Protecting Her Daughter (Wrangler's Corner) (9 page)

“I’m afraid so.”

She shook her head. “I don’t believe it. They don’t need the money. Gregory makes a very comfortable living as an attorney, and Nina can’t keep up with all of the interior design requests she gets. And besides, Nina is crazy about Sophia. She’d never take a chance on her being hurt.”

“Well, the plan was to hurt you, not Sophia, right?”

“That’s what it looks like, yes, but still...” Her frown deepened. “You know, something else just occurred to me.”

“What?”

“When the men first showed up at the ranch, one of them, Pete, had Sophia by her hair and was pointing his gun at her. When I started to go toward him, he lifted the gun and aimed it at me.” She shuddered. “I could see it in his eyes. He was going to shoot me right there in front of my child. I dove and he pulled the trigger. Then the other man came out of the house, the one they called Cody. He yelled at Pete to stop shooting. At first I thought he was there to rescue us, but he wasn’t, of course. But he said they couldn’t kill me. Not yet.”

“So they need you for something.”

“I guess.”

“So shooting at us and running us off the road weren’t attempts to kill you, but to
get
you?”

She shrugged. “It’s the only thing I can really come up with.”

“Now I’m confused. If they simply manage to kill you, everything goes to Sophia and Sophia goes to your sister-in-law and her husband.”

“Along with control of any assets that I have.”

“You didn’t leave anything for your parents or your brother?”

“No,” she snapped. “Why would I?”

“There’s a lot of bitterness in those words,” he noted quietly.

She drew in a deep breath and stood. Paced into the living area that connected to the kitchen. The open floor plan would allow Aaron to keep his gaze on her. She could feel it boring into her back. She stopped at the mantel that held two pictures. One of her and Sophia, and one of her and Trevor and Sophia as a newborn.

She got a grip on her emotions. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound bitter. I had a very trying childhood. I’ve made peace with it. Mostly. But I don’t want to talk about that right now.” She waved a hand in dismissal of the subject. “Trevor and I talked and he set everything up that way anyway. I didn’t argue with him.” She paused. “Although I will say that if I knew where my brother was, I’d include him in my will.”

“Well, maybe Clay or Lance needs to pay a visit to Nina and Gregory.”

She rubbed her eyes. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

His phone rang, and he snagged it from the clip on the side of his jeans. “Excuse me. It’s Clay.”

“Sure.”

“Hello?” She watched him while he listened. He had faint lines at the corners of his eyes, probably from squinting into the sun. His skin was tanned even in November and his firm jaw spoke of strength, not just physical, but an indication of his character. Something she’d already seen in action. And then his full lips flattened and his cheeks whitened beneath the tan. “Okay. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll see you when you get here.” He hung up and stared at the wall without blinking.

“Aaron?”

“He’s dead.”

She blinked. “Who?”

“Pete. The guy I shot.”

TEN

Z
oe let out a low gasp. Aaron slid off the stool and made his way over to the couch where he dropped onto the cushion and let his hands dangle between his knees. His chin rested on his chest and he stared at the floor. Zoe came to sit beside him. “I thought he was going to be okay.”

“So did I.” He rubbed his eyes. “There’ll be an autopsy, of course.”

“Did he ever wake up?” she asked.

“No.” Her shoulders slumped, and he wrapped an arm around her and drew her to him. At first she resisted then she let him. He ignored the warning his brain sent his heart. He’d known her a very short time, but already he was finding ways to weave her and her child into his life, keenly aware of the possibility that he might be setting himself up for a hard and painful fall. He swallowed as another fact hit him. “I killed a man.”

She looked up. “Oh, Aaron, I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head. “It’s sad. I’m sad, but I couldn’t let him hurt Lance.”

“Of course you couldn’t. If you hadn’t shot Pete, Lance would be dead.”

“I know. I realize that of course, but it’s still...” He rubbed a hand down his cheek and knew she was right. It wasn’t that. He just didn’t have the words to explain the feeling. And he knew that if he could go back in time to the very moment he pulled the trigger, he’d have to do it again. Pete hadn’t given him a choice.

