Quick-Draw Cowboy

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“I’ve been on a honeymoon since the day I met Pierce. Helping get the girls to bed won’t change that.”

“It’s settled,” Esther said.

This time Dani didn’t argue. “Thanks. I appreciate this more than you know. Constance bought her backpack with her, so she has her favorite doll and some books. She changed into her wedding finery after we got here, so she can put on the jeans and shirt she was wearing earlier when she gets up in the morning.”

Grace put her arm around Dani’s waist. “Don’t worry about her.

“Riley, you take care of Dani,” Esther ordered.

“I plan to.”

He took her arm protectively as they followed the deputy back toward the house where he’d parked his squad car. Dread clawed at the lining of Dani’s stomach as they made the drive into town.

The bakery wasn’t just a shop. It was her livelihood. Her home. Constance’s home, the place where Dani always wanted her to feel safe.

The first thing she saw when they turned onto Main Street was a squad car and the sheriff’s vehicle in front of her shop, blue lights flashing. A cluster of strangers stood on the opposite side of the street observing the action.

The second the car stopped, she jumped out and rushed to the open door of the shop. Anger erupted at the havoc she faced. The feeling was so fierce, her insides seemed to explode.

She didn’t have to wonder what had happened here. No one ever broke into the shops in this area. James Haggard had returned, just as he’d promised he would. Only he hadn’t waited a week. He’d barely backed off for twenty-four hours.

If it was hardball he wanted, he’d get it.

Chapter Five (#ubff44259-7ca8-5502-955e-235c7d34c854)

The intense odor of coffee sent Dani into an immediate coughing fit. A black film covered every surface and hung thick in the air. Two giant-sized canisters of coffee she had ground for the morning rush lay empty on the floor in front of the counter.

She braced herself against the display case as she scanned the rest of the destruction. It looked as if a tornado had blown through the shop and literally picked up everything and sent it crashing back to the tile floor.

Tables and chairs were overturned. Pastry cookbooks and coffee-themed gift items normally shelved along the side walls had been knocked to the floor, many cracked or shattered. Both cash-register drawers were open.

She had a crazy urge to pick up one of the chairs and hurl it as hard as she could against the wall, or to start screaming and pull out her hair. Fortunately, since she wasn’t two years old, she refrained from doing what came naturally. She took a deep breath and managed a small measure of composure.

A deputy rushed in from the kitchen area. “This is a crime scene. No trespassing.”

“I’m Dani Boatman. I own Dani’s Delights, at least what’s left of it. And this is my friend Riley Lawrence.”

“Sorry, but I’ll need to see some ID.”

Sheriff Cavazos joined them from the back of the shop. “She doesn’t need any ID. I’ll vouch for her and her friend.” He put out a hand to Riley. “I’m Sheriff Cavazos. We haven’t met, but I know your brother Pierce and have known Esther Kavanaugh for years.”

They exchanged handshakes.

“Sorry we’re meeting under such down-and-dirty circumstances,” Cavazos said. “Glad you’re here to offer Dani some moral support. Always tough seeing your business trashed like this.”

Dani picked up and righted an overturned chair that blocked her path. “I’m not sure I can stomach looking at the rest of the place.”

“Fortunately, this is the worst of it,” Sheriff Cavazos said. “There’s no sign of damage in your fancy kitchen. Not even a scratch on those giant ovens. All your cinnamon-roll fans will be thankful for that. Me included.”

“What about the upstairs living area?” Riley asked.

Dani held her breath, her stomach churning as she waited for his response. If Haggard had been in Constance’s room—if he’d handled any of her things...

“Untouched as far as we can tell,” Cavazos said. “And believe me, we gave it a thorough check. Had to make sure the culprit wasn’t hiding up there.”

Dani shuddered. She hadn’t even thought of that. She scanned the area again. “How did he get in?”

“Through the back door that opens to the alley. He broke the lock.”

“So you think this was all done by one person?” Riley asked.

“I checked the area myself and only saw one set of fresh footprints in the patch of dirt between the door and the alleyway. Big feet. Definitely an adult male. Not wearing Western boots like so many around here do. Prints indicated he was wearing sneakers, no doubt looking for a fast getaway.”

“So no eyewitness?” Riley asked.

“Nope.” Cavazos raked his fingers through his thinning hair. “But we couldn’t have missed the scoundrel by much. He busted the hell out of the system keypad next to the back door, but not before the call went through to the security company.

“When the company couldn’t reach you, Dani, they called us.”

“I was at the Double K for the wedding reception. Evidently I couldn’t hear the phone over the band.”

“Wouldn’t have changed the results if you had. The first two deputies were on the scene in under five minutes. Your burglar wasted no time wrecking the place.”

“Any suspects?” Riley asked. “Is this a pattern of similar vandalism and break-ins in Winding Creek?”

Cavazos shook his head and scratched his whiskered chin. “Last downtown business break-in we had was dang near three years ago. Then it was a couple of teenagers camping out down at the park on Winding Creek. They got high and hit Caffe’s Bar looking for booze. Didn’t make a mess like this, though.”

“Your registers were emptied of all the bills,” one of the deputies said. “That was probably the intruder’s first order of business.”

“That didn’t gain him much. There was very little money in them. I emptied them when I closed shop for the day, except for enough bills and change to start business in the morning. Not that I’ll be opening to customers tomorrow now.”

“What about the cash you took in this morning?” Riley asked. “Where’s that money?”

“I made a deposit at the drive-through lane before the bank closed. The rest is in a hidden safe upstairs.”

“That might be your motivation for the vandalism,” Cavazos said. “Jackass went for the cash and when there wasn’t enough to satisfy him, he got pissed and did as much damage as he could before he heard the approaching sirens.”

“Guess I’m lucky you got here so fast,” she said.

But she felt certain that wasn’t the motivation for the vandalism. The culprit was that rotten James Haggard. He was devoid of any decency. A scoundrel who was determined to steal the trust fund of a motherless girl he claimed was his own flesh and blood.

Riley took off the jacket to his tux and wrapped it about her shoulders. That was when she realized she was trembling.

“I know you’ve got a major clean-up job here,” he said. “The good news is there’s very little costly damage. The best news is neither you nor Constance was home at the time of the break-in.”

“I agree,” she said. She wasn’t sure if Haggard had only come by to threaten her again and then decided to break in when she wasn’t here, or if vandalism had been his goal.

“I wouldn’t advise you to try and stay here tonight,” Cavazos said. “The lock on the back door is busted. Fact is, the whole door is busted up. It will have to be replaced, and it will likely be Monday before you can get someone out to take care of that for you.”

“I’ll secure it until the door’s replaced,” Riley said. “And I’ll replace all the locks once the door is in, just to be on the safe side.”

“Good idea,” Cavazos said. “Now if you two will excuse me, I need to return a phone call. The deputies will be finishing up here in a few minutes. After that, the place is yours, but if you think of anything I should know about, give me a call on my private line.”

He handed them each a business card. He spoke briefly to his deputies and then left through the front door.

Dani’s mind was reeling. Cleanup seemed all but insurmountable and she wasn’t sure she had the strength or willpower to even start on it tonight.

And then there was Riley. She’d known him one day, yet he’d taken over tonight as if they were lifelong friends—or more. He was protective, and far more clearheaded than she was at the moment.

He was both of those things now, but he could be gone tomorrow. She couldn’t start depending on him.

“You don’t have to stay tonight, Riley. Really, you’ve done so much already. I’m starting to feel guilty about taking up all your time when you’re in Winding Creek to visit your brothers and Esther.”