Almost Forever (23 page)

“That was our two-hundred-dollar-a-bottle cab we just washed our clothes in,” Lori said. The gushing wine had continued to pour out until the barrel was empty, soaking into the dirt floor. Their skin and underwear were stained a dark purple red, and in spite of the heat, she shivered.

“If it saves your life, it's worth it.” Justin had his arm around her shoulders, and he hugged her closer.

“This is not the way I thought the day would end,” Lori admitted.

“How did you think it would go?”

“I thought you were going to pack up and head back to your life in Austin. There's nothing really holding you here.” She had to bite her lip to keep her voice from shaking. The heavy smoke in the air was already causing her eyes to water, so at least he wouldn't be able to tell she was crying.

“Aren't you eager to get on with your life as a single woman? You've carried this burden for so long. Isn't it time for you to enjoy yourself?” he asked, his voice neutral.

“A month ago, that would have sounded wonderful to me.”

“But now?”

“Oh, God. I'm just going to tell you. I guess at this point it doesn't really matter if you break my heart, because it doesn't look like we're going to get out of here.” She looked up at him. “The best part about all this was meeting you. I know it's silly, but I was hoping you would feel about me like I feel about you and that we would…somehow…end up together.”

“It isn't silly at all.” His smile was gentle. “I fell in love with you the first time you sat down next to me on that glider. You're all I think about…all I want…all I need. I've never felt this way about anyone. I was willing to risk my job and my life for you.” He cradled her face in the palm of his big hand. “It was all so quick. I wanted to give you space. I had no idea how long it would take you to get over Mark or accept being a widow.”

She snapped her fingers, then shook her head. “That was too glib. But as I looked back on my marriage, I realized it hadn't been based on love at all. I saw him as a way to have a wonderful life, and he saw me as a trophy like the animal heads that hunters hang on their walls. He wanted to show me off like a prize, but when I got pregnant, it got real. He moved on. And I let him go because I was more interested in having a home and a family than having a husband.”

He leaned over and kissed her deeply. As usual, she wanted more, but he pulled away. “Too bad, because I would have loved being your husband.”

“And I would have loved being your wife. I never loved Mark like I love you.”

He picked her up and resettled her on his lap like he had done on her porch. Had it been only a few days ago? “I could have been happy spending the rest of my life with you.” He chuckled wryly. “Ironically, it looks like that's going to happen. I just wish it would last longer.” He kissed her again and again and again. He took his UT class ring and held it out. “Lori, I want you to have this. It's my prized possession, and it's my promise that if by some miracle we get out of here, I want to take care of you and Kenzie forever.”

He slipped the ring on her finger. It was much too large, and she had to close her fingers to keep it on.

“I'd rather be with you than anywhere else on earth. Although I'd rather we were outside in the fresh air,” she added.

Justin laughed, then coughed before answering. “Funny…I thought I would die in a shoot-out with bad guys.”

“Bad guys?”

“I figured there aren't many of us Rangers and there are lots of bad guys out there, so one day my time would come.” He coughed again. “Looks like this time the bad guys are going to win, and fuck if we even know who they are.” He stroked her hair back from her face. “What about you?”

“I guess I've never thought about how I would die. It seemed like it was so far in the future.”

Lori's head was pounding, and her throat felt raw. She could see the flames licking through the cracks, which had become larger. It was the first moment that she really knew they weren't going to get out, and her thoughts turned to her daughter. “Who's going to take care of Kenzie? She's too young to lose her mother. She'll be all alone.” Lori choked on her sobs as she broke down. “I'll never see her graduate or get married or be pregnant. I'll never get to hold my grandbaby…”

Justin, for once, seemed to have nothing to say to comfort her, so he wrapped his arms around her and held her face against his chest while he buried his face in her hair.

The sound of a tractor motor roared outside the door, and suddenly the blade from a front-end loader crashed through the wall next to it. Weak sun rays tried to pierce the gloom. Lori turned toward the light but wasn't sure if she was seeing a hole in the wall or if she was dead.

But Justin scrambled to his feet, still carrying her, and stumbled across the floor to the opening.

“Get in the bucket,” someone yelled.

Justin put her in first, then crawled in after her, covering her with his body as the tractor backed through the flames and out into the open area in front of the building. Justin tumbled down and picked her up. Coughing and wheezing, he carried her to the grassy area behind the restaurant. He eased her down to the ground. Raquel came running out with a tablecloth that Lori wrapped around her almost-naked body and tied above her breasts.

“Are you okay?” Raquel asked, her dark brown eyes filled with anxiety.

Lori nodded, but her throat hurt too much to talk.

“The fire department is on the way.”

“What happened?” Lori managed to croak.

“I don't know. We saw the fire, and then we saw him running from the building.”

“Who?” Justin asked between hacking coughs.

