Finding Kimber (Canyon Junction; Hearts In Love Book 2) Read online

  “I know you couldn’t. Neither could I knowing you thought I had died. I don’t like this either, but I want to live. I want you to go about your daily lives without living in fear because of something that was all my fault. I can go away and survive knowing you understand and will be okay. I love you so much.” They huddled and cried together.

  A knock on the door caused everyone to jump. Jerry came back in with Melinda, and Greg Stone accompanied them. “Let's go.” Jerry leaned over the window to gaze outside again. “Tressa, you know the drill.” He briefly explained what would happen once they rounded the corner of the hotel, and what would take place in the empty parking lot across the street. Without the deal with Greg Stone, and approval from higher-ups, none of this could’ve been arranged. That’s how badly they wanted to put Sam away.

  Tressa nervously watched Jerry’s movements. She took a deep breath and lowered her head into her hands, now on the verge of hyperventilating. One more hug would be all she’d have. One more smile. No. Fear encompassed her shaking body. Wait, no, she wasn’t ready. More deep breaths. She talked herself into some kind of sanity for the sake of her family.

  “Ready folks? Tressa, it’s time to go.” Greg peered into her eyes.

  His gaze held a silent encouragement. Had he known she’d lose it any moment? Tressa flicked her eyeballs away from his to study the view out the window.

  Jerry slipped her jacket over her shoulders, his lips nearing her ear as he spoke to her alone. “I’m reading your body language. Try to hold it together. You’re doing this for them, too.”

  She quickly shook her head no.

  “I’ll go out with all of you and get you out of here safely.” Jerry spoke to Tressa’s father who had full confidence in his best friend. “Your daughter will be fine, Daniel.”

  “We’re ready, but first…” Daniel grabbed Tressa and held her. When their cheeks touched, his were wet against hers. He trembled while holding her tight. “We’ll get through this, baby girl. Whatever it takes. I know we’ll see you again.”

  Tressa wrapped her arms around him and cried openly. “Don’t cry, Dad. I’ll be okay. I promise.” She pulled his head down to whisper, “Take care of Mom and Charlotte.”

  Daniel smoothed his hand over her hair. “Of course, I will.”

  “I love you.” She made eye contact with him, swallowing a hard knot in her throat while forcing the nausea back down.

  Daniel slipped his arms into his jacket. Her mom was the next to hold her. “I’ll miss you so much, sweetie.”

  “Me too, Mom. Take care of Dad and Charlotte. You have to be strong.” Tressa wiped tears from her cheeks while her mother did the same. Charlotte’s face showed dark streaks of fresh tears mixed with black mascara and blue shadow. The color of bruises. They’d all be bruised on the inside for a long time.

  “Bye for now, big sis.” Charlotte gave her a soft shove in the shoulder. “Next time we see each other, and I know we will, I’ll be a college graduate and working in one of these high-tech buildings anywhere in the world. You’ll be proud of me.”

  “I’m already proud of you, Char.” She kissed her forehead, finding strength from her sister’s warmth. “Take care of yourself, kiddo.”

  Jerry held his arm out for Tressa, and Melinda took to the other side. Her family trailed behind with men Jerry had set up to escort them to different vehicles. She headed for the dark blue SUV in the protected inside parking area. Oh. My. God. She’d never get through this. She stopped.

  “What’s wrong?” Jerry had a tight grip on her arm.

  Tressa shook her head no. “Everything.”

  “We have to go.” They urged her on against her will.

  As they stopped at the vehicle, Melinda turned to her mom and dad. “Follow the plan. Get in your own car and follow a short distance behind Jerry in the other SUV.”

  “I understand.” Daniel laid his hand on Jerry’s shoulder. “I know she’ll be okay with you watching over her.”

  “That’s what best friends are for, Daniel.” Jerry hugged her dad.

  From this day forward, a part of her dad would hate his best friend. Tressa died a little more inside. “Mom. I love you. I always will. You’re the best mom anyone could ever ask for.”

  Her mom squeezed her tight. “My darling. How can I let you go?”

  “You have to, Susan.” Jerry tugged on Tressa’s arm. “Come on, get in the car with Donovan.”

