A Cowgirl's Pride (11 page)
Authors: Lorraine Nelson
“Home is where your heart is…where it’s always
been…where you need to be.”
The fire crackled and popped, drawing her out of
her muse. She looked around at the empty room, thinking someone was playing
tricks on her, but she was the sole occupant. Her eyes focused on the portrait
once again, and she could’ve sworn he smiled at her. Did she need reassurance
so badly that she’d conjured it out of nowhere?
Suddenly, she felt her grandfather’s presence,
smelled the Old Spice cologne he used to wear combined with the smell of saddle
leather. Warmth settled on her shoulders, as if he’d placed an arm around her
in comfort. Tears filled her vision. “Thank you, Grandpa. Now I know I did
right in coming back. Whatever troubles have followed me, I’ll deal with them
and make you proud. I love you, Gramps, and I’ve missed you so much.”
She was afraid to move, afraid of losing contact,
but sensed a guiding hand lead her to the armchair. She sat, waiting, for what
she didn’t know. Warmth invaded her body, removing the last vestiges of
mind-numbing fear and replacing it with calm acceptance. She was home,
surrounded by people she loved and who loved her in return. Everything would be
all right. With Gramps on her side, how could it be anything else?
* * * *
The overhead light flicked on, jerking her
upright in the chair.
“Hey, sleepyhead! It’s time for dinner,” Luke called
out as he entered the room.
The fire had died down to a bright bed of coals.
“Sorry, I must have dozed off.” She picked up
the discarded book and crossed the room to replace it on the shelf.
“You can take them out of the room, you know,”
Luke said as he tended the fire.
“Thanks, but I guess my mind isn’t conducive to
reading if a book can’t hold my interest.”
“Sometimes they make a good escape.”
“Is that why you have so many?” She laughed.
“Partly. Winters can be lonely out here, as you
well know. Plus, Zakia brought quite a pile with her.”
“Yeah, I kind of guessed that.”
“Why?” He stood to face her, confusion written
on his face.
“There are quite a few romance books here.”
“Are you saying that men shouldn’t read
romance?” he asked, smiling at her.
She laughed gaily. Luke always had been fun to
tease. “Not at all. How else are they supposed to know how to treat a woman?”
“How indeed? I don’t hear Zia complaining. Well,
at least not this time.” He frowned.
“Sorry, brother dear. I didn’t mean to lead you
down that trail. It was hard on all of us. I was so worried about you.”
“I hope I never forget. It’s a road I don’t want
to travel ever again.”
“Of course not! I’m so happy things have worked
out for you.”
“Sometimes, you only love once. Zia is that for
me. I never contemplated seeing any one else with commitment or love in mind.”
“Is that how you knew?” she asked, wanting his
input.
“Knew what?”
“That Zakia was the only one for you?”
“I never stopped aching for her, loving her, in
all the years she was gone.”
“Oh!” Should she ask his advice about
giving up the fact that they’d been lovers as teenagers? “I never knew love
like that really existed, although I thought I had it once.” There, she’d left
an opening. Would he ask?
“Believe me, there was never anyone else for me.
Even when I hated her for leaving, I still loved her.”
“That makes a strange kind of sense,” she said,
strangely relieved that he hadn’t asked for details.
He laughed. “Scary thought. Come on. Dinner’s
waiting.”
They stepped out into the hall, and Luke locked
the door behind them.
“I’ll have a key made for you if you want one.”
“Thanks. I’d appreciate that. It’s so quiet and
peaceful in there.”
“Must be for you to sleep all afternoon.”
She was about to tell him about Gramps when the
twins came barreling through. Luke caught one under each arm.
“How many times have we told you not to run in
the house?” Luke asked, setting them on their feet.
“Sorry, Daddy,” they chorused in unison.
Leah couldn’t help but grin as they turned sad,
little, puppy dog eyes on their father. She grinned even wider when their
contrite expressions had the desired effect.
“Good! Don’t let it happen again.”
They nodded and took off with a very brisk step,
not walking but not running either.
“What cute little imps those two are,” she said.
“Imps is right,” he said as they entered the
kitchen.
All through dinner, Leah thought about her conversation
with her Grandpa. Had it really happened? Or had she dreamed the whole thing?
Bizarre! Yet it was comforting to think that he was looking out for her. That,
in the only way he could, he’d welcomed her back.
“What are you smilin’ about, baby girl?”
She focused her attention on her father. The
truth sounded too crazy, even to her, so she fudged a little. “I dreamed that
Grandpa spoke to me, welcoming me back to the ranch.”
He smiled fondly at her. “I’m not surprised. You
were his little darlin’. I remember you followin’ him everywhere, askin’
questions and hangin’ on his every word.”
“That man had the patience of a saint,” said
Luke.
“Why? Because he liked my company better than
yours?” she teased.
“No, because he tried his best to answer every
question you asked as honestly as he could. He told us that if you were old
enough to ask the questions, then you were old enough to be told the truth.”
“I still miss him.”
“Yeah, me too, but we have plenty of fond
memories.”
She nodded and resumed eating. Zakia produced a
lemon meringue pie for dessert, and Leah relished every bite. “That was an
excellent meal, Zakia.”
“Thank you.”
“Anytime you guys want me to take a turn in the
kitchen, let me know.”
Zakia nodded. “I will, but I love to cook, and
so does Winnie, so it’s no hardship.”