Raquel pointed to the front-end loader, which now had its bucket hoisted high in the air. Chef Bradley hung on, his legs dangling over the edge between the teeth.

Raúl shut off the engine but left the bucket raised at least eight feet off the ground. He trotted over to Justin and Lori. “I was trying to pull all the burning wood back so we didn't lose the building. I didn't know you were in there.”

“You saved our lives, Raúl.” Justin's voice was husky and hoarse. “Good job, amigo!”

Lori looked at the flaming pile of wood and debris that had been moved several feet away from the winery building, still amazed that they had made it out alive.

“Why was he trying to kill you?” Raúl asked.

Lori coughed to clear her throat. “I don't know.”

“He was on the phone when I hit him with the shovel.” Raúl nodded back toward the chef.

“Where's his phone?” Justin asked.

“I'll look for it.” Raúl ran back to the burning debris and started kicking the ashes and unburned wood around.

Lori slapped Justin's arm. “Bradley,” she yelled as loudly as her damaged throat allowed and pointed toward the front-end loader.

“Shit!” Justin exclaimed as the chef hit the ground hard but was able to get to his feet and began running toward the parking lot.

Justin jumped up and gave chase. He gasped for breath with each step. Only his desire to catch Chef Bradley and beat the shit out of him kept him going. But he knew he was in no shape for a long footrace. Bradley ran down the path, and Justin knew the parking lot was off to the right. He sped up and gambled the man would go around the small hill and planter area next to the driveway before cutting right. There was a line of shrubs that would keep him from going left, so it was a pretty good bet.

Justin scrambled up the hill, and as Bradley made his turn, Justin jumped off the raised planter and landed on the younger man, sending them both sprawling on the gravel. He could hear the air whoosh out of Bradley's lungs as they landed.

“You okay, Ranger Archer?” Raúl caught up.

“I think so.” Every breath was ragged and painful. “Thanks. Help me get him back to the winery.”

There were deep scrapes from the gravel on the man's arms and face as they pulled Bradley up. He didn't fight them as they led him back to the patio, where Lori was sitting on a chair and sipping a glass of water.

Justin shoved Bradley down on the ground, then leaned over, struggling to catch his breath with his hands on his knees.

“Tell me what this is all about,” Lori demanded.

Bradley looked down and remained silent.

“Did he say anything, Justin?”

“Not really. He got the air knocked out of him when he hit the ground. Luckily, he cushioned my fall,” Justin answered with a hint of his old grin. “Did you find his phone?”

“Raúl did,” Lori said and handed it to Justin.

He spent a minute scanning through the call log and then shook his head. “Chef Bradley…Do you know who I am, Chef Bradley?” He emphasized the name sarcastically.

The man refused to answer or even look Justin in the eyes.

“Well, let me help you understand the trouble you're in right now. My name is Justin Archer and I'm a Texas Ranger. I was in the barrel room with Lori when you locked us in and tried to kill us by blocking the door and lighting the building on fire. Attempted murder of a mother and a law enforcement officer…That will get you at least double, if not triple, any sentence the jury gives you. And by the way, the U.S. attorney general in Austin is a good friend of mine. She'll make sure there's no plea deal offered. You made the mistake of your sorry life,
Chef
Bradley.”

Justin looked around at the smoldering debris and back at Bradley's cellphone. He pressed a couple of buttons on the phone, then hit the redial. “How much time you spend in prison depends on how you handle this call to the guy who hired you to do this.” He put it on speaker and stuck the phone next to the young man.

Bradley winced and moaned, obviously hurt from the tackle.

“Brad?” a voice answered after the second ring.

Lori mouthed “Jerry Winston” to Justin. Her faced showed both amazement and confusion.

“Yes, it's me,” Bradley said nervously, staring at the ground in front of him.

“
You sound out of breath, Brad. Is it done?”

“Yeah…all done.”

“I saw the smoke. Hope the building wasn't too damaged. I don't want to have to rebuild it when I take ownership.”

“It's not, sir. Just the door, actually,” he answered reluctantly.

“And you're sure the Roberts bitch is dead, right? You've done a piss-poor job so far. I didn't want to go this far, but I had no choice.”

Justin signaled for Bradley to give him the phone. He cleared his voice and listened for a moment as the sound of a distant siren echoed across the Hill Country.

“Brad? You there?” Jerry's voice bellowed.

“Chef Bradley had to go, I'm afraid. Hear those sirens? They'll be dropping by to pick you up. I suggest you kiss your life goodbye and leave your jewelry on the dresser.”

“Who is this?” Jerry demanded, sensing the jig was up.

“Mr. Winston…I should tell you that I also took the liberty of recording this call, and if you'll hold on a minute, I'll be right over to give you a ride personally. Remember the last time I acted as your chauffeur? This one will be a lot less fun.”

The phone went dead.

