by K. J. Dahlen
A Different Kind of Valentine
Witness
K.J. Dahlen
The Prize
C.L. Kraemer
Crazy 'bout You
Clay Renick
Time Changes
Nicolette Zamora
Published by Rogue Phoenix Press
Copyright © 2009
ISBN: 978-0-9842211-5-8
Electronic rights reserved by Rogue Phoenix Press, all other rights reserved by the authors. The reproduction or other use of any part of this publication without the prior written consent of the rights holder is an infringement of the copyright law. This is a work of fiction. People and locations, even those with real names, have been fictionalized for the purposes of these stories.
Witness
K.J. Dahlen
Chapter One
Colton glanced out from under the rim of his Stetson hat as his horse picked his way through the snow storm. His slicker kept him relatively dry, but the air was saturated with dampness. Colton gazed at the darkened sky frown wrinkles creasing his forehead. After such a dry summer and fall all this snow wasn’t doing anyone any good. The ground wasn’t frozen enough to allow the snow to stay. A couple of days and the snow would melt and leave behind a mess of mud and mire unless the temperatures dropped drastically.
Colton had been working this morning checking line fences. His ranch was home to about one hundred fifty cattle. He was out checking his fences to make sure his cattle stayed within the boundaries of his property. There was a chill in the air. Glancing at the skies he knew the storm wasn’t over yet. Winter could be harsh in Minnesota but it wasn’t here yet. This, he knew, was only the beginning; even though it was December he knew January and February could be worse.
He nudged his horse to the edge of the creek watching the waters as they swirled and rushed past him. He saw ice crusting around the edges, but with the depth of the creek and the fast paced current, the creek wouldn’t freeze until much later in the season. Because of the dry summer and fall the water level was down and Colton was worried. This stream weaved its way all over the property. His cattle needed the water it provided to survive. From the corner of his eye he caught the sight of something that didn’t belong in the water. It was a small shoe. Colton frowned and slid off his horse. Reaching into the water he grabbed the shoe and hauled it out of the river. Looking at it, he found it was a woman’s tennis shoe. Colton glanced around but didn’t find anything else in or around the water that didn’t belong there. Grabbing the reins of his horse he began walking upstream. Around the bend of the stream he found the wreckage of a car that had come off the road above the creek. The car had come to a sudden stop against a tree beside the water. The car was a small dark blue sedan and the driver’s side bumper was crumpled as it rested against the clump of trees. Colton could also see some damage to the back passenger side panels. He wasn’t sure what caused the damage in the back but could hazard a guess. He quickly glanced up the embankment and found a slight indent of the path down the hill the car took. Snow had covered some of the indent and that told him the accident happened sometime during the night. One of the doors was open and there was a young woman slumped in the front seat.
Colton made his way over to the car and checked the woman’s condition. She had a nasty cut on her forehead and when he touched her neck for a pulse, she frowned and tried to stir but couldn’t. Her skin was pale except for the cut on her forehead. He glanced at the windshield and found a spot where her head met the windshield. The oval impact area was marked by a spider web effect in the safety glass. Her skin was cold and damp and Colton knew he couldn’t leave her here. Another couple of hours and she could freeze to death. She was dressed in black jeans and a blue sweater but she wasn’t wearing a jacket. He glanced down at her feet and found she was only wearing one shoe. How she lost the other shoe in the creek was anybody’s guess. All he knew was her body temperature was dangerously low and she needed his help.
He gathered her into his arms and carried her over to his horse. She wasn’t very big and she didn’t weigh more than a hay bale. He lifted her easily. Knowing he had to get her warm in a hurry, he draped her in front of the saddle then mounted his horse and adjusted her body to fit the curve of his own. When he thought she was secure, he gathered the reins and turned his horse toward home.
He led the horse to a two-story farmhouse that had been standing there for almost a hundred years. It wasn’t until he carried her to the house she began to waken. She groaned and fought against his hold. Colton had to tighten his grip or drop her, and that’s when she pushed against him harder. He tightened his hold. Opening the back door he walked through the kitchen and living room to his bedroom and laid her gently on the bed. He turned to look at the fireplace in the corner of the room and found the embers of the fire he built last night were nothing more than a few glowing embers. He quickly added a few more pieces of wood and soon the fire was burning again.
He turned back to his guest to assess the situation. Knowing he had to get her warm again he covered her up with a heavy quilt then he went to the bathroom for a washcloth. Her forehead had dried blood caked around the cut, and he needed to see how badly she was hurt. When he came back, she hadn’t moved.
Her hair was a deep shade of red and pulled back into a ponytail. Colton couldn’t see how long it was; the tail part of it was tucked behind her back. With her eyes closed he couldn’t see what color they were but he’d bet they were green. Her face was heart shaped and her face was pale. He began bathing the bruise. Gently cleaning the dried blood away he found the cut wasn’t as bad as it could have been. When the cut began bleeding again, he stopped and applied pressure to stop the bleeding.
