Branded by the Sheriff. Delores Fossen

might change her mind about staying.”

      Yeah, that earned him a glare from her. He hadn’t expected anything less. But then she glared at whatever the Ranger said, too. Her glare was followed by a look of extreme shock. Wide eyes. Drained color from her cheeks. Her mouth trembled, and he wasn’t thinking this was a fear reaction. More like anger.

      “I’ll call you back in the morning,” Beck continued with his brother. “In the meantime, get some sleep.”

      “Right.” With that final remark, Pete hung up.

      Beck hung up, too, and braced himself for the next round of battle he was about to have with Faith. But when he saw her expression, he rethought that battle. No more shock. Something had taken the fight right out of her.

      Sgt. Caldwell stopped talking to Faith and made his way back to Beck. “I got a call on the drive over here. The crime lab reviewed the surveillance disk you sent us. The one from Doolittle’s convenience store. They were able to positively identify your suspect.”

      Beck let that sink in a moment. Across the room while holding a babbling happy baby, Faith was obviously doing the same.

      “So Darin Matthews was in LaMesa Springs?” Beck clarified.

      The Ranger nodded. “We can also place him just five miles from here. About four hours ago, he filled up at a gas station on I-35.”

      Everything inside Beck went still. “Any reason he wasn’t arrested?”

      “The clerk thought Darin looked familiar, but he didn’t make the connection with the wanted pictures in the newspaper until Darin had already driven away. But the store had auto security feeds to the company that monitors them, and that means we had fast access to the surveillance video. That’s how we were able to make such a quick ID.”

      So Darin had come back, and he might have thrown those rocks with the threatening messages through Faith’s window. “You didn’t see Nolan Wheeler on either surveillance feed?” Beck asked.

      “No. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t there. He could have been out of camera range.”

      Beck snared Faith’s gaze. “Does this mean you’re leaving?”

      She didn’t jump to defend herself. Her mouth tightened, she kissed the top of Aubrey’s head and looked at Sgt. Caldwell. “They want me to be bait.”

      Beck repeated that, certain he’d misunderstood. “Bait?”

      “An enticement,” the Ranger clarified. “We believe there’s only one person who can get Darin Matthews to surrender peacefully, and that’s his sister.”

      True. But Beck could see the Texas-size holes in this so-called plan. “She’s got a kid. Being bait isn’t safe for either of them.”

      Sgt. Caldwell nodded. “We’re going to minimize the risks.”

      “How?” Beck demanded.

      “By making her brother think he can get to her. No matter where she goes, she’ll be in danger. Her baby, too. My lieutenant thinks it’s best if we make a stand. Here. Where we know Darin is.”

      Beck cursed under his breath, but he bit off the rest of the profanity when he realized Aubrey was smiling at him. “So what’s the plan to keep her and that little girl safe?”

      “The lieutenant wants to set up a trap to lure Darin back. We’ll alert all the businesses in town and the surrounding area to be on the lookout for Matthews. Meanwhile, we’ll put security measures in place for Ms. Matthews’s house while she’s at the hotel tonight.”

      “Her house?” Beck questioned. He didn’t like anything about this plan. “You honestly expect her to stay there after what happened tonight? Someone threw rocks through her window.”

      Another nod. “She won’t actually be staying at the house. She’ll just make an appearance of sorts, but we’ll tell everyone in town that’s where she’ll be staying.”

      Beck felt a little relief. “So Faith and her daughter will be going to a safe house?”

      The sergeant glanced back at Faith, and it was she who continued. “Not exactly. I can’t live in a safe house for the rest of my life, and Darin won’t be able to find me if I’m hidden away. So the Rangers want to set up a secure place for Aubrey and the nanny. I’ll be there, too, while making appearances at my house to coax out Darin. Obviously, we can’t have Aubrey in harm’s way, but my brother would know something was up if Aubrey’s in one location and I’m in another. So we have to make it look as if she’s with me even though she’ll be far from danger.” She paused, moistened her lips. “I’m hoping it won’t take long for my brother to show, especially since he’s already in the area.”

      So she agreed with this plan. But for someone in agreement, she certainly didn’t seem pleased about it.

      “If it weren’t for Aubrey, I would have never gone along with this,” she stated.

      Confused, Beck shook his head. “Excuse me?”

      “She means the protective custody issue,” Sgt. Caldwell explained.

      Beck sure didn’t like the sound of this. “What about it? She doesn’t want to be in the Rangers’ protective custody?”

      “No.” Faith hesitated after her terse answer. “I don’t want Aubrey to be in yours.”

      “Mine?” Beck felt as if someone had slugged him.

      “Yours,” Caldwell verified. “The Rangers will continue to provide you assistance on the case, but with a possible suspect in your jurisdiction, this is now your investigation, Sheriff Tanner.”

      “What are you saying exactly?”

      The Ranger looked him straight in the eyes. “I’m saying we’ll need your help. We can’t risk it being leaked that Ms. Matthews really isn’t staying at her place. And we can’t keep her real whereabouts concealed if she’s in the hotel for any length of time. There are too many employees there who could let it slip.”

      Beck’s hands went on his hips. “So where do you propose her daughter and she go?”

      “First, to the hotel to give us time to set up some security. Then, when everything’s in place, they can go to your house. Her daughter will be in your protective custody.” The Ranger didn’t even hesitate.

      It took Beck a moment to get his jaw unclenched so he could speak. “Let me get this straight. I’ll become a bodyguard and babysitter in my own home?”

      Sgt. Caldwell gave a crisp nod. “Protecting the child will be your primary task.” The Ranger glanced at Faith again. Frowned. Then turned back to Beck. “Ms. Matthews has refused to be in your protective custody.”

      Her left eyebrow lifted a fraction when Beck’s attention landed on her. “Yet you’d trust me with your daughter?” Beck asked.

      “This wasn’t her idea,” Sgt. Caldwell interjected, though Faith had already opened her mouth to answer. “I had to convince her that this was the fastest and most efficient way to keep the child safe. And as for her not being in your protective custody, well, you can call it what you want, but it won’t change what you have to do.”

      Beck stared at the Ranger. “And what exactly do I have to do?”

      Sgt. Caldwell stared back. “Once we have this plan in place, Faith and her daughter’s safety will be your responsibility.”

       Chapter Four

      This was not the homecoming Faith had planned.

      From the window of the third-floor “VIP suite” of the Bluebonnet Hotel, she stared down at the town’s equivalent of morning rush hour.