Her Colton Lawman

by Carla Cassidy

  “Gemma says the same thing about you—that you’re working too hard.”

  Rafe grinned ruefully. “I might be a little obsessed, but Rand is definitely possessed.”

  “He’s been a doctor here for a long time. I’m sure it’s got to be tough on him to be so helpless in this situation,” Flint replied.

  Rafe shook his head. “He was like a madman, refusing to believe that Wylie was gone. It was like a scene from some awful movie. I just needed to get out of there for a little while,” Rafe said and then took another drink. “Thanks for riding to my rescue.”

  Flint leaned back in the booth and studied his old friend. Rafe still had the same sandy-blond hair and pale brown eyes that he’d had as a kid, but his boyish looks had matured into those of a handsome man.

  “How on earth did this happen, Rafe?” he said with a touch of wry amusement. “We were supposed to blow this town and never look back, and now we’re both back here and stuck.”

  “I know you came back to help your brother, but why didn’t you head back to Cheyenne when Theo got well?”

  Flint leaned forward. “By the time Theo was well, the police department here was in chaos. I decided to stick around, and I found myself Chief of Police.” He couldn’t tell Rafe the real reason he hadn’t returned to Cheyenne. He couldn’t confess that he’d run from the weight of failure there.

  “And now you find yourself in a situation where a woman is depending on you to protect her life.”

  Flint nodded.

  “I was just supposed to be working here temporarily,” Rafe said. “I made a promise to my father that I’d come back here and volunteer some time. I finally made the time to return, and then the quarantine trapped me.”

  “I was sorry to hear about your father’s death,” Flint said sympathetically.

  “Thanks. After he passed it seemed even more important that I fulfilled my promise to him to come back here and volunteer at the clinic temporarily.”

  “I heard you’ve been living and working in New York City. That’s a far cry from Dead River.”

  Rafe smiled. “When I left Dead River I wanted to get as far away as possible. I’d spent so many years being the kid from the wrong side of the tracks that I wanted a big city where I could make my own way and become the man I knew I could be without the emotional chains of my past hanging around my neck.”

  “I’ve been toying with the idea that once Hank Bittard is behind bars again and I’ve got that little creep Jimmy Johnson in jail, it might be a good time for me to get out of law enforcement.”

  Rafe looked at him in surprise. “What else would you do?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ve been thinking about buying some property and trying my hand at ranching.” Even as he said the words, a vision of Nina filled his head.

  She could be by his side no matter what he did for a living, but she’d made it clear she wasn’t looking for the same kinds of things he ultimately wanted in his life.

  “I’d like to find me some sweet honey who adores me and who I love and not just grow some cattle, but maybe a couple of kids, too,” Flint said.

  The two remained in the bar for another half hour, talking about the past and the friendship they had shared, laughing at some of the antics they’d pulled when bored or just angry at the entire world as only teenage boys could be.

  The lightness of the conversation came to an end when Rafe finished his beer. “I suppose I should get back,” he said with obvious reluctance.

  Flint emptied his coffee and stood. He threw enough money on the table to pay for their drinks. “I need to check in on my grandmother.” His heart tightened as he thought of her condition worsening. How long could she hang on? How long before her body just got tired and gave up the fight?

  “It’s odd that the same serum given to three people would have such a variety of results,” Flint said when they were back in his car and headed to the clinic. “One is better, one is worse and one died. How do you make sense of that?”

  “We can’t,” Rafe replied. “We’ve told Lucas that maybe he needs to stop and just wait for the CDC expert to arrive, but he’s like a man possessed.”

  “It probably doesn’t help that it was his ex-wife who was the first victim. Thank God Theo and baby Amelia got a clean bill of health since they were some of the last people Mimi Rand had contact with,” Flint replied.

  “I just wish we could get a handle on why some people get sick and why others don’t. It’s as if some people are completely immune, but we can’t figure out why.” Rafe sighed in frustration as Flint parked in front of the clinic. “At least we got a bit of good news today that Dr. Goodhue should be arriving in the next day or two.”

  “That is good news. Hopefully, she’ll be able to get to the bottom of things,” Flint replied.

  “Thanks for the break.”

  “Not a problem,” Flint said in return.

  Both men got out of the car and when they reached the clinic, they said their goodbyes and parted ways. Rafe headed for his office, and Flint went in search of his sister.

  He found her coming out of a patient room and at the sight of him, her eyes welled up with tears, and she moved into his embrace. He nearly swallowed her petite frame as she hugged him for a long moment without saying anything.

  She finally stepped back from him and swept a strand of her long blond hair over her shoulder. “Have you heard?” she asked, her green eyes simmering with emotion.

  He nodded. “I just spent some time with Rafe and he filled me in.”

  “We almost lost her, Flint. She was on the very brink of death before we finally got her stabilized again.”

  “But she is stabilized again and still hanging on,” he replied. “You know she’s a tough one.”

  “I know, but this afternoon it got really scary. Rafe told you that Wiley Simms passed?”

