Texas Hunt (9 page)

Chapter Nine

“The funeral is tonight,” Lisa said to Ryan as she walked into the kitchen on the third morning since arriving at the cabin. Not only was he already awake, but he looked as though he'd gone out for a run.

“Are you sure you're up for it?” he asked, holding out a mug of fresh coffee.

“I need to be.” She took the offering and thanked him, thinking how easy it would be to get used to this every morning. And then chided herself for having the thought in the first place.

“Just so you know, you don't have to do this,” he said, his dark eyes trailing down her face, lingering on her lips.

“I can't say that I especially want to leave this place.” She took a sip of coffee. “It's gorgeous here. And with the lake view out the front window...just wow.”

She moved to the living room to take full advantage of the view, and to mask the flush heating her cheeks at being near Ryan. She'd thought about the kiss they'd shared too many times since the impulsive moment at the hospital. The worst part was that he'd done a little too good of an acting job. He almost had her believing he felt more than friendship.

She sat on the oversize white sofa and pulled a throw pillow in her lap.

“How are you feeling today?” Ryan sat down next to her.

“Much better.” The swelling was starting to go down and her body was far less tender. He'd convinced her to take a couple of over-the-counter pain pills before bed, too.

“You slept the whole night,” he added.

“It was amazing.” She stretched out her legs in front of her. “No pain when I do this, either.”

“You're healing fast.”

“Because you've taken such good care of me.” A piece of her didn't want to leave this cabin to return to real life ever.

“How long is your summer break?” he asked.

“Teachers go back two weeks before students. It's generally the first week of August. I haven't even looked at a calendar in days. This is not exactly the summer vacation I had planned,” she said.

“Can I ask you a question?” Ryan asked.

“Sure.”

“Why on earth would you want to become a teacher? I mean, it's one of those noble professions, so don't get me wrong, and I admire teachers for putting up with kids like me—”

“You weren't so bad.” She knocked her shoulder into his.

“Then you're looking back with rose-colored glasses on,” he shot back.

“We got into our fair share of trouble, but we weren't inherently bad kids.”

“That's probably true of the girls in the group. Me, Brody, Dawson and especially Dylan wouldn't exactly be called angels back then.”

“What did you ever do?” she asked.

“Plenty.”

“You don't even like to lie. I saw your face in the hospital after fibbing to the nurse. In fact, what did we used to call you back then?”

“No reason to dip that far into the past.” He made a move to get up, but she put her hand on his arm.

“Not so fast, mister. You're not getting away that easily. Let me think... Oh, I remember now, reliable Ryan.”

“Great. Thanks for that. Bringing up all my painful scars from childhood now. I've gotten into plenty of trouble in the past,” he countered.

“Of course you did. You'd never lie about something like that,” she retorted, playfully tapping him on the arm.

“And what about you? You were a little holier-than-thou back then if I remember correctly.”

“No, I wasn't.”

“True story.” He put his hand over his heart. “Remember, I can't tell a lie.”

“You're making this up.”

“Scout's honor.” He held two fingers up like rabbit ears.

“You were never a Scout and that's not the hand sign.”

“Doesn't matter. I can use the oath, anyway,” he said with a grin.

It was good to see Ryan smile. He'd been a serious kid who'd grown to be a serious adult. There hadn't been a lot of laughter in his childhood home. She liked being the one to put a smile on his face.

“Fine. Give me an example, then.” She took a sip of coffee and waited for his response.

He seemed to take a minute to think. “Weren't you the one who went around correcting all our grammar in fourth grade?”

“Hello, what do you not understand about me becoming a teacher?” She laughed despite the pain. “I had to try to inspire the next generation of Mason Ridge youth to actually learn something while in school.”

“Can't argue your point there.” He took a sip of coffee. “We were pretty thickheaded even back then.”

“We all had a lot going on.” She thought about those beatings he'd endured and she wanted to reach out to him, to somehow make it better. “Do you see your brother's family very often?”

“I get out there as much as I can. He doesn't like to come back to Mason Ridge.”

“Is it because of the way your father treated you two?”

“I imagine so. That, and other bad memories about the way he acted. Justin's changed. He's a family man now and I think he wanted to get away somewhere he could wipe the slate clean. Can't say I blame him. Some folks will never forgive him for the past. Small towns have long memories.”

