My Favorite Cowboy

by Donna Grant

  “I know all about brutality and malice.”

  Her heart hurt for the pain Caleb allowed her to see before he tamped it down again. She walked to her bag and bent down. Her palm wrapped around the pistol she kept inside. Audrey straightened and showed Caleb the weapon.

  “Keep that near you at all times,” he cautioned.

  She returned it to the bag. “I will. Where will you be?”

  “Not far, but I’ll be hiding. If anyone does come, they won’t see me.”

  “Just us,” Audrey said as she cut her gaze to Maddy. “They’ll believe we’re here alone.”

  Caleb walked to stand before her. He waited until she turned her head to him. “You’re not alone. I’d offer to sit out here in your place, but I’m pretty sure I know how you’d respond to that.”

  Audrey couldn’t help herself. She smiled at his teasing tone. It wasn’t until they had that quick moment of lightheartedness that she realized how much she needed it.

  * * *

  “It’s going to be fine,” he assured her. “Clayton is guarding the entrance and will alert us if anyone arrives.”

  That comforted her until she thought about the acres of land the auction house sat on. “You’re assuming they’ll come from the road.”

  “We had a look around earlier and saw no signs of a vehicle approaching the area, and I seriously doubt someone would walk over forty acres of land just to get here.”

  “They could’ve ridden a horse.”

  Caleb drew in a breath as a muscle ticked in his jaw. “None of us thought of that. I’ll be back.”

  She watched him as he strode away. When she turned around, Maddy was smiling at her. “Don’t say it,” Audrey warned her sister.

  “I didn’t say anything,” Maddy said with a knowing smile, but then her smile dropped. “We have to be prepared tonight, don’t we?”

  “Yeah.”

  Maddy rubbed her hands together. “I’m ready.”

  Audrey returned her attention to the horses, but she looked up frequently, hoping to find Caleb there again. Neither of the other horses had any inflamed joints. After she’d finished with the last animal, she went back over the records for the bay.

  She’d done a quick look when she first spotted the swollen knee, but now she wanted to go back through the gelding’s records more thoroughly to see if she’d missed something.

  Thirty minutes later, she rubbed her eyes and yawned. It was going to be a long night. Normally, she hoped to feel tired so she could sleep. But wouldn’t you know it, the one night she needed to stay awake was the one where she wanted to sleep.

  Audrey walked from the stall, her gaze moving to where Maddy had set herself up, but her sister was nowhere to be found. Audrey rushed down the walkway, looking in the stalls, hoping to find Maddy.

  “Trying to stay awake with some exercise?” Maddy asked as she walked into the stables.

  Audrey ignored the question. “Where the hell did you go?”

  “Hold up there,” Maddy stated. “I told you exactly where I was going.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “Yes, I did. You even grunted in response.”

  Audrey shook her head. “I would’ve heard you.”

  “You did. And you replied. Now, take your damn coffee,” Maddy said and held out the brew.

  Audrey didn’t hesitate to wrap her hand around the cup. A look down confirmed that her sister had fixed it just the way she liked it when she had it—heavy on the milk and sugar.

  “Thanks,” Audrey said.

  Maddy cut her eyes to her and shrugged as she sank to the ground to sit cross-legged. “You act just like Dad, thinking I can’t take care of myself. I went through the same training you did.”

  “Yeah.”

  They’d had this conversation for the last six years. This was usually the part where Audrey mentioned that if Maddy had used the gun she kept in her purse, she wouldn’t have been attacked.

  Maddy would then reply that it was the self-defense skills they’d learned that stopped her from being raped that horrible night. Right after that, Audrey usually brought up their mother. And the conversation ended.

  There was so much of their mother in Audrey’s sister. Maddy, like their mother, didn’t hate guns. They both knew how to use a number of them, but they preferred not to.

