Delivering Justice (14 page)

Jessica chewed on that thought for a minute. She liked the idea of having her sister in a facility where she could be properly cared for. Looking at her in this condition was a cause for serious stress. Would Jenn fight them on it? Could she? As it was, she could barely lift her head and her ramblings were becoming more frequent and less distinguishable.

“She’ll get well faster in a place she can be looked after properly,” he said with a convincing look.

“Okay. Let’s do that. If we can get her to agree,” she said.

“Her eyes have barely opened since Baton Rouge. I doubt she has any fight left inside her.” Tyler had a point. He walked away, presumably to give her time to think about it.

Jessica looked in the backseat. Her sister was resting comfortably but she needed medical care in order to get better. What if infection set in or she was bleeding internally? She already favored her right side, moving carefully as if one of her ribs was broken. She needed X-rays and an IV.

But that would mean leaving her in the hospital.

The thought of not staying with Jenn hit Jessica like a two-by-four to the chest. But what choice did she have? It wasn’t like Jenn was waking up. She could have a concussion or worse. Even though Jessica couldn’t imagine walking away from her sister, she wouldn’t deny her medical service or put her in danger because of her selfishness.

Fighting tears, she walked over to where Tyler stood forty feet away. No way was she going to let the handsome cowboy see her cry again. This was the right thing to do for her sister. “Signing my sister into the hospital under an assumed name is the best way to go. Can you arrange it?”

Tyler took her hand in his and tugged her toward him. She leaned into his strong chest and he wrapped his arms around her. And in that moment, crazy as it might sound, she felt safe.

“You’re making the right call. She’ll be well cared for in the hospital and it’s the last place Milton or anyone else will look since you’ve already been there.”

She nodded. “Plain sight.”

“That’s right,” Tyler said. “I’ll call Dr. McConnell and set everything up.”

Jessica wiped a rogue tear. “It’s hard to see her like this. She’s normally so strong and willful.”

“We’ll get her the care she needs and you’ll be back to your twin antics in a few days,” he said, an obvious attempt to make her smile.

It worked.

Chapter Fourteen

Tyler pulled off the highway and then around the back of the Quick Gas Auto Mart on the outskirts of town where an ambulance waited. Dr. McConnell had insisted this would be the best and safest way to transport Jenn to the hospital, and he figured she was right on both counts.

Jenn could begin receiving fluids immediately and, given that she was severely dehydrated, that should make a big difference in her general health. Glancing at Jessica as he parked had him wondering if she would be able to walk away from her sister. Agony darkened her features and she was chewing on her thumbnail.

“They’re going to take good care of Jenn and the doc said she’d call the minute your sister wakes up and is ready to talk,” he said to reassure her, hoping she wouldn’t change her mind at the last minute.

“You’re right,” she conceded. “It’s just hard to leave her again.”

Tyler waved the EMTs over. Andy and Shanks greeted Tyler as they went right to work helping Jenn out of the SUV and positioning her on the gurney.

Jessica was at her sister’s side as Jenn’s eyes fluttered open again.

“You’re going to the hospital,” Jessica said.

Jenn barely nodded.

“Everything’s going to be okay and I’ll see you very soon,” Jessica reassured, rubbing her sister’s arm.

Jenn opened her mouth to speak but looked as though she lost the energy. She took in a ragged breath and mouthed,
Love you
.

“Love you,” Jessica parroted.

“We’ll take good care of her, man, I promise,” Shanks said to Tyler, looking from Jessica to Jenn. Tyler could almost see the question mark in his mind at the resemblance between the two.

Tyler patted Shanks on the back. “I know you will. And we’d appreciate it if you kept my involvement between us for now. In fact, if you could keep quiet about this whole thing.”

“Doc mentioned something about this being tied to a criminal case and her being a witness, but that’s all she could say.” Andy’s eyes got wide and sparkly with excitement. He lowered his tone when he said, “Is she going into the witness protection program or something?”

“I’d like to tell you more but I’m sworn to silence,” Tyler said, trying to sound disappointed. He didn’t want to quell Andy’s excitement, and figured his response would serve as a good reminder of how top secret this had to be.

“Right-o.” Andy nodded and wheeled the gurney to the back of the ambulance with a satisfied smile.

