Cowboy Who Came For Christmas (Harlequin Romance) (25 page)

And hopefully, he’d have Sophia in his arms again soon, too.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

S
OPHIA
DIDN
’
T
KNOW
how much farther she could go. She’d left her scarf at least two miles back and she’d managed to drop a stretch bracelet she’d made for the art fair two years ago over a loose hanging branch.

Would anyone find her clues before she died?

Joe grunted for the umpteenth time. “Are you messing with me, Sophia?”

“How do you mean?”

“I mean, I’m tired and ready to get on flat ground again. You’d better find that car and soon. I’ve had enough of you holding out on me.”

He pushed her again, but she managed to keep her balance this time. She already had skinned hands and torn jeans to show for trying to resist his shoves. She had a bruise on her left cheek for being sassy with him, too. Several times, she’d stumbled on broken limbs and huge rock, but she didn’t dare try to attack him with either. He’d shoot her, no doubt about that. So she decided she’d bide her time until they got to the car. Then somehow she’d distract him and find a way to make her move.

She wanted to watch him die a slow death.

Tired and irritated, Sophia searched the moonlit woods and hoped she had brought him along the right path. If he wanted the money so badly, she’d gladly let him have it. She’d pay any price to be free of his cruel shadow.

But she was so afraid she’d taken the wrong turn. She’d only been back to check on the car one time until the other day when she’d tried to hide it more and in the meantime, she’d tried to forget the bag of money she’d found in the trunk. Drug money, tainted money, sad money. That money couldn’t buy her any happiness, so she’d hidden it right along with her guilt and her shock.

But all of her denial had finally come crashing down around her. Joe was back and it all had to end here, tonight, one way or another.

“I think we’re almost there,” she said, her voice raw, her words winded and weary. “Joe, you know that car might not start. How do you plan to get out of here with all that money?”

“I got me a plan,” he said. “My son knows where to pick me up.”

She almost reminded him that by now his son would surely be in custody, but she didn’t want to anger him again. Sean would have to pay for Joe’s sins, too. When would this end?

She didn’t get to dwell on that final scenario. Joe poked her with the gun. “What’s that up ahead?”

Sophia lifted her head and stared into the moonlight. She didn’t know whether to be happy or to run for her life. “That’s your precious car. And your bag of money is hidden in the compartment in the trunk.”

Joe poked her hard with the gun. She was so cold and tired she could easily lie down and let him finish the job. Her lightweight sweater and thermal sweatshirt couldn’t protect her from the biting wind. But in spite of the numbness stalling her every move, a white-hot desire to survive burned through her.

Because somewhere along this cold, dark, frightening path, she’d had the sweetest daydream. She’d dreamed of seeing Adan with his little girl, Gaylen, laughing and playing. Then she’d pictured herself in that dream.

A single tear fell warm and liquid down her cheek.

Sophia wanted that dream. Somehow.

So she ignored Joe’s threats and headed toward the mound of bramble and branches and bushes that had grown over the car she’d stolen and hidden. The forest had tried to bury her sins, but the winter wind had brought them back to the surface again.

As she stood a foot from the car and watched Joe trudge forward, Sophia felt a sense of relief. No one could ever hold this over her head again.

But that relief was short-lived when she heard Joe’s screams and curses. Then he whirled on her and slapped her to the ground. “Where is the money, Sophia? What did you do with the money?”

* * *

A
BRACELET
.

Adan held the dainty, colorful circle of threads in his hand as if it were made of diamonds strung together by a delicate spiderweb. “It’s Sophia’s,” he told Sheriff Demont. “She wears this all the time.” He snuggled the bracelet into the inside pocket of his jacket to keep it safe.

“Keep walking,” the sheriff said, the cold sending up puffs of his breath into the damp night air. “We got ’em on the run now.” The stoic lawman had followed Adan up the path and caught up with him.

Adan stomped ahead over ruts and dips, determination heating his numb insides. He might hate winter forever after this week. Heck, he might retire after this week.

They climbed over broken limbs and ragged rocks while he searched for another clue, another sign of Sophia. But no other signs appeared and he was just about out of hope.

Until he heard a growl of a scream piercing into the night, followed by a feminine cry that echoed like a lost plea toward him.

Sophia.

* * *

S
OPHIA
SCREAMED
BACK
at the man hitting her. She wouldn’t die this way, out here, alone and beaten, cold and cowardly. Scooting away, she did a desperate feel of the ground around her. Now was her only chance to try and get away before Joe finally killed her. But every branch she tried to lift was only a protruding root that refused to let go. Every rock she cut her hands and arms on was so packed into the earth that she couldn’t pry it loose. Out of her reach, the way all of her dreams were always just out of her reach.

