Texas Sheriff's Deadly Mission

by Karen Whiddon

  “I am.” Nicole smiled softly, though her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. “I got here as quickly as I could.”

  But John didn’t respond. He’d slipped back into his coma.

  “At least he knows,” Parker told Nicole, patting her shoulder. “He recognized your voice. He knows you’re here.”

  Slowly, she nodded. “I just wish I could talk to him once more. Tell him how much I love him. How much I’m going to miss him.”

  Parker gestured toward the bed. “Tell him now. There have been numerous studies that show even people in comas can hear when loved ones talk to them.”

  She brightened. “I’ll do that, then.”

  Feeling as if she might want privacy, Parker told her he’d be back and went out to his car to call Rayna. But then he realized it was 2:00 a.m., so he texted instead.

  Are you awake?

  No answer. But then he hadn’t really expected one. He smiled sadly, knowing she needed her rest, and decided he’d try again and call her tomorrow.

  He went back inside the hospice care center and quietly entered the room.

  Though she had to be exhausted, Nicole refused to leave her brother’s side. She held one hand while Parker held the other. She talked and sang softly for hours, telling the caregivers that she knew John could hear her and that she wanted her brother to know he wouldn’t leave this world alone.

  And so he didn’t. A few seconds after midnight, the nurse came in to check on them while they dozed at John’s side. After checking his pulse, she informed them both that John had gone.

  Holding Nicole while she wept, Parker ached with his own sorrow, wanting Rayna, needing Rayna.

  The staff took care of the necessary calls, urging them to go get some rest.

  By the time he and Nicole stumbled out of the hospice care center and drove to the nearest hotel, he was too numb and exhausted to do anything more than fall into his hotel bed and pray for sleep.

  In the morning, Parker got a phone call from the care center and learned that John had already premade and paid for all his burial and funeral arrangements. John had left sealed envelopes for both Nicole and Parker, private messages he’d wanted them to have after he was gone.

  Though Nicole opened hers right away, Parker tucked his into his pocket to read later. His emotions were too raw right now to read it in front of anyone. He carried it with him back to his hotel room and placed it on the small desk. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to open it.

  Instead, he once again tried to call Rayna, knowing by now she would be at work. But her cell phone went straight to voice mail. Next he called the sheriff’s office, but only got a busy signal. It wasn’t until he turned on the television and saw Rayna giving a press conference along with the FBI that he understood.

  An alleged serial killer had been stopped and captured. Watching as the woman he loved spoke to the press, he knew he had to get to her as soon as possible.

  But first, he had to open the letter left to him by his best friend.

  Taking a deep breath, he carefully used his fingernail to split the seal.

  Don’t grieve for me, Parker. Even though this might seem weird to you, I am ready. I fought the good fight and I lost. But I’m okay with that. Really.

  I’ve invested my money wisely and have more than enough saved to pay for the rest of Nicole’s education. Since I won’t be there, will you become her big brother for me? Watch over her, take care of her, and guide her to make good choices.

  You have been like a brother to me, my friend. Since I was diagnosed, you dropped your own life and stepped into mine. You probably already know how much that means to me, but in case you don’t, I’m going to say it anyway. The gift you’ve given me—your time, yourself—has meant the world to me. Even so, I’m going to ask one last thing of you now that I’m gone.

  Live your life. Let go of the past. I’ve seen your talent restoring cars, and I know opening your own shop used to be a dream of yours. Don’t dream anymore. Take a leap, do it. Now. Don’t delay, because none of us are promised a tomorrow.

  I can see you scowling, my old friend. Don’t. I know of what I speak. I always put everything off for another day. I didn’t understand that another day might never come.

  Find a woman you can love and who loves you. Get married, raise a family, become a respected member of society. Hah! But seriously, do all the things I should have done, the things we talked about while we were stuck in that desert hellhole.

  Most of all, be happy.

  I love you, big guy.

  John

  Parker swallowed, a lump in his throat, his eyes stinging. John knew him better than anyone, and he’d often chastised Parker for becoming a drifter. What neither of them had understood was that Parker had never found anyone who could truly anchor him.

  Until Rayna.

  * * *

  With all her newfound celebrity, the day after Phillip Maple’s arrest, Rayna’s life became much more hectic than usual. In addition to the ream of paperwork she had to fill out, there were interviews and phone calls and even requests to appear on national daytime talk shows. She’d had to post one of her officers outside Myrna Maple’s hospital room to keep reporters from trying to interview her.

  Also that same morning, the grateful townspeople of Getaway started bringing food up to the sheriff’s office. Baked goods mostly at first. Carrot cake, coconut cake and a three-tiered German chocolate cake that made Rayna’s mouth water just looking at it. There were cookies by the dozens, and brownies and Danishes, even two dozen homemade kolacky. Jim and the guys were in sugar heaven. Then one of the ranchers brought up a huge beef brisket he’d smoked overnight, along with a gallon of homemade potato salad and a huge pan of baked beans.

  There was so much food that Rayna knew her people could never eat it all, so she asked Mary to look into arranging for the leftovers to go to the nearest church for their next potluck or something.

