The Deputy's Redemption. Delores Fossen

that was better worked out at the hospital after a doctor had examined her.

      Of course, he’d have to file a report. Of course. And he’d have to say that a witness in an upcoming murder trial had accused him of doing her bodily harm. He wasn’t looking forward to having to explain himself, especially when he’d done nothing wrong. Still, that was part of the job, too.

      “Come on.” This time Colt hooked his arm around Elise’s waist and got her moving. He was thankful when she didn’t resist. Or collapse. Though she suddenly looked ready to do just that.

      “I’ll drop you off at the hospital,” he explained, “and then come back and have a look at your car. Where exactly did you go off the road?”

      “Just a few yards from Miller’s Creek. I crashed into the guardrail.”

      He knew the exact spot and winced. That creek was deep and icy this time of year. If her car had gone over, then she might have gotten a lot more than just a bloody gash on her head. She could have drowned or died from exposure, especially since there likely wouldn’t have been anyone to come along and rescue her.

      He leaned in to smell her breath. No scent of booze. But she did scowl and shoved her elbow against him to get him out of her face.

      “I’m not drunk,” she grumbled. “Or crazy. I know what happened, and I know what I saw.”

      Yes, and sometimes what a person saw wasn’t the truth. But Colt kept that to himself. No sense getting in an argument about this particular incident.

      Or the trial.

      Though he was positive Elise hadn’t seen what she thought she’d seen all those years ago, either.

      “So, you crashed into the guardrail,” he repeated while he continued to lead her to his truck. “What happened then?”

      She took a deep breath. Paused. “I managed to bat down the air bag, and I got out on the passenger’s side. I just started running.”

      Colt was about to remind her that she could have run for no reason. But he didn’t get a chance to say anything.

      The slash of lights stopped him.

      Since the road was only twenty yards or so away, it wasn’t unusual for a vehicle to come this way. But Elise obviously didn’t feel the same.

      “Oh, God.” She turned and pulled him behind one of the trees. Elise also reached down and turned off his flashlight.

      Colt kept his attention on the truck. It was indeed the same model and color as his. And it wasn’t going at a normal speed. It was inching closer as if the driver was looking for something.

      Probably Elise.

      And not for the killer-reasons that she believed but maybe the driver was trying to find her to make sure she was okay.

      Still, Colt stayed put. Watching. Waiting. Wondering if he, too, had lost his bloomin’ mind to hide behind a tree instead of just trying to have a chat with whoever was behind that steering wheel.

      Next to him, Elise’s breath was gusting now, and she had her hand clamped on his left arm like a vise. Every part of her was shaking.

      The truck pulled just ahead of Colt’s. Stopped. And the automatic window eased down. It was too dark for him to see inside, but he could just make out the silhouette of a driver. A man, from the looks of it.

      The driver turned off his headlights.

      That didn’t help the prickly feeling down Colt’s spine.

      Nor did the other thing he saw.

      He stepped from his truck, taking slow cautious steps while he looked at the ground.

      And the man was carrying a gun.

Chapter Two

      Oh, God. The man was back, and he would no doubt try to kill her again.

      Elise didn’t have any idea who he was, but at least she now knew that it wasn’t Colt who was trying to murder her.

      Not at the moment, anyway.

      She’d seen the hatred in his eyes. Felt it, too, but thankfully that hadn’t put him in a killing rage.

      “Don’t go out there,” she warned him in a whisper when she felt Colt move.

      Colt stopped but drew his gun. And he kept watch. Just as she did.

      Elise’s heart was in her throat now, every part of her geared up for fight or flight. She was hoping it was a fight that she could win, but it was hard to think straight with her head pounding like a bad toothache.

      The man walked from the front of Colt’s truck and down the shoulder of the road. Toward them. But he wasn’t looking exactly in their direction. His gaze was firing all around him.

      So, maybe he hadn’t seen them, after all.

      Part of her wanted to run out there and confront him, and the other part of her just wanted to see what he planned to do. She figured he wanted to finish what he had started on the Miller’s Creek Bridge.

      “Is that the guy who ran you off the road?” Colt asked, his voice barely making a sound.

      “I’m pretty sure it is.”

      Elise had only gotten a glimpse of him. Or rather a glimpse of his clothes, specifically the midnight-black Stetson that looked identical to the one the Colt had worn since he was a teenager.

      Maybe a coincidence.

      But with everything else going on, she wasn’t so sure. She had only been back in Sweetwater Springs for a month. Had barely unpacked her things at the house that’d once belonged to her grandparents. But since Elise had arrived, she’d known she wasn’t exactly welcome in town.

      “Had you seen him before tonight?” Colt continued, sounding very much like the lawman that he was.

      “Earlier today, I saw someone watching me from the parking lot at the grocery store. I thought it was you.”

      He made a sound in his throat to indicate it hadn’t been. “I need to bring him in for questioning. This could be just some kind of misunderstanding. I heard something about your previous tenant not being happy about having to give up the place when you moved back.”

      No, he hadn’t been. In fact, the guy had trashed the house and left a rude message for her. “I know the tenant, and he’s not the guy.”

      Colt stayed quiet a moment, watching the man walk closer to them. “Stay put,” he told her.

      And that was the only warning she got before Colt stepped out from cover. “I’m Deputy Colt McKinnon,” he called out. “Who are you?”

      It was hard to see much of anything with just the watery moonlight, but the man didn’t lift his gun in their direction, and he stopped, staring across the narrow clearing at Colt.

      “Toby Gambil,” he said, practically in a growl.

      She repeated the name under her breath, trying to remember if she’d ever heard it. But she hadn’t. And she didn’t recognize that voice, either.

      Elise wished she had her laptop handy so she could do a quick check to see what she could pull up on him. It was something she did almost daily. Her job as a corporate security analyst gave her access to all sorts of dirty little secrets.

      And she had a bad feeling this guy had some.

      “Any reason you’re out here this time of night?” Colt pressed.

      “Yeah. Some bimbo ran me off the road. I suspect she was drunk, and I came looking for her.”

      Elise frantically shook her head, but if Colt realized what she was doing, he gave no indication of it.

      “You