Cowboy Who Came For Christmas (Harlequin Romance) (15 page)

“Yes. I was so shocked I didn’t even realize I still had my purse across my lap.” She shrugged. “I guess I was still clutching it when he shoved me in his car and took off.”

“And you had medicine in that purse?”

“Yes.” She braced her arms across her midsection. “I waited until he passed out and with one hand I lifted my purse inch by inch. When he didn’t move or wake up, I slipped my hand into the purse and found the pill bottle. Took me about fifteen minutes to open it without rousing him. Then I dropped a handful of them in the open whiskey bottle he’d left in the cup holder.”

“But you said he was passed out.”

“He was. I let him sleep awhile and then I kind of moved on purpose to rile him.”

“And he woke up?”

Sophia closed her eyes. “He did but he was still kind of disoriented. He was angry, thinking I was trying to escape. But I told him I’d fallen asleep and accidentally turned away. I told him to have another drink.”

“And...he did?”

“He never turned down a drink, and he was out of it enough to swig on that bottle again.”

“So you deliberately tried to kill him?”

“No.” She had to make Adan believe her. “No. I only wanted him to be so passed out that I could figure out how to untie myself. He had a certain knot he used that was almost impossible to untie with him just sleeping.”

“So you gave him too many pills?”

“I don’t know how many pills I put in that bottle. I got untied and when he didn’t wake up, I thought I’d killed him. I’m not proud of what I did, but I pushed him out the car door and threw his whiskey bottle after him and I took off.”

She got up and roamed in front of the fireplace. “I put Joe Pritchard out of my mind and I tried to live a good life once I settled here. I tried to ignore the guilt I felt about possibly killing him since he’d threatened to kill me so many times.”

Adan let out a long sigh. “Seems to me he still wants you dead. He’ll take you with him and he could still kill you once he has you.”

She nodded. “And that’s why I got so upset when I saw that poster inside my screen door that night. I knew he’d come for me.”

Adan grunted but managed to stand. Then he walked over to her and took one of her hands in his. “Lucky for you I showed up that night, huh?”

“That depends,” she said, “on whether or not you make me pay for what I did.” Then she looked up at him and steeled herself for what might come. “Because I also took back what was left of my money when I stole his car and left him for dead.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

A
DAN
DECIDED
RIGHT
then and there that he would never haul this woman in for anything. She’d obviously thought she’d done something wrong, but from what she’d told him, she’d only been trying to protect herself. Self-defense. From a man who was a coward and a bully, a man who picked on women and tried to take a whole community hostage. A murderer who’d spent most of his life on the run.

Adan couldn’t understand how Sophia had wound up with a man like Pritchard, but he’d have to figure that out some other time. He wanted to get back to doing his job. Even though his folks were used to him being gone for days at a time, he worried about Gaylen and his promise to her that he’d be home for Christmas.

He had a few more days left before he had to honor that promise.

“Relax,” he said to Sophia, his grimace more from pain than anger. “I tell you what—since you’ve leveled with me I’ll level with you. I’m only on this mountain to apprehend Joe Pritchard. He’s wanted for robbery and murder and half a dozen other crimes and now I have an eyewitness to a few of his other escapades, too.”

Sophia let out a gasp. “You mean me?”

“Yes, ma’am. He’s here because of you.”

Sophia starting pacing around, one hand moving like a garden rake through her hair. “He’ll kill me for sure if he thinks I’ll testify against him. And if I do get to live, he’ll swear I stole his car and the money.”

Adan didn’t want to play mean with her emotions, but he needed her to give a statement about what had happened when Pritchard took her hostage. “Look, the man took you against your will after repeated attempts to keep him away and then he forced you to help him get away. You have a solid case and you can redeem yourself by testifying against him.”

“Redeem myself?” She stopped pacing to stare up at him. “That’s blackmail, Adan.”

“Blackmail?” He grabbed her hand and held her there in front of the fire. “I don’t call doing your duty blackmail. I call it seeking justice against a man who’s wronged you. A man who’s still coming after you.”

“And what about my part in this? Will that just magically go away?” Her expression filled with a dread that spoke of all she’d suffered through. “I left him for dead and stole his car and a wad of money that he’ll claim was his. I could go to jail right along with him. Can you keep that from happening?”

“If you agree to my terms, yes.” He wouldn’t string her along. “Look, what you did isn’t that bad, all things considered. We can make it work.”

“But you can’t promise that. I know how it works with domestic violence. It’s hard to prove.”

“But you have proof. He took you.”

“No one saw him take me, though. It’s been almost five years and it’s my word against his. He’s been looking for me for all that time. What if no one believes he took me? What if no one believes I didn’t want to drive that getaway car?”

“If you turn on him, you should be safe. And you have documented history of his actions—from verbal and physical abuse calls to a restraining order and death threats. You also have friends who might be willing to vouch for you. And now he’s tracked you down and threatened you and me and everyone else in this community. We’ll all be glad to testify in your defense.”

