In a Killer’s Sights (9 page)

He heard movement at the door and glanced up to see Ben walking into the room, a paper bag from a local fast-food restaurant in his hand. He came over to where Dean sat and dropped down in the chair next to him.

“I figured you probably hadn’t eaten anything. So I stopped at your favorite hamburger place and got you something.”

Dean inhaled the burger’s smell and smiled as his stomach growled. “I was getting a little hungry.” He pulled out the sandwich, unwrapped the foil and took a big bite. “Mmm, that’s good,” he said after he’d chewed and swallowed. “I didn’t realize I was starving.”

Ben chuckled and settled back in his chair. “How’s Emmett doing?”

“The doctor says he’ll be fine. They tried to get me to go on home, but I didn’t want to leave him.”

“I’m sure they’ll call you if there’s any change. Go on home and get some rest.”

Dean shook his head, took another bite and washed it down with a swig of coffee. “Can’t do it. I have to make sure he’s okay before I leave.”

“There’s somebody else you need to make sure is okay, too.”

Dean put the rest of the burger back in the sack and heaved a deep sigh. “Are you talking about Gwen?”

“Yeah. I saw how happy you were when she showed up here. Now you’re in a hurry to make her leave. She’s confused.”

“But you understand why I want her gone, don’t you?”

His friend nodded. “Of course I do. You want to protect her from this killer who’s targeted her. Sending her home is a way of doing that.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Ben sighed and swiveled in his seat to face Dean. “The problem, buddy, is that
she
doesn’t understand. You need to explain it to her. Send her back to New York, but tell her you’d like to see her again when this is all over, that you want to work things out between the two of you.”

Dean shook his head. “That wouldn’t do any good. She’s got this guy back East. It sounds like he’s well-off. Has a house with horses out in the Hamptons. He’ll be able to give her a better life than I ever could.”

“Not if the two of you love each other.”

“That’s just it, Ben. She doesn’t love me anymore, and I don’t have anybody but myself to blame. I ruined it for us years ago, and I guess I need to accept the truth once and for all. There’s no going back.”

Ben didn’t say anything as he stretched out his long legs, crossed them at the ankles and slumped in his chair. Then he shrugged. “Well, I guess I can’t make you do what you don’t want to. But what I know is that you can’t bring yourself to take off your wedding ring, even though you were divorced five years ago. And I remember that the only reason you got through all those nights that I sat with you when you were trying to beat your addiction was because you wanted Gwen to know that you could be a different man. Somebody she could love again.”

“I know that, but—”

“And I also know,” Ben continued as if he hadn’t heard him, “that you said God would work it out if the two of you were meant to be together.” He heaved himself up out of his chair and grasped Dean’s shoulder. “God saw you through those rough times, and now He’s given you the chance to try for happiness again. Don’t throw that away because you’re afraid. I don’t know what she’ll say, and neither do you. You’ll never know if you’re too scared to find out. Don’t let this opportunity slip through your fingers. It may not come again. I’ll check on Emmett in the morning.”

The lawman patted him on the shoulder once more and walked from the room. Dean stared after him until he’d moved out of sight, then bent forward and covered his face with his hands. Everything Ben had said was true. Dean had loved Gwen from the first time he saw her, and that hadn’t changed. Ben was also right that getting her back had been the driving force helping Dean recover sobriety. The thought that she might love him again someday had got him through some of the worst times that a human should have to endure.

During those times he’d poured out his heart to God and begged for the right to have another chance with her. Now she was staying at his ranch, and he was afraid to say the things he’d been planning for years. On the other hand, he’d told her that he knew God had brought her here, and she had dismissed the idea. Maybe he should, too, and just let her go back and pick up her life with someone else.

Dean stood and walked out into the hall. The only sounds were soft voices that drifted from the vending room to his left, and he stopped and glanced in. A man and a woman sat on a couch. They held each other’s hands as if they needed a lifeline, and from the words they were speaking, Dean knew they did. At that moment they were reaching out to the only source that could help them.

