by Aliyah Burke
“I’m sorry,” Laciee muttered to Judd.
“For?”
“Her showing up here.”
“She in trouble?” His hand cupped the nape of her neck while his fingers teased her with soothing movement.
“Trouble? No, she just came to ask me if I could help her with some scholarships.” She shrugged. “I don’t know what I can do.”
“Use my computer. Help her.”
“I didn’t want to assume it would be okay to—”
He slanted his mouth over hers and his tongue slipped in on her gasp of shock. The need he’d created in her rose swiftly, and she twined her fingers in the cotton of his shirt, anchoring them closer together.
“She’s more than welcome,” he rumbled against her lips. “Stop trying to irritate me. I have the computer in the study up there. Use it. Let me know what I can do to help.”
“Why?”
Judd stepped back and stared at her. “Why what?”
“Would you offer to help her?”
He turned her to the dining room and pushed her toward the table. “Go eat. Get both of y’all something, then take her up to use the computer and help her. I’ll see you later.”
She went two steps before pivoting back. “Why?”
His brown eyes never blinked. “It’s important to you.”
* * * *
Judd clenched his gloved hand around the reins that dangled from Kilburn’s bridle. The twenty head which lay dead sent fury ricocheting through him. Lifting his head, he pinned Joel who sat upon a roan gelding near him.
“Anyone hurt?”
“Not other than anything superficial. They’re on the way back to the bunkhouse to get the things looked at.”
“Send Frank with and have them go up to the house to get Laciee to look at the injuries.”
“Laciee?”
“She’s an EMT. Never mind, I’ll do it, I have to bring back the truck anyway with some shovels, water, and lime. We can’t leave them like this.”
“I got it, Boss. I know you want to stay here.”
A brusque nod. “Go.”
Joel rode away, and Judd bit back more cursing. Whoever had made the foolish decision to attack his herd was becoming more daring. He didn’t like this at all. There had to be a pattern. Everything had one; all he had to do was find it.
He swung up in the saddle and touched his heels to the sides of his paint, moving them farther from the dead animals. Remaining near enough so nothing ate the poisoned meat, he waited. And while he did, he placed some phone calls.
A few hours later the rumble of the truck garnered his attention and he patted Kilburn on the neck. “Almost out of here, boy.” He’d been anxious to get on with everything but understood it took time for the men to ride back, gather the necessary gear, and return to his location.
Joel hopped out of the driver’s seat, and five hands climbed from the back of the truck as well.
“Start digging, boys. It’s gonna be a while before we can leave. I want two guys quartering this off on the off chance any of the poison is lingering around, so no other gets it. Take the truck and give me a five-mile area. There should be rope and flags to attach so the cattle don’t go through it. When you’re done with that, come back and help here.”
“You got it, Boss.” The truck rumbled off again.
He made his way to Joel. “The men?”
“Laciee is taking care of them. She’s amazing, Boss. Never even batted an eye. Although,” Joel grinned, “she asked me if you were okay.”
Judd grunted, ignoring the warmth that spread through him at that knowledge. “Let’s get to work.”
They all sweated as they worked digging the hole in which they would burn the cattle. One bull lay covered in a tarp. This one would be taken back to identify the poison and hopefully who did it. Kilburn even worked, dragging the carcasses over to the hole. Although when the actual burning started, he moved his horse well away. They all had bandannas over their faces as they stood watch, ensuring the blaze never left the hole and created a wildfire, and that the bodies burned completely.
Only once the bodies had been burned, the hole filled in and covered with lime to keep others away from trying to dig anything up, Judd checked one more time to ensure there would be no wildfire sparked from any stray embers. The sun had long since set and he was hungry. Swinging up into the saddle, he patted Kilburn on the neck.
“Let’s go.”
The others piled into the truck and he rode Kilburn alongside, utilizing the high beams to keep an eye out for gopher holes and the like. At the barn, he tossed the reins to a waiting hand and trudged toward the house, content his horse would be well looked after. He dealt with the man who’d be driving the truck with the carcass to where it needed to go and saw him off. Removing a glove, he rubbed the back of his neck and groaned, peering up to the house.
Light spilled from the living room window, and he found himself looking forward to being in there with the woman who waited. Pushing open the front door, he paused and removed his hat. Noise above had him glance toward the stairs.
Laciee stood there a few steps from the bottom, dressed as she had been when he left the house this morning and appearing delectable.
“Judd,” she said with a worried smile. “Are you okay? Joel told me what happened.” She hastened down the remaining steps and approached, setting a hand on his arm.
He retreated and her touch fell away. Unfortunately so did her expression of welcome. Only briefly, before she pasted another smile on her face, which he knew it wasn’t real.
“Darlin’,” he said, voice rough from being in the smoke all day. “I’d love to hold you, but I’ve been burying and burning poisoned cattle all day. I don’t want that on you.”
She folded her hands neatly before her. “Fine.” She cleared her throat and shuffled a foot. “You should shower then. The men you sent back are fine.” Laciee stepped by him, careful not to touch him, and slipped into the dining room and out of sight.
