CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Maggie’s heart was beating way too fast. Her breath was gusting. But she couldn’t make herself calm down. Not with Sunny at risk.
Shawn Marcus, the Corral Junction sheriff, brought his cruiser to a squealing stop directly in front of the Amarillo hospital. There were uniformed officers all around. A bomb squad truck, too.
Once they’d made it out of the dead zone, Jake had managed to speak briefly with Royce so Jake and she knew the area had been contained, that there didn’t appear to be any gunmen present, just the threat of the bomb, but the threat was enough to get Sunny evacuated. Evacuated where, though, Jake and she didn’t know.
“I’m Sheriff Jake McCall,” he shouted as he barreled from the cruiser.
One of the uniforms nodded and motioned for them to follow him. Jake said a quick goodbye and thanks to his fellow sheriff, and Maggie and he began to run.
The adrenaline was knifing through her, and there was nothing left of her composure by the time they made it to the back parking lot of the building where there were several ambulances. More uniformed officers, too. They went straight to the one where both Royce and Chet were standing. The men had their guns drawn and were keeping watch.
“Sunny’s okay,” Royce immediately volunteered, and he tipped his head to the ambulance. “Nell and the nurse are in there with her. And the bomb threat was just that. A threat. They took the dogs through there, and they found nothing.”
Maggie allowed herself a short breath of relief, but she knew she wouldn’t feel even marginally better until she saw Sunny’s face.
Royce glanced at Maggie’s head. “What about you two? Were you hurt?”
“No,” Maggie said, but then Jake wiped at the cut on the side of her head. It was such a minor injury compared to what could have happened. “I’m just anxious to see Sunny.”
Jake must have felt the same way because he reached for the rear ambulance door.
“By the way,” Royce said, catching on to his brother’s arm. His gaze shifted to Maggie. “You’re the bone marrow match for Sunny.”
That robbed Maggie of what little breath she had, and the tears sprang to her eyes. Happy tears, this time. Well, happy until she remembered the danger they were still facing. Jake and she had just come close to dying. Maybe Sunny would have, too, if this had been a real bomb threat. It wouldn’t do much good if she saved Sunny with the bone marrow, only to have them dropped right back into danger.
“You’re going through with the donation, right?” Chet asked, and as usual his tone was a bark without a trace of friendliness.
Maggie didn’t mind the bark so much. She deserved it, but she had to wonder what Chet would say about his meeting with Tanner. Now wasn’t the time to ask about that, but she doubted Jake would put it off for long. They needed answers, and unfortunately, Chet might have them.
“Of course I’m going through with it,” Maggie assured him, and she looked at Jake to see how he was dealing with this.
Like her, there was relief in his eyes. Worry, too. And there was the underlying fear that even though she was a match, she had to stay alive to save Sunny.
Royce’s expression was considerably kinder than his father’s when he looked at Maggie. “As soon as this bomb threat is lifted and we’ve made arrangements to move Sunny to a new location, I’ll start the plans for the marrow donation.”
She nodded, mumbled a thanks and wiped away the tears when Jake opened the ambulance door. Maggie didn’t want Sunny to see her crying.
Jake and she stepped into the ambulance, and Maggie met Nell’s gaze first. Yet another concerned McCall. Sunny was on the small gurney, the covers on her and an IV still attached to her arm.
She opened her eyes and smiled at them.
It was weak, but it warmed Maggie from head to toe.
“Glad you’re here,” Nell whispered to both of them. She reached out, gave Maggie’s hand a squeeze. “I’ll give you guys some time alone.”
Nell stepped out of the ambulance and thankfully so did the nurse. Maggie didn’t know how much time they would have, but she wanted to make every minute count. Then, she’d need to give Jake some alone daddy-daughter time, too.
Jake took some of the antiseptic wipes from the shelf next to the gurney, and he wiped his hands before giving one to Maggie for her to do the same.
“You came,” Sunny said, her attention shifting back and forth between them.
“Of course we did.” Jake ran his fingers through her hair, kissed her forehead. “How are you feeling, baby?”
She yawned, wiped her eyes. “My head hurted a little, but it’s better now.”
Probably a headache from the fever. It was yet another reminder of just how sick her precious niece was.
Sunny took Maggie’s hand and urged her closer to the gurney so that Jake and she were kneeling side by side next to the little girl.
“Does your head hurted, too?” Sunny asked, looking at Maggie’s cut.
“No,” Maggie assured her.
But Sunny didn’t seem to believe that. She also looked at the scratch on the back of her daddy’s hand and then the mud on both their jackets.
