Just Down the Road (28 page)

Only, tonight, when he closed his eyes all he could feel was Addison in his arms. She was totally different. Not only didn’t she know what he thought, but Tinch had a strong feeling that most of the time she didn’t care. Making love to her would never be calm and comfortable. It would be a battle, half surrender, half conquest.

He woke a little after dawn with Jamie standing over him.

“You all right?” Jamie frowned.

Tinch scrubbed his face. “I just need coffee.”

A cup appeared from behind him. He took it with both hands, but when he turned, Addison was already heading back toward the kitchen. He couldn’t tell if she was still mad at him or just in a hurry.

Tinch downed the weak coffee and tried to clear the river of cobwebs floating like scum in his head.

“What time is it?” he asked no one in particular.

“I don’t know. I can’t tell time.” Jamie sat down next to Tinch as if he thought he needed to be watched carefully.

“It’s after seven,” Addison announced. “Your cell phone was upstairs and woke us both up.”

“I answered it,” Jamie volunteered. “The sheriff says she’s on her way out to talk to you.”

Tinch glanced at Addison, but she just shrugged. By the time he changed into clean clothes and remade the coffee, Alexandra Matheson was knocking on his door. He waved her in and reached for another cup.

The sheriff might not have any kids, but she must have learned a few tricks. She walked straight to Jamie and handed him a gift.

The kid was so excited he could barely open it.

“I thought you might not have seen
Treasure Island
. If your uncle doesn’t mind, you could watch it while I have a cup of coffee with him.”

Jamie glanced at Tinch.

“Sure,” he said, knowing the sheriff’s plan. “I’ll bring you a bowl of cereal to eat while you watch. We have little enough time to watch TV with all the work around here, might as well catch a little while you eat.”

Jamie ran toward the TV in the study. “Thanks,” he yelled back.

Tinch delivered the cereal, made sure the volume was high enough to block any conversation from the kitchen area, and poured himself another cup before he joined the two women at the table.

“Good coffee,” the sheriff said as she held up her cup.

Tinch didn’t miss Addison’s frown. The doc seemed to think coffee should be about the same color as tea. She’d been doing her best to ignore him, and he hadn’t had enough sleep to figure out why he’d been so mad at her last night, but their problems, or rather her problem, would have to wait until the sheriff left.

“Any luck at the funeral?” Tinch asked, his voice low.

“Not much. We have no idea who the creepy people in the van were, or the two guys who looked like hired guns, but we did get a positive ID on the driver of the van. He’s a small-time dealer named Memphis Stone trying to work his way up. He was one of several dealers mentioned from Dallas who might have been Sadie’s supplier.”

“Anything else?

The sheriff nodded, glanced toward the study, and added, “An undercover cop in Dallas got a tip that Sadie stole a great deal of money before she left. The dealer, our van driver to the funeral, is looking for information about her kid. Since he didn’t find Jamie or the money at the trailer, my guess is he thinks wherever Sadie left the kid, she left the money. My source said all he knows is the guy goes by the name of Memphis and word on the street is that
he’s not a man to cross. He’s not tall and from what the cop said, he loves to pick on anyone weaker. He heard Memphis broke a woman’s fingers once just to see how many it would take before she passed out from the pain.”

“And you think he’s coming here?”

Alex nodded once. “I got a half million reasons that he’s coming. In fact, I’m guessing the guy is already here. He didn’t find out what he wanted to at the funeral, so he’s settling in waiting for his chance and that means he’ll be pulling into your gate soon.”

Tinch got the picture. “If he’s coming after the kid, I’ll be waiting. It may take him a while, but eventually he’ll find out Sadie had a sister and when he does, he’ll find me.”

Straightening, as if she had to say something, Alex added, “Tinch, he’s not coming after you or the kid. He’s coming after the money, and I think he’ll do whatever he has to do to get it.”

“I get the picture, but Jamie had nothing with him and he’s never mentioned any money.”

Alex nodded. “I’d suggest you and the boy disappear, but I’m not sure. If they can track you here, they might be able to follow you if you decided to run with Jamie. I can think of a few lowlifes in town who might be watching your every move right now just for the promise of drug money.”

“I’m staying. I’ve got a barn full of horses who need care and a small herd over on the north pasture who will need to be moved after the first freeze. My life, my work is here. If we have to make a stand, we make it here. I’ll leave the gate unlocked so if they come, they’ll come in that way. I’ll hear the chime and be ready for them.”

“But the boy,” Addison objected. “He’ll be in danger if he stays.”

Tinch faced the doctor. “He’ll be in danger wherever he goes. I’ll take care of him. Make sure he knows what to do if trouble comes. We’ll manage.”

The sheriff looked like she was debating which side to be on.

Tinch knew he was right about being able to make a
stand here. No one could get close without him knowing it, and he was already well armed. If they moved the boy, there was always the chance the drug dealers could find him, and if they did, he’d be less protected. No foster home or group house could watch him like Tinch could.

“All right, Jamie stays with you. I’ll have a deputy drive by every hour, and you keep that cell within reach. If we get a call from you, we’ll be on our way.” She looked at Addison. “But you, Dr. Spencer, need to leave.”

Agreeing, he let out a long breath. “She wouldn’t even be safe next door. Right now the easiest way to get to my house is to cross the field between her house and mine. If she were gone, I could bolt the gate to her place. If trouble comes, I want it heading in straight on, not sneaking in the back.”

