All Is Calm: A Lonestar Christmas Novella

  “I thought you said there were no lights.”

  “The moon was shining through the windows.” She wet her lips. “The man strode past me, and I saw a hypodermic needle in his hand. He was heading toward McLeod’s prize horse, Elijah. Angel was already going crazy and striking Dustin with his hooves. I think the man had already given him a shot of something.”

  “This man, he didn’t see you?”

  “Not at first. I looked around for a weapon and grabbed a shovel. When he got close enough, I hit him with it. When he fell to the ground, I ran to the door and shouted for help.” She well remembered the terror of that night, the way her scream echoed into the cold night air, the way the lights flashed on in the bunkhouse and men came running. The shrieking of the fire trucks out on a fire run somewhere. “I took McLeod back to the barn where I’d knocked out the intruder, but he was gone.”

  “I assume the police came that night?”

  She nodded. “I told them what I’d seen and who all was there. But the next day when they asked what she’d seen, Tonia told them she’d seen me with some guy, that I’d let him in the barn. That I was involved.”

  “Why would she do that? What motive would she have for lying?”

  A wealth of reasons. How did she even start to tell him about Tonia’s building jealousy? “It’s complicated. I doubt you could understand. I don’t even get it.”

  “Try me.”

  “Her one goal in life was to marry well. She wanted a man with money and prestige, and she seemed to have found him in Steve McAvoy.”

  “The state senator?”

  “That’s the one. She thought he was going to propose.” She looked down at her hands. “Then she brought him to the track and we met. After that he wouldn’t leave me alone. I told him I wasn’t interested, but he wouldn’t listen.” The words rushed out, faster and faster. “He started sending me flowers, candy, jewelry. I refused all of it, but then he started waiting for me by my car every night.”

  “Tonia found out?”

  Lauren gave a jerky nod. “She was furious with me. He finally seemed to understand I wasn’t interested and went back to Tonia. She’s still not speaking to me, but at least she’s happy.”

  “And you never told the police you saw her that night?”

  She shook her head. “It would just be my word against hers. Besides, I couldn’t do that to her. She didn’t have anything to do with Dustin’s death.”

  He lifted a brow. “Back to the murder. What would have been in that needle?”

  “Cocaine. The investigation revealed a drug in Angel’s blood.”

  “And what about Angel? He was blamed for the death, at least until the autopsy came back, right? And then it showed Windsor had been killed by a massive overdose of cocaine.”

  He’d done his homework. She nodded.

  “So you think Tonia took this chance to implicate you in a crime so she could make sure you didn’t tempt McAvoy ever again?”

  Lauren pressed her lips together at the skepticism in his voice. Put so baldly it did seem outrageous. “I think so, yes. Why else would she lie like that?”

  He didn’t have to answer. She knew he was thinking that Tonia didn’t lie—that Lauren had really been involved in Windsor’s death. She saw it in the way he stepped back a bit and shuttered his eyes.

  “Please, you have to believe me. I had nothing to do with Dustin’s death. I don’t know who did it, and I didn’t let anyone into the barn.” He’d never believe her. She might as well pack her bags now and try to find another safe place to land before he called in the authorities.

  She turned on her heels and headed toward the barn.

  A coyote yipped in the darkness outside the living room window. Brendan rubbed his burning eyes and stared at the laptop screen. “There isn’t much on the murder. The investigation seems to have gone nowhere.”

  Rick sat on the sofa with his arm around Allie, who had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder. “I don’t think she’s guilty of anything.”

  “So you’ve already said. The sketchy details point to her guilt.”

  “I called all her references, and they raved about her. And horses seem to have a sixth sense about character.”

  Brendan barely refrained from rolling his eyes. He wanted more to go on than some animal’s sixth sense. “According to her bio here, she grew up in Nashville. Her mom was raising her cousin Tonia too, and both girls ended up in foster care when her mom died of cancer. Lauren was fifteen and Tonia was fourteen.”

  “Why are you so interested, Brendan? We trust her and want to help her. That’s what we do here at the Bluebird. Let’s talk about you for a minute.”

  He stiffened. “There’s nothing to talk about. I got shot on a mission, but my leg is doing fine. End of discussion.”

  “You’re still limping.” His buddy’s blue eyes missed nothing. “It’s been what—two months?”

  “The doctors say it can take a while to fully heal. I just have to keep doing my physical therapy.”

  Rick raised a brow. “You’re worried you may never be the same, aren’t you? That you’ll have to give up your career and will end up behind a desk. The one thing you swore would never happen.”

  Brendan’s gut tightened, and his fingers curled into his palms. “I’ll be fine. No reason to get all teary eyed over a little bullet. I’ll be back to work in six months.” Even he could hear the desperation in his voice. What would he do if he couldn’t get back to his team? Special Ops was his life. He thrived on the challenge, the rescue missions.

  “Everyone’s life changes eventually. I didn’t want to get out of the military when I did either, but it was time. Turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. You’ll never have a normal life with a wife and kids while you’re traipsing all over the globe. And you’re thirty-five. Eventually we can’t do what we did when we were twenty-one.”

