Read Last Stand Ranch Online

Authors: Jenna Night

Last Stand Ranch (6 page)

Olivia fumbled for the door handle. Elijah came around the truck, opened the door for her and helped her out.

Behind them, Claudia had already gotten out of her car.

“Hey, Aunt Claudia,” Elijah's mom called out.

Claudia walked by them, giving Olivia a light pat as she passed by, and then continuing up the steps to greet Julie Morales with a hug.

“Your mom's pretty,” Olivia said. “She doesn't look a thing like you.”

“Good thing for her.” Elijah quickly gathered up Olivia's hospital paperwork and prescriptions from the front seat. He was trying to appear calm. The reality was that he was worried. The shooter had managed to come down from the backcountry yesterday without attracting anyone's attention and without leaving a readable trail.

“Welcome to the casa,” Elijah said, gesturing up the steps to the house.

“Olivia, honey, come meet Julie.” Claudia waved Olivia over when she reached the porch.

Olivia offered Julie a shy smile.

“Welcome to our home.” The slight breeze buffeted her long mahogany hair. She had a fluid, free-spirited air about her appearance and movements. In that respect Elijah was nothing like his mom.

“Your aunt told us about you as soon as she found out you were coming for a visit.” Julie glanced at Claudia and they shared a smile. “I'm so sorry about what's happened since your arrival.” Her smile faded as she looked at Olivia's injured shoulder.

“Speaking of that, let's get inside.” Elijah looked around at the trees and buildings on the property. There were all kinds of places where a shooter could hide.

“Thanks for welcoming me into your home,” Olivia said to Julie as Elijah ushered the ladies inside. “I used to work in a safe house. I never dreamed one day I would need one.”

SIX

T
he first thing Olivia noticed in the Morales home was the delicious aroma. The smell of simmering chili verde was rich and comforting. The second thing she noticed was how different the interior was from Claudia's fussy, lacy home.

She stepped through the front door onto a cobalt-blue-and-sunflower-yellow-patterned tile floor. A few feet out, steps led down to a thickly carpeted living room with two oxblood-colored leather sofas positioned opposite each other. Oversize chairs and low, heavy tables were positioned around the room. There was also a massive stone fireplace.

Directly in front of her, three tinted picture windows offered views of a wide veranda attached to the house, and hills and ranch buildings in the distance.

“Don't worry,” Elijah said from beside her. “We tinted the larger windows to prevent any bad guys from taking an easy shot at us while we're inside the house. Mom still wanted curtains because she thinks they make the house feel cozier. If the shooter's out there, he can't see in.”

“Thanks for that,” Olivia muttered.

He gave her a questioning look.

“For a few seconds there, I almost forgot my troubles.”

“I hope you don't mind eating buffet-style,” Julie called out from the kitchen.

With Elijah gesturing for her to walk ahead of him, Olivia followed the voice to a kitchen with a breakfast nook at one end. Windows showed more of the ranch, including several motorcycles parked outside.

Claudia was already in the kitchen. So were three other people Olivia hadn't seen before.

“We can't always eat at the same time around here,” Julie said, “so I'm in the habit of cooking something and then letting everybody plate it up themselves. Usually we eat in the living room. It's good to sink down onto a sofa and put your feet up at the end of the day. It might not be the most proper way to have dinner, but it's our way.”

“Sounds wonderful to me.” Smelled wonderful, too.

Julie gave the pot one more stir, and then turned to Olivia with a smile. Which immediately turned to a frown. “Oh dear, what was I thinking?” She looked pointedly at Olivia's injured shoulder and her arm immobilized in a sling.

“I'll help her,” Elijah said.

“I can manage.” Olivia was beginning to feel like a stray cat Elijah had fed and now he was stuck with her.

“Well, as you can see there's shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, sour cream and a few other things here on the counter.” Julie had already turned her attention back to the food. “And I've got some warm corn and flour tortillas.”

“Just let me know what you want,” Elijah said to Olivia. “You go sit in the living room and I'll bring it to you.”

She wanted to tell him where
he
could go sit. “It's not your job to look after me,” she whispered back. Protecting her from danger was one thing, but hovering over her all the time was another. She wasn't used to anyone working so hard to take care of her, and it left her edgy and unsure how to respond.

He was acting like a boyfriend and she didn't need that. Not now, when her emotions were so raw. If she let him keep it up, she would get confused. She would start to think his behavior meant something it obviously didn't. And she didn't want to get involved with him, anyway. Who wanted a relationship with the town hero who looked like a scowling statue half the time?

