Cowboy cover up, p.3
Cowboy Cover-up, page 3
“Not my idea.” His answer came quick and his words sounded curt. His irritation came through loud and clear. End of subject.
“Well, maybe not everyone has changed since I left town.”
His smile didn’t reach his eyes, but she appreciated the attempt. “Are you saying that I can be stubborn?”
“All I know is mules get a bad rep when it comes to being compared to you.” It felt surprisingly good to talk about something normal for a minute to distract her mind from what was going on inside the cabin.
The feeling lasted all of about thirty seconds before Tuck came out and started stretching out crime scene tape across the door. The situation was becoming so much more real and her mind was beginning to accept the fact that this wasn’t a nightmare.
Tuck finished up and walked over to them.
“We’re going to be here for some time,” Tuck began. “I’d like to get a statement from you while the details are fresh on your mind, if you’re up to it.”
Alexis nodded. She wanted to do anything and everything possible to help find the bastard responsible as quickly as possible. The thought he could strike again weighed heavily on her chest.
“Excuse me while I make a call to the big house and let my family know what’s going on,” Ryan said before fishing his cell from his pocket and holding it up.
Tuck nodded and Ryan took a couple of steps away from them. His absence caused a stab of panic in her chest.
Thankfully, he stopped and turned. Seeing his profile calmed her enough that she was able to give her statement. Having someone familiar around kept her nerves from taking over and running away with her emotions.
Another deputy drove up and Tuck waved him into the crime scene without leaving the vehicle.
“Tell me in your own words everything you remember.” Tuck moved into the driver’s seat and positioned his laptop so he could type straight into the system while she spoke.
She ran through the details. It didn’t take more than fifteen minutes to tell him everything she knew. She also realized that she didn’t have very much information to give. “I’m sorry there isn’t more. I wish I could have…”
Her voice broke on the last word. She tucked her chin to her chest to hide the tears that were welling in her eyes.
“It’s not your fault.” Tuck spoke with such calm finality that she almost believed him. And yet it still felt like somehow it was. “What were the three of you doing here in Cattle Cove?”
“Taking a weekend off and bonding. I’ve been working at my job for a little more than a year. Angel and I are co-workers. Darcy’s her younger sister.” She had to pause as emotion tried to get the best of her. “Anyway, our owner’s wife was diagnosed with lymphoma, so it’s been a pretty rough go the last year. My work schedule hasn’t left a whole lot of time to have a personal life. While we’re at work, we’re pretty much heads down and none of us have taken more than half a day off since the diagnosis came. My co-worker thought it would be a good idea to rent the cabin and get out of town for a weekend now that the owner’s sister-in-law came to relieve him. She’d been planning this trip with her sister and asked me to come along so we could get to know each other and, I suspect, split the bill.”
“That’s understandable,” Tuck said with a sympathetic smile.
She looked down and her heart swelled at the fact Ryan’s dog hadn’t left her side.
“Did you say you live in Houston now?” Tuck asked.
“Yes, sir. I’ve been living there ever since I left Cattle Cove. I moved there to live with my cousin after my mom died.” She couldn’t help but think death seemed to follow her.
“I’m sorry about your mom.” Tuck spoke with more of that compassion. Despite his sincerity, it didn’t have the same effect as Ryan’s.
“Thank you,” she said and meant it. She’d take all the generosity she could get.
“How well did you know your co-worker or her sister before this weekend?” Tuck asked.
“As well as anyone can know someone they work with every day. We ordered lunch in most of the time and ate at our desks more often than not, so we could go home on time and get some sleep. I knew her well enough to realize her favorite color was green. She wore it a lot and it went really well with her red hair, which was part natural and a lot from a bottle.” She needed to stop for another second before continuing. Her mouth had dried up and talking was hard.
“Would you like a bottle of water, Ms. Haley?” Tuck asked.
“Please, call me Alexis. I know we didn’t know each other but we were around each other most of my youth. It’s weird to have someone so familiar speak to me so properly,” she admitted. It was probably her nerves talking, wanting more of the familiar because she felt so alien right then.
Everything was surreal.
“Okay, Alexis. Just don’t tell my boss. She likes to follow protocol despite growing up here along with the rest of us.” He winked and it was meant to lighten the mood, so she smiled.
“To answer your questions, I’d rather have coffee than water but that’s probably not a possibility.” A dull throb was forming in the spot right in between her eyes. Her body craved caffeine, but she didn’t want anything from that house but her purse and her phone.
“Have you or any of your co-workers been in a fight with anyone that you know of? Ex-boyfriend? Friend?” Tuck continued the questioning thread.
“Darcy had a boyfriend. She had a bad breakup and that’s part of the reason her sister thought it would be a good idea to get away. Apparently, the relationship was on and off, and her sister didn’t think it was healthy.”
The way Tuck rocked his head and how quickly his fingers danced across the keyboard told her she’d hit a hot button.
“Did Darcy mention her ex-boyfriend’s name?” Tuck looked up and made eye contact.
