From Here to Texas

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Stella Bagwell

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15.6K

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Stella Bagwell

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15.6K

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Harlequin

Chapter One

Quito Perez was sweating by the time he walked into the Wagon Wheel Café and, though he hated sitting close to the door, he sank onto the first available bar stool rather than work his way toward a booth in the back.

Damn it! He hated the weak quiver in his legs, the labored breathing after two blocks of simple walking. Even so, he was grateful to God to still be alive.

A month had passed since someone had driven up beside his SUV and blasted three nine millimeter slugs at him. The bullets had smashed into his vehicle and gone on to shatter his ribs, collapse a lung and rip his spleen to shreds. But he’d cheated the murdering bastard who’d tried to kill him. He’d survived.

“Hey, Sheriff, how’s it going today?”

He looked up to see Betty, a middle-aged waitress who’d worked at the Wagon Wheel for as long as he could remember. She had coarse features and rough hands but she was a hardworking woman with a soft heart. He could always count on her for good service and a sympathetic word.

“I can’t complain, Betty. I saw the sunrise this morning.”

With an understanding smile, she reached across the countertop and patted his hand. “We all prayed for you, Sheriff, while you were down. And see, you’re already up and around and back in the saddle,” she said brightly.

Quito wasn’t exactly back in the saddle completely. But a week ago, he’d finally returned to light duty at his desk. It was great to be back at work, yet he wished he could go at full throttle. He was a man who’d never been sick or down with an injury. Having to coddle himself was a pain in the rear. One that he was more than ready to be rid of.

“I hope all the people around the county know how much I appreciate their thoughts and prayers,” Quito told her. “I just wish I was back to full strength. Jess and Daniel are working themselves to death.”

Betty pulled a pad and pen from a pocket on her pink uniform. “I wouldn’t worry one minute about those two lawmen of yours. They’re young and in their prime. You can’t work those two guys down. Besides, you’ll be your old self before you know it. You just need some of Nadine’s biscuits and eggs to put some tallow back on you.”

“Add some bacon and hash browns to that and I’ll eat it,” he told her.

“I hear you,” she said with a wide grin. The woman scribbled the order down on her pad, then hurried away to pour the sheriff a cup of coffee.

To his left and a few feet behind him, Quito heard the cowbell jingle as the door to the café opened and closed. Seconds later, a strong male hand was squeezing his shoulder.

“Mornin’ Quito.”

He didn’t have to look up to know the greeting had come from his under sheriff, Jess Hastings. The tall, sandy-haired lawman had been his right-hand man for nearly three years now. Between Jess and their chief deputy, Daniel Redwing, he hadn’t had to worry about law and order being kept in the county while he recuperated. The two men could be trusted completely.

“Good morning, Jess. Where’s Redwing? Isn’t he going to eat breakfast with us this morning?”

Jess grinned slyly as he slung a leg over the adjacent bar stool. “Maggie is seeing that Daniel gets fed.”

The deputy had married Jess’s widowed sister-in-law three weeks ago. Quito had barely been released from the hospital and had still been wearing drain tubes at the time, but he’d managed to sit on the church pew long enough to see the pair exchange their wedding vows. The wedding had been one of the happier moments he’d had since he’d been shot.

Quito chuckled. “Oh, yeah, sometimes I forget he’s a newlywed.”

“Well, it was quite a shock to see the guy walk down the aisle. I thought he hated women.” Jess grunted with amusement. “Little did I know.”

Betty reappeared with Quito’s coffee along with another cup for Jess. She took Jesse’s order and hurried away to a customer who was motioning for her attention.

Quito took a sip of the sustaining caffeine then glanced over at his friend and fellow lawman. “Don’t suppose you’ve had any new leads come into your desk. Leads about the shooting, that is,” he added, even though he figured Jess understood.

