Shoulda Been a Cowboy (Rough Riders 7)

His belly lurched. Chances were slim whoever was in that car had survived.

Orange cones and flashers lined the perimeter, although no one manned the area. Leaving his flashers on, he donned his reflective vest and forced himself out of the patrol car.

Cam’s feet were dragging—for once not because he had an artificial leg. He’d seen car accidents in his time as a deputy. Hell, he’d witnessed some damn gruesome car bombings in his years in the army, but none of the incidents involved someone he knew.

Fred, the part-time EMT, motioned him over. “Deputy, are we taking the victims to the hospital?”

The guy didn’t mean to the hospital for treatment; he meant to the hospital since it also housed the county morgue. Cam cleared his throat. “Yes.”

“I’m supposed to tell you to track down Sheriff Shortbull right away.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s on the other side of the semi, dealing with the accidents over there.”

A two-lane highway meant wreckage on both sides. His eyes flicked over the body on the stretcher, covered with a sheet.

As Cam debated the fastest, safest way to proceed to the other side, Sheriff Shortbull appeared around the front end of the semi. The normally gregarious man was dragging his feet too.

“McKay.”

“Sheriff.”

Pause.

Shortbull rubbed his top lip with the back of his hand. “Did Jolene tell you—”

“No. She didn’t tell me anything besides to prepare myself.”

“There ain’t any easy way to say this.”

“Then just say it flat out.” Just don’t say Kade. Or Skylar. Or Buck. Or anyone else in my family. Please. Don’t say it.

“One of the confirmed victims on the other side is Luke.”

Cam’s chest constricted. “Luke? As in my cousin Luke McKay? You’re sure?”

“Yes. Dammit, Cam, I’m so sorry.”

Jesus. What the hell was Luke doing out here? That thought vanished and Cam’s head snapped up. “Was his wife Jessie with him?”

“No. He was alone.”

“Ah f**k. Ah Jesus. Ah Christ. I can’t believe…” Tears smarted. Cam couldn’t think beyond dead dead dead. This tragic shit happened to other people, not to his family. Not this many goddamn times. First Dag. Now Luke? Fucking senseless accidents. Jesus. He spun away, clenching his hands into fists, shoving the anguish into the corner inside himself where darkness and misery dwelled.

“Under normal circumstances, I’d notify next of kin. But in this case…are you up to doing it?”

It never occurred to Cam to say no. It was his duty as an officer and a family member. “Yeah. It ain’t gonna be easier on Jessie or my cousins or my uncle and aunt if the bad news comes from me.”

“I wish to f**king God you didn’t have to do it at all,” Shortbull said wearily. “But I’ll be making plenty of late night visits to other families.”

A couple of shouts sounded, breaking the surreal silence.

“Does that mean the other victims have been ID’d?”

“Luke and the truck driver both positively ID’d. There’s an Indian guy on the other side we can’t get info on. He didn’t carry a wallet and the car is registered to the tribe, so that’s no help. The couple in the crushed car…theirs was the first vehicle to hit the semi. Due to speed and lack of visibility, they hit hard and flipped. It’s a real mess.”

Still reeling from the news his cousin Luke was dead, Cam barely nodded to show that he was listening.

Deputy Sayzers trotted over with a piece of paper. “We’ve got a registration name on the car.”

“Who?”

“Rex DeMarco.”

That caught Cam’s attention. “Who did you say?”

“Rex DeMarco. Do you know him?”

“Not personally. His ex-wife put a restraining order on him a few years back before I started working here. He had issues with domestic disturbances.”

“Now I remember. So the woman in the car…who is she?”

Grimly, Cam said, “I’d bet money it’s his ex-wife, Nadia DeMarco.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Domini is friends with Nadia, and Nadia recently started spending time with her ex again. As a matter of fact, Domini agreed to watch their son tonight so they could go out.”

Shortbull whistled. “That poor kid. With both his parents dead, who’s his next of kin?”

“No one. Nadia emigrated from Bosnia so she’s it as far as family.”

“And the father?”

“No local family for him either.”

“I’ll make the call to Social Services and give them the heads up.” Shortbull sighed. “That boy is gonna go through hell.”

Cam’s brain was stuck on breaking the bad news. But something in Shortbull’s tone jarred him. “You ain’t gonna make him ID his parents?”

“No! Jesus, McKay. What kind of monster do you think I am?”

“I don’t. I just…” Cam dry-scrubbed his face. “Shit. Sorry. I ain’t exactly thinkin’ straight.”

“Understandable.”

They trudged back to the other side. Emergency lights blinked. The ambulances waited silently as the Search and Rescue guys worked on getting Rex’s and Nadia’s bodies out of the car.

Thirty minutes ticked by. Cam paced so much his shirt was damp from sweat and his prosthesis hurt like a bitch. The tow trucks loaded the smashed vehicles onto flatbed trucks. This time of night there wasn’t much traffic, but cars were lined up both directions. Cam had to get to Jessie before someone in the community recognized Luke’s wrecked truck and called her to ask about it.

Dread weighted him down as Sheriff Shortbull said, “Other people can handle this part. You’ll have enough trauma and drama to deal with.”

Cam barely remembered driving to Luke and Jessie’s place—a doublewide trailer on the far edge of the McKay Ranch. A porch light burned. He glanced at the clock before he climbed out. Ten thirty. Christ. Had it only been two hours since he’d gotten the call? It seemed like a lifetime ago.

He lumbered up the steps, inhaling a deep breath before he knocked on the door.

Lexie, Jessie’s dog barked inside the house. A voice hushed her, then a squeaking, sucking noise sounded as the inner door swung open.

Is that what he’d remember of this night? The sound the door made before he gave Jessie the news that’d change her life forever?