Dawson checked the last on his list of hospitals and came up empty. He and Summer had divided the names, working side by side and making call after call. In all, there’d been four Jane Does admitted in the last week to three major hospitals in Austin.
Patient privacy made it tricky to get information but Dawson had a few tricks up his sleeve. He was able to rule out all four Janes, which didn’t mean Autumn wasn’t in a bed somewhere under a false name.
So, that was a dead-end trail.
The morgue was easier to navigate. There’d been nine Jane Does this month, none of whom fit Autumn’s description. If she was dead, her body hadn’t shown up anywhere in Austin. There were plenty of places to dump a body in and around Austin. He gave his contact information to the coroner in the event a body showed up that might be a hit.
By eight o’clock, he’d filed a missing persons report and made sure she’d been entered into the database.
It was obvious to him that Summer was running on fumes, but she refused to go to bed. So, when he saw her slumped over on the couch with her eyes closed, he put a blanket over her and dimmed the lights.
Getting into the groove of treating this like any normal investigation helped. He had a rhythm that went along with ticking boxes off a checklist. Routine was good in times like these.
When he’d made every call on Autumn’s behalf that he could, he decided to do a little digging into her personal life. For instance, their marriage.
They’d had a small ceremony. She’d insisted on getting married in Austin and he was beginning to see that the city held a special place in her heart. Especially if that’s where she went after she left him. He probably could’ve traced her, considering they were still legally married for a time. He’d been too busy licking his wounds.
But, now that he thought about it, a few of her actions seemed suspect. Like how she’d insisted on being the one to arrange everything. She’d said that she wanted to be married before they told his family about the pregnancy, insisting that it would lead to less embarrassment in the long run.
He hadn’t cared one way or the other. He’d been busy with work and the ranch. So, he’d let her take the lead. She’d also insisted the wedding be just the two of them and Laurel. Again, he’d thought it was a little odd at the time but the most important thing to him had been to become a family so they could get ready for their baby.
The loss Dawson felt when she’d told him she’d lost the baby not long after the wedding still felt real. It had hollowed him out in unexpected ways. For one, he’d known that he wasn’t ready to become a father, or a husband for that matter. He was still far too married to his work and kept way too busy on the ranch.
So, the devastation he’d felt when he’d learned about the miscarriage had caught him off guard. Don’t get him wrong, he’d been scared as hell after first learning Autumn was pregnant. But he figured no person was ever truly ready for such a life-changing event.
And from firsthand experience he could tell anyone who asked that no one was ever truly ready for the loss, either. Looking back, Autumn had sure played the part. She’d seemed so broken after the news that he felt the need to protect her even more.
The fact she’d played him both ways still stung.
Dawson pulled up the copy of the divorce papers figuring he needed to interview anyone and everyone connected to Autumn. It had been so early in the pregnancy he hadn’t been to a doctor’s appointment yet. She’d said she had someone she trusted in Austin and had taken several daylong trips to tie up loose ends.
Katy Gulch had an incredible doctor that Dawson’s mother had recommended. Autumn had burst into tears at the suggestion of changing doctors. At the time, Dawson’s mother reassured him that pregnant women had all kinds of hormones and told him not to take it too personally.
Now he wished he’d asked for the name of her doctor in Austin. Of course, the pregnancy was a sham so she most likely would’ve made something up. He couldn’t exactly count on anything she’d told him.
Which also made him wonder about the friend of hers, supposedly a minister who she’d insisted marry them. Dawson had asked for the marriage certificate so he could add her to his work benefits and she’d stalled big-time.
Had she backed herself into a corner?
The obvious reason someone would want to pin him down for marriage was money. But she hadn’t asked for or taken a dime. Looking back, it was also the reason he’d signed the divorce papers so easily. She’d wanted nothing but her freedom. He’d been too hurt and angry to fight back. His pride had been wounded. He’d scribbled his name on the dotted line after reviewing the document and then mailed it back after making a copy for his records.
