Chapter 2
TWO
The cry for help carried across the parking lot.
Texas Ranger Tate Atwood dropped his duffel. It hit the gravel with a thud. He reached for his concealed weapon. Off-duty or not, he never left the house without it.
He scanned the poorly lit parking lot, his footsteps swift and silent.
Deep shadows pooled between the vehicles.
An icy wind swept across his face and down the back of his jacket.
The main lodge glowed in the distance, the strings of Christmas lights hanging from the rafters the only color in the darkness pressing all around him.
Loose rocks shifted under his cowboy boots.
There! Movement between the rows of vehicles. A figure in black crouched over something on the ground.
“Police!” Tate raised his handgun. “Freeze!”
The figure jerked upright, head swiveling in Tate’s direction. For a heartbeat, they stood locked in a standoff. Then the attacker bolted, darting between cars toward the tree line that bordered the property.
Tate hesitated, torn between pursuit and aiding the victim. A pained moan from the ground made the decision for him. A woman struggled to push herself up, one hand pressed to her head. The sleeve of her jacket was shredded.
He eased closer, searching for additional threats. “Ma’am, stay still. I’m a Texas Ranger. You’re injured—”
She lifted her head, and the last of his sentence died on his lips as the weak light illuminated her features.
Golden hair framed a face he’d never forgotten.
Green eyes, once hidden behind thick glasses, now stared up at him, wide with pain and shock.
A thin trickle of blood ran from her temple down to her chin.
Annie Jacobson. The girl he’d wronged. The mistake that’d haunted him for twenty years.
Her eyes widened with recognition, then hardened. Even dizzy and injured, the flash of hurt and anger in her gaze was unmistakable. “Tate.” She schooled her features and braced her uninjured arm against the SUV next to her.
Tate holstered his weapon and reached out to help, but she waved him off.
He stepped back. “You’re hurt.”
“I’m fine.” She glanced behind her. “He got away?”
“Yes.”
She straightened, keeping one hand on the SUV. A lump was already rising near her temple, and blood coated the side of her face. Tate resisted the urge to steady her. Instead, he bent down and collected the laptop bag and cell phone from the ground. The phone’s screen was shattered.
Had the attacker been trying to rob her? Oakwood had little crime, but unfortunately, addiction was a problem everywhere. Someone in need of cash to buy their next fix would do just about anything.
A drizzle began to fall. Tate frowned. “Let’s go inside. I’ll call for an ambulance and the police.”
“I don’t need an ambulance.” Annie pushed away from the SUV and took a step. Her legs buckled.
Tate caught her before she went down. Alarm shot through him.
“Okay. I’ve got you.” Annie’s head lolled onto his shoulder, her breath warm against his neck.
The faint scent of vanilla drifted from her hair.
“You’re moving too fast, given the head injury.
” He kept an arm wrapped securely around her waist. “Think you can walk to the main lodge?”
“No, not there. I don’t want to cause a scene.” She gestured weakly toward the west side of the parking lot. “My house is about thirty yards down that path.”
“Okay.”
Tate followed the trail through a small copse of trees to a one-story ranch house with a wide front porch.
A creek bubbled nearby, invisible in the dark.
Annie pressed a finger to the automatic lock, and it clicked open.
A small lamp lit the foyer. She veered left and entered a hallway that led to a bathroom.
Tate set the shattered cell phone and laptop bag on the table in the kitchen nook before following her.
Annie’s hand trembled as she dragged a washcloth across her face to clean away the blood. “I hit my head on the fender of the SUV when he attacked me. Saw stars.”
“You might have a concussion.” Tate took the washcloth from her hand before steering her toward the edge of the bathtub. “Sit.” He ran warm water over the cloth, wrung it out, and then gently wiped at the cut near her hairline.
As he worked, his gaze fell on a small cross necklace at her throat. The same one she’d worn in high school. A family heirloom from her grandmother. Some things hadn’t changed. The thought was oddly comforting.
He assessed the goose egg. Along with the head injury, blood stained the sleeve of her jacket. “You need an ice pack. Do you have a first-aid kit?”
“Under the sink, but for an ice pack I’ll need to get a bag of frozen veggies from the kitchen.”
“Sit right there. I’ll do it.” He tossed the bloody washcloth into the sink. “Take off your coat if you can. I’ll be right back.”
He left the bathroom and retraced his steps to the large kitchen. The house was old-fashioned, with simple furniture and dated fixtures. He pulled a bag of corn from the well-stocked freezer and wrapped it in paper towels.
Annie appeared in the doorway, holding a first-aid kit in one hand. She’d removed her jacket, revealing a long gash on her arm. The sight of the injury against her pale skin sent a wave of anger through him. “How did you get that?”
“He had a knife.” She collapsed into one of the kitchen chairs. “It looks worse than it is, thankfully. I don’t think I need stitches.”
“You should still be seen by a doctor.” Tate handed her the bag of frozen corn.
Annie pressed it to her temple and winced. “I’m already feeling better. I called the police department and they’re sending someone out. Might take a while though. There’s only one patrol at night.”
