“We aren’t even getting out of the car. They serve us curbside. But no, I’m starving and trying to put some weight back on.”
Lucy chuckled. “That’s not a bad problem to have. Not having to worry about what and how much you eat.”
“The key to the diet is being in the hospital and rehab for months, not even doing half of what you’re used to.”
Although Ben’s tone was light, teasing, Lucy parked at Hamburger Hut and shifted around. “Dieting is never easy, but that isn’t the way I would want to lose weight. How are you doing? Really?”
“I wish I had the energy I had six months ago. I’m glad Grady is still at the ranch to help me otherwise...” He sighed. “I’m not sure what I would do.”
“You’re doing quite a bit.”
“Yeah, with the help of an afternoon nap. A couple of days ago Zed found me napping in the hay. I didn’t even have the energy to go back to the house and lie down. If nothing else, my accident showed me not to take anything for granted. You’ll never know when it will be taken away.”
The wistfulness in his voice touched Lucy. He was right, and it took incidents like what happened to Ben to reinforce that. “Good advice.”
“Hey, don’t sound so surprised. Occasionally, I can be serious.”
“What do you want to order?” Lucy asked as she studied the menu and decided on her usual.
“The hamburger platter special with a vanilla milk shake and water.”
Lucy placed their orders, then relaxed against the seat for the first time that day. “I like their platter special, too. I wish I could have the milk shake, but iced tea will have to do. What time do you want me to come tomorrow?”
“The interns work from three to six, so anytime you can after three. We’ll eat shortly after six.”
“Four.” Which meant she would go to the station early. She wouldn’t want Byron McKay to accuse her of slacking off on her duties.
“I’ll have Maddy show you how to saddle your horse.”
“I’ve done it before.”
“Let’s call this a refresher course.”
She smiled. “I appreciate your help in getting some time with Maddy.”
“I want this settled as soon as possible. I heard in town today some ugly rumors flying around about Byron challenging you as sheriff. Obviously he’s come out vocally against your right to be sheriff.”
She squeezed her hands into fists. “I don’t think he wants to be sheriff, but he does want to control the person who is.”
“All the more reason to vote for you.”
Ben’s stamp of approval strangely eased her tension at the mention of the man trying to make her life difficult. “Thanks.”
“Look, that’s Maddy with Lynne and Christie. Their FFA meeting must be over with.”
Lucy examined Ben’s innocent expression, except for a mischievous gleam dancing in his eyes. “What a coincidence. When did you hear they were going to be here tonight?”
“Am I that obvious?”
“Actually it’s quite sweet, but—”
“Our food is here,” Ben interrupted her and removed his wallet. “I’m paying for this.”
“Bribing the sheriff?”
“You’re off duty.”
“I’m always on duty. At least several times a month my sleep is disrupted because of a call I need to deal with. Some folks think only the sheriff should take care of their problem.”
“Like Byron McKay.”
She chuckled. “That’s putting it mildly. He’s at the top of the list.”
“My sleep was disrupted last night. Cody is getting a tooth and was not a happy camper. He didn’t want anyone else sleeping since he wasn’t.”
“What did you do?”
“Rubbed a numbing gel on the area, then rocked him until he fell asleep. We moved him upstairs to give Grandma a break and me experience taking care of him. I’m learning all kinds of stuff from Mamie and Chloe. I’m gonna be an expert by the time he’s eighteen.”
“That sounds as though you’re preparing for more children.” She’d never thought of Ben as a father. He never stayed with a woman long enough.
“I’m not opposed to the idea. Cody is quickly becoming the center of my life.”
If she hadn’t seen him with his son the other day, she wouldn’t have believed a word he said. This change in Ben had taken her by surprise, but it shouldn’t have if she considered his interest in young people and the intern program.
“I already know what not to do.”
“You do?”
“Let just say the last years with my dad were a good lesson in what not to do. He barely tolerated me. He’d have kicked me off the ranch if Grady hadn’t left to serve his country. He figured I was better than nothing.”
“How are you and Grady getting along?” They were opposites. Grady had always been the serious one, disciplined and in control.
“I’m glad he came back. The ranch needed him.”
“But not you?”
“When he left the last time he came home, I was glad he was gone. He was always on my case. This time is different. For one, it’s time we become brothers in the true sense of the word. We weren’t always at such odds. When we were younger, we got along.”
“What happened?”
Ben shrugged. “We grew apart. My interests became different.”
“Girls?”
“Not totally.” He cocked his head to the side. “I think it really began when my father seemed to favor Grady over me. If we were working on a project, he got the compliment. I was an afterthought.”
She glimpsed the waitress bringing their tray of food. After Lucy passed Ben his dinner, he leaned over and handed the young girl the money to pay. His arm brushed against hers, and his scent, not unpleasant but outdoorsy, swirled around her.
When the waitress left and he sat back, Lucy realized she’d been holding her breath and finally exhaled. “I’m glad you and Grady are getting reacquainted. He hated seeing you like that in the hospital.” And so had she. For a while she’d wondered if he would ever recover consciousness, and the thought of not seeing Ben’s teasing smile again had bothered her more than she realized. “What are you going to do when Chloe has her baby?”
