Her Knight, Her Protector: a western romance (Rodeo Knights Book 1) Read online

  Jesse had just enough time to slip his arm around her waist so Carly wouldn’t collapse to the floor. Instead, he eased her down and placed his hand beneath her head.

  “Doris?” he called out to the housekeeper. He knew she was somewhere downstairs. He’d heard her singing. “Doris, come quick!”

  He heard nothing and wondered where the old woman had gone off to. Checking Carly’s pulse, he was only mildly relieved to feel something. It was faint. But it was something.

  Doris ran down the hall into the kitchen. Her face registered panic when she saw Carly sprawled out on the floor.

  “Oh, no. My Carly. What has happened to my girl?”

  “Call 911!” Jesse yelled. Doris stood frozen with her hands on her cheeks and her eyes wide as saucers. “Now, Doris. She’s dying!”

  Doris ran to the other side of the kitchen where the landline phone was connected. A 911 call from the landline would come up with the address, making it easier for paramedics to identify where to go without Doris having to relay the information.

  “I need help,” Doris cried into the phone. “My Carly has collapsed. We need an ambulance!”

  Jesse kept his hand beneath Carly’s head as he bent down and placed his ear over her heart. He heard it beating. But it wasn’t the steady thump of a healthy heart. Still, the slight rise and fall of her chest, however labored it appeared to be, meant that Carly was still alive and breathing.

  “Stay with me, baby. Don’t leave me.” He smoothed back her hair and wiped the beads of sweat from her face with the palm of his hand. “They’ll be here soon. Help will be here soon. Don’t worry,” he whispered.

  But Carly couldn’t hear him. As he spoke, Jesse knew the words he uttered were to calm an indescribable fear that was paralyzing him. He wanted to believe help would be here soon to save Carly from whatever had happened. But seeing her normally sun kissed pink cheeks turn to gray, he knew life was slipping away from her rapidly, and he wasn’t convinced help would make it in time to save her.

  “Don’t leave me,” he whispered.

  * * *

  Two paramedics had set up an IV line right on the kitchen floor and then lifted Carly onto the stretcher. The older of the two turned to Jesse and asked, “What was she doing prior to falling ill.”

  Jesse thought back to those precious moments. He needed details. What had happened? “She put on some hand cream. She said her hands tingled and…”

  “And what?”

  “I kissed her.”

  The paramedic’s face showed a flash of amusement, but instead of ribbing him, he nodded to the jar on the counter. “I doubt it was the kiss or you would have fallen ill too. Is that what she was putting on?”

  Jesse nodded.

  “Bring it with you. She might have had a reaction to one of the ingredients in the lotion and the ER doctor might want to have the cream analyzed.”

  The likelihood of Carly having a reaction like this to cream she’d been using for years was next to zero. Unless…

  Jesse grabbed a paper towel and used it to make sure the jar was fully sealed. Then he searched for a paper bag to put the hand cream in.

  He’d been in the house the whole time. Right here with her. Thinking back to Carly’s surprise that she’d “already” had a jar of cream in her bag, it suddenly made sense. Someone had left it here on purpose. Someone knew she used this cream.

  Doris walked next to Carly and cried as the paramedic pushed the stretcher to the open front door. As Jesse walked out the door behind them with the bag in his hand, he saw all the ranch hands lined up on the walkway staring at Carly.

  Thad looked as if he were about to cry. “Is she going to be okay,” he asked the paramedic.

  The paramedic shrugged. “We’ll have to see what the doctor says.”

  Jesse knew he didn’t need to know what had caused Carly to collapse. He had the evidence right here in his hand. He was convinced of it. But looking at all the hands watching Carly get put in the ambulance, he realized he was no closer to figuring out who it was that had decided to wage war on this ranch.

  But if it were the last thing he ever did, he’ll be damned if he didn’t find out. And when he did, God help whoever was responsible.

