A Cowboy to Keep

by Karen Rock

  He dug into his chili, mulling this over as the first bite exploded on his tongue, catching him off guard. Then it torched the back of his throat. A blistering cough erupted and he groped for his pop, his eyes watering.

  “I like a man who can handle his chili,” he heard Dani say behind him.

  “I can handle it,” he gasped, and another hacking fit overtook him, a final chili-pepper flare. His fingers contacted the cool metal side of the can and he gulped long and hard.

  Her hand settled on his back. Patted. “Easy, cowboy. Don’t hurt yourself.” He could hear the smile in her voice and his mouth twisted in the same shape, despite the fact that he was dying. Clearly.

  “Who’s hurt?” he managed at last. Dani grinned down at him; freckles seemed to bloom across her cheeks as she inhaled and suddenly he couldn’t tear his eyes away. “I can take third-degree burns.”

  “Good, because Nan’s watching. Look.”

  He turned and waved at the intent older woman, then popped another full spoonful in his mouth as if he had a death wish. The corners of Nan’s eyes creased in approval and she returned to serving guests.

  Dani shook her head and her long bangs fell adorably into her eyes. “You might have poured that on too thick. She’s going to send you a second helping.”

  “God help me,” he mumbled around his mouthful of food. His cheeks bulged and every part of him resisted gulping it down.

  “Swallow,” Dani ordered then sat beside him, wearing a cheeky grin. Darn her for looking like she enjoyed every bit of his misery.

  He shook his head. Anymore of this and it’d blast a hole straight through his gut. Buckshot would be preferable. A nobler end than death by chili.

  “It’s only going to hurt more the longer you hold it. Now be a good boy...” she teased, and if he hadn’t been dying, he might have actually laughed. Blake passed by and flashed a peace sign, Belle and Beau tight on his heels.

  “Bah,” he gasped, after finally forcing down the stew. “Where does she get those peppers? Hell?”

  Dani’s hazel eyes danced with some private joke...on him, he suspected, irritated, and feeling more pleased to see her than he cared to admit.

  “Probably. Did you put hot sauce on it?”

  He stared at her a moment, then shook his head. “And make it hotter? I’m too young to die.”

  Her expression was serene. “Actually, the hot sauce is so much milder that it diffuses the spice.”

  “What? But Nan said...”

  “Yeah. She just says that so you won’t mess with her flavor.”

  He gaped at her, taking in the thick braid that revealed her animated face. For an insane moment, his fingers itched to loosen it, to touch the flowing silk. “Well, that’s kind of her.”

  “I think so.” She winked at him. “She just gave me loads of entertainment.”

  Unable to resist, he captured her right hand. “Never a dull moment with you around, either.”

  “Oh,” she said, smiling, all shiny cheeks and full lips.

  He cleared his throat to break the spell and released her hand. “Have you spoken to Tanya?”

  Dani’s expression grew clouded. “She looks exhausted.”

  “Smiley?”

  “I don’t know.” She peered over at her friend and said, “I’m going to speak to her.”

  “Good. I’m heading out for Spark Canyon. Catch me in the corral before I go and fill me in.”

  She squeezed his arm. “See you in a few. Oh, and you might reconsider the salsa.”

  He stared at the dripping nacho in his other hand. “Why?”

  “Nan admits it’s hotter than her chili. We all call it Suicide Salsa. Your call.”

  “Good to know.”

  “See? I don’t really want you to suffer. Much.”

  “That’s debatable.”

  As soon as he said it, she laughed. And whenever Dani laughed, something broke inside him—had since the beginning—and made him want to make her do it again. It brought out the mischievous boy who’d served lunch detentions for clowning around in school...the boy he’d buried two years ago.

  But she was resurrecting him.

  He shook most of the salsa off the chip, then bit in, wincing but determined not to look like he was in excruciating pain—or in his final death throes—with Nan watching.

