Dundee looked up at that moment and grinned.
“Look at that! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog grin before.”
Doc laughed. “Old’ Dundee grins at everybody.”
“Is that his name, Dundee?”
“His full name is Crocodile Dundee,” Sam told him. He’s an Australian Shepherd so I named him after Paul Hogan’s character from the movies.”
“He’s a cool dog.”
Dundee grinned again and they all laughed.
“I’m showing Luke around,” Lance told them. “He’s never been out here before and I think he’s mesmerized by Colorado and the Lazy W.”
“I’m truly captivated by all the beauty that surrounds me,” Luke smiled and gave Sam a meaningful look.
Sam felt goose bumps pop up all over her body. Guilt hit her for a moment when she thought of Cheyenne, but it passed quickly. Why should she feel guilty? He took off without trying to patch things up between them so it was obvious their relationship was over.
Lance turned to Sam. “I was going to show Luke your horse. He’s in a stall in the back. Frank, can you saddle him up and give us a little demo in the arena?”
“Sure boss,” Frank answered and headed for the tack room.
“He’s not my horse, yet,” Sam told Lance. “I may not be able to afford him.”
“Oh, you’ll be able to afford him. I’ll make sure of that.”
“I want to pay a fair price for him, Mr. Wilson.”
“You already did in my opinion. It was your quick action that saved Brio. I want to give Dakota to you as a gift. Call it a token of my appreciation for a job well done.”
Sam was speechless. “You’re very generous but I can’t accept a gift that expensive. I don’t feel right about it.”
Lance smiled. “I won’t take no for an answer. Don’t make an old man like me beg you to take this gift. You’ll hurt my feelings if you don’t, so it’s settled. You can pick him up any time you want.”
Doc walked over and patted Sam on her shoulder.
“Take him, Sam. He’s right and besides, the old buzzard can afford it!”
“I don’t know what to say. Thank you!” Sam exclaimed and hugged Lance.
They walked to the indoor arena and watched as Frank brought the beautiful chestnut in the building.
In the middle of the arena was a long, narrow plank about 50 feet long called a sounding board. Frank mounted the horse and circled the arena. Dakota Roja arched his head perfectly and headed toward the board. Everyone could hear the steady rhythm of the four beat cadences as the horse pranced down the wooden plank. Frank brought him around and put him through his paces as Lance explained the different steps to his nephew.
“He’s doing a corto, or slow trot now. Then Frank will get him into a largo, or faster trot.”
“He’s magnificent!” Luke said totally enthralled. “I can see why you love these horses.”
Frank rode him down the plank once more and then rode back to the group and dismounted. Dakota immediately put his head down and gave Sam a friendly nudge.
“Well, I see he’s the one who picked you and not the other way around, “ Lance noted. “You’ll make a good pair.”
Sam smiled and rubbed the horse gently on his nose.
Chapter Thirty-Four
After the demonstration, Frank took Dakota to his stall and everyone headed back to the barn.
“I’ll be out here Saturday morning to pick him up if that’s okay with you,” Sam told Lance.
Lance nodded his head. “Any time you want. I’ll have his registration papers and brand inspection ready for you.”
Luke came up and helped Sam carry her gear to the truck.
“If you don’t have any plans, maybe we can go into town and have lunch.” He said with a smile.
“Sure. What are you hungry for? We have an excellent Mexican restaurant in town.”
“Mexican sounds perfect.”
“Good. Why don’t you jump in my truck and I’ll drive.”
A short time later Sam’s truck was parked under some shade trees with the windows down for Dundee, who was asleep on his pillow, and she and Luke were settled in a booth at Rosa’s.
“Fairview is such a nice town. So relaxed and not fast paced at all,” Luke noted. “No wonder you love it here.”
“It’s always been home to me. I go to Denver from time to time but that’s almost more than I can handle. I’m always glad to get back to my stompin’ grounds around Fairview.”
A waitress shuffled over to their table and Sam recognized Meg O’Reilly, Ian’s sister. She was easy to recognize because of her fire red hair that matched her red lips and penciled eyebrows. Sam knew the red hair was real because all the O’Reilly’s had the same color. Meg was in her thirties and looked like she had been rode hard and put up wet. She had a reputation for living on the wild side and her face showed the evidence of what chain smoking and too much alcohol could do to a body. Everyone in Fairview knew she was on the prowl for a new man since she’d broken up with her biker buddy, and Sam could see her giving Luke the once over while he gave their order.
“Two beers and two monster burritos coming right up!” Meg repeated. She winked at Luke as she turned around and walked toward the kitchen. He watched her depart then looked at Sam.
“Everyone is so friendly here.”
Sam leaned forward and motioned with her finger for him to lean forward. “I think she’s flirting with you,” She whispered to him. “That’s why she’s so friendly.”
