A Lawman's Justice (Sweetwater Ranch Book 8) (9 page)

The corner of his mouth lifted. “Is that why you kissed me, because you think I’m hot?”

“Of course.” But then she rethought that. “Or maybe it’s because in addition to those hot-guy boxes, you’re a bona fide lifesaving hero.”

He motioned to the badge that he clipped to his belt. “It’s part of the job.”

Shelby motioned to his heart instead. “I think you would have saved my life even if you weren’t wearing that badge.”

Seth only shrugged. “You know, you tick all the hot boxes, too.”

Thankfully, she was still seated or that might have sent her into his arms. She was so easily swayed around him. Too easily.

All right.

It was time for her to put some mental distance between them. “Is that your father?” she asked, tapping one of the photos of the man in the wheelchair.

He nodded, after several seconds of staring at her. “When I was just a baby, my mom and dad were mugged when they were at a cattle auction near San Antonio. My mother was killed, and the man shot my father, severing his spine.”

“Sweet mercy.” Her breath stopped for a moment. As part of her investigation into Jewell, Shelby had done a background check on Seth, but she hadn’t delved into his childhood. “I’m so sorry.”

“It was a long time ago.” True, but she still heard the emotions in his voice.

“They caught the person who did this?” she asked.

But she had to repeat that “sweet mercy” when Seth shook his head.

Well, that explained why he’d become a lawman. He was out for justice. Justice that he probably knew he wouldn’t get for his parents, since the crime had happened over thirty years ago. Still, it was one of those wounds that would never heal.

She knew a little about never-healing wounds herself.

Shelby looked at a few more pictures, the snapshots giving her a little summary of his life. Despite his father being in a wheelchair, they appeared to be a happy family. Heck, even surly Rayanne was smiling in some of the photos.

Then the shots changed.

Seth’s father was no longer in any of the pictures. If she remembered correctly, he’d died when Seth had been twelve or so. The rest of the photos were of the ranch, horses and rodeo competitions.

Shelby looked up at him. Finally, he was putting on his shirt. “So beneath the FBI suit, you’re really a cowboy.”

“Was.
Am
,” Seth corrected. “I just bought the Bradley ranch not far from here. Once the trial is over, I’ll move there and get back to what I love—working with the horses.”

It was yet something else Shelby didn’t know about him. “What about the FBI?”

“I’m assigned to the San Antonio office. That’s close enough for me to commute.”

Again, it was the first she was hearing about his plans. “You’re staying in Sweetwater Springs?”

“Yeah.” His gaze met hers. “What, this town isn’t big enough for both of us?”

It would have been a cute joke if there hadn’t been some truth in it. Shelby got to her feet slowly. “But what if Jewell’s convicted?”

“Then, I’ll still be close to Rayanne and Rosalie. They’re both making their lives here.”

Their lives, yes, and families of their own. Rosalie already had a daughter and Rayanne was about to make Seth an uncle again.

“But the Bradley place?” she remarked. “It’s huge.” Several thousand acres. And the house was more of a mansion than a ranch house. Since the previous owner was in jail for murder, Seth probably had bought it for a decent price, but it still would have been steep.

“My father left me and my sisters huge trust funds,” Seth said as if reading her mind again, and he walked closer to her. “This town is Jewell’s home, and I think she’d want all three of us to be here.”

“Is that why she had you come back, because this is her home?” Shelby asked.

Seth stayed quiet a moment, his gaze combing over her. “She wanted us to get to know Roy so that he could be there for us if she got life in prison.”

Great. There already had been a dark cloud hanging over them, and now she’d dug up these old bones. “I’m sorry,” she repeated.

The muscle in his jaw flickered, and while she was certain the conversation wasn’t helping to soothe his raw nerves, Shelby also saw something else in his eyes.

That damnable heat.

She was about to issue a warning that they couldn’t give in to it, but the warning stalled in her throat. Pretty much everything else stalled, too—her heart, her breathing, even her feet. She didn’t do anything to back away when Seth came another step closer and slipped his arms around her to haul her to him.

In fact, Shelby did some hauling of her own.

Why did he have this effect on her?

She got a quick reminder when his mouth came to hers, and he kissed the living daylights out of her. Even though she didn’t need it verified, he tasted just as good as he looked, and he’d obviously been on the giving end of plenty of great kisses because he knew what he was doing.

And what he was doing was driving her crazy.

Shelby knew all the reasons she should be stopping this, but instead she was the one who took the kiss to the next level by sliding her hands over his back and pulling him even closer. It didn’t take long, mere seconds, for this situation to spiral out of control. Mainly because Seth started his own round of touching.

The kisses went lower.