“God, please don’t take him away from us,” he heard the man say above the soft sobs of the woman. “He’s our only child. Please let him live.”

Dean closed his eyes for a moment and remembered the nights he’d struggled and begged God to deliver him from his addiction. God had done that. If that could happen, He could heal Dean’s marriage, too. But he had to step out in faith and see where it led him.

The man on the couch ended his prayer and pulled his wife close, then glanced up. Dean bit down on his lip at the sorrow he saw in the man’s eyes. “What’s your son’s name?” Dean asked.

The woman twisted in her husband’s arms and smiled through her tears. “His name is Jason. He’s sixteen years old, and he had an accident on a four-wheeler this afternoon. The doctors aren’t sure if he’ll make it or not.”

Dean walked into the room, squatted down in front of them and laid a hand on the shoulder of each. “Let me pray with you, too.”

The man inhaled a quick breath and wiped at his eyes. “We’d like that.”

Dean closed his eyes and wrinkled his forehead as he began to pray. “Dear God, waiting is hard, and these fine folks are suffering right now. I pray that You will give them strength to face their fears and comfort them with the knowledge that they’re not alone. I know that You can heal Jason and restore him to his parents, and I pray that You will do that. The Bible tells us to ask and it shall be given, so in the quiet of this room I ask that You heal Jason. And we will give You the praise forever. Amen.”

As he finished the prayer, the woman began to sob louder, and she grabbed him in a fierce hug. “Thank you...”

“Harwell. Dean Harwell. I hope you have good news soon.”

All three of them rose to their feet, and the man grabbed Dean’s hand. “We’re Steve and Betty Price. Thank you, Mr. Harwell, for praying for our son.”

“I’ll keep praying for him, too. I have to go now, but I’ll be back in the morning to check on my friend who’s in the unit. I’ll check on Jason then. Now you need to try and get some sleep tonight. When Jason gets better, he’s going to need you to be at your healthiest so you can take care of him.”

Betty smiled. “Thank you for saying
when
,
not
if
.”

“Keep praying,” Dean said.

With that, he walked from the room and headed toward the exit. He stopped outside the door and stared up at the stars as he thought about the Prices. They’d had no idea when they got up this morning that they would be praying for their son’s life before the day was over, but they were. They reinforced the truth that no one knew what the future might hold, and it was no use worrying about what might happen.

Dean had wasted enough time. He needed to let Gwen know how much he loved her and that he wanted her back. She might reject him, but at least he would have tried.

When he got to his truck, he climbed in and was just about to start the engine when he heard the chime of a text coming in on his phone. He pulled it from his pocket and frowned at the unknown number displayed.

The words of the text almost jumped off the screen at him.
It’s too early to celebrate the Fourth of July, but I thought you might enjoy some fireworks at your place tonight.

For a moment he couldn’t move as he read the message. Fireworks at his ranch tonight? That sounded like a threat—no doubt from the shooter. A chill went down Dean’s spine, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Gwen! He’d sent her back to the ranch! He had to warn her.

He had punched in the first three digits of her cell number when he remembered she’d lost hers at Rattlesnake Creek. With a groan, he ended the call and tried the ranch phone instead. At this time of night Shorty and the rest of the ranch hands would probably be asleep in the bunkhouse.

When the call went to voice mail, he hit speed dial for Ben’s number. His friend answered right away. “Hey, Dean, what’s up?”

“I just got a text from someone saying that there were going to be fireworks at my ranch tonight. Do you have a deputy in the area who can meet me there?”

“Yeah, Hughes is out that way. I’ll meet you, too.”

“Thanks,” Dean said. He tossed the cell phone in the center console cup holder and turned on the ignition. The tires screeched as he roared out of the parking lot and onto the road that led out of town.

“Please, God,” he prayed as he drove. “Let her be all right. Give me the chance to tell her I love her.”

NINE

G
wen checked her suitcase one last time to make sure she had everything packed. She hadn’t been at the ranch long enough to have scattered her belongings, but she wanted to make sure she was in her rental car in the morning and ready to be on her way to Knoxville as soon as she finished the conversation with Dean she couldn’t put off any longer.

