Texas Hunt (2 page)

“He was on the tractor, drinking again,” Lori said, raw emotion causing the words to come out strained. “He must've had too much because he flipped it and was pinned. The coroner said he died instantly.”

Ryan had moved to her side, his hand was on her shoulder, comforting her. She needed to know the details, to know if Beckett had anything to do with it. Dozens of thoughts crashed down on her at once. She also had to think of an excuse to get her sister and nephew out of town and far away from any threat.

Of course everyone would assume he'd been hitting the bottle again. It wouldn't be the first time he'd relapsed. No one would believe her if she denied it. And yet Lisa knew he'd been clean. There was always a pattern. He was on an upswing. Lisa forced back the flood of tears threatening to overwhelm her. A few streamed down her face anyway.

“Do they know for sure Dad was drinking? Did they perform an autopsy?” she pressed. She'd seen on TV that the coroner could screen for alcohol level.

“Why would they do that? Isn't that for, like, people who are murdered or something?” Lori's voice rose with her panic levels. Her grip on Lisa's hand had tightened to the point of pain.

Lisa gently urged their fingers apart.

“Oh, sorry. This is just happening so fast. First, what happened to you yesterday morning. Then Daddy later that afternoon.” Lori broke down in a sob. “I'm scared, sis. He's gone and I didn't know if you'd—”

“I'm here,” Lisa reassured, fighting back her own emotions. She'd always tried to be brave for her little sister. “I'm not going anywhere.”

“I know. It's just all...surreal or something. Everyone keeps saying that bad news comes in threes and I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's crazy. I mean, who would want to hurt you? You're like the nicest person. Everyone loves you. You're a kindergarten teacher for heaven's sake. Who would do this to you?”

“Random mugging, remember? I have just as much chance as everyone else. It's like lightning striking,” Lisa said even though her heart wasn't in the words. When it came to lying, she fell on the same side of the scale as Ryan. Her father's drinking binges had always been preceded by lies. In bad times, she and her sister would be hauled off to stay with a relative. In the worst cases, they'd end up in the foster care system for a few months until their dad straightened out.

Even though she hated lying, she had no choice. She had to protect what was left of her family. “Where's Grayson?”

“I'm sorry. I didn't want to bring the baby here. I know he's still little, but I thought he might be afraid if he saw you like this,” Lori said. The words gushed out. She always spoke too fast when she was a nervous wreck.

“You did the right thing, sis,” Lisa said in her most calming voice.

“He's with Dylan and Samantha. Maribel's keeping an eye on him. She calls him her little brother. It's cute.” Lori broke into another sob. Dylan and Samantha were longtime friends. Maribel was Dylan's three-year-old daughter. The three of them made a beautiful family. Grayson would be safe in their care. “I know he wasn't always there for us, but he was our dad. And now he's gone.”

“I loved him, too.” It was surreal to speak about him in the past tense. “It's okay to cry.”

“No, it's not. I should be more like you.”

“Calloused?” Lisa said quickly before she shattered into a tiny thousand pieces. The only thing worse than holding on to her horrible secret was seeing her baby sister in pain.

“I was going to say brave.” Lori leaned into Lisa and sobbed.

With Beckett's father being hunted, this might be the right time to expose the family for the monsters they truly were. And yet she hadn't reported the crime fifteen years ago. Could she come forward now and accuse Beckett? Would anyone believe her?

Maybe Ryan knew about Beckett's family. Hadn't the Alcorns tried to take his father's land? Then again, if she asked him too many questions he might just figure out she was hiding something and force her hand. He was more persistent than a pit bull searching for a bone when it came to finding the truth. She'd also seen how dedicated he'd been to his brother when Justin had been in trouble. Would he do the same for her?

If anyone could understand or help, Ryan could.

He'd been devastated when his own mother walked out on the family. He'd acted tough on the outside, but Lisa saw past the front he'd put up. She'd seen the pain buried deep down because it was just like hers.

Lisa knew pain.

