Point Blank Protector

“He did.”

“I hate to bother you on a Sunday, but I wanted to take a look around the crime scene as soon as possible. They tend to deteriorate fast.”

“I’m afraid this one already has. The sheriff said I was free to clean up the blood and fingerprint powder. But he took multiple pictures before the body was taken to the morgue.”

“I saw them, and he was very thorough. I’m probably wasting your time, but I’d still like to ask a few questions and look around.”

“Fine by me. Whatever it takes to apprehend the killer.”

Zach stamped the mud from his boots, tipped his black Stetson and smiled. Her heart betrayed her, quickening her pulse and skipping a couple of beats.

“We missed you at dinner last night,” he said, stepping closer. “Mom said to extend a rain check, valid any night.”

“Thanks. I’ll use it soon.” She opened the door and the two men followed her inside. “It’s a bit chilly in here,” she apologized, “but I had to raise a couple of windows to let the strong odors of the cleaning solutions escape.”

“No problem,” Aidan said, shedding his coat, his gaze already focused on the spot inside the door where she’d found the body.

She stepped back as the gory image reclaimed her mind.

Aidan examined the lock on the front door. “It doesn’t look as if it were jimmied.”

“No. The attorney gave me keys, but the door was unlocked when I arrived. I don’t think my grandfather ever locked it when he was alive. I know he didn’t the summer I visited.”

“That’s not unusual out here,” Zach said.

Aidan nodded. “I hope you’re keeping it locked now.”

“I am, but Sheriff Guerra said the killer would have no reason to return.”

“I suspect he’s right,” Aidan said, “but keeping your doors locked is a good idea in general.”

Aidan stepped away from the door. “Can you describe exactly what you heard and saw when you arrived at the Silver Spurs Ranch Friday night?”

“I gave a full statement to Sheriff Guerra. Didn’t he show it to you?”

“I read it, but I always like to hear the story from the witness. You may remember something more now that the horror isn’t so fresh in your mind.”

“I doubt that,” she said. “There’s nothing to remember. I just walked in, saw the body and let out a scream that probably frightened wildlife for miles.”

“A natural reaction,” Aidan said. He pulled a pen and small black notebook from his pocket. “Shall we sit?”

“Certainly. Would you like something to drink? I have sodas, and I can make coffee.”

“Perhaps later,” Aidan said.

She felt the intensity of his stare biting into her. She shifted nervously and dropped to the sofa. Zach sat down beside her, a little too close. The air in the room thickened like clotted cream.

“Just say any and everything that pops into your mind,” the detective said, “even if you think it’s unimportant. And start at the beginning.”

“I saw the rivulets of blood spilling out the door. At first I thought it was paint. Then I opened the door and there was the body.” She hesitated as the frightening memories seemed to swell in her mind and press against her temples.

“Before that,” Aidan said. “Go back to the point where you first pulled into the gate at the Silver Spurs. Did you see or hear anything that struck you as unusual.”

“No…except that when I got out of my Jeep to open the gate, I kind of freaked out for no apparent reason. I attributed it to the isolation. I still think that’s what it was, since there was no one around.”

“Was it raining at that point?”

“No, but the storm was rolling in and the lightning and thunder had become almost constant. Once I closed the gate and got back in the car, all I thought about was trying to make it to the house before the monsoons started.”

“So there was no sign of any other vehicle once you entered the gate?”

“No. I know the sheriff thinks the victim hadn’t been dead long, but the killer must have been off the property before I arrived.”

“Not necessarily,” Zach said. “The main gate is not the only entry.”

“It’s the only one I know about,” Kali said.

“And the only one the sheriff mentioned,” Aidan said.

Zach leaned forward. “There’s an old logging road that leads to a back gate off Mullins Road. There’s no sign on that gate, and the road’s not used very often, but it’s there. I was on it a couple of years ago when I helped Kali’s grandfather haul a load of hay over to Billy Mack’s. He was short of hands that summer.”

“Interesting,” Aidan said as he scribbled notes in the notebook.

“If the killer knew about the back road, he’d have to have some connection with the ranch,” Kali said.

“It’s a possibility,” Aidan agreed, but failed to elaborate on the point. “Were there any lights on inside the house when you drove up?”