“He got into trouble, but he wasn't a criminal, for crying out loud,” she said with a little too much emotion. She stopped short of saying that everything he'd done was rebelling against their father, feeling lost and unloved.

Ryan didn't immediately speak. He seemed to be contemplating her response and she was afraid he picked up on her heightened emotion.

“What about you? Why'd you come back to Mason Ridge after college?” he finally asked.

“I don't know.” She shrugged. “My sister left for college. Dad was here alone. I was afraid he'd start drinking again. Figured I could teach anywhere and be happy, so I came back to keep an eye on him. He's getting older and I didn't want to get settled somewhere else and be uprooted if his health started failing, which it already had.”

“That must've been tough. Did you want to go somewhere else?”

“I didn't want to come back to Mason Ridge,” she said without thinking.

“Too many bad memories?” He looked at her curiously, as if he was trying to see something deeper.

“Yes.”

“With your father or what we talked about earlier?” Those intelligent, penetrating eyes threatened to see right through her.

And that scared her to death.

“No, nothing like that.” She shrugged it off, hugging the pillow tighter to her chest.

“I don't know if I said this before, but I'm sorry about everything that's happened.” He nudged her with his shoulder.

Surprisingly, her muscles didn't go rigid this time. There was only a slight hesitation with contact and that was mostly because of the trill of awareness his touch shot through her. Her body warmed and her thighs heated.

“You've done so much for me. I'm not sure how I would've gotten through all this without you.” Against her better judgment, she reached over and hugged him. She must've known that he would come through for her all along and that's why she asked for him when Mrs. Whitefield found her.

Ryan leaned into the hug until his lips were so close to her ear that she could feel his breath on her neck. A thousand tiny volts of electricity coursed through her.

“You would've done the same thing for me if I was in trouble.”

“Friends, right? Like you said before, we go back a long way.” Lisa reminded herself that this wasn't the time to notice just how much reliable Ryan had filled out since high school.

With one easy movement, he pulled her onto his lap. His muscled arms wrapped around her waist, sending all kinds of sparks through her body. She could feel his thigh muscles through the denim of his jeans against her bare skin.

She repositioned on his lap to face him, stopping when she felt his body go rigid.

“Am I hurting you?” she asked.

“Not exactly but that would be a fun twist,” he shot back with a sardonic grin.

“What does that mean?” She scooted her bottom again, worried she'd sat funny on his leg. She was stilled by two powerful hands on either side of her hips.

“You don't want to keep doing that.” There was a low, husky quality to his voice.

“Oh.” She paused, temporarily robbed of her voice. “And here I was worried you weren't attracted to me all this time.”

“That's what you thought?” His face was stamped with shock. “Finding you desirable has never been the problem.”

* * *

R
YAN
SHOULDN
'
T
ALLOW
himself to get caught up in the moment. But it was Lisa. His better judgment knew not to let this happen but that had gone out the window, taking his self-control along for the ride.

Spending time with her at his friend's cabin made matters worse. He'd figured spending a few days with her would be enough to quash the attraction he felt every time he thought about her or she was in the room.

The plan that had worked with so many women who had come and gone through his life had failed miserably with Lisa. In fact, the only thing he'd succeeded in doing was wanting her even more than before.

All it generally took was a few days of alone time with a woman to see what she was truly about. He'd done well for himself, so some wanted his money. Others wanted his body—them he didn't mind so much. He hadn't met one who had truly stimulated his mind or that he could joke around with so easily. He'd figured the others out in a flash and gotten bored.

Lisa was different. She was intelligent, beautiful and funny. They had history, so he didn't feel the need to put on airs for her. She disarmed him, causing his defenses to drop. Ryan didn't think a woman could get past his carefully constructed walls. But then, no one knew him like Lisa.

Was he falling for her? Again?

Not smart, Hunt.

Or maybe a better question was...had he ever really stopped having feelings for her?

When she looked up at him with those bluish-green eyes, he dipped his head and kissed her.

Her lips parted as she nibbled his bottom lip and he thrust his tongue in her mouth, wanting to taste her sweetness. Heat roared through his veins and need engulfed him like a raging wildfire.

“He turned himself in,” Lori said, walking into the kitchen, breaking into the moment and staring down at something in her hand.

“Who?” Lisa scampered off his lap and pushed to her feet, ignoring the pain quick movement had to have caused.

Ryan needed a minute, or both ladies would know the effect Lisa had on him.

