Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #2 (11 page)

Seth shook his head. “Clay would never put those people at risk. He had someone sweep the church before the service. He'll have deputies posted throughout and he even has a couple of buddies who're snipers driving in from Nashville to be on top of buildings with rifles ready.”

Tonya shivered. “Wow.”

“Clay wants to catch this guy.”

“Not as bad as I do,” she muttered. Then drew in a deep breath and offered him a weary smile. “Do you want me to drive?”

“I can do it. It's my left leg that's hurt, not my right.”

“Figured you'd say that.” She climbed into the passenger seat and grimaced at the heat that slammed her.

“Why'd you figure that?” He slid in beside her and buckled his seat belt, cranked the engine and turned the air on high.

“You're a bit of a control freak.”

“Who? Me?” He shot her a surprised look.

“Yep.”

“Naw.”

Clay knocked on the window and Seth rolled it down. “I'll be right behind you.”

“I know.”

His brother nodded. “All right, then, let's get going. I think a morning spent in prayer would be a good thing.”

They started their trek down the mountain toward the town of Wrangler's Corner. Clay stayed with them, and within ten minutes Seth turned onto Main Street. “It's beautiful,” she said.

Seth nodded. “It's a great place. I loved growing up here. Some of the teen years were harder than others, but riding bulls helped keep me out of a lot of trouble I might have been tempted to get into.”

“I know what you mean.” She paused. “You don't think I should run again, do you?”

“Nope.”

A short and simple-enough response. “Aw, Seth, I really wish you wouldn't hold back on me. Tell me what you
really
think.” He gave a snort of laughter that quickly died as he glanced in the rearview mirror. “What is it?” she asked.

“There's a car behind Clay that's been there for a while.”

She looked in the side mirror and could see the black sedan trailing behind the police cruiser. “Do you think Clay noticed it?”

“Yes, I'm sure he's aware.”

She kept watching until Seth turned onto one of the side streets. “Maybe you could call—” The car kept going and disappeared from view. “Never mind—it didn't follow us.” She sighed. “I'm sorry.”

“What?”

“I've made us all paranoid.”

“You haven't—your stalker has. With good reason.” He pulled into the parking lot of the small church. “And I don't know that I would call it paranoia. More like supercautious. Then again, if that translates to paranoid, then I'm all right with that.”

“Good point.”

Seth put the truck in Park but didn't cut the engine. He drew in a deep breath as though gathering the strength to say something. She released her seat belt and waited. From the corner of her eye, she saw Clay pull in beside them.

“Okay, I'm going to have to warn you,” Seth finally said. He held an index finger up to indicate to Clay to give them a minute. The sheriff nodded.

“About...?” she asked.

“I grew up in this church,” Seth said. “When we walk in together, there will be raised eyebrows and instant speculation.”

Tonya understood exactly what he meant. She smiled and shook her head. “It's always that way. My home church would be the same way.”

His breath whooshed out. “Then you're going to be all right with it?”

She shrugged. “People are people. They'll wonder and speculate and drive themselves crazy. I don't let stuff like that bother me.”

He reached over and curled her fingers through his. “Good. I need to learn to be a bit more like you.”

“Why? I've never noticed you letting what anyone thought influence you or bother you.”

“Not on the outside, but on the inside...” He shrugged and looked away.

She blinked at the vulnerability he'd just let her see. A piece of himself that she instinctively knew he'd not revealed to others. “I'm sorry.”

He swallowed and cleared his throat. “When I was injured and Glory walked out on me, it threw me. Big-time. I was embarrassed and hurt, yeah, but I couldn't believe that I was such a bad judge of character.”

“We all make mistakes along those lines at some point in our lives. Look at me and Hank...”

He shook his head. “You saw through him pretty fast. Three dates and you knew you didn't want to be with him. I didn't see through Glory's shallowness until she had the power to break my heart.”

“Which she did?”

He nodded. “To some extent.”

“How do you feel about her now?”

He squeezed her fingers and shot her a somber smile. “I feel sorry for her because she's looking for happiness in the wrong places. She'll never be content with herself or who she is as long as she focuses on money and materialism and only being attached to ‘winners.' She's not in a relationship for what she can do for the person she loves. She's in it to get what she can, milk it dry, then move on.” He shook his head again. “I might have been like that at one time, but I'm not anymore.”

