Her Heart-Stealing Cowboys [Hellfire Ranch 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (31 page)

“Daddy picked her up and laid her out on the porch. He yelled at Claire to call 911. Then he asked me what happened. I couldn’t talk. I just shook and shook. I remember being so damned cold. Anna called for Daddy and took hold of his hand. He told her to hush and hold on because help was on the way. I knelt beside her and told her over and over I was sorry. Anna smiled at me. God, it was such a sweet little smile. She told Daddy it was an accident and that she forgave me because I didn’t mean to hurt her. I told her I didn’t and that I’d make sure she got better. I remember Nix and Claire standing around us then the wail of the ambulance as it tore up the gravel road of our farm.

“Daddy and I were pushed out of the way by the EMTs. Then they loaded her into the back of the ambulance. Daddy climbed inside with her. I wanted to go but they wouldn’t let me. I heard her call out just before the doors closed.” He lifted his tear-wet face. “You know what she said?”

Rebecca sniffed and shrugged, obviously unable to talk. Even though Wade had heard the story before, he couldn’t help the tears that formed in his eyes. Tag’s pain tore at him like it was his own.

“What?” he whispered.

“She said, ‘I love you, big brother. Never forget that.’ Daddy lifted a hand and they took off.” Tag exhaled and wiped the tears away. “She died en route to the hospital. Mama never got a chance to say good-bye. She died two months later. Daddy said her heart was weak but I think it was broken.”

Rebecca leapt to her feet and enfolded Tag in a hug. “It was an accident,” she whispered. “A horrible, tragic accident. You know that, right?”

Tag nodded slowly. “My father told me the same thing until the day he died. He made me promise to forgive myself when he was on his death bed.”

“Did you?”

“Nah. Not then. Last thing Daddy did was sign my papers to join the Marines at seventeen. It took a long time and a lot of counseling but I finally got it through my head.” He shifted in the chair and Wade released his shoulders and returned to his seat.

Tag’s expression was much more calm. Not quite resigned, but accepting. “I have some bad days still but most of the time I’m okay. Anna was such a loving and sweet girl. The shrinks used to tell me she wouldn’t want me to carry the burden of guilt for an accident. It wasn’t until the ambush that I finally believed them. Psychological evals were mandatory after the incident and I happened to luck into a great doctor. He had some unorthodox methods but they worked.”

“I think your father would be very proud of the man you’ve become,” Rebecca whispered.

Wade nodded his agreement.

Tag looked away and his jaw bunched, then he reached across the table and took both their hands.

“I’m still a work in progress, darlin’. But I’m trying.” He shunted a glance at Wade.

The look was full of questions and hesitation. Wade squeezed Tag’s hand. The tension cleared from Tag’s eyes. He tipped his head toward Rebecca and gave a single, sharp nod.

“Bex, honey, Tag and I have a proposition for you.”

Her face went wary but she didn’t pull her hand away. Instead her steady green gaze shifted between them. “All right.”

His heart clenched like he’d been mule kicked and sweat broke out on the back of his neck.

“Stay with us,” he blurted out. “Permanently.”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Tag muttered. “That was smooth, Romeo.”

Wade glared at his friend. “You could do better?”

“Hell yeah.”

“Guys?”

They looked at Rebecca. Her smile was soft and inviting.

Tag exhaled and his hand trembled on the table. “That looks like a yes,” he muttered. “Is it a yes?”

Rebecca stood and stretched. Her lithe body got Wade hard all over again.

She smiled again. “Well, it’s not a no.”

Wade stood so quickly he shoved his chair back and over with a clatter. He skirted the table and cupped her shoulders just as Tag appeared at his side.

“What can we do to make it a definitive yes?”

“Give me some time, for one thing. This is all happening so fast. I only got here four days ago. I came to Texas to defend a man accused of murder and instead two cowboys are working on stealing my heart.”

Wade rubbed her arms. “I’ll take that.” He looked over at Tag. “What do you think?”

Tag’s expression was as open as Wade could ever remember seeing it. “I think she’s a smart woman,” he said huskily. “I’m willing to give you as much time and space as you need.”

“Okay,” she whispered. “Okay.”

“It’s almost two,” Tag said. “Why don’t we get back to bed and try to rest? I’m sure tomorrow is going to bring a new ball of fun. Thank God the damn wedding will be done and over with. Then they can all leave and we can get some peace and quiet. Besides, I have two meetings with Donald Alcott and Charles Reynolds.”

