Justice Reborn (Cowboy Justice Association Book 8) (7 page)

J
osie popped the last bite of hash brown into her mouth and hummed with appreciation. With all the hard labor she’d been putting in the last week, her appetite was booming and everything seemed to taste so darn good. Funny how she’d been too busy running the rat race back home to stop and truly enjoy her food but now she had no career and no ladder to climb. She was distraction free.

Except for those people that wanted her dead and the other ones that wanted her in prison.

Strangely, since coming here to Cypress Corner she felt safer with each passing day. Those menacing men hadn’t shown up and neither had the police, so she was beginning to settle into her new life in the tiny town. People were friendly and Evan was nice and easy to work for, which added up to very little stress on top of what she already had. The job might be dirty and sweaty but it kept her mind off of her problems. Evan was truly thankful for everything she did and praised her often, which she hadn’t been the norm at her last crappy gig. The only reward there for a job well done was more work. Other people’s work.

There was something about Evan that made her world seem like she was wrapped in a safe cocoon. Perhaps it was how calm he was no matter what was going on. Or maybe it was how strong and capable he appeared to be in all situations. Whatever it was, Josie was certain he could handle whatever monkey poo life threw at him.

That same man was signaling for more coffee while he shoveled down a mound of scrambled eggs. That first night they’d met she’d been shocked by how much food he could put away and she still wasn’t used to it. He’d ordered pancakes, eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, toast, and fruit.

The plates were now empty. If she’d eaten that much food she’d have to rolled out of the front door on her side like a big balloon. Not to mention the nausea and indigestion that would surely follow.

“So what’s on the agenda today?” Josie asked, adding cream and sugar to her warmed-up coffee. “The kitchen again?”

“We’re not going to work today,” Evan finally replied after a moment. “You’ve worked hard the last six days and deserve a day off to rest.”

That was sweet and everything but she needed the cash. As soon as she had enough money she’d be off to the next town, wherever that might be.

“It’s okay. I like to work. I don’t mind.”

Evan pulled a white envelope from his front jean pocket and slid it across the table. “That’s your first week’s pay which, by the way, you earned every single cent. I can’t tell you how glad I am that you stopped in this town. I couldn’t have asked for a better worker than you, Lisa.”

Rolling her eyes, she shoved the envelope in her backpack, not bothering to count it. Men like Evan Davis didn’t shortchange people.

“You sound a little nervous there, boss. Like you’re afraid I’ll take this money and catch the next bus out of town. I haven’t heard that kind of praise since I was nine and learning to play the piano. Trust me, it wasn’t deserved either, but my mother was desperate for me to learn an instrument.”

His blue eyes twinkled and his deep laugh caused a few heads to turn. “I’m terrified. There is no way I could do this without you.”

She tapped her chin playfully, enjoying teasing him. “You could…but it wouldn’t be as much fun. And your bedroom would be ugly.”

“Butt ugly,” he agreed with a grin. “That’s why I keep things simple. Blue and beige. The perfect combination.”

She shuddered and took another sip of her coffee. Honestly, if she didn’t work today she didn’t really know what she’d do. She didn’t know many people in town, at least not enough to spend any time with them. Add in that there wasn’t much to do on a Sunday and it left her with a long, boring day ahead. The only bright spot was that she might get a nap. Sleep had been in short supply lately.

Pushing her plate away she patted her stomach, feeling pleasantly full. “So what do you have planned today then? What do people do around here for fun?”

Evan snorted and shook his head. “I have no idea what people around here do. The closest movie theatre or mall is a thirty-five minute drive and most of the businesses here in town are closed on Sunday. If I was a betting man, I’d say most of them stay home and watch television.”

“You don’t own a television.”

“Which means I have to find something else to do,” he agreed. “How about you do it with me?”

A frisson of electricity ran down her spine at the suggestion in his words, but of course he didn’t mean the dirty thoughts that were running through her mind.

“Do…it? I’m scared to ask what that means.”