“Should,” she said as she pulled away. “I
should
be safe. But you can’t promise that even after all that you just said about what he’s done. No one can.”

“I think I can safely say that you won’t be prosecuted.”

“Even if he tells everyone I poisoned him and took his car then left him for dead?”

“He was drunk and he might not remember anything. He didn’t actually see you put the pills in the whiskey bottle, right?”

She shook her head. “No, but I don’t like this. I don’t like this one bit. He always wins one way or another.”

Adan hated the defeat in her words. “He won’t win this time, I promise.”

“You shouldn’t make that promise. I can’t rely on a promise.”

“It’s a good solution,” Adan pointed out, hoping she’d listen to reason. “I believe you and I believe you went through a lot with Pritchard. Too much for one woman to endure. You’ll probably be applauded for pushing him out of that car and taking off.”

“I’m not proud of it,” she said on an almost whisper. “But I have to admit it felt good to be the one in control for once.”

Adan wanted to pull her close and hold her tight, but he had to stay in professional mode. “I can’t argue with that point.”

She gazed up at him, her eyes moving over his face as if she were looking for signs of deception. “Do you really think this will work? All I have to do is tell the truth in a court of law?”

“I do believe it will work, yes. If you agree to testify against him, I think we can settle for a plea bargain that puts you on probation, but that will just be a formality.”

“I guess it’s the only way.”

He finally did reach out to her. Pulling her close, he said, “Sophia, it’s the best way. You’ve been hiding out here, thinking you’d killed a man. Now that man has come seeking some sort of justification or revenge. He’s the kind that thinks if he can’t have you, no one will.”

He put one finger on her cheek and stroked her soft skin. “We have to end this, one way or another, so you can get on with your life. So you can feel safe again.”

Her eyes went smoky before she closed them. “I want it to end, one way or another. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. I’ll do whatever it takes to get him out of my life for good.”

Adan lowered his head, his mind whirling with kissing her again. He remembered her sweet lips, remembered having her so close. He wanted that again. He’d wanted it last night even in a medicated fog. He just wanted her near. He wanted a lot of things but mostly, he needed to get Pritchard and get back home. He’d have to figure out the rest later.

He didn’t kiss her because if he did, he’d never want to stop. “If you’ll agree to let me help you, we can do this. We can bring Joe Pritchard to justice.”

“And I can get my life back?”

“You will get your life back,” he replied.

And he wanted to add that maybe he could be in her life once this was over.

* * *

L
ATER
THAT
DAY
, Sophia glanced around the group of people in her cabin and wished she could go back and start over so she could prevent them all from being involved in this horrible mess.

Bettye with Melissa. She wanted to hear the rest of the story on those two, but she’d have to wait for a much quieter time for one of them to explain. Melissa seemed subdued and afraid. Maybe she was worried about her grandmother or that Adan would force her to go back to whatever horrors she’d run away from. Sophia knew that feeling.

How could she ever leave all of these caring people?

Karen and David—now happily reunited after their earlier ordeal with Pritchard, but willing to help her because they were that kind of people. The kind who cared for other human beings.

Jacob, sitting close to Bettye as always, but keeping his distance because he was a gentleman. A lost soul, but still a gentleman who believed in chivalry and honor.

Maggie and Arnie Burton, lovebirds who only came up here at certain times of the year. Strong and sure and sturdy, they’d helped Sophia hide the car and had been in on the whole secret from the beginning.

And Adan. A good strong man who was on the right side of the law. New and different and exciting and willing to help her get the albatross that was Joe Pritchard out of her life.

For good.

Even old Bandit stared up at her with expectant, knowing eyes. Did the dog sense that something was about to change?

They were all here for good. And they all believed in her. Sophia knew she didn’t deserve their loyalty or their trust, but she loved all of them because they’d treated her like family. Like how a real family would treat someone.

But Sophia had withheld things from all of them, and now they were all suffering because of her lack of good judgment.

She glanced up at Adan, tears pricking her eyes.

“Go ahead,” she said, giving him a weak smile.

“Are we in trouble again?” Bettye asked with a rebellious roll of her eyes, one hand rubbing Bandit’s head. “I don’t want to be on Santa’s bad list.”

Adan actually grinned at that. “I think you’re good to go as far as Santa’s concerned, Bettye.”

Melissa’s big eyes widened in worry. “Why are we here?”

Adan stared the girl down until she dropped her gaze, a look of guilt coloring her skin.

He stood like a drill sergeant in front of the roaring fire, his left arm in a sling and his whole demeanor wrapped in fatigue. “I asked Sophia to get everyone together so we could talk about our options.”

“You mean how to deal with this Pritchard fellow?” David asked. “I shoulda pushed him off into a gulley when I had the chance.”