Tate wasn’t surprised. Unlike the neighboring town of Raven Hills, where he and Annie had attended high school, Oakwood was barely a speck on the map. It had one main road with a pharmacy, a feed store, a tiny grocer, and a couple of fast-food places. The rest of the town was farmland and ranches.
He popped open the first-aid kit. Her stare was heavy on him as he dug through the supplies.
Nerves coiled in his stomach. He’d come to the reunion, in large part, to see Annie.
To apologize for the horrible way he’d treated her.
He’d practiced what he would say a dozen times, but face-to-face with her, the words seemed weak and useless.
Rain pattered gently against the window. Thank goodness his duffel was waterproof. He’d left it in the parking lot.
“Texas Ranger, huh?” Annie’s expression was neutral, but her gaze was speculative. Curious. A little surprised, maybe, and not quite willing to believe what she was seeing.
He nodded. “Apparently they’ll take anyone who can shoot decently and show up on time.”
“You show up on time? If memory serves, you nearly failed senior year because you had too many tardies.”
That made him laugh. “I’ve changed.”
Annie hummed in reply. The years had softened the curve of her cheekbones and added faint lines near the corners of her eyes.
The changes enhanced her natural beauty.
She had that approachable, girl-next-door look.
But a sharpness lurked behind those stunning green eyes, one that hadn’t been there in high school.
It spoke of heartache and hard life lessons.
Tate didn’t like knowing he’d helped put it there. He ripped open a disinfectant wipe to clean the cut on Annie’s arm. It was far easier to focus on the crime than on his complicated relationship with her. “What happened out there?”
“The attacker snuck up on me as I was getting the laptop bag and cell phone. Came swinging at me with his knife. I was able to fight him off until I hit my head on the SUV.”
Cold settled in Tate’s bones. A thief after a quick score didn’t usually didn’t kill in the process. “Did he say anything?”
“No.”
“Did he try to grab the laptop bag? Or cell phone?”
“Not that I recall, but everything happened so fast…” She blew out a breath. “I’ve been in some sticky situations before, but that was always while in uniform. It’s different when you don’t expect it. Or maybe I’ve just been a civilian for too long.”
“Grandma kept me updated on everyone until she passed. Last I heard, you were with the Houston Police Department.”
“Not anymore. I quit two years ago to open Haven Ranch.” She set the ice pack on the table and gestured for the wipe. “I’ll do it.”
Tate had the sense that she didn’t want him touching her. Fair enough. They were practically strangers. He handed over the wipe and settled in the seat across from Annie.
She dabbed at the cut, her shoulders stiff. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Neither did I. At least, not until yesterday. My work schedule isn’t predictable, and that makes planning difficult. But Brooke called yesterday to say they had an extra room, and I was still welcome. It seemed like a good opportunity to catch up with everyone.”
A half-truth. He’d come for her. Tate had practiced everything he’d say to Annie, but face-to-face with her, the words felt weak.
“Do you keep in touch with a lot of our classmates?” She reached for a bandage.
“No.” He’d only lived in Oakwood for a short time, and the person he’d become during his senior year wasn’t someone he liked to remember.
“Preston and the others will be happy you’re here.”
Her tone was caustic. With good reason. Preston and the other popular kids had been instrumental in that humiliating display during senior prom. Tate could still hear the jeers and the laughter. His own recorded voice playing over the loudspeaker system.
I only asked her to the dance because my grandmother forced me to. Obviously. She’s sad and lonely. It was a pity ask.
Shame crawled up the back of his neck.
Annie fumbled with a bandage, trying to attach it one-handed. Tate took it from her and, after removing the tabs, gently pressed it over the gash. “I didn’t come here for them.”
She froze. Her skin was warm and silky under the pads of his fingers. Tate lifted his gaze to meet hers. He’d come here to apologize, and he wouldn’t chicken out. “I’m sorry, Annie. For what I did. For what I said.”
She snatched her arm away. Color heated her cheeks. “It was a long time ago.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t change what I did. You deserved an apology back then.”
Her eyes sparked. “What I deserved was honesty.”
The words hit their mark. She was right.
He’d been too much of a coward to give it to her.
What he’d done to Annie…it was downright unforgivable.
He’d humiliated her, and he’d never made it right.
Instead, they’d ignored each other for the rest of senior year.
At the bonfire party on graduation night, he’d been determined to finally apologize, but a fight had broken out before he could.
The memory of that night sent guilt and regret washing through him.
Coming here…facing his past…
Maybe this had been a huge mistake.
Tate searched for the right words, but before he could speak, Annie cut him off with a raised hand. “Don’t. It’s over and done with.” She gathered the trash from the table and rose from the chair. “Thank you for apologizing. And for what you did tonight.”
Sirens wailed in the distance. Frustrated, Tate stood. He’d never been good at expressing himself, and this situation dredged up old insecurities and shame. Then again, if he hadn’t come, he wouldn’t have been in the parking lot when Annie was attacked.
What had the knife-wielding assailant wanted? Was it only the laptop and the cell phone?
Or had the attack been targeted?
Tate might not be able to set things right with an apology, but he could ensure the case was investigated correctly.
He owed Annie that much.