She groaned and tried to turn away but he wouldn’t let her. She tried to open her eyes but the effort was too much for her. Colton decided to let her rest. He went outside to take care of his horse.
Half an hour later as he was walking from the barn he paused and watched as a dark blue car drove up his driveway. He’d recognized the car immediately as belonging to Sheriff Grayson Trainer. Grayson stopped his vehicle beside Colton and stepped from the car. Grayson was a shorter man than Colton, but he considered himself a better man because he wore the uniform of sheriff.
Leaning against the car he nodded to Colton and pushed back the hat on his head. His blonde hair was cut short. His eyes were hidden behind aviator’s sunglasses. His face was tanned from being outdoors all day long. "Good morning Colton."
Colton nodded but didn’t return the greeting. "What can I do for you Grayson?" Colton asked politely. Grayson had reminded him on earlier occasions that he preferred to be called Sheriff, and Colton knew it but he refused to give him the prestige that came with the office. He didn’t like Grayson and Grayson knew it. The two men had grown up in the same town and theirs was a long time dislike of each other. Colton considered Grayson a bully and over the years that hadn’t changed.
Grayson’s lips tightened for a moment. His hands twitched briefly as if they wanted to curl into fists. Grayson held his breath then exhaled deeply as he remembered what he came for. "I received a bulletin from the police over in Coven Glade. I was asked to let all the area farmers know about it. The police asked me to be on the lookout for a woman. She would be a stranger to these parts, and she’s wanted for questioning regarding a murder." Grayson stood and adjusted his belt. He brushed his hand over the butt of his gun and watched as Colton’s eyes were drawn to his weapon.
Coven Glade was a good ninety miles away, but it was the closest big city around. While most of the immediate area was farmland, the neare
st small town was Benton, population 753. Benton wasn’t very big but it sported a post office and several small shops and a couple of bars. You could get a haircut in Benton and get a screwdriver at the local hardware shop, but for any big purchases or a week’s worth of groceries most of the local people went to Coven Glade.
Colton thought about the woman he had rescued, but he kept his thoughts to himself. "Sorry, I haven’t seen anybody around here."
Grayson took off his sunglasses and glared at him. "If you see anyone you don’t recognize, call me immediately. This woman would just as soon shoot you as look at you." His eyes narrowed and he looked as if he wouldn't mind doing that himself.
Colton raised an eyebrow. He knew the idea of shooting him had given the other man some hint of pleasure. "Why is that?"
"Like I said, she’s wanted for questioning in a murder investigation. She’s armed and wouldn’t hesitate to shoot to get away. She’s also wanted for ripping off drugs and money from the crime scene." Colton got the feeling Grayson tried to make the woman out to be more than she was to shock him into helping find her.
Colton’s expression didn’t change. He simply looked at Grayson, waiting for the other man to finish his business and leave. "What’s this dangerous woman’s name? What does she look like, in case I run into her I mean?"
Grayson’s hand brushed against his gun. He looked as if he wanted to smash something. Taking a deep breath he told Colton, "She’s a small woman with dark red hair and her name is Betty Morgan. That’s all I can tell you right now." Grayson got back into his car. He glared at Colton through the window as he put his sunglasses back on. "If you see her, make sure you call me. Like I said before she’s a dangerous woman, and I know how to deal with the likes of her. That is my job, dealing with criminals, you know."
Colton simply looked at him. He watched as Grayson’s car drove down the long driveway. When he turned right onto the highway, Colton glanced toward the house. He didn’t want to think about what Grayson would have done if he had told him about the woman he rescued this morning. He realized he might be harboring a criminal, but he needed more information from her before he would decide what to do with her.
Colton climbed the steps of the house and strode inside. The wind had picked up. It was blowing the cold in from the north and Colton could feel the bite of it. He had a feeling the temperatures would drop soon bringing with it more snow tonight. It wasn’t the time to get caught outside.
Colton checked the wood-burning stove, adding a couple more chunks of wood before he glanced at the partially closed bedroom door. He knew he should check on his inconvenient visitor to make sure she was all right, but when he opened the door, he found the bed empty.
He stepped further into the room. Panic set in when he didn’t find her right away. He glanced over at the window, but the window was closed against the cold outside. He went around the far side of the bed and found her there. She was lying on the floor tangled in the quilt. She was unconscious and her head wound had started bleeding again.
Colton picked her up and carefully carried her over to the bed. He laid her on the bed. She groaned and tried to push him away from her, but she didn’t have the strength to put up much of a fight. She tried to get up again but couldn’t. She fell back against the covers and tears fell down her cheeks as she whispered "Ian."
