One Tough Cowboy

by Sara Orwig

  He told her how much he liked being with her. He told her how beautiful she was. He told her he had never known anyone like her. But there were no words of love, no promises of tomorrow, no asking her to stay.

  And then their days were over. The morning came when Josh made love to her and then left her, going to shower and shave and dress.

  Finn sat in a corner booth in a San Antonio bar and watched the door, dreading to face the man who had hired him. Finn was angry that the man had come to Texas, angry that the woman wasn’t dead. He’d hit her with that rifle shot. He had come so close. He’d watched the ambulance arrive and had waited, hoping they would take her body out, but instead the paramedics were at the house only a short time and left just as they had come—without a passenger.

  She was still alive.

  He had tried to get close to the house, but it was harder now because the cowboy’s men roamed the ranch.

  For the past two nights he had been able to watch the house. It was risky. One of the cowboys had passed close to him during the night.

  And no one was coming or going from the house. They had to come out sometime.

  His employer had gone into a rage over the phone when he was told that she was still alive. And now he was coming to Texas himself.

  Finn drew a deep breath. He didn’t want help. He didn’t want to deal with the man, who went crazy when he was angry.

  Finn knew he couldn’t ask for more money now. He wanted a lot of distance between them when he did that. He would do it by mail. It could be handled. The man would have to pay. He couldn’t risk having it known that he was involved in murder.

  He was a perfect target for blackmail. Wealthy, ambitious, prominent in society. He would pay and pay.

  Only tonight, Finn had to deal with the man, and cope with that violent temper. Why was he coming? Did he think both of them could do better than just one—and that one a professional?

  This should be a one-man job; it would be tidier. But this way, he would have more leverage to get the man to pay. Finn slipped his hand in his pocket, fingering the small recorder he would switch on while they made their plans.

  And he had protected himself. He had made a video and paid someone to hold it until he picked it up. But if he didn’t pick it up at the end of the month, the man was to send it to the police.

  He was dealing with an amateur. A violent, nasty-tempered amateur. Finn wanted this job finished, and he hoped it was over in the next twenty-four hours.

  Then the man entered the bar. Finn waited and watched. Tall, blond, wearing a tailor-made suit, he stood out in the bar crowd. Stupid amateur, Finn thought. People would notice him. Women would notice him. Finn glanced around and saw women already watching the man. And then he spotted Finn and headed in his direction.

  Chapter 15

  C arter Dahl tried to control his smoldering rage. He wanted to grab Finn and throttle him for botching the job. Finn was supposed to be so good. And this should have been easy. How did the bitch survive everything?

  Well, she wasn’t going to much longer. It would all be over tonight. After some careful planning, Carter would take care of the job himself. Use Finn as a decoy to lure the cowboy out of the house, away from her, and then Carter would finish her quickly. But not so quickly that she didn’t know who and why.

  Carter spotted Finn, barely able to see him at first glance where he sat in the corner of the last booth, a dim blur hidden in dark shadows.

  Carter nodded at Finn as he slid into the booth.

  “She’s like a cat with nine lives,” Finn said.

  “She won’t survive the next attempt. That’s why I’m here.”

  “Am I through?”

  “No. I still need you. I want you to lure the cowboy away from the house. Just give me time alone with her.”

  Carter studied Finn. The man was as plain and unremarkable as the floor of the bar. No wonder he didn’t have a police record. Carter doubted if anyone had ever given a decent description of him. Brown hair that was neither short nor long. Hazel eyes that probably looked blue if the man wore a blue sweater, green if he wore green and brown if he wore brown. He was medium height, medium build. There were no scars or distinguishing marks. No one would notice him in a crowd. And no one could ever pick him out of a lineup. He was perfect for what he did; just too bad he wasn’t a better shot.

  He’d said the cowboy had warned her. Finn had heard the cowboy yell and guessed sunlight must have glinted on the gun barrel at just the wrong moment.