  If only their mom had taken the small pistol from the console of her car. If only she had reached for it. Perhaps then, she could have stopped the men who robbed her and stole the vehicle, leaving their mother on the side of the road to suffer a stroke and die.

  “Will you ever stop thinking about it?” Maddy asked angrily.

  Audrey didn’t pretend that she didn’t know what her sister was talking about. “Mom had the weapon for a reason.”

  “You assume things would’ve turned out differently had she drawn it.”

  “They would have.”

  “She might have shot one of them,” Maddy said, shaking her head in agitation. “You and I both know that would’ve destroyed Mom.”

  Audrey didn’t try to hold back her ire. “Instead, Mom is dead, and Dad is the one who’s so destroyed, he took off one day to God only knows where because his heart was so broken that he couldn’t go on.”

  “He’ll be back,” Maddy stated confidently and gave a firm nod of her head to accentuate the point.

  There was no more conversation as Maddy put in her earbuds. Audrey lifted the coffee to her lips and let the liquid slide down her throat as she put the discussion behind her and focused on the task at hand. Audrey wasn’t particularly fond of the hot drink, but right now, she needed the caffeine to stay awake.

  She turned and saw movement out of the corner of her eye. As soon as she recognized Caleb, she felt her expression softening. She met him halfway and immediately noticed the frown on his face.

  “Brice and I brought in two of our friends to help keep watch. I wanted you to meet them, but there isn’t time. Their names are Jace and Cooper,” he told her.

  “You trust them?”

  “With my life,” he stated.

  She wondered what type of man it took to be Caleb Harper’s friend. “Were they also in the military?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Jace and Cooper have been friends with me and Brice for over fifteen years. I doubt either you or your sister will run into them tonight since they’re posted farther out.”

  Audrey couldn’t fathom that kind of friendship. Then again, she’d always found animals much nicer than people, so she generally preferred them.

  She looked at the darkening sky. “The employees went home, didn’t they?”

  “The last one left ten minutes ago. My and Clayton’s trucks have been hidden. The only ones out there now are yours and Maddy’s.”

  “So, it’s really begun.”

  “There’s still time for you to leave.”

  She shook her head. “Not going to happen.”

  He grinned. “Good.”

  Audrey didn’t want to think about why that one word made her stomach flutter with excitement.

  Chapter 6

  There was no reason for Caleb to remain, but he still couldn’t make himself leave. He hadn’t meant to overhear Audrey’s conversation with her sister. Now that he had, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He knew all about traumatic events, but since he didn’t like talking about his, he wasn’t going to ask her to do it.

  Audrey looked down at the paper cup in her hand. “You heard me and Maddy arguing, didn’t you?”

  “It was hard to miss. I wasn’t eavesdropping.”

  “Oh, I know,” she hastily replied. “I wasn’t accusing you of that.”

  Caleb looked around Audrey to Maddy, who for all intents and purposes, appeared to be deep in meditation—but he had his doubts. Free spirit or not, Maddy recognized the danger surrounding them. He didn’t know her, but she didn’t seem like the kind of person who wouldn’t take that seriously.

  He knew he put in earbuds just so his brother
wouldn’t talk to him after an argument like the one he’d just overheard between Maddy and Audrey, all while still listening to everything Brice had to say. Caleb would bet his half of the ranch that Maddy was doing the same.

  “I’m sorry about your mother,” he said.

  Eyes a deep, earthy brown met his. He saw flashes of copper there, adding more depth to her beautiful orbs.

  Audrey drew in a breath, her shoulders rising. “Thanks. It’s been hard. More so on my father. My parents had the kind of love you read about but never think to see. When she died, so did a part of him.”

  “I know the kind of love you speak of. My sister and Clayton found it. As did Brice and Naomi.”

  “Not you?”

  Caleb had been asked that question dozens of times, but somehow, coming from Audrey, it made him really think about the answer for once. “Not yet.”

  The words came out before he realized it.

  Yet?

