Double the Trouble (Texas Trouble 3) (15 page)

Dixie
's eyes lit up and she grinned from ear to ear,
then said,
"No, shit?"
Karlie groaned and narrowed her eyes at
Dixie
then the little girl blushed and restated, "No, way!"

"Yep, my sister and I were the number one ranked female ropers in the country" she told the little girl with a wry grin. 
Karlie
was proud of what
she
and Katie had accomplished.  It hadn't been easy, and they'd worked their butts off training with the best in the rodeo, Uncle Jerry.  He'd been a fantastic teacher.

"Why'd you quit?"
Dixie
asked.

Good question, complicated answer...too complicated for a ten-year-old.  "It was time...wanted to go out while I was on top.  Old cowgirls ride off into the sunset," Karlie told her and grinned.  "I rode barrels too...I can teach you that too."

"Daddy said I might could get into 4-H next year
,"
Dixie
told her, "But I have to be good," she said with a quirk of her lip and sparkle in her eye.

Karlie threw back her head and laughed.  "Well, we'll just have to work on that too, won't we?"

Dixie
nodded then they found a calf by it's mama and
Karlie put the prod under her arm and eased up with the halter to slide it over the calf's head.  The cow eyeballed them for a second, but didn't move, she just kept munching on grass and chewing.  After Karlie buckled it, she pulled the lead rope out of her pocket and snapped it on the loop on the side of the halter.  "Easy as pie," she said grinning at
Dixie
.

Looking up at her with adoration and wonder in her whiskey brown eyes,
Dixie
said, "You're so good at all this stuff...I wanna be good at it too one day."

"You will be, sugar...we'll make sure of it."  Karlie didn't want to make promises to the vulnerable little girl, but she couldn't help herself.
 
Dixie
was like champagne, full of bubbles, and she liked her and her passion for things...like her pony, and her golf cart,
and learning to rope and ride.  She didn't ever want to see anyone stomp out those bubbles, like her parents had almost done to her.
  The best thing they ever did for her in her life, was to drop her off at Uncle Jerry's that day.
  She hadn't seen them since, and she didn't want to.

They led the calf out of the pasture, then locked the gate and Karlie held the long lead while they rode back to the barn with the calf following the cart.
  When they stopped by the outdoor arena, her heart stopped when she saw Gabe sitting on the fence waiting for her, with Cole standing beside him.
  Neither of them looked happy to see her.
 

CHAPTER SIX

Sliding out of the
golf
cart,
Karlie
walked the calf over to the arena, and let him go inside with Apache, then she looked at Dixie and said, "Honey, can you go
to the house and take Sarge out for a walk, he probably has to go pee,"
she pointed at Gabe and
Cole
then said,
"I need to go talk to them
.
"

Karlie's
eyes soaked up the sight of
Gabe
from his thick wavy black hair to his wide muscular chest and long legs
,
trying
to quench a thirst in her that had been there since she left
Bowie
.  Longing filled her and she wanted to go throw herself into his arms, but she couldn't.  She'd left him, written him off without a backward glance, but
not without
with a helluva lot of misery and regret.

Dixie
's face fell, then she
asked looking over at them
, "
Who are they?"

The man
Karlie
hadn't been able to get off her mind since she'd left
Bowie
, but
she couldn't tell
Dixie
that, so she said, "Friends, sugar."

"
Okay, Sarge will probably like a walk," she said looking up at Karlie
with a smile
, "Those are policemen, did you get into trouble again?"

Karlie
laughed and tousled her hair, "No, I'm not in trouble...this time," she told her then added,
"
T
hanks
for your help
."

She watched
Dixie
walk off then huffed out a breath and walked over to Cole and Gabe.  "How'd you find me?"
she asked
,
her eyes magnetically drawn to
Gabe
's intense gaze.

"Wasn't easy
...
but a better question is
,
why did you leave?" he asked her and she saw his jaw clench.  "Without a word, even."

"I brought nothing but trouble to you and the Double B, I needed to give ya'll your peace back," she told him flatly.  "And Jake knew where I was, so I had to leave.  I'm not letting him have Sarge."

"Who said I
wanted
fucking peace?  Did I say that to you
...or ever give you any indication I felt like you were too much trouble
?" he grated
his blue eye
s
glittering angrily,
then told her, "No--all I did was tell you
repeatedly
, we would protect you, help you. 
It was awfully cowardly
and inconsiderate
for you to leave without a word, Karlie.  I thought you had more guts
.
"

Gabe
jumped down off the fence then walked over to her.  "We came out here to tell you that Jake has your sister with him, I think he forced her to go with him, but can't prove it.  They're in
Amarillo
, so
they'll probably wind up here
...
" he told her then added sarcastically,
with a wave of his hand,
"
but
hey,
maybe
he
won't find you.  Good luck
with
that
, Karlie
.
"
  He nodded to Cole, then
gave her disgusted look and they walked off toward the house.

Karlie stood there dumbfounded for a minute
, her brain seized up with fear,
then she took off after them and yelled, "Gabe, wait!"

He didn't stop, so she sped up some, and yelled his name again.  She caught up to them and grabbed his arm, but he shook it off, "We said what we came to say, Karlie."

When he started walking toward the car again, s
he stopped then stumbled and sobbed, "Gabe,
please
help me...I'm sorry
,
"
then fell to her knees
a bawling mess of nerves and anxiety
. 

