The Rebel of Copper Creek (13 page)

“You and your boys can stay as long as you'd like.”

Juliet was already shaking her head. “How I wish I could just hide out here forever. I slept so well last night, knowing I was safe. But I have to get back to my place and face reality. No more hiding.”

Willow gave her a gentle smile. “I understand. But remember, whenever things get to be too much, come here with your sons and take a little break.”

The two women hugged before Willow stepped into the mudroom to retrieve a wide-brimmed hat and leather gloves. Minutes later she was in one of the trucks and heading across a meadow toward a distant herd.

Griff put a hand on Juliet's shoulder. “You're sure you want to go back?”

“I have to. I have a life to live, Griff.” She turned to where Myrna and Mad were sharing a last cup of coffee. “Thank you both for all you did for my boys and me.”

The old woman stood and hugged her.

Mad caught her hand. “Just remember. If that wrangler Mitch returns, keep the door locked and Chief Pettigrew's number ready to dial.”

“I will.” She dimpled. “I was serious about having you join the Romeos. They're a grand group of men. They're not ranchers. But they're all former military men who've seen combat. You'd find that you have more in common with them than you have with some of your neighbors.”

He nodded. “And I promise to give it some thought, lass.” Seeing Griff holding out the keys to a truck he added, “I hope you'll come back. And bring these two with you.”

He reached out and caught the two little boys in a bear hug.

Long after Casey had turned away to follow his mother and Griff to the door, Ethan was still clinging to the old man, his face buried against his neck as though breathing him in.

Juliet turned and caught sight of it, and she was forced to absorb a terrible slash of pain through her heart. When Ethan caught up with her and grabbed her hand, she took in several deep breaths to keep from weeping.

O
n the ride home, Casey chattered like a magpie, about the fancy bedroom he and his brother shared, and the size of Griff's ranch and the yummy food Mad made especially for them.

“When can we go back to Griff's house, Mama?”

She glanced at Ethan, who kept his head down, staring at the floor. “We'll try to do it again soon. And maybe we can have Griff's family to our ranch. Would you like that?”

“Yes.” He gave a little fist pump that had Juliet smiling.

She turned to Griff. “You have an amazing family.”

“Yeah. That's what I'm discovering.”

She gave a shake of her head. “Sorry. I forgot for a moment that you're just getting to know them, too. Do you know how lucky you are to have found such good people?”

He rested his arm on the open window of the truck as he guided it along a dirt road. “It could have turned out so differently. I don't know too many people who would welcome a secret son. Especially while they're dealing with a tragedy in the family.”

“Does the police chief have any suspects in your father's murder?”

“According to Ira, everybody is a suspect.”

She lifted a brow. “I don't understand.”

“You've met Mad. I guess my father was just like him. A really great guy who was cursed with a hair-trigger temper. According to the things I've heard, Bear MacKenzie had as many enemies as he had friends.”

They fell silent as they neared the Grayson Ranch. Griff saw Jackie Turner standing in the doorway of the barn and pulled up alongside him.

When Juliet and her sons had exited the truck, the old man touched a hand to the brim of his hat. “'Morning, Juliet. Boys.”

He looked over. “Griff. I was a little concerned when I found nobody home this morning. I should have known you wouldn't leave Juliet and her boys alone.”

Juliet looked alarmed. “Is something wrong, Jackie?”

“No, ma'am. Creepers. Don't go getting upset. But an airplane was here when I arrived, and several workmen were in your barn. When I asked what they were doing, they assured me that they were here at your request to fix some equipment. So I thought I'd stick around and watch until they left, just to be sure they weren't here to do any damage. They were as good as their word. Fixed that thing up in the ceiling and were on their way.”

Juliet put a hand to her throat. “Oh, thank heaven. They were from Endicott Medical Supply.”

“Yes, ma'am. That's what they said.” Jackie returned her smile. “Now, if you don't mind, I was about to walk through your barns and finish my inventory of your equipment.”

“Thank you, Jackie. When you're done, please come to the house. I'll have a fresh pot of coffee.”

“I'd like that.” Taking a small notebook from his shirt pocket, he turned away.

Juliet fished her cell phone from her pocket and hastily turned it on before speaking briefly into it. “Heywood? The lift is up and running. If you'd like to contact your group, they can make arrangements to begin therapy again tomorrow.”

On the speaker, his tone was cranky. “What's wrong with today?”

“Nothing. Except that we can get an earlier start tomorrow.”