“No,” she said softly. “You're not like that at all.”

“And neither are you, are you, Tonya?”

“No, I'm not.”

He shot her another look and his lingering gaze made her cheeks flame. When he turned his eyes back to the church building, she bit her lip. He cleared his throat. “Did you know I wanted to ask you out the first time I saw you?”

She sucked in a sharp breath. “What?”

“Yep. Then Daniel came up and slapped me on the back and introduced you as his girlfriend.” He winked. “I was heartbroken. Probably why I decided to go out with Glory.”

“You're making that up.”

He sobered. “Not the part about wanting to ask you out. But you were Daniel's and I wasn't about to do anything to mess up our friendship. So I walked away.”

She tried to clear the emotion from her throat. “Daniel was a good man.”

“Yeah, he was.”

“But he cared too much about me. He loved me, but his love could be smothering. He wasn't like Hank, who is all about control, but Daniel drove me crazy sometimes with his need to keep me safe.” Tears sprang to her eyes and she turned to look out the window. “And he died because of it.” She sniffed and looked back at Seth. She pulled her hand from his. “Don't care about me too much, okay?”

ELEVEN

S
eth sat through the service and struggled to keep his attention focused on the pastor's message. Tonya's words kept looping through his mind.
Don't care about me too much.
Could she really mean that? He shifted his leg and tried to find a more comfortable position. He supposed he understood her perspective on that statement. Daniel had died, had given his life because he'd loved Tonya. He hadn't meant to die, of course, but that didn't change facts.

And now Tonya was skittish about anyone getting close to her. He let his gaze stray to her pretty face. Oval features, some light makeup on her eyes, a dusting of blush on her cheeks. His heart thumped and he turned his gaze back to the pulpit. He'd had a hard time with God lately. With everything that had happened, Seth wanted to drown in a pot of self-pity, but he knew if he went there, he'd never be able to climb out. Instead he'd put God on the back burner and focused on physically healing. And winning.

And then Tonya had charged into his life and made him look at everything, including God, in a different light. It wasn't the Lord's fault Seth had allowed himself to be influenced by a woman he knew wasn't right for him. He had to take responsibility for that, not blame God.

He took another deep breath and let his gaze roam the church. As promised, deputies were in attendance. Some in uniform, some not. No one at the church seemed to notice the unusual number of deputies. Most of them were a part of the congregation anyway. Some showed up even when they were on duty since Sunday mornings tended to be the slowest day of the week when it came to crime in Wrangler's Corner.

But Seth noticed. When the service finally ended without incident, he breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe Hank had given up. Maybe they could relax their vigil just a little.

Maybe.

He and Tonya stepped out of the church and he gave a low groan when former Sunday-school teachers gathered around his mother and began their not-so-subtle questioning about the lady Seth had with him. He shook his head and cupped Tonya's elbow. “Let's go.”

Clay caught his eye and nodded that he'd be right behind them.

“Clay?”

His mother's voice stopped his brother's trek toward the parking lot. “Yes?”

“Lunch will be on the table shortly. Do you and Sabrina and the children plan to join us?”

“Sure, that'd be great.”

Seth saw Clay catch his wife's eye and felt his blood pressure drop a little. His brother wouldn't have told Sabrina to attend services if he thought there was a remote chance that Hank would show up.

He propelled Tonya to the car. “I'm starving—and restless. How about a ride after lunch?”

* * *

When she entered the barn, Seth was waiting on her, chilled bottles of water in his hands. He tossed her one.

“Thanks. Your mom is an amazing cook.”

He shot her a smile. “Yep. And she loves to feed people.”

“Clay's going back to the office, isn't he?” She swigged half the bottle.

“Sounds like that was his plan.”

“Does he ever take time off?”

“Sure, but he's trying to find Hank Newman and it'll eat him until he's successful.” He grabbed his hat from the table. “You ready to ride?”

“On a horse or in a vehicle?”

“A horse, of course.” She glanced at his leg and he shrugged. “I'll be good. I'll rest the leg and let the horse do the work.”

She finished the water and let out a long breath. “That sounds nice. Hot, but nice.”

Seth nodded. “Why don't you get us two more waters from the fridge in the office and I'll let Dad know.”

