“I think you’re a lunatic,” she croaked as anger began to overrule her fear. If she was going to die, she wouldn’t die begging.
“Damn women. The whole lot of ya,” he hissed out in disgust as he set the hammer down on the table and patted his plaid shirt.
“Yeah, but you didn’t do this by yourself, did you?” she needled him. God, if she could just keep him talking, maybe someone would’ve heard her screaming as if she were about to be murdered!
“You referring to May?” he asked, glancing sharply at her. Pulling a pack of cigarettes from his front pocket, he continued, “May only helped at the tail end of my plan. But once again, like all the damn women in my life, she skipped out at the last minute, just like my mole at the insurance agency did when the police started sniffing around. Which was the whole fucking point,” he bit out as he stabbed his finger in the air for effect. “They were supposed to come asking questions. She didn’t seem to mind taking my five thousand dollars to manipulate records and falsify medical reports. Noooo! But when the heat got too close, ‘I’m afraid I’m gonna get caught’,” he mimicked in his version of a high-pitched, female voice.
He grumbled a few more disparaging obscenities then continued, “The dumb bitch skipped town on me yesterday. Then May, that good-for-nothing whore, the one woman I thought saw eye to eye with me on this whole deal says, ‘See ya on the flip side,’ when we arrived back on my property. If I hadn’t had you in tow, I’d have taken her out myself just for sheer principle.”
He clenched his fist and his face mottled in anger. Hope filled her as her will to survive overrode her fear. Maybe the old coot would die of a heart attack. She could only hope. But instead he picked up the hammer and slammed it down on the table, cracking the old wood. Her entire body tensed at the violence behind his action. After he struck the table a couple more times, he took a couple of deep breaths that seemed to calm him down enough to set down the hammer and pull a cigarette out of the pack before he returned the box to his pocket. Digging in his jeans pocket he withdrew a lighter and lit the end.
Taking a long draw from it, he closed his eyes for a second as if the nicotine truly settled him, then dropped the lighter back in his pants’ pocket.
While he appeared to relax, her own nerves put her on the edge of hysteria. I don’t want to die. Keep him talking, whatever you do. Don’t let him have too much time to think.
“And then there’s you,” he bit out as he used his cigarette to point to her, his gray eyebrows slashing downward as he narrowed his gaze on her. Smoke came out of his nose and mouth in streams of curling plumes, reminding her of an old, angry dragon.
“If you hadn’t shown up, I wouldn’t have mistaken you for Elise that night. I’d have held off, bided my time a bit longer. My tap on Colt’s phone line would’ve allowed me another chance to find another perfect time to frame Colt for his wife’s murder.”
“That’s what this is all about? Your need to set Colt up?” she asked, incredulous.
“It was so much more than that,” he said as he started to pace puffing on his cigarette. Then he paused and continued, smugness in his tone, “I had it perfectly planned. With his wife dead, the police would learn of the high-dollar life insurance policies he and his wife had taken out on each other—courtesy of May and me—” He stopped and looked at her with an I’m-so-clever smirk, before he continued, “In the end, Colt would get the murder rap and lose his land.”
His face took on a faraway look as if he were picturing the entire scenario he’d just described in his head. Shaking himself out of his dream-state, he continued, “Once Colt was behind bars, if I couldn’t find a way to get the land, at least I would know he was suffering.”
Her eyebrows drew together in reluctant understanding as he told her his plan…almost as if he wanted someone to acknowledge all his plotting. The man was clearly mad. But now everything that had happened to her—being knocked out, the burned stables, the police’s speculation on Colt’s life insurance…it all made sense.
A smug smile tilted the corners of his lips at her expression. “Tell me how brilliant I am. How clever and devious. Aren’t you impressed?”
“How can I be impressed with a man who had to depend on women to help initiate his master plan?” she said with sarcasm. “Hell, you couldn’t even remember to retrieve your note that was supposed to lure Elise to the stables.”