  Somehow that turned into a potluck dinner event that would be held that evening in the church hall honoring the Getaway sheriff’s office. Sam, who’d come and paid a visit to his former staff, laughed when he heard about it and told her to enjoy it while she could. It wouldn’t, he said, always be so rosy. Rayna had simply shaken her head and retreated to her office.

  With Mary fielding so many phone calls, the overloaded and antiquated phone system went down. Rayna authorized a call to their service provider before once again closing her office door. She made a valiant attempt to get at least some of her paperwork done, but kept getting interrupted.

  Giving up, she went ahead and held her scheduled news conference, trying to pretend she wasn’t going to be broadcast on the national news. Once that was over, she met with the FBI and transferred custody of Phillip, an event that reporters also covered. Then she finally managed to grab a bit of that brisket and potato salad when Mary brought her a plate and ordered her to sit down and eat it. Grateful, Rayna thanked her and headed into the conference room. Maybe there, with the door closed, she could get a little peace and quiet.

  Exhausted and hungrier than she’d realized, she dropped into one of the chairs and began to eat. While she did, she grabbed her phone and realized the battery had died. When, she had no idea. She’d been too busy and overwhelmed to notice. Shaking her head at herself, she plugged it in and let it charge while she ate.

  Two more interruptions and she managed to finish her meal. She left her phone charging, met with the mayor, who informed her he wanted to have a ceremony and recognize her with some sort of award, and then with Bertha Abernathy and Donella, who both wanted to thank her.

  No one asked about Parker, even though he’d played a huge part in all this. Rayna supposed everyone knew he’d taken Nicole to Dallas to see her dying brother. Just thinking about him made her chest ache. Why hadn’t he called?

  Making a U-turn back into the conferen
ce room, she snatched up her phone and saw she had one new text message and two missed calls. All from Parker. The last one had been thirty minutes ago.

  She immediately called him back.

  “John died this morning,” he told her, sounding calm. “He recognized Nicole, and though they never really had a conversation, I believe he knew she was there with him. We both were, right up until the end.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she said. “This must be so hard on you both.”

  “I’ll miss him. But he left me a letter and I’m actually at peace. Nicole got one, too, and said it affected her the same way.”

  “When’s the funeral?” she asked, wondering if she should attend as a show of support.

  “John didn’t want one. He asked to be cremated and have his ashes spread over a cliff down in the Big Bend. He used to love to hike there.” His voice cracked a little at that.

  She wanted to ask when he was coming back, if he was coming home to Getaway, but bit back the words. Anything he did from this point on had to be his choice. She wouldn’t push or prod or beg, no matter how much she might want to.

  That night at home, Wanda appeared unusually restless. Constantly in motion, she cleaned and tidied and fussed until even little Lauren asked her what was wrong. Wanda shook her head and rushed from the room, leaving Rayna and her daughter to stare after her in alarm.

  “You stay here and play with your puzzle,” Rayna said. “Mommy is going to check on Grandma.”

  Wanda had closed her bedroom door so Rayna knocked. “Can I come in?”

  “Sure.”

  Inside, Rayna found Wanda sitting on the edge of the bed, frantically blotting at her streaming eyes. “What’s going on, Mom? Are you sick?”

  “Not really.” Wanda heaved a sigh. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what I want for the rest of my life and I feel like I’m trapped between a rock and a hard place. No matter what I choose, I lose too much.”

  Suddenly, Rayna understood. “Are you talking about Sam?”

  “Yes. While he’s been here, I’ve come to realize how much I care about him. I can’t bear the thought of him going back to the coast and leaving me here. Yet if I were to go with him, I’d miss you and Lauren terribly.”

  “Have you considered asking him to stay in Getaway?” Rayna asked. “He has roots here, a lot of good friends. That way you could be with him and still close enough to see me and Lauren as much as you wanted.”

  “That did occur to me. But honey, Sam hightailed it out of here as soon as he retired. It’s always been his dream to live on the coast. What right do I have to ask him to give that up?”

  Rayna watched as her mother wiped away tears. “I guess he just has to decide for himself what matters the most to him,” she said.

  “Exactly.” Wanda’s mouth trembled. “And honey, I’m so afraid I already know what he’ll choose. It will break my heart.”

  “Like mother, like daughter.” Rayna plopped down on the bed next to her mom. “I don’t really know if Parker is coming back. He said he would, but...”

  Wanda patted Rayna’s shoulder. “I saw the way that man looks at you. He’ll return. You can count on that.”

  “Look at us, wallowing in our emotions, when neither of us truly can say what the outcome will be.” Rayna stood and held out a hand to her mother. “Come on, let’s go have some ice cream. A nice scoop of butter pecan will make us both feel better.”

  Sam rang the doorbell a little after seven. With her color high, Wanda showed him into the living room and told him she’d be ready in a minute.

  “Hi, Sam.” Rayna smiled. “How are you?”

  “I’m good.” Instead of taking a seat, Sam stood, his hands in his pockets. “I talked to Parker. I was so sorry to hear about his friend.”

  “Me, too. I’m just glad Nicole was able to get there before her brother passed.”

