All Is Calm: A Lonestar Christmas Novella Read online

  A smile—the first Brendan had seen on her face—lifted Carly’s lips. His heart kicked in his chest to see that smile. They’d worked so hard for it. Without consciously thinking about it, he took Lauren’s hand and helped her rise. They stood there, hand in hand, as Carly held the puppy and kissed his soft, furry head. The puppy snuggled closer and tucked his head under her arm. After pushing half his neck under her arm as well, he went still.

  “He’s the runt of the litter, and the owner even tried to talk me out of buying him,” Lauren said. “It’s hard to be unwanted.”

  “I want him!” Carly’s face was radiant. “And he wants me.”

  “We thought so too,” Brendan said. “That’s why we had to get him. We knew he would fit your lap perfectly.”

  The other children crowded around, and Carly allowed them to touch her dog before getting up with the puppy in her arms. “I know his name!” She clutched him more tightly, and he wiggled and whined until she set him back on the floor. “His name is Tucker. That’s the road I lived on with my mommy and daddy.” The puppy pounced on a ball of paper and gave a tiny bark as if to say he approved of his name. “He likes it!”

  Lauren’s fingers tightened around Brendan’s, and her eyes glistened with tears when she glanced up at him. Thank you, she mouthed.

  He smiled and squeezed her fingers. “You’re the one who picked him out. Good choice. I think we hit this one out of the park.”

  “I think so too.”

  Something about her voice made him stare at her. “You okay?”

  She nodded, her gaze on the little girl and puppy. “I just remembered something. Carly said they lived on Tucker Road. The fire that killed Carly’s parents must’ve been the same night Dustin died. I saw the blaze in the distance. I think the sirens on the fire truck were what woke me. I never made the connection until now. I didn’t realize that fire was the one that killed her parents.”

  He squeezed her fingers again. “No wonder you and Carly seem connected.”

  Her gaze wandered over to the Foreshaws then back to Carly. “Poor little girl.”

  Once the children trooped off to bed, Lauren caught Brendan’s eye, and they said their good nights to the rest of the adults. Out on the porch, the cool night breeze lifted her hair and cooled her heated cheeks. She didn’t want to examine her suspicions too closely, but she had to.

  She gestured to the swing under the big cottonwood tree. “Let’s sit there.”

  “It’s nearly freezing, and you don’t have a coat.” But he sat on the swing and scooted over.

  “I’m not cold. Not yet.” She settled on the wooden swing and gave a push with her feet. The chain creaked on the limb overhead as she settled back against the swing. The spicy scent of his cologne mingled with the aroma of creosote and sage.

  “What’s wrong? You haven’t been yourself since you told me you needed to talk to me.”

  “I remembered something I saw the night Dustin died.”

  “In the barn?”

  She shook her head. “Remember I told you I’d been sleeping and something woke me? I thought it was probably the truck outside, the one Tonia was in. But I don’t think it was that at all. I got up and looked out the window. I’d been focused on the truck Tonia was in, but I didn’t pay attention to the other truck. Not until tonight.”

  He sat up straight. “What other truck?”

  “There was a truck that went by on the road. I saw the dust from its tires as it turned off Tucker Road.”

  He went silent a moment. “Tucker Road. The road Carly mentioned?”

  She nodded. At least she didn’t have to explain her line of thinking. He was tracking with her. “I’d seen that truck plenty of times. It was Gary Foreshaw’s truck. But why would he be driving away from the fire? Wouldn’t he try to help? After all, Mrs. Jacobsen was Katrina’s cousin.”

  “I’m not sure what you’re saying here. You’re not accusing Foreshaw of something, are you?”

  She rubbed her forehead. The days had been so confusing and upsetting. “I’ve known the Foreshaw’s awhile. Gary is big into gambling on the races. The Jacobsen’s had one of the best racing stables around. It’s probably nothing, but . . .”

  “But it looks suspicious.” He pulled out his phone. “Let me check on something.” He rose and walked a few feet away.

