Body of Evidence (8 page)

“Yeah, we both know that. Don't worry, Ranger-man. I'll try not to distract you from doing your job. Especially when that job involves protecting me.”

“Too late on that, darlin',” he said with a faint grin. “You became a distraction the day I walked in this place. Nothing for it now, though. We finish this out. And I have a feeling your being a distraction is gonna get worse before it gets better.”

Jennifer couldn't wait for the better part.

And by the way he was looking at her, she had the feeling he couldn't, either.

“O
kay, you have my cell number,” Anderson told Jennifer for the fifth time. “And your friend Becky is coming to stay the night with you, right?”

“Yes,” Jennifer replied, trying not to lose her patience. He was covering all the bases. And yet her skin crawled at the thought of Anderson patrolling her property alone throughout the night. “I don't get why I can't come with you.”

“We've been over this, Jennifer,” he said, his eyes lighting up with a defiant fire. “I know how to handle this. And while you might be able to fire a weapon, it's just too dangerous for you right now.”

“And I'm a distraction, right?” She didn't need him to spell that out to her after that kiss they'd had earlier.

He bent to give her a peck on the cheek. “Yes, ma'am, you are surely that. And I need you to promise me you won't do anything crazy like follow me. That's why I wanted your friend to come. I'm putting her in charge of making sure you don't leave the house tonight.”

“I can outrun Becky,” she said on a teasing note. But when she saw that Anderson-serious look, she bobbed her head. “Okay, all right. I'll be a good little girl and
keep the doors locked. But I'm keeping my rifle close, too.”

“That's better.” He glanced at his watch. “Is Becky on her way?”

“Due any minute,” Jennifer retorted. “She had to come through rush hour traffic from San Antonio, remember?”

“I'm just edgy,” he admitted. “Ready to get on with things.”

She could see the adrenaline pumping in the throbbing pulse lining his jaw. A flashback to her father stalking a rattlesnake caused her to remember that some men lived for the hunt, for the challenge. And because of that, those types of men could never really settle down.

Was Anderson that way? He did seem to thrive on his work. But…he'd also been kind to her. When she thought of how he'd doctored her wounds and then kissed her earlier, she felt ashamed that she'd compared him to her father. Her father had been a kind, good man but he'd also been willing to abandon his wife and child at a moment's notice for the call of adventure. In the end, he truly had abandoned both of them, even if her parents were divorced, by putting himself in enough danger to end his life.

And I haven't forgiven him yet for that,
Jennifer thought now, an epiphany edging her mind. Was that why she'd stopped going to church? Was she angry at God as well as her earthly father?

Maybe that was why she'd decided Anderson wasn't the settling-down type, either. He'd hinted at that. His
job demanded complete dedication. And he was honor able enough to recognize that.

“Hey, you gonna be all right?” Anderson asked, the look of concern in his eyes her undoing.

Pushing away the startling realization for now, she said, “I'll be fine, I promise. I won't try anything stupid. I want this over.”

He leaned close, his gold-edged eyes shimmering in the lamplight. “Me, too. For a whole lot of reasons.”

A knock at the kitchen door interrupted the moment.

“That must be Becky.”

The look of regret he shot her told Jennifer it was a good thing they'd been interrupted.

She headed to the door and opened it wide to greet her friend. “Hey, Becky.”

“Girl, what is going on?” Becky asked, sweeping in with a breezy smile, her energy bouncing off the walls. “I don't mind coming for a slumber party one bit since I have the next two days off, anyway, but you sounded so strange on the phone—” She stopped to look up at Anderson, a perky grin tipping her lips. “And I so want to hear all about this.”

Jennifer remembered what Anderson had told her. She had to be careful in what information she gave out to her friends and coworkers. “It's nothing, really. Just some vandalism and a trespasser in the barn. My new worker Anderson offered to patrol the place tonight to see if he can catch anyone. He's helping with the security.”

Becky looked Anderson up and down. “Did you call the police? And when did you hire a new worker?”

“I hired him this week,” Jennifer replied. “And we
called the sheriff. Anderson talked to him and seems to think we can handle it.”

Anderson nodded. “It's nice to meet you, Becky. And thanks for coming out. If I see anything out of the ordinary, I'll call in reinforcements.”

