by Sara Orwig
Just as he opened the back door, two shots echoed in the night.
Josh frowned. “Those were gunshots. The fire is in the far south pasture. Call Cordoba and tell him about the shots. He told me to let him know if anything happened and not go looking myself, so he can do it. And you stay in this house.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“You never do what I tell you.”
She grabbed his shirt. “That works both ways. You take care of yourself! Don’t run risks, and come back to me.”
He kissed her lightly and left, and she watched him stride away. Closing and locking the door, she ran to call the sheriff.
She went upstairs to watch the fire from the window. Knowing the sheriff was on his way and would probably come to the house, she pulled on jeans and a T-shirt. When she saw the sheriff’s car arrive, she went downstairs.
Will Cordoba crossed the porch, and she opened the door to talk to him. It took only seconds to tell him about the fire and the shots, and then he was gone and she locked up after him.
She paced the kitchen, switching off lights and staring out the window, wishing she could be out there with Josh, trying to fight the fire or be useful in some manner.
She went upstairs because she could get a better view of the ranch. She switched off lights there, moving to a bedroom window, and to the south she saw smoke and the red glow from the fire. The yard was filled with empty police cars. If Rudy was down there in the yard, she hadn’t seen any sign of him.
As she watched, Laurie heard a scrape and bump in another part of the house, and frowned. She had been alone in the house enough now to have become familiar with noises. Neither of these sounds was anything she was accustomed to hearing when the house was empty.
Her eyes had adjusted to the dark, so she moved quietly across the bedroom and into the darkened hall, standing still to listen.
A board creaked. It came from the direction of a bedroom down the hall, a room between her and the stairs. If someone was in the house, she could phone for help or run outside. She went back into the bedroom, moving quickly to the phone. She picked up the receiver and heard only silence.
The phone wasn’t working. She unplugged the table lamp and removed the shade, picking the lamp up to use as a weapon, and tiptoeing across the bedroom to open the door to the hall. She would try to get out of the house. Another bump sounded, louder this time, and she knew she wasn’t alone in the house.
Cautiously, she slipped into the hall, staying close to the wall. She didn’t see anyone, but bedroom doors stood open on dark rooms, and she would have to pass two of them to get to the stairs.
Her heart thudded and her palms were sweaty. She gripped the lamp base tightly, wrapping the cord around it.
Each open door was a hazard. She stood still and listened, scarcely daring to breathe. Another creak.
She couldn’t tell which room it was from, but the noise was upstairs, not far from where she stood, between her and the head of the stairs.
She edged toward the stairwell, her gaze moving from one dark doorway to the next.
As flames danced through the trees and consumed underbrush and grass, men fought the fire. A pumper truck drove slowly along the edge of the raging inferno while firemen tried to douse the flames. More men arrived to help—Josh’s neighbors—leaving their pickups on the road and running toward the blaze.
Needing more shovels, Josh climbed into his pickup, started the engine and swung in a circle. His headlights splashed over a stocky man climbing out of a truck. Josh slammed on his brakes and jumped out, leaving the motor running and the door open as he sprinted toward the man.
“Rudy! Why aren’t you at the house?”
The man turned. “The detective from the Stallion Pass PD told me I wasn’t needed. He’s going to watch the house while the others are looking at the crime scene. He told me I could go help the firefighters—”
Josh was already gone, running for his pickup, his pulse racing. As he drove, he yanked up his cell phone to call Laurie.
When he couldn’t get through, he called Will Cordoba. The minute the sheriff answered, Josh demanded, “Will, did you leave a detective at the house?”
“No. Want me to put someone up there? Laurie told me that you had one of your hands outside.”
“Someone sent Rudy away and told him that he was a detective from the Stallion Pass PD. I’m on my way.”
“We’ll get up there. Josh, we found a body—a man shot and killed in the past hour, I would guess.”
“She’s alone, Will.” Josh tossed down the phone to drive, pressing the accelerator to the floor and bouncing over rough ground as he cut across the fields.
Laurie passed an open door, feeling as if she were crossing a yawning abyss. The minute she was beyond the doorway, she paused, her heart pounding. One more to go.
A board creaked and something scraped against wood. She followed the sounds, which seemed to come from the bedroom across the hall.
Deciding to make a run for it, she dashed toward the stairs. A dark shadow emerged from the bedroom and lunged toward her. She grabbed the banister to go down, but rough hands locked on her arm and yanked her back.
Laurie screamed and swung the lamp with all her strength, smashing it against her attacker’s head. He had his face covered with a mask and wore dark clothing. She couldn’t see him, but she could detect aftershave, and she knew height and bulk. Carter Dahl.
“Bitch. Your luck has run out. You die tonight.”
“Carter, let go of me,” she said, swinging the lamp again and feeling it break over his head.
With a roar, he yanked her off her feet. She kicked and tried to bite. Howling in pain, he relaxed his hold and she pushed against him, throwing all her weight into shoving him off balance. His arms flailed and he toppled down the stairs, crashing against the banister and catching himself halfway down.