Joe charged after her, raising the rifle to use as a whip. She cringed and screamed again, her only hope that someone would hear her and come to help her.

“You sorry good-for-nothing,” Joe shouted, his boots stomping toward her. “The trunk’s open and the money’s gone. What did you do with it, Sophia?”

“I don’t know where your money is,” she cried. She scooted against an outcropping of jagged rock and shielded her face with her bleeding hands. “Joe, listen to me. It was there last time I checked. Someone must have found it. Someone else took your money.”

But Joe was beyond listening now. He grabbed her by her arms and wrestled her up against the rocks, causing her head to hit the unyielding wall behind her with a crack. She saw stars that weren’t up in the sky, her hands gripping the rocks to steady herself. A baseball-size rock moved against her touch and somehow she managed to hold onto it and clasp her fingers around it. A wave of dizziness pulled her down into the darkness, but she took a breath and blinked only to see Joe’s face inches from hers.

“I’m gonna kill you,” he said. “But first, I want to finish something we didn’t get to start.” His wet mouth on hers brought Sophia out of her stupor. She groaned and twisted away, but his hand on her face held her there. “Gonna fight me to the end, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” she said on a hissing breath, gaining strength with each defiant word. “Yes, to the bitter end. You disgust me.”

Joe dropped the rifle and pushed her back against the rocks, his hands moving over her body. Sophia knew what would come next and with every ounce of energy she had left, she allowed him to touch her long enough to give her time to raise her right hand and hurl the heavy rock down against his skull.

She hit her mark. Joe growled in pain and reached up for his head. She hit him again, this time on his temple and forehead. He went down in a slow motion that scared her because she was so afraid he’d rise up again, the way he had over and over.

When he fell at her feet, Sophia thought she was finally free. But Joe came back up with a raging howl, a knife in his hand. Sophia screamed and held her hands over her face and then moved down the wall, trying to escape.

“Stop!”

The one word, coming from a now familiar voice, gave her renewed energy and hope.

Adan!

But Joe didn’t stop. He plunged toward her, his eyes like a dirty midnight river. He followed her and cornered her, the knife slashing at her. Sophia kept fighting, kicking and slapping. She could hear Adan screaming at Joe to stop, to halt.

Then she heard a shot ring out into the night. Joe’s expression went from rage to shock as he jerked back in pain. He gave her one last hateful glare and then he plunged at her and fell at her feet.

Sophia breathed a gulping sigh of relief and stared down at the man on the ground. Then she glanced up, searching for Adan. He was running toward her. But a searing hot pain hit her in her right side. Sophia grabbed at her sweater and felt the blood running down her fingers.

Joe had stabbed her.

The blackness she’d been fighting overtook her. She started sliding down the rocks, landing in a sitting position. She stared over at Joe and wondered if Adan had killed him.

Then she heard another voice, the voice she’d dreamed about on this long trek to find her buried sins.

Adan’s voice. He was calling her name, but she couldn’t stay awake. She couldn’t answer. So she drifted to sleep and hoped her dreams would stay sweet.

* * *

A
DAN
RAN
TOWARD
S
OPHIA
, her name stalling on his lips. He’d struggled to see into the darkness but when he’d seen Pritchard holding her against these rocks, he’d raised his handgun and fired—at exactly the same time Joe had plowed toward Sophia.

The bullet had hit its mark. Sophia was safe now.

Or so he’d thought. He watched in horror as she clutched her midsection and then slid down the wall. Had she been hit? Adan reached her and bent down to look at her.

“Sophia?”

She moaned, her eyes glassy. “Knife...”

Adan checked her wound and then glanced back at where Pritchard lay moaning, a bloody knife clutched in his right hand. Adan’s missing Bowie knife.

Adan screamed to the sheriff, his hands covering the blood that filtered through her clothes, “Call 911. She’s been stabbed. He stabbed her. Hurry, call now!”

Grasping for anything to stanch the bleeding, he pulled out the blue scarf he’d found on the path, tears pricking at his eyes. After balling it up, he held the scarf over the tear in her sweater with one hand and felt her pulse with the other.

She was cold and probably going into shock, her pulse weak.

Adan didn’t think about what he’d done...or what she’d done. He only thought about how to save her. “Sophia? Sophia, can you hear me?”

She didn’t respond, so he tried again.

“Sophia? Listen, I’m here. We’re getting help for you. I’m so sorry, do you hear me? I’m so sorry.” He blinked and held tight to her wound, the lacy blue material turning a rich bluish-red now. With his other hand, he grabbed her fingers and tried to will some warmth into her body.