“No. The house was pitch-dark except when—” Her breath caught at the frightening flashback.

“Go ahead,” Aidan said.

“It was dark except when the lightning lit up the sky. When I drove up, I thought I saw someone run from the house and into the trees.”

Zach turned to face her. “I can’t believe you got out of the car when you thought someone might be hiding in the trees.”

“I didn’t see the shadow again so I thought I was overreacting. But now I realize it could have been the killer. I may have frightened him off. If I’d arrived a few minutes earlier, Louisa Kellogg might still be alive.”

“Or the sonofabitch could have killed you, too,” Zach said.

“But he didn’t,” Aidan said. “Let’s just deal with what we have.”

Kali tried to fight the apprehension that was taking hold again. What they had was a killer who may have seen her. He could have heard her scream, might have sensed her terror. Might know she lived here alone.

“Do you know how to use that shotgun by the door?” Aidan asked, as if reading her fear.

She took a deep breath. “No.”

“It’s a good time to learn—not only how to shoot a shotgun, but also a pistol, as well.”

“I don’t own a pistol.”

“I have one I can give her,” Zach said. “And I can teach her how to use both of them.”

“Good idea,” Aidan said.

Kali hugged her arms around her chest. “And I thought my problems were over when the judge finally gave me clearance to move out here and take over the ranch.”

“Well, I hope we’ll make a quick arrest,” Aidan said, standing. “In the meantime, Sheriff Guerra will be your go-to man. Now I’d like to take a look around outside.”

“Look all you want.” She stood and walked to open the front door for him.

“I appreciate that. If I have any other questions, I’ll get back to you. And if you think of anything else, call me.” He took a business card from his wallet and handed it to her.

Unfortunately Zach didn’t exit the house with Aidan. He walked over to join her at the door and placed his hands on her shoulders, massaging her tense muscles. She melted at his touch before abruptly pulling away. She had enough problems without feeding an unreasonable lust for him.

“Sorry,” Zach said. “I wasn’t trying to get fresh. You just looked stressed to the point of collapse.”

“I admit I’m a little frazzled. I wasn’t prepared for all of this.”

“Then we should go shooting when Aidan finishes up here. Nothing like firing a few rounds to loosen you up.”

She was definitely in Texas. “You don’t have to teach me to shoot, Zach. I know you’re busy, and I’m sure I can hire someone to—”

He put up a hand to stop her refusal. “You can’t hire better than me. I’ll show Aidan around and then I can take you back to Jack’s Bluff for a lesson.”

“Can’t we just practice here?”

“We could, but Jack’s Bluff has a shooting range already set up. And I have the perfect pistol for you. Lightweight. Easy to use. My sister Jaime has one just like it. She killed a striking copperhead with it last summer when she was horseback-riding with my niece Gina.”

Snakes. Killers. Time spent with Zach Collingsworth. Kali didn’t even want to think of what other dangers were waiting for her now that she’d moved to the ranch.

“It will give my Mom a chance to say hello, too. You may not remember her after not seeing her for fifteen years, but it’s good to know your neighbors out here.”

“Then I guess I’ll have my lesson at Jack’s Bluff.”

She watched Zach head outside and then rushed to shower and change clothes. She refused to entertain romantic notions about her and Zach Collingsworth, but there was no way she was going to climb in the car with him smelling like bleach.

And if she wore the gorgeous teal sweater she’d splurged on just before leaving Atlanta, well, it just made good sense that she’d want to make a good impression on her first visit to a neighboring ranch.

Chapter Four

Learning to fire a pistol was not the way Kali had envisioned spending her first weekend in Texas. In fact, the horrors that had greeted her arrival seemed to be dictating every aspect of her life. The peaceful, pastoral existence she’d dreamed of seemed to be balanced on a bed of hot coals with every step she made holding the potential for disaster.

Sitting in the front seat of a pickup truck and bumping and grinding down a maze of ranch roads with Zach Collingsworth merely switched the danger from an unknown killer to risks of heartache. There was simply no way to be around him and not pick up on his sensual, sexy vibes.

