Quite the Catch (10 page)

Her
cousin repeated what he’d told Tina earlier. Joshua cocked his head, focused on
the information. “So, what are you telling me?”

“Man,
they’re looking for you.”

“We
know that—Tina already ran across them earlier. Did they say anything
specific?”

Her
cousin blew air into the phone. “Not much. One of them said not to worry, they
could find the old truck so I figured they meant Gramps’ old wheels, the one
Tina’s driving.”

Icy
fear spiraled through Tina. The 1949 Chevy was distinctive and there weren’t
many around. If Curley and company wanted, they could find it easily enough.
“If they find it, they find me and Joshua,” she said.

The
two men spoke at the same time, their words tumbling over each other’s in a
jumble. “Maybe you’d better come and stay with me for
awhile
,”
Charley said. “I’ll come get you.”

“I
can handle them and keep you safe, honey.” Joshua’s statement calmed her.

Part
of her wanted to go over to Charley’s and hide but Tina needed to be with
Joshua more. “Don’t come,” she told her cousin. “I’ll be all right and Joshua’s
here. But I’m glad you called.”

“Teens,”
he said, using the old nickname no one else ever used. “I’m concerned. Come
over and stay with me. Or go back to Dallas or somewhere else. I don’t like
this, not at all.”

With
his hand rubbing her back in a gesture meant to comfort, Joshua spoke too.
“She’ll be fine with me.”

“If
you give a shit about her at all, let her go somewhere safe.”

“He
might have a point,” Joshua whispered, his breath warm against her shoulder. He
sat behind her on the bed. “If you want to, go. I’d rather you stay but I want
you safe.”

She
shook her head. “I’m staying, Joshua.”

His
dark eyes met hers without flinching and he nodded. “Okay. Charley, she’s
staying but keep me in the loop. If those men show up again or anything else
happens, call me.”

“I
don’t like this shit, but yeah I will,” Charley said. “Take care of her or
you’ll answer to me.”

“I
will.”

After
he hung up, Joshua cupped Tina’s cheek with one hand. “Are you sure about
this?”

“Yes.”

“Then
so be it,” he said. “I need to make some calls, pronto.”

Tina
had to ask. “Sure. But, are you ready for this? Have you recovered enough?”

His
slanted grin gave the answer before he spoke. “I have to be, now.”

They
both knew he hadn’t.

Chapter
Ten

Call
it a cop’s gut feeling or intuition, but Joshua knew the dangerous men would come.
And they would arrive sooner instead of later, before he regained full
strength. Having a plan was vital. So Joshua vowed he would hatch one.

He
wanted to bring in the escaped prisoner and his accomplices for justice. Most
of all, Joshua wanted to keep the woman beside him safe. With adrenalin pumping
in response to Charley’s call, he felt little pain but a wave of tenderness
swamped him. He stroked her hair, letting his fingers comb through the short
curls. He’d known her a few short days but she meant more to him than he’d ever
dreamed a woman could. A week ago, he scoffed at the idea of romantic love, but
now he thought he might believe it existed. And if it did, if he could manage
to salvage the situation without dying in the process, he needed to figure out
how.

They
climbed back beneath the covers after her cousin’s phone call disturbed both their
rest and peace of mind. Tina snuggled close to him and he shifted position so
they could spoon against each other. She trembled a little, so he asked, “Are
you cold?”

“No,
just a little scared.”

You should be,
he thought. “If you want to
change your mind and leave, it’s okay. I won’t be angry.”

“I
want to stay. I’m worried, though.”

“Try
not to be.”

“I
am.”

Joshua
sighed. Probably better not to admit it but so was he. “Let’s try to sleep,
honey. God knows what will happen tomorrow.”

She
stiffened in his arms. “Do you think they’ll come so soon?”

He
did. “They might. Anything’s possible.”

“Love
me again…please, Joshua.”

Tina’s
soft breath blew warm against his cheek but he shook his head. If he’d known
he’d face the enemy so soon, he wouldn’t have made love to her at all. “I
can’t, darling, not now. Afterward, I’ll wear you out with loving.”

