Colton 911--Caught in the Crossfire

by Linda O. Johnston

  Melody had attracted him before. She definitely did now. But he realized this was a bad idea, in many ways. So what? It had been one of the most amazing experiences in his life, here in the dim light of the lanterns, where he could see Melody’s body, full of curves in all the right places, which had felt even better as he caressed them. And then he’d made love with her.

  “I take it you’re still awake,” Melody said against his shoulder. She felt warm. Very warm, which was more than welcome in the coolness of the tent.

  “Yes, and I guess you are, too.” He began moving his hands along her bare back, then down, where he could grasp the globes of her small, tight buttocks.

  Which made his erection start thickening and hardening once more...

  “That was...wonderful,” Melody breathed. “But I’m not quite tired enough to sleep, so—”

  She didn’t have to say any more, especially since her hand moved down between them and touched him and made him want to do anything—everything—but sleep.

  He could only breathe heavily and smile as they made love once more.

  And then again...

  Afterward, Casey just lay there, still—again—holding Melody closely against him, but only after, this time, unfolding the other sleeping bag on top of them for warmth. He figured that was exactly what they would do at last: sleep.

  He felt sated...for now, at least. How would he feel in the morning?

  In the future?

  Well, he’d find out—

  He finally felt himself relaxing enough to fall asleep.

  * * *

  He woke up early the next morning, or at least there was a small bit of light seeping into the tent.

  Melody was still sleeping. She was naked beside him beneath their thick cover and he tamped down the urge to start something new. As enjoyable as it might be, it would take time.

  And they had to start once more on their mission out here on this vast ranch as soon as possible.

  But... Melody’s breathing was still deep, the sound of it—what else?—a melody in his ears, soft and even and very, very sweet.

  He’d particularly noticed her scent before, when they’d merely slept together. Now he wondered how she could continue to smell so wonderful after their ride. She must have brought along some kind of body wash with that addictive floral scent. Although maybe that was her natural aroma. He wouldn’t put anything past this determined, self-reliant, skilled—and sexy—woman.

  He reveled quietly in how close they were, how her body heat warmed him. He wanted to remember every moment of it, knowing how unlikely it was ever to happen again...except, perhaps, if they did wind up sleeping outside again in this tent for another night or two.

  But once they returned to reality, after this difficult adventure was over, that would be that.

  He’d hope to see Melody now and then, of course, but despite how much he had enjoyed being with her—especially last night—he still distrusted the idea of any relationship.

  Not after what he’d gone through with Georgia.

  He startled as Melody moved slightly in his arms, as if she was reading his thoughts. But she only murmured slightly and moved more closely against him, if that was possible.

  It was certainly enjoyable...and turned him on once more. Not that he’d do anything about that now.

  He gritted his teeth, once more in the throes of recollections he wanted to somehow erase from his mind, but realized he never would.

  Georgia. Strange that he’d think about her now—or not so strange. They’d had sex, of course, but never like this. But—

  Georgia. He suddenly thought of that charm that they’d found where the fence had been destroyed. A silver charm with a G on it. His thoughts had touched on it occasionally since he’d picked it up and taken it to the sheriff’s department for analysis, and not just because it was an obscure clue of some kind.

  He finally recognized why.

  At some point during their planning, he’d heard that Georgia’s parents had given her a charm to wear in celebration on their wedding day. The charm he’d found had her initial on it. Could it be the same one?

  Not hardly...right?

  That would be too much of a coincidence. How could Georgia be involved in this rustling situation?

  She couldn’t. He must still be asleep somehow for all of this to barge into his mind.

  He was clearly thinking too much right now. He had to stop.

  Or if he was going to think, he’d rather muse over what he’d done with Melody last night.

  And...well, if he couldn’t just wake up Melody and share again the wonders of what they’d done—and he couldn’t, because of their need for speed that day—it was nevertheless time to wake her up anyway. To get going.

  And to stop thinking, especially about what they’d done last night. It couldn’t continue, after all. He wouldn’t want it to, and neither would Melody .

  So...the best way to awaken her, and to start their day? He moved even closer and kissed her on her full, enticing lips.

  Foolish? Maybe. But it had the result he wanted.

  Her eyes popped open immediately and her arms moved enough to draw him closer, until their kiss deepened enough to stimulate other parts of his body.

  But no matter how he felt, or what he wanted, they needed to get on the move right away.

  Pulling slightly away, he said, “It’s morning. Ready to get back on the trail?”

  He felt her stiffen a bit in his arms. Had he hurt her feelings? But they had the same goal in mind, their jobs to perform, and she immediately said, “Absolutely.”

  Her response, to his dismay and surprise, hurt his feelings a bit. But he just said, “Last one up and dressed has to pass out our water and breakfast treats.”

  She rolled over quickly and soon stood away from their sleeping-bag bed. He rose as well but couldn’t help observing her luscious body in the nude once more, before she could pull on her underwear, jeans, T-shirt and hoodie, then comb her hair and arrange it again into a ponytail.

