by Unknown
“Triplets?” he asked huskily. “Jesus. Triplets?”
“I think you might want to sit down, Jace,” the doctor said. “You’re mighty pale, pardner.”
Kaycee moaned. “Shit. I am going to get fat.”
She burst into tears. The nurse looked dismayed and patted her shoulders in sympathy.
Doctor Snelling followed the nurse out. Glancing over his shoulder, he said, “You can get dressed now. I’ll return in a minute.”
“Would you hand me a tissue?”
“Oh, now you want help from the lying, cheating husband?” Jace snapped.
“Forget it,” she snapped back and hopped off the exam table. Grabbing the box of tissue, she fished out several and wiped the gel off her stomach. She didn’t give a rip if her ass was shining through the gown’s back opening. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen it before.
“Kaycee,” he grabbed her arm. “I’m sorry. I can only say I’m sorry so many times.”
She flung back her head, met his steady gaze. “Which part are you sorry about, Jace? The lying, cheating part or the getting caught part?”
“Fuck!”
“Yeah, that part too.”
He turned her loose and flopped down in a chair. Yep, he didn’t have an ounce of color left in his tanned face. He rather resembled a wide-eyed corpse. A hint of panic spread across his face. He swallowed hard. She knew exactly how he felt. She was the one who had three babies in her. It was a bit difficult to take in.
Doc Snelling knocked and opened the door. He pressed three prescriptions into her hands. “There’s one for pre-natal vitamins, something for nausea and something to settle your nerves.”
He glanced at Jace. “Do you need something to calm your nerves, too?”
Jace glared at the doctor. “No, what I want to know is how the hell this happened?”
Doctor Snelling coughed and scratched something else on her chart before looking up again. “You two have been busy. I think you have an idea how she became pregnant.” He grinned at his joke. “I imagine you can figure out when it happened, too.”
“They won’t be identical triplets?” Kaycee asked faintly.
“No. Not all three of them. They’re polyzygotic.”
“What?”
“Fraternal. As I said, one egg is fertilized. Then there’s a second egg that is fertilized and it splits, giving you the identical twins. It might have happened all at once or hours apart. Multiple births are more likely to occur in women in their late thirties or if you’re a twin yourself or have taken fertility drugs.”
Kaycee groaned. “My mother was a twin, and her mother was one of triplets.”
“There you go. Mystery explained. I guess we can just call you Fertile Myrtle.” Doctor Snelling grinned.
Kaycee shot a glare at him. His jokes were beginning to grate on her nerves. Insensitive man!
“Thanks, Doc,” Jace said in a distracted voice.
“No heavy lifting,” he instructed Kaycee, then turned toward Jace. “She can’t be riding horses.”
Jace nodded.
Doctor Snelling frowned. “You have some tough months ahead of you, both of you. Early labor is a possibility. I’ll be monitoring you and the babies closely, Mrs. Remington, especially as your time draws near. I’m sure long before the babies are born you’ll be on bed rest. Next time you’re here, we’ll discuss a cesarean.” He nodded. “Get lots of rest, young lady, while you can. I want to see you in two weeks, unless you have problems, then come in. I’ll work you in.”
Jace didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so he did neither. When Doc Snelling left him alone with Kaycee, he waited patiently while she dressed. He couldn’t find words to comfort her and he felt like a heel. He should be holding her. His wife. The mother of his children and he couldn’t bring himself to offer her solace. He knew damn well she’d reject any comfort he offered, and he didn’t think his ego could take another beating.
She didn’t speak to him either. The atmosphere between them was decidedly frosty, the room chilled by several degrees, but he figured they were both a bit shocky.
Triplets.
He cast a worried glance at her. Together, they could make their marriage work, raise these babies in a loving home, but she wouldn’t even look at him. Hell, if his wife was eight weeks along, then it meant it happened the first night they met or it happened the next day.
“We have to go by Danger’s office.”
