The Gift (21 page)

Then tough, stubborn, strong Beth Dearborn collapsed
into Ty’s arms again and wept—for Lorilee and in thanks for the gift she’d welcomed back into her life.

Sarah Malone couldn’t sleep. Her grandfather’s big old house was pretty cool, but Grandma Ruby gave her the creeps. The woman watched her with those false eyelashes half-closed over her eyes all the time. She was just…
weird.

So Sarah snuck up to the attic to explore. Momma had shown it to her when she’d been a little girl. It was a big dusty storage room filled with treasures, where girls could explore and pretend and play dress-up. Tonight, it was an escape for Sarah.

While rummaging through a trunk, she fondled old dresses from decades past, admired a lace handkerchief and wondered which of her ancestors had carried it. Then she found a small jewelry box that had belonged to her grandmother. When Grandpa married Ruby, all his first wife’s things were moved to the attic. One ring looked familiar. A shiver raced up Sarah’s spine as she read the engraving inside the yellow-gold band.

Her parents’ wedding date.

Why was her momma’s wedding ring here? She had to show her daddy and Ms. Dearborn. She slipped out the back door and across the field, with nothing but moonlight to guide her. The fastest way home was across the footbridge north of Rick Heppel’s place. Even in the dark, Sarah knew her way around the countryside as well as her own room.

Near the River Road, her step-grandmother’s red
Jeep pulled to a stop beside her. “What are you doing out here, Sarah? Your Grandpa will be worried sick.”

Wearing her mother’s wedding band, Sarah clutched that hand behind her back when she noticed who was driving the Jeep. Gary Harlan was not a nice man. She didn’t know what, but she knew there was something bad between her dad and him.

“What are you hidin’, Sarah?” Gary asked, and jumped down from the Jeep.

Before Sarah could react, Gary wrenched the ring from her finger. He asked her what it was.

She didn’t answer, so he shoved it in Grandma Ruby’s face. “Didn’t I tell you not to hold onto this damned ring?”

He turned toward the river again and flung the ring as far as he could into the water. Sarah screamed and started toward the river, but he grabbed her wrist and dragged her toward the Jeep.

“You aren’t telling anyone about that ring, you little brat.”

“Don’t hurt her, Gary!” Grandma Ruby shouted. “Don’t hurt her, too.”

Beth noticed a definite change in the way Ty looked at her. It frightened her almost as much as facing her gift again had.

“I’m going out to check on Cissy and her foal,” he said. “Sam, there’s a spare room down here off the kitchen. Bed’s made.”

“Thanks, Ty. It’s been a long day.”

Ty kissed Beth’s cheek. “I won’t be long,” he whispered. “Wait up for me?”

Beth nodded. They had a lot to talk about, and he
still didn’t realize she was a drunk. She and Sam had left out that part of her walk down memory lane. Knowing about Lorilee’s drinking problem and her own, how could she risk sticking Ty with another woman addicted to alcohol?

And his children certainly deserved better.

The back door closed and Sam said, “He loves you.”

“I know.”

“And you love him.”

“I know.”

“That should be enough.”

Beth hugged herself against the evening chill. The air still felt strange, even though the brunt of the storm had moved east.

“Lorilee was a practicing alcoholic, Sam,” she said. “I’m a recovering alcoholic.” She shook her head. “He deserves better.”

Sam crossed the room and looked into her eyes. “He’s a big boy, Beth.” He sighed and pursed his lips, then added, “You asked him to trust you. Maybe you should return the favor.”

“‘Night, Sam.”

He shook his head. “I’ll just grab my bag from the car. You’re hopeless, kiddo.”

“I love you, too, Cuz.” She gave him a big hug. “Now get your bag before it gets any later. We’re all zonked.”

“Tell me about it.” A huge yawn spread across his face as he headed out the front door. “Oh, I think you can use the front door now.”

“Ha. Ha.”

Beth was in deep shit. She’d fallen deep and hard
and fast for Ty Malone, and it looked as if he was willing to reciprocate.

What about her safe, nomadic life? What about his three children? What if she fell off the wagon? She couldn’t burden anyone else with her problems. She was accustomed to taking care of herself, and things had to stay that way. Then if she blew it, no one got hurt but Beth Dearborn—not Ty or his innocent children.

What could she do? What should she do? Did she stay and risk it all, or did she run away and turn her back on her only chance at love?

