Standoff at Mustang Ridge (6 page)

Sophie’s half brother and her father, Stanton and Eldon Conway.

“After all,” Travis said, his gaze drifting toward the visitors who were making their way to the door. “Look at what I’m doing to help you and your father.”

Even though Royce wasn’t touching Sophie, he could almost feel her muscles tense. He definitely heard the change in her breathing. Travis’s tone had been nonthreatening, but there was indeed a threat just below the surface.

“Yes,” Sophie mumbled. She looked up at Royce, and he knew she was about to do something stupid. Or rather she’d try.

“You’re not going with him,” Royce let her know. “Yeah, I know he agreed to pay off your father’s debts, but that’s not worth your life.”

“Deputy,” Travis said. His tone was now placating. “I love Sophie, and her life isn’t in danger as long as she’s with me.”

Royce went with a little placating attitude himself. “Someone hired two men to kidnap her. And those two men then fired a boatload of shots at her. Now, if you didn’t hire those men, then who the hell did?”

Travis’s mouth quivered, threatening to smile, and he hitched his thumb to the door just as Stanton tested the knob and then knocked.

“Why don’t you ask them that question?” Travis insisted. “Because if you want to pin the blame for this on someone, both of them have a much bigger motive for kidnapping Sophie than I do.”

Oh, he didn’t like that smug look or the sound of this. “What motive?” Royce demanded.

“Ask Eldon.” And this time, Travis didn’t fight the smile. He grinned like a confident man. “I’m sure if you press Sophie’s father as hard as you’re pressing me, he’ll tell you all about it.”

* * *

S
WEET HEAVEN.
T
HIS WAS
exactly what Sophie had been trying to avoid, and yet here was her father at the sheriff’s office, and he was on a collision course with Royce.

She had to stop it.

Sophie hurried to the door ahead of Royce and unlocked it so she could let in her father and Stanton. Her father immediately pulled her into his arms.

“Are you all right?” he asked. “Were you hurt?” Before Sophie could answer, he eased back and examined her face.

“I’m okay,” she assured him.

She was far from okay, but her father was already worried enough without her adding the details of the attack. Still, it would take her a lifetime or two before she stopped hearing the sounds of those bullets and how close they’d come to killing Royce and her.

Her father let go of her, and with his hand extended, he made his way to Royce. “Thank you for saving her.”

Royce had his gun in one hand, Travis’s in the other so he didn’t return the handshake. Didn’t look too friendly, either. Probably because of Travis’s accusation about her brother and father. An accusation that had to be a lie.

It just had to be.

Stanton had an equally bristled expression on his face. “What exactly happened?” he asked her.

Sophie decided to keep it short and sweet. “Travis and I broke up last night. This morning, an FBI agent called to warn me that someone was going to kidnap me. I ran, and Royce stopped two armed men from taking me. And from killing me,” she added in a mumble.

Royce tipped his head to Travis. “He says you know something about those gunmen.”

“He doesn’t,” Sophie argued.

But her father didn’t exactly jump to agree with her. In fact, he shook his head and blindly fumbled behind him until he located the chair next to Maggie’s desk. He practically dropped down onto the seat.

Oh, God
.

Sophie started to go to him, but Royce latched on to her arm and held her back. “Just listen to what he has to say,” Royce advised her.

Sophie didn’t want to listen, and she didn’t want her father to blurt out anything incriminating about those papers she’d found. Royce would have to arrest him then. Besides, she couldn’t believe her father actually had anything to do with this.

When her father just sat there, shaking his head, Sophie looked at Stanton for some kind of explanation.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” her brother muttered. But it seemed as if he did know
something
.

Sophie silently cursed. Stanton and she hadn’t been close, not since her mother, Diane, had died a year ago in a car accident and had cut Stanton out of the will. Of course, maybe Stanton hadn’t been expecting anything since he was Diane’s stepson, but he darn well should have expected it since Diane had helped raise him. Stanton had only been five years old when Diane and Eldon had gotten married, and for all and intents and purposes, she’d been his mother.

