Lonestar Angel (10 page)

She tried to keep panic out of her voice. Being locked in brought back too many memories from her childhood. Was there breathing on the other side of the door? The hair stood on the back of her neck as she listened. “Who’s there?”

Silence. She was jumping at shadows. There was no one there. The faint stench of smoke came to her nose. She sniffed again. It was stronger now. Was the place on fire? It was all she could do not to beat on the door in panic.

Katie tugged on her blouse. “Miss Eden, are you all right? You’re scaring me.”

“I’m fine, honey.” Eden picked her up and hugged her. “We’ll call to Mr. Clay from the window. He’ll come and unlock the door for us.” She retreated to the window and cranked it open. She could see Clay on the trail. He was showing Lacie how to use her camera. “Clay, I need help,” she called. She had to raise her voice and repeat it.

His head came up and he turned toward the building. “Eden? Where are you?”

She waved, not sure he could see her in the window. “In the ladies’ room. Someone locked the door. I . . . I smell smoke.”

He jogged to the building. She heard him at the door, then it opened and he stuck his head in.

“It wasn’t locked,” he said.

“Well, I couldn’t open it.” Now that he was here, her courage came flooding back. “Go back out and let me try from in here.”

He shrugged and complied. Once the door had closed, she pulled on it and it opened easily. “I know it was locked,” she said. “I tried and tried to open it. I saw the lock thrown too.” She gave Katie a pat on the behind. “Go join the other girls,” she said.

After Katie ran off, Eden sniffed the air again. “Did you smell the smoke?”

“A cigarette.” He pointed to a still-smoldering butt perched on the edge of the sidewalk.

“Did you see anyone out here?”

He shook his head. “Were you frightened?”

She hugged herself. “Clay, the door was locked. I know it was.”

“A childish prank maybe. There’s a group of teenage boys here.” He frowned, his gaze intent on her face. “We can’t discount it, though.” He hugged her. “Stay close to me. I’ll be on my guard. Don’t be afraid.”

Easier said than done, but she kept her mouth shut and followed him back to the children.

Bluebird Crossing was a town with only one eye open. Or so it seemed to Eden that night as she peered through the café window at the sleepy town. She could almost imagine it was the West Texas version of Mayberry. Red-and-white-checkered tablecloths covered the tables, and the decor was vintage fifties. The aromas of enchiladas mingled with those of roast beef and fried potatoes.

“There they are,” Clay said when a couple stepped into the café and came toward them. He rose and waved. “Over here.”

Eden liked the looks of Gracie Wayne right off. Petite with fine blond hair and a dusting of freckles across her nose, she looked like the girl next door. Her husband, Michael, was military and had the erect posture to prove it. Good looking too. Eden liked the way he guided his wife with his hand at the small of her back. He clearly loved her.

The couple reached the table, and the men shook hands and introduced their wives before they were seated. “Good to get you back here,” Michael said.

Back here? Eden glanced at Clay. She’d thought the men knew each other from the air force.

“Feels a little surreal to come home,” Clay said. “Thanks for putting in a good word with the Baileys for me.”

She should have asked him if the Waynes knew that Brianna was somewhere at the ranch. She’d assumed they didn’t, but it was clear that the two men shared a special friendship. There was so much about her husband that she didn’t know.

“I hear you have three children,” she said to Gracie after the server brought their iced tea.

Gracie smiled. “Jordan, Evan, and Hope. We’re a blended family.”

Michael grinned. “About to be homogenized.” He patted Gracie’s belly.

The gentle swell told the tale. “Congratulations! When are you due?” Eden asked, trying to ignore the tiny stab of longing.

Gracie blushed. “Not for four months. The kids are so excited.” She leaned her chin on her hand. “How did the two of you meet?”

Eden shrugged. “The usual kind of story. He was a handsome soldier on leave and I was on vacation.”

Clay grinned. “Handsome? You thought I was handsome?” He nudged Michael. “I’ll bet you can’t say the same, buddy.”

Michael nodded. “You’re so right. She took one look at me and fainted.”

“Stop it, Michael,” Gracie said, shaking her finger at him.

He grinned and slipped his arm around her. “I’m a lucky man, and I know it.”

“You two still act like newlyweds,” Clay said. “I hear you’re an EMT and own the only helicopter in the county. Rick says you’re the go-to guy for everything.”

The men started talking about work, and Gracie smiled and shook her head. Watching her and Michael, Eden wished she could feel so relaxed and free with Clay. What had they missed? She’d blamed their distance on his absence, but maybe it was more than that. Maybe it was some fundamental flaw in her. She knew she had walls. Over the years, she’d tried to tear them down, but her defense mechanisms were too strong.

After a pleasant evening, the couples walked outside together. As Eden waved good-bye to her new friends, she found herself tongue-tied with Clay. Did he ever think about what a marriage was supposed to look like?

“Ready to go home?” he asked.

“I need to walk off dinner a bit,” she said. He offered his arm, and she took it hesitantly. They strolled the empty sidewalk along closed storefronts. When they stopped in front of the coffee shop, the only place except the café that was still open, she stopped. “Why didn’t you tell me you were from around here?”

His easy smile vanished. “You never asked where I was from.”

“You didn’t think the fact that the kidnapper brought Brianna back to your home area was significant? I thought the location was just a random choice, but it seems it was personal.”

