Rocky Mountain Revenge Read online

  Her eyes widened. “Shock. Why didn’t I think of that?” Tilting Chloe’s head so the floor would hold the cloth in place, she crossed the foyer into the living room.

  While she did as he asked, Evan used his phone to snap a few photos of Chloe’s position. Two of his officers were en route. They’d take additional shots of the perimeter and interior of the house.

  Grace returned with a fuzzy, paisley-print throw. She draped it across her sister’s body then ran her bloodstained hands along the length of Chloe’s arms and legs. “Nothing appears to be broken, but we won’t know for sure until she has X-rays.”

  “Can you tell me what happened?”

  “We were on video chat.” Her voice shook.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then her lips moved in silent prayer, something he hadn’t done in a long time. He guessed it was some comfort that she could cling to her faith when in distress.

  “Take your time.”

  She met his eyes; her gaze steady, tears gone. “He told me calling nine-one-one wouldn’t do any good. Help would arrive too late.”

  “Who told you?”

  “The man who did this. Before he disconnected the call.”

  Evan’s gut tightened. The attacker had seen Grace. He wished he could spare her the questions but knew he couldn’t. “Did you see his face?”

  “Not then...but when he pushed Chloe over the banister, she pulled off his ski mask.” Grace nodded to the black fabric in Chloe’s outstretched hand.

  How had he missed seeing this important piece of evidence?

  Get your head into the game, Bradshaw. Don’t let Grace’s presence throw you. You’re not a lovesick teen any longer.

  Turning back to her, he asked, “Did you recognize the attacker?”

  “No.”

  She shivered, and once again, he clenched his hands. Why did he think he had to touch her to comfort her? He’d always strove to be compassionate to victims and witnesses, but he’d never wanted to embrace one before. The way he did her. Could the instinct simply be a muscle memory?

  “He knew me.” Her whisper was barely audible.

  Evan’s gut tightened. “What did you say?”

  “Chloe’s attacker knew me. He called me Amazing Grace.”

  Dr. Porter had been the only one to call his daughter Amazing Grace. Even Evan had never called her by that nickname, respecting the bond she had with her dad.

  “He said I was next,” she whispered.

  Evan bit back an exclamation. He couldn’t allow her to see that her words had shaken him.

  The dying wail of a siren announced the arrival of the ambulance.

  A dog howled from somewhere deep within the house.

  “Barkley,” Grace said. “I forgot all about him. He’s locked in the master bedroom.”

  Two EMTs entered the house wearing trauma–jump bag backpacks. Evan gave a silent signal to let them know they could take care of the victim but couldn’t move anything.

  Lieutenant Johnson entered the house right behind the medics. He met Evan’s eyes and gave a slight shake of his head. Suspect not apprehended.

  Pulling Grace away from Chloe, Evan whispered, “Give them room to work.” He turned her to face him and jerked his head toward the hall. The sound of Chloe’s dog’s whimpering grew louder. “Why don’t you go check on Barkley?”

  “But...” She looked from him to Chloe and back again, the internal struggle etched on her face.

  “Go. You’re the vet. Make sure Barkley is okay.” He smiled. Encouraging her to trust him. “I’ll stay here. Chloe won’t leave my sight.”

  The medics spoke in low tones behind them. Checking vitals. Making decisions.

  Grace nodded, a wisp of blond hair falling in her face. His hand froze in midair. Another muscle memory. He let his hand drop to his side. He didn’t have the right to brush hair out of her face. And hadn’t in fifteen years, not since the day of high school graduation when she’d decided Evan and Blackberry Falls weren’t enough for her. “Go on. I’ll let you know when they’re ready to transport her.”

  Grace wiped away a tear, offered him a shaky smile of thanks and then turned and went down the hall.

  As soon as she was out of range, he snapped more photos with his cell phone and bagged the ski mask. Rage reverberated through him when he saw the image screen-printed on the fleece mask. Being attacked was brutal. Being attacked by someone looking like a black bear seemed extra cruel.

