Now, with the workday over, Dakota was giving Barney a much deserved grooming. As she pulled the curry comb over his black shoulder, Barney’s muscles trembled with pleasure.
“Hey...” With the word came a cloud of booze-smelling breath, and Dakota startled, memories of Dwight flooding back like a punch in the gut. How many times had Dwight approached her just like that? Her stomach curdled and she looked irritably toward Elliot, a flask in one hand and an intent, glittery look in his eye.
“I saw you working with Andy today...” Bitterness tinged his tone. “He seems to like you a lot.”
The words were only slightly slurred. He was intoxicated but not diminished—a dangerous combination she was only too familiar with. She looked around. Where was Andy? She could see him across the camp, his back to them. He was talking with a couple of other drovers, gesturing about something. Her gaze whipped back to the man in front of her.
“You aren’t supposed to be drinking, Elliot,” she said, stepping around the front of the horse so she could move farther away.
“Just a nip.” Elliot laughed quietly. “You gonna rat me out?”
She wouldn’t need to, and she shot the drover an annoyed look as he came closer. “Elliot, I’m busy. Go groom your horse.”
Elliot fell silent for a moment and she pretended to focus on Barney, but her heart was hammering in her chest. Dwight had been like this, and she’d always thought she could talk him out of it, but she’d been wrong. It never ended without bruises. The only thing she wanted right now was to put some distance between them, and she moved around the other side of the horse. Only as she moved out of sight of the other drovers did she realize what she’d done, and her stomach curdled.
Stupid!
Elliot followed her, closing the distance quicker than he seemed capable of, ducking away from the snap of Barney’s teeth. She wished Barney had managed to make contact, but Elliot was clear now, and coming closer.
“I think I know why Andy hired you,” Elliot said, a slow smile spreading over his face.
“Because I’m qualified,” she snapped. “Now, leave me alone.”
“Want a drink?” He nudged the flask toward her.
“No.” She took another step back, but he quickly closed the gap between them. “Elliot, leave me alone.”
He reached out, presumably to touch her, but he missed, a grimy hand fumbling against the side of her face. Dakota pulled back in disgust and his hand fell to the front of her jacket. Whether his groping was intentional or not, her insides roiled.
“Elliot, get your hands off me!” she snapped. “And if you don’t want—”
A heavy hand fell on Elliot’s shoulder and Dakota looked up in wild relief. Elliot stumbled around to see Andy glowering down on him. Andy’s normally relaxed expression had transformed to one of barely concealed rage. His hand tightened on Elliot’s shoulder and he hauled him away from Dakota.
“Touch her again, and you deal with me personally,” Andy growled. He snatched the flask from Elliot’s fumbling grip and upended it, pouring the contents directly into the scruffy grass. “Rules say no booze. Chet will be hearing about this.”
Andy shoved him toward the rest of group, now getting their servings of hot stew and biscuits. “And eat something!” he barked after the drover. “Harley, get Elliot some coffee!”
Dakota swallowed the bile rising in her throat. Elliot had scared her more than she’d wanted to admit. Sober, she could deal with him, but drunk—the booze was an impenetrable wall between the drover and his better instincts. She knew what that was like.
“Are you okay?” Andy’s tone was still gruff but his eyes were gentle.
“I’m fine.” She sucked in a wavering breath.
“Okay...” He clenched his jaw then slid a hand around her waist, tugging her gently toward him. She could have pulled back but she realized that she didn’t want to and she followed his nudge toward him, allowing him to pull her against him. His heart beat loud and strong against her ear and she rested her face against his chest, gathering her senses once more.
“Next time, yell.” His voice rumbled low in his chest.
She nodded then pulled back. “Deal.”
“Come on.” He let go of her and led the way toward the fire where the other drovers were already eating. Elliot sat to one side looking sullen, a bowl of stew untouched in his lap.