“Charles Alcorn.” She looked up from her phone and her gaze bounced between Ryan and Lisa. Didn't seem that Lori had seen them kissing, and he sensed Lisa's relief over that fact.

“We were just enjoying the view this morning,” Lisa said a little too quickly. Her voice was shaky, too. As far as liars went, she was a bad one. “That's great news.”

Ryan cracked a smile. Turned out he wasn't the only honest one in the bunch.

“Yeah, maybe now the town will get some answers and that jerk will finally live out the rest of his life in jail,” Lori said.

“He deserves whatever they do to him,” Lisa said, her hopeful gaze on Ryan.

“I wouldn't count on it. That family has money and they can afford the best defense attorney in the country. He might just get away with it and he wouldn't turn himself in unless he had a plan. We'll have to keep watch over the next few days on what happens with him.” Ryan didn't want to be the one to put a damper on their excitement.

“Well, he shouldn't be above the law.” Fire raged across Lisa's face.

“Agreed.”

At least he'd gotten her to open up a little bit more about her past. He suspected that he'd only scratched the surface, but she'd trusted him and that went a long way in his book.

They'd made progress, although she still froze up on him in certain situations.

The only reason he'd touched her a few minutes ago was that she'd made contact with him first, and he couldn't stop himself once she gave the green light.

She'd tensed just a bit when he had, so little that he almost hadn't noticed, but his body was in tune with hers. That wasn't something he could shut off, and he didn't want to, but would he ever hold Lisa and feel her trusting surrender?

Chapter Ten

Ryan didn't like the thought of going back to Mason Ridge, where Lisa would be exposed. He understood that she needed to bury her father, to put that piece of her life to rest, but being anywhere near Beckett Alcorn wasn't exactly high on Ryan's list.

He walked outside and called his friend Brody.

“How's Lisa doing?” Brody asked after exchanging greetings.

“It's been a rough couple of days,” Ryan said, and then updated Brody on the funeral service.

“You know we'll be there,” Brody said solemnly.

“Good. Because we'll need extra security.”

“What's that all about?” Brody's serious tone dropped to outright concern.

“It turns out that random mugging wasn't so indiscriminate after all.”

“With all the craziness going on, I thought about that. But she seemed so adamant in the hospital,” Brody said.

“This is personal between her and Beckett Alcorn.”

“Beckett?” Brody repeated, surprise in his voice. “What's up with that?”

“They have a history but she won't tell me exactly what it is. Suffice it to say that she's scared to death of the guy.” Ryan didn't think it was his place to go into details.

“Does this have something to do with his father?” Disgust laced Brody's tone.

“No. I don't believe so.” It seemed that family liked to prey on people weaker than them. “This is personal and it goes back a long way.”

“I can ask Rebecca if she knows anything,” Brody offered.

“Good idea. Keep me posted on what you find out.” Trusting Brody to keep this quiet was a given. Ryan had always been able to rely on their friendship and maybe that was because both came from families with seriously messed-up mothers. Brody's had ripped off half the town before pulling her disappearing act. Ryan's had left her sons with an abusive father.

“Will do,” Brody said.

“We'll talk more when I see you.”

“Be safe driving in today,” Brody warned. “Any chance you got another vehicle stashed out where you are?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” Ryan didn't think his buddy would mind if he borrowed the Jeep he kept at the fishing cabin. The spare key should be in the junk drawer in the kitchen. “Good idea.”

“See you in a few hours.”

“Will do.” Ryan ended the call and turned toward the lake. The conversation with Brody had Ryan thinking about his own mother, a subject he deemed best left alone.

If Ryan was being honest, he'd admit that he felt no real pain at losing the man he'd grown up with when he buried his father two years ago.

Thinking back now, he'd been sure his mother would show at the funeral. He'd heard the same rumors for years that she'd only gone because of his father's cruelty and hadn't been allowed to take her children with her.

If that had been true, wouldn't she have returned? The old man was gone. He couldn't hurt her anymore. The coast was clear.

If she'd loved Ryan and Justin to begin with, wouldn't she be the first one in town when she'd heard the news?

Her answer had come in the form of complete silence. Distance.

Even then, Justin had tried to justify her actions as being afraid to come back. Ryan knew better. If she'd cared she would have found a way to contact her children or get a message to them that she loved them at some point over the years. Wouldn't she?

How many birthdays had gone by without so much as a phone call or a card? How many nights as a child had Ryan wished on a star that his mother would return? How many times had he denied missing her when Justin brought her up?

