Allie was tired of lying in bed. The night had been long, though she’d slept fitfully. Judging by the sun, it was nine or so. She eased her arm out from under Betsy’s head and sat up. She had to think.
The border patrol was looking for her. The FBI too, if she’d been charged with kidnapping.
It made no sense. How could they think she would be involved in something like trafficking in illegals? Her testimony had sent Jimmy Hernandez to jail, and that should have shown how much she hated that kind of thing. If he hadn’t died there, she’d think maybe he had implicated her to take his revenge.
And Jon’s parents. She felt even more betrayed. They were family. How could they do this to her?
In an instant, Rick’s marriage proposal had become more pressing. Marriage really was her most promising choice. She would make it very clear to him that she would be his wife in name only.
She swung her feet to the floor, and her vision began to blank out. She put her head onto her knees. When the fuzziness cleared, she grabbed the bedside table for support and managed to stand. She hurt all over, and her thigh especially pained her with a burning, throbbing persistence. The bull’s horns had been sharp.
“You shouldn’t be out of bed, mujercita.” Elijah spoke from the rocking chair in the corner.
Allie hadn’t seen him. “Have you been here all night?” She hoped not.
“Sí. I wanted to be here if you needed anything.”
There was something different about him that Allie couldn’t put her finger on. His expression toward her seemed soft and gentle. Maybe it was because she’d been injured.
“I wouldn’t turn down a new leg.” She smiled then to show she was joking. “I’m fine, really. You’ve been so kind.”
“How could I do less for my own flesh and blood?”
He knew!
The lightheadedness swept over her again, and she sank back onto the bed. “When did you know?” she whispered.
“You think I would not keep track of my daughter? I knew her rodeo name, of course, and her children. I watched her career with pride, even though she excluded me from her life.”
“You threw her out!”
The compassion in his eyes didn’t change. “She told you this?”
“How could you?” She swept her hand toward the window. “You have all this and help so many other kids. But you threw your own daughter out like road litter just because she was pregnant.” Her conscience smote her. Apparently he’d taken in the baby. She didn’t know the whole story, and who was she to judge it?
He rose. “If this is what you believe of me, why did you come?”
“Rick was here,” she said. “And I was . . . curious.” More than curious, she was driven to find some piece of her family left alive. Some blood connection.
His eyes filled with moisture. “Things are never as simple as they look to the young,” he said.
“Rick told me you found the baby and brought her here. M-my mother said the baby died.”
“Sí, my Maria died. But twenty-five years later.” Elijah turned to stare out the window. “My daughter could have come home anytime. I would never turn her away.”
“Why did you throw her out in the first place?”
He turned then. “You must discover the truth for yourself about that.”
“My mother is dead. If you don’t tell me, how can I find out?”
“Listen to your heart,” he said softly.
Rick knocked, and they both glanced at the door. He stepped inside. “Your lawyer called. He said he has papers ready for you to sign.”
Elijah nodded. “I must go to town.” His gaze locked with Allie’s. “We will discuss this later, sí?” Without waiting for an answer, he went to the door.
Allie watched his stooped shoulders and wanted to call him back. Tell him she forgave him. But she kept her mouth shut. There was so little she knew or understood.
After he’d tended to all the sick and mistreated horses, Rick made some calls and found out what he and Allie needed to do to get a marriage license. Marriage license. Mention of it was enough to strike fear in his heart. He pocketed his list and went out to feed the livestock. The familiar scent of corn and oats calmed his agitation as the sun sank lower in the sky.
Charlie entered the barn with the other two hands, Buzz and Guinn. The older men had been with Elijah since the days when Rick first came here, and they were both wrinkled as raisins.
“You heard from Elijah? He’s still not back from town.” Charlie’s forehead creased, and he turned to look down the dirt track to the road.
Rick glanced at his watch. “It’s nearly five. He’s not usually gone this long. He said he’d be back by one.”
“He hasn’t called either,” Guinn said. “I hope the old man is okay.”
