The third punch was a cross to the jaw and the hardest of the three. “This is for shooting at my lady.”
Mitchell Gibson dropped like a hog-tied steer ready for branding—or, in this case, handcuffs.
As he paused to catch his breath over his motionless adversary, he heard the voice of the woman he loved.
“Hey, Deputy, enough of that. We don’t want to be charged with police brutality, do we?”
He raised his eyes to see Desiree sitting on the hood of Jondell’s car, the rifle across her lap. She reached down to her uniform belt and tossed the cuffs his way. Virgil cuffed Mitchell Gibson, then he retrieved the two guns—both of them Bodine weapons.
He saw a head pop up at a window, heard a car door open, saw Travis running toward him. Virgil opened his arms and swept the boy close.
“It’s all right, son,” he murmured. “Lozen?” he asked Desiree.
“Broken ankle, no bullet wounds. She hid him, Virgil. She kept him safe.”
“Thank God. And thank you, Sheriff. We have the real culprit now, because you tore me off Jondell and set me on the right track.”
Desiree smiled. “Hey, I couldn’t have done it without my deputy.”
Virgil picked up his son and carried him as easily as Desiree carried Oscar.
“Are you just going to leave this man lying facedown in the mud?”
“For now?” Virgil hugged Travis, then included her in his embrace of joy. “You bet I am.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE SUN ROSE the next morning with true desert brilliance, shining brightly in the clear air left by cleansing rain. Desiree dressed in a fresh uniform. For once, she didn’t bother to tame the ridiculous curls on top of her head. She hadn’t been to bed yet, nor had Virgil. Last night had been a long one.
She’d booked the stalker for arson, mayhem, cruelty to animals, assault and attempted murder. Mitchell Gibson now awaited his lawyer. Virgil had contacted the California state police, and Chrissie Evans, the young starlet, had been questioned.
Late last night, Virgil and Desiree had exchanged information in private at the jail’s consulting room.
“He skipped bail,” Virgil had told her, “and tried to go back to Chrissie, but he’d scared her so badly by then she’d moved in with her parents and he couldn’t get at her. He promptly came out here gunning for me—through you, through Travis, even through my horse.”
“Revenge, then.”
“Makes sense—in a twisted way. I separated him from his ‘beloved.’ So he intended to do the same to me—all the while letting Jondell take the rap. He intended to unnerve me while targeting you, then kill me when I was off guard. I honestly think he would have killed the whole family, given the chance. If it wasn’t for Lozen, he would have had Travis.”
Virgil shivered, giving Desiree a perfect excuse to take him into her arms.
“Scary thought. But it’s over now.” Despite her uniform, she gave him a reassuring hug, one he gladly returned. “By the way, lawman, what made him think we were a couple?” Desiree asked curiously. “Not that we aren’t,” she whispered, pleased as he ran his fingers through her hair.
“He arrived in Phoenix on the flight before me. He was waiting at the airport, and when he saw me get into the car with you, he assumed we were an item.”
This time it was Desiree’s turn to shiver. “Crazy, mixed-up kid.”
Virgil’s lips thinned. “There seem to be a lot of them around these days. Including my own.”
To his credit, Travis Bodine had come clean about sneaking out of the house and stealing the 9 mm. He’d apologized to Virgil and Desiree.
“Thank you for telling us, son,” Virgil said. There was no long lecture, no punishment, just a hug accompanied by a thoughtful expression on Virgil’s face. “We’ll talk later.”
Travis had been returned to the ranch house and put to bed by his father. The rest of the night was filled with checking on Lozen at the local hospital, where she still remained, and getting the vet out to the Silver Dollar on an emergency call. The vet had pronounced Oscar in good shape. Onyx wasn’t out of the woods yet, but Morgan had volunteered to relieve one of the ranch hands and stay at the horse’s side. After that, Wyatt would relieve Morgan. The Silver Dollar had enough willing hands to make twenty-four-hour care for Onyx possible. At least there was hope.
