Cowboy In The Crossfire(29)

They drove down a winding driveway and pulled behind a large ranch house, its back porch spanning the entire dwelling. Logan Carmichael stepped out from the door, the scar on his right cheek still an angry red.

"Can we trust him?" Amanda asked.

"I do. With my life." Blake stepped out of the SUV and shook Logan's hand. He'd be stretching his friendship to the max today.

"This had better be good." Logan's voice trailed off when he caught sight of Amanda pulling Ethan from the backseat. Leo jumped down and followed them around the car.

"Later," Blake said.

He made the introductions, just as his mother ran down the steps and flew into Blake's arms, a dollop of flour smudged on her cheek.

"What's wrong, honey? Deputy Parris practically dragged me out of the house and wouldn't tell me a thing. Just dropped me here and took off again." Her face blushed a bit and she shoved an errant strand of cinnamon hair out of her eyes. "Didn't even give me time to curl my hair."

"Sorry, Mom. It's been crazy." Blake squeezed her tight and kissed her cheek. At least she was okay. Ever since his dad had been killed he'd worried about watching out for her. It was the main reason he'd moved home.

"Logan treated me to a nice breakfast, but he won't say a word. Not that he was ever the talkative one." Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Amanda and Ethan. "And who is this strapping young man?"

Ethan shrank behind Amanda and peeked out from behind her.

His mother's sharp gaze caught sight of the yellow truck. She gave Blake a speculative glance and knelt in front of Ethan. "That's a nice truck you have."

Ethan held the toy close. "Sheriff Blake let me play with it. It was Joey's. He's in the clouds."

His mother blinked and she ruffled Ethan's hair. "Yes, he is. Well, Joey would be glad a little boy can play with his toy."

Blake cleared his throat. "Mom, do you think you could find Ethan something to eat?"

She smiled. "I can do better than that. Do you like chocolate chip cookies? I've been baking to keep busy. The little gal who runs the kitchen just took some fresh from the oven. They're about cool enough for a little boy to eat."

Ethan's eyes lit up. He glanced at Amanda. "Can I?"

Her smile trembled, but she nodded. "Sure, little man."

He grabbed his truck and walked beside Blake's mom, but didn't reach for her hand when she held it out to him. She looked down at him and frowned. Blake recognized the curious glance she threw over her shoulder. Oh boy, he'd have to answer more than a dozen questions before this thing played out.

Once Ethan was in the house, Blake turned on Logan. "Where's Parris?"

"He couldn't reach Smithson. Went to search for him. Then asked me to guard your mother until he could get back. What's going on, Blake?"

"I had some visitors this morning. Shot the hell out of my house. I need to know Mom is safe while I get to the bottom of it."

"And I'm guessing this little lady and her boy have something to do with your trouble."

"Sharp as ever. I need to get to Austin. Check out something, but I can't take the boy. It's not safe for him. Physically or emotionally."

Logan crossed his arms. "You want me to babysit?"

"That kid's seen a man die. He's been shot at. He nearly died on a runaway tractor. He needs protection and supervision. Mom can do the cuddling."

"Maybe I shouldn't leave him alone after all." Amanda chewed on her lip, her hands kneading in front of her.

"Do you want to take him with us? Back into that house?"

She shook her head.

Blake shoved his hand through his hair. "I could leave you both here. Logan will keep you safe."

"I want to stay." Amanda sighed. "But I've got to do this. For Ethan. And for Vince."

Logan gave Amanda a sharp look, then turned to Blake. "Vince? Vince Hawthorne, that lying piece of--"

"Vince was murdered, Logan. Amanda is his sister."

He let out a low whistle. "I haven't heard anything about a downed cop."

"That's just one of our problems. And I'm not going into details. You have to trust me. And I need to get to Austin. Fast."

"Rich can take you in the Piper Lance. It'll get you there in an hour. And he'll watch your back."

"Good." Blake turned to Logan. "Can I use some of your men to back up Parris and Smithson? There are at least two guys in town. Maybe more. And I need a computer to get at some reports in the Austin PD databases."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "You really want to step in it, don't you?"

"Can you get me in?"

"Of course," Logan said with a wry smile. "Nothing I like better than bringing down dirty cops. You ready?"

"I need to say goodbye to Ethan," Amanda said.

Logan escorted them into the house. The scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies permeated everywhere. Amanda heard a soft voice singing and veered toward the sound. Blake's mother sat on a leather sofa, a glass of milk and a half-eaten cookie on the table next to her, a book in her hand. Ethan lay against her, his eyes closed, snoring softly.

"It'll be okay. I wouldn't let my mother stay here otherwise." Blake placed his hand on Amanda's shoulder. The vulnerability in her eyes made him hurt for her. She nodded quietly. He watched as unspoken communication went from his mother to Amanda. His mother nodded and she laid a protective hand on Ethan's back.