Their eyes met as they turned toward each other at the exact same moment. Kali struggled to breathe as if oxygen were in short supply. She turned away quickly, but couldn’t shake the vision of his dark hair spilling from under his Stetson and falling across his forehead, highlighting his chocolate-brown eyes.

Get a grip, girl.

It was a warning she had to heed. She hadn’t given up her job and apartment in Atlanta and withdrawn every cent of her savings to get buried in an old schoolgirl crush.

“I enjoyed seeing your mother and sisters again,” she said, choosing what should be a safe topic. “I remember Jaime a lot better than I remember Becky, but I don’t think I would have recognized either of them. Your Mom looks much the same, though, still as nice and attractive as ever.”

“Mom liked you, too. She’s never that talkative with people she doesn’t like.”

“Where was the rest of your family?”

“Probably up at Langston’s weekend cabin.”

“Oooh. Look. What was that?” Kali asked, as a large olive-and-brown bird that looked as if it was having a bad-hair day raced across the road in front of them and then disappeared into the brush.

Zach laughed at her enthusiasm. “Nothing but your common every-day roadrunner.”

“I thought they were just cartoon characters.”

“No, they’re for real.”

“Texas is different from Atlanta in more ways than one.”

“Surely you have birds in Atlanta?”

“None that looked like that, at least not in my neighborhood.”

“Did you live right in the city?”

“In the suburbs, but there were no wooded roads like this one, not even at the riding stables. Our trails meandered along a scenic creek at the edge of a park, but there was a shopping center just across the water that spoiled the effect.”

“Sounds far too confining for my tastes, not that I don’t like the excitement of city life on occasion. But you must have gotten out of town sometimes.”

“Not nearly often enough. Mom worked two jobs for most of my life to make ends meet. But somehow she always found the money for my riding lessons. She was pretty terrific.”

“I know all about terrific moms. Mine was always there when we needed her. She still is, but she’s taken on a whole new persona these days.”

“How’s that?”

“My grandfather had a stroke las summer and we found out he’d named her as acting CEO of Collingsworth Enterprises should he become unable to fulfill his duties for any reason. It blew our minds, but she jumped right into career mode. She’s doing a bang-up job of it—when she’s not driving Langston nuts. She loves to focus on what she calls the humanitarian side of the company.”

“I would guess that just from talking to her today. She’s involved in lots of charities and community events.”

“I’m sure she’ll do her best to enlist you in some of them.”

“I’d like that after I get settled in. So what exactly is Collingsworth Enterprises?”

“The whole kit and caboodle, to put it in our neighbor Billy Mack’s vernacular. It includes Jack’s Bluff Ranch, Collingsworth Oil and several production-related subsidiaries.”

“Sounds impressive.”

“That’s why I throw it around,” he teased. “How is your mom these days?”

Kali was hit by the familiar ache, but she tried to keep it from seeping into her voice. “Mom died of cancer last year.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thanks,” she said. “It was a tough loss.” Kali dropped the subject and hoped Zach would, too. The painful loss made her feel vulnerable and the events of Friday night had already left her feeling defenseless enough.

Zach stopped the car on a gentle incline at a spot where the dirt road disappeared into a sea of yellowed grass and scrubby brush. “Is this the shooting range?” she asked, not sure what she expected, but sure it was more than what looked to be just another pasture—albeit without cows.

“The range is off to your left,” Zach said, “just past that cluster of water oaks and sweet gum trees.”

She craned her neck for a better view. There was a mound of high grass that rose at least twenty feet, topped by a flat expanse that gave it the appearance of a plateau. In front of that was a cable with hooks. A bull’s-eye-type target hung from one of the hooks about midway down the cable. Not as sophisticated as she’d expected on what Sheriff Guerra had mentioned was the second-largest ranch in the state. No one could accuse the Collingsworths of being pretentious.

“The hill stops the bullets?”

“Right,” Zach said, shifting into Park, and killing the engine. “That’s the backstop to make sure that bullets that are shot here stay here, though there’s nothing beyond it but about forty acres of woods.”

“I’m guessing someone had to construct the mound since most of the terrain is relatively flat.”

“My dad built it years ago so that he could teach his kids to shoot in a safe environment. Unfortunately, he died before I was old enough to handle a gun.”

