The New Cowboy

by Rebecca Winters

  “What’ll happen when you catch this person?”

  “If it’s a first offense, we’ll levy a twenty-thousand-dollar fine and nine months’ jail time. If they’ve been arrested before, they could be charged a hundred-thousand-dollar fine and get a five-year prison sentence.”

  “Good! How dare they do this.”

  Zane smiled at her vehemence. While he gathered evidence, he noticed some cigarette butts. “Does any of your crew smoke?”

  “Maybe, but they don’t do it on the site.”

  Interesting.

  By ten o’clock he’d gathered the evidence he needed, including the butts and a peppermint pattie candy wrapper he’d found and bagged. Avery helped him carry everything to the car where he discarded the gloves. They started back to the ranch.

  He looked over at her. “You’re a great helper. When we crack this case, you’ll be given a commendation from the Crow Nation, probably by Jarod’s uncle Charlo himself. He might as well be your uncle, too, right?”

  He provoked a small smile from her. “That’s true, but this isn’t Crow land.”

  “It used to be, and the tribe has united with the Federal Highway Administration and the Montana Department of Transportation to make certain this land is preserved.”

  “Zane, the crew will be really glad to know you’ve been assigned here.”

  He felt his pulse surge. “I hope that means you’re glad, too, because I’d like to enlist more of your help for this case.”

  She stirred in the seat. “I’ll do anything I can. What they’ve done is not only criminal, but immoral.”

  “How about coming over to the house tomorrow after we help Liz and Connor move into their new place? We’ll combine forces and get all the information entered in my files.”

  If he wasn’t mistaken, her voice sounded a trifle unsteady as she said, “All right.”

  Inch by inch, Lawson.

  “I understand Connor has a ton of stuff stored at your ranch.”

  Avery let out a gentle laugh. “You wouldn’t believe it. It’ll take hours just to transport all his trophies and awards.”

  Zane grinned. “Then we’ve got our work cut out.” He hoped there’d be so much work, she wouldn’t be able to find an excuse to get away from him.

  Once he’d pulled up to her ranch, he got out and walked her to the front door. He smiled down at her. In the faint light from the hallway, the classic planes of her features stood out. Between her fantastic coloring and the flare of her mouth, he could hardly tear his eyes away, but he had to. Something strange had happened when he’d looked at her just now.

  Everything had been fine all evening, yet all of a sudden she was starting to pull away from him again. Almost as if he’d pressed a button by mistake and it had opened a secret panel. It wasn’t anything she did physically. Rather he felt her emotional withdrawal into that secret opening.

  Puzzled by it, he said, “I liked taking you out on this case with me, especially one that impacts you personally. I’m going to bring it to a close soon.”

  “I don’t doubt it. Good night, Zane.”

  “I’ll be over in the morning in my truck and we’ll get the move done fast so we’ll have more time to devote to the case. The bureau wants to see it wrapped up in a hurry.”

  She only nodded before slipping inside to shut the door.

  He’d seen guys behave the same way after they’d retired from the SEALs. Their PTSD triggered flashbacks and attacks of nerves. Zane still struggled from a mild form of it. He saw a doctor in Billings periodically and was given medication that controlled it. But he’d learned enough about it to know it was a real illness and one not associated only with war.

  You could get it after living through or seeing a dangerous event like a hurricane or a bad accident. PTSD made you feel stressed and afraid long after the danger was over. It affected your life and the people around you. Avery exhibited certain signs that led him to believe she might be suffering from it. What in the hell had happened to her to bring it on?

  With his emotions in turmoil, he drove home and got ready for bed. His thoughts went back to the night Ned Bannock, Sadie’s cousin, had attacked Sadie in the barn while Zane had been in the house with Ryan. Thankfully both Connor and Jarod had caught him in time.

  Ned, whose family had always lived on Bannock property, was still being treated at a mental health facility with occasional supervised visits home. Was it possible that sometime in the past he’d attacked Avery and no one ever knew about it?

  Had she been too young and frightened to say anything? Had he threatened her to keep quiet? Was that the reason she’d gone away to college and lost herself in her work, never letting anyone get too close to her? Except to be with Ralph, she didn’t spend a lot of time on the ranch. Far from it.

  Suddenly something Jarod had said last night gave him pause. When Zane had suggested she bring her date to the party, Jarod had given him the oddest stare. Avery’s so private she’d never do that, especially not with someone she barely knows.

  What was it Jarod knew? His parting comment to Zane stood out in red letters.

  Between you and me, we need more law enforcement around here... As Sadie said, there’s nothing like knowing a special agent is going to be on the premises from now on.

  Had Jarod been trying to tell Zane something? The very thought of a crime being committed against Avery caused him to break out in a cold sweat. Sleep didn’t come for hours.

  * * *

  WHEN MORNING ARRIVED Zane fixed himself some cereal before driving over to the Bannock ranch house in his truck. The whole family was there pitching in. It was an exciting day for Connor and Liz. Zane had to keep up a cheerful front, but inside his guts were twisted by what he suspected had happened to Avery.

