Page 20 of Christmas Ransom

He knew she would balk when he suggested he stay at her house—at least for a while. James was right. It could take months for J to be found. Worse, he might never be caught. If so, Carla would have to look over her shoulder the rest of her life. She would never feel safe. Davy couldn’t bear that for her, knowing how she prided herself on her independence.

“This isn’t the way to my house,” she said after he’d driven only a few blocks.

“Nope.” He turned down the alley and came to a stop behind the Colt Brothers Investigation building. Shutting off the motor, he turned toward her. “I want you to stay here for just a little while. James and Tommy redid the upstairs apartment. There’s now two bedrooms and two baths.” He was talking fast, hoping he could get out his plan before she stopped him. “I’m staying up there, but I’ll give you all the space you want. Please say you’ll at least stay here until you’re cleared to go back to work.”

He took a breath. He could see her fighting the idea. “Or at least through the holidays. You’d be doing me a huge favor. You know how my brothers are. They’ll cut me some slack with you around.”

She sighed and looked over at him. Her expression said that he wasn’t fooling her. She knew why he wanted her to stay here—in a place that he would find easier to protect her.

“Just until I’m cleared to go back to work,” she said. “I had some time off coming anyway. After that, you go back to the rodeo, and I go home. Agreed?”

Davy saw that he had no choice but to agree, so he nodded. The truth was, if the killer wasn’t caught, he couldn’t see how he could ever leave her.

Chapter Thirteen

Jud felt as if he was being watched—and had since the robbery. He especially hated doing any shopping in Lonesome, but Jesse had asked him to pick up a few things on his way home. How could he say no to a quick stop at the local grocery store?

Fortunately, it wasn’t very busy. Maybe if he hurried... He brushed a lock of hair back from his face as he glanced through the frosty glass of the ice-cream freezer in front of him and tried to remember what kind of ice cream she’d asked for. There were dark circles under his eyes. He hadn’t slept well. Last night, he’d awakened to find Jesse lying next to him, staring at him. When he’d started to ask if something was wrong, she’d closed her eyes and rolled over.

He studied his reflection. He looked older too, he thought, as if he’d aged ten years since the robbery. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure standing a little off to one side behind him. His breath rushed out of him and he half turned to reach for the pistol at his back, but then he saw who it was. Not Davy Colt or any of his brothers. Not the local sheriff or his deputies. Not the feds.

Just an annoying old woman.

He silently cursed her for scaring him. His heart ping-ponged around in his chest as he released his hold on his weapon and said, “You need something, Mrs. Brooks?”

“I need to know why you have a gun stuck in the back of your jeans,” she snapped.

“Keep your voice down.” He glared at her. She was old and frail and a little more hunched over than he remembered, but that tongue of hers was sharp and lethal. The worst busybody in the entire county had just seen him staring at himself in a freezer glass door before going for his gun. She seemed to be waiting impatiently for an answer as if it was any of her business.

“These are dangerous times,” he said. He’d started carrying the gun, except at work. “I’m sure you heard about the bank being robbed.”

“Not to mention the robber’s accomplices being murdered,” she said, still eyeing him suspiciously.

“Exactly.” He turned back to the freezer, opened the door and took out a quart of vanilla ice cream. “Jesse’s making peach cobbler. Got to have ice cream,” he said, hoping to change the subject. “Better get this home before it melts.” He started to step past her, but she grabbed his arm in her clawlike fingers.

“Jesse Watney?” She spat the name out like a mouthful of dirt. “I heard a rumor that she was back here. So you’ve hooked up with her. Guess you’ve lost your mind. She ever mention that family of hers, who used to live not far from here? No? Suppose she wouldn’t want to scare you away. Bet she hasn’t mentioned her sister, who went missing, either.” Cora Brooks chuckled. “Wonder why she kept that from you.”

“I think you have her confused with someone else. Jesse isn’t from around here. All her kin are down in Idaho.”

“That what she told you?”

He wanted to wipe that knowing smile off her face. “My ice cream is melting.” He stepped past her.

“Best watch your back,” Cora called after him. “You have no idea who you’re living with.” She let out a cackle that raised the hair on the back of his neck. “I’d keep that gun handy if I were you.”

“What was that about?” the checkout woman asked.

“Just Cora. You know how she is,” he said, more shaken than he wanted to admit.

“She seems to have nothing to do but butt in to other people’s business,” the checker said. “Half the time I don’t think she knows what she’s talking about.”

Jud wondered about that. “You’ve lived here your whole life. You ever know anyone named Watney?”

The woman thought for a moment before she counted out his change and handed it to him. “You sure it was Watney? I remember a family that lived back in the mountains. But I thought their name was Welsh. Or maybe they were Welsh. I just remember my grandmother talking about them. I think one of them was murdered or disappeared. There was something everyone was whispering about.” She shrugged. “That what Cora was giving you a hard time about?”

“Like you said, she probably doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

ITHADN’TTAKENAgent Grover long to find her. Carla had just gotten settled into one of the bedrooms over the Colt Brothers Investigation office when he and Agent Deeds had shown up downstairs demanding to see her.

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