Finding Justice (Dancing Moon Ranch Book 12) Read online

  FINDING JUSTICE

  BOOK 12: DANCING MOON RANCH SERIES

  Patricia Watters

  DANCING MOON RANCH SERIES

  Prequel: Justified Deception

  LIVING WITH LIES TRILOGY

  Book 1: Righteous Lies

  Book 2: Pandora's Box

  Book 3: False Pretenses

  THE LIES UNCOVERED TRILOGY

  Book 4: Uncertain Loyalties

  Book 5: Becoming Jesse's Father

  Book 6: Bittersweet Return

  CUTTING THE TIES TRILOGY

  Book 7: Cross Purposes

  Book 8: Dancing With Danger

  Book 9: Bucking the Odds

  BOUND BY LOVE TRILOGY

  Book 10: Forbidden Spirits

  Book 11: Imperfect Magic

  Book 12: Finding Justice

  STORY: Two memories are fixed in Julia Barker's mind from the day of the Oklahoma City bombing: being trapped under a building, terrified it would collapse, and Mario, the U.S. Deputy Marshal who came to her aid and was trapped with her. She'd never gotten his last name, but after two decades the feel of his arms around her and the sound of his voice in the pitch blackness of the rubble are still vivid. And then one day he walks back into her life. When Mario Moretti escorts Jeremy and Billy Hansen back to the Dancing Moon Ranch as the first step in phasing them out of witness protection, he's stunned to find there the woman who'd haunted his memory for years. But as in the past, there's no place in his life for a wife and nothing has changed, not even the loneliness.

  Copyright 2015 by Patricia Watters

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or were used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part, by any means, including but not limited to xerography, audio recording, scanning into any information processing, storage or retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by electronic or mechanical or other means, not known or hereafter invented. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Title of Work: Finding Justice / by Patricia Watters

  First Publication: April 2015

  Domiciled in: United States of America

  Nation of 1st Publication: United States of America

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  EPILOGUE

  FINAL AUTHOR'S NOTE

  BOOKS BY PATRICIA WATTERS

  CHAPTER 1

  "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

  The hands can't hit what the eyes can't see"

  –Muhammad Ali

  Dancing Moon Ranch – Sheridan, Oregon

  While standing at the window of the lodge, Julia Barker watched the crowd gathered along the landing strip that ran between the lodge and the winery. All the Hansens were out there, including the brothers from eastern Oregon and their families, everyone looking toward the plane coming in for a landing. It was the day they'd all eagerly awaited, and although she wanted to be out there to share in the excitement of welcoming Jeremy and Billy home after four years in witness protection, Julia couldn't bring herself to join them.

  The front door of the lodge swept open and her grandfather, Howard Barker, walked toward her, and said, "I checked your cabin and when you weren't there, I thought you'd changed your mind about joining us. You could stand off to the side with Maureen and me."

  Julia shook her head. "I'll meet Jeremy and Billy when they come inside."

  Yet, the thought of everyone out there crowding into the lodge was troubling at best, but she'd stay close to the door, so if she felt a panic attack coming, she could slip away to her cabin, her sanctuary for the next few months. She also knew she couldn't stay at the ranch indefinitely, nor could she live with her grandfather and Maureen, who were talking about adding a room onto the back of their house for her. But she wasn't ready to live away from family either, so when the Hansens insisted she stay in one of the cabins until the guest season started up in the spring, it seemed the perfect solution, for now.

  She just needed more time, which was something she'd been telling herself every anniversary since the Oklahoma City bombing, when for hours she'd been trapped beneath a building that had not yet settled after the blast, imprisoned in a tomb-sized cavity surrounded by concrete, and steel beams, and rubble. When rescuers finally made their way through the wreckage, she'd thought it was all over. She had no way of knowing what lay ahead, the complexities of dealing with something the mind couldn't shut out. For now though, everyone's attention was focused on Jeremy and Billy's homecoming, and she could focus on that too.

  "You'll have dinner with us tonight, won't you?" Howard asked. "Maureen's expecting you." When Julia nodded, Howard squeezed her shoulder and left the lodge to join the others, and Julia returned to the window.

  As she watched her grandfather walk up to Maureen and put his arm around her shoulders, and saw couples clinging to each other in anticipation, and excited kids tugging at their parents' hands while being held back from the airstrip, Julia hated being so emotionally crippled that she couldn't join them. Much of the time she could disguise her claustrophobia, when it was just a few people in an uncluttered room. Today would not be one of those days, and already she was dreading the idea of all the people outside crowding into the lodge. The mere thought made her chest feel tight, as if being squeezed by a vise.

  The whine of engines drew her attention back to the plane, which had touched down and was rolling to a halt not far from the lodge. On seeing a small white aircraft with a dark blue stripe along the fuselage with the words, U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE, displayed across it, Julia was again taken back in time to the one place she did not want to be at the moment, so she forced herself to shove thoughts of that life-changing episode aside. Today was a day to rejoice with the family, and she would, however she'd manage to get through it.

