The Texas Ranger's Reward (Undercover Heroes) (15 page)

Melissa shivered before getting to her feet. “All those awful
men were living in my family’s cabin.”

“But they’re gone now, huh, Daddy?”

Overjoyed that the danger to her was over, Travis reached for
his son and lifted him in the air. “They sure are.”

Melissa’s eyes had filled with tears. “It’s all because of
you.” Her voice shook. “You single-handedly took down a dangerous drug cartel.
That criminal would still be out there, killing other people, if it weren’t for
you. I don’t even know where to begin to thank you and your backup crew. My
parents and I will always be indebted to you. I’ve got to call them right
now!”

“Go ahead. We’ll keep eating.”

She dashed from the kitchen to get her phone. By the time they
were finishing their lasagna, she reappeared. He could tell she’d been crying
happy tears. “My parents want to talk to you.” She handed him the phone.

For the next few minutes Travis explained to them what had
transpired. They couldn’t have been more grateful.

“When things have settled down,” her father said, “we’d like to
give a party to honor you and all the people at Lufka’s who had any part in
this. You’ve rid Kamas of a terrible menace. I guess you know by now this means
more to us, and to our daughter, than words can say.”

Travis
did
know. He had evidence of
it in numerous ways. “She was a big help, Mr. Roberts. And, I might add, a very
courageous woman, to keep going up there with me.”

Her dad chuckled. “That cabin is special to her. We’ll talk to
her later and find a time when it’s convenient for you to come to our house for
an evening with the family, and of course, bring your son. She says he’s a
delightful young man. We’re glad to hear his broken leg is all healed.”

“Me, too.”

“See you soon. Good night, Mr. Stillman.”

Travis clicked off and handed the phone to Melissa who, along
with Casey, was playing tug-of-war with one of the dog’s toys. “Okay, everybody.
What are we going to do after we clean up the kitchen?” Travis had no intention
of letting this evening end.

“Can we go up to the cabin and have a sleepover tonight?”

Trust his son to come up with the perfect answer. “That’s up to
Melissa.” Travis’s gaze swerved to hers. “Have you had enough of the Stillman
family?”

She hugged her arms to her waist in what he’d come to recognize
as a nervous gesture. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just
thinking how exhausted you must be. Too tired to drive to Kamas again after all
you’ve been through.”

He put an arm around his son. “We love it up there, don’t we,
bud?”

“Yup.”

“Well, if it’s what you’d really like to do, then of course
it’s what I want more than anything.”

Casey ran over and hugged her. “I’ll have to drive to the town
house first and get some more clothes and fresh bedding,” she said, after
hugging him back. “All the bedding up there needs to be thrown out. I don’t want
any reminders of what happened up there.”

“I don’t blame you. We’ll clean up here, then head for your
condo and go up in my truck. On the way we’ll buy a couple of bundles of wood,
so we can make a fire tonight.”

Casey gazed up at him in excitement. “Can we roast
marshmallows?”

“In the house?” Travis replied.

“It’ll be fine,” Melissa assured him. “Our family does it all
the time. After we get up there, we’ll whittle some long sticks.”

“Daddy has a really sharp knife.”

“Great!” Her eyes flew to Travis. “Then we’re set. When you buy
the wood, pick up marshmallows and popcorn, too.”

His son’s shriek of happiness filled the house.

* * *

T
WILIGHT
WAS
TURNING
INTO
darkness as they
reached the cabin. Melissa had to pinch herself to believe they could drive
right up to it in the truck without fear that someone was in there or was
watching them from the forest.

While she opened the front door and turned on the generator so
they could have lights, Casey helped his father bring in the groceries and wood.
Dexter ran around sniffing in all the corners, while Travis went outside once
more for their overnight bags. Melissa carried in the bedding she’d brought from
her condo.

“Will you sleep with me again tonight?” Casey asked her.

