Colton 911--Caught in the Crossfire

by Linda O. Johnston

  The most bulky and necessary items they’d included were water bottles, although Melody had assured him that she knew where some creeks—perhaps including the one the town of Cactus Creek had been named for—were located. They could utilize these creeks for water, which they could purify with her portable water filter. That way, they should be able to keep their own water bottles filled, as well as making sure the horses had drinkable water.

  And possibly the most important thing? His duty belt was hidden inside that saddlebag. It contained items he hoped he wouldn’t need, but would be crucial if he did, including his gun. He’d also stuck his wallet and badge inside in case he needed money or to identify himself, though he kept his phone in his pocket since he figured he might need it quicker than the rest.

  He’d fortunately had time to take that charm Melody had found to the sheriff’s department to examine it and determine its likely source, as well as check it for fingerprints. They’d be passing the area where she found it soon, which he thought about now. If it turned out that the charm belonged to one of the perpetrators, it might be useful as evidence, but that remained to be determined.

  And something about the charm was still tugging at his mind, though he remained unsure why.

  “How are you doing?” Melody’s voice came from beside him. She looked great on that horse, sitting tall, the reins held in her right hand, her jeans-clad legs hugging Cal’s sides and her black boots in the stirrups. Her ponytail waved beneath her cap in the breeze as they moved forward.

  Of course, Casey recognized that she looked great when not on horseback, too.

  And despite knowing full well and even vocalizing that they were both there on business and would remain professional, he knew he’d have to be careful if they spent nights out here together to keep it that way.

  “I’m fine,” he said. “Wish I’d learned to ride a horse this way before.”

  “So you’re having fun.” Her words were a statement, and her smile was one of the biggest Casey had ever seen.

  One of the prettiest, too.

  Okay, he told himself sternly. You like this woman. You like her appearance—and more. But keep it all to yourself.

  “Yeah,” he responded. “Definitely fun.”

  “So here we are,” Melody said as they arrived at the fence. “Our starting point, sort of. We’ll head in the direction those hoofprints lead us.”

  “Let’s check the GPS app.”

  Just before they’d headed out to the pasture, she had helped Casey download the GPS app, then shown him what the GPS portion of the tags attached to the cattle had looked like on her phone’s map—a group of small, overlaid dots in one location. But without streets or even an indication as to what part of the open land the dots were located in, other than a rough idea of the terrain if the right part of the app was on, it didn’t seem to Casey as if the GPS would be of much help except maybe to provide a general direction. But as with a lot around here, Melody was much more experienced and skilled in such things than he. He’d looked on his own phone and found the map, too.

  “Good idea,” she responded. “Let’s do it before we head any further.”

  She’d apparently put her phone in her pocket, too, and pulled it out now. As she did, something else fell from her pocket—her wallet.

  “Damn.” She started to dismount.

  “Here, let me,” Casey said. “I’ll pick it up while you check the GPS.”

  “Thanks.” She nodded at him. “That’ll save us a small bit of time. I assume you’re skilled enough now to get on and off Witchy without my guidance.”

  “I assume so, too.” He pulled his right foot from the stirrup, then lifted his right leg to move it around to the same side of the horse as his left one. Mounting and dismounting hadn’t been that hard to start with, but he did feel as if the little bit of practice he’d been getting made him somewhat of a pro, like Melody.

  Her wallet was in some grass just off to Cal’s right side, and Melody’s horse stomped a little as if he was uneasy to have Casey walking around. “It’s okay.” Casey stroked the brown quarter horse’s side in front of Melody’s leg, enjoying the feel of the soft coat. Cal seemed to quiet down immediately, and Casey bent to pick up the beige leather case.

  As he did so, he noticed that the strap that normally held the two sides together was unsnapped, and before he could get it back together he saw Melody’s driver’s license inside. He barely glanced at it at first, but did a double take when he saw that it was a Texas license—the address wasn’t in Cactus Creek, it was in Dallas. Understandable. Though she’d been here for six months, she must not have gotten herself a new one yet since moving here for this job.

  But the more startling thing was...well, did this belong to this Melody’? The picture was hers, and so was the first name, but the last name wasn’t Hayworth, it was Ellison. Was she married? Using an alias for some reason? What was going on?

  And how was he going to ask her?

  He wouldn’t. Not now. Whoever she was, and whatever her name, she clearly worked for OverHerd Ranch. The name situation was personal, since he’d no reason to suspect her of any crime—

  None of his business, despite his curiosity.

  “Here we are,” he said brightly, holding out the now-fastened wallet to her.

  “Thanks,” she said. “And better get back up on Witchy. We’re going to have a long day still, out here following the missing herd.”

  “Why? Are they on the move?”

  “Looks that way,” Melody affirmed. “And they’re heading even farther from this area. The ranch is five hundred acres, a lot of it in that direction.” She waved in front of them as he mounted Witchy once more. “But my suspicion is that those missing cattle are beyond that far end already or will get there soon.”

