“There’s been an accident,” he told the 911 operator. “We need an ambulance. At least one injured.” He gave her the location as the patrol SUV came into view. He pressed his hand to Tilly’s cheek, promising that he would never let her go if she would just live.

  He stayed with her as the sheriff arrived, then his deputies, followed by an ambulance. He finally had to step away as the EMTs and Jaws of Life went to work to get her out of the truck.

  As he stood there, he saw that CJ was conscious and screaming for help inside the wreckage. Cooper hadn’t checked on him, wanting to stay with Tilly. But he knew that wasn’t the only reason. He’d been half-afraid of what he would do to him.

  “They’re getting Tilly out,” Stuart said beside him. “I figured you’d want to follow the ambulance to the hospital.”

  He nodded, feeling hollowed out at the sight of her on the stretcher. His throat had gone dry, and he doubted he could speak even if there were words. He’d never been in this kind of pain, nor felt so helpless.

  “I’ll need to write up a report at some point,” the sheriff said. “Did you see them roll?” He shook his head. “You hadn’t caught up to them?”

  He glanced at him, knowing exactly what he was asking. Did Stu really think he would have jeopardized Tilly’s life by chasing CJ? He swallowed. “I hadn’t caught up to them yet. I doubt they even knew I was behind them. That answer your question?”

  “I had to ask.”

  Cooper met his gaze. The truth was that he hadn’t known what he would have done if he had caught up to CJ’s pickup.

  * * *

  CHARLOTTE COULDN’T BELIEVE both of her daughters were now in the hospital, her older girl now possibly fighting for her life. Just as crushing, CJ had been driving the truck and had apparently also been injured. She could lose both of them and she had no idea what had happened, just that it had her running scared.

  Her world seemed to be coming apart at the seams, unraveling a piece at a time as if the fabric of her life had become rotten. The thought made her realize how true it might be, and she knew she was to blame.

  She didn’t believe in karma, but maybe she was getting what she deserved for the role she’d played in all of their lives. If so, it was only the beginning. Karma wasn’t through with her yet. Not even close.

  She walked into the emergency room and saw her daughter lying on a gurney. Not her beautiful Tilly. There was no sign of CJ. Surely he hadn’t—Her knees went weak. A nurse rushed to her to tell her that CJ had been taken up to surgery.

  Tears flooded her eyes. She grabbed the wall for support, awash in her sins that had wrought this. A doctor and nurse were working on Tilly. All she heard was surgery before the two began to roll her away. She rushed forward to touch her daughter’s arm before she was gone, the nurse saying something about waiting for word.

  As she turned, she saw Cooper McKenna. He sat in a nearby chair, his head down and resting in his hands, hands covered in blood. Her daughter’s blood? Her nails bit into her palms. She took a step toward him, knowing only that there had been an accident, desperately wanting to put all the blame on this McKenna and all the rest of them.

  “Mrs. Stafford.”

  The sheriff’s voice stopped her. She turned slowly, suddenly feeling too light-headed. He took her arm. “Let’s go down here where we can talk.”

  “Who did this?” she demanded the moment he lowered her into a waiting room chair and closed the door so they had some privacy. “I saw that McKenna—”

  “It wasn’t Cooper.”

  She looked up at him then, saw something in his eyes. This man was about to rip out her heart. She braced herself, straightening in her chair as she reminded herself who she was. “Tell me everything,” she said, and then wished she hadn’t.

  * * *

  COOPER LOOKED UP as someone tapped his shoulder. He didn’t know how much time had passed since he’d been told to sit down and wait. He blinked up at the nurse.

  “I’m waiting to see Tilly Stafford,” he said.

  The nurse nodded. “All I can tell you is that she’s out of surgery.”

  “She’s going to be all right?”

  The nurse gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m sure the doctor can tell you more.”

  He felt as if he could finally breathe a little. “Can you tell me what room she’s in?”

