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“Depends on his prognosis,” Duffy said.
“According to my mother, he will walk again. But you know how she is. If it took only her iron will he’d be up running around. If he’s lying... I can’t believe even CJ would stoop so low as to pretend he had to stay in the wheelchair.”
“Then again, he probably has a better chance of dodging jail as long as he’s in that chair, don’t you think?”
“Yes, unfortunately. I even had the thought that maybe Mother’s in on it and once he gets away with shooting me, he’ll miraculously rise and walk.” She sighed. “I don’t want him to go to jail let alone prison. But I also don’t want him to think he can get away with what he did.”
“The PI was just saying that people in town think our families can get away with murder—or shooting each other,” Duffy said. “I hate to think it might be true.”
“I haven’t mentioned this to anyone else—” Just then her cheeseburger and fries arrived. She took her time putting ketchup on the burger and cutting it in half.
Duffy feared she was changing her mind about telling him whatever it was she’d been about to say. He hoped she trusted him, but he was a McKenna and there was nothing he could do about that.
He reminded himself that she wasn’t the only one hesitant about telling secrets. He was keeping what the PI had suggested about Leann Hayes and his brother Cooper from her. “If something’s bothering you that you don’t want to talk about...”
She looked up. Her gaze softened. “I keep having these disjointed dreams that I think are memories about the day I was shot. But they don’t make any sense. I just can’t throw off this feeling that there’s more to it. That CJ is lying about why he shot me. Worse, that shooting me wasn’t an accident, that the shot he fired wasn’t a warning shot that went awry. He practically admitted it earlier.” Her gaze locked with his. “I think he was trying to kill me, to stop me permanently from... That’s the part that’s so frustrating. I can’t imagine what I could have seen or done that he was so terrified I would tell someone.”
For a moment Duffy was speechless. Did she really think CJ had fired that shot to kill her? “Even if he was involved with the meth lab—”
“It wouldn’t have been enough to kill someone over, right?” she said, nodding. “I know. But CJ is obsessed with Mother thinking the best of him.”
“Is it possible something else was going on that day at the old Smith Ranch homestead besides the meth lab that you might have seen?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t even know what I was doing there to begin with. Did I even find the meth lab or did something else happen back in that ravine? If I could justremember.” Cooper and Tilly, while trying to find out what she might have seen, had stumbled onto the meth lab. Unfortunately, it had been destroyed before the sheriff could bust it.
Duffy reached over and placed his hand on hers for a moment. “Don’t try so hard to remember. Just let memories come if that’s possible. In the meantime, be real careful of your brother. As if I have to warn you of that. But it sounds as if you’re baiting him. I wouldn’t do that.” He knew how CJ had tormented her and their siblings growing up because of the stories she’d shared over the years.
“I don’t want him thinking he’s safe.” She looked miserable. “Even the thought that he might have been trying to kill me...”
Duffy couldn’t imagine, his hand still on hers. “Are you sure about staying out on the ranch?”
“Tilly and I rented an apartment here in town, so I won’t be staying there any more than I have to, but I don’t want to burn that bridge yet. I feel like I need to stay close where I can keep an eye on CJ. I suppose you heard. Mother kicked Tilly off the ranch for getting engaged to your brother.”
“I heard. I’m sorry.” He squeezed her hand before drawing it back.
“Tilly knew it could happen,” she said with a shrug. “She’s determined to go ahead with the wedding. I hope she isn’t thinking that our mother will come around. I can’t see that ever happening.”
Duffy couldn’t, either. “Eat your burger before it gets cold,” he said and stole one of her fries, hoping to lighten the conversation. “If you don’t want all that burger...” he joked as he helped himself to another fry. He wasn’t hungry, but he didn’t want to leave. He kept thinking about her and Pickett.
“Help yourself to my fries. I never eat them all anyway.” She smiled and picked up one half of the burger to take a bite as his cell phone rang.
“I’m here if you need me,” he said as his phone rang again. He checked to see who was calling. It was Cooper. Worried something was wrong, he said, “I have to take this. I’ll be right back.” He rose and walked out of the café to take the call. He needed to tell his brother what the PI had said.
AFTERARESTLESSNIGHT, Pickett had awakened thinking of Oakley. So he was caught off guard when his cell phone rang, otherwise he would never have taken a call from a number he didn’t recognize. “Hello?”
“I’m in town at the hotel.”
Just the sound of her voice made his blood run cold—let alone what she’d said.She was in Powder Crossing?
“I shouldn’t have to spell out what happens next if you don’t meet with me.”
He had hit the brakes at the sound of the woman’s voice. He’d been on his way into town to pick up supplies for the ranch, but now pulled over. His mind raced. She was in town? He didn’t trust himself to speak for a few moments.
While he knew exactly what would happen if he didn’t meet with her, he wanted desperately to do just the opposite. Rebelling came second nature to him. That was how he had ended up working on the McKenna Ranch all the way out in Montana all those years ago.
“You can no longer run from this,” she said.
With a sinking heart, he knew it was true. Had he really thought this would never happen? That he’d put the past behind him, but that one day it wouldn’t come looking for him? He pulled back onto the narrow county road. “I’m on my way.”
