“I didn’t kill her. I swear.”
“We know that,” Garrett said and turned his attention back to Tanner. “Tell her you have a plan, Tanner. Or did you just come here to scare her and piss me off.”
“I don’t and I didn’t. But we thought you should know the next knock on your door might not be a friendly face.”
“What do I do?” Reese had barely touched her pastry and had only taken a few small sips of her coffee. She couldn’t even think about eating or drinking anything now. “How could Russell do this to me? We lived in the same house. My mom loved him like her own son.”
Garrett took her hand, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
Tanner spoke up then. “If it’s any consolation, I think his only goal is to save himself. When he buried Molly and your art, he was protecting himself. But now that you’re out of that hospital, he figures he’ll kill two birds with one stone. He’ll help solve a murder case and get you put away for life. Chances are you won’t have a good alibi for her time of death.”
“This is a nightmare,” Reese said. “I can’t drag all of you into this mess. Garrett, I don’t have a choice. I have to leave. I have to go to the Sedona police and explain -”
“Explain what?” Garrett asked, frustration coloring his tone. “You go in there without a lawyer and a rock-solid alibi, and you’ll end up in an interrogation room so fast, your head will spin.”
“I’m sorry,” Tanner said. “But if I didn’t know you, and trust Garrett’s instincts about you, I’d be bringing you in for questioning right now. So would Caden and Blake. You shouldn’t even be seeing this, but we do believe you, and that’s why I’m here, sharing all this with you. So you can prepare for the worst.”
Reese felt like her insides freezing over while the blood in her veins was boiling. Her skin crawled with anxiety and she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. “I was better off at Desert Cove,” she whispered.
“No,” Garrett said. “Do you have a dated receipt, proving when she purchased the art work?”
Reese shook her head. “No. I mean I’m sure I did at some point, but now - no, of course I don’t.”
“It’s okay. We’ll figure this out,” Garrett assured her.
“That’s what you said last night and so far, it’s only getting worse. Russell is moving ten steps ahead of us and we’re not even playing catch up. We’re just reacting to his blows and drowning in the process. I may not be able to save myself, but if I distance myself from you, then maybe you won’t be hurt in the process.”
“Are we seriously back to that again?” Garrett asked. “I thought we agreed we were in this together?”
“Okay, together,” Reese said, sarcasm dripping with every syllable. “How do you feel about aiding and abetting a fugitive? Because as soon as the cops come knocking on your door looking for me and you stand in their way, that’s what you’ll be doing. Or do you plan to just hand me over to them?”
“No!” Garrett roared. “Never.”
“Then we have a problem,” Tanner said.
“You don’t say,” Garrett snapped. “Look, we don’t know how this is going to play out.” He turned to Reese. “Let’s take this one day at a time. We live our lives and then if push comes to shove, we’ll make a plan and get you the best attorney money can buy.”
Tanner sat silent but rigid at the table.
“What?” Garrett spat out at him. “You don’t like my plan?”
“I’m not saying that. And I’m not saying I wouldn’t do the same thing for someone I cared about. But in the interest of protecting your badge, we might want to find Reese another place to stay, just in case –“
“No,” Garrett cut him off. “Wherever she goes, I go.”
“You could lose your job,” Reese said.
Garrett turned his whole body to face her and took both her hands in his. “Look at me.” He waited as she slowly raised her chin until their gazes met. “I have wanted to be a Texas Ranger since I was twelve years old. There was never any other career choice for me. I watched every television show and movie that portrayed a Texas Ranger, and I memorized the oath long beforeI got my badge. But let’s be clear about one thing. If I lose that badge protecting an innocent woman that I happen to be very much in love with, then it was never the badge for me. Because this job isn’t just a paycheck to me. And this badge isn’t just a hunk of metal. It means something. It stands for something bigger than myself. Bigger than anything you or I could ever truly understand. It’s sacred. And it’s all in the name of justice. If I turn my back on you now when you need me the most, then not only would I be dishonoring my badge, I would be turning my back on it.”
Her heart was near exploding with love for this man. “I can’t be the reason you lose your dream job, Garrett.”
Garrett shook his head. “I never knew it until this very moment. But you, Reese Graham, are the reason I had to become a Texas Ranger. No matter what happens, I and my badge will protect and honor you until the end.”
Reese sat stunned and speechless. “I love you too,” she said, her eyes overflowing with tears. “But you don’t have to sacrifice everything for me.”
“It’s not a sacrifice when you love someone. It’s a gift. And I give it to you freely with my whole heart.” He put his hand on her chest covering the place over her heart. “I know I sound like a broken record with how often I’ve been saying it lately, but we will get through this together.” He turned to Tanner then. “Anything else you want to share this morning?”
Tanner polished off the last bite of his pastry, and while Reese didn’t know the man well, she had a feeling he was doing his best to hide just how much this was all affecting him. “Yeah. It’s Sunday and I brought my rod. Think we can go fishing off your dock for a while?”