  Lauren watched him pace in the moonlight and listened to the soothing cadence of his deep voice. So this was what it felt like to be able to rely on someone else, to be at peace without waves of fear battering at her.

  She closed her eyes and listened to the night sounds spring to life around her. God’s creation in all its diversity. Calm settled over her soul. Things were going to be all right. God had sent someone to come alongside her, to help her out of the mess she’d been in.

  She could hardly believe how much her life had changed.

  Brendan returned to drop onto the swing beside her. “All the Jacobsen assets passed into the Foreshaws’ hands since Katrina was the only blood relative. He has been taking his horses to every race in the country. With a little research, we can find out how many of those races have had unexplained injuries to jockeys or horses. I should know something tomorrow.”

  She absorbed the news in silence. “Did you find out anything about the fire that killed Carly’s parents?”

  He nodded, his gaze never leaving her. “They’ve ruled it suspicious. They found traces of an accelerant in the kitchen.”

  “Have they talked to Gary and Katrina?”

  “Yeah. They have an alibi. They were out to dinner with friends and didn’t get home until after ten. Friends corroborated their story.”

  She clutched his hand. “But I saw him that night. It was about eight.”

  His fingers tightened around hers. “I think it’s suspicious. You need to tell the police what you saw.”

  Her stomach plunged, and she felt dizzy at the thought of facing the judgment in their eyes. “Oh, Brendan, they won’t even believe me.”

  “They can check it out more, put some pressure on the couple who gave them the alibi.” His fingers brushed her chin and he tipped her face up toward his. “I know it will be hard, honey, but it’s time to quit running. Time to find a calm center to deal with all this.”

  “Funny you should mention that. I was just thinking how peaceful and calm it felt here tonight.” She looked toward the house where the Christmas lights still twinkled. “What a perfect season to search for peace.”

  NINE

  TUCKER ROAD.

  The words played over and over in Lauren’s head as she walked back to her room to grab her sweater. Could she be right about her suspicions? She hated to suspect anyone, especially Carly’s guardian. The whole thing tied her up in knots.

  She slipped her arms into her sweater as the wind swirled around the side of the barn and poked cold fingers against her skin. When she entered the barn, she paused a moment to get her bearings in the dim wash of light from a single bulb. Angel snorted a greeting, but he seemed skittish, tossing his head when she took a step in his direction. Something felt off, and she turned back toward the door. No sense in taking any chances.

  Her hand on the door, she heard a sliding sound. A figure stepped from the shadows on the other side of Angel’s stall.

  Gary Foreshaw wore an easy smile. “Hey, Lauren. I wanted to talk to you a second.”

  She glanced behind him. “Where’s Katrina?”

  “She took Carly to town for a little shopping before we head out.”

  “It’s a little late, Gary. What did you want to talk about?” She kept her tone brisk and her hand on the door. His presence here might be a confirmation of her suspicions.

  He shoved his hands in his pockets and stepped nearer. For a moment he didn’t speak but stared into her face. “You figured it out, didn’t you?”

  Her stomach plunged, and her fingers tightened on the door handle. “Figured what out?” She should shove open the door and escape, but she had to
know the truth.

  “Don’t play games, Lauren. I saw it on your face when Carly named the puppy.”

  “You started the fire at the Jacobsen’s. I didn’t remember seeing your truck leaving when the fire was raging until tonight. Dustin’s death seemed more pressing.”

  He nodded. “I always figured you’d eventually remember.”

  She tipped her chin up. “But how could you? They were your family. Katrina’s family, anyway. Why would you kill them in such a horrific way?”

  “They were already dead when I set fire to the house. I’m not a monster, you know. Besides, I’d hardly call them family. You don’t shut out your family. You don’t rob family blind like he did me.”

  Had he moved slightly closer? She couldn’t quite tell in the dim light. The smart thing would be to leave right now. Or scream. “So it was all about money?”

  He shrugged. “What else? I could have lost everything. I had no choice. Surely you can see that.”

  Listening to his voice detailing all the “reasons” turned her stomach. “Tonia helped you, didn’t she? And in return you helped her get out of debt.”

