The Texan's Christmas Read online

  “I’m sorry I got you involved in this.”

  “Come on, Lucky.” He touched her cheek. “I’d die for you, don’t you know that?”

  She kissed his hand, feeling that closeness they’d always shared. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  “Yeah, where in the hell is Chance and the chopper?”

  The sound of gunfire echoed kicking up dirt above their heads. “Prepare to die, Hardin.”

  Kid rose and fired again, and then he pulled her to his side. “Please say you forgive me. I need to hear that now and I need you to mean it.”

  In her heart she knew she already had. She rubbed her face against him. “I forgive you.”

  “What the hell is going on?”

  Wilma.

  “Lucky and Kid Hardin followed us. We have them cornered in the gully.”

  “Now that’s a shame. Lucky’s always been nice to my boy, but she used him like everyone else.”

  “What do you want us to do?”

  “Kill ’em.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  A SECOND ROUND OF RAPID gunfire blasted over their heads. Kid pulled Lucky lower. “Text Chance. Tell him we need help.”

  Lucky wiggled to get her cell out of her pocket. “I’m low on power. I hope it goes through.”

  “Give it up, Hardin!” Melvin yelled. “You’re outnumbered.”

  “You come anywhere near this gully and I’ll plant a bullet right in the middle of your chest. Come on, Melvin. You want to be the first to die?”

  Kid had no idea if he could kill someone, but he’d pull the trigger before he’d let them touch Lucky. Sinking back against dried grass and good ol’ country dirt, he took a deep breath and looked into her beautiful blue eyes.

  “You know I’m getting used to that short hair.”

  She smiled that special smile and it made everything right in his world, except for those guys trying to kill them.

  “Concentrate, mister. We have to find a way out of here.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Any ideas?”

  Lucky looked both ways down the barren gully. “Let’s crawl farther along so they don’t surprise us. They’ll think we’re here in this spot, but we won’t be. It’ll give us an edge.”

  “I love the way you think. You go first and keep your head to the ground.”

  She inched away and he followed on his stomach, staying as low as possible. He tasted dirt and spit it out. The sun was now out and the heat was going to be a factor in this desolate landscape.

  Where was that damn helicopter?

  The train still hadn’t moved and the rustlers had to be anxious to get it going. Bellows of frightened cows pierced the silence. Suddenly, another barrage of bullets sounded at the place they’d been hiding, taking out the top of a mesquite bush.

  “Good thing we moved,” he said, scooting up next to her. Dirt was in her hair, on her face and clothes and she never looked more beautiful. Her eyes glinted with excitement—and fear. Yep, they both were afraid, but they now had each other. Ever since his parents had died, he’d felt alone. Even though he’d had his brothers and his aunt and uncle, that deep-seated emptiness was always there. He’d tried filling that gaping hole inside him with other women, but no one filled it like Lucky.

  Kid brushed dirt from her cheek. “We’ll make it out of here.”

  “Hey, Hardin,” Melvin called. “Just come on out. It’s getting hot and I’m not a very patient man.”

  “Keep quiet. Let them keep guessing our location,” Lucky whispered.

  Just then Earl came up from the back of them and jumped into the gully. He didn’t look right or left, only at the shattered mesquite bush. “They’re gone,” he yelled to Melvin.

  “What?”

  Earl turned and saw them, his eyes big. Kid stood quickly, pointing the gun at Earl’s chest. Caught off guard, Earl’s gun was down by his thigh.

  “You raise the gun or shout and I’m going to put a bullet through your heart.” Kid was surprised at how steady his arm was, and maybe Earl was, too. He didn’t move a muscle.

  “Earl, what’s happening?” Melvin yelled.

  “Put your gun on the ground slowly,” Kid said in a voice he hardly recognized. Or maybe he did. It sounded like Cadde’s. “One false move and you’re dead.” How many times had he said that as a kid playing cowboys and Indians with his brothers? But this was real—as real as it could get.

  Earl eyed him for a moment and then laid the weapon on the ground.

  “Kick it toward me.”