“Let me call Wally. Elijah went to see him. Did he say anything about another errand?” Rick asked.
“Nope.” Guinn’s dark eyes held worry.
Rick looked up the lawyer’s number in his phone’s address book. He talked to the receptionist, then closed his phone. “He left there before lunch. She said he talked about having to get home to tend to the new kids. I’d better go out looking for him. Maybe his Jeep broke down.”
“Want me to come too?” Charlie asked.
“You’d better stay with the kids. You have your cell phone on you?”
Charlie nodded. “For all the good it does in the barn. What should I do with the kids?”
“Where are they now?”
“On a hike.”
“Get them to curry the horses tonight. Keep them away from the two new mares though. They’re fragile, and I’m not sure they’re going to make it.”
“Sundown will be here in an hour or so,” Charlie observed. “You think Elijah is all right?”
“He’s probably fine. He should have called though.” He tried Elijah’s cell number but got voice mail. Not an unusual occurrence with the spotty coverage out here. Even so, Rick had a bad feeling about this. It wasn’t like Elijah to be out of touch, and he was rarely gone from the ranch longer than a morning or afternoon. He’d been gone nearly seven hours.
Rick unhitched the trailer, got in his truck, called for Jem, then drove out via the dirt lane. When he turned onto the road, the two-lane highway snaked out ahead and behind him with no other vehicles in sight. Town was only a few miles away. There would be no reason for Elijah to be gone this long.
He drove all the way to town without spotting Elijah’s old SUV. There was no familiar Jeep in front of the café.The lot beside the grocery store held only a dirty brown pickup and the faint scent of exhaust. Turning around, he drove back the way he’d come.
About two miles from the ranch, something glinted in the dying sun to his right. Squinting against the glare on the glass, Rick pulled to the side of the road and stuck his head out the window. Was that the tail end of a vehicle? He drove as close as he could to a stand of honey mesquite bushes, then got out with Jem. He jogged the remaining distance. Fighting his way through the thorns, he arrived at the vehicle. The battered white Jeep was Elijah’s.
Why would the old man pull his Jeep this far off the road, almost hiding it? The vehicle was empty. Rick cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted Elijah’s name, but only a hawk answered him. Poking his head inside the vehicle, he discovered the keys still in the ignition.
Jem whined at his feet. “Find Elijah, boy.” The dog barked and trotted off into the scrub. Rick kept shouting for Elijah as he walked farther from the road and followed the dog. There was no telling which direction the old man had gone. His gut told him to walk to the mountain. Elijah loved the high spots. Maybe he’d taken a yen to commune with God out here. It wasn’t unheard-of.
Small rocks scattered from under the soles of Rick’s boots. Jem trotted ahead like he knew where he was going. Rick walked steadily toward the soaring peaks. Cracks carved by rainwater made the rocks look like soldiers standing at attention. He was so intent on examining the mountaintop that he almost missed the splash of red at the base.
Jem began to bark. He leaped over a mesquite bush and began to sniff and whine at the red object.
Rick leaped forward. Elijah had been wearing a red shirt. As he neared, he saw the old man curled up on his side with his back to the road as if he were sleeping. Rick reached the crumpled form and touched the old man’s shoulder.
He was cold, colder than seemed possible. And very dead.
With her chin on Betsy’s hair, Allie rocked on the porch. Her daughter slept peacefully, unaware of the trauma unfolding. Tears ran down Allie’s cheeks, and her nose was stuffed from crying. She’d barely known the old man, but he was her grandfather.
She and Betsy were the only ones left in her family. They were all gone—parents, sister, husband, now grandfather. Clutching Betsy tighter, she struggled to get past the profound isolation. They were still a family, though there were only two.
“You okay?” Rick dropped onto the top step of the porch and leaned against a post. Weary lines radiated from his eyes. He sat still as if surrounded by a close wall that kept everyone out.
Allie wiped her eyes with a tissue. “It’s my fault, Rick.” She balled up the tissue in her hand. “I shouldn’t have come here. I knew someone was after me, but I thought he couldn’t find me here. I put Elijah in harm’s way.”