Her
eyes darkened with hurt. “Why can’t you? Wasn’t it good?”

Emotional
pain clenched his chest and belly tight. “Tina, oh, Tina,” he said. Joshua
stroked her hair back from her face with an easy hand. “What we shared, it was
fantastic,
the
best I’ve ever known. But I can’t,
because I have to fight soon. I don’t expect you to understand. It’s a Native
American thing—warriors abstain before battle. I need all my strength and power
to be focused.”

“Oh.”
Tina placed her hand on his chest, above his beating heart. “I do understand,
Joshua. It’s part of your Cherokee heritage. So it’s all right.”

“
Wado
,
” he said. Saying thanks in the old
tongue seemed appropriate somehow. “I can hold you, though, while we sleep, or
try to.”

“Okay.”

Within
minutes, she slept against him, and as promised, Joshua held her tight. He
doubted he would sleep, but he did in time, lulled by her warmth. He woke from
a dreamless sleep, alone. For the first moments, happiness filled his heart the
same way Tina’s lingering scent did in his nose. Then Joshua remembered his
situation and bolted from the bed.

The
aroma of coffee wafted upstairs, and as soon as he’d pulled on jeans and a
shirt, Joshua headed to the kitchen. He needed caffeine almost as much as he
craved Tina’s easy conversation and gentle touch.

Her
smile illuminated the kitchen brighter than the sunshine slanting through the
windows. “Good morning,” she said. “The coffee’s ready if you want some.”

After
two cups and a Vicodin, his mind cleared and his lingering pain eased to a
tolerable level. Joshua wanted nothing more than to pull Tina onto his lap,
cuddle her close, and kiss her until she begged him to stop, but he had to
focus. He had to step up and get ready to resolve the situation at hand.

“Do
you want bacon and eggs?” Tina asked.

Joshua
nodded. “Yeah, thanks.” He needed something substantial in his gut. “And I need
to borrow a phone.”

While
she fried bacon, he made two calls. He spoke in short, staccato sentences, his
voice harsher than she had ever heard it before. Joshua offered no explanations
and she didn’t ask questions.
She must
realize I’m calling my boss and asking for some backup. I’m glad she’s not
hysterical or pestering me for answers.
Instead, Tina remained calm,
like a rock
, he thought and he admired
her all the more.

Although
they barely talked while they ate, they shared a quiet harmony. After the meal,
he cleared his throat. “I need to take a look at your grandpa’s firearms if you
don’t mind. I’d really rather use my weapons, ones I’m familiar with, but we’ll
see.”

Thirty
minutes later, he’d assessed the old man’s arsenal. Tina’s grandfather had
gathered an impressive collection, everything from a
Ruger
.357 pistol to an antique single shot Stevens .22. Some of the shotguns might
do for defense, Joshua decided, but he’d rather go against these guys with one
of his own .45 pistols or his
Glock
in hand. He
selected a Mossberg .20 gauge shotgun for Tina and a mint condition .38 special
pistol
. “Can you shoot either or both of these?” he
asked.

Without
any hesitation, she replied, “Sure.”

“Grab
them and some ammo,” he told her, aware he barked orders like a Marine
sergeant. He picked up the
Ruger
and bullets, then
added a .22 rifle with a clip for good measure. “I’ll use this for now but I’d
feel better if we go get my guns. How far is it to Sallisaw?”

Tina
frowned.
“Thirty five or forty miles, but do you really think
we should make the trip?”

He’d
rather have his tried and true weapons. “Yeah, honey, I do. I realize there’s a
risk, but I’m a helluva lot more comfortable with my own guns. If we go this
morning, we can be back before lunch.”

If the bad guys don’t show up
first or somewhere along the way,
Joshua
thought but he didn’t voice it. “I’m coming with you.”

Although
he would rather she stay put, he also realized he couldn’t defend her if they
showed up during his absence. “I’m planning on it,” he said. “Are you ready?”