He wouldn’t make the mistake of not fact-checking another relationship.
There’d been no need to cancel her insurance at work because he’d never officially added her to anything. Considering he’d never been married before, he took her word for everything. Why wouldn’t he? She was his wife. Adding her to his insurance was a simple thing to him. She’d said something about being covered under a different policy that didn’t run out until the end of the year.
In his personal life, he’d never been betrayed. Had that made him naive?
Dawson pulled up his divorce file and searched for the name of her attorney. Matt Charley Shank. There was no address on the letterhead, which was odd. He found it in the body of the second page.
Dawson typed in the name to get a phone number. He shouldn’t be surprised at the search results. There was no Matt Charley Shank listed as an attorney in Austin.
He flexed and released his fingers a couple of times to work out some of the tension. He needed to hit the gym for a good workout but there was no time. He could, however, fire off a few push-ups. He had a set of weights in the garage for those times when he needed a quick workout.
This seemed like one of those times. But first, he checked the internet for the name of Autumn’s minister friend, Grover Hart, to see what church he belonged to. Not a huge surprise at this point when Dawson learned Grover Hart’s services could be bought and paid for. His big claim to fame? Weddings, no licenses required.
If the attorney was a sham and the minister was a sham, the marriage had to be a sham.
SUMMER STOOD IN the opened doorway leading into the garage. A heavy metal band played low in the background. It was the middle of the night. A shirtless Dawson pumped weights. Her gaze lingered a little too long on his muscled chest, mesmerized by the tiny beads of sweat.
She forced her gaze away and cleared her dry throat.
“Sorry to interrupt, is it okay if I use the restroom to freshen up?” she asked.
He didn’t seem surprised that she’d been standing there and that made her cheeks burn with embarrassment. Getting caught staring at him didn’t top her list of things to do when she woke up. She was still trying to figure out how she’d fallen asleep in the first place.
She’d woken to a dimly lit room with a blanket placed over her.
“Make yourself at home.” He sat up and grabbed a towel.
Summer forced herself to look away as he toweled off his face. He stood up. He still had on jeans that hung low on lean hips. He had the kind of body she’d expect to see on a billboard somewhere. His abs were cut. His arms strong. His waist lean. Don’t even get her started on how gorgeous he was.
Dawson O’Connor was the total package. Intelligent. Decent. Smokin’ hot. And fierce. He had a look in his eyes that said he wouldn’t hesitate to go all in to protect someone he cared about. He also had the kind of confidence that said he could back it up, too.
An attraction to her sister’s ex-husband couldn’t happen. The electricity she felt radiating from him was most likely residual desire that he felt for Autumn, not Summer. He had, in fact, loved her sister enough to marry her. Granted, Autumn had played a dirty trick to get him to ask. But his feelings for her sister must run deep.
“I can show you where everything is.” He tossed the towel onto the weight bench and headed in her direction. She immediately took a few steps back to allow him room to pass by. She needed to put as much distance between them as humanly possible.
Dawson paused long enough to make eye contact as he walked by. There was something in his eyes she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Was looking at her in the home they were supposed to share like seeing a ghost?
“I’m sorry. I must remind you of her,” she said softly.
“You’d think that would be the case but I couldn’t help noticing how different you both are. Beautiful without a doubt, but now that I’ve had a chance to get to know you, I was just thinking how different you look to me. Strange how personality affects looks once the initial impression wears off. You know?”
“Yeah.” She did know. She couldn’t count the number of times she met an attractive man only to get to know him and never see him in the same light again. That wasn’t the case with Dawson. His personality enhanced already drop-dead gorgeous looks. The saying that beauty was only skin deep came to mind. It was so true. There was so much more to a person and she’d been turned off countless times by outwardly attractive, inwardly awful people.
Summer followed Dawson to the opposite side of the main living area and down a hallway. There were several opened doors revealing an office, a bedroom and a bathroom.