The other man glumly shook his head. “Not anything credible. We’ve had all sorts of people saying they saw a black Dodge with heavily tinted windows in the area the day you were shot, but no one has any idea of the tag number. One guy thinks it had Nevada plates, but hell, the thing could have been rented.”

Quito shook his head. “I doubt it, Jess. Pickup trucks aren’t big rental vehicles. A person wouldn’t need a truck, he could shoot out of a car just as easily.”

Jess shrugged. “Yeah, but in a truck the shooter would be sitting up higher and have a better view at the target.”

Quito resisted shuddering at the fact that he’d been the target. “That’s true.” He took another sip of the coffee and rubbed the palm of his hand against his brow. It came away wet even though the room was air-conditioned. “You know, Jess, I lay awake at night—wondering who the hell hates me enough to want me dead. I can’t think of anyone. Or maybe I just don’t want to think any of my friends isn’t really a friend.”

Jess shook his head. “Listen, Quito, I know what you’re thinking—what you’re going through. It doesn’t do any good to let yourself start getting paranoid about everyone around you.”

More than a year ago, Jess had also been shot while investigating a murder. The bullet had knocked him over into a deep ravine and the fall itself had nearly killed him, not to mention all the blood that he’d lost. Thankfully they’d eventually found the shooter and a jury had sentenced him to many long years in the penitentiary.

“You’re right,” Quito replied. “I just need to keep my eyes and ears open. That’s all.”

“And you need to get completely well before you start working ten to twelve hours a day,” Jess told him. “Bet the doctor has already given you those orders.”

Quito nodded. “Don’t worry, Jess, I’m taking things slow. Well, as slow as I can.”

From the other end of the busy diner, Betty appeared through a set of swinging doors. She was carrying a tray loaded with two platters of breakfast food and she headed straight for the two San Juan County lawmen.

“Here you go, guys.” She placed the steaming food in front of them. “I’ll get you some more coffee. Want anything else?”

The two men both assured her they were content and they dug into their eggs and biscuits. As they ate, they continued to talk about the few leads they’d had on Quito’s shooting before they finally turned their attention to a recent rash of burglaries.

Jess had just finished the last bite on his plate when his pager went off. After he checked the message, he told Quito he had to go and threw down a bill large enough to pay for several meals.

“Hey, this is too much money!” Quito called after him.

Jess waved a hand as he hurried out the door. “You can buy next time.”

He gave the bill to Betty and she went to the cash register to pay both men out. While he waited for her to return with the change, he sipped the last of his coffee and glanced around the long room. It was seven-thirty and the place was jammed with customers. A nonsmoking policy had never been enforced in the eating place and the blue-gray clouds waved and dipped through the air as diners ate and read the Farmington Daily.

Betty got caught at the register and ended up waiting on several customers before she finally returned with Quito’s change. As she counted the change out to him, she said with a wide grin, “Looks like Jess was feeling generous this morning. Guess that’s what living with Victoria does to the man. When are you ever going to find yourself a good woman, Quito?”

Just as he started to tell her there weren’t any good women who’d put up with him, the cowbell jangled and Betty eyed the potential customer with great interest.

“Uh—maybe that’s her right there,” she murmured under her breath.

Quito slowly looked over his shoulder and immediately felt as though someone had smashed him in the gut.

Dear God, it was Clementine Jones!

Without even glancing his way, she walked past him and eased into an empty booth. For a moment, as Quito watched her settle herself on the vinyl seat, he thought his lung must have collapsed again. He couldn’t breathe in or out and his heart was racing, tripping weakly against his busted ribs.

“Sheriff? Is that someone you know?”

The question had come from Betty and he looked around to see the waitress was still standing across the counter from him. Her curious gaze was wavering between him and Clementine.

“Yeah,” he said grimly. “I thought I knew her.” He adjusted the brim of his gray Stetson and slid from the bar stool. “Excuse me, Betty. Oh, here you go.” He tossed an extra nice tip on the table and walked away from the bar.