“That’s a good question. At the very least I need a nanny. I won’t leave Cody for Mamie to handle all the time by herself. Don’t tell her that. She would protest. But what Cody really needs is a mother.”
“You, settle down with one woman?”
“That’s not an impossibility if I find the right person.”
“What are you looking for?”
“Someone who loves children, has a good sense of humor, knows what she wants and...”
She waited half a minute before saying, “And what?”
“There is a connection between us—chemistry. Any suggestions on how to find a mother for Cody?”
In that moment, his gaze locked with hers, robbing her of any response. A lump swelled into her throat, taking her by surprise. She wanted the best for Cody—and Ben. “Let me think on it. Cody is a special kid. You’ll only want the best for him.”
His eyes gleamed. “Of course. He’s a Stillwater.” He took a long sip of his milk shake, watching her the whole time.
Goose bumps ran up her arms, and she focused on eating her juicy hamburger, savoring its delicious taste while ignoring the man so close to her in the sheriff’s SUV.
“Looks as if the girls are leaving,” Ben said while returning Maddy’s wave.
“If she didn’t know we were here before, she does now.”
“Let them think what they want, especially if it helps you with solving the robberies.”
“I’m going to check around about the music box and the necklace.
They look expensive, so I might be able to find where they were bought.”
“Not if they were bought online.”
Lucy peered at Ben. “You think like a police officer. True, but it’s worth looking into.”
“While you do that, I can look on the internet and see if I can find a place that sells either one.”
“I should do that.”
“I want to help. Anything to get Byron off his high horse. It’s okay to ask for help, and remember, I’m now part of the Rustling Investigation Team.”
“As if you don’t have enough to do.”
“I could say the same thing to you.”
She nodded once. “Touché.” After washing down her last bite of food with the iced tea, Lucy balled the wrapping paper and stuffed it into the sack. “Ready. I’m one short at the station, so I imagine tomorrow will be busy.”
“I understand you’re going to be the maid of honor for Chloe.”
Lucy grinned. “I’m so happy for her. She deserves a good man after that husband she had. I can’t believe a guy leaving because his wife was pregnant with his child.”
“Seeing her with Cody, I can tell Chloe is going to be a great mother.”
She needed to find someone like Chloe for Ben. In the next few days she would take a look at the single females in Little Horn. If not, in the towns nearby.
“Will Eva and Tyler be back for the wedding?” Lucy turned onto the highway heading out of town.
“Yes, the day before.”
“Good. Eva was rooting for Grady and Chloe.”
“There seem to be a lot of happy couples recently.”
“Yeah,” she murmured, wondering if Jesse and she had worked out in San Antonio where she would be today. She liked her life in Little Horn, in spite of Byron being on her case, and was glad she discovered Jesse’s tendency to be unfaithful. Never again. One Don Juan in her life was enough.
Suddenly a movement up ahead caught her attention, and she straightened, leaning forward to see better. “What are they doing?”
In her headlights, two figures, dressed in dark hoodies, were illuminated on the side of the road, holding up something between them. They froze for a few seconds in the bright glare, then dropped the sign, whirled around and raced into the field beside the road.
As she came to a stop on the shoulder where the two people had been, she reached for her flashlight. “Was that the town sign they were holding?”
Chapter Five
“It looked like it.” Ben gripped the handle of Lucy’s sheriff’s SUV, ready to get out.
“Those two are long gone by now, but I want to check the area out.” After she retrieved her weapon from the glove compartment, practically leaning across Ben, she climbed from the car and strapped on her gun belt.
Trying to ignore the jump in his pulse rate created by her nearness, Ben exited the car and started for where the two people had been. “I’m coming with you.” She was the one wearing the firearm, not him, but something deep inside him wouldn’t let him sit in the car and wait for her to investigate. What if the guys were watching from the brush? What if they tried to harm her? He wouldn’t let that happen.
“If it would do any good, I’d tell you to wait in the car.” Lucy went through the overgrown grass and weeds, coming to a stop a few feet in front of Ben. She shone her flashlight at the ground. “This is the sign stolen months ago.”
Ben skirted her and bent over to pick up the metal plaque proclaiming, Welcome to Little Horn, Texas.
“Don’t. Leave it. I want to run fingerprints on the sign.”
“Now?” Ben straightened and faced her.
“No. I’ll be right back.” Lucy trudged to her vehicle and opened the rear hatch, then the back doors. A half a minute later she returned and handed him a pair of latex gloves. “I need your help carrying the sign to my SUV. I put the backseat down so we can get this inside.”
“Sure.” He snapped on the gloves and lifted one end while being careful not to touch any more of the sign than was necessary to carry it. “Everything happened so quickly, but it looked as though the two guys had on gloves.”
“They did. I’m hoping they haven’t been that careful in the past.”
Ben stopped at one side of the rear bumper. “Won’t there be tons of prints on the sign?”
