Scorned Justice: The Men of Texas Rangers Series #3 (Men of the Texas Rangers)

by Margaret Daley

  “But she was married to one—a cop who died in the line of duty. Her security has been doubled.”

  “I just want this trial over with. It’s difficult at the best of times, but with Thomas hurt, and my having to commute back and forth from the ranch, I’m left with little time to think.” The chill embedded itself deep in the marrow of Rebecca’s bones.

  “This is when I wish I was back on the force. I was sitting here resting today when you were dealing with a murder in your very own house. Rebecca, I’m so sorry that this is happening to you.”

  “Thanks, Sean. I know we have deputies and rangers covering the ranch, but I still feel better knowing you’re here.”

  “How are you feeling, Dad?”

  “Yes, Sean. Any more problems with indigestion?” Rebecca sagged back against the chair, wanting to focus on something other than the trial she was overseeing.

  “Don’t you spend a second worrying about me. The ER doc said I was fine after running a ton of tests, and he’s insisted I go see my doctor.”

  “Are you going?” Brody asked.

  Hattie swung her attention to Sean, their gazes meeting. “I’m going to see that he goes to his doctor tomorrow morning. I sat and listened to him make the appointment, and I’m driving him, unless you want to.”

  “No, you’ll have a better chance of getting him there without his complaining the whole way.”

  “That’s why I volunteered for the duty.” Some of Hattie’s tension left her face.

  “You make it sound like I’m not cooperative.” Mock indignation grooved lines into Sean’s face, while a twinkle sparkled in his eyes, his attention totally centered on Hattie.

  “This Christmas you’re getting an extra-special present, Miss Hattie,” Brody said, exaggerating his Texan drawl.

  She laughed. “I’ll start making out my list.”

  Rebecca yawned, trying to stay up with the conversation, but her thoughts jumbled together in her mind until she stopped listening to what the other three were talking about. The comfort of the chair was luring her toward sleep.

  Standing, Brody held out his hand to her. “You’ve got another long day tomorrow.”

  “How did the trial go?” Sean asked, lounging back on the couch at the same time Hattie did.

  Another yawn escaped from Rebecca as she fit her hand within Brody’s. “Actually I saw some hope today. I can see the end of the tunnel.”

  “Great! That coupled with Thomas opening his eyes last night is wonderful news. This family needs to get its life back.”

  Sean chuckled. “Says the mother hen.”

  Hattie playfully jabbed him in the arm.

  “Ouch! I’m a sick man. You’ve got to be careful with me.”

  Hattie rolled her eyes while Brody tugged Rebecca to her feet.

  “We’ll leave these two to fight it out. After I walk Rebecca to her room, I’ll be checking with the security detail outside.”

  “I can walk myself to my room. I’ve been doing it for years.”

  “Humor me after the day I’ve had.”

  “The day you had? You didn’t find a dead man in your bed.”

  Brody guided Rebecca out of the den to the chuckles of the couple left in the room. “But I had to process the crime scene and start running down leads.”

  “Children, play nice,” Sean called out.

  Rebecca looked at Brody and burst out laughing. Her laughter unknotted the tense set of her shoulders and lightened the burden she’d been carrying all day.

  At the staircase, she blocked Brody’s path. “I’m going to see if Kim is still awake. Then, after I check on Aubrey, I’m going directly to my room. I really can do this by myself.”

  “Even as a young girl you used to give me grief for trying to help you.”

  She wanted to smooth the lines of worry from his face, but instead she curled her hands into fists to keep from touching him. She didn’t want to spoil their friendship. They were starting to revive it after the years apart; it was as though they had been estranged. She couldn’t risk any more than friendship with Brody. What if he’d been in the car when the bomb went off? She would be attending the funeral of another fallen officer.

  Against her better judgment, she leaned toward him and planted a peck on his cheek, quickly pulling back before it evolved into something more. “Good night.”