Sophie returned her attention to her father—someone else her mother hadn’t included in her will. She cursed that will now.

And her mother.

Because Diane had ripped the family apart by leaving Sophie everything and then forbidding her to give her father and brother a penny.

Her father finally looked up but not at her. At Royce. “I made some bad investments, and I used the ranch and land as collateral. I was on the verge of losing everything so I got a loan from someone. The
wrong
someone,” he confessed.

“A loan shark?” Royce asked.

Eldon nodded, and her mouth went dry.
Mercy.
This was worse than she’d thought.

Royce turned to her, his eyebrow already lifted. “Did you know?”

It took her a moment before Sophie could speak and tamp down some of the wild ideas flying through her head. Or maybe not so wild. After all, a loan shark and the attack could be connected.

“I knew about the debts,” she said. “But not about this extra
loan
.”

“That’s why Sophie was marrying Travis,” Stanton added. “So he’d pay off all our father’s debt, including the most recent one.”

Sophie’s gaze flew to Travis. “You knew about the loan shark?”

He lifted his shoulder. “Not specifically. I just knew your father was in financial hot water.”

“And Travis wouldn’t give us the money in advance,” Stanton volunteered. “He insisted we wait until after the wedding.”

Another lift of his shoulder. “A deal’s a deal, and the deal was for Sophie.”

“Well, that’s off now, isn’t it?” Stanton snarled. “And this loan shark threatened to get his money one way or another.”

Royce jumped right on that. “By kidnapping Sophie?”

The room went completely silent for several long moments. The silence didn’t help steady her nerves, that’s for sure. Neither did her father’s dire expression.

“Maybe,” her father finally admitted.

She wanted to scream and pound her fists against the wall. How the heck had her father’s finances come to this? And why had he kept something this important from her?

Sophie went to her father, latched on to his chin and forced eye contact. “Did this loan shark actually threaten to come after me?”

Her father didn’t answer. Didn’t have to. She saw it in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. “He didn’t threaten you specifically, but he said I’d be sorry if I didn’t pay up. I thought he’d send one of his goons after me.” Her father shook his head, groaned. “I didn’t know he’d go after one of my kids.”

Sophie backed away, and she hadn’t realized that she was wobbling until she felt Royce take her arm to steady her.

“I should be the one comforting Sophie,” Travis said, and he went to her as well and caught onto her other arm. “I think you and the cowboy can see now that I didn’t have any part in the attack.”

Sophie couldn’t argue with that last part, but she shook off Travis’s grip. After everything that had happened, it turned her stomach to have him touch her.

“As far as I’m concerned,” Travis continued, “you’re still my fiancée, and the wedding is still on. Once we’ve said our I do’s, your father will have the money to pay off the loan shark and his other debts. The threat to your life will stop.”

Everyone turned to her. She saw the hope in her father’s eyes. The smugness in Travis’s. Her brother just looked disgusted by the whole situation, but some of that disgust might be aimed at her since she hadn’t been able to find a way around the terms of her mother’s will.

But it was Royce’s reaction that grabbed her attention.

He was staring at her, waiting, and he seemed to be reminding her of that slap that Travis had given her. Sophie didn’t need his reminder, because she could still feel the sting on her cheek. However, she wasn’t sure she could let her father face down a loan shark, either.

Royce huffed, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. “You don’t have to marry a jackass to stop a criminal. That’s what cops are for.” He took a pen and paper from Maggie’s desk and pushed it toward her father. “I want the name of the loan shark and any contact information you have.”

Her father nodded. “His name is Teddy Bonner, and he’s in Amarillo.”

“This guy is clearly dangerous,” Travis pointed out. “And besides, you’re a small-town deputy sheriff. You hardly have the credentials to stop a loan shark.”

Royce didn’t glare. Just the opposite. He returned the smug expression. “I have a gun and a badge. Pretty good credentials if you ask me. And then there’s the whole part about Sophie being here and not in the hands of the kidnapper. I’m pretty sure that means this small-town deputy outsmarted the dangerous loan shark.”

Travis’s eyes narrowed. “For now.”

