The New Cowboy

by Rebecca Winters

  Tight bands constricted his lungs until she pulled the phone out of her purse. Filled with elation that she was going along with him to this extent, he reached for his phone and programmed in the numbers. “I’ve kept you long enough and had better let you get back to work.”

  She remained quiet on the mile drive to the site. He half expected her to beg off their plans, but when they arrived, all she did was thank him for the sandwiches and climb out of the cab. After she’d joined the others, he left for the Bannock ranch to find Jarod.

  After making a phone call, he discovered him mending fences on the eastern side of the property. The moment Jarod saw the truck headed toward him, he stopped what he was doing and walked up to Zane who jumped down from the cab.

  The two men studied each other for a quiet moment. “I’ve just come from having lunch with Avery. You need to know about something that happened the other night while we were at the dig site in the trailer.”

  His black eyes narrowed. “Go ahead.”

  “Our first hunch about her was correct.”

  The grim look on Jarod’s face took on a savage cast. “She told you she was assaulted?”

  “No, but the proof was there.” He spent the next few minutes telling him about her self-defense move and the hidden pistol. “I talked to my psychologist in Billings yesterday morning. He agreed that she’s likely suffering from PTSD and gave me a booklet to help me understand how to help her.”

  Zane reached in his back pocket and handed it to Jarod. “I’ve already read it. You and Connor need to read it, too. One more thing. I took the doctor’s advice. Last night I invited her for a special dinner. Later I told her I’d fallen in love with her and wanted to start seeing her on an exclusive basis.”

  Jarod took a swift breath. “How did that go over?”

  “Obviously she was shaken and said a lot of things to put me off, but she didn’t give me a flat-out no. Considering my situation, a quarter of a loaf is better than none.”

  “When it comes to Avery, I agree.”

  “I’ve asked her to go for a horseback ride in the mountains when she gets home from work this evening. We’ll look for some wild horses. I made the suggestion that maybe you and Connor could come with us. She grabbed on to the idea. Before I can move forward with her, she has to learn to trust me.”

  “If Sadie weren’t so close to her delivery date...”

  “I thought about that, but maybe Connor and Liz will come with us.”

  Jarod tipped his cowboy hat back. “Tell you what. I’ll phone him and tell him everything you told me.”

  “Good, but this information stays with the three of us.”

  “No one else can ever know,” came Jarod’s fierce response.

  “Then we understand each other.”

  “When I get home, I’ll phone him to find out if he and Liz would like to go riding with you. After my talk with him, I’m sure they’ll join you no matter what other plans they might have had.”

  “I owe you, Jarod.”

  “You’ve got that the wrong way around. I didn’t tell you everything Uncle Charlo told me when I confided in him about Avery. He said that through the Great Spirit, her imprisoned spirit would be freed by one with great vision who would have to follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky.”

  Jarod’s black eyes bore holes into him. “I didn’t understand the full significance of his words until Sadie told me something her mother confided to her about you and your brother. Your parents gave him the Greek name Timothy which means ‘honoring God.’ They gave you the Hebrew name Zane which means, ‘from God.’”

  Gooseflesh broke out over Zane’s body.

  * * *

  FOUR ON HORSEBACK made it to the top of a cliff above the Crooked Creek Road. With the help of a full moon, they were able to see a sweep of gullies, part of the Hitting Rock Mountains, so named by the Crow Nation for the flint they found here.

  Avery’s heart pounded in anticipation while they waited to see if the wild mustangs were running through this area tonight. Zane sidled his gelding next to her mare while Connor and Liz rode on a little farther.

  “Do me a favor and say the Crow name for the Pryor Mountains again, Avery. I need to learn it.”

  “Baahpuuo Isawaxaawuua.”

  He tried repeating it back, but had trouble with the pronunciation. They both chuckled. “I’ll keep practicing. Now tell me why these are called the Pryors.”

  “Sergeant Nathaniel Hale Pryor was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He tried to catch horses stolen from the expedition in this area and the name stuck. During that period he recorded lithic scatters that contained hearths and lost stone tools. He also made note of both vertebrate and invertebrate fossils. That’s why the Crooked Creek Natural Landmark is a National Register site.”

  He smiled in the moonlight. “With you as my human encyclopedia, I’m the luckiest agent in the field.”

  “Except that tonight I don’t know if we’ll see any horses.” She was still so stunned by his admission that he’d fallen in love with her, her life seemed surreal at the moment and she felt at a loss for words. A light breeze blew her hair around. “You need luck to find them. The problem is, like all ferals they generally avoid human contact and are easily spooked.”

  “Except for Firebrand,” he reminded her.

  “Connor broke that horse through a lot of time and patience.”

  She felt his gaze on her.

  “Firebrand’s a real champion.”

  “The best!” she exclaimed. “One of the reasons why is because the Spanish ferals have a natural paso gait. They’re sure-footed and possess a lot of stamina. If they bond with a human, it’s for life. Both he and Jarod have had great success with the ferals. I know Connor’s feral stud farm is going to take off.”

  “I have no doubt that it will. How did the ferals get here?”

