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.”
Trish walked over and sat down by Jeremiah. She had a way with the old codger, but then she pretty much had a way with everyone.
“Having a live-in therapist seems the perfect solution to me,” Trish said. “You never want to go to your appointments. This way you won’t have to.”
“I don’t go to therapy because the sessions don’t do a dadgummed bit of good. If they did, I wouldn’t be hobbling around here like some useless old man, now would I?”
“You limp,” Trish admitted. “But you could never be useless.”
I’ve hired Shelly Lane,” Lenora said. “If you want to get rid of that cane, you’ll cooperate with her. If you’re too hardheaded to work with her, then it will be your loss. She’s moving in tomorrow.” Lenora dusted her hands as if that were the end of the matter, but that didn’t mean it was.
“Tomorrow?” Jaime questioned. “I thought this new physical therapist was in the hospital.”
Lenora kicked off her black sandals and pulled a foot into the chair with her, settling it under her full black skirt. “If not tomorrow, then the next day. She’s coming here to recuperate.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Langston questioned.
“Why wouldn’t it be? She doesn’t have anywhere else to go,” Lenora said. “Besides, it will give her a chance to get to know Jeremiah before she starts working with him.”
“Yeah, like that’s an advantage,” Jaime mocked.
Matt’s muscles tightened. “I know you mean well, Mom, but you can’t just move her onto the ranch until we have more facts about today’s attack.”
“What’s to know?” Lenora asked. “She was just crossing the street and someone started firing at her. You were the one who told me what happened, Matt. That’s why I went to the hospital to check on her.”
“That’s the way it looked,” Matt said, “and the way Shelly told it, but at this point there’s no way to know she’s leveling with us. The shooter could be someone she knows.”
Jeremiah swung his cane in the air, banging it into the leg of a table and sending a half-empty glass of iced tea into a wobbling dance that fortunately ended without the glass hitting the floor. “Don’t know what this world’s coming to, but if some sick bastard’s trying to kill her, you ought to already have her out here. Can’t expect a woman to take care of herself.”
“Right,” Jaime said, mocking him. “What would we ever do without a man to take care of us?”
“Let’s get back to Shelly Lane,” Langston said. “She’s probably as innocent in all this as she claims, but to be on the safe side, I’d like to have Clay Markham investigate her before we move her onto Jack’s Bluff. He’s as competent a private detective as you’ll find anywhere in Texas, and Collingsworth Oil has him on retainer.”
“And I say we get Aidan Jefferies to run a police background check on her as well,” Matt said. “If they both clear her, then Mom can move her in with no worries.” Aidan was one of Langston’s closest friends and a Houston homicide detective.
“How long are we talking about for these investigations?” Lenora asked.
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