  “She’s still in recovery. You won’t be able to see her until tomorrow.”

  He nodded, reminding himself that he wasn’t family, that he would have to sneak in to see her when her mother wasn’t around.

  As the nurse walked away, he stood, rubbing the back of his neck. It was stiff from hours in the chair. Tilly was going to be fine—she had to be. His relief was followed quickly by his anger at CJ. The bastard had better not die, because Cooper wanted a piece of him.

  When he saw the sheriff coming down the hallway, he waited. Cooper met Stu’s gaze. “She’s going to be all right, isn’t she?”

  Stuart nodded. “Mild concussion, abrasions, broken forearm that had to be set.”

  He took a ragged breath, let it out. “CJ?”

  The sheriff seemed to hesitate. “He suffered a lot of abrasions, some broken ribs and a severely fractured left leg. He also has a neck injury and right now has no feeling in his lower extremities.”

  “Will he ever walk again?”

  “They don’t know at this point. They’re trying to assess the damage right now,” Stu said. “Let me guess. You’re hoping he can walk again so you can beat him up.”

  Cooper chuckled. “You think I wouldn’t go for his throat even if he was in a wheelchair?”

  “No, I don’t think you would—even if he can walk again. You want to be with Tilly? You can’t beat up her older brother.”

  “Even the one who tried to kill both of his sisters?”

  Stu pulled a face. “Both were accidents, though...” He held up his hand to keep Cooper from interrupting him. “He was responsible for both. Maybe he’s learned something from this.”

  He snorted and Stu laughed. “Yeah, he’s still CJ Stafford.”

  “Yeah,” Cooper said as he saw CJ’s mother crying down the hall. Crying with relief that her daughter was going to live? Or crying because her son was badly injured and going to prison? Or was he? “She’ll get him off if there is any way in hell.”

  Stu followed his gaze down the hall before looking at Cooper again. “You going to be all right?”

  “Sure, I’ll be fine.” But he didn’t feel fine. He remembered being on the ground next to Tilly when she was trapped in the wrecked pickup, promising that if she lived, he wouldn’t let anything come between them.

  He hadn’t realized what an impossible promise it had been, but he did now. Not that it would stop him. But as Stu had pointed out, it would force him to rein in his ambivalence. He’d have to be a lot more diplomatic than he was by nature. He’d have to tread lightly if there was any hope of bridging that gap between the families. How else could he and Tilly survive even a relationship—let alone a marriage and children?

  It was going to take a better man than he was right now, he thought. Because he still wanted to go for CJ’s throat. Hopefully, he’d get over that impulse before the cowboy got out of jail.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  COOPER KNEW HE wouldn’t be able to see Tilly until morning. As he climbed into his pickup, his stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten all day. He didn’t feel hungry, but he did feel lost and he had no desire to go home right now.

  He drove down to the Wild Horse Bar, took a stool and ordered a burger and a beer. It was quiet and cool, not even many of the regulars here at this time of the evening. Things would pick up later, but right now he pretty much had the place to himself. He did notice that Deputy Ty Dodson was sitting at a table in the corner with a friend. Cooper hoped he stayed there.

  “Rumors are running wild,” Eric, the bartender, said as he poured him a draft and set it on a napkin in front of him. The man was young, early twenties. He’d worked for the Stafford Ranch until he was fired for allegedly hitting on Oakley, speaking of rumors.

  Eric leaned on the bar. “Is it true what I heard about CJ Stafford?”

  “What did you hear?” Cooper asked.

  “That he shot Oakley, almost killed Tilly when he wrecked his pickup, and now he might not ever walk again.”

  Cooper shook his head. “News to me.” The way rumors traveled in this county truly amazed him. Then again, he suspected Deputy Ty Dodson had probably been spreading a few.

  “Can’t say I’m surprised, knowing what I do about that family,” the bartender said. “Heard a private investigator out of Billings has been asking a lot of questions about Charlotte Stafford’s husband who disappeared.”