Scowling at her, he stuck the cigarette in the corner of his lips as he pulled the note he’d written out of his pocket along with his lighter.
Flicking the lighter open once more, he lit one corner of the paper, smiling a crooked smirk while the cigarette dangled from his lips and dropped bits of burned ash.
“No more evidence,” he mumbled as the paper burned in a matter of seconds. He dropped the ball of fire before it reached his fingers, stomping the burning, charred remains out on the dirt floor beneath his boot.
Her stomach clenched as he dug his boot toe deep in the earth. She had no doubt he planned to “rub” her out of the picture just as easily as he did that paper.
“You talk too much,” he said as he took another drag on his cigarette. He turned and picked up the hammer and let the heavy metal head hit the palm of his hand as he met her worried gaze. “But I can take care of that,” he finished as he started toward her with a determined look on his face, the hammer raised, ready to strike.
Her fear skyrocketed and she tried to jerk herself out of his reach. It’s not my time to die, she thought, her mind frantic as primal fear shot through her. “Get the hell away from me,” she screamed, her voice fading out.
Jackson squatted beside her and set the hammer down. Taking the cigarette out of his mouth, he grabbed a fistful of her hair and jerked her onto her back.
“Going somewhere?” he asked, his laughter evil, higher pitched, maniacal.
The fine hairs stood up on her arms at the unbalanced sound of his laugh while tears stung her eyes from the pain his abusive action caused.
Slowly he wound the fistful of her hair up around his hand, then he seemed to relax as he smoothed the black mass across the hay above her head. “It’s a shame I’ll have to mar such a pretty face when I bash your skull in,” he said in a conversational tone as if he wasn’t brutally threatening her.
He picked up the hammer with one hand as he held the cigarette with the other and said in a cold tone, “But, pretty or not, women aren’t worth shit.” He raised the hammer.
“I knew you had a screw or two loose, but had no idea you were such a stupid sonofabitch,” came a calm, controlled voice from the direction of the doorway to the barn.
Jackson immediately stood and glanced toward the doorway at the same time Sabrina jerked her frightened gaze toward the voice. She let out a sob of relief to see Colt standing there holding a shotgun trained on Jackson.
“Do you really think I’m that dumb, Colt? That I wouldn’t have a backup plan?” Jackson answered, his tone deadly and focused as he took a leisurely puff of his cigarette.
“Put down the hammer, Jackson, or I’ll shoot you where you stand,” Colt bit out. “Give me any flimsy excuse to blow a hole in your sorry ass and I’ll take it.”
Jackson hissed in anger as he dropped the hammer at his feet. Folding one hand behind his back, he growled, “Don’t think this is over. I’ll never give up.”
As he spoke, he tossed his cigarette behind him, right above Sabrina’s head.
Her heart rate skyrocketed as she saw flames begin to dance above her head on the dry hay. She made an effort to move away from the flames and that’s when she saw Jackson wrap his fingers on the grip of the handgun he had stuck in his belt behind his back. She tried to scream to warn Colt, but her hoarse voice just cracked instead. When she realized Colt’s gaze was on the flames behind her and he didn’t see Jackson draw his weapon, Sabrina did the only thing she could to help.
With all her might she flipped away and then rolled back, kicking Jackson behind the knees as hard as she cou
ld.
Jackson’s knees buckled and his gun went off toward the ceiling at the same time Josh rammed the older man in the chest with his shoulder, knocking him flat on his back.
“You fucking maniac!” Josh yelled as he hit Jackson’s hand with his fist, making him drop the weapon. He knocked the gun away as Jackson roared in anger, attacking him.
While the men scuffled, Sabrina smelled more than just the hay burning. She felt the heat all around her. She knew she needed to get out of the raging fire’s way, but the bonds around her made rolling away difficult. A bit at a time was all she could manage while laying on her side.
When Jackson tried to hit Josh with his other fist, Colt was there, leaning over the man. “Stay down, you sorry bastard,” he ordered as he slammed his fist square in Jackson’s jaw, knocking the man out cold.
