Bodyguard Reunion Page 14

  “He’s talking with his mom. He’s been upset, and I gave them some time alone.”

  “Mary’s up?”

  “Yes. You should go in and spend some time with the two of them. Aaron has been struggling with this whole situation.” T.J. grasped the handle. “I’ll stay out here with Chloe.”

  “That’s a great suggestion. We need to bond as a family again.” Paul walked into the room as T.J. held the door open.

  Chloe turned to T.J. “When I was leaving a few minutes ago, Aaron said something strange. The first thing he said to Mary was, I didn’t mean for this to happen to you. Could he be involved in what is happening to his parents?”

  “I don’t know. We can never rule anything out. He’s been very upset since the incident with the rattlesnake. I don’t think he’s acting. That doesn’t sound like a guy who planned all of this.”

  “That’s what I was thinking, but I’m going to have Kyra look into his friends and Bethany Academy.”

  “We shouldn’t tell Paul and Mary. They have enough to deal with. Besides, I talked with your friend Rob. They discovered who leaked the information where the Zimmermans were staying in Dallas, which led to the reporter paying us an unorthodox visit that night—Nancy Carson.”

  Chloe blew a soft whistle. “The publicist. What was she thinking?”

  “According to Matthews, Nancy was trying to stir up publicity for the Zimmermans. She was capitalizing on the pranks being pulled at their events. Her words, not mine. She was quite proud of her handiwork until the last stop and the fire. She told the police she knew nothing about the actual pranks and certainly not anything about the fire. She took a lie-detector test. I informed the publisher about what Nancy Carson had done and she is no longer the Zimmermans’ publicist.”

  “You and I both know people can pass a lie-detector test. That’s why they aren’t permissible in court as testimony.”

  “But she probably isn’t behind what’s happened at the ranch. She even canceled the interview the Zimmermans were going to have the morning after the fire. She didn’t even complain.”

  “Mary has received a lot of publicity over this snakebite, so anything is possible. I won’t rule her out until we discover who is doing this to the Zimmermans. Did Rob say anything about the cause of the fire?”

  “Yes, the arson investigator ruled it arson. In fact, the police are looking for the woman Matthews carried out. After interviewing the man Paul and I helped out of the backstage area, it seems he had discovered the woman fleeing from the room where the fire was started. He stopped her and they ended up in a fight. She hit him over the head with something. As he went down, he grabbed on to her and took her down, too. That’s the last he remembered before passing out.”

  Chloe thought back to the time Rob had carried the woman out from behind the curtains. She’d never gotten a good look at her face. “All I can recall about her is curly long dark hair draping over Rob’s arm with thick black framed glasses. Her head was turned away, but there was a big mole on her left cheek. I was too busy trying to get Mary out of the theater alive. You might ask Mary if she remembers anything about the woman, but she was so worried about you and Paul, her focus was on the stage.”

  “Matthews said when she arrived at the E.R., she left before the doctor could see her. She also gave a false name to the paramedics. He’s going to work with the sketch artist for a picture. He’ll send it to us.”

  “So the person after Mary and Paul could be a woman?”

  “Or more than one person.”

  “I need to get some coffee. Maybe two or three cups.”

  “I’ll come with you.” T.J. kept his eye on Mary’s room as they walked a few yards down the hall to the vending machine. “I also talked with Sheriff Landon about the snake investigation.”

  “Tell me he found the culprit.” Chloe inserted her money and punched a button. Her cup plopped down and her coffee squirted into it.

  “I wish I could. In one sense, a culprit was caught, chopped in half, even.”

  As she slid her cup out, she glanced at T.J. “Quit teasing me. I’m sleep deprived.”

  His eyes softened. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t dangle the carrot in your face.”

  She gave him a mocking frown. “I’m not a rabbit you’re trying to lure into a trap.”

  He chuckled. “I’d never think that of you.” His gaze bound to hers. “Ever.” He started back toward Mary’s room.

