* * *
WHEN CARSON WAS in Afghanistan, he’d often wondered what it would feel like to be hit by a sniper’s bullet. Now he knew. It had to be similar to the paralyzing fear that controlled his body and his mind. And touched his soul.
After Jared’s and Beth’s deaths, he’d felt a deep sadness and didn’t know how he was going to go on without them. They were a big part of his world and adjusting to a new life wasn’t easy, but he had his kids. Jena had nothing.
Somehow he felt responsible for her pain because he’d delivered the bad news. That hopeless look on her face got to him, and he just wanted to comfort her in some way, but there was no comfort in the knowledge she would never see her child.
He got into his car, cursing his father’s stubbornness and life’s cruelty. Maybe she could move on now and find happiness. That was, after Asa was arrested. Maybe that would bring her some peace. For him it would be another nightmare to get through.
He and Beth had vowed to have a happy, loving family, and they had for a while. They were ecstatic when they found out she was pregnant with Trey. In her sixth month, they’d decided it would be better if she came home to Willow Creek to have the baby.
Beth had called her mother, who’d said it wasn’t a good time to come home. After many years of marriage, Connie and Don Kirby were getting a divorce. Beth had packed and gone home anyway, trying to save her parents’ marriage. It hadn’t worked. Her father had already moved out, and her mother was planning to relocate to Maine to be with a truck driver she’d met at Mabel’s Café.
Beth was devastated and Carson was so far away he couldn’t help her. That was when Asa had stepped in and invited Beth to live at the Bar C. Beth was one of the few people Asa liked, so Carson hadn’t worried about how his father would treat her. He doted on her, hiring a housekeeper and making sure Beth had everything she needed.
Beth’s parents’ marriage was another statistic in the marriage game. Don moved to Oregon and started another family. Beth rarely heard from her father. He was in the hospital having knee surgery when Beth died. After that, he’d called several times, but Carson hadn’t heard from the man in years. Connie married the truck driver and lived in Maine. She’d returned to Willow Creek for the funeral but soon left. Carson hadn’t heard from her since.
Even though both of their parents’ marriages had failed, he and Beth were determined to make theirs work. That was when he first thought about leaving the Marines. He and Beth needed to be together, especially since they were starting a family. Maybe Asa had mellowed and Carson could run the ranch now. So many maybes had filled his head, especially since Beth had told him that Asa continued to push Jared hard, and she feared he would leave and never come back. But then the unthinkable had happened. Jared was killed and life became a daily nightmare.
He backed out of the Brookses’ driveway and turned toward home. Tonight after he put his kids to bed, he’d think about Jena and the pain she would endure for the rest of her life.
Happiness was just an illusion, he decided. All one could do was hope for the best, and he wished that for Jena. He prayed she found peace, in whatever way she could.
* * *
“JENA.”
Jena blinked at the light on her phone. She was still sitting on the floor in the bedroom, but now it was completely dark.
Hilary flipped on the light. “What’s going on? The house was in complete darkness when I drove up. Mama’s in bed and I thought you were, too. Why are you sitting on the floor?”
Jena gripped her phone. “What time is it?”
“After ten.” Hil slid down beside her. “What’s wrong?”
She told her sister what Carson had said.
“That sorry old bastard. Someone needs to slap him.”
“I got the feeling it doesn’t matter. You can slap him, jail him, kill him and Asa’s still not telling his secret. You see, it’s his last revenge on me. He doesn’t have his son because of me, or so he feels, and so I will never have my child.”
“That’s insane.”
“Yeah, but how do you reason with someone who’s insane?”
“I don’t know, Jen-Jen. I’m so sorry.”
She lifted the phone in her hand. “I’ve been sitting here trying to call Blake. I’ve punched his number about ten times, but I click off before it goes through.”
“Why?”
“Blake is a cutthroat lawyer, and if he comes here he can cause all kinds of trouble.”
“That’s good. Maybe he can scare the truth out of Asa.”
“And he can make the whole town hate us. You have a good relationship with everyone here, and I don’t want that to change. And I certainly don’t want anyone to upset Mama.”
“So you’re going to give up?”
“I will never give up. I just haven’t figured out what I’m going to do, but I’ve come to the conclusion I don’t need Blake. I can handle this on my own.”
Hil’s mouth fell open. “You’re going to confront Asa?”
“I’m not sure yet, but by morning I’ll have a plan. If Carson thinks I’m going to quietly leave town like before, then he’s in for a shock. One way or another I’m going to find my child.”
CHAPTER FIVE
THE NEXT MORNING Carson drove into the parking spot for his office, which was part of the paved area for the convenience store and gas station next door. He didn’t need a lot of space. People rarely came to see him—when he got a call, he went to whoever was calling in a disturbance or a complaint.
For years Willow Creek hadn’t had a constable’s office, but Asa had built the current building for Bernie about thirty years ago. Back then Asa was the law in Willow Creek, Texas. Bernie did exactly what Asa wanted him to.
He spotted Ms. Brooks’s car parked to the side. What was she doing here? Reaching for his office keys from the center console, he opened the door and got out. When she saw him, she got out, as well.
He tipped his hat. “Mornin’, Ms. Brooks.”
“Morning.”
Her eyes were sad and had that cried-out look. Once again, he felt sympathy for her situation. In jeans and a white knit top that barely came to her waistband, she managed to look incredibly sexy. And that was the last thing he should be noticing.
“I’m not sure why you’re here,” he said to shift his mind in the right direction. “I told you last night there was nothing else I could do. I’ll fax my report to the sheriff, and he will take it from there.” He looked around. “Is your lawyer meeting you here?”
“I want to talk to you.”
“Oh...okay.” He walked toward the front door, wondering why she needed to talk. There wasn’t much left to discuss. But he didn’t mind talking if that was what she wanted. He just didn’t see the point.
He unlocked his office door, flipped on the light and turned on the air conditioning. The room was stuffy from being closed up. Hooking his hat on a peg, he took a moment and then sat down. She’d already taken a seat in the chair across from his desk.
When she didn’t say anything, he asked again, “Is your lawyer meeting you here?”
“I’ve changed my mind about that.”
“Why?”