  Wanda returned, having slipped on a pair of wedge heels with her sundress. “Ready?” she asked, fluttering her eyelashes at Sam.

  To Rayna’s amusement, Sam froze and simply stared, making her wonder if he’d forgotten to breathe. Finally, Wanda laughed. The throaty sound appeared to snap Sam out of his daze. He held out his arm and Wanda took it. Side by side, they walked to the door.

  After they’d gone, Rayna helped Lauren with her bath, read her two stories and put her to bed.

  Alone in the living room, Rayna wandered into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. She picked up her phone—something she’d been avoiding—and noted no new text messages from Parker or anyone else. She played around on social media, toyed with the idea of calling him and decided not to yet.

  Picking up a novel she’d been trying to find the time to read, she settled in her chair and opened the book. One chapter later, she got up to refill her glass and then checked her phone once more. Again, she debated whether or not to call Parker, even if only to hear his voice. She missed him so much. But then maybe she should try to get used to life without him.

  The hell with it. Disappointed in her lack of willpower, she touched the icon for his number. Heart in her throat, she waited for it to ring.

  It did. Once. And then so did her doorbell. Since no one visited after nine o’clock at night, she debated simply not answering. Instead, she kept her phone to her ear and hurried to look out the peephole.

  Parker stood on her doorstep, his ringing phone in his hand. He answered her call just as she opened her front door. “Hello.” He smiled, gazing deep into her eyes. “May I come in?”

  Struck speechless, she stepped aside.

  As he strode past her, she couldn’t keep from staring. Sexy, handsome, strong—he looked like all of those things. As she tried to regain control of her voice, she shook her head. “I was just calling you.”

  He grinned, holding up his phone. “I know.”

  Mouth dry, all she could think of was how badly she wanted to jump his bones. Instead, she gestured toward her wineglass. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  His grin widened, as if he knew her thoughts. “A beer would be great. But first, come here.” He held out his arms.

  Heart racing, she stepped right into them, breathing in the familiar masculine scent of him. Tears stung her eyes as he cradled her close to his muscular chest, murmuring words of endearment as he nuzzled the top of her head.

  “My beautiful sheriff. Are you happy to see me?”

  All she could manage was a nod while she struggled to get herself under control. “I thought you’d still be in Dallas, helping Nicole take care of her brother’s estate,” she finally said, stepping back from his embrace and letting her eyes drink her fill of him.

  He stared right back. “John was very thorough. He took care of everything long before his death. Nicole won’t have to do much. He even set up a fund to pay for the remainder of her college. I’ll have to go back up there once his ashes are back, but...I missed you. So here I am.”

  “Here you are,” she repeated. “Let me get you that beer and we can catch up.”

  “Wait.” He caught at her arm, tugging her close again. “There are a few other things I want to do first. Like kiss you.”

  And he did. So deeply and thoroughly she could scarcely stand upright when it was over. Dazed, flushed with happiness, she let him lead her over to the couch. Once seated, she tried to pull him down to her, but he resisted.

  “Not yet,” he said, his expression serious. “There’s something I want to ask you first.”

  Then, as she gazed up at him, he dropped to one knee and pulled out a ring box. “Rayna Coombs, will you marry me?”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “Parker...”

  His crooked smile almost did her in. “Don’t you dare say no. I love you and I know you love me.”

  “Of course I’ll marry you,” she managed to say, crying in earnest now. “I
do love you, but there’s one thing I need to be sure of.”

  “Okay.” Face full of love, he waited, still on one knee. “What is it?”

  “I need to know about Lauren. You’d be her stepfather and I want to make sure she’s okay with this.”

  “I agree.” His expression grave, he nodded. “I actually bought a second ring.” He pulled a smaller ring box from his pocket. “Once I’d asked you, I planned to ask her if she wants to be my daughter.”

  She noticed he didn’t say stepdaughter. Heart full, she eyed the second box. “That’s so sweet.”

  “How about we wake her up and ask her?” he said, finally getting up off the floor.

  “Uh, no. How about we let her sleep and ask her in the morning.” She tugged him close, so she could snuggle with him on the couch. “Let me try that ring on and after, I bet we can go to my room. I can think of a lot of ways we can celebrate.”

  He’d barely slipped the ring onto her finger, when the front door opened and Wanda and Sam came inside. Arms around each other, they both radiated happiness.

  “Rayna, look!” Holding out her hand to show off her ring, Wanda rushed over. “Sam proposed and I said yes. We’re going to stay here in Getaway. Isn’t that perfect?”

  “Oh, Mom.” Rayna jumped up and hugged her mother fiercely. “I’m so happy for you. Oh, and Parker and I have a bit of news, too.”

  “Really?” Wanda pulled back, her expression hopeful. “What is it?”

  Instead of answering, Rayna held out her own hand, displaying her own engagement ring.

  Sam and Parker simultaneously laughed. “I don’t know about you,” Sam said, elbowing his nephew, “but I sure could use a beer.”

  “Let’s go get one,” Parker replied. The two of them disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Rayna and Wanda alone.

  “Dreams do come true,” Wanda whispered, misty eyed. When Rayna told her about the second ring that Parker had bought for Lauren, Wanda could barely restrain her tears.