“Whenever
you are,” she said.

On
the way out to the old truck, Joshua reached out his hand. “Give me the keys.”

Her
eyes narrowed. “I’m driving, Joshua.”

“No,
I am,” he told her. When she opened her mouth to protest, he added, “Look, if
anyone tails us, I need to be behind the wheel. I know how to drive fast but
keep it on the road, and I know how to lose anyone in hot pursuit. I can also
shoot and drive without swerving. Can you?”

For
a moment, he thought she might burst into tears, but instead she nodded. “I’ve
never attempted it but I bet I could.”

“Today’s
not the day to find out,” he said. “I’m not a gambler and I don’t feel like
taking the risk.”

Tina
handed him the keys. “Okay.”

Joshua
smiled. “At least I won’t need directions,” he told her.

Her
lips lifted upward. “True.”

He
settled into the rump sprung seat and turned the key. The engine fired on cue
and ran smoother than a paved highway, relieving one of Joshua’s fears. He’d
worried the old truck might prove unreliable and break down en route but he
decided he could trust it. Morning sunlight flashed into his face from the
rearview mirror as they headed west toward the highway, and he rolled down the
window so he could enjoy the spring breeze. The cool air rushed over his face
and refreshed him.

Tina
scooted over to sit beside him in the time-honored couple position and he loved
it. He inhaled the fresh shampoo scent from her hair and light perfume from her
body. She rested her left hand on his thigh, almost but not quite possessive.
“Tell me about your place,” she said.

“Why?”
he asked. “It’s just a place and you’ll see it soon.”

“I’m
jittery, you’re probably more nervous than you show, and it’d give us something
to talk about.”

She
had him. “Okay, it’s not far outside town,” Joshua said. “Although
there’s
a few hills around Sallisaw, it’s pretty flat out my
way. On the way, we’ll pass Akins Cemetery. It’ll look a lot like any other
country cemetery, with tall old cedars and a lot of headstones, but Charley
Floyd is buried there.”

“You
mean Pretty Boy Floyd?”

“Yeah,
that’s him. He hated the name, though.”

Her
smile enchanted him. “You sound almost sympathetic for a lawman talking about
an outlaw.”

“Aw,
Charley Floyd’s still pretty popular around here,” Joshua said. “I’ve heard a
lot of stories and if they’re true, he had a good heart. Do you know who
Sequoyah was? We go by his home.”

If
she did, he’d be impressed. “Of course I do. He’s the Cherokee who wrote down
the language for the first time,” Tina told him. “Do I get a gold star?”

“I
can do better,” Joshua replied and kissed her. His hands never left the wheel
and the truck didn’t’ swerve as he delivered a decent kiss to her lips.

“That’s
quite a talent.”

He
chuckled. “Well, we’re still on the country roads. I might not manage as well
once we hit the highway.”

Tina
laughed too. “So we pass the cemetery where Charley Floyd lies and drive past
Sequoya’s cabin, then what?”

“About
a half mile down the road, on the left, we turn into a gravel drive,” Joshua
said. “There’s an old beat-up mailbox on the edge of the road and my name used
to be on it, but it’s faded so much it’s hard to read. We bump over the ruts
and dodge chug holes all the way down the lane. It’s lined with trees and the
branches hang over the road so it’s almost like a tunnel in the summer.”

Talking
about it made him homesick and he was glad they would be there soon.

“It
sounds wonderful.” Her voice carried a wistful tone and he shot her a sideways
glance.

“So
is your place.”

She
snorted. “I’m not comparing it to Gramps’ place—that’s awesome too—but I was
thinking about my apartment in Dallas. It’s small, part of a giant complex, and
it’s within spitting distance of the freeway. The traffic noise never
stops,
day or night, the blaring horns, the screaming
emergency sirens, and all. The closest I get to nature are my potted plants on
the tiny balcony, and I have to bring them in during the winter. I sometimes
wish I lived up here.”