AlmostHome (19 page)

The server returned with a bottle of Mumms and two champagne
flutes. He popped the cork with a flourish and filled their glasses.

“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Brody,” he said. “Now, do you
need more time to look at the menu?”

Wyatt grinned at the young man. “No sir, I reckon we know
what we want. I think the Missus was looking at that baby iceberg lettuce wedge
salad and I know she wants the shrimp and grits. I’d like to have that
cedar-planked ribeye. And I reckon we’ll be wanting some dessert when we’re
done.”

“Very good. I’ll put your order in.”

As soon as the server departed, Haley opened her mouth to
remind him they still had cupcakes in the suite but closed it quickly at
Wyatt’s raised eyebrow.

“Right. Honeymoon.”

Wyatt chuckled. “That’s right. Besides, those cupcakes have
a role in those distractions I mentioned earlier.”

“Really. Well, do tell,” she teased. So he leaned in very
close, pressed his mouth against her ear and told her exactly what he had in
mind to do with those cupcakes. Haley could hardly wait to get back to the
hotel.

* * * * *

Haley and Wyatt were laughing and kissing as they stumbled
through the door to their suite.

“Where’s them dang cupcakes?” Haley teased, then screeched
when Wyatt bent down and tipped her over his shoulder. He was kneading her ass
as he made his way toward the bed. She let out a loud whoop when he dumped her
onto her back and followed her down. He took her mouth in a deep, hungry kiss.

Lordy but the man could kiss. His cock was hard, pressing
against the thin material covering his center. With his weight on one arm, he
worked the buttons of her sundress loose then lowered his mouth to one
lace-covered breast.

“Mmm,” he murmured. “I’m gonna coat your hard little nipples
with icing and suck it off.” He drew hard on her and she moaned, arching her
back to thrust her breast deeper into his mouth. He lifted his head and looked
her in the eye. “You like that baby? When I suck on you hard?”

“Yes. Unhook my bra. I want your mouth on my bare skin.” He
rose to his knees between her legs and flicked open the front closure. When he
paused, frowning, she propped herself up on her elbows. “Wyatt?”

“I forgot my cell phone when we left.” He nodded toward the
phone on the headboard. “The message light is blinking. Damn, I hate to pick
that thing up.”

Haley flopped onto her back with a sigh. “I know but you
gotta. It’s either Holden or Dooley and they wouldn’t call if it wasn’t an
emergency.”

Wyatt crawled over her and picked up the phone, pressing the
button for messages. He hit the speaker button and Dooley’s somber voice
greeted them.

“Sorry to interrupt your honeymoon but we got trouble at the
One-Eyed Jack. Somebody fired the barn. We got the horses out but the barn
ain’t gonna be nothing but a smoking heap. No way to save it. Sheriff and the
fire department are here. Arson investigators will be coming in the morning.
They’ll be wanting to talk to y’all.” There was a commotion in the background,
people shouting and cursing. “Roof just went. Call me when you get this.”

“At least the horses are okay,” Wyatt said, reaching for
Haley. She sat on the bed, rocking, like she’d done when she’d held her dead
dog, completely tuned out. When was this shit going to end? Why couldn’t they
have a little peace? Just a few stolen days to enjoy one another before
returning to the frightening reality that was her life? “They got the horses
out, honey, and Geronimo’s with Ben, remember?” Wyatt gave her a little shake
and she blinked, looked at him.

“They’re okay?”

“Dooley said they were okay but the barn’s a total loss.” He
pulled her to him and held her tightly for a long moment. He kissed the top of
her head. “I reckon we outta pack up and git on back.” When she nodded, he
eased her away and reached for the phone. “I’m gonna call downstairs and see if
they can get us a flight this time of night.”

Haley nodded. “I’ll get us packed.”

Wyatt paced and talked, watching Haley closely as she
gathered their belongings. He didn’t doubt for a minute that she was agonizing
over what she’d dragged him into. When he hung up Wyatt came in search of her
and found her in the bathroom, hands flat on the stone vanity, eyes closed,
head drooping.

He clenched his jaw. “Stop it, Haley.”

She opened her eyes, met his gaze in the mirror. “Stop
what?”

He moved up behind her, leaning over her, his hands covering
hers. “Blaming yourself. It ain’t your fault.”

She laughed bitterly. “I don’t know how you get that. Wasn’t
for me the people I love wouldn’t be in danger.”

