Texas Cowboy's Protection by - (best book clubs .txt) 📕
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Was it too late to build a bridge between him and his old man? Old wasn’t exactly the word Isaac would choose when thinking about T.J. The man was iron and steel, and everything else unbendable.
“I’d appreciate it, son. It would mean a lot.” T.J. studied the floor. Was he holding back emotion?
Okay. Isaac could give a little. “I’ll have to discuss it with Gina first.”
“If it’s not too forward of me, I’d like to offer up our place for Gina and her daughter. I heard about what happened and I couldn’t be sorrier. The ranch hands have all volunteered to work extra shifts patrolling and Elton said he could round up a few more security officers to take patrols. She might feel safer at the ranch until the killer is behind bars.”
Gina appeared in the doorway, a hopeful expression on her face. His father was going out of his way and Isaac didn’t have the heart to kick the man.
“Mind if I get back to you on that offer?”
“That’d be all right.” T.J. took off his hat and moved it from hand-to-hand. Nervous? “I’ll let Marianne know in case she needs to cook up extra—”
“If we come, we’ll be fine with food.” Isaac rolled his shoulders as tension pinched the nerves in his blades. He glanced at his father’s hands—hands that had taken a belt or a switch to him as a child. He’d blame the abuse on alcohol if he could. That might make it easier to accept T.J.’s attempts at reckoning. The man was and probably always would be a sober man. His issue was anger and he’d been angry at the world after his wife’s death. Since then,Isaac couldn’t remember a time when his father was happy. Damn. When he thought about it like that it put a whole new spin on the situation. How awful would it be to be trapped in rage all the time? To rarely be able to smile?
Based on the near-constant scowl and the slashes scoring T.J.’s forehead, he looked pretty miserable. Studying him now, there was something different about his features. Isaac couldn’t put his finger on the change but there was more to this than he originally believed.
T.J. put his hat back on as Gina entered the room with two mugs of coffee in hand. She handed one to Isaac. He thanked her.
“Best be on my way. Busy time at the ranch.” T.J. tipped his hat toward Gina.
She smiled and nodded. Damn if one look from her didn’t send light to the darkest places inside Isaac’s heart.
It would be impossible for Isaac to forget what it was like in spring at Quinnland. This time of year, the cattle took priority to everything else in life. They had to be vaccinated, fly tagged and wormed. Some were branded, and others had to have procedures performed.
After the cattle was worked, they’d be trailed from the corrals to the mesa. Not long after, the process of trailing cattle to the forest pastures would begin. Long days. Little sleep.
Life of a rancher.
Isaac couldn’t say working cattle was his forte, but he loved the land. He loved his home state. There was something about a blue sky that seemed to go on forever that made him feel like he was right where he was supposed to be.
With T.J. gone, he turned to Gina. “He made a good point about security.” He’d checked the property for signs of an intruder last night and found tracks leading to the kitchen window. The shoe size was too large to belong to a female.
“We should consider all options.” Her response caught him off guard. He’d half expected her to put up a fight. She looked at him with those glittery green eyes. “I can’t afford to be stubborn and dig my heels in on this one. I have to do whatever it takes to protect my daughter.”
Sherry knocked on the opened door.
“Come in.” Griff motioned for her to enter.
“There’s a woman here by the name of Tara Ford. Says she’s in a relationship with Logan Simmons and needs to speak to the sheriff.”
“Take her to the interview room. Stall her for a few minutes. Take down her name, address and number. I’ll be right in.” Griff deadpanned Isaac. “Could this case get a little more bizarre?”
“I doubt it.”
Back in the dark room next door to the interview room, Gina was learning to expect just about anything when it came to this investigation. Another mistress might explain why Brittany had been murdered.
Tara Ford couldn’t be more than twenty-two-years-old. She had shoulder-length platinum-blond hair over brown eyes. At five-foot-four-ish, she wouldn’t be considered tall. Her curves were barely contained in blue jeans and a crop top. Her mid-drift was exposed despite the cooler temperatures predicted today. A high of fifty-eight in Texas usually meant sweaters and a coat in The Lone Star State. Texans didn’t do cold.
“What’s your full name?” Griff took a seat across from the witness, set down a notebook and clicked a pen.
“Tara Lynn Ford.”
“What do you do for a living, Ms. Ford?”
“I waitress at the Country Crossing BBQ.” The place was a forty-minute drive outside the city limits, only took cash, and served family-style. Country Crossing was some of, if not the, best BBQ in the state. It had been featured on a popular food channel twice.
“How do you know Logan Simmons?”
“He’s my boyfriend.” Tara seemed to have no shame in announcing her boyfriend was a married man. Did she know?
“How long have the two of you been seeing each other?” Griff tapped the pen on the pad.
“Six months.” Tara blinked overly made-up eyes at Griff. “I heard what happened to the other woman. That’s why I’m here.” She put a hand over her mouth like she was unable to stay it out loud. “I need police protection.”
Even Griff who’d no doubt heard it all in his line of work looked taken back by the comment. “What makes you think you need protection? Are you afraid of Mr. Simmons?”
Her face screwed up like she’d just sucked on a sour pickle. “Logan? Oh, no. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. His wife would. That woman is crazy.”
“Have you met Mrs. Simmons?”
“Met?” she parroted. “I’ve had an encounter with her. Logan and me were standing in line at the movies last month when she practically ran us over with her minivan.”
“Are you saying that Mr. Simmons and his wife were having marital difficulties?”
“He left her to be with me. Said she wasn’t taking the news well at all.” She looked at Griff like that explained everything. The only problem with her statement was the man who’d been in this office yesterday was going to great lengths to ensure his wife didn’t know he’d had one mistress let alone two.
“Did you report the incident to law enforcement?” Griff didn’t use the term ‘assault’ and she figured he didn’t want to plant ideas in the woman’s head.
“Logan talked me out of it. He said to give her time. After that, we had to meet in motels because he didn’t want to risk my safety if she saw us together again.”
Gina rolled her eyes. Yeah, sure, he was concerned about his mistress’s safety.
“Isn’t he a giver,” Isaac muttered low and under his breath. The sarcastic remark was spot on.
“How long ago did you say the incident took place?” How Griff kept a poker face was beyond Gina. She figured it was part of what made him a great sheriff. That, and the fact he came across as compassionate even though Gina knew he must want to say what was on his mind.
“Last month. You should have seen her. She looked crazy. Wild eyes. Hair going everywhere.” Tara threw her hands up.
“What time of day did this occur?” Griff took a few notes.
“The show started at ten-fifteen, so we were in line around ten.”
“Day or night.”
“Night.” Tara tapped a long, manicured nail on the table. “She scared her kids half to death.”
“Where were they?”
“Strapped into car seats in the back of the minivan. The woman had obviously lost her mind to bring those babies out past bedtime.”
Griff jotted down a few more remarks. The picture emerging of Logan wasn’t flattering. He was a philanderer. A coward. Was he also a calculating murderer?
Moving his mistress to a motel was a far cry from killing someone. Gina leaned back into Isaac’s chest, turned her head and said, “Griff mentioned strangling was personal.”
“If news got out that Logan had fathered a child his life might’ve unraveled. Brittany was strong willed. She wouldn’t have backed down if he threatened her. It doesn’t get more personal than that, does it?”
“True. The man seemed willing to go to great lengths in order to keep his affairs quiet after his wife caught him red-handed.”
“He didn’t exactly break off his relationships. Just worked harder to hide them.” The disdain in Isaac’s voice was apparent.
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