He leaned across the table and waggled his eyebrows. She liked this sexy, teasing side. “Do you trust me?”

Yes. Surprisingly…yes.

“No.”

The corners of his lips turn up a little more. “Smart girl. I’m up to no good today.”

If he only knew what Josie had been doing before she came to town.

“I’m getting the feeling you have an activity already in mind. Sharing is caring.”

“How do you feel about horses?”

“I think they’re big, and they probably smell but I can’t be sure.”

Evan threw down some cash on the check and she tried to add some of her own but he simply gave her a disgusted look and slid it back to her. He obviously felt sorry for her as he never let her pay for anything.

“Have you ever ridden one?”

“Does a merry-go-round count?”

It was his turn to roll his eyes. “I would say no. That is not sufficient training for riding an actual living, breathing animal with a mind of its own. This could be a problem.”

Josie had more than one of those and horseback riding wasn’t even in the top five.

*   *   *   *

Josie groaned as she dismounted from the dapple-gray horse. “I can’t feel my ass.”

Evan laughed as he tied the reins to a small branch and then rewarded each horse with a piece of apple from his palm. “It might be a good thing, although it looks like you’re not completely numb.”

Gingerly she took a few steps, her legs bowed and her back bent awkwardly. Pain shot straight from her lower back down to her ankles and she winced, rubbing her hips and hoping for some relief. All she’d done was sit on the horse. No canter. No gallop. Just sat. It was pathetic and downright sad. This was why she didn’t exercise or “work out” or whatever it was called. Sofa surfing was her favorite sport while watching a Netflix marathon.

“Sadly, no. Shit, I am out of shape. How did I let you talk me into this anyway? You’re devious and cruel.”

Evan spread a large blanket on the ground under a large oak tree and began to pull out the lunch the diner had packed for them. “I’ve been called much worse. How about I help you sit down and we’ll have some lunch. Then maybe an ibuprofen.”

“I’ll take nothing less than morphine,” Josie giggled, not wanting to let her discomfort ruin what had been a lovely day. Since she’d told Evan that her goal was to see America he’d obliged and taken her around some out-of-the-way spots around Cypress Corner. “And I will need your help. My knees don’t seem to want to bend any farther than this.”

Hovering over the blanket in sort of a half-squat position, she allowed Evan to wrap his arm around her waist, his hand anchored on her ribs. She couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up when she thought of how ridiculous she must look at the moment. It was so funny she couldn’t even be bothered to be embarrassed. If she had a phone she would have wanted photos for a good laugh later.

“Just go limp. I’ve got you.”

She placed her hands on his biceps to steady herself but couldn’t bring herself to obey. She’d break his back.

“Um, just brace me as I try to sit down.”

“No, just listen–”

Of course she didn’t listen. She tried to sort of roll back onto her bottom but somehow her legs – which were painfully stiff – tangled with each other and she fell against Evan’s muscled body.

He didn’t budge. He didn’t even breathe heavy or wince.

His hold tightened and he simply grinned down at her as if he helped half-sitting, muscle-hurtin’ women every day of his life. Maybe he did for all she knew. He was darn good at it. His arms were like steel bands and his powerful thighs strained against the denim of his jeans, adding to her already flustered state.

“Will you listen to me now? Just go limp. Trust me, I won’t drop you.”

“I don’t want to hurt you. I’m…heavy.”

“In the Army I carried packs heavier than you up mountains. Limp. Do it.”

His tone brooked no argument and her legs were beginning to give out anyway so she did as he ordered, letting her entire form relax which it turned out lessened the shooting pains down her calves. She let out a sigh of relief as his strong arms lowered her gently to the blanket.

“Thank you, but I think we have an even bigger problem,” she said as he settled next to her. “How the hell am I going to get back up? I can feel my muscles tightening already. I may be stuck here for days. Is it supposed to rain?”