Clementine didn’t notice his approach. She was too busy folding away her designer sunglasses and stowing them in a leather handbag.

Once he was standing at the side of her table, he said in a low voice, “Hello, Clementine.”

The greeting caused her head to jerk up. Recognition flashed in her eyes and just as quickly her rosy-beige skin turned the color of a sick olive.

“Hello, Quito.”

His nostrils flared as he tried to draw in the oxygen his body was craving. Clementine Jones was as beautiful, no he mentally corrected himself, she was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her waist-length hair was straight and glossy and the color of a west Texas wheat field just before harvest time. Eyes as blue as a New Mexican sky were almond shaped and fringed with long dark lashes. Her lips were full and bow shaped, and at the moment naked. The point of her chin was slightly dented and though it wasn’t evident now, when she smiled there was a dimple in her left cheek.

Clementine looked as classy and out of place in this diner, Quito thought, as a Mustang would in Linc Ketchum’s remuda on the T Bar K.

“This is quite a surprise,” he said, “seeing you back in town.”

Her gaze fluttered awkwardly away from his as she shrugged a long strand of hair back over her shoulder. “Yes, it’s been a while.”

“Eleven years is a long time,” he stated.

The idea that he’d kept count had her gaze swinging back to his. Pink color seeped into the skin covering her high, slanted cheekbones.

“How have you been, Quito? Still the sheriff, I see.”

Something inside him snapped, then ricocheted around in him as her gaze slipped to the badge pinned to the left side of his chest.

“I’m making it, okay. The people around here still want me as their peacemaker and I’m glad to oblige.”

His drawl held the faintest edge and she must have picked up on the sharpness because the corners of her lips tightened ever so slightly.

“Must be nice to be wanted,” she murmured.

“You ought to know,” he countered softly. “See ya’ around, Clem.”

He turned away from the booth to leave and noticed Betty heading toward them with her pad and pencil.

As he started toward the exit Quito jerked his thumb back at Clementine’s booth. “Treat her right, Betty. She’s used to the best.”

Clementine tried not to look at the man as he left the café, but her eyes seemed to have a mind of their own and she watched his tall, solidly built body ease past the glass door and out of sight.

“Good mornin’, miss. You havin’ breakfast this mornin’?”

Sighing with a sadness she dared not examine, Clementine turned back to the waitress hovering at the edge of her table.

“Just coffee and toast. And maybe a little jam—any kind will do,” she told the waitress.

Betty quickly scribbled the order down then cast a faint grin at Clementine. “You must be new around town. I’d remember someone as pretty as you.”

Clementine flushed at Betty’s compliment. “Thank you. I used to live in this area for a while. I’m just back for a short visit.”

Curiosity raised Betty’s eyebrows. “Oh. You lived here in town? I live on Fourth. Little yellow house with a mesquite tree in the front yard.”

Clementine shook her head as she told herself she was going to have to get used to this. People were naturally going to be asking her why she was here, how long she planned to stay and where she’d been. The best thing she could do was to be honest.

“I didn’t live here in town. My parents owned the house south of town—the white stucco with the red tile roof. It’s on the mountain.”

Since there was only one house that fit that description, Betty’s mouth formed a silent O. “You mean the Jones house?”

Clementine nodded. “I didn’t know if anyone would remember. It’s been a long time since we were here.”

Betty was flat out amazed. “Remember? Why, honey, everyone remembers you Joneses.”

“Hey, Betty! Are you gonna talk all day over there or are you gonna pour me some coffee?”

The waitress glanced over at the man sitting on a bar stool. Even though his griping appeared to be good-natured, she stuck her pencil behind her ear and said, “Gotta go, miss. I’ll bring that toast right out.”

After Clementine ate breakfast she drove down main street and parked her black sports car in front of a log structure with a sign hanging over the door that read Neil Rankin, Attorney at Law.

