Ranch Hideout

by Sandra Robbins

  She shrugged. “Nothing really. He hasn’t told me much. I can tell, though, that he hasn’t had an easy life. I think it’s admirable the way he’s managed to get on the right track, working here.”

  “Maybe you should rethink that, Liz. Did you see the tattoo on his neck?”

  “Yes. What about it?”

  “Any guy who has a Piranha tattoo on his neck is bad news.”

  Liz stared at him, then shook her head. “Bart came to Little Pigeon a few days after I did, and neither of us had friends here. I think we kind of gravitated toward each other. I asked him about the tattoo, and he told me all about it.”

  “So you know the Piranhas are a vicious gang?”

  “Yes, and he told me that he only let them tattoo him because he was scared. He knew if he didn’t accept the invitation to join them, they would target him and he might not leave juvie alive. Now he has to wear that disgusting mark on his neck. But at least it’s on the outside.” She paused a moment, and when she spoke again, her voice rose with each word until her body was shaking. “I’ve known lots of people who had much worse branded on their souls. Even a good-looking and well-dressed person can commit a heinous crime without batting an eye. When they do, it becomes evident that there’s some kind of evil living in that person.”

  “Liz, I’m sorry if I upset you. I was only trying to...”

  She held up her hand to stop him. “I know you thought you were protecting me, but you can’t assume the worst about every person who comes in contact with me. I learned a long time ago not to judge a person by what you see. Only God can see the heart, and I try to let God’s eyes look through me to another person.”

  He studied her carefully. “I see that I really have upset you. I didn’t mean to do that. All I want to do is protect you. I may not always do it the way you think I should, but I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe. I guess I’ve become too cynical where other people are concerned. In my experience, you have to be careful when you put your trust in someone. It’s impossible to know what ulterior motives may be in another person’s mind.”

  Liz frowned. “That is a pessimistic way to approach life. People may have their own motives, but that doesn’t mean they deserve to be treated with distrust and suspicion instead of grace.”

  “Yeah, well,” he said, “I don’t see much evidence of grace in my work. How can God allow bad things like that to happen? Where was He when your friend Kathy was dying in that parking garage?”

  “I don’t understand why Kathy died. She was one of the best people I’ve ever known. She was the kind of person who would stop on the road and pick up stray animals. Sometimes her house looked like a hospital for dogs and cats. She was my best friend, and I miss her terribly.” She paused for a moment to swallow. “You want to know where God was that day? He was there. He watched over Kathy while she was dying, and He protected me, cowering in the car.”

  Her heart pricked at the flicker of pain she saw flash in his eyes. Whatever had happened to him in his past had erected a barrier in his life that kept everybody and everything at bay. It might keep out people who wanted to hurt him—but it kept out love and happiness, too. A stab of remorse for what he’d chosen to ignore in life saddened her.

  After a moment, she sighed. “Gabriel, I can tell something has caused you a lot of hurt, and I’m sorry about that. I have had my own share of troubles, too, and I know how much it hurts. But we can’t give up hope. We have to realize that we have no control over what happens to us, but God does. That’s the only way I can face each day.”

  Gabriel put his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I’m glad it works for you.”

  “It can for you, too, but only you can make that choice.” She glanced down at the bottles, the cellophane and the cloth wraps in her hands. “I’d better get back to the stable. One of the horses seems to have some stiffness in his leg. I need to rub him down, wrap the area in cellophane and cover it with this cotton wrap. Do you want to come with me?”

  He nodded and followed her from the workshop. As they walked toward the barn, a horse whinnied in the corral, and they both glanced that way. Dandelion and Buttermilk stood looking over the fence at them.

  Gabriel laughed. “Do you think those two are ashamed at how they treated us today?”

  She shook her head. “I doubt it. If anything, they’re probably annoyed with us for putting them in that position. If you want to get back in their good graces, you can pick up a couple apples from the barrel inside the barn and give them each one. Bribery works every time.”

  He laughed again as they stepped inside the barn, and she realized for the first time how his eyes twinkled when he laughed. Gabriel Decker appeared to have many layers to his personality, and she found herself wishing that they’d met somewhere else instead of her being his assignment. She would like to help him explore whatever had caused him to be so cynical because she thought there was a man underneath who was worth getting to know.

  * * *

  Gabriel watched as Liz walked down the alleyway of the barn, her back straight and her head high, and thought about the things she’d said to him. How had a conversation about something like gang tattoos morphed into what closely resembled an argument about faith?

  Her comments about seeing people through God’s eyes had come as a blow. No one had told him she was a believer. Maybe that’s what had enabled her to live with what she saw that day and gave her the strength to face a murderer in court. It didn’t matter what had helped her cope—his job was to see that she got to court safely to give her testimony.

  Shaking his head, he picked up two apples from the barrel and ambled out the barn door to the corral fence. He leaned against it as he studied the two horses that had left Liz and him stranded earlier. Buttermilk eyed him a few seconds before he walked over and stood facing Gabriel.

  Gabriel held out the apple. Buttermilk gave a whinny and closed his teeth around the treat. Then he sauntered back across the corral.

