Josh's Justice, Cowboy Romance (Bad in Boots, Book 4) (18 page)

If it was Josh, why would he do such a thing? Her mind frantically fought to sort through the confused and erratic thoughts tumbling through it. While her heart raced, waves of nausea rolled through her. She felt as if someone had just punched her hard in the gut. Elise had alluded to a bit of rivalry between Josh and Colt. And Josh had pretty much admitted he had a thing for Elise when she’d asked him about it in the hospital…

“
Once upon a time…maybe
…” he’d said.

Maybe Josh hadn’t gotten over Elise like he’d led her to believe and he’d become obsessed? Leaning forward, she put her hands on her knees for support and forced her rapid breathing to slow, even breaths. She’d never felt so betrayed in her life.
No, no, no
!
He said he loved me
, she argued with herself.
Yet you
look
just like Elise
. She shook her head and tried to keep her whirling mind at bay, but snippets of things that Josh had said and done to keep her sequestered, to keep tabs on her whereabouts came slamming back.

“
You don’t remember anything else
?” he’d prodded her in the hospital, an urgent look on his face. “
She’ll stay with me
,” he’d insisted, refusing to take “no” for an answer.

Was his worry for her insincere? Had he really just been trying to protect himself?

Nan
had
come back early from her dinner, and she said she saw Josh at the stable doors when she arrived. Could it be that he wasn’t trying to open them like he claimed, but was caught trying to lock her in, so he had to improvise by pretending to save her?

“
Maybe you were in the wrong place at the wrong time
,” he’d said to her in the hospital. Was he referring to expecting Elise that night?

But if he planned to hurt Elise, why would he leave a note that could be traced back to him behind? She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. He probably assumed Elise would bring it with her to the stables.

“…
I was hoping to avoid telling you this…to keep you from worrying, but the escaped prisoner has an alibi. It seems he was busy breaking and entering in another house while you were attacked. So that means whoever attacked you is still out there… I don’t want you out of my sight any longer than necessary. Your memory could come back at any time
.”

Did he say those things to evoke fear in her? To keep her with him so he’d be the first to know if and when her memory came back? She opened her eyes, trying to rationalize it out.

Yet his declaration that he loved her had appeared so sincere. Either he was the world’s best liar or…could it be he regretted what he had done? That, in his efforts to hurt Elise or get back at Colt—whatever his motives that night in the stables—he’d unintentionally fallen in love with her throughout this whole mess? Sabrina couldn’t discount that he’d seemed genuinely upset to think Colt was being blamed for the attack on her.

Damn, I’m so confused
. Her body shook all over as she took gulps of air and silently prayed,
Please don’t let me hyperventilate. I can’t pass out now
.

Josh’s phone rang, the sudden sound wringing a small cry of alarm out of her. She quickly straightened and almost passed out as her vision blurred. Blinking to regain her equilibrium, she shoved the cell phone in her back pocket, then picked up Josh’s cordless phone.

“Hello?”

“It’s me,” Nan’s familiar voice came across the line. “Well, I found a note, but it’s just a name and a phone number. This must’ve been the note that police officer gave you yesterday. Her name was Renee O’Hara, right?”

“Yes, that’s her name.” Sabrina frowned in confusion. “Hmmm, that’s strange because I know I picked up her note after I dropped it…” She trailed off as realization dawned. Sabrina ran over to Josh’s bedroom and rummaged in her stuff for her dirty clothes from the day before.

“You there?” Nan asked, her voice sounding worried.

When Sabrina pulled out the note she’d stuck in her jeans’ pocket yesterday she slowly opened up the crisp paper and then spoke in the phone in a rush of words, “Ohmigod, I had the note from the person who attacked me in my pocket all along. That must’ve been the note I picked up from underneath the bushes.”

“What does it say?”

Sabrina’s voice trembled. “Oh, Nan…the note said, ‘
Elise, meet me in the stables
.
I’ve got a couple of things to go over with you’.
It had to have been from Josh. He was scheduled to meet Elise and didn’t know she’d left town. I went to the stables to let him know Elise wasn’t home. It must’ve been Josh who attacked me.”

