Josh

by R. C. Ryan

  Sierra took hold of it and jumped down beside him.

  “How did you like riding in Big Bertha?”

  Josh stepped down beside them and handed Sierra her parka before saying, “She didn’t just ride in her, Big Jim, she drove her.”

  The old man gave her a long look. “You handled the controls?”

  “I did. With Josh coaching me.”

  “Well, doesn’t that beat all.” The old man paused to hang his keys on a hook while shaking his head from side to side. “City girl, I didn’t think you had it in you.”

  “Neither did I,” Sierra said with a laugh. “I guess if I stayed here long enough, I’d turn into a real manure-shoveling, truck-driving cowboy.”

  Josh tugged on a lock of her hair. “You might get the first part of it down, but I doubt you’ll ever be a cowboy. And believe me,” he added with a simmering look, “that’s just fine with me.”

  “You don’t like kissing cowboys?” Sierra asked with mock innocence.

  “I’ve just discovered that I prefer kissing city girls with long, long legs and hair the color of a wheat field and a body like sin.”

  His words, spoken in that gruff tone, sent a little thrill coursing along her spine.

  “Come on, boyo.” Big Jim stepped between them and dropped an arm around each of their shoulders. “Let’s see what Phoebe and Ela cooked up for our supper.”

  The two of them matched their strides to Big Jim’s loose, easy gait as they headed toward the back door. Once inside they hung their parkas and shed their boots before washing up at the sink.

  Quinn and Cheyenne came in, windblown and apple-cheeked, as they laughed together over a private joke.

  When they trooped into the kitchen, Phoebe and Ela looked up from the stove.

  “There’s beer and soda on the counter, and cheese on a tray by the fire,” Phoebe called.

  The family gathered around a blazing fire and caught up on the day’s events.

  Quinn sipped a long neck. “Cheyenne talked to Micah.” In an aside he said to Sierra, “Micah Horn’s been with Cheyenne’s family since she was a baby. He and her wranglers make it easy for us to go back and forth between the ranches without worrying. Anyway,” he said to all of them, “Micah said they got over a foot of snow at their place. So the higher elevations took a hit last night.”

  Cole nodded. “I talked to Jake. He made it up to the high country, and said they hoped to bring the herd down by tomorrow. It all depends on how much more snow falls.”

  Big Jim glanced at the clouds hovering over the peaks of the Tetons in the distance. “There’s more of it coming. But I think he’ll get a break tomorrow.”

  “All he needs is a day to get them down. Then it can snow all it wants.” Cole nibbled a slice of cheese. “Crazy weather. Shirtsleeves one day, parkas the next.”

  “Hey, you’re in Wyoming, son.” Big Jim laughed. “Like I always say, if you don’t like the weather, stick around. It’s bound to change by morning.”

  They all smiled in agreement.

  “Dinner’s ready,” Phoebe called.

  They made their way to the table, which was groaning under a feast of thick steaks, mounds of whipped potatoes, fresh beans from the garden, and a salad of tomatoes and red onions in a dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

  As they took their places and began passing platters, Sierra turned to Josh. “This feels like a holiday.”

  He glanced over. “Why?”

  She blushed when she realized that everyone was listening. “The only time my family ever ate together was for a special occasion.”

  Big Jim glanced at his son at the far end of the table. Cole was studying the girl seated beside his son. When he looked up and caught his father’s eye, the two men smiled knowingly at each other.

  “I guess we sometimes forget how lucky we are.” Big Jim helped himself to a thick steak before passing the platter to Quinn. “As long as we have our family, every day’s special here.”

  “It’s been special for me, too.” Sierra held the bowl while Josh spooned mashed potatoes onto his plate. “I got to muck stalls and handle the controls on Big Bertha.”

  Across the table Cheyenne’s jaw dropped. “Josh actually let you drive his special rig?”

  “He did. And I didn’t knock over any barns or outbuildings, either.”

  That had everyone laughing.