It was now a new day, with fresh starts for all. Including her. Desiree finally dared to believe it. For the first time in her life, she was a woman in love.
She finished buttoning up her uniform. “Let’s pray Virgil’s horse is as tough as you, little guy,” she said aloud.
Oscar, curled up and recuperating on her bed, lifted his ears. Desiree knelt beside the bed and carefully pressed her face against an undamaged area of warm, soft fur. “I’m glad you’re okay, boy. You could have ended up like Lozen, or that poor kitten.”
Lozen was now the cheerful woman she’d apparently been before her only son died. Face glowing, she proudly told Rogelio how she’d tracked and saved Travis. Rogelio asked her to marry him, and this time she joyously consented. The doctors said her ankle would be fine, and strangely, almost miraculously, her arm had finally started to knit, as well. Lozen was taking a break from practicing medicine. She needed to heal physically and emotionally and would stay on the Silver Dollar until next summer, when Ben graduated from high school.
“I’ve been the Silver Dollar’s master of horse for over thirty years,” Rogelio said. “It’s time for me to retire.” The couple was doing well again.
For now, they looked forward to playing grandparents after Jasentha’s baby was born. Rogelio would teach Ben the paperwork end of breeding horses. Ben Cliffwalker, Jasentha’s adopted brother, would soon walk in his father’s footsteps as master of horse. It was a solution that pleased the whole family, and the Bodines, as well.
Now it was time to settle things for one member of the Hartlan family, Desiree decided as she pulled on her boots.
“Your poor tail even had a happy ending, didn’t it?” She grimaced comically at the pun. “Too bad things aren’t so easy for Virgil and Travis,” she said. “These Bodine men are too stubborn for their own good.”
Oscar cautiously wagged his bandaged tail, then yawned and recurled himself.
“Go back to sleep, lazybones. I have to go into the office for a while, then it’s time for personal business. Be a good boy. Keep your paws crossed for me, okay?”
Oscar moaned in contentment and closed his eyes. She scratched behind his ears for comfort as well as courage and then left.
The sky was a brilliant turquoise blue, the sun an affectionate friend after yesterday’s deluge. Desiree rode into town. A rested Pearl Drop seemed unaffected by last night’s events and handled the muddy trails much more easily than Desiree could have driven them.
“I’m getting used to having you around, girl,” she said, patting the soft neck with its carefully trimmed ridge of hair. “We’ll grow our manes out together, okay?”
Encouraged by Desiree’s friendly voice, the mare kicked herself into a relaxed canter, and they rode toward the small holding area for the sheriff’s horses at the O.K. Corral.
Desiree had just finished corralling Pearl Drop and removing her tack when Virgil came out of the office. She waved but received no answering wave, just a nod. There were some papers in his hands—and she saw he wasn’t in uniform. That didn’t surprise her, but his being in town did.
“I thought you’d be home with Travis and Onyx,” she said, noting that the rainstorm had left the trough filled with clean water. She turned her back on the horse to face her man.
“Had some business to take care of.” He raised the papers, but held on to them. “Come on. Let’s walk over to the museum area.”
“Sure.” Desiree gave Pearl Drop one last rub, then slid out between the planks of the holding pen to join Virgil. Side by side, they walked into the historic walled area of the O.K. Corral with its life-size representations of the
Earp brothers, Doc Holliday and their opponents at the infamous Tombstone shoot-out.
There was no place to sit. They stood in the middle of the dioramas, Virgil’s namesake standing guard over the soil that had been the triumphant battleground for law and order.
“First, I want to tender my resignation.” Virgil handed Desiree a sheet of paper.
Desiree took it, noting Virgil’s bold signature on the bottom of the page. “I’ll miss you,” she said, meaning every word. “But I do understand. Travis needs you.”
“I’ll miss the work—and this, too.” He slowly took in the area, the dioramas, C. S. Fly’s famous photography studio, the antique carriages and stagecoaches housed in corrals just as they’d been more than a century ago. “But I can’t shuttle back and forth to work and be a full-time father, too. Travis needs much more of my time. He needs his mother, too.”