Rick straightened. “It was an accident,” he said gently.
Allie shook her head. “No, no, it wasn’t. The man doesn’t want me to find sanctuary here. He’s cutting off any help.”
As soon as she’d heard Elijah had died, she knew his death was about her. How could it not be?
Rick stood and walked to where she sat in the rocker. “What man? You’re not making any sense.”
Betsy’s breathing was still deep. She wouldn’t hear. Allie leaned her head against the chair back. She should have been honest right up front. Rick deserved to know why she was really running.
Allie ran her fingers through Betsy’s soft hair and inhaled her little girl scent. “Someone killed my parents, sabotaged their plane. That was a year ago. I had no idea it had anything to do with me. Not at first. Then the calls started coming.” She stared into the blackness outside the circle of yellow cast by the porch light.
She could still feel the horror of the moment when she realized her parents had died because of her. “The man said he would strip me of everything I loved in life. That I should count each moment a gift, because I wouldn’t have many of them.”
Rick’s stillness shattered when he walked restlessly across the porch. “Why didn’t you tell me all this right from the beginning? You’re saying the plane crash wasn’t accidental?”
She nodded. “That’s what the police thought, but it wasn’t.”
“The guy sounds like a nut case.”
“I was afraid you wouldn’t help me, that the danger was too great.”
“Maybe it was a prank.” Rick’s voice was gentle.
Allie shook her head. “The calls stopped for six months. I began to relax, to believe they were a bad joke. My sister was murdered a month ago. It seemed a burglary gone bad.” She shuddered and hugged herself. “Then he came to my trailer and trapped me in the bathroom, stuck a knife between the door and the jamb. He taunted me, saying he’d killed my sister. I knew he’d hurt Betsy. I’d planned to bring her here anyway, so I packed my suitcase and lit out.”
His glance lingered on Betsy’s head. “What about Betsy? You’ve never said why she doesn’t talk.”
She kissed the top of her sleeping daughter’s head. “We were watching the plane take off at the airport. Betsy saw the crash, the fire. She’s not talked since. It was a horrific scene.” Her voice thickened. “Neither of us will ever forget it.”
“I’m sorry.”
He actually sounded like he was. For a Neanderthal, he was surprisingly sweet. “Thanks.”
“How do you know the plane was sabotaged?”
“He claimed responsibility for it. I told the police, and they investigated.”
“Did they find any evidence?”
“They don’t tell me anything.”
“And your sister? He claimed to have killed her too?”
“Yes.”
Rick shook his head. “I don’t buy it. How do you know you’re not being stalked by some jerk who gets off on trying to scare you? Maybe both events were just tragic accidents. And who is this guy anyway? What’s he got against you?”
“I don’t know who it is! And he’s not just trying to scare me. He was sticking a knife through the door when he told me he’d killed Tammy.”
He sighed and took out a knife and a small block of wood. “Okay. But I don’t see how this relates to Elijah. The guy can’t know where you are.” Sitting on the porch railing, he began to whittle. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to the ranch. Elijah didn’t have any family.” Putting the knife on his knee, he stared at her. “Elijah mentioned that guy who wanted to buy the ranch. I wonder . . .”
“What?”
He looked down at his block of wood and began to work it again. “Maybe it wasn’t an accident. Elijah would have had no reason to be climbing that mountain. And the truck was kind of hidden, now that I think about it.”
“You just tried to tell me it was an accident.” She grabbed hold of the thought though. If only his death had nothing to do with her. If only it really was caused by something else.
“Maybe I was wrong. With no family to inherit, the killer might have assumed the ranch would go to someone more willing to sell.”
She should tell him the truth, but she didn’t want the ranch anyway. “Betsy loves that new mare,” she said. “I had hopes that she’d . . .” She looked off into the darkness where the stars were beginning to wink on.
Rick looked up at her, then back down to the wood in his hand. “That’s usually how the healing starts.”
