ground.
Will stared down at the bleeding body, cursing out loud. He’d never meant to kill the stupid jackass, but he’d had little choice, especially with Erin to protect.
“Daddy?” Erin had rolled down the window partway. Her voice sounded thin and scared. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, honey. Close the window and stay in the truck. Don’t try to look. I’ll come around.” Leaving the body where it lay, he circled behind the truck to the driver’s side. Once inside, he reached across the console and gathered his daughter in his arms. She clung to him, trembling.
Will felt shaken, too, when he thought about what he’d just done. His younger brother, Beau, who’d been an army sniper in Iraq, had never revealed how many kills he’d made. But for Will, this was a first. He’d never taken a human life before. Now, even though he’d killed a criminal in self-defense, the thought sickened him.
Erin pulled away as he released her. She’d be all right, Will told himself. She was strong, like Tori. “You need to call the sheriff, Daddy,” she said.
“I know. But first I’m going to call your mother.”
Will reached for the cell phone in his pocket. As an afterthought, he climbed out of the truck again and closed the door. His conversation with Tori could easily get emotional. It might be better not to have Erin listening.
His legs felt unsteady. Leaning against the side of the cab, he scrolled to Tori’s number and pressed the call button. The phone rang, once, then again. Maybe she’d turned it off, the better to enjoy her new boyfriend. But no, it wouldn’t be like Tori to do that, not even on a date. She had clients who needed her. More important, she had a daughter.
Will was waiting for his ex-wife’s voice message to come on when she picked up. “Will?” He could sense her tension. “What is it? Is Erin all right?”
“Erin’s fine,” Will said. “But I need you to come and get her. There was an . . . incident on the way to the ranch. The truck’s stuck on the road with a blown tire, and I can’t leave.”
“An incident, you say? What happened, Will? What are you not telling me?”
“I’ll explain later. Erin said you had a date. Hell, bring him along if you want. I don’t care. Whatever you’re doing, just drop it and get here. Now.”
“I’m on my way. Tell Erin I’m coming.” She ended the call without saying good-bye.
Will waited a couple of minutes, then called 911. The night dispatcher who answered his call was a woman whose voice he recognized.
“Carly, this is Will Tyler,” he said. “Tell the sheriff he can stop looking for that convenience store robber on the motorcycle. I just shot him.”
“Is he dead?”
“As a doornail. I need somebody to come, pronto.”
“Where are you?” There was an odd note to her voice.
“About ten miles out of town, on the road to my ranch. My pickup’s got a blown tire.”
“I hear you. Stay in your truck and don’t touch anything. Somebody will be right there.”
She hesitated, as if weighing her next words. “There’s something you need to know, Will. Whoever you shot, it wasn’t the robber. That man was picked up a few minutes ago, headed for the freeway on his motorcycle. The cash was on him, along with the gun and some cigarettes he took. They’re bringing him in now.”
* * *
“I can drive you if you want, Tori.” Drew Middleton straightened his tie. Tall and slender, with hazel eyes and light brown hair, he was appealing enough to make Tori wonder if there was a chance for something real between them.
“Not a good idea.” She dropped the cell phone back in her purse and reached for the door latch of Drew’s Honda Accord. “You’ve never met my ex, but I can guarantee you that tonight wouldn’t be the best time.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Erin’s all right, evidently. Whatever else is going on, that’s Will’s problem.”
“Hang on. I can at least open your door and walk you to the porch.”
Tori waited while he climbed out of the car and came around to the passenger side. Drew had taken her to a seafood dinner and a show in Lubbock. They’d made it back to her driveway for a few minutes of pleasurable front-seat necking. Just as she’d begun to wonder whether she should invite him in, her phone had rung.
Stiletto heels clicking, she strode up the front walk and turned for a quick kiss