Justice Reborn (Cowboy Justice Association Book 8) Read online

  Justice Reborn

  Cowboy Justice Association

  Book Eight

  By

  Olivia Jaymes

  www.OliviaJaymes.com

  JUSTICE REBORN

  Copyright © 2016 by Olivia Jaymes

  Kindle Edition

  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 Reborn

  In one instant…

  Everything in Josie Carlton’s world changed. She’d been living a quiet, unremarkable life and now she’s on the run from bad guys who want her dead and police who want to put her behind bars for a crime she didn’t commit. She needs to find someplace she can lie low so she can figure out just what she’s going to do.

  A man figuring out life…

  Evan Davis has left law enforcement behind and is trying to find a new direction and purpose. In the meantime, he has a pile of work that needs to be done around this old, rundown family home. Hiring a secretive and obviously desperate girl straight off the bus doesn’t seem like a good idea but something in her pained eyes pulls at his heart. She needs someone to help her and it might as well be him. It’s only cleaning a house after all.

  Until it’s much more. Josie’s been told she can’t trust a single soul but Evan isn’t just anybody. The former US Marshal and small town sheriff isn’t a stranger to sticky situations but she hates to pull him back into the life he happily left.

  But if she wants to stay alive, she may not have a choice.

  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

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  About the Author

  Other Books by Olivia Jaymes

  Chapter One

  Evan Davis slapped his sheriff’s badge down on the mayor’s expansive desk and then planted his palms on the smooth oak surface. A wave of pure happiness washed over him and he couldn’t suppress a smile.

  “I quit.”

  Mayor Morris Gladstone hadn’t looked all that happy when Evan entered the room and he looked even less so now. “What do you mean? What are you talking about? You can’t quit. You have a contract.”

  Evan’s smile grew wider. “Your office never forwarded the revised copy to me so I never signed one. Although I think I would have grounds to break it since you haven’t been keeping up your side of the bargain. You had to know this day was coming, Morris. How many head lawmen have you gone through in the last five years? Did it ever cross your mind that it wasn’t them but you?”

  It wasn’t fair to blame Morris for everything but he’d played his part. Evan might have tried to stick it out in hopes things would get better but every day was more miserable than the one before it. He wasn’t cut out to be a small town cop. The fact was he didn’t know what he was supposed to be when he grew up. He was too tall for an astronaut, too citified for a cowboy, he couldn’t sing a lick which left out rock star, and he’d been shot in the leg so rich and famous athlete was off the table as well.

  “Shit,” the harangued mayor muttered under his breath. “Sherry! Come in here and bring Sheriff Evan’s contract.”

  Straightening, Evan just shrugged. He wouldn’t be changing his mind. It had taken a long time to get here but now that he was? There was no turning back. “She’s not going to find it. I didn’t sign one. No one cared until this minute. The town was just glad to have someone take this thankless, God-forsaken job and I was dumb enough to do it. No more. Deputy Steve can be the acting sheriff until you find someone. Hell, if you were smart you’d offer it to him at double the salary. He’s got more patience than anyone I know. If I’d been doing this job for five years I would have shot you by now.”

  Red creeped up Morris’s neck and a sheen of sweat had broken out on the older man’s pasty white forehead. Morris needed to get some sun. “It’s not that bad. Sherry!”

  “Stop yelling. She’s not going to find it. It doesn’t exist. Did you ever think your stubborn resistance to reality might be part of the problem around here?”

  Morris slapped the table and then winced. “We don’t have a problem. Except maybe you. You’re the problem.”

  If only that were the case, then things could be fixed.

  “Then you’ll be glad to be rid of me,” Evan retorted, wandering over to the windows on one side of the large room. Morris’s office looked over the rolling green lawns outside the courthouse and city hall. It looked pretty and serene with large maple trees and park benches but Evan wasn’t fooled. The town was eating at itself, unwilling to invest in services or infrastructure.

  He’d been fighting local crime with one hand tied behind his back and he was sick and tired of it. This year’s budget was worse than the last and he was already operating way under optimum. He needed at least three more full-time deputies and a canine unit. As it was he was looking to have to lay off at least one full-time man.

  Morris took a deep breath and stood although Evan still towered over him. “Let’s just calm down and step back a minute. I know things look grim but we have to make cuts in response to a smaller tax base. I don’t have any choice.”

  Politicians. It was amazing how smoothly they could lie.

  “Bullshit. There always seems to be money for raises for the mayor and the city manager. I can’t be a part of this anymore and honestly, Morris, you ought to be ashamed. Your daddy must be rolling over in his grave seeing how you’ve used your position to enrich yourself and your cronies. I hear you’re putting in a swimming pool at your house.”

