Texas Target (An O'Connor Family Mystery)

by Barb Han

  Dawson O’Connor was the total package. Intelligent. Decent. Smokin’ hot. And fierce. He had a look in his eyes that said he wouldn’t hesitate to go all in to protect someone he cared about. He also had the kind of confidence that said he could back it up, too.

  An attraction to her sister’s ex-husband couldn’t happen. The electricity she felt radiating from him was most likely residual desire that he felt for Autumn, not Summer. He had, in fact, loved her sister enough to marry her. Granted, Autumn had played a dirty trick to get him to ask. But his feelings for her sister must run deep.

  “I can show you where everything is.” He tossed the towel onto the weight bench and headed in her direction. She immediately took a few steps back to allow him room to pass by. She needed to put as much distance between them as humanly possible.

  Dawson paused long enough to make eye contact as he walked by. There was something in his eyes she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Was looking at her in the home they were supposed to share like seeing a ghost?

  “I’m sorry. I must remind you of her,” she said softly.

  “You’d think that would be the case but I couldn’t help noticing how different you both are. Beautiful without a doubt, but now that I’ve had a chance to get to know you, I was just thinking how different you look to me. Strange how personality affects looks once the initial impression wears off. You know?”

  “Yeah.” She did know. She couldn’t count the number of times she met an attractive man only to get to know him and never see him in the same light again. That wasn’t the case with Dawson. His personality enhanced already drop-dead gorgeous looks. The saying that beauty was only skin deep came to mind. It was so true. There was so much more to a person and she’d been turned off countless times by outwardly attractive, inwardly awful people.

  Summer followed Dawson to the opposite side of the main living area and down a hallway. There were several opened doors revealing an office, a bedroom and a bathroom.

  “This is the guest suite. Make yourself comfortable.”

  She had little more than the clothes on her back and her handbag. He looked her over and moved to the closet.

  “Laurel’s niece is probably about your size. Rachel is a grad student in Houston and has stayed here a few times. She left behind a jogging suit if you want to borrow it.”

  “Thanks. I’ll take you up on that offer,” she said.

  “I can throw your clothes in the wash while you shower if you want.” The thought of Dawson handling her undergarments had her shaking her head. That was a hard no. She didn’t want the image of him touching any of her personal belongings anywhere in her thoughts. Fighting the attraction when he stood this close was difficult enough. She didn’t need to add mental images to the equation.

  “I’ll take care of it when I’m out of the shower if you point me in the direction,” she quickly said. Too quickly.

  He studied her for a long moment before he spoke again.

  “I didn’t find a Jane Doe in any of the hospitals I called or at the morgue.”

  “Any hits on the missing persons report or is it too early?” she asked.

  “Never too early to hope but no.”

  “I can draw them out again if—”

  “Hell, no. I won’t risk your safety.”

  “It might be the fastest way to find out who we’re dealing with,” she countered.

  “I won’t argue your point and it’s easy to see that you care about your sister. Let me do this the right way and investigate in a way that keeps you safe in the process. Okay with you?” Those intense penetrating eyes swayed her away from running off half-cocked. Doing that so far had almost gotten her killed. She reminded herself that she wasn’t alone in this. Dawson had resources she didn’t. Plus, she couldn’t bring justice for her sister if Summer was dead.

  She took in a deep breath. “Okay.”

  “I’ll let you know if anything comes in while you grab a shower.”

  Thanking Dawson didn’t seem nearly enough to cover her gratitude. It was a starting point.

  He nodded before stepping into the hallway. With his hand on the door, he said, “You have this whole wing to yourself. Do you want the door open or closed?”

  “I’ll close it.” She did before getting her bearings in the oversize guest room. One door led to a walk-in closet and another led to a large bathroom. There were fresh towels hanging and, she noticed, a white bathrobe on the back of the door.

  There were shampoos on hand as well as fresh toothbrushes and toothpaste. The place was stocked and ready for company. Mostly likely Laurel’s doing. Summer doubted someone who kept a full-time job as a marshal while still working the family ranch had time to think about stocking a guest bath.

  She was grateful for Laurel. Now that she really thought about it, she’d like to circle back to the woman and have a conversation. If she and Autumn used to talk, maybe there was some hint there as to what Autumn’s life had been like.

  Again, guilt struck that Summer hadn’t been more in tune with her sister. To be fair, Autumn was complicated. She marched to her own drum and had a tendency to go all-in before going all-out. She could be charming. And, although she and Summer shared the same genes, Autumn knew how to make the most of their looks.

  To Summer’s thinking, her sister had always been the prettier one of the two despite starting from the same blank canvas.

  She showered in record time, thinking how great a cup of coffee would taste about now. She’d only managed a few sips of the other one before she’d conked out on the sofa. Like everything at Katy Bull Ranch, the coffee tasted better than anywhere else.

  Autumn had found a sanctuary here. Why would she ever leave?