Evan handed her a paper plate and plastic fork. “I think I can lift you up without too much effort, although I think I should be insulted that you thought I wasn’t strong enough to help you sit down. My leg isn’t that bad.”

Frowning, Josie eyed his legs for some tell-tale sign of what he was referring to but they both looked perfectly normal. She probably should just let the remark pass but that wasn’t who she really was. Too curious to shut up, she plunged forward, hoping she wouldn’t upset the man she’d grown quite fond of this week.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I don’t see anything wrong with your legs.”

Evan scowled for a moment but didn’t seem upset with her. He slapped his left thigh, which only served to draw her attention there, but it didn’t look any different than the other. In fact, it looked nicely muscled, thank you very much.

“Actually, that’s the kindest thing you could have said to me. It means that my limp isn’t that noticeable, which is good news. I’ve been working hard on that.” He rubbed the denim over the flesh, his expression suddenly far away. “I got shot and they had to put a steel rod and some screws in there. I can tell when it’s going to rain.”

Sucking in a shocked breath, Josie had to run over the words in her head several times before she could formulate a coherent reply. “Shot? That’s not something you hear every day. What the hell happened? Were you in the wrong place at the wrong time?”

Evan chuckled as he set out the chicken, rolls, and thick slabs of chocolate cake for dessert. “I was transporting a prisoner from Canada to a supermax prison in Colorado. The leader of a drug cartel attacked our convoy to break the guy out. I was shot in the process. Luckily, I was wearing a vest so my leg was the only thing that sustained any damage. That and a concussion when I fell off the roof of the armored vehicle.”

Transporting a prisoner? Evan was…a cop?

I have the worst luck in the world. How did I not know this?

Josie coughed and cleared her throat a few times. “You’re some kind of police officer?”

Evan bit into a drumstick with relish, oblivious to her discomfiture. “I worked for the Marshal Service. Transporting prisoners, witness protection, fugitive retrieval. That sort of thing. I’m retired now.”

Her chest squeezed so tightly she forgot about the pain in her lower body. Shit, she couldn’t believe this. Out of all the people in the world to meet, like, and work for, she found a police officer.

Someone who hunted fugitives. Holy hell and damn.

He reached across and laid a hand on her knee. “Are you okay? You look pale.”

She
was
pale. She’d also broken out into a cold sweat. The fear she’d been feeling earlier in the week was back in glorious Technicolor.

I can’t go to jail. I just can’t.

“I’m just shocked, that’s all,” she finally managed to stutter out. “I had no idea. It’s just so terrible that you were shot. But you’re retired? You look a little young for that.”

“They wanted me to ride a desk.” He leaned closer, his brows drawn together. “Are you sure you’re okay? You haven’t touched your lunch.”

It was a valid concern as normally she ate like a pig. Reaching out a shaky hand, she plucked the roll from her paper plate and took a tentative bite, trying to smile for Evan as if he hadn’t pulled the rug out from under her world.

“It’s good,” she said between bites. “It’s just the heat, I think. It’s so hot that it’s hard to eat.”

He was still frowning but seemed to accept her explanation. “Maybe you should drink some more water. I don’t want you getting dehydrated.”

She nodded and took a large gulp from the water bottle, her mind still whirling with the new information. He was still Evan her friend but he was also Evan, the former cop, and she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do now. She’d never been on the run before so she was unprepared. She took a few more gulps and tried to calm her racing pulse.

“So you must have a lot of cop friends, I bet. Do you miss it? Being a police officer, I mean.”

He took his time answering her question, completely unaware she was holding her breath for the answer.

“I thought I would,” he finally said, his gaze far away. Maybe to that day he was shot. “But not really. I liked helping people but I didn’t get to do nearly enough of that in the job. Then when I left the Marshal Service, I became the sheriff of my hometown in Montana. Jesus, that was the worst. I hated every damn day of it. So one day I walked in and quit. Slapped my badge down on the mayor’s desk, left town, and never looked back. I still don’t. I’m trying to figure out what my next phase in life is going to be.”