  He held up his hand when Brendan started to object. “I know, I know. Every man in your family has ended up leaving his wife and kids. But you’re not that kind of man. Maybe this was God’s way of slowing you down and making you look at your life.”

  “My life was just fine before this injury, and it will be again.” But Brendan couldn’t deny that Rick’s words described a quiet longing in his heart. He’d been—lonely. The restless feeling had started before he was wounded. It was getting harder and harder to shove away. “I appreciate your concern, buddy, but I’m fine.” He forced a light tone into his voice.

  Rick’s expression softened. “Change is hard. And the more we kick against it, the harder we make it on ourselves. When things change, I try to see what good might be in what seems to be awful.”

  “Try walking with a limp for a few months, and see if you can find anything good in that.”

  “Physical problems are the worst.” Rick shifted and adjusted Allie’s head. “But pain makes us more dependent on God.” He shrugged. “Easy enough for me to say, I know, sitting here with no physical problems. You say you deal in facts, and that’s a good thing. But don’t discount your feelings, Brendan. They’re an important part of who you are.” He nodded toward the computer on Brendan’s lap. “What’s your gut tell you about Lauren? And don’t say it doesn’t matter.”

  Brendan looked down at his computer, which still showed her face and bio. Was it just her beauty that drew him or the hint of sadness in her big brown eyes? She had her arm around a horse and was smiling into the camera, but the shadow in her eyes was there just the same. “I’d like to think she’s innocent.”

  Rick grinned and did a “yes” movement with his fist. “I knew a heart lurked under that logical exterior somewhere.”

  Brendan grinned back. “Contrary to popular opinion, I’m not Mr. Spock. I just don’t like to let emotion cloud my judgment.”

  “Sometimes it’s the best proof we have.”

  Was it? Brendan tried to remember a time when emotion had directed him to the proper decision and couldn’t think of
a thing. But then, hadn’t he spent his life trying to block out emotion? His father had certainly tried to beat it out of him, and his downtrodden mother hadn’t stopped the old man.

  “So what’s next with Lauren? You going to turn her in?”

  He pressed his lips together. “I don’t know. I’ve always upheld the law. Maybe she would remember something that would help the investigation.”

  “Or maybe they’d be all too ready to blame her, and she’d end up in jail instead. Let’s investigate a little on our own. You have access to every kind of information we might need.”

  “True.” Brendan rubbed his head, unsure for the first time what was the right thing to do. “Let’s give it until Christmas. If we haven’t found good evidence to believe she’s innocent, I’ll call the detective in charge and let him take over.”

  A frown crouched between Rick’s eyes, but he finally nodded. “Fair enough, I guess. But let’s give it a try.”

  “I never do anything else.” He closed his laptop and stood. A light still shone in the barn. He hoped his visit hadn’t caused Lauren a sleepless night. “I think I’ll tell her what we’ve decided so she can get some rest.”

  He ignored Rick’s smirk as he headed for the door.

  THREE

  THE NOVEL WASN’T HOLDING HER ATTENTION. LAUREN flipped off her e-reader and swung her feet to the floor. Maybe some hot cocoa would help. Once she filled the electric teapot and plugged it in, she opened her door to go check on Angel. He’d been a little skittish since they’d fled the McLeod ranch, and a final pat might calm him for the night.

  She found the stallion lying in his stall though, so she didn’t speak to him. Instead she wandered over to the pile of hay in the far corner and sat for a minute to think. Maybe she should saddle up the horse and escape yet tonight. Brendan thought she was guilty. Once he told Rick, she’d be asked to leave anyway.

  The knowledge left a hole in her gut. She shouldn’t care what he thought, but she did. It was hard to find condemnation at every turn. What if she called Tonia? Maybe marrying Steve had settled her dissatisfaction with life and she would retract her accusation. It might be worth a try. There was a phone in her room, and Allie had told her even long-distance calls were allowed.

  Her heart pulsing in her throat, she went back to her room, added the pouch of chocolate to her mug, and placed the call while she stirred the hot chocolate.

  “Hello.” Tonia answered, her tone cautious.

  Lauren cleared her throat. “Uh, hi, it’s me.”

  “Lauren?” Tonia’s voice sharpened. “Where are you?”

  Too late Lauren realized her cousin would certainly have caller ID. All she’d have to do was look up the number. “Bluebird, Texas.” Maybe her honesty would disarm Tonia.

  “What do you want?”

  “I saw the wedding announcement last week. I just wanted to congratulate you.”

  “No thanks to you, was it? I won and you lost.”

  “It was never a contest, Tonia. You loved him, not me.” She bit her lip when her cousin didn’t answer. “Listen, I need your help. Can you tell the detective you were wrong about me? That I had nothing to do with the break-in and Dustin’s death?”

  “Why would I lie for you?”

  Lauren gripped the phone hard. “You lied about me. You know I didn’t meet up with any guy and let him into the barn! I’m sorry I called. You are determined to be vindictive for no good reason. I did nothing to you.”

  “Nothing? You call trying to steal my boyfriend nothing?”

  “You’d better keep an eye on your husband, Tonia. He’ll need a very short chain if you want to stay married. He has a wandering eye. You’re putting the blame in the wrong place.”