The sheriff hurried up. “Got help coming.” He toed Pritchard. “Is he dead?”

“I don’t know,” Adan admitted. “And I don’t care.”

Sheriff Demont didn’t say another word. He checked Pritchard’s wound. “I think he’ll live for now.” Then he dragged a moaning Joe Pritchard out of the way and searched him for weapons before he stood up with his gun trained on Pritchard. “He ain’t going anywhere.”

When Joe woke up and started thrashing, Adan didn’t stop to think. He got up and charged on Pritchard, pounding on the man’s face with his bloody hands.

“You happy now?” he shouted at Pritchard. “Are you satisfied? She’s injured. She’s bleeding!”

Pritchard rolled his head side to side. “Only got what she deserved. So...yeah... I guess I’m...pretty satisfied, all things considered.”

Adan hit him again, knocking him out.

The sheriff turned a blind eye and helped Adan off him. “Go check on your lady, Ranger Harrison.”

Adan came out of his anger-infused daze and hurried back to Sophia’s side. She was still breathing so he sat down as close as he could get to her and held her tight.

“I’m so sorry,” he said again. “So sorry. I tried to get here before he hurt you. I tried.”

Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of a helicopter somewhere overhead. “Adan?”

“I’m right here.”

She held his jacket. “I’m sorry, too. Didn’t tell you—”

“Shh,” he said, thinking how insignificant that was now. “It’s okay. We’ll talk about all of that later, okay?”

“But—” Then she gulped, her eyes going wide in fright as she struggled to get up. “Joe?”

“We got him,” Adan said, gently pushing her back down. “You’re safe now, Sophia.”

She shot him a lopsided smile and closed her eyes.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

T
HE
MOUNTAIN
WAS
crawling with law enforcement agencies and first responders. And Adan’s insides were crawling with a solid dread that wouldn’t let go.

His phone rang and when he saw his mother’s caller ID, he immediately answered. His mother never called unless it was an emergency. Hoping nothing had happened to Gaylen or either of his parents, he glanced at where two able-bodied men were strapping Sophia onto a stretcher to get her out to the old logging road near where they’d found the hidden car.

Walking behind the stretcher, he followed the men down the rocky curving path. “Mom?”

“Hi, honey. Everything’s okay here, but we were just worried. Gaylen was asking about you.”

Adan pinched two fingers across the bridge of his nose. “I’m okay. Just...tying up some loose ends. We got our man, but it sure wasn’t easy.”

He wanted to add that he’d found his woman, too. But he wasn’t sure how to handle the myriad feelings rushing through him like a river. He had a lot to sort out.

First making sure Sophia was taken care of and, second, making sure Joe Pritchard never saw the light of day again.

After reassuring his mother and telling her to give Gaylen a hug first thing in the morning, Adan ended the call and stomped down the mile-long path to the ambulance parked down near the circle of cabins.

All of the neighbors were waiting for him, including a worried-looking Maggie Burton.

“Ranger Harrison, I need to tell you something important.”

Adan had pretty much figured out what she wanted to confess. “Not now, Maggie,” he said, his hand in the air.

“But...it’s important,” she said, tears forming in her eyes. “Arnie’s going to be okay. A long haul to get well, what with a broken leg and his other injuries. But we feel blessed that he’ll be okay. I just hope we can go on our long hikes again one day.”

“Yeah, me, too,” Adan replied. “And I just hope you’re talking to me right now because you know where that drug money is and you intend to turn it in.”

She nodded, tears running down her face. “I do and I will. But it’s a long story.”

“I’ll take your statement, don’t worry about that,” he replied. “Stay right here until I can do that.”

“But I want to go back to the hospital with Arnie.”

Adan couldn’t fault her for that. “I’ll have to put a guard on you, then. First thing tomorrow I’ll want to take your statement, okay?”

“Okay. He’s sleeping for now so David came and brought me home so I could talk to you.”

Adan glanced at where the others stood talking. He’d have to explain all of this to them later. When Bettye came toward him with her arms opened wide, Adan accepted her embrace.

“Thank you for saving our girl,” she said. Then she reached up and whispered in his ear, “Don’t be so hard on her, Adan. She was so scared when she came here, and she never spent a dime of that money.”

Sophia had tried to tell him. She’d mentioned she’d only taken back her own money. She’d tried to explain.

