Outlaw Cowboy (24 page)

Hell, what did she know?

Didn't matter. She was going to start focusing on the things she could control. On the life she wanted. She'd lived at the whims and needs of other people forever. Once she was free, she was going to embrace that freedom.

She was going to find out who Delia Rogers was and what Delia Rogers wanted.

Caleb. Shaw. A little garden.

Delia blew out another breath. She wasn't done loving Caleb Shaw, but they had some time to get through before they could meet in the middle.

Bastard better not fall in love with someone else or she might be right back here for assault.

Or you'll get over it, move on, find somewhere new to belong. A fresh start.

Unfortunately, this Delia Rogers finally knew and admitted to herself exactly what she wanted, and assault sounded a lot better than getting over anything.

Caleb was inside the Brick House in Bartlett the minute it opened. He had a gun in the waistband of his pants and a mission. The mission helped him keep his mind off Delia in a cell and the gun on his hip.

But it didn't quite stop the
what the hell are you doing
chorus in his mind. He had a plan, but it was insane. It was insane to think he could accomplish this. But it had been insane to let his entire life get out of hand from one end of the spectrum to the other.

So here he was.

But thanks to Rose, he had a whole plan in place. Eddie would walk in and the bartender would give him a free beer and instruct him to sit at Caleb's table. The place would be empty since it didn't usually open until later in the afternoon. Caleb would keep Eddie talking until two. By then, Rose would have tipped off a county deputy about a fight in progress.

Hopefully, the fight part was going to be a lie. But if Caleb had to ruin his sadly stitched-together reputation, he'd do it if he could get Delia back to Shaw where she belonged.

Where they belonged.

The door swung open and a tall guy sauntered into the bar. When he reached the bartender, the bartender gave a nod in Caleb's direction and drew him a mug of beer.

So this was Eddie. Delia really had shit taste in men.

Eddie spoke with the bartender a few minutes, then glanced at Caleb before sauntering over. His smile reminded Caleb of a used-car salesman.

“Thanks for the beer, man. What can I do for you?”

“Take a seat.” Caleb gestured at the seat across from him. He had five minutes before the clock hit two, which meant he had to hurry, or he'd have to clock Eddie for no reason. It'd give him some joy, but it wouldn't do well for his track record of staying out of jail no matter what shit things he'd done.

Eddie hesitated, but it seemed Caleb's and Rose's assumption was right. Eddie was the kind of man who couldn't say no to the possibility of selling a little dope. He slid into the seat, relaxed but alert. He didn't drink his beer.

Business first, Caleb supposed. “You know a woman named Delia Rogers?”

The guy's eyes squinted, but Caleb gave him credit for not reacting any other way. “Doesn't ring any bells.”

“To which I say, bullshit,” Caleb responded calmly, though it took everything in him.

“Listen, buddy—”

Caleb placed a hand over the gun at his hip. Eddie looked, as Caleb hoped he would. He wouldn't be able to see the gun, but the gesture would make him wonder.

“No, you're going to listen, Eddie. Delia is sitting in Valley County Sheriff's Department right now because of you. Now, you can do the admirable thing and go clear her or…”

“Or?” Eddie laughed. “Let's skip the bullshit. Why the hell would I go to the cops when I have my own warrants?”

“Because Delia had nothing to do with your dumb shit.”

“So fucking what? That little bitch stole from me.”

He had to hurry this along or he'd break Eddie's nose when he punched him. “Here's the deal. You're going to go outside. You're going to find the first cop you see. You're going to tell him who you are, what you're wanted for. You will let him arrest you. You will go to the police station, and when they question you, you will tell them that you acted alone. Or, what we call 'round these parts, the truth.”

“Oh, really? And why'm I gonna do all that? Who the fuck are you?”

“Because if you don't do all that, I will follow you. I will follow you until you are alone and vulnerable and I will shoot you. And you will die. Alone.”

“Fuck, dude. Are you nuts? They're some crappy drug charges. You just stay out of the way of the cops, they don't even come looking for you.”

Caleb didn't say anything to that. He didn't have to. They weren't crappy drug charges to him. They were his and Delia's life.

So he held Eddie's gaze, thought of all the things he would do to protect his family, the people he loved, and he let Eddie see he would do what he had to.