“Great job, jackass,” he muttered.
He trekked through to his room and stripped in the bathroom before climbing into his shower and scrubbing the stench from his skin. After which, he dried, dressed, and sought out Laciee. She sat at the desk he had upstairs, one leg drawn up beside her as her fingers clicked away on the keyboard with devilish swiftness.
“Did you eat?” she asked without looking away from the screen.
“No. I—”
“Need to eat. Rosa left you something in the oven.” More furious typing.
“What are you doing?”
“Research.”
He walked around the desk to see. She never paused in what she was doing. There were about five windows open on the flat screen monitor.
“For?” he asked.
“Jolene. Go eat.”
He gripped her shoulders and allowed his thumbs to circle the bare flesh he found at her neck. Lord, the things he wanted to do to this woman.
“Trying to get rid of me?”
“You need to take care of yourself. It’s obvious that someone is trying to give you grief, so if you’re not operating fully how can you catch him and kick his ass.” She pressed a button and something began to print.
“You’re confident I’ll catch this person?”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Of course. I just hope it’s not because I’m here that this is happening.”
He scowled, amazed when all she did was arch a brow at him. Most people would have immediately backed off. Not Laciee. This wasn’t the woman who’d seemed so lost and alone at her hotel room, no, this was a different one and he liked this one so much better.
“Don’t start that,” he warned.
She sniffed and faced the computer again. “Go eat.”
“Am I bothering you?”
“No, but the sooner you eat the sooner you can take me to bed.”
She tossed her statement out so casually, he almost missed it. Almost. The blood f
lowed directly to his shaft and his entire body stiffened. Releasing her shoulders, he gripped her chin and tipped her head back.
Slanting his mouth over hers, he kissed her. Thrust his tongue deep into her warm mouth and stroked everywhere he could reach. Her moan was music to his ears, but he clamped down on his own desire.
“Hold on to that thought,” he whispered against her lips before leaving her there to do as she’d ordered. Eat.
That night, he forgot about the poisoning, the injuries to his men, and everything but the woman who responded with such wild abandon to his touches. His kisses. He fell asleep with their limbs intertwined, her naked body pressed completely against his and the scent of her in his nose. Woke the same way.
They showered together and dressed before making their way from the bedroom. His mood remained happy even as he kissed her goodbye and opened the door to head off to work. Standing there was Jolene again. She shrank back and ducked her head as she dropped the hand that, he assumed, had been about to press the doorbell.
“Morning, Ms. Ritcher. Go on in, Laciee’s waiting for you in the kitchen with breakfast.”
She blinked big blue eyes at him. “You don’t mind me being in your house?”
Readjusting his Stetson, he stared at her. Personally he had no use for her, she just wasn’t important to him. But Laciee wanted to help her and Laciee was important to him, so by association that made Jolene such.
“No, ma’am. Have a good day.” He gestured her in and closed the door behind her, leaving them to do their thing while he took care of his.
About mid-morning, a black truck rumbled up with a two-horse trailer in tow and parked near the barn. Leaving the corral that he’d been against as a few of the men separated some of the herd, Judd pivoted to meet the newcomer.
A man stepped from the older truck, hand readjusting the black hat on his head in familiar fashion. In the back, the barking dogs made their presence known, and Judd grinned as he made his way to his side.
“Travers.” The man in all black offered his hand.
Judd took it. “O’Grady.” With him here, things are about to change.
Chapter Eleven
Laciee stretched and walked around while Jolene continued to fill out the scholarship essay question. Hands on the small of her back, she did her best to work the kinks out. Back and forth she paced. They’d moved down to the kitchen table to grab some food before filling out more forms.
She paused at the window and peered out through the curtains. A truck she didn’t recognize sat there and a man who was also unknown to her stood talking to Judd. She sighed and wrapped an arm around her midsection. Judd looked so handsome out there, she wanted to go to him, press her lips to his, and forget the outside world existed.
The sounds of furious writing had her peeking back to Jolene. The girl was highly intelligent and from what Laciee could see, wouldn’t have a hard time landing a scholarship. Her thing now was finding the school she wanted and getting in.
Attention back out the window, she frowned when she saw the sheriff’s SUV churning up dust as it flew up the road. Unease settled within her and she had to concentrate on breathing fully. As the vehicle stopped, she watched Randall Bolton climb out. She nearly stepped back and hid the moment they all looked at the house. Instead she gave them her back and walked forward to grip a chair.
“How’s it coming?” she asked Jolene.
“Pretty well. We didn’t cover much in the way of serious essay writing so I don’t know if what I’m doing is correct.”
Making her way around the table, she glanced over the young woman’s shoulder and read the question. “It’s asking your opinion so there’s not a right or wrong answer. We’ll go over it before we put it in the sheet and check the grammar, right now all you have to do is answer.”
“Thank you, you know, for doing this.”
“Everyone deserves a chance to further their education.”
“Maybe,” Jolene said twisting in the chair so their eyes met. “But you didn’t have to help me out and even let me in the house. I know my family wasn’t nice to yours and my cousin still isn’t.”
