High Desert Haven (The Shepherd's Heart) (24 page)

Jason could only hope he was heading out after those horses. If they didn’t get to them before the others, Nicki’s hope of saving this ranch was gone forever.

The sheriff spun Jason around and roughly tied his hands behind his back. As he was pushed out the door of the bunkhouse into the swirling snow that had begun to fall, he experienced a moment of satisfaction as he saw Ron and Conner disappearing over the crest of the hill. Good.
Dear God, let them be on time
.

The sheriff left Jason standing and walked over to saddle up his horse which was in the round corral.

Nicki looked at him, her large, dark eyes fixed directly on his face. Jason’s eyes never left hers as he rubbed his cheek against his shoulder. He wished he had the words to convince her that he hadn’t done this terrible thing. He wanted to assure her that everything was going to be fine; that he would be back to take care of everything as soon as he could.

But he had no assurances to offer her. Murder was a hanging offense, and unless Rocky was able to find something that would clear him, he probably wouldn’t set foot on Hanging T soil again. Ever. He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat at the thought. His only consolation was the fact that if Ron and Conner got to the horses on time, Nicki’s ranch would at least be saved.

His gaze flickered to Mr. and Mrs. Jeffries. They stood just outside the door to the soddy, seemingly oblivious to the swirling snow, Rolf’s arms around Brenda’s shoulders. Jason felt his heart grip with compassion for them. What would it be like to have your little girl healthy and happy one day and gone the next?

His thoughts turned to prayer. He had no other recourse.
God, help them. Help us find out who really did this and bring them to justice. Be with Nicki. Keep her safe. And Lord, if you could work it out, could you please get me out of this situation? Bring Rocky quickly and guide him in the right direction once he gets here. Help him know what needs to be done
.

He turned his face back to Nicki, and she came and stood before him, looking up into his face with compassionate, questioning eyes.

“Ma’am.” He cleared his throat. The word was too formal in light of the emotions pumping through his heart. He traded it for her name. “Nicki, I didn’t do this. I need you to trust me.”

She searched his face before she asked, “Where were you, Jason? Where were you when that fire started?”

He licked his lips, debating what he could tell her. Could she be trusted to keep the information about the horses from William? At this point Jason didn’t know for sure how the man was involved in this situation, but he had learned long ago to listen to his instincts. And every instinct he had screamed foul whenever that man was around.

He tossed a glance at William and noted that he was striding toward them from where he had been by Sheriff Watts near the corral. Jason made his decision. Stepping closer to her and lowering his voice, he said, “I don’t have time to tell you everything right now. Talk to Ron. And please don’t trust William with any information. I can’t prove it yet, but I think he is somehow involved in all of this.”

It was the wrong thing to say. What had been compassion on her face hardened into granite distrust.

He sighed, wishing he hadn’t told her quite so much about his past.

“Nicki—”

There was no time to say more. William was suddenly by her side, his hand resting protectively on the back of her neck, his hard gaze fastened on Jason’s face.

Jason stepped back, still watching her face, pleading silently with her to believe him. Trust him.

Anger sparking in her dark eyes, she deliberately took a step closer to William. Jason felt the air vacate his lungs, as though a steer had just kicked him in the brisket. Her message was clear. She believed William.

William’s eyes glinted in triumph as he slid his arm gently around Nicki’s shoulders, pulling her even closer to his side.

Jason looked down at the ground, working to compress his anger. His jaw clenched as he fought the urge to hurl himself at the man. There was nothing he could do while his hands were tied behind his back.

He turned the full force of his gaze back on Nicki, praying that she would open her eyes to the truth before it was too late. Hoping she would change her mind even now. But she lifted her chin defiantly, daring him to challenge her decision.

Sheriff Watts took his arm and directed him over to his mount. Jason did not look her way again as he was led out of the yard. It was too painful. He was more than a little perturbed with her constantly taking up for William. Couldn’t she see the kind of man he was?

As for seeing her in William’s arms, well, that brought about another unpleasant emotion all together. One he wasn’t yet ready to face.

William felt his satisfaction rise as Jason was led away by Sheriff Watts. It looked like his spontaneous plan was coming together better than he’d thought. How lucky it was for him that Jason had stumbled onto that fire and stopped to help. His presence there had raised just the right amount of suspicion.

He regretted the death of the little girl, but he couldn’t have planned Jason’s demise any better if he’d had all year. The thought of Slim’s failure momentarily left a bitter taste in his mouth, but this was just as good as Jason’s death. A bolt of inspiration jolted through him. Maybe even better. Ever since he’d cut Slim free, he’d been trying to figure out how this could work to his advantage. Maybe he just had.

He glanced down at Nicki. Who would have thought that she would believe his insinuations so easily? Perhaps she hadn’t been as attracted to Jason as he’d at first feared. It looked like the last two years of cultivating her friendship were going to be well worth the effort it had taken.

He tightened his grip on her shoulder, doing his best to look sympathetic to her plight. She had, after all, just lost the man she had been putting her hope in for the salvation of her ranch—a ranch that would shortly be his.

Yes indeed, things couldn’t have worked out better. And he was standing by the woman who would soon be his wife. He caught himself before a whoop of delight escaped.

“Come on, Nicki.” His voice was appropriately sober. “Let’s get you inside out of this snow.”

She didn’t move but stood watching until Jason and the sheriff disappeared over the crest of the hill.

William experienced a moment of dread. He quickly forced his emotions to calm. Let her watch to her heart’s content. The day was soon coming when she wouldn’t be able to stand the sight of Jason Jordan.

His plan had only just begun.