  His eyes widened. “You’re smart, Lauren. Too smart.”

  She didn’t have time to react before he grabbed her arm in a steely grip. His other hand came out of his pocket with a bandana. She twisted away from the sweet chemical scent and opened her mouth to scream.

  Before she could make a sound, he stuffed the handkerchief in her mouth and held it over her nose. She coughed, and her vision blurred as she inhaled the sickly odor. No matter how hard she pulled, she couldn’t get her arm out of his grip.

  Her knees gave way, and she started to sink to the floor in spite of squeezing the handle with one hand and being supported by Gary with the other. She released her hold on the door and yanked at his hand as he loosened his pressure on the cloth in order to keep her from falling.

  She managed to twist away from the handkerchief and took a wonderful breath of hay-scented air before he moved the cloth back into place.

  The rough wooden boards under her hands anchored her at the floor. She rolled away from his control, but the pressure on her face didn’t ease, though she managed to get onto her back. She kicked up but it was a feeble attempt at freedom.

  The last thing she saw was his vile smile.

  Brendan glanced out his bedroom window and frowned. Lauren wasn’t back yet, and it shouldn’t take this long to get her sweater. Her bedroom light had never gone on. Was something wrong with one of the horses? He shoved his feet into flip-flops and ran for the barn.

  The yard was quiet except for the skitters and chirps of night insects and animals as he hurried toward the barn. He caught his breath when he neared the building. The door stood open. A faintly sweet odor hung in the air, and he instantly recognized it as ether. His throat tightened, and he curled his hands into fists.

  He should have brought his gun. Poking his head into the barn, he glanced around. “Lauren?” He didn’t expect an answer, not with that smell hanging around.

  Her horse tossed his head and snorted, obviously agitated. Brendan strode to the stall and looked in to make sure she wasn’t lying on the floor. Nothing but hay.

  Someone has taken her.

  Though his first reaction was to hit something, his instincts kicked in. His cell phone was still in his jean pocket so he pulled it out and called the sheriff’s office. Had her cousin taken her? Or whoever killed Windsor?

  He asked the sheriff to put out a BOLO on her, and the sheriff said he’d get right on it. The “Be On the Lookout” order probably wouldn’t get him anywhere in this remote part of Texas. Traffic was light around here at any time, and he wasn’t about to depend on a sighting to find the woman he loved. The thought made him stumble before he caught himself.

  He got to work examining the barn. There had been a scuffle right here by the door. The odor was strongest here too. She hadn’t been gone long or the smell would have dissipated. He followed drag marks out the door and around the side of the barn to where a vehicle had been parked. A truck, by the looks of the tracks.

  He knelt and studied the footprints. About a man’s size eleven. The light on the end of the barn glinted off something in the weeds. A cell phone. He scooped it up and swiped it on. Lauren’s phone.

  But who had taken her? He rose and stared into the dark night. He had to find her before it was too late, and there was only one person who might know. He navigated to Lauren’s address book and found her cousin’s number. As the call rang through, he strode back toward the house to wake Rick.

  The phone clicked on the other end, and Tonia’s irritated voice blared in his ear. “Lauren, I told you not to call me. Do you realize how late it is?”

  “This isn’t Lauren. This is Brendan Waddell. Your cousin has been abducted, and you’re going to tell me who has her or I’ll have your butt hauled into jail.”

  A soft gasp came through the phone. “Abducted? How do you know? Maybe she just went for a ride or something.”

  “I found the signs of a scuffle and smelled ether. Someone dragged her out of the barn and to a waiting truck. Her phone was in the weeds. That enough to convince you she’s in mortal danger?”

  A muted man’s voice asked who she was talking to and she answered him. “It’s that friend of Lauren’s. She’s missing.”

  Could it be Tonia’s husband? He’d been obsessed with Lauren. Maybe he’d snapped and taken her. The voice might be another man. If McAvoy wasn’t there, he was going to the top of Brendan’s suspect list. “Let me talk to your husband.”