  She couldn’t shake the feeling of being cherished. Boy, she must really be sleep deprived if she was thinking that. “’Fess up. What are you holding back?”

  He lounged against the wall next to the door into Mary’s room. “After we left, Shane, Zach and the sheriff searched the greenhouse. They couldn’t find how the snake got inside if it supposedly crawled in, but Shane did find another one in the back by the orchid supplies. It wasn’t happy to be disturbed, but the cowhand got him out without being bit.”

  At the thought there was another deadly rattler in the greenhouse, her knees went weak, and she leaned back next to T.J. “So there were two snakes. I guess whoever put the rattlesnakes in there wanted to make sure Mary got bitten. Did I ever tell you I hate snakes?” She sipped her coffee, her hand quivering.

  T.J. grasped it, steadying the cup. “It’s surprising what we can do because of our training when it’s necessary.”

  “Yeah, but it doesn’t stop the reaction afterward. The whole time I was in the helicopter I kept replaying those fifteen minutes in my mind. I knew if I’d missed hitting the rattler, it might strike Mary again, or me.” Taking another drink of her coffee, she angled toward T.J. “God was looking out for us.”

  “Through this whole assignment I’ve felt that. I find I’ve been turning to the Lord more and more. I think that’s your influence. You have reminded me how important putting my trust in the Lord is. For so long, my distrust was there under the surface, ready to rise at a second’s notice.”

  She nodded once. “I’m glad to be of help. I know I’ve been trained well to do what I do, but there are just times all I can do is rely on Him.”

  “And yet you fear snakes.” A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, and a sparkle danced in his eyes.

  “I suppose you have no fears.”

  “I wish that were the case. Sadly I do. Spiders.”

  “Spiders!” She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. “Most of them are small, no more than your thumbnail.”

  “Not all of them. I know it’s irrational to feel that way, but I have ever since I was a kid and I found a tarantula in my cabin at camp. It was huge.” His eyes widened. “And I was small. My first time to go to camp. It bit me.”

  “A tarantula isn’t poisonous.”

  “But I had an allergic reaction to its bite. I ended up in the E.R. the next day and went home from camp early. Needless to say, I didn’t go again.”

  “Okay. I’m not going to laugh.” But Chloe couldn’t contain the smile that demanded its release.

  “Let’s just agree you’ll take care of any spiders we encounter and I’ll deal with the snakes.”

  She stuck her hand out. “A deal.”

  He closed his around hers but didn’t shake it. He inched closer. “You know, I used to think I knew you well, but I didn’t know that tidbit. What else about you are you keeping a secret?”

  She chuckled, a bit shakily as the warmth from his touch spread through her. “It wasn’t a secret. It never came up. Believe me, if I had seen a snake when we were dating, you would have known how I felt.”

  “I’m even more impressed by how you handled the situation yesterday.”

  Her pulse rate increased. Her breaths shortened. She wished they weren’t in a hospital guarding three clients. She wanted him to kiss her again. Could they work out the second time around? What ki
nd of relationship could they have when they both were on the road so much? Seeing Mary and Paul, who worked so well as a couple, she wanted that. They had problems, but they dealt with them together—that was one of their themes in their books. Working together to solve what was wrong. This was the first time she’d had a partner as a bodyguard, and although it was different and she’d needed to get used to the idea, it had worked well so far. Was that because it was T.J.?

  “Do you think we’ve given them enough alone time?” Chloe finally asked, needing to remind herself that she and T.J. were still working.

  “Probably not, but it’s getting close to dinner.” T.J. waved at the dinner cart coming down the hall for the patients. “We need to make some decisions about what we’ll do this evening for food and rest. I think you need to go back to the hotel and catch some sleep before you stay tonight.”

  “Good suggestion.”

  T.J. pushed open the door, and Chloe went into the room first. Mary, Paul and Aaron had their heads bowed and their hands intertwined as Paul finished up a prayer. The scene gave Chloe hope everything would work out for the couple and their son.

