He turned from the window and glanced back at her, his eyes glittering darkly. “If the shooter was still out there, there’s no way we would have been able to make it back inside to call the sheriff. He would have fired again to try to prevent us getting help.”
“What more proof do you need that something is going on? Somebody just tried to kill me and it can only be because I’m digging into things somebody doesn’t want uncovered.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions,” he replied tersely. “And when the sheriff gets here let me do the talking. If you come off like a half-hysterical female, he won’t listen to either one of us.”
“I’ve never been a hysterical female in my life,” she replied with more than a touch of irritation. Now that some of the fear was passing she found herself aggravated by his words. “Part of the problem in this town is that the men don’t listen to the women.”
Both Meredith and Winnie had extolled Joshua’s charm, but so far Savannah had seen little evidence that the man possessed any at all.
As the sound of a siren filled the night, Joshua rose to his feet, apparently convinced that whoever had shot at them was gone.
He flipped on the light and gazed around the room. Savannah remained seated on the floor. She wasn’t going to stand up until Sheriff Ramsey walked into the building.
“Whoever made that shot didn’t intend to kill with it,” Joshua said.
She frowned. “And how do you know that?”
“Too much damage for it to have been a single bullet. It looks like it might have been birdshot, a fairly ineffective way to try to kill somebody. It can sting like hell, but usually isn’t deadly, especially at this distance.”
“Then maybe it was done to scare me,” she said thoughtfully. “And if that was the objective, then it succeeded.” She brushed off tiny pieces of glass clinging to her jeans and tried to ignore the headache that was banging at the back of her head.
The siren came closer. “This might have nothing to do with you or what you’re investigating.”
“Okay, then who have you pissed off since you’ve been back in town?” she retorted.
He didn’t reply and at that moment headlights flashed through the doorway, signaling that the sheriff had arrived.
Joshua rode his horse hard, enjoying the whip of early morning wind and the sunshine that spread warmth across his back and shoulders.
Riding was one of the things he’d missed while in New York City and each morning since being back he’d started his day with a ride.
This morning, however, his mind wasn’t on the joy of the massive horse beneath him or the beauty of the morning but rather on the events of the night before.
He and Ramsey had sent Savannah home, then the two men had canvassed the area, looking for clues as to where the shooter might have been standing when the trigger had been pulled.
As he’d expected, they’d found nothing. The sheriff had thought it was possible that a couple of teenage boys were responsible. He’d told Joshua that last month two of them had gotten drunk on their daddy’s beer and had shot out the windows of the café in the middle of the night with a load of birdshot.
“Damn fool kids got nothing to do in this town but cause mischief,” he’d said. Still, he’d promised a full investigation.
Ramsey had called Raymond Buchannan, and when the old man had arrived they’d all worked to cover the broken window with plywood.
Ramsey might think the culprits were a couple of kids, but Savannah had been convinced that the shooting was meant to scare her off her current path. She’d reiterated before she’d left to go home that somebody better wake up and smell the coffee before more people died.
Joshua wasn’t convinced that the shooter had meant to harm or scare her. He wasn’t convinced the shooting was about her at all. He thought it might have been about him and that worried him.
He pulled up on the reins as he approached the stables and saw with surprise that his brother Clay was standing next to the corral gate, obviously waiting for him.
Clay opened the gate and Joshua rode through the wooden fence and directly into the stable. He dismounted, then motioned to Bobby Walker, one of the stable boys. “Bobby, you want to unsaddle and brush her down for me?”
“Sure, boss.” The young man hurried over to take the reins from Joshua.
Joshua swept his hat off his head and walked out to meet his brother. “Hey bro, what are you doing here instead of having breakfast with that gorgeous fiancée of yours?”
“Just figured it was time to check in with my baby brother. I’ve hardly seen you since you’ve been back,” Clay replied.
The two fell into step side-by-side as they headed for the house. “How’s the wedding plans coming?” Joshua asked.
Clay winced. “For some reason I had the stupid idea that all I needed to do was hire a preacher, find a place and say I do and it would be a done deal. But women seem to have their own ideas about what should be involved when it comes to weddings.”
Joshua laughed. “Libby is great, Clay. I’m happy for you.” He’d met his brother’s fiancée a couple of nights before, along with her daughter, Gracie. “You’re going to have your hands full with that little girl. Gracie is a smart cookie and as charming as can be.”
Clay smiled, his affection for the child obvious. “Yeah, she’s something else. She had Smokey curled around her finger in a matter of minutes, and Dad is an absolute fool over her.”
For just a moment a sharp envy shot through Joshua. He’d seen the way both eight-year-old Gracie and the beautiful Libby looked at his brother. They looked at him as if he’d hung the moon and Joshua had no doubt that the life his brother was going to share with them would be filled with plenty of love.
The last thing Joshua had been looking for in his time in New York was marriage or even a committed relationship. But since returning home and seeing his brothers with their spouses and intended spouses, he’d found himself wondering what it would be like to have a special lady in his life.