  By tomorrow it wouldn’t matter. Tonight Carter would finish this job himself. And then… It took his breath away to think of the possibilities.

  “How the hell am I supposed to lure him out? They’ve been shut in that house for days now. Probably in bed.”

  “Not her,” Carter said, feeling another hot rush of anger. “She’s cold and arrogant. She won’t want a cowboy.”

  “Well, they’re shut up there together. Now how can I lure him out of the house? The hired hands prowl the grounds at night. Dogs are no problem—I’ve been feeding them steaks. Best-fed mutts in the U.S.A.”

  “It won’t matter. We’ll set his land on fire on the far side from the highway. That’ll bring him out of his house, and he’ll leave her behind.”

  “It’ll bring the neighbors and the fire department.”

  “Not at first. But it’ll draw his hired hands. Then we’ll come in from the other side, and you’ll cover me when I go into the house. I want to get her myself.”

  “I think it would be simpler if you left it up to me. You could stay in the clear.”

  “I want this. I want her to know. You can cover the house in case he comes back. That way I won’t have to worry about being surprised.”

  “Whatever you want. It’s your money. Suppose he just stays in his house and lets the hired help take care of things?”

  “Didn’t he go after you after the crash? He had to have left her, even without knowing how badly she was injured, while he chased after you.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. He’ll come. He prowls around. Up until the last few days, he’s been out there himself. You’re probably right.”

  “I know I’m right.”

  “But if you’re not, you’d better be ready. I shot him. I saw him take the hit and he still kept coming after me. He jumped on the car as I was leaving. I don’t want to tangle with him again. And he’s like a cat out there in the dark.”

  “I’ll be ready for whatever happens. Just make sure you watch the house. I’ll take care of her and then I’m gone. Now I want to drive out there and look over the land and the ranch, pick our spots.”

  “What are you going to do for an alibi? You’re not in Kansas City now.”

  “I rode down with one of our models. I’ve got a plum of a shoot for her today. This is a huge jump in her career, and she knows it. As soon as I leave you, she and I will spend the day at the shoot. We’re dating. Seriously dating. We’ll spend tonight together, drive home in her car tomorrow. She’s my alibi.”

  “She’s willing to say you were with her every minute?”

  “She knows the stakes. She knows her career is poised to take off with this shoot, and she knows if I marry her, she’ll own what I own. Yes, she’s willing.”

  Finn shrugged. “Fine. We need to stop at a grocery so I can get some boneless steaks. A few more nights of this and someone is going to notice that those dogs are fattening up.”

  “There won’t be a few more nights. After tonight it’s over. I’m not leaving until it is. I’ll do this myself.”

  “So suppose I run into the cowboy or one of his men?”

  “Take ’em out. No one can tie you to this. And I have an alibi.”

  “And you have the rest of my money? When we part tonight, that’s it.”

  “Yes. I’ll give you part of your money as soon as we get back together. And after you drop me a block from my hotel, you get the rest. You and I will go our separate ways, and we won’
t ever see each other again. I can count on that, can’t I?”

  “Sure, Carter. I’m a professional.” Finn squinted. “I told you, the cowboy installed an alarm system and yard lights. The lights won’t matter if everyone is up and moving anyway, but the phone cable is on the back of the house on the east side. You can cut it and disengage the alarm.”

  “I’ll take care of the alarm.”

  “I hope you can move fast.”

  “I can.”

  “Carter, if either one of us gets caught, we don’t know the other person exists. I won’t tie you to this, but don’t you tie me to it.”

  “Of course not. You deal too much with dumb thugs, Finn. I would never link you to this. Besides, I don’t know your real name, do I?”

  “You probably don’t,” Finn replied quietly, and raised his beer. “Here’s to success.”

  Carter lifted the beer and touched Finn’s bottle lightly. He hated beer, but he drank. Less than twenty-four hours and it would all be over literally. And Ivy James would be out of his life forever. When Ivy died, he was certain her sisters would go ahead and sell the agency. Ivy wouldn’t sell it to him, but they wouldn’t care whether he bought it or not.