  Only last week the Hansens got word that Billy would not have to testify in court against a key mafia crime figure, and the family would be discharged from the witness protection program and be home just in time for Christmas. The news came the same day Julia arrived at the ranch. She was glad for the distraction because it took the focus off her and the reason she was there, and that was the way she wanted it. From the time of the bombing she'd lived with her parents, but her father's job took her parents to Korea, and the thought of a long flight across the Pacific was something she couldn't handle. Her goal now was to have her own place by spring, something so simple, yet so complex for a person like her.

  Her attention was again drawn to what was happening outside. First to leave the plane was a big black dog, a Rottweiler, that was straining on the end of a leash held by a man wearing jeans and a U.S. Marshal jacket. The marshal gave a command, and after the dog sat, the man spread his arms and attempted to hold back the Hansen family, but when a tall man holding a toddler, accompanied by a woman clutching the hand of a li
ttle girl about three, stepped off the plane, the marshal moved aside and let the family close in around them. An older couple was last to leave the plane, and although Julia had never met any of them, she'd learned over the past week that the older man was Billy's father, and his wife was the U.S. Marshal's sister.

  Grace was first to embrace Jeremy and his little son, and as she held them, Julia could feel the relief and love of a mother who'd wondered if she'd ever see her son again, or even meet her grandchildren. Jack wrapped his arms around all three of them, and when he and Grace finally released Jeremy so they could hug Billy and their little granddaughter, Grace was mopping her eyes. The rest of the Hansen clan moved in, some hugging and laughing and swatting each other on the back, others crouching to talk to the little girl or touch the toddler, who had buried his face in his father's chest. The pilot and another marshal emerged from the plane and set numerous totes and bags on the airstrip, and before long, the plane was barreling down the runway and heading for the sky.

  Everyone began grabbing bags, and when the swarm of people started toward the lodge, a rush of adrenaline sent Julia's heart quickening, the first sign of an oncoming panic attack. But the intense urge to flee was suddenly overpowered by another emotion, one so strong she stood immobile as the man in the U.S. Marshals' jacket, waiting for the others to pass, stopped not more than ten feet from where she stood at the window looking out. It was his face that held her captive—the frown lines between his dark brows, the shadow of a day-old mustache that tipped downward at each end, a head of dark, closely-cropped hair and distinct sideburns, a man who looked more like a thug than a marshal.

  In an instant she was back in time, unable to move, buried in debris that trapped her arms, leaving only her head and shoulders free. A U.S. Marshal, hearing her cries for help, rushed in and started digging, bare-handed, into the rubble, but before he could free her, the building began shifting. Still, instead of fleeing when he could, the man hurled himself on top of her as falling debris and structural members closed off their only means of escape, throwing them in to pitch-blackness in a space barely large enough for two people to huddle together. Still, he'd managed to dig her out of the debris, but by then she'd been on the verge of hysteria, certain they were destined to be crushed beneath tons of rubble, so to help keep her calm, the man sat with his arm around her while keeping a steady dialog going, pumping her for answers to questions about herself, not because he was curious, but because he was trying to help her get through the horror.

  Miraculously, she hadn't been seriously hurt, only bruised and scraped, but the thought of being buried alive had taken hold. But sometime during the long terrifying ordeal, he said, "We've been talking for hours and you're just a voice in the dark, so describe yourself. Tell me what you look like."

  "I'm your average blue-eyed blond," she'd replied. "My friends called me Barbie when I was in high school. And you?"

  "I'm Italian. Dark hair, dark eyes. Most people think I'm a mafia hit man."

  She laughed, a light moment during the course of a living nightmare.

  When rescue workers finally dug through the rubble, she had just a short glimpse of the man known only as Mario, before they placed her on a stretcher, and took her away. It was true. He did look like a hit man, though a handsome one, with a face that showed concern, and caring, as he looked down at her. Then he gave her shoulder a little squeeze with a hand scraped and encrusted with dried blood from digging her out of the rubble, and said, "Best of luck to you, Barbie." When he smiled, her world seemed a little brighter, but she had no way of knowing what lay ahead because the reality of what happened had not yet sunk in. She was about to ask him his last name so they could stay connected, since they'd spent several hours together during a time when she was certain she was going to die, but he'd already walked off, and that was the last she'd seen of him. Yet, after two decades, his face was still clear in her mind, but that was the face of a much younger man. The face of the man outside fit her memory in a way, but his face was harder, with lines that said his life had not been so good.

  Telling herself she could handle a crowded room, her desire to know if this was the same man overriding her phobia, she moved to the rear of the great room and sat on a couch near the back door. Her cabin was just across the drive that ran behind the lodge, not more than twenty feet away, an easy exit if she felt a panic attack coming.