The sheriff didn’t give Addison time to object. “You’re right, Tinch. Right now no one knows the doctor is involved. She’ll be safe enough in town.”

Tinch saw something in Addison’s pale eyes. Not fear or anger, but determination. She felt the same way about Jamie as he did. It didn’t matter what they’d fought about last night. Right now they had to keep Jamie safe.

He could see the logical side of her reasoning out what would be best for the boy.

Alex poured herself another cup of coffee. “I think I’ll catch a little of
Treasure Island
with Jamie while you two talk. I think the boy might know something he’s not talking about. Maybe his mother told him never to tell and he thinks he’s staying true to her.”

“I doubt it. The kids talks all the time. Seems like if he were holding a secret, it would have dribbled out already.” Tinch watched the sheriff walk into the study and Addison climb the stairs. He followed the doc, having no idea what to say to her.

When he reached the bedroom, she was standing next to what he now thought of as her side. She held his flannel shirt in one hand.

“I’m taking this with me. You gave it to me.” She said the words as if she held something of value.

“I loaned it to you,” he said, fighting down a smile. Surely the doc wasn’t going to argue over a ten-year-old shirt. “But you can have it. It looks better on you anyway.”

She began rolling it up. “I’ll go over and clean my stuff out of the Rogers house before I head to work.”

“Where will you stay tonight?”

“It doesn’t matter. I could probably sleep at the hospital till I find a place. Maybe book a room at the bed-and-breakfast. It’s close to the hospital and at least I’d get one meal a day.”

Tinch had so much he needed to say to her, but now didn’t seem the time. “Thanks for your help with Jamie,” he finally managed.

“You’re welcome.” She picked up her purse and cell phone.

“When this is over …” He didn’t dare move one step closer to her. “When Jamie is safe, I’m coming after you. You owe me a date.”

“I may already be gone.” She bolted from the room before he could say more.

By the time he followed, she already stood at the door. As she stuffed his shirt in her big purse, she called to Jamie, “See you later, kid. Try to keep your uncle out of trouble.”

Jamie waved. “See you later, Doc.”

“See you later,” Addison said as she ran for her car.

Tinch walked to the door and watched her go.
When this is over, I’m coming after you. Only problem is I have no idea what I’ll do when I catch up to you.

T
YLER
W
RIGHT TOOK THE ASHES OF A MAN WHO’D LIVED
to be ninety-three to Tulsa so he could be placed with the remains of his wife in a garden mausoleum. As always, he talked to his passenger in the box beside him.

“You know, Benny, you’ve been away from Juanita for twelve years. You two will have lots to talk about.” Tyler laughed. He’d known Benny and Juanita since he was a kid. They’d always been old. Near as he could tell, Juanita never stopped talking and Benny never started. That might explain why she died first; she just wore out faster with the volume turned up.

People would probably think he was crazy if they ever knew he sometimes talked to his customers. He didn’t do it often, and mostly just to pass the time, but he knew he’d better stop forever when his Kate got home. She wasn’t the type to put up with nonsense.

Tyler smiled. She put up with him. He loved her for a hundred reasons, but most of all he loved her for loving him. He’d
always worried that he might be one of those people who’d make it all the way through life without finding someone to love him. He knew the town respected him, cared about him, thought of him as a friend, but no one thought of him as special except his Kate. She’d told him more than once that he was the most adorable man she’d ever met.

He frowned. She’d been gone eighteen days. She’d said she’d be back in two or three weeks, a month at the most. He’d counted, not only the days, but the hours each day. He told himself he could make the three weeks, but he wasn’t sure he could make a month.

Touching his cell, he remembered what she’d said about when she was safe she’d call and let the phone ring once, hang up, and let it ring once more. Tyler knew when he got that call, he’d be able to take a deep breath. He might not know where she was, but he’d know that she was safe.

After he delivered Benny, Tyler headed back home. It was a long drive, and he hated the boredom of the highway between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. If Autumn weren’t already due to deliver her baby, he would have pulled off the main road and wandered through the back towns, but today he needed to get home as fast as possible.

It was a little after dark when he made it in. Autumn had his dinner warming. In her last month of pregnancy she’d been cooking up meals and freezing them as if Tyler might starve the few days while she was in the hospital. In truth, he was looking forward to eating out. Between Autumn and Kate, fast food was almost impossible to sneak in. Once in a while when he met Hank Matheson for breakfast at the diner, Tyler ordered a hamburger and fries from their Round the Clock menu.

Two volunteer firemen were also in his kitchen when he made it home. They’d come so often, Tyler had begun to consider them the world’s largest salt and pepper shakers at his counter.

They were good men. Brandon “Big” Biggs and Willie Davis both stood guard waiting for the stork.

Tyler nodded at them as he passed. If the stork did
happen to come, either one of the two would probably frighten him off.

“How are you feeling tonight, Autumn?” Tyler asked.

She gave him that don’t-ask-me-again look. She was ready to deliver. “I’m fine, Mr. Wright, and before you ask, no one has called all afternoon.”

He patted her hand. They were both circling the airport waiting to land, her with a baby and him with Kate.

Tyler ate his soup in his office, then went up to bed, thinking that as soon as he went to sleep, he could wake up and be one day closer to Kate being home. For a moment, in the darkness of his room with only his dog, Little Lady, beside him, he let himself think about what would happen if she didn’t come home.

He’d survive, he decided. He’d go on, but he knew he’d never feel truly alive again.