A Cowgirl's Pride (9 page)
Authors: Lorraine Nelson
“One more question. Why have you turned up here
at this point and not sooner?”
“I was virtually a prisoner of his from then on,
wanting to leave yet unable to. When I finally saw a chance to get away, I took
it.”
“And he followed.”
“Exactly.”
“Grayson, can you fax copies of the file to me?”
He dug in his wallet and produced a business card, passing it to Michael.
“Here’s my card with my personal phone and fax numbers. I’m not sure how
but I’m going to find out. If I can be of service in any other way, let me
know.”
“According to Leah, he has quite a few higher
ups in his pocket. It’s all in the report. If anything new turns up, I’ll be
sure to keep you informed,” said Michael. “For now, I’d settle for a ride home.
I’ll call a tow truck for the squad car.”
“Grab what you need from your car and I’ll take
you myself.”
“Thanks.”
Michael pocketed his cell phone while Leah
retrieved her purse then they followed DuShane to his car. When they arrived at
the Grayson spread, Charlie’s cruiser was parked by the house.
DuShane turned his head and raised an eyebrow in
question.
“Just a precaution.”
He nodded, the corner of his mouth turning up in
a wry smile. “I’ll look forward to receiving that file.”
Michael grinned. “You’ll have it within the
hour. Thanks for the lift.” He jumped out and opened the rear door for Leah,
then took her arm as they walked to the house.
“You ready for this?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said.
They entered the kitchen to find Charlie and
Scott seated at the table with Winnie and her father. Lucas stood to greet
them.
“Now this is a surprise. Must be our day for
company,” he said, shooting a shrewd glance at Michael. “Come sit here beside
me, Leah.”
“Any coffee left or did these two drink it all?”
“I just made a fresh pot,” said his mother.
“Have a seat and I’ll pour you one.”
“No need, Mama. I can get it. Leah, want a
coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
“Leah, have you met Scott and Charlie?” asked
Winnie.
“No, I haven’t. Nice to meet you,” she said with
a smile aimed at both. She felt nervous and didn’t want an audience when she
told her father about her life since she’d been gone.
“If you guys have had enough coffee, you can
head out. I’ll be behind you shortly.”
Charlie nodded and rose to his feet. “Thank you
for the coffee and pastries, Mrs. M.”
“Yeah, thanks,” said Scott. “Mighty tasty.”
“You’re more than welcome to stop in anytime
you’re out this way,” said Winnie as she showed them to the door.
After the door closed, Michael turned to Leah.
“Did you want to speak with your father privately? Mama and I can go in the
other room.”
“No, it’s all right. Winnie needs to hear this,
too.”
She waited until they sat down before she began.
“Daddy, you remember how I always wanted to be a dancer? How you paid for all
those lessons and drove me back and forth to class for years?”
He nodded.
“When I left here, I got a dance gig with a
small theatre group in
Through that, I got noticed by a talent scout. He was so handsome and charming.
I never thought for a moment that he wasn’t being totally honest. He produced a
contract, and I signed without reading it. Dumb, I know.”
“So you danced. What went wrong?”
“I’d signed a contract to dance at a topless
club.”
Winnie gasped in shock.
“A stripper? My daughter a stripper? Why didn’t
cha walk out when ya found out what kind of place it was?”
“I tried, but he said I’d never dance again, and
they’d sue for breach of contract. So I danced.”
“Lord love a duck! Thank God yer mother’s not
alive to hear this. What were ya thinkin’?”
He stood and paced the room, anguish and
disappointment clear to see on his face.
“I thought since I’d made my bed, it was up to
me to make the best of it.”
“Too proud to call home and ask for help,” he
accused.
“Yeah, that, too.”
He sat back down. “How long was this contract
for?”
“Five years. My contract expired a few months
ago.”
“So that’s why you’ve returned home.”
“Not exactly.” She continued her story, watching
his face for any and all signs of emotion.
“I knew it! I knew when you wouldn’t leave an
address or phone number that somethin’ was wrong. If’n I’d known he was holdin’
you hostage, I would’ve gone out there and brought you home myself.”
“Don’t you see? That’s the last thing I wanted.
You would’ve ended up dead, too.”
“Leah, you’re my daughter, my own flesh and
blood. If’n it took my dyin’ to set you free, I would’a done it in a
heartbeat.”
“Oh, Daddy! I’m so sorry I’ve disappointed you.”
“You stood up for what you felt you had to. How
can a man be disappointed in that?” He put an arm around her and hugged her
close. “So now that man, the father of your child, is makin’ threats. What are
we doin’ about that, Michael?”
Lucas and Winnie sat in silence while Michael
related the day’s events.
“So that’s why Charlie showed up here. I
should’a known,” said Lucas. “So what now? We pack our bags and head for
Thunder Creek?”
“That would make it much easier to provide
protection for everybody,” Michael said in agreement. “Would you mind?”
“Hell, no! Not if it means being on hand to
protect my baby girl. Winnie, luv, need help packin’?”
“No, dear. I think I have it down pat. Back in a
few minutes.”
“I need to make a stop at the detachment in
We’ll detour that way and pick up my vehicle. I’d best pack a change of clothes
while I’m here.”
“I’ll check with Joe while we’re waiting and let
him know where we’ll be,” said Lucas.
“Good. Be right back,” Michael said as he left
the room.
When Michael returned, he showed her the picture
of his ex-partner.
