The Texas Ranger's Reward

He propped himself on the edge of the chest and started going through the presents. While he was occupied, she moved to her desk across the room and sat behind it. Casey’s hard-muscled father, in jeans and a dark green sport shirt, took a chair opposite her and placed the crutches on the floor next to him.

“Mr. Stillman,” she began quietly, “the doctor suggested your son’s problem was psychological, so that’s why I threw him in at the deep end of the pool yesterday. It’s clear his leg has healed and he’s able to walk just fine. Do you know any reason why his problem may have been so easily resolved? I don’t. I know I’m close to being the perfect therapist, but an overnight recovery is astonishing.”

The man’s lips quirked at her joke, but she got the impression there was something about her he didn’t like. She saw it in his wintry eyes. An odd chill went through her.

“I’ve discovered there’s a very good reason,” he answered, in a low voice so deep it resonated through her body. “But I would prefer to tell you out of his hearing.” Casey’s dad looked at her with such solemnity she took a quick breath.

“Understood. Since I’d like one more session with him, tomorrow morning, could you call me this afternoon? Say, around one? That’s when I take my lunch break, and we can talk.”

“I’ll see that Casey is otherwise occupied, then phone you.”

“Melissa?” his son called. “Can I have this Captain America toy?”

“Sure. It’s one of my favorites. The gizmo shoots little disks.”

“Awesome!”

“Did you know there’s something else I’d like you to do for me?”

“What?”

“Just use one crutch on your way out to your father’s car. Think you can do that?”

“Yes,” he said. But he was so absorbed with his new toy she doubted he’d really listened. In a few long strides, his dad, carrying both crutches, reached Casey. He fitted one under his son’s arm, then took the gift from him.

Melissa stood up. “I have one more favor to ask you, Casey.” He finally lifted his head. “Will you come to my office tomorrow without your crutches? Just leave them at home. If you do that, I’ve got another surprise for you.”

“Is it in the pirate chest?”

“I had something else in mind, but if there’s another toy you’d like in there, that’s fine.”

She could almost hear his brain working. “Will I like it a lot?”

Kids. She loved them.

“I can guarantee it.”

His eyes lit up. “Okay.”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye, Casey.”

“Can you thank her for being so generous?” his father prodded.

“Thanks, Melissa.”

“You’re welcome.” She closed the door behind them to get ready for her next patient.

The morning seemed to pass much slower than usual. Melissa knew why. She was waiting for lunch, when Casey’s father was supposed to phone. Not once in three years had she been given a case where it was over almost before it had begun. Mr. Stillman had indicated he knew the reason for his son’s capitulation. She was eager for him to share it with her.

After her last appointment, she took a bottle of juice from her mini fridge and drank it while she typed the last patient’s follow-up notes into the computer. At five after one, the receptionist told her she was wanted on line three. She picked up the receiver.

“Melissa Dalton speaking.”

“This is Travis Stillman.”

“Thanks for calling me, Mr. Stillman. Where is Casey right now?”

“In the kitchen eating lunch with the housekeeper. He’s using her and Dexter to retrieve those disks.”

She laughed softly. “From what I saw this morning, he should be picking them up himself. In my professional opinion he has healed beautifully. So why did he cling to the crutches until you brought him to the clinic?”

“Let me give you a bit of background first. Until fifteen months ago, I was a Texas Ranger living with my wife and son in Fort Davis, Texas.”

A Texas Ranger. In Melissa’s mind, Texas Rangers were legendary, and he fitted her image of one exactly.

“On my last case,” he went on, “I went after a gang in a brutal racial slaying. I caught up with two of them, but a third one eluded me. They were known as the McClusky brothers. Soon after their capture, the third brother, Danny McClusky, murdered my wife in cold blood while she was driving home from the grocery store. It was a revenge killing. Thankfully, Casey was still at school.”

His revelation stopped her cold. “I—I can’t imagine anything so horrifying,” she stammered. “Is that killer still free?”

“Yes. He’s on the FBI’s most wanted list. They’ll get him in time.”

“How do you live with that?”