His mouth on hers was already dangerous enough, but the kissing moved to foreplay when he took that clever mouth to her neck. That did it. She was already hot, but now she was on fire, and every shred of common sense went right out of her head.

This need for him wasn’t what she wanted. Far from it. She wanted to feel the hurt and anger that would have made her life so much easier. Because this need for him was rippling over her. Sliding through her and reminding her that no matter how much she wanted him out of her life, it wasn’t going to happen. This need would only grow. Would just keep on rippling until...

Well, until he shattered her.

Which might happen very soon now.

Without letting go of her, Seth turned until she was sandwiched between the back of the sofa and him. Anchored in place. But neither stayed put. They adjusted, fighting to get closer. Struggling to get closer until Shelby finally got the contact that her body was screaming for. Seth’s sex against hers.

Even though there were clothes between them, he didn’t disappoint with the intimate contact. Nor did he stop the wildfire kisses on her neck and mouth.

Shelby was certain that she was ready to lose it and drag him off to bed when Seth suddenly stopped. In the blink of an eye, he moved away from her, switching from hot cowboy to Mr. FBI. Because she was so rattled, it took her a moment to realize what had caused the transformation.

His phone was ringing.

Everything came back to her when he pulled his phone from his pocket. Not just the fierce attraction but the really important stuff. Such as the fact they were in the middle of a multiple murder investigation, and the call—
any
call—could be critical.

“It’s Annette,” Seth said, glancing at the screen. He hit the speaker button on his phone.

“Seth, you have to help me,” Annette insisted. Her words rushed together and were filled with a heavy breath. It sounded as if the woman was running.

“What’s wrong?” Seth immediately asked.

“Help me,” Annette repeated. “I’m near Whitt’s cabin, and someone’s trying to kill me. I’ll meet you at the sheriff’s office.”

That was all Annette said before Shelby heard two other things that she didn’t want to hear.

A gunshot followed by Annette’s blood-chilling scream.

Chapter Nine

Seth cursed when he finished the call with Colt. Most of the sheriff’s deputies were out at the cabin looking for Annette, but no one had seen her—including Colt and the CSIs who were still processing the crime scene for Marcel’s murder.

“No sign of Annette yet,” Seth relayed to Shelby.

At least this time the bad news didn’t cause her to go pale. Probably because Annette wasn’t exactly a friend. Still, that didn’t mean Shelby was pleased that the woman possibly had become another victim of this “mask” killer.

Or maybe Annette had just faked being in danger to draw Shelby and him out into the open for yet another attack.

That was the reason Seth had asked two of the ranch hands to follow them into town. Just in case Annette had been telling the truth and had actually made it to the sheriff’s office, Seth wanted to question her, but he didn’t want to do that at the expense of risking Shelby’s life again.

Seth heard a sound. One of the hall doors opening at the sheriff’s office. He was still so punchy that he nearly drew his gun before he realized it was Cooper. Unlike the deputies, Cooper was finishing up his interview with Hance, and, judging from the sheriff’s sour expression, it hadn’t gone well.

“I have to release Hance,” Cooper volunteered.

Even though that was exactly what Seth had expected, he still wished there was some kind of evidence to hold the man.
Real
evidence. And not just the word of the sleazebag who’d tried to kill Shelby and him in the truck explosion. Hance might not even be responsible for these attacks, but he was still a threat when it came to Shelby.

Hance didn’t waste any time coming out of the interview room, and like before he was sporting that smirk that Seth wished he could punch off the guy’s face.

“Careful,” Hance said, his attention going straight to Shelby. “There’s a fine line between harassment and bringing me in for questioning on the basis of what some piece of slime said. I’m thinking a judge will agree, as well. Either back off or I’ll go through with that harassment complaint.”

“Go through with it,” Shelby said, her voice surprisingly level and calm. “I’m tired of your threats. Tired of you. So let’s finish this in court.”

At least that caused Hance’s smirk to fade.

Since the guy was essentially a murdering bully, he probably got off seeing Shelby afraid. But Seth was betting Shelby was too numb to deal with anything Hance was trying to dish out.

Hance motioned for his attorneys to follow him, and he headed for the front door. However, he stopped when he reached the window. And Seth soon saw why.

Annette was running straight for the sheriff’s office.

“Get out of here now,” Seth warned Hance and his legal entourage.

No way did Seth want Hance around while he dealt with Annette. Seth practically shoved them out the door, and then he pushed Shelby behind him.

Cooper came rushing to the front, too, and drew his weapon.

Annette was wearing the same clothes she’d had on earlier when Seth had seen her at the cabin, but now there were smears of dirt on them. Dirt on her face, too. Her hair was a tangled mess, and she was hobbling. It took Seth a moment to realize she was doing that not because she was injured but because one of her heels had broken off.