  At Dani’s over-the-shoulder salute, he found himself grinning stupidly, happiness exploding in his brain like fireworks.

  It’d been long time since he’d felt a part of things. Had been included or let himself be included. Had he been using his scar to hide out from the world, rejecting it before giving it a real chance?

  Dani was making him see lots of things differently. Especially himself.

  * * *

  DANI WATCHED A family of six swarm Tanya and her brownie bar, her mind returning to the reassuring conversation she’d had with Ray, the owner of the Rusty Roof.

  Kevin had secured a job there as a bouncer and seemed to be working out fine. He got along well with customers and had made a couple of friends on staff.

  All good signs that he’d been telling the truth about wanting to turn over a new leaf.

  So, why was she still skittish?

  Jack.

  He’d missed bumping into Kevin by minutes. If they ever met, she’d not only have to introduce him, but reveal their shared past. Then again, given Jack’s database searches, he might come across her crimes on his own.

  Was there a chance he might understand?

  Given his black-and-white thinking, it seemed doubtful, and given how little time he had left on the ranch, she wanted to make the most of it with him.

  At last the large group moved off the dessert line.

  “Nan, can you spare Tanya for a minute?” Dani tried catching her friend’s eye but the other woman suddenly got busy wiping up her dessert station.

  Nan waved a hand, shooing them. “Line’s mostly gone through. Go on, you two. I’ve missed seeing you together.”

  “I’m happy to stay and help,” Tanya offered.

  “No need. We can manage.”

  “Fine.” Tanya untied her apron, folded it and smoothed the seams, turning it, pressing it, into a smaller and smaller square.

  “Tanya,” Dani prompted, knowing her friend’s stall tactics too well.

  “Coming.”

  They rounded a corner of the house and stopped at an octagonal white gazebo. The dizzy, drunk fragrance of primroses engulfed them as they sat beneath hanging baskets dangling from a dozen or so hooks.

  “How are you?” Dani gathered Tanya’s hand in hers.

  Tanya ducked her head and her hair fell in her face, obscuring most of it. “Okay.”

  “You don’t sound okay.” Concern spiked, and Dani slid closer. She wrapped an arm around her friend’s tense shoulders. “I’m here for you, sweetie. What’s going on? Did Smiley come back?”

  Tanya shrugged and circled the toe of her boot on the floor’s wood grain.

  “You know he’s in a heap of trouble that’s only getting worse the longer he stays away.”

  “I keep telling him to turn himself in, but he won’t... I mean he wouldn’t...”

  “Did he have anything to do with the horses going missing last night?”

  Tanya began to cry. “No.”

  Dani dabbed the tears with her shirtsleeve, her heart filling with lead. “Is that what you know or what you feel?”

  Tanya groaned. “I don’t know what to think. Smiley isn’t some druggie. I would know. But he ran off instead of turning himself in.”

  “Do you still love him?”

  “Yes,” Tanya whispered, her voice low. She lifted her hat and tucked strands of hair behind her ears.

  �
��If you see him, tell him he’s in big trouble. Larry and Diane are going to get the police up here if we don’t find Cher and Pokey soon. With officers on the premises, and Smiley wanted on an outstanding warrant, he’d be much safer turning himself in voluntarily. What if something goes wrong and he gets hurt?” Dani kept back the part about the double homicide, since that wasn’t proven...and wasn’t information she had permission to share.

  Tanya dropped her head into her hands, and her voice, when it emerged, sounded muffled and wet. “I’m worried to death about that.”

  Dani held Tanya tight. It broke her heart to see Tanya in the position Dani’d been in with Kevin. If only she could open up and share her story with her closest friend. The burden of her secret weighed on her, heavier than ever.

  “I’m sorry about Smiley. If you see him, will you get him to do the right thing?”

  “Either he will or I will.”

  They exchanged watery smiles. “Love you, girl.” She squeezed Tanya and they rose.