  Cheyenne looked at her brother-in-law. “When I asked if I could try the controls last week, you said girls weren’t allowed.”

  Quinn lay a hand over hers. “That’s only because Josh knew I wanted to be the one to teach you.”

  She smiled into her husband’s eyes. “Will you?”

  “Right after dinner, if you’d like.”

  She gave a mock shiver. “I think I can wait until morning.”

  He gave a careless shrug of his shoulders. “Don’t say I didn’t offer.”

  Josh was grinning. “If I know my brother, he’ll want you to sit on his lap while he teaches you the controls.”

  Cheyenne quickly tossed it back at Josh. “Is that what you did with Sierra?”

  Before he could answer Sierra said, “Darn. Why didn’t you think of that?”

  “What makes you think I didn’t?” At the laughter around the table he added, “But I figured I’d better behave and stick to teaching you how to drive it.”

  “Good thinking, son.” Cole drained his longneck. “You get tangled up with a female in one of those rigs, you could level half the barns before you know what’s happening.”

  They were still laughing as Phoebe suggested they take their coffee and dessert in the great room.

  They were just stepping away from the table when they heard the sound of a truck.

  Cole glanced out the window. “One of those delivery trucks. I guess the roads from town are cleared.”

  He walked to the back door before the driver could knock. A moment later he called, “Sierra. You have to sign for this delivery.”

  Puzzled, she hurried to the door and scrawled her name for the driver, before accepting a package with a typed label, addressed to her in care of the Conway ranch. There was no return address.

  “Aren’t you going to open it?” Cheyenne stepped up beside her, looking as eager as a girl at Christmas, while the others gathered around.

  “I guess I should.” Sierra tore open the brown paper wrapping, to find a jeweler’s box inside, bearing the name of a Paris jewelry shop.

  For the longest time she merely stared at it.

  From his vantage point Josh studied her face and could see the anxiety in her eyes.

  Beside her Cheyenne was fidgeting. “Is it your birthday?”

  “No.”

  “Well? Aren’t you the least bit curious to see what’s inside?” Cheyenne was twitching with nervous energy.

  Sierra lifted the lid to reveal a dazzling diamond and ruby bracelet and matching earrings.

  “Oh.” Cheyenne gave a gasp, while the others merely watched in silence as Sierra opened a small note card.

  Reading over her shoulder, Cheyenne said the words aloud. “ ‘All is forgiven, darling. Call this number. A car will pick you up and bring you to me.’ ”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Darling?” Cheyenne turned to Sierra, whose face had lost all its color. “I don’t understand. Who is this from? There’s no signature.”

  Before Cheyenne could press further, Josh crossed the room and dropped an arm around Sierra’s shoulders. His words were low, for her ears alone. “Sorry. I know you value your privacy, but my family and I have a right to know what’s going on.”

  “I agree.” She drew in a long, deep breath. “It’s only fair that all of you should know. I should have told you sooner.”

  “Told us what?” Big Jim demanded.

  Josh was already steering Sierra through the doorway. “Let’s talk in the great room. You look like you need to sit down.”

  The others followed, eager to hear everything.


  Ela pushed a trolley loaded with coffee, mugs, cream and sugar, and plates for apple pie and ice cream. Phoebe trailed her, carrying a bowl of spiced apple slices and skim milk for Cole.

  Seeing it, he made a face and bit down hard on the oath that sprang to his lips.

  When they’d gathered around the fireplace, Josh said, “When Sierra and I were ready to leave the park, she found something unsettling in her car. I could see that she was upset, and I offered to bring her here to spend the night before she started on her way to Casper. Now I wish I’d been more forceful when I suggested she pay a call on Chief Fletcher.”

  “Everett Fletcher?” Cole’s voice was sharper than usual. “What’s all this about?”

  Sierra took a long, deep breath. “There’s a man who befriended me in Paris—we went out on a few dates. I wanted to keep things light and casual.”