  Scraping his fingers through his hair, Evan exhaled in frustration. He’d grown more discontented with each passing day and now he was simply making everyone around him miserable.

  “These contracts are going to bring in jobs, Evan, and with jobs come people. People who pay taxes. In a few years maybe we can do something about the budget issues.”

  Evan was sick and tired of hearing about these so-called job creators. They never hired anyone at a decent salary or gave benefits. But they all seemed to get rich off the working men and women in this town.

  “A few years? What should I do in the meantime? Wire the bumpers onto the cars and make bullets out of ice? How am I supposed to keep the pea
ce when I don’t have the tools? I went into law enforcement because I wanted to make a difference. Why did you become mayor?”

  Morris coughed a few times and puffed out his chest. “For the same reason. I wanted to make a difference.”

  “Congratulations, you have. This town is completely different than the one I grew up in. Now it’s like every other place on earth. Corrupt and falling apart.”

  Perhaps it always had been. Evan had grown up in a sheltered household, living a Norman Rockwell childhood. It was that idealism that had driven him into the military and then to law enforcement. His years as a US Marshal had been good and if he hadn’t been injured in the line of duty he’d still be there, climbing the chain of command even though he’d become increasingly bored with the duties he’d been assigned. The job had lost its challenge and the bureaucratic red tape had become a daily impediment to getting anything done, but dammit, it had been a career. He’d put in years toward it and now it was all gone.

  He’d been shot and had taken the sheriff’s job out of desperation, wanting someone or something to give him a direction in his now rudderless existence.

  It had been a mistake.

  He’d never taken to the job. Didn’t enjoy it. He liked variety and there wasn’t much in a small town sheriff’s day to day world. Everyone complained, nothing he did was good enough, and there was never enough money for the resources he needed. Frankly, he hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since he took the job. Invariably he was dragged out of bed by a middle of the night call because he didn’t have enough deputies to do the job correctly.

  He was tired, disgusted, and over it all. He wanted a comfortable bed and to sleep for a week.

  Sherry tentatively stepped into the office at that moment, looking like she didn’t want to be there. “Um, Morris? I don’t see any contract on file.”

  The mayor fell back into the chair, a heavy sigh on his lips. “Thank you, Sherry. Can you get me some coffee, please?”

  The young woman nodded and hastily exited the office, obviously glad to be away from the tension. Evan shook his head and inwardly groaned. He hadn’t wanted this to go so badly. He hadn’t wanted a shouting match or the two of them pointing fingers, blaming the other. He simply wasn’t cut out for this job and that made him sad. He’d wanted to enjoy it but it was making him miserable. He had to cut his losses and start all over again.

  “I don’t want to argue with you, Morris. I’m quitting and you can’t talk me out of it. If I keep doing this, I won’t be good for this town. Let’s not pretend you didn’t see this coming, okay? You’ve known for a long time I wasn’t happy.”

  Morris looked up, resignation showing in his eyes. “What will you do? Are you going back to the Marshal Service?”

  Evan had thought about that and it was a possibility. A very minute possibility. But right now nothing was for certain.

  “I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I just know that I can’t do this anymore. I’ve already talked to Hazel about renting out my house. I’m going to go somewhere I can be alone and think about what I want to do with my life.”

  The older man’s eyes widened. “You’re leaving? Your family has lived in this town for three generations, Evan. Where will you go?”

  Evan smiled but didn’t answer. Morris wouldn’t understand and it wasn’t anyone’s business anyway. Even in a town as small as this one, a person could sometimes manage to keep a few secrets.

  “Away,” he replied simply, feeling the oppressive weight of the job lift from his shoulders. He hadn’t felt this good in a long time. “I’m leaving in the morning.”

  Morris tossed his pen on the desk and chuckled, knowing he might have won a few of the battles but ultimately he’d lost the war. “I wish you well, son. You know that, right? There’s always a place for you here if you want it. I hate to say it because I know you despised every day on the job but you were the best sheriff we’ve had in my lifetime. Maybe my daddy’s too. Have a seat for a few minutes and I’ll get your last paycheck.”

  Morris started to rise but Evan shook his head. “Keep it since I didn’t give you any notice. I do feel badly about that but once a man decides something… Hell, I just need to be on my own for awhile.”

  “A man has to do what a man has to do. Keep in touch.”

  Evan wasn’t sure he’d ever be back, to be honest, but he nodded his head in agreement. Anything else would have appeared churlish and he didn’t want this to be a bitter ending.

  Slapping his hat back on his head, he turned on his heel and strode out of the building before pausing on the steps of city hall. He took a deep, long breath and looked up at the shining sun.