“Even so, the offer stands.” She rose, gathered
the dirty dishes to load into the dishwasher, and returned with the coffee pot.
“Is this decaf?”
“Sure is,” Zakia replied, her smile lighting up
her face as Luke groaned.
“What’s a man have to do to get a decent cup of
coffee around here?” asked Luke.
“If Leah hadn’t asked, you’d never have known
the difference. And besides, too much caffeine isn’t good for the baby.”
Luke grinned. “Too
little
is not good for papa, but I guess it won’t kill me.”
“Harumph! It hasn't killed me yet. Come on,
Winnie. Let's go cuddle in front of that fire Leah hogged all afternoon.”
Winnie rose to accompany him from the room.
“Where’s Michael?” Leah asked, only just
realizing that he hadn’t joined them for dinner.
“The forensics report came in, and he went to
the station. He’ll be back later, but he said not to worry. The
We’ll know if he heads this way again.”
Worry caused her to chew at her bottom lip.
Roddy got through their roadblock. She didn’t doubt that he could lose a tail,
but she didn’t want to say anything with the twins listening. “Okay, thanks for
letting me know.”
“Is Michael your boyfriend?” asked Casey, his sincere
yet curious expression almost making her laugh.
“Are you gonna be kissin’ and stuff?” Cammy
asked as he curled up his nose in distaste.
At that, she did laugh. “No and no. We’re
friends.”
“Okay,” came the two little voices just before
they scampered off down the hall.
Her coffee finished, Leah crossed to the sink
and ran water to wash the pots. Zakia grabbed a dishtowel. “Oh no, you don’t. You
cooked; I’ll clean. Take that husband of yours and go watch cartoons or
something with the family.”
“You sure?”
“I’m positive.” She took the dishtowel and laid
it on the counter.
“Okay, thanks.”
Zakia nodded and left. A short time later, a hearty
knock at the kitchen door drew her attention, and she called out. “That’s
probably Michael. I’ll get it.” She dried her hands on the way to the door.
“No, Leah! Don’t take any chances,” Luke said as
he rushed into the kitchen, but she already had the door open.
Her welcoming smile died a quick death when she
saw a stranger in uniform standing there. She took an involuntary step back,
only to bump into Luke. He gently pushed her aside and stepped forward.
“Hello. Can I help you?” he asked.
“I’m Sheriff Rawlings. Is there a Leah Manning
here?”
“Yes, I’m Leah,” she said, stepping forward.
“I have a warrant for your arrest. Come with me,
please.”
He reached out and quickly snapped handcuffs on
one delicate wrist.
Chapter Seven
“What?” she gasped and jerked her arm out of his
grasp. Of all the things that could’ve happened, this was the least expected.
“On what charges?”
“Grand theft auto and murder.”
“No way! There’s been some mistake. I haven’t
done either of those things.”
“You’ll have your day in court. I’ve been
instructed to escort you back to
“Not without showing some ID, you won’t.” Luke’s
voice bristled with anger.
The sheriff flashed his identification and shoved
it back in his pocket.
“Not so fast. Pass it here,” said Luke.
Luke took the card, grabbed Leah by the elbow,
and dragged her to the phone.
“Now wait a minute,” the sheriff sputtered, making
a fast grab for Leah.
“Luke, what are you doing?” she asked as he anchored
her to his side with one strong arm.
“I’m calling Michael to have him check this guy
out.”
“No need, Luke. I’m right here,” Michael said as
he appeared in the open doorway. “What’s going on? What’s with the cuffs? Take
them off her.”
Seemingly affronted by the newcomer, the sheriff
spoke. “Who are you to be asking questions and giving orders?”
Michael gave him a shrewd once-over before
answering. “Constable Michael Grayson with the R.C.M.P. detachment in
Who are you?”
“Michael, this guy says he has a warrant for my
arrest…for murder!”
“Can you call someone and verify his
identification?” Luke asked as he passed him the ID.
“Well, it looks official. Where’s the warrant?”
The man searched his pockets and handed Michael
the key to the handcuffs, which he then tossed to Luke. “I must have left it in
my car. I’ll go get it.”
“I’ll come with you,” said Michael, but as soon
as they stepped outside, the stranger got the jump on him, knocked him to the
ground, and took off running. Michael scrambled to his feet and went after him,
but the man had left his car idling. He was already inside and speeding away. Michael
fired a shot that blew out the driver’s side tail light then ran for his car, hollering
to where she and Luke stood on the back step. “Luke, get Leah back inside and lock
up. I’m going after him.”
Michael hightailed it down the driveway and
turned his vehicle onto the main road.
“Come back in the house, Leah. It’s too cold to
stand around out here.”
They went into the kitchen, and Luke locked the
door behind them.
An immediate knock had her trembling in alarm.
“Who’s there?” Luke asked.
“It’s me, Cal. Is everything all right?”
Luke opened the door. “Yeah, we’re fine.”
“I heard the shot and saw Michael chase someone
down the drive and thought I’d come check. What happened?”
Luke filled him in, and Leah watched the
fleeting expressions of anger and concern flit across
“I’m going to check the locks on the downstairs
windows and doors. Back in a flash.”
“You okay?” asked
She nodded, shivering in reaction.
He took her in his arms and held her close.
but his strength and warmth seeped into her bones, and she’d stopped shaking by
the time Luke returned.