  “Not sure I deserve it, but I love you, too.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  A SHORT WHILE LATER, Dani led Storm to the corral where Jack finished cinching up a paint horse. He looked up, his eyes widening when he took in her saddled horse and the rifle holstered on it.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Coming with you.”

  “No.” He held up his hand and closed his eyes, as if that would help him not to hear her.

  “It’s a free country, Jack,” she exclaimed.

  His lids lifted. Brown eyes blazed. “It’s my responsibility.”

  “And mine! I’m the manager. I should be looking out for the ranch and protecting the staff and guests.” She clutched her elbows, arms crossed, feeling like she needed to hold herself together in case she flew apart. Kevin’s appearance had left her feeling unsettled, and despite reassurances from Ray and Kevin, she still didn’t believe that her life wasn’t about to get turned upside down, especially given Jack’s internet searches.

  “Are you thinking about Tanya?”

  “We need to get Smiley before he contacts her again. Who knows what he’ll try persuading her to do?”

  “If he’s got the horses, I’m not sure he’ll come back.” Jack moved around his horse and hopped into the saddle in one seamless move.

  “We can’t guarantee that.”

  He turned his mount in a neat circle. “Nope. That’s true. But with guests missing wallets and jewelry, someone’s up to something.”

  She stepped up into Storm’s saddle and squeezed her knees, guiding her horse forward then pulling her to a stop beside Jack. “I can handle myself.” She patted her rifle.

  He studied her for a long moment, then nodded. “Yes, you can. Let’s go.”

  They rode hard for the first half hour, slowing as they moved through denser terrain. Treetops swayed overhead and tiny raindrops fell, too soft to be a storm, too substantial to be a mist.

  “Did Tanya share anything with you?”

  “Just that she’s worried about him. She promised that if he returns, she’ll either convince him to turn himself in or do it herself.”

  The horses picked their way up a rocky incline and the air seemed to grow denser, pressing around them. “Well. That’s something.”

  “Tanya’s a good person. She’s just gotten caught up.”

  Jack studied her out of the corner of his good eye. “It’s been her choice not to come clean or break away, though.”

  She flinched at that. “Sometimes it’s not that cut-and-dried.”

  “In my world it is.”

  His judgmental words made the urge to confide in him wither. He’d never understand. That much was clear. Rain began to fall. “Maybe you need to turn up the color dial. We aren’t living in black and white.”

  He opened his mouth to speak, then snapped it shut when a man appeared in the distance, followed by another, riding in and out of the trees. Putting a finger to his lips, he spurred his horse and she followed, her heart pausing.

  At this distance, she couldn’t make out details as the strangers rode along the far ridge, although she recognized the horses. Same size, color and markings as Cher and Pokey! Both of the trespassers wore cowboy hats pulled low, one brown and the other black. Dread trundled up from her gut.

  Suddenly a crack of lightning exploded close by and the man in the black hat turned.

  Smiley!

  The bright flash faded and the men hurried down the ridge line and disappeared. Leaning low over their horses’ necks, Dani and Jack gave chase, then pulled up, no sight of their quarry as they peered through the now steady curtain of rain the clouds pelted at them.

  Jack’s clenched jaw looked made of granite and his white knuckles shone against his reins. “Son of a—He’s still here.”

  Lightning forked again, and thunder roared fast on its heels. The horses shifted nervously and she patted Storm’s neck.

  “Steady, Storm.” Rain fell into her mouth as she spoke.

  “I’ll come back for Smiley. Let’s take cover!” Jack shouted as the wind picked up, lashing the trees so that they swayed and creaked. If one of them toppled over, they’d be crushed.

  “There’s a mine shaft up ahead. Follow me.”

  She urged Storm on and they scrambled up a short bluff. Cold water slid down her collar. In seconds, the pummeling rain had soaked her through as it bore down in solid, unforgiving sheets and drowned out any sound.