  The click in her ear told her that her cousin had hung up. That had been a waste of her time and effort. She should have known better. Lauren sat on the edge of the bed and buried her face in her hands. The tears she’d kept at bay for so long fell anyway. There was no easy way out of this mess.

  When a tap came at her door, she looked up to see Brendan standing in the doorway. “What do you want?” The tears fell faster. He was going to haul her in. She should have left the minute he went back to the house.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “You mean other than the fact everyone believes I did something I didn’t do? Or is it that I ran here with nothing but the shirt on my back?” She leaped to her feet and swiped the back of her hand across her wet face. “Forget it. I don’t want any pity. I’m fine. And I hate crying.” She attempted a watery smile.

  He didn’t smile back. “I came to tell you Rick knows.”

  “Oh great.” She sank back onto the foot of the bed. “I suppose he wants me to leave.”

  “No, he wants me to help clear you.”

  She looked up then and studied the man leaning against the door frame. She had only thought of him as the enemy before now. Brendan was just over six feet tall, and his muscles bulged in his arms and chest, tapering to narrow hips and legs encased in well-worn jeans. A shock of dark hair had the temerity to fall over his forehead, and his brown eyes looked different somehow. Softer, more sympathetic. She guessed him to be in his midthirties. Her gaze dropped to his left hand, which was bare.

  She jerked her eyes away. What was she thinking? What difference did his marital status make? “You’re going to help me?”

  “For now. Rick said to trust my gut, and for some reason I think you’re telling me the truth.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean for now?”

  “I’m going to investigate until Christmas and see if we can figure out what happened to Windsor.”

  “What happens if you don’t find out?”

  “We’ll call the detective in charge and pull him into the case again.”

  “And I’ll go to jail.”

  “Maybe not. He might have some new information.”

  “If he did, you’d already know it, wouldn’t you?”

  His face changed, and he gave a reluctant nod. “Okay, there’s nothing new in the investigation at the moment. But maybe we can jump-start something. Tomorrow let’s sit down with Rick and see if you remember something else. Anything that might lead us to what happened that night.”

  That didn’t sound very promising. She’d already told him all she knew, but a slim hope was better than none at all.

  Lauren blinked at the brilliant sunlight when she exited the barn. The scent of sage permeated the air, and the breeze held a crisp edge. She paused when she saw five-year-old Carly Jacobsen. “Hey, sweetheart, did you come to have breakfast with me?” She knelt beside Carly, who stood looking up at her with a somber expression.

  Carly nodded and slipped her hand into Lauren’s. “Can we have pancakes?”

  “It depends on what Cook has prepared. We can walk to the bunkhouse together though.” Lauren curled her fingers around the little girl’s hand.

  She’d felt a deep connection to the child with auburn curls and big green eyes. Allie said no one had been able to make Carly smile. Her file indicated she hadn’t laughed since her parents died in a house fire two months earlier. Lauren knew the pain of losing a beloved parent. At least she’d been fifteen and not five.

  She didn’t have to turn when she heard boots clocking behind her on the stone sidewalk. Only Brendan walked with that military precision he managed in spite of his limp. A tiny frisson of excitement curled in her belly, but she pushed it away. At last someone was going to help her. She could only pray they figured out who had killed Dustin.

  He caught up with them. “Where’s the fire?”

  Carly’s fingers convulsed in Lauren’s. Lauren narrowed her eyes at him and gave the small fingers a reassuring squeeze. “No fire. We’re just going to breakfast.” She jerked her head a fraction in Carly’s direction and shook her head a bit.

  He seemed to catch the unspoken rebuke and glanced at the little girl. “Who’s this little cutie?”

  Carly kept her head down
and didn’t speak, so Lauren did. “This is Carly. She’s ready for breakfast pancakes. Honey, why don’t you run on ahead and save us a table?”

  “Okay.” Carly pulled her hand from Lauren’s and hurried toward the bunkhouse door.

  “What’s her story? I realized I’d said something wrong when I mentioned a fire.”

  Lauren told him Carly’s tragic story. “So she’s afraid of fire, of course. I’ve made it my personal goal to get her to smile by Christmas.”

  “Poor kid. Rick and Allie do a lot of good here. How long will she be here?”

  “Until the new year, I think. I’m still learning how things work here.”

  He held open the bunkhouse door for her. “How’d you end up here anyway?”

  She contemplated how much she should tell him. “I was here as a foster kid myself once, before Allie and Rick’s time. Allie’s grandfather ran it back then. It’s where I discovered my love of horses, and that experience set me on my career path. I was ready for a change so thought I’d see if they had an opening. They did.” Short and sweet.

  Brandan’s brown eyes missed nothing, and he tipped his head to one side. “I bet there’s more to it than that.”

  She sniffed the air of the cafeteria, noisy with children’s chatter. “Smells like maple syrup. Looks like Carly will get her wish for pancakes.” She spotted the little girl waving excitedly at a far table. “There she is.”

  Surely the man could take a hint and would let his questioning drop now. She led the way across the tan tile to the table. Carly was the only child at the table. The other children seemed to ignore her. Friends would help the little girl begin to emerge from the pain of her loss.