Cowboy Dreamin' (Thunder Creek Ranch Book 8) (7 page)

Jack closed the files and shut down the computer. He grabbed a key from the top drawer and added it to his key ring. From now on, the office would be locked when he wasn’t in it. He pushed away from the desk, wearier than he’d ever been after pulling an all-nighter for an exam. He went out, locked the door, and headed for the kitchen. His mother had baked up some of his favorite snacks and he was in the mood to do them justice … until he got to the kitchen and found
her
there. From the looks of it, she’d just polished off his last lemon square.

He was furious. Everywhere he went, there she was. She’d made herself right at home, and he was helpless to stop her as his mother had most likely told her to do just that.

Ignoring her as best he could, he went to the cupboard and took down a glass. He crossed to the fridge, poured it full of milk, and then grabbed the cookie container. It was empty.
Count to ten, Grayson.
Back at the fridge, he spied a platter of leftover ham and the remnants of a lemon pie. He grabbed both, made himself a sandwich, grabbed a fork, the pie, and his glass of milk, and went upstairs. Loreena hadn’t said a word, and neither had he.

He was just finishing off the pie when he heard the door to the spare room open. He listened, but didn’t hear it close again. A few minutes later, his doorknob rattled, and he was thankful that he’d remembered to lock it.

“Jackie, won’t you talk to me? I’m lonely.”

“Go away.”

“But I drove all this way to be with you.”

“I never asked you to come. In fact, I told you to stay away and quit calling.”

She giggled childishly. “Well, you got one wish. I didn’t call.”

“This isn’t funny, Loreena. I’m tired, and morning comes early on a ranch. Go to bed.”

“But Jackie, you know how I hate to sleep alone.”

“Then you should have stayed on campus. Good-night.”

“Jackie, I love you.”

He didn’t answer.

“Jackie?”

He remained silent, hoping she’d go away.

“Jackie, talk to me,” she whined.

Then she started crying … loud, wrenching sobs that would have his mother climbing the stairs if she heard her. Jack crossed the room and yanked open the door to see Loreena standing there, dry-eyed and with not a stitch on.

“How dare you act like a whore in my mother’s house? Stop your nonsense and go to bed before I have you arrested.”

“Big brother Michael would come all this way to arrest little ol’ me?”

“Michael or whoever’s on duty. Now get out of my sight.”

Jack turned to go back in his room, and that was when he saw his mother. She had stopped on the landing, her expression one of shock.

Chapter Seven

Jack rushed to his mother’s side. “Mom, are you all right?”

She shook her head but didn’t speak.

“He shoved me out of his bed, his room after … after … He’s being really mean,” Loreena cried, crossing her hands in front of her body to try to cover her pussy and bared breasts.

“Jack? Is that true?” his mother asked. “What in God’s name did they teach you in college?”

“No, it’s not true. She’s lying. She’s crying because I
won’t
let her go in my room.”

“How can you stand there and lie to your mama after we finished off that delicious lemon pie she made?” Loreena said, trying to cause even more trouble. “I need to get dressed, but Winnie, come see for yourself. The empty pie plate is in his room.”

Loreena disappeared inside her room and closed the door as his mother slowly made her way to the top of the stairs. She stopped in front of his door, sadness in her expression.

“I finished the pie, Mom. Just me. I brought it up here because she was in the kitchen. What she said, well, I respect you enough not to do anything like that under your roof.”

“I would hope so, Jack, but she’s mighty convincing.”

“You believe me?”

She reached with both arms and gathered him close for a hug, which he gladly returned. “Of course I believe you. You’re my own flesh and blood and I love you. And besides, you’re fully dressed.”

“Thank you. Come downstairs with me. There’s something I need to show you.”

“Tonight?”

“Yes, but I guess it can wait until morning. Let me walk you down.” He closed the door to his room wishing it had a key lock as the office did. Jack went first, holding his mother’s hand to steady her so she wouldn’t fall. She’d once broken a hip and dislocated a shoulder on a fall down the stairs, and he and his brothers had built on a bedroom and bathroom downstairs for her while she was in the hospital.

He stopped at the door to her room and leaned over to plant a quick kiss on her cheek. “Good night, Mama. Sleep well. And if you hear any thumps coming from upstairs, ignore them. It’s just me tossing her out of my room if she’s had the audacity to go in there.”

She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. “I made a mistake, didn’t I?”

“You have such a loving heart I’m not surprised at you taking her in. She can act like quite the drama queen when it suits her.”

“What do I do? How do I fix this?” she asked.

“Don’t worry about it tonight. We’ll talk in the morning.”

“Okay, Jack. Good-night.”

