Finding Amy (17 page)

“Are you al
l right?” Carson asked breathlessly as he slid over to the side and wrapped his arms over her bare stomach, pulling her to him.

“Umhum,
” Amy mumbled.

“You are so beautiful, Amy. I have wanted you from the first time I saw you. The more I got to know you, the more I wanted to know.”

Amy turned to him and their faces were inches apart “There is something about you that is different from anyone I’ve met. I didn’t want to be drawn to you, but I couldn’t help it. Especially after that first kiss on the steps in front of my apartment.” Amy smiled. “That sealed it for me. I didn’t care what the cost, I wanted to know you.”

He hugged her closer. “I think we’re off to a good start.”

Amy smiled and snuggled as close as she could get in his arms until the exhaustion from the past few days caused her eyes to droop. She bolted upright in the bed. “Oh dear. I have to get back to Trish. If she wakes up and no one is there, she’ll be scared.” Amy hopped off the side of the bed and found her clothes. She dressed in record time and had started for the door when Carson grabbed her. He had slipped on his jeans.

“I want to take you out somew
here. Dinner, movie, my bedroom,” he grinned, “you decide.”

Amy raised her face and kissed his
lips. “That’s not a hard choice,” she teased. “I’ll see you in a few hours.” She left the room and ran through the garden path to reach Ms. Garrett’s house. When she climbed the stairs and entered the bedroom, Trish hadn’t moved. The poor baby had to be completely out of it. Amy crawled into the queen size bed and snuggled up close to the child. But sleep wouldn’t come. She relived their love making over and over until she finally fell asleep. Then it occupied her dreams.

Chapter
25

Carson watched Amy enter his mom’s house
before closing his door. He wished she could have stayed. Just thinking of her had his manhood swelling and she had to leave. He walked over to the liquor cabinet, poured a shot of Jack Daniels and swallowed it in one gulp. He opened the refrigerator, grabbed a Coors Light and twisted off the top. Taking the bottle, he walked through his dining room and opened the French doors leading to the deck. He sat in a patio chair and took a swig of beer. A forest of trees lined the back of his yard. The oak trees had started turning yellow and mingled with the green pines to make a striking picture in the moonlight. A light breeze had them swaying gentle.

The
smell of roses and honeysuckle hung in the air. It reminded him of Amy. The sweet taste of her lips lingered. He had finally met his match. He wanted her from now on. She might want to go back to Galveston and finish her degree but there were schools here in Tyler where she could do that. He didn’t even know if she had someone special in Galveston. It didn’t matter. He could deal with another man. He wanted to spend his life with her. Even though they had known each other for less than a month, they were a perfect match. Hell, Mom and Dad fell in love the first night they met. Dad always told him that he would know when he found the right woman. Is love what he felt? He didn’t know since he had never been in love before. But he did know he had never had these feelings for anyone he had ever dated.

The only problem hanging in the
ir way is Jamie’s ex. He had to catch him before he could do any harm to any of them. Where would he hide? Martin owned the adjoining property to the horse ranch and had a small cabin on the far side of his land. That would be the first place the law would search. What about this man Martin was supposed to be working for from Columbia? Did any of the agencies have his name? Carson had his work cut out for him and he could handle the task.

He left the empty bottle on the patio table and
took the stairs two at a time. Stripping off his jeans, he crawled into bed and hugged the pillow Amy’s head had rested on. It still had her scent. He fell asleep holding the pillow to his face to keep her near him.

****

A steady pounding grated on Carson’s nerves and did nothing for the headache he had. He covered his head with the pillow. Did people actually start working this early? He needed to stop that constant hammering. He hugged the pillow harder but the pounding wouldn’t go away. Realization dawned on him. He sat up and looked at the clock beside the bed. 7:45AM. It had been after four in the morning before he got in the bed. Who the hell could be banging on his door?

Slipping into the jeans l
ying beside the bed, he stormed downstairs, ready to give someone a piece of his mind. When he opened the front door, he didn’t see anyone.