  The extraordinary and outrageous deal was about to be put into effect. Tears wouldn’t stay hidden much longer. She depended on her mom and dad to make it look real.

  Jerry’s grip tightened on her arm. He’d sensed she was ready to bolt? She’d die a slow death if she changed her mind, but now she’d die a slow death in mourning. She got in with Donovan—an acquaintance of Jerry’s.

  Jerry entered another dark-windowed SUV, while her parents got into their car. Now, she wept and might never stop. Their life would never be the same. Neither would hers. Her insides shattered with each internal shiver.

  Melinda slipped in beside Tressa. “Go ahead and cry. Get it out.”

  Tressa straightened her back. “There will be time for tears soon enough. Can’t we get out of here?” Earlier, making this decision wasn’t only one of the hardest things she’d ever done. Her sister getting out of their car to give her one last hug, made this the hardest. They hugged and cried. Tressa glanced at the necklace Charlotte wore. A few days ago, Jerry had collected all her jewelry. Nothing of her past life could go with her. But she’d stolen her diamond and turquoise necklace from the envelope. It was similar to her sisters, and too important to be left behind. “Trust me, Charlotte. I’ll see you again one day.”

  “I know.” Backing away from the door, Charlotte smiled. Before going to her parent’s car, she turned again and blew Tressa a kiss, kicked up one leg—something they had done as kids.

  Greg came out of the hotel taking slow steps toward Tressa. At the car door, he smiled and shook her hand. “Nice working with you on this case. We never would’ve had enough proof to put Sam away if not for you. You take care.” Two of Jerry’s men escorted Greg into the building and out of sight of what came next.

  Jerry in the SUV, and her parents in their car, left the private inside parking area within minutes of each other. Melinda swept Tressa away to a silver Ford Escape. Exiting last, the new driver pulled the Escape to the side of the road around the corner. Tressa didn’t see what happened, but Jerry’s SUV, with her supposedly inside, sat in the construction lot. “You’re going to make me watch this?”

  Melinda peered over her shoulder, “It’s closure. You need to tell Tressa Garnett farewell.”

  Tressa glanced out the rear window, clenching her head between her hands as Jerry stepped out to pretend to check a tire in that lot. There was no going back now. He popped the trunk open, frustrated over a staged flat tire. Walking to the edge of the driveway to make it look real, he made a phone call.

  Everything happened so fast, that Tressa watched the goings-on in a daze. The car with her parents rounded the building in time to see the small explosive detonated. The SUV in the construction lot exploded. Melinda detonated another small explosive to set the interior of the car on fire. Jerry ran towards it, dropped to his knees with his head in his hands. It all looked so real, she believed it. Tressa held her breath. Her dad’s car had come to a complete stop, and Tressa watched in disbelief as her parents witnessed her death. Jerry ran over to them as they rushed out of their car.

  No, no. “NO. I love you all!” she shouted out to a closed window. “I’ll miss you…” Tressa scooted over and held her hand up to the dark window. She sobbed in painful gulps. What she saw out the window was like watching a movie play out before her eyes. A movie with a sad, sad ending.

  From here, they’d leave Oregon and go to Boise, Idaho to have her mole removed, change her hair color, and wait for the credentials with her new name of Kimber Kay Sinclair. Then, it’d be onward to Arizona. “It’s t
ime to go,” Melinda said to the driver.

  “No, not yet,” cried Tressa.

  He drove away. She couldn’t remove her eyes from what they left behind. Firetrucks passed them by. Jerry would meet them later. Never in her life had she known he had connections to do such a feat. But being a retiree from law enforcement, he pulled the right strings to set up her death—to protect her and her family—all under the table and for a large fee to some of the connections he’d made throughout his career.

  To the world, Tressa Garnett had died in a revenge killing. Sam would have no reason to search for her now. Jerry had vowed to take care of her from the day he had become her godfather. He had promised to protect her. To keep her safe. And he had. She, on the other hand, would never see her family again and would remain broken for the rest of her life.

  ***

  Later in the hotel in Boise, Idaho, Melinda came to stand beside her. “Think of your parents and Charlotte. They’re safe because of your decision. A murderer is off the streets.”