She carefully folded Virgil’s resignation in half, then in half again. “Don’t be so hard on her, Virgil. Not everyone is a natural parent the way Caro is—or you. I love kids, but I’ve always loved to work.”
“So does his mother,” Virgil said.
“Her job prevents her from handling the day-today chores of child rearing. I’m just sorry you have to be the parent to give up your dreams—again.”
Virgil raised his eyebrows at that. “Don’t feel sorry for me, Desiree. No one twisted my arm.”
“But becoming a doctor...staying a lawman...”
“Family is everything. First Wyatt and Morgan, now my son. Family comes first. My mistake was in thinking that May and I could both work and Travis wouldn’t suffer.”
“Many kids don’t.”
“Yes, but Travis isn’t just any kid. When I heard how he stole that gun and went out into the storm after Gibson...” Virgil shuddered. “I thank God it wasn’t any worse. We were all very lucky. I’m damn grateful to get a second chance with Travis. I’m determined to do right by him.”
Desiree’s admiration and respect for Virgil brought a lump to her throat. How many other men could so bravely, so cheerfully, go about their duty? It made her love him even more. “What will you do?” she asked.
“Take Travis home to California. Try to get him back into his former routine. Get us all into family counseling. May and I have talked—really talked. She’s going to go on hiatus after this movie. I wanted a child, she didn’t, but she wanted me to have my wish. Foolish reasoning.” He shook his head. “Thought it was all worked out.”
“You’re both braver than I am.” I couldn’t handle children right now. Though maybe someday it’ll feel right—if the right man still loves me.
“It’s time to face facts. We forgot to include Travis in the equation. The big problem is, he doesn’t want me. He wants her.” His strong voice trembled ever so slightly.
But I want you. Desiree reached for his hands. “That doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you, Virgil. It’s not even a question of want. It’s a question of need. He’ll love you even more for looking out for those needs. This phase won’t last forever.”
“That’s what May said.”
“Quite a... mature attitude,” she murmured.
“She’s finally taking a bigger part in Travis’s life. She’s moving into the L.A. house and intends to take care of Travis full-time when he’s in school.”
“Where...where will you live?”
“Right here in Tombstone. Travis will join me when he’s off-track. She gets him two months, when she can work in the studios during the day while he’s in school. She has enough box-office draw to demand shorter workdays. I get him the month he’s out and needs daily supervision. May will do her location work then. That way, we all get most of what we want. The three of us feel it’s a good solution. Especially Travis.”
“So you’re not here to say goodbye?” she ventured to ask.
“Hell, no!” He looked insulted that she’d suggest such a thing. “I need to start looking after myself, my needs, too. Even May sees that. That means I’m staying here to court you. Love you. Do marriage right the second time around. And advise you on the job, whenever you need me. If...you’ll let me.”
She didn’t leave him in any doubt as to her answer. “I’d like that,” she said softly. I think I’m going to like your ex-wife, too. Strange, though, that Virgil didn’t seem overjoyed with her response.
“Don’t answer so quickly,” he said. “There’s more you need to know. Speaking of second chances...”
“What’s wrong?” Oh, I krww. “Are you still upset that I have your job?” That might put a damper on a marriage....
“No, I have other irons in the fire. And so do you.” He handed her a second sheet of paper, a fax. “It came in this morning. From Phoenix.”
Desiree scanned the fax. “Did you read this?” she asked, incredulous.
“Yes, I did. Congratulations, Counselor. Looks like you’re back with the bar.”
The suit filed by Jondell’s wife would not make it to court. The state bar association had taken Desiree off probation, and, although she had no guarantee that she’d be reinstated at the D.A.’s office, her right to practice law in Arizona was no longer in doubt.
Desiree read the paper twice. Then, as she’d done with Virgil’s resignation letter before it, she folded it carefully into quarters. She shoved them both in her pocket.
“Thanks, Virgil. I guess I’ve been pretty lucky, too.”