Colton frowned. She didn’t seem like the murderer Grayson said she was. He could see a gentleness in her that didn’t fit with the type of person Grayson Trainer told him she was. He hadn’t quite figured her out. He laid the back of his hand on her face and noted her skin was still cold to the touch. He frowned when she turned her face into the curve of his hand. He got up to get her another quilt. When he wrapped it around her, he watched as she snuggled down into its warmth. Cole watched her. He couldn’t help but wonder what happened last night that brought her into his world. Was it fate that brought her to him or was it something else? Doubt slipped into his mind when he remembered Grayson’s warning. This woman was wanted for possibly drug dealing and murder. From his point of view something just didn’t add up.
Colton moved over to the chair watching her sleep for a while. There were too many questions that needed answers--he was determined to get them before he decided what to do with her. He got up to put some more wood on the fire. When it was crackling again he glanced at the window. The wind was still blowing hard. It was blowing the snow around outside and Colton knew this woman had been very lucky to be found when she was. She would have frozen to death.
Chapter Two
She was finally getting warm. When she realized she wasn’t trapped in her car but wrapped up in a warm quilt, she tried to open her eyes. Her head hurt like the very devil, but she knew she had to wake up.
At first she couldn’t focus. Everything around her was fuzzy. Feeling a moment of anxiousness she closed her eyes then opened them again. Panic set in when she didn’t recognize the room she was in. Nothing around her was familiar, not even the quilt giving her warmth. She struggled to sit up. The movement caused her head to throb. Loosening the braid to ease the pain, she fought back the urge to throw up. When the room finally quit spinning, she glanced around slowly. The room looked like it belonged to a man. She could see the wardrobe in the corner of the room. The doors didn’t quite close; there was a red flannel shirt hanging over the top of the door. A couple pairs of well-worn boots decorated the floor beside the wardrobe as well as a pair of dress boots. In the corner of the room there was a washbasin, a large pitcher for water and on one of the corners of the stand was a cowboy hat. The rest of the room reminded her of a motel room. There was a dresser, a nightstand but no mementos anywhere in sight. There were no photographs of family. The bed she was laying in was a brass bed. The four corners were topped with finials. The elaborate designs between the posts didn’t really fit with the rest of the room. The bed looked feminine in an otherwise masculine room. The pillows and bedding smelled fresh and clean. The bed had been made this morning. She was lying on top of the covers. The quilts on top of her looked handmade. Smoothing the top of the quilts with her hand, she admired the careful stitching. She glanced over at the window. Snow was blowing around in the wind. She guessed it was cold outside but the window was tight, keeping the cold outside. She heard the wind howl, but it was nothing compared to the fear inside her. She had no idea where she was.
Light shone from the other side of the door that was cracked open. She pushed back the quilt to investigate. Swinging her feet over the side of the bed, she tried to stand. For a brief time she was dizzy. Her legs were weak but after a moment she steadied herself and walked to the door. Peeking out through the crack of the door, she could see a cozy living room. Beyond the living room she saw the kitchen. The roaring fire in the living room offered warmth and lit up the corner of the room. There was a sofa. A rocking chair faced the fire. She could see a small TV in the corner of the room, not turned on. In the silence of the house she could hear someone moving around, but she couldn’t tell who it might be. Her stomach growled at the great smells coming from the kitchen, but she tried to ignore her hunger until she knew more about the situation.
Then he came into her line of sight. He was tall and dark haired. Dressed in blue jeans and a red flannel shirt he was cooking something on the stove. She wished he would turn around so she could see his face.
As if he heard her silent request, the man stiffened, slowly turning to face the bedroom door. She backed away for a moment, but didn’t take her eyes off the figure in front of her.
His face was lean and long but he had a strong jaw line. He was clean-shaven, tanned from working out in the sun all day long. He had a small cleft in his chin. His eyes, though, held her attention. They were blue.
From where she was she could tell he meant her no harm. His face looked kind but she could be wrong. For a brief second she saw another face in her mind, but before she could remember the face completely it was gone. She took a deep breath and decided to face the
man out there. Much as she wanted to, she couldn’t stay hidden forever.
Slowly she opened the door limping out of the darkened bedroom. She was still weak so she couldn’t move very fast or very far but when he saw her, he rushed to her side to help her to the nearest chair. It was the rocking chair in front of the fireplace. She smiled slightly as she sat down. She couldn’t look at him so she kept her face tipped downward.
~ * ~
Colton grabbed an afghan from the couch and spread it out over her legs. When he had touched her arm, her skin still felt cool to the touch. He glanced at her bowed head and frowned. He sat down beside her on the sofa. Staring at the fireplace for a moment, he found he was at a loss as to how to proceed. There were dozens of questions he needed answers for, but she seemed different somehow now that she was awake.