  Cooper pretended he hadn’t heard that. “What kind of questions?”

  “That maybe Dixon Malone never left here. At least not alive. Strange no one has seen or heard from him.”

  Cooper sipped his beer. “Who’d care enough to hire a private detective?” he asked, scoffing.

  “Dixon’s daughter from his first marriage.”

  That was news. “I guess I never knew that he was married before.”

  Eric nodded, looking pleased with himself to be sharing the news. “The PI’s asking everyone who has any kind of connection to the Staffords.”

  From the kitchen the cook called, “Order up!” and the bartender went to get Cooper’s burger.

  “Now it’s got people wondering about Charlotte’s first husband, the old guy, Rake Stafford, the one she had her kids with. People are questioning now if he really did die of natural causes.” Eric lifted a brow as he set down the burger before reaching under the bar for ketchup and mustard. “With her second husband missing and her first one dead and buried...might have to dig the old guy up and see just how natural his death was.”

  “Sounds like a whole lot of speculation,” Cooper said. “And very little evidence of wrongdoing.”

  “Maybe,” Eric said. “But if they find out that Dixon Malone never left the Stafford Ranch, well, kind of opens up a whole can of worms, doesn’t it?” He laughed at his own lame joke.

  Fortunately, a patron down the bar called to Eric for another drink. Cooper devoured the burger, finished his beer and left. He’d heard the rumors for years. Everyone wanted to make Charlotte Stafford a killer. Or maybe they just wanted to see her knocked off her throne. The fact that she was so seldom seen, yet had so much power in the county without leaving her ranch, made her a target.

  But now a PI was looking into her second husband’s disappearance. Sometimes where there was smoke, there really was fire. He certainly hoped not, though.

  * * *

  THE SHERIFF MADE it official as soon as CJ came out of surgery. He found Charlotte in her son’s room, with two attorneys. She was on the phone when Stuart walked in. He could hear her making plans to have CJ flown to a facility that specialized in neck injuries.

  He read CJ his rights over the objections of his mother and the attorneys.

  “Oakley isn’t filing charges,” Charlotte said indignantly.

  “Well, the county is, Mrs. Stafford,” Stuart told her. “It was a shooting. Your son fired at his sister and hit her. I’m sure your lawyers will be talking to the prosecutor. Meanwhile, I’m just doing my job. It’s the law.”

  She huffed and turned her back to return to her phone call. Her attorney started to argue, and Stuart held up his hand. “I’ll let your lawyers fight it out.” With that, he walked out.

  CJ would probably never get more than a slap on his wrist. If his mother had anything to do with it, her son wouldn’t even spend a minute behind bars. CJ wasn’t talking on the advice of his attorneys. But according to Tilly, CJ told her that he’d fired a warning shot when he’d caught Oakley on McKenna property, thinking she was meeting up with one of the McKenna boys after he’d warned her to stay away from them.

  Unfortunately, it sounded like something the trigger-happy CJ Stafford might do. That he might never have to pay for what he’d done wouldn’t sit well, especially with Cooper. But his friend had lived in this county long enough that he should know that Charlotte Stafford got what she wanted. It was no secret that she would move heaven and earth to protect her eldest son.

  As Stuart was leaving the hospital, he saw Cooper drive up. He walked over to his friend’s pickup as Cooper put down his window. “How do you feel about getting a beer? I picked up a six-pack on my way here.”

  “You know, I really could use one.”

  “Your new deputy’s down at the bar, so let’s not go there.”

  Stuart saw that gleam in Cooper’s eyes that he’d missed seeing for a long time. “You weren’t suggesting the fire tower?”

  Cooper grinned. “Got to admit it did cross my mind. It’s been a long time.”

  “Too long.”

  “Hop in.”

  They said little on the drive up into the mountains to the fire tower. They used to come here as kids after getting someone to buy them a six-pack of cheap beer. They would sit on the top deck, legs dangling over, and take in the view as they talked about sports, girls, school, girls, horses and girls.

