Colton Cowboy Hideout (The Coltons of Texas, Book 7) Read online

  She and Michael had been achingly young and full of silly dreams—dreams that had been unable to last under the harshness of her reality.

  Her thoughts returned to the here and now and the man who had instantly sparked something inside of her. Tanner Grange had a tough road ahead of him as a single parent. How tragic that he’d lost his ex-wife so young, leaving him as the sole parent to those two beautiful girls.

  The shovel clanged noisily as he placed it in the pickup bed and then he got in behind the wheel.

  “Your daughters are darling,” she said as he started the engine and took off.

  “Thanks. They’re my entire life.” He frowned. “And finding a good nanny for them has been almost impossible. Brianna is the fourth one I’ve hired in the past six months or so.”

  “What was wrong with the first three?” Josie asked curiously. She was eager to talk about anything but the fact that there were still several official vehicles parked at the house, indicating that the investigation was ongoing.

  “The first woman was too impatient. She snapped at the girls constantly. The second lost one of the twins at the petting zoo we have here on the property, and the one before Brianna thought it was perfectly okay to strap the girls into the chairs at their little table with belts whenever they misbehaved.” His jaw tensed. “I know the girls can be a handful, but no way will I tolerate that kind of discipline.”

  Josie was horrified that anyone would think it was okay to tie up a child anywhere. “That’s appalling, but Brianna seems nice enough.”

  His muscles relaxed a bit. “She’s kind to the girls, although I think she gets overwhelmed easily and her chakra is constantly getting out of joint, so there’s no telling how long she’ll hang around.” He shot her a quick glance. “You seem like you’re good with children.”

  A small laugh escaped her. “Other than when I was mothering the little ones in foster care, I’ve never had an opportunity to be around any before today.”

  “Then I guess that makes you a natural,” he replied.

  Josie stared out the passenger window and considered his words. Was she a natural with children? She had no idea what she was good at or where she was going. Until a month ago she hadn’t believed she had any kind of a future at all.

  At the moment her future held only the need to find the watch and take it back to Granite Gulch so she and her siblings could take it to her father in prison.

  She only hoped Eldridge Colton didn’t wind up murdered. She’d had more than enough of murder and mayhem to last the rest of her life.

  She glanced at Tanner once again. His attention was directed out the window, but a pulse had begun working in his jaw again. She fought against a crazy impulse to lean over and stroke away the knot of tension. “You’re worried about Eldridge,” she ventured.

  He flashed another gaze at her from his amazing blue eyes. “I am. He’s a character, and he definitely has enough kids of his own, along with Whitney’s kids that he adopted, but he’s always treated me as a sort of adopted son.

  “I lost my parents in a car accident when I was twenty-two and Eldridge hired me on here and helped fill that void. I was honored when he made me foreman four years ago. I wasn’t sure I was ready to take on the responsibility, but he assured me that I was the man he wanted for the job. I care about him deeply.” His masculine voice cracked.

  “I hope he’s found safe and sound,” she replied, although she already feared the worst for Eldridge. There was no question that there had been a struggle and there had been blood. Definitely not a good thing.

  “There seemed to be a lot of tension between everyone,” she said, breaking the silence that had momentarily risen up between them. “For a minute I thought two of the men were going to have a fistfight.”

  “Fowler and Reid,” he replied. “They don’t get along very well. I guess family dynamics can be complicated.”

  Nobody knew that better than Josie. Her family dynamics had been strange for almost all of her life.

  She focused her attention out the window once again as the truck rumbled over rough terrain. They’d left the smoother pasture behind and were headed toward a heavily wooded area.

  A burst of anxiety filled her. The last thing she wanted or needed was to become embroiled in a kidnapping or a murder. She’d believed that all evil was finally behind her and she’d never have to think about anyone’s murder again. She just hoped by the time she dug up the watch, the mystery at the mansion would be solved and she could go back to Granite Gulch and figure out who she really was and what she wanted from life.

  * * *

  Tanner had a hundred worries on his mind, but in the relatively small confines of the pickup cab his main focus was now on the woman seated next to him.

  Something about Josie Colton reminded him that he wasn’t just a single father of twin daughters, but he was also a healthy man who had felt alone long before his wife, Helen, had walked out on him.

  He cast a quick glance at Josie. The sleeveless blue button-up blouse she wore enhanced the rich darkness of her thick hair and showcased a trim waist and the thrust of her breasts. Although she was short, her legs appeared long and shapely beneath the bottom of the jean shorts she wore.

  His fingers tingled with the desire to curl into the silky strands of her long hair. He wondered if her hazel eyes would turn more green or blue or gold when in the midst of a passionate encounter.

  He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. What was wrong with him? What in the heck was he thinking? He was in his midthirties and she looked barely legal. Besides, she was here to dig up an old watch and then she’d be on her way. Apparently the trauma of the morning had his brain firing nonsense in his head.

  He was grateful when they reached the area where the truck could no longer travel over the heavily wooded landscape. “We’ll have to go on foot from here,” he said. He shut off the engine and unfastened his seat belt while she did the same.

  “Is it far?” she asked.

