Guardian Cowboy

by Carla Cassidy

“Then I’ll arrange for a room for you at the motel,” he replied.

  “At least there I’ll know nobody is watching me.” She remembered all the nights she’d gotten that crazy crawly feeling that somebody was watching her. Now she knew it hadn’t just been her imagination. It had been real...so horrifyingly real. “We probably should call Gary. He needs to know about all this, too.”

  Before she could put action to words, Dillon pulled in.

  “I’m seeing you two way too much lately,” he said in greeting.

  “I hope I never see you again under these kinds of circumstances,” Janis replied.

  “You mentioned when you called something about a listening device and peepholes in the wall?” Dillon looked at Sawyer.

  Sawyer nodded and then looked at her. “You want to wait out here?”

  “No, I’ll come in with you two and start packing a suitcase,” she replied. She couldn’t wait to get to the motel. Being in that room made her almost physically ill.

  As Sawyer showed Dillon the holes and the crushed listening device, she pulled a large suitcase out of the closet and placed it open on her bed. She fought back a new round of tears as she folded clothes and placed them in the suitcase.

  Dillon called Gary and she was almost all packed by the time he arrived. His burly body and energy instantly filled the room. But when he saw the peepholes, his anger shot through the ceiling.

  “Who the hell is responsible for this?” he asked rhetorically. “What kind of nasty crap is this and how do we find out who did it?” He looked at Dillon and then turned toward Janis. “Honey, I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I swear, if I find out who it is, I’ll wring his damned neck.”

  “You’ll have to beat me to him,” Sawyer said grimly. “As soon as we finish up here, I’m taking Janis to the motel.”

  Gary nodded. “And don’t worry, Janis. If you need some time off, we’ll work that out,” he said. “Whatever you need, Janis. Just let me know.”

  “Right now I don’t know what I need,” she replied. She was lost in a world she suddenly didn’t understand, one that was fraught with uncertainty and fear.

  Dillon looked at Gary. “I’d like you to call a full staff meeting first thing in the morning. I want to talk to everyone who works here.”

  Gary nodded. “I can make that happen. How about eight in the morning?”

  “Works for me,” Dillon said. “And we’ll discuss how we’re going to handle things then.”

  “I will be here at eight, too,” Sawyer said firmly.

  “And I’ll be with you,” she replied and grabbed his hand. His fingers curled warmly around hers. She had a feeling she could face almost anything in the world if he was right by her side.

  “For now, let’s keep this a secret,” Dillon said. “I would prefer you don’t talk about it to anyone else.”

  “If I had my way, I’d never tell anyone that this happened,” she replied. It was so embarrassing.

  “You got my word, it stays here between just us,” Gary said.

  She looked at one of the peepholes and a wild, hollow wind blew through her. Why her? Why had somebody developed this obsessive desire for her?

  Because you’re a whore, the strident voice whispered in her brain. You’ll always be a whore.

  “No,” she said aloud and then flushed when she realized the men were looking at her. “Can we go now?” she asked Dillon. More than anything, she needed to escape this room.

  He nodded his assent. It took her only a couple of minutes to pack up most of her toiletries and be ready to leave.

  They left by the front door of the bar where Sawyer’s truck was parked just outside. He carried her suitcase, placed it in the back, and they were on their way to the motel.

  The darkness of the night couldn’t begin to compete with the darkness in her soul. She felt dirty...tainted in a way she’d never dreamed possible.

  “I think I will take a couple of days off work,” she said as a deep weariness overtook her.

  “I think I’m going to take a couple of days off, too. I’ll carry in some meals for you and we can spend some time together.”

  She looked at him in surprise. “Oh, Sawyer, you can’t do that,” she protested.

  “You don’t want to spend more time with me?”

  “Well, of course, I do. But—”

  “Then it’s settled. Besides, I’m a gunshot victim. I could use a couple of days off.”

  His words instantly pulled her out of her own head. “Are you hurting? Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “I could think of a few things you could do to make me feel better.” He slid her that sexy smile that, just for a moment, made everything bad go away.

  “Are you thinking naughty thoughts?”

  A small laugh escaped him. “Guilty as charged.”

  The lightness lasted only a moment. As he turned into the motel parking lot the darkness of her situation slammed back into her.

  * * *

  Together they got out of the truck and went into the motel office where owner Fred Ferguson greeted them. “Need a room for the night?” he asked, his gaze speculative as he looked first at Janis and then at Sawyer.

  “Janis needs a room for about a week,” Sawyer said. “And the fewer people who know she’s here, the better.” He knew Fred was a gossiper, but Sawyer could only hope he wouldn’t gossip about Janis staying here or spread a rumor that Sawyer and Janis were shacking up together.

  Fred frowned. “Are you expecting some kind of trouble?”

  “Not at all,” Sawyer replied. He glanced at the woman standing next to him. She worried him. He couldn’t imagine how she felt knowing that some bastard had been watching her in her most private moments for who knew how long. At the moment, she was too pale and far too quiet not to worry him.

  Her tears were normal under the circumstances. Even the momentary levity had felt normal. But her silence and the haunted look in her eyes was worrisome.

