LITMIR.BIZ

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      How crazy was that? He’d walked out on her—left her heart shattered—and here she was, wanting him to protect her. Or was she simply fooling herself? Trying to believe she needed him to keep her safe when in reality she was simply happy to see him again?

      * * *

      Gavin kept Lexie in view as he waited for his supervisor to call back. She still sat in the squad car, but his dad had stepped away. The dome light caught the golden strands of her hair, wavy to her shoulders. Her icy-blue eyes, dark with angst, stared across the field, her arms wrapped around a slender waist. She’d always been a beautiful woman, but it was all he could do not to stare at her and let her know how much simply looking at her impacted him.

      Was she thinking about her father or about their past? He suspected both. Man, he wanted to help her through this, but that was the last thing she would want. He’d hurt her in the worst possible way. He’d acted just like her father and put her second in his life.

      He hadn’t meant for things to end between them, least of all to end so badly. Just like he hadn’t meant to shoot Emily, but he had, and she now had a permanent limp thanks to him.

      His phone rang. Assistant Special Agent in Charge Zachary Harrison’s name flashed on the screen. Gavin quickly answered the call, but took a breath to make sure he displayed the confidence needed for lead agent on the investigation. His first lead. Exactly what he’d planned when he’d taken a series of online business classes so he could be assigned to the white-collar crimes unit, a division with great potential for advancement. Sure, Harrison had made Gavin lead agent on this investigation because of his connection to Lost Creek, but he still felt the need to prove himself.

      He quickly and succinctly explained the latest developments with Dr. Grant. “A syndicate could mean the doctors on our list are connected.”

      “I concur,” Harrison replied.

      “I want to remain in Lost Creek and work with County on the murder investigation. I have the feeling it ties in with the other doctors involved in the Medicaid scam.”

      “You could be right,” Harrison said. “Your connections could very well pay off for us. Making you lead might just be the smartest move I’ve made all week.”

      “If you remember, my dad and I don’t see eye to eye on investigative protocols, so my working with him isn’t as certain as you think.”

      “Still, he’s your father and, from what you’ve told me, he’s a good sheriff. He’d be a fool to reject our help.”

      “Did I mention he’s stubborn?”

      “Then the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Harrison chuckled.

      Gavin wouldn’t discuss the point further. One way or another he’d find a way to get his dad on his side. Since the job was all he had in his life right now, it was imperative that he advance, and that wouldn’t happen if he failed on this investigation. “I’ll need to fill in my dad and his investigator on the Medicaid case.”

      “Go ahead. Who knows? Maybe working a joint investigation with your father is just the thing you need to learn how to let go of controlling every little thing around you. It could even improve your teamwork.”

      In Gavin’s last evaluation, his skills and abilities received high marks. But being a team player? Not so much. His fault totally. He compensated for shooting Emily by controlling everything and didn’t trust others. If he ever hoped to advance, he needed to change. He’d known it for some time, but hadn’t found a way to do so.

      “Anything else?” Harrison asked.

      “With Dr. Graves’s death, I think his daughter would be more apt to cooperate if I share her father’s suspected Medicaid fraud.”

      “Keep the information superficial, and I’m okay with that.”

      Gavin agreed and ended the call by promising to keep Harrison apprised of the situation.

      He stowed his phone then grabbed Misty and Lightning’s reins and led the pair across the field.

      Lexie flipped up her faux-fur-trimmed hood and started toward him. She wore the same worn red cowboy boots she’d owned for years. Man, he’d loved to tease her about those boots. Her feet were tiny, and she’d had to buy them in the children’s department. Despite the circumstances, he smiled.

      She took Misty’s reins. “Looks like you think something’s funny.”

      “Your boots.”

      She shot him a look, but frustration quickly melted into an impish smile that never failed to tug at his heart. “I know you like to make fun of them, but you wouldn’t laugh so hard if you knew how much less I pay for my boots than the rest of you do. Besides, I look far less comical in my boots than you do getting ready to mount a horse in your city-slicker pants and shiny shoes.”

      Gavin grimaced. Right...his shoes. He’d planned to talk to her, take Lightning back to the ranch for a quick brush-down then head for his motel for the night before he ran into his father. Now here he was, looking out of place with all his old wounds raw and on display for Lexie. She’d seen enough of his ongoing issues with his father over the years. Something he wasn’t proud of. He was a grown man. Old enough to be a father himself, for crying out loud. He sure should be old enough not to let his father continue to push his buttons. Not something he could change standing here.

      “We should get going,” he said. “Let me give you a leg up.”

      Her eyes narrowed for a moment but then she nodded. Misty was getting on in years, so he suspected her agreement was for the mare’s well-being, as a shorter person mounting a horse from the ground was hard on the horse.

      Gavin hoisted her into the saddle then climbed on Lightning. His shoe slipped in the stirrup and he regretted being so hasty in not changing his attire. He’d regretted it even more when his father eyed his shoes and chuckled.

      Lexie set Misty in motion and he directed Lightning to move into position beside her. He kept his head on a swivel, carefully watching the trees dipping in the wind.

      Maybe his behavior was overkill, but he’d learned the hard way that things could go sideways in a hurry. He wasn’t about to make the same mistake again. Not with Lexie’s life in the balance.

       THREE

      Gavin led Lexie under the wood sign stretching over Trails End’s driveway. His ancestors had burned the ranch name and MK brand into the wood that had been erected in 1895 when the ranch was first established. About the time the first McKade had become county sheriff. With minor repairs, it had stood the test of time and always gave Gavin a sense of pride in his family’s long history.

      They trotted down the familiar drive until the two-story home with a long porch holding strings of garland and colorful Christmas lights came into view. Lights glowed from the lower windows, which meant his family was gathered in the living and dining rooms that faced the front of the house. A patrol car sat at the end of a circular drive—Matt’s car, Gavin presumed.

      He veered off shy of the house and dismounted at the corral abutting a large barn and stable. “We’ll leave the horses here. I’ll make sure someone takes care of them.”

      Gavin thought to help Lexie dismount, but he knew she’d balk, so he secured the reins and they made their way up an incline to the house. They’d barely stepped onto the porch when the door flew open and his mother barreled out like a bronc in a rodeo shoot. She was thin and tall, with leathery skin from time spent outdoors, and had a solid look about her as if she’d sunk her roots into the ground like the mighty cypress trees in the area. She’d always worked the ranch with the hands and kids, and never taken a day off.

      “Welcome home, son.” Her arms outstretched, she jerked him to her as if he was a rag doll, and he went willingly.

      After

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