Eddie's eyes widened. “You're going to threaten to kill me over it? Fuck this shit.”

Eddie began to push away from the table, so shielding it as best he could, Caleb pulled Rose's gun where Eddie could see it. “Sit down.”

Eddie stopped, obviously more than a little taken aback that Caleb was acting like he meant business. “You are crazy.”

Caleb lifted a shoulder. “Guess so. So, what's it gonna be? A little jail time or a bullet to your brain sometime in the near future?” Caleb didn't even have to force himself to smile—the pale pallor of Eddie's skin was enough to tug the corners of his mouth up all on its own. This man had hurt Delia; giving him a scare was more than justified.

Eddie didn't move, so Caleb got to his feet as well. He put the gun back in the waistband of his pants, covering it with his shirt. But he kept his hand there so Eddie remembered.

“Go on,” Caleb urged, half considering knocking the guy out anyway. Even though Eddie was tacitly agreeing, it'd be awfully satisfying. The only thing that kept him from acting was the gun on his person not registered to him and the cop who would hopefully be on the other side of this door.

But they didn't reach the door. Just a few steps away from it, Eddie grabbed a chair and swung it at him. Though Caleb saw it coming enough to dodge, it gave Eddie the chance to knock a free hand right into Caleb's face.

He didn't block the punch. Physical evidence would give him some ammunition in pressing charges. So Eddie's fist landed square on his jaw, a jarring, painful blow.

Fucker.

Caleb was knocked back, but he scrambled after Eddie. Eddie pushed out of the door, and Caleb followed. One step into the bright afternoon, and he saw Eddie tearing down the street, and a deputy stepping out of his cruiser.

“Hey! That guy hit me!”

With Rose's perfectly timed call, presumably, it was all it took for the deputy to take off after Eddie, speaking into the radio at his shoulder as he did.

Since the guy was alone, Caleb stepped back inside and walked briskly to the counter. The unfazed bartender was wiping it down, and Caleb placed the gun on the worn surface. “Get this back to Rose?” He hoped like hell, because Rose had worked this out with the guy, that they were friends enough to get each other's firearms back to each other.

The bartender nodded and slipped it under the bar as a different cop shoved through the door.

“You the guy who called Valley?”

Caleb puzzled a little over that, since Rose was supposed to be the one who'd called. “About the fight?”

The deputy nodded, stepping forward.

“Yeah, that was me.”

“I've got a few questions for you, sir.”

“Sure thing,” Caleb replied, trying not to smile.

For once in his life, a plan had worked out the way it was supposed to.

* * *

So county jail was kind of terrible. Terrible and lonely. Delia shuddered to think of sleeping here, but the hours were ticking down and—

“Ms. Rogers.”

Delia blinked at the female officer unlocking the cell.

“Come with me, please.”

Stomach clutching with nerves, Delia did as she was told. What the hell was going on? They'd already talked to her, told her dismissively she'd have to prove she had nothing to do with it in court, after all, the county applying on warrants was pretty damning.

She could hardly blame them. She sounded like a moron, claiming she was innocent.

“You're being released.”

“Released?” The words didn't make sense. Not after they'd ignored her pleas of innocence and told her she'd be assigned bail and a lawyer. She was led through a sort of backward progression to the way she'd come. Paperwork she had to sign, her belongings returned to her. She tried to make sense of it. “I don't understand.”

“Your story about not being involved was corroborated, hence the charges against you are dropped.”

“But…”

Efficiently, the woman returned Delia's boots and then led her out to another part of the jail. There was Eddie, being taken through the corridor in handcuffs.

She could only stare.

“Lucky bitch,” Eddie muttered before being jerked and pushed down the hall.

“I…”

“You will likely be contacted to testify in the drug case against Mr. Boothe. But for now, sign here and you're free to go.”

Delia signed the papers without really understanding. This was all so very anticlimactic, which seemed fitting. Everything about the past few days had been…nothing.

Life was gray without Caleb. Whether she was in jail or being released, nothing was all that bright knowing he—

“You can use this phone to arrange transportation.” A clerk of some kind sitting behind a desk scooted a phone toward her.

