Chapter Eleven
Dr. Frazer didn’t sound happy to hear from the sheriff. “I had a thought,” Max said the moment the man answered. “I think we’re still going to have to get blood types from the staff and the rest home manager—”
“And me, don’t forget,” Doc said sarcastically.
“Right, but let me ask you this. If the mother has O negative blood type, will her offspring have it?”
“Her children could have it,” the doctor said slowly, “But it’s not guaranteed. It would depend on the father’s blood type and other factors.”
“Did Mildred Wilson have any children?”
“Two sons. And before you ask, yes, they both live around here. Their mother was a resident at Shady Rest, but with their mother gone, why would they have reason to kill two elderly women at the rest home?”
“That’s a good question,” the sheriff said. “But first I need to know if either of them has type O negative blood.”
* * *
“WHERE ARE WE GOING?” Clancy asked as the terrain began to change.
They had dropped out of the mountains and onto a more substantial road that was graveled.
She could hear the thick mud flinging itself off the tires as he drove.
If she was right and they were headed west, they should be hitting the highway soon.
“I know a place we can hide out,” Dub said and glanced over at her. “I’m not going to turn you in if that’s what you’re thinking. You need to trust me.”
“I do, but—”
He chuckled. “Trust doesn’t come easy for you, does it? Tell me why that is.”
She knew he was right, but she’d never thought about why. “I guess because I didn’t have a lot of stability growing up. My dad took off when I was eight. My mother had a lot of boyfriends after that. She finally married one when I was eighteen and left too.”
“That could do it,” Dub said. “I’m sorry. It must have been rough. Were you and your father close?”
She blinked rapidly as her eyes burned with tears. “I thought we were. He was killed a few months later in a car wreck.”
He shook his head. “Sorry doesn’t cut it,” Dub said without looking at her. “I wouldn’t be real trusting either, if I were you.”
Ahead, she could see a semi on the highway.
She couldn’t help feeling anxious the closer they got to Grass Range.
“I’m fine, better than a lot of people,” she said, sounding defensive.
“My mother left me the small house I grew up in. My cousin Goldie owns the local diner. I survived just fine. I don’t need your sympathy.
” It was the last thing she wanted. She wished she hadn’t told him so much about herself.
He shot a look at her. “Sorry, if you thought that’s what I was feeling. When I look at you, I see the remarkable woman you’ve become and so much more. Why do you think I tried so hard to get to know you?”
They reached the highway and as he started to turn north toward Grass Range, he quickly said, “We have to drive past Grass Range, but we aren’t stopping there, I promise.
I know someone who has a guesthouse on his ranch north of town.
We can stay there since he’s in Arizona until spring.
” Clancy tried to relax but couldn’t as he turned north.
“If you’re worried, you can bend down and stay out of sight as we fly past the convenience store. ”
“I don’t mean to hurt your feelings. I do…trust you.”
He chuckled. “I see you trying. I get it. We haven’t known each other that long. Why trust me? I’m just another cowboy who might break your heart. Or might surprise you and be what you’ve been searching for.”
Clancy shook her head. “You are so arrogant. Worse, you think you have me all figured out, don’t you?”
“Not even close, but I want to get to know you, Clancy Roberts. Right now, though, you might want to stay down. A law enforcement vehicle just pulled out of the convenience store parking lot. It’s headed our way.”
* * *
AS CLANCY SLID down in the pickup seat, she held her breath. She knew she couldn’t keep running from the law. She especially couldn’t keep running from Max. He needed to find the killer and not spend time looking for her. She would call him once they got to the guesthouse Dub knew about.
“You’re safe now,” Dub said.
She sat up slowly and looked back. “Do you think he’s headed for your ranch?”
“It crossed my mind.”
“Now the law is going to be looking for you too,” she said. “Dub, I never wanted to drag anyone else into this, especially you.”
“I appreciate that. Don’t worry, we’re going to figure this out. It’s all going to be okay.”
