Maverick Sheriff (3 page)

As if to anchor his hands in place, he hooked his thumbs over the belt holster that held both his gun and his badge. What he didn’t do was take his attention off her son.

“Why’d you go the adoption route?” he asked.

Jessa kept her attention plastered to Liam, too, and tried to tamp down her breathing. “You mean there’s something you don’t know about me? I figured you had run a thorough background check by now.”

“Oh, I have. I know you’re thirty-three. Divorced. And you were an assistant D.A. one county over before you moved here. Nothing in that background check said why you adopted.”

No. It wouldn’t. Résumés and records didn’t reveal a need so deep that she’d ached for it. “Because I wanted a child, and I figured there were plenty of children out there who needed a parent.”

Besides, she’d given up on finding Mr. Right to help her make a baby and a family. There’d been too many Mr. Wrongs in her life for her to keep believing that particular fantasy, and she hadn’t wanted an unfulfilled fantasy to get in the way of what she wanted most—motherhood.

“It’s funny,” she added. “But just this week I requested information about Liam’s birth parents. You know, family history stuff in case something like this happened. If I’d gotten the info sooner, I would have known about his rare blood type. I could have told the doctor straight off and it wouldn’t have wasted precious minutes.”

“They still would have had to test him,” Cooper assured her. “They can’t go pumping blood into somebody without confirming the type.”

True. But Jessa couldn’t help but think that she could have done more. Every second had been critical, and she prayed those lost seconds hadn’t hurt her son’s chances of making a full recovery.

“How’d this car accident happen?” Cooper asked. “You said someone sideswiped you?”

Jessa certainly hadn’t forgotten about the accident that had brought them here. In fact, she would press Cooper for a thorough investigation later, but it was hard to remember the details with all these emotions cutting through her. Still, she tried. Best to tell him before she forgot anything.

“I was on Silver Mine Road, less than a mile from my house, and this truck came out of nowhere. The driver must have been on one of those old ranch trails because he pulled out right behind me. He was going so fast and tried to pass. That’s when he hit my car, and I went into the ditch. He stopped for just a second or two, but then this other car came, and the driver of the truck sped off.”

Thankfully, the other driver, Herman Hendricks, a rancher who owned the property not far from hers, had called the ambulance right away.

Cooper made a sound to indicate he was thinking about what she’d said. “And you didn’t get the truck’s license plate number?”

She shook her head. “I barely had time to think. The air bags deployed, even the one in the back where I had Liam strapped into his car seat.” The guilt tore through her, and she had to choke back a sob.

“This is my fault,” she managed to say. “Liam’s favorite toy is this hard plastic horse, and I let him hold it while he was in the car seat. The air bag must have hit the horse, and that’s what ruptured his spleen.”

Cooper huffed. “Even if that’s what happened, you had no way of knowing that some fool would force you off the road.” He paused. “Did you recognize the truck?”

Another head shake. “And I wasn’t really looking for side traffic. I mean, there’s usually no one else on that part of the road at that time of morning. It was a miracle Mr. Hendricks was there.”

She’d allowed herself to be lulled into a false sense of safety. And she’d desperately wanted safe. That was why she’d moved her son to the small rural house three miles outside of town.

Cooper looked ready to launch into more questions, but his phone buzzed. He stretched out his jeans-clad leg so he could take it from his pocket. They were close, practically shoulder to shoulder despite the seat with his Stetson between them, so she could see the name on the screen.

Colt McKinnon.

His brother, the deputy.

Cooper didn’t put the call on speaker, but it was impossible for her to miss what Colt said in the otherwise soundless room. “Jewell and the others are coming in the day after tomorrow. They’re not going straight to the county sheriff’s office, though. They’re coming out to the ranch.”

His mouth tightened. “Why the hell are they going there?”

Colt didn’t answer right away. “Dad asked her that, and Jewell reminded him that she owns the ranch. Not him. Not us.”

Jessa hadn’t thought it possible, but Cooper’s mouth tightened even more.

The ranch’s ownership wasn’t a surprise. She knew that Jewell owned it outright, an inheritance from her own grandfather before she’d married Roy McKinnon. But Jessa was surprised the woman would play the ownership card when she had to know she wouldn’t be welcome there.