  He nodded to the stocky, bald medic. Patterson, according to his name badge. “How bad is she?”

  “Critical.”

  “Please, save her.”

  “That’s always our goal, man.” Patterson inclined his head toward the outdoors. “How well do you know this area? I need a place for my medical transport pilot to land.”

  “There’s a hay field, past the barn, about a hundred and fifty feet behind the house.”

  “That’ll work.”

  “Two officers are arriving on scene now. I’ll have them park where their headlights illuminate the area.”

  Evan radioed his officers as the EMTs worked to stabilize Chloe. Then he pulled Johnson aside.

  “Where’d the guy go?”

  “I’m not sure, boss. I chased him through the woods and across the creek that borders the Hamilton Thoroughbred Ranch before I lost him. He took off in an old black truck.”

  “I can’t imagine the Hamiltons allowing just anyone to park on their property. You think he works for them?”

  “I don’t know, but he knew the terrain, giving him an advantage over me.”

  “Did you go up to the main house and talk to Ben?”

  “I did. It took several minutes to get someone to the door. Ben said he and Mrs. Hamilton were watching a movie in the basement, so he hadn’t heard any vehicles leaving the property.”

  “Surely you described the truck to him. Did he have any idea who it could belong to?”

  His lieutenant shook his head. “He said, and I quote, ‘If I spent all my time trying to keep track of my employees’ vehicles, I wouldn’t have time to run my ranch.’”

  Evan bit back a retort as Grace walked toward him. A massive fawn-colored Great Dane trailed behind her, the top of his head almost reaching her shoulder. The animal easily outweighed her by seventy pounds or more. It was a sight to behold.

  “This must be Barkley,” Evan said.

  The medic who was kneeling beside Chloe moved, and before anyone could stop the dog, he walked over to his mistress and put his nose to her chest. Grace whistled, and the animal ambled back to her side.

  “I couldn’t keep him contained any longer. He needed to see her.” She shrugged. “So did I.”

  “It’s okay,” Evan replied. “I was about to come get you. They’re getting ready to transport her to Denver Memorial.”

  “Denver? That’s over two hours away.” She didn’t take her eyes off the medical team as they secured Chloe to a stretcher, an IV already pushing vital fluids through her veins. “Wouldn’t County be closer?”

  “Denver Memorial is one of the best trauma hospitals in the state.” The house rumbled as the air ambulance helicopter flew overhead.

  “I want to go with her. Make them take me with her.” She clutched his arm, her voice pleading.

  Evan shook his head. His chest tightened at the pain in her eyes. “Gracie, they don’t have enough room to take passengers. Besides, we’ve got to take care of Barkley before we leave.”

  “But...”

  “I’ll get you to Denver. Fast. You’ll be the first person to see her after the doctors have run all their tests.”

  “What if he gets to her first?” Her shoulders slumped.

  Unable to resist, he pulled her into a tight embrace. He would regret it later. But she was hurting, and for now, he was
the only one she had to lean on. “He won’t. I promise.”

  “How can you promise that?” She spoke into his chest. “Denver is outside your jurisdiction.”

  Evan pulled back and looked down at her. He didn’t care what it took. Even if he had to pay for a private security guard himself, he would not let her down. “I promise. She will have a guard twenty-four seven until her attacker has been caught.” And so will you.

  TWO

  Grace stepped out of Evan’s arms, avoiding eye contact. Her cheeks warmed. Why had he pulled her into an embrace? More importantly, why had she allowed him to? Because she had been worried about Chloe. No other reason. He had only been offering comfort in a time of distress. A perfectly normal reaction. Almost half of her life had been lived since walking away from him the day he proposed. She had moved on. So had he.

  After she moved to Fort Collins for college and then settled in Denver, Chloe and Dad had made it their mission in life to keep her up-to-date on current events in Blackberry Falls, including Evan getting married, becoming a father and then losing his wife.

