by Barb Han
And that was most likely because he’d missed home, too. Being far off in a desert, away from everything familiar, had a way of playing tricks on a man’s mind and making him weak. Brody reasoned that was why he still had residual feelings for Rebecca. She was “known,” and it had nothing to do with the curve of her hips into those long legs. Or her laugh, which sounded like music to his ears. He had missed her quick mind, her will to live even under extreme circumstances. She’d felt like home to him years ago. Those feelings resurfaced and that’s why his heart hurt being close to her.
“Where are Dylan and Ryan?”
“They stayed with the sheriff to help search the thicket.” She folded her arms. “Think I should call Alcorn? He might be able to get more resources out there.”
“I want this guy caught, too, but that might not sit well with Ryan,” Brody said.
“Right. I almost forgot how much they don’t like each other.” She rubbed her arms. “Besides, the guy is probably long gone by now.”
“Dylan said something about a sketch artist.”
“One is being sent over now.” She glanced at her watch. “In fact, he should be here any minute.”
* * *
REBECCA DIDN’T WANT to admit how great it felt to see Brody sitting up, awake, sipping water. Or how much she wished she could get closer to him, touch him again. But she wouldn’t, for her sake as much as his. And especially because his compassion was evident in his words and actions, but that was all he felt for her. He’d been clear.
A knock on the door made her heart leap. Resentment hit fast and hard that an unexpected noise had that effect on her again, just like before, just like she’d sworn would never happen again.
Well, the bastard wasn’t going to get away with it this time.
“Come in,” she said, popping to her feet, needing to walk off her nerves.
An older gentleman with a sketch pad tucked under his arm walked in, accompanied by a deputy.
Brody was already up, sitting on the edge of the bed, which agitated the machines he was hooked up to. They beeped loudly.
The older nurse rushed in.
“Mr. Fields, you need rest.”
“Do whatever you need to me while I’m here, but as soon as this meeting is over, I’m walking out that door.” He looked at Rebecca when he said, “Did you see my cell? I lost it back there.”
She produced it and he took it from her, heat pulsing from where their fingers met.
“I wouldn’t advise that. The doctor wants you to stay overnight for observation,” the nurse warned.
“With all due respect, we’re in the middle of an investigation and I don’t have that kind of time.”
She glared at him as she fiddled with dials, her gaze bouncing from him to the machine to Rebecca.
The deputy introduced both himself and the artist while Rebecca pulled extra chairs next to the bed. Brody made a move to help, but she motioned for him to stay put.
When the artist put the finishing touches on his sketch and showed it to her, dread wrapped around her shoulders. The finished product was still too vague. “That’s not going to help. He’s great at keeping his face hidden.”
“It’s a start,” Deputy Holder said, and she could tell he was reaching. At least he wasn’t looking at her as if she had six foreheads, half curious, half afraid, and expecting her face to explode. “We’ll circulate this. See if we can’t stir the pot a little.”
At least the sheriff’s office took her seriously now. She thanked the men and closed the door behind them.
The nurse turned toward Brody. “Any chance I can get you to change your mind and stick around a little while?”
“No.” He shot an apologetic look. “I know you’re doing your job, but I have to do mine.”
The nurse gave an understanding nod before saying she’d be back and then leaving.
“I didn’t get a good look at him.” Rebecca sat on the edge of the bed, facing him without looking at him.
“This will help. The sheriff’s office will start getting more leads than they can handle.”
“It feels...hopeless.” She threw her hands up in the air.
“One thing I learned on missions was to stay focused on a positive outcome no matter how bad things look. A thousand things can go wrong when you’re out there, but thinking about them doesn’t do any good. Positive thinking has more power to create change than I ever realized. If others knew how strong their minds were, people’s lives would be very different.”
“What did you focus on? What was home for you?”
He shifted his position, breaking eye contact. “I had a lot of things to come back to. Buying the ranch for one. My dad for another. Texas, my home.”
A little piece of her heart wished he’d said her. But why would he? Not after the way she’d hurt him.
“Those are great things to keep you grounded.” Rebecca had very little to keep her centered. She had her mother, whom she loved. What else did she have besides work and a couple of friends? Sadly, not much. Even her bungalow was a rental.
Her father was remarried with two boys, her half brothers, whom she’d never really been able to connect with no matter how much they’d tried. They weren’t bad kids, but they weren’t Shane, either. She could see the selfishness in those feelings now, but her teenage self had been less aware. And maybe it was her dad’s new life that she never felt she fit into after he left.
Had Rebecca really made an effort?
Or had she expected him to go the extra distance to make her feel comfortable. He hadn’t, so they’d drifted apart for a few years until she stopped visiting altogether.
There’d been so many people poking around in her head, and all she’d wanted to do was be left alone and seem as normal as possible. Except she wasn’t. She was damaged goods.
Had it been too easy to keep everyone at a safe distance?
And now? What had changed?
Rebecca had taken over as her mother’s caregiver, helping coordinate doctor appointments and medicines, and that had taken her mind off her own problems. A little part of her had been relieved not to be the focus for a change.
