Justice Divided (Cowboy Justice Association Book 10) Read online

  Justice Divided

  The Cowboy Justice Association

  Book Ten

  By Olivia Jaymes

  www.OliviaJaymes.com

  JUSTICE DIVIDED

  Copyright © 2018 by Olivia Jaymes

  Kindle Edition

  Copyright © 2018 by Olivia Jaymes

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  Justice Divided

  It’s just another normal day with the twins when Ava gets a frantic call from her sister. Mary’s husband Lyle Bryson has been shot dead and she’s the main suspect. She needs Ava to come home to Corville right away.

  Pressed back into service to find the killer of his half-brother, Logan finds himself once again at odds with the family. With Ava’s sister under a cloud of suspicion, it feels like the last time he put a Bryson behind bars.

  But neither Logan nor Ava believes that Mary killed Lyle. Jumping at the chance to work with her husband again, Ava is determined to clear her sister’s name. But as more secrets are revealed, having a killer in the family might be the least of their problems…

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  About the Book

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  About the Author

  Other Books by Olivia Jaymes

  Chapter One

  “And they all lived happily ever after.”

  Ava Wright whispered the last sentence of the story and quietly closed the book. She leaned down to press a light kiss on her daughter’s forehead and push a curl back from her silky cheek. The innocence of childhood.

  Brianna loved the stories about princesses and heroes that saved the damsels in distress. She thought every book ended with everyone falling in love and having a party. Ava could only hope it would be a long time before her daughter realized that wasn’t the case. Let her enjoy her youth as long as possible. A six-year-old should believe in fairies and magic and unicorns and rainbows.

  Ava wished she still did, too. But a person couldn’t stay innocent and naive and write murder mysteries. Having a husband that dealt with deadly crime didn’t help the situation either. She’d had to institute a rule against putting crime scene photos where little hands and big eyes could find them. They were now banished to a file cabinet in the office under lock and key.

  She tiptoed out of her daughter’s bedroom, hoping that this story would stick for the night. While her twin brother Colt was a good sleeper, Brianna was a night owl and it usually took two or three extra books to get her to finally fall asleep. She took after Ava in that way. There were too many exciting things going on to waste time sleeping.

  Placing the book on the bookshelf in the living room, Ava padded on bare feet into the kitchen. It had been a long day and a glass of wine sounded like the perfect antidote to her own sleepless nights. She never slept well when her husband Logan wasn’t next to her. Lately that was more often than not. It wasn’t what she’d envisioned when they were married but he loved his job, just as much as she loved hers. They’d agreed the travel was a reasonable tradeoff to get him out of the line of fire as a sheriff. She had to repeatedly remind herself that this job was safer. Busy but safe.

  Some days she missed Logan being the sheriff of Corville. At least he’d had regular hours and deputies to help him out. Of course, people had shot at him back then and that wasn’t so great.

  But he was supposed to come home tonight, although his flight had been delayed due to fog in Denver. She’d placed his dinner in the refrigerator but it would reheat nicely in the microwave.

  Pouring a glass of Chardonnay, she settled on the couch, balancing her laptop on her thighs. She’d been doing edits this week, so she might as well get some work done while she waited for her husband to get home.

  She didn’t know how long she’d been heads down at work but the sound of a key in the door brought her back to the present. Rubbing her stiff neck, she heard two voices, Logan and an unfamiliar feminine one, drifting in from the foyer. Setting her computer aside, Ava rose quickly to see who was with her husband. He hadn’t mentioned bringing anyone home.

  “Hey, honey. I need to get Kim a file from the office. Ava, this is our newest employee Kim. Kim, this is my wife Ava.”

  Logan hurried by, dropping a kiss on Ava’s lips before he disappeared down the hall to the spare bedroom-slash-office.

  So this was Kim. Ava had been hearing quite a bit about the woman for the last few months. In fact, it seemed like every other sentence out of Logan’s mouth started with the name Kim. She was completely and utterly tired of hearing about this female who from what she’d heard – in exhaustive detail – had an excellent record in law enforcement with several murder cases under her belt.

  She was younger than Ava had expected. Taller, too. Pretty, if you liked the buxom blonde-haired blue-eyed type. Logan sure had before he’d married her, despite the fact that Ava was not blonde and not tall. Her rack wasn’t bad, though, although childbirth and breastfeeding had taken their toll. Suddenly Ava wished she was dressed in something a little more fancy than a pair of khaki shorts and a t-shirt. Despite spending hours on a plane and in airports, Kim looked cool and put together in a pair of slim black slacks and a crisp white blouse.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Ava said, remembering her manners. “I’ve heard so many good things about your work. Can I get you something to drink? We can sit down in the living room if you like. You must be exhausted.”