“What will happen to the horses here if the ranch is sold?”
“They’d probably go to the glue factory. Or be slaughtered for cat food.” His mouth twisted as if he’d bitten into something bitter.
All the horses that had already been mistreated. A sick knot formed and grew. She couldn’t bear to think about it. Maybe she could buy the one they rescued. Losing the mare now would crush Betsy.
“Maybe Elijah left the ranch to you.”
“I don’t know what he’d planned.”
Allie squinted through the darkness at his face. “I think you do. He left it to you, didn’t he?”
“He’d talked about it.” Rick’s voice was grudging.
“You’ll keep the ranch going, won’t you?”
“If it’s my choice.” He cleared his throat. “I found out about the marriage license today,” Rick said. “There’s a three-day waiting period.”
“Do I have to wait for state residency?” She couldn’t keep the hope out of her voice.
“Nope.”
There went that idea. She wet her lips. “When do you want to do it?”
“I thought we’d just go get the license tomorrow. The sooner the better, if the Siders are after you. They could come riding up here anytime. We can at least get temporary custody papers drawn up in case the adoption isn’t final when they track you down.”
She couldn’t believe this. Her life was scattering in all directions like sand in a dust storm. The tornado was sweeping her up and plunking her down in a life she didn’t recognize.
“What about Elijah? It seems heartless to make these plans before he’s even buried,” she said finally.
“He’d want you and Betsy taken care of,” he said.
Rick was right. If there was one thing she’d recognized in Elijah, it was his great heart. Tears welled in her eyes again. “Okay,” she said.
Crossing the street to the courtroom, a cold wind snaked down Rick’s back, but he wasn’t sure if it was real or the product of his desire to turn tail and run. He’d planned never to stand before a judge like this and tie himself to a woman, not with the way his mother caused him to distrust the gender. He reminded himself that Allie wasn’t anything like the woman who put the scars on his back.
He spared a sideways glance at her. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt Betsy. At least she had that much going for her.
The events of the past three days had left him numb. They’d had a quiet funeral for Elijah, attended only by a few friends in the area, the ranch hands, and the kids. Tomorrow, the day after the wedding—if you could call this sterile affair a wedding—Elijah’s attorney,Wally Tatum, wanted to talk about Elijah’s will.
Another issue Rick wasn’t looking forward to dealing with. Had Elijah left him the ranch? While he hoped the good they’d done wasn’t about to end, he didn’t relish the thought of shouldering the burden by himself. But what if Elijah hadn’t left him the ranch? He might have willed it to the feds to be part of the national park.
Maybe he could buy it. Rick examined the thought. He’d set by a little money in his savings account. Not enough for a down payment, but the bank manager knew him and trusted him. It might work.
But what about counseling for the kids? Elijah had done most of that, and while Rick had a degree in welfare, he didn’t have the experience these kids would need. Devon’s face flashed in his mind. The kid was so much like Rick when at that age, it was scary. Rick wanted to do everything possible to save him.
He glanced toward the woman and child beside him. Betsy clung to Allie’s hand. She’d explained to the kid that they were getting married, but did Betsy understand how weird it all was?
Rick held open the door to the courthouse, and the Siderses entered ahead of him. They wouldn’t have that name much longer. The shock of realizing he would be giving his name and protection to two people he barely knew made him freeze at the door. The wind whipped past him into the building.
He pulled the door shut behind him. His boots clicked along the tile floor, echoing against the high ceiling. The sound belonged to a condemned prisoner going to the gallows. Allie still hadn’t said a word. She was probably as appalled by their choice as he was.
Still, Betsy would be safe, and he could dampen some of the guilt he felt about Jon’s death.
Thrusting his hand into the pocket of his jeans, he fingered the simple wedding band he’d picked up for Allie after the funeral. Since the marriage wasn’t going to last long, he’d hesitated to spend the money, but it didn’t seem right not to have her wear a ring.
The registrar greeted them and ushered them into the judge’s chambers. The place smelled ancient and musty, though the desk and chairs looked new.