Before Melissa could answer, Travis said, “You and I, bud, are
going to sleep downstairs in one of the bedrooms. We’ll let Melissa decide which
one.”

She flicked him a glance. “How about the one with the big
family picture on the wall? That bed is more comfortable. While you guys get the
fire going, I’ll put clean sheets and quilts on the beds we’ll use tonight.” The
thought of those awful men using the bedrooms made her sick. While she was at
it, she would give the bathrooms another scrubbing.

Their various jobs kept them busy. “Robin Hood had nothing on
you,” she said as Travis came in with three long, straight sticks, each with a
point.

His wide smile caused her toes to curl. “Anything for you, my
lady.”

Once she’d microwaved the popcorn and poured it into a bowl,
she put it and the bag of marshmallows in Casey’s lap. He’d changed into his
pajamas and was sitting in the middle of the couch, watching the flames. Dexter
had jumped up and was nestled against his other side, inching his way toward the
food.

After she’d lit two lanterns and turned off the generator, she
brought napkins and planted herself on the couch next to him. “This is what I
call cozy.”

Travis’s eyes when they met hers seemed to smolder, but maybe
it was just a reflection of the fire. He asked Casey to hand him the
marshmallows. “Don’t feed any to Dexter or he’ll get sick.”

“I know. Can he have popcorn?”

“Maybe a couple.”

Melissa watched with silent laughter as Casey fed the dog one
piece of popcorn at a time, half hiding it under his leg.

Travis put a marshmallow on the end of a stick. “How do like
yours cooked, Melissa?”

“Charred.”

“That’s funny. So do I.”

“Yeah, black on the outside and gooey on the inside.”

His deep chuckle seemed to rumble through her body. They’d
probably have stomachaches in the morning, but she didn’t care as she popped a
third one in her mouth. Tonight wasn’t like any other.

She was in love. Madly in love with a fabulous man.

As for his son, she loved him so much, she could almost believe
she’d given birth to him.

The night wore on and the fire started to die down. Casey grew
less talkative and eventually fell asleep against her shoulder. It had been a
big day. Travis got to his feet with the stealth of a panther and carefully
lifted the boy from the couch.

“Don’t go away,” he whispered to Melissa before carrying his
son to the bedroom. As if she would go anywhere. His words acted like an
electrical charge, igniting every part of her. Dexter jumped down and followed
him.

Travis, without Dexter, returned in minutes. The look of desire
he gave her couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. She heard his sharp intake
of breath before he got to the couch and followed her down with his body,
pressing her against the cushions.

“Melissa,”
he cried urgently. “I
need you tonight. Hold me. Kiss me.”

He was actually trembling. In wonder, she wrapped her arms
around him and let go of every inhibition, needing his kiss more than she needed
air. She felt his fingers work their way into her hair. His touch brought
exquisite pleasure.

Tonight she had the feeling he wanted
her.
That he was kissing
her,
not his deceased
wife. Melissa didn’t know how she knew. Maybe the talk with his sister had
helped her turn a corner. All she knew was that this felt right and they were on
fire for each other.

“If anything had happened to you…” he whispered against her
throat. “The thought of him touching you…”

She cupped his face with her hands. “Him? Who are you talking
about?”

He made a self-deprecating sound. “No one.” He kissed her lips.
“Forget what I said.” Once again he crushed her mouth with his, thrilling her.
But she couldn’t get what he’d said out of her mind.

“Travis, what did you mean? You know I haven’t been seeing
another man.”

A heavy sigh escaped his throat before he lifted his head. “One
of the Colombians had been watching you. He talked about you. After Jose
translated what was on the listening device, that was it. I couldn’t let you
come up here again until they were captured.”

She wound her arms around his neck. “It was that predator at
Grampy’s, wasn’t it?”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s been arrested. I can’t believe I spoke
my fears out loud.” Travis buried his face in her hair.

