Quite the Catch (5 page)

Relief
evoked a sigh. The more he learned, the more he might remember. “Excellent!”

Maybe
it wasn’t cold in the room but he felt the chill. She noticed that Joshua
rubbed his arms to get warmer. “If you’re cold, I’ll poke up the fire.”

“Sure.
And if you happen to have a pair of socks, that’d be great.”

She
did. Tina brought a pair and slid them onto his feet. Then she stirred up the
ashes until bright flames crackled and danced in the hearth. As the warmth
spread into the room, Joshua unleashed a grin. “Thanks.”

“No
problem. Let me get my laptop.”

Joshua
settled back onto the couch, sitting upright but with a quilt draped around his
shoulders. Tina tucked her feet beneath her as she curled into an oversized
recliner and balanced her computer on her lap. Her fingers danced across the
keys, swift and
light,
and his gut tightened as he
watched. The moment of truth approached—one way or another, whoever he was,
whatever his name, and whatever he’d done, would soon be revealed.

It’d
better be good. He hoped he turned out to be some kind of law officer, not a
criminal. If he had a wife and a family, he’d surely have known. The same goes
for a bad credit history.

Within
five minutes, she glanced up with a huge grin. “I found you!”

He
couldn’t help but smile back. “Good, bad, or ugly?”

“I’d
call it good. You’re a United States Federal Marshal, Eastern District
Oklahoma,” she said. “District headquarters are in Muskogee, and your service
record is impressive.”

The
words crashed into his consciousness with the force of a Mack truck. Joshua
shifted position and the quilt that was wrapped around him dropped to the
floor. Recollection flooded his mind and senses, overwhelming him. Images
flashed through his brain and he suddenly remembered everything.

So
much information hit hard emotionally and took a physical toll. Dizziness swamped
him and he thought he might pass out. Joshua bent forward and placed his head
between his legs to prevent losing consciousness.

“Hey,
are you okay?” Tina’s voice filtered through to him. “Joshua?”

It
took effort to nod but she must not have noticed, because she repeated the
question with urgency. Joshua gathered his wits and replied, “I’ll be all right
in a minute—but I remember.”

He
did. And they were both in grave danger.

Chapter Five

Tina
typed ‘Joshua Jericho Jenkins’ into the search bar and nailed him within
minutes. As she’d suspected, he worked in law enforcement but at a level beyond
what she had first thought. She figured him for a deputy, maybe Oklahoma Highway
Patrol or a local cop, but her guest was a United States Marshal. His image
popped up at the top of the Google search results, as did a variety of
mentions. She scrolled through them and confirmed it. When she shared the news,
she figured he’d whoop with delight, but he acted strangely.

Joshua
smiled back but then his half-grin faded and he paled. Even his lips lost most
of their color. His eyes widened and he sat up straighter. The quilt hit the
floor and he stared at her with the most dumbfounded expression she’d ever
seen. He put his head down and she worried he might faint. When he didn’t
respond to her repeated questions, Tina put the laptop aside and stood up.

“I’ll
be all right in a minute,” he told her. His voice sounded awful, rough, and
low. “I remember.”

She
sat down beside him and put one hand on his back. “That’s good, right?”

He
blew air out of his mouth. “I guess. It just hit me hard. I know who I am now—U.S.
Marshal Joshua Jenkins. I’ve been with the Justice Department for the last
eight years. I live outside Sallisaw and I remember why the hell I was
running.”

His
manner evoked her anxiety. “Tell me.”

Those
dark eyes narrowed. “I really shouldn’t, but I will because you’re involved
now.”

“Sounds pretty bad.”

“I
think it probably is,” Joshua told her. “I’ll tell you everything you need to
know, but then we’ll need to look up what’s happened in the last twenty-four
hours or so. How long have I been here?”

“About
that,” Tina said. Fear clenched her lungs and made it hard to breathe. “I hope
you know you’re scaring the crap out of me.”