Adan couldn’t speak at first. Swallowing back his guilt and fear, he looked down at Bettye. “I almost didn’t make it. Just a second or two more and she’d be—”

“You did make it,” Bettye replied. “She’s alive and safe now. And she has a new champion.” She poked two fingers against his badge. “She has you. You’re the cowboy who came for Christmas. It’s like a gift we all needed.”

Adan didn’t know what to say. “I have to go,” he said but he turned before he took off to take care of business. “And, Bettye?”

Bettye whirled, her long gray braid dancing around. “Yes?”

“Thank you.”

Bettye winked at him. “I didn’t do anything. I didn’t have to. I knew you two were meant for each other the night I hit you over the head with that frying pan.”

That brought a smile to Adan’s lips. He shook his head and hurried to catch up with the ambulance.

* * *

S
HE
WAS
HAVING
that dream again.

Sophia snuggled underneath the warm blanket, her sleep-laced brain registering that she was no longer cold or scared. She felt warm and safe because she could see Adan’s face in her dream.

Then she opened her eyes and there he was.

Asleep by her bed.

Sophia glanced around and realized she was in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV drip. But no handcuffs. At least not yet.

“Adan?”

His head came up in surprise but his hand on hers was warm and comforting. He laced his fingers in hers, cleared his throat and leaned close. “Hi.”

“Hi,” she said, her mind reeling with the horror that had occurred in reality. Her nightmares had all come true.

But so had her dream of a hero.

“Where’s Joe?” she asked, her voice shaky. Her hope even more shaky.

“In another hospital under lock and key,” Adan said. “We transported him as far away from you as possible. He’s being treated and guarded at another regional hospital closer to the Texas border. He’ll be hauled over the line back to Texas as soon as the doctors clear him for travel.”

“He’s not dead.” She closed her eyes, hating herself for wanting another human being to die. “He never really dies.”

Adan’s fingers tightened on her hand. “No, but he’ll spend a long time in prison. The rest of his life, I’m sure. He’ll probably wish he were dead.”

She struggled with her blankets. “What if he escapes?”

Adan hand on her shoulder soothed her. “He won’t. Trust me on that.”

She did trust him on that. “Thank you,” she said. “For so much.”

Adan lowered his head. “I thought we’d lost you.”

“I thought you’d never find me until spring, but you followed my clues?”

“Yes. Good thinking. Got there in time.”

A new shyness engulfed her, making her wonder what they had in common now that Joe was out of the picture. “That’s all that matters.”

“Yep.” He looked distressed and guilty. “Every second mattered last night.”

But when she gazed into his eyes, she knew that a lot more than timing mattered between them. Afraid to voice her feelings, she shrank back on the bed. Did she deserve a man like Adan Harrison?

Deciding to worry about that later, she asked, “Where is the money? What happened? What about Joe’s son?”

Adan clasped her hand. “We can talk about all that later. You need to rest. That stab wound was pretty deep, but luckily you didn’t suffer any major damage. Doc got you stitched up good and proper, but you’ll be sore for a few days.”

“When can I go home?” She tried not to cry. “Or...am I going to jail?”

“No jail time,” he said, smiling. “Home maybe tomorrow, if you behave. You’ll have to take it easy for a while.”

She swallowed back the tears clogging her eyes and throat. “What will happen to me now, Adan?”

“Only good things if I have my way,” he said. Then he stood up and leaned down to place a sweet kiss on her forehead. “Let’s worry about all of that later, okay. You need to rest and sleep. Your wound was bad enough but you were close to hypothermia, too.”

“Do I still have all my fingers and toes?” she asked, wiggling her feet just in case, the memory of being chilled to her bones still causing her to shudder.

He pulled her blanket up tight around her neck. “Yes, you sure do. But you need to get some rest. I think Bettye and Karen are coming to visit later so you can catch up on things with them.”

“But what about everything else?”

What was he hiding from her?

“Don’t worry about anything,” he said, his smile lighting up the room while his manner bordered on awkward. “Hey, you just need to remember that...we all love you, okay?”

We all love you.

Not
I love you
.

She wanted to pin him down on that and ask him did
he
love her? But she didn’t have the right to even ask that question. They needed more time, more chances to be together without the threat of danger around every corner. And she needed to know what her future held—going home or going to jail.

Would he love her now that he’d settled things? Now that he had Joe where he wanted him to be? Now that he had her where she needed to be and all of the money accounted for? Or would he make sure she was behind bars, too?

Adan looked as if he couldn’t wait to be out of this room. And just like that, her sweet dream seemed to fizzle out like a dying ember. Maybe she had dreamed the whole thing after all.

“You don’t have to stay,” she said, forcing her tone to be neutral. “You’re right. I am tired and I just want to sleep for about a week or so.”