“Bullshit. If it wasn’t you, it’d be somebody else. That’s
the kind of men Rafe Winslow and your daddy are. They didn’t do time for
nothing, ya know. And a man doesn’t just turn mean. He’s either born that way
or he’s had help getting there. You had nothing to do with any of that. Tell me
you understand that.”

She gave him a watery smile and nodded.

“Good, now, the soonest we can get a flight is 9:50 in the
morning and we’d get into Austin at 2:40 tomorrow afternoon. Then you gotta
figure another two and a half hours from the airport. It’ll take about sixteen
hours if we rent a car, maybe less, depending on how fast we drive. What do you
wanna do, sweet pea?”

Haley was about to answer when Wyatt’s cell rang. He turned
and walked into the main room of the suite, Haley on his heels. “Holden?” She
watched Wyatt’s face, wringing her hands, as the attorney talked. Wyatt closed
his eyes and sighed and a surge of panic swept through her. “On the One-Eyed
Jack? Whereabouts? Jesus. Ah man, poor little thing. Shit. No, I know it wasn’t
totally unexpected but just the same… But he’s all right? Good. No, I’ll tell
her. Do what you need to do. We’re packing up right now. We’re gonna rent a car
and head out soon as we can. Thanks, Holden.”

“What?” She clutched her husband’s hand. “What’s happened
now?”

Wyatt turned to face her, took her face in his hands and
kissed her gently. “It’s your brother. The police found that girl’s body, the
one Conner told us Winslow was abusing. Honey, they found her on your property.
She was left near your aunt’s grave.” He took a deep breath. “Seems Winslow
called your brother’s room and threatened him. The sheriff’s posted deputies
outside his room and they’re gonna keep them there until he’s well enough to
leave.”

Tears sprang to Haley’s eyes as she sank down onto a chair.
“He left that poor girl at Aunt Jack’s grave? What kind of monster is he?”

“The worst kind, honey.” Wyatt sat on the arm of the chair.
“Rafe Winslow’s gone from that run-down spread where they were living. They
haven’t been able to find him.”

Haley swiped at the tears streaming down her face. “God, the
nightmares just keep on coming. How is Winslow doing this with the law looking
for him and my men patrolling the property?”

“I know, sweet pea. It’s frustrating as hell but they’ll
find him. It’s just a matter of time.” He kissed her again. “Go on now. Finish
packing while I call down and have ‘em find us a rental car.”

* * * * *

It didn’t take long for Haley to pack up their belongings.
They hadn’t brought much with them. Wyatt’s tux was a rental that the hotel had
procured for him and all they’d brought was a couple changes of clothes and
toiletries. With the packing complete, Haley dug her own cell phone out of her
purse and called the hospital. Holden Petrie answered the phone and Haley felt
more relieved than she had a right to.

“Howdy, Mrs. Brody,” the older man quipped. “Hell of a way
to start married life isn’t it?”

Haley smiled. “You got a gift for understatement, Holden.
How’s Conner?”

“Still sick as a grass-eating dog but he’ll do. It didn’t
come as a surprise that Winslow was able to get a call through. What really
shook him up were the details of what had been done to that girl. She heard a
sigh at the other end of the line. “Damn. That son of a bitch should be flayed
alive. What was done to that girl…well it ain’t decent to talk about to another
female.”

“Oh lord.” A little sob hitched her breath. She hadn’t
needed to hear that. “I…can I talk to Conner? Is that okay?”

“Sure it is, honey.” She heard him tell Conner who was on
the line, then her brother came on.

“Haley? Where you at? You still in Vegas?”

Holden must have told him she’d gotten married. “Yeah,
Conner. Wyatt’s on the phone getting us a rental car. Soon as he can, we’re
hitting the road. Hopefully we’ll be back late tomorrow afternoon.”

“You heard about the barn?”

Haley nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. “Yeah. Dooley
called to let us know.”

“I’m really sorry, Hales. I figure it had to be Rafe who
done it, the barn, I mean. I already know he killed poor Rebecca.”

Haley squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get control of her
emotions. When she spoke, her voice was strong and clear. “Barns can be rebuilt
and the stock is fine. We need to focus on making sure you you’re safe.”

“Okay, sis. And Haley?”

“Yeah?”

“Congratulations. Wyatt’s gonna be a fine husband.”

She smiled for the first time since the damn phones had
started ringing. “You’re right about that. He’s a good man and I’m a lucky
woman.” She looked over at her husband, who smiled at her. He gave her a thumbs
up and mimed turning a steering wheel. “Hey little brother, I gotta go. Wyatt
got us a car so we’re gonna hit the road. I…I love you, Conner. I’ll see you
soon.” She hung up before her brother could reply and stiffened her spine. “Are
we ready to go?”