  Tonight they climbed the winding stairs up to the top as they had done so many times before. The wind rocked the large nearby ponderosa pines, playing a melody in the branches that was both familiar and at the same time a little melancholy.

  As they sat down on the deck, their legs dangling over the side, Stuart was painfully aware that they weren’t kids anymore. They weren’t worried about things that now felt so irrelevant. The issues in their lives felt huge, life changing, scary.

  Cooper popped open one of the cans of beer he’d bought and handed it to him. He opened one for himself. “To us,” Cooper said, holding it up in a toast.

  They touched cans and Stuart repeated, “To us,” and took a drink.

  Stuart looked out at the valley now shaded in twilight. He still loved it here in the Powder River Basin. His father used to call it God’s country. He could never see himself leaving, even though he probably should.

  “Charlotte’s having CJ flown out to a special hospital for neck injuries,” Stuart said, wanting to be the one to give him the news. Cooper said nothing. “I guess some would say he’s paying a hell of a price for what he did.”

  His friend scoffed and shook his head. “What is the price for almost killing both of your sisters?”

  They fell silent again as if neither wanted to get into the bigger issues.

  “Do you remember when Dixon Malone disappeared?” Cooper asked.

  He looked over at him in surprise at the abrupt change of subject. “Not really. Why?”

  “That license plate number Tilly had you run for her? Jason Murdock is a private eye from Billings. Apparently, he’s in town asking questions about Dixon Malone’s disappearance. Rumor is that he was hired by Dixon’s daughter from another marriage.”

  “After all this time, huh.” Stuart took a gulp of his beer and sighed as he looked out at the growing night. “It’s always something, isn’t it.”

  Cooper chuckled. “I thought that was why you became sheriff. For the excitement.”

  “That and the money.” He watched lights blink on across the valley. “You thought any more about asking to have Leann’s case reopened?”

  “I’ve thought about it. I haven’t changed my mind.”

  Stuart nodded. “I can talk to the prosecutor. He’s going to be inundated by Charlotte’s attorneys for a while, but after the dust settles, I’m sure he’ll be happy to reopen it.”

  They drank, listening to night fall around them. Stuart leaned against the log railing, feeling his age. He remembered his father one time saying he’d felt old in his thirties. But it had passed. Stuart hoped it passed soon, as he finished his beer and Cooper handed him another one.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  “BUTTERCUP.” IT WAS the first word Tilly said to him when she opened her eyes and saw Cooper sitting next to her hospital bed. He’d sneaked into her room after her mother had left to find her still sleeping, but he hadn’t wanted to wake her.

  Buttercup? He fought the feeling of déjà vu since that was exactly what Oakley had said. He figured it was the drugs talking.

  “Hello, beautiful.” She had scratches and abrasions on her face, a cast on her right arm, but he’d never seen a more wonderful sight than those green eyes of hers open. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m groggy, but I’m okay,” she said, returning his smile. “You heard about CJ?” He nodded. “I can’t believe he shot Oakley or that he’s hurt so badly after wrecking the pickup. Mother says not to worry, that she’s taking care of everything, including having him flown out to a special hospital.”

  “I’m more worried about you,” he said. “Buttercup?”

  “That’s what I’ve been dying to tell you.” They both cringed at her use of the word dying. “I was on my way to the hospital when CJ insisted he drive. Oakley had asked me to pick up her list of passwords. She can never remember them, so she kept them written down on a paper in her desk drawer at home. I promised not to look at them, but CJ was driving so crazy. I’d forgotten I even had the list.” She looked at him, took a breath. “Sorry, I’m rambling.” She motioned to the cup and pitcher next to her bed. He got her some water and helped her drink it.

  “It’s all right. You should be resting.”

  She shook her head as he put the cup back on her bedside table. “I looked down the list and saw the word buttercup. It’s one of her passwords.”

  A password? “For what?”