  “Long Hair maintains that they were brought here about 1725. The explorers discovered large numbers of them in the 1740s. But to answer your question, historians say they are direct descendants of the Barb horses brought to North America in the early 1600s. The Spaniard conquistador Juan de Oñate brought an expedition to explore America north of the Rio Grande. Their history is fascinating.”

  “How big was it?”

  “He led several expeditions, but the largest one he undertook went east to the Great Plains. It was huge—one hundred and thirty Spanish soldiers, priests, servants and three hundred and fifty horses and mules. He founded settlements, hence the origin of the horses. Their bloodline runs through Firebrand and Jarod’s horse Chief. Kind of exciting to think about, but they don’t seem to be around tonight and it’s getting late.”

  “I can handle it.” His eyes still rested on her. “It’s incredibly mystical up here and there’ll be many other nights in the years to come. We’ve got all the time in the world.”

  He kept saying we. How could there be a we? Once he knew about her, she feared what she’d see in those hot blue eyes. For now they were watching her with a look that melted her bones. But once he knew the truth, that look would be replaced by one of repulsion he wouldn’t be able to hide no matter how hard he tried.

  She took a deep breath. “It’s getting late. Let’s find the others and head back. We all have work tomorrow.”

  After studying her for a minute longer, Zane called to them that they were leaving.

  “We’re right behind you,” Connor shouted back from a distance.

  As they made their way down, Avery thought about all the years she’d ridden up here with her brothers, or with Cassie and the girls. This was the first time in her life she’d come up here with a man.

  There went that ping in her heart again just thinking about Zane. She loved him more than he would ever know. He was the only man she�
��d ever felt this way about. Wearing a cowboy hat, he looked fantastic mounted on his horse and rode like a pro. Put him next to Jarod and Connor and you’d never know which one of them was the new cowboy.

  Another rush of warmth passed through her. He wants to be with me.

  Avery couldn’t take it in. Tears spilled down her cheeks because she knew this euphoria couldn’t possibly last. She needed to enjoy it now. Zane had made his intentions clear and expected to hear something definitive back, but he was giving her time to think everything through.

  But even he would run out of patience before long and needed to hear the words that either meant planning a future with her or not. She wiped the tears from her eyes, hating how emotional she’d become around him.

  When they reached the dirt road he slowed down and looked over his shoulder at her. Hopefully he couldn’t see what a mess she’d turned into when he wasn’t looking. “Race you back to the ranch.”

  “You’re on!” She galloped past him. “Come on, Snowball. Let’s show Zane what we’re made of.”

  She could hear the thunder of hooves behind her and increased her speed. The joy of being with Zane had filled her with an excess of energy. She never wanted this fun to end. They flew across Bannock property toward the barn. She beat him to Snowball’s stall, but deep down she knew he’d held back so she could be the winner. Avery dismounted in a burst of laughter.

  He rode up to her with that killer smile of his, guaranteed to turn her heart over. Looking down at her he said, “Damn, if you aren’t a speed demon. I doubt I’ll ever be able to best you. You left the others in the dust.”

  “Damn, if you aren’t a terrific liar,” she fired back with a grin as she removed her horse’s saddle and bridle. “Striker’s not even breathing hard.” After putting everything in the tack room, she made certain there was water and hay before she walked out of the barn.

  Zane followed alongside her, still astride his horse. “I’ll accompany you to the house, then I’ll head home.”

  They made their way over to the ranch house in a landscape bathed by the moon. “Can you take off early tomorrow? Say two o’clock? I’d like you to come to a new site where some hikers have reported vandalism. I need your expert eye to help evaluate how much damage was done.”

  Needing to be with him again was like needing air to breathe. She spoke without hesitation. “I’ll leave for work early so it won’t be a problem.”

  “Since I’ll be up at dawn, I’ll drive you to Absarokee so you can leave your truck at home. When I come by the site to pick you up later in the day, I’ll be happy to tell Dr. Osgood it’s for official business.”

  “That won’t be necessary. He’ll understand. We all want you to catch these criminals.” She paused at the front door. “Tomorrow I’ll buy dinner for us.”

  “I can’t wait.” He tipped his black cowboy hat at her. “Expect me at six-thirty in the morning.”

  “I’ll be ready.” She slipped inside the house and raced up to her room where she collapsed on the bed.

  Zane... The more wonderful he was, the more terrified she was growing. A sense of doom enveloped her. He’d revealed his feelings for her and told her about his divorce and his PTSD up front. To keep her secret from him now was the worst thing she could do.

  Tomorrow night on the way home, she’d tell him the truth. She didn’t have a choice, not when he’d opened his heart to her. It would be the end of any relationship they might have had. But as Dr. Moser had said, there could be no foundation without honesty.

  Tragically, there would be no foundation once he knew the truth, winding up in a no-win situation. She’d known her destiny on the night she’d been assaulted. That was when her life had changed forever.

  Chapter Seven

  Zane walked out to the truck with his gear Wednesday morning under an overcast sky. According to the forecast, they’d have some rain showers over the next few days. But nothing could dampen his spirits as he drove over to the Bannock ranch to pick up Avery.