Then Sam leaned back and winked. She figured she could flirt too. Besides, she didn’t want him looking at Meg too much. Although Meg had a hard face, she still had a killer body and there was enough cleavage pushed through the top of her uniform to prove it.
Luke broke out into one of his sexy smiles and chuckled loudly.
“I think I’m going to have a hard time leaving this place tomorrow.”
“Oh, you’re going back tomorrow?”
“Yes. Unfortunately I need to get back. I tried to get my schedule cleared so I could stay a few more days, but wasn’t able to do it. My assistant is going to have a heart attack if I don’t get back for an appointment tomorrow afternoon. We’re going to leave first thing in the morning.”
“So what do you do in San Francisco?” Sam asked.
“I’m an architect.”
Sam looked at him incredulously. “No shit. You’re really an architect?”
Luke smiled. “Yes, I’m really an architect. I’m working on a new art museum for the city of San Francisco. I was right in the middle of some final planning meetings when my uncle called. I took a lot of heat when I postponed the meetings to come here. Then I made it even worse when I decided to stay an extra day.”
“Sounds like you have a tough boss.”
Luke smiled again. “Yes, I do. Tougher than you can imagine.”
He leaned forward and motioned with his finger for Sam to lean in closer.
“I’m the boss,” he whispered.
“No shit!” Sam was mentally hitting her head on the table. Why did she keep saying no shit?
“You seem really shocked. Is being an architect all that bad?”
“Oh, no. That’s not it. You just don’t look like the architect type.”
“What type is that?”
“The snobby, untouchable type. You’re not that way. You’re very approachable and you have a great smile.”
Luke looked deep into Sam’s eyes and gave her one of those smiles. Sam was getting goose bumps again.
Meg came up with their food. As she set the plates and drinks down she bent over to make sure Luke got a good look at her boobs. “Do you need anything else?” she asked.
“Not right now,” Luke told her. He smiled politely and purposely avoided looking at her chest. Sam admired his self-control.
“Enjoy your lunch then.” She gave Luke a big toothy grin and sauntered off, swinging her hips for all she was worth.
Luke didn’t even notice her grand exit because he was already digging into his cheesy burrito.
Sam sat back and looked at him closely. She was thinking of Seth from her romance novel.
“Maguire. That’s a Scottish name, isn’t it?” She asked.
Luke looked up and nodded. “It sure is. Why?”
“Just curious.”
Next he’ll tell me he owns his own jet, Sam thought to herself. Then I’ll have to go to a psychiatrist and get therapy because I can’t be living my romance novel.
“So tell me why you became a vet?” Luke asked.
“It was something I always wanted to do. I love animals and was always rescuing injured rabbits and birds when I was growing up and nursing them back to health. I intended on being a small animal vet but when I was in college the large animals interested me more. I’m not so keen on cows, but I love horses. I hope to specialize in horses only. I’m leaning in that direction now and I’m slowly cutting back on my cattle clients.”
“The Paso Finos are fabulous horses. I’ve never seen anything like them.”
“They are wonderful. They’re excellent trail horses. I’m more into riding in the Rocky Mountains than in a show ring. Mason and my dad have horses and they ride some easy trails. I want to be able to ride with them when I can.”
“Maybe the next time I come for a visit you’ll take me on one of those trail rides,” Luke suggested. “It sounds like fun.”
“Sure. Just let me know when you’re coming in and I’ll set it up. So, what time is your flight tomorrow?”
“I think I’ll leave fairly early, around 7:00 or 7:30.”
Sam eyed him suspiciously. “Are you on a commercial flight?”
Luke looked up surprised. “No, I’m not. I came in my personal jet.”
Sam stopped eating and with wide eyes exclaimed, “No shit!”
Now she was going to have to find a good psychiatrist!
Chapter Thirty-Five
After lunch, Sam and Luke walked out of the restaurant and met Sheriff Olson and Ricky coming in.
“Hey Sheriff. Hi Ricky,” Sam greeted them.
“Hi Sam. I’m glad I ran into you. I need to ask you a few questions,” Sheriff Olson told her.
“Sure. Did you meet Luke Maguire? He’s Lance and Marietta’s nephew. He and his mother flew in for the funeral yesterday. Luke, this is Sheriff Olson and the best deputy in the county, Rick Montenegro.”
They shook hands and Ricky winked at Sam.
Luke’s eyebrows rose and Sam’s face flushed red.
“I went to school with Rick and his wife Sally,” Sam explained to Luke. She gave Ricky a deadly glare and he grinned.
“I’ve heard about you, Sheriff,” Luke said. “Lance said you did an excellent job in finding Marietta’s killer so quickly. It’ll be good for my uncle to get this all behind him. It’s been a stressful time.”
Sheriff Olson leaned back on his heels and gave Sam a candid look. “Well, we think we have the killer. Dr. Kendrick here poked some holes in our theory and pointed out we’re possibly missing some key evidence.”