She looked up from the pamphlet she was reading at the sharpness in his tone. He took her by the elbow and guided her down the hall and out the front door. She jerked free of his hold and stepped up into the navy blue Ford truck. Leaning her head against the warm leather seat, she closed her eyes. “You think the babies belong to Smitt Davis,” she said flatly.
“You think I fathered Jillian’s baby,” he shot back. “I don’t know, Kaycee. I guess anything is possible. The timing sucks all the way around. I don’t think what he did to you could make you pregnant, but we have to consider the possibility. The babies might belong to him. I suppose that logically, his sperm might have penetrated. Fuck!” He banged the steering wheel in frustration.
She flinched. “What happened to I’m the only one who’s been inside you? If you’re pregnant, the baby is mine?” she sneered.
“I guess that went when I became the lying, cheating husband. Love, trust, and support are two-way streets.”
“I didn’t take a shower with Smitt Davis!”
“I didn’t shower with Jillian. Not deliberately.”
She placed her hand over his as he turned the key in the switch. He looked up, waiting. She exhaled. “I need you. I’m scared as hell being pregnant with triplets. I can’t do it without you.”
He let go of the keys and pulled her into his arms. “God,” he whispered in a shaky voice. “I love you, Kaycee. I want you. I want these babies. I don’t care if Smitt Davis is the father. I love you. You hear me?”
She nodded thorough her tears. “I hear,” she said softly.
He covered her mouth with his. When he released her, she whispered, “Take me home.”
Her face was pale and streaked with tears. It felt like someone had aimed a shotgun at his heart and pulled the trigger. “You’ve never called the ranch home before,” he said. He wiped her tears away with his thumb tips. “Let’s go home. I want to hold my wife.”
He turned the truck north and headed to the ranch. Contentment spread, leaving a warm glow in his heart. The Star was her home.
The sudden need for his wife slammed into his gut and squeezed like a fist. He wanted her so badly he was ready to tell the whole friggin’ world to get lost and leave them alone.
* * * *
Lounging negligently against the building across the street from Doctor Snelling’s office—Smitt Davis watched the Ford pickup ramble slowly down the street. He stared with the cold eyes of a hunter and the instincts of a predator, glaring until he no longer saw the taillights, then a feral smile settled on his thin lips.
He rubbed his crotch, felt his cock swell behind the zipper. “I’m coming for you, Kaycee, coming for you, Kaycee. I’m gonna fuck you ‘til you’re no longer breathing, then I’m gonna set you at my dinner table. You’ll be my first guest. Then I’m gonna fuck your lovely sister-in-law. But before I do all this, I’m gonna take care of the sheriff’s pretty wife.”
He slipped his hand down inside his pants and fondled his dick. It rose majestically in his hands. “There’s plenty to go ‘round. Soon, my love, very, very soon, I’m coming for you” He snickered. “Yeah, I’m coming for all of you.
* * * *
Dancing Star Ranch
December 16, Tuesday 10:00 a.m.
Danger stopped the Jeep in the circular drive at the Dancing Star and sighed. Damn it to hell and back again! Another morning interrupted. No coffee. Swear to God, if she reported one more apparent homicide before he had a chance to have his morning coffee, first chance he got, he was firing Gertie Mae Crossman’
s ample ass.
Then he was going to do exactly what he kept promising himself he was going to do—rip the dispatch radio out of the wall!
He was good and pissed at Jace for not bringing Kaycee by his office as he’d requested, but it wasn’t his reason for returning to the Star this morning or the reason the pain over his left ear was throbbing like a mother. Droplets of blood dotted his uniform shirt. Hell, he’d never in his life had a nosebleed and this morning, bam! Out of the blue he’s bleeding like a stuck pig. At least it had stopped now.
Danger barely stifled a snarl as he slammed the Jeep door behind him. He hated both reasons for having to return here. He was fairly sure Jace might throw a punch at him for one of the reasons. If that happened, fuck, he guessed he’d take the punch because by God he wasn’t arresting his best friend.
But shit, Jace packed a mean punch when he started swinging. Hell, he was too old for this crap!
And he wasn’t worth a damn in the mornings until he’d consumed at least a gallon of strong, black coffee. Jesus, he didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to tell Jace what had happened.