“We slipped and fell down,” Jake said before Sunny could ask. “We’re clumsy, huh?”
That brought back the smile. “Aunt Nell says you’re gonna make me all better now,” she said to Maggie.
“I am.” And Maggie wasn’t going to allow any room for doubt. This had to work.
“I’ll maybe feel good soon,” Sunny added in a whisper. She turned back to Jake, and the smile vanished. “Santa might not find me here.”
“You’ll get your presents, baby,” Jake promised. The emotion weighed down his voice, but Maggie could tell he was trying to hide his concerns from his daughter. “One of the ranch hands can get them from Santa and bring them to you.”
“But what about the other present?” Sunny asked, staring at Maggie. “I want you to come live with us and be my mommy.”
Oh, mercy. Maggie hadn’t wanted to tackle this today. “Let’s talk about that after Christmas.”
The skeptical look returned. It was much too perceptive for a child so young. “That means you’re gonna say no. ’Cause that’s what Daddy says when he doesn’t want to say no right off.”
“It’s not a no,” Maggie assured her. She was digging herself into a deep hole. “I just don’t know what my plans are yet.”
Well, other than doing the bone marrow donation and then going to WITSEC. But even that might be out. She certainly didn’t want to start a new life as someone else if Sunny and the rest of the McCalls weren’t safe. And the only way for that to happen was to get Tanner and his lackeys out of the picture. If by some miracle that happened then she wouldn’t need WITSEC, and the McCalls wouldn’t need protecting.
Sunny held up her index finger and blew on it as if it were a candle. “It’s like a wish,” she whispered. “If we all do it, it might come true.”
Maggie glanced at Jake and figured the discomfort she saw there on his face pretty much matched the uneasiness on hers. Still, Sunny was clearly waiting, so Maggie blew on the tip of her index finger.
“Your daddy probably needs to save his wishes for other things,” Maggie suggested so she could give Jake an out. Despite their recent closeness, there was no way he’d want her at the ranch.
But Sunny just kept staring at him, just kept waiting, until Jake finally blew at his finger, too.
Sunny clapped her hands, but that seemed to sap the rest of her energy. She yawned again. “Merry Christmas, Daddy,” she whispered. “Merry Christmas, Aunt Maggie.”
Jake kissed her again. Maggie leaned over and did the same. As much as she wanted to stay there and not lose a moment with Sunny, there were things that had to be done. Like the preparations for the bone marrow donations.
But first and foremost, they had to keep Sunny safe.
Jake and she stepped from the ambulance, and Nell and the nurse immediately went back in. Royce was talking on the phone, so that left Maggie facing Chet.
“Tanner said you visited him in prison,” Jake said, taking the words out of her mouth. “He claims you tried to cut a deal with him.”
Chet’s eyes narrowed, but what he didn’t do was deny it. “I thought he knew where Maggie was.”
God. It was true. Tanner hadn’t lied about that—Chet had visited him.
Jake huffed. “And if he did, you believed he’d just give you this information for nothing?”
“No.” Chet’s mouth tightened, he repeated it and glanced away. “I figured Tanner would make me pay somehow.”
“With Maggie’s death?” Jake questioned.
“No!” And that time, Chet didn’t hesitate. “Look, there’s no goodwill between me and her, but her death would have solved nothing. Just the opposite. We need her alive for Sunny.”
“She’s helping all of us,” Jake corrected. “Maggie’s put her neck on the line, and what I want to know is if you made it worse by going to Tanner. Did he ask you to kill Maggie? I don’t mean before she found out she was a match but did he want you to kill her after she donated the bone marrow?”
Chet opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again and looked as if he were ready to pitch a fit. But the fit of temper came and went, and he groaned and scrubbed his hand over his face. “Tanner made that offer. I turned it down.”
“Did you?” Maggie pressed, and she hated that she even had to ask.
She braced herself for a tongue-lashing for questioning Chet’s innocence, but he looked her straight in the eye. “I turned him down,” he repeated. “But he let me know he’d just hire somebody else.”
Now it was Jake’s turn to groan. “According to David, Tanner didn’t hire anyone to kill Maggie. He hired someone to kill me.”
The color blanched from Chet’s weathered face. “David could be lying.” But he didn’t sound any more convinced of that than Maggie was.
Jake stared at his father. “If you know anything about Tanner’s plans—”
“I don’t,” Chet insisted. “And I sure as hell wouldn’t have sat there and listened to him go on about hiring someone to kill my son.” He glanced at Maggie’s cut and Jake’s hand. “Is that what happened to you? You ran into Tanner’s hired gun?”
