Cowboy Deputy. Carla Cassidy

mask glared at her with accusation and a phone began to ring.

      She awoke with a gasp, the taste of overwhelming grief and crushing guilt thick in her mouth. Disoriented for a moment, she looked around the moonlit room. Then she remembered where she was and that the phone she’d heard in her dream was actually the phone ringing in the house.

      As it rang again … and again, she realized Poppy either didn’t hear it or didn’t intend to answer it. She looked at the clock. Twelve forty-five. Whoever was calling was persistent, for the ringing didn’t stop.

      She jumped out of bed and left her room. Flipping on the hall light, she ran down the stairs and grabbed the receiver of the phone in the living room.

      “Hello,” she said half-breathlessly.

      “It’s me, Benjamin.” His deep voice sounded irritated. “I’m here at the hospital with Walt.”

      “What?” Confusion sifted through her as she looked at the closed door of Poppy’s bedroom. “But he went to bed earlier.”

      “Apparently he went out. Somebody beat him up and he managed to flag down a car that brought him to the hospital. He’s going to be all right, but I think you should be here.”

      “I’m on my way. Where is the hospital?”

      “Go straight down Main to Chestnut and turn left. It’s about halfway down the second block. You can’t miss it.”

      She murmured a goodbye and then raced back up the stairs to get dressed. Her heart beat an uneven tattoo as she thought of somebody beating up Poppy.

      Why, oh, why, had he left the house in the middle of the night? This delusion of his about space aliens obviously had a dark undertone.

      Within minutes she was dressed and in her car creeping down the darkened Main Street, seeking Chestnut. Benjamin had sounded angry, as if it were somehow her fault that Poppy had been out wandering the streets. What did he expect her to do? Strap the man into bed at night?

      She found the hospital, a two-story brick building with a large parking area near the emergency room entrance. She easily found a parking space, and as she hurried into the door she prayed that Benjamin was right and Poppy was going to be okay.

      Once again she kicked herself for staying away for so long. She didn’t need Poppy, but it was obvious he needed her. The first person she saw when she walked into the waiting room was Benjamin.

      His dark, thick hair was tousled as if he’d just climbed out of bed, making him look even sexier than she remembered. He jumped up from the plastic chair he’d been in as he saw her.

      “Where is he?” she asked.

      “Where were you?” he countered, his shoulders rigid with tension. “Didn’t you know he had gone out?”

      “He went to bed just after you left. I went upstairs to go to sleep, as well. What was I supposed to do, tie a little silver bell around his neck so I’d know if he was on the move?” she asked belligerently.

      The tension slid off his shoulders and he smiled. “You’d need a ball and chain because I’m afraid he’d be able to get a little silver bell off.” He rocked back on his heels and slid a hand through his unruly hair. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to come at you like that.”

      “And I’m sorry I didn’t have a ball and chain on Poppy,” she replied, reluctantly charmed by his apologetic smile. “How is he? Can I see him?”

      Benjamin nodded. “He’s been waiting for you. He refused to talk to me until you got here. Come on, I’ll take you to him.” He placed his fingers just beneath her elbow, and she felt the warmth of the touch burning her through the sweater she’d pulled on. She tore her arm away from him.

      What was it about this man that made her feel defensive and prickly? Maybe she was overly sensitive to him because he was the least of her problems. She had a life in Topeka that was in complete and total chaos and a crazy grandfather in Black Rock that she somehow had to fix before she could go home.

      She heard Poppy before they reached the exam room. “I’m fine. I just need to go home and rest a bit.” His voice held the raspy edge of frustration.

      As she and Benjamin stepped into the exam room Edie’s breath whooshed out of her at the sight of Poppy, who sat upright on the examining table. One of his eyes was blackened and swollen shut and his jaw held a massive bruise that appeared to grow darker as she stared at him.

      “Oh, Poppy,” she exclaimed, her heart squeezing tight in her chest. “What happened?”

      He shifted positions and winced. “One of the bastards caught me.”

      “Where were you, Walt?” Benjamin asked.

      The doctor, an older man with a receding hairline and a kind smile, held up a hand to halt any questioning. “Before we get into that, I’m Dr. Drake. I’ve been Walt’s doctor for the past twenty years.” He held out a hand to Edie, who introduced herself.

      “Other than what’s obvious, what are his injuries?” she asked.

      “A couple of cracked ribs and a lot of bruising along his left side. I’d like to keep him here under observation for a night or two.”

      Edie breathed a sigh of relief at the doctor’s words, but Walt took exception. “I don’t need to stay overnight. I want my own bed in my own house.”

      “Walt, as your doctor I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist,” Dr. Drake said firmly. “You took quite a beating and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I just let you out of here without running a few more tests.”

      The mutiny on Poppy’s face eased into something resembling resignation. “I’m not going to wear one of those damn gowns and this place better have cable television. And I want a pretty nurse.”

      Dr. Drake smiled. “I think we can handle all that. Now I’ll just get out of here and let Benjamin conduct his investigation.”

      “Dr. Drake, before I leave, I’d like to have a word with you in private,” Edie said.

      He nodded. “I’ll be in my office at the end of the hall, and if I’m not there just grab a nurse and have her hunt me down.” He left the room and Edie turned back to Poppy as Benjamin stepped closer to the bed.

      “Where were you, Walt?” he asked again.

      “Out by the cemetery. I thought that might be a hot spot for those creatures and damned if I wasn’t right. I was only there about an hour when one of them showed up. Either I made a sound or those suckers have some kind of extrasensory stuff ‘cause even though I was hiding behind a bush, he came tearing after me.” He looked from Benjamin to Edie. “I think it’s best if you leave town, Edie. Those creatures are violent and this town isn’t a safe place anymore.”

      “I’m not going anywhere, Poppy,” she replied. “At least not until I know you’re safe and well.”

      “This space alien, what did he look like?” Benjamin asked.

      “Like an alien,” Walt exclaimed, seeming to get more agitated with each question.

      “Poppy, you need to be more specific,” Edie replied. “Was he little and green?”

      Poppy shot her a look as if she’d lost her mind. “He wasn’t some damn cartoon Martian. I couldn’t tell much what he looked like. He was wearing all black. His face didn’t have a nose or mouth, just big eyes.”

      “Where exactly in the cemetery were you?” Benjamin had pulled out a small notepad to jot down the pertinent information.

      “I was hiding behind that big burning bush at the entrance and the alien was just inside the gate.”

      “What was he doing?” Benjamin asked.

      “Just walking,” Walt replied.

      On and