As soon as Jenn was out of sight, tears started rolling down Jessica’s face. Tyler glanced around, feeling exposed in their current location. He hugged her before ushering her into the SUV.

“Why do I feel like I’m never going to see her again?” Jessica said, wiping the tears from her face as she apologized. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually a crier.”

“Never say you’re sorry for showing your emotions,” he said. Tyler had been an expert at stuffing his below the surface for too many years.

“I’ve always been the strong one, you know. It’s why my sister always comes to me and this makes me feel weak.” She motioned toward a rogue tear sliding down her cheek.

“Crying doesn’t make you any less strong. Tears are just saltwater. The ocean is filled with it and that doesn’t take away from its magnitude. Real strength means pushing through your boundaries when you’re afraid and never giving up. Trust me when I say you have that in spades.”

She smiled through red-rimmed eyes. “Thank you.”

Tyler started the engine and navigated onto the highway, heading home. His heart fisted in his chest. He was in trouble. And this time, going home had a new meaning. Rather than rack his brain trying to crack that nut, he fisted the steering wheel and focused on something that made sense...the road in front of him.

“You’re quiet all of a sudden,” Jessica said.

“I just have a lot on my mind.” It was partially true. Tyler couldn’t stop thinking about Jessica and wasn’t it his trick to shut down emotionally when he got close to someone or something he wanted? But then he hadn’t wanted anything like he wanted her in his life and it confused the hell out of him.

Another thing he didn’t want to think about right then.

Tyler decided to take her to the easternmost tip of the property, furthest from his house, where people would least expect him to be. His SUV was made for off-roading and he’d need it to reach the location. The drive took another two hours. Jessica leaned her seat back and rested for the ride. He almost woke her half a dozen times to tell her that he was confused and wanted to sort out what was going on in his mind, but he stopped himself. She needed the rest and he liked having her there.

“This location will be out of the way for most of the ranch business and should keep us flying under the radar,” he said when she finally sat up.

Pitching a tent didn’t take long. He’d decided on camping next to Hollow’s Lake, figuring they’d need a water source if they were going to be out there for a few days. This land wasn’t near where they kept the cattle and therefore no one would be riding fences. There were no hunts scheduled on this side of the property in the month of November, so unless something had changed they’d be good. He had cursory supplies, including toiletries, in his SUV at all times in case he wanted to spend the night out on the range and sleep under the stars, which had happened often since hearing the news about his parents.

He built a campfire and offered Jessica a protein bar before making coffee.

“I’m impressed,” she said, taking a sip.

“What you’re tasting is the result of years of trial and error.” He laughed.

“It’s even more than that,” she said, and he knew exactly what she was talking about. “What is it about a beautiful landscape that makes everything taste so much better?”

“Fresh air does something to food and drink.”

She nodded. “Thank you for taking care of my sister.”

“No problem,” he said, but he could see that it was a huge deal to her.

* * *

J
ESSICA
DIDN
’
T
WANT
to like the handsome cowboy any more than she already did. As soon as they figured out who was behind this crime and could prove it to the law she’d go back to Shreveport and running the family business so she could resume taking care of her parents. The thought made her sad. Not the part about taking care of her parents, but returning to Shreveport. The place no longer felt like home and the job had never before felt so lonely.

Could she convince Jenn to come home?

Jenn? Come home?

Jessica almost laughed out loud. Her sister hadn’t been able to wait to get out of Shreveport. If Baton Rouge was no longer an option, and Jessica was pretty sure it wasn’t, then maybe Jenn could get a fresh start in Houston or San Antonio.

Thinking about her sister brought on too much sadness, so she pushed those unproductive thoughts aside for now and tried to clear her head with another sip of coffee. They needed to figure out why Jenn was being set up.

“Have you heard from Zander?” she asked.

“He was released from the hospital last night and is doing fine.” He sat staring with his back to the sun.

Had a wall come up between them? When Jessica really thought about it, Tyler clammed up every time they got close. What was that all about? He had feelings for her, or at the very least an attraction, and yet he shut down every time they tried to act on it. She made a mental note to ask him about it. Maybe it had something to do with his past.

“Did you really play pro baseball?” she asked, remembering a conversation with Zander.

“Yep.”

“And what happened?”

“Nothing.” He rubbed his right shoulder, a move she’d seen him make several times when they’d done something physical.

