own out there.”

  “I’m just glad you’re both okay.” She put an arm around her daughter as though she’d never let her out of her sight again. Lucas could relate to that feeling.

  “All right. We gotta get him to the hospital.” One of the paramedics eased the gurney down the hill.

  As they wheeled him away, Mark waved.

  “See you at the hospital soon!” Gracie called. Then she and Naomi walked over to where Lucas stood, with Bogy right on their heels. Wordlessly, Naomi slumped against him and he wrapped his arms around them both.

  “Thank you,” she breathed against his neck. “Oh God, Lucas. Thank you.” He kissed the skin right under her ear, fighting the tears he’d already held off too long. These two girls meant everything to him.

  Naomi pulled back. “Can we go?” she whispered. “I’d like to take Gracie home. Get her cleaned up.”

  He hesitated. “I’m guessing they can use my help here. But you can take my truck. I’ll hitch a ride with someone else.” Surely Levi and Lance would be up to help as soon as they heard…

  “No.” Naomi’s voice broke. “I want you to come with us. We need to go.” An urgency slipped into her tone. “Please, Lucas. Let’s just go.”

  He wanted to go, take Gracie and Naomi away from here, but how could he leave when
they obviously needed all the help they could get? “Let me talk to Dev.” He’d spotted him standing by the table where they’d spread out the maps.

  “No.” Naomi tried to pull him away.

  He studied her eyes. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

  Before she could answer, Dev sought him out.

  “Nice work,” he said, clapping Lucas on the back. But a look of grim concern pulled at the corners of his mouth.

  “Can’t take all the credit.” Lucas slipped his arm around Naomi. “Her mom’s the one who stashed a whistle in her backpack. And Bogy here made sure we knew where to go.” He gave the dog’s head a good scrub. That’s what had saved them both.

  Neither Dev nor Naomi smiled. They shared a look. “We need to talk,” Dev said. He glanced at Naomi. “Why don’t you take Gracie over to get some water?”

  Her mouth opened like she wanted to argue, but she must’ve thought better of it. Instead of speaking, she gave Lucas’s hand a squeeze and led her daughter away.

  “What’s up?” he asked. He didn’t like the man’s troubled look. They should’ve been celebrating the fact that they’d located Gracie and Mark. Something was off.

  Dev glanced around like he wanted to make sure no one would hear them. “Wanted to give you a heads-up.” His voice was low. “Investigators already found evidence of arson on the south side of the mountain. Near the river.”

  The south side. His favorite fishing spot. “Someone did this on purpose?”

  The deputy nodded, still keeping a wary eye on anyone who passed by. “They found a bunch of empty turpentine containers. And receipts they’ve already traced to a hardware store in Denver.”

  “Shit.” Just like that, the adrenaline was back, pumping through him, clenching his muscles into stone. Someone had started the fire. It could’ve killed Gracie…

  Dev pulled him to the outskirts of the parking lot. “Thing is, they were purchased around the same time you were down in Denver.”

  An icy realization slid down his spine. He was being set up. “I didn’t do this.” That was crazy. How could anyone think he’d be that stupid? “You really think I’d leave evidence out in the open like that?”

  “I know you didn’t do it,” Dev assured him. “But someone wants it to look like you did.”

  And he knew exactly who that person was. Rage simmered beneath his skin, making his body freeze and burn at the same time. “He could’ve killed her.” Lucas went to step away, to search for the man responsible.

  “I know.” His friend pulled him to a stop. “I’ll do everything I can to clear you. But the chief is gonna go by the book on this. And so far the evidence is pointing to you.”

  Of course it was. God. He’d been so stupid to think that Marshal wouldn’t keep looking for a way to get rid of him. “It was Dobbins. It had to be.”

  Based on Dev’s sure nod, he was already thinking the same thing.

  The shock of it still pounded through him. “This is attempted murder.”

  “We don’t know if he realized Gracie would be up here today,” Dev reminded him. “It could be shitty timing. But it’s pretty obvious he has it out for you. We need something definitive to nail him.” The deputy started to walk away. “I’ll keep searching. But you need to steer clear. Understand? I’ll keep you posted. But I think it’s best if you take Naomi and Gracie home. Lay low for a few days.”

  “I will. Thanks.” What other choice did he have?

  Dev gave him one last nod before joining a group of volunteers gathered near the command post.

  Lucas walked back to Naomi in a stunned fog. She already knew what Dev had told him. That was why she’d wanted to get him out of there so fast.

  Before he could say anything, Gracie inserted herself between them, holding both of their hands. “We should go to the hospital,” she said. “I don’t want Dad to be there alone.”

  “We will,” Naomi promised. “But first we need to go home and get you cleaned up.” She kept stealing worried glances at him as though she could see the darkness in his eyes.

  He didn’t try to hide it from her. He knew Marshal was a loose cannon, but this was far worse than anything he could’ve imagined.