  * * *

  Melody found herself looking away immediately as Casey handed back her wallet. Had he opened it? Was he that nosy?

  Of course, it could have opened by itself when it fell from her pocket.

  Maybe she should have shoved it into her saddlebag back at the stable, but she liked having a couple of things on her—her phone and her wallet.

  She hadn’t noticed whether he’d snooped into it or not, of course. She’d been studying the GPS map on her phone app, as much as she could, at least. The map sort of indicated major differences in the terrain such as deep ravines, moderate hills and high mountains, but not minor things like the usual rolling hillsides, waterways like streams, or any landmarks, although she wasn’t aware of any out here. But it did provide the general direction of where the cattle were heading, and the distance of maybe fifteen or more miles from her current location with Casey.

  Now she knew the cattle were farther away than they’d been, as well as the direction they’d gone, but whether Casey and she could follow directly would depend on that unfamiliar terrain. And if she was correct in her interpretation, they’d at least come to steep hills on the way that they’d navigate.

  Melody now felt certain they would be spending at least this night out in a pasture on the way to catching up with the missing herd. She’d ridden out this way several times before since beginning work here, just to get the lay of the land, with one or more of the other hands with her. But she was far from knowledgeable with regard to the actual topography.

  “I’m not really sure how difficult our route will be,” she told Casey when he was back in the saddle and they were moving again. “Although the direction we’re taking still looks right.”

  “Guess we’ll just have to figure the rest out as it comes.” His tone was somewhat curt, and she wondered why.

  If he had been nosy enough to look in her wallet, he might have questions he wasn’t asking aloud. Just as well. Since she had just finalized her divorce six months ago, her old Texas license still had her married name—Ellison. Thanks to the nasty, cheating jerk
she’d been married to.

  Which was dumb on her part, in many ways. She never should have married him in the first place. And once she had, she should have ended it faster. She’d had a sense sometimes that Travis was cheating on her, and it had hurt.

  Well, at least being called a “country girl” had helped her make that final decision, and now she appreciated that, as a ranch hand here, she really was a country girl.

  But one of the first things she should have done upon moving to Arizona was to at least get a new driver’s license, so she’d never have to look at that old, unwanted name again.

  At least Clarence had accepted her official divorce documents and hired her under her real name, which she’d returned to using, Melody Hayworth.

  But she’d become so involved in her new job, so busy...well, that was her excuse, anyway.

  And now, with this reminder, true or not, she knew she would do something about it soon.

  Should she bring up the subject, explain it now to Casey?

  No. If he’d been snooping, that was his problem. And she hadn’t talked about her prior life much since she’d moved here, didn’t necessarily want to do so now. Wanted to keep that difficult time behind her. She had definitely moved on.

  If Casey asked about it, she’d answer. But right now, he just seemed to be quiet and didn’t interrogate her as a sheriff’s deputy might.

  Not that her prior ID should have made him suspicious of anything. She was a good, law-abiding citizen who was now trying to find whoever had stolen her employer’s valuable cattle, get those cattle back to the ranch where she worked and then go about her usual life once more. She hadn’t been involved in the theft, and to her knowledge no one had even considered the remote possibility that she was.

  Except, perhaps, for Casey. He was a law-enforcement officer and he might have seen something that didn’t quite fit with what he’d previously been told.

  Whether or not that was the case, it now felt uncomfortable just riding beside Casey so quietly. They’d at least chatted before about the pasture and where the other cattle were currently ranging and what it was like to work on a ranch.

  Working on a ranch. She had an idea how to start a potentially lighthearted conversation.

  “Okay.” She glanced over at Casey. His handsome face, which looked as if it had been chiseled from stone, was expressionless as he stared forward. Then he turned his head to look at her.

  “‘Okay’ what?” he asked, still straight-faced.

  “I like how you’re now doing on horseback out here. Let’s see how you do when we find the cattle. Of course, you’re the law-enforcement guy and I know you’ll need to take the thieves into custody.”

  “I intend to,” he said, remaining solemn. “If there are a lot of them, I’ll call for backup, assuming I get phone service out here as Clarence said we would, and if not we’ll just follow carefully behind them until I can get a team to join us and arrest them.”

  “Right. But meantime, I’m now considering that you should have an alternate career. You’re doing great riding. I’ll have to see how you do with the cattle when we find them, but you look good up there, sitting on the horse and scouring the pasture with your gaze. I think you should consider becoming a ranch hand. Maybe even a cowboy yourself someday.”

  He pulled slightly on Witchy’s reins, stopping her.

  “You’re kidding.” He stared at Melody, and she stopped Cal. Casey’s brown eyebrows arched even higher over his attractive blue eyes, a quizzical expression on his face—a good change from before, when he had no expression at all.

  “Could be.” She grinned widely at him. Then she attempted to grow more serious. “But what do you think of being here on the ranch? I mean, if you weren’t trying to find stolen cattle, would you like riding here? Not just riding a horse, but riding one in this kind of environment? You don’t necessarily have to herd cattle to be here, either.”