Nicki sighed as Jason disappeared over the horizon. William’s hand around her shoulders suddenly grated on her nerves. She stepped away from him and headed toward the house. Had she made the right decision? She paused before moving through the door and turned to stare at the spot where she had last seen him.

What would Jason have to gain from setting fire to the Jeffries’ place? She couldn’t think of anything, yet it had irked her to have him telling her not to trust William. William had been there for her from the moment of John’s death. And it flew in the face of all she had ever believed in to turn against an old friend on the whim of a new one. But was it a whim?

Her eyes flicked to William and she rubbed her temple as she turned to head into the house. She could feel the beginning of a stress headache.

The question remained: if Jason hadn’t set that fire, who had? Again her eyes flicked to William as she shook the snow from her shawl and hung it on a peg over the bed. Could he have done such a thing? She shook her head. No, she couldn’t imagine William ever doing something like that. But neither could she see Jason doing it. What would be the motive behind such an act?

She would talk to Ron like Jason asked and see what he had to say. Suppressing the tears that threatened to overflow, she moved to join Brenda and Rolf at the table. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d just made the biggest mistake of her life.

14

Rocky Jordan, Jason’s cousin, leaned his shoulder into the post and hunched his coat up closer to his ears, tilting his hat further back. The February sun shone, but the day was more than a little nippy. He shoved his hands into his pants pockets, pleasure curving his mouth as he watched Victoria Snyder talking animatedly to the little boy down the street. She and the boy had just emerged from the bakery, her basket now empty. They were coming his way and he really shouldn’t stare, but he couldn’t seem to turn away.

If possible, she was even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her, which had been yesterday. Her red hair was pulled into its usual bun, wisps framing her face. The basket she always carried to deliver her mother’s fresh-baked goods to the bakery down the street swung easily by her side. Her step was just as light as always. All in all, he surmised, she didn’t look much different than she had yesterday.
Still, she’s more beautiful than ever
.

He exhaled, his breath frosting the air before him in a cloud of frustration. Glancing around to make sure no one had caught him looking, he chuckled to himself, then swung his eyes back to the woman and child approaching. He had it bad. He should just ask her to dinner and be done with it, but somehow he could never bring himself to voice the question.

He and Victoria were good friends…had been since childhood. Through the years she had courted a few boys, including Rocky’s older brother, Sky, and Cade Bennett, but she had never turned her attentions on him. Ever since she had dated Sky, Rocky had sworn himself to silence over his attraction to her. Perhaps it had something to do with not being the first one she had been interested in, nor even the second for that matter. After all, a man had his pride. More to the point, it had to do with the fact that Victoria had broken it off with Sky because he’d become a lawman.

Rocky fingered the cold metal of his badge. It was the reason he’d never asked her to dinner.

Victoria glanced up and smiled at him. He dropped his hand into his pocket, willing his heart not to thunder out of his chest.

“Hi, Rocky. How are you?”

He dipped his chin. “Just fine, Ria. How’s your mother feeling today? Any better?” His smooth voice betrayed none of his inner turmoil.

She sighed. “She says she is, but I’m not convinced. If you see Doc Martin, would you ask him to meander by the house? If he just stops by for a cup of coffee, she’ll be more likely to confide in him than if I drag her into his office.”

He grinned at her. “Are you conspiring behind her back?”

She returned his grin with a nonchalant wave. “I’m always conspiring to get her to do
something!”

Rocky chuckled.

Victoria and her mother were close. They had been alone in this world since Victoria’s father passed away. She had been eight at the time if he remembered correctly. Victoria’s mother hadn’t been feeling well for the past month, and Rocky knew how worried Ria was about her. “If I see Doc, I’ll pass your request along.” Rocky’s eyes dropped to the little boy by Victoria’s side.

“Oh.” Victoria rested a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Rocky, I would like you to meet a new friend of mine. Trevor, this is my friend Rocky. He’s a sheriff in town. Rocky, this is Trevor. He just moved in down the street.”

Rocky caught her meaning even as he squatted on the balls of his feet so he would be at the young boy’s level. The little man before him was a new resident at the town’s orphanage. Victoria volunteered some of her time there every day. He extended his hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, Trevor. How do you like our town so far?”

Trevor’s smile, minus one tooth, was impish. “It’s nice.” He leaned forward and, in a stage whisper, added, “I especially like the ladies.” His large brown eyes angled in Victoria’s direction and Rocky turned his surprised gaze toward her just in time to see her blush a pretty pink that went perfectly with her red hair.

He grinned and ruffled Trevor’s brown curls. “Yes. We do have our share of pretty ladies, don’t we?”

Trevor stepped toward him and whispered conspiratorially, “Ria’s more than pretty; she’s fun too!”

Rocky widened his eyes in mock awe. “Pretty and
fun
too? Well now, it
is
rare to find both of those qualities in a woman, isn’t it?” Rocky tossed Victoria a broad smile even as he stood quickly to dodge a blow from her basket.

“I’m going to marry her when I grow up. Then we can play hide-n-seek all day long! It will be so much fun!”

“Yes. I’m sure that being married to Ria would be fun indeed.” The words slipped out before he thought, and his eyes flashed to her surprised face as he quickly added, “After all who could resist playing hide-n-seek all day long?” He winked at her and her face darkened another shade, deepening her freckles so that he wanted to reach out and touch them. He settled for shoving his hands back in his pockets.

“You could have her for a while ’til I get growed up. Then you could find somebody new, and I could have Ria.”

Victoria gasped at the audacity of the little boy’s proposition. “Trevor! A—”