“Sabrina,” Josh yelled as he scrambled over to her, concern and fear etched on his face. He didn’t stop to think, just reacted as he used his hands to put the fire out that had just made its way to her hair.
Quickly picking her up, he rushed her out of the barn. Colt followed behind them as he carried Jackson’s unconscious body away from the fire.
Once they reached a safe distance from the building, Colt dumped Jackson’s limp frame on the ground with a hard thud. “Lunatic bastard,” he mumbled, as he looked back up at the burning stables and shook his head.
Walking over to Sabrina and Josh, he brushed a strand of her hair away from her face, noted the burned ends, and asked with a concerned look, “Are you okay?”
She nodded, her heart still racing as she whispered with a trembling half smile, “I guess I’ll be getting that haircut I’ve been putting off, but other than that, I’m fine.”
“You’re hoarse. God, Sabrina. I’m so sorry this happened,” Josh said as he sat down on the ground with her in his arms and pulled his pocketknife out of the holder on his belt. Quickly cutting through the ropes around her wrists and ankles, he gathered her close.
“How did you find me?” she asked while she rubbed her sore wrists.
Josh shook his head in wonder. “My cell phone’s GPS tracker.”
She gave a shaky, scratchy laugh as she pulled the cell phone from her back pocket. “I’d forgotten all about it.”
Josh took the cell phone and tossed it to Colt. “Do the honors. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this.”
As Colt walked away to call the police, Josh rocked her in his arms and said, “Thank God we got here in time. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I had lost you, Brina.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him back. As she breathed in the scents that were all Josh, she whispered back as tears streamed down her face, “I’m sorry I thought for even one second you had a hand in attacking me.”
He shook his head, his tone understanding. “Colt told me about your call to Nan. She was worried for you until Colt set her straight. Apparently Jackson had someone working for him at the insurance company, working to set Colt up. She’s been arrested. There’s no reason to apologize. Jackson surprised us all at how well he’d set us up.”
She hugged him tighter. “I love you, Josh Kelly. I thought I’d never have the chance to tell you that.”
When she spoke, Josh quickly looked at her then cupped her face in his hands, wincing as he did so.
She grabbed his wrists and gasped at the reddened flesh on the tips of his fingers. “Oh, no, your fingers.”
“I’ve had worse. They’ll heal.” He shrugged the pain away as his serious teal gaze searched her face. “We’ve got what matters the most. The rest we’ll figure out, okay?” When he finished speaking, he gave her a reassuring smile.
She knew he referred to his firefighting. She smiled back, nodding in agreement, then rubbed her nose against his chest, thankful to be in his arms once more.
* * * * *
Later that afternoon, Josh drove up in his truck as Sabrina walked out of the Tanners’ ranch house waving goodbye to Elise. After the police had taken her statement and arrested Jackson, Josh and Colt had gone on to the police station to talk to Renee while Elise brought her back to the Lonestar.
“I have a rental car I’ve yet to use, you know. I can drive myself back to the Double K,” she said with a smile as she stood on the passenger side of his truck, looking through the open window.
He grinned as he leaned over and opened the truck door for her from the inside. “I know, but I like having you with me. Get in, good lookin’.”
“How’d the talk with Renee go? Any news?” she asked as she climbed into his truck.
“As I mentioned earlier, the woman from the insurance agency was arrested, but the police have yet to locate May Winston.”
“Who is this May woman anyway? As whacked as he was, I understood Jackson’s motivation, but why did she get involved in this?” she asked.
“She’s a disgruntled ex-employee from the Lonestar rodeo who apparently had some major issues with Colt for firing her.”
“Ah, now I see,” she said as she smiled at him and flipped her shoulder-length hair. “Well, what do you think? Elise cried as she cut off the burned ends for me. Tomorrow she said she’ll take me to get it shaped up at a salon.”