“Not so well. Two other times during my career, my wife and son were threatened. After I buried her, I decided enough was enough, and resigned from the Texas Rangers. Casey needs me too much.”

“He’s so lucky you’re still alive!” she said, before she realized how emotional she sounded. She knew what it felt like to be threatened. She’d gotten out of her marriage because of it. For both his and Casey’s sakes, she was glad Mr. Stillman had moved to Utah, away from danger.

“I have a sister,” he said, “who lives in Lone Peak Estates here in Sandy, with her husband and their two kids. Since the area’s zoned for horses, she encouraged us to move across the street from her so we could ride their horses when we wanted. After the loss of his mother, I wanted Casey to have family close by.”

“Of course,” Melissa murmured, still shocked by the tragic story. For a child to lose his mother like that was utterly heartbreaking.

“He’s had a hard time,” Mr. Stillman continued, “but we were doing better until he fell off his horse and broke his leg. It happened soon after Pioneer Day, on the twenty-fourth of July. Having the surgery frightened him and set him back emotionally. He’s been crying for his mother at night.”

“That’s only natural. Who wouldn’t? In hellish times the child in everyone cries for his or her mother.”

Melissa had wanted to cry in her mom’s arms in the months before she’d run from Russ, wanting her to make everything all right. But she’d felt too ashamed to tell her parents anything. They’d advised her to wait another year before she got married, just to be sure. But oh, no. She knew what she was doing. What a fool.

She hadn’t confided in her parents until after she’d left Russ.

Poor Casey hadn’t had his mother when he’d fallen.

“When you greeted him outside your office yesterday morning, it was like something magical happened—he responded to you without even thinking about it. I was bewildered by his reaction until we got home. That’s when I realized there’s something about you that reminds him of his mother—the way you talk, your enthusiasm, even your physical appearance. You have a vitality like hers. Put all that together and you could be her double.”

“Really?”

“Yes. At this point I believe he’d do anything for you. He proved that today.”

Mr. Stillman had just given her a plausible answer for Casey’s quick turnaround, but his own reaction was far more complicated. Melissa jumped up from her chair, suddenly putting two and two together. Whether he’d had a good, mediocre or bad marriage, seeing someone who reminded him so strongly of his wife must have come as a shock to him.

She’d known something was wrong. For some reason it made her feel strange. She didn’t want to look like anyone else, especially his murdered wife. Apparently he didn’t like it, either.

“Thank you for telling me all this,” she said. “Considering his progress, tomorrow should be the last time he needs to come in.” Working with children had made her careful not to allow attachments to form. “I’ll send you home with a sheet showing a few exercises he can do. If you make a game of it and do them with him, he won’t know you’re trying to help strengthen those muscles. Keep in mind he doesn’t have to do the exercises. Natural play will eventually work out any kinks, but it’s something you can do together as father and son to speed things up. Do you have any questions for me?”

“None.”

He seemed anxious to get off the phone. “Then I’ll see you in the morning. We’ll deal with the issue of his not wanting to go to school then.”

Melissa hung up. She had no desire to prolong their conversation either. It would have been agony for Travis Stillman to have to discuss the tragedy with her. Heaven knows it was hard enough to hear about it. Any trauma that directly affected a child pained her. But murder … The poor boy. The poor father. He’d been forced to give up his life’s work and move to a new state. None of that could have been easy.

She was glad she had a busy schedule that afternoon. It would get her mind off what she’d learned.

At four o’clock she left the clinic for her parents’ home in Federal Heights, an area in the northeast region of the city near the University of Utah. Five generations of Robertses, all of whom had run the Wasatch Front Steel Corporation, had lived there. Melissa had grown up surrounded by tall, gorgeous old trees and a lush yard. Her town house, where the trees had been newly planted and there was no heavy foliage, was a big change.

While she ate dinner with her parents, she told them about the cabin. Her father rubbed his chin. “That’s the trouble with such remote places, honey. After every winter, our neighbors up there complain of the same thing. Somebody’s broken in and things are stolen.”

She shook her head “Winter is one thing, Dad, but for intruders to be that brazen in summer is really upsetting. I didn’t see anything missing, but I know someone has been in there since July 24.”