“All I know is that his first name is Stevie. She referred to him that way a lot. I don’t have a last name.” It was also embarrassing to admit that when it came to Darcy and Angel, she didn’t know a whole lot of personal details about them, either. That was part of what this weekend was supposed to be about. Bonding.
Thinking about this news being delivered to their parents caused the air to thin and her chest to squeeze. Knowing the amount of pain that the people who cared about them were about to endure caused her stomach to cramp. She knew loss. Her mother had been her lifeline through difficult teenage years despite working nights as a nurse and barely being around. And yet, her mother had always managed to be there for the important moments.
There was only one thing she could think of that could be worse than breaking the Pruitt’s hearts, and that was having no one at all who would really care if she lived or died.
Granted, her cousin and his wife wouldn’t exactly jump for joy if anything happened to Alexis. But since she’d moved out years ago, they barely kept in touch. He was busy with his young family and she had her work.
Having no one who would truly miss her hit hard.
“What about Angel? Did she get along with everyone at work?” Tuck continued.
“As far as I know. I mean there was always a little bit of bickering when people work long hours and miss their family. Arguments about who should get Saturday night off or come in early on Sunday. Angel was pretty quiet about her personal life actually, but I don’t think she was seeing anyone.”
Ryan ended the call he’d been on and moved to her side. Warmth blanketed her with him so close. It was almost enough to stop her body from trembling.
“And you? Are you seeing—”
“Nope. No boyfriend for me.” She cut him off, unsure of why admitting that in front of Ryan made her cheeks burn. Without thinking much about her next actions, she glanced at Ryan’s finger on his left hand and relief—relief that was confusing—washed over her when she saw no band there. It was silly to be possessive about Ryan because nothing had ever happened between them besides friendship and they hadn’t spoken in years.
She chalked her embarrassment up to revealing how little of a life she had and moved on. Or, at least she tried to.
4
Ryan stood by and watched as Alexis made a list of everyone she knew, as well as all known associates of Angel and her sister, Darcy. Tension lines formed, leaving deep grooves in her forehead. Her face muscles were tight, and she kept touching that spot above her eyes that generally meant she was getting one of her headaches, which wasn’t good.
The migraines had started not long after her mother had been killed in a car crash. They’d get so bad she’d have to close herself off in a dark room for the rest of the day.
Ryan’s father had quietly arranged for Alexis to stay in town at the bed and breakfast. That way, she could finish her final few weeks of senior high school in Cattle Cove.
In hindsight, she’d systematically pushed everyone away after losing her mother. Ryan’s father had told him to give her space when he’d asked his old man for advice. Maybe it hadn’t been Ryan’s smartest move. Maybe she’d needed to know how important she was and that she had people who cared about her.
His family wasn’t the kiss and cry together type. He’d always known he could count on his brothers for anything he needed. It went without saying. But they never sat around the dinner table or in the family room and talked anything out.
When anger got the best of Ryan, he’d head straight to the barn and sign up for physical labor with Hawk or hit the gym at school early for an intense workout. Words had never been his specialty. They weren’t then and he couldn’t say he’d gotten any better now. By the time he’d figured out a way to make amends with Alexis at graduation, she’d skipped the ceremony. Next thing he knew, they were in a fight, after which she moved to Houston to live with her cousin without saying another word.
Trying to reach her after the move had done no good. She’d changed her cell number and a big part of him wondered if she’d done it to close the door to her past completely. Like talking to him would only make the pain of losing her mom and her life in Cattle Cove that much harder. At least, that’s how his immature eighteen-year-old brain had interpreted it.
Granted, they’d exchanged heated words, but he thought they’d eventually talk it out. Apparently, she had other ideas.
A part of him, and maybe it was just wishful thinking, made him think she’d pushed the whole world away all those years ago and not just him. It was probably just wounded pride talking to soothe his bruised ego at being rejected by someone he’d considered a friend.
He’d been young and naïve and figured she’d call when she was ready to talk. Days had turned into weeks. Weeks into months. Months into years.
She’d been the one in control and she’d never made the call to patch up their friendship. Of course, he would handle the entire situation differently now that he was an adult. But his stubborn high school heart had been deeply offended when she’d pushed him away. Thinking he’d been right; he’d dug his heels in and lost a friend.
The fight they had over who was going to pick up the other for school hadn’t seemed like something that would drive a wedge between them that would last years and end their friendship.
There’d been countless times he’d wanted to find a way to clear the air when he’d given her space instead. After a year passed with no word from her, he figured she’d moved on and decided it would be for the best if he followed suit. It took some time, but eventually he did the same.
Seeing her now brought a flood of emotions threatening to drag him under—emotions he chalked up to collateral damage from their past. The way she’d left things had confused him. Hell, they’d been teenagers. What had they known?
Years had disappeared and the distance between them had grown.
