Cowboy Conspiracy

by Joanna Wayne

  “No, I mean did you call him last night after I’d gone to bed? Did you tell him about Emanuel Leaky?”

  So that’s what this was about. He took both her hands in his so that she wouldn’t march off again. “I promised that I wouldn’t say a word about that to anyone unless it was to save your hide. I don’t lie, Kelly, and I don’t break promises unless I have a damn good reason for doing so.

  “I also don’t read minds, especially women’s, so how about leveling with me about what’s going on?”

  “Brent found my car.”

  “Brent, as in the sheriff’s deputy that we met last night?”

  “Right.”

  “Was it wrecked?”

  “No. It’s in almost the same condition as when he stole it. Almost everything that was in the car appears to still be there, though he did help himself to my handbag and computer.”

  Which should have been good news. “There must be more.”

  “Oh, there’s more, all right,” Kelly said. “The pervert left my car parked in my own driveway.”

  “That’s bizarre.”

  “So bizarre that now the sheriff thinks I must know more than I’ve told him. Either that or he knows about my connections to Leaky and thinks this is somehow related.”

  A possibility that Wyatt hadn’t totally ruled out. “I seriously doubt that McGuire took the time last night to have you investigated. He’d have had no reason to invest the time or the resources on a young, single mother whose car had been stolen. It’s the thief’s unusual behavior that’s made him suspicious.”

  She pulled away from him and exhaled slowly, releasing a stream of vapor from her warm breath. “What possible reason could the man have for returning my car to my house unless he’d planned to harm me or Jaci?”

  “He may have wanted to intimidate you, the same way he wanted to get under the skin of the waitress in the truck stop. The way he tried to intimidate you when he stopped near your table on his way out of the truck stop. Some sick jerks get their kicks that way.”

  Not that he was buying that. Had Kelly and Jaci been inside when the thug had shown up…

  Wyatt sucked in a cold breath as sordid images from past cases stormed his mind. The rape and murder of a coed last summer. The mangled body of the nurse who’d opened her door to a man she believed was a meter reader.

  “I guess I should be thankful the sheriff is trying to stay on top of the situation and identify the thief,” she said once she’d finished sharing the gist of their conversation.

  And if he didn’t, Wyatt would. “I’ll drive you to the storage unit when you’re ready. By that time we may be able to retrieve your belongings from the car.”

  “That would be great. Maybe Julie will watch Jaci while we’re gone. They seem to have hit it off and I don’t want Jaci to overhear anything that will frighten her.”

  “Then that’s settled.”

  “I still need to find a place to live until the house is livable.”

  “Forget about looking at apartments, Kelly. The situation has changed. You’re staying here at the ranch.”

  He’d come on like a cop, ordered instead of asking. He waited for the backlash.

  But it was apprehension, not anger that he saw in Kelly’s eyes.

  “Are you sure, Wyatt? I’ve brought you nothing but trouble.”

  “It makes sense.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  He’d accept that for now.

  They were both silent as they walked back to the house. Questions rolled through Wyatt’s mind like a stampede of wild horses.

  When had the perp made the decision to go to Kelly’s house? He couldn’t have gone straight from the truck stop or the car would have been there when Wyatt and Kelly arrived and discovered the damage to the roof.

  Where had he gone once he deserted the car? Did he live nearby or had he stolen another vehicle? If so, from where? And why hadn’t that theft been reported? Or did the sheriff know more than he’d told Kelly?

  A rabbit hopped out of their way as they approached the back steps. A horse neighed in the distance. And Jaci’s excited voice rang out from the house.

  Wyatt had been in Mustang Run less than twenty-four hours and already he was immersed in family, crime, and a woman who monopolized his thoughts while creating a fearsome hunger in him that had nothing to do with food.

  Atlanta seemed a million miles away.

  JULIE EAGERLY AGREED to watch Jaci that afternoon. She even seemed delighted that Kelly and Jaci might stay on at the ranch for a few more days. Once that was settled, Kelly went to look for Jaci and Wyatt. She found them on the side porch with Troy, stacking a fresh supply of logs onto a metal rack.