  He phoned to let her know he was coming. As always, the sight of her set off sparks. She came down the porch steps dressed in jeans and a soft suede tan vest with fringe that hung loose over a light blue T-shirt. He reached across the seat to open the door for her.

  Today she’d done her hair in a braid. Though he loved it loose, the pulled-back style showed off her gorgeous face. Their gazes met. “Hi,” she said, sounding the slightest bit out of breath as she climbed into the cab. Her tiny glass earrings shaped like buttercups gave off glints of blue and green with a center of gray that matched her incredible eyes.

  “Where did you get those earrings?”

  “On the reservation. They’re made of dichroic glass.”

  “Explain dichroic.”

  “The artisan works with a composite of nontranslucent glass. When stacking layers with microlayers of oxides and metals, it causes the glass to shift colors.”

  “Nice,” he whispered.

  “They are unusual.”

  Just like Avery herself. He backed around and they headed for Absarokee. “How’s Ralph?”

  “Wonderful. I can’t believe he’s the same person from a year ago. This morning he ate a big breakfast and is going to drive up to the pasture with Jarod later on. The doctor has warned him not to overdo it, but I guess if he’s feeling good enough to get out like that, then he should.”

  Zane nodded. “Your grandfather’s work ethic would make it impossible for him to sit around if he’s feeling well enough to leave the house.”

  “You’re right. He was always a human dynamo.”

  “Both of my grandfathers died when I was young, so I hardly remember them. Yours has been spared to bring you and your brothers a lot of happiness.”

  “After my parents were killed in that lightning storm, I don’t know what my life would have been like without my grandparents.”

  Yet not even her grandparents had been able to shield her from one of the worst atrocities a human could face. He had to suppress the sudden feeling of rage against the man who’d attacked her, robbing her in a way that had erased her trust in life, her joy... Zane doubted he’d ever be able to let go of his anger.

  She turned her head toward him. “How’s the case progressing?”

  “So far, no background evidence on your crew has come back to raise any flags, but I’m beginning to get responses to my emails. This morning there were four messages from various ATV dealers. They’ve all sent proof of sales with names and addresses for Maxxis tires purchased within the past five months. Three of the dealers are here in Billings. The one from Laurel, fifteen miles away from here, reported the sale of a new Honda Rubicon.

  “I’ll visit all the addresses they sent and do a little investigating while you work. Then I’ll come by the dig site and we’ll drive up to the mountains not far from where we were last night to take a look at the vandalized site.”

  Their drive was over way too soon for Zane, who wanted to lean toward her and kiss her thoroughly, which was out of the question. She jumped down from the truck and waved him off before joining the others.

  Once in Billings he used his GPS to locate the addresses of customers who’d bought that particular size and brand of tire recently. In two of the cases, the owners were grandparents who were getting their equipment ready for children and grandchildren descending for the summer. They didn’t mind him inspecting their ATVs. As for cigarettes, neither couple had ever smoked. He bagged dirt from the treads of both vehicles and left.

  The other owner was a single man in his thirties. Zane went to see him in his office at a paper-supply company, first introducing himself to the manager to let him know he was on official business. He found out the guy didn’t smoke as far as his employer knew. The owner of that ATV said he used it for pleasure rides with his friends.

  I
f Zane wanted to see it, he could follow him home and he’d unlock the garage where he kept it. Zane went to the man’s apartment and inspected his vehicle, bagging the dirt from inside the tread. He thanked him and left for Laurel.

  The sky had grown darker. He smelled rain in the air as he pulled up to the ranch house on the outskirts of the town. According to the store manager in Laurel, the guy who bought the new Honda Rubicon was a well-to-do local cattle rancher named Lester Newell. The guy from the dealership was really talkative. When he found out Zane was a rancher, he became a font of information. Zane learned he’d done business with the Newells off and on for years. He knew the family pretty well.

  Two of their grown children were married. Lester’s other two sons were single and in their twenties. The one named Terry worked out on the ranch with his dad. The other one, Steve, was away at college in Missoula.

  Zane drove up to the ranch house, wanting to talk to Mr. Newell. No one answered. He walked around the back to get a good look at everything. As far as he could see, this rancher owned several trucks, a four-wheel drive, a car, an inboard-outboard boat, a fishing boat, kayaks, Jet Skis, a horse trailer, a motor home, an ATV with a trailer for it—every toy you could think of.

  On the way back to his truck, one of the ranch hands called to him from his tractor. Zane said, “I’m here to see Mr. Newell on ranch business.”

  “You’re out of luck. He’s gone to a funeral in Helena, but he’ll be back tomorrow. You can talk to his foreman.”

  “No, thanks. I’ll try to reach Mr. Newell later.” Zane didn’t leave his name and took off. He’d come back after dark and do a little evidence gathering. Pleased with today’s progress, he left town and headed for the dig site eager to pick up Avery.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he called from the window as he drove up to her.

  She shook her head after getting in the truck. “Ten minutes is nothing.”