Melissa could believe it. “You’ve just come off the case. It’s
only natural. Did you help with the actual arrests?”

“Yes. One of them led me on a wild chase and almost
escaped.”

She hugged him harder. “I can’t comprehend hand-to-hand combat.
You’re made of sterner stuff than most men. I can’t thank you enough for
protecting me. To be that brave… As Casey always tells me, you’re awesome.”
Melissa had run out of adjectives, and pressed her mouth to his, needing to show
him how she felt.

Travis’s hunger matched hers, but she was aware there was
something troubling him deep down. As far as she knew, he’d still had no word of
his wife’s killer. But she didn’t want to bring that up now. This had been the
most heavenly night she’d ever known.

His mouth roved over her face, her throat, and he moaned. She
gave an answering moan—she couldn’t seem to get close enough to him, either.
Suddenly she felt a shudder rack his powerful body. He levered himself away and
got to his feet, putting distance between them. She was reeling. To be so
passionately enthralled, and then for it to stop…

“What’s wrong, Travis?”

He stared at her so strangely. “
This
is wrong. Several hours ago your parents thanked me for making the cabin
safe for you. So what do I do? I bring you up here and ravage you, with my son
in the next room.”

“It’s what I wanted, too. So tell me what really happened just
now.”

Travis had a habit of rubbing the back of his neck when he was
trying to come up with an explanation he thought she could handle. But their
relationship had gotten past that stage. “I could feel myself losing control,”
he said. “When I heard you moan, I remembered what you told me about your
ex-husband.”

She blinked. “That moan you heard was sheer ecstasy, not
terror.”

“How can I believe you? The last thing I want to do is make a
fatal mistake with you and have you think I’ve suddenly turned into Mr.
Hyde.”

The bleak look on his face shattered her. She got to her feet.
“Travis, he was a sick man. I’ve had enough therapy and have been with enough
men since my divorce to realize Russ was one of a small few. When I met you, you
were so in control there’ve been times when it’s driven me crazy. You’re the
heroic Texas Ranger around everyone else, but when you’re with me, I
want
you to be out of control.”

“I want to believe you, but—”

“But what?” she interrupted. “Could this be a smoke screen for
what’s really going on here?”

His eyes narrowed to dark slits. “What do you mean?”

Sharp, stabbing pain took over. “I think you know. Ironic,
isn’t it? I can’t get far enough away from the memory of my spouse. But you
can’t get close enough to yours. For a little while tonight you tried to forget,
but before we got past the point of no return, you couldn’t be tempted, because
I wasn’t Valerie.

“I’m not blaming you. How could I? She was the love of your
life and hasn’t been gone that long. It’s a fact, and no skirting around the
issue is going to change it.”

“You’re more wrong than you know.” His voice sounded as if it
came from a deep cavern.

“No. You grew up under a code of honor and couldn’t forsake it
if you tried. Tonight you proved it by not using me, by not pretending to feel
something you couldn’t feel. You’re a noble soul, Travis. Believe me when I tell
you that you’re the finest man I’ve ever known. One day you’ll get the reward
you deserve simply for being
fantastic you.
”
She started for the wooden staircase.

“Melissa…”

She paused at the bottom and turned to him. “When you take me
home tomorrow, I want it to be for the last time. I know it will be hard on
Casey for a little while, but he’ll get over it because he has you for a father.
You’ll know what to say to comfort him. Let’s end it now so Casey won’t realize
what’s happening when you drop me off tomorrow. Goodbye, Travis. Thank you for
everything. God bless the two of you.”

Chapter Ten

“How come you’re not eating?”

Travis looked at Mitch. “I’m not hungry.”

“That’s what you said when we met here last week,” Chaz
reminded him.

The Cowboy Grub was their favorite hangout for breakfast, but
meeting with his friends this morning had been a mistake. Since the marijuana
bust a week ago, Travis had taken on and solved two new cases to keep busy, but
his turmoil had reached a level where he could no longer function. The guys
didn’t deserve to see him like this.