“They’re on the way with the rental now. They’ll pick us up
and then we can be on our way.” He reached for their carryon and Haley
carefully draped her bagged wedding dress over her arm. Before pulling the door
closed behind her, she gave the beautiful room one more look, spying the
carefully wrapped plate of cupcakes on the coffee table. She uttered a
regretful sigh. She’d been anticipating what Wyatt would do to her with those.
She shrugged. Once things settled down, she’d damn well bake a kitchen full of
cupcakes for Wyatt to play with.

Chapter Thirteen

The drive seemed interminable and exhaustion wrapped itself
heavily around Wyatt like a soggy wool blanket. They’d stopped several times
for coffee and bathroom breaks, neither of them daring to eat for fear food of
any kind would cause them to succumb to sleep. When they crossed the border
from New Mexico into Texas, Wyatt breathed a sigh of relief. There was still a
ways to go but he could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. It would
still be a long day dealing with Conner’s issues and the barn burning.

Barn Burning
. Funny he’d remember that long-ago high
school reading assignment about revenge and the influence of a father’s anger.
The father in Faulkner’s story had burned his landlord’s barn in anger and
resentment over his station in life. Wyatt didn’t miss the correlation to their
current circumstances. If Haley’s father hadn’t ordered the burning of his
newly prosperous daughter’s barn then God was a possum. He looked down at his
wife whose head rested on his thigh as she slept. She’d finally given into his
pleas that she try to catch a couple hours of sleep. Of course, she’d only
agreed when he’d promised to turn the driving over to her after she’d rested.
Not that he had any intention of doing so. The stress of the last week or so
had taken a toll on her and she needed to rest. And so he drove on. Past the
dusty fields and pastures of the lower panhandle. The drought had a strong grip
on west Texas.

His cell phone vibrated from its place in his shirt pocket.
Wyatt engaged the Bluetooth. “Yeah,” he said, tiredly. He heard Lloyd Mattson’s
voice. The man was probably getting sick of returning his many calls but, like
the true friend he was, he did it anyway. “Anything on Winslow yet?”

“No, but we found plenty of DNA evidence at Conner’s old
place. Enough for the D.A. to go for the death penalty when they finally get
the bastard. Still don’t know who she is though.”

Wyatt shook his head. “I’m sorry for her, I truly am. It’s a
horrible way to die but there ain’t nothing I can do to help her now. My main
concern is Haley.” He had to pause to keep his voice from breaking. “I can’t
lose her, Lloyd. We gotta keep her safe.”

The sheriff cleared his throat. “There’s something more.
That earring? Winslow’s DNA was on that too. So, he’ll be charged for Jack’s
murder too. Y’all need to be careful. We’ll do everything in our power to see
that happens, Wyatt. You got my word on that.”

“I know. Thanks.” He sighed. “My turnoff is coming up. We’re
just about to hop on 285. Won’t be long now.” He said goodbye to his friend and
disconnected.

Taking the 285 to I-10, Wyatt put the pedal to the metal all
the way to Junction, praying he’d avoid the attention of law enforcement. When
he reached Main Street, he pulled into the Valero station and shut off the
engine. He stroked his wife’s silken hair.

“Hey baby,” he said softly. “Time to wake up.” She woke with
a start, blinking rapidly.

“Where are we?” She sat up, rubbing the grit from her eyes
and looked around. “Why didn’t you wake me? God, you must have glued your
eyelids open. Has there been any word? Is Conner okay?”

“One question at a time, baby girl,” Wyatt said with a
chuckle. “We’re in Junction. I didn’t quite have to glue my eyes open but I am
a mite tired. You might wanna call Holden while I fill up.” She nodded,
stretched and climbed out of the cab behind him, already dialing. He watched
her pace and nod, then her face lit up and he knew Holden must have gotten Conner
home. He was happy for her but having Conner back at the house meant one more
person to protect from Kent Kilpatrick’s hired gun. Still, he smiled and hugged
his wife when she delivered the news.

“Conner’s been released and he’s at the One-Eyed Jack. Dooley
got him settled in bunkhouse.”

“Well that’s good, darlin’, that’s real good.”

Haley cocked her head. “But?”

“But nothing. Not really.”

“I agree but you’re worrying the warts off a frog so you’d
just as well tell me.”

