Lonestar Secrets (35 page)

"All right, all right," Shannon called. "Don't hurt her." She'd have been able to deal with his gun but not the thought of him tossing Mary Beth down the cliff. What did he want if it wasn't the ledger?

He let go of his captive, then swatted her behind as she left him. That one movement told Shannon everything. "You were having an affair with the senator?" she asked Mary Beth. "He's too old for you.,,

"Hey there, I'm only sixty," the senator protested. "Missy, you'll be the first to go over the cliff if you keep talking like that."

Mary Beth hung her head. "Power can be compelling."

"I didn't expect my dolly to steal from me," the senator growled. "Eight million dollars just whisked away right under my nose. I want it back. Now."

"I don't have it."

"Do I have to throw her over the edge?" He made a grab for Mary Beth again, and she screamed.

"You do have it, Shannon," Mary Beth said, panting. "It's in your name in a Swiss bank account. I destroyed all copies of the number once I put the chip in your arm. I wanted to make sure only you had access to the money. It seemed only right that you have it. He killed your parents!"

"Shut up, Mary Beth!" The senator made a grab for her and she darted behind Shannon.

"He arranged for that rock avalanche," Mary Beth said. "Ask him. It's true."

Shannon watched the senator's cheeks turn a mottled red. "You killed my parents?" she whispered.

Tears sprang to her eyes. Her mother and father rested right behind her. If he'd realized what they'd found, he wouldn't have been so quick to entomb them. For just a moment, the temptation to tell him trembled on her tongue. No, he'd dig it up. Or at least he'd tell others from prison.

"Why?" she asked, her voice hard and angry.

"Your daddy was always after a quick buck."

"That's no reason to kill him."

"Your daddy double-crossed him," Mary Beth said. "One of the senator's hobbies was stealing racehorses to up the quality of his stock, and he sometimes sold them to unscrupulous buyers.

"His horses won more races, and their values shot up. Stud values too. He salted it all away in a special account, the one he kept track of in that ledger. The gambling money was all legal, but the amounts for the stolen horses went in there, too, and it grew pretty fast."

"Five Lives was the best racehorse to ever set hoof on a track," the senator muttered. "And your daddy sold him, then refused to tell me who the buyer was."

"Five Lives wasn't sold," Shannon blurted out before she could lock the words behind her teeth. "He's been right here all along. He's mine. I loved him and he loved me from the first minute he came." Her father had cared enough about her happiness that he'd lied to this man. And paid for it with his life.

The senator's smile widened. "This ain't my first rodeo, missy. You're lying to delay handing over my money."

Trying not to be obvious, she scanned the area for a weapon. "I don't have the money."

"A chiseler's pup doesn't wander far from the litter, I see. But I know you've got it. I beat the truth out of her. It's in your arm in a chip."

"Not anymore. I found it with my chip scanner and had it removed."

His cocky smile faded. "What'd you do with it?"

"I don't have it anymore." Not a lie. She'd given it to Rick to send to his friend.

His eyes went round. "You threw it away?" He slapped his fore head with his free palm and muttered something derogatory about women in general and Shannon in particular. "You had to have written down the number. Hand it over." He advanced with the gun held steady.

"You're not going to kill me. A body with a bullet would require too much explanation."

"You might have something there, missy." He seized her around the neck and dragged her to the precipice. "If you don't have the number, I don't have anything to lose by getting rid of the evidence."

"Would you want Jack to hate you forever?" she choked out.

The senator snorted a laugh. "Women have been after Jack since he first strapped on a buckle. He'll replace you in no time."

Shannon fought the choking hold on her throat. Spots danced in her vision, and she felt her legs going weak.

"Dad." Jack's voice came from her right. "Let her go, Dad." He wobbled to his feet and stumbled toward them. "Let her go."

"Jack," the senator mumbled.

His hold on her slackened a fraction, and Shannon took the opportunity to jerk from his grasp and run to her husband. His strong right arm circled her. They faced his father as one.

The senator held out his hands but seemed to have forgotten he had Jack's gun. "Look, Son, it's not what you think."

"No, it's worse. I heard it all as I was coming awake. You murdered a man and his wife, Dad. You've stolen and "His voice broke off as a horse came up the trail.

