Page 20 of Outlawed

“Poppy…” He swallows, looking for the right words. “Porter came here a dozen times, and he never got his hands on her. He never even came close. I’m not blaming Dawn in this, not at all, but she chose to leave the ranch today. She chose to go to the meeting even knowing she was exposing herself.”

“I should have made her stay, or forced her to…” My voice drifts off as I realize what I said.

He smiles sadly at me. “She wasn’t a prisoner. You gave her the one thing he took away. Her freedom. The only person to blame here is the shooter.”

“You mean Porter.”

“I didn’t see who shot her. I have to follow the evidence, regardless of what I believe. I will find Porter, though. And if he did this, I’ll make sure he’s locked away for the rest of his life.”

I know he means well, but he can’t promise that. Besides, why should he get to live when Dawn doesn’t?

“That hat you found was his.”

“Was it the only one ever made?”

My mouth snaps shut because we both know it wasn’t.

“I’m not ruling him out. Far from it. He is, as of right now, my prime suspect. But I also have to consider that people would know that. The hat could have been planted to further cast suspicions in Porter’s direction.”

My head spins. I never thought about that, and I should have. I still think it’s Porter, though. I’d be an idiot not to. He’s the one with a personal vendetta against Dawn.

“But just saying, if I can’t get him for this, I’ll get him for something else. Jen has been sending me information about missing funds from the time he managed this place, among other things. I’ve been going through it all, but there was a fucking lot of it to dig through. And I wanted to make sure I crossed all the t’s and dotted all the i’s because some people will say I’m too close to the case to be investigating it.”

“And what will you say to that?”

“I’m the sheriff of a small town. I’m too close to every case I investigate. You’re my woman, these are my people. I shared drinks and had dinner with dozens of citizens here. I’ve celebrated births and stood by graves to mourn. I am too close, but that just means I’m more invested than most.”

I nod, understanding what he’s saying. Truth is, the last thing we need right now is someone new coming in and taking over.

“I could always have your father’s grave exhumed. I’d be really interested in seeing the look on the faces of everyone when they learn the truth.”

I give him a smile at that. “Maybe.”

“We’ll keep it on the back burner for now.” He sighs before kissing me gently. I feel the other guys step up behind me, so I can only guess that Shepard signaled them. “I’ve gotta go, but I’ll call and check in. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

His warm hand cups my jaw for a moment as he stares into my eyes. Then he’s gone, and I’m bundled into the house by Riggs and Austin.

“I’ll make you hot chocolate,” Austin offers. My brain flashes back fifteen years.

“And I’ll make food. You should eat something,” Riggs tells me, sweeping my hair back from my shoulder.

I nod, needing some air. “I’ll be out back,” I murmur, leaving them to it. They’re just trying to help, but all the hot chocolate and sandwiches in the world won’t fix this.

Walking down the hallway, images float before me—Dawn chasing Hannah, who is laughing wildly. Dawn sipping coffee from the back deck. Dawn asleep on the sofa in the den, a book in her lap and a blanket over her always-cold feet.

The back door swings wide, and I stumble out, sucking in a lungful of air, the band around my chest loosening just a little. I see movement out of the corner of my eye and look over to find Christian walking toward me, his hat in his hand. He jogs up the steps, and before I can speak, he has me in his arms.

“Jackie called. I’m so damn sorry, sweetheart.”

His sweetheart is my undoing. I sob into his shoulder for a few minutes before Belle walks over and joins our huddle, crying quietly beside me. Before I know it, the ranch hands that Riggs hired, who mostly keep to themselves, have circled us almost protectively, hats in hands, heads bowed in respect. That sets me off all over again.

I pull away and wipe my eyes as I turn to face everyone. “Thank you. Dawn was a wonderful woman who deserved so much better than the life she had. She was so much happier here, on this ranch with all of us, in the last few months than she had been for a long time. Thank you all for being kind to her and careful,” I say to the men.

I’d seen some of them, recognizing how skittish she could be, give her space and try really hard to seem non-threatening.

“When I came back to Crowhurst, I thought to sell off the cattle ranch side of things completely. It reminded me of my father, and I didn’t want any part of that. It was Riggs who told me to wait and let my feelings settle before I made any rash decisions. Of course, the man was right. It was he who hired you guys while I was in the hospital because I’d been dragging my feet. I didn’t have good experiences with most of the people who worked here over the years.” I reach out and squeeze Christian’s arm, knowing he was one of the exceptions to the rule.