“Probably.” Jake wearily shook his head. “But now we need to find out who Tanner hired.”
Chet didn’t have time to speculate on that because Royce finished his call and stepped closer. “I want to move Sunny to another hospital here in town.” He put his hands on his hips and glanced at both of them. “How do you two feel about creating a diversion so that we can make sure no one follows Sunny?”
“What do you have in mind?” Jake asked.
“It’s risky, but if any of Tanner’s men are around here, maybe you can lead them somewhere else?”
Jake looked at her, waited for Maggie to nod. “Give us the keys to your SUV. The rest of you can ride in the ambulance with Sunny. Get some plainclothes officers to go with you.”
Yeah, it was risky, for Jake and her, but it sounded as if he was making this as safe as possible for Sunny.
“What about the bone marrow donation?” Maggie asked. “When and where?”
“Around midnight.” He checked his watch. “About ten hours from now. It’s the best I could do.” Royce paused. “And it’ll be done at the small hospital in Corral Junction. Betsy Becker will meet you there about a half hour prior and will sneak you in through the back.”
Betsy, Sunny’s nurse, had given them no reason not to trust her. Maggie hoped that continued.
“Betsy’s helping with the donation, too. Her cousin’s a doctor, and he’s done these procedures before. She’s convinced him to come to the hospital and do it. It’ll be very hush-hush, and hopefully you can be out in no time. There’ll be minimal staff because of Christmas, so maybe we can keep this from getting back to Tanner.”
None of them said anything right away. They stood there, trying to absorb it all.
“What then?” Chet asked. “We all just can’t go walking around free as birds?”
“No,” Royce agreed. “If we can’t deal with Tanner once and for all, we’re all going to need to disappear.”
“WITSEC?” Chet practically howled.
“Or something like it,” Royce clarified. “Maggie, Jake and Sunny could go alone, but Tanner would just try to use Nell, you and me to draw Jake right back out.”
Oh, God. Royce was right.
This could cost the McCalls their ranch. Their home.
Their lives.
“One thing at a time,” Jake reminded them. “Let’s take care of Sunny, and we’ll go from there.”
“I agree. I need to call the other hospital and let them know we’re coming. I’ll make sure they keep our arrival a secret.” Royce took his SUV keys from his pocket and handed them to Jake. He motioned to the space where he’d parked. “Will you two be taking any more trips to where there’s bad phone reception?”
“No,” Jake assured him. “I’m taking Maggie to the ranch.”
Both Chet and Royce looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.
“Not to the house,” Jake said. “But to one of the outbuildings.”
That could mean anything from a barn to one of the ranch hands’ cabins. It probably wouldn’t be comfortable, or warm, but it was only for a few hours until they had to leave for the hospital.
Another place that would be hard to secure.
Maggie hoped the procedure could be done quickly so Jake and she could get in and out.
“Use my house,” Royce offered. “It has a security system.”
And it was on the grounds of the ranch. Small, if she remembered correctly, but better than a barn.
“If things don’t go well,” Jake said to his brother, “call one of the ranch hands and have them bring Sunny’s presents to whatever hospital you’re at.”
Royce huffed. “I will, but Sunny’s not going to like that. She’ll want you there come Christmas morning.”
“I know.” And Jake repeated it under his breath. “I’ll do everything humanly possible to make that happen.”
He would. No one there doubted that, but there were a lot of things that Tanner could throw at them.
Maggie looked at Jake, snagged his gaze. “Once you have the bone marrow, you’ll leave and come back here to be with Sunny.”
“You’ll be sedated,” he reminded her. “In no shape for me to leave.”
“Yes, I will be. You’re spending Christmas with Sunny.”
Jake looked as if he wanted to argue with that. And then as if he didn’t. But as far as Maggie was concerned, there was nothing to argue about.
“We’ll wait in the parking lot until you drive away,” Jake finally said to Royce. “And then we’ll leave. If Tanner has a man in place near here, we’ll make sure he sees us. I want him following us, not you.”
Jake said goodbye to his brother and dad, and while they were making their way across the parking lot, his phone rang. “It’s Billy,” he relayed to her.
Maggie hoped the deputy wasn’t calling with bad news. They’d already had enough of that for the day. For an entire lifetime.
Jake and she got into the SUV, but he didn’t start the engine. “Why does he want to talk to me?” Jake asked Billy. He paused. “Give him this number.”
The moment Jake finished his call with Billy, he looked at her. “Dr. Grange is going to call in a few minutes.”