“So, feel any urges to leave?” Virgil’s hands were shoved deep into his jeans pockets. His jaw was tense, his eyes narrowed. “Travis always liked big-city life, you know. He could easily adjust to Phoenix.”
Desiree grinned at his blatant hints. “Maybe, but I’ll be staying on as sheriff. I’ve decided to use my law degree and this position as a springboard into human rights.”
“Really?” Virgil sounded twenty years younger.
“Yes, sir.”
“Are we talking politics here?”
“I hope not. But the bounty hunter situation in Arizona is dangerous,” Desiree said. “They don’t even have to be trained or certified! The handgun laws in this state are almost as bad. No one but trained lawmen should be allowed to carry an unconcealed weapon in public. And Tent City...” Desiree shook her head. “Tent City is a disgrace to humanity. Men are dying of the heat out there in the desert. The Earps treated their incarcerated with dignity and respect. It’s time the state of Arizona did the same. I have to try to make a difference.”
“I approve.” He drew her tight against his chest.
“Approval? Is that all I get?”
His lips met hers for a long kiss that made the O.K. Corral seem like a paradise instead of a former battlefield.
“That’s all the approval you get for now,” he murmured. “You’re in uniform. And in public.”
“Coward,” she teased, but she allowed him to pull back from her. He did keep a tight grip on her hands.
“We still have some loose ends to tie up,” he said. “How’s your friend?”
Desiree smiled. “Linda called last night and talked to Caro. She’s coming back to Arizona next month. She’s doing well, and her therapist thinks she’s ready to go to work again, part-time, anyway. Remember I told you she’s a syndicated newspaper columnist? Well, she wants to plug loopholes so criminals like Jondell don’t walk free.”
“What set him off in the first place? I find it hard to believe Jondell beat up Linda over a parking space. Yes, I know it’s happened before, but Jondell doesn’t seem the type.”
“You’re one clever deputy, and right as usual. Jondell’s attack on Linda was premeditated. One of her ‘Wisdom for Women’ columns dealt with a push to change screening laws for workplaces. Right now, we have the right to question would-be workers on their penal history. However, psychiatric history is considered medical information and exempt. Linda was pushing for laws that would make violent mental patients obligated to reveal that history, as well.”
“That’s a touchy subject to tackle.”<
br />
“Yes, and even more so for Jondell, who has a psychiatric history and has battered girlfriends in the past.”
“How did you find that out?” Virgil asked.
“I heard it from Lozen. Jondell told her last night. I guess they had time to talk while they waited for the ambulance. He wants to leave Tombstone and get back into counseling. He hopes to be reunited with his family someday.”
“What about Linda?”
“When she and her doctors think she’s strong enough, she wants to keep fighting for victims’ rights. I’m hoping the two of us can help the victims and the criminals.”
“Men like Jondell need more than stifling tents to become rehabilitated,” Virgil agreed. “But there’s hope for him. He’s doing more than just getting counseling again. I meant to tell you—he’s decided to check himself into a psychiatric hospital. He says you and Lozen inspired him.”
“I’m glad something did,” Desiree said, meaning every word. “It won’t help Linda, but maybe there’s hope for other women who might have become his victims.”
“You know what?” Virgil tightened his hold on her hands. “I wish I’d voted for you for sheriff.”
Come on, Virgil Earp Bodine, enough business, already! Time to get down to personal matters.
“One last thing,” he said.
Her heart beat faster with anticipation. “Yes?”
“I want you to have something. It’s mine, but I want you to own it instead.”
She wrinkled her brow, confused. I was hoping for an engagement ring. Or at least an engagement kiss! You told me you dove me. Is that as far as it goes?
“Close your eyes and hold out your hand,” he said.
She did. In her palm he carefully placed a vintage sheriffs badge. This wasn’t an embroidered-on-cloth version like hers. It was the real thing, a five-pointed tarnished tin star surrounded by a circle. Engraved on the front, the worn inscription simply read Sheriff.
She lifted her eyes to his. “It’s very old,” she said in awe.
She's The Sheriff (Superromance Series No 787) Page 23