Bodyguard Reunion Read online

  “I’ve ruined everything for you and Mom.”

  “The Lord wants us to go down this path for a reason. He’s never wrong. Maybe He has other plans for your mom and me. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Mr. Calvin gathered up his papers and stuffed them in his briefcase, then rose. “I’ll be talking with the prosecutor in Dallas tomorrow. I’ll let you know what he says.”

  “Thank you, Henry. I’ll walk you out. It will be nice to be able to go outside without worrying about someone being after us.” Paul accompanied the lawyer to the door.

  “This meeting didn’t take as long as we thought. I forgot to invite the sheriff and Henry to dinner.” Mary stood, closing her eyes for a few seconds, weariness in every line of her body. “I hate for Vickie’s buffet to go to waste, but I’m too tired to eat. I’m going to bed early.”

  “Mom?”

  She smiled at Aaron. “I’m fine, honey. Y’all have to remember I was in the hospital recently and don’t have the energy I usually have.” Mary strolled toward her. “Chloe, maybe you can see if any of the ranch hands are still here. If so, they’re invited to dinner. Since Zach lives on the ranch, at least he should come.”

  “I’ll walk down to the barn and check with Zach. We’ll take care of the food. Won’t we, Aaron?”

  “Don’t worry. I’m starved. I’ll eat your share.”

  “Thanks. At least tonight I should be able to sleep. And, Aaron, I’m not worrying. Not when I remember who is really in charge.”

  Chloe watched Mary climb the stairs slowly. Sleep was the best thing for her right now. “Aaron, your mom is a strong woman. She’ll be fine.”

  “I know.” The teen paused next to Chloe. “I’d like to come with you to the barn. Okay?”

  Chloe glimpsed T.J. and Paul entering the house. “Sure. Let’s go out the back.” She didn’t want to talk to T.J. She had some serious praying and thinking to do. She didn’t want to mess up her future and act recklessly.

  Besides a change, what do I want?

  * * *

  Chloe descended the stairs to the foyer and set her piece of luggage by the door. After breakfast, she and T.J. would leave the ranch. Although they had offered to stay an extra day and follow them back to Dallas, Mary and Paul had insisted they were fine and needed some alone time with their son before he turned himself into the police. They needed to feel their life was normal at least for a day.

  T.J. called Sheriff Landon and he said the Houston authorities were interrogating Lenny Woods. “He hadn’t said much except he wanted a lawyer. But Lenny couldn’t give an alibi for the event at the theater in Dallas. He said he had been sleeping off a hangover in a Dallas motel at the time. I called the place he said he was staying, and the manager couldn’t say one way or another if he had been there the afternoon in question.”

  When she entered the kitchen, Mary, Paul and Aaron were already seated as Vickie set a platter of blueberry pancakes in the middle of the table, and then took a chair.

  T.J. finished pouring a cup of coffee and held up the pot. “Want some?”

  “Yes.” Chloe sat at one of the two places left, realizing T.J. would be next to her. Last night she should have gotten a good night’s sleep, but for hours she’d kept replaying scenes from when she and T.J. had dated years ago. She’d gotten out of bed and paced her bedroom, thinking about their time together, especially at the ranch. The kisses they had shared had flashed in and out of her thoughts until she’d given up trying to get any rest. She’d lain down and stared at the ceiling in the darkness, and some time in the night she’d finally fallen asleep in exhaustion, a prayer for help running through her mind. She’d barely dragged herself out of bed half an hour ago.

  T.J. took the seat next to her and slid her mug toward her. She reached for it, needing the caffeine.

  “What are all of you planning to do today?” Chloe asked after several sips of her coffee.

  “I need to go shopping later.” Vickie poured hot maple syrup over her pancakes. “I’m thankful one of the ranch hands did it for us, but it’s hard to think of everything we need and put it down on a list. I’ve never been a person who could only shop by what I had on a list.”