  She said hi to him along with the girls, but her eyes didn’t linger on him. He had the opposite problem. Today she was dressed in another Western shirt with jeans, this time in chocolate brown. She wore those snap-up shirts like a uniform, but with her shapely figure, he wasn’t complaining.

  While they carefully wrapped the trophies and smaller items and put them in boxes, he helped the guys carry the boxes and newly delivered furniture to the trucks. The steer wrestler and the barrel racer had built a wonderful modern ranch home with lots of spacious windows to let in the light.

  Jarod unboxed a new easy chair so Ralph could sit and watch. The girls came with food. While Zane talked business with Connor for a few minutes, the women stocked the fridge and the cupboards with little Ryan’s help.

  When Jarod announced there was one more item he needed to bring from his own ranch house, Zane volunteered to drive him so they could talk. The new display case was Jarod and Sadie’s housewarming gift. The love between Jarod and Connor reminded Zane of the love he and his big brother, Tim, had shared.

  Once they’d loaded it in Zane’s truck, he got behind the wheel. But when Jarod slipped inside, Zane didn’t start the engine right away. Those black eyes studied him for a minute. “What’s on your mind? I can tell there’s something.”

  “I’m afraid so. It kept me awake all of last night.” There was only one way to talk with Jarod. Straight and to the point, even if it turned out to be painful.

  “You probably don’t need your visionary powers to know I’ve been interested in your sister since I first laid eyes on her. You’re her big brother. Now that I’m back for good, I want to pursue a relationship...unless you know something I should know that would stop me before I make a big mistake. Part of me believes she might be interested in me, too.”

  Jarod took his time answering. “I don’t believe you’re wrong.”

  That was a huge admission coming from Jarod. It meant he trusted Zane and that meant everything to him.

  “Thank you for your honesty. Just so you know, last night
I took her with me to the site at Absarokee to investigate the vandalism.”

  “She went with you?” He sounded surprised.

  “Yes and we got along fine, but when I brought her back, she went into her shell, the kind that’s impenetrable. She’s done that every time we’ve been together over the past year. You get so far, then you can’t go any further.”

  Jarod’s sudden stillness was the first clue that Zane had hit a nerve.

  “I have a theory that she’s suffering from a traumatic experience of some kind.”

  “You’re right,” Jarod spoke right up, surprising him. “When I told Uncle Charlo I was worried about Avery, he said that her spirit was imprisoned. That didn’t help me at the time. But talking to you about this does.”

  His words gave Zane goose bumps. “Then having said this much, I need to ask you an important question.”

  Now it was Jarod’s turn to appear impenetrable.

  “If I’ve crossed a line and you want me to stop talking, just tell me and I won’t bother you with this again.”

  In the next instant Jarod shifted in the seat so his back rested against the door. Their eyes met in recognition that this was no idle conversation. “You want the truth? I’m thankful Connor and I aren’t the only ones who’ve grown alarmed by her behavior.”

  Zane let out an anguished sigh. “I’m thankful you just said that.”

  Jarod leaned forward. “You have a theory?”

  He nodded. “Several come to mind.”

  “One of them being Ned, of course,” Jarod stated without hesitation.

  “Yes. After what he tried to do to Sadie, it makes you wonder if he ever attacked Avery when she was younger. If she never got help and counseling, it could explain her emotional state now.”

  His black brows knit together. “The possibility that he’d gotten to Avery long before he attacked Sadie has been a nightmare of mine and Connor’s. She’s practically stopped dating since she came home from Berkeley. The date with the BIA guy was her first in ages. Her lack of interest in dating is abnormal. We know she’s not interested in women, so...” He didn’t need to finish the thought.

  Zane sucked in his breath. “Let me offer a second possibility. I’m stretching now and it may be far-fetched, but do you think she could’ve been diagnosed with a fatal illness years ago? One that would only give her a certain amount of time to live?”

  Jarod’s face blanched. They were on frightening territory now.

  “If your sister has a death sentence hanging over her head, it might explain her refusal to get involved with anyone. She knows that if your grandfather knew of her condition, it would shatter him or worse.”

  A mournful sound came out of Jarod. “If that’s true, then she’s been seeing a doctor nobody knows about and has hidden every symptom of what’s wrong except her avoidance of men. I’m more inclined to believe our first theory.”

  Zane nodded. “A traumatic experience. The doctor I see in Billings would probably diagnose her with PTSD. You don’t have to have been in battle to get it. Is she ever around Ned when he comes to the ranch for supervised visits?”

  “No. But that’s because Ned is only supposed to be with members of his immediate family, not the cousins and extended family.”

  “Does Avery know what Ned tried to do to Sadie?”

  “Yes. Sadie told her.”

  “Did Sadie notice any kind of reaction in Avery that didn’t seem normal?”

  “No. I asked her about that. All she saw was Avery’s compassion.”

  “If Ned had done something to her, why wouldn’t she have come forward at the time with what she knew to strengthen the case against him? I guess it’s possible fear and shame, even a threat, kept her silent.”

