Branded by the Sheriff. Delores Fossen

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СКАЧАТЬ to it that you’ll protect my daughter.”

      Because the vulnerable voice had distracted him, it took him a second to realize she’d just insulted the hell out of him.

      Beck stood and met her eye-to-eye. “This badge isn’t decoration, Faith,” he said, and he tapped the silver star clipped to his belt.

      She just stared at him, apparently not convinced. “I want you to swear that you’ll protect Aubrey.”

      Riled now, Beck walked closer. Actually, too close. No longer just eye-to-eye, they were practically toe-to-toe. “I. Swear. I’ll. Protect. Aubrey.” He’d meant for his tone to be dangerous. A warning for her to back down.

      She didn’t. “Good.”

      Faith actually sounded relieved, which riled him even more. Hell’s bells. What kind of man did she think he was if he wouldn’t do his job and protect a child?

      Or Faith, for that matter?

      And why did it suddenly feel as if he wanted to protect her?

      Oh, yeah. He remembered. She was attractive, and mixed with all that sudden vulnerability, he was starting to feel, well, protective.

      Among other things.

      “Thank you,” she added.

      It was so sincere, he could feel it.

      So were the tears that shimmered in her eyes. Sincere tears that she quickly blinked back. “For the record, I’m a good lawyer. And I’ll be a good ADA.” Now she dodged his gaze. “I have to succeed at this. For Aubrey. I want her to be proud of me, and I want to be proud of myself. I’ll convince the people of this town that I’m not that same girl who tried to run away from her past.”

      She turned and waved him off, as if she didn’t want him to respond to that. Good thing. Because Beck had no idea what to say. He preferred the angry woman who’d barked at him in the shower. He preferred the Faith that’d turned tail and run ten years ago.

      This woman in front of him was going to be trouble.

      His brother had once obviously been attracted to her. Beck could see why. Those eyes. That hair.

      That mouth.

      His body started to build a stupid fantasy about Faith’s mouth when thankfully there was a rap at his door. Judging from Corey’s raised eyebrow, he hadn’t missed the way Beck had been looking at Faith.

      “What?” Beck challenged.

      Corey screwed up his mouth a moment to indicate his displeasure. “I took a plaster of one of the footprints like you said. It’s about a size ten. That’s a little big for one of the Kendrick kids.”

      Beck had never believed this was a prank. Heck, he wasn’t even sure it was a scare tactic. Those rocks had been meant to send Faith running, and Beck didn’t think the killer was finished.

      “I’ll send the plaster and the two rocks to the Rangers lab in Austin tomorrow morning.” With that, Corey walked away.

      Realizing that he needed to put some distance between him and Faith, Beck took a couple of steps away from her.

      “My brother wears a size-ten shoe,” Faith provided.

      He stopped moving away and stared at her again. “So does your sister’s ex, Nolan.”

      She blinked, apparently surprised he would know that particular detail.

      “Even though the murders didn’t happen here in my jurisdiction, I’ve been studying his case file,” Beck explained.

      Another blink. “I hope that means you’re close to figuring out who killed my mother and sister.”

      “I’ve got it narrowed down just like you do.” He shrugged. “You think it’s Nolan. I think it’s your brother, Darin, working with Nolan. The only other person I need to rule out is your daughter’s father.”

      She folded her arms over her chest. Looked away. “He’s not in the picture.”

      “So you said in your statement to the Rangers, but I have to be sure that he’s not the one who put those rocks through the window.”

      “I’m sure he has no part in this,” she snapped. “And that brings us back to Darin and Nolan. Darin really doesn’t have a motive to come after me—”

      “But he does,” Beck interrupted. “It could be the house and the rest of what your mother owned.”

      Faith shook her head. “My mother disowned Darin four years ago. He can’t inherit anything.”

      “Does your brother know that?”

      “Darin knows.” There was a lot emotion and old baggage that came with the admission. The disinheritance had probably sparked a memorable family blowup. Beck would take her word for it that Darin had known he couldn’t benefit financially from the murders.

      “That leaves Nolan,” Beck continued. “While you were on the phone, I did some checking. Your sister, Sherry, lived with Nolan for years, long enough for them to have a common-law marriage. And even though they hadn’t cohabited in the eighteen months prior to her death, they never divorced. That means he’d legally be your mother’s next of kin…if you and your daughter were out of the way.”

      Her eyes widened, and her arms uncrossed and dropped to her sides. “You think Nolan would kill me to inherit that rundown house?”

      “Not just the house. It comes with three acres of land and any other assets your mother left. She only specified in her will that her belongings would go to her next of kin, with the exclusion of Darin.”

      “The land, the house and the furniture are worth a hundred thousand, tops,” she pointed out.

      “People have killed for a lot less. That’s why I alerted every law-enforcement agency to pick up Nolan the moment he’s spotted. I want him in custody so I can question him.”

      That caused her to chew on her bottom lip, and Beck wondered if she was ready to change her mind about staying in town. “I have to draw up my will ASAP. I can write it so that Nolan can’t inherit a penny. And then I need to let him know that. That’ll stop any attempts to kill me.”

      Maybe.

      Unless there was a different reason for the murders.

      The front door opened, and just like that, Faith raced out of his office and into the reception area. Corey was at the desk, by the dispatch phone, and Faith practically flew right past him to get to the three people who’d just stepped inside.

      A Texas Ranger and a sixtysomething-year-old Hispanic woman carrying a baby in pink corduroy overalls and a long-sleeved lacy white shirt. Aubrey.

      Faith pulled the little girl into her arms and gave her a tight hug. Aubrey giggled and bounced, the movement causing her mop of brunette hair to bounce as well.

      Beck hadn’t really known what to expect when СКАЧАТЬ