“I say we hog-tie him and put him over a spit,” Jacob suggested with a straight face. “He’s aggravating all of us something terrible and well, he’s ruining my Christmas spirit.”

Bandit woofed at that suggestion.

Melissa shook her head. “That’s cruel. We should just tie him up and ask him why he can’t get a life. Why he has to try and hurt people.”

“He’s a cruel man,” Jacob pointed out. “Not worth a dime.”

Sophia hoped Adan would just get on with it. “What’s the plan?” she asked, giving him his cue.

“I plan to do what I came here to do—find him and take him back to Texas, hog-tied and all.”

Jacob grinned and clapped. “Okay, then. What can we do to help?”

Adan did a small pace, pain etched deep in his expression like a rock face. “I’ve thought about this. A lot.” He glanced back at Sophia. “According to Sophia, this man has harassed her and bullied her...and abused her for a long time.”

“But it stopped once she came here,” Bettye pointed out. “’Cause we all thought for sure he was dead.”

“And we hid the car,” Jacob said. “Probably covered in vines and saplings by now.”

“I’ll get to the car later,” Adan replied. “I want you all to understand one thing—this man is very dangerous. So we have a dangerous man attacking us on all fronts because he wants to get at Sophia. He’s already stalked her, broken into cabins to watch for her, held two people hostage and kidnapped one man to help him lure her down the mountain.”

“Nothing he does makes any sense,” Maggie said. “He could have gone away easily, but he decided to hang around. Why did he hold Karen and David hostage and make David drive him away if he doesn’t want to get away?”

“He thought he could capture me and take me with him,” Sophia reminded her. “He figured we’d come after him for taking David. And we did.”

“We all fell for that one,” Bettye said on a snort. “But we had to save David.”

“And I’m thankful you came for me,” David replied. Then he motioned toward Adan’s shoulder. “Just sorry you got in the line of fire, Adan.”

“I’m okay,” Adan said, his gaze sweeping over Sophia. “I’ve been shot before.”

“Well, isn’t it against the law to shoot a Texas Ranger?” Melissa asked, her tone low and cautious.

“It’s against the law to shoot anyone,” Karen said, her hand in her husband’s.

“Maybe he’s gone for good now,” Bettye said. “If y’all left him halfway down the mountain, he’s either frozen to death or he’s gone on down to the main highway.”

“But he’s a wanted man,” Sophia said. “He can’t be seen in any town down the mountain and no one will get to him on Crescent Mountain. I think he’ll keep on coming until he gets what he wants. Me. That’s why he did these things. He’s trying to figure out how to get around Adan to come after me.”

She didn’t say anything about her alternative plan. She would simply wait for Adan to fall asleep tonight and she’d take Jacob’s SUV and leave Crescent Mountain. What else could she do?

Karen looked frustrated and confused, her lips pursing in disapproval. “He could have demanded we find you, but instead he tried to trick us so he could take you when only David would be a witness.” She put a hand on David’s arm. “I’m terrified to think he probably would have killed you.”

“Maybe he decided he should leave since we have a lawman guarding us now,” Melissa said, her teenage eyes hitting on Adan with a sort of awe. “I mean, he would have hurt someone plenty more if Adan hadn’t been here.”

David shook his head. “I think his plan was to wait—maybe he thought Sophia would come to visit us at the house. But then Adan showed up, looking for him. He panicked. So he made me get him out of the house, but not off the mountain.

“He planned to wait for y’all even before I ran out of gas. He badly wanted to take Sophia, but he rambled a lot about finding a way to get her. If we’d been closer to civilization and y’all had followed us, he’d have been able to take her right away and make a getaway. But we foiled that plan when I ran out of gas. He’ll be back, trust me. He talked about Sophia nonstop and swore he’d get her.”

He glanced at Sophia. “Sorry, honey, but you’re in real danger here.”

“I know,” Sophia replied. “And I don’t like putting anyone else in danger again. I’m so sorry.”

“Hush,” Maggie said, her voice full of emotion. “When you showed up here you were so scared you could barely talk. I’m glad we were all here having our Fourth of July cookout. I’m glad Bettye rented you the cabin next to hers. If you had kept going, he would have found you. This is a safe haven and we’re going to help you and Adan get this man off the streets.”

She smiled over at Sophia and then grabbed her husband’s hand. “Right, honey?”

“Right,” Arnie replied. “I’m scared silly, I’ll admit, but we all love Sophia and we don’t want anything to happen to her.”

Maggie bobbed her head but didn’t speak again.

Sophia couldn’t speak, either. Didn’t these people see she wasn’t worth them risking their lives?

Bettye touched a hand to her arm. “We’re all in this together, darlin’. Don’t go thinking bad thoughts. You know we want to help and we’re bound to each other—have been since you rolled up that hill and got out of the car and started crying.”