Delia blinked at it. She didn't know who to call or how to dial. She didn't…

She had to shake her head to clear it.
Focus.
In the end, she had to ask to look up the number to Pioneer Spirit. When Rose answered, Delia had to swallow down a sob.

“Rose? What did you do?”

“Delia. Thank
God
. We were starting to get worried.”

“We—”

“Head out to the visitors' parking. Go past the security guard station, and you'll see.”

“But—”

“And whatever he tells you, I had nothing to do with it.”

“But—”

“Go. And call me when you're safe and sound. Steph's here, you can talk to her in a bit. Just…get away from there first.”

“Rose.”

“Bye, Delia. Love you.”

It was the “love you” that caught Delia off guard enough to listen to Rose's instructions. They had learned at a young age not to show affection, for fear of being punished. But she was being released, and Steph was safe.

So she whispered the words back, though she suspected Rose had already hung up, and then she did as Rose had instructed. She wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come. She was too numb and empty.

When she saw Caleb's truck parked just past the guard station, she almost stumbled. He was standing next to it.

But when he saw her… Everything about the guarded, off-putting demeanor changed. He immediately went for her.

She wanted to somehow be mad or ambivalent, but he was here. And what she really wanted to do was fall into his arms. Why shouldn't she? She loved him. Why shouldn't she—

She stepped passed the guard station just as he reached it, and before she could speak or tell him she wanted to forget the past day and go back to how things were before she'd told him, his arms were around her, squeezing so tight she could scarcely catch a breath.

“Oh, baby,” he breathed. “Delia.” His arms didn't loosen; she was merely trapped between them and his rock-hard chest. “I'm so sorry. So sorry.”

“Just tell me I'm not dreaming,” she squeaked.

He loosened his hold just enough to look at her. “Not dreaming. Unless we both are.”

“It's possible.”

He kissed her forehead, then her temple, her cheek. “Tell me you're all right.”

“I'm all right. Shockingly, Valley County Jail isn't quite as petrifying as TV jails.”

He held her so tight, and she held him. As long as they held on to each other, something good could come out of this. Couldn't it?

“How…how did this happen?” she whispered into the woodsy smell of his shoulder.

His forehead pressed to hers, his arms tightening around her. “I…”

After a few beats of silence, she pressed. “What did you do?” She had to know. How this had happened. What he'd sacrificed. What was left for
them
.

“It's not important,” he murmured.

But it was. What he'd given up to be here was so important, and she wanted to make sure he understood the full effect. She couldn't have him taking this back in a few days.

For once in her life, she had to know for sure. She had to believe in someone else, and she would. If he could explain. “I'm not moving until you tell me.”

He sighed, muttered something about pushy women. “I…threatened Eddie a little bit. Rose and I may have set him up. But it doesn't matter. The truth worked. You're free.”

She pulled away, as much as he would allow. “Why… How… Caleb, you risked…everything.” He'd risked
everything
to plan with her sister and set Eddie up and get her out of jail.

He'd risked Shaw…for her.
Someday he'll realize you aren't worth it…

But his brown gaze met hers, earnest, desperate. “I didn't risk anything that couldn't be risked. The only thing I wouldn't risk is you. I couldn't risk losing you. Let them never put my name on Shaw. I'll be a ranch hand and listen to my bossy niece or nephew when they're old enough. Or they'll kick me off. I don't care, if I can wake up with you every morning. It doesn't matter what I own, what my name is on, what anyone thinks of me. As long as you love me, and my family loves me, I have everything I need. I'll be the better man. All having stuff seems to do is make me a worse man. So it doesn't matter.”

“Caleb, you can't—”

“I mean it, Delia. I mean it with everything I am. I held on to Shaw because it couldn't disappoint me. It couldn't make me the bad guy or ignore me. It is this steady, sturdy thing. It'd always be there. And I do love it, but it is a thing. A piece of land. And it pales to the things you give me. You are everything I've been waiting for, hoping for. You are everything I need to be happy, and I never thought I could be happy. But with you, everything is possible. Everything.”

“
Caleb
.”

He finally pulled away, but his hands didn't leave her shoulders. “Let's get you home. We can talk about the rest at home.”

Home. Such a foreign word. “Where's home?”