The phone in the kitchen rang, shattering Beth’s thoughts. It was just as well. She wasn’t making much progress.

“Malone residence, Dearborn speaking,” she answered.

“It’s Bill Brubaker, Ms. Dearborn,” he said. “Sarah’s missing. She said she was going up to the attic right after dinner. It was a spot where she and Lorilee spent a lot of time, so I didn’t think anything of it. Now she’s gone.”

“Gone?” Beth squeezed her eyes closed, sensing there was more. “What do you mean by
gone,
Mr. Brubaker?”

“Not here. We’ve looked everywhere.” He sighed. “What’s really strange, though, is…”

“What?”

“My wife is missing, too.”

Your wife, the murderess?
Beth’s internal alarms went into overdrive. “When did you last see either of them, and where?”

He’d seen Ruby about twenty minutes later than
he remembered having seen Sarah. Beth made a few notes on a message pad Pearl kept near the phone. Remembering what Lorilee’s spirit had revealed to her earlier, Beth had to ask one more question.

“Do you know if Gary Harlan is there, Mr. Brubaker?”

The old man put her on hold and called the bunkhouse to check. Gary wasn’t in his bed either. With deceptive calm, Beth asked the man to let Ty know the minute any of them returned.

How was Beth going to find Sarah? Her empathy couldn’t help her now. Sam walked in the front door with his bag and found her pacing in the kitchen.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “I can tell something’s happened.”

She explained and Sam slumped into a kitchen chair. “Shit.”

Ty came in the back door. “Everything’s okay in the barn.” He stopped walking and stared at them both. “What is it?”

Beth went to him, placed her hands on his shoulders, and said, “Ruby and Harlan have Sarah.”

“No.” He looked at the phone on the wall, his expression one of pure terror. “No, they can’t have my Sarah—not my little girl.”

“Do you have any idea where he might take her?”

Ty dragged his hand through his hair, his eyes wild with worry. “Yes.” He swallowed hard. “Our mother’s house.”

“Where is it?” Beth kept her hands on him, absorbing his fear, his pain.

“Edge of Brubaker. Fairly isolated. Empty. He inherited it after she died.”

“Then they can’t get there either.” She shook her head. “The bridge.”

“He has a boat.” Ty was already moving through the house toward the front door. “Can you drive that Chevy while I call Heppel?”

“I’ll drive the Chevy,” Sam said. “I’ve always wanted to drive the getaway car, and it’s on my credit card.”

All Ty wanted was to see his daughter’s smiling face again. And he wanted to tell her she’d been right about her mother.

Please, God—don’t take her, too.

Once they explained it all to Rick Heppel—excluding the empathic, woo-woo stuff—and he understood he was being asked to play a role in hunting down Lorilee’s killers, nothing would stop him from firing up his chopper. There was just enough room, he said, for all of them. He had headsets and a communication system, so they could talk in the chopper, despite the noise.

“I gather there’s never been any love lost between you and your half brother,” Sam commented as they flew toward Brubaker.

“He’s always hated me.” Ty sighed. “And when I married Lorilee, that clinched it.”

“She told me he was sweet on her before you came here,” Rick confirmed. “Said you were her love at first sight.”

Beth checked the Colt again, just to make sure. “We learned to fire a forty-five at the academy, but this one’s a little older.”

Rick glanced back at it. “Well, that brings back memories I’d rather forget.”

“I’ll bet it does,” Ty said. “My father carried it in Nam.”

Rick looked up sharply from checking the instruments. “Your father?”

Ty nodded. Rick faced forward and concentrated on night flying. “Where do you want me to put this bird down, Ty?”

“On Gary Harlan’s head.”

“Look!” Beth pointed at an old pickup stopped by the neglected ranch house.

“Gary’s old truck. He keeps it here,” Ty said. “Rick, put your bird down on the sittin’ ducks.”

“With pleasure.” He started lowering his chopper into the front lawn of Ty’s mother’s old house.

Gary dragged Sarah toward the woods as the chopper descended. Ty saw Ruby standing there with her jaw dropped. “I don’t think we were expected.”

A bullet ricocheted off the runners. “You son of a bitch. I’ll teach you to shoot at my bird.” Rick stopped short of landing and resumed forward momentum, chasing down Gary, Ruby, and Sarah.

“Put her down, Rick,” Ty said quietly. “I need to get out there with my daughter.”

“Suit yourself.” He landed the chopper and another bullet ricocheted off the propeller. “Son of a bitch.”