  “And that Tyler Miles regained consciousness,” he said. “Are you doing okay?”

  “As well as can be expected,” she replied. “I was pretty upset earlier but I’ve calmed down some in the past hour or so.”

  He tipped her chin up with a finger. “Keep that pretty chin up, Gemma. You’re a strong woman. We’re all going to get through this.”

  She gave him a small smile. “I can’t believe my serious, intense brother is actually offering words of optimism.”

  “Must be the company I’ve been keeping lately,” he replied. “I’m heading into the isolation unit to see Grandma. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Flint’s footsteps slowed as he headed for the isolation unit where his grandmother had been for so long. He loved her deeply, but hated coming to see her here.

  He wanted to visit her at her house. He wanted to smell the scent of home, not the biting smell of antiseptic and sickness.

  His desire to leave Dead River had never been about escaping his grandmother. It had simply been a young man’s need to find his own way in the world.

  He suited up in protective gear in order to enter the unit that now held only one bed. Wylie’s body had apparently been taken out, and Tyler must have been moved to another area.

  Once in protective gear, he stepped into the unit and approached his grandmother’s bed. Monitors and machines and IVs were all hooked up to her, but what broke his heart was how small, how very fragile she looked in the big hospital bed.

  Dottie Colton had always seemed bigger than life to Flint. Although loving and kind, she had a will of steel. Even at seventy-five years old, she’d always had her short gray hair perfectly coiffed and her makeup impeccable.

  Now her hair was a ratty mess, and her skin had a fragile pallor that was alarming. He stepped up to the side of her bed as his heart squeezed so tight he could scarcely breathe.

  “Gram, you have to keep fighting this,” he said softly. “
You have to get well. We all still need you here with us.” Emotion choked up in the back of his throat.

  He wanted to touch her, to stroke his finger down her cheek or touch her arm to let her know she wasn’t alone, but he didn’t. With all the protective gear he had on, it wouldn’t be like touching her at all.

  He wanted to tell her he was sorry for being such a handful as a teenager, that he was grateful to her for giving him the tools to become the man that he’d become.

  He needed her to know that she’d been the best surrogate parent and loving caretaker that he and Theo and Gemma could have ever wanted.

  He finally left the unit, knowing there was nothing he could do here to help. Besides, it was almost time to pick up Nina, and he still needed to stop by the store to buy a winter coat for her.

  The lack of judgment he’d shown today by leaving Mike alone in the woods made him worry about his ability to keep her safe. It would only take one false move, one inattentive moment for tragedy to strike.

  He was determined not to let that happen. Her safety had to be his number-one priority right now.

  * * *

  It was just after nine when Gemma left the clinic. As she stepped outside into the darkness of the night, she breathed a sigh of relief that this dreadfully long and traumatic day was finally over.

  All Gemma had ever wanted to be was a nurse to help people, but she’d never dreamed that she’d be in an impotent position of fighting to help keep people alive because of a terrible, unknown virus.

  She was bone weary from the emotional toll of the day, but the brisk, cold night air invigorated her for the walk home. Unless the weather was terrible, she almost always walked home after work, finding the quiet time and the exercise a way to unwind from the day’s events.

  It wouldn’t be long before full-blown winter would be upon them, and then she would no longer be able to enjoy the walk home from work. She pulled her blue coat closer around her as she hit the edge of Main Street where the wind was more prominent.

  The storefronts were all dark. Dead River had closed for the night. She’d never been afraid walking the deserted street to get to her house.

  She’d grown up in this town and was as familiar with the streets as she was with her own heartbeat. It broke her heart that even during the day, the streets had a forlorn, deserted feel of a ghost town, an effect of the virus.

  But good news was on the horizon. Word had it that in the next day or two CDC expert Dr. Colleen Goodhue would be arriving with advanced equipment and her years of experience in fighting mysterious viruses. Despite the horror of the day, the news of her imminent arrival had filled everyone with new hope.

  She paused in front of the Home and Hearth store, gazing into the window at the attractive autumn display. Gram Dottie used to love to shop here. Gemma used to tease her that if she could, she’d buy at least one of every item in the store.

  How Gemma wished she could tease with her grandmother now. Seeing her grandmother so still and so lifeless each day broke Gemma’s heart. Gemma had seen enough people succumb to the disease now to know that there were no guarantees Gram Dottie would ever walk out of the clinic again.

  Hopefully, Dr. Goodhue would find the answers that would save not only Gram Dottie but also all the people who were sick with the virus.

  She moved away from the store and continued down the street. She hadn’t gone far when she thought she heard footsteps behind her. She halted and listened. Hearing nothing, she glanced over her shoulder and saw nobody on the street.

  She was tired and besides, if somebody else was out walking, it wasn’t as if she owned the street. Still, as she continued forward, she picked up her pace just a little bit.

  In the distance she could see the light of the single business that still remained open. The café was the one establishment on Main Street that remained open until ten.

  She had only walked a few feet more when she felt a rush of wind behind her. She was struck from behind and swung into the alley between two stores.