“You didn’t find any wire cutters?” Sam asked suddenly perking up.
“No. Pablo Rodriguez didn’t have any in his possession and neither did any of the workers. We searched the field and area where we found Marietta’s body, but didn’t find anything. It’s possible the fence was already cut before Pablo got there that morning, but I want to make certain we have the right man so we’re doing some further investigation.”
Luke looked confused. “What’s all this about wire cutters?”
“The fence was cut close to where we found Marietta. We think Marietta saw the cut and stopped to fix it, and then was jumped from behind, murdered and robbed. She always wore expensive jewelry, even when she was out riding, but there was none on her body. Lance verified that her wedding rings and other pieces were missing. And most everyone around here knew her routine – she checked the fences almost every morning. You know the rest of the story about how we found the murder weapon and arrested Pablo. But Sam here saw the cut and knew it was clean and done by a cutter. Pablo couldn’t have done it with his knife because the cut would’ve been jagged. So, we’ve been searching for those wire cutters.”
“Good detective work,” Luke said to Sam with a smile.
“I’m still looking for Mitch and Marcus,” Sheriff Olson turned back to Sam. “I need to bring them in for questioning. If Pablo’s story is true and he was set up, then someone led us on a wild goose chase. I need to confirm their whereabouts on the morning Marietta was murdered.”
“If I hear from Mitch I’ll let you know,” Sam promised. She looked away from the sheriff. She felt guilty as hell now for not telling him about her meeting with Mitch earlier in the week.
“Those two caused a lot of problems at the ranch prior to Marietta’s death, so I consider them persons of interest in this crime.” The sheriff went on. “If they have solid alibis on the morning of her murder then I won’t have any doubt we have the right man.”
He shook his head. “Hell, Samantha, you know that fences get cut in this territory all the time. High school kids could have been out there for a party and clipped those wires to get to the stream. It happens all the time. The fence could have already been down and Pablo saw his chance to attack Marietta and rob her. But I don’t like going to the D.A. when I have a doubt so I need to question the twins.”
Sam let her breath out slowly and nodded her head. “Boy, I wish I knew where to find them, but I don’t. If Mitch tries to contact me again I’ll call you immediately.”
“Who’s Mitch?” Luke asked when they got back in Sam’s truck
“He used to work at the Lazy W. Marietta fired him last week when she caught him with one of the threatening notes they’d been getting. He said he found it in the bunkhouse mailbox and was just putting it in theirs, but she didn’t believe him. He has a twin brother, Marcus, who belongs to some radical environmental organization that’s been trying to stop your uncle from selling his property to developers. The Sheriff has been looking for them since the murder but they’ve been laying low.”
“So what’s your connection with Mitch?”
“I really don’t have a connection. Mitch is a student at Northeastern Colorado Ag. He’s going to graduate next month as a vet. He was with me when I had to put the mare down. After he was fired, he called and wanted to talk to me about what happened. Cheyenne found out about the call and told the Sheriff so now I guess he thinks I have some special connection to him, but I don’t.” Sam was keeping her mouth shut about her meeting with Mitch. At least for now.
Luke’s cell phone rang and he quickly answered. Sam could tell he was talking to his office in San Francisco. After a short conversation he disconnected and sighed.
“Well, I need to be at a meeting bright and early in the morning. I’m going to have to go back this evening and prepare for it. I was going to ask you to have dinner with me tonight but it looks like I’ll have to postpone that until my next trip,” Luke smiled. “Unless you can take off and join me in San Francisco for a few days. Can you do that? Then I can show you my ‘stompin’ grounds’. I’ll send you back in my jet any time you need to get home.”
Sam’s eyes widened in disbelief. What an offer! She bit her tongue before she said ‘no shit’ again. Then she remembered Doc was going to be out of the office on Thursday and Friday. He was doing some training sessions in Boulder and she was going to have to cover his calls.
Sam gave Luke a disappointed look. “I can’t. Doc is going to be out and I have to handle the office while he’s gone. But thanks – what a great offer. I’ve never been to San Francisco before. Shit, what am I saying? I’ve never been out of the state!”
Luke looked disappointed too. “Well, promise me that when I return you’ll take some time off and come back with me to San Francisco.”
Sam couldn’t believe her ears. “I’ll try, but this is a little overwhelmi
ng for me. I’ve never been asked out on a date to San Francisco before. “
Luke’s laugh woke up Dundee and he stuck his sleepy head over the seat just as they arrived at the Lazy W. Sam stopped in front of the house and Luke got out and walked around to her door as she rolled down the window. Dundee quickly climbed into the front seat to his shotgun spot.
“Thanks for lunch,” Sam told him. “And the date offer. This will definitely go in my diary!”
“I’ll give you a call soon,” Luke said. Then he leaned over and gave Sam a soft kiss on the lips. “Bye Sam.”
Cowgirl Up! Page 16