"Jewel," Shannon breathed.

The senator stood riveted. "Five Lives. What you said was true?" he whispered.

From the other direction, the senator's hired thug came down the trail. His boss motioned to him, and Quentin turned his gun on Shannon and Mary Beth.

The horse trotted to Shannon and she rubbed the blaze on his face. She knew he sensed her agitation, because he snorted and blew into her palm. "It's okay," she soothed.

The senator brought a lump of sugar out of his pocket. "Here you go, Five Lives," he crooned.

The horse's head came up, and he took a step closer to the senator. Shannon looped her arm around jewel's neck. "Stay," she said in a commanding voice. The stallion stopped.

"Let him go," Quentin said, turning his gun on Mary Beth.

Shannon dropped her arm. The senator would never catch jewel anyway. The horse was wily and nervous around strangers. Jewel snorted again and advanced toward the senator. The stallion nibbled the sugar from the man's palm. While jewel's neck was down, the senator grabbed his mane and vaulted onto the horse's back.

No one had ridden jewel except Shannon in fifteen years. The stallion screamed, a heart-stopping sound that made Shannon want to cover her ears. Jewel reared and screamed again, then all four hooves left the rocky path as he arched his back. With such wild gyrations, the senator couldn't keep his hold on the horse's mane. He somersaulted from jewel's shiny black back right over the edge of the precipice.

Both Jack and Shannon rushed to the edge in time to hear his despairing scream. Jack buried his face in Shannon's shoulder before the body hit the boulders below. She held him tight as he trembled.

Shannon would give anything to be able to ease some of his pain. She was dimly aware of Quentin running off down the trail now that his boss wasn't around to protect him. He likely hoped they couldn't identify him.

"I'm so sorry, Jack," she murmured.

"He was an evil man, but he was still my dad," he muttered, wiping his eyes when he pulled away. "Do you hate me?"

She cupped his face in her hands. "Why would I hate you?"

His eyes searched hers for reassurance. "My father killed your parents."

"But you didn't." She kissed him, and he clung to her again.

She never intended to let him go.

27

SPECTATORS FILLED THE COHEN STADIUM IN EL PASO, WHERE THE MUStangs and their trainers would strut their stuff for the final time. Jack's gaze sought and found his wife sitting with their two daughters as close as possible to the fence. And the girls were truly his both of them now. He and Shannon had formally adopted them both just to cross every t.

His eyes misted when he thought of his father, who wasn't here to watch the competition. But then, he'd rarely been there for Jack. His political aspirations were always more important. His mother had wanted a huge funeral, and Jack hadn't told her the full story. Right now, his dad lay in state in the Texas capitol, awaiting the funeral on Monday. No one had to know but him, Shannon, and Mary Beth. Mary Beth had been quick to head back to the city and put this disaster behind her. Doing that would take Jack a little longer.

Shannon had insisted they stop on the way here to check on Allie and the baby. Little Justin and his mama were doing just fine. The same couldn't be said for Rick, who wore the harried expression of being called on to do something unfamiliar. Jack thought he might look like that when his son was born too.

Jack watched Larue put his mustangs through their paces. After Shannon's talk with Larue, Jack had noticed the man seemed gentler, more restrained. Maybe she'd touched something in him that no one else could. She'd sure touched something in Jack.

The crowd roared at Larue's great performance. Jack's turn would be next. All the trainers had done a good job with their mounts, and Jack expected many mustangs would find a home. It would be worth all the work of the past weeks.

A man wove his way through the crowd, and Jack recognized him from pictures. In that instant, he knew what he should do with the money in the Swiss account. Give it back to its rightful owners. All of it. He'd search for the owners of the stolen racehorses and return it all. He motioned to Shannon, who grabbed the girls' hands and hurried to meet him as he left the arena.

"Jack, you'll miss your turn." Buzz grabbed his arm and bellowed over the noise and dust.

"It doesn't matter," Jack shouted back. "My contribution won't make it more or less of a success. Hundreds of mustangs will find a home after this. You did it, Buzz! Great job." He clapped Buzz on the back and walked away to meet Shannon.

"What's wrong?" she asked as he hefted Kylie into his arms.

"We've got to get him before he gets away." He took off through the throng.