  The room soon filled with people, and as she watched the excitement and listened to the enthusiastic chatter, she also watched for the marshal to come in, but he apparently remained outside, or maybe went to his cabin. Grace mentioned that he and the older couple would be staying in two of the cabins. Julia had given it no thought at the time, knowing she'd see little of anyone because she was working on a script for her latest video game, and that would keep her occupied inside her cabin during the week before Christmas and through New Year's, when the lodge would be alive with ranch guests, and she wanted a reason to stay away. After that, the guest ranch part of the operation would close until spring, and she'd be comfortable enough mingling with the Hansen family.

  She glanced out the window and saw snowflakes fluttering in the air. While she was watching the activity surrounding Jeremy and Billy's arrival, the snowflakes had been barely discernable, but now snow was beginning to stick to the trees and ground. It had been overcast all day, and since the ranch sat high above the valley floor, snow on cold damp days was always a possibility. She had no problem with light snow, even up to a few inches, but the thought of snow building brought feelings of being buried…

  She cut off that troubling thought when, in her peripheral vision, she caught sight of someone walking toward her, and saw that it was Maddy Matthias, who'd left her husband's side when he started to entertain the kids with magic tricks.

  "Mind if I join you?" Maddy asked. "I can't get a word in edgewise over there right now, not even with the dog."

  Julia glanced to where the family was crowded around Jeremy and Billy, and several kids were petting the Rottweiler, who seemed contented enough. "Be my guest," she replied. "I'm just staying out of the way. I'll spend some time getting to know Jeremy and Billy after all the excitement has worn off."

  "That could be a long time," Maddy said. "The family has four years of catching up, and everyone wants all the details, especially Mom, so you'll have to pick a number and wait in line."

  "That's okay," Julia replied. "I'm enjoying just watching from a distance."

  "I've been wanting to talk to you since you arrived but you've made yourself scarce," Maddy said. "I have an equine program you might find helpful in dealing with your claustrophobia."

  Julia knew Maddy meant well, but the last thing she wanted was to be singled out as the poor, pathetic, step-kin who couldn't cope. "I'm actually doing okay," she replied. "I've just been busy working on a script I need to get out."

  "Grandma mentioned you're a video game writer," Maddy said. "That must be fun, especially when the games come out and you know you wrote them."

  "It is fun," Julia replied. "The Children's Club series I'm working on has become very popular, and it's in the age range of the kids here, so they might even have some of the games, if they're allowed to have them."

  "They are, but not until they've finished their chores," Maddy said. "Video games are a great tool Dimitri and I plan to use when our time comes."

  Julia found herself looking down at Maddy's tummy, to which Maddy laughed, and said, "Our time isn't coming yet. Dimitri and I are in the process of building a house, but when it's finished, we'll start on our first little illusionist."

  Julia laughed. "Maybe after all the excitement of Christmas and New Year's is over, I'll walk up to your building site… and… see… what…" Her voice trailed off when the front door to the lodge opened and the marshal stepped inside. After shutting the door, he stood near the entrance, like he wasn't sure what to do, and Grace and Jack and the rest of the family were so occupied talking to Jeremy and Billy that they
were unaware that he was there.

  But Julia was aware. In fact, she couldn't take her eyes off the man, who hadn't glanced her way. Instead he was smiling slightly as he looked at Jeremy and Billy's little girl, Amy, who was being handed a flower Maddy's magician husband had pulled from behind her ear. The marshal's smile softened the frown lines between his brows and lifted the corners of his mouth, making him look younger. Making him look like the face in her memory. Could it be? The odds were astronomical that the same man would turn up at the ranch the very week she arrived...

  "Julia?" Maddy's voice seemed to come from far away.

  Julia blinked rapidly, while trying to remember what they'd been talking about, but it had completely escaped her. The only thing on her mind was the man in her line of vision

  "Do you know him?" Maddy asked.

  "Who?"

  "Mario. The U.S. Marshal."

  "Mario?" Julia's heart quickened, but for a very different reason than before.

  "Mario Moretti," Maddy said. "You were staring at him and I was wondering why."

  Julia gave a nervous chuckle. "I guess he caught my attention because he doesn't exactly look like what I would expect a U.S. Marshal to look like."

  Maddy laughed. "Actually he looks like he belongs on the other side of the law, like maybe behind bars. In the past he stopped in on occasion to remind us he was still in charge. He's really kind of a jerk though, but Jeremy and Billy like him and insisted he stay through Christmas, since he has no family except his sister, who's also staying, so he must have a good side."

  Julia found herself again staring at the man while wondering if, after all those years, it could possibly be the only man she could imagine letting into her small, insular world. At least that was the way she'd felt over the years. On seeing him now, if it was the same Mario, she wouldn't want him to know what an emotional cripple she'd become. It was pathetic and humiliating.

  She was curious, though, about what Maddy just said, because it didn't fit the Mario who had literally helped her hold onto her sanity during a time when she'd felt on the verge of snapping. "In what way is he a jerk?" she asked.