The Texas Ranger's Reward (Undercover Heroes) (9 page)

Next, he phoned Jose and asked him to drive up to Grampy’s in
the morning. Travis wanted photos of the employees who showed up for work. He
gave Jose a description of the man who’d leered at Melissa.

“If he drives a car to work, I want you to get his license
plate number. But whether in a car or on foot, follow him after he gets off
work. I’d like to know what he does in his spare time. Find out if he has
friends in the area. See if he lives alone or with someone.”

The man might not have anything to do with the case, but Travis
was curious about him and intended to check him out. Oftentimes evidence turned
up that was helpful for an entirely different case the police were
investigating.

“I’d also like you to find out who’s the new owner of Grampy’s.
Melissa said the place changed hands in July.”

“Okay. Anything else?”

“Will you check the water and electricity bills for their
cabin? Let’s monitor the usage and compare this last month’s activity to the
bills for last year. I’m looking for any disparities or an unexpected
spike.”

“I’ll get on it first thing tomorrow.”

After they got off the phone he contacted Adam and asked him to
set up surveillance while he was up there with his son and Melissa tomorrow.

Finally, Travis had done everything he could for the moment,
and left the study. A shower sounded good. He headed for the bathroom, full of
anticipation for tomorrow.

He could see why Melissa loved the cabin so much. Salt Lake was
unique. Within a half hour you could be in a remote mountain wilderness,
thousands of feet above the valley floor. He’d hated leaving the Davis Mountains
in Texas, which he loved, but today’s outing with Melissa, in a more primitive
setting, where the peaks knifed the rarified air, called to the deepest part of
him.

And when they’d been up in the rustic bedroom she’d turned into
a studio, their eyes had met across the room. For a moment he’d imagined the
cabin being theirs. Everything appealed to him, from the artwork on the walls to
the colorful quilt her grandmother had made years earlier. Mellow with age and
life having been lived, the cabin’s interior had a warmth he could feel. Casey
would love it. Especially the rope swing.

He saw black when he thought of the intruders who’d ruined
Melissa’s pleasure. Travis now had another enemy he was tracking besides
Valerie’s killer. This new project had become personal.

* * *

T
HE
MINUTE
M
ELISSA
EMERGED
from her town house on
Tuesday morning, Casey came running, with an adorable black Scottish terrier at
his heels.

“Hi, Casey!” she called out, and was rewarded with a hearty hug
around the waist. “This must be Dexter. Hi-ya, fella.” She hunkered down to rub
his head and ears.

After lots of licks from his pink tongue, she got up and
unlocked the Jeep. Travis picked up the dog and put him in the backseat with
Casey.

“Quite a change from the first time we showed up at the
clinic,” he whispered as he came around to shut her door.

Their eyes met. “But he
did
look so
cute using his crutches,” she whispered back.

“Are you talking about me?”

She turned to peer at the dark-haired boy, strapped in with the
dog lying next to him.

“Yes. We’re glad your leg is all better. Let me see your arm.”
He showed it to her. “You’re going to have a scab, but it’s healing just
fine.”

“Since you sprayed me, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

His father grinned at Melissa, turning her limbs to water.

She’d confided in John about Travis’s deceased wife and her own
resemblance to her. John didn’t have specific answers to that problem, but had
warned Melissa to go slowly. In time, things would change with Travis one way or
the other. Her brother advised her to just play it cool while the investigation
was going on.

Hah. So much for trying to distance herself from Travis. This
talk with John had come too late. She was already in up to her hairline where
the Texas Ranger was concerned. Any more looks like he’d just given her and
she’d drown.

Melissa started the engine and they took off. “I’m glad you’re
so much better,” she said to Casey. “I was thinking maybe you’d like to do some
painting with me. Around the side of the cabin is a big rock where a family of
woodchucks play. They have five burrows I’ve counted. Sometimes they stand still
on their hind legs, listening for intruders, and then they whistle to warn the
others.”

Casey laughed. “They whistle?”

“Yes. Some people call them pig-whistlers. My brother calls
them pot guts, because they have such big tummies.” Both father and son laughed
this time. “I think they’re fun to draw,” Melissa added.