"Who?" Shannon asked.

"Leo Brister."

She stopped. "He's here?" Catching at his arm, she tugged him to a stop. "We don't want to talk to him. I can't give up Jewel."

"We're going to buy him back with the money."

She didn't ask what he meant, since they'd been discussing what to do with the cash all week. Her brow furrowed. "Do you think he'll go for it?"

"Jewel is eighteen years old. What good is he to Brister?"

"Stud fees? Or maybe he loves him like I do."

He started again toward the man, who was nearing the parking lot. "He's had fifteen years to forget about that horse. I think we've got a shot."

She hurried along beside Jack. He called out, "Mr. Brister," and the man stopped and turned.

"You're one of the contestants," he said. "I saw you practicing" Surely he was in his eighties or nearly there. White hair and eyebrows, blue eyes dimmed by years of sun. An enormous white Stetson perched on his head.

"That's right, but I need to talk to you and it couldn't wait." Jack searched the man's eyes to assess his character and took heart in the smile lines.

Brister's gaze lit on Shannon and the girls, and that smile widened. "Pretty family you got there, cowboy."

"Yes, sir." He tried to decide how to approach the subject, but Shannon took the lead.

"Mr. Brister, I have your horse."

His bushy white brows raised. "My horse, ma'am?"

"Five Lives."

He rocked back on his heels, and Jack grabbed his forearm. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, I'm fine, son. You have Five Lives, you say? I didn't dream it? I talk to myself all the time, and one of these days I'm going to start making up stories."

Jack grinned. He liked the old cowboy. "You heard her right. Five Lives has been boarding at her ranch for the past fifteen years, and the two of them have a love affair you have to see to believe."

"Is that right?" His faded blue eyes squinted at Shannon. "And you're finally ready to give him up? What about all the lost revenue you've stolen from me?"

Shannon's lips quivered, and Faith frowned. "You made my mommy cry.

He put a gnarled hand on the little girl's head. "A Texas gentleman never makes a lady cry. I apologize if I upset you, ma'am." He turned his laser gaze on Jack. "But what about my lost revenue?"

"We'd like to buy Five Lives from you. For a million dollars."

"Whoa, son, that's what he was worth in his prime. He's old now. He'll have a little value left as a stud, but he's not worth that kind of money."

Jack nodded. "Let me tell you a story," he began, launching into the circumstances he knew.

Brister listened intently, his gaze never leaving Jack's. "The old coot," he said when he heard about the senator's theft. "So basically you want me to take some of the tainted money off your hands."

"Pretty much," Shannon said, smiling.

"Then I'll be happy to oblige. But I'd like to see Five Lives one more time, see if he recognizes me."

"Sure thing," Jack said. "When do you want to come?"

Brister glanced up at the cloudless sky. "Good day for flying. How about we go now? When you get to be my age, you make hay while the sun shines."

"We came in a friend's plane, so that will work. Let me tell him we're going with you." Jack took Shannon's hand, and they walked off to find Rick.

"I wish he hadn't wanted to see jewel," Shannon grumbled. "He might want him back."

"He's an honorable guy, hon. I think it will be all right."

SHANNON WHISTLED FOR JEWEL, BUT SHE WASN'T SURE IF SHE WANTED THE stallion to answer her. She rubbed wet palms down her jeans and tried again.

"There he is," Brister said with awe in his trembling voice. The desert sun gleamed on jewel's black coat as he came running across the desert.

"Mommy, is that a unicorn?" Kylie whispered, pointing.

Shannon saw it too the illusion of a horn between jewel's eyes.

Brister wore a strange expression, almost of wonder. "I always thought ..." He shook his head. "Fantasy. Let me call to him, see if he recognizes me after all this time."

Without waiting for Shannon's agreement, he stepped out in front of the group and gave a strange whistle, a trembling call that ended on a high note. The horse's ears pricked, and he snorted. His legs stretched out as he picked up his speed.

"He recognizes you after all this time," Shannon said, her heart just a little grieved. She'd thought jewel loved only her.

The stallion came straight to the old man, who flung trembling arms around the horse's neck. The two formed a snapshot Shannon would never forget. The man clinging to the horse, the stallion snuffling into his neck all silhouetted against the harsh but beautiful desert.