  Had she gotten bored of the ranch? Best as she could remember about the timeline, Autumn and Dawson had only been together a few months before she’d played the pregnancy card. Summer was still mortified and embarrassed on her sister’s behalf for that one.

  And then what? How long had they been together before her sister had broken the news to him there was no baby? The web of lies was going to take some time and some untangling to find the truth. An honest man like Dawson would be frustrated by her sister’s antics. Someone else might not handle the situation the same. Which begged the question, was there someone else?

  Summer needed to sit down and develop a timeline. She always did her best thinking when she could see everything written on paper.

  After meeting Dawson, even more questions simmered. One bubbled to the surface. Had Autumn come to Katy Gulch to hide and then found protection in Dawson O’Connor too good to pass up?

  Chapter Seven

  “Coffee smells amazing.” Even the sound of Summer’s voice was different from her sister’s. He couldn’t believe he’d ever thought she was his ex. And she looked even more beautiful after a few hours of sleep.

  “I waited for you to get out of the bathroom to pour a cup.” Dawson turned toward the voice and his chest tightened when he saw Summer standing at the kitchen doorway wearing the sweat suit on loan from Rachel. She had wadded up her clothes into a ball that she held.

  There shouldn’t be anything sexy about the clothes she had on. The material was standard cotton, and the top was tight at the waist. She had the zipper gripped so tight with her free hand there was no way the thing was moving.

  He chalked up his reaction to her to simple biology. She was a beautiful woman, even more so as he got to know her. There was enough electricity pinging between them to light an entire house anytime the two stood close to each other.

  Even at this distance, his body heated. And it was more than physical attraction. His heart fisted and he was in trouble. Then again, after the case was solved, she’d go back to living her life and he’d go back to his.

  “Washer and dryer are down the other hallway.” He was pretty damn certain there was no
annual Christmas card obligation to his ex-wife’s sister. He hadn’t even known about her until she’d dropped the bomb on him that she was Autumn’s sister. He’d shot off an email to one of his buddies to verify what he already knew in his heart, she was being honest about her identity.

  His need to verify every new person in his life sat hard on his chest. He was used to being suspicious in his job but had always surrounded himself with good people. With Autumn, he’d had a lapse in judgment.

  Something else had been gnawing at the back of his mind. A pathological liar believed their own lies. It was what made them so good at delivering them. The fact that she was a pathological liar made him think twice about what he’d discovered from the internet last night as he poured a cup of coffee for Summer and tried to shake the fresh-from-the-shower image out of his thoughts.

  Work started on a ranch at 4 a.m. sharp so waking up at this time wasn’t uncommon. To a normal person, this was the middle of the night and Grover Hart would fall under the category of “normal” person when it came to sleep patterns. That was as much leeway as Dawson would give the man.

  Again, Dawson was kicking himself for letting his guard down with the wrong person. Those mistakes felt the worst. Trusting someone when he should’ve known better made him kick himself twice as hard.

  By the time Summer returned, he’d gotten hold of his frustration enough to hand over the mug he’d filled. Fresh-faced, her skin practically glowed. Thick, black lashes hooded violet eyes he could stare into for days.

  She took a sip and he cleared his dry throat.

  “Can you eat something?” he asked, trying to deflect much of his out-of-control reaction to her. Long, silky hair was still damp from the shower—a shower he didn’t want to think much more about for obvious reasons.

  “I couldn’t eat another bite after filling up on that meatloaf a few hours ago. I’m still full.” Her voice was a little too husky, a little too sexy. “It was heaven. Laurel must be a great cook.”

  Dawson had to fight every instinct he had not to lean in and kiss her. He imagined the horror on her face if he followed through with the impulse and that was a reality slap. Good. He needed to keep a clear mind.

  “Did your sister ever mention any names to you in the past year or two?” he asked.

  “Besides you? No. And she only gave me your first name in the beginning. I finally matched your picture to a news article.” She took a sip of coffee and leaned her hip against the counter.

  “How about Matt, Charley or Shank? Do any of those names sound familiar?” Following along the lines of Autumn being a pathological liar, she would use names that she wouldn’t mix up easily. It was part of believing the lies.

  Summer closed her eyes like she was reaching back as far as she could into her memory bank. “Seems like there was a Charley at some point.”

  Dawson retrieved a notepad and pen from the small built-in desk in the kitchen. He set them on top of the granite island and scribbled the names in those variations.

  “You like to write stuff down?” she asked.

  “Seems like everyone uses computers now. Call me old-fashioned but I like pen and paper,” he admitted with a small smile.

  “Same here. It’s just easier for me to look at something when it’s on paper for some crazy reason.” She shook her head. “Go figure.”

  He didn’t want to notice the similarities between him and Summer. He didn’t want to notice how naturally beautiful she was or how a small line creased her forehead when she really concentrated. Or how sexy it was when it happened. He didn’t want to notice how full her pink lips were or how sweet they would probably taste.

  Dawson refocused on the piece of paper.

  “What is it? Is there something on my face?” she asked.

