Page 29 of Cowboy’s Last Stand (His to Protect #1)

W ade arrived an hour after Jason dropped off Natalie.

It was enough time for Jason to cool off, rethink his anger, and get mad all over again.

He hated the thought of Billy following her around town, lurking in the shadows, and sabotaging her vehicle.

He hated that she’d kept it secret from him, which was pretty ironic considering the secrets he’d kept from her.

Wade parked his cruiser and got out. A moment later, he joined Jason in the garage. “Is Natalie at work?”

Jason stopped tinkering with the engine and lifted his head. “Yes.”

“Sorry I didn’t get here sooner,” he said. “I was on a domestic violence call.”

Jason shrugged, wiping his hands on a shop rag. The tire from Natalie’s bug was sitting on the garage floor. As Wade crouched down to inspect it, Jason noticed the dark stain on the shoulder of his uniform. It looked like a handprint.

“Whose blood is it?” Jason asked.

“You don’t want to know,” Wade muttered. He appeared weary and disheveled, as if he’d had a rough day. He photographed the ruined valve in silence. Then he straightened, glancing at the old truck with interest. “Is that a Ford?”

“F-series.”

“What year?”

“Fifty-five.”

“It’s got a nice patina.”

“That’s what I told Natalie.”

“Can you get it running?”

“I’m working on it.”

Wade turned his attention back to the tire. “The damage could have been done days ago.”

Jason didn’t disagree with this assessment. It was likely that Billy had sabotaged the tire when he’d left the note. He took the paper out of his pocket. “She found this yesterday when she was parked at the library.”

Wade frowned at the note. “She didn’t tell me.”

“She didn’t tell me either,” Jason admitted. “Not until today.”

“Did she see anyone?”

“No.”

“She thinks Billy did it?”

“Don’t you?”

Wade didn’t answer.

“Her theory is that he wants to stir me up. Incite violence.”

“I doubt he wants to fight you again.”

“Why not?”

“He’s a coward, and he already got his ass kicked.”

“Does he want to shoot me?”

“I wouldn’t put it past him if you showed up on his property.”

“What about on the street?”

“What about it?”

“Does he have a license to carry?”

“It’s not required here.”

“Hmm.”

“Where are you from?” Wade asked abruptly.

“Montana.”

“I hear they like the Second Amendment there too.”

“They do.”

“Are you a gun owner?”

Jason resented the question, which made him feel like a criminal. He hadn’t forgotten that Wade wanted Natalie. He’d tried to make a play for her recently. “I’m not armed if that’s what you’re asking. I hiked through five states.”

“So?”

“There are laws against carrying across state lines.”

“Not in Texas. We accept all guns here.”

Jason thought he detected a sardonic note in Wade’s voice. “I didn’t need a handgun on a nature trail.”

“You weren’t worried about wild animals?”

“The most dangerous animals I encountered are your brother and his friends. You should be interrogating them.”

Wade squinted at Jason’s answer. He’d been friendly enough while they talked shop, but the gloves were off now.

While they regarded each other with open hostility, London walked out of the house and sauntered toward them.

She was wearing a black sweatshirt and ragged jeans. Her hair looked like white-blond yarn.

“Howdy, Sheriff,” she said to Wade, giving him a sarcastic salute.

“Deputy Hendricks,” he corrected.

“What’s the problem?”

Neither of them replied.

“Let me guess,” she said, gesturing at Jason. “This innocent man was minding his own business, not bothering a soul, and you swooped in to shake him down because he’s an outsider. Is that right?”

Wade rested his hands on his hips and stared at the ground. He looked like a man who’d been working overtime and getting nowhere.

“He’s not shaking me down,” Jason said with patience. “Natalie called him.”

“For what?”

“Someone let the air out of her tire.”

“You’re here for a flat tire?” she asked Wade, incredulous. “My mom’s car got broken into at the hospital last year, and the cops wouldn’t even come out. The sheriff said it wasn’t worth making a report over and hung up on me.”

“He hung up on you?” Wade asked.

“After I cursed at him, yes.”

“Thanks for your concern,” Jason said with a tight smile. Then he pointed at the house. “Go inside and take care of Marcus.”

She lifted her hands in the air and walked away.

Wade didn’t comment on the interruption. He flipped open a notepad. “Your current address is in Montana?”

Jason recited his father’s address, though he didn’t live there anymore.

“What’s your full name?”

“Jason Falcon Reed.”

“Can you spell that?”

He spelled it.

“Why are you here?”

“I’m working for Natalie.”

“What brought you to Last Chance?”

“The highway.”

“You said you hiked across five states.”

“That’s right. I was on the Continental Divide Trail.”

“We’re nowhere near that trail.”

“I took a detour.”

“Why?”

Jason shrugged. Natalie hadn’t told Wade that Jason had come to pay his respects. Jason wouldn’t mention it, either.

Wade put the notebook away, his eyes narrow. “I don’t believe you were just passing through.”

“I don’t care what you believe, Wade. Why don’t you do your goddamned job and investigate your brother?”

“I need cause and evidence.”