“Let’s just be thankful you didn’t surprise them when you walked in,” her mother said. “I’ve never liked you going up there alone. This settles it. Please don’t use the cabin again unless you have a friend or family member with you.”

“Mom—”

“I don’t care if you’re a grown woman, Melissa. It’s not safe.”

“Your mother’s right, honey. What about Tom?”

“He’s a man I’ve done some artwork for, but that’s all. I’ve never been interested in him. When the book’s done, I won’t be doing any more projects with him. Real-life paintings aren’t the kind of thing I like to do.”

Her dad glanced at her with affection. “I know. You love your world of fantasy.”

“I always have.” She put down her fork. “Fall is when I like to be up at the cabin every weekend. The atmosphere inspires me. My week’s vacation starts next Tuesday. I planned to live up there the whole time, so I can hike and paint nonstop.”

“If you’re determined to go alone,” her father said, “then you need to buy a gun and learn how to shoot it.”

Her mother gasped. “William!”

“Well, it’s either that or take a boyfriend along.” Her parents despaired of her ever settling down again, and brought up the subject at every opportunity.

“I don’t have one. What if we hired a retired policeman to be at the cabin when I go up? I’d help pay him.”

Her father eyed her in frustration. “I guess anything’s possible, but tell you what, honey. Some time tomorrow I’ll call the police in the Kamas area and ask them to send someone over to the cabin and take a look.”

“I don’t see any signs of a break-in, so I don’t think that will do any good.”

“You have a point. Let me think about it. I don’t like this any more than you do.”

Her mother leaned forward. “I’ll go up with you for a couple of nights, and I’m sure John and Linda will, too. In the meantime, why don’t you ask Rosie from your work?”

“She’s involved with a guy, Mom.”

Besides, the problem with taking girl friends up there was that they needed to be entertained. At night they wanted to drive down to Kamas for a little fun, and to meet the local male talent. Melissa had done that years ago. It was how she’d met her husband. She had no desire for lightning to strike her twice in the same place.

Chapter Two

Travis was awake Wednesday morning long before it was time to take Casey to the clinic. His boss, Roman Lufka, owner of the Lufka Private Investigator firm, had intended to assign him a new case on Monday, but because Travis’s son refused to go to school, the timing was wrong.

Roman was the greatest, and told him to take as long as he needed to work with Casey, but Travis was getting anxious. It was one thing for his son to convince the therapist that he could manage without his crutches in order to receive a prize, and quite another to agree to go back to school without them.

Travis heard his cell phone ringing when he came out of the shower. Hitching a towel around his hips, he hurried into the bedroom and reached for it. Maybe the therapist was calling because a scheduling problem had come up.

Last night, without knowing what he knew, his housekeeper, Deana White, had whispered to him that Casey seemed to have developed a crush on the therapist and couldn’t wait until morning. Travis didn’t want to think about the damage a cancelation could do at such a pivotal point in Casey’s recovery.

Relief swept through him when he looked at the caller ID before picking up. “Hey, Chaz, it’s good to hear your voice.” Chaz Roylance was another great friend he’d made at the firm.

“Do you and Casey want to meet up for breakfast? I’ll bring Abby.” All the guys were trying to help Travis get through this rough period with his son.

“There’s nothing I’d like better, but we’re due at his therapist’s in twenty minutes.”

“How’s it going?”

Travis sucked in his breath. “She challenged him to come without his crutches. Wants him to leave them at home. If he takes her up on it, I think we’re halfway there.”

“Only halfway?”

“The other half is getting him to go back to school.”

“I hear you. As you know, our Abby is still having meltdowns over bees.”

“The poor little tyke.”

“When she sees one, it’s the end of the world. Frankly, I’m glad cooler weather is on the way. Unless I can promise that bees won’t be around, she refuses to do certain things, even for her mother.”

For her mother.

In that arena, Travis had the edge on Chaz, because the therapist seemed to have the power to get his son to do anything. Travis ought to be grateful to her. Hell, he was grateful, but nothing seemed to alleviate his tortured thoughts since he’d met her.

