“Damon showed up at Suzy’s house last night and wanted to talk. Suzy let him in. Bridger started threatening her, pushing her around, getting more and more violent, but Suzy wasn’t alone.”
“You set him up,” Josh said, smiling. “You got the woman to file charges. You figured Damon would show up and when he did, you had Townsend there to protect her.”
“Townsend tracked her down and convinced her to file. He and that Phoenix detective, Jeremy Larson, were there when Bridger went haywire. Larson had him on the carpet in handcuffs before he could carry out his threats.”
“I wish I’d seen that,” Tory said.
“Everything he said was recorded. Larson arrested him for attempted assault. Since it happened Friday night, he figures Bridger won’t get bailed till Monday.”
“Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy,” Josh said.
Linc chuckled. “I’ve got protection set up for Ms. Solomon till things cool down. I figure Bridger’s legal troubles will keep him busy for a while and out of your hair.”
Tory smiled. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help, Linc.”
“Believe me, it was my pleasure. Guys like that deserve all the bad luck they can get.”
“Thanks, Linc,” Josh said. “I owe you.”
“Fine, you can barbecue the next time we’re out at the ranch.”
“Fair enough.” Josh smiled as he hung up the phone.
“Your brother is the best.”
Josh arched a brow. “Yeah? What about me?”
Tory grinned. “Next to you.”
Josh bent and kissed her. The moment he felt the heat, he realized it was exactly the wrong thing to do. He needed to stay away from Tory. He couldn’t let himself get in any deeper. He just wasn’t ready for more.
Turning away, he sat down at the table and polished off the pancakes and eggs she’d fixed him. Ivy came over with a new crayon drawing, this one of her working with Mrs. T. in the garden. He put it up on the fridge next to the picture she had drawn before.
She was the cutest little girl. Sweet and loving. Well behaved and smart. Trouble was, he wasn’t ready to take on the job of raising a kid. He’d just gotten out of the marines. As a sniper, he’d been responsible for the lives of dozens of men. He needed a break, time to himself, time to adjust.
His mood darkened again. He left the house and returned to the barn. He’d figure it out. He just needed a little more time.
An hour passed. Tory and Ivy were safe, at least for the time being, but Josh was still edgy. He checked on Star, then saddled Thor. Fetching his rifle out of a locked closet in the tack room where he had been keeping it, he slid it into the scabbard, pulled a lightweight rain poncho over his head, stepped into the stirrup, and swung up in the saddle.
Thunder rumbled overhead. A mist of rain cut through the humid air and the wind picked up. He had a little time before the storm hit in earnest. Tugging his hat brim low on his forehead, he gigged the buckskin and rode out of the barn toward the pasture.
It didn’t take long to reach one of the main trails cutting through the grasslands. He nudged Thor into an easy lope, rode past a small lake, and headed north, off toward the river. No cell service this far from the ranch house. No one around but an occasional deer or rabbit, a wild boar shuffling through the underbrush.
Time slipped past. He wondered if Tory would have enjoyed the ride. He’d promised to show her the ranch, promised they would take photos for the webpage along the way.
He didn’t like to think how close they’d come to being killed yesterday, that the shot that missed him could have hit Tory.
He didn’t go to church often, but after yesterday’s close call, he felt the need to give thanks. Maybe he’d take Tory and Ivy to church in Iron Springs tomorrow morning.
Then he thought how it would look like they were a family and scrapped the notion.
He drew rein, pausing on a knoll to survey the vast green landscape stretching in front of him. There were four ponds on the ranch, dark spots scattered in the vast stretches of green. A heavily wooded area full of wild game rose off to his left. A shallow ravine veered to the right and the river lay ahead.
The old hunting cabin wasn’t much farther. The porch looked out over an oxbow in the stream. He’d head in that direction in case a thunderstorm blew in.
The wind felt good against his face as Josh leaned over the buckskin’s neck and urged the big horse forward.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The afternoon was slipping away. With the bad weather, Tory was working in Josh’s office, getting the webpage design finalized, preparing to post the photos she was ready to start taking.
She glanced at the time at the bottom of the computer screen. Josh had been gone for hours. Tory was worried about him.
Outside the window, the sky was the color of pewter, intermittent gusts of rain coming down, the wind tearing through the branches of the trees. Still, he didn’t come home. Tory had sensed his dark mood that morning and tried to give him some space.
With everything that had been happening, she didn’t blame him for seeking the solace of the vast, open spaces around him. Josh was a man’s man. The ranch suited him perfectly.
She thought of his restlessness and couldn’t help wondering how all of this would end. Clearly, Josh wasn’t ready to settle down. When she had arrived six weeks ago, she would have said the same thing about herself.
Now everything she had ever wanted was right there in front of her, right there on the Iron River Ranch. She loved this wide-open country, loved the horses, loved the small community, the friends she and Ivy were making.
And she loved Joshua Cain.
Her heart squeezed. She knew he cared about her, knew he cared about Ivy. But he had just come home from the war, just gotten his life back, his freedom. She wished they had met at some later time. Maybe things would have been different.
She took a shaky breath. She could see where this was headed, see how much it was going to hurt when they parted, how hard it was going to be on Ivy. But she knew it was going to hurt Josh, too.
He was a good man. He had tried to do what was right, keep things professional. They had both known the dangers.
She wiped away a tear. Damon was in jail. He had legal troubles that might keep him there this time. She hadn’t known about the other battered woman. Now that she did, she figured there were probably more.
Linc would find out. She had a feeling Lincoln Cain was a bad enemy to make. This time Damon wasn’t going to get away with using his father’s name and his family’s wealth to escape the consequences of whatever he had done.
She could leave without fear, make a new start somewhere else. She knew deep down that no matter where she ended up, Josh and Linc would both be there to help her if she needed them.
It was time to start planning in earnest. She would talk to Josh, tell him the truth. This time she had a feeling he would agree.
An ache throbbed in her chest. She loved him. Deeply and without reservation. She would do anything for him. She thought that on some level he knew.
Timing was everything. This thing between them, it was just wrong place, wrong time. Maybe someday they would meet again. Things like that happened, didn’t they?
Her throat closed up. She had known for a while it was time to leave. She felt safe enough now to go. When Josh came home, she would talk to him, convince him that leaving was best for both of their sakes.
The landline phone on the desk rang, jarring her out of her mournful thoughts.
Tory picked it up. “Iron River Ranch.”
“Tory, it’s Agent Quinn Taggart. I need to speak to Josh.”
“I’m afraid he isn’t here, Agent Taggart. He went riding this morning. He hasn’t come back.”
“Do you have a way to reach him? A problem’s come up. I need to get word to him as quickly as possible.”
The urgency in Taggart’s voice alerted her. “What is it, Agent Taggart? What’s wrong?”
He hesitated a moment, not long. “The man we arrested yesterday at the camera store?”