  * * *

  Mary, who was sitting beside Chloe in the backseat of T.J.’s car late the next day, sighed loudly. “I’m so glad to be back at the ranch.”

  Paul, on the other side of Mary, clasped her hand. “I never want to see you in a helicopter again.”

  Mary smiled at him. “Me, either, and I hardly remember the journey.”

  Chloe’s throat tightened at the love gushing from the two. The evening before had been a shift in the couple’s relationship with Aaron. Their son had even participated in the conversation. She’d seen some of it before she’d gone to the hotel to shower and take a nap. Another thing she liked about T.J. He seemed to know what she needed before she did. The rest had rejuvenated her.

  When the car came to a stop in front of the house, T.J. climbed out first, slowly scanned the landscape and approached the guard with one of the dogs. They talked for a few minutes before T.J. made his way to the car and opened the back door for Chloe, then went around to the other side to let the Zimmermans out.

  Chloe stood, doing her own survey of the ranch. In the distance she spotted Zach working on a pickup while two cowhands repaired the fence a couple of hundred yards away. The late-winter day was unseasonably warm, which made for a great one to spend outside. She wouldn’t be surprised if Aaron wanted to go riding. She’d like to.

  Aaron was first through the entrance and headed up the stairs, announcing he had some friends he needed to call.

  When Mary walked into her home, Vickie engulfed her in a hug. “I was so worried about you.”

  Mary leaned back. “What is that smell?”

  “Your favorite dish, beef stew. I thought we would celebrate your safe return.” Vickie rotated toward the living room. “Shane’s been helping me decorate a little.”

  Mary strolled to the entrance and gasped. “Y’all did this for me?”

  The room was filled with balloons and vases of flowers. Above the mantle hung a big sign with Welcome Back, Mary written across it. Mary glanced at her husband, tears shining in her eyes.

  Paul shook his head. “I didn’t have anything to do with this. It was all Vickie’s idea. She wanted to surprise you.”

  “You shouldn’t have.”

  “I had to do something,” Vickie said. “You didn’t want flowers or anything in your hospital room.”

  “I was only there a short time.”

  Chloe almost laughed out loud, because by the time they had left a few hours ago, the hospital room had been overflowing with flowers and potted plants from different people who had read about what happened to Mary. Finally, after the first twelve hours, Chloe had had the nurse’s aide take what was delivered and pass them out to other patients.

  Vickie waved toward the living room. “The balloons and sign are from me, but the flowers are from people in town.”

  Shane tipped his head. “Ranch hands and I have done a thorough search of the house, greenhouse, garage and any other place you might go to make sure there aren’t any more surprises for you, ma’am.”

  Mary blushed. “Thank you, but really, all this fuss isn’t necessary.”

  Paul came to Mary and clasped her upper arms from behind. “I know Chloe and T.J. didn’t want a lot of people coming to the ranch, but tomorrow at church be prepared to be smothered with love. They have planned a celebration for you.”

  Chloe tensed. On the drive from San Antonio, Paul had insisted they would all go to church and give the Lord thanks for Mary’s quick recovery. No matter what protest T.J. had thrown at the man, he had insisted they would be all right there. No one was going to keep him from being in God’s house. They had a lot to celebrate. Mary was alive. Chloe had to agree with Paul, although it made T.J.’s and her job more difficult.

  Shane started for the foyer. Vickie walked with him to lock the door after he left. The cowhand leaned down and gave the housekeeper a quick kiss on the cheek. Vickie’s cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red than her cousin’s had earlier.

  When Vickie rejoined the group, Mary grinned. “Are you dating Shane?”

  Vickie lowered her head and fiddled with her apron, smoothing it over and over. “He’s sweet on the sweets I bake for the ranch hands a couple of times a week.”

  “That’s wonderful. You should invite him to have dinner with us some time when everything isn’t so up in the air.”