Maggie wasn’t exactly surprised when she heard the identity of the caller. After all, Grange was a suspect, and he knew it. Maybe the doctor had heard about their visit to the prison. Or worse. Maybe he’d been the person who had fled in the truck after firing shots at them.
She scooted closer to him so she could hear, and she waited. It was the first moments of silence they’d had, well, since the cabin. Not exactly silence, though, since her thoughts had been going a mile a minute.
Still were.
Jake had that effect on her.
Maggie looked at him at the exact moment he looked at her. They glanced away as if they’d been caught doing something wrong. And before she could stop herself, she laughed. It wasn’t funny. Nothing about their situation was, but the awkwardness between them was almost palpable.
The heat, too.
The corner of his mouth lifted. A killer dimple flashed in his cheek. “We’re a pair, aren’t we? Our baggage has got baggage.” His tone was light, but the smile didn’t stay. Nor did the eye contact. He glanced at the ambulance and Royce, who was still on his phone, no doubt making arrangements for Sunny’s transfer to another hospital.
She couldn’t argue with him or the crazy intimacy going on between them. “I think I’m falling for you,” Maggie confessed. It was probably stupid, but if she was going to die, she was at least going to get that off her chest.
“Don’t,” he warned. But then Jake leaned in and brushed his mouth over hers. His lips were rough from the cold and wind, and even though the gesture was gentle, he wasn’t. The pressure deepened. So did the grip he put on her arm to urge her closer.
“And that’s your answer to don’t?” she asked.
He shook his head, checked the ambulance again. “No. That was me making a mistake.”
She ran her tongue over her bottom lip and tasted him there. “It didn’t feel like a mistake.”
“It never did between us. And that was part of the problem.”
They were talking about the kiss in the barn now. Ancient history. Or maybe not, she decided, when he kissed her again.
What were they talking about?
One thing was for sure—she needed to keep her head, because the man and his kisses were getting to her. How could just a touch from his lips start that kind of fire inside her? Jake’s kisses simmered through her. Her mouth. Her breasts. Her belly.
And lower.
All with a kiss that Jake considered a mistake.
The sound shot through the SUV, and Maggie embarrassed herself by gasping. It was just the phone, something they’d been expecting. Something the kiss had caused her to forget. “Sheriff McCall,” Dr. Grange said crisply when Jake answered. “Tanner’s lawyer just phoned me with a heads-up that you’re having my financials investigated.”
“I am.” Jake glanced at her, cleared his throat and stared at the ambulance. “And there’s suspicious money in one of your accounts,” he added. “Care to tell me how it got there?”
“I didn’t put it there, but my guess is Tanner did, to make me look guilty. Judging from the tone of your voice, he succeeded.”
“Haven’t made up my mind about that yet. I just want to know the truth. I’m tired of getting shot at, tired of nearly getting Maggie killed, and I’m especially tired of the fact that something about your situation with Tanner just doesn’t add up. Now, tell me, what doesn’t add up?”
It was several seconds before Grange said anything. “Tanner’s blackmailing me. Not for money. But he’s got something he keeps holding over my head.”
Maggie certainly hadn’t expected to hear the doctor say that, and she moved even closer to Jake so she wouldn’t miss a word of the explanation. She also checked on the ambulance. Still there.
“I’m listening,” Jake prompted.
Grange’s breath was loud enough for Maggie to hear it. “Three years ago, I was looking for land to build an outpatient drug rehab center for my charity foundation, and Tanner owned a property I started researching.” He paused again. “I found out the land hadn’t exactly been obtained legally.”
Oh, no. Maggie suddenly got a really bad feeling about this. Please. Don’t let this go where she thought it might be going.
“What did you do?” Jake pressed.
“Look,” the doctor said, “the only reason I didn’t tell you is because of Chet. You know his temper. And I thought he might try to ruin me. Or kill me.”
“Oh, mercy.” Maggie groaned. It was about that. She hadn’t known that Grange had been the one to start it, but she knew it now.
And Jake was about to know it, as well.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Jake asked.
Maggie wanted to scream, to pull the phone from Jake’s ear, but Pandora’s box had already been opened.
“When I found the suspicious land deal,” the doctor explained, “I told someone. Someone I wanted to take the information to the cops. I didn’t want Tanner to know I’d been the one to find it, and I told this someone not to mention my name to the cops.”
Beside her, Jake went perfectly still. “Who’s the someone?” he asked.
And Maggie knew she had to be the one to tell him. Not that it would be easier coming from her. No. It would only reopen old wounds just starting to heal. Still, he had to hear it from her.
“Jake, it was Anna,” Maggie whispered.