Here Comes Trouble (24 page)

But that didn't excuse what she'd told the
man.

She thought he'd done it, because there wasn't
anyone else who could have. Because he was alone with Karen in the
house when she left. And they were arguing.

Joel knew when the man talked to the hands and
his guests, they would just reaffirm that he'd been arguing with
Karen. None of them could vouch for where he was after Terri left,
and not a one could verify that he'd left her at the bunkhouse,
before leaving for the hospital. Because he hadn't told anyone, and
made sure nobody had seen them going there. So Terri didn't find
out she was staying there, before he could tell her.

The only woman who could vouch for him was
dead.

His only hope was that the physical evidence
they were gathering from the bedroom, and what they'd gather in the
autopsy on Karen's body would show he wasn't the killer. Someone
had killed her, but it wasn't him.

If that didn't happen, Joel knew what
would.

Even though he was in oil and gas and not
criminal law, Joel had read frequently about men being convicted of
murder on circumstantial evidence alone. Some spent twenty years or
more in jail before they were finally vindicated. He could only
pray he wasn't going to be one of them.

Wouldn't that be the fly on the cow patty that
his life had become?

Something was covering her nose and mouth, she
couldn't move her head or neck, and there was an odd smell that
made her want to gag. Terri swiped her hand over her nose and tried
to push off whatever was on her face, but her hand was held
down.

"Calm down, ma'am," an authoritative, but
concerned voice said. "We're going to take you to the
hospital."

"No!" she shouted, the word muffled by
whatever was over her mouth. Panic shot through her and she opened
her eyes wide and grabbed an arm that was by hers.

"You passed out and fell, we want to make sure
your not hurt."

She looked into the eyes of the medic she'd
been with in the bedroom earlier.

"I'm fine, now--take this shit off of me!" she
demanded and tried to sit up, but she was strapped down.

"Are you refusing to go to the hospital?" he
asked professionally.

"
Yes
--take this off of me!" she hissed
from under the oxygen mask.

She saw Chase standing over her, and he knelt
down by her side. His eyes were worried and his lips pinched.
"Terri, you should go and get checked out," he told her.

"
No! Let me up
!" she said again. "I'm
fine, I just had a panic attack."

He looked at the medic and nodded. The man
started unfastening the foam rubber collar holding her head
stationary, then he removed the oxygen mask, and unstrapped her
from the backboard. "I really think this is a bad idea...you fell
pretty hard," he told her as he undid the last
restraint.

Terri gasped in a deep breath and sat up,
rubbing her neck and shoulder. "I'm fine, I'm a nurse, I'd know if
I hurt something," she told him.

"Whatever you say, but I need you to sign a
refusal of treatment form," he told her then put a clipboard in
front of her and handed her a pen. Terri scribbled her name, then
shoved it back at him.

Lifting her hand toward Chase, he helped her
up and Terri brushed herself off. "I'm sorry I scared you, I just
got claustrophobic there for a minute," she told Chase then looked
up at him and pointed her finger. "You need to go take care of your
brother...is your mother here yet?"

"She's about five minutes out," he told her
then hesitated a moment, before he asked, "You're not leaving are
you?"

"Hell no, I'm not leaving. We have things to
do, and Joel needs us right now," Terri told him, then added, "If
he wants me to leave after he gets out of jail, I will. He's not
thinking straight right now."

"You're in love with him aren't you?" Chase
asked in a low surprised voice.

Terri's eyes shot to his and a denial sprang
to the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't make herself lie. "Yeah,
I am...stupid, but yeah."

"We'll get all this worked out, sugar. Keep
the faith, and you and mama keep the ranch running." Chase put his
arm around her shoulders and squeezed. Terri flinched as pain shot
through her collarbone and up her neck.

"That's the plan," she told him with a smile
that probably came off as more of a grimace. She needed some
ibuprofen, or tomorrow her left arm would be useless. She sucked in
a breath and rubbed her shoulder. "The group that's here now will
probably be grilled by the Amarillo police when they get back...not
good for business."

"The good thing is they're Joel's friends, and
they're law professionals, so most likely they'll know what to
answer and what not to answer. And they're not going to spread this
around."

"I should have gone to law school instead of
nursing school," she mumbled with a snort. "Because I know that guy
had me on the ropes a few times."

"Don't worry about it, Joel didn't do it, and
we're gonna prove it," Chase said with a confidence that made her
feel a little better.

"Maybe we'll have them out of here, before the
FBI group comes in on Saturday. I heard Joel telling Dylan they
were coming, so I'm gonna talk to him and see if I can get more
information."

"The house is about cleared out now, let's go
inside," Chase told her and took her arm. "You sure you're okay?"
he asked as they reached the porch.

"Yeah, my shoulder's sore," she told him then
rolled it and flinched. "It's fine though, I'm just worried about
Joel."

Terri was wrung out, exhausted and worried
sick, is what she was. It was probably near ten o'clock in the
morning, and she'd been up all night, but there was no way she was
going to be able to close her eyes to sleep. There were too many
horrific things floating around in her head.

"He's a big boy...and this isn't his first
rodeo with the Amarillo police," Chase said with a mysterious
chuckle. When she lifted a brow and gave him a curious look he told
her, "Just suffice it to say he wasn't always a boy scout,
especially in college."

"Oh, yeah?" Terri said with a half-smile.
She'd have liked to have known him then, the carefree version of
Joel.

Chase held up his hands and said, "I'm not
telling his secrets, if you want to know you'll have to ask
him."

