by Gail Barrett
She slowly circled the area, trying to envision how her father’s accident had played out—but there were no tree branches to spook the horse, nothing flapping in the wind. She brought Red to a halt with a sigh. She was wasting her time. She wasn’t going to miraculously figure this out. She might as well do something useful and go help the men with the cows.
She reined Red around, intending to do just that when something black in the grass caught her eye. “Whoa,” she told the mare and leaped down. She walked back and picked it up. It was a strip of leather, an inch wide, maybe fifteen inches long with a braided horsehair inset—a browband from a bridle, she’d guess. Not her father’s, though. He didn’t own any showy tack. He’d used the same plain, utilitarian bridles for forty years.
But even if it belonged to another cowboy, what did that prove? Anyone could have dropped it here.
Discouraged, she stuffed the browband into her pocket and mounted the horse. But even without any evidence, she couldn’t stifle her doubts. What if the browband did mean something? What if her father hadn’t come here alone? What if Red hadn’t spooked and dragged him? But then how had he broken his leg?
A cloud passed overhead, towing a giant shadow over the earth, and a sudden sense of foreboding chilled her heart. Unsettled, she clucked Red into motion, trying to subdue her unruly thoughts. She couldn’t jump to conclusions based solely on a leather scrap. And even if her father had lied to her, so what? He might not be hiding anything bad. He might have withheld the truth out of embarrassment or to keep her from worrying about him.
Moments later she reached Rock Creek, the clear glacial runoff that fed Cole’s wells in this part of the ranch. Determined to focus on reality instead of conjectures, she followed the drone of a machine downstream. She skirted a jumble of boulders, passed through the shade of some cottonwood trees, then rounded another bend. When she spotted Cole wrestling a calf to the ground, she brought her horse to a halt.
Dust billowed over the men. Cows bellowed behind them, their frantic cries filling the air. Cole dug his heels into the dirt, flipped the bleating calf to the ground, and Kenny Greene raced over to help him hold it down. A man she didn’t recognize crouched beside them, and began examining the suffering calf—Judd Walker, Maple Cove’s new veterinarian, no doubt.
Bethany peered through the blowing dust to the backhoe, then to the corrals where they’d penned the herd. The cows lunged and cried, desperate to break out and quench their thirst. But drinking water too fast would cause their brains to swell, killing even more of the herd.
She glanced farther downstream to the dead cows dotting the bank, and her throat closed at the sight. Who would want to hurt those innocent animals—and why? Cole didn’t have enemies that she knew. People liked him in Maple Cove. Sure, he came from a wealthy family, but he’d worked his heart out to buy this ranch—putting in longer hours than his men did, never shirking an unpleasant job. And people respected that.
Her gaze swung back to the busy cowboys. She recognized most of the faces—Bill, Earl Runningcrane, her old classmate Kenny Greene. But there were some new ones, too. The same hollow feeling she’d experienced in the restaurant swirled back, but she forced it aside. So what if the ranch had changed since she’d left? Her life had moved on, too.
The sick calf thrashed, knocking Cole’s hat to the ground, and her gaze gravitated to him. He swore, his arm muscles bunching as he held the calf, the veins bulging in his tanned neck.
“Almost done,” the vet said. “Just a few more seconds.”
Cole grunted, his dark hair dampened with sweat, dirt streaking his hard jaw. And the sheer maleness of him made her heart take a crazy beat.
“Got it,” the vet said. Cole nodded at Kenny. They released the calf and leaped away. The calf staggered to his feet, wobbling badly. Cole whistled to Mitzy, who instantly raced over and steered it back into the herd.
Cole wiped his jaw on his sleeve, his T-shirt plastered to his powerful torso. He reached down to grab his hat, causing his faded jeans to tighten on his muscled behind.