“Lord, child! Josh? I can’t believe it! Nan said, sounding incredulous.

“I know it sounds crazy, Nan. I can’t remember being attacked. All I can remember is reading the note and heading for the stables, and now I have proof I was lead there,” she finished with conviction as she tucked the note in her pocket.

Deep hurt knifed through her, but she took a deep breath and straightened her spine, trying to put on a strong front. “I need to call Officer O’Hara right away. Can you please read her number to me?”

“I take it Josh isn’t there right now?” Nan asked.

“No, he’s gone to pick up his truck that was towed yesterday while he fought a fire in town.” With her memory partially returned, her fear spiked. Josh would be returning home soon. She wouldn’t be able to pretend nothing was wrong. “I need to get out of here,” she said, her voice frantic.

“Colt will be home any minute. I’m going to send him to get you, Sabrina,” came the older woman’s worried response. “After I give you Officer O’Hara’s phone number, hang up and immediately call the police.”

She’d just disconnected the call with Nan when someone knocked at the front door. Relief flooded through her. Josh had a key, so there was no way it was him. Setting the cordless phone down on the desk, she walked to the front door and peered around the side windowpane.

A black pickup truck was in the drive and Sabrina was surprised to see Colt’s neighbor Jackson Riley at the door. She’d gotten the impression from Josh he didn’t like Jackson much, but then could she really trust anything Josh had told her up to this point? At the very least, Jackson might be able to give her a lift back to the Lonestar. The sooner she got out of here, the better.

Opening the door, she said, “Hello, Mr. Riley. I’m sorry, but Josh isn’t home at the moment.”

“It’s about damn time you called the Tanner house. I’ve been waiting to find out where you were.”

Chapter Twelve

Sabrina sucked in her breath when Jackson’s comment sank in. She glanced at the rope gripped in his hands, shock and disbelief rolling through her as her full memory of the night came flooding back.

The
tone
of his words…the exact same inflection, she’d heard it that night. He’d sounded full of bitterness, lethal and deadly when he’d said, “
Two birds. One stone
,” then knocked her out. Her heart jerked and her gaze flew back to his dark, narrowed one.

She tried to slam the door shut, but before she could shut it all the way, he jammed his booted foot between the door and the frame. Gritting her teeth, she put all her weight behind the door, shouldering it as she frantically thought through what she should do if he got inside.

“I want that note. Where is it?” Jackson said through a howl of pain as the door crushed his foot. A second later she felt the door give behind his own shouldering efforts, the door jerking behind his weight. When the door jumped a second time, she knew she couldn’t hold him off for long. Sabrina waited a brief second, then let the door go completely and ran.

She glanced back and as she’d hoped, Jackson must’ve been in the process of ramming the door with his shoulder again when she let it go. He slid across the wood floor while the door slammed open, splintering on its hinges and banging into the wall behind it.

“Take the note,” she shrieked, struggling to pull it out of her pocket. Once she got the paper free, she threw it on the floor, hoping the prize he was after would buy her some time. She let out a piercing scream as Jackson barreled across the room, murderous intent stamped on his face.

He only stopped for a second to snatch up the note, then continued to come after her, his expression maniacal. She dashed through the house, clawing a kitchen chair over on its side, then tugging a standing lamp to the floor. She pulled at anything she could think of to slow him down as she made her way to the far side of the house.

She had to get to the back door, she thought frantically as his heavier footfalls sounded close behind. “Get back here, you little bitch,” he hissed. “No one is going to get in the way of my goal.”

The man was clearly insane! When she made it to the door, her fingers fumbled with the latch, but she finally managed to unlock it. Pulling the door open, she ran across the deck and down the few stairs to the grass.

A rumbling thud sounded behind her as she started for the woods, spurring her to push herself harder. She’d only taken a couple of steps when he shoved her between the shoulder blades and she lost her balance.

Sabrina grunted as she hit the ground hard, the action bruising her ribs. She screamed as she felt his hand pulling on the waist of her jeans and she quickly rolled onto her back, kicking at him as hard as she could.