“Is Casey still in as bad a shape as you?”

“Afraid so. He blames me and won’t talk to me unless he has
to.”

“I understand his frustration.” Mitch was a straight shooter.
“Maybe you need to break down and tell us why you’re really staying away from
her. If you don’t talk to somebody about this soon, you’re going to crack.”

Chaz nodded. “We’d like to help.”

Travis rubbed his eyes, then stared at both of them. “Melissa
suffered trauma in her marriage, and then suffered it again when her cabin was
invaded. She doesn’t need to get any more involved with me when we know
Valerie’s killer is still out there somewhere, looking for me.”

“Chances are the Feds will catch up with him and he’ll be
locked away soon.”

“True, Mitch,” Travis replied. “And to Melissa’s credit, she
never brought it up after the first time I told her, but it isn’t something you
forget. Valerie hated my job as a Ranger. Melissa probably hates the work I do
now.”

“I hear you,” Mitch said in a solemn tone. “When I asked Heidi
to marry me, I have to admit I was relieved that the killer who’d tried to take
me out back in Florida was finally in custody. But I wouldn’t have let it stop
me from being with her. Not unless she’d pulled away from me because of it.”

Chaz eyed Travis with compassion. “I made a certain promise
after I got out of the SEALs, but as we all know, in our business sometimes
things go wrong despite our best efforts. I thought I’d lost Lacey because the
stalker turned out to be her sister, but after she was arrested, Lacey found me
while I was on vacation, and convinced me she was thankful for the work I did.
In the end, she said it helped her sister get therapy, and it brought us
together.

“As I see it, you need to go to Melissa. After you’ve told her
the thing you’re most worried about, let
her
decide
if she wants to continue the relationship.”

“If you stay away from her, you could be making the biggest
mistake of your life,” Mitch warned.

They were right.

Having made up his mind, Travis pushed himself away from the
table and got to his feet. “I’ve got to talk to her. Thanks for being here for
me.”

“You’ve been there plenty for us.”

Within a few minutes Travis was in his truck and on the way to
her clinic. He decided not to phone. He couldn’t risk her not calling him back.
She’d told him Fridays were her busiest days, but he didn’t care. He’d wait
there until her lunch hour if he had to, so they could talk.

At nine-thirty he walked through the doors and headed straight
for her office. To his frustration it was locked. He went to the exercise room,
but she wasn’t in there. Without hesitation he approached the secretary at the
front desk. They recognized each other and nodded.

“Hi. I’m looking for Ms. Dalton.”

“I’m afraid she won’t be coming in today. She called in last
evening and said she wasn’t feeling well. But I’m sure she’ll be back on Monday.
If you’re here to make an appointment for Casey, I’ll schedule it in her
calendar now.”

“No, this is personal. If by any chance she should phone the
clinic, will you ask her to call me pronto? She has my number.”

“Of course.”

Travis hurried outside. When he’d driven to the clinic, he’d
been so anxious to see her, he hadn’t been looking for her Jeep. Now that he
glanced around, he realized it was nowhere in sight. He got back in the truck
and took the route she normally drove to her town house. On the way he phoned
her, but all he got was her voice mail. He asked her to call him.

When he drove up in front of the condo, one glance revealed her
Jeep wasn’t there, either. Maybe she’d gone to the pharmacy for some medicine.
He knew which one and took off. The parking lot was only semifull. There was no
Jeep anywhere.

Maybe she’d gone to her parents’ or her brother’s house. Travis
phoned both numbers on the off chance she’d sought them out because she didn’t
feel well and wanted their company. Again he was met with voice mails. He left
messages for them to contact him if they knew where he could reach Melissa.

His mind turned over other possibilities. She might have gone
to the cabin after work last evening, and started feeling sick there. Since it
was her favorite place, she’d probably decided to stay up there the whole
weekend. Maybe she’d picked up a bug. Children coming in and out of the clinic
carried germs and could have infected her.