Bethany shifted in the saddle, suddenly restless. No matter what had gone wrong between them, Cole was still hands down the most attractive man she’d ever seen. And the thrills she’d felt in his arms…
“Well, look who’s back.” A cowboy trotted up on a big roan gelding, pulling her attention from Cole.
Tony Whittaker. She recoiled in distaste. As a child, he’d bullied her daily. And as a teen… She suppressed a shudder, refusing to go down that humiliating track. Fortunately, she’d learned that he would ignore her if she refused to show any fear.
“Get out of my way, Tony. I’ve got work to do.” She tugged the reins to the right, intending to go around him, but he shifted his gelding and blocked her way.
“If it’s work you want, you can work me over good.” His eyes dipped to her chest, his innuendo clear.
Her mouth flattened, disgust churning through her, but she deliberately steadied her voice. “Look, I don’t have time for this. Those cows need help. Now get your horse out of my way.”
His lips thinned, sudden meanness flashing in his eyes. “A squaw like you would be lucky to have me. I can show you what a real man’s like.”
Her face burned, fury building inside her at the racial insult, and she tightened her grip on the reins. Idiots like Tony were the reason she’d left Maple Cove. But she bit down an angry retort, knowing better than to take his bait. She refused to cause trouble for Cole.
She nudged Red forward, but Tony moved his gelding closer, and her patience snapped. “What the hell is your problem? I said to get out of my way.”
“Why you—”
“Tony!” Cole shouted. “Get over here and give us a hand.”
“On my way.” Tony shot her an even stare, making the fine hairs rise on the nape of her neck, then wheeled his horse around. Bethany didn’t move as he rode off, her hands trembling, anger still pumping through her veins. Then she signaled for Red to get moving and headed downstream to join the men monitoring the thirsty cows.
So Tony was still a creep. That much hadn’t changed. She frowned, wondering if he was behind Cole’s problems. Killing helpless cows sounded like something he’d do.
But criminal or not, she’d be smart to watch her back. Instead of finding answers, she’d ticked off an old enemy—a dangerous one at that.
She reached the herd, then gave her father’s veteran cutting horse free rein. Red sprang into action like a kindergartener let out for recess, charging across the field, dancing back and forth to head off the bolting cows.
But as she worked, her plans for a relaxing vacation crumbled fast. She hadn’t found any answers. She still didn’t know why her father had lied. But if there was any chance her father’s fall was more than a simple accident, she had to find out.
Red pivoted sharply and changed directions, and she spared a glance at Cole. He stood with his feet planted wide, his hat tilted low, his big hands braced on his hips. His gaze connected with hers through the shifting dust, and her heart made a heavy thud.
She had to get answers, all right—which meant she had to stick close to the men. But she was doing this for her father’s sake and her own peace of mind—not to be around Cole.
She just hoped she’d remember that.
“All right. Listen up,” Cole said. He stood on the bank of the stream they’d cleared, waiting for his tired men to gather around. The vet had returned to town an hour earlier. The sheriff had taken his statement and gone. They’d carted the dead cattle to a local food bank and made sure the wells were working again.
His head pounding, he whistled again for his men. Bethany rode to the edge of the group, then leaped off her horse. She’d done an amazing job controlling the cattle, putting his ranch hands to shame. But she’d always been an expert rider. Watching her on a cutting horse was like viewing a work of art.
A fact not lost on the men. Tony hadn’t taken his eyes off her all day.
Sc
owling, he cleared his throat. “I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that we’ve got a problem.” And he was tired of being caught off guard. “So I’m moving up our schedule. We need to get these calves shipped off before anything else goes wrong.”
“I thought the trucks weren’t available until next week,” Kenny said.
“I’ll find some trucks somewhere.” He hoped. He’d originally planned to ship his cattle to market last week during the round up. But his herd had splintered in the mountains, stranding a hundred head near the divide. He’d rescheduled the trucks, hoping to use the delay to his advantage, getting the calves’ weight up while he rescued the rest of the herd. But now, with someone killing his cattle, he couldn’t afford to wait.