He couldn’t protect the Remingtons.
There wasn’t enough man power from the sheriff’s office to spare, so he had to at least put Jace on alert.
Jace had enough men on the ranch to post guards.
He looked up to see the entire Remington clan standing on the front porch watching him, except, of course, for Taylor Spencer, and he was positioned in his wheelchair, a dark look on his face.
Identical expressions showed on all their faces. Anger. Suspicion. Distrust. Total and absolute hostility glared at him. Despite the seriousness of his visit here, his lips twitched. It’d been a long time since he’d seen the Remingtons in mutual agreement and now there was Kaycee and Taylor added to the melting pot.
It was clear everyone considered him the enemy. Nice to know he had the oomph to pull families together to share in their distrust of him.
He was out-numbered.
Out-manned.
Out-gunned?
His smile turned to a frown. This was serious shit. He now had three murders on his hands, the feds were dragging their feet because nobody wanted to work in Bumfucked, Montana, and he was still waiting for Rafe McCord to arrive.
For now, he was on his own.
He moved closer toward them, halted, and raised his hands in the air. “Don’t shoot. I don’t have a white flag, but don’t shoot. I haven’t come out to arrest anyone.” He grinned. “I come in peace.”
He heard a collective sigh.
Danger rubbed his jaw, tired before the day was even much more than started, but glad he could still muster up a sense of humor. “I need a bucket of coffee, if anyone’s interested in offering.”
Jace nodded stiffly. “Come in. There’s a fresh pot brewing.”
“Fresh?” He grinned. “Now, Jace, you know I can only drink it if it’s a hundred and thirteen hours old and a spoon stands straight up in it. I’m not sure I can handle fresh.”
Jace held the door open and nodded grimly.
Danger stepped through. Damn, this was awkward, worse than a funeral and Jace was his best friend. There had never been a strain in their friendship. By God, it wasn’t happening now, either. He’d rip off his badge and throw it away before he let their friendship be destroyed.
The rest of the family followed close on his heels. They all gravitated toward the long table in the dining room where the remnants of their breakfast awaited them.
“Sorry to interrupt your meal.” Danger pulled out a chair, flipped it around, and straddled it.
He plastered a friendly smile on his face.
No one smiled back.
So much for his coming in peace.
He let out a deep breath. It felt like he was facing the gallows. Hell, he’d rather face the gallows.
Except for Taylor, they stood around the table, arms folded across their chest, faces still, eyes blazing, and they waited, a united front.
“I could really use the coffee.”
Jace nodded, went to the kitchen, and returned shortly with a large mug.
“You didn’t put arsenic in it, did you?”
“Gave it some thought, but no.”
He grabbed the mug, inhaled deeply, and relished the soothing aroma of freshly brewed coffee that blasted his nostrils. He blew on the steaming contents, took a swallow, and would have groaned with pleasure, except for the somber faces watching him. “The only way I know how to say this is straight out.”
Danger watched them between sips. Dianna’s and Kaycee’s faces were drained of color. Jace’s eyes glittered like onyx, his fists clenched at his sides. Duel worried his bottom lip, his expression anxious, and Wild, as usual, was cool and unreadable. Taylor looked mildly curious, as if he hadn’t a clue as to what was going on, but it was clear, he’d tossed his towel in the ring with the Remingtons.
He took another deep drink from the mug.
Thank you, God. Now, just maybe, he could function. “Doc Snelling was found murdered this morning by Mrs. Martinez, his nurse.”
Kaycee made a mewling sound in the back of her throat. Jace moved quickly toward her. She shook her head. “How…was he killed?”
“It looks like he never went home last night, but stayed at his office to work on some charts. He was killed there sometime around eleven thirty.” Danger sighed. “Same as Rodney, throat slit. Gutted.”
“Dear God,” Dianna said. “How awful.” She buried her face in her hands and wept.