  “About a five-minute walk,” he replied. At least out here the air smelled of trees and nature instead of spices and peaches and Josie.

  He frowned down at her pink-polished toenails that peeked out of flimsy-looking gold-trimmed white sandals. “Are you going to be able to walk okay in those?”

  She flashed him a cheeky grin. “Women can walk in any footwear, including four-inch heels when necessary. Just lead the way.”

  He grabbed the shovel from the pickup bed and then, with her trailing just behind him, he forged ahead into the thick woods.

  Other than the faint trickle of the brook that ran through this area and an occasional rustle of a rabbit or another small animal racing to find cover, a pleasant quietness reigned. It was especially pleasant after the utter chaos in the house.

  He was grateful Josie didn’t feel the need to fill the relative silence with meaningless chatter. He needed some time to clear his head and calm his racing thoughts.

  Sheriff Troy Watkins certainly didn’t have to go far to look for suspects in Eldridge’s case. All he had to do was look at the family and he’d find plenty of people who had motive to want to do harm to the old man.

  Would a ransom call come in? Would a note be received demanding money for the return of Eldridge? Had a business rival gone over the deep end and sought revenge? Hopefully Troy would be able to figure it out quickly and get Eldridge home safe and sound.

  He glanced over his shoulder and stopped in his tracks as he realized Josie had fallen slightly behind. “Sorry,” she said with a smile. “My legs aren’t as long as yours.”

  “No problem,” he replied and tried to ignore how her beautiful smile warmed something in his stomach that hadn’t been warmed for a very long time. “It’s not too far now.” She stepped up beside him and once again he was taunted by her inviting scent.

  “This watch must really be important to your father for you to go to all this trouble,” he said. Here in the shade provided by the trees overhead, her
eyes gleamed gold-green.

  “He wants to be buried with it and my siblings thought it was important to try to get it for him.”

  “Are your siblings all younger than you?” he asked.

  “No, I’m the youngest.” Her gaze shot ahead, as if eager to get the job done.

  And why wouldn’t she be in a hurry? He was sure the last thing she wanted to do was spend any more time in his company. She probably thought he was an old fogy. Hell, he was an old fogy who wanted only peace and stability for his daughters.

  He had no desire to hang out in a bar or go dancing at the latest hot spot. He’d rather play on the floor with his daughters than do much of anything else.

  They moved ahead and the small stream appeared next to them, babbling musically over the small rocks in its path. Josie threw a glance over her shoulder and then stumbled over an exposed tree root.

  He reached out and grabbed her firmly by the upper arm to steady her. Sensory overload instantly threatened to dizzy his head. Beneath the grasp of his hand her skin was warm and soft. A strand of her hair flew across his cheek, a tease of silkiness that caused tightness in his gut.

  Once she was stable, he dropped his grip on her and took a step back. “Thanks,” she said, her voice slightly husky.

  He gave her a curt nod and once again they walked on. “There it is.” He pointed ahead to an ancient oak that rose up majestically next to the stream. The trunk was huge and marred by a series of old carvings dug deep within the wood.

  Tension wafted from Josie. “It’s just like my father described—the tree, the carvings and the creek.”

  “Did he tell you what the carvings meant?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m not even sure he’s the one who made them.”

  “Then let’s see if we can dig up an old watch,” he replied.

  They hadn’t quite reached the front of the tree when a man stepped out from behind it, a gun in his hand.

  Josie released a sharp yelp of surprise and Tanner tightened his grip on the shovel. What in the hell was going on? Did this man have something to do with whatever had happened to Eldridge?

  “Josie Colton,” he said, his thin lips twisting into a sneer. “I knew if I tailed you long enough you’d lead me to the watch. I’ve been watching you for days.”

  “Who are you?” Josie asked.

  “That’s for me to know and you not to find out,” he replied. “Now, about that watch...”

  “What watch?” she replied. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her voice held a tremor that belied her calm demeanor.

  Tanner didn’t move a muscle although his brain fired off in a dozen different directions. The man had called her by name, so this obviously had nothing to do with Eldridge.

  Why would a man with a gun know about a watch wanted for sentimental reasons? What hadn’t Josie told him? Was it possible to unarm the man without anyone getting hurt?

  “Don’t play dumb with me, girly.” The man raised a hand to sweep a lank of oily dark hair out of his eyes. “Your daddy spent years in prison bragging about how he was going to be buried with that cheap watch and then nobody would ever find the map to all the money from those old bank heists.” He took a step toward them. “Now, tell me where that watch is. I want that map.”

  Adrenaline pumped through Tanner. He certainly didn’t know anything about old bank robberies, but a sick danger snapped in the air.

  A look of deadly menace radiated outward from the gunman’s dark, beady eyes. The gun was steady in his hands and Tanner’s chest constricted.

  He tightened his grip on the shovel, calculated the distance between himself and the gunman’s arm and then he swung. The end of the shovel connected. The gun fell from the man’s grasp, but not before he fired off a shot.

  The woods exploded with sound—the boom of the gun, a flutter of bird wings overhead as they flew out of the treetops and Josie’s scream of unmistakable pain.

