Rancher to the Rescue (Texas Firebrand Book 1)

by Barb Han

  “Forty minutes with lights and sirens to clear the path,” Lawler said. “I have a deputy closer. I can send him over to dust for prints on the door handles.”

  “Sounds good,” Adam said.

  “We can talk about the next steps once I get there,” Lawler said. There was an ominous quality to his tone that didn’t sit well with Adam.

  “Okay,” he said casually, trying not to alert Prudence to his concern at what Lawler meant by that.

  The sheriff’s statement had been a loaded one. Adam didn’t want to guess what it meant, because in every scenario he could think of, this little girl was taken away. A surprising amount of anger roiled through him at the thought.

  8

  “Is Lawler coming?” Prudence had only caught one side of the conversation. Despite Adam being cool on the phone, her stress levels climbed. There was something about his expression and careful choice of words that distressed her.

  “Yes.” He placed his hand on the small of her back, and a trill of awareness shot through her. The world could be crashing down around her and that man’s touch would still elicit a response from her body. He urged her toward the truck and it dawned on her why. Safety.

  “My purse might be in there. My cell phone,” she said. The fact her home had been broken into made her feel violated. And angry. She had no idea where this new bravado came from, but she couldn’t imagine going back to her old timid self.

  “We’ll get both of them if they are,” he reassured, his voice a study in calm. One look into his eyes said he’d fight with his bare hands if anyone touched Angel.

  A father’s instinct?

  “And Lawler is sending a deputy over right away,” he continued.

  As if to punctuate his sentence, she heard the sound of a siren wailing in the distance. It did little to calm her rattled nerves. The baby woke, blinking her eyes open as Adam helped Prudence into the passenger seat. Prudence was surprised Angel had slept through the dog racket.

  “Scoot over,” he said, climbing in right behind her. He locked the doors, a stark reminder of the danger they were in. Then, he unlocked and opened the glove box. He palmed a handgun. “If the jerk comes back, he won’t get away so easily.”

  The thought of the creep returning caused all of Prudence’s protective instincts to flare. One look into the little girl’s eyes and Prudence realized how much trouble she was in. If she was smart, she’d keep an emotional distance. The sheriff would find Angel’s rightful parents and she would be taken back home. Of course, that was the best-case scenario for all involved. So why did the thought cause an ache the size of the Gulf of Mexico to park itself inside her chest?

  She didn’t even like babies.

  Angel was an exception, of course. But still. The thought of having a child of her own had always sounded worse than a root canal.

  Adam kept watch, surveying the area while they waited for the deputy to show. How messed up was that? Prudence didn’t have much but what she had was paid for. She thought about any valuables the jerk could have been stealing. Her laptop came to mind. She’d be lost without it. Her phone. She had credit cards and a little bit of money.

  Most of her decorations comprised of art she’d created or items she’d picked up and refurbished from antique shops. There wasn’t anything worth much, except to her. Everything she’d worked for was inside those walls. Everything she’d built on her own after teen years that had kicked her butt.

  And yet, right now, her main focus was keeping the baby safe. Maternal instincts she never realize she had kicked in, telling her to keep the baby in her arms safe, happy, and alive. Prudence had never felt a more powerful instinct. Was this how all mothers felt? It made her think about her own and miss her so much it physically hurt.

  The wailing siren grew louder until a deputy’s vehicle roared up beside them. Angel frowned, her chin quivered, and she wound up for a good cry.

  A young-ish guy stepped out of the marked SUV dressed in the same tan button-down shirt Lawler had on last night. At least Prudence’s memory seemed to be intact other than a blank spot where three days should be.

  Adam slipped out of the truck and met the deputy in the street. She watched as he explained what had gone down. He pointed toward the backyard. It occurred to her that she left a key in an obvious spot, in a colorful planter. But then, half the reason she’d moved back to Lone Star Pass after losing her family was for safety reasons. It had been many years since she’d been that teen who’d been muted by a horrific act. No one got to make her go back to that place in her thoughts again. She bit back a curse. No one should get to disrupt her life again.

  Speaking of which, she needed to go inside and take her meds. The new pill her doctor recommended needed to be taken at the same time every day.

  Angel belted out a pitiful-sounding cry. Prudence checked the time. It was too early for a bottle. “What’s wrong, sweet girl?”

  If only Angel could speak. How easy would that make this? Because this whole feeling helpless bit was for the birds.

  The binky. Where was the pacifier? Then again, maybe it was healthier to let the girl cry. Her life had been turned upside-down in an instant. Prudence wished she could join Angel. She hadn’t cried in longer than she could remember. There were times when she wished she could, like now. Just to let it all out. Her emotions had been bottled up.

  Survival mechanism, her first therapist had explained. Apparently, Prudence had become an expert at it.

  The next thing she knew the deputy went back to his vehicle and Adam opened the passenger door.

  “Deputy Smithfield is going to start at the back of the house, since that’s where most home invaders work,” he explained.