“I wanna see them.”

“You will, but we’ll have to sit quietly for a while until they
come out.”

“I can be quiet, huh, Dad?”

“When you’re asleep,” his father teased. “But I can’t vouch for
Dexter.”

“I’ll keep him in the cabin. Will that be okay, Melissa?”

“Of course.” She pulled up to the pizza place in the plaza.
“I’ve got some old doggie toys of Spike’s I couldn’t bring myself to throw
away.” Travis sent her a compassionate glance. “Dexter can play with those while
we’re out watching for the woodchucks. Then we’ll let him come outside so he can
have fun.”

Casey beamed while Travis went inside to pick up their lunch.
After he came back, the smell of pizza filled the car while she drove them up
the canyon. By the time they reached the cabin, everyone was starving, so they
decided to eat before doing anything else.

When Travis announced he was off to do some hiking, Casey
seemed fine with it. So was Melissa, because she knew some of Travis’s men were
outside, guarding them. But though she pretended nothing affected her,
underneath, she worried about him. He’d said it was too dangerous for her to be
up here without him and his crew, but who would protect Travis?

After asking herself that question, she realized how important
he’d become to her. So important he was all she thought about. She’d had a life
before he came into it, but she couldn’t remember what it was like.

Melissa knew he enjoyed her company, but he’d done nothing
overt to act on any feelings he might have for her. As she’d told John, if
Travis still saw his wife when he was with her, you wouldn’t know it. Her
brother had suggested it was possible Travis was holding back because he was
doing a job for her family, and didn’t mix his private life with his
professional one.

Melissa didn’t have answers yet, but something needed to change
soon. She couldn’t bear to be with him like this, not knowing what was going on
inside him. Maybe
nothing
was going on, and she was
fantasizing at her own peril. That thought just about killed her.

Travis didn’t return until it was getting dark and time to go
home. She’d fixed peanut butter sandwiches. Luckily, it was food Casey liked.
When his dad walked in, Casey asked if they could sleep over, but his father
nixed that idea so fast it surprised even Melissa. Since his return she’d sensed
his preoccupation.

In the car on the way down, Casey made up for his father’s
silence by telling him about the squirrels that had come out to play instead of
the pig-whistlers. While he regaled Travis with their activities, Dexter chewed
on one of the toys he’d commandeered.

They looked like a happy family coming home from a trip to the
mountains, but the picture was false. Melissa’s stomach was in knots by the time
she drove them back to her town house.

They all got out of the Jeep, and Casey said, “I wish I didn’t
have school tomorrow.”

“But you do,” Travis said, without his usual warmth.

Melissa bit her lip. “Good night, Casey. Thanks for bringing
Dexter.”

“He loved it. We had fun!”

“So did I.”

“See ya!”

“Good night, Melissa.” Travis’s low voice worked its way
beneath her skin, igniting every nerve ending. She felt as if he’d brought her
out of a deep sleep. Now she didn’t know where to go with all these awakened
feelings.

Travis bundled his son and dog into his truck before she could
say good-night back. When she reached the door of her condo, he waved to her
before she let herself inside.

Too uptight to relax, she got busy doing laundry, then talked
with her mom for a few minutes before taking a shower. When Melissa was finally
ready for bed, she still couldn’t settle down.

After wrapping a robe around herself, she went into the living
room to watch the ten o’clock news, hoping it would help her get sleepy. She’d
just pressed the remote when her cell phone rang. Her heart thudded as she
reached for it. When she saw who was calling, she could hardly breathe.

“Travis.”

“Sorry for calling you this late.”

“It’s all right.”
More than all
right.
“I’m still up.”

“I got a call from work while I was out hiking earlier.
Something’s come up that requires me to be in the office tomorrow. But the guys
are keeping you under constant surveillance, so you can go up whenever you
want.”

“That’s great. Thank you.” Except the idea of being at the
cabin without him suddenly didn’t seem as appealing. Their two sojourns up there
had spoiled her. It wasn’t just a matter of him making her feel safe. She’d come
to enjoy his company. Really enjoy it. “Do you think you’ll be able to get away
from the office at some point?”
You’re pushing it,
Melissa.