“Okay, men,” Andy said, raising his voice louder than necessary. He glared around the fire. “I’ll say it once, and after that, I’ll stop being so professional and deal with you man to man. We have a lady riding with us. She’s fast, strong and a heck of a drover, and I expect her to be treated like everyone else. Are we clear on that?”
The drovers stopped chewing and looked first at Andy, then at Dakota, then around at each other. They exchanged confused looks.
“Got it, boss,” Harley said with a nod. The others echoed him.
“Mind if I ask,” Carlos said. “Did something happen...?”
They cared, she could see that much. Elliot was drunk, but sober he was the one chasing off the others. She didn’t want to be treated like “the girl,” but she had to admit Andy’s help hadn’t come a moment too soon.
“I’m fine!” Dakota snapped. She was irritated, and not because the drovers cared about her safety, but because she shouldn’t have to worry about her safety out here. They should all be equals, doing a job they were all good at. And while Elliot had scared her, she was even more annoyed she hadn’t kept her head about her. She’d slipped out of sight—retreated. She was even angrier still that she’d been in that position to begin with. If she’d been with her father’s men, no one would have dared to try that, but she’d been forced down in the ranks because of Andy’s idiocy when he’d sold his land. She wasn’t the boss’s daughter, she was a regular hired hand who needed the job for a little extra cash. She’d most certainly fallen in the world, and it was entirely Andy’s fault.
She headed toward the pot of stew and pulled off the lid. Would she have been strong enough to fight off a man Elliot’s size who was already numbed by alcohol? She’d have given it her best shot, but she honestly didn’t know. She hadn’t been able to fight off Dwight, but she’d also learned a few moves since then... Brody had made sure of it.
She glanced back at the fire. The men looked uncomfortable and Andy barked at Elliot to eat up and bed down. Elliot ducked his head and did as he was told. Andy, by all appearances, wasn’t going to let go of this one easily.
Dakota scooped up a healthy portion of beef stew from the cast-iron pot, reached for a couple of biscuits from the lopsided pile and, as she did so, noticed that her hand was shaking. She pulled her fist hard against her side to still the trembling.
No man would make her shake. No man would make her tremble. If she could kick a cow into submission, she’d do the same with some drunken drover if need be, and she’d aim for his most vulnerable bits.
All the same, being the boss’s daughter was a whole lot more helpful in these situations than she’d been willing to admit. She’d lost more than water rights and an ability to make a decent profit. She’d lost the status that protected her. Standing out here in the wilderness, surrounded by the soft lowing of cattle and the whistle of the cold, December wind, she’d never felt so vulnerable.
* * *
ANDY TRIED NOT to watch Dakota while she dished herself some stew. The air was cold and her breath came out in a cloud. She didn’t want to be molly-coddled—he could tell that much. As he turned back to his own food, he could hear the distant howl of wolves from the direction of the trees. That sound was enough to put up his hackles. They’d stay clear of the fire, and they were easy enough to chase off on horseback, but if a pack got a calf separated...or, God forbid, a drover...
“Who is first on patrol tonight?” Harley asked, wiping the in
side of his bowl with a piece of biscuit.
“I am,” Dakota said.
Andy glanced up as Dakota joined them, sinking to the ground by the fire to start eating.
“I could take over for her,” Harley suggested, and Andy was inclined to agree, if it weren’t for the baleful glare Dakota shot in Harley’s direction.
“Why, exactly?” she demanded.
“If it—” Harley blushed red. “I mean, it might help—”
“You think you’re a better shot than I am?” she retorted. “I can ride better and I can shoot better. I’ll be fine, trust me.”
Was that an indirect threat he heard between the lines there? A warning for Elliot?
“There are wolves out tonight,” Andy said. “We’ll have two on patrol at all times. So Dakota is first, and I’ll take the first patrol with her. At midnight, Dave and Finn, then at three, Harley and Elliot, and if Elliot can’t get up, I’ll patrol again with Harley.”