“Olivia?”

Olivia's head snapped up. She was tired and without realizing it her gaze had settled on the kitchen floor.

“Let me introduce you to some of our rider friends before we start eating,” Julie said.

“Riders who are part of Vanquish the Darkness?”

Julie nodded. “This is Bobby.”

A young man who couldn't be much more than twenty, sporting curly red hair and neon-blue half-glasses, smiled and nodded.

“He's our techie,” Elijah said quietly. “Anybody has computer or phone issues, we rely on him.”

“And this fine couple would be Mark and Linda.”

Julie gestured toward a lanky man with thinning hair who looked to be about Elijah's age. “Mark's a cowboy. He works here at the ranch. Linda is a juvenile probation officer.”

Linda was a petite blonde woman barely more than half her husband's height.

“There are women riders in Vanquish?” Olivia asked.

Linda smiled broadly and nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Let's see,” Julie continued. “Have you met my son Jonathan?” she asked as a tall, slender young man with a shy smile walked around a corner and into the kitchen. “Where's—oh, there you are,” she said as a dark-haired, bronze-skinned man came around the corner. “Honey, meet Olivia Dillon. Olivia, this is my husband, Joe.”

“Welcome,” Joe said.

A man of few words, like his son.

Olivia took a deep breath and positioned herself so she was facing everyone. “If you don't already know, you'll know soon enough that I told a lie that almost sent a man to prison.” She looked around the room. “Everybody should know that before you sign on to help me. And if you want to back out, I don't blame you.”

“We've all made mistakes.” Joe glanced around the kitchen and everyone nodded. He turned to Olivia. “Our offer of help isn't just for perfect people.” He clapped his hands together and smiled. “Now, let's give thanks for the food and dig in!”

After they prayed, Julie made sure Elijah started a plate for Olivia.

“Why don't you go sit down,” Claudia whispered in Olivia's ear. “You must be tired.”

“I am.”

Olivia found a spot on one of the couches in the living room. Elijah pulled a coffee table close in front of her, set down her food and some cutlery, and then came back with a glass of iced tea and a cloth napkin.

When he came back with his own dinner, he sat as far away from her as possible. He immediately engrossed himself in talking with Bobby and his brother.

She got the message.

And yet, there was a moment after he'd walked with her down from the ridge, when they were on his motorcycle, when he was getting her settled and then taking off to meet up with the ambulance at Claudia's house, when she'd felt a connection with him. And she'd thought he'd felt it, too. He'd held her close and she'd felt his strength radiating into her. She'd needed him and he'd been there. She'd poured all her trust into him without a second thought and he'd safeguarded it. And her. She was sure they'd shared some kind of bond.

She must have been delusional from loss of blood.

When she finished eating, Olivia set her empty plate on the low table in front of her. “Thank you, that was delicious.”

Julie smiled, “Glad you liked it.”

Joe, who sat beside her, patted his wife's knee. “I'm a lucky man.” From what Olivia could see he laughed and smiled easily, unlike his son.

“Okay,” Elijah said briskly. “We need a plan on how we're going to keep an eye on Olivia and find out who's after her.”

“Aunt Claudia, I could get a security system up around your house that would cover all the main buildings.” Bobby pushed his neon-blue glasses up his nose while looking at an electronic tablet balanced on his lap. “You could monitor it from your kitchen or your bedroom or wherever you want.”

He glanced up for a response. Claudia, who was sitting on the couch beside Olivia, looked at him for a long time before slowly shaking her head. “I don't know if I could live like that. Feeling like I'm always under observation.” She glanced at Olivia. “I know it's the way of the world these days. But it's not the way for me.”

“I don't want you to have to change your lifestyle,” Olivia said.

“It wouldn't have to be permanent.” Bobby glanced back and forth between Claudia and Elijah.

“No,” Olivia said a little more forcefully. “If she doesn't want to do it, she doesn't have to.”

“You're right, of course,” Joe said calmly. “No one's going to force anyone to do anything.” He glanced at Bobby. “It's a good idea, but we'll just have to think of something else.”

Olivia's faced burned with regret. “I'm sorry.” She shook her head and cleared her throat. “I appreciate your help. Everybody's help. I don't know what I would have done without you.” Her gaze drifted to Elijah. His dark eyes were focused on her, but he kept hidden whatever emotion might lie behind them. Then she turned to Claudia. “I thought I could leave whatever danger was trailing me back in Las Vegas. I didn't mean to bring it here.”