“First thing in the morning we’ll start in the southern section. We also need to start patrolling at night,” he added. “I’ll draw up a schedule.”
The men grumbled. Cole couldn’t blame them. They already worked long hours. But what choice did he have? If he lost enough money, the ranch would fold, and they’d all be out of a job.
“If you know anyone looking for work, let me know.” He scanned the group, but no one answered. His gaze stalled on Tony, who was staring at Bethany again.
Cole’s mood darkened. He didn’t care who she dated. He had no claim on her. But he didn’t need her distracting the men.
Bethany swung up on the mare and trotted off. Tony vaulted into his saddle a second later, turning his gelding to go in pursuit.
“Tony,” he barked. “Take my truck and drive into Maple Cove. Leave word at the bars that we’re looking for extra men. Do the same in Honey Creek. I’ll ride your horse back to the barn and check fences along the way.” He glanced around at the men. “The rest of you get something to eat. I’ll bring the schedule by later.”
The ranch hands began to disperse. His eyes simmering with resentment, Tony dismounted and handed Cole his gelding’s reins. Cole fished his keys from his pocket and tossed them his way. “Tell them I’m paying overtime,” he added.
He hoisted himself into the saddle, then took off after Bethany, ignoring the men’s speculative looks. He needed to check his fences—nothing more. And if Bethany happened to be riding the same way…
He caught up with her a few minutes later as she climbed the hill. “Thanks for helping today.”
Her eyes met his, and a familiar jolt changed the rhythm of his pulse. She’d always had the damnedest effect on him. One glance across the cafeteria in high school, and he’d fallen for her hard.
“I enjoyed it,” she said, her throaty voice conjuring up erotic memories he’d tried for years to forget. “It feels good to be on a horse again.”
“I’ll bet.” They’d spent some of their best moments together on horseback, racing across these hills. He guided the gelding toward the fence, checking the barbed wire for problems as he rode along, but his eyes kept returning to her. A flush tinged her sculpted cheeks. Her straight black hair fluttered against her back. She looked good riding beside him. Right.
But she hadn’t cared enough about him to stay.
“I’m sorry about the cows,” she said.
“Yeah.” He shifted his gaze to the land bordering his fence. “I was hoping to turn a profit this year, enough for a down payment on Del Harvey’s place.”
“He’s selling?”
Cole nodded. “He can’t make a go of it anymore, not with property taxes so high.” Ever since celebrities had discovered the valley, real estate prices had soared.
“How big is his ranch?”
“A thousand acres. The land’s good. Lots of native grasses, year-round herds of elk. There’s a movement underway to get cattle off federal lands,” he explained. “If that goes through I could lose my BLM lease. Del’s ranch would provide me with summer pasture, enough so I wouldn’t have to reduce my herd.” But every dead cow—and dollar lost—jeopardized that plan.
Bethany looked toward the mountains, a small crease bisecting her brow. “How long will he hold on?”
“I don’t know. He’s been getting calls from developers. They’re offering him a lot of money. He wants to keep the ranch intact, but if I don’t come up with the down payment soon…”
His chest tight, he scanned the huge granite peaks scraping the sky, the aspens glimmering in the waning sunlight like burnished gold. He inhaled deeply, soaking in the beauty of the land. He couldn’t begin to express his feelings for this place. This wild land touched something inside him, giving him a reason to live.
And he’d do everything in his power to preserve it, to make sure future generations could breathe the crisp, clean air and absorb the majestic views. In his mind, he didn’t own the land; he was its steward—a privilege he felt honored to have.
For several minutes, they rode without speaking. Shadows inched over the fields. White-tailed deer crept from a grove of trees. They crested a hill, startling a herd of antelope. The animals sprinted toward a pine-sheltered meadow where he and Bethany had first made love.