  Jaci was wearing a bright red parka that seemed to fit perfectly and looked practically new.

  When Jaci spotted Kelly, she dropped the small log she was holding and ran over to wrap her arms around Kelly’s waist.

  “Mr. Ledger says I can go with him to feed the horses if it’s okay with you. Can I, Momma? Can I, please?”

  “Well, you do have a nice jacket to wear.”

  “I’ll keep a close eye on her,” Troy said. “My grandson tags along with me to the horse barn every time he gets a chance. I’m good with kids.”

  “I can tell.”

  “So can I go with him, Momma?”

  “If you promise to do what Mr. Ledger tells you.”

  “Yeah! I can go feed the horses.”

  Jaci let go of Kelly’s waist and began to jump her way across the porch as if she were on springs.

  “I hope you don’t mind my lending her the jacket,” Troy said. “My grandson Joey left it here last weekend.”

  “I don’t mind at all,” Kelly assured him. “Joey must be just about Jaci’s size.”

  “Pretty close. He’s almost seven, but he’s small for his age. You’ll meet him tonight. The whole family will be here.”

  To dine on the fatted calf, Kelly thought, just as Sheriff McGuire had predicted. Only their reunion celebration would be marred by the problems Kelly had brought into their lives.

  Troy dusted his hands together to rid them of dirt and loose bark. “You should go with us, Kelly. Collette has added two new quarter horses to the herd and they’re real beauts.”

  “I’d love to see them.” And to make sure Jaci didn’t get hurt. The only horses Jaci had ever been around had traveled in circles on a carousel.

  “All right then,” Troy said. “Let’s get going.”

  “Yes, c’mon, Momma. Let’s git goin’.”

  Jaci held tight to Kelly’s hand as they walked toward the barn, but her steady stream of questions were for Troy.

  “Can the horses come out of the barn and play?”

  “Do the horses stay with their mommas?”

  “What do the horses eat?”

  “Do the horses bite?”

  Troy patiently answered every question. Not only was he as good with kids as he claimed, but he looked so at home on the ranch that it was difficult to believe he’d only been out of prison for a year and a half. It was even more difficult to imagine that this easygoing rancher had murdered the mother of his own sons in cold blood.

  But evil didn’t always come in ugly packages. Luther Bonner had been an impeccable dresser with excellent manners. Yet he’d willingly worked for one of the most brutal, corrupt individuals in the country. And just as willingly sold him down the river to avoid punishment.

  When they neared the horse barn, Jaci let go of Kelly’s hand and ran ahead. Kelly hurried to catch up. The wooden door was propped open, and the odors of hay and horseflesh greeted her even before she got her first look at the animals.

  Troy stopped at the first stall and scratched the nose of a magnificent steed. “I didn’t forget you, Gunner. I’m just running late today, but I brought company.”

  Jaci backed away from the stall until she was pressed against Kelly’s legs. “Horses are big.”

  “Not all of them,” Troy sai
d. “Come meet Snow White. She’s not even a year old yet.”

  “Snow White’s not a horse.”

  “This Snow White is.” Troy walked down a number of stalls before he stopped in front of a beautiful white filly. “Snow White is the newest addition to the herd.”

  The horse pawed at the floor, sending hay and dust flying. Troy calmed her with a soothing voice. “You miss Collette, don’t you? I don’t spoil you the way she does. She’ll be down to see you later.”

  “Let’s give her some food,” Jaci said.

  “Good idea.”

  Troy let Jaci help scoop and measure the grainy feed. She bored with that task quickly and jumped into a mound of fresh hay at the back of the narrow barn.

  “Is this the entire herd?” Kelly asked as Troy distributed the feed among the horses.

  “This is all of the horses presently at Willow Creek Ranch. There’s fifteen in all, but we have three new quarter horses stabled at Sean’s ranch in Bandera that we’ll be moving here in the spring. We’re adding another horse barn, one twice as big.”

  “What will you do with so many animals?”