“Good-night, Mama. I love you.”

She went inside her room and closed the door. For as long as he could remember, she’d never locked it, but she did tonight.

Smart woman.

Jack walked through the dark house on stocking feet. The only light came from the stairwell at the front of the house. He crossed the kitchen, unlocked the door, and stepped out onto the back porch. It was a beautiful night … the kind of summer night that urged him to grab his sleeping bag, saddle his horse, and ride into the mountains.

The Rockies were majestic. He could barely see their outline by the light of a full moon, but he knew they were there, due west of the ranch as they always had been.

He’d missed this when he was away—the breathless quiet of a summer night punctured only by the croaking and singing of frogs and crickets and the occasional mooing of cattle and the whinny of a horse. Although he’d come home every summer, the breaks had seemed to go so fast that he hadn’t had time to enjoy them. His mother and Lucas were getting on in years, and he’d worked the ranch from daybreak until dark, trying to get all the seasonal work done so the ranch wasn’t such a burden on them.

Their wranglers were good men, every one of them, but he certainly got more work out of them when he rode along, whether it was mending fences, haying, round-up time, or painting the barns. No matter the chore, he rode with them. He’d been almost glad to return to school. Not that it was slower paced, but it was a lot easier on the body. During the school year, he’d jogged every chance he had to keep in shape. It also kept his mind clear.

He loved the outdoors and had often taken his books outside and, propped up against a tree, tried to study. Finally, he’d had to give up on that as so many of his classmates would see him and join him and very little studying had gotten done.

He crossed the porch and sat in the rocker, absently rocking while he pondered the dilemma named Loreena. He wished he’d gotten to Allison before she’d hired her, but what was done was done. Loreena certainly had the knowledge required and socially, she greeted people with ease. She was probably a good fit for the job. If only she didn’t keep trying to hang on to him. He liked Allison, a lot, but he wouldn’t go near the clinic with Loreena there. All he needed was for her to make a scene in front of Allison.

Allison … a woman he cared about more than he wanted to admit. How could he define their relationship? Did he want to? Did he need to? Wasn’t it enough that they
were
seeing each other? It was early days yet. Why did he feel the need to define what they were to each other?

He shook his head to clear it, closed his eyes, and rested back against the rocker. It was so peaceful here, unlike the dorm with many a party in the other rooms. This was the life he loved. Jack dozed off and on, and the rocker stilled. Then, jerked rudely awake by the sound of metal scraping on metal, he rose and stood at the railing, listening to find out what direction it came from. His truck! Damn it, someone was at it again. And with Loreena upstairs in bed, he knew it wasn’t her, unless she’d snuck out the front door.

Damn! He wished he had his boots on, but he didn’t dare open the kitchen door and alert whoever it was to his presence. Carefully avoiding every squeaky board, he went down into the yard and scooted along the grassy verge of lawn until he neared his truck. He’d watched for something to use as a weapon, but it was so dark, he didn’t see anything he could use. His fists would have to do.

The scraping of metal stopped as he crossed behind his truck, gravel stones spearing the soles of his feet. The top of someone’s head appeared above the box of the truck. Jack couldn’t tell who it was in the dark, but if he could get to the truck door and put the lights on, maybe. Or better yet, if he could get close enough to grab him in a headlock or something. It was only a few more steps, but the soles of his feet were sore already.

The man chuckled to himself and started to move away, walking fast directly toward the barn. Had he parked his vehicle over there? Or was it one of their wranglers? No, he knew all their men. They were loyal to a fault. This man was short, stocky, and rather on the heavy side. Jack knew he wouldn’t be able to catch up in his sock feet, but his keys were in his pocket. He could block the guy’s vehicle with his truck and, by turning on the headlights, see who was causing the trouble.

Jack eased the driver’s door open and quickly hopped up into the cab without closing the door until the engine started. The man stopped and turned to look back, then took off running. Jack followed as the man ran toward the river. He saw a van parked on the other side, just far enough from the house and bunkhouse that no one would hear it.

Jack hit the brakes to slow down before turning onto the bridge. The pedal went to the floor. He pumped wildly as he turned the wheel, but it was no use. The bastard had cut his brake line. The last thing Jack heard was the maniacal laughter of the man he’d been following as his truck plunged into the river and he went flying through the windshield.

****

Loreena had brewed a pot of coffee and was sitting at the kitchen table when Winnie entered the kitchen.

“Good morning. You’re up early,” Winnie said, her mind replaying the scene she’d witnessed during the night.

“I couldn’t sleep after I made such a fool of myself. Jack really doesn’t love me any more.”

Winnie poured a cup of brew and sat opposite the girl. “No, child, I guess he doesn’t.”