  “Do you have no loyalty?” Gabriel called out in mock despair. “Do you only like me for what I can give you?”

  “My, my, are you so desperate for friends that now you’re talking to a horse?”

  Gabriel grinned in recognition of the voice and turned to see Andrea standing behind him. “Did you get settled?”

  “Mostly. Settled but not unpacked. I thought I’d take a walk around. That’s when I saw you here. Where’s Liz?”

  Gabriel straightened and nodded toward the barn. “In there. I’m giving her some breathing room for a while.”

  “You’ve already had an argument with her, haven’t you?” Andrea tilted her head to one side and made a tsking sound. “I told Bill you were the wrong agent to send here. You don’t know anything about getting along with women.”

  He glared at her. “Cut it out, Andrea.”

  She laughed and swatted at his arm. “I’m sorry, Gabriel. I couldn’t help teasing you. Now let’s get serious, and you catch me up on what’s been going on since you’ve been here.”

  For the next several minutes he related everything he hadn’t told her earlier in the kitchen—focusing on his suspicions about Bart Foster and Liz’s feeling that he had lied to her by not telling him who he really was. When he’d finished, Andrea nodded.

  “I’ll give it a try and see if I can get close to her. But it really doesn’t matter whether she likes us or not as long as we keep our eyes and ears open and keep her safe.”

  Gabriel agreed. “I know. Maybe I need to go back in the barn and try to fix whatever went wrong with us.”

  “You do that,” Andrea said. “I need to pick up some things in town. I’ll go take care of that, and I’ll see you at dinner.”

  Gabriel watched her go before he directed his gaze back to the barn. He had to find a way to make Liz feel more comfortable aroun
d him. He couldn’t give up.

  With that thought in mind, he strode toward the barn and into the alleyway.

  * * *

  When he stepped inside, he stopped and stared down the alleyway. Liz squatted beside a horse just outside the tack room as she rubbed liniment on his legs. He could hear the soft sound of her calming words as she stroked the horse.

  The door at the other end of the alleyway was open. A shaft of sunlight dispersed its beams and circled her as if she sat in the middle of a spotlight. His gaze drifted over her as she concentrated on her task. He took in the pale curve of her neck, the thick eyelashes and the shock of golden hair that framed her gamine face. He stood as if rooted to the spot as he realized he’d never seen a woman to match her beauty, and he swallowed, trying to slow his pounding heart.

  A slight movement caught his eye, and he peered past her to where Bart Foster stood just outside the open door at the other end of the barn. His gaze didn’t waver as he stared at Liz. Gabriel stepped back a few inches in hopes Bart wouldn’t see him, but he needn’t have worried. Bart was too focused on watching Liz.

  For a long moment, the boy just stared. Then his shoulders drooped, and he turned away and pulled out his cell phone. Gabriel moved into the barn and watched as Bart lifted his cell phone to his ear.

  What was that all about? Who was Bart calling?

  Gabriel glanced at Liz once more before he took a deep breath and walked toward her. He’d just witnessed something he didn’t understand. Until he did, he intended to keep an eye on Bart Foster whether she liked it or not.

  Liz looked up as he approached and then directed her attention back to the horse. He stopped beside her and stared down. Her fingers didn’t slow in their work of wrapping the horse’s leg.

  “You look like you’ve done that before.” She gnawed her lip and nodded as she continued her task. After a moment he sighed and squatted down beside her. “Liz, I think we need a do-over.”

  She finally gazed up, a confused look on her face. “What does that mean?”

  Gabriel spied a bale of hay on the other side of the alley and pointed to it. “I’m going to sit down over there. When you’re through with what you’re doing, come sit with me and let’s see if I can’t make amends for upsetting you.”

  Her mouth opened, but she didn’t speak. It was as if she was debating whether or not she wanted to listen to anything he had to say. Then she nodded and pushed to her feet. “All right. I’m through here. I’ll put Cricket back in his stall, and then I’ll be back.”

  He smiled as he stood. “I’ll wait for you. I’ll be the guy sitting on the hay bale.”

  Her mouth quirked as if she wanted to smile, but she ducked her head and led Cricket away. He walked over to the hay bale and sat down. Sweat popped out on his forehead, and he wiped at it.

  Why was he so nervous all of a sudden? He’d faced vicious thugs and murderers, and he’d never felt any fear. But this was different. Earlier today they’d laughed and chatted as they mucked out the stalls and pushed the wheelbarrow to the compost pile. It had been a long time since he’d been so comfortable with anyone, especially a woman, and he wanted it back.

  Liz walked over to where he sat and stopped in front of him. “Okay, here I am. What do you want to talk to me about?”

  “I want...” he began, but the words froze in his mouth at the sight of a red laser dot focused on the center of Liz’s forehead.

  With a strangled cry, he lunged from the hay bale, tackled her around the legs and fell to the ground on top of her just as a bullet whizzed past their heads.

  SEVEN

  Liz heard the crack of the rifle as she fell to the floor. Her first thought was that she had to get out of there, but she couldn’t move. Gabriel had her pinned to the ground. His body covered hers and his hands cradled her head. When there was no second shot, he rose in a crouch, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the stall next to the hay bale.