“Stay in here with Rick,” Beth said to Sam.

“Maybe,” he said. “We’ll see.”

“Dad!” Sarah shouted as they emerged from the noisy chopper, but Gary smothered her cry with his hand.

“I tried to tell him not to hurt her like he—”

Gary put a bullet right through Ruby’s back. Her
eyes rolled into the back of her head and she plunged facedown into the mud.

“My God,” Ty said. “Beth?”

“Ruby’s dead.” She stayed next to him while they both watched Gary back toward the woods with his gun pressed to Sarah’s temple.

“Beth, I know it hurts you, and I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t for Sarah.” His voice sounded wretched. “Can you talk to her? Will she tell us where he’s taking her?”

Beth was silent for several moments. “A hunting cabin?” She looked at Ty. “She said you know the place.”

“I do.” He squeezed her hand. “Where the hell’s the sheriff?”

“Ruby said Gary left his keys in the truck. It’ll be faster.”

“This is damned strange,” Ty said. “Getting directions from a dead woman.”

Beth and Ty drove the old pickup to the hunting cabin, leaving Rick and Sam with instructions to send the sheriff there as soon as he arrived. Since Gary and Sarah were on foot, Beth and Ty reached the cabin first.

Beth slipped into the cabin pantry, since she was armed. Ty waited outside, behind a tree, with instructions to give a bird call when he saw them.

Beth heard the call and also Sarah’s weeping. Poor kid. It was all she could do to stop herself from rushing to the girl’s rescue too soon. Instead, she prepared the Colt and waited. It didn’t take long for Gary to swing open that pantry door, and the bastard was faster than she’d anticipated. She was exhausted, but she still managed to lunge at him.

They ended up on the floor, fighting. The wiry son of a bitch wrested the Colt from her grasp and flung it across the floor. Sarah was tied to a chair and unable to help.

Where the hell was Ty?

Harlan managed to get his hands around Beth’s throat, his thumbs pressed against her windpipe. Her pulse pounded and the world darkened.

She had experienced dozens of deaths in her life, but never her own. Beth was slipping away. She knew the signs.

Sarah screamed. “You’re killing her! Stop! Please stop!”

Beth Dearborn was not ready to die. She wasn’t finished yet. Mustering the dwindling shreds of her strength, she brought her knee sharply into Harlan’s groin.

He howled and jerked back just as the wood splintered on the cabin door. “Lock me out, you bastard,” Ty shouted as he continued kicking.

The door was solid and sturdy, but Beth knew the power of adrenalin. Ty would break through and at least save his daughter, if not Beth.

Though her throat was on fire and her body weakened, she was determined to fight Harlan long enough. Ty needed time, and she would give it to him.

Gary lowered his head and came toward her like a battering ram. Beth stepped aside and he slammed into a log post. The man’s rage and insanity kept him going. He shook his head and turned to face her.

“You’re dead, bitch,” he said.

He came at her again, but Beth was ready. She positioned herself and allowed his own momentum and her training to maneuver the throw. He hit the
floor hard. She heard bones crack. He groaned, but didn’t move.

Beth retrieved the Colt just as Ty squeezed through the broken boards and into the cabin. “You okay?” he asked as he untied Sarah, his gaze on Beth.

“Daddy!” Sarah threw herself into her father’s arms.

Beth watched father and daughter as she kept the Colt aimed at the groaning son of a bitch on the floor. Her job was almost finished here. Everything would be all right now.

“I want you to wait outside, Sarah,” Ty said. “Go to the truck. When the sheriff gets here, send him in. Okay?”

She sniffled and nodded. “Ms. Dearborn was amazing.”

“Yes, she is,” Ty said as Sarah obeyed him and left the cabin.

Beth felt his gaze on her. He didn’t speak as he walked across the room and picked up his brother’s handgun.

“Only years practicing restraint are keeping me from using this on my murdering half brother.” His voice was barely more than a whisper. He stood staring at the weapon, turning it slowly in his hands.

When he met her gaze, Beth saw his pain and her heart ached. She wanted to go to him, to hold him in her arms, to offer him comfort. Instead, her sense of duty and training—and fear?—kept her right where she was, with an antique gun aimed at a man with broken bones. “You broke my fucking leg,” Harlan mumbled, slowly rolling onto his back.

“If you move another inch, you won’t have to worry about pain anymore,” Beth warned.