  She spun around and mounted the stairs to the second floor. Pausing in Kim’s doorway, she surveyed her niece’s bedroom, noting the pile of clothes on the floor, tubes of lip-gloss and eye shadow out on her dresser. Rebecca had totally disagreed with Tory about getting Kim the makeup to play with, but Thomas had given in to his wife. What next? Heels? She wanted Kim to stay a child as long as she could. There was enough time later for her to grow up. But since Tory had come into Kim’s life, she was less a tomboy and more a young girl who mimicked what Tory did. At least her niece was bonding with her stepmother. That had made her brother happy.

  In the dim light, Rebecca saw one of Kim’s eyes pop open, then quickly shut. “You can quit pretending, young lady. I know you aren’t asleep.”

  Kim sat straight up, her hair a mess about her shoulders. “I can’t sleep. Tomorrow when I come home from school, Hattie is gonna help me make the carrot cake from scratch for Rob. That’s what Hattie said. What does that mean?”

  “It isn’t going to come out of a box. You’ll put all the ingredients together. No shortcuts.”

  “Why?”

  Rebecca closed the distance between them. “Because it’s usually a lot better from scratch.”

  “Good. Then I’m glad I’m doing it that way. That’s why Hattie wanted to make it tomorrow. She said we might not have enough time before he arrives on Wednesday.”

  Rebecca sat on the bed beside Kim and tweaked her nose. “Did you recite your speech for your dad today?”

  “Yes. I’m ready to give it tomorrow.” Kim cocked her head. “When will he wake up? I miss my daddy.”

  “I miss him too, but he’s here with us. He just can’t say anything right now. His body is mending itself while he gets a lot of good rest.”

  “I’m gonna tell him tomorrow he’s had too much rest. It’s time for him to wake up.”

  “Sweetie, he will, but in his own time.” Like with the Lord, I sometimes have to wait for His timing. Not always easy. “Let me tuck you in, and, this time, go to bed.”

  As Rebecca left, she peered over her shoulder and winked at Kim, who immediately squeezed her eyes closed. Rebecca started to close the door.

  “Leave it open. I promise I’m going to sleep.”

  “Good night, honey. Love you.”

  “Love ya, Aunt Becky.”

  In the hallway Rebecca slowed her step, her heart swelling with the love she had for her nieces. Please, Lord, watch over them, and help them deal with what’s going on with their dad. And help me deal, too.

  J. R. perched on top of the ridge, with a view of some of the pastures on the Circle S Ranch as well as the house in the distance. Flattening himself against the hard, dry ground, he propped his elbows up and brought the night vision binoculars to his eyes. Not far below him, two men he’d hired over the phone crept along the fence line where a fourth of the herd was being kept. The men doused the brush with gasoline—exactly as he’d told them. The night was perfect for a little wildfire. The wind blew at about twenty miles per hour toward the main house and barn. With frightened cattle charging and trying to flee, the fence on the other side of the pasture wouldn’t hold, not with fire eating its way toward the animals.

  If the two guards didn’t move fast enough, they wouldn’t be able to get out of the way of the stampede. Collateral damage—a price they would pay for working for Thomas Sinclair.

  The glee he felt from the prospects of tonight’s work widened his grin. This plan had been years in the making, but it was worth every moment they’d had to wait.

  Revenge is sweet, especially the longer I have to savor it. Mama had the right idea
about this. I wish she was here to see all this.

  Brody stepped out onto the decking that wrapped halfway around the Sinclairs’ two-story adobe house, which blended so well with the landscape of the ranch. When he was growing up, this place had been a second home to him. After his mother walked out on him and his father, he spent many a week out here when his dad was working long hours, especially in the summers. Although Rebecca was two years younger than he and Thomas, they had hung around together a lot in those days. Before they cared about the differences between a male and a female. Before they discovered the opposite sex. That was when everything began to shift into something different, something he’d not always known how to handle.

  He lounged against the post. There was a part of him that wished things had never changed. But he knew that wasn’t really possible. Children grew up. Life changed. What didn’t in life.