  Which only made him feel worse that they hadn’t engaged, just this once more, in a tiny, short bout of sex.

  But this was the right thing to do. In moments he would get dressed in his warm clothes for the day, including his sweatshirt...though not before Melody had turned slightly and also observed his bare body, which, of course, reacted to her gaze. He ignored it. They had to get on their way.

  * * *

  “Hey, Cal keeps trying to slow down,” Melody called to Casey. It was nine o’clock in the morning, and they’d been riding once more over the grassy, rolling pasture toward the red dots on her GPS that indicated where the cattle were. They set a quicker pace than they had before, as planned. As always, before they’d started out she had checked her GPS app. The cattle would soon reach the hill they’d need to get down, in the direction of a long rural road, or turn sideways. It appeared that Casey and she were making progress in catching up with them, but not a lot.

  Whichever route the rustlers decided to take, she and Casey would follow. And, hopefully, catch them soon.

  Right now, she was enjoying the bumps and movements of being on horseback, even if it wasn’t as fast as she wanted. She continued, “Do you think my horse wants us to spend another night in the tent before we catch up to the cattle?”

  She was kidding, of course. Last night had been fantastic. And though sex was a wonderful experience in a relationship, what she had with Casey was not a relationship.

  “Well, I didn’t get the impression that Cal and Witchy did anything different last night from what they’d done before, and I doubt they care what their riders were up to, either.” Casey’s voice was loud enough to be heard over the sound of hoofbeats on the ground.

  “Guess you’re right.” Melody shot a positive expression toward her fellow cattle seeker—well, c
riminal hunter—and nodded her head, then laughed. “Oh, well.”

  “Yep—oh, well,” Casey returned.

  And that should have been the end of it. Melody wasn’t going to say any more on that subject that gripped her mind—and her body—even now. Unless she figured out another way to joke about it. Make it clear that, in her opinion, Casey and she would just remain buddies, as well as professional colleagues.

  Still, despite their prior conversations and her own thoughts about it, Melody felt a bit hurt. What they’d had clearly meant little or nothing to the man she was with.

  Well, she knew better than to wish otherwise. And she knew far better than to expect anything more, no matter how wonderful she had found it.

  Something occurred to her that she could ask about in a casual manner...kind of. At least it might indicate whether Casey, too, thought they could remain friends. “So what should I expect if I’m able to join you and your family for Christmas dinner? I think you said your brother lives in Phoenix, right? Will he be joining us here?” And was he coming here to join his family for Thanksgiving? Melody didn’t know what they were doing then. Her invitation was for Christmas, an extra month away.

  “Probably. He’ll want to see our parents, and maybe even me.” Casey’s expression looked light when she glanced at him. She gathered his relationship with his twin brother remained close, even though they didn’t live in the same town.

  “You’re sure your parents will be okay with me coming, too?” She gritted her teeth slightly, half expecting him to rescind the invitation.

  “Oh, they’re always fine when we ask friends and acquaintances to join us for Christmas.”

  She looked away, feeling ridiculously hurt. She was just a friend or an acquaintance, in his estimation.

  That was true, but it still felt painful after what they’d shared. Even so, she wanted to continue the friendly conversation. “So what do your parents think about their sons both being in law enforcement, though different types?” she asked. “I gathered from what you said before that your mother might be happier about it than your father.” As she recalled, Casey had said his mother had hoped her sons would also give back to the community.

  “Oh, she worries about us. They both do. They’re always telling us to be careful.”

  And so would she, Melody realized, if she was part of their family. Which she wasn’t, of course. “So are you?”

  “How careful can I be out here in the middle of nowhere with you chasing bad guys?”

  “I wondered about that,” Melody responded. “At least your parents’ jobs both sound fairly responsible. I don’t envy your dad, though, trying to cure people of cancer. At least there’s not much danger involved for either of them—unlike working for the sheriff’s department or FBI.”

  “Yeah, and Everett and I have the same likelihood of running into bloody situations as our dad does, since he performs surgery sometimes. Or at least I occasionally deal with bloodshed in my job—not that I dig into people intentionally, of course, though I sometimes get involved in contentious situations. Or I find...well, you know.”

  She did know what he meant, but she refused to mention Pierce, either, or how they’d found him. Instead, she said, “Glad I’m a ranch hand. Sure, there’s occasionally blood involved, especially when one of our cows gives birth, but fortunately things tend to be fairly calm and blood-free.”

  She did find it interesting that both twin brothers had wound up in law enforcement, though, with their parents in such different careers.

  For the next half hour, they talked often but about neutral topics, not generally their families but sometimes about their education and what they liked, or didn’t like, about Cactus Creek.

  Melody didn’t get into her thoughts about the future, though. She liked Cactus Creek, intended to stay here, but she didn’t want to marry again.

  Although she would regret not starting a family.

