“One day, it will be your turn in here,” Steven said to his brother. “And I will remember your lack of sympathy.”
“Men,” Kelsey said, “are such babies.”
It took only a few minutes to drive over to the big house. When he’d been a kid, this was where they came for Sunday dinner to visit Grandpa Pat and Grandpa Gerald and Grandma Kate. His grandfathers were gone, but Grandma Kate was still alive, and about four years ago, his fathers had retired from ranching, turned the operation over to him, and moved with his mother into the big house.
He’d never lived here, but it always had felt like home.
As he suspected, his fathers were in the dining room, setting out refreshments. When they stopped ranching, they both decided to learn how to cook and bake to give their wife a break—so that she could, in effect, share in the concept of retirement.
Already comfortable at the table and happily eating some cookies, Lusty’s sheriff nodded to him when they came into the room.
While they’d been combing the grass looking for those shell casings, Matthew had told him what he’d learned just moments before Steven had called him.
“Sit down, Steven. I’ll pour you some coffee,” Kelsey said.
“I’ve got it, sweetheart. You sit down and take it easy, now.” Jonathan waved her into a chair. Steven sat on one side of her and Matthew the other. Matt turned his chair slightly so that he faced her.
“How’s the shoulder?” Matthew asked her.
“Sore. Coming off Daisy and rolling on the ground to get behind those rocks wasn’t fun, but it sure as hell beat the alternative. I forgot,” Kelsey turned to Steven. “How are the horses?”
Both mounts had run off, spooked by the gunfire. Steven was pleased to give Kelsey one bit of good news anyway. “They made it back to the barn. Jim, one of the hands, checked them over. Not a scratch. They’re both fine.”
“That’s a relief.” Then she turned her attention to Matthew. “Your mom’s all right staying with Benny a little longer? I just feel like we should—”
“Kelsey.”
Steven knew it was Matthew’s tone that got Kelsey to stop talking. He shared a look with his brother. Their woman was nervous, as if she knew she wasn’t going to like whatever it was Matthew was going to say to her.
“Yes, Matthew?” Kelsey said.
“Sweetheart, we need to talk.”
* * * *
Kelsey didn’t know why she felt so damn nervous. Maybe it was part of an adrenaline crash. In a few short hours, she’d gone from being in a great mood, to terror, then worry, to fury. There’d only been one time before like it, and she really didn’t want to think about that other time right now.
But it was time for her to pull up her big girl panties and hear whatever Matthew needed to tell her. She couldn’t afford to hide or withdraw from reality. That bullet had only grazed Steven, but it so easily could have killed him.
Inside her head a voice of rebellion whispered, this is why it’s a bad idea to get involved with anyone. People you love get hurt, and sometimes they die.
Kelsey ignored that voice. It was already too late. She’d become involved with the brothers Benedict. She’d found love under two Benedicts, and she would not, could not, go back.
“All right. I just know I’m not going to like this.” She inhaled deeply. Then she let the air out and nodded.
“We know there’ve been two attempts now aimed at you. We couldn’t figure out why, so it didn’t make any sense. Kelsey, this afternoon the Austin P.D. sent me the file on Philip and Sean’s deaths.”
Kelsey felt her heart sink. “They killed the man who did that. His face was caught on the store’s surveillance camera. Then the police closed in, and there was a gunfight and he died.” Kelsey stopped for a moment, steadied herself. Beside her, Steven moved closer, and put his hand on her shoulder.
That simple touch helped.
“There was absolutely no doubt he was the one,” Kelsey said.
“All that is true. But the authorities never caught the second man.”
“There was no second man.” She’d said that automatically. At the time, the Austin police had told her there had been a second man, a getaway driver. They’d questioned her because they’d believed she’d seen this man.
According to the police, he’d been behind the wheel of a car that had also been in the store’s parking lot.
“Sweetheart? I need you to listen to me, and I need you to believe me. The Austin police never pushed the matter because of the trauma you suffered. However, that store had two cameras, one inside, one outside. The outside camera clearly shows you in your car and shows the getaway car. He was parked right in front of you, facing you. It wasn’t even full dark out, so you must have seen him.”