“Good morning, Carson.” A breeze
swished by his legs and he looked down as Trish ran by and plopped down on his sofa. “I’m ready to go riding.” She folded her hands in her lap and looked at him with those innocent green eyes that were so much like Amy’s.

Carson ran his hand through his bed ruffled hair. “Where is your aunt?”

Trish examined the room as if she didn’t hear him. “She’s asleep. Nana Garrett cooked me a pancake and bacon.”

Carson walked around the couch
to the kitchen and flipped the coffee pot on. “Does
Nana Garrett
know where you are?”

The great room, dining room and kitchen were open and he could see Trish from the coffee pot peeping over the back of the sofa. She had climbed onto her knees and rested her chin on her arms
, scrunched her lips together on one side. “She let me go outside and swing.”

Carson took a cup out of the cabinet and poured the
much needed dark liquid. “And how did you know which house I lived in?”

The three log homes were exactly alike and in a horseshoe with a circular drive in front. His mom’s sat in between Carson’s and Rex’s. When they picked out the log home design, all three loved the same one. The interiors were very different but the front looked like triplets.

“Nana told me.” Trish bounced up and down holding onto the back of the couch. “Can we go riding now?”

Carson sipped his coffee. “I tell you what. You run back to mo
 . . .Nana’s while I take a shower and I’ll saddle the horses and come get you when I’m done. Will that be okay?”

“Will it take very long?” He could hear the disappointment in her high pitched voice.

He walked over to the couch and leaned down to her level. “I’ll hurry.”

Trish jumped off the couch and open
ed the front door before adding, “I’ll be waiting in the swing at Nana’s.” The door slammed behind her, jarring the throbbing between his ears.

Carson grinned and shook his head.
He couldn’t deny her anything. He hoped a shower would help him wake up. Maybe a morning ride on Thunder is what he needed. It would have been much better, though to wake up with Amy’s hot body wrapped in his arms. Memories of their love making flooded his thoughts and the blood rushed into his lower region. What the hell is going on with him, acting like he did in his teens when he first discovered sex?

He swallowed that last drop of coffee, rinsed out the cup and headed for the shower. Maybe by the time he finished and had the horses saddled, Amy would be up and agree to go with them. He wished she had been the first person he saw this morning
, but Trish ran a very close second choice.

****

The sweet smell of fresh baked bread penetrated Amy’s dream of running her hands over the solid muscle of Carson’s chest. She didn’t want to open her eyes and lose the feel of his hot body bringing her to the climax that had sent her up and over that sexual cliff. The sheets were damp from her body perspiring. She needed more.

A gentle shake and the soft voice pulled her in
to the early morning. “Aunt Amy, are you gonna get up now?” Trish whispered in Amy’s ear.

Amy opened her eyes and met the angelic face only inches from her own. Amy smiled. “What are you doing up so early?”

Trish jumped up on the bed and bounced up and down. “I been up. Nana made me breakfast and I went to see Carson. He’s taking me to ride the horse. You wanna go?”

Amy, trying to keep the bouncing child in view, grinned at Trish. “Did you wake Carson up?”

Trish stopped bouncing and wrinkled her nose. “No, silly. He answered the door.”

Amy laughed and pushed the comforter to one side. “Let me get a quick shower and I’ll go with you.”

“Yippie,” Trish yelled and bounded out of the room. How could tiny feet sound like combat boots running down the stairs, Amy wondered? The front door slammed. Trish, has left the building, Amy laughed, threw the covers back and went for a shower. You’d never know that child had been through hell in the past few days.

After
dressing, Amy stopped off in the kitchen where Ms. Garrett stood next to the stove stirring a large pot that emitted an aroma that made her stomach growl. “That smells like something Italian,” she commented.

Ms. Garrett smiled over her shoulder. “It is Italian. I make my own sauce for lasagna. My boys will break the door down to be the first at the table.” Ms. Garrett nodded her head toward a cabinet next to the sink. “There are cups in that cabinet, fr
esh coffee in the pot and donuts under that lid.” She pointed to a dark blue cake cover with bright yellow daisies painted on the side. “Help yourself.”