  The younger woman smiled and shook her head. “Thank you but I’m afraid I just need that file and then to be on my way. It is nice to meet you finally. Logan talks about you and the twins all the time. You’re just like he described.”

  Really? You’re nothing like he described.

  “I’d introduce you to the kids but they’re asleep.” They’d run out of conversation quickly, but then the only thing they had in common was Logan. And maybe a fascination with murder. “What file is Logan getting for you?”

  “The Chatsman murder,” Logan answered from behind her, bumping her slightly – and on purpose – as he walked by. He gave her a playful wink before turning back to his employee in training. “Here you go. The photos are in there so take a look and let me know if you see anything.”

  Kim accepted the folder and slipped it
inside her briefcase. “Thanks. I’ll go through the file tonight.”

  Logan shook his head. “If you want to sleep, you won’t. Those photos redefine grisly. Might want to wait until the light of day.”

  Kim shrugged and moved toward the front door. “Nothing bothers me. I have a strong stomach and a great home security system. But thanks for the warning. I’ll call you in the morning.”

  Oh goody. Ava was worried Logan might go more than twelve hours without speaking to his protégé.

  Protector that her husband was, he watched as Kim climbed into her car and drove away. Then he turned around and slammed the door shut behind him, flipping the lock before bearing down on Ava and lifting her into a gigantic hug.

  “Woman, you cannot know how much I missed you. Did you miss me?”

  They had a running joke about this.

  Giving him a coy smile, she looked up at him from under her lashes. “Well…I was pretty busy.”

  Logan threw back his head and laughed, although not as loud as he would have if the twins had been awake. Pulling her closer, he leaned down to nuzzle her neck, running his nose along her jawline. Even after all these years and two kids, Ava was helpless when her husband got amorous. A shiver ran through her and she closed her eyes as his lips found that spot on her neck that made her insane. He knew it too, the sexy bastard.

  “I wouldn’t expect anything different, my good girl. I don’t know what I want more, you or dinner. I’m starved for you both.”

  Trying to hold onto a shred of sanity, Ava struggled for breath. “What is Kim looking for in the Chatsman file?”

  She and Logan had been through every open case with a fine-toothed comb. The Chatsman case had few leads and less evidence. A respected businessman had been murdered while he worked late at the office. Gutted like a fish. Logan hadn’t been kidding about the crime scene photos. Ugly stuff.

  Unfortunately, everyone that had a motive had a rock solid alibi, and everyone that didn’t have a good alibi didn’t have a motive. It was a recipe for frustration.

  “She thinks she might have seen a similar murder in Seattle,” he said, his lips against her skin. “She’s going to look over the file and photos.”

  Ava pulled back from her husband. “You think it’s a serial?”

  Chuckling, Logan pressed a soft kiss against her lips. “Thank God I have decent self-esteem, because if I didn’t you would have shredded it by now. You’re more excited about a serial murder case than your husband, even when he’s been gone for a week.”

  “That’s not true,” Ava protested, feeling the warmth invade her cheeks. “It’s just kind of cool, that’s all.”

  “Is it cool that I’m home?”

  Easy question. “Way cool. How about we warm up your dinner and you can tell me all about the case you closed.”

  Logan waggled his eyebrows and reached down to give her bottom a squeeze. He was still her horndog. When it came to him, she was one, too. “And then we can go to bed?”

  “All night long,” Ava promised, enjoying the hot look in her husband’s eyes. He was raring to go. Neither of them would get much sleep tonight, but then they rarely did when he first returned from a business trip. “Go kiss the kids on their foreheads while I toss your dinner in the microwave. But if you wake ’em up, you’re dealing with them until they go back to sleep.”

  “I’ll be as quiet as a mouse,” he promised as he headed back down the hall, this time to see his children. The twins would be thrilled to see their dad in the morning. On his first day back, he always made them chocolate chip pancakes. Ava had a feeling it was something that Logan’s mother had made him when he was small.

  It was kind of funny, but the house always seemed warmer and brighter when Logan was home. All snug, her entire family was together. It was something that was happening less and less these days. She’d enjoy it while she had it.

  Chapter Two

  Ava groaned as she placed sliced apples in each of the twins’ lunchboxes. Logan was having another go at his favorite subject. “We don’t need a dog. In fact, the very last thing we need is a dog. I’ve been through potty training and I don’t have a deep-seated need to housebreak a puppy.”

  “I’d help,” Logan protested indignantly. “It wouldn’t be that bad. All kids need a dog and it would teach them responsibility.”

