“I’ll take care of the windows downstairs while you do the upstairs.”
T.J. met Chloe back in the foyer five minutes later.
“Aaron’s bedroom is a mess. That’s unusual. Mary told me he’s neater than she is.”
He shook his head. “I knew on the trip to the San Antonio hospital that something was wrong with Aaron. I should have pressured him to talk.”
“He wasn’t ready. He’s in trouble now and will have to face the consequences. It could be jail time, depending on what the police and DA discover.” Chloe snapped her fingers. “I almost forgot. The other guard got a call. The German shepherd will be okay. The second guard will get another dog and return soon. I suggest we keep two patrolling outside and also that wooded area across the ranch road.”
“Agreed. I’ll make the arrangement with the agency to double up. I’m hoping Lenny will be found soon and this will all end.”
“Maybe for us, but not for Mary, Aaron and Paul.”
T.J. started to step toward her but stopped himself. It shouldn’t be long before this assignment was over. Until then he needed to rein in his feelings for Chloe. Afterward, he had decisions to make. He was falling for her again, but then, he had nine years ago and neither of them had been able to make the commitment to the other. He didn’t want to go through that again.
* * *
“I thought you were taking a nap,” Chloe said when she entered the kitchen and found Mary staring into her mug in front of her on the table.
“I can’t. I don’t think I got two hours’ sleep last night. I keep waiting—praying for the phone to ring and the sheriff to tell us the person who’s been doing this has been caught.”
Chloe eased into the chair across from Mary. “It’s only been twenty-four hours. No one knows where Bo Moore or his truck is. The sheriff talked with Bo’s brother in Phoenix, and he wasn’t due to show up for the new job for another week, so Bo told his brother he would hang around here a few more days with some of his friends.”
“Did the sheriff talk with his friends?”
“Yes and they haven’t seen him in over a day. He’d mentioned to one of them he had an opportunity to make a little cash before he left for Arizona.”
Mary’s eyes widened.
“Don’t worry. The sheriff has everyone looking for him and his pickup. It’s been on the news in this county and the surrounding ones.”
“I hope something gives soon. Look at me.” Mary held her trembling hand out flat. “I’ve prayed and prayed. Paul has and even Aaron joined us last night.” She made a fist that shook, too. “Then we have to deal with what our son has done.”
“Did you call your lawyer this morning?”
“Yes, and he’ll be here this evening to talk to Aaron and us.” She laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “We go around the country talking about taking back our communities and not tolerating violence. How can we do that with what Aaron set in motion? What kind of authority are we now?”
“I never got the feeling from your message you were speaking from a place of authority. More from a place of concern for the type of future we’ll leave our children. You’re a parent. You have a right to talk about that. I hope more will start being concerned about where our future is going and take a stand.”
Tears in her eyes, Mary swallowed over and over. “I’ve cried so much in the past week. In the middle of this, about all I can really do is turn it over to the Lord. I can’t function on two hours of sleep a night. I’ve got to find a way to push this worry away and keep my eye on God. This has been my biggest test. I tell people to do that, and now I’m struggling to keep my focus on the Lord myself.”
“Because it isn’t easy. It can be one of the most difficult things a person does in the midst of a crisis. Let the worry go. I’ve done my fair share of worrying over the years, and I’m sure I will in the future. We want to control everything, and we worry when we can’t.”
“Thanks.” Mary tried to smile while a wet tear coursed down her face. “I need to listen to the advice I’ve given others.” She swiped her hand across her cheeks. “I’m not the type of person to have a pity party. Let’s talk about something other than my situation.” This time one corner of her mouth lifted. “What’s going on between you and T.J.?”
Had Aaron said something to his mother about the kiss she and T.J. shared last night? “What do you mean?” she finally said while trying to decide how to handle this conversation.
“I’ve seen how you look at T.J. Not often, but every once in a while. I may have missed the signals my son was sending me, but I think you care about T.J.—more than just as a partner. Am I right?”
Chloe stared into Mary’s understanding eyes and knew she could trust the woman with her emotions, which seesawed between committing herself to T.J. and seeing if they could work out as a couple and cutting her losses and making a change in her life that she’d been thinking about for months.
“Yes, but it’s complicated.”
“Love often is.”
Love? She wanted to deny that, but the words wouldn’t come out. “I grew up in a family with a father who was rarely around. I saw what it did to my mother. He broke her heart. I vowed that I would come first in a man’s life—first before a job—but then I fell in love with T.J. nine years ago. I knew I shouldn’t and I was right. He got a promotion and moved to Washington, D.C.”
“He just picked up and left without talking to you about it?”
“Well, no. He wanted me to follow him after my mother was better. For me to leave my job and my mother, who had just recovered from cancer, I couldn’t. What if it hadn’t worked out? What if...”
Mary covered Chloe’s hand on the table. “We can’t predict the future. All we can do is believe in the Lord and trust Him to lead us in the right direction. If you aren’t ready to commit to T.J. one hundred percent, then you shouldn’t. But don’t try second-guessing what might happen in the future. I never in my wildest dream thought what my family is going through would happen. And I’m glad I didn’t know ahead of time. I would have spent all that time worrying. Worrying doesn’t change the situation and often compounds it. When you became an adult, what did you see your future as?”