  Well, maybe someday, if the right man happened to show up in her life...

  Not Casey, though. Not anyone, this soon after what had happened to her.

  For now, she was glad when they urged their horses to a faster gait, then had them slow for a short while.

  Melody then decided they should stop so the horses could rest and nibble some grass, while she pulled her phone out to check its GPS once more.

  Were they getting closer to those red dots? She certainly hoped so—although if the rustlers continued to drive the cattle forward at the same pace as they’d been doing, she and Casey might be somewhat closer but possibly not near enough to catch up with them today after all.

  But when she looked at the app, the number of miles between the cattle and them had shrunk.

  “Hey!” she said. “I don’t think our quarry is moving much at all today.”

  “Really?” Casey’s eyes widened. “How close are we?”

  “A lot closer than before. And if we keep our mounts at the speeds we’ve been going and the cattle don’t go any faster, I think we’re going to do it.”

  “Do what? Catch up with them?”

  “Exactly.”

  * * *

  He hoped so. Damn, how he hoped so.

  He wanted to apprehend those thieves—and murderers—more than nearly any other perpetrator he’d ever gone after. Get this situation resolved. Find out if Georgia did have anything to do with it, since he couldn’t help suspecting her thanks to the charm. Although it could, of course, be someone else who had the same initial, or had a friend or relative who did.

  After they’d remounted and set out again, he dug his heels into Witchy’s side just a little to speed up her pace a bit more. And, of course, Cal—and Melody—kept up with him.

  But even as he did that, he considered again that resolving these crimes, hopefully in an appropriate way, would end this closeness with Melody.

  At least with her joining his family for Christmas dinner, he would see her again. Plus, as he’d already considered, he could stop in and see her at OverHerd Ranch sometimes.

  But...well, he’d only been with her for a few days. And nights.

  And then there was the closeness they had shared last night...

  “Hey,” she called from slightly behind him. “Hey, Deputy Sheriff Colton. Looks like you really want to catch those missing cattle fast now.” She—rather, Cal—caught up with him and he glanced at the beautiful ranch hand beside him. Her hair, in its ponytail, bounced as she rode this quickly. She looked as excited as he felt.

  Okay, it would be a good thing to get this criminal activity dealt with at last.

  And after?

  After, they’d hopefully wind up being friends, at Christmas and otherwise.

  “It’s about time we made more progress,” he said. “Although—well, I don’t want to delay anything, but if we happen to get close late, we won’t want to start our capture of the bad guys and saving the cattle till daylight again. Maybe we’ll spend another night together.” He turned and aimed a quick wink at her.

  “Sounds good to me. But only if that’s how things work out.”

  Chapter 14

  As Melody rode—silently now, as she wanted to concentrate on their task at hand, which might actually come to an end soon—she checked the GPS on her phone screen again. And again. She was continuing to use its special terrain-depiction feature—though they were far enough out that her reception had become bad at times, and things often blurred. That both annoyed and worried her.

  Even at this more-than-moderate speed on horseback, she was aware that Casey kept glancing over toward her. She glanced back, managing to give him a grin now and then before looking back at the phone.

  She had already recognized before they took off that morning that the cattle were nearing the end of OverHerd Ranch, where the rustlers would need to decide whether to head down the hillside toward the road a bit beyo
nd it, or get the herd to veer to one side or the other.

  Which would they do?

  In her visits to many parts of the ranch property, Melody had never come this far. She didn’t believe there was a fence all the way out here to indicate the end of the ranch property, but she wasn’t sure.

  But for all she knew, there was a fence out here, too, that was slowing the cattle they were chasing. The GPS map did show a line that could just have been the edge of the property, but it might also be a fence. It also indicated rises and drops in the topography, including rocks and, to some degree, bushes and trees.

  And not too far in the distance, she could see more underbrush growing, which indicated this part of the pasture either hadn’t initially been cleared and replanted as well as the rest, or simply wasn’t cared for as well.

  Melody still assumed the rustlers would veer off to one side or the other. It was the practical way to go, although where would they head next? Staying somewhere on OverHerd Ranch didn’t seem like a good option. Were they neighbors of this property? Maybe that was the answer. They’d drive the stolen cattle onto their property and sell them.

  Although if their herd suddenly increased in size thanks to some valuable Angus cows, wouldn’t someone notice?

  Someone with clout, and money, like Clarence—or someone who’d want to make a good impression on their rich neighbor who happened to be the town selectman?

  Or the rustlers, neighbors or not, might just go ahead and drive the cattle toward that public road, assuming they’d get down the upcoming hillside easily and safely enough. Rather than keep the stolen cattle around here, wasn’t it more likely they’d take them somewhere else to care for, or sell?

  Had they already changed the brands on all the cows to SG, as they had with poor, dead Addie? And what did it mean?

  And speaking of safety, why endanger the valuable stock they’d stolen by potentially getting them hit by cars on the road?