On second thought, exposing Beckett now was a bad idea. First of all, he'd take away everything she loved. Then he'd kill her. Or worse, he wouldn't.

She needed to figure out a way to keep her family safe without alarming them. The Alcorns' number was almost up and she'd be on the front row of the court trial when it happened, cheering when the sentence was delivered.

Until then, she had to figure out a way to keep her family safe.

Every fiber in her being urged her to warn her sister about what might come next, that she and Grayson could be in grave danger. But what if no one believed her?

She lay in a hospital bed with possible head trauma. She had no evidence for an accusation against Beckett. Most people believed him to be a good person and felt sorry for him after news broke about his father.

Lisa had to weigh her options carefully. If she told Lori and Ryan the truth and they questioned her, the risk would only increase. Beckett's attack on her family wouldn't be straightforward, either. He'd watch Lori. Hide. Strike when she least expected it. Considering she had a baby on her hip most of the time, she'd be an easy target.

Doing nothing was a pretty lousy option.

There had to be something she could do to keep her family safe. Lori and Grayson were all Lisa had left and she'd trade her life for either one.

* * *

L
ISA
'
S
EMOTIONAL
PAIN
hit Ryan far deeper than her physical bruises did. He didn't like those, either, but experience had taught him the stuff on the outside healed. The marks on her heart wouldn't go away in a few weeks. He fisted his hands and then shoved them in his pockets so he wouldn't punch a hole in the wall.

The promise he'd made to Lori to keep quiet about their father had been sitting sourly in his stomach since Lisa's eyes opened. Ryan had wanted to be the one to tell her what had happened, but it wasn't his place. The news about her family needed to come from her sister, not from him. All he could do was be there to help pick up the pieces.

Seeing her lying there, helpless, had stirred more than a primal need to protect a friend.

Instead of acting on it, he'd watched her sleep as he'd held back from stroking her rosy skin as it shone even under the harsh fluorescent light. Her long brunet hair with light streaks that caught the sun seemed brighter.

Listening to the pain in her voice as she spoke to her sister was the second time he'd nearly been done in. He shouldn't allow his past feelings for Lisa to cloud his judgment. Because if they had their way he'd be in that hospital bed with her, holding her until she stopped shaking, comforting her until she felt safe again. It was obvious that the attack had left a serious mark. The way she kept looking at the door as if expecting her assailant to walk through even had Ryan jumpy.

As far as anything else between them went, Lisa was a puzzle in which he'd never quite fit the pieces together. There was no way he could risk his heart twice trying.

Get a hobby, Hunt.

Besides, he had other, more pressing things to focus on, like why she kept checking the door with that frightened look on her face. She had to know a person from a random mugging wouldn't follow her to the hospital. Ryan bet there was more going on than she let on.

“I better go. Grayson needs to nurse soon,” Lori said.

“I've been lying here thinking about getting away for a few days. You should, too. Especially now. It's not good for the baby to be around all this and stress can affect your breast milk,” Lisa said, looking as though she was grasping at straws. Her sister was almost militant about breast-feeding. Since Grayson's dad wasn't coming back, Ryan figured her sister compensated by throwing all her energy into being Grayson's mother. It was beyond Ryan how a father could walk out on his family. Then again, it didn't seem to have bothered his mother all that much.

Lisa made a good point but when did she have time to think about a getaway option? She'd only woken up a few minutes ago.

“I don't know. I'd rather be here for you. Plus, we need to make arrangements for Dad.” Lori's voice hitched on the last couple of words.

“All we need is an internet connection to do that. It'll take a few days to settle everything anyway before the service. I can meet you somewhere. The nurse said I might be out of here later today.”

Ryan had no idea why Lisa was skirting the truth, but after all she'd been through he figured he'd toss her a lifeline. “A buddy of mine has a fishing cabin a couple hours from here in Arkansas. It's right on the lake. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you took it over.”

“Are you sure that's such a good idea?” Lori glanced from Ryan to Lisa. “I have Grayson to think about.”

