The Texas Ranger's Reward

“He’s a man I’ve done some artwork for, but that’s all. I’ve never been interested in him. When the book’s done, I won’t be doing any more projects with him. Real-life paintings aren’t the kind of thing I like to do.”

Her dad glanced at her with affection. “I know. You love your world of fantasy.”

“I always have.” She put down her fork. “Fall is when I like to be up at the cabin every weekend. The atmosphere inspires me. My week’s vacation starts next Tuesday. I planned to live up there the whole time, so I can hike and paint nonstop.”

“If you’re determined to go alone,” her father said, “then you need to buy a gun and learn how to shoot it.”

Her mother gasped. “William!”

“Well, it’s either that or take a boyfriend along.” Her parents despaired of her ever settling down again, and brought up the subject at every opportunity.

“I don’t have one. What if we hired a retired policeman to be at the cabin when I go up? I’d help pay him.”

Her father eyed her in frustration. “I guess anything’s possible, but tell you what, honey. Some time tomorrow I’ll call the police in the Kamas area and ask them to send someone over to the cabin and take a look.”

“I don’t see any signs of a break-in, so I don’t think that will do any good.”

“You have a point. Let me think about it. I don’t like this any more than you do.”

Her mother leaned forward. “I’ll go up with you for a couple of nights, and I’m sure John and Linda will, too. In the meantime, why don’t you ask Rosie from your work?”

“She’s involved with a guy, Mom.”

Besides, the problem with taking girl friends up there was that they needed to be entertained. At night they wanted to drive down to Kamas for a little fun, and to meet the local male talent. Melissa had done that years ago. It was how she’d met her husband. She had no desire for lightning to strike her twice in the same place.

Chapter Two

Travis was awake Wednesday morning long before it was time to take Casey to the clinic. His boss, Roman Lufka, owner of the Lufka Private Investigator firm, had intended to assign him a new case on Monday, but because Travis’s son refused to go to school, the timing was wrong.

Roman was the greatest, and told him to take as long as he needed to work with Casey, but Travis was getting anxious. It was one thing for his son to convince the therapist that he could manage without his crutches in order to receive a prize, and quite another to agree to go back to school without them.

Travis heard his cell phone ringing when he came out of the shower. Hitching a towel around his hips, he hurried into the bedroom and reached for it. Maybe the therapist was calling because a scheduling problem had come up.

Last night, without knowing what he knew, his housekeeper, Deana White, had whispered to him that Casey seemed to have developed a crush on the therapist and couldn’t wait until morning. Travis didn’t want to think about the damage a cancelation could do at such a pivotal point in Casey’s recovery.

Relief swept through him when he looked at the caller ID before picking up. “Hey, Chaz, it’s good to hear your voice.” Chaz Roylance was another great friend he’d made at the firm.

“Do you and Casey want to meet up for breakfast? I’ll bring Abby.” All the guys were trying to help Travis get through this rough period with his son.

“There’s nothing I’d like better, but we’re due at his therapist’s in twenty minutes.”

“How’s it going?”

Travis sucked in his breath. “She challenged him to come without his crutches. Wants him to leave them at home. If he takes her up on it, I think we’re halfway there.”

“Only halfway?”

“The other half is getting him to go back to school.”

“I hear you. As you know, our Abby is still having meltdowns over bees.”

“The poor little tyke.”

“When she sees one, it’s the end of the world. Frankly, I’m glad cooler weather is on the way. Unless I can promise that bees won’t be around, she refuses to do certain things, even for her mother.”

For her mother.

In that arena, Travis had the edge on Chaz, because the therapist seemed to have the power to get his son to do anything. Travis ought to be grateful to her. Hell, he was grateful, but nothing seemed to alleviate his tortured thoughts since he’d met her.

“Thanks for the invite,” he said to Chaz. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” He hung up and went back to the bathroom to shave. After putting on a crew-neck and dark trousers, he walked through the house to find his son in the kitchen eating breakfast. He’d dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Travis didn’t know if Deana had helped him or not.

And so far Casey hadn’t gotten bored with Captain America.

“Good morning.” The housekeeper, who’d raised three children of her own, put a plate of sausages and pancakes in front of him.

“Thanks, Deana.”

Travis didn’t have much appetite, but he ate what she’d served him, to be polite. His sister, Pat, had helped him find Deana. She’d been coming once a week to clean, and the rest of the time she picked up Casey from school and got dinner ready. Since he’d broken his leg, however, Deana had been putting in long hours, and Casey liked her.

Lately he hadn’t been interested in food, and today he’d left half his breakfast on his plate, Travis noted in concern. “Hey, bud, it’s time to go to the clinic. Put the toy down, okay?”

“Okay. What do you think she’s going to give me this morning?”

He studied his son. “Are you going to leave your crutches here?”

Casey had laid them on the floor by his chair. “Yup.”

“Then let’s get going and find out. Do you need me to hold your hand?”

“I don’t think so.”

Deana sent Travis a private smile. What she didn’t know was that although this was progress, the difficult part—school—was still to come. But he’d wait until they were in the therapist’s office to bring the subject up.

Dexter followed them to the garage, and Casey gave him a hug. If people didn’t look too closely, they might never know Casey had gone through his ordeal, Travis decided. Though his son took a little more time, he walked with a steady gait. Like any child, he loved getting neat things, but Travis feared that another gift wasn’t all that was motivating him.

“There she is!” Casey spotted Melissa as they drove into the clinic parking lot five minutes later. There weren’t many cars this early. When Casey climbed out she started waving. This time Travis didn’t see any hesitancy on his son’s part as he closed the distance between them.

Travis brought up the rear, surreptitiously studying Melissa Dalton. This morning she was turned out in a pair of latte-colored trousers with a dark brown waistband. With the fitted melon-colored blouse, it was hard to look anywhere else.

Her eyes appraised Casey. “Well, look at you. Good as new!” The boy beamed up at her. “I like a guy who makes a promise and keeps it. Where are those old crutches?”

“At home. I turned them into weapons.” Travis blinked when Casey unexpectedly pulled a folded paper from his pocket and handed it to her. “See?”

“Hmm. What have we got here?” He giggled while she opened the paper with great ceremony. “Whoa, I certainly do see. How clever of you to make them into laser guns! Is that an interplanetary rocket they fit on?”

“Yeah.”

She pressed it to her heart. “Can I have this and put it up on the corkboard for the other children to see?”