Laurie ran for the master bedroom, springing inside and locking the door. She could hear Carter pounding after her. She raced to a window, trying to get it open. When it wouldn’t budge, she moved to another one.
Carter rattled the doorknob and then kicked at the door.
She moved to the third window, yanking in vain.
The door splintered and Carter burst into the room, charging across the room to tackle her.
They both went down, Carter knocking the breath from her lungs. He pinned her to the floor, his hands locking on her throat. “Now I’m finally rid of you.”
She struggled to break free. Lights swam before her eyes, and she knew in seconds she would lose consciousness.
Her head swam and all sounds receded.
Then Carter was gone. Dizzy, gasping for breath, she rolled away, dimly aware of other noises as she did so—sounds of two men fighting, crashing into furniture. Laurie looked for another weapon, snatching up a bronze statue and switching on a light.
Chapter 16
J osh and Carter were locked together, until Josh tossed Carter over his shoulder. Carter crashed into a table, but came up instantly, charging Josh, who slammed his fist into the other man’s jaw.
Carter staggered back and Laurie dodged him, swinging the bronze statue of a cowboy and horse, smashing it against Carter’s head.
He reeled and crumpled, sprawling across a chair and rolling to the floor.
Startled, she looked at Josh.
“Good hit,” he said. “Get downstairs and let the sheriff in. He’s on his way here. I’ll take care of this guy.”
She looked at the unconscious man on the floor. “He’s Carter Dahl.”
Josh yanked off his belt to bind Carter’s wrists. She hurried downstairs to open the back door. Will Cordoba and another uniformed policeman were running toward the house. When they reached the door, Will asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she answered as she pointed. “He’s upstairs. Josh is with him.”
She sagged against the door, looked at the bronze statue still in her hand and let it fall to
the floor.
In minutes Josh came down. His hair was rumpled; his mouth and cheek were cut and bleeding. One eye was puffy and his shirt was ripped, but he looked wonderful to her and she rushed into his arms. He held her tightly.
“Thank heaven you’re all right,” he said. “I went through hell trying to get back here.”
“How’d you know to come back?”
“I saw Rudy. Carter told him he wasn’t needed here. Carter said he was a detective with the Stallion Pass police.”
She nodded. They heard a commotion and watched as Will Cordoba headed toward them. Josh took Laurie’s arm and stepped onto the porch, moving out of the way. In seconds Will came through the door and walked over to them, while the policeman with him led a handcuffed Carter away.
Carter glared at her, and Laurie stared back at him, lifting her chin defiantly.
Then he was gone, and she tried to turn her attention to what Will Cordoba was telling Josh.
“We’ve got an unidentified body. I’m guessing Dahl can give us answers. I’ll let you know. Think they’ll get the blaze under control tonight?”
Josh shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m going back in a few minutes.”
“I’ll send someone out tomorrow to get your statements,” Will said to both of them. “Want me to leave a man here at the house, just in case?”
“Thanks, Will. That would be much appreciated,” Josh said.
“But I’m going with you to fight the fire,” Laurie said. “I’m not staying here.”
“We’ll argue that one in a minute,” he answered, and shook hands with the sheriff. “Thanks, Will.”
“You better take care of your injuries before you tackle anything else. You, too, Laurie. See you both tomorrow.”
He left and Josh led her inside, closing the kitchen door and then pulling her into his embrace to hug her tightly. “I just want to hold you and know for certain that you’re all right,” he rasped.
“I’m fine now, and I want you to hold me,” she murmured.
They stood quietly a moment, and then Josh tilted her chin and leaned down to kiss her. When he pulled away, he gazed at her solemnly.
“Come in here and let me put some antiseptic on your cuts,” she said, and took his hand.
“Sure.”
They went to a downstairs bathroom, and Josh sat on the side of the tub. She tried to put a bandage on one of his cuts, but her hands shook badly. Josh took the bandage from her to stand and look in the mirror and do it himself. Then he turned to her and caught her hands in his. “You’re shaking.”
“I guess reaction is setting in.”
Josh smiled at her. “You’re a regular little alley cat. You decked him, all by yourself.”
“Believe me, I needed you here.”
He looked at the bruises appearing on her throat and swore softly. “I’m glad you hit him and I’m glad I hit him, and I’d like to hit him again.”
She wrapped her arms around Josh and hugged him. “It’s over. Really over. Carter is out of my life forever.”
Josh held her close, knowing it was over. All of it—the good and the bad. Now she would go home and disappear from his life.
It took twenty more minutes for Josh to talk her into staying at the house. Then he left to return to the fire. For the next few hours, as he worked putting out the blaze, all he could think about was Laurie’s leaving.
She would walk out of his life forever, and there wasn’t anything either one of them could do to change that. And he realized that, in spite of all his caution, all the years of guarding his heart, he was in love. For the first time in his life, he was deeply, truly in love. Hopelessly in love with a woman who was as impossible for him as reaching up and grasping a star.
He loved her! The realization shook him and hurt. How had she gotten so completely past his guard? Was he wrong, and mistaking lust for love? He knew he wasn’t. He loved her and wanted her in his life forever.