His
harsh expression softened a fraction. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to, Tina. I owe
you my life. If you hadn’t fished me out of the river, I’d be dead because they
would’ve tracked me down and finished the job.”

Without
thinking, she rubbed his back and scooted closer. “Joshua, please, just spit it
out.”

“Federal
Marshals do a lot of things,” he said. He reached over and grasped her hand in
his, then held it tight. “We help other departments with homicide investigations,
drug rings, and tracking fugitives. A couple of days ago, there was a prison
break at McAlester and two men escaped. Local cops caught the first one right
away but the other headed for the hills. I’m known as a pretty fair tracker so
they sent me. I picked up his trail early on and I’d been following him for two
days before I found him. Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone. A bunch of his kinfolk
had set up camp off the beaten path and planned on getting him out of the
country, probably to Mexico. So I walked into an ambush.”

“It’s
a wonder they didn’t kill you then,” Tina said. “I’m glad they didn’t.”

Joshua
glanced at her as a funny half-smile played over his lips. “Yeah, me, too,” he said.
“Anyhow, under normal circumstances, I would’ve taken him into custody but
there were six against me. One of them knocked me out long enough to take my
weapons, my badge, and my wallet. They were in the process of tying me up,
laughing and joking about how to kill me, when I broke loose. I ran because it
was the only chance I had. Since they were all armed, they pursued me and started
shooting. Their damn hounds were on my trail, too, barking and baying like
crazy. The armed idiots caught up with me, well within range, so I bailed off
the bridge.”

Even
though she’d witnessed the latter part of his getaway, Tina shuddered. If their
aim had been true or the men in pursuit drew closer, she could have watched his
dead body hit the river. “You took a chance,” she told him.

“Yeah,
I know. I’m a risk taker or I wouldn’t be a marshal.” His smile faltered as he
added, “I’m not in shape, though, to go against
anyone
at the moment. I don’t even have a weapon.”

Tina
gave a dry, brief laugh. “I can help with that, Joshua. Gramps owned quite a
few guns, both pistols and rifles. We’ve got access to his personal arsenal if
necessary, and he taught me to shoot alongside the boys.”

“I
hope I don’t need you for backup.”

She
bristled. “I can handle it. I’m one helluva shot.”

“Hey.”
Joshua released her hand and cupped her chin in his. “I don’t doubt it. But, I
don’t want you in the line of fire. I’d rather you not be hurt, Tina. I’m not
nearly as good a nurse as you are.”

The
compliment mollified her. “So what happens now? Do you think they’d come here
looking for you?”

He
shrugged both shoulders. “It’s possible. I imagine they spent the rest of yesterday
combing the river for me. Best case scenario—they think the shot, the fall, or
the river did me in, but since they won’t find a body, they won’t be sure. Worst
case, they realize someone helped me. If so, they’ll hunt until they find me. No
one else knows about their hidden camp but me.”

And
she’d thought the Emergency Room back in Dallas provided excitement, until now.

“Won’t
they move if they think you might lead the authorities to the location?”

“I
doubt it. Its way back in the hills, almost impossible to find unless someone
knows where to look. It’s too good a spot to abandon unless they must. I’m
pretty sure they know I took a bullet and I doubt they think I could survive
the fall. They’ll be wary but I don’t expect they’ll move yet. And when they
do, they’ll head south toward the border.”

So
much information clogged her mind and froze her senses. Tina spent a few
moments trying to process it and sort everything out. Visions of armed men
storming the A-frame cabin filled her imagination but instead of increasing her
fear, the idea brought anger. So far, one of their
group
had broken out of the state penitentiary and the others did their
damndest
to kill Joshua. Although she didn’t know him well,
Tina pegged him as a good man. They’d hurt him in the process and if they
learned she sheltered him, they’d want to kill her too. “You can’t let that
happen,” she cried.