  “I appreciate you taking over the household account while I’ve been gone so much, but Paul and I have decided we aren’t leaving for the next year. All this has made us reconsider what we need and want to do.” Mary patted Aaron’s hand. “I want my son to feel he’s the most important one in our lives.”

  “We’re thinking of riding over the ranch after lunch. Getting out and enjoying this beautiful day God created and reconnect with Him. We haven’t done that in nine months. Then we’ll prepare ourselves for what’s to come concerning Aaron.” Paul snatched another piece of bacon off a plate in the center of the table. “How about you and T.J.?”

  “I don’t know about T.J., but I’m crashing for a few days. I forgot to water my one plant, a cactus, and I’m afraid it might have bit the dust by now. I used to have more houseplants, but traveling makes it hard to keep any.”

  “I have Vickie. She takes care of us.” Mary smiled at her cousin across from her.

  “So what are you going to do next, T.J.?” Paul stabbed his fork into pieces of pancake.

  T.J. glanced sideways at Chloe. “I’ll be finalizing my partnership with Kyra Hunt. She called this morning to tell me she has accepted my offer.”

  “Congratulations. That’s great. You and Chloe are good at your job. We appreciate you two.” Paul took a bite of his pancake. “But we’re ecstatic we don’t need you all anymore.”

  Chloe had been pretty sure Kyra would take T.J. on as a partner, but with her second pregnancy, how much would she be involved in the business? Would he be out in the field any or working at the main office? How much did he want to expand? T.J. knew the business and could go far, especially with his background and connections. He wanted to go forward. She wanted to go in a different direction. Again they were at divergent places in their lives.

  When breakfast was over, Mary hugged Chloe, whispering, “I recently discovered what’s more important in my life than my work. My family. I hope you get your heart’s desire and find those answers you’re searching for.” Mary looked at T.J., then pointedly back to Chloe. “You saved my life. I imagine you have done that for others, too. That’s a gift the Lord gave you. I wish you the best, and don’t be a stranger. I want to stay in touch.”

  After saying their goodbyes, Chloe and T.J. climbed into his Jeep for the three-hour drive to Dallas. Chloe had a lot to think about, especially Mary’s parting words. For the first few minutes as they left the ranch behind, a strained silence dominated the atmosphere in the car.

  Then T.J. said, “What I didn’t say back in the kitchen was that Kyra won’t be coming back to the agency. I’ll slowly buy her out and have full ownership, probably in the next two years. How do you feel about that?” Tension wove through his words, his hands clenching the steering wheel.

  She told him what Mary had said to her at the end, and then added, “I don’t know.”

  “Why not? When I first saw you and talked with you, I never felt you were unhappy with your job. Did this assignment, working with me, make you unhappy?”

  She chewed her lower lip, trying to figure out what to say. “I’m not unhappy about my work, just not satisfied like I used to be. The more I was around you, the more I began to think about what I used to dream about and what I have put on the back burner for all these years. A family. I need more than my job. I need to feel grounded and I’m not right now.”

  “Are you telling me you’re leaving Guardians, Inc.?”

  “I don’t want to continue as I have, on the road three-fourths of the time. What husband would want his wife traveling all the time?” She immediately thought of Adam and her father. “I know what that does to a relatio
nship.”

  T.J. pulled off the road and parked the Jeep, then twisted toward her. “I love you, Chloe. I think we can make it work. I want a family, too. I don’t want to pass this second chance up for us. I told you when I make a commitment I make a total one. If I stand before God and pledge myself to you, you will have me one hundred percent.”

  “I don’t see how you can do that with the plans you have for Guardians, Inc. I don’t want a husband that is married to his job, too. I need more. I see that now. You’re right. That was why in the end I didn’t come to Washington after my mother’s chemo treatments were finished. I used that as an excuse. It was hard enough for us to find time together with me being a cop and you a Secret Service agent working in the counterfeiting unit.”