“I’m counting on it. After school I’ll pick up Casey and bring
him to the cabin with Dexter.” The news gave her heart a workout. “I’m afraid my
son worries about me leaving him when I have business away from Salt Lake. He’s
still afraid that I might never come back.”

“That doesn’t surprise me at all.” Her voice caught. Losing
Travis was too tragic to contemplate. Casey needed him terribly. “Tell you what.
If you’re going to do that, I’ll fix dinner up there,” she said without
hesitation. “I promise I can do better than peanut butter sandwiches.” She’d
been afraid she might not be seeing him tomorrow, and now was ecstatic. “What
else does Casey like besides pizza?”

“Candy and doughnuts.”

* * *

M
ELISSA
’
S
LAUGHTER
WAS
like
sunshine.

“Hot dogs are a safe bet,” Travis told her. “He’s not a big
eater.”

“And what about his dad? Would he like steak fajitas?”

Travis lounged against the wall, enjoying their conversation
more than a little. “I’ve heard he’s rather partial to them.”

“Then I’ll inform the cook. If I know her, she’ll make a
surprise dessert guaranteed to satisfy your boy’s sweet tooth.”

“Tell the cook he gets that particular tooth from me.”

She chuckled quietly. “Thanks for the tip. Give me a ring when
you reach the church parking lot in Kamas and I’ll drive down to get you.”

“We’ll be watching for you. Good night, Melissa.”

“Good night.”

No sooner had Travis turned off his bedroom light to go to
sleep than his cell phone rang. It was quarter to eleven. His excitement that it
might be Melissa with something else she wanted to tell him subsided when he
reached for it and saw the caller ID. Jose. He must have something important or
he would have waited till morning to phone.

“Jose? What’s up?”

“I’m still in Kamas. The guy got off work at eight. I followed
him to a cabin in the forest about a mile west of town. It was shuttered and
looked locked up for the season. There was a garage next to it, and he went
inside there.”

“Give me the coordinates and I’ll check to find out the name of
the owner.” It was possible Melissa would know. After jotting down the
information, Travis said, “Then what happened?”

“After a while he and another guy came out. It was too dark for
details, but the second guy was smaller. More wiry. They locked the garage door
and took off into the forest with a flashlight. I figured I had time to look
around, and undid the lock. Inside was a 2005 Fleetwood Tioga 25’ Class C RV
camper, but it was locked.”

“Something’s definitely going on.”

“Agreed. It had a Utah plate and up-to-date registration. I
walked back to my truck before phoning it in. They’ll call me when they know
anything. What do you want me to do next?”

“Ask Lon to coordinate with you and Adam. I want to know where
that camper goes when it leaves the garage.”

“Will do.”

“Thanks, Jose.”

Travis hung up, gratified that his suspicions hadn’t proved
wrong, even if the situation might not have anything to do with the Roberts
case. He stretched out in bed, reliving the day with Melissa. So far he’d seen
her only with her hair done in different styles away from her face. He wondered
what that light ash-brown hair would look like loose and flowing. How it would
feel to bury his face in it…

When Casey woke him up the next morning, the last thing Travis
remembered thinking was that Melissa had been on his mind, not Valerie. That was
a first.

Now that he thought about it, he recalled that Chaz had
experienced something similar. His friend had lost his first wife to cancer
before he’d done his stint with the Navy SEALs. Not until last spring had he
become emotionally involved with another woman. One night he’d confided to
Travis that he knew Lacey was the one when he’d found himself dreaming about
her, instead of his deceased wife. It had happened the first night he’d met
Lacey, during his investigation of her stalking case.

Travis wasn’t thinking Melissa was “the one,” far from it. He
wasn’t in the market for another wife. But he had to admit no other woman since
Valerie had interested him to this extent. The problem was, he didn’t trust this
attraction. Was it because, deep down, he wanted a woman who reminded him of
Valerie? Maybe. How sick was that?