His teal gaze turned serious as he reached over and threaded his fingers through the shorter strands, then he frowned. “Every time I think about how close I came to losing you…” He paused, his jaw ticcing before he continued in a controlled voice, “It’s a good thing Jackson’s in jail and out of my reach.”
Charmed by his protective tone and gentle touch, she reached up and grabbed his wrist. Lacing her fingers with his, careful to avoid his burns, she lowered their hands and kissed the back of his hand with a happy smile. “I’m fine. My very own hero was there to save me.”
“About that…” Josh put his other hand on the steering wheel and let his gaze scan the open prairie for a second.
When his gaze met hers once more, the heat and love behind it made her heart melt.
“I’ve decided to go to part-time firefighting status, Brina.”
Surprised by his announcement, she squeezed his hand but couldn’t help the guilt that washed over her at the feeling of elation that rushed through her. “Are you sure that’s what you want to do, Josh?”
He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. “There’s one thing I learned today is that when it comes to you, I’m not willing to take too many risks. Every time I fight a fire, I’ll still be fighting for Nick, but now I’m fighting for my own happiness. I’ve put it off for too long. Those empty stables you saw at my house? They will soon be full. My father’s jumping up and down with glee that I’ll be joining the family business of raising horses.”
Tears shone in her eyes. “What you’ve always wanted to do?” she repeated, needing to know his decision was his and his alone.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
Lowering their hands to the seat between them, he slid a huge sapphire flanked by two trillion cut diamonds on her finger. His teal gaze rose to meet hers. “I guessed at your size… Will you marry me, Brina? You don’t have to say yes right away,” he interrupted before she could speak, then finished, “Just say you’ll wear my ring and think about it.”
Sabrina’s heart thudded in her chest as he settled the ring at the base of her finger. She threw her arms around his neck, then kissed him saying, “There’s nothing to think about. I love you, Josh. It doesn’t matter to me if I’d known you for years or just met you two days ago, my answer would still be ‘yes, I’ll marry you’.”
Josh wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, his kiss full of passion and love as his lips covered hers. Trailing his lips down her neck, he said, “I’ll order any additional office equipment you need for your office. I promise you’ll have the space you need to get your work done from home.”
She sighed at his arousing touch. “I think my boss would go for a proposal for me to work out of my house if I promised to come back to Arizona a
few times a year. Plus, it’d be a central place to meet up with Nic and Lily, too. It would probably take me a week or so to relocate my office.”
He pulled her tighter, growling against her neck, “Hell, for that matter, you don’t have to work at all.”
She laughed and rubbed the tension in his shoulders. “It’s only a week, Josh. I think we can handle being apart for a week or so.”
“Speak for yourself,” he grumbled as his lips made their way down the vee opening in her shirt.
Sabrina gasped as he cupped one of her breasts through her clothes. Regretfully, she pushed away from him, saying as she cast a sheepish glance up to the Tanners’ ranch house, “I think we’d better take this home.”
Josh gave her a devilish grin as he started the engine. “I couldn’t agree more. Home sounds pretty good to me.”
About the author:
Born and raised in the southeast, Patrice has been a fan of romance novels since she was thirteen years old. While she reads many types of books, romance novels will always be her mainstay, saying, “I guess it’s the idea of a happy ever after that draws me in.”
Patrice welcomes mail from readers. You can write to her c/o Ellora’s Cave Publishing at 1337 Commerce Drive, #13, Stow, Ohio 44224.
Also by Patrice Michelle:
A Taste for Passion
A Taste for Revenge
Bad in Boots: Harm’s Hunger
Bad in Boots: Colt’s Choice
Cajun Nights anthology
Dragon’s Heart
Ellora’s Cavemen: Tales from the Temple II anthology
Wild Hearts
Cheyenne McCray
Chapter One
“Damn it.” Nicole Landford propped her hands on her full hips and scowled. “You have some nerve up and dying on me out here in the middle of fucking nowhere.”
Hearts Are Wild Page 14