Sharp Shootin' Cowboy

by Victoria Vane

  * * *

  Oh my God. It’s him. I can’t breathe.

  Recognition simultaneously numbed her mind and struck her dumb. What were the chances of running into Reid Everett after all this time? She’d never even considered the possibility when she’d accepted the job.

  Haley cleared her throat, but her voice still emerged as a barely audible croak. “Mr. Everett and I are already acquainted. We met several years ago in California.”

  Reid raised a brow. “So you haven’t forgotten?”

  “No,” she said. “I haven’t forgotten.” Although she’d done her best to, his image had never faded in her mind. It was still there as crystal clear as it had been at their parting. But this man, the one who seemed to use up all the air in her office, was so changed that she might not have known him without the introduction.

  His hair was longer and lighter, and his face was leaner, the angles sharper. There was a hardness to his mouth, and gone was the hint of humor from his blue eyes. He’d always dwarfed her, but now seemed so much bigger. But it wasn’t just his appearance, there was something different in his whole demeanor, an edge that he’d never had before.

  “What a coincidence,” Jim remarked, oblivious to the tension that charged the air. “Since you know each other, perhaps Reid here would like to orient you to the region in my place? Dr. Cooper has yet to get the lay of the land,” he explained to Reid, who still hadn’t even blinked.

  “There’s really no need,” she blurted. “I know the area quite well already. I spent two years in Yosemite and Grand Teton National Parks when I was working on my dissertation.”

  “Maybe you know the geography,” Jim countered, “but you don’t know the people. The ranchers and outfitters here are a close-knit community. The Everetts know them all. I can’t think of anyone better suited to be your guide.” He chuckled. “No pun intended.”

  “I’d be pleased to show Dr. Cooper around,” Reid replied in a soft, deep baritone that sent ripples over her skin.

  “Another time, maybe,” she replied tightly. “I have a lot to do. I’m really swamped.”

  “Then I’m sorry to add to your burden,” Jim said.

  “What do you mean?” Even as she asked, her gaze tracked to the radio collar in his hands. “Oh my God! What happened?”

  “Reid here can fill you in. No doubt the two of you have a lot of catching up to do anyway. Guess I’ll leave you to your business now. Good to see you again, Reid.” Jim laid the collar on her desk, tipped his hat, and left.

  Haley stared helplessly after him, struggling to maintain her equilibrium and silently cursing him for leaving her alone with Reid. First, she’d received the shock of seeing him again, and now had a dead study subject to deal with? And not just any subject. She picked up the collar, tracing the number with her fingers, shutting her eyes on a whisper. “Cinderella.”

  Reid’s brows pulled together. “Come again?”

  “This collar belongs…belonged…to 442 F. I was part of the team who captured and collared her as a pup. We called her Cinderella.”

  “Unusual name for a wolf,” he remarked. “I could see maybe Red Riding Hood, but Cinderella?”

  “She was an unusual specimen, an underling who rose to become the alpha female of one of the largest and most powerful wolf packs in the Tetons. Thousands of wolf-watchers loved her. National Geographic even made a documentary about her. She did so many things wolves don’t do. I built my entire doctoral dissertation around her.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” he said softly.

  Haley stared at the GPS collar fighting back tears. “You couldn’t possibly understand.”

  “Why would you say that?” Reid propped a hip on the edge of her desk. “Do you think I don’t care about animals just because I hunt? You couldn’t be more wrong, Dr. Cooper. I happen to love all animals and have a special regard for wolves and bears and big cats. But I also adhere to the belief that apex predators need to be kept in check for their own safety, as well as humans’.”

  “By killing them, Reid?” she snapped. He was so different. They both were. But some things hadn’t changed. They were still opposite poles of the magnet.

  “Sometimes. But only when the numbers require it. Hunting itself isn’t evil. It’s humane if done responsibly. In the end, I think you and I both want the same thing—for people and wildlife to coexist. We just go about it in different ways.”

  “This wolf was central to the project I’m working on,” she continued tersely. “She’s part of the reason I came here. I had hoped for several more years to study her.” She looked up at Reid with a sick churning in her gut. “Wait a minute. What do you have to do with all this?”

  “I’m the one who turned the collar in.”

  “You were there?”

  “Yes. I was there.”

  She fired off the next question before even taking a breath. “What happened to her?”

  He doffed his hat and raked a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh. “She was shot during an elk expedition.”

  “Shot? But it’s illegal to hunt wolves in Wyoming. In fact, it’s a felony. The ESA is very specific about this. It prohibits harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing, or collecting any listed species. I promise you, if this was a willful rather than accidental kill, someone’s gonna pay.”

  Reid met her gaze levelly. “I’m well aware of all that. It’s my job to make sure those kind of things don’t happen.”

  “Then how the hell was she shot? What exactly happened on this elk hunt?”

  Reid scrubbed his face, visibly agitated. “I’d like to say it was an accident, but it wasn’t. I was hired as a private guide by someone who should never have been allowed a hunting license.”

  “Then why did you take the job?”