  At last, they dismounted and tied their horses beneath a rocky overhang before ducking inside the mine’s entrance, weapons in hand. No one had boarded up this small, forgotten shaft, and water dripped from the ledge, trickling down its walls, creating rivulets that wound down the sloping dirt floor.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, after she’d stowed their guns, shivering in her wet shirt and jeans.

  Jack pried a piece of wood up from the old tracks that curved around a bend. He’d taken off his hat and the hair at the nape of his neck was plastered to his skin. “Gathering firewood.”

  “You don’t think this will clear up soon?”

  As if on cue, another crack of thunder sounded and the rain continued hammering.

  “Doubtful. I need to get you dry. You could catch pneumonia.”

  “So could you.” She dug her fingernails into a soft, rotting plank. It gave way faster than she expected, making her stumble back a step when it jerked free.

  “Careful,” Jack warned. He’d already pulled up five boards and was midway through liberating another. “The rusted nails could give you tetanus.”

  Pneumonia. Tetanus. Sheesh. “Do I look like some hothouse flower?” She heaved up another, sweat on her brow.

  Warm brown eyes settled on her face. Drops of water sparkled on his eyelashes. “No. Not that. A blanket flower maybe.”

  Another hard yank and the wood came loose. “A blanket flower?”

  “It’s tough. Pretty. Red-gold, like your hair.”

  She fingered the dripping end of her braid and couldn’t stop her goofy smile. “You think I’m tough and pretty?”

  “Let’s say I’m glad you were with me when we encountered Smiley and his partner. Much better odds.”

  Every ounce of blood rushed to her cheeks. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  He hoisted an armload and she followed. “What can I do?”

  “Grab as much of that dead grass as you can.”

  “Got it.” She hustled away, needing some distance, her thoughts fluttering like trapped birds.

  She grabbed the old, dry grass that lay on the floor and stuffed it between the wood pieces he’d piled in a tepee shape by the entranceway. He took a couple of stones from his pocket and, over a piece of the grass, began strikin
g them. They sparked, he leaned down and blew on the pile, waving the tendril of smoke that rose until a flame leaped up.

  She found herself drinking him in, his broad chest and strong arms, his square shoulders. She remembered his mouth hungry on hers, his big hands in her hair, the heat coursing through her, how it had made her feel—

  “You’re a regular Boy Scout.” She forced a light tone, though it quivered just a little, betraying her.

  “Eagle Scout,” he corrected, his eyes gleaming as he blew again on the flame once he’d placed the smoldering tinder inside the wood stack.

  It took a couple more tries to get a steady burn, but eventually the fire took hold and smoke drifted outside, caught by the blowing westward wind. The heat drew her and she settled beside it on the dirt floor. She listened to the rain humming against the mountain. Watched it drip past the mine’s entranceway.

  Jack lowered himself beside her and held out his hands to the strengthening fire. He looked into her eyes. His were so brown they looked black.

  “So, you were an Eagle Scout?” Ask questions. Indulge your curiosity, not this insane desire that has your lips puckering like a girl at her sweet sixteen party.

  He squinted into the shadows. “Sure was. It’s a tradition in my family.”

  “You mentioned siblings.”

  “Right.”

  The fire strengthened and flames curled around the wood, flickering orange and red. Purling off the rocky overhang, the rain became a waterfall that blurred the outside world, leaving just them.

  She put her damp sleeve over her mouth and shuffled closer to the heat when a shudder ripped through her. It was a bone-deep chill. She hadn’t noticed it during the adrenaline rush of the chase or while they were gathering firewood.

  At the sound of wet cloth dropping to the ground, she spotted Jack’s T-shirt...which meant... Before she could process the thought, his bare arms wrapped around her. Every nerve leaped awake. The clean, male scent of him rose from his warm skin and a thrill entered her chest at the feel of his arms, strong and sure around her.

  Kevin had never affected her this way. He’d made her feel rebellious, and his antics had kept her too keyed up to think about the loss of her mother, her horse or her future. Jack, on the other hand, made her feel safe and happy.