THURSDAY, 4:07 A.M.
ST. JOHN MEDICAL CENTER
Arms crossed, Heath stood in the far corner of Leroy’s hospital room, his insides in a tangle. The anguish might eventually overwhelm him, and he wasn’t sure how to stop it. Fury at what had happened to the cabin could carry him a long way, but now he felt deflated in the worst possible way.
Head bowed, Evelyn sat in the only comfortable chair in the room. He wished she were sleeping, getting the rest she needed, but he knew her well enough to know she was praying for her only son. A guy who’d been down on his luck. Why had Heath thought his offer of a job could lift the man out of the low place he’d fallen? Another case of Heath trying to fix something. See how things turned out?
He and Leroy had become friends, and yeah, sure, he’d even thought of the man as family like he thought of Evelyn. The family he’d been missing.
He hadn’t realized how much he missed his brothers until Austin had shown up. He regretted not trying to convince Austin and Willow to live in the valley—she seemed to love the surroundings. It wasn’t like she couldn’t conduct her business from anywhere, but apparently, she had an assistant—Dana Cooper—with whom she was close. Heath understood that, but he’d been disappointed all the same. As for Austin, Heath had seen that look in his eyes—he missed Grayback and his home, despite all the ugliness they’d endured. He missed Wyoming.
And why shouldn’t he miss all the raw, wild nature surrounding the Emerald M? At least Heath had reconnected with Austin, but he still had another brother out there unaccounted for. He’d tried to contact Liam too many times to count and hadn’t heard back from him. Maybe he never would.
Exhausted, Heath scraped a hand down his face. He should focus on Leroy.
“You don’t have to stay, Heath.” Evelyn slowly lifted her head. “I know you have a business to run.”
“Had, Evelyn.” He pushed off the wall and approached her, then crouched down to look at her. With her red-rimmed eyes and frazzled hair, she looked like she had aged ten years. “Had is the operative word.”
She snatched his hand, surprising him with her strength. “You listen to me. You still have a business. Only one cabin was destroyed. You’re going to recover, so don’t you even think about it any other way.”
How many people would believe it was safe to stay at the Emerald M Ranch now? Why my ranch, God? “All the guests are gone. I’ve canceled new arrivals for the next two weeks at least, until we find out what’s going on. I’m . . . so sorry.”
She squeezed his hand again. “Please stop. It’s not your fault. He’s going to be okay. My Leroy is going to be all right. You wait and see.”
Given that he was in the ICU, Heath wasn’t so sure. He wished he had the woman’s faith—because she was hanging on with all she had. While Leroy’s injuries were terrible, they could have been so much worse. Heath shuddered to think of it. He rose and paced the small space. Evelyn probably wished she could have some time alone to think and pray instead of having to encourage Heath. He’d been selfish to stay, but at the same time, he wanted her to know how much he cared.
“Would you like me to take you home so you can get some rest? I’ll bring you right back whenever you need, I promise.”
“No, thank you. I’m not ready to leave his side yet.”
Restlessness surged inside. He needed to do something about this. What, he didn’t know yet. “I should get going, then. His wife and kids are coming up, right?”
“His ex-wife could show up. Maybe. The kids live in other states and travel for their jobs too. Not to mention, they’re not so close to their father.”
Heath didn’t understand that. Leroy seemed like a good, honest man. Heath would have treasured a man like Leroy as a father. But it wasn’t his business. “Let me know if you need anything at all. I’m here for you.”
“Remember what we were talking about when . . .”
“You need to let the good Lord give you someone special, to have and to hold.”
“I’m not sure.” He really should get going.
“That young lady. Harper. She had some trouble last night too.”
Heath had given Evelyn a summary of the situation. Her son was in critical condition, and yet she’d thought to ask about Harper.
“Yes.”
“How is she?”
“Her sister was unconscious when they brought her to the hospital. Harper came out of it in better condition. With bruises and scrapes.” To add to the stitches in her head.
“I’m so sorry. Please tell her that I’ll be praying for her and her sister. What’s her name?”