“Wait,” petite, red-headed Becky said, running a hand through her short, shagged hair. “You
are
a cop, aren't you?”

“What makes you think that?” Jennifer asked, shooting her friend a warning look.

Becky grinned again. “I work at the Bexar County Courthouse, remember? I see his type coming and going all day long.” She waved a hand toward Anderson. “He's in lock and load mode, all right.”

Anderson let out a grunt, his expression resolved. “I'm a security expert,” he said. “But you can't reveal that to anyone, you understand? It could be dangerous for both Jennifer and you. And since I now know you work at the courthouse…”

Becky lifted her head back. “Wow, I get it, already. Whatever's going on, I'm here for the night and I know nothing.” Then she pointed a finger at him. “But I don't like being threatened.”

“I'm not a threat to you,” Anderson replied, clearly in charge in spite of Becky's bravado. “Just explaining how it has to be, okay?”

“Okay.” Becky looked around. “I need a drink of water.”

Jennifer watched her friend head to the refrigerator, then glared at Anderson. “Thanks for scaring her, too.”

“I'm not trying to scare anyone,” he said on a tired
breath. “She guessed things. I verified things. And I told her how things are. That's it. And now, I'm going out there to ride the property. I won't be back until the sun comes up.”

Jennifer prayed he would come back, even if he did infuriate her at times with that firm stance. “Be careful.”

He nodded, then turned to Becky. “Sorry if I seemed harsh with you. I was just surprised you figured me out so quickly.”

Becky took a swig of her water. “Hey, I see a lot of law enforcement people coming and going at work, and you fit the bill perfectly. It might be your place to get to the bottom of this vandalism deal, but it's my place to watch Jennifer's back, got it?”

“Got it,” he said as he turned at the door. “And I wouldn't have it any other way. But you have to abide by my request, okay?”

“Since you asked so nice, okay,” Becky said with a wry grin.

Jennifer watched him leave, then turned to find Becky staring at her with bright green eyes. “Okay, time to spill it, girl. And I mean, I want all the details. How'd you get so lucky to have a good-looking ‘security expert' at your beck and call?” She pushed a finger at Jennifer's arm. “They only bring in Rangers on the big stuff, know what I mean?”

 

Anderson rubbed Chestnut's neck then spoke softly to the big gelding. “Thanks for coming with me, boy. You're a good, strong trooper.”

The horse snorted and trotted along the fence line,
up for a run in spite of the cold night air. Anderson had to admit he needed some fresh air himself. He had a lot to think over. Mainly, why had he gone and kissed Jennifer?

And how could he keep from kissing her again?

Was it wrong, Lord? Should I ignore these strange, exciting feelings I get every time I look at the woman? Or should I accept that maybe, like my mama's always said, my tune is changing?

Was this his time, Anderson wondered while he checked the fence, looked for any signs of activity, and prayed to the Lord to show him the way on this. Being around Jennifer sure felt right. And he could show her she could trust him and trust in the Lord to see her through. Anderson knew he had a purpose here—to get the bad guys. That was his job and he lived and breathed his job. He'd never much thought about settling down. But maybe God had another purpose in mind for him. To get Jennifer back into the Father's loving arms.

“And I wouldn't mind one bit if she'd fall into my arms now and then,” he said on a whisper. Then he did a mental shakedown. That couldn't happen until this case was over.

He reached the new alligator pond. The place was shadowy in spite of the full moon overhead. While the gators were still safe in their old pen, this new one would be better all the way around. The alligators would be contained and so would any humans coming to view them. Jennifer had been smart to rebuild. That is, until she'd gotten in the way of the cartel.

He edged his way around the chain-link fence, noting the gaping tear. Dismounting, he tethered Chestnut on
the gate and walked the perimeter of the pond, checking for any new footprints. Had the cartel moved things up a notch by trying to attack Jennifer? They kept coming back here for a reason. Hidden drugs, maybe? Or worse?

Who had been in Jennifer's barn today? And why?

He'd sent what little evidence they'd found to the state lab. His fellow Ranger Cade Jarvis would give him an update on that soon. Maybe they'd get a hit from the DNA on that joint.