“Everything okay?” She motioned toward the spot where his hand was rubbing.

He stopped midrub. “Peachy.”

She pushed to her feet, unsure what she’d done to make him stop talking to her. All of a sudden they were at one-word answers and he looked uncomfortable. “I’m going for a walk.”

“You want company?”

“No.” What had happened? One minute he was comforting her and now they were barely speaking. What was up with that?

Jessica pushed those thoughts aside as she walked toward the lake. Every step away from Tyler was a giant leap toward being completely stressed. How had she become so dependent on a stranger in just a few short days?

Anger and frustration formed a tight ball in her chest, making breathing hurt. She had no right to feel this way about him and she needed to walk it off. Heck, she didn’t want to feel this way about any man. And yet she couldn’t deny that was exactly what was happening.

So the handsome cowboy had done a few nice things for her. Let’s face it, his actions were nothing short of heroic. But that didn’t mean she had to put up with his roller-coaster emotions—one minute on and the next keeping her at a safe distance.

At least this was better than her relationship with Brent. He’d been practiced and cool the whole time. He knew exactly the right words to say to throw her off the trail if she was suspicious...and it had all been one big act so she wouldn’t catch him cheating.

Jessica paced from a mesquite tree to the lake’s edge a few times before she looked up and realized that Tyler was standing right there watching her. She let out a little yelp before she could quash it. “What are you doing sneaking up on me like that?”

“I’m sorry.” His wry grin belied the sincerity in those words.

“Great. The man
can
put two words together,” she quipped and then regretted saying what she was thinking. She should probably bow at the man’s feet for how much he was helping her family, so why did she want to claw his eyes out right now instead?

There he stood, silent, for a long moment with his arms crossed as he leaned against a tree.

Jessica would be damned if she spoke first. Two could play at that game, so she planted her fisted hands on her hips and stared right back.

“You want to scream or something? Go ahead. No one will hear you out here,” he said, as if he dared her to.

His stance was casual. Hers was aggressive.
Well, get used to it, buddy
. She had no plans to back down from a challenge.

“I would if it would help,” she shot back. “Can’t see how that’ll make it easier to be around you, though.”

“
I’m
the problem?” He almost sounded sincere but damned if that grin wasn’t plastered into place on his face. It was sexy, she had to give him that, but a little sexy—okay a lot sexy!—wasn’t about to make her cave. Besides, she was getting whiplash from his mood swings. One minute his hands were all over her, making her want things she hadn’t felt before. And then the next he couldn’t put enough distance or a bigger wall between them.

“Glad you see this from my point of view,” she said, knowing full well his was a question not a statement. Well, he’d put it out there.

The smile faded from his lips and his hand flew behind his back at a sound behind her. “Get down.”

She dropped to all fours at the exact time his gun came around and leveled at a spot where her head had been seconds before. A bullet cracked the air as fire flared from the tip of his barrel.

“Stay down,” Tyler said, already on the move.

Jessica pulled her gun and crouched behind the tree where Tyler had been a few moments before, hoping to get a look at what he’d seen. She scanned the area next to the lake, the direction he’d fired, and couldn’t see anyone. And now that it was getting dark, she’d lost sight of Tyler in the trees.

If anyone came near her, she’d have no qualms about shooting.

A few shots were fired at least forty feet away. She whirled toward the sound, trying to keep her hands from shaking as she gripped the gun and kept alert.

Rustling noises came from the same direction. Rather than move into the dangerous area, she maintained position. She wanted to call out to Tyler but did not want to compromise his position or hers. A thought crossed her mind. She was crouched in the spot from which he’d fired a few minutes ago. Her position was already compromised. She needed to move.

Staying low, she crawled toward the water.

It was eerie how everything had gone quiet.

Jessica sat near the water’s edge, looking at her reflection in the moonlight. Still no sign of movement around her.

She completely stilled, quiet, for several minutes that dripped by like hours.

A hand touched her shoulder at the same time as he spoke. “It’s okay.”

She nearly jumped out of her skin. Using the momentum, she spun around on him. “It most certainly is not. I could’ve shot you.”

That wry grin parted his lips. “You’re not fast enough.”

She let that slide, ignoring the sour taste in her mouth that came with knowing he was right.