  “Because he paid me. It’s how I make my living. Lots of people come to Wyoming to hunt. It’s impossible to screen every prospective client. I do my best to keep all my clients safe and to uphold the game laws, but this was beyond my control. By the time I realized he was going to shoot it was too late to stop him. Believe me, if I’d had any clue something like this was gonna happen, I would have refused the job.”

  “Really.” She pursed her mouth in disbelief.

  “Yeah. Really. I uphold the game laws, Dr. Cooper. I’ve already made my full report to the Board of Outfitters.”

  She pushed out of her chair to stand eye to eye with him. “This won’t go unanswered.”

  “I can understand why you’re upset, but please try to put it in perspective. She was a wild animal and shit like this sometimes happens. Hell, more wolves are killed by each other every year than by man.”

  “But this shouldn’t have happened at all. I’m requesting a full inquiry.”

  “I told you the Board of Outfitters is already handling it,” Reid assured her.

  “I don’t care. I’ll still be doing my own investigation. I have questions, Reid, and until those are answered to my complete satisfaction, I’m recommending the suspension of your license.”

  “What? You’re putting both my reputation and my livelihood on the line here! We were friends once, Haley. Hell, we were even lovers. Don’t you think I deserve a little more courtesy?”

  She clenched her teeth. “Our past has no bearing on this whatsoever. If this event goes unanswered, it’ll be open season on all wolves in Wyoming. I’m not about to let that happen.”

  Her position required her to maintain neutrality, but he was clearly in the enemy camp. She could never allow him a pass due to their former relationship.

  “I don’t appreciate your insinuations, Dr. Cooper. No one is trying to hide anything. I told you I made a full report.”

  “Then you have nothing to fear from an inquiry. If there was no wrongdoing there’s no cause for concern. The suspen
sion will be lifted.”

  “How long? We have groups booked for the entire elk season.”

  “I guess your family will have to make due without you for a few weeks. Just be thankful they don’t shut the whole operation down.”

  “They or you?” He stood, towering a full foot over her with eyes as frosty as snow-covered peaks. He snatched up his hat and shoved it on his head, turning for the door with long, angry strides. Halfway there, he stopped, facing her one last time. “I guess that tour I promised you is off. I’ll see you next at your damned inquisition.”

  * * *

  Half an hour later, Reid threw a leg over the saddle that served as a barstool at the Million Dollar Cowboy.

  “How’d it go?” Jared asked.

  Reid ignored the question to order a double bourbon with a beer chaser.

  “That bad, eh?” his brother smirked.

  “You keep up with all the political bullshit. What the hell is this Rocky Mountain Wolf Management Task Force anyway?” Reid asked. “Why doesn’t the WGF handle the wolves like they do all the other wildlife issues?”

  “It’s too controversial. You know as well as I do that the tree huggers are looking for any excuse to delay delisting those sonsofbitches.”

  “Maybe… Probably,” Reid amended.

  Jared continued, “This task force is supposed to be an independent review board, but I’ve been checking on their new appointee. Independent, my ass. Did you know Dr. Cooper worked for one of the very same groups that sued the state last year? They won. Now we’ve got a new plan to manage wolves, and they don’t like this one either.” He shook his head and took a swig of beer. “So how’d it go with Dr. Haley Wolf Lover anyway? I’m guessing by your expression she broke your balls.”

  “Yeah. You might say that.” Reid downed his bourbon in one long, burning swallow. He set the glass down with a sigh. “She’s going to have my license suspended while she investigates.”

  “Fuck that!” Jared protested.

  “I don’t see a hell of a lot we can do about it if she’s the one calling the shots. Why didn’t you give me a heads up about her anyway? Had I known it was her…” He could only hope she’d see reason once she got over her initial shock.

  “Maybe you can make this whole wolf-kill business go away. You should take one for the team, Reid. Buy her a steak dinner and nail her.” Twice-divorced, Jared was the man-whore of the family. He raised the long neck to his lips with a wink.

  “She doesn’t eat steak.”

  “A vegetarian? That figures. Then make it a fucking tofu burger. You’re missing my point. You can make this easier on yourself by making it hard in her. Do her justice, and she’ll forgive and forget quickly enough. A good dinner and a better fuck have always worked for me.”

  “Don’t talk about her like that, Jared.”

  His brother’s gaze narrowed. “Why so defensive?”

  “I know her.”

  “How?”

  “She’s from San Jacinto, not far from Camp Pendleton.”

  “Did you do her?”

  “That’s none of your fucking business, Jared, and not even remotely related to this conversation.”

  “Guess I got my answer.” Jared smirked. “But you’re wrong, little brother. It’s entirely relevant because it puts you in a unique position to find out what she’s really doing here.”

  “This is bullshit. If you want to know something, just ask her. I’m not going to act as your spy.”

  Jared’s mouth compressed. “Maybe you don’t realize what’s really on the line here. The ranchers. The hunting outfits. Our business. Your livelihood. We’re all hurting, and it isn’t going to get any better until we can control the vermin that caused this problem.”

  To Jared, the only good wolf was a dead one.

  “So, what’s the real deal with you and her anyway? I admit she isn’t bad on the eyes, but once she opens her mouth…” He shuddered.

