A Bride By Summer: The Texas Ranger's Bride / From Best Friend to Bride / Once Upon a Bride

“We try.”

Cy took the drawing from him. The guy bore a superficial resemblance to Ted Bundy, the serial killer from several decades back, but he kept the observation to himself. “That’s great work, Jim. We’ll go with this to put in the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He turned to Kellie. “All bets are on you winning the championship in December.”

“Thank you so much.”

“If anyone can catch him, Ranger Vance can. See you, Cy.”

When Jim left the office, she looked at Cy. “You’re called Cy?”

“Short for Cyril.” Don’t get sidetracked. “Your next rodeo is in South Dakota in two weeks, but I understand your parents want you to quit the circuit.”

“Yes, but since we talked with the police, Dad has told me he’ll hire some bodyguards for me so I can continue to compete.”

Cy shook his head. “That won’t work. We want to draw out this stalker and arrest him. He’ll know if you have people protecting you. That will change the way he has to operate. It will hinder our efforts and prolong the time you’re forced to live in terror.”

Her eyes clouded. “I don’t want to give up competition, not when I’m so close to the Finals in December. Isn’t there another way?”

Yes, but he didn’t know if she’d consider it. He knew her parents would raise objections.

“There’s always another way. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I’ll be right back.” He left the office and headed for TJ’s, knocking on the open door.

His boss’s head lifted. “Come on in.”

Cy shut the door and sat down. “Where are her parents?”

“In the reception area. Have you got an angle on this case yet?”

He nodded and brought him up-to-date. Then he told him his idea. TJ didn’t say anything at first. That didn’t surprise Cy. “I know it’s unconventional.”

“Unconventional? Hell, Cy. It’s unorthodox and unheard-of in this department.”

“But it could work. This way she could continue winning rodeos.”

Another few minutes passed before TJ said, “I’ll admit it’s brilliant. You realize the two of you will be walking a very thin line.”

Yup. Cy knew exactly what he meant and he wasn’t talking about the culprit. “I’ll need another Ranger working with me. Whoever you can spare.”

His eyes squinted. “You think she’ll agree?”

“Probably not, but it’s worth finding out. She’s had the world championship in her sights since she was eleven years old. If she says no, then I’ll know I was wrong to think she’d do anything to achieve her goal.”

He nodded slowly. “All right. You bring her in here and I’ll send for her parents. She doesn’t need their permission, but they’ll have to be in on this from the start or it won’t work. I’ll make sure all three of them are fingerprinted before they leave the building today.”

“Right.”

Chapter Two (#uad94e372-a267-56c2-801d-4b5cb3f10f14)

Cy’s plan was bold. But no matter how many ways he could think of to attack the problem, he kept coming back to his first idea.

“Ms. Parrish?” he spoke to her from the doorway. She got to her feet. “If you’ll come with me, we’re going to meet in the captain’s office with your folks.”

They walked down the hall, where Cy met Kellie’s parents. She took after her father in height and coloring. From her mother she’d inherited her good looks and figure. He shook their hands.

TJ invited everyone to sit down. “Ranger Vance has looked at every aspect of this case and has come up with a strategy. Every so often our Rangers plan a sting and go undercover. It’s a very effective way to flush out a criminal. Your daughter’s case presents a challenge because no one wants to see her quit the barrel-racing circuit when she’s so close to winning the championship in Las Vegas.” He glanced at Cy. “Tell them your thinking.”

Cy got to his feet. “You could hire bodyguards. But it would probably cause the culprit to stay away for a time, not go away. We want this stalker to be put away permanently, and ASAP. The best thing to do is flush him out.”

“That makes sense to me,” her father said.

“What if he’s followed me here to this office?” Kellie sounded anxious, but was still keeping her composure. Cy admired her for that.

“I’m sure he’s done that and a lot of other things. He knows where you and your parents live. He knows your rodeo schedule, your phone number. He knows your routine and enjoys frightening you. But we’re going to turn the tables on him and produce the husband he doesn’t believe exists.”

Those blue eyes rounded in shock.

“A husband is different from a bodyguard who goes with you everywhere. A husband and wife have their moments of separation. While I’m not with you, one of my team will be guarding you from a distance.

“To set this up, you’ll announce your secret through your blog. I’ve read through it. Your fans have pressed you over and over again to reveal if there’s a special man in your life. After telling them all this time that your life is private, you’re going to tell them that you recently married a cowboy. Furthermore you are looking forward to a long honeymoon after the Finals in Las Vegas.

“By putting the announcement out on the internet, it will prove to the world you are telling the truth. Of course, this stalker still won’t believe you because you’ve been his fantasy for a long time and he doesn’t live in anyone’s reality but his own. I still have yet to discover if he’s a psychotic who has lost all connection to his world, or a psychopath with a serious mental disorder. But in either case he’ll be enraged when he reads your blog.

“I can assure you he’s been reading it for as long as he’s been stalking you, and so far there’s been no mention of a husband. He thinks he’s safe. I have no doubt that some of the people making comments about your personal life on your blog have come from this lowlife.”

At that observation she paled.

“It will torture him that you really could be married. He thinks he knows everything about you and won’t be able to stand the fact that he could be wrong. That will bring him out of lurk mode. When he does that, it will be his big mistake.

“We have no idea of his place of birth or where he lives. He could be from Austin and followed you all the way to Oregon to begin his reign of terror. You can be sure he has already cased your condo and your parents’ ranch and knows every move you make. The Pendleton police are sending me a list of stalking victims in the Pendleton area in case there’s a way to link him to your case.

“If he’d wanted to kidnap you to compel your parents to pay a ransom, it would have already happened. So we can conclude money is not his motive. Though you didn’t see him in Albuquerque, we know he was out there somewhere putting a note on your windshield and phoning you in the middle of the night in Bandera. According to your schedule, you have another rodeo in South Dakota in two weeks. For the time being I imagine you’ll be training here in Austin every day until you leave. He’s probably planning to do something to you while you’re not on the road. Remember—he feels invincible.”

When she heard Cy’s assessment of the situation, he noticed she’d lowered her head, causing the strands of her molten hair to catch the light from overhead.

“So far you’ve had your handler and other people around while you’ve been taking care of your horses. But he’ll assume you’ll be alone in your condo part of the time for the next two weeks. The beauty of this plan is that when he comes after you, I’ll be there watching for him. When he makes his move, he’ll discover your husband on the premises. Do you have any questions?”

Now was the time for Kellie to tell him she couldn’t go along with his plan. He held his breath, waiting for her parents to voice their objections. Instead, her mother looked at her daughter with an anxious expression.

“His plan sounds solid, but how do you feel about it, honey?”

He watched Kellie nervously moisten her lips. “I’m thankful I won’t have to be alone.” She looked up at Cy. “Even if it means everyone will think I’m married, I want that disgusting creature caught.” Her voice shook.

TJ sent Cy a silent message. I’ll be damned.

“Before you go home with your parents, I’ll need your key to the condo and your phone, Ms. Parrish.”

“All right.” Her hands trembled as she rummaged in her purse for those items and handed them to him.