She couldn’t stay, and it would be easier for her to leave if he just kept quiet and said goodbye.
Josh fought the fire, his heart not in the battle, but struggling with another loss that was coming.
It was daylight before the fire was under control. He was bone weary, aching from the firefighting and from his fight with Carter, and hurting because he would have to tell Laurie goodbye. He didn’t think she would linger. She had the world to go home to. A family, a fantastic job, friends.
He thanked neighbors and friends for helping, thanked the firemen, and finally headed for his pickup. Laurie sat on the fender, and his heart missed a beat.
“How’d you get out here?”
“I found one of the guys who had come back to the bunkhouse, and he gave me a ride. I haven’t been here long or I would have helped battle the fire.”
She looked as solemn as he felt, and they rode home together quietly. “You have broken furniture in your bedroom,” she said at last. “I stacked it in the next room. You’ll have to take care of it.”
“Thank you. I’m going to shower.”
She had showered and looked fresh and gorgeous in a red T-shirt and cutoffs. “Are you hungry? I can fix something for you to eat,” she offered.
He agreed and left her, thinking about her all the time he showered and changed to a clean T-shirt and jeans. As he passed her open door, he spotted her suitcase on the bed. He stepped inside, and saw that it was partially packed.
The hurt he felt deepened even more. Parting had come too swiftly.
He went downstairs to find her in the kitchen, looking out the window. He crossed the room to put his hands on her shoulders and turn her to face him.
As she looked into Josh’s deep green eyes, Laurie’s pulse skipped. He looked solemn, almost angry, yet with all that had happened, she understood.
“It’s beautiful here. You were right about that. I’ll always remember it,” she told him.
“Yeah,” he said gruffly. “I ought to kiss you and let you go, because I know I’m going to have to, but I’ve been thinking about it all through the night and this morning. You were right. I want you to stay. I know you have to go back to your life. There’s nothing here to compare to it, and I can’t offer you half of what you already have at home. But I love you, Laurie.”
Stunned, she gazed up at him. Her first reaction was joy, and she flung her arms around his neck, kissing him. He hugged her back, giving her one of those bone-melting, heart-stopping kisses that wiped every thought from her mind. Finally, when he released her, she looked up at him dazedly. And then reality set in and she thought about all her ties to Kansas City—her home, her future, her career.
Hurt swamped her and she touched his cheek, seeing the pain she felt reflected in his eyes. “I love you,” she said solemnly. “But I don’t know what we can do about it. Neither one of us can give up what we do. You have to live here and work on the ranch. I’m a model and it’s all I know, plus I have the agency.”
He nodded and moved away, jamming his hands into his pockets. “So what are your plans?”
“I’ve already made plane reservations for a flight at four this afternoon. I’ll have to be at the airport two hours early. I called Emily to tell her that I’m coming home and Carter has been arrested. I figure Sheriff Cordoba will be out here this morning to take our statements.”
“I’m sure he will,” Josh said solemnly, and she hurt, feeling something inside her breaking into a million pieces.
“I better go pack,” Laura said, wanting to get away from him before she burst into tears. She hurried upstairs. He loves me. That was all she could think.
She finished packing and moved through the day, too aware of Josh, thinking only that he loved her.
Departure hour arrived, and Josh drove her solemnly to the San Antonio airport. Laurie checked her suitcases—her old one, plus a new one she had purchased to hold the clothes Becky had bought for her.
Finally Josh walked as far as nonpassengers were allowed to wait with her. The
y stood where they would be alone, and he leaned a shoulder against the wall, touching her collar. She had changed to a blue shirt and navy skirt, and her hair was fastened behind her head.
“You’ll go home from here with scars.”
“We both have scars,” she answered quietly.
“Now you won’t have to sell your agency.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Emily said I had an eager buyer. It might be better to start over again without the taint of Carter. His presence was pervasive.”
They talked quietly until her flight was called. Then she studied Josh, looking into his green eyes and brushing dark locks of his hair off his forehead. A knot hurt her throat. “I don’t want to go.”
“Then don’t.”
She shook her head. “I have to go and you have to stay. Are we going to kiss goodbye?”
“It’ll make things worse.”
“If you don’t, I will.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him to kiss her long and hard, and she responded passionately. Tears did fall and she could taste the salt, but she didn’t care. She loved him as she had never loved any man and never would again.
He stepped back. “You better go, Laurie,” he said. “You’ll miss your plane.”
He looked angry and hurt. She wiped her eyes and turned to hurry through security looking one more time at Josh.
Josh watched her, knowing he had done what he had sworn never to do—lost his heart. He was in love and it was forever. And she was breaking his heart into a million pieces.
He watched her disappear down the hall. She was gone. He straightened the hat on his head. There wasn’t any point in staying until the plane taxied down the runway. He turned away, hating the burning knot in his throat. She was gone, and he had known from the very first day that this time would come.
He strode through the airport without conscious thought of the people around him or where he was going. When he stepped outside into sunshine, he paused, disoriented momentarily, trying to think where he had parked his pickup. Remembering, he went striding away from the terminal.