As they reached the house, Clay motioned Joshua into one of the two chairs that sat on the porch. “Let’s sit and talk a bit before we go inside.”
“Okay.” Joshua eased down into one of the chairs as Clay sat in the other.
“It’s good to have you home, Joshua. We all missed you,” Clay said. “It didn’t seem right whenever the family got together and you weren’t there.”
“Yeah, it’s good to be back.”
Clay stared off in the distance, a thoughtful frown wrinkling his forehead. “Actually, Dad wanted me to talk to you. He’s been worried about you since you’ve been home.”
Joshua looked at Clay in surprise. “Worried? Why?”
His brother looked at him. “He says you haven’t been yourself since returning to Cotter Creek. You’re quieter, more withdrawn, and he doesn’t understand why you seem so adamant against working for the business.”
Joshua leaned back in the chair. “I’m not totally against it, I just told him I need some time to decide exactly what I want to do.”
He knew his brothers loved working for the bodyguard business and he didn’t know how to explain to anyone that, for him, going back to work for that business felt like a failure.
No matter how inept, no matter how unskilled he might be, that was a job waiting for him simply by the mere accident of being born a West.
“Is there anything else going on? Anything bothering you?” Clay asked.
If Joshua was going to bare his heart to anyone in his family, it would be to Clay. The two brothers had always been close.
But the West men had never been big on soul-baring, and to be honest, Joshua was more than a little embarrassed by what had happened in New York to drive him back home. He wasn’t ready to talk about it with anyone.
“I had a little excitement last night,” he finally said. He explained to Clay about Savannah enlisting his aid in her quest for answers, then described the shooting that had taken place at the ne
wspaper office.
“It was nothing but birdshot,” Joshua explained.
“You think she’s onto something?” Clay asked when Joshua had finished.
“I don’t know,” Joshua admitted thoughtfully. “It’s possible what happened last night was nothing more than some kids looking for a little excitement.” He released a deep sigh. “All I know for sure is that I had the feeling if I didn’t agree to help her she was going to be a major pain in my ass. Have you met her?”
Clay smiled. “Yeah, Meredith introduced us to her. She seems really nice. Meredith certainly thinks the world of her.”
Joshua scowled and leaned forward. “I have a feeling the woman can be stubborn as a mule, and she could definitely talk a man to death.”
“Are you going to help her?”
“I told her I’d talk to Ramsey, get a copy of the reports of each incident and take a look at them for any red flags.”
“You might want to talk to Zack. When Kate’s father was murdered he did some investigating into some of the other deaths.”
“Did he come to any conclusions?” Joshua asked.
“Apparently not.”
“He told me he’s thinking of running for sheriff in November.”
Clay nodded. “Ramsey has said he intends to retire.”
“According to Savannah he retired a long time ago and just didn’t tell anyone.”
Clay laughed, then sobered as he eyed his brother for a long moment. “You sure everything is all right?”
Joshua forced a grin to his lips. “You can officially report back to Dad that I’m fine. Just taking a little down time before deciding what I want to do.”
Clay rose from the chair. “Don’t forget you have a tuxedo fitting this afternoon. I can’t have my best man looking anything but his best.”
“Don’t worry, I promise I won’t embarrass you by turning up next weekend in anything but a well-fit tux.”
Clay started for the front door. “You coming in?”
“No, I think I’ll sit out here for a while.”
Clay gave him a long, measured look, then went into the house, leaving Joshua alone with his thoughts.
Joshua leaned back and stared out at the pasture in the distance. He’d missed this view. It hadn’t taken him long in New York City to recognize that he was a country kind of man at heart.
For a while the city had been exciting. The nightlife, the fast pace, so alien from what he’d known, had invigorated him. But, after the initial novelty had worn off, he’d missed home.
He’d missed the scent of fresh hay, of green grass and cattle. But, the view wasn’t all that he had missed. He’d been homesick for his brothers and his sister. Maybe because there had been no mother around, the siblings had grown up being unusually close.
But things were changing. Three of his brothers were either married or getting married. His eldest brother, Tanner, had married a princess who had come to Wild West Protective Services when renegade forces had taken over her father’s kingdom.
Zach had found love with the girl next door. Kate Sampson had captured his heart while he’d helped her investigate her father’s death.
And now Clay was about to take the walk down the aisle with the Hollywood beauty he’d fallen in love with. Three down, three to go, Joshua thought. He frowned as his thoughts returned to Savannah.
He needed to know if she’d uncovered something that made somebody nervous enough to take that shot the night before. The thoughts that had plagued him on his ride returned. What worried him was that it might not be about her at all.
It might be about him. He feared his problem from New York had followed him to Cotter Creek.
And if that were the case, then it was possible that just by being with her he’d put Savannah in more danger than she could ever imagine.
Chapter 5
It was just after nine when Savannah drove toward the West ranch house. She was hoping to talk Smokey into allowing her to interview him for her column. The column was due the next day and she was running out of time. Of course, she’d much prefer interviewing Joshua, but he’d made it fairly clear he wasn’t interested.