Wyatt shrugged. “Two things. It’s just that he’s barely
recovered from the snake bites and surgery—”

“And he’ll be an easy target.” Her shoulders slumped for a
moment before she straightened them. Shaking it off and sucking it up. He’d
seen her do it a hundred times. “Well, he’ll just have to stay in the house
whether he likes it or not.” She gave him a wry look and a shrug. “Not that
he’s likely to be too upset at the prospect. He ain’t exactly the most
ambitious worker. What’s the second thing?”

Wyatt snorted, then shook his finger at her. “Just so you
ain’t waiting on him hand and foot, you hear? And the second thing is what we
pretty much figured. DNA came back on the earring. It belongs to Winslow.”

“Well shit. Sometimes I hate being right.”

“In this case, I tend to agree with you. Get in the truck
and let’s get home. I swear I’m so tired every time I stand up my mind sits
down.”

“Then you get in the truck and I’ll drive home.”

Wyatt shrugged. “What the hell. You can finish pumping the
gas too.” He gave her a kiss and climbed in the cab, scooting over to the
passenger side.

* * * * *

Haley braked to a stop at the gate, leaned out the window
and cautiously opened the mailbox to retrieve the mail. Considering what
happened to Conner, she didn’t put it past Winslow to put a rattler in her mailbox.
She breathed a sigh of relief when nothing popped out at her.

Along with the bills, there was a large manila envelope with
no return address on it. She tossed everything on the dash and headed up the
lane to the house. Wyatt woke when she pulled up. She tooted the horn and
well-armed cowboys began to appear from all directions. At least security was
tight around the house. Not that that seemed to mean a hell of a lot. Aunt
Jack’s grave was only a mile away and Winslow had been able to sneak onto her property
to dispose of the dead girl’s body. A sense of dread crept up her spine and she
looked around. He could be out there right now, looking at them through the
scope of a high-powered rifle. One shot was all it would take and life as she
knew it would be over. Wyatt would be gone and Rafe would come for her. She
closed her eyes, said a silent prayer, then opened the truck door and stepped
out, a smile pasted on her face.

The newlyweds greeted the hands and accepted
congratulations, then Wyatt scooped her up and carried her up the steps and
across the threshold accompanied by the whistles and applause of the men. He
set her on her feet and gave her a long, lingering kiss that spoke of sensual
promises to be fulfilled later that night.

“I need to get over to the Flyin’ W and check on things. You
go check on your brother, have yourself a nice, long bath and get some rest,
sweet pea. I’ll join you in a bit.”

Haley caressed his cheek. Lord but she didn’t want him to
go. “I love you.”

He grinned that sinful grin that made his eyes spark with
mischief. “And I’m glad of it, ma’am.” He lowered his head and kissed her
again, his tongue soft and languorous as he thoroughly explored her mouth. God
she loved the way he kissed. Gentle and coaxing one moment and hot and
demanding the next. He kissed her like that now, one hand on her ass, the other
kneading her breast. She couldn’t help herself, she lifted one leg, hooked it
around his hip and returned his hungry kiss. He uttered an impatient growl and
hoisted her up, carried her to the couch.

Haley arched against her husband as his hot mouth skimmed
her neck. The snaps on her Western shirt popped and she moaned when he nipped
at a straining nipple. The front closure popped and his mouth was on her,
drawing on her breast.

Hot. Lord but he made her hot. And wet. And needy. Made her
forget everything but the feel of his lips on her skin, the touch of his hands.
If only for a few minutes, the world went away when she was in his arms.
“Wyatt.” His name came out on a desperate sigh as his hand wedged between them,
flicked open her jeans. The zipper rasped and then he burrowed inside her
jeans. She raised her hips and shoved at her jeans, giving him room to work.

“Damn honey.” His voice was a gravelly rasp, letting her
know he was as turned on as she was. “You’re so hot and wet. You wanna come?”
He rose up on one knee and sank two fingers into her heated core. She uttered a
strangled cry and ground her hips against his tormenting fingers. “Oh yeah.
Baby wants to come.” His mouth slammed down over hers as he wedged his
calloused thumb against her clit and began to stroke and pump.

Her mind was void of any thoughts except of what Wyatt was
doing to her. An invading army could burst through the door and she wouldn’t
hear them. He was going to make her come. Hard. Her hips rose and fell with the
rhythm he set. His tongue fucked her mouth as his fingers plundered her,
driving her hard to the edge then hurling her over. Her body bowed, froze for a
heartbeat, then came the inevitable shuddering as the orgasm rippled through
her body from her pussy to her toes and back again. His mouth absorbed her
shouts as a series of short, intense orgasms rocked her while Wyatt
deliberately toyed with the sensitized nerves of her G-spot.