  The embrace had simply been an old friend offering comfort. Nothing more.

  “Logroll to the left on three. One...two...three.”

  The commanding voice penetrated Grace’s foggy brain and the activity around her came into focus.

  “Okay, guys, let’s move.”

  “No. Wait!” She pushed past Evan and chased after the medics carrying Chloe out of the house. Racing down the steps of the porch, she touched the arm of the medic at the head of the backboard. “One minute. Please.”

  He nodded. “One minute.”

  Grace brushed Chloe’s light brown hair out of her face. She longed to see her sister’s laughing, blue eyes, but they remained closed. “I’ll be at the hospital as soon as I get Barkley taken care of. I love you, sis.” She gently kissed Chloe’s forehead and stepped back. Please, Lord, let her be okay.

  The medics continued toward the helicopter. She jogged alongside them until a strong hand pulled her back at the edge of the field.

  Turning, she met Evan’s eyes. No point asking if she could drive herself to the hospital. She had enough sense to know she shouldn’t travel alone, not after she’d seen the attacker’s face. “How soon can we leave?”

  “I need to give Johnson a few instructions.” He nodded at the Great Dane at her side. “What are you going to do with him?”

  “We’ll take him to the clinic. If there’s no room in the kennel, I’ll leave him in the apartment upstairs. If I’m not back by morning, I can have one of the staff feed and walk him.” She sighed. “As a matter of fact, I probably need to take my car and leave my stuff there. Then I won’t have to come back here.”

  A look flashed in his eyes, as if he might argue, but he didn’t. “Get whatever Barkley needs. I’ll be ready when you’re finished.”

  “Five minutes. That’s all I need.” She ran her hand over the dog’s back. “Come on, boy.”

  True to his word, Evan was ready to go as soon as she returned. She quickly loaded Barkley into the backseat of her Honda CRV and pulled out of the drive. Evan followed behind in his gray department-issued SUV with the Blackberry Falls PD logo emblazoned on the side.

  Ten minutes later, she pulled into the employee parking area at the side of Porter Animal Clinic, an old stone-and-cedar building on the edge of town. The structure had evolved over the nearly forty years of its existence, expanding to more than three times its original size. The sight of the business her father built through hard work and dedication brought a flood of emotions. She thought of Dad every single day. Had it only been two years since that automobile accident had taken his life? Seemed much longer. Grief compressed her heart, squeezing her chest. Would she lose Chloe, too?

  Grace had barely put the vehicle into Park when Evan tapped on her window. “Don’t cut the engine.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I need to check the area to make sure no one is lurking around or waiting inside.” He slipped his gun out of its holster. “I want you outta here fast if something happens.”

  Grace’s mouth went dry. Her throat tightened, making it impossible to get words out. She hadn’t even thought about the possibility the attacker could be waiting for her here.

  “It’ll be okay. Keep your doors locked and the engine running. If I’m not back in ten minutes, get out of here. Go straight to the station. Got it?”

  She nodded agreement.

  Thankful Chloe had always insisted she have easy access to the clinic they co-owned even if she didn’t work there, Grace handed him keys and wrote down the pass codes to the security system and the lock on the apartment door. Then she rolled up her window and watched as he entered the darkened building.

  What on earth had she come home to? Her breath caught and tears stung her eyes. Lord, please let Chloe be okay. Don’t let me lose my sister like this.

  She took some steadying breaths. It wouldn’t help Chloe for her to fall apart. The only thing she could do for her sister at this moment was to help figure out the identity of their attacker. Why had he attacked Chloe in the first place? She was fairly certain the guy hadn’t been a robber caught off guard when the homeowner returned. If he had been, why had he threatened Grace? Even calling her by her childhood nickname. She’d been distracted enough when Chloe had fallen. He could have taken the back stairs down to the kitchen and escaped without her seeing his face.