  At fifty-three, Melinda didn’t look her age. Her auburn hair shone, and her green eyes were friendly most of the time, though they had darkened and hardened as of late. Tressa took a deep breath. “If I have to do this I’ll make the best of it. I have a good incentive to make it work—my family’s life.”

  “And don’t forget it’s for your life.”

  Tressa buried her face in her hands. “I can’t stand them being hurt.” She pounded her chest. “It aches so much right here.”

  Jerry sat beside her, waiting until she got control of herself. “All of us will keep you safe, Kimber.”

  It was the first time she’d been called Kimber. She clutched her chest again. “I don’t know if I can do this. My heart is broken.”

  He handed her a degree from San Francisco University. There was a high school diploma, awards from high school, report cards, and her new credit history. “Like the passport, we’ll do your driver’s license and other photos when the scar from the removal heals. Are you sure you want the mole above your lip removed?”

  “Yes, it always stood out. Yes.”

  “All your records prove you are Kimber Kay Sinclair. You’ve nothing to fear. You need to do what we suggest. In my job, we warned, ah, witnesses, to obey our rules. You’ll survive as long as you do what you’ve been told.”

  Tressa went through the motions while trying to distance herself from all the horror of the past and today. Over a period of the last thirteen months, she had set money aside for later. Untraceable money meant for Kimber Sinclair. “But how? How, Jerry, did you do all of this?”

  “Kimber…” He smiled upon using her new name. “You know I can’t answer your question. And it’s best you don’t know, either, my dear.”

  Chapter 2

  Zach Bryson bid Randy Drake farewell at the Circle D Ranch in Canyon Junction, Arizona before heading back to his hometown in Idaho.

  “See you when you get back, Zach.” Randy gave Zach a swat on the arm with his hat. “Take it easy.”

  “Hey, thanks for everything.” It had been good spending time with his best friend and Army buddy since coming here nearly a year ago. He lowered the tip of his hat at Roxanne. “Keep this guy in line while I’m gone.”

  “Will do. Drive safe. Come back soon.”

  He pulled onto the highway heading out of town. Zach gave up his horse wrangling job leading tourists into the Superstition Mountains for a new job to work with Jake Lawton on the JL Ranch. He’d decided to stay in Arizona for an undetermined amount of time, so he’d be back.

  He’d lived in Jake Lawton’s loft now and would remain there when he returned unless something better came up. Or until he decided to return to the family ranch. Down the road, he gassed up the rental car and grabbed a bite to go. On an earlier trip home to get his truck, his dad took it out and wrecked it good before he’d had a chance to return to Arizona. Damn him. It’d be fixed by time he arrived. After eating, Zach clenched and unclenched the steering wheel. He needed a cigarette. He turned up the radio volume hoping to distract himself from the craving, which didn’t work.

  Not wanting to start back smoking, he psyched himself up to overcome the urge to stop at the next gas station to buy a pack, but the craving did him in. He pulled in and bought a soda, chocolate cupcakes, and a pack of smokes. Before hitting the road again, he lit one up, enjoyed it all the way down to the filter, then threw the pack in the trash at the pump. He’d stop for the night when he couldn’t focus on the road any longer.

  ***

  By time Zach rolled into his family’s cattle ranch the next day, his eyes blurred after a steady run since this morning. His brother sat on the porch with their dogs. Zach stepped out and stretched, right away getting a whiff of Mom’s meal and the hometown environment, which included livestock. “Hey, bro, told you I’d make it before dinner.” He crouched to pet the dogs.

  His mom and dad came out the door, bringing more of the aroma with them. “Smells like a roast beef dinner.”

  Zach’s mom gave him a hug with a pat to his back. “I’m glad you’re home safely, Zachary.”

  “Me too, Mom.” He released her. “Howdy, old man.” Zach gave his mom a wink. “What’s going on, Dad? Sell any more land?”

  His dad didn’t smile. “Not yet. Sold some old machinery though. Won’t be needing it where I’m going.”

  “Where you going, you old fart? Isn’t it about time to let us in on it? Mom?”

  His mom’s green eyes and smile matched his own. “He won’t let me tell you boys. I’m not sure he told me his real plans, anyway. Whatever your dad is up to is staying in his head.”