She would, if he ever wanted to talk to her
again. Sadness filled her and her chin dropped to her chest. Chase
tilted it up and said, "Keep your chin up, sugar...I think he loves
you too, but that's something else you'll have to work out with
him."

"Yeah, I know," she replied. "If he ever talks
to me again."

"Put mama on it," Chase advised her with a
chuckle.

The corner of her mouth kicked up and Terri
told him, "You're evil."

"I'm his brother," Chase replied with a smile.
"This isn't my first rodeo either."

"Speaking of rodeos...I was thinking," she
said when a thought occurred to her. "My brother is into extreme
sports, he has a lot of friends that are too. I might call him and
get him to mention the rodeo adventure package to them...the bull
riding especially."

"Joel mentioned that...we'd need to get things
set up though, and we're short on money right now...but it is a
good idea," Chase told her.

"What do you need?" Curly Rhodes asked from
behind Terri and she spun around.

"A mechanical bull, safety equipment, a couple
of bulls and broncs, rodeo stock," Chase listed off to his
mother.

"Get it, that package would make a lot of
money, we need it," Curly told him with a wave of her
hand.

"We don't have the money, mama," Chase
repeated and huffed a breath.

"You have as much money as you need, I have my
part of your grandpa's inheritance, most of the estate came to me,
and this is what I want to invest it in. Buy the damned bulls. What
else do we need?"

"Joel mentioned a wedding and reception
pavilion, two hundred by three hundred. The marketing lady
recommended it," Chase told her quickly.

"Done, get the contractor going," Curly told
him.

Terri's head was spinning when Chase finished
with, "We also have a final progress payment due on the
construction we've already done, and the spa equipment
bill."

"Give me the invoices and I'll cut you a
check," she said. "I'm a full partner in this now, so draw up the
papers."

"But daddy said--" Chase told her and she cut
him off.

"This is
my
money, not your daddy's.
I'm the one making the decisions."

Chase smiled from ear to ear and said, "Yes,
ma'am."

"Good, boy, now get your butt in gear. Go make
sure your brother is okay, I'm
not
going to the jailhouse."
Terri watched her eyes fill with tears and stepped over to put her
arm around her.

Curly was a good woman and loved her kids more
than any woman she'd ever known. Yeah, she was a pain in the ass
sometimes, and interfered in her children's lives, but she was
always there when they needed her. That's the kind of mother Terri
wanted to be one day...well not the interfering part.

Chase saluted his mother and winked at Terri,
before he walked toward the front door.

"Do you know the marketing person?" Curly
asked Terri after Chase left.

"I know of her, haven't met her, but I'm sure
I can find her number in Joel's office," Terri said and Curly
smiled.

"Good, girl. Now, we have work to do...but you
are going to get some rest first."

There was no way Terri was going to be able to
sleep now. She was too wound up, and if Joel hadn't killed Karen,
someone had, he could still be around. The bedroom she'd been using
was right down the hall from Joel's bedroom, she was
not
going to sleep in there for sure. "I'm fine, I'm too wound up to
sleep," she told Curly then added, "It's morning anyway...I'll just
go and look in his office and see if I can find that
information."

After a hesitation, Curly relented and told
her, "You're about dead on your feet, girl."

Terri flinched at her wording. That was the
point, she didn't want to wind up dead. Especially in her sleep.
No, if Terri was going to die, it would be wide awake, and she
wouldn't go down without a fight.

Forcing brightness into her tone, Terri told
her, "Really, I'll be fine. Be back in a few minutes." Without
waiting for an argument, she took off toward Joel's
office.

It took Terri a while to locate Gigi's phone
number and information, then print it off of Joel's computer. By
the time she finished, the sun was well up and shining brightly
through the office window. It pierced her brain and she squinted,
then shaded her eyes with the papers she picked up from the
printer, before she headed out the door.

An enticing, comforting smell floated through
the house and Terri followed it to find Curly in the kitchen with
an apron on, helping Penny do something.

Terri sniffed again and thought it smelled a
lot like they were baking cookies.

Her brows drew together and she wondered what
cookies had to do with saving the ranch, but she wasn't one to
question motives, especially those of Curly Rhodes. The woman was
putting up enough money to do what the hell she pleased.

"Something smells good," she told them and her
tongue wrapped around her teeth causing her to slur. Even her
tongue was exhausted. Terri was having trouble making her eyes
focus in tandem, when she held out the paperwork to Curly, "I have
the information for Gigi." Curly wiped her hands, took the papers
and studied them for a minute.

The marketing plan that Gigi had given Joel
was impressive. She had read it in the office, and found it well
thought out and thorough. What the woman suggested made sense. No
wonder Joel had agreed to all of her ideas, even though it
stretched his finances.

"I'm going to take some time to look this
over," she said and set the papers down on the counter, then
grabbed Terri's arm. "You are going to get some sleep, young
lady."

Terri dug in her heels. "I can't..." she
whispered brokenly.

"You can, and you are...that's an order.
You'll be as useless as a tit on a boar hog, if you don't get some
rest. Joel needs you to be strong, he needs all of us to be
strong."

"But--"
I can't sleep in that bedroom down
the hall from where Karen was murdered.
If Joel hadn't killed
her, someone had, and that person could still be around. Laying in
her bed would just remind her of him anyway, make her miss him,
worry about him, more than she already did.

As if reading her mind, Curly squeezed her
shoulders and led her to the couch. "Lay down on the couch and I'll
get you a blanket."

Terri nodded and laid down, even though she
had a feeling she wasn't going to be able to sleep, even out here.
She had so much to do, had to help Joel, was the last thought she
had before her eyes drifted shut and she fell asleep.