  “What for?”

  “Just put him on the phone or the sheriff is going to show up at your door.”

  “Fine. Here, he wants to talk to you, Steve.”

  “McAvoy here.” The state senator made no attempt to mask his impatience.

  Brendan had reached the porch and he sagged onto a chair. McAvoy hadn’t taken her. Not when he was hours away. “I just wanted to make sure you were there.”

  “You thought I had something to do with Lauren’s disappearance?” He snorted. “Like I’d dirty my hands with something like that. The press would have a field day. Here, talk to Tonia. I’m done.”

  There was a long pause and some whispers on the other end of the phone before Tonia came back on. “Look, we don’t know anything about her disappearance. I hope you find her, but I’m going to hang up now.”

  He struggled to hold on to the rage that threatened to erupt. This woman was stalling when Lauren’s life was on the line. “You hang up and there will be a SWAT team on its way to your place. You know more than you’re saying, lady. I already know you were in hock up to your eyebrows. Where’d you get the money to pay off the sharks circling? I suspect someone paid you to hire those goons to inject the horse with some performance-impairing drugs. Windsor interfered, didn’t he? I’m sure you didn’t intend his death. But you’re still responsible. And if you don’t tell me who is behind this, you’ll be responsible for your own cousin’s death. These tentacles all go back to one man. I want his name.” There would be time enough later to make her name the men she’d hired.

  “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her voice was muffled, and she sounded near tears.

  “I think you do. Now who is he?” He doubted she’d tell him. Not with her husband right there. “If you don’t want to tell me with McAvoy there, walk out of earshot. But you will tell me what you know.”

  She said nothing for a long minute. He heard shuffling and movement as well as hushed voices. He’d begun to think she wasn’t going to answer when she finally cleared her throat. “Steve says I shouldn’t answer you, but I don’t know . . .”

  “You have to tell me what you know before it’s too late.”

  She sighed. “I never wanted anyone to get hurt. It was just a way to pay off my debts. So what if one horse that might have won didn’t place? It wasn’t a life or death matter.”

  “It ended up being just tha
t, didn’t it? And now Lauren’s life is in danger.”

  “But it wasn’t my fault! I was just paid to get him inside the barn. What he did after that had nothing to do with me.”

  “Who paid you, Tonia? Give me his name.”

  She exhaled. “It was Gary Foreshaw.”

  “I know him,” Brendan said grimly. “Any idea where he might take her?”

  She cleared her throat. “He hunts near an old defunct silver mine on government land. I’ve heard him joke about it being the perfect place to hide a body.”

  His gut clenched. “Tell me where it is.” He jotted down her directions, then ended the call.

  TEN

  I CAN’T BREATHE.

  Lauren became aware of rough carpet under her cheek and the stench of engine exhaust. Her head thumped in time with the wheels rolling over ruts. She blinked and choked back a cough. The drugged rag had fallen off her face somewhere along the way, and she pushed it farther from her nose until she couldn’t smell it so strongly.

  Where was she and what did he intend to do with her? The road didn’t seem to be paved because the truck kept bottoming out even though it wasn’t rolling very fast. She felt around for her cell phone, then remembered he’d taken it from her and tossed it away.

  Her head thumped in time with the bumps, and nausea roiled in her stomach. Breathe in and out. In and out. Whatever he planned, it wouldn’t be good. He had no choice but to kill her, and since he’d murdered the Jacobsens, he’d have no compunction about disposing of her.

  The truck rolled to a stop. She forced herself to breathe deeply, in spite of the dust, in hopes that he wouldn’t be on his guard when he opened the door. Her pulse pounded in her ears. The cooling engine ticked and he still hadn’t opened the door. What was he waiting for?

  “I know you’re awake, Lauren. I’m going to open your door, and you’re going to get out without giving me any trouble or I’ll just shoot you.”

  “Okay.” Her gut clenched at the steely determination in his voice. She raised her head and got on all fours, then slid onto the backseat on the passenger side. She tried the door but it was locked. She’d only have one shot at this.