Body of Evidence by Lenora Worth

my mother is the horse expert. Suzanne Myers Rodgers. You might have heard of her, or rather, your parents might remember her. She used to compete in shows on both the state and national levels. She was poised for a shot at the Olympics when she met my daddy.”
    â€œAnd?”
    â€œAnd she fell in love and gave it all up, much to the disgust of her old-money-Texas-born-and-raised parents.”
    Anderson sat up on his horse. “Myers. As in Houston oil Myers?”
    â€œThe very ones,” Jennifer replied, galloping along beside him. “My maternal grandparents, although I’ve never met them. They disowned my mother when she left behind college, dressage and the cotillion to marry my father.”
    Anderson whistled low. “You’re kidding me, right? You don’t even know your own grandparents?”
    â€œNot on my mother’s side. And my father’s parents died when I was in grade school, first my grandmother, then my grandfather a year or so later.”
    No wonder she didn’t trust anyone. No wonder she’d fallen away from her faith. The woman was pretty much on her own here. She’d tried to tell him that. She’d probably tried to explain that to God, too.
    Now we’re both here and listening, he thought. He prayed that God would hear Jennifer’s cynical appeals.
    â€œSo you don’t know your grandparents and you never hear much from your mother. That’s not right, Jennifer.”
    She slanted him a harsh look. “Seriously, Ranger-man, I agree it’s not right. But it’s just a way of life for me. I’m used to it, so don’t feel sorry for me, okay?”
    â€œI feel sorry that your uppity grandparents don’t have the sense of a goose or the grace that God grants all of us. I feel sorry that your mother is so self-centered and—whatever she is—that she isn’t here supporting her daughter. I just don’t get any of this.”
    Jennifer’s expression changed from relaxed to perplexed in seconds. Her anger came through loud and clear in her next words. “That’s because you have a tight-knit family, Anderson. You’ve never been through the stuff I’ve had to endure. But hey, I’m okay. I’m doing just fine on my own. I don’t need advice or sympathy from a man who’s pretty much said he won’t ever give up his job to be a family man.”
    â€œI never said that. I said I love my job—”
    â€œYeah, well, my dad said that every time he headed out the door. I think you’re the same way.”
    He didn’t want to tell her she was in serious denial, about her dad, about him and about her own need to be loved. She wouldn’t listen to that right now.
    â€œI’m sorry,” he replied. “I didn’t mean to be so down on you or your family. It’s none of my business, anyway.”
    â€œYou’re right, it’s not.” She motioned toward the clearing ahead of them. “The new pen area is around that bend. We’ve dug a pond and cemented the sides. Part of the chain-link fencing is up—or it was until someone messed with it. The landscaper should be out this week to place the sunning rocks and shade trees as well as the rest of the landscaping.”
    And just like that, she shifted gears away from her personal life to her work, showing Anderson that she depended on her work here to help her hide the pain of being abandoned by everyone she loved.
    While he couldn’t grasp the cruelty of that twist of fate, he could continue to help her and protect her. And he began to understand that while this case had brought him here, God had sent him here for more than just busting up a drug ring. He needed to help Jennifer Rodgers find her faith again. He prayed to the good Lord he could complete that task.
    â€œImpressive setup,” Anderson said, turning to Jennifer with a nod after they’d tethered the horses on some nearby