  He reached for her hand and held it. “Let me make myself clear. I’ll run the agency, not be a bodyguard. I’ve gotten a lot out of my work, but it’s time for me to move on to something a little different. I want you to be my partner in marriage and in the business. I’m looking to expand, which means more work running the agency. I can’t think of a better person to work with because I wouldn’t want you traveling for your job. I want to go home to you every night. I want to be there for you and you for me. I want to stay in one place and make a home filled with love and the Lord.”

  She tugged her hand from his grasp. His touch made her forget her rational side, and this was too important to let feelings swamp her, with no regard to the consequences of her decision. This was for the rest of her life. “I want children. At least two. I used to babysit as a teenager and loved being with kids. I even considered becoming a teacher, but police work called to me more.”

  “I’d love to be the father of your children. You can work as much as you want at the agency. As I said, we will be equal partners in all things. This assignment showed me how well we work together. I think the Lord brought us back together again because we’re perfect for each other.”

  The emotions she tried to hold at bay overwhelmed her. There had never been another man for her, but would this really work? Could they make the change they needed? Is this Your answer to my prayers, Lord? “Are you sure once you get back and take over the agency you won’t get sucked into your job? Look at what the Zimmermans’ career did to their family.”

  “If we have good employees in place, we don’t have to work all the time. Kyra has made it work. It can be a regular job. So what do you say about going into partnership with me? And to make myself clear, I mean in marriage and the agency.”

  “I love you, T.J. I always have, but I need some time to think. I’m exhausted from this job, and I don’t want to rush into a lifelong commitment without making sure it’s what is best for the both of us. You need to do the same thing. It’ll be a big change for us. We’ve been on our own for years.”

  He cocked a grin. “Always the practical one. Okay.” He took her hand and pulled her toward him. Framing her face, he touched his forehead to hers. “If we get married, I’m more afraid I’m not going to want to even go to work. You’ll have to kick me out of the house or we might starve.”

  He kissed her, laying claim to her with heart-shattering possession. When he straightened and switched on the engine, he threw her a look that melted any reservation she had. In that moment she knew it was the Lord’s answer to her prayers last night. She loved him. He loved her. She needed to put her faith in that and cherish the time they had together rather than be governed by her past.

  “T.J.—”

  His cell phone rang, spoiling the moment.

  “That’s Sheriff Landon.” He answered it. His smile quickly evolved into a frown. “Thanks for the information. We’re going to turn around and head back to the ranch. We’re about ten minutes away. I’ll call you later.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  T.J. made a U-turn. “Sheriff Landon got the autopsy report back on Bo Moore. He was full of sleeping pills and tranquilizers. He drowned, but he was unconscious when it happened. They’re going to scour where the truck went off the road. He doesn’t think it’s a suicide, especially when he talked with Bo’s girlfriend. Yes, he was angry about losing his job, but he was mad at Zach. Bo and his girlfriend were planning to elope next weekend and settle in Arizona. Doesn’t sound like a suicidal man.”

  “No. So that means we don’t know who shot at the Zimmermans when they returned from the celebration at the church.”

  “It’s possible they still aren’t safe. He called the Houston police, and Lenny Woods keeps saying the last thing he did before he received Aaron’s message was put a tracking device on the rental car and follow us from the second event in Dallas.”

  “Which leaves the fire at the theater, the snakes and the sniper. Do you think someone took advantage of the fact someone was after the Zimmermans?”

  “Yes.” T.J. increased his speed. “I can’t see Nancy doing it, because she’s no longer the publicist for the Zimmermans. She has nothing to gain going after them. I’m the one who got her fired, so if she is angry, it should be at me.” He tossed her glance. “But we can’t rule out anyone.”

  “Someone at the ranch or in town? Or we could be back to someone upset at the Zimmermans’ message. They’re particularly vocal about gangs in communities.”

  “When we get back to the ranch, we’ll sit down with them and go through the people they know again.”