Looking back on the decision she’d made not to tell him about his daughter, she now wished she had handled the situation differently. Maybe knowing that he had someone to love would have made his recovery easier. At the time, however, all she had thought about was protecting herself and her child from the man he’d become.

Now that Gwen had seen how his life had turned out, she knew she had to tell him about Maggie. He would hate her when he found out, but that was the punishment she’d have to endure for the choice she’d made. At least he could have someone to love, and Maggie could have all her questions about the father she’d never known answered.

Gwen glanced around the room again to see if she’d forgotten to pack anything and to make sure she’d laid out the clothes she intended to wear tomorrow. There wouldn’t be time to do any last-minute packing. When she confessed to Dean, she needed to be ready to leave. It might be a good idea to have her suitcases in the car even before she talked to him.

She started to pick up the bags to take them out there when a loud, piercing sound seemed to shake the house. She dropped the suitcases and ran to the door. A couple staying two rooms down from her opened their door and hurried into the hall.

The woman clutched the front of her robe closed. Her husband stared at Gwen with wide eyes. “What’s that sound?” he asked.

“I don’t know, but I’ll find out.”

She ran to the staircase and grabbed the banister as she rushed down the stairs. The sound grew more intense the lower she went. When she reached the ground floor, she realized the blaring siren was coming from the direction of the office.

Suddenly she knew she was hearing the fire alarm from the barn being broadcast over the intercom, and her stomach churned. Princess, Midnight and Cocoa, as well as half a dozen other horses, would be in their stalls. There was no time to waste.

She grabbed the desk phone and punched in 911. An operator answered immediately.

“This is 911. What is your emergency?”

“There’s a fire at Little Pigeon Ranch,” she screamed into the phone. “We need help.”

“That fire’s already been reported, ma’am, and the trucks are on the way. They should be there any minute now.”

“Thanks!” Gwen cried and slammed the phone back in its cradle.

Then she turned and ran out of the house and toward the barn. She could see a faint glow coming from inside it, and her breath hitched in her throat as she got closer. She stopped at the entrance as Shorty hurried out, leading one of the horses she’d seen earlier today.

“Can I help?” she yelled.

He handed her the rope he held. “Take this horse and put him in the corral. We need to get the horses as far away from the fire as possible. Be careful he doesn’t get spooked. Horses have a tendency to run back to the safety of their stalls. We don’t need to be chasing ’em down after we’ve got them out.”

Gwen took the rope. “Do you need me to help get the rest of the horses out of the barn?”

He shook his head. “It’s best you let us handle that,” he called out as he headed back. “Several of the men are in there now getting the horses. We always keep each horse’s bridle with a cotton lead hanging outside the stall for emergencies like this. Don’t worry. We’ll get all of them.”

For the next few minutes Gwen hurried back and forth between the barn and corral, leading rescued horses to safety. She was on her way back after releasing another horse when one of the ranch hands rushed past her leading a mare.

“This is the last one. They’re all out.”

Gwen gave a sigh of relief and trudged back to the front of the barn. The flames appeared to be brighter now. In the distance she could hear the sirens of approaching fire trucks. Maybe they’d be able to save some of the structure.

She stopped a good distance away from the entrance and stared at the flames. She sensed movement next to her and turned her head to see Billy Champion standing beside her. “Billy, what are you doing here?”

“The wind must have been just right to carry the sound of the fire alarm to my place. When I heard it, I knew exactly what it was, and I came as quickly as I could to help. Shorty tells me all the horses are safe.”

Gwen nodded. “Yes, they are, and all the ranch hands got out safely.” She tilted her head and studied the flames again. “The fire is burning slower than I thought it would have. I would expect a wooden barn to burn much quicker.”

“Most would,” Billy said. “But Dean’s a smart man. He had some remodeling done a few years ago and had the entire place covered with a flame-retardant paint. Then he had a solid floor-to-ceiling partition built after every fourth stall. That’s kept the flames from jumping from one section to another. Just a few things like that can make the difference between a barn lasting long enough for the firefighters to get there or burning to the ground in a few minutes.”