Andy didn’t want to let anyone else patrol with her. It wasn’t only his protective instinct where she was concerned, though. He wanted some time with her—a chance to talk—and he was looking forward to that more than he probably should.
He wouldn’t get much sleep, but that was the burden of leadership. Elliot wasn’t carrying his fair share of the load, and if Andy had his way, he’d be fired at the end of this, but they needed him until they got back. He hadn’t liked the way Elliot had been stalking Dakota. It gave him the creeps and ticked him off at the same time. There had been more to that encounter—Andy just couldn’t put his finger on it. Anyway, Andy would put in some serious effort to waking Elliot come three. It wasn’t like he’d let the man sleep like a princess.
The sky was cloudy, no moon or stars to illumine their position on the plains, only firelight flickering orange and crackling with warmth. Moisture hung in the air as a promise of rain, and if the temperature dropped, snow. It would be a cold night.
The rest of the drovers turned in shortly after that. When a man had to get up in the middle of the night to patrol, every minute of shut-eye was precious. Andy saddled up and Dakota wasn’t far behind. He handed her a shotgun, then slung his own across his back.
“You said you can shoot, right?” he said.
“You still doubting me at this point?” she asked with a half smile.
“I’m just making sure,” he retorted. “I’d rather not get shot tonight.”
Dakota rolled her eyes—the only response he’d get—and kicked her horse into motion. Andy chuckled to himself and heeled Romeo after her, heading south along the riverbank.
The cows were mostly lying down, slowly chewing their cud. They looked up as Andy and Dakota rode slowly past, the stillness of the night interrupted by the distant, bone-chilling howls. Out here, they weren’t top of the food chain.
“I’m sorry about Elliot today,” Andy said. “I’ll deal with him.”
“It was the booze,” she said.
“Even so, I’ll deal with him.” That was a promise. Even if Dakota would rather have him leave it alone, he’d still deal with Elliot for the simple reason that he’d scared her—he’d seen the stricken look on her face—and Dakota didn’t scare easily. He had no idea what Elliot had said to inspire it, but he’d make the drover pay one way or another.
They rode in silence for a few more minutes and Andy glanced in her direction a couple of times, wondering what she was thinking about. Her expression conflicted.
“You okay?” he asked.
She glanced toward him then nodded. “Fine.”
“You don’t look all that fine.” He glanced back toward the camp. “I’ll keep an eye out for you from here on out.” Not that he wasn’t already, but he didn’t exactly want to announce that.
“I don’t need babysitting.”
“It isn’t babysitting. It’s the decent thing to do,” he said. “Besides, you’ve helped me out of a couple scrapes already on this drive. I figure it’ll make us even.”
She gave him a wan smile—acceptance of the terms, he imagined. Riding with her in the moonlight reminded him of all those feelings he used to harbor for her—the longing to show her he was better than she thought, and the jealousy for the buddy who got a chance with her.
“Do you still see Dwight around?” Andy asked after a moment.
“No.” She laughed suddenly, the sound low and bitter. “I keep clear of him.”
There was something in her voice that gave him pause and he frowned, nudging his horse closer to hers. “I know he was kind of a jerk toward the end—”
“Did you know about that?” she interrupted.
Was there more to this than a simple breakup? Or maybe Dwight had really broken her heart—it was a cancelled wedding, after all. He’d been able to sympathize with Dwight over the ended engagement, but she’d have had an equal share of that heartbreak.
“He seemed to take you for granted a lot,” Andy said. “At least, that’s the way it looked to me.”
“Take me for granted...” She was silent for a moment. “Yeah, I guess so, but that wasn’t the biggest issue. He beat me up.”
Andy felt the words hit him like ice and he whipped around and stared at her in disbelief. “He what?”
“He beat me up,” she repeated, and it was like her words echoed in his head. “Every time he got drunk and I was dumb enough to go over to his place when he called, he’d go into some violent rage and smack me around.”