  “There’s not much to tell. We met at a dance club before my third deployment. We saw each other for a little while, but that was a long time ago.” He upended his bottle.

  “Are you going to see her again?”

  “Hell if I know. We didn’t exactly reunite on the most auspicious terms.”

  When he’d seen her, at first he’d hoped… He shook his head. Hell, he didn’t even know what he’d hoped, but the Cinderella incident had set them back not just three steps, but three miles.

  “So what’s going on between you and Tonya these days?” Jared suddenly asked.

  “I dunno,” Reid answered noncommittally. He wondered what was behind all his brother’s questions. He and Jared had never been close and were certainly not confidants. At times like this, Reid missed Garcia. Not that Raf wouldn’t have jerked his chain exactly the same way, but somehow it was easier to take this kinda shit from his marine buddy than from his older brother. “Why so interested?” he asked Jared. “You lookin’ to make Tonya ex-wife number three?”

  Jared’s gaze darkened. “Mebbe.”

  Holy shit. Reid tipped his hat back and stared at his brother as if seeing him for the first time. “You and Tonya?” He didn’t know what exactly clued him in, but suddenly it all made sense. “When, Jared? Answer me that. Are you the reason she called it off with me? I deserve to know.”

  “I s’pose you do. It was New Year’s Eve. You were gone… Tonya was depressed and lonely… I was on the rebound after the split with Rita…”

  “You low-crawling bastard!”

  “Look, Reid. It was after she broke it off with you. We were both drunk or it never would have happened. Then again, you left without putting a ring on her finger.”

  Reid gave an incredulous laugh. “Are you trying to say it’s my fault? Shit. I can’t fucking believe this.”

  “I ain’t saying nothing of the kind,” Jared replied. “But it’s all water under the bridge now, and she regrets it. Not because it wasn’t good,” he added, too damn quickly. “But it’s never happened between us since.”

  “But you want her?”

  “Mebbe,” Jared repeated. “I’ve been waiting to see if you’d pick it back up with her. I’d step aside if you still wanted her, but it seems to me you’re in no big hurry to rush her down the aisle.”

  Reid wanted to tear his brother’s head off, but more for the act of betrayal than any true feeling of jealousy. He took a breath and then another swig of beer, willing away his impulse to pound Jared into dust. Somehow he’d always known there was someone else. She hadn’t exactly lied, but she hadn’t told him the whole truth either. Even if it really was after she broke with him, and she really was sorry, he’d never be able trust her again.

  So much for digging out that engagement ring. Maybe he should go pawn it instead. Hell, if the investigation didn’t move in his favor, he might need the money for legal fees.

  Chapter 15

  Wyoming Outfitters Convention

  The annual Outfitters Convention was an old tradition that broke up the long winter. Part business and part social, the event brought out everyone involved in hunting and dude ranching. Reid had always looked forward to it, but so much had changed in his eight-year absence. He was surprised to learn how many outfits had shut their doors. In a state so dependent on tourism, the downward economy had hit everyone hard, but it seemed the outfitters had taken the brunt of the blow.

  He stared unseeingly as the state wildlife biologist droned on about moose parasites. He was restless, and his mind was wandering. Another biologist was scheduled to speak on the new mule deer initiative. Both would present their charts and graphs depicting the declining populations and hypothesize about all the probable causes—none of which included wolves.

  They all tried to skirt around the whole predator controversy. It was too hot to touch without getting burned. How long would the tension continue to
build before something or someone lit the fuse? He’d had enough of this kind of bullshit in the Marines—problems and solutions as plain as day to the grunts in the field but seemingly invisible or maybe just ignored by the bureaucrats.

  He didn’t know how much longer he could sit there. He was antsy as hell. His palms were sweating, and the walls starting to close in. Ready to crawl out of his skin, Reid mumbled an excuse to his father and brother, grabbed his hat and coat, and made a swift exit.

  Striding out of the ballroom, he made for the first exterior door leading out to a terrace. Reid paced the length of it several times before stopping to suck in a lungful of air so cold that it burned. A shiver erupting over him brought him back to earth and spurred him to drag his jacket over his arms and shoulders, but he didn’t zip it. He loved the cold after having spent so much time in the blistering heat of the desert. He tried not to think about those years too much, but they were never completely out of mind. He didn’t know how long he’d stood there with his gaze fixed sightlessly on the mountains, lost in his thoughts.

  He turned at the creak of the terrace doors opening behind him. “Reid?”

  He was stunned to see her.

  She took a few tentative steps towards him. “I thought that was you out here.”

  “Dr. Cooper.” He tipped his hat. “You’re about the last person I expected to see here.”

  “Haley, please,” she said. “I’m here because Jim asked me to do a presentation on wolf recovery. He thought it would serve as a good introduction for me.”

  “Good luck with that,” he remarked dryly. He’d perused the program earlier but hadn’t paid attention to the various presenters’ names. He probably would have left had he known she was here.

  “I was hoping you’d be here,” she said.

  “Oh yeah? And why’s that?”

  “You never gave me a chance to talk to you after the hearing last week.”

  He responded with a derisive laugh. “I didn’t think there was a whole lot left to say after you laid your laundry list of crimes at my feet.”