  Earl slammed his boot against the gun and it spun toward Kid in a cloud of dust. But he didn’t flinch or take his eyes off Earl as the man was probably hoping.

  “Earl?” Melvin’s voice drew closer.

  Lucky picked up the gun, wiping the dirt from it.

  “Tell Melvin—”

  “Hardin, the party’s over,” Melvin said above Kid’s left ear.

  “Ah, Melvin, I really hate it when a party ends.” Kid kept his weapon on Earl. “And this one’s not. I still have Earl in my sights.”

  “And I have an AK-47 pointed at your head. Drop the gun.”

  Kid went over his options and none of them were in his favor. Someone was going to die. He’d seen this standoff in movies a hundred times, but he couldn’t remember one damn ending. That might have something to do with the AK-47 pointed at him.

  Before he knew her intent, Lucky swung around and fired at Melvin who staggered backward. A sea of bullets sprayed toward the sky. Earl ran off and the sound of a chopper was like a breath of fresh air.

  Reaching for her, he pulled Lucky into his arms. They held on tight. She trembled against him, or at least he thought it was her. He could be trembling, too.

  “I didn’t kill him, did I?” she cried into his chest.

  “Shh.” He stroked her hair. “Let’s take a look.” They peered over the rise of the gully. Clyde, Wilma, the Mexican and Earl were running to cross the train to get to their trucks. Melvin limped behind them.

  “Looks like you got him in the leg. He’s on his feet.”

  “Thank God.”

  The helicopter came in low and Clyde raised his AK-47 and fired off a round. The chopper turned and lifted higher. The sounds of sirens echoed in the distance and Cameron County sheriff’s cars burst onto the scene. Officers got out, guns drawn, and it was over.

  The aircraft landed. Cadde, Chance, Walker and Travis jumped out.

  “Kid, where are you?” Chance called.

  Lucky sagged and he caught her before she hit the ground. He pushed her hair from her hot forehead. “You okay?”

  “I just need a minute. I was so scared.”

  She was pale, jittery, and he wrapped his arms around her. What an awful night, but they had gotten through it together. A part of the night had been out-of-this-world good, though.

  “I’m okay, now.” She stepped back and straightened her shoulders.

  “Kid, where in the hell are you?”

  “We better go or Cadde’s going to have a heart attack.” He took her hand and they climbed out of the gully.

  Cadde and Chance charged at him and caught him in a fierce bear hug. He couldn’t breathe. “Hey, hey, I didn’t die.”

  They let go and Chance hugged Lucky. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  Chance frowned toward the group the deputies had surrounded. “Isn’t that Bubba Joe Grisley’s mom?”

  “Yes,” Kid replied. “She’s the boss—leader of the cattle rustlers. Seems she devised a plan to get back at everyone who had ever been mean to her son. She was planning on getting him out of High Cotton and away from Thelma Lou.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  Wilma broke loose from the group, but two deputies grabbed her. She fought back, swinging her purse, her fists. “I have to go to my son,” she screeched, flailing her arms. “He can’t live without his momma. Bubba Joe, Momma’s coming.”

  The cops managed to restrain her and put her in a
squad car. She bumped her head against the window, screaming. Two officers drove away with her still screaming. The others were arrested and escorted to waiting cars.

  Travis ran over and went straight to Lucky. He hugged her and she hugged him back. Cradling her head, he said, “I was so worried.” Kid stiffened. Stop touching Lucky.

  She finally let go. “I’m okay, and you were right. We were missing something. Wilma was in the bar a lot of nights and I never listened to her and she probably dropped a hundred hints.” She brushed back her hair. “Do you know if Bubba is involved in this?”

  “No. Walker’s going to pay him a visit when we get back.” Travis turned to him and held out his hand. “Thank you for helping Lucky.”

  “You don’t have to thank me for that.” He stared at the man’s outstretched hand and had no intention of shaking it. Why, he wasn’t sure. Or maybe being an ass was more his style. Or maybe he was so jealous he couldn’t think.