Amy savored the coffee and watched the older woman taste the sauce before
replacing the lid. Ms. Garrett walked around the counter, sat on a bar stool and patted the one next to her. “Have a seat and tell me about yourself. Where are you from?”

She took the
seat close to Ms. Garrett, before answering, “Dallas, but I live in Galveston.”

“Galveston, huh. Do you work?”

Amy washed down a bite of the homemade donut. “Yes ma’am. I’m a nurse at the University of Texas Medical Center. I’m working toward my master’s degree.”

“I’m impressed. My youngest
will graduate in December with his degree. Both Carson and Rex have degrees in criminal justice.” She glanced out the window over the sink with a faraway look in her eyes. “Sometimes I wish they had picked a career that wasn’t so dangerous.”

Amy set her cup down and patted the older woman’s hand
. “Don’t worry. From what I’ve seen, they are both very knowledgeable and put safety first.”

“How did you meet my Carson?”

That question took Amy by surprise. How much should she tell her? Carson hadn’t told her to keep their current situation a secret from his mother. “We met in Wyoming. He came to locate my sister and only I knew where she was.”

“Oh. Does your sister live in Wyoming?”

Amy refused to lie to this kind woman who had taken total strangers into her home. “No ma’am. She lives in Dallas.”

The old woman’s brows furrowed. “But you live in Galveston
and she lives in Dallas. What were you doing in Wyoming?”

Amy reluctantly filled Ms. Garrett in on most of what had happened since Carson had come into their lives. She select
ed the details carefully. Leaving out the close calls and dangerous situations they had endured. “That’s when Guthrie shot Jamie.”

Ms. Garrett studied
the contents of her cup. “Well thank God the two men are in jail.”

Amy picked up her dishes and took them to the sink to wash. “Only one of them is in jail, Ms. Garrett.
Jamie’s husband hasn’t been found.”

Glass shattered against glass
, startling Amy and she dropped her own cup in the sink. When she turned, Ms. Garrett’s face had gone white and she stared at her, eyes wide.

Amy
rushed around the bar. “Ms. Garrett, are you okay?”

The woman’s hand grasped her neck. “That means he’s still after your sister. He can’t afford for her to testify. You’re both in danger. Thank God Carson brought you here for protection. This place has a security system that would mirror Fort Knox.” She hopped off her stool and
pitched the broken cup into a trash container under the sink. When she reached the sink her arm wrapped around Amy’s shoulder and rewarded her with a motherly hug. “You don’t have anything to worry about. My boys will protect all of you.”

“Aunt Amy, w
here are you? Carson has the horses ready. Are you coming?” Trish rounded the corner of the counter and ran into her aunt. She grabbed Amy’s hand and started pulling her toward the front door.

“You kids have fun and be careful.” Ms. Garrett waved.

Chapter
26

The hot shower had done wonders for Carson. Stepping out on his front porch, he glanced at the house to his right.
When he passed his mother’s house on his way to the barn, the swing where he had kissed Amy, sat still and unoccupied. Trish must have gone inside. He strolled into the barn and pulled two saddles from the tack room in case Trish had convinced Amy to come along.

Gathering the bridles and a b
ucket of honey oats, he walked to the back door of the barn and rattled the bridles against the metal bucket. The familiar whinny came from the back corner of the pasture where most of his herd grazed. From the middle of the herd, Thunder galloped toward him followed closely by Moonbeam. He smiled when he saw his black stallion with his number one fan behind him. Moonbeam had attached herself to the stallion shortly after being born and followed him everywhere. The gentle mare will be perfect for an unseasoned rider.

After greeting the two horses and letting them eat the honey oats, Carson led them into the barn and made quick work of saddling each one. The stalli
on stomped his front legs, anxious for a run. “We can’t run today, boy.” Carson rubbed his nose and slipped him a sugar cube. Moonbeam nuzzled his hand forcing Carson to dig in his pocket for another cube.