The very thought of Dwight raising a hand to her was almost unbelievable, but then, how well had he actually known Dwight later on? Hot rage welled up inside him, overtaking the shock and giving him the urge to go find the man and pound on him.
“I didn’t know that,” he growled. “If I had—”
“You’d have what?” she countered coldly. “Told him to smarten up? Shaken your finger at him?”
Her words were sharp but her eyes misted a little as she said them. He could tell that her anger covered over a lot of pain—pain that had probably been reawakened by Elliot.
“I’d have hit him back for you,” he retorted. “And I’d have made sure he didn’t get up too easily, either.”
An image arose in his mind of his fist connecting solidly with Dwight’s grinning face. What kind of man raised his hand to a woman? Andy rifled through his mind, looking for clues he should have seen. How could his best friend have been beating on his girlfriend, and Andy didn’t know?
“You should have told me,” he said suddenly.
“You were away at college,” she said. “I did one better and I told my brother.”
Brody—yeah, that had been a good call on her part. Brody was now overseas with the army, but he’d always been about as soft as a tank. If she’d told her brother, he’d have taken care of it, although Andy would’ve enjoyed being part of the solution.
“How long was that going on?” Andy asked.
“He hit me on three different occasions,” she replied. “I should have dumped him the first time, but what can I say? I wasn’t smart enough back then. But the third time, I threw his ring back in his face and went home. Brody saw the black eye and hit the roof.”
And no one had told him about this. Either no one knew and it was all hushed up, or he’d been too distanced from everything back home to even notice. Dakota had been right about one thing—he’d been pretty intent on getting out of town for good back then. If he’d been there, though—
“And that’s why Elliot scared you so badly,” he concluded, everything falling together in his mind. “He was drunk and wouldn’t leave you alone, a whole lot like Dwight.”
“A whole lot like Dwight.” Her words were low.
They rode in silence for a few minutes, Andy’s mind going over her words like a broken record. Dwight had been his buddy ever since junior hig
h. They’d hung out on weekends and collaborated on science projects. Dwight had thrown Andy a birthday party just before he’d left for college, and Dakota had been there for once. She normally didn’t have much to do with Dwight’s friends. Everything had seemed fine—Dwight was head over heels for Dakota, and Dwight’s parents treated Dakota like a daughter. They’d both been eighteen, and Andy was off to college in the city.
Then in the space of a few years, that fun-loving guy, the loyal buddy, had turned into a violent lout. If she’d just taken a chance on him instead, all those years ago when she’d had the choice between him and Dwight... But that was in the past. If wishes were horses—how did that saying go?
“Did you see any signs of it before?” Andy asked. What he was really asking was if there was anything he could have done while he was still around.
“He had a temper,” she replied with a shrug. “But I’d never dreamed he’d lift a hand to me. That’s why it took me three incidents to finally leave. It felt so surreal, so impossible.”
Seeing Dakota flinch like that when Elliot had bothered her stuck in his head. She’d reacted in fear, and the thought of Dwight hurting her, scaring her, traumatizing her like that, stabbed him. He’d seen Dakota’s body language when she’d backed away and Elliot had moved in like a predator. That was when Andy went to investigate. He’d taken care of it, but no one had been there to protect her from Dwight.
He was my friend.
He felt a pang of guilt at that little fact, although Dwight wouldn’t count as a friend anymore. And Andy couldn’t do too much about what had already happened. That was the most frustrating part about this—hearing about what Dwight had done and not being able to fix it himself... Because given a chance—
The howl of the wolves seemed to be moving farther away and Andy paused to listen to the lonesome sound. The cattle shifted uncomfortably—their instinct would warn them of the danger. The horses’ hooves plodded evenly as they came along the edge of the herd. A few yards away, something moved—almost flopped. It was hard to see the in the darkness, and Andy pulled out a flashlight, shining it toward the spot.
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