The Cowboy's Claim

Chapter 2

The Benson ranch had always been a source of great pride. Not only had it been financially successful, but Sam had worked hard to keep the large ranch house, surrounding lawn and outbuildings in pristine condition.

As Nick got his first glimpse of home, his heart dropped to his feet as he realized it was far worse than what he’d expected. Despite the summer heat, the lawn was a jungle of overgrown weeds and brush. A tractor-style mower sat amid the mess, as if at some point the operator had simply given up on any attempt to restore order.

Nick got out of his truck, momentarily overwhelmed by the neglect around him. Obviously Cherry’s death had yielded far-reaching effects that none of them could have ever foreseen.

For just a minute Nick wanted to jump back into his truck and drive as fast as he could back to his uncomplicated life in Texas. Run...avoid...escape painful and difficult things. That’s what he’d done on the day of Cherry’s funeral. But, that was the man he’d been two years ago. That wasn’t the man he was now.

Straightening his shoulders, he headed for the stairs leading up to the front porch, noting that one of the handrails was missing.

He opened the front door and his nose was instantly assailed by the odors of overripe fruit, dirty socks and sour booze.

“Hello?” he called. “Adam...are you here?”

“In the kitchen,” a deep voice returned.

Nick found his older brother seated at the kitchen table, his fingers curled around a coffee mug and his bloodshot blue eyes narrowed to near slits. “So, the prodigal son has finally come home.” There was a touch of censure in Adam’s voice that Nick ignored.

As Nick went to the cabinet to grab a mug, he tried to ignore the mound of dirty dishes in the sink and the garbage bag that overflowed onto the floor. “Is that coffee fresh?”

Adam nodded. “I made it about an hour ago when I finally decided to get out of bed.”

Nick poured his coffee and then sat in the chair opposite his brother. “Been spending a lot of time in bed?”

“In bed or drunk.” Adam raised his chin as if in defiance.

“Sounds productive.” Nick took a sip of the strong coffee and held his brother’s gaze above the rim of his cup. Adam was thirty-three, but at the moment he looked ten years older.

“You should have been here, Nick.” Adam finally broke the gaze and instead stared at some point over Nick’s shoulder. “You should have stuck around after Cherry died, then maybe you would have seen the sickness in Sam, the sickness I didn’t see.”

Nick sat back in his chair, surprised as he continued to look at his brother. “Surely you aren’t blaming yourself for what Sam has done?”

Adam raked a hand through his thick, dark, unruly hair. “I should have seen that he was sick, that he was howl-at-the-moon crazy. He and I were so close. If I’d known how he felt I might have been able to stop him. But somehow I missed something, and now there’s nothing left of our family. Cherry is gone, Sam has disgraced us all and there’s nothing left.”

“There’s you and me,” Nick replied. “Adam, you’ve got to pull yourself up out of this funk and get back to the job of taking care of this place, taking care of yourself.”

Adam shoved back from the table. “I don’t want to hear you telling me what I have to do. You ran out on us. I figure you’ll be here for a week or two and when you realize how tough it is to live in a small town where everyone’s talking about your family, when things get just a little bit too hard, then you’ll do what you always do—you’ll run out again. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a bottle of whiskey waiting for me in my room.”

As Adam left the kitchen, Nick remained at the table. Yes, it was definitely worse than he thought. He and Adam had never been particularly close. Sam had been thirty-four and Adam thirty-one when Nick had left town. The two older brothers had always aligned with each other, while Cherry and Nick had bonded together as the younger siblings.

He finished his coffee, rinsed his cup and then went outside, deciding the dishes and the other kitchen cleanup could wait until later. He headed for the stables in the distance, wanting to ride the pastures and check out the livestock.

Surely Adam hadn’t fallen so deep into the bottom of the bottle and his depression that he hadn’t been feeding and caring for the horses and the cattle that provided their livelihood.

He sighed in relief as he walked into the stable and saw that all the horses were in good shape. It took him only minutes to saddle up his old mount, Diamond, and head to the distant pastures.

As he rode with the heat of the sun on his shoulders, he finally began to relax, but he couldn’t help the way his thoughts went back to Courtney. He’d been so shocked to see her working in the café.

As the horse rocked him in the saddle, he thought of the last time they’d been together. It had been hours after he’d learned that his sister had died, and he’d needed Courtney’s warmth, her life force and energy to take away the icy-cold grip of grief.

When he’d left Grady Gulch on the day of Cherry’s funeral, he had no plans to stay away for as long as he had. It had just happened. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and suddenly two years had passed.

A hundred times...no, maybe a thousand times in the time he’d been gone, he’d stared at his cell phone and mentally punched in Courtney’s number, just wanting to hear the sound of her voice, to feel some sort of connection with her.

For months after he’d left Grady Gulch, Courtney had been like the phantom limb of an amputee. But with each day that had passed, it had gotten a little easier to stop himself from contacting her.