Her arms slid around his neck, and she laid her head on his chest. His breath caught and he closed his eyes, wishing things were very different. He placed a finger under her chin and lifted it until her lips were a fraction of an inch from his. And then he kissed her. A slow tender exploration that didn’t last nearly as long as he wanted. She didn’t resist, but he could feel her hesitation. When he lifted his head, she opened her eyes and looked into his. “Is this wise?” she whispered.

“Probably not.” Actually, it was definitely not. “But I won’t apologize. The more time we spend together, the more I feel...”

“I know, I feel the same, but—” she looked away then back “—I’m not staying in Wrangler’s Corner forever, Aaron,” she whispered. “Just until this is over.” She shook her head. “And maybe not even until then. I have a life to get back to. A business. A family. Of sorts. They’re my in-laws, but they’ve been good to me.” She gave a soft grunt. “Better than my blood family.”

“Yeah. I know.” He’d managed to convince her to stay this long, but every time he knocked on her door, he half expected to find her gone. The uncertainty was playing havoc with his emotions, and he knew he’d have to make a decision soon about keeping his heart out of the equation. He ignored the little voice that mocked him, insisting it was too late. He cleared his throat. “Clay’s on his way over. He said he wanted to talk to you about the phone calls traced back to Pete’s phone. He should be here any minute.”

She sniffed and nodded. “All right.”

“How’s Sophia handling everything?”

“She’s still doing okay. She sleeps in my bed these days, and I let her. If I thought it would be best for her, I’d keep her shackled to my side, but I don’t want her living in fear. I have to admit, though, letting her go to school is one of the hardest things I do.”

“She likes school.”

“Yes. She’s made some sweet friends. And she really likes it here in Wrangler’s Corner—minus the people shooting at us and chasing us.”

The knock on the door brought Joy from the study, her hand on her weapon. Again, she relaxed after looking out the window. “It’s Clay.” She opened the door and let him in. He stepped into the foyer and pulled his gloves off. A light dusting of snow fluttered to the floor.

“It’s snowing again,” Clay said.

“You’re kidding,” Aaron deadpanned.

Clay rolled his eyes and then frowned. “How are you holding up?”

Aaron sobered. “I’m processing.”

Clay’s attention turned to Zoe. “I can’t stay long. I need to get back to Sabrina, but wanted to stop by and check on you as well as let you know that I got some information.”

“You could have called.”

Clay shrugged. “Yeah, I could have.”

“You’re restless and it feels good to have something to do other than pace?”

Clay grimaced. “You always could see beneath the surface.”

Aaron slapped his brother on the shoulder. “What have you got?” Aaron asked.

“First, as you know, the car we got the partial plate on came back stolen from just outside of Knoxville and hasn’t been recovered yet. We’ve got a BOLO on it so hopefully one of our deputies will spot it.”

“You said ‘first.’”

“We also got some information from the phone Pete used.”

Zoe leaned forward. “What kind of information?”

“The phone itself was a burner, not traceable as to who purchased it, et cetera, however, we checked all the numbers, incoming and outgoing. He’d erased almost all of the numbers, but one was interesting.”

“Who?” Zoe whispered. Aaron clasped her cold fingers in his warm ones.

Clay pursed his lips then blew out a low breath. “There was one call that came in about the time you were being held hostage by the three men on the Updike farm.”

“From who?” Aaron demanded.

“The Bishop residence in Knoxville, Tennessee.”

* * *

The room spun for a moment before Zoe drew in a deep breath and commanded herself not to pass out. “It can’t be,” she whispered. “I don’t believe it. Nina’s always been a little overbearing and selfish, but there’s no way she or Gregory would send killers after me. They have no reason to.”

“Knoxville is a good two-hour drive from here,” Clay said. “I’m going to send Lance and Parker to question them.”

“We can’t just call them?”