She looked over at him, unable to hold back a smile because she believed that if he had anything to do with it, everything would be all right.
This cowboy had gone through life convinced everything would turn out fine, while she’d always been waiting for the other shoe to drop and things to get worse.
Studying his handsome face, she wished she could be more like him.
She also wished that he was right, and he wouldn’t regret getting involved with her.
As he turned on his blinker and began to slow, she looked out to see rolling hills with freshly snowcapped mountains in the distance.
It made her a little nervous that wherever they were headed wasn’t all that far from Grass Range and the murder investigation going on there.
But Max was probably on his way to the Crawford Ranch in the vehicle Dub had seen, anyway.
They didn’t go far down the road before she saw log structures ahead. Dub drove past the largest of the buildings, over a rise and down by a creek before stopping in front of a small log house.
“This is it,” he said, cutting the engine and reaching for her backpack from the king cab seat.
“This is the guesthouse?” she asked as she opened her door and got out. While smaller than the other house they’d passed, it was still larger than any guesthouse she’d ever seen. Not that she’d seen many. Most people around Dry Gulch might have a guest room—but not an entire house.
“Should we be here?” she whispered as they walked to the front door.
“Don’t worry, I keep an eye on the place for my friend’s family.” He grinned. “That’s why I know where the key is.” He stretched to reach behind a large moose antler hanging beside the door and produced the key. “They usually keep the place stocked and ready for guests. Let’s see.”
As Clancy stepped inside, she couldn’t help but stare.
It was all beautifully furnished with leather furniture and thick, fluffy rugs.
Dub picked up a remote and turned on the gas fireplace.
It instantly burst into flame. Not that they needed it.
The warmth of the place told her the house was obviously heated.
She realized that if it was heated, the water was probably hooked up as well. She spotted a bathroom down the hallway. Drawn to it, she glanced inside and almost drooled over the size of the glassed-in shower. She’d never stayed in any place this luxurious.
“Won’t Tanner know where you’ve gone?” she asked as she found Dub in the kitchen.
“He doesn’t know everything about me.”
“What about your father? I feel so bad about deceiving him.”
“Hey,” he said, stepping to her to lift her chin with a finger until their eyes met. “My father is one of the fairest men I know. He won’t think badly of you, because we are going to prove that you’re innocent. I’m not going to let you become another victim of this killer, okay?”
Looking into his eyes, she couldn’t help but smile.
He’d told her long ago at the convenience store that if she gave him a chance, he’d surprise her.
She was starting to realize that while he was a smooth-talking, good-looking cowboy, he wasn’t like others she’d known. He was nothing like her father.
“I’ll rustle up something to eat. You must be starved since we missed lunch, and now it’s suppertime.”
“I’d offer to help—”
“But you don’t cook.”
“But I can set a table and load a dishwasher.”
He grinned. “Then you’re my girl. I saw you admiring the accommodations. Help yourself to a shower. I’m willing to bet anything you desire will be in there including a heated floor and towels.” He must have seen her hesitate. “You can lock the door, but you have nothing to fear from me.”
“I know,” she said, making him chuckle.
“You don’t, but you will. Take as long a shower as you like. I know for a fact that they have unlimited hot water. I’ve stayed here before. I’ll have food ready when you get out.”
The thought of a hot shower after working in the barn earlier was too appealing to turn down.
Once in the bathroom, she felt almost guilty as she locked the door.
She turned on the shower and quickly shed the bulky clothing Dub had given her.
Stripped down, she stepped under the hot spray and let out a sigh.
Had it only been a couple days since she’d gotten that text about Esther’s murder from Sarah? It felt like a lifetime.
Dub was right about the bathroom being fully equipped with anything she needed, from shampoo and conditioner to bath gel and soft warm washcloths.
She thought of the small shower in the trailer she’d been renting and wanted to pinch herself.
Hurriedly, she reminded herself not to get too comfortable or complacent.
She still had all the law enforcement officers in Montana looking for her.
Not to mention a killer.