Jackson bellowed in anger when she connected with his stomach, knocking him off of her. She sobbed in relief as she rolled to her feet and took off toward the front of the house. With the head start she’d gained, she hoped the house would hide where she entered the woods. She could hide in there until Josh came home.

Josh!
If something happened to her, would everyone think it was him? She couldn’t let that happen. A new purpose gave her a burst of speed.

Jackson yelling her name when he came around the house had her glancing back for a second. She’d just turned forward when someone stepped out from behind Jackson’s truck as she rounded the vehicle.

“Run!” Sabrina screamed, trying to warn the stranger, but as she ran past, the woman quickly stretched her arm out and clotheslined her, slamming her down to the ground.

While Sabrina wheezed to catch her breath, fighting to stay conscious, the voluptuous woman with long blonde hair leaned over and smirked. “Ah, did ya really think you could get away?”

When starbursts flashed before her eyes, Sabrina’s last thoughts were of Josh. She felt guilty for thinking he could ever hurt her and angry with herself for being afraid to tell him she loved him. In agonizing slow motion, her vision faded until even the tiny pinpricks of light left behind scattered into nothingness.

* * *

Just as Dirk had promised, Josh arrived home in record time. He quickly drove up to his property and frowned at the set of new tire tracks that crushed the taller grass, leading right up to his front door.

When he saw his front door standing wide open, Josh’s heart jerked. He dashed out of his truck, his pulse thundering in his ears as he took a flying leap over the four steps to the porch.

“Sabrina!” he yelled as he stepped into his house and faced his worst nightmare.

His front door was broken and the house in shambles as if a fight of some kind had taken place. His gut tense, he hoped and prayed he wouldn’t find Sabrina hurt or, God forbid, worse. Once he’d searched every inch of his home and couldn’t find her, he stood in the living room, his entire body tense in fear for her safety.

His hands shook as he jammed them through his hair, trying to calm himself into thinking rationally. How the fuck was he going to find her, and
who
the hell was after Sabrina in the first place?

His phone rang, jerking him out of his tumultuous thoughts. Josh picked it up, snarling, “What!

When there was a slight pause on the line, all he could think about was the unknown attacker torturing him with a silent call. “If this is you, you fucking sonofabitch, you’d better not hurt a hair on her head.”

“Whoa!” Colt said, his voice calm. “What’s going on, Josh?”

Josh shook his head to clear out the enraged thoughts rambling through it and took a steadying breath. “Shit, Colt, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Hold on, slow down. Take a deep breath and tell me what’s going on,” he replied in a soothing tone.

“She’s gone,” Josh’s tone lowered. He sat down and put his head in his hand, trying desperately not to lose it. Sabrina needed him now more than ever.

“Sabrina?” Colt asked, his voice lower as if he didn’t want someone—more than likely Elise—to overhear their conversation.

“Yes.” Josh closed his eyes to keep the tears stinging behind them at bay. Pushing his eyelids hard with his fingers, he opened them and finished, “And I wish to God I knew where to start looking for her.”

“Are you sure she didn’t leave on her own?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Josh growled, his head jerking up.

“Calm down, Josh. Nan just received an upsetting call from Sabrina. She found a note that implied you were the person who lured her to the stables the night of the fire.”

“What!” Josh yelled into the phone. “I was fighting a fire around the time she was attacked, Colt.”

“After today’s developments, I have no doubt you’re innocent, Josh. I’ll be there in two minutes,” Colt said firmly.

“Huh? You’re here?”

“Hell yeah, I’m home. Someone’s trying to fuck with my life and it sounds like yours, too. I’ve got a pretty damn good idea who’d want to frame me for my own wife’s murder,” Colt ground out. “No matter what it takes, I’m going to nail the sonofabitch.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Josh asked, his brow furrowing.

“Long story,” Colt sighed. “Hang tight. Be at your place in two.”

Josh hung up the phone, thankful for Colt’s steadying words. Right now, he needed the voice of reason whispering in his ear, because he wasn’t going to get there on his own. The thought that Sabrina could think he’d want to do her harm made him physically ill.