“It’s a good thing that he...” Gwen stopped when she heard a sound near her feet. She glanced down to find Sadie beside her, staring at the barn and whining. The collie looked up at her and barked, then ran toward the barn, turned and barked again.

“What is it, girl?” Gwen asked, kneeling when the dog came back and putting her arm around her.

At that moment a truck roared off the road and came to a screeching stop beside the house. The door opened, and Dean jumped out. He ran toward the barn, where he was met by Shorty and several other men. Gwen was near enough to hear their conversation.

“Are all the horses safe?” Dean asked.

“We got them all out, boss,” one of the cowboys said. “They’re all in the corral.”

Dean looked over his shoulder as the first fire truck rolled into the yard. “Good. Then let’s get out of the way and let the firemen do their job.” He turned and spotted Gwen, and his gaze dropped to the collie beside her. “What about Sadie’s puppies?” he asked Shorty.

The men all looked at him with blank faces. “We didn’t think about them,” Shorty said.

Gwen gasped and gazed into the dark eyes of the shaking dog she still held. “Sadie’s puppies!” she exclaimed. She jumped to her feet and grabbed Billy by the arm. “That’s what’s wrong with Sadie. Her puppies are still in there.”

He looked back at the firemen, who were just beginning to unroll their water hoses. “Don’t worry. They’ll get them.”

Just then a loud popping sound split the air, and a new burst of heat gushed from inside the barn. “The fire’s spreading!” Gwen cried. “We’ve got to get the puppies before it’s too late.”

She took a step, but Billy grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “You can’t go in there.”

“I have to! I can’t let those puppies die!”

She shook free of his hand and raced toward the barn, her heart pounding. Behind her she heard Billy shouting, “Dean! Gwen has gone in the barn to get the puppies!”

She ignored his cries and rushed headlong into the burning building. The heat that enveloped her sucked the breath from her body, but she staggered on toward Midnight’s stall at the back, where she’d seen the puppies earlier today.

Smoke boiled around her, burning her eyes, but she didn’t stop. She heard the whimpers of the puppies before she reached the stall and stumbled inside. Tears rolled down her face from the stinging in her eyes, and she dropped on her knees beside the wriggling animals. Only then did she realize her mistake. How could she carry six puppies out of here? There was certainly no time to make two trips.

She grabbed two of the dogs and was trying to decide how to carry the other four when she heard someone running down the alleyway. Dean burst through the stall door, grabbed her by the arm and jerked her to her feet. “Are you crazy, coming into a burning barn?”

She swallowed and ignored the anger she could see in his eyes. “Save it for later, Dean. Grab some of those puppies, and let’s get out of here.”

He reached down and picked up two of the dogs as Billy Champion charged through the stall door. “Give me two! We need to go!”

With all six puppies in their arms, they ran toward the door, past flames that were growing more intense by the moment, and outside into the cool night air. As they exited, Sadie ran toward them, barking at the top of her lungs, and began to jump up in an effort to reach her babies. The firemen aimed the first stream of water at the barn, and the three of them stopped a safe distance away and set the puppies down.

Sadie whined and licked each one as if to reassure herself that they were okay, and Gwen smiled at the sight, until she looked up at Dean. His eyes flashed with anger, and she sucked in her breath. She’d never seen him as livid as he appeared to be at this minute.

Shorty rushed up and started to speak, but after looking at Dean, he seemed to think better of it. “Let’s get these puppies to a safe place, Billy,” he said as he reached down and picked up three of them.

Billy nodded and grabbed the other three, then walked quickly away with the cook, Sadie following. When the men were out of earshot, Dean turned his attention back to Gwen. “Do you realize you could have been killed?”

“Dean, please listen—” she began, but he was having none of it.

He held up his hand to stop her. “You’ve been back in my life for two days now, and it’s been nothing but one crisis after another.”

Her own anger flared, and she clenched her fists at her sides. “That hasn’t been my fault,” she snarled.