  Jarod stirred in the seat. “Connor and I talk about this all the time. He started noticing changes in Avery when she first went away to college in Bozeman. She seemed fine at the time she left, but when she came home three months later for a visit, she acted different. None of us could put our finger on it. Our grandfather noticed it, too, as if she’d drawn a boundary around herself. You could only come so close.”

  “She’s done that with me since we met,” Zane mused aloud. “According to you it was eight years ago that you first started to notice a change in her. She was nineteen?”

  Jarod nodded.

  “Maybe she was attacked by Ned right before she left the ranch, or else it was someone in Bozeman after she arrived at school. Either way it’s clear she’s chosen not to tell anyone in your family about it. I wonder if she ever confided in a friend at school.”

  “I don’t know,” Jarod muttered. “As far as I could tell she didn’t stay in touch with anyone when she came home for visits on weekends. But she’s always been close to her cousin Cassie.”

  “I remember her. Isn’t she Ned’s younger sister?”

  “Yup. She married Logan Dorney, one of our former hands. He had a falling-out with Uncle Grant and is now the foreman over on Sam Rafferty’s small hunting ranch east of here. Cassie does a little light housekeeping for Sam. If Avery confided in anyone, it would probably be Cassie.”

  Zane rubbed his lower lip with his thumb. “I’ll keep that in mind. For selfish reasons I’ve got to find out what’s happened to her.”

  “I’ll do everything on my part to help.”

  Both of them sat there haunted until it dawned on Zane they’d been gone too long. “We need to get back.” After starting the engine they took off for Connor’s new house.

  He looked over at Jarod. “I’m indebted to you for being frank with me. I care about Avery. Today she’s going to work on the vandalism case with me. Over time I’m hoping she’ll learn to trust me enough to talk to me about what’s going on inside her. It isn’t natural for such a beautiful, loving woman to have been emotionally locked up like this all these years.”

  As they got closer to the other house, Jarod let out a groan. “I’m counting on you, Zane. If we find out she was attacked by a pervert who’s still on the loose, then I won’t rest or spare any resources until we find him and prosecute him to the full extent of the law.”

  Zane was way ahead of him. “Amen to that. I’ve got a few ideas to get her to talk to me, but what concerns me most at the moment is that Avery needs to get into counseling if she’s ever going to be a whole person again.”

  “You’re right. My sister is Grandpa’s little darlin’. She’s his biggest worry now.”

  “I think it’s safe to say we’re all worried about her,” Zane said. “While I’m investigating this new case, I’ll keep working on her to open up. I know you will, too. As Sadie has said many times, Avery worships you.”

  Jarod remained silent after that.

  When they pulled up to the new house, it occurred to Zane that maybe her worship of Jarod was the reason she couldn’t talk to her big brother. Not if the shame she felt over what had happened to her was too great. Shame was often the by-product of an assault.

  But had she been assaulted? How many explanations could there be for her behavior? He went over his conversation with Jarod. If she had been diagnosed with a disease that could bring an early death, it could be the reason she refused to get close to any man, knowing she didn’t have a lot of time left.

  The thought that she could be dying tore him to shreds. He’d had a plan to find out what was wrong, but maybe they were running out of time and he needed to speed up the process.

  Together he and Jarod unloaded the display case and carried it into the house. Connor and Liz were thrilled with the gift. While everyone gathered around to help unload the rest of the boxes, he sought out Avery who was in the kitchen doing dishes.

  Zane had to restrain himself from grasping her around the waist and pulling her against him. Instead he finished off the rest of the chips and guacamole i
n one of the bowls sitting on the counter and handed it to her to wash. Then he reached for a dish towel and started drying the dishes.

  She glanced at him out of those dark fringed dove-gray eyes. “Thank you, but you don’t have to help me.”

  “I’m highly motivated for us to get busy on the vandalism case. Aren’t you?”

  She bit the underside of her lip. “You know I am.”

  His eyes played over her. “Just think. Hundreds of years from now, some archaeologists will excavate this place and find parts of these bowls. One of them will ask, ‘I wonder what they ate from these?’ The other one will answer, ‘Isn’t this seed we just found from the avocado family?’”

  Laughter pealed out of Avery, bringing her to life. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

  He hoped so. In fact he hoped he was so amazing she wouldn’t be able to live without him.

  Chapter Four

  Zane asked Avery to follow him through his house to the den. “If you’ll give me the phone numbers of your crew, I’ll send them to the bureau where they’ll pull up names and addresses and any background information for analysis.”

  She brought up the contact numbers on her cell phone and gave them to him. “Some of the crew have come from universities out of state but decided to work with Professor Osgood for this special project.”

  When they were done, he got up from the swivel chair. “I need to drive to Billings. There’s an express mail facility at the airport. Come with me while I ship the evidence bags and molds overnight to the state crime lab in Missoula. Afterward we’ll run by the site to see if any more damage was done during the night. I’ll need your eagle eye to know if there’s been further desecration.”

  Her heart pounded like a jackhammer from being with him again like this. She was taking a huge chance going along with him. When he didn’t need her assistance anymore, she would have to stop seeing him, but until then she couldn’t seem to help herself from falling in with his wishes.