  “Oh, that does remind me. Sheriff Landon is coming by later. I took it upon myself to invite him to dinner. He and his deputies combed the ranch, but couldn’t find anything to indicate who had tampered with T.J.’s car or put the snakes in the greenhouse.”

  “Before all the festivities begin, I’m going to rest or I’ll fall asleep at the dining room table.” Mary crossed to the staircase with Paul close behind her, carrying the bag T.J. and Aaron had brought to San Antonio for the family.

  Vickie scurried toward the back of the house, leaving T.J. and Chloe alone in the entrance to the living room. Chloe felt T.J.’s gaze on her and shifted to look at him. “We need to check the interior and exterior of the house.”

  “Definitely. A lot could be changed in two days. I’ll talk with the guard outside and walk around the house, then I’ll go down and talk with Zach and make sure the shed is still locked. It’s not as big a deal now that the upstairs windows are wired into the security system, but the harder we can make it for someone to get inside, the better.”

  “I’ll go through the house and talk with Vickie. See if anyone came by the house. She does the ranch accounts for Mary and Paul. Could this have to do with the ranch, not their books and stand on certain issues?”

  “Not a bad idea. I’ll talk with Zach. I saw him earlier at the barn.”

  “I just want to make sure we’re looking at this from all the different angles. At first it looked like someone wanted to stop the speaking tour. Now I don’t know.”

  T.J. invaded her personal space, and usually when someone did that, it set off alarm bells clanging in her mind. But not this time. When they had worked together years ago, they hadn’t been on equal footing. He’d been in charge of the task force trying to bring down a counterfeiting ring. Technically he was the lead on this assignment, too, but in reality they were partners. He’d gone out of his way to always consult her and get her input. How would she feel if he became her boss? Their dynamics might change yet again.

  His gaze dropped to her mouth for a long moment, then lifted to her eyes, his look heart-melting. “I’ll be glad when this is over. We have a lot we need to talk about when we don’t have all these distractions.”

  Her heart rate kicked up a notch. Thinking about a possible future with T.J. made her realize she was falling in love with him again. And yet she’d loved him nine years
ago, and it hadn’t worked out.

  * * *

  T.J. passed the ranch pickup Zach had been repairing. The open hood stood up, and a toolbox was still sitting next to it on the ground. T.J. strode into the barn and headed for Zach’s office to the left.

  “The check is in the mail. If you don’t receive it in a few days, call me back,” Zach said, the sound of the phone slamming down echoed through the cavernous interior.

  A cowhand at the other end glanced toward the office, then went back to moving some hay bales.

  T.J. stuck his head through the doorway. “Having trouble?”

  “The feed company. They’re insisting they haven’t received the check for last month’s bill. I saw Vickie write it and put it into an envelope to be mailed. I guess I’ll have her stop payment on it and reissue the check if they don’t get it in a few days. I don’t like this new company, but Paul wanted to help them.” Anger infused the foreman’s voice.

  “Are there problems at the ranch?”

  “Don’t get me wrong. Paul is great to work for, but when he tries to run the ranch, things happen. He’s good at what he does, and I’m good at what I do. He usually gets territorial about this time every year. With spring approaching, we get very busy.”

  “And you don’t have time to babysit?” T.J. cushioned his shoulder against the door frame, his arms folded over his chest.

  “Exactly. Although I guess it isn’t exactly the same. You must know what it feels like. Your job is kinda like babysitting someone.”

  “Except the stakes are a lot higher.” T.J. jerked his thumb to the left. “What’s wrong with the pickup outside?”

  “Sluggish and knocking.”

  “Do you work on all the vehicles for the ranch? I wouldn’t think that would be part of your job description.”

  “I do sometimes. Also Willie or Shane. It’s kinda nice as a change of pace.” Zach stretched his arms above his head. “Office work is not my favorite part of the job. I appreciate it when Vickie comes down and sometimes helps out. Is Mary really all right? I’ve missed Vickie not being able to help the past week or so.”