Looking at her now, a small piece of him couldn’t help but wish life had turned out differently, especially for her. Losing her one and only parent so early in life must’ve played a number on her. Ryan couldn’t relate until recently, when his own father had been found unconscious in the equipment room by his uncle. His Uncle Donny had turned up at the ranch a few years ago after blowing his considerable inheritance and trouble seemed to follow him ever since.
Ryan’s father wasn’t the type to turn his back on family, so he’d given Donny a job. The move had caused a ripple in the family that was growing into a chasm. Despite loving their five cousins, Ryan and his brothers didn’t trust their uncle as far as they could throw him.
Another dust cloud formed as Hawk Jenkins drove up to the cabin in his work pickup.
Hawk was a godsend. He’d been ranch foreman for longer than Ryan had been out of diapers and was practically family. Ryan walked over to Hawk as he exited the truck and offered a handshake. Hawk pulled Ryan into a bear hug. He was just that kind of guy when it came to Ryan and his brothers. Not so much with people he would view as outsiders.
Hawk was closer to Ryan’s father’s age. He’d picked up the name Hawk based on the fact nothing got past him. Thin and short, the man’s size was deceiving. He had the strength of an ox. Ryan wouldn’t want to be on the wrong end of a fight with Hawk despite the age and size difference between them. Hawk could hold his own. He had street smarts from his time as a rough young kid growing up in San Antonio in government housing. He’d said many times that finding his calling as a ranch hand and then ranch foreman had saved his life. His love of animals had given him purpose when he’d given up on people.
And no amount of money could buy the kind of loyalty he gave to the McGannon family. They’d embraced him as one of their own and he’d often joked that he had six sons despite never being married or having children.
The feeling was mutual.
“I brought what you requested,” Hawk said.
Hawk reached into the backseat of his truck and produced a carafe and a pair of cups. “Wasn’t sure how anyone took it, so I brought it black. There’s a milk carton if anyone needs it.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Hawk.” Ryan took the offerings and walked over to where Alexis had pen to paper.
“When I was on the phone, I heard you mention that you’d like a cup of coffee.” He held up the carafe.
Alexis glanced up. Her eyes widened and her tongue darted across her bottom lip, leaving a silky trail. “Are you kidding? Is that for real?”
“How do you take it?”
“At this point, I’m not one to be picky. I’d take cream if you had it,” she said.
“I can make that happen for you.” His chest swelled with pride at being able to give her a little sense of normalcy after the ordeal she’d been through.
Ryan moved back to Hawk’s truck and poured two cups. He left enough room for cream in Alexis’s. He remembered that she’d always taken it that way but wasn’t sure how much had changed in the years since they’d known each other.
In some ways, seeing her again was like looking at a stranger. But then a moment like this helped him see the person he’d known was still in there. Parts of her might be buried deep but still remained.
It was good that some things about her hadn’t changed.
When he brought over the fresh brew, she exhaled. She took the cup and blew on top of the liquid. Steam rolled off.
She took a sip, looking like she enjoyed the burn on her throat. And then her gaze locked onto his.
“I can’t thank you enough, Ryan. This definitely qualifies as above and beyond the call of duty.” She glanced around before taking another sip. “This is probably the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had in my life.”
He figured it was the circumstances talking, more than the quality of the brew, but he would take it either way. A part of him that had been buried too long liked making Alexis happy. He might not know what she’d been up to for the past few years, but losing her mother at such a critical age would do a number on anyone. He could see that so clearly now.
Back when he was younger and she started pushing him away, he’d taken it personally. If only he could go back, he would do things so differently.
Too late now. He couldn’t undo the arguments or his lack of understanding. His own mother had died when he was too young to know what he’d missed out on. And he’d had his father, who’d been his rock.
Between his brothers and cousins, Ryan had always had someone around who cared about him. Looking at Alexis now, it struck him just how alone she must’ve been. Throw in all those confusing teenage hormones, which made life hard on someone with all the advantages, and it was shocking that she’d turned out so well.
But then, this was Alexis. She’d always been strong.
Looking back, she’d put her head down and a wall up. She was still trying to shoulder everything on her own rather than reach out for help. Not much had changed.
“I’ve literally written down every person I know who has come into contact with Angel.” She tapped her pen on the notepad. “I didn’t know Darcy well enough to make a list for her.”
“I’m sure that her parents will be able to fill in the gaps.”
“I just keep thinking about them, Ryan. They’re getting older. I met them at the company Christmas party. They seemed like sweet people.” She paused and ducked her chin to her chest.
He gave her a minute.
She cleared her throat, took a sip of coffee and continued, “No parent should have to learn their child was murdered.”
“It’s against the natural order of things for a child to die before his or her parents. Even if that child is considered an adult,” he agreed.
Ryan couldn’t imagine the level of hell that would come with losing a child. All he knew for certain was that it seemed like a cruel twist of fate.
“Are you happy with your life in Houston?” Ryan couldn’t help but ask.
“Yeah, I guess so.” She shrugged; her gaze still focused on the sheet of paper. She’d drawn two lines, separating out the page into three equal parts. At the top of each part, she’d written a name; hers, Angel, and Darcy.