“I wanted to be a wife and mother.”
“In spite of what happened to your parents?”
“I love children. It was a dream I had since I was a young teenager. It wasn’t until I was seventeen that I really saw what was going on with my mother and father. She’d tried to shield me from her problems, but when my father took back-to-back assignments so he would be gone much longer from home, she fell apart. From then on, I was who she confided in.”
“That’s quite a burden for a teenager.”
“She needed me. I had to be there for her.”
“Yes, but you are not your mother and your situation isn’t the same.”
Uncertain about what to think anymore, Chloe rose. “I’m not so sure.”
“Pray, Chloe. Talk to the Lord.”
Chloe started to say something, but the sound of someone approaching the room filtered through her confusion. She swallowed back the words.
T.J. walked into the kitchen, holding his cell phone to his ear. “Thanks for letting us know. I’ll pass the information on to Paul and Mary.”
When he hung up and looked at them, Chloe knew the news wasn’t good. Although his expression showed little emotion, the taut lines of his body conveyed a different impression.
“That was Sheriff Landon. They found Bo Moore in his pickup in a lake. A rifle was in the cab with him.”
THIRTEEN
“Is it over?” Mary massaged her temples.
“No. Moore may be responsible for the shooting earlier, but we have no reason behind the attack. Lenny Woods is still out there.” T.J. slipped
his cell phone into his pocket. “I’m going to let Paul know. At least we probably won’t have someone out there shooting at us, and the sheriff said the Houston police have a lead on where Lenny is—the hospital. Apparently he got into a fight two days ago and ended up shot.”
“Will he recover?” Chloe rolled her knotted shoulders, then kneaded her fingers into her nape. At least some answers were falling into place.
“The sheriff didn’t have all the details, but he’s coming by later to talk with Aaron. I told him your lawyer would arrive at six, so he’ll be here then. Maybe he’ll have more information for us at that time.”
“How did he end up in a lake?” Something bothered Chloe about that, but she didn’t know what.
“From what little the sheriff could figure out, Moore lost control of his truck.”
“Were there any witnesses?” Chloe crossed to the pot of coffee on the stove and poured a mugful.
“No. A passerby from the road saw the rear end barely sticking out of the water early this morning.”
Mary took her teacup to the sink. “All this discussion has tired me out. I’m going to see if I can sleep some before the lawyer and sheriff come. Vickie thought she would prepare some sandwiches and buffet-type food, so if Sheriff Landon and Henry Calvin want to have something to eat, they can. No telling how long all of this will take tonight.” Hugging her arms to her, she shivered. “But this meeting will have far-reaching consequences for Aaron and for all of us.”
When Mary had disappeared down the hall, T.J. grabbed a cup of coffee, too. “She looks exhausted.”
“She’s not sleeping.”
“Paul isn’t, either.”
“Where is he?”
“With Aaron, in his office. Aaron is writing down everything he remembers surrounding hiring Lenny to cause trouble on the speaking tour.”
“Where did Aaron get that kind of cash?”
“He worked last summer and had it in his saving account. He’s finally telling his dad how unhappy he’s been at Bethany Academy. I decided to leave them alone. I think Aaron will talk more freely without me in the office.”
“A breakdown in communication can destroy a relationship. I’m glad to see them finally talking.”
“Like you and me?”
Chloe tilted her head and studied him a moment. “Yes. We should have talked more in the past. I think, though, we were in two different places in our lives.” And she was beginning to feel they were in two different places now. Talking to Mary over the course of this assignment, as well as just a few minutes ago, Chloe realized she wanted more from life than what she had. She wanted roots and a family. She didn’t want a husband wrapped up in his job. Look at what was happening to the Zimmermans because their work took over their lives. “Some people are meant only to be friends.”
His look sliced through her. “Us?”
“You’re looking at going into business with Kyra and expanding it. That’s going to require a lot of time and work. I’m looking at simplifying my life. I’ve realized I haven’t read a good book in years because I’m always working. I have an apartment in Dallas, but no pets because I’m always gone. In fact, my place doesn’t feel like a home. It means no more to me than a hotel room. I’ve been thinking about what Mary and Paul say about considering what’s really important in life. Is it money? Is it possessions? What rules your life? At the moment, my job rules mine and I’m finding out that’s not what I want. I want more.” Chloe started for the back door. “I’m going to walk around the house. I need some fresh air, and I want to make sure everyone is doing what they need to.”
T.J. called out to her as she left, but she kept going. She needed a change. She wasn’t sure what she would do, but she needed something different.
* * *
Chloe opened the front door to let the Zimmermans’ attorney, Mr. Calvin, into the house that evening. She noticed that the sheriff was pulling up. “The family is in the living room. Go on in. Sheriff Landon has arrived. I’ll wait for him.”