“It's nice and big. The place sleeps eight. He bought it so his wife would want to bring the kids,” Ryan said. He intended to have a heart-to-heart with Lisa as soon as her sister left. Then again, her attack was followed by devastating news about her father. Maybe she needed to get her bearings and figured this was the best way. Plus, the Mason Ridge Abductor was still out there and even though Grayson was a baby, not a seven-year-old, which was the usual mode of operation for the kidnapper, she had to be thinking about his safety. With Lori on her own with a baby and Lisa the overprotective older sister, maybe Ryan shouldn't be surprised at how out of sync her reactions seemed to be.

He needed to reassure her that he intended to make certain she was okay.

“It might be nice to take the weekend,” Lori said. “There's been so much going on that I don't even want to go to the grocery anymore for fear of running into people. They're well intentioned and all, but my phone's been ringing like crazy. I answered it a few times and it's a game of twenty questions. I can't talk about either one of you without bawling. Plus, work gave me time off to make...arrangements.” She wiped away another tear.

“Then it's settled. Ryan will call his friend.” Lisa turned her attention toward him. “I'll owe you big-time. You're certain this will be all right?”

“More than sure. He gave me a spare so I could check on the place for him this month while he's out of town for work.” Ryan fished in his pocket and then produced a key. “I'll text the address. You should probably take off now. There's a small corner store at the turnoff to get to his place. They're used to weekenders, so they'll have everything you need to get by for a few days with a baby.”

“Okay.” Lori stopped chewing on her lip and took the offering.

Ryan zipped off a text with the address, waiting for her smartphone to ding.

When it did, she said to Lisa, “Good. Will I see you tonight?”

“I hope so. I'm out of here as soon as I get clearance,” Lisa replied.

“Then I'll feed the baby, pack a bag and head out,” Lori conceded. The idea seemed to be growing on her when she smiled at her sister.

“Be safe driving. Let me know when you get there, okay?”

They hugged and both had tears in their eyes when Lori left.

“Thank you,” Lisa said as Ryan settled into the chair next to her bed.

“You're welcome.” Whatever was on her mind, she had no intention to share just yet. He could tell by the set of her jaw and the look in her eye. Lucky for her, he was a patient man. “The deputy should be here shortly to take your statement. You hungry for anything? I could run out and pick up whatever sounds good.”

“I doubt I could eat anything,” she said. Those bluish-green eyes pushed past his walls—walls he'd worked damn hard to construct.

Lisa was attractive. Only an idiot would argue that point and Ryan didn't put himself in that particular category. He'd be lying if he didn't admit to a certain pull he felt toward her every time she was around.

But that was where it ended. Where it
had
to end.

Sure, a few of his friends had found true partnerships with other people recently. Even though Ryan had been against Brody and Rebecca's relationship early on because of their history, the two were the happiest he'd ever seen them. Dylan and Samantha seemed perfect for each other. Love seemed to suit his friends. Denying the nose on his face wouldn't change anything. Besides, Ryan was truly happy for his best buds.

But only a man with a need for punishment did the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. Lisa had shot him down before when he thought he'd picked up on a mutual attraction. Even though he felt that same sizzle between them now, only a fool would act on it. And not only because she was in a hospital bed, hurt. That just made it inappropriate.

Ryan had other reasons not to get involved with anyone. For one, he didn't need anyone to take care of him. He was perfectly fine living the bachelor's life.

Brody and Dylan might have found their other halves and taken up relationships, and Ryan didn't begrudge them. No two people deserved that kind of bliss more than his friends. He had to admit that they seemed happier than they'd ever been. And that was all pink lemonade and roses
for them
.

Ryan didn't need anyone else to “complete” him. He'd come into the world a whole human being and planned to leave the same way. Living on his own suited him. He liked waking up with the sun and going where he pleased. Was he selfish? Maybe. He was so used to taking care of family members for most of his life that he didn't have much left to give anyone else.