  “The key’s back there. I made it easy for him,” she said. Now, she needed to think about having an alarm system installed. She would definitely put the key back on her ring. There were a few other security measures running through her thoughts. Again, she thought about getting a dog of her own.

  As much as she loved the idea, she had to put her clients first. Having a dog meant responsibilities beyond taking care of herself, a task she was most definitely not ready for. Plus, what would she do with said dog while she had overnight jobs, which many of hers were?

  This wasn’t the first time she’d had to be reasonable rather than go with her heart. Even though caring for other people’s pets made her want her own that much more.

  “Don’t beat yourself up. Everyone in town leaves a key somewhere outside their house. We don’t even lock doors at the ranch, and half the time I go to the feed store I leave my keys in the floorboard of the truck,” he said.

  “Well, that makes me feel better.” Plus, the baby had settled down without a binky, thanks to Prudence’s gentle bouncing. There was something very satisfying about the accomplishment.

  “We should be able to go inside in a few minutes. Survey the damage,” Adam said.

  “Good. I’m not supposed to get behind on my medication.” A part of her dreaded walking into her home. The other side needed to see what she would be dealing with.

  Deputy Smithfield peered around the side of the house and waved Adam over. He exited the truck first and scanned the street before indicating it was safe for Prudence and Angel to follow.

  Around back of the house, he immediately noted the glass break. She had one of those glass paneled doors that let in a lot of light, but he imagined it would be a burglar’s dream.

  “Careful where you walk,” Deputy Smithfield said after introducing himself to Prudence.

  “I will,” she said with resolve. “He didn’t bother checking for a key.”

  “My guess is that he was in a hurry,” Smithfield said.

  “A smash and grab job?” This couldn’t be a coincidence.

  “It looks that way,” Smithfield said with a shrug. “We’ll know more once Ms. Owens goes inside and takes inventory of her belongings.”

  “There was nothing obvious in his hands when he took off that way.
” Adam pointed east.

  “Do you have any medications?” Smithfield asked Prudence.

  “Oh, right. Yes. Nothing that would have street value but you just reminded me I need to take my new prescription.” She motioned toward the door before catching Adam’s gaze. “Will you come with me so I can manage the baby?”

  He nodded and then followed her inside. Her new prescription? The words stuck in the back of his mind. She’d mentioned needing to take meds before. Had she mentioned the prescription was new?

  “Do you remember going to the doctor recently?” Adam noticed there didn’t seem to be anything out of place in the kitchen. It was cozy and tidy. Everything had a place. Her laptop sat on the eat-in table.

  “I went a couple of weeks ago,” she said. “Why?”

  “The medication. I thought you said it was a new prescription.” He followed her up a stairwell to the second story. There was a small landing and four doors. Two of those led to bedrooms. He could easily see because the doors were open. The third went to a shared bathroom. These old houses didn’t have en suites.

  “It is.” She stopped at the sink of the small bathroom and opened the cabinet. There was a sink, a commode, and a clawfoot tub that had been modernized with a shower option. She grabbed a bottle and shook. It rattled.

  “I’m confused,” he admitted. “How long have you been taking the new pills?”

  She started to open her mouth and then stopped. Realization dawned.

  “Three days,” she said. “My doctor didn’t say anything about memory loss being a side effect. I read the paper that comes with it and I can promise there was no mention of it there.”

  “What about conflicts? What are the pills for?” he asked.

  “They’re antianxiety meds,” she said, her cheeks tinting with embarrassment. She added, “Although, I haven’t felt like I needed them lately.”

  There was a sad story behind that prescription. He’d be willing to bet money on it. His respect for her grew even more at the fact she was willing to face it. Getting help wasn’t a sign of weakness, not in his eyes.

  “Mind if I have a look in your medicine cabinet?” he asked.

  “Be my guest.” She took a step back and started gently bouncing Angel.

  He examined the labels on three bottles, keeping his gaze on the pills and not the other contents—contents that weren’t any of his business otherwise.

  “I’m no expert but since the days match up, there must be a bad interaction going on with one of these,” he stated.

  “It’s crazy because I felt like I’d been doing better on my own when I ran out of my old prescription. My doctor said she’d consider taking one off the list if I’d agree to go to counseling, which I haven’t had time for,” she said.

  “She’s probably covering her backside with the insurance company.” He’d heard worse.

  Prudence issued a sharp sigh.

  “We can call the drugstore to check. I had to go to a specialty pharmacist to have this one made,”’ she said. “I can promise you that I’m not taking that one again.”

  A burst of pride filled his chest at the possibility they’d figured out a viable reason for her memory loss. Better yet, it was temporary.

  “When did you stop your last pills?” he asked, not wanting her to get her body in trouble if she needed them.

  “It’s been more than thirty days. I’d secretly started weaning myself for the past six months. I had a feeling my doctor wouldn’t like it, so I didn’t tell her.” She shrugged a shoulder.

  “You should be safe then if you skip a dose.” Adam had no plans to tempt fate. He fished his cell out of his pocket and, after ten minutes on the phone, confirmed two of her medications were known for causing a reaction.