He climbed out of the truck and Kali followed suit, walking to the front fender to get a better look. “Do you always hit the bull’s-eye?”

“Not always, but I’m never far from it.”

“Well, don’t expect that from me,” she said. “I can barely see the target much less find it with a bullet.”

“I’ll pull it closer. That’s what the cable’s for. Accuracy at close range is what you’re looking for anyway—until you take up hunting.”

Which would be never.

Zach walked to the back of the truck and opened the large metal toolbox. “Aidan left some police targets here last time we had a little competition going. They should be perfect for our purposes.”

He held up his find, and a hard knot settled in her stomach. The targets were tri-folded cardboard cutouts of a man’s body with markings for the brain and the heart. Hit the mark, take out a life.

She backed against the truck. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this, Zach.”

“You need to be able to protect yourself if you’re going to live out here.”

“It seems so…so deadly.”

“That’s the point.” Zach shrugged. “But it’s up to you.”

Up to her, and she’d never had any desire to pull a trigger. Yet she’d gone for that shotgun quickly enough when she’d feared the killer might have returned to the scene of his brutal crime. And what if he had? Or if he hadn’t run the other night? Suppose he’d been waiting when she opened the door?

A gust of wind tousled her hair and blew it into her face. She raked the wild strands back and tucked them behind her ears. “Don’t guns make you even a little nervous?”

“Only if one’s pointed at me. I grew up with firearms. It’s just the way it is out here. Not that we have much crime, but a well-placed bullet can stop a copperhead in its tracks or protect a young calf from a predator.”

Copperheads and predators. She was definitely starting a new life. This was no time for her to wimp out.

“Okay, Zach. I’ll give it a try.”

He nodded. “We’ll start slow, let you get used to the gun in your hand. Then we’ll cover safety and get in a little target practice. Don’t expect to master this in one day. You’ll need practice to become accurate.”

“I hope I’ll never have to depend on my shooting ability to protect myself.”

“Speaking of protection…”

He hesitated, and her nerves grew taut. “Yeah, go on.”

He propped a booted foot on the truck’s front bumper. “I’m going to say this straight out, Kali, not to frighten you, but just because it’s how I feel about it. I don’t think you should stay alone on the Silver Spurs until the man who abducted and killed Louisa Kellogg is arrested.”

“The sheriff said there’s no reason to think he’ll come back to the ranch.”

“That’s a nice, sensible assumption. I wouldn’t stake my life on it.”

Zach left it at that and walked over to attach the target to the cable. The heels of his boots crushed the dry leaves and rustled the grass. His head was high, and he looked as if he owned the world. He did own his world.

She was the imposter here—a rancher wannabe. But her dream of raising horses had miraculously fallen into her hands when her grandfather had left her the Silver Spurs, and she’d do whatever it took to survive and prosper—even if it meant learning to shoot.

And she’d do it without falling again for Zach Collingsworth— or for any other sexy cowboy who waited in the wings. Ranch first. Romance a distant second.

ZACH SHOULD BE getting ready for a night spent seducing a gorgeous artist. Instead, for some reason he hadn’t quite figured out yet, he was sitting on the hood of his truck drinking a beer with Kali and watching the water in the creek pummel the rocks that blocked its path.

“Look at that unusual squirrel,” she said. “He’s watching us.”

“That squirrel is a weasel.”

“It’s adorable.”

“From a distance. Don’t try to pet or pick one up. They’re not nearly as friendly as they seem once they sense they’re cornered or captured.”

“He’s still cute.”

“Didn’t you see weasels when you visited your grandfather?”

“Not that I remember.”

“How come you never came back after that one summer?”

“My dad and my grandfather had a serious falling out right after that. I don’t think they ever spoke to each other again. I’m not sure about that, though, since my parents divorced when I was in eighth grade. Dad got transferred to the West Coast and started a new life. I didn’t see him much after that.”

But still her grandfather had left her the ranch. There had to be more to that story than she’d said.

“There’s a deer,” Kali said, pointing to a small white-tailed doe that had stepped into the clearing and was staring at them through soft brown eyes. “She’s absolutely regal.”

Zach swallowed hard, moved more than he wanted to admit by Kali’s reverence for the animal in its unspoiled habitat. She reminded him a bit of the deer. Cautious. Curious. Vulnerable. Sexy—well not the doe, but Kali.