His
fingers released her chin and he trailed his hand across her hair. Joshua
caressed her cheek, slight and soft. “You’re a fighter,” he said. “I don’t
intend to, honey. But I have to stop and think. If I don’t play this right,
they will get away or we’ll die.
Or both.”

Despite
her distraction, she caught his casual endearment and liked it. “Can’t you call
the Marshal’s service for backup or something?”

“I
could and will, eventually.” He hesitated and then told her what he hadn’t
shared with anyone else. “Thing is, I think there’s an informant in the
district office, someone who blabs too much to the wrong people. I don’t know
who and I lack any proof, but my gut says he exists. If I do and he talks, it
could make a bad situation much worse. Right now, I think it’s better to lay
low and think this through.” He became more agitated as he talked and she
watched, worried.

Tina’s
nursing instincts took over. She checked his pulse and found it rapid. He
remained pale and despite the fire in the hearth, his skin seemed cool beneath
her touch. “I agree. Right now, you need to warm up and rest. I’m glad you
remember, Joshua, but it doesn’t change the fact that you need to heal.”

Joshua
slumped and he covered his face with one hand. “Oh, I hear that.”

“You
don’t look very well,” she said. “How do you feel?”

“My
side’s likely to kill me. It’s the worst, although I’ve got a bitchin’ headache
now and I still hurt all over. I’m weaker than I should be. I feel like I’ll
keel over if I try to walk from here to the kitchen.”

“You
might but it’s natural to be more sore the second day. You need something some
substantial to eat than a few cookies, and you need a lot more rest. I made
chicken and noodles, if you’re interested.”

His
face lit up as he glanced at her. “That sounds pretty good.”

Tina
stood and pointed to the recliner. “Get settled in the chair and I’ll bring you
a bowl to save you the trip.”

When
he protested, she shook her head and offered him her hand. “Come on.”

Once
she made him comfortable and tucked the blanket around his knees, she headed to
the kitchen. Tina returned with a bowl of noodles, bread and butter, and a
glass of iced tea. The tray fit over his legs and into the seat perfectly.

“Where’s
yours?” he asked.

“I’ll
go back and get it. Go ahead and eat if you want.”

He
inhaled and sighed. “It smells awesome. Is it homemade?”

“The
noodles and broth both are,” she said, pleased he noticed. “I cooked the
chicken but it came from the supermarket.”

Joshua
dipped the spoon in the broth. “I haven’t had food like this in forever,” he
said. “Thank you.”

They
ate together, Tina balancing her food on a pillow in her lap, Joshua in the
recliner. He ate two bowls and by the time he finished, his color had returned.
His relaxed posture indicated his pain had
lessened,
due in part to another dose of pain meds, but Tina thought the warm meal
might’ve helped too. “Feel better?”

“Yeah,
I do, a little, thanks. What time is it?”

“It’s
around four o’clock. Why?”

A
yawn emerged from his mouth and he covered it with one hand. “I’m sleepy. I
thought it must be later.”

“Get
some rest and go to bed.”

“Huh-uh,”
he mumbled.
Stubborn,
she thought
with a smile. “I’ll shut my eyes and stay here. All I need is a nap.”

Tina
pulled the blanket up over him. “Whatever you think, Joshua. As long as you’re
comfortable, it’s okay with me.”

“I
am.”

Within
minutes, his breathing shifted into a lower, slower sleep rhythm. Tina removed
the tray and returned to drink him in with her eyes. She admired his lean
physique, the light copper shade of his skin, and the way his close-cropped
dark hair fit against his skull. His black eyelashes rested against his cheek,
thick and lush. His nose bent a little to the left, something that added
character. High cheekbones accentuated his Native American appearance. Joshua’s
well-shaped, thin lips made Tina long to kiss them but she didn’t want to wake
him.

His
eyes were beautiful, heavy, and black as midnight. By any standard, Joshua
could be called attractive, but Tina realized his inner strength drew her to
him as much, if not more. He’d handled his situation with amazing aplomb and
despite his numerous hurts, he hardly complained.