His words held a distinct challenge. “I came over yesterday. There was an old man there who said you'd gone to town…with that marine. I tried phoning you last night and again this morning. There was no answer.”

“Sorry. I was out, and forgot that I had my phone silenced. But I'm back now, and with the lift repaired, we can get back to normal. Do you want to try for tomorrow? Or is that too soon to contact all the members of your group?”

He swore. “The Romeos will come whenever I tell them to. We'll be there early tomorrow. That is, if you're not off gallivanting somewhere and we can count on you to be there.”

“I'll be here.” She disconnected and started toward the house, walking beside Griff and her boys. “It seems I caught Sperry in one of his moods again. I expected him to be thrilled to learn that therapy was back on track. He's been out of sorts every day it was postponed. And now, instead of being happy, he sounded like a sulky kid.”

“Maybe he's bored. Without the company of his fellow Romeos, there probably isn't much to keep him busy.”

“That could be.” She brightened. “Still, I'm surprised that he came all the way out here yesterday, knowing the lift was still down. At least he saw Jackie, who sent him on his way.” She sighed. “Tomorrow is soon enough to get back to it.”

At the porch, the boys raced up the steps, eager to find their favorite toys. Juliet started to follow, until she realized that Griff remained off the porch. She turned. “Are you coming in?”

He shook his head. “Since you've got Jackie here, this seems a good time for me to head over to Garvey Fuller's mill and see about starting on some ramps around the MacKenzie Ranch.”

“I'm surprised that wasn't done years ago.”

“So was I.” Griff shrugged. “According to Willow, Mad wasn't ready to accept his limitations then. He believed that having a ramp would tell the world he was a cripple.   Who knows? Maybe because he has a woodworker in the family, it seems like a good idea to him now. I know this: It will give him freedom he will welcome.”

He started to turn away when he heard Juliet say, “Griff, thanks for last night. It meant the world to me to know that the boys and I were safe. It's the first good night's sleep I've had in ages.”

“I'm glad. What will you do tonight?”

She lowered her gaze. “I guess I'll call the police chief later and see if he has any news about Mitch.”

“And if he doesn't?”

She looked away, avoiding his eyes. “I think it's time for me to grow up and deal with my fears.”

He climbed the steps and started to reach for her before deciding against it and lowering his hand to his side. “You don't have to be here alone. Willow asked you to come back and spend the night at our place.”

“No.” When she realized how harsh that sounded, she tried to soften her words. “This is my problem, Griff. Not yours or your family's. I need to learn how to handle my own life.”

He caught her hand and was forced to absorb a swift sexual jolt. “Look, I know this isn't my business. But if Mitch is still out there, why not accept Willow's hospitality?”

When she opened her mouth to object he said quickly, “If not for your own sake, then do it for the sake of your sons.”

She lowered her head. “Now you're trying to guilt me.”

He grinned and touched a finger beneath her chin, tipping up her face and forcing her to meet his gaze. “Is it working?”

She pulled her hand free and took a step back. “I can't spend my nights with you…with your family.”

He caught her hesitation and decided to take the plunge. “Juliet, I know what this is about. We nearly crossed a line last night…”

She started to speak and he cut her off. “…but we didn't. And now I can feel you trying to distance yourself from me. I get it. So to put your mind at ease, I promise you I won't let that happen again. But until Mitch is caught, the danger is real. There's no reason for you to put yourself at risk because of something that happened in the heat of the moment.”

Her head came up sharply. “What kind of guarantee can you give that we won't find ourselves in the… heat of the moment again, if I spend the night in the room next to yours?”

His voice held the edge of steel. “I'm fresh out of guarantees. But I give you my word that unless you say otherwise, I'll keep my distance. I may have wanted you in my bed—and still do, if you want the truth—but what I want even more is for you and your sons to be safe.”

For a moment she seemed stunned by his honesty. Then, taking a deep breath, she forced herself to look him in the eye. “What happened last night wasn't just your fault. I share the blame. I …wanted you. Maybe I still do.” She could feel her cheeks flaming. “But you're right. For the sake of my boys, until Mitch is caught, I need to be sensible. We're totally isolated out here. Even my wranglers are too far away to offer any help in an emergency. So, thank you for your offer, Griff. As long as your family is willing, I'll certainly sleep better if I'm surrounded by good people.”

“Done.” He turned away. “I'll pick you and the boys up in time for supper.”

“All right. We'll be ready.” She saw him pause and turn. “And this time I'll pack clean clothes for tomorrow, so Myrna doesn't have to do laundry at dawn.”

“I'm sure she didn't mind.” He strode to his truck and started the engine.