  For the first time in his life he desperately wished he owned a house, a place where he could take her and she’d feel completely safe. But he didn’t have a house and the motel was the only answer for her at the moment.

  Fred told her a price but it was Sawyer who pulled out a credit card to pay.

  “Sawyer,” she protested.

  “Shh,” he returned. “This week is on me.”

  He paid and Fred shoved a key on a plastic keyring toward him. “Unit seven,” he said. “It’s on the south end of the building.”

  Minutes later Sawyer carried her suitcase into the room. All the rooms were housekeeping units so, besides the king-size bed, there was also a stove, a sink and a fridge. There was a small kitchen table and an easy chair next to the door. The most important thing was that there were no peepholes in the place.

  “Home sweet home,” he said and set the suitcase just inside the door.

  She went to the windows and looked them over and then checked the door where there was not only a regular door lock but also a sturdy dead bolt. When she turned to face Sawyer, her face displayed a dark, haunted look that almost broke his heart.

  “Janis,” he said softly and then gathered her into his arms. She leaned into him and held tight, as if he was the only person on the planet that could keep her safe. And he wanted to be that man for her.

  He’d always been easygoing and satisfied with where he was in life. He’d never wanted to be more for anyone until now. But, as he held Janis in his arms and felt her heart beating against his own, he wanted more from himself for her. But at this moment there was nothing he could do to make the situation better.

  Reluctantly he released her and she stepped back from him. “Do you want me to stay here with you tonight?”

  She hesitated and then straightened her shoulders. “No, I’ll be fine. But could you stay just a li
ttle bit longer?”

  “Darlin’, I’ll stay for as long as you need me.”

  She smiled at him gratefully. “I see there is a coffeepot with all the trimmings. Why don’t I make us each a cup of coffee?”

  “Sounds good to me. While you’re doing that, I’ll put your suitcase up on the bed where it will be easier for you to unpack,” he replied.

  He hefted the suitcase on top of the bed then sat in the chair near the door and watched as she made the coffee. When the fragrant brew began to drip into the glass carafe, she sat on the edge of the bed, facing him.

  “I keep thinking of all the men I work with at the bar and wondering which one of them is guilty,” she said.

  “Is there any of them who, in retrospect, gave you the willies or has acted inappropriately around you?” he asked.

  “That’s just it, none of them has ever made me feel uncomfortable, but I know it has to be somebody connected with the bar. He’d have to be spying on me when the bar was closed and that means whoever it is has a key to the place.”

  “Do you know specifically who has a key?” he asked. At least some of the color had returned to her face and she appeared more animated than she’d been minutes before.

  “Gary has always been quite generous when handing out keys. I’m sure all of the kitchen help has one and, of course, James Warner has one since he works as a janitor for the place.”

  “And two of those peepholes were located in the janitorial closet,” he replied. A wealth of anger rose up inside him as he thought of some man sitting in that closet and watching Janis undress.

  He’d heard about voyeurs before, but he’d never understood it, nor did he want to. All he wanted was to catch the sick bastard.

  “Sit tight,” he said and jumped to his feet. “I’ll get the coffee.”

  He needed to do something to rid himself of the growing rage over everything that had happened. He poured the coffee into the two foam cups provided. He handed hers to her and then sat back down in the chair.

  “What I’m hoping is that whoever it is will show their guilt on their face when confronted tomorrow morning at the meeting,” he said.

  “That would definitely be nice, although I’m not getting my hopes up,” she replied. She took a sip of coffee then set the cup on the nightstand.

  “I should really start to unpack,” she said without moving. She released a tired sigh. “Now that the initial shock and horror is over, I’m completely exhausted.”

  “Then I should get out of here so you can unpack and get into bed.” He drained his coffee in three big swigs and then walked the cup to the trash can.

  By that time she was on her feet. Sawyer couldn’t ever remember being so reluctant to leave a woman before. She walked with him to the door and once again he wrapped her in an embrace.

  He breathed in the sweet scent of her hair and a fierce protectiveness surged inside him. “I’m so sorry you’re going through all this,” he said softly. “If I could, I’d take it all away.”

  She raised her head and looked at him, her lips trembling slightly. “I’m still mostly afraid for you. I mean, this person hasn’t tried to harm me physically, but he shot you.”

  “I’ll be okay,” he replied. “This creep isn’t going to keep me from you, no matter what happens.”

  Her eyes warmed and her lips opened with invitation.

  He covered her mouth with his, loving the taste of her and the way she fit so neatly against his body.

  Before the kiss could become something more, he released her. “Are you sure you still want to go to the meeting in the morning? You really don’t have to be there.”

  “But I want to be there,” she said with a resolute raise of her chin. “I need to look each and every man there square in their eyes.”

  “Then I’ll pick you up about quarter to eight in the morning,” he replied.

  “I should have had my wits about me to drive my car here from the bar.”

  “I’d prefer you keep your car at the bar,” he replied. “If you need to go anywhere or do anything I’ll be available to you 24/7.”