After all, he’d always been her dirty little secret, a walk on the wild side that she’d kept private from everyone in her life. The promises they’d made to each other to love one another forever, to eventually marry and have a family together, had been nothing more than silly fantasies they’d spin in moments of happy delusion and sexual satisfaction. The promises, the love, all of it had never left the abandoned Yates barn.

She had been the princess of Evanston, and he’d been the bad-boy cowboy from Grady Gulch, never welcomed to her home, never even introduced to her family or friends, but rather hidden in the shadows of the old barn.

He pushed Diamond a little harder as a slight edge of anger rose up inside him. He’d wanted so much more from Courtney, but she’d been so afraid of what her parents would think, so worried about how the people of her hometown would react if she hooked up with one of the wild Benson brothers who were and always would be nothing more than ranching cowboys.

Consciously shoving thoughts of Courtney out of his mind, he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the herd of cattle in the distance. Even from this vantage point he could tell they looked healthy and happy. At least Adam had been tending the livestock, even if he hadn’t been tending to himself.

He turned his horse around and headed back to the house. Adam was still holed up in his bedroom, and Nick didn’t bother trying to get him out.

The drive from Texas, along with the stress of seeing both Courtney and the neglected house, had exhausted him. He took a long hot shower, and even though it was early, he went to the bedroom that had been his before he’d left town.

Although his intention was just to rest for a while and then get up and get some work done, he fell into a deep sleep. His dreams were of Courtney and the magical seven months they’d spent together. Laughter, lovemaking and spinning fantasies had filled their time.

He awoke with the morning light, the faint taste of bitterness and regret in his mouth. He’d known from the beginning that she wasn’t his to keep; there had just been moments in the past when he’d forgotten that fact.

Adam wasn’t up yet and Nick had a feeling he wouldn’t be for some time, so around seven Nick headed for the Cowboy Café and a hearty breakfast to start his day. As he drove he thought about the dreams he’d had the night before and reminded himself that Courtney was nothing more than a piece of his past.

It was about seven-fifteen when he pulled into the café parking lot. There were only a few other diners that early in the morning. It took him a quick glance around to see that Courtney wasn’t one of the waitresses working.

Good. He could eat his breakfast without feeling her animosity toward him, without thoughts of her disturbing his appetite.

He slid onto a stool at the counter and smiled at Mary, who stood behind it wiping it down with a clean cloth. “Start you off with some coffee, Nick?”

“Sounds perfect,” he replied and watched as she set the cleaning cloth aside, washed her hands in the sink and then poured him a cup of the fragrant fresh brew.

“How was the homecoming?” she asked. Mary Mathis was an attractive woman with blond hair and clear blue eyes. She had a ten-year-old son named Matt, who was obviously her heart. He’d never heard of her dating anyone, even though she was a widow who had shown up in town eight years ago.

“A bit tense,” he admitted. “The house was a mess, but I think my brother is a bigger mess.”

“One way or another, things will eventually straighten themselves out. They always do,” she said with her usual optimism. “At least you’re home now and can maybe help Adam find his way back to the land of the living.”

“He definitely hasn’t shown any signs of being alive or even wanting to resurface since I arrived,” Nick replied drily.

“He’s a strong man. He’s just lost his way a little bit. This thing with Sam definitely shook him up. Now, what can I get you for breakfast?”

Nick ordered the classic café combo of eggs, bacon and a buttermilk biscuit, and a stack of pancakes on the side. He figured he would need all the fuel he could handle to then head back to the ranch and start figuring things out. The ranch needed work and somehow he had to get Adam’s head back in the game of life.

He was halfway through his meal when George Wilton came in and slid onto the stool next to him at the counter. “About time you came home,” he said to Nick. “Your family is falling apart.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Are you home to stay?”

“Doubtful,” Nick said truthfully. “Although I imagine I’ll be here through the fall.”

“Rumor has it you’ve been working in Texas.”

“The rumor is true.” Nick knifed butter over his pancakes as Mary approached to get George’s order.

“Speaking of rumors, I just heard that another waitress from the café was murdered last night,” the old man said. Both Mary and Nick stared at him. “I can guess by the look on your faces that the sheriff hasn’t been in here yet this morning.”

“Who?” The single word yanked from Nick’s throat with a hoarse despair. “Who was murdered?”

“I don’t know. The sheriff didn’t reveal her name. I just met him as I was leaving my house.”

Nick looked at Mary, whose face had blanched of all color. “Is Courtney here now?”

She shook her head. “She works a short shift today, noon to five. I’ve got five waitresses who aren’t in.”

That made it five to one that the murdered waitress could be Courtney. Nick’s heart banged hard, leaving him half-breathless with fear.

At that moment Sheriff Cameron Evans walked through the door. His stern features softened as he looked at Mary. “I guess you’ve heard. We have another one.”