“I’ve been waiting here to apologize, but he hasn’t come back yet.”

“Come back? Where did he go?” Winnie asked.

“I’m not sure. I heard his truck start sometime last night. I ran to the window overlooking the yard in time to see him drive past the barn and disappear down the track going into the woods. He never came back.”

“That’s weird. There’s nothing out that way except for the river and pasture.”

“Maybe I’ll take a walk down that way and see if I can find him,” Loreena said.

Winnie shook her head. “Girl, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“I really thought he’d be happy to see me, but he wasn’t. Now I have to find him, to apologize.”

“If’n that boy don’t want to be found, you won’t see hide nor hair of him,” said Lucas as he entered the kitchen. “But since when does he go anywhere without his boots?”

Winnie glanced to the boot mat beside the door. Sure enough, Jack’s black cowboy boots were there. “Oh my goodness, Lucas. Do you think something’s happened to him?”

“Not sure what to think. Could be that he’s back and sittin’ on the porch,” he said as he pulled on his boots, opened the door, and stepped outside.

Winnie followed him out wearing her house shoes. Loreena joined them in her slippers.

“What’s that dark spot on the gravel?” Winnie asked, pointing to it. “Isn’t that where Jack’s truck was parked?”

Lucas went down the steps and walked over to where the ground was dark and damp. He bent down and touched a finger to the spot, then brought it to his nose.

“Smells like brake or tranny fluid to me.” Lucas straightened and turned around, looking in the direction of the river. He walked over toward the barn, picked up something shiny, and sniffed that, too. “Winnie, throw me my keys. I’m goin’ for a drive.” He was already heading for his truck.

“What did you find?” she asked.

“A hack saw. Could be Jack happened upon someone doing more damage to his truck.”

Winnie ran in the house and grabbed the keys. “I’m going with you,” she said as she hurried down the stairs.

“So am I,” said Loreena and, still in her slippers, jumped into the cab beside Winnie.

****

Lucas had a bad feeling deep in his gut. Those other spots near the pool of brake fluid appeared to be blood. He hadn’t wanted to bring the women along, but he’d had no choice. He cleared the trees and saw Jack’s truck, nose first in the water.

“Oh my God!” Winnie said.

“Jackie!” Loreena sobbed out Jack’s name.

“Now don’t you two go gettin’ hysterical on me,” Lucas said as he parked by the bridge and got out. He sidled along the box of the truck until he could see into the cab. “Winnie, take the truck and go back to the house. Call Michael and call for an ambulance. The boy’s hurt.”

“I have my cell if you know the numbers,” Loreena said from where she stood by Lucas’ truck with Winnie.

Lucas frowned at the girl. He’d wanted to get his wife away from there. She didn’t need to see her son hanging half in and half out of the windshield. He shook his head in frustration as Winnie gave her the number and he waded into the river. Its depths swollen from the recent storm, the water reached above his waist, but he hung onto the side of the truck and plodded through, finally reaching the cab.

“Jack, can you hear me?” he asked over the sound of the rushing water.

No answer, but then the way the boy was lying without moving, he hadn’t really expected one. His left arm was flung out to the side at an odd angle, and Lucas stretched toward it to feel his pulse. “He’s unconscious, but he’s alive, Winnie,” he hollered.

“Praise the Lord,” she said. “Should we pull his truck up on the bank before the ambulance gets here?”

“No. He went through the windshield, and he’d be jostled about too much if we tried. I don’t know how badly he’s hurt. Best to leave him be until the medics get here.”

“All right. I’m coming down there with you.”

“No, you’re not. The current’s too bad. I’ll stay with him in case he wakes up.”

“Okay. I hear a siren now. Loreena, stop crying. Take the truck and drive up to the yard so you can point them in this direction.”

“But I don’t want to leave Jack.”

“Neither do I, but someone has to. Now git,” Winnie ordered.

Loreena swiped a hand across her eyes and climbed up into the cab, but not without glaring angrily at Winnie. She started the truck, turned it around, and headed back to the ranch house.

“That girl is trouble, Winnie.”

“I know, Lucas. I don’t doubt that she loves my Jack, but she’s not for him.”

That was the end of their conversation as the ambulance reversed into position alongside Jack’s truck. Michael pulled in with a Fire and Rescue truck right behind him. He ran over and gave Lucas a hand climbing back up the riverbank, and they walked over to wait with Winnie while the emergency crews went to work.

“Do you know what happened?” Michael asked.

“Someone’s been tamperin’ with his truck. I think this time they must’a sawed through the brake line,” Lucas answered.

“This isn’t the first time?”