  Big Jim glanced at the jeweler’s box, held stiffly in Sierra’s hand. “From the size of those diamonds, this guy doesn’t think of your relationship as casual.”

  He turned an icy stare at his grandson. “You suggested that Sierra talk to Everett Fletcher, but you didn’t think you ought to share this with your family, boyo?”

  Josh felt the sting of his grandfather’s look. “I should have. But I thought I owed Sierra the right to her privacy, especially since she’d only planned on staying the night, before driving on to Casper. And now…”

  His words trailed off.

  “Mind if I see that note?” Cole held out his hand, and Sierra passed it to him.

  He read it in silence before passing it to Big Jim, who did the same.

  The older man’s head came up sharply. “ ‘All is forgiven’? What did you do to him?”

  “I left him without a word. Actually, I told my friend, Janine, to tell him I’d left after I was safely out of the country.”

  “Safely?” Big Jim zeroed in on that single word. “You wanted to be safely away before he knew you were gone?”

  Sierra swallowed. “I… was afraid.”

  “Of him?” Big Jim demanded.

  Sierra nodded.

  “And he forgives you. He even calls you ‘darling.’ ” The older man stared at her. “That sounds pretty intimate. Did he have a right to be offended?”

  She shook her head, afraid to meet his stern gaze. “It was never more than very casual dating, like glorified friendship, at least on my part. When I realized that he wanted more, I left. But by that time I was afraid of him.”

  Josh’s eyes narrowed. “Why? What did he do?”

  “It’s what he implied. I found his behavior alarming. But then, after some time on the mountain, with a lot of distance between us, I decided that I’d probably just magnified everything in my mind. You know. A mountain out of a molehill. That’s why, when you suggested that I talk to the police chief, I refused.”

  “At the time, I didn’t know what you’d found in your car that had you so upset. Do you care to share?”

  “It was a note.”

  “That must have been a hell of a note.” Josh studied her. “A note in a parked car is one thing. But this…” He swept a hand toward the jewelry box. “How does he know you’re staying at our ranch?”

  “Maybe he stopped in at Flora’s,” Quinn said. “Isn’t that how everyone in Paintbrush gets their news?”

  “We never told Flora that Sierra was coming here,” Josh said patiently.

  “But you said that you two stopped at Flora’s place on your way through Paintbrush. You think you were followed?” Cole’s tone was grim.

  Josh shook his head. “It never occurred to me to keep an eye out, but the road was practically deserted. I’d have spotted a vehicle behind us all the way from town. Still, he could have seen us leaving Flora’s together and made a calculated guess. And now, there’s no need for him to guess. Sierra just signed for that package.”

  Around the room heads nodded in understanding.

  Big Jim turned to Sierra. “You said you weren’t afraid enough to talk to Chief Fletcher. How’re you feeling now?”

  She looked up, then away. “I’m afraid all over again. I thought—that is, I’d hoped—that he would just give up and go home and leave me alone. But now…” She forced herself to meet their eyes. “I think, now that the roads are clear, I should make arrangements to rent a car and fly out of Casper to New York.”

  “Do you have family there who can watch out for you?”

  She shook her head. “There’s an old classmate. A girl I knew in school. I have a standing invitation to bunk with her whenever I’m in the city.”

  “As long as you don’t have family there, I don’t think that would be a wise thing to do right now.” Big Jim’s voice remained stern as he took Sierra’s hand. “If this guy followed you from Paris to Wyoming, he can just as easily follow you to New York. You need to be somewhere safe. With people you can trust.”

  “I don’t have any—”

  “You have us. You’re here. Why not stay?”

  “You don’t understand. I don’t want all of you involved in this. This isn’t your fight—”

  The old man held a finger to her lips to silence her protest. Though his words were gruff, there was a softness in his eyes when she looked up at him. “You’d better get used to the fact that the Conway family never backs away from a fight. And as long as you’re here, you’re with family. You got that?”

  “I…” Her lips trembled, and she was afraid that she might embarrass herself by weeping. “Yes. Thank you, Big Jim.”