The worrisome thought that she might be really sick and too
weak to drive back down the canyon galvanized him into action. He took off for
Kamas, breaking the speed limit all the way up. En route, he phoned Deana and
asked her to pick up Casey after school. If he couldn’t get back tonight, then
she was to take him over to Pat’s house for the night. It was time he and
Melissa had a heart-to-heart.

* * *

A
FTER
ANOTHER
RESTLESS
NIGHT
, Melissa got up determined to get some artwork done. But the
creative juices weren’t flowing and hadn’t been since she’d said goodbye to
Travis. Without bothering to dress, she stayed in her gray sweats and went
downstairs in her zip-up slippers with her art supplies.

The generator was still on from last night. She fixed herself
some instant coffee in the microwave, then turned off the switch. Silence
reigned once more, the way it was supposed to in the forest. She opened the back
door to a beautiful fall morning. Utah truly was a land of sunny skies.

Once she’d finished her drink, she put her folding chair
outside the back door and set up her easel. She’d brought her big art pad down,
along with her acrylics. Being up here, instead of at work at the clinic, should
have made her feel guilty. But Melissa had been feeling ill all week and knew
she couldn’t have made it through today’s heavy schedule.

She didn’t know how to fix her broken heart.

Travis
…

Tears rolled down her cheeks. Without realizing it, she began
doing a sketch of his well-shaped head. He was a man in his prime, with lines of
experience and character etched into his face. A beyond-gorgeous jaw, a wide
mouth that could harden or soften, depending on his mood…

His deep-set blue eyes gleamed with intelligence. His ears and
nose were in perfect proportion to his other features. His hair was a dark, rich
chestnut. And the way he was put together left every other man she’d known out
of the competition.

Her love for him poured out on the paper. She didn’t need to
see him in person; he was inscribed on her mind and heart for all time. Anything
he wore suited him, but she had to admit she loved the hunter-green shirt he’d
worn to the clinic with Casey, a button-down with a collar. She drew it in.

After studying the finished product for a minute, she signed
and dated it. Beneath her signature she wrote “My Superhero.” This portrait and
the one she’d done of Casey were her most prized possessions.

It felt good to spill her emotions onto paper. Once she went
back in the cabin and got dressed, she would take a hike with some of her
supplies and see if she could find that elk. So noble and majestic. She saw
Travis’s spirit like that.

She closed her art pad. As she started to gather everything up,
someone shoved her to the ground and covered her mouth and nose from behind,
cutting off her air. She felt a hard chest as a man slammed down on top of her.
In shock, she fought and twisted, managing to bite the grubby hand mashing her
face. Blood spurted everywhere.

She heard a string of invectives, but he never let go. There
was a ripping sound before he started wrapping her mouth with duct tape. After
he got off her and set her on her feet, he turned her around. She made a huge
scratch down the side of his acne-pocked cheek before he tied her hands in front
of her with a rope.

Melissa’s captor was no taller than she was, but he was
heavyset and strong as a bull. He put one of his legs between hers so she
couldn’t move. Blood was now dripping from his face and spattering
everywhere.

She’d heard nothing before he’d sneaked up behind her. Her legs
shook at the possibility of him having spent the night in the cabin with her,
waiting for this opportunity. He had to be one of the illegals who’d escaped the
sting operation. She could moan all she wanted for help, but the tape had
silenced her, and she was feeling claustrophobic.

“Cooperate with me,” he said at last, “and you might live long
enough to watch me shoot your boyfriend between the eyes. But I won’t do that
until he sees you’re with me. We’ll wait for him to come. After he’s dead, I
plan to have some fun with you before I finish you off.”

This lowlife wasn’t a Colombian. In fact, he had a Southern
drawl. This monster was a white guy covered in tattoos. About her height, he had
stringy brown hair that hung in his face. Each time he tossed his head back, it
fell over his brows again.