  “Breed and train them for buyers. And Collette and Sean are working on ideas for a summer camping and riding program for underprivileged kids from the city.”

  “Is Sean another son?”

  Troy nodded. “He’s Joey’s father. He started out as a stepfather, but the adoption was finalized two weeks ago. Joey’s mother, Eve, was a widow.”

  Kelly knew all too well how difficult that could be, especially when there was a child involved. It made romantic relationships difficult, as well. Kelly had dated a few times, but she’d always ended up resenting the men for taking up the few hours of work-free time she preferred to spend being a mother to Jaci.

  But then she’d never met a man like Wyatt.

  “It’s bitter cold out here. You should pay wranglers to feed these animals on days like this.”

  Kelly turned at the sound of a deep, breathy female voice. The slim brunette standing in the doorway was as sexy as the voice, though she was probably at least fifty.

  Her designer jeans fit to perfection. Her jacket was trimmed in mink. The matching hat and scarf in a shade of rich purple set off a flawless complexion and dark, expressive eyes.

  “If it’s too cold for you, you could have waited inside,” Troy said.

  The woman looked from Troy to Kelly and then back to Troy again. “I didn’t realize you had guests.” Her tone was accusing.

  “I would have told you had you called before dropping by. This is Kelly Burger and her daughter, Jaci. They’re moving to Mustang Run, but they’ll be staying with me for a while.”

  “That sounds cozy. I’m Ruthanne Foley,” she said. “Troy’s neighbor and close friend.” The woman stared at Kelly as if she were her opponent in a fight-to-the-finish fencing match.

  It finally hit Kelly what was going on. The woman considered her a much younger rival for Troy’s attention. That fire blazing in her eyes was pure jealousy.

  No one had mentioned that Troy had a lady friend. Kelly wondered if that would further complicate Wyatt’s relationship with his father. But she’d clear this misunderstanding up quickly before the woman’s jealousy caused a scene.

  “Actually, Wyatt brought me to the ranch,” Kelly explained. “Troy was nice enough to invite Jaci and me out to see the horses.”

  “Wyatt’s here?” Ruthanne gushed as she walked over and placed a possessive hand on Troy’s arm, her attitude softening now that she knew Kelly wasn’t a threat. “Why is it I’m the last to know these things? I can’t wait to see him.”

  “Wasn’t he at the house when you drove up?”

  “If he was, I didn’t see him. I only saw Julie and she told me you were at the horse barn. She didn’t mention that you weren’t alone.”

  Ruthanne Foley. The name was familiar, though Kelly couldn’t place where she’d heard it.

  Apparently deciding the newest guest to the barn wasn’t worth her attention, Jaci continued turning flips in the hay.

  “Kelly is Cordelia Callister’s granddaughter,” Troy said. “She’s moving into the Callister place, or at least she will be once the roof is repaired.”

  Ruthanne stepped away from Troy and stared at Kelly, her gaze cold and totally unreadable this time. “You’re Linda Ann’s daughter?”

  “I am. Did you know my mother?”

  “I’ve met her.” Her tone had grown icy again.

  If the rest of the residents of Mustang Run were anything like Ruthanne, no wonder Kelly’s mother had moved away and never wanted to come back.

  “Ruthanne’s ex is Senator Riley Foley,” Troy said. “The man who may be our next governor if you can believe the polls.”

  Now Kelly knew where she’d heard about Ruthanne. From her mother, years ago. “My mother was on the senator’s campaign team the first time he ran for state representative.”

  Ruthanne studied her perfectly manicured nails. “That was years ago.”

  “Many,” Kelly agreed. “I turned ten during the campaign. I remember because Mother was on the campaign trail with Senator Foley and had to miss my birthday. She made up for it later with a trip to the State Fair.”

  Ruthanne slapped at a horsefly with the fringed end of her scarf. “Where is your mother now?”

  “In Plano, near Dallas. She retired as dean of a small women’s college in the Northeast a few years back. But she’s still teaching a few political science classes in a local community college.”