  Chance poked him in the back. Cadde cleared his throat in a way Kid knew well—the lecture-type voice on good manners. Because he’d graduated to adulthood, he took the man’s hand. No one could say he wasn’t a gentleman.

  “Travis, do you know who the Mexican is? Or the buyer?” Lucky asked.

  “Wilma’s brother-in-law, her sister’s husband, Manuel Ortiz. He steals cows every now and then to make ends meet. According to Manuel, Mrs. Grisley got him caught up in it big-time. She was set on revenge for the wrongs she’d thought had been done to her son. She knew the people in the area so she was aware of their schedules and when to hit. It has worked for several months.” Travis took a breath. “The buyer is Raymond Hatch, a friend of Manuel’s and a big-time crook selling stolen cattle to a slaughterhouse and fencing the goods. There’ll be more arrests as soon as we know who’s working with Hatch.”

  “I’ve never done anything to Bubba Joe,” Chance said, his face creased into a big frown.

  “That was because of me,” Kid had to admit. “I got into a fight with Wilma’s goons and they did it to get back at me.”

  “I wasn’t aware you had a share in my cows.”

  Kid slapped his brother on the back. “I think it’s more of a blood thing. You hurt me. You hurt my brothers.”

  Chance’s frown slid into a grin. “Are we related?”

  Kid made a face. “Funny. I’ll pay for the feed and transportation to haul them home.”

  “I do believe I know you.”

  “How did Wilma get the engineer involved?” Lucky asked, and the brothers became serious once again.

  “We don’t know yet, but I’m sure he’ll start talking once he’s in jail.” Travis glanced toward the train. “We have to unload the cattle. They need water and feed until we can arrange for the owners to pick them up. We’ll photo and number them to have a record for the trial.”

  “I’ll call Judd and see what he wants to do.” Chance reached for his cell.

  Kid looked at Lucky and she avoided looking at him. That was not a good sign.

  Chance put his phone back on his belt. “Judd is arranging for a cattle carrier to bring all the animals to High Cotton. They can stay on the Southern Cross until the owners are located.”

  “That’s nice of Judd,” Travis said. “I’ll be busy here for a while, but Chance would you mind taking Lucky home? I’m sure Bud is worried about her.”

  “Will do. Is Walker going back with us?”

  “I’ll check.”

  As they walked to the aircraft, a news crew drove up, jumped out and started filming. Kid tried to shield Lucky as they climbed inside. She didn’t say a word.

  Walker hurried to join them, sitting across from him and Lucky. The helicopter was designed for use in the oilfields. Two leather chairs were on the left against the interior wall and one was on the right, leaving room for a stretcher in case a worker was injured. It also had room for materials or supplies that were needed fast on a site.

  They buckled up as Chance took the pilot seat and Cadde sat beside him. The whirly bird revved up and soon they were in the air.

  Lucky sat very still and quiet and Kid knew her protective walls were going back up. Didn’t she remember the wonderful night they’d shared? And didn’t she know he would never hurt her again? But he could almost feel her forcing herself to remember the pain he’d caused her. That might be one obstacle they wouldn’t be able to overcome. He was going to be in there trying, though.

  “That was a very brave thing you did,” Walker said, looking at Lucky. “Do you feel like talking about it?”

  He felt her tense. “Sure.”

  “What made you follow them?”

  Lucky looked down at her dirty hands. “They said they were leaving High Cotton and since Travis suspected them of being involved in the cattle rustling I knew they were getting ready to move the stolen animals and goods. I called Travis immediately but he didn’t answer. If the cowboys left without being followed, it would be another unsolved crime. When Travis didn’t call, I hopped into the back of their truck.”

  Walker blew out a breath and winced. “That was dangerous.”

  “It was dark and I had a gun. I figured I’d sneak out as soon as I knew where they were going.”

  “How did Kid get involved?”

  “By sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong.”

  “Hey, that’s not nice.” Kid stretched out his legs, feeling aches all over his body, especially in his heart. A giant step forward and a thousand little ones backward. Oh, yeah. Damn it!