The second she divined the truth of his origins, he said,
“Didn’t he tell you about me? I’m sure he did. I’m Danny, the only survivor of
the McClusky brothers. We were famous down in Texas. I’m not including Fred, of
course. He died a long time ago, when we went swimming and he accidentally
drowned. That left Donny and Davey.”

Her soul screamed in terror.
This lunatic
is Valerie’s killer!
Somehow he’d tracked Travis down. Much as
Melissa wanted this to be a nightmare, it wasn’t.

“We were doing great on our own until some rats squealed on us
and we had to kill them. From then on, everything went wrong, and that damn
Texas Ranger came after us.”

Her captor started leading her into the forest by the rope
binding her hands. There was no possibility of getting away from him. He was out
of shape and was forced to stop every few steps to take deep breaths, but he
continued to pull her through the undergrowth to the top of the ridge behind the
cabin.

Where his plaid shirt separated from his pants, she saw another
repulsive tattoo. Wanting to take advantage of the early morning light, she
hadn’t eaten breakfast. That was good, because she would have thrown up.

To her horror, he found two trees growing close together at the
edge of a clearing, and spread-eagled her upright between them. Using more rope,
he fastened her wrists and ankles so tightly they burned. He groped her on and
off. When she tried to elude him, the ropes twisted into her skin. The pain was
unbearable. She couldn’t sit, bend or lie down.

“I wasn’t going to let him put us in prison. But during our
escape, Donny and Davey got mowed down by him without them knowing what hit
them.” While he was stringing her up, the man babbled and bawled like a baby.
Then he suddenly turned around with a murderous gleam in his eyes.

“I couldn’t let that go, now could I? Not Danny McClusky. So I
took my time before I picked off your Ranger’s wife so he’d get the message.
Then I figured that still wasn’t good enough. No siree. The Bible says ‘an eye
for an eye.’ He took two of my family, so I decided to take two of his to make
things fair. Don’t you see?”

Yes. Melissa saw it only too clearly. But his plan was faulty.
When Travis didn’t show up, this madman would eventually get tired of waiting,
and come up with another plan. At that point, she would probably be dead. But if
by some miracle she was still breathing, she might be able to get away from
him.

She had to pray that, with a week having gone by already,
Travis had decided not to try to see her again. Surely after this long he’d come
to the conclusion that a permanent parting was best for all of them.

What bitter irony! All this week she’d been praying he’d call
or come to the clinic, because he couldn’t live without her and wanted to
convince her of that. She’d lain awake all last night debating whether to call
him.
Life without him was no life at all. While
she’d been finishing her portrait of Travis earlier, she’d made up her mind that
when she got back to Salt Lake, she’d phone him and ask him to come to her condo
so they could really talk.

Incredibly, this killer had kidnapped her at the very moment
she’d been planning what she would say to Travis. Now there was no second chance
to blurt out her love for him. This monster had the upper hand and would be
watching for him if he did come up here looking for her. There’d be no way to
warn him except to moan loudly enough that he might hear her. But by then it
would be too late.

“I’ve been looking for over a year. He thought he could escape
me, but it just goes to show he isn’t as smart as he thinks he is. I have
friends who helped me track him down. I found him, all right. And what do you
know—he has a kid and a girlfriend.”

This was a scene right out of a bad movie.

He was criminally insane and would carry out his plan as surely
as the sun went down at night.

“I’m going to keep you tied up right here until he comes for
you. I figure if I take you and him out together, that leaves the kid. I’ll kill
him later.”

Oh, my darling Casey!

“Ranger boy sure knows how to pick ’em.”

A cold layer of sweat enveloped her body as Danny McCluskey ran
his hands over her. She gathered her strength and head-butted him, the impact
causing more blood to trickle down his face and chin. She was bleeding, too, but
it had been worth it.