  Together they walked to the truck, Bogy attached to his side as though he didn’t want to be left behind, Naomi and Gracie talking about what they could bring to the hospital to help Mark feel better. Lucas wasn’t listening. He couldn’t. How much had Naomi and Gracie suffered in the last week because of him? Because of his past? It wasn’t worth it. He couldn’t do this to them. He’d promised Gracie he would protect her. But he couldn’t.

  Which only proved he should’ve left Topaz Falls a long time ago.

  * * *

  He was drifting away from her again. Naomi studied Lucas’s stone-faced profile as they drove down the highway. He hadn’t said a word, not that anyone could get in a word around Gracie’s chatter. The trauma of the experience seemed to be wearing off and now her daughter kept reliving every detail of her harrowing morning as though fascinated by the adventure of it.

  “And then I heard a whistle. I knew it was a whistle!” she prattled, petting the dog’s head. “So Dad told me to follow the rocks and see if I could find anyone. But he said not to go too far. He wanted to be able to hear me still.”

  “You did so good,” Naomi told her daughter, reaching back to squeeze her arm—to touch her again. She might just sneak into her bed after she was asleep later and hug her all night.

  “I’ve never met such a brave ten-year-old.” Luca’s tone was too controlled. A storm brewed in him; Naomi could see it. Dev had filled her in on everything just before they’d brought Gracie back. Someone was trying to frame him for arson. They’d endangered Gracie in the process, and now Lucas looked like he wanted to kill someone.

  She feared the anger she sensed building in him. Not because she thought he’d act on it, but because she knew Lucas well enough to know that he would protect her and Gracie at all costs. Even if it meant him giving up something he wanted.

  Her heart was heavy with the remnants of fear, relief…and devastation that someone could be so calculated and callous. She reached over to Lucas, massaging his neck, his shoulders, trying to tell him they would figure it out. They would overcome this, but she saw the doubt in his features.

  He pulled into her driveway and cut the engine.

  Gracie scooted out of the truck, likely intent on hurrying so they could get over to the hospital, but Lucas didn’t budge. He sat and stared straight ahead.

  “You take Bogy into the house,” Naomi called to her daughter. “We’ll be there in a minute.”

  Once her daughter had disappeared, Lucas turned to her.

  “I can’t do this. I can’t do this to you. I can’t do this to Gracie.”

  “You’re not doing anything.” Her voice rose against the injustice of this. They’d waited so long for this chance to simply love each other. They’d been through so much. “Dev will get him. He’ll find something and he’ll lock Dobbins up.” Tears soaked through the words. She took his hands in hers, wondering how she’d lived without him all this time. Knowing she couldn’t live without him anymore.

  Lucas stared down at their hands. “Until he does, I have to leave. I have to go back to the McGowens’.”

  One by one the tears fell, streaking down her cheeks. He leaned in and kissed them away. “You and Gracie mean everything to me. Everything,” he uttered, his own eyes glistening. “I can’t let anything happen to you. I can’t even risk it.”

  “I’m not afraid of him.” Things would work out this time. They had to. They deserved it.

  “I could end up in prison again. If Dev doesn’t find anything. If all of the evidence points to me.”

  “But Dev knows you didn’t do it.” She let the desperation in her voice speak what she couldn’t say. If he left again, he would break her heart. He would break both of their hearts. She’d let him in and now he was part of their lives.

 
; “Who knows if anyone’ll listen to Dev? I can’t risk it.” He pulled her close and kissed her lips slowly, savoring, clinging to her. “I love you. I’ve always loved you. No matter what happens, that’ll never change. You’re the light that’s seen me through all of the darkest times in my life.”

  “And I’ll see you through this, too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on as though she could keep him there with her forever.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  She had to keep busy. Naomi put away the last of the dinner dishes, carefully stacking the plates, reorganizing the cups three times. Heartache clung to every movement and made everything seem heavier. Lucas hadn’t come in with them after he’d brought them back to the ranch. He’d said he had things he needed to take care of and she hadn’t found the courage to ask him what. She suspected those things had to do with packing and preparing to go back to the McGowen ranch, but she refused to acknowledge it. Refused to believe he could walk away so easily.

  Rinsing a rag in the sink, she went to work scrubbing the countertops.

  All afternoon, she’d made sure she hadn’t sat still. After getting Gracie cleaned up, the two of them had gone straight to the hospital to see Mark. His surgery had gone well, and they expected him to be released within a few days.

  After they’d gotten home Gracie kept asking to see Lucas, but Naomi hadn’t been able to get ahold of him. So the two of them had a quiet dinner and then Gracie had fallen asleep in front of The Little Mermaid. As Naomi clumsily hauled her to bed, she remembered how Lucas had carried her, so careful and competent, as though he’d tucked in a little girl every night for years. There was nothing quite as sweet as seeing a strong man carry a little girl so tenderly.

  Her hand bore down on the counter, working at a dried splotch of orange juice that had been there since the last time her emotions had driven her to clean. By the time she was done in here, every square inch of the kitchen would sparkle. It wasn’t as if she’d get any sleep tonight, anyway.