Page 34 of Reckoning with the Cowboy
Amy Sue got to the purse first, picking it up and not even bothering to look inside. She knew by the weight of it what made it so heavy.“You’re carrying a gun now?”There was fear in her voice, the same fear that pressed against Josie’s chest, making it hard to breathe at every waking moment because her “gift” told her the threat wasn’t over. She was afraid and hated it.
Grimes had been a bully, a big man who took his misery out on his wife and his stepsons. He liked hurting and tormenting people, but nowhere on his long list of crimes was there the portrait of a cold-blooded killer. Although according to Cordell, Grimes had pushed his wife down the stairs. He hadn’t purposely killed her, but he had lied and buried her in a shallow grave up the road. Max and Cordell had gone to Rawlins and identified the dress she’d been wearing the last time they’d seen their mother alive. So it should have been over.
But the danger Josie saw coming now was different. This person was a cold-blooded killer—and it was personal—just like she’d seen that first day out on the porch. It was still coming and, for the life of her, Josie couldn’t understand it—let alone see who it was. How was it possible after what they’d already been through?
“I have to go,” she said as she took her purse from her sister and left the farmhouse.
Amy Sue followed her out to the porch. “You’re scaring me.”
She was scaring herself. How could she explain the sense of foreboding she still felt, the blackness, the evil? Unlike her grandmother, she couldn’t give it shape or reason. All she could do was sense the horror that was about to be unleashed. She couldn’t even warn anyone. All she could do was wait.
When she reached her office, she found Cordell sitting on the front step. They hadn’t had a moment together since the Grimes nightmare. He’d been taken into custody, questioned and released. Grimes’s history and their statements would help to get the investigation closed quickly, they’d been told.
* * *
“Good morning,”Cordellsaid as he rose. One look at Josie and he didn’t have to inquire how she was doing. He could see it in the dark shadows under her eyes, in the haunted look.
She pulled her purse to her and dug out her keys. “I thought you’d be gone by now.”
“About that,” he said. “That’s why I’m here. I need some legal advice.”
“If it’s about the shooting, you need a criminal lawyer.”
“Nope. It’s about those old warrants. I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to leave town after all.”
She had drawn out her office keys but was having trouble getting the key into the lock. Cordell took the key chain from her and opened the door. “After you.”
Josie entered, realizing she was glad he was here. She turned on the light and looked around before she stepped in. It felt cold and uninviting compared with the farmhouse. She wondered why she’d insisted on coming here today.
“We had a deal,” she said to Cordell as she went behind her desk, put her purse in the second drawer and, after removing her jacket, spread it on the back of the chair before she sat down.
“I can’t leave because I bought the hotel.”
Her gaze shot up to his.
“Why would you do that? That place has been boarded-up for years.”
“Because I need some form of employment and I’m looking forward to the challenge of bringing the place back to its earlier grandeur, or at least getting rid of the dust and mice.”
She shook her head. “That’s a terrible idea. The smartest thing you could do is get your money back and return to Florida or even somewhere farther away from Dry Gulch.”
He stared at her. “Wow, it almost sounds like you want me gone.”
“I’m serious.” Her throat ached and she felt as if she might cry. “You don’t want to stay here. For whatever reason, this is a dangerous place.”
“Is this about Big Blue?” he asked as if hoping to lighten the mood. He knew her, knew she was fighting tears, and she hated it when he moved behind her desk to comfort her. “You know why I brought the horse back. I wanted to show you that I’ve changed. I’m determined to prove myself to you.”
“Oh, Cordell, you already have,” she cried. The moment he drew her up from her chair, she was in his arms again. She leaned into his chest as if needing this as desperately as he did. She didn’t want him to leave town. She never wanted him to ever leave again. He could feel it in the way she hugged him back. She seemed afraid of what would happen if he stayed. She was fighting this for some reason he didn’t understand.
She stepped out of his arms and sat back down. “The judge isn’t going to be happy about this.”
“Josie, I’m not leaving. Please, do whatever you have to do, but I’m here to stay.”
* * *
Josie realized howdesperately she had wanted to hear those words. She swallowed before she turned to look at him. He’d grown into such a handsome, strong man. Most of his bad-boy persona was gone, but there was still some mischief in that gaze. It pulled at her heartstrings, playing them like a symphony. She wanted him to stay. She loved the idea of him opening the hotel, although she couldn’t imagine he would make any money. Few people had a reason to come to Dry Gulch.
What she also saw in his gaze was stubborn determination. That made him even more handsome. She desperately wanted him to succeed as she met his gaze and nodded. “I’ll talk to the judge.”