  * * *

  Jesse had driven in the truck with Melanie and Stoney on the way to the hospital. Doris was so upset, he let her drive in the ambulance with Carly. She was, by Carly’s own admission, Carly’s only family. Carly would have wanted it that way. He was sure of it. That didn’t mean that every mile they drove to the hospital was easy. He hated not knowing what was going on inside that ambulance. He couldn’t bear the thought of reaching the emergency room only to find out that Carly was dead.

  They pulled up to the emergency room door behind the ambulance and he bolted out of the truck. He reached the back door of the ambulance just as the paramedics opened the door. When they pulled the stretcher out of the ambulance and lifted it, he saw that Carly’s eyes were barely open and she had an oxygen mask on her face. She was still alive!

  “I’m here, Carly,” he called out to her as they quickly brought her inside. He followed Doris through the automatic doors, but they were stopped by a nurse.

  “Please stay in the waiting room for now. The doctor will come out if he needs to talk to you.”

  Jesse handed the nurse the bag with cream in it. “I think this is what might have poisoned her.”

  “Poisoned?”

  “Yes, she was using this right before she collapsed. Be careful with it.”

  The nurse took the bag. “I’ll give it to the doctor.”

  * * *

  After two agonizing hours of waiting, Dr. Stern finally came out into the waiting room. He appeared tired. But the slight smile on his face immediately put Jesse at ease.

  “Mr. Knight?”

  “That’s me,” Jesse said standing up to greet the doctor.

  “I’m glad you brought in that jar of hand cream. The lab analyzed it. Things could have been so much worse if we hadn’t known what had caused Ms. Duggan’s heart to react the way it had.”

  “Her heart? She had a heart attack?” Doris asked with a whimper.

  “No. We got her heart rate under control. But the substance in the cream is what caused her body to react the way it had. Her skin just absorbed it as fast as ingesting it.”

  “What caused it?” Melanie asked.

  The doctor’s voice as well as his face was filled with confusion. “Aconitum.”

  “Aconite?” Jesse asked.

  Melanie said, “Monkshood. It’s a pretty flowering plant that looks harmless but can be highly toxic to animals.”

  “And people,” Dr. Stern said. “I have no idea how it got inside her hand cream, but it was highly toxic and it could have killed her. If you all hadn’t reacted as quickly as you did, I’m afraid she’d be dead.”

  Doris cried out. “When can I see my girl?”

  “You can go in right now. She’s asking for you all. But I only want one person at a time in there and only for a few minutes. Her body has gone through an ordeal and she needs rest.”

  Doris wasted no time going into the emergency room. Jesse wanted to follow her. But he’d wait his turn.

  “How would Carly have been exposed to aconite?” Stoney asked.

  Dr. Stern frowned. “Believe it or not. Aconite is sometimes used in eastern medicine in very low doses. Some holistic treatments include aconite. But it’s very dangerous if it’s used without knowing exactly how much is being administered. Even low doses can be fatal. Wackos sell this stuff on the Internet and then people end up in the ER. If they’re lucky they survive. Carly was lucky.”

  “Thank you, Doctor,” Jesse said. He didn’t bother correcting Dr. Stern’s assumption that using cream with aconite was something Carly had done intentionally. He knew better. Whoever did this wasn’t looking for a holistic cure to aging. They wanted Carly dead.

  #

  Chapter Ten

  It had been two lo
ng days that Carly had spent in the hospital. Two days she didn’t want to revisit again in her life. When Carly thought about how close she’d come to death, it was enough to stop her heart as it nearly did when she’d collapsed in the kitchen.

  Thank God Jesse had been there. The jar of cream from her bag that Melanie had analyzed after they’d learned the hospital found aconite in the cream turned out to have a higher concentration of the poison than the jar she’d used when she’d collapsed. It was just dumb luck that she’d chosen to use the jar on the counter instead of the jar in her bag.

  A cold shiver raced through her as Jesse took her by the arm and helped her climb into bed. The doctor said it would be a few more days until she had her full strength back. She hoped it came back quickly. She’d already lost days of work at the hands of a lunatic.