He’d known Judge Julia Thompson for years, and her eyes were bright and curious when she greeted them. “Rick, congratulations.” Her gaze turned to Allie. “And this is the lucky woman. Half the gals in town are mad at you, and the rest want to know how you managed to lasso this wily character.”
Allie’s smile was weak. “I’m very lucky.”
“You certainly are,” the judge agreed. She pulled a pair of glasses from atop her head and perched them on her nose to read the documents in front of her. “Just a civil ceremony? I must say I’m surprised, Rick. I would have thought you’d be married in the church.”
Rick hadn’t even told his pastor what he was doing. Grady would try to talk him out of it. “We were in a hurry,” he said, ignoring the speculation in her smile. Let her think what she wanted. He didn’t owe anyone an explanation.
Her expression sobered. “I’m sorry about Elijah.” She riffled through some papers and pulled out a small book. “Let’s get on with this, shall we?”
“Fine,” Allie said. Her voice trembled, and she swayed on her feet. Her complexion was pasty.
“Are you both entering this agreement of your own free will?”
“Yes,” Rick and Allie said in unison.
“Good.” The judge turned to Rick first. “Rick, will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto her, for so long as you both shall live?”
He hadn’t realized that forever promise would be in a civil ceremony. It felt wrong as a Christian to deliberately lie. If he made this promise, he’d have to keep it. He realized his silence had to look bad, but he needed to think, to decide. Glancing at Allie, he saw her go even paler.
Jon’s face came to mind, so earnest and good. The man had believed in Rick even when he had no reason to. How could Rick not give his life for him?
“I will,” he said, realizing, with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, what he’d just promised.
“Allie, will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto him, so long as you both shall live?”
Rick could see the convulsive movement of Allie’s throat as she swallowed hard. For just a moment he hoped she’d say she couldn’t go through with it. Then he would be relieved of his responsibility.
“I will,” she said in a firm voice.
“Rick, take your bride’s hand.”
When his fingers closed around Allie’s hand, his eyebrows went up at how cold it was. He saw the fear in her eyes and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
The judge’s no-nonsense tone droned on. “Take hands and repeat after me: I, Rick, take you, Allie, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, to love and to cherish, from this day forward.”
To cherish. An old-fashioned word. Rick tried to remember if he’d ever cherished anything. He’d once loved whiskey, and he loved God—but cherish? What did it really mean?
“Rick?” the judge prodded.
“Sorry.” Rick repeated the vows. He listened while Allie did the same.
“Do you have a ring for the bride?”
Rick nodded and dug the ring out of his pocket. Allie smiled for the first time since they’d entered the judge’s chambers. She held out her hand to Betsy, and the little girl handed her a ring too. When had she gotten it? And how did she get the money?
Her hand had warmed up some, and he slipped the ring past her knuckles. When she tried to do the same to him, the ring got stuck after the first knuckle.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “Jon wasn’t as big as you.”
This had been the ring Jon wore? The magnitude of what Rick was doing nearly made his knees buckle. This was Jon’s wife he was promising to care for. And his daughter. Rick curled his fingers around the ring to keep it safe. Jon had been like a brother, and Rick remembered something in the Bible about a man’s brothers being responsible for his wife.
“I’ll get it sized,” he said.
She nodded, and tears glimmered in her eyes. Did she remember the ceremony with Jon? She had to feel the lack of this one in comparison. He should have thought about what a woman needed in a wedding. He was an idiot.
“Inasmuch as Rick and Allie have consented together in wedlock and have witnessed the same before this company, and pledged their vows to each other, by the authority vested in me by the State of Texas, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” The judge smiled. “You may now kiss your bride.”
Rick put his hands on her shoulders and deposited a quick peck on her lips. They felt as soft as they looked. Her breath smelled minty and fresh, and it was with reluctance that he let his hands fall back to his sides.
His wife. He was a married man with all the responsibilities and trials of partnership. Not just for a year or two, but forever.