  “Nope. Your face is perfect.” He caught his slip a few words too late. They were out there and he couldn’t reel them back in now.

  “Oh.” The one word was all she said. He wished she’d said it with a little more shock or maybe even disgust. Instead, it was surprise and something that sounded a lot like hope.

  Dawson’s cell buzzed, a welcome break into the moment happening between them. He walked over to the sofa where he’d left it and then checked the screen.

  “Hey, what did you find out?” he asked his buddy from work, Anderson Willis. Law enforcement worked round the clock and Anderson was one of the few people Dawson could call at this hour.

  “I’m sorry to break the news to you, Dawson,” came the familiar voice. “There’s no record of you ever being married.”

  It was a double-edged sword. He shook off the shock and said, “I owe you one for tracking this answer down for me.”

  “You know I have your back.”

  “I appreciate it.” Dawson ended the call and then looked to Summer. “Turns out, the wedding was a fake. I was never married to your sister.”

  “Why would she go through all that?” she asked.

  “It explains a lot actually. She only wanted the two of us there for the ceremony with Laurel as a witness. Autumn insisted on handling all the details herself. I learned a few hours ago that the man who ‘married’ us was a for-hire and not a longtime family friend.”

  “But why trap you into marriage with a fake pregnancy story only to find out there’d never been a wedding in the first place?”

  If he knew the answer to that question, he’d be so far ahead of the game. Investigations were like puzzles. Evidence often came one or a few pieces at a time. Sometimes the motive didn’t make sense until all the pieces were in place.

  This would most likely be one of those complicated cases.

  “We’ll start with the name Charley. It isn’t much to go on but we’ll know to pay special attention if his name comes up.”

  She moved over to the notepad, picked up the pen, wrote down the name.

  “There was a coffee shop on Capital Avenue where my sister used to go. One of the workers did a double take when I showed up and it made me think he knew her. It could just be that she got coffee there when she was in town but the way he looked at me with...surprise... I guess is the right word...made me think there was something more to it.”

  “Capital Coffee?”

  She nodded.

  “I know that place,” he said, trying to think of any politicians he knew with the first name of Charley. A political tie could explain her murder if she’d rubbed a politician the wrong way or if this was someone from her past. Austin was the capital. If she hung out at a coffee shop that was a known hangout for politicians, it could give them a direction.

  “We need to look up any politician with the name Charley.” That wouldn’t be too difficult. Their names were public record.

  “Or a political aid.” She was right. And it made the list a whole lot longer and harder to track down.

  “The only other people who frequent that coffee shop are UT professors. I doubt she’d have a run-in with one of those.” Ideas started churning and they were making progress. Inching along at this point but he’d take what he could get. “How’d you find out about the coffee shop?”

  “She sent me a picture from there a couple of times.”

  “It’s a starting point. I don’t like the idea of taking you back to Austin, though. Not while this situation is hot.” He didn’t doubt his skills in protecting a witness. One of the most important rules of the program was that the witness not return to the town from which they were relocated.

  Technically, she wasn’t the one being tracked. The men chasing her didn’t seem to know that. If Autumn had hid her twin sister from her so-called husband, she probably didn’t talk about her family member with any of the men she’d dated.

  That might mean no one would ever go looking for Summer. She could be safe if she went back to her life in Washington. Even though he highly doubted she’d go for what he was abou
t to pitch, he had to do it anyway.

  “What do you think of letting me take over the investigation from here?” He’d barely finished his sentence before she started shaking her head.

  “No way.” The finality in those words told him not to argue.

  “Would you at least think about stepping back?”

  The look she shot him made words unnecessary.

  “The only reason I bring it up is because I can protect you better if you go back to your normal life and let me lead the investigation into your sister’s case.” He had a moral obligation to make her aware of her options.

  She didn’t immediately respond. Her lips were set in a thin line. She’d made up her mind. Instead of overreacting, she seemed to take a minute to pick apart his reasoning. The small crease appeared on her forehead. “I think I understand what you really mean. I understand the risks I’m taking. Believe me. I barely got away and I know that was sheer dumb luck. I got even luckier that, despite what my sister did to you, you are a decent enough human being to actually want to help. So, I’m not taking it for granted.”

  He was impressed with how well she’d thought out her response.

  “You have a big family, right?”

  “Yes,” he confirmed.

  “You guys are all close based on what you’ve told me so far.” Her argument was already being laid out for her the minute she brought his family into it.

  “That’s right.”

  “My sister is all I have in the world. She might not be perfect. Believe me when I say that I can count the ways in which she isn’t. But we made a pact to have each other’s backs. I told her that I’d always be there for her. I’ve let her down in the worst possible way. There’s so much that I’d do differently now. I can’t go back. I can’t change what has happened. I can’t bring her back. All I can do is nail the bastards who hurt her.”

  There were only two words appropriate as a response. “Fair enough.”

  * * *

  THE WASHING MACHINE BUZZED. Summer forced her shoulders to relax. “I know where to go.”