Anderson carefully made his way to the campsite, taking in the ashes and burnt pieces of wood. Nothing new there. Would the cartel strike again tonight?

He stood still, listening to the night sounds. Off in the distance a coyote howled, adding to the eeriness of the moon's midnight glow. The wind picked up, rattling leaves from the nearby trees. Chestnut snorted, skittish in spite of his bravery.

Anderson wished he had a good feeling about this. It was too quiet back here. He went over what he knew just to keep from jumping out of his skin. The fence and electrical wiring had been cut, the circuit breaker destroyed. The tack room had been searched and ransacked and an intruder had come into the barn, apparently bent on hurting Jennifer. The man had told her to stop the work back here.

They had an ornery noncommunicative neighbor fighting against the new alligator pen. That same neighbor had warned Jacob and his friends to stay away from this part of Jennifer's property. Did the man just want some peace and quiet or did
he
have a hidden agenda?

Anderson would have to get to the bottom of that.

First thing in the morning, he'd finish getting the security measures in place and then he'd go back to talk to Ralph Chason. If he could find the man.

Since everything seemed quiet, Anderson got his bedroll and settled down, Chestnut standing nearby to keep him company while his Remington shotgun kept him secure. Since he couldn't sleep, he said a prayer for Jennifer to stay secure, too. He lay still, looking around. Then he sat straight up. The security cameras! They weren't on, but what if somebody thought they were? And what if that someone thought Jennifer had his face on video?

 

“Oh, that was such a good movie,” Becky said. Passing the last of the popcorn toward Jennifer, she grinned. “Don't you love a happy ending?”

Jennifer didn't want to burst her ever-positive friend's bubble but she didn't believe in happy endings. “It's easy to make that happen in a movie. Not always the case in real life.”

“Your attitude is lacking,” Becky said with a kick of her bright green fuzzy ankle boots. The boots matched her green-and-blue-striped flannel pajamas. “You have to believe in love, Jennifer.”

Jennifer pulled her plush blue turtle-embossed robe close then stared at her friend. “I try. In fact, I kind of had a lightbulb moment tonight before you got here. I think I've been staying away from church and my faith because…I'm angry at my dad for dying. Is that too weird?”

Becky's green eyes brightened. “Not so weird. It's easy to blame God when we lose a loved one. But you
do need to forgive your daddy. The man didn't plan to die, you know.”

“But he did plan that trip even though he knew it could be very dangerous. My mother even begged him not to go. She still loved him.”

“That was his life, Jen. He loved his work.”

Jennifer started picking up their dishes. “And that's the point. He loved his work more than anything else. Even me.”

Becky followed her into the kitchen. “He loved you. You know that. He took you with him on some of his trips.”

Jennifer stood at the window, staring out into the shadows of the night. “He did teach me everything about animals and yes, I love my work here as much as he loved his. But…I don't know if I'd put work ahead of family.”

Becky came to stand beside her. “But aren't you doing that very thing? You rarely leave this place. And now you have a handsome Ranger willing to help you stay safe, but from what you've told me, you haven't so much as batted an eye at the man.”

Jennifer hadn't told her friend about the kiss. That was too new and unexpected and confusing to share, even with her best friend. “I just met Anderson a few days ago. That's probably why he hasn't proposed yet,” she said with dripping sarcasm and a tart smile.

“I don't need him to propose. I just need you to have some fun,” Becky retorted. “Last time you came to see me in San Antonio, I had to practically arm wrestle you to get there. You don't return calls. You stopped going to church. You're shutting everyone out. Maybe it's the
grief, or maybe you just don't want any of us around anymore.”

Hurt and humiliated by her friend's blunt words, Jennifer took a deep breath. “I'm sorry but I've been trying to get everything back in order here—and now this vandalism thing is in the way. Once I get this place renovated and have some breathing room, I'll get back into the swing of things.”

“And what if that never happens?” Becky asked, a hand on Jennifer's arm. “What if you can't make it work?”

“I will, somehow. Don't tell me you've given up on me, too, Becky.”

Becky put a hand around her shoulder. “I haven't given up on you, no, ma'am. But I do worry that you're in over your head here. What if you run out of money? What then?”