Too many.

Lisa opened the back door, breaking into his heavy thoughts.

“Breakfast is ready,” she said.

“I'll be right there.”

Lori sat next to Grayson, feeding him breakfast, her eyes red-rimmed and swollen. Lisa was busy at the massive island in the kitchen. The scene felt like family and Ryan was shocked it didn't make him want to turn and run right back out the door. It was friendship, he reasoned. “I hope you like biscuits and gravy. Breakfast is one of the few things I know how to cook,” Lisa said, holding out a plate. Her smile was weak at best, but at least she was making the effort.

“You didn't have to do all this,” he said, surprised at how thinking about his mother still affected him.

“Yes, I did. I can't let you do all the work. Besides, it feels good to be productive, especially today.”

“Let me help you put out the food, then,” he offered, needing something to take his mind off his heavy thoughts and noticing how difficult it was for Lisa to let anyone do anything for her.

“I already said no.” She was being stubborn and he figured half the reason was that she looked as though she'd stayed up half the night crying with her sister. Ryan didn't want to upset her, so he moved to the table and took a seat next to Lori. Between him and their old group of friends, Ryan felt a lot better about their odds of keeping her safe later. He'd live off that win for now.

After breakfast, they piled into the Jeep and made the silent trek back to Mason Ridge.

Everything about Lisa's body language said she was scared as they walked into the funeral home. At least she had Lori and Grayson to keep her busy this time.

Lori unhooked Grayson from his car seat and pulled him into her arms. Lisa stood close by, watching everything around them.

They weren't the first to arrive, just as planned. Dawson and Brody hopped out of Dawson's black SUV. Texas was a conceal-and-carry state, so Ryan knew those two would be ready for any trouble that arrived. His shotgun was stashed under the seat in his SUV.

“Thanks for coming,” Ryan said to Brody and Dawson as they walked over. His friends were similar in height and build. Brody still had a tight cut, no doubt left over from his time in the military, blond hair and blue eyes. By contrast, Dawson had pitch-black hair and dark brown eyes. Both carried themselves like warriors.

“Dylan should show up in a few minutes. He wanted us here first. He already checked the place out. Called it recon and I left it at that,” Brody said, leaning in for a bear hug.

Dylan was most likely pulling from his own military experience.

Ryan was grateful for his friends' support. This entire summer had been hard on their friendships. First, when Brody's fiancée, Rebecca, was attacked in a grocery store parking lot and it was believed that the Mason Ridge Abductor had returned after fifteen years. That ordeal was followed by Samantha, Dylan's fiancée, being targeted by the same person—and that person turned out to be one of the most powerful men in Mason Ridge, Charles Alcorn. Now Beckett Alcorn was targeting Lisa.

When Ryan really thought about it, everyone had been on edge since the whole ordeal began earlier this summer and all his friendships had been challenged. It had become difficult to know who to trust anymore, save for a few solid friendships.

“I'll go inside with Lisa and Lori,” Dawson said. “Why don't you two walk the perimeter until Dylan gets here?”

“Now you're starting to sound like him,” Brody said, rolling his eyes in an obvious attempt to lighten the tense mood.

Everyone knew he was only pretending to be disgusted. Of course, they would all do everything it took to keep Lisa and her family safe and Dylan would know how to get that job done.

Lisa gave a tentative look toward Ryan, who nodded it was okay to separate. Her anxiety was written all over the worry lines in her face. Tension practically radiated off her small frame.

As soon as she disappeared inside, Brody turned to Ryan and asked, “How's she really doing?”

“She's strong, as you already know. I think she's holding a lot inside. I know that something's going on in the back of her mind, but she's not sharing.”

“Give her time,” Brody said as they scanned the area. “Rebecca seems to think that something traumatic happened to her when we were kids.”

That was an understatement.

They kept pace with each other, rounding the corner to check out the back of the funeral home.

“Did she say what happened?” Ryan asked.

“She wishes she knew. All she remembers for sure is that Lisa started pulling away from the group weeks before the kidnappings.” Brody was referring to when Rebecca and her younger brother were abducted. The event had turned the little town of Mason Ridge upside down.

“Does she remember anything else?” Ryan asked as they walked.

“The rest of her memory is hazy. Rebecca blocked out most events surrounding that summer.”