  The agency would be his. All his. Rightfully his. And the money would flow. The business would be without Ivy. And he would pay her back for her rejection of him.

  Laurie ran her fingers across Josh’s chest. “So are we going to live the rest of our lives in this bed?”

  “No. Actually, I think another few hours today and then we have to get back to reality. There are some things here on the ranch that I’ve let slide, and I can’t keep avoiding them. Drake will stick around while I go to work this afternoon.”

  “I still feel like I’ve got baby-sitters.”

  “That’s what you call this?” he asked, running his hand across her bottom.

  She laughed and made a face at him. “Maybe not this, but having Drake come up here and stay with me is what I’m talking about. I’ll be all right.”

  “I’ll feel much better if I know Drake is here. Let’s not argue this one.”

  “Of course not. Let’s just do it your way.”

  “Sure, because I’m right.”

  “Impossible man.”

  He rolled her over suddenly, moving above her. “This time with you has been the best ever.”

  “I think so, too,” Laurie said solemnly, gazing up at him and wondering how difficult it had been for him to make that admission. “You know you could come to Kansas City later this year to see me.”

  “Yeah, I could,” he said.

  She smiled, knowing he hadn’t finished his sentence, but certain he was thinking that he could, but he wasn’t going to. She had known from the first that there was no future for them. He had made that abundantly clear, so she needed to let it go now and accept that soon she would tell him goodbye forever.

  “You won’t come, but you’re going to miss me, cowboy,” she said in a sultry voice, wrapping one arm around his neck while her other hand caressed him. “Let me show you why.”

  He lowered his head to kiss her and she felt on fire. Each time they loved, she wanted him more than the time before. He was becoming more important to her with each passing hour, and she knew she would leave Texas with a broken heart.

  And then thoughts were gone, set adrift by passion as he stroked her and kissed her.

  It was after two in the afternoon when he stepped outside to meet Drake. She watched the two men through the window. The afternoon was sunny, with deep blue skies. The land was green, wildflowers were beginning to dot hillsides, and she thought Josh was right—this was one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen. Or was she just seeing it through his eyes? So giddy and in love that the entire world looked beautiful to her?

  Her smile faded. Their love idyll was over. She could feel that it wouldn’t be much longer until something snapped—it couldn’t be. Someone or something had to give. And then she would go home, back to her modeling life, and she wouldn’t see Josh again. She was certain there wouldn’t be lingering phone calls, visits to Kansas City or visits back to Texas. She knew he wanted to say goodbye, and it would be final with him.

  She wasn’t going to shed tears over him—at least not where he could see them. The tears would come, but hopefully later. She looked around. “Stop thinking about it,” she said aloud to herself. Right now she was in his kitchen, and he would come home and make love to her tonight. She would probably be with him through most of the morning tomorrow.

  She knew he had been neglecting his ranch, and he needed to get back to it and stop being a bodyguard for her. She could hire a bodyguard and let Josh get on with taking care of his ranch.

  By suppertime her anticipation had grown, and she watched for him to return home. Finally she saw his pickup pull into the garage, and then he was striding toward the house. He wore his black hat, a T-shirt and jeans, and just the sight of him made her pulse race. She loved him and that was that. She shouldn’t tell him—at least not yet. But she knew it was the real thing, and she wondered if she would love him the rest of her life.

  Josh looked all around, turning his head slowly, and she knew he was looking for the killer.

  She wanted to run meet him and throw herself into his arms, but it wasn’t safe for her to step outside.

  She waited until the door swung open, and then she did run—to wrap her arms around him.

  Hours later she sat up in bed, pulling up the sheet and swinging her hair away from her face. “Tomorrow I’ll know to eat while I’m here alone, because you’re like a camel. You can go without eating for days.”