He shook his head and Zoe heard his phone buzz. “I want the element of surprise, and I want their reactions carefully noted.” He glanced at his phone and his eyes widened. “That was a text from Mom. I’ve got to get to the hospital. Sabrina’s in labor.”

Zoe gasped. “Then get out of here. You have to go.”

“I am. My mother and Sabrina’s grandmother are with her. I think Seth and Tonya are arriving in a couple of hours so it’s going to be a bit crazy.” His eyes narrowed and he looked at Zoe. “But don’t think I’m lowering my guard when it comes to your and Sophia’s safety. Joy checked in just a few minutes ago and said all was well.”

“Good.” Zoe nodded. “But you need to go. Give Sabrina my best. You’re going to be a great dad.”

Clay swallowed and paled slightly, but the joy in his eyes was unmistakable. “Well, I do have three children already,” he mumbled. “It’s not like I don’t know what being a dad means.” He looked at Zoe. “Sabrina and I adopted three.”

Aaron cleared his throat. “This is his first birth, though,” he said to Zoe. He turned his gaze back to Clay. “I’ve never seen you this spooked.”

Clay snorted. “I’m not spooked.” He blinked against a suspicious moisture Zoe thought she saw in his eyes, but decided she must have been mistaken when he shot his brother a hard look. “I just don’t want anything to happen to them.”

Aaron softened and pushed all kidding aside. “They’ll be fine. You’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”

“Yeah. Lance is in charge while I’m with Sabrina. If you need anything get in touch with him. He knows how to get a hold of me if he needs me.” The two brothers hugged, and then Clay slipped out the door.

Aaron shut it behind him.

“He’s terrified,” Zoe mused.

“Yes, he is. Not of being a dad or taking care of a baby, but more that something could go wrong with the birth. I don’t know how he would survive that.” Aaron drew in a deep breath and shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Are you all right?”

“Like I told Clay, I’m still processing the fact that Pete died, but in the end, I’ll be okay. He made his choices and I had to make mine.”

She moved back into the living area, and he followed. “Aren’t you going to the hospital?” she asked.

“Babies take a while to get here. I’m not in a huge hurry.” She nodded and he sat on the couch and leaned his head back. Staring at the ceiling for a moment, he said nothing. She let him have his quiet moment. Finally he looked at her and asked, “Are you okay? That was some pretty shocking news Clay just delivered.”

She rubbed her temple. “Am I okay? No, not really. I don’t understand why Nina or Gregory would have anything to do with this.” She pursed her lips. “So what’s the next step? What do we do?”

“Like Clay said, Lance and Parker will pay them a visit along with someone from the local police force. He may subpoena phone records, financial statements...” He shrugged. “That sort of thing.”

“You sure know a lot about investigations. Did you get that from listening to Clay?”

“Clay and Stephen.”

“Where is Stephen now? I haven’t heard anything about him recently.”

He realized she didn’t know about his brother Stephen’s death. “Amber didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Before Clay took over, Stephen was the sheriff here in Wrangler’s Corner. He was killed when he got too close to a drug ring.”

She paled. “No, she didn’t tell me. We haven’t really spoken much. Just an email exchange here and there. I’m so sorry to hear that.”

He nodded. “His death hit us all hard. Clay came home from Nashville where he’d been working as a detective. He solved Stephen’s murder, and while we’re glad for the closure, we still miss him.”

“I’m sure.” She lifted her chin. “I want to go with them.”

“What?”

“To Knoxville. If Lance goes to confront my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, I want to go.”

He frowned. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”

“Maybe not, but I want to see their faces and hear their words for myself.”

He gave a slow nod then checked his phone and rose. “I’ll tell Clay. I guess I need to get going. I don’t want to miss the birth of my nephew or niece.”

“Let me know how it goes.”

“Of course.” He paused. “Do you want to come?”

“I’d better not. I don’t want to take a chance that whoever is after me will follow us to the hospital or something. You go. Celebrate this time with your family.”