Passing the lawyer in the entrance into the room, T.J. approached her with a determined expression on his face. She’d been avoiding him the whole afternoon. For the past half a year, she’d been dissatisfied with what she was doing. She’d always love helping people feel safe, but not this way. She’d dodged one too many bullets.
Instead of staying inside, she moved out onto the verandah as the sheriff headed toward the house. The smile on the man’s face prompted her to ask, “Do you have good news?”
“Yep.” The sheriff’s gaze shifted to a place behind her. “The Houston police found Lenny Woods getting ready to leave the hospital. They took him down to the station and are questioning him now. The detective will call me with any additional information after the interrogation. They searched his place and found a few hundred dollars, which fits what Aaron said. Also they found a burner phone with half a dozen messages on it from the teen. The last one was a plea to stop what he was doing before he killed someone.”
Chloe stepped to the side, spying T.J. behind her. “Come in. They’re in the living room. Your news isn’t going to get Aaron off the hook, but it will help his case.”
Her gaze latched on to T.J.’s as he entered the house. She started across the foyer.
T.J. blocked her. “We need to talk.”
“About what? Leaving the ranch?”
“No. About us. You’re doing exactly what you did nine years ago. I think we have a chance as a couple, but I sense you’re backing away from me. What do you want from me? I’ve moved to Dallas. I’m going to be doing what you’re doing.”
“Is this why you came to Dallas? To see if you and I could make a second go of it?”
Fury hardened his features. “Yes. I didn’t realize it, but it was the reason I came here. I could have moved anywhere and made a fresh start. I chose here because we did have something special once—enough that you spoiled me for any other woman.”
Her eyes blinked wide. “I did? Don’t blame that on me.” She pushed past him and marched across the foyer to plant herself in the entrance into the living room. She clenched her hands so hard pain spread up her arms. This wasn’t the time to make that important decision she’d talked with Mary about earlier.
T.J. joined her, leaning close to her ear. “You’re scared. You think I’ll be like your father—an absentee husband. I’m not your father. If I make a commitment, I put my whole self into it.”
She turned her head slightly. “As you did your job all these years?” Before he could reply, she put her finger to her lips and said, “Shh.” She couldn’t deal with this now.
T.J. lounged against the opposite doorjamb with a look of thunder on his face.
With T.J. feet from her, Chloe had a hard time focusing on the interview between the sheriff and Aaron. Sheriff Landon finished walking the teen through what he’d done to procure Lenny Woods’s services and why. Paul sat on one side of his son while Mary was on the other. She could imagine what was going through their minds as they listened again to their son explain he’d needed more from his parents and had gone about getting it the wrong way. So much of what Aaron said reminded Chloe of how she’d felt as a teenager, especially toward her father.
At the end of the interview Sheriff Landon said, “After I was notified about Lenny Woods being taken into custody in Houston, I called Detective Matthews. Tomorrow he’s driving to Houston to interrogate Woods and arrange for the man to be transported to Dallas. He wanted to know if I felt y’all were out of danger. I told him yes. We had a few loose ends to tie up, but it appeared the two perpetrators involved have been accounted for.”
“Did you ever find Dave Cutter?” Chloe asked, wondering where the man had gone.
“He left because his divorced wife was closing in on him for child support. He’s disappeared again.” The sheriff shook his
head. “That’s a pity for his children.”
The lawyer sat forward. “What about Aaron?”
“Detective Matthews wants Aaron to turn himself in the day after tomorrow before noon in Dallas. That’ll give you time to drive there from the ranch. Okay?”
Mr. Calvin glanced at Paul before answering, “Yes. I’ll be accompanying the Zimmermans to the police station in Dallas. Aaron wants to cooperate with the police any way he can.”
The sheriff stood and shook the lawyer’s hand and then Paul’s. “I’m sorry all this happened, but at least now you can go about your life without worrying about someone being after you.”
“But we don’t know why Bo Moore did it,” Paul said.
“My guess, since he can’t tell us, is that he was madder than Zach had thought about being fired from the ranch, and since you’re the owner, he saw you as the one behind the smoking ban. The rifle he had in the cab of his pickup was like the one used by the sniper in the pecan grove. The ballistics checked out. They matched.” Sheriff Landon plopped his hat on his head and made his way toward the foyer.
T.J. walked with the man to the front door. Chloe stayed, not wanting to be alone with T.J. at the moment.
“What’s going to happen to me?” Aaron began pacing in front of the fireplace.
“I’m going to try to have this taken care of in juvenile court since you’re still sixteen.” The lawyer stood, buttoning his suit coat.
“Will me being seventeen in a couple of months make a difference?”
“Maybe, but we should be able to show your intent and what you did to change what was happening. That might help your case. But I’m not going to kid you. You could serve time and your parents may be open to lawsuits. We need to expect the worst and hope for something better, which is probation and community service.”
“You will have to face the consequences, but you won’t be alone. We’ll be by your side.” Paul bridged the distance between him and his son and embraced him. “You should have come forward sooner, but at least you did.”
Bodyguard Reunion Page 17