  The old “the kids would help take care of the pet” ploy. Her own mother had fallen for this when Ava had been around ten. Of course, it had been Ava’s mother who had ended up taking care of their dog Lazarus. Lazarus had certainly been loyal to Carol Hayworth as well. He’d followed at her heels every day that he’d been on this earth. Ava’s mother had been heartbroken when Lazarus passed on.

  The last thing I need is something else to feed and take care of.

  Reining in her impatience, Ava snapped the lids on the lunchboxes closed. The carpool would be here any minute and the kids were still brushing their teeth. One tooth at a time. Slowly. While Ava applauded their efforts at dental hygiene, their pace could sometimes make her crazy when she was trying to get them to summer day camp on time. Or anywhere, for that matter.

  “You and I both know that Brianna and Colt aren’t ready for the responsibility of a pet. They can barely dress themselves. They’re six years old. I’d be the one that would end up taking care of a puppy.”

  “I said I would help.”

  Finally the twins scampered into the kitchen just as the carpool pulled up into the driveway. Ava slipped their lunches into their backpacks and both she and Logan gave kisses and hugs before they trotted away and off to day camp with their friends. They’d have a morning of arts and crafts, soccer, and video games – if it rained. They absolutely loved going and as a bonus it gave her four hours of quiet.

  She returned to the kitchen and sighed at the mess. Logan had indeed made pancakes this morning and it looked like a tornado had hit their kitchen. It didn’t improve her rapidly declining mood. He needed to drop the puppy thing.

  “A dog is a lot of work.”

  Refilling his coffee cup, Logan gave her his patented wicked grin. “We could just have another baby instead.”

  He wasn’t getting it and she had to resist the urge to reach out and smack his forehead. Hard.

  “We need another child like we need holes drilled in our heads. You’re never home,” she replied sharply, grabbing the batter bowl and beginning to rinse it. “And yes, I know you’re trying to be home more but that hasn’t happened. I’m barely able to find time to work now even with the kids finally starting school or going to morning camp. Can you imagine the chaos around here if we had another baby and a dog?”

  They’d have to sedate me.

  Ava loved her husband and children more than her own life. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for them, but she was an introvert at heart. She needed a few minutes of peace each day to recharge her batteries. Just five or ten. Logan was talking about taking the small amount of time she had each day to get shit done and tossing it out the window.

  “I’m really trying to be home more.” Logan took the bowl out of her hands and placed it by the sink before turning her to face him. “I meant it when I said that I would be and I’m going to make it happen. I know you have it rough when I’m gone all the time and that it isn’t fair. Believe me, I worry about that. I’m just asking for a little more time. Now go take a shower and let me handle these dishes. When I’m home, everything isn’t your responsibility.”

  For a moment Ava was going to argue and then realized he was right. It was force of habit to do it all herself, taking the world onto her shoulders, but Logan was standing next to her and he’d made the mess. He could clean it up.

  She wasn’t even going to tell him how to clean it up, although she was sorely tempted. She’d learned soon after the twins were born that supervising him changing a diaper wasn’t a great way to get him to do it. He did things in his own way. Just because she wouldn’t use that spray cleaner to wipe up the counterto
ps didn’t mean it was wrong.

  Although it totally was. But I’ve learned to keep quiet.

  She allowed him to push her toward the bedroom where she stripped off her yoga pants and t-shirt before stepping under the hot, steamy spray of the shower. A sigh escaped her lips and her muscles loosened as the water beat against her lower back. Resting her head against the wet tile she allowed herself to relax for the first time today.

  She really ought to apologize to her husband. She’d been snippy with him and she didn’t mean to. Sometimes the stress of things got to her. She was trying so hard to be everything to everyone and Logan kept telling her she was taking on too much. She didn’t need to be a room mother and volunteer for the PTA. She didn’t need to take on such an ambitious writing schedule. Add in Brianna’s dance class and Colt’s soccer club and she was getting hardly anything done all that well. It was all suffering and she needed to reevaluate what was really important.

  The slam of the bathroom door made her jump and she whirled around just as the sexiest man she’d ever seen opened the shower door while he efficiently stripped out of his clothes. Her mouth watered at the sight of those flat abs and what lay just below. He’d kept her up half the night last night celebrating his homecoming, but it looked like he wasn’t done.

  Lucky me. A couple of orgasms are just what I need.

  Logan quirked that sexy eyebrow and his gaze swept her from head to toe. “How about a little company?”

  Since he wasn’t wearing any clothes, Ava reached out for the only handle that was handy, her hand wrapping around the base of his cock.

  “You can come in if you wash my back.”

  They were going to empty the hot water heater this morning.

  * * * *

  Logan had been gone too damn long. He hated being away from his family and with every trip his impatience with traveling grew. This trip had only been a week long, but it might as well have been a month. He’d missed so many things with his family, but he’d also missed…this.