“Jewell wants the guesthouse fixed up for her stepson and the twins,” Colt added. “She says they’ll be staying there while she’s awaiting trial.”

Jessa silently groaned. Oh, mercy. Cooper’s mother was really pushing it hard. Even though her daughters were Cooper’s full-blooded siblings, Jessa had heard that he hadn’t seen them since they were kids. Thankfully, Jewell wouldn’t be bringing her second husband, since he’d passed away years ago. Still, it’d be a mess since it would no doubt be months before the trial even started.

“What about the arresting officer?” Cooper asked. “Will he come out to the ranch for her?”

Cooper said
arresting officer
as if it were some kind of bug to be squashed. She hadn’t expected a different reaction. Nor had Jessa had a choice in requesting someone from outside of Sweetwater Springs. She couldn’t expect Jewell’s own sons to make the arrest. The FBI was out, too, since Jewell’s stepson was an agent. Ditto for the Rangers, because Cooper’s brother was one.

That left the county sheriff, but that was a conflict of interest, too, since the county sheriff’s father was the very man Jewell was accused of murdering. That was why Jessa had gotten permission from the state attorney general for a county deputy to do the deed. Hardly in the county deputy’s job description to make an arrest for a murder in a town that had an entire law enforcement team, but it seemed the best alternative considering the circumstances.

“Are you out at the accident scene where the A.D.A. was run off the road?” Cooper asked.

“Yeah. No skid marks, but I can see the point of impact on her car where she was sideswiped.”

“Look for tracks on the ranch trail several yards before the impact. Jessa says that’s where the truck came out.”

Cooper had used her given name, but he hadn’t said it with any kind of affection. In fact, it’d seemed to stick in his throat, but it would have seemed petty to call her Ms. Wells after she’d launched herself into his arms earlier.

Something Jessa already regretted.

No sense breaking down the kinds of barriers that needed to stay in place.

“How’s her boy?” she heard Colt ask.

Since Cooper’s gaze was still on her son, he had a quick answer. “Surgery’s finishing up now.”

“You okay?” Colt said after pausing.

“Fine.” Cooper jabbed the end-call button so hard she was surprised his phone didn’t shatter.

Like her.

The panic was boiling through her again, and since it did indeed seem as if the surgery was wrapping up, she headed for the stairs. Cooper followed. Well, he ambled along behind her anyway, and caught up with her when she stopped outside the operating room doors.

She wanted to burst into the room, to beg for any information anyone could give her, but being closer to Liam didn’t lessen the panic. It only made it worse.

Jessa started pacing.

“You should go,” she said to Cooper. Though she didn’t want him to leave. Yes, it was crazy, but he might be the only person nearby who actually knew what she was going through.

“I got a few minutes.” Though he did check the time on his phone. “I need to do some paperwork, but it can wait.”

There wasn’t as much venom in his voice as she’d expected. Especially considering the massive amount of venom that’d been between them since she’d requested the county sheriff reopen this investigation.

“You think I’m on a witch hunt to have your mother arrested,” she said. She didn’t want to have this discussion with him, but after what he’d done for her and Liam, Jessa wanted to give him an explanation.

Well, as much as she could give, anyway.

Cooper already knew about the forensics. He’d no doubt studied every last detail. Twenty-three years ago, there’d been enough of Whitt Braddock’s blood found in a hunting cabin on the grounds of his massive ranch for him to be declared dead, despite the fact his body was missing.

Dragged from the cabin, from the looks of it.

Rumors were rampant that Whitt and Jewell had been having an affair, and that she’d killed him in the heat of passion when he’d tried to break things off with her and go back to his wife. The rumors had stayed just that.

Rumors.

Until Jessa had arrived in town as the new A.D.A., and she’d requested items taken from the old crime scene be tested. Jewell’s DNA had been discovered on both the bed sheets and the knife that’d been found near the scene.

“I’m just sorry your mother’s the target of my investigation,” she added.

Cooper spared her a hard glance. “It’s not my mother I’m worried about. She can take care of herself.”