Rebecca hesitated.

“What’s wrong?” Wade asked.

She sat back down. “I don’t know. I just had this weird feeling wash over me.”

“Your sixth sense kicking in?” Tag asked sharply.

“Maybe?” She rolled her shoulders. “While you’re meeting with Alcott and Reynolds, I need to contact Donovan Garner with the Boston Police. I think I know who is behind the threats and the finger.”

Her mouth trembled and Wade knelt beside her.

“Who?”

“A client I wouldn’t take on. He was not very happy when I declined.”

“What’s his name? We’ll get Boone on his ass,” Tag said.

Rebecca shook her head. “No, he needs to stay focused on this and the new information Wade came up with. Donovan can handle it.”

Tag stared down at her. “Going to be stubborn, huh?”

A wan smile crossed her face. “Aren’t I always?”

“Yep.”

Wade rose and held out his hand. “All right, bed it is.” He looked at the computer and his palms itched. “I’ll admit I’d like some more time with the program. I feel like I’m just on the verge of figuring out what those damn numbers mean. It’s a good thing school ended last week. Gives me time to work on this.”

“Tomorrow,” Tag said. “You’ll have the house to yourself. Besides, it’ll help keep you out of trouble and my hair.” He grinned. “On the plus side, you won’t have to go to the wedding.”

“Excellent point,” Wade said. “Not to mention, I’m a much better hacker than a crime fighter. Guns make me nervous.”

“I thought all Texans loved guns,” Rebecca said.

“That’s a myth.”

Tag snorted. “He’s bullshitting you, Bex. He’s a dead shot with a rifle and most hand guns.”

“Dang it, Tag, I’m trying to be all Clark Kent here.”

Rebecca laughed. “Sorry, Wade, you’re the furthest thing from milquetoast I know. Now come on, you guys, I feel like cuddling.”

Wade grinned and smacked her butt lightly. She yelped and leaped forward. The look she gave him was sultry and full of invitation.

He hurried after her.

Tag rolled up to the sheriff’s office at five to seven. Even seeing Donald Alcott lounging against Deputy Carson’s desk wasn’t enough to sour his mood.

“Sheriff,” the kid exclaimed. “We’re still on, right?”

“Yeah, come on back. Sam, can you hang around for another couple of hours?”

“You paying me overtime?” Amusement twinkled in her hazel eyes.

“Playing hardball already, huh?”

“Yep.”

Tag grinned. “Good. I throw a lot of crap around here.”

She tapped a blunt fingernail on her desk. “I knew that before I took the job, Sheriff. Believe me, I can take it and give just as good.”

Tag smothered a chuckle. Good thing Boone wasn’t in yet or he’d have been all over that comment like sex on a porn set. “Just checking. I’m still working out the kinks on the schedule with Stewart. I’d like him to be double on with us until he’s a little more sure in the job.”

Alcott shifted and scratched his nose. “Wasn’t he a cop up north somewhere? Years ago?”

Tag eyed the reporter. “You seem to know a whole lot about the people in this town for someone all the way from Bastrop.”

Alcott dropped his backpack on the desk behind Sam. He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and bounced up and down on the soles of his tennis shoes. “I told you, I’m very good at my job.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“So, was he?” Sam asked.

Tag nodded. “He has six years with a small town in Pennsylvania.”

“Why wasn’t he working then?”

Quelling his rising impatience wasn’t easy. “I’ll fill you in later.”

Chagrin crossed her features then she looked at Alcott. “Oh. Right.”

“Hey, don’t clam up on my account. I know all about Mrs. Stewart and her home business. It’s doing pretty darn good, too. So well that Mr. Stewart didn’t have to go to work when they moved down here.” Alcott gave a sly grin. “Until now. The reasons for that are a mystery. Don’t suppose you want to enlighten me, do you Sheriff?”

“No,” Tag said. He looked at his watch. “You’ve got twenty minutes before we’re done, Alcott.” He walked toward his office.

He could feel the reporter hotfoot it after him.

Tag put his hat on the rack and reached for his belt then hesitated. He might be uncomfortable as hell with his service belt on but Alcott was still an unknown.

“Sit down,” Tag ordered as he sank into his chair. “What do you want?”

Alcott pulled out his small notebook and flipped through the pages. He chewed on his fingernail for a long moment.