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph.” Haley’s breath hitched when he
withdrew from her.

He grinned, pulled away with a regretful sigh and stood.
“Hold that thought, darlin’.”

She watched as he walked to the kitchen, turned on the
water. Her pussy clenched when he looked over at her and stuck his fingers in
his mouth to suck at the evidence of her orgasm. Good God. He washed his hands,
dried them, and sauntered back to the couch as she struggled to pull up her
pants. He leaned down, pulled her to her feet, and kissed her again.

“Reckon that oughtta hold ya ‘til I get back,” he teased and
squeezed her butt.

Dazed, Haley stood at the doorway and watched him climb into
his truck, which Dooley had thoughtfully driven back from the airport for him.
With a self-satisfied smile, she hopped off the porch and went to the rental to
get the mail. Her forehead puckered as she examined the manila envelope. She
didn’t recognize the handwriting but that didn’t mean much as she rarely
received personal mail. She tore open the envelope and pulled out an 8x10
photograph of Wyatt doing chores on the Flying W. Someone had drawn crosshairs
on his chest. A soft moan escaped her and a rush of adrenaline blocked out the
noise around her. Her head swam as she staggered toward the house. She thought
she heard someone shout her name as she stumbled up the stairs and into the
house but she ignored it. A shake of her head cleared her thoughts and she
raced to her office, fumbling with the keys to the gun cabinet. She unlocked
it, grabbed a rifle and a box of ammo.

Dooley was standing in the living room when she entered, the
photo of Wyatt in his hand.

“I’m goin’ with ya,” he declared.

Haley tossed him the key to the gun cabinet then started
feeding ammo into the rotor magazine. “Make it quick.” She engaged the safety and
headed for the ranch truck they’d rented. The screen door slammed behind Dooley
before she’d even managed to climb behind the wheel. She cranked the engine as
he vaulted onto the passenger seat and they roared away, leaving a trail of
dust behind them.

Her throat ached and tears sprang to her eyes. “If anything
happens to him—”

“Ain’t nothin’ gonna happen to him, girl. It was just a
threat to scare you.” Dooley’s words calmed her a bit, until she turned and
sped up the road to Wyatt’s spread and shots rang out.

“Oh God!” She pressed the accelerator to the floor and
hurtled toward the ranch compound. She muttered a prayer. “Please, please,
please Lord, let him be all right. I ain’t never had nothing good in my life,
please don’t take him from me.”

Haley slammed on the brakes and gave the steering wheel a
hard turn. The truck skidded to a stop at the western edge of the porch, mowing
down a carefully tended flowerbed. Dooley’s door flew open and he launched
himself onto the porch. The screen door opened and Wyatt peered around the
bottom corner.

“God damn it!” he shouted. “Why’d you bring my wife over
here?”

“Hell son, your wife drove.”

Haley slithered across the bench seat, handed her rifle to
Dooley and crawled onto the porch. Wyatt reached out, grabbed her wrist and
hauled her across the floor into the house. Haley gave him a grim smile and
asked, “Hey, baby. Did ya miss me?”

He rolled her beneath him and kissed her hard. “Remind me to
paddle your ass when this is over.”

Another shot rang out. “How many?” Dooley asked, then popped
up, peeked around the door and fired off a round.

“Two, I think. Or one guy with a couple a rifles and the
ability to move damn fast.” He scowled at Haley. “What are you doing here?”

Her eyes filled despite her resolution to remain calm. “The
manila envelope I got in the mail—”

“Let me guess. There was a picture of me with crosshairs
over it.” Her eyes widened. “I got one too, only it was a picture of you.
Anybody think to call the police?” Haley and Dooley looked at one another and
Wyatt shook his head. “Yeah, me neither. Until y’all got here, he’s been pretty
quiet. Figured he’d left.” He plucked his cell phone off his belt and dialed
9-1-1. He quickly explained the situation and hung up. “They’re on their way.”
A grin kicked up the corner of the mouth Haley loved so much. “They said to
keep our heads down.”

When Dooley snorted, Haley pressed her face to Wyatt’s chest
and snickered.

“Think this is funny do you?” Wyatt scolded, but she could
hear the amusement in his voice. After all, no bullet was going to penetrate
the thick log walls. “I can’t believe you’d do a lame-brained thing like come a
rushing into an ambush.”

“Wasn’t expecting an ambush.” Haley lifted her face and
looked at him. “Are you gonna tell me you weren’t running out the door to get
back to me?”