Joanna Wayne - Loaded

Her mission was to infiltrate the family and ferret out the full truth, an accomplishment that would likely destroy the Collingsworth empire and send at least some of the family members to prison for the rest of their lives.

She’d do the legwork. A judge and jury would decide the rest.

“THE PATIENT’S AWAKE NOW, Lenora. You can go in, but don’t expect her to be too talkative. That pain medication is making her drowsy.”

“I just want to say hello and make sure she doesn’t need anything.” Lenora knocked and then entered the hospital room where her would-be new employee lay beneath a pale blue blanket with an IV attached to her right arm. Her eyes were watchful as Lenora stepped to the side of the bed.

“I’m Lenora Collingsworth.”

Shelly smiled and tried to push up on her elbows, giving up on the idea quickly and dropping back to the pillow. “It’s nice to finally meet you, though this isn’t exactly how I’d pictured the moment.”

She had a nice smile and a sense of humor. She was attractive, too, with short brown hair specked with gold, and half bangs that set off her beautiful gold-green eyes.

Lenora placed her hand on the bed rail. “I can’t believe this happened after I assured you that you were coming to a safe area. But in all honesty, I don’t remember a single case of a random, drive-by shooting in Colts Run Cross. In parts of Houston, yes. But never in our community.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Shelly said. “In hindsight, I should have come straight to the ranch, but it’s my first visit to Texas and I wanted to do a bit of sightseeing before I began work.”

“Well, at least you got to do that. I don’t want to tire you, but I wanted to let you know how sorry I am and to make certain you have everything you need.”

“I appreciate that, but I don’t plan to be in this bed long. The doctor stitched me back together and is giving me antibiotics and some pain medication. He says I’ll be good as new soon. I’ll likely leave the hospital tomorrow.”

“Where will you go?”

“Back to the motel, I guess. I can’t expect you to provide room and board until this arm heals and I can start work.”

“Nonsense,” Lenora said, relieved that Shelly wasn’t planning to renege on their agreement. “You can have all the time you need to heal at the ranch. It will give you a chance to get to know Jeremiah before you start treating him. As I told you on the phone, he’s a bit cantankerous since the stroke. Well, more than a bit at times, but he can be loveable when he wants to be.”

“That would be great—if you’re sure I won’t be imposing.”

“Not at all. I’ll check with the hospital in the morning,” Lenora said. “If the doctor releases you, I’ll either pick you up myself or have someone else in the family do it, depending on their schedules. Whoever drives you to the ranch can stop off at the motel for your luggage. In the meantime, I’ll have the housekeeper get your room ready.”

“I have my own car, still parked on the street in front of the café.”

“Matt had it towed to Hank Tanner’s body shop once the sheriff and his men had finished examining it. Hank will keep it there until you have a chance to look at it and decide what you want done. No strings attached.”

“So the vehicle was examined?”

“Yes, of course, dear. Ed Guerra and his department are very efficient. And don’t worry about the cost of the bodywork on your vehicle. I’ll cover whatever your insurance doesn’t. It’s the least I can do.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“I insist.”

“Thanks. That’s a very generous offer, but I’m sure the insurance will handle it. I guess all I have to do now is give my arm a little time to heal. I can’t wait to actually get started.”

“Just hold on to that attitude once you meet Jeremiah.”

“I promise.”

Lenora had a feeling that this was going to work out perfectly in spite of the troublesome start. The shooting still worried her, but she’d checked Shelly’s references thoroughly. There was no reason to think this was any more than a random shooting perpetrated by some hoodlum who’d been high on drugs. It was the sheriff’s job to take care of that.

The positive news was that a smart, attractive woman who was unfazed by gunfire could surely handle Jeremiah. She might even be able to stir a little romantic excitement in Matt. If any man needed a woman, it was him—not that he’d ever admit it.

Lenora found herself humming as she left the hospital. This just might turn into a very memorable summer. In fact, she was counting on it.

“SHOT AT FROM A PASSING CAR right on Main Street?” Incredulity colored Jaime’s tone and lit up her eyes. “And just when I was thinking of moving into Houston to add a little excitement to my ho-hum life.”

“It’s not funny,” Lenora said. “She could have been killed.”

“Sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean it that way. But you have to admit it’s unusual. There has to be more to the story than that.”

“Things like this happen in big cities all the time,” Lenora said. “It was inevitable it would make its way out here eventually. There’s no reason to believe Shelly did anything to provoke the attempt on her life.”

Matt had known the topic of the shooting would come up sooner or later. In fact, he was surprised they’d made it all the way through dinner before Lenora had approached the subject.

They’d gathered on the huge screened back porch, and since it was Friday, several extended family members were still sitting around catching up on the week’s happenings.

The shooting had been front and center on Matt’s mind all afternoon, and the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that the best news for them would be if Shelly Lane decided to pack her bags and move right back to Atlanta. She might be totally innocent in all of this, but the odds were that she wasn’t.

“Tell me more about this woman,” Langston said, after Lenora had given them the few details they knew about the gunfire incident. Langston was the oldest, the head honcho of Collingsworth Oil. He had a cabin at the ranch, but lived in Houston during the week with his pregnant wife Trish and teenage daughter Gina.

“Shelly seems really nice,” Lenora said. “And mature for her age. A lot of young women would have panicked and been ready to clear out of town as fast as they could. She only wants to heal and start working with Jeremiah.”

“How old is she?” Trish asked.

“Twenty-nine,” Lenora said. “But she’s experienced and a very competent physical therapist. I checked her credentials thoroughly before hiring her.”

“Twenty-nine. Very interesting. And single, I’m guessing, since she’s moving in with us.” Jaime added. “And Matt’s thirty-three. How convenient, not that Mom would ever play matchmaker.” That brought a few laughs.

Matt groaned. His mother had managed to manipulate him into situations with half the single women in Colts Run Cross over the last few months. He hadn’t taken the bait then and he wouldn’t be biting this time, either, certainly not with a city girl out here for a change of scenery.

“This isn’t about Matt,” Lenora said. “It’s about Jeremiah.”

His grandfather picked that moment to join them on the porch. He propped his cane against the old wicker couch and dropped to the cushioned seat. “What about me?”

“I’ve hired a physical therapist,” Lenora said. “She’s from Georgia, but she’s going to live with us and help you regain your balance and strength.”

He sputtered and muttered a few curses under his breath. “If I wanted to be manhandled by a woman, I’d have remarried.”