Jason gestured to the flat tire.

“What would you suggest I do? Get a search warrant for a screwdriver?”

“You could look for M-16s.”

“I couldn’t get a signed order if I wanted to. Property damage of less than $250 is a misdemeanor offense. So is lighting firecrackers. They don’t issue warrants for petty crimes. Without direct evidence, my hands are tied.”

Jason crossed his arms over his chest, irritated. “Does the library have security cameras?”

“For the parking lot? I don’t know. I can check.”

“Don’t go out of your way,” Jason said in a sarcastic tone.

“I’ve already gone out of my way,” Wade said. “I interrupted Billy’s fun last weekend to warn him. I humiliated him in front of that sassy babysitter and her friend. He probably wants to shoot me even more than he wants to shoot you.”

Jason glanced toward the house, where London was watching Marcus. He wondered what would have happened to the girl and her friend if Wade hadn’t interfered. One of them might have become Billy’s next victim.

“The best remedy for this is de-escalation,” Wade said. “Billy started harassing Natalie when you entered the picture. He’s mad at you for beating him up and moving in with her. If you leave town, he’ll cool off.”

“You’re the third Hendricks to tell me to leave town. Are you sure you’re not in lockstep with your father and brother?”

Wade’s neck flushed red with anger. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re either in with them, or you’re turning a blind eye to what’s going on.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Have you considered the possibility that Billy has done this before? Has he targeted other young women for harassment?”

Wade recoiled at the accusation. “That’s far-fetched.”

“Is it?”

The deputy paced the length of the garage, his fists clenched. Then he rounded on Jason. “How do I know that you haven’t targeted other women? Maybe you’re a threat to Natalie. You came out of nowhere and latched on to her with amazing speed.”

Jason wanted to punch him in his tired, handsome face.

“There’s no way you just happened to be in the area the other night,” Wade added with surprising insight. He wasn’t as dumb as Billy. “You’re lying about something. I’m going to find out what it is and bury you with it.”

“Before you dig into my closet, search your brother’s.”

Wade paused to take a breath. His patience was running out. “I have a history with Natalie.”

“I know.”

“She told you we slept together?”

Jason scrubbed a hand over his mouth. He was annoyed with Wade for speaking so plainly, and personally, about Natalie. “Yeah, she did. She said she called you Mike, and you didn’t get her off.”

Wade made a growling sound and grasped the front of Jason’s shirt. He wrenched Jason forward and held him in a choking grip. “If I was the type to resort to police brutality, I’d smash your teeth in.”

“Try it,” Jason said in a low voice, his adrenaline pumping. He’d been spoiling for a fight for hours. He’d rather exchange blows with Billy, but Wade was close enough. “I’ll waive my rights.”

Wade released him with a hard shove. “You’re a menace. And a moron.”

Jason stumbled backward into the side of the Ford.

The collar of his shirt had ripped, and Natalie would notice.

She didn’t like fistfights or male aggression.

She’d already scolded him about it once today.

She wouldn’t approve of him needling Wade with intimate details and getting chippy in her garage.

It wasn’t gentlemanly behavior. Nor was it necessary.

In the battle for her affection, Jason had already won.

“I apologize,” Wade said stiffly.

Jason straightened and tried to smooth his torn shirt. The skin at his neck felt chafed, his chest rising and falling in agitation. “I provoked you.”

“It doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t have used force.”

Jason resented Wade’s ability to summon a calmer, more reasonable demeanor. It made Jason feel hotheaded and immature in comparison. Maybe Natalie should date a solid, dependable guy like Wade.

As Jason studied his rival, a hard knot formed in the pit of his stomach.

The deputy’s expression revealed a combination of defeat and self-disgust. Unlike his father, Wade seemed to care about his conduct as a law officer.

After answering a domestic abuse call, he’d probably been spoiling for a fight too.

Wade couldn’t beat up everyone who deserved it.

He couldn’t even squash his own brother.

“You’re picking her up after work?” Wade asked.

“Yes.”

“Is she planning to install a door camera?”

“I’ll make sure it gets done.”

Wade nodded. “I’ll look into… whatever I need to look into.”

Jason hoped that meant he would take Billy’s intimidation attempts seriously. “Can you tail him?”

Wade didn’t make any promises, but he took a card out of his wallet. “Call me if you see anything suspicious. Don’t follow his truck or attempt to engage him. I won’t pretend he’s not dangerous. He thinks he’s above the law.”

Jason accepted the card, and they walked out of the garage together.

Wade studied the heap of old carpet that had been removed from the upstairs apartment. “What’s she paying you?”

“Room and board.”

“I know you’re not sleeping with her,” Wade said. “You’re staying outside.”

Jason scowled at this, refusing to confirm it.

“You’ll leave eventually, but I won’t. I’ll be here after you move on.”

He didn’t bother to respond, because what could he say? If the truth came out, Natalie would tell Jason to leave. Wade was going to stay. Wade was a fixture in this town. Steady, solid Wade was willing to wait for Natalie to come to him, heartbroken.

It was almost a given that she would.