“Yes,” he replied. “The curious thing is, just like Rodney, his—” he hesitated, shifted his glance to the women then shrugged— “his penis was sliced off and stuffed in his mouth. It isn’t common knowledge, so I’d appreciate it if it didn’t go beyond this room. Jess Flats is printing newspapers about the murders as fast as he can, and he’s asking a lot of questions. I don’t care what he prints, so long as he doesn’t get this information.”
They nodded their understanding.
Danger rubbed the back of his neck. “There was a note this time, written with Doc’s blood. He dared to touch my mama. For that, he dies. Anyone have a clue as to what it means, because I sure as hell don’t.”
“His mama?” Jace asked. “Is this bizarre or what?”
“It’s bizarre,” Danger replied. “Seems to me I remember Smitt Davis’ mama ran off with some bull rider from Cheyenne when Smitt was just a baby. She was never heard from again. So this doesn’t match what we know about him.”
“Oh,” Jace snapped hisfingers. “Doc Snelling used to have a thing for Smitt’s mother. I was just a kid, but I remember the gossip, seems like they had some kind of hot and heavy fling.”
Danger frowned. “I never heard that.”
“There wasn’t a note with Rodney Blake’s body?” Duel asked, returning from the kitchen with a cup of fresh coffee in hands.
Danger pinched his brow. “Not that I recall. Of course, I haven’t had a chance to look at all the evidence. Other murders keep dropping in my lap and taking priority. I’ll make a point to check when I get back to the office, but no one said anything to me about finding a note.” He took another sip from his mug and sighed with pleasure. “The words in the note throw everything else off-balance. There’s one other thing that bothers me and this is why I’m here.” He looked straight at Jace. “According to Mrs. Martinez, your wife’s chart is missing. Why would the murderer want her medical records?”
“That clinches it!”
Everyone turned to look at Duel, as his words blasted the room.
Jace nodded. “He took our marriage license, and now he has Kaycee’s medical records.”
“Yep.” Duel nodded, rocking back and forth on his heels.
“Whoa, wait. He has your marriage license?” Danger asked. “How? When did this happen?”
After Jace explained, Danger shook his head. This entire thing was feeling weirder by the hour. “I’d be curious to know if there was a note
left with the murdered preacher.”
Duel nodded. “I’ll see what I can find out.”
“So, he murders the man who performs your wedding ceremony, steals your marriage license. You pay a visit to Doc Snelling and he murders the doctor who examines you and then the perp steals your medical records. But the note doesn’t jive. Mrs. Remington isn’t his mama, so where does killing Doc Snelling fit in if not because he touched Kaycee? I assumed he murdered Jillian because of the fight, but the fact of the matter is I don’t know it for sure. As much as I hate to say this, Mrs. Remington, you’re still at the top of the suspect list for Jillian’s murder.”
“Now wait just a minute,” Taylor snapped.
“I didn’t kill her,” Kaycee declared.
“You had motive, opportunity, and the weapon.”
“I know, but I didn’t kill her.”
“No, Mrs. Remington—”
“Please, call me Kaycee,” she stated, wringing her hands. “You’re Jace’s best friend. I expect we’ll all be seeing each other often.”
“Thank you. Anyway, getting back to what I was saying. I don’t believe you killed Jillian, but as of right now, I’m giving you a choice. I get a warrant for your arrest and you remain in jail until you’re arraigned or you volunteer for a monitoring device. Since you have the history of leaving Reno during a police investigation, this comes straight from the D.A.’s office. I have no choice. He’s going to question you and he wants to make sure you’re here.” He sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“For God’s sake, Danger,” Jace barked. “How can you do that to her when you believe she’s innocent?”
He held up his hand. “It could be worse, Jace. I could be taking her to jail in handcuffs and going through the entire booking process. I talked the D.A. into allowing me to use the tracker device, if Kaycee’s willing. I’m not limiting where she can go on the ranch, but I’ll be able to electronically track her. Otherwise, I’ll have to take her to jail and hold her until the judge gets back in town from his fishing trip. That could be days. I’m sorry. And don’t you dare punch me. I lost a jaw tooth the last time you socked me one.”