“I know this is a long shot, but I can’t ignore this piece of evidence. The new welcome sign has been up for several years, and I’ve doubt many have touched it since the initial installation.”
After they slid the piece of evidence into the back, Lucy shut the rear hatch and started back to the area.
“What are you doing?” Ben followed her.
“I’m going to check the ground for any evidence in case one of them left something behind. Once they left a watch at a crime scene and one came back to get it. We almost had him, but he got away. My life would be much easier if I had.”
“I wonder why they brought it back.” Ben stood back from the area while Lucy shone her light on the tramped grass.
“This is one of the reasons I think the Robin Hoods are teenagers. Anyone interested in making money by stealing cattle and equipment wouldn’t have bothered taking the sign. But these robbers are making a statement. They are angry.”
“Then, why return the sign?”
Lucy took one last look, then joined Ben at the edge. “I don’t think their anger is directed at the whole town, and this sign belongs to everyone. I think they’ve finally realized that.”
“It makes sense. Hopefully they realize stealing is wrong and want to make amends.” Ben walked beside her to the car. “I’ll keep an ear out with the girls at the ranch. You can’t always be there when they are, but I can try to be. I might be able to overhear something.” Reaching around her, he grasped the driver’s-side door and opened it for her.
“The day I can bring these guys in can’t come fast enough for me.” She slid behind the steering wheel.
“We’ll have to celebrate when that day comes.” Ben leaned down, her fresh, clean scent wafting to him. In the dim interior light, her crystalline green eyes transfixed him and held him rooted to the spot.
“I’d like that.” A smile transformed her mouth from a thoughtful look to a radiant one.
She was beautiful, but even more than that he liked her caring and integrity. He pulled back and shut the door, then rounded the cruiser to sit on his side.
As she drove through the gates of the Stillwater Ranch, Ben relaxed back against the seat. “I hope you’ll come in. Mamie usually has a pot of decaf coffee on at this time. She makes the best coffee.”
“I know. I’ve had it before. Do you think Chloe will be there? I’d like to talk to her about the wedding next week. I want to make sure I do everything I need to as a maid of honor. This is my first time being one.”
“She should be. I wonder if I need to throw Grady a bachelor party.”
“I get the impression they want it low-key, but it’s a good question to ask them.” Lucy pulled up in front of the large, sprawling white Western-style Colonial house. “I’ve always thought your home fit your ranch, whereas Byron’s flashy mansion doesn’t really fit in Little Horn.”
“Byron does everything with grandeur.”
“Even when he’s a pain.”
Laughing, Ben unlocked the front door and stepped to the side to allow Lucy to enter first. In the foyer, he poked his head into the living room, saw Grandma reading her Bible and waited until she glanced up. “Where’s Cody?”
“Asleep.”
“That’s early.”
“He didn’t nap well again today, so he was tired earlier than usual.” His grandmother closed her Bible and put it on the end table next to her on the couch, smiling when Lucy came into view. “It’s good to see you again
. How did the meeting go?”
Lucy stopped beside Ben. “With no new robberies, we went over what’s being done to find the Robin Hoods. But on the way here, we,” she said with a pause, slanting a look at Ben, “saw two guys trying to put the town’s welcome sign back in place.”
Mamie’s eyes grew round. “You caught the Robin Hoods?”
Lucy shook her head. “But I have the sign and will put it back up tomorrow.”
“Good.” Mamie pushed to her feet, her shoulders sagging as though she was fatigued. “There’s fresh coffee in the kitchen. I’m going to follow Cody to bed early tonight.”
“Grandma, where are Grady and Chloe?”
She walked toward the hallway, paused and turned toward them. “Out on the back porch, discussing their wedding plans. Good night, y’all.” Then she continued toward her downstairs bedroom in the back.
Ben watched her and wanted to help her, but when he had tried a few days ago to talk to her about slowing down, she’d lashed into him, informing him she was just fine. He leaned toward Lucy’s ear. “I want her to do less, but she refuses.”
“That sounds like her. She told me she is as young as she thinks she is.”
“Let’s get coffee, then go out back.” He took her hand and tugged her toward the kitchen. When she didn’t move, he glanced back at Lucy.
She stared at their clasped hands, then up at him, her forehead creased, her green eyes dark.
“We’re friends, Lucy. That’s all.” He released his grasp and pivoted toward the hallway that led to the kitchen. It was clear that was all Lucy wanted, and that bothered him.
* * *
Lucy sat in a comfortable, cushioned chair on the back porch at Stillwater Ranch and listened to Grady and Ben talking about pranks they pulled on each other growing up. Laughter surrounded her, and she even joined in, but she couldn’t shake the sensations that had flooded her when Ben had taken her hand in the hallway.
For a split second, a connection had sprung up between them that had nothing to do with being friends. It had come out of nowhere, and she didn’t know why. She’d known Ben all of her life and had seen him often except for those years she’d spent in San Antonio. Was he really different since he’d woken up from the coma?
A Baby for the Rancher Page 6