He was definitely attracted to her, but he had the feeling that getting involved with her would lead to complications. He never liked complications or longevity in romantic relationships.

“I can’t wait to explore the Silver Spurs on horseback,” she said. “I hope I have lots of deer.”

“You will.” He swatted at a persistent horsefly that had taken a liking to his neck. “Did you know ahead of time that your grandfather was leaving you the ranch?”

“No, I was stunned at the news, but he didn’t actually leave it to me outright. The Silver Spurs only becomes fully mine if I live there for a year,” she explained. “Otherwise it goes to Hade Carpenter. He’s the son of Grandpa Gordy’s third wife. I never met her, but her son is an arrogant clod. He’s fought my taking possession of the ranch with months of legal haranguing.”

“I’ve run into Hade a time or two over the years,” Zach said. “Once when he was in Cutter’s Bar trying to pick up one of the local women. Your description of him is a lot more suitable for mixed company than mine would be.”

“Another beer or two and I’d tell you what I really think about him,” she said. “But not today. It’s getting late, and I still have cleaning to do.”

Zach shifted for a better look at Kali as he took another swig of his beer. “You don’t seem the type,” he said, voicing the thought as it popped into his head.

Her eyebrows arched. “The type to drink a beer outside in freezing weather?”

“It’s not freezing. The low tonight is only going to be in the low forties. And there’s never a bad time for a cold beer.”

“Is that why you keep them in a cooler in the back of your truck?”

“Always be prepared.”

“A Boy Scout, too.”

“Not me. Little League was the extent of my organized participation.” He reached over and knocked away a small black bug that had landed in her flyaway auburn hair. The strands felt as soft and silky as they looked. “You don’t seem the type to move out to a ranch by yourself,” he said, going back to his original statement.

She stretched and leaned back on her elbows, her gaze fixed on the clouds that floated above them. “What type do I seem?”

“The type who’d hook up with a guy right out of college and have a couple of kids, a dog and two hamsters in the suburbs.”

“An interesting pigeonhole. But not for this pigeon.”

“Horses are your thing, huh?”

“Yeah. Horses. I fell in love with them on my first visit to the Silver Spurs and they’ve never let me down. They’re far easier to bond with than any man I know. They’re honest and readable—most of the time.”

“You’re not one of those weird horse whisperers, are you?”

“I don’t whisper,” she said, her voice not only rising, but also taking on a defensive edge. “I relate. If that makes me weird, then I’m one of those.”

“Don’t get bent out of shape. I’m just asking. Jaime dated a guy who claimed to be a whisperer once. The only thing he was whispering that worked was sweet nothings in Jaime’s ear. She finally saw through him just about the time I was ready to knock out his lights.”

“Zach, the protector. You don’t seem the type.”

“I have my moments. Which brings me back to a statement I made earlier. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay at the Silver Spurs by yourself.”

“So what is it you think I should do, go find any old college grad to hook up with?”

“That’s one option. Another might be to hire a wrangler and let him live in the bunkhouse.”

“I don’t have any livestock to wrangle.”

“But you’ll be buying horses soon. Just put him on the payroll a few weeks before you actually need him.”

She sat up and finished her beer. “This may come as a shock to you, Zach, but not everyone has unlimited funds to work with. I can’t afford to hire a cowboy just for his company.”

“Then take one of our wranglers for a while. We’re not particularly busy on the ranch right now. I’ve got just the man for you.”

“Now you sound like my friend Ellen back in Atlanta. She’s always got just the man for me.”

“I can beat any offer Ellen can make. Take Jim Bob Harvey, expert wrangler, easygoing and according to my niece Gina, he does a dynamite Britney Spears imitation.”

“Now, that’s a selling point.”

“He can be temporarily yours for the asking.”

“I can’t just borrow a cowboy like a cup of sugar, Zach.”

“Sure you can. He’s visiting his brother up in Waco for the weekend, but he’ll come roaring in by bedtime. I’ll leave word with Bart to send him over to your place in the morning. I’d bring him and introduce him in person, but I have to go in to Collingsworth Oil early tomorrow. I’m in meetings all day.”