  “How do you feel?” Jesse asked, taking Carly’s hand and pressing it against his cheek. His face had a light covering of stubble and it scratched her skin. But Carly didn’t mind. She liked the feel of him. The strength of his touch. His warm embrace that made her feel small and safe in a way she thought she’d never feel again. And when she was with him, she wasn’t alone. Even when he wasn’t in the room.

  She didn’t want him to leave. He would be soon if they learned who it was who’d poisoned her and her bulls. That would be a sad day for sure.

  He tipped her chin up with his fingers as she sat up in bed. “Why so sad? Are you really not feeling well?”

  “I feel a whole lot better than I did the last time I was home,” Carly said with a weak smile. “I feel a whole lot better when you’re here. I felt so alone at that hospital without you.”

  A hundred emotions flashed across his face and she wondered if she’d said the wrong thing. Carly didn’t have a lot of experience dating men. She’d always been so busy, and quite frankly, what man in his right mind wanted to face Zebb Duggan?

  But she did know men, and Jesse was clearly fighting something.

  “I thought…”

  “What?” As her insides churned with anticipation, she noticed the tears filling his eyes.

  “I really thought I was going to lose you.”

  She swallowed the emotion that choked her. “You very nearly did. Not that it was by choice.”

  “No. You had no hand in that.”

  She chuckled at the pun he didn’t seem to get. “One would argue my hands were definitely part of it.”

  She knew the moment he understood when his lips stretched into that handsome smile she’d come to love. “Speaking of which.”

  She frowned as he got up from the bed and walked over to her vanity. He picked up a purple jar and brought it back to the bed. Then he sat down next to her.

  “I found another jar of cream on your vanity so I had it analyzed. Same thing, just in a smaller concentration. That could be the reason you were feeling a little sick that day we drove to Bozeman.”

  “You could be right. It was a full jar. I mean, I know I’ve been a bit obsessive about my hand lotion, but even I don’t buy three jars of hand cream at one time.”

  “It got me thinking.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I think it’s time you switched your hand cream.” He handed her the jar and turned it so she could see.

  Carly glanced at the jar. “Lavender.”

  “As much as I loved the spearmint scent, I think I’m traumatized for life. No more tingling. And no one gets to know about this cream. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  She opened the jar and took a deep whiff of the lavender scent.

  “Is it girly enough for you?” he asked with a half grin.

  “It is for me if it is for you. Thank you.” She leaned forward and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “I love having you here. I’m going to hate it when you have to leave.”

  “Ssh. We don’t have to think about that tonight. Just get some rest. Do you want me to have Doris bring you some tea?”

  “No.” Carly glanced at the clock. It was just past nine-thirty. Doris was always in bed early. It had been an emotional few days for her as it had been for Carly. “She needs to rest too.”

  “I’ll bring you a cup of tea after I check the grounds.”

  “Okay,” she said, sinking back against the cool pillow. Her body melted against it as if in resignation. As Jesse closed her bedroom door and shut the light off, she closed her eyes and wondered if she’d even be awake when he returned.

  * * *

  The drive back from the hospital had taken its toll on Carly, Jesse thought as he walked through the quiet house. As Carly mentioned, Doris had already gone to bed. Jesse walked passed her closed bedroom door and saw no light peeking out from the threshold. There was also no sound from the TV.

  He walked downstairs and through the main hallway towards the mudroom and checked the door to make sure it was locked. No one liked the new locked house policy. But that was too bad. No one was getting in this house without Jesse knowing about it.

  Once he knew everything was secure, Jesse decided to head out to the barn. Too much time had gone by and he was afraid the trail had grown cold. They may never find out who poisoned Carly and the bulls. For all anyone knew, that person could be long gone by now.

  Or they could still be lurking about on the ranch. A lot of ranches in Wyoming and Montana had a lot of acreage with plenty of places for someone to hide if they didn’t want to be found. It was impossible for him to comb the entire ranch. But at the very least, he could make sure the perimeter was secure.