If she were being honest, she’d admit that being near Brody awakened pieces of her she’d ignored for so long.
“Did you bring the laptop?” Brody asked, breaking through her heavy thoughts.
“Yeah. I drove your truck.”
“You thought to bring it to the hospital?” He glanced up, and what looked like pride was on his face.
Her heart fluttered. “I knew you wouldn’t want to wait for someone to pick us up, so I drove. They wouldn’t let me ride in the ambulance, anyway. I’ll run down and get the laptop.”
“That’ll give us something to do while we wait for my release papers.” He smiled.
She would never get used to the flush of warmth rolling through her at seeing him look so pleased with her. Maybe it was the way she’d left things all those years ago, the hurt in his eyes she remembered to this day, but she wanted Brody to be happy because of something she did.
It took all of ten minutes for her to retrieve the laptop and return. She set it on the bed, where Brody immediately opened the file.
“We recognize a face, get a name and maybe we get lucky with an address.” Brody pulled up the list of suspects.
“There are so many familiar names. Do you remember who that is?” She pointed to the top name.
“Wasn’t he our bus driver in middle school?”
“Yes.” Her shoulders sank forward. “It makes me so sad to look at these names and think they might be such horrible people.”
“We’ve known them most of our lives.”
“If it’s someone local, then they’ve hidden it for this long. There’s no way they’d let this kind of secret out now.”
“Don’t be discouraged. No one’s had this much information to go on before. We have a general description.”
“It’s still pretty vague,” she pointed out.
“Once we narrow the list by height, we’ll rule out a substantial amount of suspects. We know it can’t be our bus driver. Mr. Alba was our height in middle school.” His joke was meant to lighten her somber mood.
It helped. “True. Do you know how many men there are in Texas over six feet tall?”
“Yeah. We grow everything bigger in Texas.” Brody laughed, and her tension eased. “Still, knowing this guy is six foot two will be a huge help.”
“What if they were right all along? What if he was just passing through town all those years ago?”
“That’s possible. Then we look outside of Texas.”
“And what if this isn’t him? What if it’s some whack job imitating him?” She knew she was letting her fears get the best of her, but there were so many questions.
“Could be. But then we have to consider both sides of the coin.”
“Okay, say we get a name. He’ll surely go into hiding now. Not only did he slip out of my sight fifteen years ago, but he’s done so twice today. No way will he stick around after this. How will we ever find him now?” Bile rose from her stomach, burning her throat. She wrung her hands and paced.
“I thought about all those things, too. We might keep looking and not find anything to go on. We might dig until we’ve dug to China and come up empty-handed. But it won’t be for nothing. You’ll know something. You’ll know that you’ve given this your best shot. And that will help you put this to rest when the time comes.” He held steady to her gaze. “First things first. We search these files while we give my pain a chance to ease and make sure I’m not going to pass out when I walk. Then, we head out and investigate. We don’t stop until we find answers.”
“And what if none of it helps?”
“It will.”
She didn’t respond, couldn’t respond. She only wished she had his faith as she walked another ten steps to the window and back.
“Hey, come here.”
She stopped, but her heart kept racing.
Brody patted the bed. “Let’s look through this together. Maybe something else will stick out that the investigators missed before. You were closest to the scene and sometimes visuals help stimulate memories.”
“Okay. You’re right. Maybe we’ll find something, and if we don’t I’ll figure out a way to live with it.”
Rebecca’s cell buzzed. She took the call, thanked the caller and then fixed her gaze on Brody.
“It’s the nurse at the care facility. My mom needs me. I have to go.”
Chapter Six
“Then let’s go.” Brody stood. His knee gave and he almost fell. He caught himself by grabbing hold of the chair.
“This is not a good idea. You should stay here until you’re better. I’ll go check on my mother and pick you up in a little while.” She palmed the keys and slid her purse strap over her shoulder, giving the universal sign of a woman ready to go.
“Absolutely not, Rebecca. I will not leave you alone. You can drive, but I’m going with you.” He’d regained his balance and looked steady on his feet. Steady and stubborn.
“The doctor hasn’t released you yet, remember?”
“I’m not waiting around for someone to tell me to stay in bed for the next three days and rest. Besides, I’m better at assessing my injuries than anyone else. I know what my body can and can’t handle.”
She didn’t want to think about why he knew how much punishment his body could take. Did it have to do with the three-inch scar running down his left arm?
He closed the laptop. “Besides, I can study the folder and make a few calls on the way to see your mother. That’s the most efficient use of our time, anyway.”
She stood there staring him down for a long moment. He was in a weakened state and she wanted, no, needed him to get better.
And yet he had that determined set to his broad shoulders and prominent chin. His sturdy jawline anchored his steady gaze, which was fixed on the door.
When Brody Fields made up his mind about something, he followed through. Period. He could be as obstinate as a bull terrier and, injuries or not, just as lethal. No way was he listening to her.
The nurse shuffled into the room.