Juliet let herself into the house before leaning against the closed door.

What had she just agreed to?

How in the world would she find the strength to keep fighting this attraction, when she kept the object of her desire too close for comfort?

Griff unloaded the wood he'd bought at the mill, storing it neatly at the side of the house. He'd forgotten how much he missed this. He'd had a knack for woodworking since he was a teen, and had spent his summers working for a local construction firm. In the early years he'd been the crew's gofer, cleaning up the job sites, hauling away debris, running and fetching everything from water to their lunches. Later, when he was old enough to be allowed to handle the power equipment, he'd been in hog heaven.

He loved everything about woodworking and carpentry. From the smell of freshly sawed lumber to the visual symmetry when the wood was laid out just the way he'd seen it in his mind.

Though he was just beginning this latest job, he could already see how it would look when it was finished, with a long, gently sloping ramp to the back porch, and possibly another leading to the barns and outbuildings.

He began at the back porch, doing a quick sketch of the ramp he hoped to build. In no time he was laying out the boards that would form the base of the ramp. For the next few hours, as the sun climbed high overhead, he measured, sawed, hammered.

Somewhere along the way he'd shed his shirt. Each time he stopped to drain a bottle of cold water, he would pour the rest over his head. Soon his hair was plastered to his neck, and his back and arms were bronzed from the sun.

Gradually the others drifted home from their chores. Willow and Brady, down from the hills to check on the herds, paused to watch as the ramp took shape.

“Oh, Brady.” Willow's smile was as bright as the sun. “I wish Mad had agreed to this years ago. Why did we give in to his foolish vanity?”

Brady slapped Griff's arm. “Because we didn't have our own home-grown handyman, that's why. But now that Mad's had a change of heart, let's just go with it.”

Whit sauntered up from the barn and stopped to admire the work. “Nice job, bro.”

“Thanks.” Griff got to his feet and grabbed another bottle of cold water before draining it. “It's coming along.”

“I think I could lend a hand tomorrow.”

“Great. I'd appreciate the help.”

They both looked up as Ash and Brenna drove up in a truck. Brenna stepped out and reached for a covered cake plate, while Ash trailed behind, carrying several bags.

“Hey, you come bearing gifts.” Whit's grin was infectious. “I don't care what's in those bags, but I know a cake when I see one. Chocolate, I hope.”

“It is. With buttercream frosting.”

He wrapped an arm around his sister-in-law's shoulders. “Maybe you should let me carry that. It looks heavy.”

Brenna was laughing. “If I turn this loose, you'll have it half gone before we even have supper.”

“Supper.” Griff looked thunderstruck. “What was I thinking? I promised to pick up Juliet and her boys.”

Just then a truck pulled up and Juliet and the boys climbed down.

“Thanks, Jackie,” she called to the driver.

The old man waved as he put the truck in reverse before turning and driving away.

Juliet walked up to the others, trying not to stare at Griff, who was still stripped to the waist, his body slick with sheen. “I thought, since Jackie was coming this way, I could save you that long drive.”

“I'm glad you did.” Griff tucked the hammer into his leather tool belt. “The truth is, I got so caught up in my work here, I forgot the time.”

“Mama packed our suitcase,” Casey announced proudly. “So we'll have our PJs tonight and clean clothes tomorrow.”

“So this is your vacation?” Willow said with a laugh.

Casey turned to his mother. “Is this a vacation?“

“That's what it feels like.” Juliet caught Willow's hand. “I'm so grateful for your hospitality.”

“And we're happy for the company.”

“What're you building, Griff?” Casey said as he raced over to stand beside him.

“A ramp.”

“For Grandpa Mad?”

“Yeah.” He grinned at the little boy's easy use of the old man's name. “Think he'll like it?”

“Yeah. When it's done, he can take me and Efan on even longer rides.”

“That's the plan.” Griff felt Juliet staring at him and turned to her. “Any word from Ira about Mitch?”

She gave a quick shake of her head and he let the subject go, knowing she didn't want to talk about it in front of her sons. But from the look in her eyes, he was certain something had happened.

Myrna stepped out onto the back porch. “Supper in one hour. Mad says you'd better wash up and get inside while the steaks are hot and the beer's cold.”

While the others scrambled inside, Juliet remained a moment, watching as Griff collected his tools and made ready to store them in the barn for the night.

Moving along beside him, she said, “Ira told me that they've found my truck. It was abandoned on a deserted ranch outside of Copper Creek. He referred to it as the old Cleary place.”