  Why the hell did he say that? He knew better than anyone that he had no intentions of ever settling down. He’d never be able to get past his abandonment issues enough to trust someone with his heart.

  Caleb had recognized that when he was still a teenager. It was why he had never seriously dated anyone. The longest he’d been with a woman was two weeks.

  He cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject before he reflected any more on a past he wished he could forget. “Have you spoken to your father? Maybe he just needs you and Maddy.”

  Audrey lowered the cup after a long drink. “Mom passed away two years ago. The day after the funeral, Maddy and I went to see Dad and found a note that said he was going away for a while. We’ve not heard from him since.”

  “What about his cell phone?”

  “It’s turned off. Believe me, we’ve tried all kinds of ways to locate him. We spoke to the sheriff’s office, who is on the lookout for him, but since Dad left on his own, there isn’t much they can do.”

  Caleb crossed his arms over his chest. “What about a private investigator?”

  “It’s about to come to that,” she admitted. Then she let out a long sigh. “I have this fear—really, it’s like a rock in my stomach—that Dad is dead and we just don’t know it.”

  “You think he killed himself?”

  She shook her head, the long length of her black ponytail swaying with the movement. “He’d never do that. No, I think if he’s gone, it’s because he died of a broken heart. My parents always said they couldn’t live without each other.”

  “At least you and Maddy have each other. The bond between siblings can get you through anything.”

  She blinked, regarding him silently for a moment. “You say that as if it’s a fact.”

  “Because it is. My father died when I was very young. I don’t remember him. Mom didn’t want to be a mother. She left Abby in charge of Brice and me. The day Abby graduated high school, our mother left. She even left documents giving Abby guardianship of us.”

  Audrey’s face went slack with shock. “How old were you?”

  “Six. Brice was eight.” It was so damn long ago, but at times, it felt as if it had just happened. That’s how Caleb knew he’d never get past it to trust someone enough to love them.

  “I’m so sorry,” Audrey murmured, sorrow filling her gaze.

  Caleb shrugged as if it were nothing—which was a lie—and dropped his arms to his sides. “Abby didn’t hesitate to step in and raise us. Life was hard. Every day was a struggle, but we knew we had each other.”

  “Maddy would say that Karma paid Abby for her good deed by giving her Clayton.”

  Caleb laughed softly. “Whether it was Karma or not, no one deserved it more than Abby. She sacrificed everything for us. Now, she and Clayton have three amazing kids.”

  “I’d like to meet her.”

  “Oh, there’s no doubt that you will,” Caleb said with a smile.

  They looked at each other as the conversation halted. Caleb couldn’t find a reason to remain, but he didn’t want to leave. He wasn’t even out of sorts after telling her about his mother, which was odd. Silence lengthened until they were just staring awkwardly at each other.

  “I better get back to my post,” he said, wishing there was a reason for him to stay. He liked talking to Audrey. And talking wasn’t something he often did with women.

  She nodded. “Yeah, of course. And I need to get back to.…” Audrey looked around and grinned. “I guess arguing with Maddy until I do another check on the horses.”

  He started to turn away and remembered the other reason he had come to see Audrey. “Also, don’t worry about getting hungry. We have food coming.”

  She frowned and looked askance at him. “I thought we were trying to keep a low profile.”

  “Oh, we’ve got that covered.”

  “Care to share?” she asked, quirking a brow.

  Caleb smiled and found himself moving closer to her. “David, of course.”

  “Of course,” she said with a cynical nod. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

  Damn, but he liked how she wasn’t afraid to say whatever was on her mind. “We’re not hiding the fact you’re here.”

  “I still don’t see how that’ll work. If I was sneaking onto a place, knowing someone was there would scare me off.”

  “Whoever this is has a mission. They want something, and they won’t let you and Maddy being here stop them. Besides, there are plenty of other horses for them to get to.”

  She pursed her lips together. “I have to admit, you’ve got a point.”