His pulse thudded fast at the memory. He’d been nineteen, and so tortured by lust for her that he could barely ride his horse. And when she’d stripped off her clothes amidst the wildflowers, baring her sleek, ripe curves to his gaze…
“That gate’s open,” she said.
Cole dragged his attention to where she pointed. “You’re right.” Grateful for the distraction, he tugged on the reins and trotted to the open gate. Bethany joined him a second later, and they both dropped to the ground. He handed her his reins, then strode over and secured the gate.
He paused to study the tire tracks in the grass. “They must have come through here on the way to the stream.” Which made sense. They weren’t far from a forest service road.
“You have any idea who’s doing this?” she asked.
“My father’s enemies, I guess.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because ever since he showed up we’ve been having problems—windows smashed, fences cut.” One of his father’s mistresses, Gloria Cosgrove, had even attacked him at the bank in town.
Her brows furrowed. “But why? I don’t understand the point.”
He tipped back his hat and sighed. “I think they’re trying to make him leave. Security’s tight at the ranch house. My grandmother was a little paranoid and had it rigged like Fort Knox. So if someone wants to hurt him, they need to get him away from the ranch.
“It’s no secret that we don’t get along.” Hell, he despised the man. His father had never kept a promise in his life—not to his wife, not to his children, and certainly not to the gullible constituents who kept voting him into power. “They probably figure if they make my life miserable enough, I’ll boot him out.”
But unlike the senator, Cole was a man who kept his word. He’d promised to protect his father and he would—no matter what he thought of him.
Bethany hesitated. “You don’t think it could be someone else…like one of your men?”
“Why do you ask that?”
She pulled a piece of leather from her pocket and handed it to him. He studied it for a moment, examining the braided horsehair design. “It looks like part of a bridle.”
“I found it in your field, not far from the stream. Any idea who it belongs to?”
He shrugged and handed it back. “Tony goes for that kind of thing. Why? You think he’s causing the problems?”
“Do you?”
He turned that over in his mind. “No. He’s worked for me for a couple of years now. He’s reliable.” He liked to booze it up on the weekends and brag about his conquests, but there was nothing criminal about that.
Her eyes thoughtful, Bethany stuffed the scrap back into her pocket. “Speaking of your men… I can help with the cattle while I’m here. My father doesn’t need me to do much. As long as I check on him occasionally, he’ll be fine.”
He opened his mouth to agree. But the glint in her eyes brought him up short. He recognized that look—the same stubborn re
solve that had made her class valedictorian and earned her a full-ride scholarship to the university back east.
She had an agenda. And if that plan included snooping around and asking questions…
“Forget it,” he said. “It’s too dangerous.”
“I don’t see how. And you said you needed more help.”
She was right. This was the do-or-die moment for the Bar Lazy K, the only paycheck he’d get all year. Everything hinged on getting those cattle to market—and to do that, he needed help. Even worse, he still had those hundred head stranded in the mountains. If he didn’t rescue them before that front moved in, he could lose even more of the herd.
But he refused to put Bethany in danger. And the thought of working beside her made everything inside him rebel. She dredged up too many memories, stirred up longings he’d worked too hard to subdue.
“You know I can do the work,” she said.
“That’s not the issue.” She could run rings around most of his hands.
“Then what is the issue?”
“Whoever’s killing my cows is armed. Dangerous.” And if she’d come across that shooter in the field… His belly contracted with dread.
“They haven’t hurt any people, have they?”
They’d kidnapped his sister. But he couldn’t tell her that.
When he didn’t answer, she stepped closer. “Listen, Cole, if my dad’s in danger, I deserve to know.”
“He’ll be safe in the house. You both will. I’ve had the alarm repaired, and there are plenty of people around, including my dad’s bodyguards.”
“Safe from what?” Exasperation tinged her voice. “Exactly what do you think is going to happen?”
He folded his arms, refusing to say. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her—at least in this case. She wasn’t the gossipy type. But his father had insisted they keep this mum.