“It couldn’t get more personal.”

“So we basically stepped into the lion’s den?”

“I suppose so. But talking about it wouldn’t have changed our minds. I’d face anything to get my daughter.”

“Our daughter,” she corrected.

His lips tightened. “Our daughter.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Look, I just didn’t want you to worry. It’s my job to worry about the danger.”

“This is exactly what broke up our marriage!” She turned and ran back toward the truck. She heard his footsteps behind her, but she didn’t slow until his hand was on her arm and he pulled her around to face him.

“What do you mean by that?” he demanded.

She was so tired. Tired of fighting, tired of pretending, tired of the mask she always wore. “You always thought about what
you
should do. It was never
us
, what
we
should do. We were two separate people, never one unit. I realized that tonight watching the Waynes.”

His hand dropped from her arm. “Maybe so. I wanted to take my responsibilities seriously. A man isn’t supposed to let his wife worry about anything.”

“Who says? If they are one, they share everything. The good and the bad. At least that was always my dream. I didn’t have the best role models, so I didn’t have it all figured out.”

“I hate fighting,” he muttered. “That’s all we seemed to do, and we’re starting it again.”

“At least we’re talking when we’re fighting.”

He tipped his head and stared at her. “Do you start fights on purpose, then?”

She started to shake her head, then thought better of it. “Maybe I do. There’s nothing worse than being ignored.” As a child, she’d spent too many nights standing outside in the cold by herself. Or eating a peanut butter sandwich alone.

“I never wanted you to feel ignored. Just protected.” He opened the truck door for her. She fastened her seat belt, but he didn’t close the door. “Would you like to see where I lived?” he asked.

It was such a small thing, but she didn’t miss the trepidation in his voice. She nodded. “Yes.”

“It’s on our way.” He shut the door and went around to his side.

10

H
E
’
D DRIVEN THIS ROAD A MILLION TIMES
. C
LAY TURNED ONTO THE DIRT DRIVE AND
wondered when the grader had last been down it. Darkness was falling quickly, but the moon was bright tonight.

“Are there any other houses back here but yours?” Eden asked.

“Nope. It’s a dead end. Which is probably why the potholes are so bad.” He hit one and the truck bottomed out and slewed in the road before he straightened it.

Why had he even suggested coming out here? The ghosts had long been laid to rest in his heart. Or had they? Maybe that was it. He needed to confirm this for himself. He turned the truck into the disused lane. Tumbleweeds were strewn around the yard and the drive. His headlamps illuminated several piled against the door, which was half open.

“Looks like vandals have been out here,” he said. He parked the truck ten feet from the house and shut off the engine.

She glanced at him. “Are we getting out?”

“Sure.” He shoved open his door, but the minute his boots hit the dirt, he wanted to climb back in. The ghosts still lived here.

Eden was beside him before he could change his mind and drive off. She craned her neck to look at the roof, which had a gaping hole in it. “You lived here all your life?”

“Until I was eighteen. I went to college in San Antonio, then joined the air force.”

“Where are your parents now? You have two siblings, right?”

So strange that they were only now talking about these things. They’d barely skated the surface of their histories when they were together. “It’s been several years since I’ve seen my sisters. One lives in Boston and the other in Oregon, so we are never together in one place.”

“Do your parents live near one or the other?”

He shook his head and advanced to the door. It had once been a grand Santa Fe–style home. There was an interior courtyard that had probably been taken over by snakes and scorpions. It had all fallen into disrepair after being abandoned fifteen years ago.

“So where do they live now?” She followed him.

He kicked the tumbleweeds out of the way and pushed open the door. A frantic rustling noise warned him not to go in. He blocked the doorway with his arm. “Scorpions.”

She shuddered and stepped away. “It was quite a place. Sad to see it in such a state.”

“Things deteriorate quickly in the desert. By the time I inherited it, it was in sad shape.”

“Why didn’t your parents sell it?”

“My parents fought all the time and finally divorced. They tried to sell it, but the real estate market this far out is lousy, and my mom wasn’t willing to let it go at a loss. So they finally gave up and gave it to us kids.”

“Could it ever be brought back, or is it too far gone?”

“It’s solid. Well built and stuccoed. The roof would need to be repaired, and some serious pest control done. It would take some time and money.” He led her around to the side of the house and pointed. “There’s a barn and paddock. A good spring in the back of the property where me and my sisters used to go swimming.”

“Your parents?” she asked again. “Where are they?”

He shrugged. “My dad moved to Mexico and hangs out with all the senoritas. Mom remarried Dad’s best friend and lives in Florida.”

She winced. “I’m sorry. I’m sure that was painful.”

“It was okay until I hit sixteen. Then everything was a battle.”

“And we repeated that cycle,” she said, a ghost of a smile touching her lips.

“There’s that,” he agreed.

“Do you like the house?”

She studied the house again. “It could be lovely. I imagine there are open beams inside, tile floors.” He confirmed this with a nod. “I’d love to see it in the daylight. And without the scorpions, of course.”

His fingers found the pendant in his pocket. He wanted to give it back to her, but only when the moment was right.

“Brianna would love it,” she said, her gaze drifting back to the yard where a grove of trees surrounded the spring. “So this is your house now? You own it?”