  “I think camels go without water. I hope I don’t look like a camel.”

  She grinned and pushed away the sheet. “Let me look…. Oh, my! There goes eating for another hour.”

  “It’s your fault,” he said, pulling her down and rolling above her. “I’ll feed you, hungry woman, and then it’s back to bed.”

  “Sounds wonderful to me,” she said, knowing each hour just made her love him that much more, and bound her to him with even stronger bonds.

  He framed her face with his hands. “Laurie—and you’ll forever be Laurie to me—”

  “That’s fine.”

  “It’s never been like this before for me. Not ever.”

  Her heart thudded, and she wondered if that was a monumental step for him in letting go.

  She brushed locks of hair off his forehead. “I’m glad. I feel the same way, but I didn’t know what you felt.”

  “You should know,” he said gruffly. He kissed her throat. “Haven’t I been showing you?”

  “Yes,” she said, winding her fingers in his hair.

  His green eyes bored into her with an intensity that took her breath away. “I’ll miss you like hell. I’ve always been able to say goodbye without hurting, but this time it’s going to hurt.”

  “I love you, Josh,” she whispered.

  He closed his eyes and inhaled, and appeared to be in such pain that she hurt for both of them. “I didn’t tell you that to hurt you more,” she said.

  “I know you didn’t, but there’s no future for us. We both know that. There’s no point in talking about dates or you coming back to Texas or me going to Kansas City. You have your life and future there and I have mine right here.”

  She tried to stop the tears, but couldn’t. He wiped them away with his thumbs and pulled her into his arms. “Don’t cry.”

  “I can cry if I want to!” she cried. “At least I feel! You’ve got your feelings all bottled up and shut away. You’re scared to let go and love.”

  “You’re right, because I’ve lived through too many disasters because of love.”

  “Just try to forget me, Josh Kellogg!” she said, pushing him down on the bed and moving over him to kiss him.

  Carter and Finn poured gasoline over a wide area and then tossed aside the gas cans. A sliver of moon left the world in shadows. Both men were dressed in black,
with gloves covering their hands.

  “Let’s go,” Carter ordered. “Start running. I’ll toss the match.”

  Finn was gone swiftly, heading for the car. Carter struck a match and tossed it where he had deliberately poured a small circle of gasoline and then a trail to the large area they had doused.

  It flared up instantly and Carter ran, knowing they were on to the next step of his plans now.

  They drove to the entrance of the ranch, boldly taking the road until they’d almost reached the house. Then they turned off over rough ground, hiding the car beneath trees and getting out to walk into the woods. To Carter’s satisfaction, he saw smoke spiraling up into the night sky in the distance.

  As he watched, he heard the first shout of warning.

  “Someone has spotted the fire,” he said in satisfaction.

  Finn turned to face him. “Then you better move damn fast. We’re a hell of a way from the house right now.”

  “This will drag that cowboy out of the house and leave Ivy unprotected for me.”

  “I want my money now.”

  Carter raised the pistol he carried. He stood too close to miss. “Thanks, Finn. You won’t be needing the money, and you’re going to get that cowboy out here. Finding your body should keep them all busy.”

  Josh sat across from Laurie as they ate the first bites of warmed-over casserole. He wore jeans and nothing else, and she was in her silk robe. “You’re a fabulous cook.”

  “All of my family could cook. My father was the real expert. A lot of the restaurant recipes were his.”

  The phone rang and Josh got up to answer it. He listened to Drake and then slammed down the receiver.

  “Place is on fire. Rudy is coming up here to stay with you.”

  “Josh, you have alarms. You may need every hand. Shouldn’t I go with you?”

  “Nope. You stay here, and Rudy will be right outside.” Josh left the room, and Laurie got up to follow him. In minutes he was dressed in jeans, T-shirt and boots.

  “I have my cell phone. I’ll call you after a while. The fire department is sending a pumper truck, and Drake will let neighbors know.”