“Can’t argue that fact, Jolene, but why would I punish you for something your cousin did? It’s not in my nature.”
Jolene reached out a hand and placed it on her forearm. “If I had a sister, I’d want her to be like you.”
Laciee didn’t know such simple words would have such power over her. The door opened and she had an excuse not to answer, or think about it much. “Jolene, slip through to the utility room and make your way up to the desk. We don’t need Bolton seeing you here and blabbing it to your aunt and uncle. Go. Now.”
She didn’t offer up any argument, just grabbed her things and went. The moment she was out of sight, Laciee made her way to the foyer. She fought to keep the surprised expression off her face. The man who stood with Judd and Sheriff Bolton looked almost identical to Judd.
“Excuse me,” she said.
“Laciee.” Bolton reached out a hand.
She paused but didn’t allow contact. “Something I can do for you, Sheriff?”
“I came by to update you on the case and something else. Maybe we could go talk somewhere private?” It was obvious he preferred to do so.
She shrugged. “It’s not a secret people in this town don’t like me. Say what you have to or don’t and leave. I’m fine with pretending you did your job.”
Judd moved to her side and slipped his arm around her. Immediately she felt better. His masculine scent wove about her, bringing with it calm and strength.
“I’ve always done my job,” Randall retorted.
Right. Sure. Apparently our definitions of doing one’s job varies immensely. “Whatever. I’m in the middle of something here, so what do you have to tell me?”
“We still don’t have any leads on the hotel room incident.” He stared at her.
“Should I be shocked?”
Randall shot her a look that distinctly said to zip it. “There’s been an accident.”
She fought off that unease which ran over her again. “Accident? I’ve been here. How can any sort of accident link to me?”
“With your grandmother’s grave.”
The room spun and in a desperate attempt not to show him those words affected her, she bit the inside of her cheek, drawing blood. The sharp metallic tang gave her a something else to focus on so she could ignore the fear weaving its spell over her limbs.
“What happened to her grave?” She was proud her voice didn’t wobble.
Bolton grasped his hat between his hands and spun it while he avoided her gaze. “The headstone has been busted up, and there were some words written around the area.” He licked his lips and cleared his throat. “Much like those of the hotel room.”
She ground her back teeth and forced a smile. “Thank you for coming out to tell me. Has whatever investigation been done so I can go and try to clean?”
He nodded. “I’m sorry, Laciee.”
She gave a small smile. “So am I, Randall. So am I.” Carefully she removed Judd’s hand from her waist. “I have something to do upstairs. Sorry, is that all you needed from me, Sheriff?”
He watched her, as if waiting for her to crumble right before his eyes. “That’s all.”
She walked off, leaving the three men behind her in the foyer. Anger churned in her gut. Coming after her was one thing, but to desecrate her grandmother’s final resting place just because they had a problem with her…that was something entirely different. Entirely.
Jolene looked up from where she sat behind the desk, a concerned expression on her face. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Fine, why?”
She lifted a finger and pointed. “Because you’re crying.”
Laciee lifted her hand and touched her cheek with the pads of two fingers, frowning at the wetness she encountered there. She’d not even known it. “I’ll be right back.” She made her way to the bathroom and stared at her
reflection. Splashing cold water on her face, she reached for a towel to pat dry and when she lowered it, Judd stood behind her in the room.
While his expression was concerned, his eyes shot fire. He didn’t speak, just turned her toward him and gathered her close, his large hands settled upon her back moving in a soothing motion.
“Are you okay?” His voice was tight and angry.
Not trusting herself to speak, she merely nodded her head, allowing the fabric of his shirt to rub against her cheek.
“I’ll go with you.”
“No need. You have a ranch to run and I—”
“Are not going anywhere without me. Some sicko is out there with a hard-on for you, and I’ll be damned if he gets you.” Fulgurant eyes held hers.
She drew back and peered up at him. Every line in his face set with rigid anger. “This is wanting me scared and gone.”
He scowled at her. “Do you know who it is?”
“No clue.” This kind of thing was the reason she’d not come back here since the day she fled the small town of Branchwater. Nausea churned and she swallowed it down. This wasn’t the time to freak out, she had a gravesite to clean. “I should get going. You have company and things to do.”
He kissed her. Immediately she pressed into him, seeking more contact. Craving more. When it ended, his hand cupped her cheek. “I’ll be ready to go in five minutes.” Then he left her alone.
He hadn’t listened at all when she’d said she would go alone. She splashed some more water on her face and took the time to rein in her raging emotions. Smoothing her expression, she sought Jolene, who continued to work at the desk. “I have to go, so we’ll have to put this off until later.”
“All right. Thank you.” Jolene stood and put the papers in a neat stack. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to leave them here?”
“I’m sure. If he needs his desk, I’ll put them in my room.”
“Could…could you give me a ride to the outskirts of town? I’ll walk back from there.”
“We’ll take you home,” Judd stated.
Jolene shook her head. “Not necessary. I don’t mind walking.”
“Good, it’s settled. Let’s go.” Judd dragged his fingers along the small of Laciee’s back and headed down the stairs behind her.