  When they were inside, she started to straighten up, but he pushed her back down. “Stay here. Don’t come out until I come back for you.”

  Panic seized her as he pulled out his gun and turned to leave. She reached out and clutched his arm. “Where are you going?”

  “To see who’s shooting at you.”

  She tightened her grip on his arm. “Don’t leave me.”

  He patted her hand and smiled at her. “I’ll be right back, Liz. I told you I would protect you, and that’s what I intend to do. Now release me so I can see if the shooter’s still outside.”

  At those words she grew even more frightened and held on harder. What if he walked into a hail of gunfire? He could be dead before he could get a shot off in return. “No, Gabriel. I’m afraid for you. I don’t want you to die because of me.”

  A sad smile crossed his face, and he looked down at her hand on his arm. “It’s been a long time since anybody’s been concerned for my safety. It feels good, but I have to do this. I promise I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Reluctantly she released him and nodded. “Be careful.”

  With one last glance at her, he eased out of the stall into the alley and flattened his body against the wall. He gripped his gun with both hands in front of him as he slid past the stalls toward the back door. After taking a few steps, he disappeared from view. Liz lay on the ground, waiting for his return—her heart beating like a bass drum.

  She didn’t know how long she was alone in the stall, but it seemed like an hour before she heard Gabriel’s voice. “I’m back, Liz. I couldn’t find anyone. He must have gotten into the forest behind the barn and made his escape.”

  She wanted to stand, but her legs felt so weak she was afraid they would collapse. She sat up and brushed at her clothes. Her hands shook, which Gabriel must have noticed. He crouched down beside her and took her hands in his. “It’s over now, Liz. You’re safe.”

  Her lips trembled at the thought of how close she had come to death. “But what about the next time? What if you’re not there to push me down? And worst of all, what if you’re killed trying to protect me? I don’t want to be the reason two people died.”

  He took hold of her shoulders, held her at arm’s length and stared into her eyes. “You can’t blame yourself for what happened to Kathy. You’re not the reason she died. Daniel Shaw did that all by himself.”

  Tears welled in her eyes, and she blinked. “In my mind I know that, but my heart aches for her. She didn’t deserve what happened to her.”

  He tightened his grip on her shoulders and pulled her a little closer. “And neither do you. We’re going to get through this, and I’m going to get you back to Memphis to testify. I promise you that.”

  His eyes blazed with determination, and a feeling of relief surged through her. Despite the warmth and obvious sincerity of Dean and Gwen’s welcome since she’d come here, she’d still felt so alone since Kathy’s death. Now here was a man she’d known only a couple of days, and he was promising her he would protect her. Even after her accusations against him, he was willing to put his life on the line for her.

  She swayed, and the next thing she knew, she had sagged against his chest. His hands slipped from her shoulders as his arms encircled her and held her tight against him. For a moment she stood there inhaling the scent of soap and the woodsy smell of his cologne. He pressed his cheek to the top of her head as his hand stroked her back.

  “It’s going to be all right, Liz.”

  Finally she pulled back and smiled up at him. “Thank you, Gabriel.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “For what?”

  “For not giving up on me even after all my drama. I’m amazed you haven’t asked to be relieved of babysitting a temperamental woman.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “Temperamental? I think I’d describe you more as a woman with a fiery, quick temper.�
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  “What?” She gasped and drew away from him, but he didn’t let go of her.

  His laugh echoed down the alleyway of the barn. “I’m teasing you, Liz. I really have a lot of respect for you. There aren’t many people who would put their lives on the line because they wanted to do what’s right. I’m going to do everything I can to help you.”

  Warmth rushed to her face, and she pulled out of his arms. “Then let’s work together to make sure that Daniel Shaw gets everything that’s coming to him.”

  She started to walk back to the door, but Gabriel caught her arm and turned her around. His eyes bore into hers, and he didn’t speak right away. Then he swallowed. “There’s one more thing I want you to know. I not only respect you, but I like you. There’s something about you that’s different from anyone else I’ve known in a long time. Even a job like mucking out the stalls becomes fun with you. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’d really like to get to know you better. I think we could become good friends.”

  Liz hesitated before she answered. Gabriel seemed sincere, but so had her boyfriend when he borrowed all that money from her. Gabriel didn’t appear to want anything from her, however, other than her friendship. If she got to know him better, perhaps she could encourage him to face whatever had caused him so much pain in his life.

  “I think we could, too,” she said.

  A relieved sigh escaped his mouth, and he smiled. “Great.”

  “Am I interrupting something?” The voice came from the doorway.

  Liz glanced over her shoulder at Andrea, who walked down the alleyway toward them. She was struck once again at how beautiful Andrea was, but there was something aggressive, almost angry, in the way she strode toward them that caught Liz by surprise. She bit her lower lip and arched an eyebrow as she came closer.

  Gabriel frowned when she stopped next to him. “Is something wrong, Andrea?”

  She looked at Liz and then back to him. “Could I speak to you privately for a moment?”