Texas Witness

She didn’t.

Melissa parked at the far corner of the lot with woods to each side. What was she thinking? He thought he’d trained her better than that in personal safety in the time they were together. She might be meeting her husband but any whacko could take advantage of this situation.

Did she really not have sense enough to think this through? Or had he rattled her? He blamed himself for that, figuring their conversation had upset her more than she’d wanted to let on. Seeing her again had certainly done a number on him.

Colin pulled over to the side of the road where he could see vehicles as they entered and exited the lot. There was only one other place a car could turn in and it came from a country road that ended at Sander’s farm a half hour down the road.

He wanted eyes on Rancic. And then he could finally convince himself to let her go.

A light blue sedan turned right into the lot fifteen minutes later. Colin exited his vehicle and moved stealthily along the tree line in order to get a good look at the exchange, telling himself that he needed to be close enough to see their faces. Maybe he was a glutton for punishment, and it seemed his heart would agree with that statement as a knifelike pain stabbed through him with each forward step. He told himself that he was making ground on being able to let go of the grip she had on him, still had on him. That thought carried his steps forward.

The headlights illuminated Melissa’s car and Colin could see her clearly from his position as she exited her vehicle. She should be happy to see her husband, shouldn’t she?

All Colin saw clearly was fear as Rancic parked and cut the lights. Colin moved to get a better look. Melissa’s attention shifted from Rancic to the backseat of her car as she backed away from him.

What was that all about?

Colin’s fear that their marriage had gone sour seemed to be playing out in front of him. Based on her expression, she was scared to death of the guy.

All his instincts told him to walk away. Melissa had made her choice and it wasn’t his place to interfere with a husband and wife. And yet he knew without a doubt that he was about to do just that...interfere. She could thank him or curse him later.

As Colin broke out of the tree line, the sheriff’s cruiser sped across the lot. Melissa used the distraction to lock herself inside the vehicle. Smart. He’d hang back behind her car and let Tommy do his job.

Rancic dove into his vehicle and managed to come up behind the wheel. He gunned the engine in reverse, burning rubber. His tires finally gripped the concrete and he sped backward.

Tommy must not’ve seen the barrel of the shotgun poking out from the driver’s side an inch or two as he hit his brakes, no doubt ready to turn around and give chase. Fire shot out the end as the blast split the air, burning through Colin’s ears as he pushed off the back of Melissa’s vehicle and bolted toward the sheriff’s SUV.

Rancic was out of there by the time Colin reached Tommy.

He pulled his friend from his vehicle and laid him out on the cement. Blood was everywhere as Colin scanned Tommy’s body, assessing the damage.

“Damn shotgun,” Tommy said, and his voice was a little too calm. No doubt, he was in shock.

Colin knew enough about weapons to know just how dangerous shotgun shells were to bulletproof vests. They weren’t rated for those because they didn’t have a consistent velocity. Tommy had taken a bullet to his left side and blood covered his shirt. A red dot flowered. Colin needed to stop the bleeding.

“How bad is it? Be honest,” Tommy said as he searched Colin’s face, no doubt looking for a reaction so he could gauge his injury.

“You’re going to be just fine.” It was the lie every soldier had told no matter how grave the damage looked.

He maintained his game face and could only pray that no major organs or arteries had been pierced as he shrugged out of his T-shirt and then used it to place pressure on the wound.

Suddenly Melissa was there, too, and sounds of a baby crying came from a distance.

“It’s getting colder out here,” Tommy said, already shivering.

“Stay with me, man,” Colin said.

“What can I do?” Melissa asked as Colin looked up at her.

“Call 911. Now,” he said.

Chapter Four (#ubdfa2a4f-f3cc-5fc4-ae6e-e1877221bb1f)

Colin paced in Bluff General’s waiting room after giving his statement to Deputy Garcia. The deputy had gone to speak to hospital staff, leaving Colin to wait alone for updates.

Blue carpet, blue chairs and stark white walls couldn’t erase the bloody images scrolling through Colin’s mind. There was blood on his shirt, Tommy’s blood. Tommy had been shot by Melissa’s husband. Estranged husband, a little voice in his head clarified. Colin could hardly wrap his thoughts around what had happened even though he’d seen it with his own eyes.

Tommy had been immediately taken into surgery, and Colin had called his brothers to deliver the news. His eldest brother, Dallas, was on his way to the hospital. The others would soon follow. Tommy needed all the family around him that he could get, and the O’Briens were a tight-knit bunch.

Personally, Colin had seen the inside of the county hospital a few too many times recently. As far as desirable places to end up went, Bluff General bottomed his list. In the six months since his parents’ murders, several of his brothers had ended up in a room not unlike the one Tommy was in now. Many of his siblings had also found the loves of their lives in recent months, but that was a whole different subject. Colin had believed that he’d found his in Melissa.

If that weren’t enough to make his head spin, Melissa had a baby. Colin didn’t want to acknowledge the anger burning through his chest, considering she’d been adamant about waiting to have children with him.

He forced himself to stop pacing and take a seat.

The thought of Melissa having Richard Rancic’s child hit Colin harder than a battering ram. It made her marriage to another man feel very real. Thinking back to the way she’d acted so cagey at the house and how quickly she’d ushered him out the door had him wondering if she’d wanted to hide her baby from him. Richard Rancic was a criminal and a jerk. For the life of Colin he couldn’t figure out why she’d marry the guy, let alone have his child. Colin stabbed his fingers through his dark hair. Speaking of Melissa, she should be there by now. He glanced around.

Dallas should arrive any minute. Tommy was more like a brother than a friend and he was fighting for his life. Going over the scenario again and again was about to make Colin’s head explode.

Caffeine. He needed a giant cup of black coffee about now.

Colin pushed off the chair as Melissa rounded the corner. A pink blanket swathed a small bundle cradled in her arms. Melissa’s baby was somehow tinier than he’d expected. The child must be asleep because she didn’t move.

“How’s Tommy?” Melissa’s eyes were wide and stress lines bracketed her mouth. She glanced down at her baby and another emotion flickered that he had trouble pinpointing. Guilt?

“He’s in surgery,” Colin said, noticing how she kept one arm underneath the little bundle and her other hand on the baby’s back. How much did it blow his mind to think that Melissa had a daughter?

Damn.

“What happened back there? You told me that you were meeting your husband and then you looked scared to death when he showed. What aren’t you telling me?” Colin asked, taking note of the dark look that passed behind her eyes when he said the word husband.

“It’s nothing. A misunderstanding,” Melissa said, and the corner of her mouth twitched in the way it did when she was scared.

“That’s impossible. Tommy’s lying on a bed being cut open right now and that sure isn’t because of nothing,” Colin said, his voice raised in frustration.

“I didn’t mean—” The little girl stirred and panic washed over Melissa’s features.

He needed to take a minute to calm down.

“I can’t talk about it right now,” she said quietly, motioning toward the baby.

Colin rubbed his chin and turned to face the other direction. He couldn’t help but notice how natural Melissa looked holding her daughter and he shouldn’t want the child in her arms to be his. She wasn’t. That reality crashed around Colin like a rogue wave, unexpected and all-consuming. It caught him off guard, but he couldn’t afford to care right now. Not with Tommy down the hall in surgery and Melissa tight-lipping his questions about her husband.

Part of his anger had to do with his pent-up emotions about Melissa. He’d have to figure out a way to make peace with the fact that she’d married someone else and was now a mother. The thought was going to take a minute to sink in. Seeing the little girl made good strides toward acceptance.

“Have you been happy?” He surprised himself with the question.

“About her?” she asked, and then answered before he could respond. “Absolutely.”