  With a sigh, he went to find the ranger in charge of patrolling the grounds. Before he turned in for the night, he’d check with Jake to make sure the guards on the cattle had reported in. They were instructed to do so every thirty minutes. What Jake and his dad had set up had so far kept the cattle rustlers away. One of the two ranches Jake had finally talked to reported some losses. Other than that, nothing had happened for a couple of days. Brody hoped the rustlers had moved on to fresh territory.

  He strolled around to the yard between the house and the stables and found Ranger Dan Parker stationed there. “Quiet?”

  Parker nodded. “I heard the trial went well today. Everything okay inside?”

  “Yes, most have already gone to bed.”

  “I can imagine Judge Morgan is exhausted with all that has been happening.”

  “It was a long day, but hopefully the trial will be winding down soon. One more witness, then the defense presents its case.”

  “What case? Petrov’s wife will testify her husband was home with her, the sister of the man running everything.” Parker searched the darkness beyond the yard.

  “I imagine they’ll be emphasizing there’s no forensics to support the state’s case.”

  “The weapon was Petrov’s, a witness identified him at the scene of the crime right after it happened, and another heard the man arguing with the victim minutes before.”

  “But by the time he was brought in there was no gunpowder residue on his hands.”

  “He wore gloves, and they were never found.”

  “Maybe.” Brody lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I’m going to check with Jake. Knowing Jake, he’s still in his office.”

  “I haven’t seen him go to the bunkhouse.”

  Brody strode toward the stables, noting that some of the lights were still on. The door to Jake’s office stood ajar. When Brody entered, he found the foreman with his head down on the desk, his arms serving as a cushion. He hated waking him up, but he was sure the man hadn’t wanted to fall asleep here.

  Jostling his shoulder, Brody said, “Jake,” then louder, “Jake, wake up.”

  The foreman shot straight up, blinking his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  Brody leaned against the desk. “Nothing. I just thought you would be more comfortable sleeping in your bed.”

  “I still have another hour until one of my men comes and relieves me.”

  “When are the hands checking in again?”

  Jake glanced at the clock on his desk. “Five minutes.”

  “I take it there haven’t been any problems.”

  “No more cows are missing. It’s been peaceful.”

  “With the sheriff doubling up on patrols in this area, the rustlers would be stupid hanging around here.”

  “Yeah, but I want to give this vigilance at least another week. And even then I’ll keep the cattle close to the house even if I have to bring in more feed because they have grazed the ground bare.”

  A call came in, and Jake quickly answered. It was the team in the south pastures. As soon as he hung up the phone rang again. Replacing the receiver after listening and replying to his cowhand, he said, “East herd is okay.”

  Brody had discovered that his dad had made Kathy bring him to the ranch instead of having him stay with her. “I appreciate you not letting Dad go out with you today. He needed to rest.”

  “He didn’t give me too much of a hard time. To tell you the truth, I think he was relieved I didn’t need his help.”

  “He was up most of the night at the hospital, and although he won’t admit it, he was worried he was having another heart attack.”

  Jake grinned, tipping his chair back and resting his boots on the desk. “Miss Hattie made it easy for me. She’d already asked him to help her in the house.”

  “She did?”

  “She needed a taster. She was trying out a couple of new recipes to serve the guest Wednesday night.”

  “Rob Clark? I’d almost forgotten about him coming Wednesday. So much has happened since Rebecca asked him.” Brody shook his head. “But my dad agreeing still surprises me. He bought the food taster ploy?”

  “Not really. I think he’s sweet on Miss Hattie. I can tell she is on your dad.”

  “Yeah, you’d have to be dead not to see the glances they give each other. I never thought I would become a chaperone for those two.”

  “No, you thought you might need one for you and Rebecca.”

  Brody’s mouth dropped open. “I’m sure I didn’t hear what I thought I heard.”