  It was a good day to be alive and unencumbered.

  He wouldn’t waste another day looking back. Full speed ahead.

  Chapter Two

  Josie Carlton stepped off of the bus and stretched her cramped, tired limbs as the fresh air caressed her face. Exhausted to the bone, she’d slept during the ride albeit with one eye open, still unsettled by the events of the night before. Terrified and unsure as to what to do, she’d jumped on the next bus leaving the station, not caring where it was going, only wanting to get away as quickly as possible.

  Now she was standing on the sidewalk of a little town in central Florida, about an hour from Orlando. She’d never been to the Sunshine State before and had pictured palm trees and beaches. There were a few palm trees but there wasn’t an ocean in sight. From what she had seen from the bus windows, there were trees and horses.

  And heat. Sidewalk melting heat. That old saying about frying an egg on the sidewalk must have been coined right here in this little town.

  She lifted her long hair off of her neck where a pool of sweat had gathered in the stifling humidity. It was the beginning of May and summer was just beginning in most of the country, but here it was obviously in full swing.

  Hitching her backpack higher on her shoulder, she struck out toward what appeared to be the center of town. She wanted desperately to sleep but even more she wanted food. She hadn’t eaten in hours and at this point pretty much anything sounded good, which was fortunate as the first eatery she came upon looked like a diner straight from the 1950s complete with pink vinyl booths and juke box in the corner. She slid into a seat and looked around for Fonzie, but if he was there he was hiding in the kitchen or the bathroom.

  A young waitress who couldn’t have been more than twenty sidled up as Josie studied the menu. “I’m Tammy, and I’ll be taking care of you today. What can I get you?”

  Stomach gurgling with hunger, Josie pointed to the laminated menu. “How are the shakes here?”

  “To die for,” the girl giggled. “If you like burgers and fries, you just stepped into heaven.”

  Josie slapped the menu closed decisively. “I’ll have a cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate shake. Oh, and a glass of water, if you don’t mind as well.” The waitress nodded and scribbled down the order. “Can you please tell me where the ladies room is? I need to freshen up.”

  Tammy pointed to a hallway near the jukebox. “Right back there. Did you just get off the bus?”

  That subject was the last thing she wanted to discuss. “Uh yes, I’ll be right back. You won’t give away my table, will you?”

  Tammy laughed and shook her head. “It’s safe. The lunch rush is over so you can sit there for a few hours if you want to.”

  Slipping back to the restroom while the waitress put in her order, Josie surveyed the damage in the mirror. Dark smudges under her eyes from lack of sleep and too much worry and stress. Hair sticking every which way. Clothes that looked like she’d slept in them. Because she had.

  “Aren’t you a beauteous sight,” she muttered as she pulled a brush through her wavy auburn hair and tied it back into a ponytail before splashing cold water on her blotchy skin. Right now, the only thing she was fit to do was scare small children.

  By the time she returned to her table her chocolate milkshake was waiting for her.
She made short work of it along with the cheeseburger and fries, cleaning her plate except for some lettuce and tomato she’d pulled off the bun. Now pleasantly full, she needed to find a place to sleep. Once she’d rested and her brain worked again she could start figuring out what she was going to do. Nothing she’d experienced in her life had prepared her for this. If she thought about it too much, she’d sit down and cry for the rest of the day.

  Tammy slid the bill on the table and gathered the dirty dishes. “Looks like you enjoyed it. Can I get you anything else? We have homemade pies.”

  Josie patted her stomach. “I’m stuffed but thank you. I don’t suppose you know of a cheap but clean motel around here? I don’t need anything fancy.”

  And I can’t afford it either.

  “Sure I do. Go down two blocks that way and then turn right. Cypress Corner Motorlodge will be down about a block. Hank owns it and he’s a good man. Runs a clean place and has decent prices.” Tammy leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “And it’s the only hotel in this one horse town. Tell him I sent you.”

  Josie nodded and thanked the young woman who bustled back to the kitchen. Unzipping her backpack, Josie carefully counted out the bills for her meal plus tip and placed it on the table. She’d pulled money from her checking account before leaving home but this wouldn’t last forever and she didn’t dare use her ATM card again or any of her credit cards either. The stress of her situation hit her straight in the abdomen again and a lump rose in her throat, threatening to bring her burger and fries back up.

  Swallowing hard, she breathed in and out until her stomach settled. Frankly, she didn’t have the luxury of throwing up lunch as she couldn’t really afford to waste food and money like that.

  She zipped her backpack closed and headed toward the door, pausing at a large bulletin board on the wall which had everything from puppies up for adoption to cars for sale. One advert caught her eye and she untacked it from the cork backing to take a closer look.