Royce leaned in. “
For now
is a good start. I plan to keep it that way.”

Sophie wanted to cheer. Well, for a few seconds anyway. But then she remembered Royce was paying a very high price for her safety, and after what she’d done to him, she didn’t deserve his help.

Her father wrote on the paper, handed it to Royce and then stood. “You’ll stop this monster from going after Sophie?”

“I’ll do my best,” Royce promised.

“Are we free to go then?” Stanton asked.

Her brother was already turning toward the door when Royce answered, “No. Mr. Congeniality here,” Royce continued, glancing at Travis, “said he had some photos sent to him anonymously. Know anything about that?” And, with another glance, Royce extended that question to her father.

“What photos?” her father immediately asked.

“Of Royce and me,” she clarified when Royce hesitated. Maybe because he didn’t want to have to explain anything about the incident in the motel. She certainly wasn’t looking forward to explaining it, either, but it might be connected to the attack.

Her father’s gaze flew to Travis. “What photos?” he repeated.

“Doctored ones, no doubt,” Travis answered. “Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that at the time, and it caused Sophie and me to have a little disagreement.”

“He slapped her,” Royce quickly provided, causing Travis’s scowl to return.

“A small fit of temper, that’s all,” Travis growled. “It won’t happen again.”

Royce made a sound to indicate he wasn’t buying that and looked at her brother again. “What do you know about those photos?”

“Nothing.” Stanton dodged Sophie’s and Royce’s gazes, and he opened the door. “Time to go, Dad.”

Her father hugged her and brushed a kiss on her cheek. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “For everything.”

The
for everything
made her freeze, and Sophie wanted to know what he meant by that. The engagement, maybe? But she didn’t have time to ask, because Stanton took their father’s arm and started to leave.

However, Eldon stopped and turned back to Royce. “This seems minor in light of what happened to Sophie and you, but someone broke into our house.”

“When?” Royce and Sophie asked at the same time.

Eldon shook his head. “This morning. Maybe it was the gunmen looking for Sophie.”

No doubt. They would have definitely searched the house for her.

“Anything missing?” Royce pressed.

Again, her father shook his head. “Not from what I can tell, but there was some furniture overturned and things out of place.”

“I’d take some security precautions if I were you,” Royce said. “In case those men return.”

That got her moving, and Sophie raced toward the door where her father and brother were exiting. “Be careful.”

“We will,” Stanton assured her, and he practically stuffed Eldon into the car.

“Did you see the look on Stanton’s face?” Travis remarked. “He doctored those photos so it’d break up you and me.”

It was so ridiculous that she nearly laughed. “And why would he do something like that?” Sophie fired back. “Because without your money, my father loses the ranch and everything else. That means my brother loses, too.”

His smug look returned. “You think Stanton cares about the ranch when he can get his hands on all that money your mother left you?”

She shook her head. “The only way Stanton could get the money is if I’m dead.”

And it chilled her to the bone just to say that.

Travis shrugged. “You just spelled out your brother’s motive. I figure he doctored those photos. Or maybe drugged you and the cowboy so he could get you in a compromising position. And then he sent the pictures to me, figuring I’d lose my temper and kill you. Or else hire someone to do it.”

Sophie wanted to deny all of that, but her throat clamped shut.

Oh, God.

Had Stanton done that?

“Here’s another theory,” Royce said. He moved closer, right by her side, so that their arms were touching, and they were facing Travis head-on. “You found out that Sophie and I had been
together,
and you decided a slap wasn’t enough punishment. You hired those men to kidnap her. Or kill her.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Travis argued.

“And then you come here, pretending that you’re as innocent as a newborn calf,” Royce continued, obviously ignoring Travis’s remark. He shook his head. “I’m not buying it.”

“You don’t have to
buy it,
” Travis fired back. “Sophie’s opinion is the only one that matters right now.”

Both of them looked at her. Waiting. She’d just had an avalanche of information come at her, and she didn’t know where to start sorting it all out. One thing was for certain—she trusted Royce.

Well, trusted him to keep her safe anyway.