“You really recorded the conversation?” Lori asked.

“Listen…I'm not just another pretty-boy Texas Ranger.” Justin smiled. “But I do have to go and give Jerry a ride downtown.”

“I thought you were on vacation,” she said.

“We're never on vacation from justice, ma'am.” Justin pulled her to her feet and kissed her soundly. “But I'll be back.”

“Is this how you're going to dress? I like it, but I think he'd take you a lot more seriously if you were wearing pants.”

Justin looked down at his bare legs. “You're probably right. If I can't be in uniform, I should at least be clothed.” He went to his Explorer and quickly returned with his jeans and a pair of handcuffs that he used to secure Bradley to the chair. Justin kissed Lori again, then trotted toward the house.

The sign on the front door of the main building said
WE'RE SORRY, BUT WE'RE CLOSED TODAY ONLY FOR A SPECIAL EVENT.

A yellow Mustang convertible pulled up and parked. Justin walked out of the building to meet his grandmother and escort her to the patio.

“I'm glad you came,” he said.

“I wouldn't have missed it. I like your young lady.”

“Yeah, so do I.” He smiled. “Very much.”

They walked around the side of the building and through the arched gate, which was covered with purple wisteria whose blossoms hung through the lattice. Already in the backyard were Nick, Jamie, and, of course, Harley. Only Luke was missing.

“Hey, everyone, the bar's open,” Justin announced.

He didn't have to say it twice. They all headed to the tiki bar that had been set up on the patio.

“It was nice to see that my good bro could be a bad guy,” Nick smiled. “Corrupted by a chick. I like that.”

Jamie punched him. “Like you, huh?”

He gave her a hug. “And lovin' it, darlin'.”

Grammy gave Justin a worried look. “Are you feeling okay? You looked pretty awful when I saw you in the hospital.”

“I feel a lot better. It took a few days to clear out my lungs.” Justin and Lori had spent the night in the hospital, mostly for observation and to keep them on oxygen. After a little begging, the nurses had allowed them to share a room, which made the stay bearable.

“If you boys don't stop trying to be heroes, I'm going to request a private parking space at the hospital. Frequent visitor privileges,” Grammy snorted.

But Justin could see that she was truly worried about him. “Really, we're both okay.” His gaze lifted to the back door of the restaurant just as Lori walked out carrying a big tray of food. “Help yourself,” he told his family and hurried to help Lori.

She looked up at him and smiled as he took the heavy tray from her. “Looks like everyone's here. Do you want to start the barbecue now?”

He set the tray on the table. “Actually, right now I want to kiss you. Think they'd miss us if we slipped off for a little nooky?”

“No thanks. The memory of last time is a little too fresh.” She stroked his chest. “Besides, we've got forever to be together. That is, unless you've changed your mind?” She twisted his ring on her finger nervously. She had wrapped tape around it to keep it from falling off.

He pulled her into a tight hug. “No chance of that. It's taken me thirty-seven years to find you. Besides, I came too close to losing you, and it sucked.”

“I'm not going anywhere.”

“Hey, break it up. There are people starving here,” Nick called out.

Three more guests rounded the corner.

“Look who we found in the parking lot,” Franklin called out.

“Casey, I'm so glad you could make it.” Lori rushed forward and gave her friend a hug.

Justin greeted his boss and coworker with considerably less warmth. “Have you found anything?”

Franklin held up a briefcase. “I've got Lori's paperwork in here.”

Justin breathed a sigh of relief. “Glad to hear it. Go help yourself at the bar…unless you're on duty.”

Franklin looked down at his gaudy Hawaiian-print shirt. “Does this look like a uniform?”

“Maybe if you're Jimmy Buffett,” Justin joked. He held his hand out to Tyler. “Hey, man, no hard feelings. You were just doing your job.”

“Not too well, apparently,” Tyler retorted. “Maybe you and I can work on a case together so I can pick your brain.”

“That shouldn't take long.” Nick had walked up behind them. “I hear the Rangers need a good explosive materials dog. I just happen to have one.”

“I thought he was a drug dog,” Franklin commented.

“Nah, he's better at explosives.” Nick reached down and scratched Harley's ears. “We've been working with him, and he's really good.”

“Come in sometime, and we'll talk,” Franklin said, then turned back to Justin. “When you get back into the office on Monday, there's an undercover opportunity I want to discuss with you.”

“I'm not sure that's the path I want to take.”

“Come on, Justin.” Nick chuckled. “Going deep can be fun.”

Justin shook his head and dismissed Nick's double entendre. “I'm getting that look from Lori. I've got to start the steaks.” Justin left them at the bar and joined Lori at the pit.

An hour later, everyone was sitting at the table, their plates empty, and the server Lori had hired for the restaurant was delivering desserts. Raúl and Raquel were honored guests today and not allowed to do any work.