  “I saw her jump into the back of their pickup,” he said. “Being of sound mind and body I knew that was dangerous so I joined her and she was madder than hell.”

  “The cowboys came to the truck before I could get Kid out.” Lucky took up the story. “They drove about ten minutes from The Beer Joint to a rural area.”

  “We followed up your tip about the Wilkins place and you were right. I called David Wilkins last night. He said he’s leased the land to Wilma for about two years now. I sent a deputy out there before dawn. I heard from him a little while ago and he found the barbed wire pen and building. The main fence had been taken down so they had easy access to the train.”

  “Kid and I sat in a thicket and watched the show unfold. They were running around with flashlights and we had no idea what they were going to do. We heard the train and figured they’d hide.”

  “But they didn’t?” Walker asked.

  “No. They flashed a light and the train slowed and stopped when the cattle carriers were right there. They loaded everything quickly and hopped aboard. I knew this was how they were getting the animals out of the area undetected.”

  “Why did you jump on that train?”

  Lucky twisted her hands. “That’s hard to explain.”

  “I’m just trying to understand why you’d risk your life.”

  “I’m wondering that now, too.” She brushed dirt from her jeans. “I saw Mr. Hopper’s great-grandson earlier and he was upset that his four-wheeler and the silver inlaid saddle Mr. Hopper was going to give him was stolen. I told him the authorities were doing everything they could to find his things and he believed me. I saw the saddle as they loaded it onto the train and I knew it would be gone just like all the other stuff that had been stolen from the people of High Cotton.” She folded her hands in her lap. “Suddenly, I couldn’t let that happen. We’d worked on this case for months and I just wasn’t going to let them get away with it.”

  “And Kid followed you?”

  “Yes. He was like gum on my shoe I couldn’t get rid of without a lot of muscle power.” She took a breath. “I was glad he was there in the end.”

  Oh, now we’re talking!

  “Kid.” Cadde spoke above the whirl of the chopper turned in his seat to look at his brother. “After the incident with the hobo and you caught the caboose, how did you get back to Lucky?”

  Before he could answer, Lucky spoke up, “He ran across the top of the train.”

  “What!” Cadde s
hook his head. “Are you crazy?”

  “Yep. Certifiable.”

  “I don’t know how you did that,” Walker said.

  “It was scary. The first time I stood up the wind almost took me as if I weighed no more than a beer can. It’s all about balance and once I got the hang of it I was off like a stuntman. Jumping from one car to the next was a problem in the dark, but I wasn’t letting Lucky face those goons alone.”

  Complete silence followed his words. No one moved or said a word. He was hoping Lucky would look at him, but she didn’t.

  Walker leaned forward, his eyes on Lucky. “I still can’t believe you risked your life to catch these thieves.”

  Lucky just shrugged.

  “A lot of people in this town will be grateful.”

  Again, Lucky looked down at her hands as if she was uncomfortable with the conversation.

  “May I ask a favor?” she asked.

  “Sure.”

  “Can I go with you when you talk to Bubba Joe?”

  Walker looked at her long and hard. “Yeah. I think you’ve earned that right, but you’ll have to fill out a report about the shooting at the sheriff’s office. Even though it was self-defense it has to be documented.”

  “Okay.”

  “We’re fixing to land,” Chance called.

  Lucky scooted forward. “Could you give me a few minutes to see my dad and get cleaned up?”

  “Call me when you’re ready.”

  The craft landed smoothly on the pad they had built between Chance’s and Cadde’s houses. Chance helped Lucky out before Kid could. He didn’t object because they were all glad to be home safely.

  “I’m going to check on Jessie and my son and I’ll be ready to leave for Houston in an hour.” Cadde strolled toward his house. “We have to get back to work.” Now that all the excitement was over Cadde was back to his usual workaholic self.

  The four of them walked toward Chance’s house. Bud and Nettie came out the back door. Bud shuffled as fast as he could toward Lucky. She took off running. Bud dropped his cane and caught her, his hand trembling against her hair. “Baby girl, I’ve been so worried.”