Despite the horror of the night before, she’d slept like a baby. She liked to think her peaceful sleep came from the fact that whoever had shot at them had used birdshot and Joshua had told her it was obvious it wasn’t meant to kill. It didn’t hurt that Sheriff Ramsey had mentioned that kids had done something like that in the past.
Still, she suspected her deep sleep had been because she no longer felt so alone. At least for the moment she had Joshua on her side.
Joshua. The man was definitely under her skin, and she wasn’t sure why. Granted he was nice-looking, but it was more than that. She sensed something dark in the depths of his green eyes, a torment that piqued her reporter interest.
As the West ranch came into sight she thought of the family that lived inside the house. Joshua had told her that he’d returned to Cotter Creek because he’d missed his family.
Whenever she’d spent time at the house with Meredith, she’d felt surrounded by the love the house contained, something she’d never felt in her own home.
She’d long ago come to terms with the fact that her parents had been incapable of loving her the way children needed to be loved. But that didn’t mean that sometimes in the dark silent moments of the night or in a reflective pause during the day it didn’t hurt.
She found it hard to imagine what the West house must have been like when there had been six small children inside. Now there was just Joshua and Meredith living at home.
Tanner and his princess bride, Anna, had built a home on the West property. Zack had moved into the Sampson home with Kate. Clay and Libby had rented a house in town until their home could be built, also on the West property, and Dalton also rented a place in town.
She had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before the house would be filled with grandchildren. Already there was Gracie, Libby’s little girl, and Meredith had told Savannah the other day that she suspected Anna might be pregnant.
Savannah didn’t think much about marriage or having children. Certainly she would love to have both those things someday in her future, but knew better than to pine for something that might never be.
“Find a job you love, Savannah Marie,” her mother had often told her. “Because your job is probably all you’re going to have to fill your life.”
Shoving away her mother’s voice, she parked in front of the sprawling ranch house and before she got out of the car she flipped the rearview mirror into position so she could see her reflection.
She finger-combed her curls and checked her lipstick, then, realizing she was primping just in case Joshua was home, she frowned with irritation and snapped the mirror back into place.
No amount of finger-combing could transform her red curls into lush blond waves. No amount of primping could erase the freckles that danced across her nose or make the shape of her nose more elegant, her cheekbones more pronounced.
“You’re plain, Savannah Marie, and you might just as well accept the idea.” Her mother’s voice echoed in her ears.
She grabbed her pen and notepad and got out of the car to the raucous barks of Judd and Jessie. She took a moment to pet Charlie’s dogs, then went up to the porch and knocked on the door.
Red West greeted her, a broad smile lighting his features. He was a tall man, still fit despite his age although Meredith had told her he suffered from arthritis. He had all but retired from the family business, leaving it in his eldest son Tanner’s hands.
“Hi, Savannah. I’m afraid you’ve missed Meredith. She already left to go shopping for a dress to wear to Clay’s wedding.”
“Actually, I’m not here to see Meredith. I’d like to talk to Smokey.”
Red’s eyebrows danced upward in surprise as he gestured her inside the door. “You know where to find him.”
“Thanks.” She walked through the large living room and into the kitchen,
where Smokey sat at the kitchen table reading the morning paper.
“Too late for breakfast and too early for lunch so I can’t imagine what you’re doing here,” he said.
She sat at the table next to him and smiled brightly, hoping she could wheedle him into the interview. “How are you doing this morning, Smokey?”
“Same as I did yesterday morning, same as I probably will be doing tomorrow morning.” Smokey turned the page on the newspaper.
“I see you’re enjoying this morning’s issue of the Cotter Creek Chronicle.”
“Who says I’m enjoying it?” His grizzled eyebrows drew together in a frown.
If she hadn’t spent so much time at the West house she might have gotten her feelings hurt by Smokey’s cantankerous attitude. But she’d been around often enough to know he talked that way to almost everyone. He seemed to take perverse pleasure in being irascible.
“Actually, I’m here on behalf of the paper,” she said. “I’d like to interview you for my column on notable people in Cotter Creek.”
Smokey stared at her over the edge of the paper. “Now what in God’s creation makes you think I’d be interested in such nonsense.”
“Give her a break, Smokey.” Joshua came into the kitchen and a ridiculous wave of pleasure swept through her. He took a seat at the table opposite Savannah. “She’s had a rough couple of days.”
She flashed him a surprised, but grateful smile and tried to ignore the way the sight of him made her heart dance. “Come on, Smokey. I promise I’ll make it as painless as possible.” She tried to focus on the old man and not on Joshua, but found it impossible not to shoot surreptitious glances at the attractive cowboy.
This morning he wore a pair of jeans and a navy-blue knit shirt that clung to him in all the right places. She willed her attention back to Smokey.
He huffed a sigh and set the paper aside. “All right, but if you think you’re going to make me cry like Barbara Walters always makes people cry in her interviews, you’ve got another thing coming.”
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