He lifted a hand to cup her cheek. When she didn’t pull away he leaned over to place a light kiss on her lips. She blinked up at him. “At some point we’re going to talk about what’s going on between us, right?” he asked.

She gave a little sigh. “There’s definitely something there, isn’t there?”

“Definitely.”

“When this is all over, we’ll talk.” She frowned. “Assuming I’m still alive.”

He scowled. “You’ll still be alive. If I have anything to say about it, you’ll still be alive.” He kissed her again. This time a little longer, and now she felt the hint of desperation he couldn’t quite hide.

When he lifted his head, her eyes glittered with unshed tears. “I hope you’re right, Aaron. I really hope you’re right.”

She shut the door behind him and pressed cold fingers to her warm lips. “What are you doing, Zoe?” she whispered. “Don’t put your heart on the line, it’ll just get broken. Not only that, you’ll break his, too.”

“What?”

Zoe spun to find Joy in the doorway between the kitchen and the foyer. Zoe gave a low laugh. “Nothing. Just talking to myself.”

“Anything you want to share?”

“No. It’s all right.” Or it would be if she could follow her own advice and keep Aaron at arm’s length. She had to.

She glanced at the clock. She had a couple of hours before Ginny would bring Sophia home. “I’m going to make a few phone calls.”

“Sure thing. I’m just going to walk the perimeter of the house, take a look around.”

“All right.”

Joy slipped out the front door, and Zoe returned to the computer. Her cell phone lay on the table next to the mouse. She picked it up and scrolled through her list of contacts. When she came to Nina Bishop, she stopped. And pressed the button. It rang once. Twice.

Zoe hung up.

Clay had said he wanted the element of surprise, and she couldn’t interfere. She rubbed her eyes. That had been dumb. She shouldn’t have pressed the button.

Thankfully, Nina wouldn’t recognize the number. Zoe had bought a disposable phone at the first stop on her way out of town. But still...

She set the phone back on the table. She and her sister-in-law had never been best friends, but they’d always gotten along and chatted amicably when they’d been together for holidays or birthdays. Did Nina have it in her to be a part of a plan to kill her? Zoe couldn’t fathom it but couldn’t deny it sure looked like it.

Restless, she stood and paced to the window. She stood to the side as she’d been taught and looked out. From her angle, she could see Sabrina’s grandmother’s bed-and-breakfast. A large white house that had been built in the late eighteen hundreds. It looked quiet. Deserted. The whole street was almost eerily vacant. She shuddered and tried to put a lid on her overly active imagination. Then again, who could blame her for seeing the possibility of danger at every turn?

With a low growl of frustration, she grabbed her phone and powered up her e-reader application. She scrolled through the novels. “No mysteries, thank you. I need a comedy.”

She settled on one, curled up on the couch and began to read until her eyes grew heavy. The slamming door jerked her from the light doze she’d slipped into.

“Mom?”

“In here, Sophia.”

Sophia ran into the den and dropped her backpack on the floor near the recliner then climbed in Zoe’s lap. Zoe buried her nose in her child’s hair then kissed her cheek. “How was your day?”

“It was good. Very exciting.”

“Really?” Zoe shot a look at Joy who hovered in the doorway. Joy raised her brows and gave a slight smile. Zoe’s pulse slowed slightly.

“Yes,” Sophia enthused. “Gordon brought a frog to school. It was part of his science project, but then Leon opened the cage and the frog jumped out. All the other girls screamed, but I helped catch it.” She shot Zoe a brilliant smile. “And then Gordon hugged me and said I was awesome for a girl.”

Zoe released a slow breath and sent up a silent prayer of thanks. Finally, her child was acting like a child, not the solemn miniature adult she’d become ever since the
first
kidnapping attempt. “You are awesome. Period.” Her phone buzzed, and she snagged it. Aaron. To Sophia, she said, “Why don’t you go get your snack out of the refrigerator? It’s time for you to eat a little something.” Sophia nodded and skipped into the kitchen. Zoe raised the phone to her ear. “Hello?”