  At the gate he phoned the main house, but no one answered. Then T.J. placed a call to Zach, who had the ability to let someone into the ranch from his office. T.J. knew yesterday’s gate code, but he’d trained Paul to change it every morning.

  As they approached the main house, Chloe pushed her exhaustion away and focused on the job to be done if someone was still after the Zimmermans. The second the Jeep stopped, she was out of it and striding toward the front door. She rang the bell while T.J. joined her on the verandah. When no one came to answer, she pressed the button again and rested her hand on her gun.

  The door swung open, and Vickie appeared in the entrance. “Sorry. I was in the kitchen making a list of items I needed at the store. Did you forget something?”

  “No, but I don’t think this is over yet. Where are Paul and Mary?” T.J. looked beyond Vickie into the foyer.

  Vickie glanced over her shoulder. “They went to meet the lawyer in town. Some new development concerning the charges against Aaron. He went with them. I was finishing up and gathering my purse, so I can go meet them there for lunch before I go shopping.” Hugging her handbag under her arm, she rambled.

  T.J. barged past her. “We’ll follow you, but first I want to search the house to make sure everything is okay since security hasn’t been tight the past eighteen hours. Someone could have snuck something in here. You all stay there. I won’t be too long.”

  While he went into the living room, Chloe skirted Vickie to stand inside the entrance. T.J. came back out and headed across the foyer to the dining room.

  “Vickie, where are you? I’m here to finish the job,” a deep masculine voice said from the kitchen.

  Mary’s cousin’s eyes grew round. She took a step back, then whirled and raced out the front door.

  * * *

  Near the dining room door into the kitchen, T.J. smelled gas. Coming from the kitchen? They had a gas stove. Something wasn’t right.

  Then he heard Shane call out to Vickie. He slapped his palm against the swinging door and pushed his way into the kitchen. He caught sight of Mary and Paul lying on the floor.

  His attention was riveted on Shane, who was standing near them, surprise registering on his craggy face. He turned and ran for the back door. T.J. flew across the room and threw himself at the ranch hand. They fell to the floor, T.J.’s arms locked around the man’s chest. Shane flung T.J.’s body back against a set of cabinets nearby. Then he did again. T.J.’s head struck the wooden door. His ears ringing, he hung on a
nd tightened his hold.

  Shane grunted and tried to shake T.J. off him. Bringing his hands up, Shane clutched T.J.’s arms and pulled down. He broke T.J.’s grip on him. The ranch hand rotated at the same time, scrambling back from T.J. Shane brought his fist back and drilled it into T.J. Through the haze in his head, T.J. returned a punch. Then another. The stench of gas filled his nostrils, and he knew he needed to get the family out of there. Soon.

  * * *

  Vickie was halfway down the sidewalk, not far from her car, which was parked in front of T.J.’s.

  Chloe drew her Glock and aimed it at the woman. “Halt or I’ll shoot.”

  Vickie glanced back and veered onto the grass but tripped over a stone. She went down on her knees, and Chloe fired her weapon off to the side of the woman to scare her.

  Vickie froze, lifting her shaking arms. “Okay. Okay.”

  “Lie face down on the grass and don’t move. All I can think about is that I hate snakes, and you’re probably the one who put two in your cousin’s greenhouse.” Chloe approached her, keeping her attention focused on Vickie.

  The sound of pounding footsteps forced Chloe to look briefly toward the barn. Zach. Still not sure who to trust at the ranch, she shouted, “Go get some rope to tie her up.” Then she watched to see if he would.

  Chloe let out a bottled breath when the foreman headed back to the barn. She knew that T.J. could take care of himself, but who was the man who had shouted from the kitchen?

  * * *

  A shot rang through the air, fueling T.J.’s determination to finish this, to get the family outside and check on Chloe. He willed all his strength behind his next blow to Shane’s jaw. Pain streaked up his arm as his fist connected with the man’s face. But the hit flattened Shane back on the floor, his head cracking against the tiles. Shane passed out, his body going limp.