“Okay.” Tonya watched him leave and shook her head at the way she just wanted to be near him. The thought of spending the rest of the day with him, riding horses and talking, appealed to her so much.
Too much.

She moved to the barn office and grabbed the two bottles from the refrigerator. A piece of paper tacked to the corkboard caught her attention. She pulled it down even as she heard Seth's limping gait coming up behind her.

“Tell me about this. I saw the same flyer posted on the grocery-store door.”

He stepped next to her to look over her shoulder. “Every year, our little town has a rodeo. It's a pretty big event around here. It's how I started bull riding,” Seth said. “My brother Aaron is real involved in helping set up and taking care of any animals that might need it. You wait—in a couple of days, our barn is going to be full of rodeo gear.” He grinned. “We get a lot of folks who come from out of town, too.”

“I think I've heard of this. It's happening next weekend,” she said.

“Yep.”

“That's awesome. I can't believe I haven't paid more attention to this—or participated in it.” Tonya kept reading. “It says they need riders and bullfighters.”

“Most of the money goes to different charities,” Seth told her. “The town just has to cover the costs to put it on, but there are so many donations that we usually raise forty or fifty thousand to divide between the charities chosen to receive the money.”

Tonya stroked her chin.

“What are you thinking?” Seth asked curiously.

She lifted a shoulder. “I think it would be fun to be a part of something like that.”

“So why don't you?”

She shot him a sad smile. “Today's Sunday. The rodeo starts Thursday. I don't know if I'll be alive on Thursday, much less able to commit to participating in a rodeo.”

He scowled. “Don't talk that way. Of course you will.”

“Let's pray you're right.”

“I'll sign us up when we get back.”

“Seth—”

“Why not? It's for a good cause and will give us something to look forward to.”

She shrugged. “I'll think about it.”

He studied her for a long moment, then walked into the office and sat down at the computer. She followed him and frowned. “What are you doing?”

“Signing us up.” He logged in and pulled up the website.

“I said I'd think about it. You said you'd do it when you got back. I'm not finished thinking about it.”

“You said you wanted to do it. If you think about it, you'll come up with a dozen reasons not to. Let's get signed up. If something comes up and you can't be there, I have a friend who can fill in.”

“But—”

“Please?”

She sighed. He really wanted her to participate. She shrugged. “Okay, as long as you have a replacement.”

He shot her a quick grin and finished the registration. When he stood, he tapped her nose. “You'll see—it'll be fun. And something to look forward to.”

Understanding hit her. She'd gone so long living day by day, refusing to look to the future, scared to hope and plan, that to actually let him include her in something that was a week away left her feeling...weird. And in some strange way...hopeful.

She followed him out of the office. “Thanks.”

He winked at her, then grabbed a saddle blanket from the peg on the wall and tossed it over the horse's back. He reached for the saddle next and winced when he stepped a little harder than he should have on his injured leg.

She reached for the next blanket to put on her horse and stopped when she caught his expression. “Seth, you're going to hurt yourself again.”

“Naw. I've been saddling horses since before I could walk.” She arched a brow and he shrugged. “Or somewhere about that age.”

She sighed and shook her head as he placed the saddle on top of the blanket. Another wince.

Tonya couldn't stand it. “Let me finish that for you.” She moved to adjust the stirrup at the same time he bent down to tighten the girth. His cheek bumped her lips and she went still. Frozen. He pulled back and looked down into her eyes. She knew her face was a brilliant shade of red and thanked God that the barn was poorly lit. She cleared her throat and took a step back. “Ah, I think I'll just let you take care of that and I'll saddle my own horse. Over here. By the office.”

A slow smile slid across his lips but he didn't say a word, just finished saddling the horse while favoring his left leg. Again silence reigned until he patted the horse's neck. “All done.”

“Me too.” She stuck her left foot in the stirrup and hauled herself up, swinging her leg over and catching the other stirrup with her right foot.

Seth had a bit of trouble getting in the saddle and finally succumbed to using a step stool. He shot her a warning look. “If you ever tell my brothers or the guys at the rodeo about this...”

From atop her horse, she held up a hand in the Boy Scout salute. “Never. I promise.”

He grunted and she gave a soft laugh. He clicked to the paint and led the way out of the barn. Tonya followed him, admiring his form and the easy way he held himself in the saddle. Tonya realized that she felt almost relaxed for the first time in a long time. Hank might be coming after her, but this time she had people watching her back.