He seemed surprised but he didn’t try to protest. “I do have some reports to file. Once that’s done, I’ll explain everything else to you.”

She nodded. But she didn’t hold out hope on anything.

* * *

A
DAN
DIDN
’
T
KNOW
how to take Sophia’s reaction to finding him in her hospital room. Maybe he should have left while she was sleeping, but last night he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he’d emailed a few of the particulars of this case to Ranger headquarters in Austin, and he’d talked to the sheriff about his suspicions regarding the Burtons. Once Joe Pritchard was well enough to give a statement, they’d force the truth out of him, too.

In the meantime, Adan did have a lot of work to do.

First thing, he wanted to question Maggie Burton. She had agreed to meet him at the sheriff’s office back in Crescent Mountain. So he left the big regional hospital and drove back the forty or so miles to the base of the mountain.

Maggie was waiting in the sheriff’s office. When Adan entered, she looked up with both relief and trepidation. “How’s Sophia?”

“She’s doing all right,” he said, not willing to give Maggie any more information on Sophia just yet.

Sheriff Demont greeted Adan and then settled back in his chair. “Got a report on Pritchard. He came out of surgery and he’s in the recovery room. He’ll be put in a private room later today with two guards at the door and only official visitors allowed.”

Adan nodded on that. “Let’s get this over with,” he said.

The sheriff indicated he was ready. “Mrs. Burton, you ready to give your statement?”

Maggie nodded, but she looked lost and scared. Adan didn’t want to feel sorry for the woman, but he did in a way. He waited to hear her story before giving in to that notion.

Maggie shifted in her chair. “You know Arnie and I love to hike. We’ve walked and explored just about every inch of Crescent Mountain.”

“I get that,” Adan said, impatient to get to the truth.

“So we were walking along the western ridge of the mountain, up this old logging road—”

“When,” Adan asked. “What time of year? How long ago?”

She looked down at her clutched hands. “About a year ago.” Shrugging, she said, “We hadn’t gone up that particular road in a while because it was dusty and...kind of boring. But it was a nice spring day, so we decided to give it a try.”

Adan glanced over at the sheriff. “Go on.”

“We got up to this level spot—probably where the trucks used to turn around—and saw this big mound of branches and shrubs. We went to investigate and then we remembered—this was where we’d helped Sophia hide a car several years ago. It was covered with vines and saplings.”

“And you realized it was Sophia’s car?”

“Yes.” She bobbed her head. “We tugged at some of the vines. Arnie loves old cars, and he got the idea that maybe enough time had gone by that he might be able to buy the car from Sophia and restore it.”

Adan was beginning to see the picture. “And...”

“And...we checked the car out, front to back. He even popped the hood and looked in the trunk.” She lowered her head again. “We found a hidden compartment cut out of the trunk near where the backseat was. There was a dark bag inside. We opened it and found all of this money.”

Adan let out a sigh. “What did you do after you found the money?”

Maggie shrugged and wiped at her eyes. “We...uh...decided that instead of restoring the car...we’d just...skim a few dollars off the top...here and there.” Lifting her head, she glanced from the sheriff to Adan. “We shouldn’t have done it. We should have told Sophia we found it or we should have reported it, but...we had some bills to pay and...we got greedy. Each time we’d come up here, we’d hike to the car and...take more money. Finally, when we arrived here this time to celebrate Christmas and heard about Joe Pritchard being on the mountain, we figured he’d come to get his money and that if he found some missing, he’d kill us or he’d hurt Sophia.”

Adan felt sick to his stomach. “So you took all of the money?”

She bobbed her head again. “We thought if we could find Pritchard and convince him that Sophia had taken the money, he’d go after her and not us. But I wanted to be sure we’d get out this alive, so I tried to convince Arnie that we should just take the money and go. We’d never have to come back here again. He didn’t like that idea, and so we argued down on the path near the stream.

“We were standing on a ridge and he grabbed my arm and tried to convince me that we needed to do the right thing. He was so worried about you being here and about Joe Pritchard hurting Sophia.” She sniffed and shook her head. “I was kind of jealous of Sophia. Not that Arnie cared about her. He’s always loved me. But I made a big fuss and when he grabbed for me, I pushed away and he hit some loose rocks and...he slipped.”

She burst into tears then. “I was so afraid I’d killed my husband. But it was an accident. A terrible accident.”

Adan leaned close. “So you lied. You never saw Joe Pritchard on the path that day or anytime at all, did you?”

“No,” Maggie said. “Never.” Then she gave Adan a resigned glance. “But... I do know where that money is.”