  Before she had a chance to scream, a muscular arm wrapped around her neck, and she was pulled tight against a solid male form. Shocked by the unexpected attack, she was momentarily frozen.

  However, as the arm tightened, cutting off her air, she tried to stomp on his feet, kick back at his legs in an effort to get free. Her hand scrabbled at the arm that was threatening to render her unconscious or dead. She was frantic, unfocused, like a wild animal caught in a trap.

  She fought not only to break his grasp on her, but more important, she also fought against her own fear. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she needed to get past the terror of the moment and think clearheadedly.

  She’d taken self-defensive classes, and they’d practiced this very scenario a hundred times. What was she supposed to do? What had she been taught? She dropped her hands from around her neck and instead used an elbow to jab backward with all the force she could muster. Her reward was a deep grunt and a lessening of the pressure around her neck.

  She didn’t wait but delivered another back jab and at the same time stomped down on the man’s foot. The attacker uttered a curse, and suddenly his arm was gone from around her neck. She didn’t waste time; she ran from the alley as if the very devil himself was after her.

  She didn’t look back, but kept her gaze focused on the lighted front of the café. She ran as fast as she possibly could, unaware that she was crying until the lights of the café blurred.

  Hearing nobody in pursuit of her didn’t slow her down. She yanked open the café door and nearly fell inside. A young woman stood behind the glass display that offered pastries and muffins.

  Gemma twisted a dead bolt on the front door and then turned to the startled woman. “Call the police. I’ve just been attacked.” She collapsed into one of the few chairs the small place had to offer and began to weep.

  Chapter 9

  Flint and Nina had just finished with their evening wine when he got the call that Gemma was at the café and had been attacked. He quickly buckled on his holster, grabbed his hat and together he and Nina got into his patrol car. He’d rather be handling this situation alone, but there was no way he could leave Nina by herself in the house.

  He peeled out of his driveway, questions filling his mind. He’d gotten far too little information from Shelly Maxwell at the café, who had made the call to him and had only told him that his sister was in the café and that she’d been attacked while walking home from the clinic.

  Attacked.

  What did that mean? Had she been beaten? Raped? His gut twisted in knots. God, he couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to hurt his sister. She was one of the sweetest, most caring young women in the entire town.

  “If it was really bad, Shelly would have called for an ambulance and had you go to the clinic,” Nina said, breaking the tense silence.

  Flint took some comfort in her words, but not much. The idea of anyone accosting Gemma in any way both terrified and enraged him. He just needed to get to the café as quickly as possible and find out exactly what had happened and Gemma’s condition.

  He sped down Main Street and pulled to a halt in front of the café. His heart felt like it might explode out of his chest as he and Nina left the car and raced to the café door. Shelly unlocked it and let them in, and Gemma jumped out of the chair where she’d been sitting and ran to Flint.

  As she burrowed herself against him, weeping into his chest, he ran his hands down her arms, over her back, to assure himself she had no obvious wounds.

  Only then did he wrap his arms around her and hold her close as she continued to cry. Nina sat on a chair nearby, her features radiating worry.

  “Gemma, I need you to calm down so you can talk to me,” Flint finally said. He led her to the chair next to Nina and disentangled her from him and physically sat her d
own.

  He pulled a chair up before her, much the way he had the night Nina had run into the police station, hysterical and crying after witnessing Jolene’s murder. He waited for Gemma to catch her breath. “Now, tell me exactly what happened,” he said.

  “I was just walking home from the clinic, and he came from behind me.” Gemma drew a deep breath as if mentally attempting to calm herself. “He shoved me into an alley and tried to choke me.” She reached a hand up and touched her throat where Flint could see the skin was already bruising.

  “Who was it?” he asked as he tightened his fists at his side.

  “I...I don’t know. I never saw him. He was behind me the whole time with his arm wrapped around my throat. I was so scared that for a minute I froze, and then I remembered my defense classes.”

  Her green eyes glittered with a sudden fierceness. “I used my elbows to jab him in his gut, and when he released his hold on me, I ran as fast as I could here.”

  Pride filled Flint at his sister’s courage, pride and a gratefulness that she’d managed to get away. “Did you get any sense of him? Smell anything unusual? Did he say anything to you?”

  She shook her head. “He didn’t say a word. All I can tell you is that I got the impression he was tall and well-built.” She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and shivered as if reliving those moments of sheer terror.

  Nina moved her chair closer and grabbed one of Gemma’s hands. “Thank God you managed to get away,” she said.

  “I’ve never been so scared in my entire life,” Gemma confessed.

  “Trust me, I know what that feels like,” Nina replied.

  “What alley was it? Between what stores?” Flint asked.

  “Next to the hardware store and the dress boutique,” Gemma replied.

  Flint got up and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. Within minutes he’d contacted two of his officers to head to the alley and look for evidence.

  “Do you all want coffee or something?” Shelly asked awkwardly. She hadn’t moved from behind the display counter.