* * *

It had been their usual date. Grant was pleasant, as was the conversation that flowed easily between the two of them. Everything was so uncomplicated with Grant. He was the perfect gentleman and always made Courtney feel at ease, unlike Nick, who felt like an out-of-control tornado that whirled through her body and mind each time he was in sight.

“Terrible thing about Shirley Cook,” Grant said as they lingered over coffee. “I heard she was killed the same way Candy Bailey was... In bed with her throat cut.”

Courtney wrapped her fingers around her coffee mug, seeking warmth as she thought of the unsolved murders. “Sheriff Evans was in and out of the café all afternoon, interviewing each of us to see if we might know who Shirley was seeing, if anybody was giving her problems or anything that might point in the direction of a potential killer.”

“Were you able to give him any information?” Grant asked, his brown eyes sympathetic. He was a nice-looking man with light brown hair and mildly handsome features.

He didn’t make her heart beat any faster. He didn’t stir the crazy passion that Nick always had. But that was okay. What she needed most in her life right now was stable and responsible, and it was ironic that Grant was that kind of man with the kind of job that her parents would have approved of.

“No, I couldn’t help him at all,” she replied to his question. “Shirley was a bit older than me. We didn’t run in the same crowd and didn’t socialize much at work and not at all outside of work. She was a quiet woman who minded her own business and always showed up for work on time.”

A bubble of grief welled up inside Courtney’s throat as she thought of the woman who had died before her time, died so violently...like Candy before her.

“Have you considered quitting your job?”

She looked at him in surprise. “Why would I do that?”

He shrugged. “Two women murdered and both were waitresses at the Cowboy Café. What if somebody is specifically targeting the women who work there?”

“Sheriff Evans thinks it’s more likely that maybe Kevin Naperson killed both women.” Kevin had been Candy Bailey’s boyfriend at the time of her murder, and despite the fact that his father had given him an alibi for that night, Courtney knew he’d never dropped off the top of the suspect list for Candy’s murder.

“Kill another woman who he has no ties with and take the heat off himself for Candy’s murder. It’s an interesting theory.” Grant picked up his coffee cup and took a sip, then carefully set the mug back on the table in the precise position it had been in originally.

“Either that or somebody else is a killer and both women were vulnerable,” she replied.

“And you don’t feel vulnerable?” Grant asked with a quirk of his neatly trimmed eyebrow.

She gave him a rueful smile. “I live in a motel, Grant. There are nights I hear somebody drop their soap in their shower, or the snoring of a man who has rented the unit next door for a night. I feel perfectly safe there. I’m completely surrounded by people.”

“You know, I could arrange for you to be in another place...a better place for you and Garrett. All you have to do is ask me.”

“I know, but really we’re fine where we are.” She wasn’t at a place in her relationship with Grant that she wanted any favors from him. She wanted to be beholden to nobody, taking care of herself as she should have years ago. “And it’s probably time for me to go pick up Garrett. I told Sophie before we left that it wouldn’t be a late night.”

“Then let’s go pick up the munchkin,” he agreed easily.

Within half an hour they were at Courtney’s room at the motel. “You want to come in for one last cup of coffee?” she asked as she held a sleeping Garrett in her arms.

“Sure, that would be great,” he readily agreed.

It had become their routine on Friday nights after dinner for him to come into the motel room and share a cup of coffee before he headed home.

She never worried about things getting intimate. So far their physical relationship had consisted of a couple of chaste kisses when they said good-night.

With Garrett to consider, she’d been reluctant to date anyone, but Grant had been persistent and she’d finally agreed to go out with him with the understanding that things between them would go slow. He’d respected her wishes, and their romance, such as it was, had progressed at a snail’s pace.

With Garrett soundly sleeping in his crib and coffee made, they sat across from each other at the tiny table under the single hanging light in the room and talked about the hot weather, the plans the town had for a summer festival in the next couple of weeks and their own plans to enjoy that day together.

“The bank is sponsoring a stand offering free soda and bottled water, and I’m assigned to work it from nine to eleven that day. But after eleven I’ll be all yours,” Grant said in the soft voice he always used so as not to awaken the sleeping child.

“Sounds like it’s going to be a wonderful day, although it doesn’t seem right to be looking forward to a festival with two unsolved murders in the town.” As she thought of Shirley’s murder, she fought off a shiver that threatened to waltz up her spine.

“We just have to stay focused on the positive,” Grant replied. “Sheriff Evans is a good man and he’ll figure out these crimes eventually.”

“I hope so,” she said fervently.

Even though she was hoping that it was mere coincidence that both Candy and Shirley had worked at the café, there was no question the fact that two of her coworkers had been murdered unnerved her more than just a little bit.

Grant glanced at his watch. “I’d better get out of here. I have to go into the bank early tomorrow.” He got up from the table and carried his empty cup to the sink.

“Thank you, as always, for a lovely evening,” Courtney said as she walked him to the door.

He kissed her on the forehead, the scent of his expensive cologne a bit overpowering. “I’ll call you tomorrow?”