  “You’re welcome. Now I want you to remember something else, while we’re at it. Family doesn’t hold back. If you find yourself worried about something while you’re here, you need to share it. Will you do that?”

  “All right. I promise.” She stared hard at the toe of her shoe. “You’ll never know what this means to me.”

  “I think I do. Now…” He glanced around at the others, letting his fierce gaze linger a moment on his grandson before his smile returned. “I think it’s time we enjoyed our dessert and coffee while you consider your options.”

  While Phoebe and Ela passed around steaming cups of coffee and slices of apple pie, each with a dollop of ice cream, the conversation was stilted, as the various family members began to tread carefully through Sierra’s past as though maneuvering through a minefield.

  “This man…” Cheyenne paused. “How long have you known him?”

  “A few weeks.”

  “Weeks?” Cole’s head came up sharply. “He only knew you for weeks and he’s chasing you halfway around the world?”

  “He…” Sierra searched for an explanation. Here among these good people, she realized it made no sense. But while in Paris, among the assorted wealthy and quirky people who surrounded young artists, she had been persuaded that it was perfectly normal. “He was smooth and sophisticated, and he made me feel special. And my friends there told me I’d be a fool to refuse the friendship of a man whose family could make or break my career.”

  “How do you feel now?” Cole set aside the hated apple slices and glowered at his sons, enjoying their pie and ice cream. “Was your career worth the worry this man has caused you?”

  “Now that I’ve put some distance between us, I realize that it was all an illusion. My career will stand or fall on its own merits, and that’s the way I want it.”

  “Good girl.” Big Jim, who’d been watching his grandson’s face all this time, turned to Sierra. “About the police chief. Don’t you think you ought to consider it now that this fellow has made it clear that he knows where you are?”

  Sierra turned to Josh, who was staring at her with a look of intense concentration.

  She looked at the jewelry box, which she’d dropped on a nearby table. The expensive jewels winking in the firelight mocked her.

  “Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t do it when Josh first suggested it.”

  “It isn’t too late.” Big Jim motioned to his grandson. “Why don’t you call Everett and ask him to s
top by for some pie and ice cream, Josh?”

  Josh nodded. “As long as that’s what Sierra wants.”

  “I do. But do you want to bother the police chief now? After hours?”

  “Everett doesn’t have hours. He does his job around the clock.” Josh plucked his cell phone from his pocket and dialed.

  Minutes later he said, “Chief Fletcher said that he’d even drive to Casper and back as long as he was promised a slice of Phoebe’s apple pie. He’ll be here in an hour.”

  While the others enjoyed their dessert, Josh noted that Sierra’s lay forgotten while she sipped her coffee, allowing the others to carry on the conversation that swirled around them.

  Chief Everett Fletcher was as good as his word. He stepped into the Conway family’s great room, greeting the family warmly before being introduced to Sierra. Afterward he cheerfully accepted a huge slice of apple pie smothered in vanilla ice cream.

  “Thank you, Phoebe.” He stretched out his long legs toward the warmth of the fire and dug in to the heavenly confection. “My mouth watered all the way here just thinking about this.”

  Sierra had been expecting a stern, businesslike lawman, and was pleasantly surprised to find him welcomed with affection like a member of the family.

  Big Jim’s voice warmed. “This big, tall athlete was the pride of Paintbrush High. When he played for the football team, he led Paintbrush to a state championship.”

  He slapped the chief on the back.

  Everett smiled. “It was an experience I’ll never forget. My best season ever, until an injury in college ended my chance to turn pro.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry.” Sierra shot him a look of sympathy.

  He smiled broadly at her obvious concern. “After college I poured all that energy and athletic aptitude into a career with the state police.”

  “I bet you were good at your job.”

  He nodded. “I became a sharpshooter before returning to Paintbrush when they offered me the position of chief.”

  “Six feet of pure muscle,” Big Jim said proudly. “And from the looks of you, I’ll bet you could still fit into your old state police uniform.”