“Thanks for the invite,” he said to Chaz. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” He hung up and went back to the bathroom to shave. After putting on a crew-neck and dark trousers, he walked through the house to find his son in the kitchen eating breakfast. He’d dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Travis didn’t know if Deana had helped him or not.

And so far Casey hadn’t gotten bored with Captain America.

“Good morning.” The housekeeper, who’d raised three children of her own, put a plate of sausages and pancakes in front of him.

“Thanks, Deana.”

Travis didn’t have much appetite, but he ate what she’d served him, to be polite. His sister, Pat, had helped him find Deana. She’d been coming once a week to clean, and the rest of the time she picked up Casey from school and got dinner ready. Since he’d broken his leg, however, Deana had been putting in long hours, and Casey liked her.

Lately he hadn’t been interested in food, and today he’d left half his breakfast on his plate, Travis noted in concern. “Hey, bud, it’s time to go to the clinic. Put the toy down, okay?”

“Okay. What do you think she’s going to give me this morning?”

He studied his son. “Are you going to leave your crutches here?”

Casey had laid them on the floor by his chair. “Yup.”

“Then let’s get going and find out. Do you need me to hold your hand?”

“I don’t think so.”

Deana sent Travis a private smile. What she didn’t know was that although this was progress, the difficult part—school—was still to come. But he’d wait until they were in the therapist’s office to bring the subject up.

Dexter followed them to the garage, and Casey gave him a hug. If people didn’t look too closely, they might never know Casey had gone through his ordeal, Travis decided. Though his son took a little more time, he walked with a steady gait. Like any child, he loved getting neat things, but Travis feared that another gift wasn’t all that was motivating him.

“There she is!” Casey spotted Melissa as they drove into the clinic parking lot five minutes later. There weren’t many cars this early. When Casey climbed out she started waving. This time Travis didn’t see any hesitancy on his son’s part as he closed the distance between them.

Travis brought up the rear, surreptitiously studying Melissa Dalton. This morning she was turned out in a pair of latte-colored trousers with a dark brown waistband. With the fitted melon-colored blouse, it was hard to look anywhere else.

Her eyes appraised Casey. “Well, look at you. Good as new!” The boy beamed up at her. “I like a guy who makes a promise and keeps it. Where are those old crutches?”

“At home. I turned them into weapons.” Travis blinked when Casey unexpectedly pulled a folded paper from his pocket and handed it to her. “See?”

“Hmm. What have we got here?” He giggled while she opened the paper with great ceremony. “Whoa, I certainly do see. How clever of you to make them into laser guns! Is that an interplanetary rocket they fit on?”

“Yeah.”

She pressed it to her heart. “Can I have this and put it up on the corkboard for the other children to see?”

He nodded.

“When we get inside, you have to autograph it.”

“Auto—?”

“Autograph’s a fancy word for your name.”

“Okay. I can print it.”

“I didn’t doubt it for a second. Come with me.”

Once the three of them reached her office, Melissa walked around the desk and opened the top drawer. “Here’s a good pen, Casey. Take the drawing over to the table by the books. After you print your name, you can put up your picture using those tacks on the board.”

“Where shall I print it?”

“Anyplace you like. Make sure it’s big so everyone can see it.”

Casey got down on his knees to get to work. That’s when Travis knew his son was no longer thinking about his leg. He chuckled as Casey’s tongue rubbed against his lower lip while he carried out her suggestion.

“Here,” she said when he was done, “I’ll make a little more room for it.” While she helped Casey mount the drawing, Travis returned the felt-tipped pen to her desk, then wandered over to see the finished product. But he found himself looking at the skein of lustrous hair caught at the nape of her neck with a coral flower clip. This morning she wore gold studs in her earlobes. Her fashion sense held strong appeal for him. Almost as much as her gorgeous body did.

“I love it!” she declared, drawing Travis’s attention back to the drawing. His son had put his name coming out of the tip of the rocket, with each letter getting a little bigger. “I especially like the way you make your y with the curlicue on the tail.”

Casey smiled again. Every time she opened her mouth, she built his son’s confidence, Travis realized.

“This calls for a celebration.” She walked back to her desk and reached in the drawer for a small envelope. Handing it to Casey, she said, “Inside this are three passes for your dad to take you and a close friend to a fun movie. And I have one more thing for you. It’s in the clinic kitchen. I’ll be right back.”