“I understand why that would happen.” Ryan knew that Rebecca had gotten away from their captor, planning to bring back the sheriff to save her little brother. She got lost and wandered in the woods for days before finally being picked up. Shane and his kidnapper were long gone by the time they found the shed he'd kept them in.

The entire town had searched for months. A decade later, Shane had been declared dead. Rebecca never gave up on finding him. Several weeks ago, Rebecca learned of a man named Thomas Kramer. She discovered that he'd been involved in her brother's kidnapping, and then she and her friends uncovered a trail that led them straight to Charles Alcorn. He'd escaped the deputy as he was being brought in for questioning. Given that he was the town's wealthiest resident, Ryan had no doubt that justice would suffer.

“I'm sure you already heard about Alcorn,” Ryan said.

“About time they caught the SOB,” Brody said, disgusted. “You and Lisa have been spending a lot of time together lately.”

“Because I'm helping her.”

Brody shot him a look that said he wasn't buying the simple explanation. “You had a thing for her once, right?”

“
Don't say it.
”
Ryan already knew what this would be about.

“Why not?” Brody asked plainly.

“Because me and Lisa aren't the same as you and Rebecca.” Ryan held up his hand to stop his buddy from saying anything else. “Hey, I'm thrilled for you and Rebecca. You know that, right?”

“It goes without saying.”

“And I don't think two people could be happier if they'd been matched by the big guy upstairs.” Ryan motioned toward the blue sky.

“And?”

“So don't take this the wrong way when I tell you that not everyone's ready to find their forever mate.”

“That's a cop-out,” Brody said, shaking his head.

“What makes you say that?”

“I have eyes. I'm not stupid. There's something going on between the two of you.”

“Lisa and I have been friends for a long time. She finally opened up to me a little bit recently. And I'm talking a tiny speck. That's all you're seeing.” If Brody had come at Ryan with the physical-attraction thing, he wouldn't have had much to deny. Ryan could admit to himself that he felt a draw toward her. She was beautiful, intelligent and funny when she let herself be. But no relationship flourished when kept at a safe emotional distance.
Relationship?

He was referring to his friendship as a relationship now?
Damn, Hunt.
It really was time to get a dog.

Instead of firing back a witty retort, Brody just gave Ryan that knowing look—the look that made Ryan want to haul off and punch the guy. If they weren't friends, he just might.

“Why do I have the feeling if I hang around you for much longer I'll be surfing the internet for his-and-hers bath towels?” Ryan teased. He was only half joking. It was time to change the subject to something more productive than his relationship status. “What do you think about Alcorn? Have you been following the story?”

“Rebecca hasn't turned the TV off or stopped checking her phone since the news broke.” Brody shook his head. “I don't know what to think. One minute we're chasing Thomas Kramer. The next he's dead and we've shifted our attention to Alcorn. She remembers that he helped out with the search.
Shocked
isn't the word for her expression when she found out he was allegedly involved in the first place.”

“You think there's a chance he's innocent?”

“Half the town is ready to march up to the jail and hang him. The other half is disgusted with those who are demanding justice before the facts have been heard.”

“What do you think?” Ryan asked.

“I don't know. After talking to Dylan and Samantha, I think there's more to the whole story than just Alcorn.”

“More people involved in the kidnappings? Like a ring?” Ryan asked.

“I don't doubt Alcorn's involved somehow even though Rebecca was thrown off guard when we found out it was him.” Brody paused, scanning the lot and surrounding mesquite trees. “After Maribel was kidnapped, Dylan said he was taken to a warehouse on the outskirts of town and beaten by Alcorn's security team. If the guys work for Alcorn, I'm guessing he has to be involved in some way. Is he the leader? Are there more involved?” Brody shrugged. “That I don't know.”

“You're thinking he's part of some kind of organized operation?”

“It's possible. Dylan's been searching the county for this warehouse. Think about it. They could house a lot of people in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town.”

Ryan wasn't sure he wanted to. “Whatever happened to Kramer?”

“He burned in a car accident.”

“Didn't they find a boy in Kramer's house?” Ryan asked.

“They did. And it was all kinds of messed up. Turns out that years ago Kramer had lost a son around the same age as the boy, something to do with his wife neglecting the kid. Kramer believed his child was unfairly taken from him and that's how he justified taking a little boy. I think he was trying to replace his child, since he was fixated on taking seven-year-olds.”

“So he kidnapped two boys years apart?”