  “Come on, Mama,” said Luke, his dad. “You’ll be one happy woman, Emma. No more getting up with those roosters when we get settled and away from this cattle ranch.”

  Zach and his brother, Tyler, exchanged glances. “It’s time, Dad,” said Tyler. “Sell me some land. I’m not ready to give up ranching because you are. I want to settle down on this property. I’m not like Zach running off all over the country.”

  “Hey, don’t bring me into this.” Zach held the door for his family. His brother was determined to get him in on buying part of the ranch no matter what. Zach wasn’t sure how long he’d stay, or if he’d ever come back to Bakerdale, this small-town southwest of Boise. He’d considered being a silent partner with his brother, but he didn’t need to tell him yet. “Dinner smells great, Ma. I looked forward to it all the way home.”

  “Yeah, yeah…” His dad’s voice held a scratchy irritation. “Quit trying to butter her up. She made apple pie for you.”

  “Maybe that’s why I butter her up. Come on, Dad, what the hell is your plan? Why are you selling everything? Are you sick?”

  “No, I’m not sick. Can’t a man plum retire and get it over with? I’ve worked this ranch for many years. Hell, I was a little tyke when my dad dragged me around with him. I’m tired.”

  “Newsflash, so were Tyler and I young when you started dragging us around. This is our home.”

  His mom sat a salad bowl on the table. “Come on, boys, get ready to eat. I’ll warm up the mashed potatoes. Go wash up.”

  Again, Tyler and Zach exchanged glances. They went to their respective bathrooms and met in the hallway upstairs when they came out. Tyler shook his head, “I’m not giving up until he sells me the land. I swear Dad’s losing his mind.”

  “He’s not losing his mind. He has a secret agenda, that’s all. I can’t blame him for wanting to retire, but not giving us a chance on the land worries me.”

  Tyler laughed. “Ah ha, you admit you want part of the property.”

  “Of course, I do, but not part of it. I want it all with you as a business partner. This is our livelihood. I don’t have to be here to own part of it, you know.”

  “That sounds more positive than anything I’ve heard you say.”

  “Follow me to Arizona if your plan falls through, Ty. Maybe the old man needs to think you aren’t interested befor
e he takes you serious.” Zach cuffed his younger brother by three years, on his blond head. “Come on, let’s eat.”

  “I hate to tell ya, but your truck isn’t ready yet.” Tyler swiped the pack of cigarettes out of Zach’s shirt pocket. “I thought you quit smoking.”

  “I did, but I threw the first pack away. Then I stopped to buy this one. I’m cutting back. What do you mean, my truck isn’t fixed? Damn.”

  “Go talk to the pokey-ass sonofabitches.” In the formal dining room, they all took their seats, same as always. “Looking forward to that apple pie, Ma. Thanks for thinking of me. Got ice cream?”

  Tyler snickered. “You’re all she thinks about when you’re gone, and she did buy ice cream—your favorite vanilla to melt all over that pie.”

  His dad smacked Tyler on the head. “Shut up, punk, she loves you two equally. So do I.”

  Again, Zach and Tyler exchanged glances. If they were ten and thirteen, they would’ve stuck their tongues out at each other over that statement. Zach laughed to himself and stabbed a slice of roast beef when it was passed. “Dad, we want to buy the land from you.” It was time to get to the damn point.

  Luke brought his fist to the table, rattling the china. “I don’t talk business at dinner.”

  Zach kind of liked that tradition.

  After dinner, everyone went about doing what they had to do. He got his bag out of the car and took it to his bedroom. He had rented out his three-bedroom home before he left for Arizona, so tonight sleeping in his own bed from growing-up years brought out a lot of memories. Zach spotted the old radio. He turned it on to the same station he’d listened to for years.

  He slept for a couple hours then searched the house for the cigarettes Tyler confiscated, finding them in Tyler’s bedroom. Downstairs, he poured a glass of Scotch and took it outside with a cigarette and lighter, two border collies at his heels. Again, he asked the question he always had the same answer for. Why had he left Idaho? To escape ghosts running around in my head, but they were still there in Arizona.