Texas Hunt. Barb Han

until she recovered from her injuries and could do something about Beckett. A flea could take her down in her present condition, and leaving herself vulnerable would be foolish.

      “The doctor can explain everything to you when she comes in, but I’d put money on you staying here another night.” Shelly had stopped playing around with gadgets and stood sentinel next to the bed. She’d be all of five feet two inches in heels, or in this case thickly padded tennis shoes. “Do you have family in the area other than your husband?”

      My husband?

      “Why?” Lisa glanced at Ryan, who shot her a look before intently studying his cell phone screen.

      “We like to have additional contacts on file in case your husband has to leave,” Shelly said casually.

      Hold on. Did that mean what Lisa thought? Her dad hadn’t been up to see her? She might understand her sister, Lori, being preoccupied with her infant son or work, but wouldn’t Dad come by to make sure she was okay? Ryan had said people had been stopping by. She made a mental note to ask him about it as soon as the nurse left the room. “I can give more names. There are others here in town.”

      “Great. I’ll send someone up from Records to take more information.”

      “Perfect,” Lisa said, trying to sound casual.

      “The doctor should be in soon.” The nurse paused at the door.

      “Terrific.” Lisa shot a look at Ryan. “I’m sure my husband will bring me up to date in the meantime.”

      His lips were thin and his arms folded. He fired off a warning look. She understood. He didn’t want to be caught in a lie. He must’ve felt that he had no choice. Ryan was one of the most honest people she knew. He wouldn’t take giving false information lightly.

      “What else can I get for you while I’m here? Another blanket?” Shelly asked.

      “No, thank you. I have everything I need.” Lisa glanced from the nurse to Ryan. If he’d been a cartoon character, steam would’ve been coming out of his ears from embarrassment.

      “Press the button if you change your mind,” Shelly said before closing the door to give them privacy.

      “Was it a big wedding?” Maybe it was the pressure mounting inside her that needed release, but Lisa couldn’t stop herself from poking at him.

      “Cut it out,” Ryan groaned.

      Even when they were twelve he didn’t like hopping a fence to retrieve a ball in a neighbor’s yard without asking first. More than that, he detested outright lying. His older brother hadn’t had the same conviction before he’d cleaned up his act. Lisa figured most of the reason Ryan despised untruths had derived from living through the dark periods in Justin’s life.

      “Sorry. I couldn’t resist. I know why you did it and I appreciate you for it. I’m sure they needed consent to treat,” she said.

      “Yes. You’re welcome.” The corners of his lips upturned in a not-quite smile. Something else was bothering him. She could tell based on his tight-lipped expression. Whatever it was, he seemed intent on keeping it to himself.

      “Has anyone contacted my dad?” she asked.

      He shrugged.

      “What a minute. How did you even know I was here?”

      “Mrs. Whitefield called. She said you asked for me right before you passed out on her. She needed help getting you in the car.” He cocked an eyebrow at her. “She said it seemed like there was something you wanted to tell me.”

      “You could’ve called my father,” Lisa redirected.

      “Guess I didn’t think of it at the time.” Something dark shifted behind his eyes and he looked uncomfortable.

      A light tap at the door sounded and then Lori rushed in.

      “I came as soon as I heard you were awake. Thank God you’re all right.” Her hands were tightly clasped and her gaze bounced tentatively from Lisa to Ryan.

      “I thought you were at work.” Had Ryan really sent a work text earlier or was he covering for connecting with Lori? Why would he do that?

      Oh no. Something had to have happened. Lisa’s heart raced thinking about her nephew. “Is Grayson okay?”

      “Yes. He’s fine. Great actually.” Lori’s face muscles were pulled taut. “It’s Dad.”

      No. No. No. “What happened?”

      “He had an accident.” Lori shifted her weight to her right foot and bowed her head.

      “Where is he?”

      “He’s gone.” Huge tears rolled down her pink cheeks.

      Wait. What? No. This couldn’t be happening. She stared at her sister waiting for the punch line. If this was some kind of joke, it was beyond twisted. Tears already streaked her cheeks. Deep down, she knew her sister wouldn’t say something like that if it wasn’t true.

      “What happened?” Lisa forced back the flood of emotions threatening to bust through her iron wall and engulf her.

      “He was on the tractor, drinking again,” Lori said, raw emotion causing the words to come out strained. “He must’ve had too much because he flipped it and was pinned. The coroner said he died instantly.”

      Ryan had moved to her side, his hand was on her shoulder, comforting her. She needed to know the details, to know if Beckett had anything to do with it. Dozens of thoughts crashed down on her at once. She also had to think of an excuse to get her sister and nephew out of town and far away from any threat.

      Of course everyone would assume he’d been hitting the bottle again. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d relapsed. No one would believe her if she denied it. And yet Lisa knew he’d been clean. There was always a pattern. He was on an upswing. Lisa forced back the flood of tears threatening to overwhelm her. A few streamed down her face anyway.

      “Do they know for sure Dad was drinking? Did they perform an autopsy?” she pressed. She’d seen on TV that the coroner could screen for alcohol level.

      “Why would they do that? Isn’t that for, like, people who are murdered or something?” Lori’s voice rose with her panic levels. Her grip on Lisa’s hand had tightened to the point of pain.

      Lisa gently urged their fingers apart.

      “Oh, sorry. This is just happening so fast. First, what happened to you yesterday morning. Then Daddy later that afternoon.” Lori broke down in a sob. “I’m scared, sis. He’s gone and I didn’t know if you’d—”

      “I’m here,” Lisa reassured, fighting back her own emotions. She’d always tried to be brave for her little sister. “I’m not going anywhere.”

      “I know. It’s just all...surreal or something. Everyone keeps saying that bad news comes in threes and I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s crazy. I mean, who would want to hurt you? You’re like the nicest person. Everyone loves you. You’re a kindergarten teacher for heaven’s sake. Who would do this to you?”

      “Random mugging, remember? I have just as much chance as everyone else. It’s like lightning striking,” Lisa said even though her heart wasn’t in the words. When it came to lying, she fell on the same side of the scale as Ryan. Her father’s drinking binges had always been preceded by lies. In bad times, she and her sister would be hauled off to stay with a relative. In the worst cases, they’d end up in the foster care system for a few months until their dad straightened out.

      Even though she hated lying, she had no choice. She had to protect what was left of her family. “Where’s Grayson?”

      “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to bring the baby here. I know he’s still little, but I thought he might be afraid if he saw you like this,” Lori said. The words gushed out.