She didn’t have a gun in her hands, wasn’t carrying a purse, and with that snug outfit, she probably wasn’t carrying a concealed weapon. Still, Seth didn’t intend to take any chances.

“Wait in Cooper’s office,” Seth told Shelby, and he paused until she was in the hall before he opened the door to let Annette in.

“Help me,” Annette said, her voice a raw whisper. She practically tumbled into Seth’s arms.

Seth handed her off to Cooper so he could take a quick look outside to make sure Annette hadn’t brought hired guns with her. Or to see if she’d been followed by someone else’s hired gun. But no one appeared to be lurking nearby waiting to attack. Still, Seth shut the door and continued to volley glances between Annette and outside.

After a closer look, Annette didn’t appear to have any serious injuries, although there were a few small cuts and nicks on her face and arms. Judging from the bits of leaves and twigs in her hair, she’d run through the woods.

“What happened?” Seth demanded.

Cooper had the woman sit in one of the chairs, and he brought her a cup of water. Annette’s breath was gusting, and she didn’t even attempt to answer until she finished the entire cup.

“I went back to the cabin,” she finally said. “So I could see Marcel’s body, to make sure it was really him.”

Seth groaned. She was damn persistent when it came to seeing the remains of the ranch hand. The question was why?

A hoarse sob left her mouth, and tears slid down her cheeks. “Marcel shouldn’t have died.”

“Ditto for the other people who were murdered,” Seth reminded her.

But judging from the way Annette shook her head, the tears and this grief were all for Marcel. Seth made a mental note to check and see if Annette and Marcel had been romantically involved. It would have definitely been a case of opposites attracting, but considering what was going on between Shelby and him, he figured just about anything was possible.

“What happened? Who attacked you?” Seth pressed. He motioned for Shelby to stay back when she started toward them. He might as well have saved his energy because Shelby didn’t stop moving closer to them.

“I don’t know,” Annette said at the end of another sob. “I was in the woods near the cabin. I wanted to watch those investigators remove Marcel’s body. But then I heard someone moving around behind me, and I spotted a man. He was armed and wearing a ski mask.”

Seth stared at her, trying to figure out if this was anywhere close to the truth. Annette was clearly shaken, but if she was the person behind the attacks, maybe she was shaken because something had gone wrong with her plan.

Something that wasn’t supposed to have included Marcel’s murder.

“Did this man say anything to you?” Shelby asked.

Annette shook her head. “He just pointed his gun at me, so I ran.”

“You ran?” Seth repeated. “Why not just call out to the CSIs for help?”

“I wasn’t that close to them. I’d been watching the cabin with binoculars, so I didn’t think the CSIs would have time to get to me and stop the gunman.”

They probably wouldn’t have gotten to her in time. If Annette was telling the truth about her location. “What happened next?” Seth asked.

Annette motioned for another cup of water, which Cooper got for her, and she again finished it before speaking. “I kept running. I had a gun in my purse, and I tried to get it out, but I dropped it. I managed to grab my phone, and I’d programmed in your number from the business card you gave me.”

Interesting. Since he’d given her the card only several hours earlier. “Why would you do that?”

“Because of what happened to Marcel. I figured if this killer came after me, then you’d help me.”

Seth wasn’t sure why she would turn to him instead of the sheriff, but then he had a lot of questions when it came to Annette and these possible lies she was telling. “What happened after you called me?”

“You already know.” Annette shuddered. “That’s when the man fired a shot at me. I dropped my phone when I ran into a tree limb, and I kept running until I made my way here.”

Seth glanced at Cooper to get his take on this. The CSIs had indeed reported the sound of a gunshot, and Seth had heard one when Annette had called him. That still didn’t mean Seth believed her. Apparently, neither did Cooper.

Cooper moved in front of Annette, made eye contact. The kind of flat eye contact a lawman made with a suspect. “Why would this person want to kill you?”

“How should I know?” Annette threw her hands in the air. “Why would he want to kill Marcel?”

Seth didn’t have an answer for that. Or for any of this insanity that was happening. And in this case, not knowing could keep Shelby and him right in the path of danger.

“I’ll call an ambulance,” Cooper said, taking out his phone. “Annette, you need to be checked out.”

“I want protection if I leave here,” Annette argued. “That man could come after me again.”

Cooper was already short on manpower, but before he made the call for an ambulance, he phoned his night deputy and asked for the man to come in so he could accompany Annette to the hospital. That was Seth’s cue to get moving, too. He was about to call the ranch hands again to ask them to escort Shelby and him back to the ranch.

But a black car caught Seth’s attention.

It pulled to a stop directly in front of the sheriff’s office with the passenger’s side just a yard or so from the main entrance.