She shook her head. “No, I’m glad to say I don’t
recognize him.”
“Good.” Michael smiled. “I didn’t think you
would, but I like to cover all my bases before I make a move.”
Soon everything was ready, and they piled into
Lucas’s crew cab for the drive to Thunder Creek via
Leah was proud of her father for taking the news so well. He could’ve said “I
told you so,” or disowned her, as she’d feared, but he hadn’t done either of
those things.
Her life had certainly veered off on a much
different path from what she’d envisioned years before, but she was glad to
have survived. The experience served its purpose in bringing her to her senses.
Home is definitely where her heart had been all this time.
Chapter Six
Luke called the wranglers to a meeting was
rather redundant. He informed them of Leah's return, and they were expecting
trouble. They’d already known both, seeing as how she was standing beside her
brother and the Crime Scene Unit had spent the morning there gathering
evidence, but to have it spelled out was important to Luke.
“I want them to be prepared. Those guys will be
back. That shot at
house.
“Yes, I know. Will the wranglers all stay, or do
you think some will want to leave?” she asked worriedly.
Luke grinned. “They’re staying. Most of them
know you and are more than willing to help out. The few we’ve hired since
you’ve been gone proved their loyalty in protecting us earlier this year.
Everything will be okay.”
He wrapped his strong, muscled arms around her
in a comforting hug, which was more than welcome.
“I hate that I’ve put everyone I love in
danger.”
“Well, I love the fact that you’ve come home
when you needed help, although I wish it had been sooner. When I think of what
you’ve gone through, alone and afraid, I’d like to have that bastard’s throat
between my hands.”
“Well, I’m glad you don’t.”
“You don’t still care for him, do you?” he asked
as he held her slightly away from him to look at her face.
“No, I just don’t want to have to visit you in
jail.”
He laughed. “You won’t. We have the law on our
side. Remember?”
“How can I forget with Michael dogging my
footsteps everywhere I go? I’m home, and I can’t even take Beauty for a ride.
I’m so happy you kept my horse for me.”
“She’s here and in excellent shape. Maybe we can
saddle up and go for a ride tomorrow. We’ll take some wranglers with us for
extra protection.”
“Really? Oh, thank you, Luke! Roddy doesn’t ride
so I don’t think there would be any trouble.”
“Maybe not, but a rifle shot travels a fair
distance. We’d still need to be careful.”
“Yes, of course.” They’d entered Luke’s office,
and she surveyed the room that used to be her father’s study. “I like what
you’ve done to this room. It’s cozy. When did you install the bookshelves?”
“After Dad remarried and moved in with Winnie, I
redid the room. I lived alone at the time, and the living room felt too cold,
impersonal, so I made this my sanctuary. I revamped the fireplace, added the
bookcases and a couple of easy chairs and spent many evenings in here.”
“Are you
happy, Luke?”
“Utterly and completely. Family is important. I
regret the lost years and wish things had been different, but I was as much to
blame for that as Zakia. With a new baby on the way, life seems to have come
full circle for us.”
“Yeah, and this time you get to change dirty
diapers,” she teased.
“Gladly. I missed out on so much with the
twins.”
“They are adorable, and they look so much like
you.”
“Yep, no guessing who their daddy is for sure.”
“So, is it twins again?”
“Bite your tongue, girl!” He laughed. “We don’t
know yet, but it’s possible. How about you?”
“One would be plenty for me to manage, but I
don’t know. I have to find a doctor. Haven’t seen one yet as I didn’t want word
to get back to Roddy.”
“Talk to Zakia. She likes the doctor she’s
seeing.”
“Okay, I’ll do that.”
“I need to go check on the boys. Maybe I’ll take
them to the barn with me so Zakia can rest for a while.”
“Do you mind if I grab a book and stay in here?”
“Not at all. Make yourself at home, but don’t
forget to lock the door when you leave. Those scamps of mine have already
ruined one printer. I don’t want to have to replace another.”
She laughed. “Really? What did they do?”
“Tried to feed it a piece of toast. Everything
afterwards came out streaked with grease.”
“Oh, dear! That’s so funny. Don’t worry, I’ll be
sure to lock up.”
“See you later then. I’ll let Michael know where
he can find you.”
He left, closing the door behind him, and she was
still chuckling to herself as she crossed the room to pick out a book. She was
reading the back cover blurb on a romantic suspense when she detected movement
outside the patio doors in her peripheral vision. Alarmed, she ducked and turned,
only to relax when she spotted
standing there grinning at her like a fool.
She crossed the room and opened the door,
letting in a cold blast of winter wind. “What are you doing out there?”
“Blowing snow out of the walkways. Luke likes to
keep all the entrances clear in case of emergency.”
“You look cold. Want to come in and warm up?
Luke started the fire a little while ago.”
“Thought you’d never ask.” He grinned and
stomped the snow off his boots, then stepped inside. Leaving his boots and
gloves on the doormat, he walked over to warm his hands by the fire. “This is
nice. How come you’re in here by yourself and not mingling with the family?”
“No particular reason. Luke and I were in here
talking and the thought of some peace and quiet appealed to me. I was trying to
find a book to read.”
He looked around at the walls lined with books.
“That shouldn’t be a problem with all these to choose from.”
“On the contrary.” She laughed. “It’s because
there are so many good ones, I don’t know which to read first.”
“We sure don’t have that problem in the
bunkhouse. I think I’ve read every book and magazine out there at least three
times.”