  “Yes, you did. I’ve been working for the Sinclair family almost as long as Miss Hattie. I remember you as a teenager, trying to act like you didn’t care about Rebecca when it was obvious to everyone you did.”

  Not to Rebecca. “Thomas never said anything.”

  “He wouldn’t. He was rooting for you two. I never did get to ask you what happened.”

  “She got married.”

  “No, before that.”

  “It just never was the right time. We were such good friends, and we didn’t want anything to ruin that. She’d be dating someone. By the time she broke up with that guy, I was dating someone. Then Garrett came along and instead of breaking up with him, she married him.” He was better off not loving someone. He could remember how hard his dad took it when his mother left and would only talk with him through her lawyer.

  Jake glanced at the clock again. “The team in the north pasture should have reported in by now. Which shouldn’t surprise me, really. Both of them are my newest hands. Not as invested in the Circle S as the rest of us.”

  “How new?”

  Jake laughed. “You do have a suspicious mind. One was hired two years ago, and the other two and half years ago. Thomas treats his cowhands well, and they know when they have a good gig.”

  “I’m paid to be suspicious.”

  “For Rebecca’s sake, I’m glad you are, and that you’re here. Thomas would be.”

  The reminder of his friend, still lying in a hospital bed in a coma, made Brody tense up until his muscles ached. “C’mon, I’ll ride out with you to see why your two men aren’t checking in on time.”

  “No, I’ll rouse Gus from bed. He’s relieving me anyway in thirty minutes. I’ll have him take my place early, and I’ll go alone. Your job is to protect Rebecca. Mine is the ranch.”

  “But—”

  “I know these two guys. I shouldn’t have teamed them up. They get to jawing and forget the world around them.”

  “Call my cell if there’s a problem.”

  “Yes, Mr. Texas Ranger.” Jake accompanied him out of the office and went toward the bunkhouse.

  Back on the front deck, Brody looked north. It was probably nothing, but just in case, he decided to go upstairs with his binoculars and survey the area. Striding to his rented car, he popped the trunk and took out his night vision binoculars, then made his way inside and up the stairs.

  At the far end of the hallway, he switched off the overhead light and opened the blinds to check the north pastures—at least as far as these high-powered binoculars would allow. He swept the ex
panse outside the north window once, then again more slowly.

  “What’s going on?”

  He whirled around to face Rebecca, her hair finger-combed, her feet bare, her short terry cloth robe on. “Nothing. Jake hadn’t heard from the two cowhands out in the north pasture. He’s going out there to check on them. I thought I would check from here.”

  “That’s pretty far away. Did you see anything?”

  “Yeah, Jake driving the Jeep toward the area.”

  “Should I be worried?”

  Brody closed the distance between them. “No, you need to go back to bed. That’s an order.”

  She arched a brow. “Oh?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m in charge of your protection, and I’m protecting you from yourself.”

  Her laughter floated on the air. “It’s more like I need to be protected from your he-man ways.”

  He turned her around and prodded her forward. “I’ll escort you to your room.”

  “That could be dangerous for me.”

  His movements stilled. The vision of them kissing in the doorway of her bedroom days ago drenched him in a sudden sweat. He slammed the door on that picture before he could decide that kissing her once wasn’t enough. She needed her sleep. He needed his. No telling what surprises tomorrow would bring.

  At her door he leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips over her forehead. “Good night. I’ll be ready to take you to the courthouse at seven-thirty tomorrow.”

  As she went into her bedroom, he started for the stairs. Through the slats in the window at the other end of the hallway, which faced south, a glow like the sun rising streamed into the house. He ran toward the window and pulled the blinds up. He didn’t need his binoculars to know that there was a fire and, with the wind blowing from the south, that it was coming this way.

  13

  The pounding at her door brought Rebecca straight up in her bed. Brody? She whipped back the covers and snatched up her robe, tying it as she rushed toward the door. When she opened it, Brody filled her vision. The chiseled stone of his expression alerted her to his having spent another night without much sleep.