“It's not your fault,” Joe said.

How many times had Olivia sat across from a woman at the safe house and uttered those same words? They were so much easier to believe when you were the one saying them. Harder to believe when you were on the receiving end.

“Olivia, honey, I was so happy when you called and said you'd decided to come visit that I couldn't fall asleep that night,” Claudia said, her voice a little shaky. “I'm still glad you came.”

“We don't have to decide everything right now,” Elijah said. “But it would be a good idea for you to spend tonight in a place where you'll have plenty of people looking out for you.”

“Spend the night?”

Julie caught her eye and said gently, “I bet right now you really want to get some rest.”

It was true. She was exhausted, and her arm and shoulder ached. Elijah had grabbed her pain pills from the car, but she didn't know where he'd put them and she hated to ask someone to go get them.

“Do you really think Kurtz might try to shoot me again?” She directed her question at Elijah.

He shrugged. “What was your experience when you worked at the safe house? Could you predict what anybody would do?”

“No.” She let go a sigh. “When someone's mind is twisted and angry, they're capable of anything.”

“Yeah.” His expression softened slightly and she could see compassion in his eyes. “That's been my experience, too.”

* * *

A few minutes later, Elijah walked into the house from the back veranda, disconnecting from his call and tucking his phone into his back pocket. Everyone in the family room looked up at him. “Deputy Bedford will be by in the morning.” He turned to Olivia. “He wants to talk to you again.”

She nodded and looked down, seeming to shrink in upon herself as if she was trying to disappear. He wanted to go over and sit next to her, put an arm around her, tell her he would make sure nothing bad happened to her. But that would not be a good idea.

Having other members of Vanquish around reminded him that he hadn't revived the church's motorcycle outreach group to find himself a girlfriend. He'd done it because there were so many people who needed help. And because he'd survived so much when others hadn't. He had a debt to pay.

“Has Bedford developed any leads?” Mark asked.

“Nothing he was willing to talk about over the phone.”

“I think I'd like to lie down,” Olivia said quietly. She turned to Claudia. “How about you?”

Claudia nodded.

“Are we sharing a room?” Olivia asked.

Claudia glanced at her niece, and then looked away. Apparently she hadn't told Olivia they'd agreed that only she would stay the night.

Elijah stepped in to fill the awkward silence. It had been his idea, anyway. “We thought it would be good if you stayed here tonight.” He glanced at Claudia and she gave him an uncertain smile. “But your aunt wants to go home and sleep in her own bed.”

“I can't sleep anywhere else,” she said apologetically.

“And I can't imagine you got much sleep last night,” Julie threw in. “Not after everything that happened.”

“No.” Claudia shook her head. “I didn't.” She turned to Olivia. “Also I really need to get home to feed the dogs and the cats.”

“Raymond and Denise don't take care of the animals?”

“No.”

“Oh.” Olivia bit her bottom lip and rubbed her injured arm.

“Is your pain medication wearing off?” Elijah asked.

“I don't know.” She sounded disoriented. Then she nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Let me get it for you.” He headed for the kitchen.

He read the directions on the sheet of paper the hospital had given Olivia, filled a glass of water, took a pill out of a bottle, and jotted down the time and dosage on the back of the paper.

He walked back into the living room and held out the pill and the water.

She wouldn't look him in the eye, but she took the medicine. When she reached out to take the pill from his hand, her skin felt warm. He hoped she wasn't getting a fever. Her body had been through a lot in the past thirty or so hours.
She
had been through a lot.

“I hope this pill doesn't make me groggy in the morning,” Olivia said wearily.

“According to the directions, I don't think it'll last more than six hours.”

“Good. I've got a job interview tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?” It was the first Elijah had heard of it. Maybe Olivia was confused. Maybe the drugs from the hospital combined with the pain and the terror she'd been through were mixing her up.

“At the senior living facility. Golden Sands.”

Elijah turned to Claudia and she nodded.

“Aunt Claudia knows the guy that runs the place,” Olivia added. “They need somebody to help with their arts-and-crafts program. It's just part-time, but it's something.”

She was beginning to sniffle, as if she might cry. Her reddish-blond hair had fallen in front of her eyes and Elijah was so tempted to reach out and brush it away that he made himself take a step back. He needed to keep his eyes and ears open. Stay objective. Avoid getting emotionally involved. She'd be safer that way.

“You should reschedule the interview,” he said.

“No!” This time she did look at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. But her expression wasn't sad. Or pleading. She was clearly determined.

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