The windows were heavily tinted so he couldn’t see inside. Not good. Apparently Annette was having the same thought.

“Oh, God. That gunman’s coming to kill me,” she blurted out, and headed for the back of the building. She ducked into one of the interview rooms and slammed the door shut.

Seth didn’t bother to stop her, and even though he wanted Shelby to follow Annette’s lead, he didn’t especially want her left alone with the woman.

“Stay behind me,” Seth warned her.

Shelby did, but she came up on her toes to look over his shoulder. Both of them and Cooper had their attention fastened to the car door as it opened, and the driver stepped out.

A tall, wide-shouldered man wearing a white Stetson emerged. Beneath the hat, Seth could see their visitor’s salt-and-pepper hair. Since the man kept his back to them for several moments, Seth had no idea who this was. Nor could he tell if the guy was armed.

The man finally turned, his gaze zooming right to the window where Cooper, Shelby and Seth were waiting. The corner of the man’s mouth lifted into a half smile, and he started toward the front door. Not quickly. He was walking with a pronounced limp.

“Oh, mercy,” Shelby said at the same moment that Cooper muttered, “What the hell?”

Shelby caught onto Seth’s arm and dropped her weight against him. Clearly, something had spooked both Cooper and her, and once the man opened the door and Seth got a better look, he understood why.

He was looking at the face of a dead man. Or at least a man who was supposed to be dead.

Whitt Braddock.

* * *

S
HELBY
FELT
AS
IF
someone had punched her. All the air vanished from her lungs, and she heard herself make a strangled sound of shock.

Obviously, her mind and eyes were playing tricks on her.

Yes, that had to be it.

But any proof of that mirage or illusion vanished when the man walked inside the sheriff’s office. She frantically studied his face, combing over every detail. It’d been twenty-three years since she’d last seen him, but there was no doubt about it.

This was her father.

Oh, God.

“Shelby,” her father said, his attention going straight to her.

She looked at Seth and Cooper to see if they had any explanation for this, but along with keeping their guns drawn, they were volleying glances at her, apparently to see if she had any answers.

She didn’t.

“How?” was all that Shelby managed to say, even though a dozen questions went through her head. But one question was by far the front-runner.

How was her father alive?

He came toward her as if to pull her into his arms. And she wanted that. Mercy, did she. As a kid, she’d fantasized that her father was still alive. She’d made up stories of his homecoming, but this real-life meeting didn’t exactly live up to the fantasy.

Seth blocked him from coming closer to her. “Why the hell aren’t you dead?” he snapped.

Whitt didn’t acknowledge Seth. He kept his attention pinned to Shelby. “We need to talk.
Alone
.”

“That’s not gonna happen,” Seth insisted.

“But you are going to talk to me,” Cooper added. “Start explaining
now
.”

Her father released a weary-sounding breath. “For a long time, I had amnesia.”

Shelby wanted to latch on to that explanation. Because it meant he hadn’t intentionally left her and the rest of his family. But there were the troubling words.

“For a long time?”
she questioned.

Her father nodded. “I was injured. Lost a lot of blood, and I guess that caused my amnesia.”

“That blood loss is what put Jewell behind bars,” Seth said, his voice low and dangerous. Shelby hoped he wouldn’t launch himself at her father. Cooper, too. But both Seth and Cooper were clearly fighting to rein in their rage.

“Start from the beginning,” Shelby insisted.

Her father huffed. “Don’t I at least get a hug from my baby daughter first?” He extended his arms, waiting.

Shelby let him wait. “Tell us what happened.”

Even though there were more wrinkles on his face, more gray hair, too, his expression hadn’t changed. He pulled his mouth into a flat line before he gave a conceding nod.

“Twenty-three years ago I met Jewell at the cabin.” He pulled off his Stetson and sank down into a chair. “After we, well, finished, we had an argument, and she stormed out. Jewell was always high-strung so I figured she’d be back after she settled down a bit. I just stayed in bed, waiting for her, and I fell asleep. When I woke up, someone shot me.”

“Jewell?” Cooper immediately asked.

But her father shook his head. “I’m not sure who it was. Maybe Jewell, maybe someone else. The curtains were pulled, and the room was dark. I only saw a shadowy figure before the bullet went into my chest. I lost consciousness, and when I came to, the person was gone, and I had both a gunshot and some stab wounds.”

Shelby had no choice but to sit down, as well. “Why didn’t you call someone? Why didn’t you call Mom?”

“No phone. My attacker must have taken it. I managed to get up and get outside, but my truck was gone, too. I knew I was bleeding to death so I staggered to the creek, figuring the cold water would slow the bleeding. I fell in, and I must have floated or something because when I came to, I was on the creek bank. An elderly woman found me and took care of me.”