  To her knowledge, her sister didn’t have any enemies. Was this connected to the clinic? If it was, why had the man said she was next in a way that made it seem like that had always been his plan and wasn’t just because she’d seen his face? Other than being a silent partner, Grace had nothing to do with the clinic.

  Did this have something to do with Chloe and James’s divorce? Grace had a hard time believing James would want to harm Chloe. He’d always seemed so devoted to her...but apparently things were not always as they seemed on the surface. He’d put her sister through so much anguish.

  Should she call him to tell him about the attack? Legally, he was Chloe’s husband, at least for another week until the divorce was finalized. Maybe Evan could advise her about contacting him.

  A shiver racked her body. She rubbed her arms and took concentrated breaths. Needing to do something constructive, she dug into her purse and pulled out a pen and an old receipt. She flipped the receipt over and jotted down details about the attacker as they flashed in her mind.

  Midforties. Brown eyes. Dark brown hair—collar-length, wavy, some graying. Oblong face. Cleft chin.

  Height? Hmm. This one was harder. The man had been standing at the top of the stairs. Though, he hadn’t seemed much more than half a foot taller than Chloe’s five-four frame.

  To the list, she added “five-ten” followed by a question mark.

  Grace tapped the pen on the steering wheel and glanced at the dashboard. Eleven thirty-seven. Evan had been inside nine minutes. Where was he? She peered through the windshield. The clinic had never seemed scary before, but tonight she noticed the shadowed areas around the building. She’d have additional lighting installed the first chance she got.

  Dogs barked in the kennel that connected to the back of the building and ran parallel to the parking area. Someone moved along the perimeter inside the fence. Her breath caught, then she exhaled. Evan. She’d recognize his confident stride anywhere.

  Evan was a good man, hardworking and loyal. She wasn’t surprised when he’d been promoted to chief of police at the young age of thirty, the youngest in Blackberry Falls’ history. He had always been a planner; when he set goals, he reached them.

  When he’d proposed to her the night they’d graduated high school, he’d had their whole life planned. They would attend Colorado State University Pueblo, each taking a hefty course load to complete their bachelor degrees in three years. After graduation, Evan would a
ttend the police academy and Grace would transfer to Colorado State University in Fort Collins to complete her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine PhD, which would have meant a long-distance relationship for four years. They’d marry after she graduated and settle in Blackberry Falls. Though she’d loved him deeply and had dreamed of a life with him, it had all seemed a bit too much to her eighteen-year-old self. She’d bolted.

  Would things have been different if she had agreed to return to Blackberry Falls and marry him? One thing was for sure, if she had returned home, Dad wouldn’t have hired James and Chloe wouldn’t have gone through the heartache and disappointment he’d put her through the past few years.

  What else would have been different? Would Chloe still have been attacked tonight? Would Grace be afraid for her life?

  * * *

  Evan slipped back into the clinic and closed the door, muffling the sound of the barking. He’d cleared the interior and exterior. No signs of an intruder, at least not one still hanging around. There were a couple of areas of concern, namely an unlocked exterior door and an office behind the reception area that looked like it may have been ransacked. Either that or the person who the office belonged to was a bit of a slob.

  He flipped on the hall light and headed for the side entrance to get Grace and Chloe’s miniature-horse-size dog. They needed to get the Great Dane settled quickly and be on their way to the hospital.

  His cell phone vibrated with a text message from his former high school football teammate. Ryan Vincent was a co-owner of the private security firm Protective Instincts. Evan had called him on the drive to the clinic and requested his assistance.

  At hospital. I’m stationed outside Chloe’s ER room. Bridget is in waiting area on lookout. See you when you get here.

  Evan wasn’t sure how Ryan had received permission to enter the examination area of the ER, but he was thankful to have a friend with those kinds of connections.

  He typed a quick reply.

  10-4. Thanks. ETA 2 hours.

  If I exceed the speed limit and don’t run into any trouble.