“Emily is the sister. But what makes you think I’ll see her to give her your message?”
“You’re neighborly that way, Heath. The woman was in a terrible accident, so you need to check on her.”
Harper wasn’t his neighbor, for one thing. He didn’t have the heart to tell Evelyn that Harper didn’t want Heath to check on her. He was glad he hadn’t told Evelyn about the camera he’d bought for her.
“Okay, I’ll check in and give her your message. But after that, my focus is going to be on finding out what happened. And if it was deliberate, who’s responsible.”
Heath exited the room and headed down the hallway. As he neared the waiting area next to the elevators, he spotted Harper leaning against the wall as if she were watching and waiting for him. At first his heart warmed a little too much. Had Harper come to see him, and her sudden goodbye hadn’t been the brush-off he’d thought? Or was Emily in the ICU too?
Harper’s eyes lit up as she stepped toward him. “Heath.” She closed the distance. “How is he?”
“Leroy’s in bad shape, but he’s strong and the doctors believe he’ll pull through.” He hoped so for Evelyn’s sake, if not his own. He glanced at the stitches. She had too many bruises and scrapes to count. “How are you holding up?”
She definitely looked as if she needed rest. “I’m okay, but Emily is in a coma.” Tears glistened in her eyes.
He wanted to take her hand and squeeze it again like he’d done in the truck, but he refrained. “I’m supposed to give you a message from Evelyn—she’s Leroy’s mother. She said she would be praying for you and your sister.”
“Oh?” Harper’s eyes teared up a little more, then she stood taller and blinked the tears away as if for good. “That’s so sweet of her when she has her own troubles.”
Heath nodded, unsure where to take the conversation next. He let his gaze roam the hallway instead of lingering on her incredible eyes. He was glad she’d come to ask about Leroy, but by the look on her face, there was more to her visit.
“I know I’m keeping you from something and I apologize for that, but . . . can we talk?”
“I know you have a lot going on with the incident at the ranch, and I wouldn’t take you away from that—”
“Harper. Please tell me what this is about.” The atrocities of the night were beginning to wear on him, and that deep ache in his side from the gunshot wound, along with the sheer fury, was building up again. He wasn’t sure he should subject Harper to that side of him.
“I shouldn’t ask you this. I hate it, but I don’t know who else to turn to. I need your help. I want to go down to the ravine where the camper fell. I’m sure they’ll be processing the scene soon. Maybe even call in the state. But I don’t trust anyone else with my life. Emily’s life. I’m going to take pictures. But I need someone of your position in the community with me or else Taggart won’t believe me even if I show him the evidence. Especially if I find something his investigator missed.”
Whoa. What? Her words stunned him. “What’s this all about? Someone tried to kill you tonight. I think we both know who that could be. You’re the only witness to his crime—a murder. In fact, maybe Sheriff Taggart should even put you in protective custody.”
When her features twisted up, she pressed her hands over her face. Hiding her anguish? Then, finally, she dropped them.
Heath braced himself. “What’s going on, Harper?”
“The deputy investigator—Detective Moffett—she claims someone witnessed me driving tonight. The witness said I was the one to get in and drive off in the middle of the night. We barely escaped with our lives. I told the detective I wasn’t driving. Why would I do that? I brought up the 9-1-1 call that Emily made. Detective Moffett said that was more incriminating than anything because Emily didn’t mention me. She only said someone was driving away with the camper and she was locked inside. The detective asked me to stay in town in case she had more questions. I can’t tell what she’s thinking. If she believes me or not. But Heath, if I can’t prove otherwise, they could potentially arrest me. Emily’s in a coma, so she can’t tell them what really happened. She can’t tell them that I wasn’t driving!”
Heath absorbed her words, struggling to believe them. What else could this day bring? They weren’t going to arrest her. Taggart wouldn’t go that far. Would he? “I don’t think Sheriff Taggart will allow you to visit the crime scene and take pictures if there’s any suspicion, even if I ask nicely.” He fisted his hands. Harper was the victim here. Couldn’t Taggart see that?
“I’m not asking you to convince him.”