Tag sighed. Loudly.

Alcott squared his shoulders. “Sheriff, care to comment on what happened to your sister?”

Strangely, the question didn’t bother Tag nearly as much as it would have before last night. He felt the soothing touch of Rebecca’s hands on him and the gentleness of her voice as she’d comforted him.

“She died in an accidental shooting.” He grimaced. “I was holding the gun.”

“Well, hell,” Alcott said softly. “I didn’t think you’d just pony up to it like that.”

“If you’re looking for some kind of leverage, kid, you’re going to be disappointed. What happened to my family is a matter of public record.”

Alcott narrowed his eyes. “But the people of Freedom don’t seem to know about it. At least, none of the guys at the Chrome Barrel knew.”

A flick of irritation hit Tag, but he drew in a breath that lasted to the count of five and managed a tight smile. “It’s a painful subject. I’m sure you can understand why I don’t blather on about it.”

The reporter slumped to the chair. “Crap.” He chewed on his nail some more. “Fine, it’s old news. I won’t bring it back up.” He leaned forward and grabbed on to the edge of the desk. “But listen, Sheriff. I’m desperate to get out of Bastrop. A man can only write about so many cows and rodeos and blue-ribbon pies.”

Tag almost felt sorry for the kid.
Almost
.

“I’m not asking for confidential information,” Alcott continued. “Just some juicy stuff on Fischer’s killer so I can write up a few good stories. I’m hoping they’ll get picked up by the wire services and I can finally kick the cow patties from my shoes once and for all.”

“Even if I wanted to help, I couldn’t,” Tag said. “The kind of sensationalism you’re looking for would only jeopardize our investigation.”

“A few questions, please?”

Tag looked at his watch again. 7:25. “You’ve got five more minutes. Shoot, but I can’t guarantee I’ll answer.”

“Good enough,” Alcott said. He pulled out a pen and set his notepad on the desk. “Why is the FBI involved?”

Tag shook his head. Of course the kid would start with the most salacious question. “Agent Shepherd was here before Fischer’s death.”

Alcott groaned. “Okay, let me try something a little different. I know Shepherd was here to work on an on-going investigation into antiquities trafficking.”

“How’d you know that?”

Alcott grinned. “Sources. Was Fischer involved in that? Was that why he was killed?”

“I can’t comment on the FBI’s investigation. Hell, Alcott, this is a waste of time. I don’t have the information you want right now. The best I can say is we’ve collected several pieces of DNA-rich evidence that are currently being processed. I have high hopes of obtaining an identification from that DNA very soon. Contrary to popular belief and bullshit television shows, getting results back takes a while. Even for the FBI.”

Alcott’s face turned wary. “You have DNA? From the jail cell?”

“Among other places,” Tag said. “That’s for publication.” He stood. “Look, kid, how about this? Back off and let me do my job. When I have everything wrapped up, you’ll get a full exclusive.”

He was shocked to hear himself make the offer but it felt like the right thing to do.

After all, the reporter agreed to let Anna’s death fade away again. He owed him a little something.

Alcott narrowed his gaze as he rose. “You promise?”

“Yeah.”

Sunlight swept through the office as the outer door opened. Tag saw Boone come inside and make a beeline for his temporary desk. The dark look on the agent’s face sent a shaft of unease along Tag’s spine. “Deal, Alcott?”

He exhaled sharply then stuck out his hand. “Deal.”

Tag shook his hand then waved him out of the office.

Boone was in the doorway a few seconds later. “Any word from the Boston detective?”

“No.” Tag cursed. “I’ll give him a call.”

The tall FBI agent took Alcott’s chair. “I don’t like this, Tag.”

“You getting some kind of Cherokee vibe off it?”

“Maybe. It’s just strange something like this would happen right in the middle of this mess.”

Tag picked up the receiver. “Bex thinks she has an idea who might be behind it but she won’t tell me. Said she didn’t want to interfere with our investigation.”

“You let her get away with that?”

“For now.” Tag shifted his attention to the phone. “Detective Garner, please.”

“He’s on a call. If you’ll give me your name and number, I’ll have him get back to you.”

Tag recited his information and hung up. “You hear from the lab yet?”

“No. I’ve got Tarah and Mike both pestering the lab techs up there but they can only move so fast. We want answers but we need them to be usable in court, too.”

“I know.”