  CHAPTER 3

  Pain seared through Josie’s upper arm. She grasped it and warm blood seeped through her fingers. At the same time the man picked up his gun from the ground and then turned and ran, quickly disappearing into the thicket.

  Tanner dropped the shovel and his hat fell off his head as he raced to her side. Josie’s brain fogged with shock and the stinging agony of her injury.

  “Here, take this.” Tanner quickly pulled his T-shirt over his head, exposing lean muscle and taut abs. He thrust the shirt into her hand. “Press it against your wound. We need to get back to the truck and get you some medical help.” His urgent tone cleared some of the fog from Josie’s head.

  Help. Yes, she needed help, although some of the excruciating sting had already started to abate. Still, she’d been shot. She’d been shot! The thought momentarily weakened her knees.

  Tanner bent down and grabbed the shovel and his hat. Then with narrowed eyes he scanned the area. “Let’s get out of here,” he said urgently.

  As they headed back to the truck Tanner remained vigilant, looking both behind them and around the trees surrounding them even though his shovel would be of little use against another flying bullet.

  They didn’t speak and Josie heard nothing to indicate they were being tracked, but then she hadn’t heard anything before the man had leaped out from behind the oak tree.

  The back of her throat threatened to close off and tremors filled her as a chill gripped her very soul. Jeez, she’d been shot. The creepy-crawly feeling she’d had for the last couple of weeks of somebody following her hadn’t just been her imagination. There had been somebody following her...watching her.

  Who was the man? Where had he come from? Apparently he’d followed her all the way from Granite Gulch and she hadn’t even known it.

  She stumbled across the ground, inwardly screaming. Once again her father was responsible for chaos and danger...a danger she’d brought here to Tanner.

  What if he’d been shot? What if he’d been killed? His daughters would have probably wound up in foster care, and the foster-care system had been responsible for Josie needing to go into the witness protection program for so many years.

  Who was the man? The question played over and over again in her mind. Was he one of her father’s old buddies? How had he known she would lead him to the watch? If Tanner hadn’t attacked first, would the man have shot them both if she hadn’t produced the watch? Oh, God, what a mess.

  By the time they reached the truck, her frantic heartbeat had begun to slow. Tanner helped her into the passenger seat and then he got behind the wheel and started the engine with a roar.

  “Are you losing a lot of blood? Are you keeping pressure on the wound? Do you feel like you’re going to pass out?” The questions fired out of him as the truck bumped across the land at what felt like a breakneck speed.

  “No, I’m not going to pass out.” She pulled the T-shirt away from her arm. Blood. Bright red blood, but not as much as she’d expected. “I think the bullet just grazed me.” She returned pressure on the wound.

  “Hopefully Troy is still at the house. We need to report this.”

  “No!” She straightened up in the seat and shot him a frantic glance. “Please, don’t do that.” He cast her a quick frown and she continued, “He can’t do anything about this. I’ll explain everything to you when we get back to the house. Just please don’t get the sheriff involved in this.”

  He made no reply.

  The drive back to the house seemed to take forever. Tears pressed hot behind her eyes. The tears weren’t for her. She never cried for herself.

  The emotion was the result of the close call they’d just had and because Tanner could have been killed because of her. He was just an innocent bystander thrust into the disaster of her life. He had nothing to do with her, her father, the watch or the danger that had come out of nowhere.

  When they reached the house Tanner parked next to the barn where they’d originally started from, and they both got out of the vehicle.

&
nbsp; “Let’s get you into my suite, where I can take a look at your arm and see if you need real medical care,” he said.

  Thankfully they managed to make it to his suite without encountering anyone else. Once there he unlocked the door and gestured her inside.

  Brianna stepped out of the nursery, took one look at the bloody T-shirt Josie held against her upper arm and turned pale. “Oh, my God, what’s happened? How did she get hurt? Did you hurt her?”

  “No, I didn’t hurt her,” Tanner replied with exasperation in his voice. “Brianna, take the girls to the dining room for lunch,” he added curtly.

  Lunch? Was it just now noon? It felt as if an entire lifetime had passed since she’d pulled up to the front gates to meet Eldridge and his family.

  Tanner led her through the master bedroom and into an adjoining bathroom, where he motioned her to have a seat on the commode. He disappeared for a moment and then returned wearing a navy blue short-sleeved pullover shirt.

  She sank down, her body once again trembling uncontrollably. Tanner gently pulled the T-shirt from her grasp and released a sigh of obvious relief. “It’s already stopped bleeding and I don’t think there’s a bullet in your arm.” He tossed the shirt to the floor and then bent down beneath the sink and retrieved a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and some cotton balls.

  “This might hurt a bit,” he said and then began to clean the wound.

  She closed her eyes and winced as he carefully cleaned the area. Instead of focusing on the pain, she concentrated on the outdoorsy, wonderful scent of him and the tenderness of his touch.

  “Thank God it’s not worse,” he said softly, his breath warm on the side of her face. “You were right—it’s just a graze.”

  She opened her eyes to look at him. “You could have been killed and it would have been all my fault.”

  “I could have gotten you killed with my kung-fu-fighting imitation,” he replied drily. He stepped back from her and grabbed a large bandage and some antibiotic cream.