  “I avoid politics entirely,” Ruthanne said. “I’ve never met a politician who could be trusted.”

  “Mother is not that jaded,” Kelly said, “but as far as I know she hasn’t helped run a political campaign since then, at least not as an official member of the staff.”

  “If I remember correctly, she didn’t last the campaign with Riley. I can’t recall why he had to let her go.” Ruthanne turned back to Troy. “I expect a dinner invitation while Wyatt is here. Give me a call. I’ll make that chocolate cheesecake you like so much.”

  “Don’t count on it,” Troy said dismissively. “I can’t make plans for Wyatt. He’s got four brothers who’ll all want a share of his time.”

  Ruthanne said her goodbyes with barely a glance Kelly’s way. She left just as Julie walked into the barn.

  “What frizzed her curls?” Julie asked.

  “I think I did,” Kelly said. “I’m just not sure how.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t like sharing her boyfriend with other women,” Julie teased.

  “She made that clear when she thought I was here with Troy, but her dislike of me seemed to go deeper than that.”

  “Pay no attention to Ruthanne,” Troy said. “She’s never happy unless she’s the center of attention. All that family money she inherited makes her think she’s a queen.”

  “No wonder her husband bailed on her,” Julie said.

  “He didn’t bail until he had plenty of money of his own and figured she’d done about all she could do for him politically,” Troy said.

  “How long have they been divorced?” Kelly asked.

  “Since about a year before I was released from prison. And rest assured, there’s nothing going on between the two of us—except for those casseroles and desserts she keeps bringing around.”

  “Troy is the casserole king,” Julie teased. “All the widows at the church bring him home-cooked treats. Some days he has enough food to open a restaurant.”

  “Not all the widows. Mrs. Haverty crosses to the other side of the street if she sees me coming.”

  Julie laughed. “And you drive her mad when you smile and tip your hat to her as if you’re best friends.”

  “People believe what they want,” Troy said, “and about half of the town wants to believe the worst about me.”

  Kelly was reminded again that the grandfatherly man whose house she was living in—the man whom Jaci had so easily befriended—had served seventeen years in prison fo
r the murder of his wife. A jury had convicted him. Even Wyatt, an experienced homicide detective, wasn’t convinced he was innocent.

  Troy was strong. She’d seen him just lift a fifty-pound bag of feed and toss it to the ground as if it were a five-pound sack of potatoes. And she suspected the ragged scar down the right side of his face hadn’t come from working on the ranch.

  She couldn’t see him as a murderer, but she hadn’t seen Luther Bonner as a gun runner, either.

  “Let me know when you’re ready to go look at those apartments,” Julie offered again.

  “Momma, look. Snow White likes the food we gave her.”

  Excitement bubbled in Jaci’s voice. The ranch agreed with her. And there was so much room for her to play outdoors.

  “I’d like to hold off on that for another day or two,” Kelly said. “If the offer’s still on the table, Jaci and I will stay on at the ranch for a few more days.”

  “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want,” Troy said.

  Jaci’s cell phone buzzed. Someone had left a message. So far only her mother, the FBI and Sheriff McGuire had this number. She stepped deeper into the barn to avoid the sun’s glare shining through the open door.

  A second later she realized she’d been wrong.

  Someone else had this number and the words he’d texted made her blood run cold.

  Chapter Nine

  Miraculously, Kelly managed to hide her emotions from her daughter until she’d walked back to the house with her and Julie. She was determined not to say or do anything that would upset or frighten Jaci.

  Julie, however, picked up instantly on the change in Kelly’s demeanor. But, other than asking her once if she was okay, Julie let the matter drop. Kelly appreciated that more than Julie could know.

  Wyatt’s family was truly remarkable, and in spite of the tension between Wyatt and his father, Kelly had never felt such an outpouring of support.

  But it was Wyatt she wanted to talk to now. She found him in the courtyard garden, sitting on the cold wooden bench and staring into space.

  She sat down beside him and pulled out her phone, punching keys to bring up the disgusting message. “You might want to read this,” she said as she handed him the phone.