  “How did I get so lucky?”

  “I’m the lucky one,” he replied and kissed her on the forehead. He didn’t dare kiss her on the lips again for he feared the combustible desire that would leap to life.

  And the timing wasn’t right tonight. He didn’t want their first lovemaking to be marred by the ugliness of everything they had discovered.

  She was getting over a shock. She was exhausted and looked like a poor, hurt puppy that wanted to be left alone to lick her wounds.

  “Good night, Janis. See you in the morning,” he said, and then minutes later he was in his pickup and headed back to the Holiday Ranch.

  He wasn’t worried about her safety tonight. Only a couple of people knew where she was and the guilty party didn’t know yet that they now knew about the peepholes.

  Still, even telling himself she was okay, a knot of tension pressed tight against his chest. He knew he was in danger of being killed by the nutcase behind the peepholes and he intended to do everything in his power to see that didn’t happen.

  What worried him much more than his own safety was hers. She was right, so far the perp hadn’t made any move to hurt her. It would be easy to write him off as a harmless voyeur indulging in his obsession. Janis.

  But it was that obsession that scared Sawyer. What would happen when the voyeur discovered he could no longer watch Janis at the bar? Would that obsession turn to anger? To a rage directed at her? Would this escalate to something terrible that nobody could control? He didn’t know.

  He didn’t want her to know that he was now worried about her safety. He’d wanted her to get a good night’s sleep. Hopefully tomorrow they would be able to identify the guilty party and all would be well. However, if that didn’t happen, then he feared tonight might just be the last good night’s sleep either of them got.

  Chapter 8

  All the suspects were in the process of gathering in the bar for the early morning staff meeting. Janis sat next to Sawyer on the stools. Gary had come in early and had arranged the lower chairs that normally surrounded tables in a theater seating. He and Dillon stood in front of the group of chairs.

  Before anyone arrived, Dillon had told them he was not going to mention anything about the peepholes. Rather, he was going to conduct interviews about Sawyer’s shooting. After the interviews, he would talk to the group about how they would proceed next. Although she wanted the peepholes to be investigated, she had to trust that Dillon knew what he was doing.

  He’d also told them that he’d attempted to lift fingerprints around the peepholes. But because the walls had been greasy from the kitchen and rough with the textured wallpaper that gave the appearance of wood planks, he hadn’t been able to lift anything usable.

  She now watched as each person entered the building. Had James Warner, the janitor, sat in that closet and watched her? Or had it been Miguel who cooked terrific food and was always ready with a smile?

  Annie came in, along with Melissa Severn. The two were roommates and definitely not on Janis’s potential suspect list. They were followed by head cook, Charlie Williams, and bartender Tanner Woodson.

  Each time another person came in, the knot of tension twisted tighter in her stomach. Occasionally, Sawyer rubbed her back as if aware of the anxiety that ricocheted through her.

  She hadn’t slept well at all the night before. It had taken her forever to finally fall asleep and when she had, her sleep had been haunted by faceless monsters who chased her through the long night.

  She was hoping for some sort of closure to happen this morning. She wanted the person stalking her, the person who had hurt Sawyer, arrested and thrown into jail...forever.

  It wasn’t until eight fifteen that everyone was gathered and Dillon called for their at
tention. “Raise your hand if you have a key to this place.”

  Nearly everyone in the room raised a hand. “Everybody get your keys out so I can collect them all,” Gary said.

  Questions began to fly as Gary moved among them picking up the keys. Had something happened? Had items been stolen? What was going on?

  Janis watched each person carefully, looking for any sign of discomfort, of guilt. She was certain that her stalker was in this room, but who was he?

  “You know I need a key, Gary,” Charlie protested. “I’m in here all hours of the day to check the food supplies and to take care of the meats I slow-cook. I also get deliveries early in the mornings before the bar is open.”

  Janis stared at the dark-haired man. She knew he wasn’t married and lived alone just outside the city limits in the house he’d inherited when his mother and father had died. While he was coming in and out of the bar to check on his food, was he also sliding up to one of the holes in the wall to watch her? The thought sickened her.

  “And you know I need a key,” James Warner protested. “How am I supposed to get in here to clean the place up overnight if I don’t have a key?” He looked at Gary and then slid a quick glance at Janis before once again looking at the owner of the place.

  Her blood froze. James was in his early sixties and had worked as a janitor/maintenance man here for the last ten years or so. He’d never been married and, as far as she knew, he didn’t date. He’d have the tools to make those holes in the wall.

  Whoever had made those holes was also fairly proficient with a gun. Not only had one of them watched her, but that same person had nearly killed Sawyer. Damn it, who was responsible? Who had a sick obsession for her?

  “We’ll figure out the key situation before everyone leaves here today,” Gary said.

  “Now, I’m taking you one at a time into Gary’s office for some questioning,” Dillon said.

  “I can’t hang around here all day,” James protested, as did several of the others.

  “Then I’ll take you back first,” Dillon replied.

  As the two disappeared into Gary’s office, the bar exploded with questions. Annie got up out of her chair and beelined to Janis and Sawyer.