Travis felt the gift giving had gone on long enough, and would have told her so, but she left the office too fast. He sat down with Casey. “That was certainly nice of her. Be sure to thank her for those passes when she comes back in.”

“I will,” he answered, sounding preoccupied. Travis didn’t know how Casey felt about his latest present, but was glad he didn’t say he’d have preferred a toy. “Hey, Dad, look at the picture of the huge bulldog! I wish I could take that one home.”

Travis automatically complied, glancing toward the fabulous collection as he shook his head.

“Sorry, bud. That one stays on the wall.” If he had a dollar for every time his son wished for something …

Pretty soon Melissa came back with a bakery carton of iced cupcakes decorated in autumn colors, and put it on the table with some napkins.

“I noticed on your medical chart that you had a birthday a couple of weeks ago,” she said, “but since you weren’t in school, you didn’t have a chance to celebrate. Every kid celebrates birthdays at school. Today would be the perfect day to take these to class. The other kids will love a treat. There’s enough in the box for the three of us to have one before your dad drives you to school. Your teacher’s waiting for you.”

Casey looked as dumbfounded as Travis felt. “She is?”

“Of course. Doesn’t everyone go to school on Wednesdays?” Casey nodded. “She’s looking for one Mr. Casey Stillman to show up. Did you meet her at a parent-teacher conference before school started?”

“No. I couldn’t walk.”

“Well, you can now! Here—try one.” She opened the lid. “You pick the color you want.”

At first Casey couldn’t decide. Travis reached for a yellow one and ate it in two bites, his eyes meeting Melissa’s in amusement before she bit into hers. Finally Casey made his choice and devoured it quickly. She handed him a napkin, so he could wipe the frosting off his face. “If you’re thirsty, there’s a drinking fountain across the hall,” she said.

“Okay.” He slid off the chair and left her office.

Travis got to his feet, hardly knowing where to start thanking her for all she’d done. But before he could get a word out she said, “Quick—find your son and go. I’ll follow you to the front doors.” She picked up the cupcake carton and they left her office, gathering Casey along the way.

“I wish you could have stayed longer,” she explained to him, “but I’ve got another patient waiting for me. Have fun at school.” She handed the cupcakes to Travis. “Bye, Casey.”

“Bye.”

Her brilliant strategy had left his son confused. She’d been right; now was the time to act. Travis walked beside him to the car and they took off for his school, not giving him the luxury of thinking about what had just happened.

“Dad? I want Melissa to go to the movie with us.”

Oh, no. He should’ve known! “She meant you should take one of your friends, Casey. I was thinking Blaine.” He was a boy Casey often played with, who lived down the street from them.

“I don’t want to go with him. She’s more fun!”

She was definitely that. And maybe too clever? Travis wanted to believe the therapist had no ulterior motive when she’d handed him those passes, but he couldn’t be sure. If she was interested in him, then this wasn’t the first time a woman had tried to get his attention through his child.

Since moving to Utah, he’d met attractive women who’d come on to him, but he’d felt no answering spark and couldn’t pretend otherwise. After one date, he couldn’t bring himself to repeat the experience.

“We don’t have to worry about it now. The passes are good for six months.”

“But I want to see Spider-Man with her this week before the movie’s gone!”

“We’ll have to talk about it later.” Relieved that the school was in sight, he pulled into the parking lot.

Because Travis had talked with Casey’s teacher several times already, she handled the interruption to her morning class like the pro she was. The kids were delighted to get treats, and enough fuss was made of Casey that Travis could slip out before his son could decide he didn’t want to stay.

Travis would never have thought of using his son’s birthday as a way to get him back to class. But Melissa’s tactic was the kind of thing Valerie might have done, and it had worked. He drove straight to the P.I. firm on Wasatch Boulevard, feeling as if he’d just survived a blizzard before reaching the top of Everest.

En route, he rang Deana and told her Casey was back in class, hopefully for the whole day. Travis planned to pick him up, but he would appreciate her staying until they got home, in case something went wrong before the school day was over.