Gabe
was leaving and she
would have
nobody to help her get her sister away from Jake. 
Not only that, she had a feeling she'd never see him again
,
if he left in the mood he was in now. 
Karlie needed him to help find her sister, and she needed to be near him, because she now realized just how much she'd missed him since she left
Bowie
.
  The thought of never seeing him again caused her heart to wrench in her chest. 

A pair of large combat boots touched her knees and she moved her eyes up very long khaki covered legs across a broad chest and up to angry blue eyes, set in a stern face.  "You can't have it both ways, sugar...you have to decide.  Either you want
my
help and protection, or you want to be on your own.  Whatever you decide, there's no going back."

Either you want to be with me, or you want to go it alone...that's what he was really saying to her.  The choice was hers, and she didn't even have to think about it, she wanted to be with him,
to
see where this strange
explosive
chemistry they had would go
, and she needed his protection
.  "I want to be with you Gabe...
I need your help. 
I'm sorry for leaving like I did.  I didn't mean to hurt you."

He squatted down in front of her and grabbed her shoulders.  "Have faith in me, honey...I'm not going to leave you or let anyone hurt you.  I promise."  His eyes were sincere and intense.
  "I keep my promises, Karlie...I've only ever broken one, and I'll never do it again.
  I can't protect you though, if you run out on me.
"

"I can't go back to the Double B, Gabe...it would put Cassie and Luke in too much danger, until this is over."

"I bought a cabin from Luke...or I'm buying it...we should close in a couple of day
s. 
I've already moved in. 
Come back to
Bowie
and
stay with me," he told her and squeezed her shoulders.

She went to open her mouth to tell him it was too soon for something like that...they didn't even really know each other
that well
, but he let his hands drop
from her shoulders
then told her, "No strings, Karlie...we'll go
at
whatever speed you set...I won't rush you.  There are two bedrooms in the cabin."

"I can't even think about leaving here right now...I have to find my sister, first.  She's in real danger Gabe.
 
I didn't tell you this, but Jake has a gun too...he threatened me with it when I told him I was leavin
g
, so I didn't leave then
. 
It took me a month of planning and stashing money to get away from him.
"

"
Holy shit,
Karlie!
"  Gabe shot to his feet and put his hands on his hips to glare down at her, "
Why the hell didn't you tell me that?  Don't you think him having a gun would be something important for me to know?
  You should have called the fucking police on that bastard!
"

Tears stung her eyes again as she admitted, "It's hard for me to say, but I was terrified, Gabe.  Not much scares me, but Jake scares the hell out of me.
  I think something is wrong with him,
"
she tapped her forehead with her index finger.
  "Maybe he's been thrown off of one too many bulls, whatever it is he's not right."

"
Jesus, honey, what gave you the first clue?" Gabe's face was red and his hands were clenched at his sides.

"You've neve
r been in a situation like that
...you have no idea what it's like.  I didn't either until I was in it.  I didn't know what to do,
I just knew
I had to get the hell out of there."

He reached down and pulled Karlie to her feet and into his arms.  "I know, sugar...I'm sorry, you're right I don't know.  And you're never going to have to worry about that again."
  Gabe pulled back from her then took her face in his hands and swiped at her tears with his thumb,
before
he leaned down and put a gentle kiss on her lips.  "Let's find Katie
,
"
he said softly.

Gabe put his arm around her waist and led her over to the car where Cole was waiting for him, then he said,
"
I have an idea on how we can get Katie away from that moron..."

Cole
raised an eyebrow and smiled
,
then asked,
"Oh, yeah?"

"I think we should have Karlie call
her sister's
cell phone
,
and tell Katie she's
decided
to give Sarge back
to Johnson
. 
She
can
set up somewhere to meet
them, t
hen w
e'll be there to arrest the sonofabitch.
"

"
Not without cause, Gabe...what'd you have in mind?
"
  Cole asked and leaned back against the car and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Maybe Karlie can ask
her directly
,
if Johnson kidnapped her
, while
their on the phone.
  He won't know what's being said, and she can answer
yes or no
.  If
it's
yes, we can
alert
the
Amarillo
guys
about the
abduction
, and get them to help with jurisdiction issues
."

"I'll do it..." Karlie said
,
thinking that was a solid plan.  "
First,
I should
probably
call the attorneys for Jake's crazy grandpa
's
estate
though
. 
Maybe
I can get them to agree he's unfit, and that Sarge should stay with me
.  That way h
e's not stolen right?
  Gabe suggested that
before
, but I haven't
d
o
ne
it yet.
"

"
Okay, you do that honey, and I'll check with Tommy and see if can think of a good meeting place
.
  Then we'll call Katie.
"

***

Gabe
had left Cole talking to the
Amarillo
police
on the phone
, and he
was in Tommy Tucker's study in the monstrous house on the Rockin' D, leaning back in his chair thinking
.  He looked up at Tommy and said,
"This guy is a loose cannon, so we need
to meet him
where there's not a lot of people around.  Public would be better, but not very populated.  I don't want to chance someone getting hurt."

"
I'd say just have the asshole come here, but I don't want him knowing where I live, because of
Dixie
.  I sure wish Karlie had told me what was going on with her.
  I wondered why she'd left the rodeo, and asked, but she said she was just tired of it.
"

"That may be, but this guy is the main reason she left.
..and now he has her twin sister."  Gabe shoved a hand through his hair and huffed out a breath.  "I'm damned worried about her
too
.  Karlie has the balls between her and Katie, and
she
is terrified of the guy, I can only imagine how scared Katie is, and Karlie never told her sister about Jake Johnson either."