“Bring whatever paperwork you need to keep the lawyers off your back, but do it fast. You have about a minute before I walk out that door.” He inclined his head toward the only exit in the room.
The nurse yelled out for someone and Rebecca assumed it was the floor supervisor.
“Forty-five seconds.”
The woman blew out a frustrated breath. She stared him down before calling out the name again.
“Thirty.”
A disgusted grunt came. “Fine. If you’re determined to hurt yourself, I have no legal grounds to stop you. I’ll get your paperwork. Stay right here.”
“No, thanks. Time’s up.” Brody leaned forward. Everything about his body language said he was about to walk out that door.
“Will you stop by the nurse’s station to sign a release form?”
Brody clenched the muscles in his jaw, nodded.
“Follow me.”
* * *
SIGNING OUT TOOK all of ten minutes. Brody didn’t want to give the nurse a heart attack, so he cooperated while she printed form after form and asked for his signature a dozen or more times.
Billing had decided to pay him a visit before he left, too. He’d given his credit card and signed for that, as well.
Once inside his truck, he checked in with Ryan. His friend had no news to report, which was expected since there hadn’t been any texts or phone calls.
Dawson, another childhood friend, was tending to Brody’s horses, so he gave him a ring, too. Last week Brody had gotten an injured stallion who might be ending his racing career. Lone Star Park kept him in horses that needed rehab. He also took in neglected animals. A dozen mares had been rescued days before dying from starvation because of an irresponsible breeder last month and they were doing nicely. He’d witnessed firsthand what humans could do to each other in war and at home. Seeing what they could do to animals hit him in a whole new place of frustration. Brody needed to check on his horses at some point this evening. There should be plenty of time to visit Mrs. Hughes and follow up on the restaurant lead they’d uncovered earlier.
“If it’s not too late when we finish with your mother, I’d like to go to Mervin’s tonight. See what we can find there, which might be nothing,” he quickly warned.
“Okay. I don’t think we should go alone, though.”
Good point. He wasn’t up to par in his weakened physical state. He was one more surprise attack away from being chained to a hospital bed with an IV that had something besides coffee in it. “I’ll see which of the guys can go with us.”
“I heard you invite them to Mother’s,” she said.
“Figured we could talk while you visit. I’m not going inside her room, considering I’m pretty much the last person she’ll want to see. I was never her favorite person.”
“That was a long time ago.”
“Some things don’t change.”
She broke into a smile. “True. But she’ll tolerate pretty much anything if it means I’ll spend more time there.”
Brody shouldn’t say what he was about to say, but he couldn’t help himself. “You have the same shy smile you did in high school.”
And the same eyes, serious and intelligent.
“Do I? Here I thought I’d grown up so much. Guess not.”
“Not so fast. There’s nothing wrong with looking like you’re still in high school. Some women might even consider that a compliment.” He laughed. “I’d like to see more of that thing curving your face, though.”
“Oh, Brody. It’s been so long since I...” The smile faded too quickly. So did the sparkle in her eye.
“Go ahead. Finish your sentence,” he urged.
“It’ll make me seem even sadder than I already am, especially to you.”
“It won’t. Come on. Tell me. Please
.”
She compressed her lips.
“I said ‘please.’”
“Okay, fine. Have it your way. It’s been so long since I had anything to really smile about.”
He shook his head. “That’s a damn shame. A woman as intelligent and kind as you, as beautiful as you, should have everything she wants. Love. Laughter. Children.”
Rebecca shrugged.
“Don’t tell me you never think about having a family someday.” He couldn’t hide his shock.
“Have it your way. I won’t tell you, then.” No hint of a smile on her face now.
“Seriously?” Didn’t every little girl dream of having a fairy-tale wedding, a big house and kids? Brody didn’t have siblings, so he couldn’t speak from personal experience on what little girls dreamed of, but they’d been portrayed that way his whole life. “You never think about it?”
“Not really. Not since I was a little girl and unafraid of the big bad wolf. Now that I know wicked things happen to children and what that does to a parent, I can’t think about going down that road as the mother. I’ve seen what it did to mine.”
“I get that.” He could see anguish fill her. If she didn’t fight, it would swallow her whole.
“It’s not so bad, you know.” She tapped her finger on the steering wheel. “I’m used to being alone.”
Those five words haunted him more than he wanted to admit. Was it because he was the same? Had she hit a personal note?
He mentally shook it off. This was not the best time for a conversation about having children, not when emotions from the past were being dredged up. Besides, the incident in the woods had sent Rebecca into an emotional tailspin. He’d seen that lost look on her face once. Right before she’d broken his heart. No matter how close they were, now or then, she’d never be able to meet him all the way. Whoa. Why was he thinking about the two of them in a present-day relationship?
It didn’t matter. He still didn’t have answers to her case. He was considering all the options and yet the simplest explanation, the one the Feds kept coming back to, was that the guy wasn’t connected to Mason Ridge. If he had been, then Brody’s job of finding the jerk would’ve been easier. The faster he could bring this monster to justice, the better. If only he could help bring peace to her family. The man responsible for Shane’s disappearance needed to pay.