  “So you think I should become a ranch hand? You don’t think I’m a good sheriff’s deputy?”

  She laughed and gently kicked Cal to get him moving again. Casey also gave Witchy a slight nudge so she started walking again, too.

  Melody then looked at Casey. “I’m still sizing you up, Deputy. As far as I know, you’re good at what you do. I think you’d be good at this, too. Could be that you can handle anything that life throws your way, right?”

  “That’s what I believe. In fact, I’m sure of it, but—”

  “Great. I wanted to be sure that the man accompanying me on this potentially dangerous outing is smart and brave enough to handle it.”

  “I assumed you already thought so or we wouldn’t be out here like this.”

  “As I said, I wanted to be sure.” With that, she again gently kicked her horse and Cal’s speed increased.

  So did Witchy’s, beside them.

  Oh, yes, she’d already accepted that Casey was one good deputy, or his boss wouldn’t have allowed him to be the one to take on this chase out here in the kind-of wilderness. To be the one to find the bad guys in this situation and either take them down himself—with her limited help—or get some colleagues to sneak in wherever they happened to be and help him out.

  But all she’d wanted to do now was get them talking again. In a friendly manner.

  Maybe also get him to reveal what was on his mind, although she believed she knew that part.

  Why not just ask him? She might, if he continued to remain less friendly than he’d been before. It didn’t make sense to be out here with someone who perhaps had some suspicions or concerns about her and didn’t reveal them.

  And...well, heck. She didn’t really know much about him, either. Only that he was an officer of the law who’d been given this difficult assignment, including working with an unknown: her. She’d liked him before, and he’d seemed to like her.

  And now? Well, who knew? But did she want to spend more time with this man out here without them getting along well?

  Should she attempt to fix it by telling him all about her prior life?

  Maybe so. But she wouldn’t unless he asked.

  Though she could find out more about him by asking some questions of her own—eventually.

  But not now. Not until she could think this through.

  * * *

  What had that been all about? Casey wondered. Although he thought he might know.

  She might have seen him peek into her wallet after all, even though she appeared to be engrossed in checking out the cattle GPS.

  But why hadn’t she just asked him?

  Or should he have been the one to bring it up first?

  Maybe so. And maybe he would bring it up sometime. For now, though...

  Their horses were walking fairly fast, but the ground below them had started to become rougher, and he felt it in the way the saddle bumped his butt harder now as his horse’s hooves hit the uneven surface. He pulled slightly on Witchy’s reins. “Slow down, girl,” he said, then looked ahead as Melody, on Cal, passed them. “Yeah, you, too,” he called to his favorite—and somewhat difficult, at least right now—ranch hand. “Slow down.” And you, too. Call “whoa” on your attraction to Melody.

  Chapter 6

  The warming Arizona day seemed to progress quickly as they continued to track the cattle.

  They remained on horseback and though they were still in grassy pastures, they headed in the direction of some canyon areas filled with bushes and trees, which Melody considered a good thing. If they found the right spot, there might be some cover for where they’d ultimately sleep that night. And if she remembered correctly, there was also a small stream in that area, where they and the horses could get more to drink than they’d found earlier today, once it was filtered. Plus, she and Casey could also wash themselves.

  They’d already come across other spots today where the terrain was irregular or the
plant life was more vibrant—a good thing for when they needed breaks way out here in the middle of nowhere.

  Melody had enjoyed the conversations they’d been holding; at her urging, they discussed things in their lives—some of the time, at least—that had brought them to where they were today.

  “Do you like to see wildlife in the outdoors?” was one of the questions Melody asked Casey.

  “I’m always after people who live a wild life,” he said, making her laugh. “But if you mean do I like to see birds and animals and all out here, the answer is yes.”

  “Me, too,” Melody told him, and they talked a while about visiting areas like this and various sanctuaries and zoos in their childhoods.

  And Casey’s enjoyment of animals upped him even farther in Melody’s already climbing opinion of him.

  Melody didn’t bring up her divorce. She didn’t even want to think about it.

  Mostly, she peppered Casey with additional questions. Somewhat to her surprise, he didn’t want to talk much about anything personal, either. His attitude might be forthcoming and professional, but he seemed almost shy as he responded in few words at first to her repeated questions about why he’d become a peace officer. Because he wanted to. Because it was a childhood dream. She considered that sweet. In fact, she was finding him much too sweet and appealing.

  But that didn’t keep her from pushing for more detailed answers when he attempted to change the subject. Besides, she was curious.

  “Okay,” he finally said. “It’s no big deal, but if you really want to know...”

  “I do.”

  “I grew up here in Cactus Creek,” he told her, somewhat softly. He didn’t meet her eyes as he spoke, and instead looked into the distance, as if viewing the area he spoke of. Maybe he was, in his head. “It’s a great town, but like everywhere else there are good people and bad people. And I wanted to be out there helping to bring justice to my town. I got a degree in criminal justice from Arizona State and visited home as often as I could during the school years. I returned here full-time as quickly as I could and was hired as a deputy sheriff right away.”