  “No more of these.” She started to throw the medication into the trash. He stopped her.

  “Hold onto those to show to Lawler. He’ll need the names for his report, and it is evidence in case Angel’s case ends up in trial.” He couldn’t imagine a scenario where she would be anything but a witness.

  “Right,” she said with a new spark in her eye, like she’d been vindicated.

  “Is anything missing in here?” he asked. This development was welcomed news. He’d believed in her without needing an explanation. Seeing her relief stirred his chest.

  She checked the cabinet out before shaking her head.

  “I’d like to take a walk around the place. I already noticed my laptop sitting on the kitchen table where I must have left it,” she said.

  “Do you want me to hold Angel?” He was so much more comfortable in a surprisingly short amount of time. Those first few hours with her had been the equivalent of drinking from a firehose. It amazed him how quickly he’d picked it up. And Prudence was incredible with Angel too, a real natural.

  She handed over the baby and then moved from room to room, taking a mental inventory and pointing out anything of value.

  “Most everything I own is sentimental. Something I made or refurbished. It was therapeutic when my parents and sister…” she flashed nervous eyes at him before continuing, “were killed.”

  “I’m so sorry,” he said, his heart truly went out to her.

  “I was there in the room, blindfolded. He forced me to listen and said he was going oldest to youngest. When it was my turn, the neighbor’s dog, who was always getting loose, ran through our dog door. The neighbor followed, interrupting the killings.” She closed her eyes and her body tensed. “He’s in jail for the rest of his life, by the way. Justice served.”

  Those last two words were hollow, and he understood why. They couldn’t bring her family back. He walked over to her and took her hand in his after securing the little girl in the carrier. The urge to kiss Prudence, tell her everything would be okay, and find a way to ease her pain was a physical ache.

  “I was nine years old when it happened,” she continued. “Came here to live with an aunt and uncle after. They were great. Took me to a good psychiatrist in Austin for years every Saturday. Enrolled me in school when I was finally brave enough to leave the house again.”

  He squeezed her fingers for reassurance, for comfort.

  “And now you’re the only non-medical professional or blood relative I’ve ever spoken to about it.” She opened her eyes, those lakes of blue seeing right through him.

  “Requesting permission to kiss you now,” he said.

  “Permission granted.” She pushed up to her tiptoes and met him halfway.

  He pressed his lips to hers gently.

  “I think you’re incredibly brave,” he said, his mouth moving against hers.

  She brought her hands to his arms, digging her fingernails in as she teased his tongue inside her mouth.

  He pulled back enough to say, “And beautiful.”

  In that moment, he realized he was in too deep.

  9

  “Are you upstairs, Adam?”

  Sheriff Lawler’s voice cut into the moment happening between Adam and Prudence. With great effort, she pulled back first. He opened those incredible coral-sea blue eyes, and she knew she was in trouble.

  “Coming,” he said, and his voice was gruff.

  “Go on down and talk to him. I’ll be right there,” she said, needing a minute to pull herself together.

  Adam leaned in for one more kiss and it literally curled her toes. Talking to him about her family had been so freeing, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

  “I’ll fill him in on the medication combination,” he said. “Do you want me to take her downstairs?”

  She nodded, needing time to catch her breath there too. Her mind had been filled with images of her, Adam, and Angel living together as a family, and that wasn’t going to happen. Angel already had parents out there. Prudence would never try to stand in the way of a reunion.

  Adam disappeared down the stairs as Prudence tried to will her pulse back to normal. Her heart beat against her ribcage, hammering out its own frantic rhythm. Bre
athing was already difficult, so when she thought about the inevitable moment they would hand Angel over to Sheriff Lawler, pain tightened her chest.

  Angel deserved to be with her parents no matter how attached Prudence was becoming. She needed to get a grip. Moving into the bathroom, she stopped at the sink to splash cold water on her face.

  There, she was already feeling better. She teased a comb through her kinky hair as best she could. Lot of good that did and there was no time to straighten it with an iron. In times like these, it was best to embrace the curls. She dabbed gel on her hand before rubbing her palms together. Slicking it through her hair helped.

  She grabbed her small tin of tinted lip gloss. She tapped her pinky finger inside and then circled her lips a couple of times—lips that were still swollen from Adam’s kisses. The man was a good kisser. Beyond good. In fact, that was the most electric kiss she’d ever experienced.

  Dating had been tricky given her background. Prudence had powered through the first couple, checking her watch every time her dates looked away. Just like anything, time and practice helped her improve. Meeting new people had always been a trigger. Maybe it was because she knew Fallon, but Prudence felt nothing but comfortable around Adam despite how the air crackled from their chemistry.

  A few deep breaths and a little eyeliner made her feel human again. She resisted the urge to change clothes since the ones she had on were clean. She wanted to get downstairs and hear what Lawler had to say.

  Lawler and Adam were standing in the kitchen when she joined them. Deputy Smithfield must have gotten what he needed because he was nowhere to be seen. Relief washed over her that none of her valuables were missing.