“Then whose fault is it that you disregarded your safety, as well as mine and Billy’s, to run into a burning barn?”

She took a step closer and glared at him. “I didn’t ask you to come after me. That was your choice.”

“And I wouldn’t have had to make it if you’d used some common sense and let the firemen take care of the puppies.”

“Oh, so that’s it, is it? You’re angry not because I was in danger but because you might have been hurt.”

His eyes widened as if she had slapped him. “That’s not true!” he cried.

They were almost nose to nose now. “Then what is the truth?” she yelled into his face.

He leaned even closer and shouted, “The truth is that I love you, and it’s tearing me apart having you here. When I saw you go in that barn, I thought I’d die if anything happened to you.” He stumbled a few steps back and stared at her, no longer angry, now looking defeated.

“You love me?” she whispered.

He rubbed his hands over his face and groaned. “I always have, from that first moment I saw you, and that won’t ever change. I’m sorry that I shouted at you just now, but I was so scared you were about to be killed. And I’m sorry about what I said at the hospital. I don’t want you to leave. I want you to stay. Forever.” He reached out and put his hands on either side of her face as he stared down into her eyes. “You’re the only person I love who I have left in my life. Please don’t leave me again. Stay and let’s try to find our way back to each other.”

Before she could answer, Shorty ran up. “Dean, Ben just got here. He and the fire chief want to talk with you. They think the barn fire was arson.”

He sighed and nodded. “I’m sure it was. I received a text that it was about to happen.”

“You what?” Gwen exclaimed.

He turned back to her and touched her arm. “Go on back to the house, Gwen. I’ll meet you in the office in a few minutes. We need to finish this conversation.”

She nodded. “Yes, we do.”

Dean and Shorty turned and walked back toward the barn, and she watched them go. He was right. It was time for them to have a serious conversation, but she didn’t think he was going to like what she had to say.

A tear rolled out of her eye, and she wiped it away. She’d known from the minute she’d opened her eyes in that ambulance that she’d never stopped loving Dean, and now he said he still loved her, too. But that was about to change, and she had nobody to blame but herself.

* * *

Dean watched Gwen trudge back toward the house and frowned. She didn’t seem very happy that he’d just laid his heart out to her and told her he loved her. He had hoped she might want to try again. Now he wasn’t so sure. Her reaction to his admission that he loved her hadn’t produced any hint that she might feel the same. He supposed he might as well get ready to be rejected when they talked.

Right now, though, there was the question of the barn. They had to find out who was targeting him, and soon. With his grandfather’s murder, three attempts on Gwen’s life and now a burning barn, there was no telling what the killer had in mind next.

Ben and the fire chief, Keith Davidson, stood apart from the rest of the first responders and appeared to be involved in a serious discussion as he approached. Ben glanced up when Dean stopped beside him.

“I’m sorry about your barn, Dean. I understand they got all the animals out, though.”

“Yeah.” He grunted and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m thankful for that and that none of my staff were injured trying to rescue them. Whoever’s after me isn’t giving up.”

Ben nodded. “Seems that way. Let me see the text you told me you received.”

Dean pulled his cell phone from his pocket and handed it over. When the sheriff finished reading the text, he handed it to the fire chief. “I’d call that a threat. What do you think, Keith?”

The chief read it and then nodded. “Well, you’ve certainly had fireworks here tonight, and they didn’t happen accidentally.”

“Are you sure it’s arson?” Dean asked.

“I’m about 95 percent certain at this point, but we’ll know after we start our investigation.”

Dean studied his burning barn for a few moments before he spoke again. “I used to know some guys who were firefighters. They were always talking about the different methods they had of determining if a fire was started on purpose. I know the text I got points to it being arson, but do you have any other evidence?”

“Just observation,” Keith said. “From what we saw when we arrived, it looked like the flames were the same at multiple locations in the barn. That could mean it was set in different places. Also, the fires appeared to be burning down instead of up. If an accelerant was used around the stalls, it would have soaked into the wood and would have burned down toward the ground. We’ll know more about where it all started when we can follow the char pattern.”