And she couldn't be more grateful. They rode out into the pasture for a few minutes before Seth pulled his horse to a stop and waited for her to come up beside him. “I have a question for you.”

“What is it?”

“You said Hank Newman was the guy in the storage room where you were hiding.”

She gave a shudder. “Yes.”

“What did he look like?”

“Like the guy in the grocery store,” she said. Then thought about it. “He looks different than when I knew him before. His hair was longer and he had a goatee and a mustache.”

“That matches the man I talked with. And you recognized him?”

Tonya snorted. “I'd recognize him dressed in a full set of body armor.” She bit her lip and looked out over the vast field of green. “I say that—and I've always thought that—but the truth is, when I first saw him again at the arena, it took me a minute because he did look different.” Another shiver racked through her. “But then he caught my gaze and wouldn't look away. The longer he stared, the more uneasy I got. Then he gave me a little smile and I knew it was him.” She shrugged. “And I ran. He must have seen me duck into the storage room and come after me.”

“Hmm. I wonder if there were any video cameras.”

“If there were, I'm sure the cops are looking at footage in order to see if they can figure out who planted that bomb in my cannon.” She paused. “Would Clay be able to find out for you?”

“Sure.”

“I'd like to analyze it myself. I want to see if the camera caught Hank in the hallway.”

Seth pulled his phone from his pocket and pressed a number. “Clay, Tonya and I were just talking. Would you be able to get your hands on any video footage at the arena?” There was a brief pause. “Actually, we're specifically interested in the hallway near the dressing room and then the cameras focused on the arena when they were setting up for her stunt. Tonya wants to take a look and see if she can spot Hank Newman.” He listened and she heard a snapping behind her. She turned and scanned the area. She and Seth had ridden to the edge of the woods to ride along the tree line. “Okay, thanks.” He hung up. “My brother said he'd put the request in but didn't want you to hold your breath. He did say you might be able to go to Nashville to take a look.”

She nodded, her mind still on the noise she'd heard. Was she being paranoid? Jumpy due to the circumstances she'd just run from?

Maybe.

“You ready to ride?”

“Sure.” With another glance over her shoulder, she gave the horse a gentle nudge and they started walking. She stayed next to Seth. “Do you mind if I ask what happened with you and Glory after the accident?”

“She decided she wasn't interested in a bull rider with a broken leg—aka someone who was on the fast track to nowhere and empty pockets.”

“Did she think you wouldn't heal?”

“I think she was afraid there'd be permanent damage, yes.”

“That's crazy.”

He shrugged. “I'm just glad I found out just how superficial she was before we walked down the aisle.” He paused. “My mother didn't like her much. That should have been my first clue.”

“Why not?”

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “She said she was shallow.”

“I'm sorry.”

“As I mentioned before, it hurt.” They rode in silence a few more minutes with Tonya looking back every so often. He caught her gaze. “But it hasn't hurt so much lately.”

Now he had her complete attention. Did he mean what she thought he meant? Or was she misreading the comment...? “I'm glad.”

“Me too.” Another pause. “Tell me about you and Daniel.”

She winced and looked away. “I cared about him.”

“Did you love him?”

She swallowed hard. “I loved him as a friend, yes. And maybe I even saw the potential to marry him one day. He was strong in his faith and had a gentle heart.”

“But?”

She sighed. “But I wasn't ready to talk about marriage when he brought up the idea. I told him I wanted some time to think about it.”

“Not that it's any of my business, but why?”

“I was really enjoying being free of Hank, free of my overprotective brothers. Just...free. I loved hanging out with Daniel, dating him and having a good time with him, but I wasn't ready for a commitment. Maybe that sounds as shallow as Glory.”

“Of course not. Not everyone is ready for a commitment at the same time. That's why some people have long engagements.” He paused and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “But then Daniel died.”

Tears clogged her throat. She tried clearing the lump, but it wouldn't go away. “You were there. You saw what happened. He died because he saw me in danger from the bull and didn't trust me enough to take care of myself.” She set her jaw and pulled in a breath. “When he tried to help me, he got distracted and the bull caught him in the side with a horn. It knocked him to the ground. Daniel tried to roll while I worked to distract the bull. Others jumped into the arena to help, but it was too late.”