  “I asked David where these horses were when they got sick. None were in the stables.”

  Audrey twisted her lips ruefully. “It was the first thing I asked him when I arrived.”

  Caleb wasn’t at all surprised by her statement. Ranches all over the county tried to outbid each other to have her work for them. She wasn’t just good at her job, she also had a way with horses. That was a true gift. “You worry about the horses. We’ll do the rest.”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes so that no more horses become ill.”

  Caleb fought the urge to touch her. He hadn’t yet figured out what kept him coming back to her. It was an odd sort of feeling. The kind that fixed the beautiful vet in his thoughts whether he wanted her there or not.

  And he wasn’t sure he did.

  He’d bedded more women than he wanted to admit. Each had something different that appealed to him—a wonderful smile, great hair, an amazing laugh, or an adventurous spirit. Not one of them had been able to hold his interests for longer than a day or so.

  And many had tried.

  He’d once tried to explain to a woman why he couldn’t have a relationship, but she refused to accept anything he said. It became easier to make sure no one got the impression that he wanted more than one night with them. He hated hurting anyone, but he knew that’s what it would come to if he stuck around.

  Caleb glanced at the horses. “The rest of us are here so you don’t have to do anything more than figure out what has made the animals sick.”

  “I will.”

  “Maybe we’ll get lucky and catch the bastard tonight. I’ll get him to tell us what was used.”

  Her lips curved into a wide smile. “Just make sure I’m there to help you get it out of him.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said and tipped his hat at her.

  Caleb made himself walk away this time. This was way out of character for him. Attraction, he knew well. He was a master at flirting and wooing women.

  Yet when he was with Audrey, his mind switched between wanting to kiss her and needing to learn every detail about her.

  He returned to his hiding place that gave him views of the girls in the stable as well as anyone approaching from the side. He’d just settled in when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Caleb withdrew it and looked down at the text from Brice that said:

  NOW I KNOW WHY YOU WANTED THAT POSITION NEAR THE STABLES.

  Irritation spiked throu
gh Caleb, and he quickly replied with: YOU KNOW NOTHING.

  I KNOW QUITE A LOT, LITTLE BROTHER. WAIT UNTIL THIS IS OVER BEFORE YOU MAKE AUDREY ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR CONQUESTS.

  Caleb blew out an angry breath. GIVE ME SOME CREDIT.

  He put away his phone. Brice would rag on him for hours if Caleb didn’t put a stop to it. They could pick it up later, but right now, his attention needed to be on the area and anyone who approached.

  Not that Caleb expected anyone this early. It would be some hours yet before anyone showed up—because they would. He knew it in his gut. And when they did, he was going to be ready.

  It might have been a few years, but doing this brought back his time with the Army. To his surprise, he discovered that there was a lot he missed.

  The men in his unit were amazing soldiers, and they were a tightknit group. A small part of Caleb had found the adventurous, grueling life as a Green Beret right up his alley. But it wasn’t long before the missions took their toll.

  When Caleb realized that he was experiencing the very things that had driven Clayton from the SEALS, he’d known it was time to get out. The thing was, Caleb was damn good at being a soldier.

  He was even better as a rancher. Being out on the land and working with the horses soothed the mental, emotional, and physical wounds he’d sustained while in the military. There was no other life for him than the one he had now.

  But every once in a while, he was reminded why he’d become a Green Beret. Tonight was one of those times. It didn’t matter how long it had been since he wore the uniform, the training he’d received would always be with him.

  Just as Clayton kept himself in shape, so did Brice and Caleb. The three sparred regularly, often including Jace and Cooper. They might live in a quiet part of Texas, but they’d all learned the hard way that things came for them when they least expected it.

  His phone buzzed again, but Caleb ignored it since it was probably just Brice. He focused on the night, listening to the animals as they moved around to learn what sounds were normal for the auction house so he’d be able to tell when something was off.