Lori stood and tapped a knife against her wine glass. “Can I have your attention, please?” She waited until everyone quieted down and looked at her. “Thank you all for joining us today. This is a celebration of life and love and friendship. I think most of you have already met them, but I want to dedicate this party to two very special people. Please welcome my very dear friends…Raquel and Raúl Castillo.” Lori looked at them and smiled. Everyone clapped and cheered.

“They have worked for the winery almost since the first day I moved here. They have been the main reason Crystal Springs is doing so well today, and I could not do this without them. You also know that my recent issues were resolved only because of their help. There's no way I can ever repay them, but I raise a glass and say thank you.” Lori held her glass up and everyone toasted Raúl and Raquel.

“There's two more people who need to be recognized and thanked,” Lori continued. “Actually, three. First, there's Luke Archer. His encouragement and help in securing Raúl and Raquel's brother's testimony really broke this open.” She turned toward the restaurant and Luke walked out next to another man. “Second, there's Armando, whose dream of living in the U.S. saved my life.”

Everyone turned to look at the late arrivals. Raúl and Raquel, whose backs were toward the building, jumped to their feet as soon as they saw their brother. They ran to him and enveloped him in tearful hugs. Lori let them have their reunion and looked back at the people still at the table.

“How did you do that?” Justin asked Luke, who had grabbed a steak and sat next to him.

“I've got a guy,” Luke answered with a cocky smile.

“That's really cool.”

“Finally, to a Texas Ranger who is the finest man I've ever met. There's no way to ever repay you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Justin.” She raised her glass in a toast in Justin's direction.

“Speaking of Texas Rangers, I have something to say.” Franklin stood and put the briefcase on his chair. He clicked the locks and opened it. “Lori, here is your paperwork from the court, all signed and sealed. You're officially cleared of all charges.” He glanced over at Raúl and Raquel, who were still talking to their brother on the patio. “And tell them that they will not be charged with any crime. However, Jerry Winston and your chef are currently guests of the state, and probably will be for many years to come. Brad confessed to breaking into your house, trying to blow up your truck, cutting your brake line, and trying to burn you alive, all planned and paid for by Winston.”

Lori and Justin exchanged relieved looks.

“And lastly, we were able to find a safe deposit box in Vegas, opened under an assumed name by your dead husband.” Franklin carried the briefcase over to Lori and placed it in her lap. “Except for about fifty thousand dollars, it's all there. And yours to keep. I'm sure you'll find good uses for it.”

Lori stared at the bundled cash with wide, unbelieving eyes.

“Is that real?” Mackenzie asked, leaning over her mother's arm and looking at the briefcase full of money. “That's enough to buy me a pony!”

Everyone laughed, and Lori nodded. “Yes, it is. We'll get the stable ready.”

Franklin extended his hand to Justin and they shook. “Good job, son. I hope you enjoyed your vacation.”

Justin smiled and nodded. “Best vacation ever!”

“Oh, and the engagement ring and wallet are in the briefcase too,” Franklin added. “I'm sure the ring is worth twenty thousand or more.”

Justin stood. “Speaking of rings, Lori, that UT ring is way too big for your finger. Why don't you give it back to me?”

Warily she removed the ring and held it out to him with shaking fingers.

He took it, then pulled a small box out of his pocket and dropped down on one knee. “I'm aware that we haven't known each other long and that we've gone through some very unusual circumstances to get us here today. But when it's right, it's right. Lori, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? I promise to love you forever.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked down at him. “Yes, yes, yes!”

He slipped the sparkling diamond ring on her finger, and she pulled him up. They kissed until his brothers started throwing napkins and leftover dinner rolls at them. Reluctantly they separated and sat back down with their fingers still entwined under the table.

“He's going to need to turn in another vacation request,” Lori announced to Franklin. “I think this is going to be a very short engagement.”

“I'm not sure we can manage—” Franklin started to say, but Grammy stood and stared him down. “Sure, just give me some notice, and for God's sake, focus on your other cases.”

Justin nodded his agreement. “Oh, I might be late on Monday. I'll be commuting from here.”

Franklin opened his mouth, then shrugged.

“Congratulations, kids.” Grammy said loudly as she surveyed the table and the people. “It has been many, many years since we Archers have not had a Sunday dinner at my ranch. It feels really odd, but that's probably because my ranch is a little more relaxing than here. Some of you understand the differences. Anyway, this has been a wonderful day, and I would be open to doing this again next year.”

Justin toasted in Grammy's direction. The guests all dug into the desserts and went back to their conversations.

Justin put his arm around Lori. “When we were trapped in the barrel room, I was so sorry that we weren't going to live long enough for me to show you how much I love you. I've never been a husband or a father, but I promise I'll never stop trying to be the best I can be. I have forever to figure it out.”

She looked into his handsome face and smiled. “I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Ranger Archer.”