Small sprinklers were dampening the patches of grass in front of the building. To the right-hand side of the steps stood a huge blue spruce tree. The pungent scent from its boughs was fresh and crisp to Clementine’s nostrils and she could only think how different this little corner of the world was from Houston and many of the poverty-stricken places she’d visited in the past couple of years. The sky was clean and sharply blue. The scents of evergreen, juniper and sage laced the dry air. And the men were just as rough and tough as any Texan on the streets of Houston. Especially one, she thought. The one with a badge on his shirt and a gun on his hips.

Feeling as though every last bit of air had drained from her lungs, she slumped back against the seat and passed a trembling hand across her forehead.

Why are you so upset, Clementine? You knew you were going to run into the man sometime during this stay. You knew you were going to have to look upon his face again.

Drawing in a ragged breath, she tried to push the voice away and gather her shaken senses.

She turned her gaze on the passenger window and stared out at the town where she’d once walked and shopped. Above the roofs of the buildings, in the far, far distance, the peaks of the San Juan Mountains were capped with snow and as she studied their majestic beauty, her thoughts turned backward to a time when she and Quito had walked along a quiet mountain path. Even though it had been summer, patches of snow had lain in the shadows and in the meadows dandelions as big as saucers had bobbed in the warm sun. She and Quito had lain down in the grass and the wildflowers and made love. The trees and the sky had been their canopy and the earth had been their bed. She’d fallen in love with him that day and her life had never been the same since.

Several minutes passed before Clementine was composed enough to leave the car and enter the lawyer’s office. The front area of the building was modestly decorated with plastic chairs and a coffee table loaded with magazines. In the center of the room, close to a door marked Private, was a wide desk with an Hispanic woman seated behind it. A nameplate on the corner said her name was Connie Jimenez.

As Clementine approached the desk, the woman continued to chat on the telephone. After two long minutes, she hung up and quickly apologized.

“Sorry about that. Some people think they can butt their way into anything.” The middle-aged woman had black, slightly graying hair and she smiled at Clementine with a sincerity that was real, not like the phony lip movement she saw back in the city. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m Clementine Jones. Neil told me to drop by this morning. Is he busy?”

Connie rolled her eyes as if to say Neil Rankin wouldn’t know what real work was. “He’s probably in there throwing darts.”

Clementine’s brows arched upward. “Why? Is he angry?”

Connie laughed. “Angry? Are you kidding? I’ve never seen that man even raise his voice. He’s practicing his dart game for a tournament down at Indian Wells. That’s a local bar and grill. First prize gets you free beer for a year.”

She motioned toward the door marked Private. “Go on in. I just made him a fresh pot of coffee. And there’re doughnuts, too.”

“Thanks,” Clementine told her and knocked lightly before she opened the door to Neil Rankin’s office.

As Connie had predicted, the lawyer was drinking coffee and throwing darts at a board on the wall.

“Come in,” he called as he walked over to the dart board and plucked one from the center of the target. “I’ll be right with you.”

“It’s only me, Neil.”

The sound of her voice caused him to jerk with surprise and he quickly turned and hurried over. The smile on his face said he was truly glad to see her and she was relieved. It was no secret that the relationship between Neil and Quito had been a long, close one. She couldn’t blame Neil if he hated her for hurting his friend.

“Clementine! How great to see you!”

Neil was a tall man with a handsomely chiseled face. Compared to Quito’s rugged build, he was slender, but well put together and his dark blond hair was naturally streaked and fell across his forehead in a boyish fashion. He’d been single when she’d been living here and from the looks of his empty ring finger he was still that way. It was hard to believe some woman hadn’t snared him before now, she thought. But then, maybe he’d been burned as she’d been burned. Maybe he never wanted to think about the word love.

He took both her hands and gave them a warm squeeze. Clementine couldn’t help but smile at him. “Hello, Neil.”

Neil positioned a cushioned chair in front of his desk and helped her into it. “I was just drinking my morning coffee. Let me get you a cup,” he said.