Leading the two horses out of the barn, a high shrill
greeted him. Trish stood on the front porch jumping up and down. When he saw Amy standing next to her, his loins tightened. The sun kissed her auburn hair, causing it to look like burning fire. She had on a bluish-green shirt that matched her eyes and she had tucked it into hip hugging tight jeans, accenting her flat stomach. His gaze roamed the length of her body remembering the warmth of her silky nakedness under him. How he wanted her. Somehow, today, he would find a way to get her alone and make slow, deliberate love to her.

“Which one is mine?” Trish hopped off the porch and ran toward him.

Carson dropped the reins and lifted her into the saddle of Thunder. “This one. But do you mind if I ride behind you?”

Trish’s smile faded and her brows came together. “Who’s gonna ride that one?” She pointed to Moonbeam.

Carson glanced at Amy. “Aunt Amy.” The jolt that passed through him when their eyes met, caused another reaction to his lower body. Clearing his throat, he addressed Amy. “Do you know how to ride a horse?”

The smile Amy g
ave him sent his heart pounding. “Our grandfather has a farm in West Texas. We ride when we visit.” She rubbed Moonbeam’s jaw, took the reins and mounted with ease.

“Carson, why do you have a gun?” The child’s observation amazed him.

He put his foot in the stirrup and climbed up behind Trish. “I’m an officer of the law and officers never go anywhere without their weapons. Besides, we could run into a wild animal and I might have to scare him off.”

Carson pulled the
reins and turned his horse toward the pasture where the rest of the herd grazed. He glanced over his shoulder and Amy had followed his lead. He realized she could handle Moonbeam. They rode around a large pond until reaching the fence at the back of the pasture, Carson dismounted, opened the gate and lead Thunder to the other side. Amy nudged her mare and followed. After locking the gate, Carson mounted and followed a trail up a high hill that disappeared into a forest of pine trees.

He
looked over his shoulder again. “Are you all right back there?”

Amy clicked her heels into Moonbeams side and the horse moved closer to Carson and Trish. “We’re fine. I’m just taking in the beautiful scenery.”

“Have you heard from Jamie today?”

Amy nudged the horse
up beside Carson. “I called her before we left and she had just checked out. Rex is bringing her to the ranch. They should be back by the time we finish our ride.”

When Carson looked over at Amy, her
tongue darted out and moistened her lips. The undeniable longing, evident in her unusual green eyes sent urges through him. How quick could he get her back to the house and naked? “I’m sorry. I should’ve asked sooner. I had my mind on something else.” A sheepish grin curled at the corners of his lips, he raised one eyebrow and winked.

“What
did you have your mind on, Carson?” Trish interrupted his thoughts.

Shifting in the saddle, he brought his attention back to the pr
esent. “About where we’re going,” he answered and glanced down at the blond head in front of him.

“Where
are
we going?” Trish lifted her face to see him.

“We
’re going to my favorite spot here on the ranch. It’s a big lake with lots of fish and sometimes there are ducks swimming around.”

“Can we fish?” Trish
bounced in the saddle, almost hitting Carson on the chin.

“I didn’t bring the fishing rods. But we can feed the ducks. I brought a loaf of bread. We’ll come back another time and fish.”

“Cool.” Trish clicked her heels against Thunder’s sides. The well trained stallion didn’t flinch. She held the reins under Carson’s hands and sang
Twinkle, Twinkle.

They toppe
d the hill and the lake that stretched as far as the eye could see came into view. After a short ride down a sloop, they stopped next to the water and ducks scattered. Trish squealed with excitement.

Dismounting, Carson helped her
down, tied Thunder to a stump, and retrieved the loaf of bread from his saddlebag. When he turned to help Amy, she had already dismounted and tied Moonbeam to a low hanging branch. He opened the bread and handed Trish two slices and one to Amy. The girls broke off pieces and pitched them into the water. The ducks swarmed after the bread. Trish laughed when one came out of the water and pecked at her hand.

