Her Cowboy Avenger

He was coming back, he almost felt like reassuring her. But he knew it wouldn’t matter. Some part of her still wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him, any more than it ever had been. And he realized maybe he wasn’t ready, either, as the same innate sense of connection he’d had with this woman from the first moment he’d seen her clicked deep within him.

Eight years. It should have been long enough to wash away whatever feelings he’d once had for this woman. But as he peered down into the eyes staring back at him, took in her upturned face, he felt it just the same.

Whatever she might have wanted to say, she didn’t. With another tight nod, she finally turned and rounded the front of the truck to the driver’s side.

Stepping away from the vehicle, Matt watched her climb in and start the engine. He remained where he was as she backed out of the space. There was no reason for him to stay there. He needed to get going, needed to get started poking around.

But something held him in place, and he watched her drive away, the truck slowly heading down the street and fading into the distance.

“She’s not somebody you really want to get mixed up with.”

Matt recognized the voice without seeing the speaker behind him. It was the deputy who’d come by Elena’s ranch earlier—Travis, she’d said his name was. He had the same sneer in his voice.

The man’s tone rankled. The fact that Matt wasn’t sure he disagreed with the statement did, too.

Not letting his expression show the slightest reaction, Matt slowly turned to face the man.

The sneer was on the deputy’s face, as well. He peered at Matt, eyes narrowed as they studied him, like the guy was trying to figure him out. The scrutiny lasted long enough Matt was sure the man hadn’t managed it.

“Is that so?” Matt said mildly.

“She’s a murderer. Killed her husband in cold blood. Is that really somebody you want to be working for?”

“I figure if you had any proof against her she’d be locked up already.”

“It’s only a matter of time,” Travis practically spat. “Everybody in this town knows she did it, and nobody’s going to let her get away with it.”

“Well, until that happens, she’s still somebody with a job that needs to be done.”

“As soon as she’s locked up, you might find it hard getting paid for whatever work you’ve done.”

“Guess I’ll worry about that when the time comes.”

The man grimaced, his mouth tightening with barely controlled anger. “Even if you don’t believe she’s a killer, take my word, she’s no good. Probably no surprise there—her family wasn’t, either.”

The man let the comment hang in the air, probably expecting Matt to be curious enough to ask for more details. Heck, most people probably would be after a comment like that. But Matt already knew all about Elena’s family. He’d met Ed Reyes himself, knew full well what kind of man he was. And Elena herself had told him more than this man could begin to, just as he’d told her things…

Not that he could admit that to this man. But even if he could, he wasn’t about to. He didn’t like bullies, never had. And Travis Gerard had bully written all over him. It made Matt wonder what kind of man Elena’s husband had been, if this was the type of person he’d considered his best friend in the world. Matt’s reflexive dislike for Bobby Weston grew deeper.

“Her old man was a drunk,” the deputy finally said when the silence went on too long. “Her mother took off when she was just a kid. With a background like that, probably makes sense that she wouldn’t consider her own marriage worth much.”

“What’s your point?”

“I’d think you’d want to know the kind of person you’re working for.”

“Why would her family make a difference when it comes to working for her? That’s her family, not her.”

Travis Gerard’s eyes narrowed, fresh contempt shining from them. “So you’re that kind of guy, huh? Doesn’t matter what kind of person you work for?”

“I’m just wondering why you’re wasting your time trying to scare me off. What does it matter to you if I get paid or not?”

“Her husband was a good friend of mine. I don’t like the idea of her out there, going about her life like nothing happened, like she didn’t kill a good man in cold blood.”

“Then prove she did it,” Matt said. “Trying to scare me off isn’t going to get that done.”

The deputy’s face went dark red, his whole body tensing, and for a second, Matt was positive the man wanted nothing more than to deck him, was just about ready to throw that punch.

Matt held his ground, not about to back down, ready to take the blow if he had to. He was ready and willing to go toe to toe with this arrogant ass, but raising a hand against a Texas deputy was a surefire way to get in trouble, and there wasn’t much he could do for Elena if he landed in jail his first day in town.

Finally, Gerard took a step back, giving his chin a belligerent tilt. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Don’t worry, Deputy,” Matt returned coolly. “I consider myself warned.”

With a curl of his lip, Gerard turned on his heel and stomped away.

Matt watched him go, the knot of tension in the pit of his stomach only tightening. He didn’t feel the slightest bit of relief that the deputy had backed down, his awareness of just how bad the situation was weighing down on him too heavily.

Whether or not Travis Gerard was right about the rest of the town—and the slashed tires indicated he just might be—the fact that the local law was gunning for Elena was confirmation enough that she needed help. Damned if he was going to stand by and watch her be railroaded. Unfortunately, she probably needed more help than he alone could offer, he had to admit. Luckily he might know someone who could provide some assistance.

Climbing into his truck, he pulled the envelope out of his pocket, found a pen in the glove compartment, then reached for his phone, hitting the speed dial.

A familiar voice answered after a few rings. “Triple C.”

“Piper, it’s Matt.”

“Matt, where are you? Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” he said, dodging the first question. “I just need you to give me Pam’s phone number.”

She didn’t say anything for a long moment, and he braced himself for her answer. “Everything can’t be fine if you want to talk to an FBI agent.”

“I just have a little bit of a situation here and I’m hoping she’d be willing to do something for me.”

“Is there anything Cade and I can do to help?”

He had no doubt that if he said the word, she and Cade would hightail it to Western Bluff as fast as they could, no questions asked. That was the kind of people they were, not just the people he worked for but his closest friends in the world. “You can give me Pam’s phone number,” he said simply.

She fell quiet again, then slowly began to recite the digits. He immediately jotted them down on the back of the envelope. “Do you need me to repeat it?” she asked when she was done.

“No, I got it.”

“We’re here if you need us, Matt.”

“I know,” he said gently. “I appreciate that, Piper.”

“Take care of yourself,” she said, then disconnected the phone.

Swallowing a sigh, he dialed the number she’d just given him and waited for someone to answer.