There it was. The venom. It wasn’t aimed at her but rather his mother. Of course, Jewell had abandoned her husband and sons when she’d fled town under a cloud of suspicion. Cooper, his brothers and his father had to resent that, and it showed in his voice.

The door behind her finally opened, and Jessa turned so fast that her neck popped. It was Dr. Howland, and even though she’d never been happier to see someone, she couldn’t read his expression.

He tugged the surgical mask off his mouth and nodded. “Liam’s going to be okay.”

The relief was instant, flooding through her and turning her legs to mush. If Cooper hadn’t taken hold of her arm, she probably would have just crumpled to the floor.

Maybe sensing that Cooper wasn’t exactly comfortable with rescue detail, the doctor took over. “Come on. They’re moving him to the recovery room soon, and you can see him.”

Despite everything feeling wobbly, Jessa got herself walking. She could see her little boy and make sure for herself that he was indeed okay. Thankfully, she didn’t have to go far. Just two doors down, and Dr. Howland opened it for her and ushered her inside. Liam wasn’t there yet, and she prayed she didn’t have to wait much longer.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” the doctor told her, and stepped into the hall where Cooper was still waiting.

“All right, what’s wrong?” she heard the doctor ask him.

Puzzled, Jessa stayed in the doorway, peering around the side, and she tried to hear Cooper’s response. But he just shook his head and mumbled something she didn’t catch.

Maybe this was about his late wife and child. Maybe the ordeal had brought back bad memories. Of course, the sheriff was about to face a whole boatload of new bad memories thanks to his mother and Jessa’s investigation.

Since this was likely a very private conversation, Jessa started to move away so she wouldn’t be able to hear. Then Cooper pulled in a hard breath and turned to the side so that she couldn’t see his expression. But she could tell from his body language that whatever was bothering him wasn’t good.

“I need you to run a DNA test,” Cooper said to the doctor. She missed whatever he added to the request.

DNA? So maybe this wasn’t personal. Maybe it had something to do with a case. Except she knew all of his investigations, and there wasn’t one that required any kind of DNA test.

“I can get a court order,” Cooper went on. “Or we can do this quietly. For now. If anything turns up, then I’d have to make it official, of course.”

The doctor didn’t say anything for several moments and shook his head. “I’m afraid you’ll need that court order for this.”

If Cooper had a reaction to that, she couldn’t see it. He simply nodded. “You’ll have it within the hour. Then I want the test done ASAP.”

“Sure. Once I have the order.” Dr. Howland paused again. “Whose DNA are we comparing to his?”

Cooper turned and delivered his answer from over his shoulder. “Mine.”

Chapter Three

Cooper’s mind wasn’t where it darn well should be. Even two days after donating blood, his thoughts were still on the little boy, Liam, at the hospital. The boy who now had Cooper’s blood in his veins.

He’d already made at least a dozen calls to find out his condition. The boy was recovering, something Dr. Howland kept saying every time Cooper asked. That was good. But it wasn’t the same as seeing Liam.

Or knowing the truth about his paternity.

It was such a long shot that this boy could be his son. But after living with no shot at all for nearly two years, Cooper had grabbed on to the sliver of hope as if it were a lifeline.

But it was a lifeline that he had to push aside.

Because all hell was about to break loose.

He’d had to make a lot of waves to get that court order for the DNA test, and by now half the county had probably heard about his request, or rumors of it, anyway.

Including Jessa.

She hadn’t contacted him about it yet, which meant by some miracle she hadn’t heard or either she was still too worried about Liam to do anything about it.

Cooper was worried, too. For the boy. For this blasted hope that he couldn’t tamp down. For the test result that he should have in the next twenty-four hours or sooner.

And worried for what the coming days would bring with Jewell’s arrival.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t push the latter aside because it was driving up the ranch road directly for the house he called home.

“Figured she’d be driving something flashier than that,” his kid brother, Colt, mumbled. He had his attention fixed to the white car that was kicking up a trail of dust as it made its way to the house.

Cooper hadn’t given a thought to the kind of vehicle. Only the occupants inside. Judging from the way his brother Tucker grunted, he’d done the same.