“This is the guest suite. Make yourself comfortable.”
She had little more than the clothes on her back and her handbag. He looked her over and moved to the closet.
“Laurel’s niece is probably about your size. Rachel is a grad student in Houston and has stayed here a few times. She left behind a jogging suit if you want to borrow it.”
“Thanks. I’ll take you up on that offer,” she said.
“I can throw your clothes in the wash while you shower if you want.” The thought of Dawson handling her undergarments had her shaking her head. That was a hard no. She didn’t want the image of him touching any of her personal belongings anywhere in her thoughts. Fighting the attraction when he stood this close was difficult enough. She didn’t need to add mental images to the equation.
“I’ll take care of it when I’m out of the shower if you point me in the direction,” she quickly said. Too quickly.
He studied her for a long moment before he spoke again.
“I didn’t find a Jane Doe in any of the hospitals I called or at the morgue.”
“Any hits on the missing persons report or is it too early?” she asked.
“Never too early to hope but no.”
“I can draw them out again if—”
“Hell, no. I won’t risk your safety.”
“It might be the fastest way to find out who we’re dealing with,” she countered.
“I won’t argue your point and it’s easy to see that you care about your sister. Let me do this the right way and investigate in a way that keeps you safe in the process. Okay with you?” Those intense penetrating eyes swayed her away from running off half-cocked. Doing that so far had almost gotten her killed. She reminded herself that she wasn’t alone in this. Dawson had resources she didn’t. Plus, she couldn’t bring justice for her sister if Summer was dead.
She took in a deep breath. “Okay.”
“I’ll let you know if anything comes in while you grab a shower.”
Thanking Dawson didn’t seem nearly enough to cover her gratitude. It was a starting point.
He nodded before stepping into the hallway. With his hand on the door, he said, “You have this whole wing to yourself. Do you want the door open or closed?”
“I’ll close it.” She did before getting her bearings in the oversize guest room. One door led to a walk-in closet and another led to a large bathroom. There were fresh towels hanging and, she noticed, a white bathrobe on the back of the door.
There were shampoos on hand as well as fresh toothbrushes and toothpaste. The place was stocked and ready for company. Mostly likely Laurel’s doing. Summer doubted someone who kept a full-time job as a marshal while still working the family ranch had time to think about stocking a guest bath.
She was grateful for Laurel. Now that she really thought about it, she’d like to circle back to the woman and have a conversation. If she and Autumn used to talk, maybe there was some hint there as to what Autumn’s life had been like.
Again, guilt struck that Summer hadn’t been more in tune with her sister. To be fair, Autumn was complicated. She marched to her own drum and had a tendency to go all-in before going all-out. She could be charming. And, although she and Summer shared the same genes, Autumn knew how to make the most of their looks.
To Summer’s thinking, her sister had always been the prettier one of the two despite starting from the same blank canvas.
She showered in record time, thinking how great a cup of coffee would taste about now. She’d only managed a few sips of the other one before she’d conked out on the sofa. Like everything at Katy Bull Ranch, the coffee tasted better than anywhere else.
Autumn had found a sanctuary here. Why would she ever leave?
Had she gotten bored of the ranch? Best as she could remember about the timeline, Autumn and Dawson had only been together a few months before she’d played the pregnancy card. Summer was still mortified and embarrassed on her sister’s behalf for that one.
And then what? How long had they been together before her sister had broken the news to him there was no baby? The web of lies was going to take some time and some untangling to find the truth. An honest man like Dawson would be frustrated by her sister’s antics. Someone else might not handle the situation the same. Which begged the question, was there someone else?
Summer needed to sit down and develop a timeline. She always did her best thinking when she could see everything written on paper.
After meeting Dawson, even more questions simmered. One bubbled to the surface. Had Autumn come to Katy Gulch to hide and then found protection in Dawson O’Connor too good to pass up?