She’d already had two cups at the Wagon Wheel, but now that she was here she wanted to appear sociable. “That would be nice. Thank you,” she told him.

He walked over to the coffeemaker and picked up a glass cup. “I’ll give you good china,” he said with a wink. “Connie says I shouldn’t give a lady a cup of coffee in a foam cup. Cream or sugar?”

“Cream please.”

The lawyer carried it over to her and she smiled wryly as she accepted the cup and saucer. “At least you think I’m a lady,” she said.

Frowning, he rested his hips on the front of the desk. “Now why would you say that? I’ve always considered you a lady.”

A blush crept across her face. “Well, I don’t imagine you’ve had too many good thoughts of me since I left Aztec. You and Quito were such good friends.”

He shrugged. “And we still are. I don’t put the entire blame on your breakup with you. You were very young then, Clementine. Quito should have realized that and—well, let’s not get into all that. Tell me what you’re doing with the house?”

Neil walked around the desk and eased down in a leather chair. Clementine sipped her coffee and tried to get comfortable. “I don’t know. That’s why I wanted to talk to you about it first. I knew you’d be honest with me. As to whether I should sell or rent.”

Thoughtful, he rubbed a thumb and forefinger across his dented chin. “The place has been empty for a long time. Years, in fact. Why have you suddenly decided to do something with it?”

Clementine breathed deeply. “Believe me, Neil, my decision isn’t sudden. I’ve had the place on my mind for a long while. But I—” She couldn’t continue. She couldn’t admit to this old friend that she’d been afraid to return to Aztec, afraid of facing Quito and all that had happened between them. “I’ve been busy with one thing and another,” she finished.

He smiled understandingly. “Well, the years have certainly been kind to you, Clementine. You haven’t aged a day. You’re still just as pretty as ever.”

“And it sounds like you’re still the flirt and flatterer that I remember,” she teased.

Neil chuckled and then his expression turned serious. “I thought that you might have come back because of Quito. You must have heard he nearly died.”

The news was such a slam to her stomach she actually pressed her hand against her midsection. Incredulous, she stared at him. “Nearly died? But how? Why?”

“Someone tried to murder him. It happened out on highway 544. Someone drove up beside him and pumped three nine millimeter slugs into the side of his vehicle. Two of the bullets hit Quito and did a lot of damage. He only got released from the hospital about two or three weeks ago.”

So that’s why he’d looked a little pale, she thought. And all the time he’d been standing beside her table, she’d been thinking his ashen color had been a result of seeing her again. Clementine should have known better than to think she’d had that much effect on the man.

Still stunned, she slowly shook her head. “No—I—I hadn’t heard about Quito. In fact, I just saw him over at the Wagon Wheel. He stopped by my table to say hello.” A pained expression crossed her face. “He didn’t say anything about being shot!”

Neil shrugged. “No. Quito wouldn’t say anything. He’s not the sort to go around talking about himself.”

Or to her, she thought, sadly.

“I noticed he was still wearing his badge and gun. So apparently he’s not giving up the job of sheriff,” she said to Neil.

Leaning back in his chair, Neil folded his arms across his chest and thoughtfully eyed her troubled face. “Why, Clementine, you sound as if you still care about our brave sheriff.”

Trying to keep any sort of emotion from her face, Clementine reached down and pulled a set of thick papers from the briefcase she’d carried in with her handbag.

“Here’s the abstract and deed for the house and land,” she said stiffly. “Once you have a chance to read it over you can contact me at the Apache Junction.”

Clementine rose to her feet and walked out before the lawyer collected himself enough to make any sort of reply.

Once she was outside and sitting in her car, she finally let her guard down. With a heavy sigh, she rested her forehead on the steering wheel and closed her eyes.

Clementine, you sound as if you still care about our brave sheriff.

What made Neil think she still had feelings for Quito Perez, she wondered bitterly. Eleven years was a long time. Love didn’t last that long. Not for anybody.