With the squaw
king of the ducks, Carson failed to hear the shot. When the bullet kicked up the dirt close to them he spread his arms wide and dove for the girls. They landed close to the edge of the pond with Carson covering them. He rolled off of them and pulled his gun, pointing it in the general direction of the shot.

“What was that?” Amy asked between breaths.

“I don’t know. I hope just a stray bullet from a hunter. We better get back to the ranch. There’s no security system out here.” He rose, helped Amy up and lifted Trish on Thunder.

As soon as
he spoke, a loud pop of a rifle fired and scattered the dirt around them.

“Hurry, Amy, get Moonbeam
into the cover of those trees.” He started turning his horse before he swung into the saddle. The horse responded and began to gallop behind Amy. When he got beside her, he yelled, “can you run her?” She nodded. Carson leaned down to Trish. “Hold on, sweetie.” Trish gripped the saddle horn and Carson kicked the horse into a full gallop. He wrapped one hand around the child’s waist and held her tight until they reached the bottom of the hill where he slowed the horse to a slow trot. They traveled at a slower pace until reaching the gate. He unlocked it and let Amy enter before pulling Thunder through and locking it behind them.

If Amy and Trish had not been with him, he would have searched
for the shooter. Amy might not have found her way back to the ranch and Moonbeam would have balked at leaving Thunder. He didn’t want to put them in any additional danger. He’d get back and summon Rex to ride out and scour the area.

They galloped toward the barn and rode inside before demo
unting. Carson pitched the reins to Thomas. “Would you brush them down and set them loose in the pasture?” Without waiting for an answer he hustled the girls toward the first log home in the drive. The trio barged in without knocking. Rex sat on the couch with his arm over Jamie’s shoulder.

“Hey. Does anyone around here knock anymore?” Rex
complained.

“We were shot at.”
Carson blurted out.

Rex jumped up off the couch and ran to the closet before Carson could give him any details. “Where were you?” He asked over his shoulder as he pulled his revolver from the top of the closet.

“Up on Trinity Ridge next to the lake. I’ll get the Jeep.” Carson started for the door and remembered the women. “You ladies go over to Moms and fill her in. Her marksmanship is superior to anyone on the ranch. She’ll protect you. I’m calling headquarters and they’ll have units out here before we get back.” He glanced at Amy before opening the front door. Her brow furrowed and she bit her bottom lip. Her fear, stark and vivid, glittered in those beautiful green eyes. How he wanted to take her in his arms and reassure her. It would have to wait. They had to search for any evidence that might lead to the identity of the shooter. He nodded to Amy and ran to the garage and Rex’s Jeep.

****

Amy stood staring at the closed front door. She wrung her hands and twisted her college graduation ring around on her finger. Someone had tried to kill them. Out in the open beside the lake they had been in full view if anyone wanted to take a shot at them. The realization of what had just happened hit her and her knees turned to rubber. She collapsed into a chair close to the door. Her heartbeat thrashed in her ears. What if someone had been injured? If Carson had been hit, she wouldn’t have known what to do. She couldn’t have protected Trish and get him up on a horse by herself. Amy had forgotten about her sister and niece until Jamie yelled.

“Amy. Amy. God. What is wrong with you? We wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t gotten the hots for some cowboy and brought him into our lives.”
Jamie struggled to get up from the couch with one arm in a sling and Trish hanging onto the other.

Amy looked in the direction of her sister, not believing what she
had heard. Jamie had never blamed her for the scrapes she got herself into. Sure she let Amy take the blunt of the punishment dished out by their parents but didn’t accuse her of being the instigator. Could it be the effects of something they gave her at the hospital? That had to be it. Jamie would never turn against her. Would she?

Jamie
hobbled toward the door holding Trish’s hand. “We need to go to Ms. Garrett’s.”

Amy straightened her spine
, pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and turned to open the door for Jamie. “Yes. We have to go.”