Susan Sleeman - Holiday Secrets

Her eyes narrowed for a moment but then she nodded. Misty was getting on in years, so he suspected her agreement was for the mare’s well-being, as a shorter person mounting a horse from the ground was hard on the horse.

Gavin hoisted her into the saddle then climbed on Lightning. His shoe slipped in the stirrup and he regretted being so hasty in not changing his attire. He’d regretted it even more when his father eyed his shoes and chuckled.

Lexie set Misty in motion and he directed Lightning to move into position beside her. He kept his head on a swivel, carefully watching the trees dipping in the wind.

Maybe his behavior was overkill, but he’d learned the hard way that things could go sideways in a hurry. He wasn’t about to make the same mistake again. Not with Lexie’s life in the balance.

THREE

Gavin led Lexie under the wood sign stretching over Trails End’s driveway. His ancestors had burned the ranch name and MK brand into the wood that had been erected in 1895 when the ranch was first established. About the time the first McKade had become county sheriff. With minor repairs, it had stood the test of time and always gave Gavin a sense of pride in his family’s long history.

They trotted down the familiar drive until the two-story home with a long porch holding strings of garland and colorful Christmas lights came into view. Lights glowed from the lower windows, which meant his family was gathered in the living and dining rooms that faced the front of the house. A patrol car sat at the end of a circular drive—Matt’s car, Gavin presumed.

He veered off shy of the house and dismounted at the corral abutting a large barn and stable. “We’ll leave the horses here. I’ll make sure someone takes care of them.”

Gavin thought to help Lexie dismount, but he knew she’d balk, so he secured the reins and they made their way up an incline to the house. They’d barely stepped onto the porch when the door flew open and his mother barreled out like a bronc in a rodeo shoot. She was thin and tall, with leathery skin from time spent outdoors, and had a solid look about her as if she’d sunk her roots into the ground like the mighty cypress trees in the area. She’d always worked the ranch with the hands and kids, and never taken a day off.

“Welcome home, son.” Her arms outstretched, she jerked him to her as if he was a rag doll, and he went willingly.

After getting her fill, she set him away and stepped to Lexie. “You poor dear. Come here.”

His mother’s strong arms swallowed Lexie and she started to cry.

Gavin’s heart ached, and he felt like a dolt standing there when he knew if he hadn’t moved to Houston, she would be crying on his shoulder, not his mom’s. But he didn’t have long to dwell on it as his grandmother burst through the door and made a beeline toward him. She wore a gingham top over a T-shirt, and when she pulled him close, she was soft and squishy and smelled of baking spices. She did all the cooking, and he’d never found a better meal than the hearty ones she served up.

“Nana.” He hugged her back.

A clap on his shoulder had him pulling back to look into the sharp blue eyes of his granddad’s lined face. “About time you got here. S’posin your daddy kept you sitting around all this time.”

“Crime scenes take time to process.” Gavin was surprised he was defending his father.

His granddad hooked his thumbs in his red suspenders. “In my day, we wouldn’t make a little bit of a thing like Lexie wait around. We’d drive her home and have a civil conversation over a cup of coffee.”

“Coffee sounds like a good idea.” Gavin’s mother took Lexie’s arm. “We’ll settle you and Adam in the dining room by yourselves, and the two of you can take as long as you want.”

“Dad will likely have additional questions for Lexie when he gets here,” Gavin said.

“Then he’ll just have to wait.” His mother’s jaw firmed, meaning his dad would indeed be kept waiting, as Winnie McKade was the only person with the power to make that happen.

“I’ll see to the horses,” Granddad said.

“I appreciate that.”

“Don’t worry so much, Grandson,” Nana murmured. “God is faithful and He will work all of this for Lexie’s good.”

If only Gavin could be certain about that, but he hadn’t been certain about anything since Emily had been shot other than needing to leave town. He followed his family into the wide foyer holding a towering Christmas tree filled with handmade ornaments dating back as far as his granddad’s childhood.

Lexie glanced back at Gavin and, if he didn’t know better, he’d think she was begging him to join her to help break the news to Adam. But Gavin did know better. She didn’t want his help. She’d made that perfectly clear. Besides, he’d given up the right to sit by her side in good times and bad, and no matter how much he hated seeing her pain, he wasn’t a comfort to her now.

He closed the door behind them and headed across the house’s original wide-plank floors. Through a wide archway, he saw the other family members settle in front of a roaring fire, the woodsy campfire aroma he loved mingling with the scent of pine.

Matt stepped out to meet Gavin in the foyer. Though an investigator, Matt still worked patrol when needed and was dressed in the department’s basic navy patrol uniform. He looked tired and concerned, but had a ready smile.

He gave a light punch to Gavin’s arm. “You sure do know how to make an entrance in town, bro.”

“I’m surprised to see you here. I’d have thought you’d be out investigating the murder.”

“You know Dad. He has to make sure the department is fairly represented. So he’ll be in the thick of this one to make sure we don’t garner any bad press.” Matt frowned, disturbing his pretty-boy face that assured he always had his share of women to date. “And if you must know, I am involved. I’ve been tracking the suspect’s dirt bike.”

“Any luck with that?” Gavin asked.

“You know Dad wouldn’t want me to share investigative details outside the department.” A single eyebrow arched, looking so like their dad’s mannerism.

Gavin had to work hard not to comment. “And I also know you’re going to tell me everything, so why hassle me in the process?”

“I am, am I?”

Truth be told, Gavin wasn’t as confident as he’d once been that Matt would spill the beans. His brother had grown up a lot in the last few years. He’d be making a run for sheriff when their dad retired, and Gavin honestly believed Matt, who’d just turned thirty-one, could handle the position.

“Okay, fine,” his brother said without further prodding. “There’s no harm in telling you that ATF investigators arrived on scene and have taken over. They shooed Tessa away and I hear tell she’s hopping mad.”

“She had to know it was coming.” Gavin imagined their youngest sibling, who was a sworn deputy along with being a top forensic crime scene investigator for the county, facing off with an ATF agent. She was a nurturer at heart, but let anyone threaten her work domain, and she turned into a tiger.

“Knowing is one thing. Having a Fed toss you off the scene in your own county is another.”

“Hey, now. It’s awfully soon in my homecoming to be bashing the Feds, isn’t it?”

Matt frowned. “Dad said you wouldn’t tell him why you were in town.”

“I’m here on an investigation that involves Dr. Grant.”

“For real?”

Gavin nodded. “I cleared it with my supervisor to fill you and Dad in, but you’ll have to wait until I get Lexie settled and make sure we’ve made a protection plan for her and Adam.”

“Then in the spirit of cooperation, I can tell you that I located the dirt bike abandoned a few miles from the airfield.”