  He locked the house and pocketed the key. Then he walked the length of the porch to the steps leading to the path that would lead him to the barn. Colin had been on watch in the barn all day to keep a close eye on Widow Maker, Tenacious and Cotton-Eye, which were being housed in an open area of the barn that led to the paddock where they were keeping the rest of the futurity bulls. Normally the herd would be left to graze overnight in the pastures. But it was too dangerous. They needed to have them close by.

  Michael would be here tomorrow morning with Stoney and they’d move the prized bulls over to Black Rock to make sure no one could target them again. But that was only a quick fix. The rest of the bulls were still at risk with someone among their ranks.

  The light in the barn was off and immediately made Jesse’s stomach churn. In all the time he’d been at the ranch, the barn lights had never completely been turned off. One of the hands had always been in there and even if they weren’t, the main overhead light was kept on overnight and still visible from outside.

  Jesse pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. The front screen illuminated when he pressed the side button. On the home screen, he chose the flashlight app and waited for the beam to turn on before reaching for barn door. Once inside, he shined the light down the center aisle. The familiar scent of hay, oats and manure assaulted his nose. As he moved closer to the wall to feel for the light switch, the sound of animals moving inside their confined area grew louder. It would make it harder to hear movement from anyone lurking about.

  Jesse flicked the light switch but nothing turned on. He slowly walked down the center aisle and stopped at the gated stalls that housed Cotton-Eye, Widow Maker, and Tenacious. All three bulls looked as they did earlier when he’d checked on them.

  Where was Colin? He was supposed to be keeping an eye on…

  Jesse stopped moving and listened. Amid the sounds of the animals moving, he heard a groan. He quickly shined the light in the direction he heard the noise. Each of the stalls he’d shined the light into were empty until he got to the second to last stall.

  “Damn!”

  Jesse grabbed the gate to the stall and swung it open, shining the light onto the ground where Colin was sprawled out on the floor.

  “Colin?”

  He shined the beam of light on Colin’s head and saw the blood streaming down the side.

  “I’m…I’m okay.”

  “Can you stand?”

  “A bump on the head isn’t g
onna keep me down.” Colin lifted his torso up off the ground and rested his weight on his elbow. Then he slumped back.

  “Stay down,” Jesse said. “You’re liable to fall and hurt yourself worse than you already are.”

  “He…came out of nowhere.”

  Jesse turned as if someone was behind him. Someone that Colin could see but he couldn’t?

  “Who? Who did this?” Jesse said, feeling the heat rise up his neck and singe his skin beneath his collar.

  Colin shook his head slightly and then put his hand over his forehead as if that would stop the spinning. “Didn’t see him. The lights when out. I yelled to whoever was there to put them back on. But I never saw him. I walked…down the center aisle toward the tack room and then…” Colin chuckled. “Then the lights really went out.”

  “How did you get in the stall down here?”

  Colin looked around. “Is that where I am? Beats me.”

  “Someone dragged you. Stay here,” he said, handing Colin his cell phone. “Call 911. Tell them to send an ambulance.”

  “I don’t need no ambulance.”

  “Let me be the judge of that. Tell them this time we need the police, too. I’m going to look around. Stay put and wait for them.”

  “No worries. Not sure I could move if I tried.”

  Jesse gripped Colin’s upper arm. He wasn’t sure if it was to give him reassurance or out of his own nerves. There was a killer out here on the ranch. He’d succeeded in killing an innocent bull and had tried mightily, and nearly succeeded, in killing a woman Jesse cared deeply about. And now he was back at the ranch to do God only knew what.

  The bulls that had been in the open stall had moved through the open doorway into the paddock where the other bulls were grazing on hay. The sound of the animals being moved about drew Jesse’s attention to the open paddock. Because the barn was dark, Jesse ran his hand along the rail of each stall and counted his way down the aisle until he reached the closed barn door. Pushing the door open was no better. There was no moon in the sky, making it harder to see in front of him.