Something About a Lawman

by Em Petrova

  They all had the same wide shoulders and strong jaws. Wes was slightly taller and had spent some time bulking up his chest and arms, but other than that, there was no way the same blood didn’t pulse through these men’s veins.

  “You can’t be cousins. You have to be brothers,” she said.

  Wes and Judd exchanged a look but Aiden gave a nod. “We get that a lot. Amaryllis, meet my twin brother Judd and my cousin Wes.”

  Both men tipped their hats to her using a gesture that was so similar to Aiden’s that it was eerie.

  A male voice sounded from behind, a clearing of a throat. They all turned to see an older cowboy, hardened to steel from years in the saddle, his hair thick and white under his Stetson. In his face, she saw the lines mirrored more faintly in Aiden’s and Judd’s. Something about the stern expression in his eyes reminded her more of Aiden, though.

  “You must be Aiden’s father.” She extended a hand.

  “Boone Roshannon. I’ve read a lot about you, Ms. Long.”

  “Amaryllis.” She smiled. Not exactly at ease with the group—she’d never met the family of someone she was romantically involved with before. But being on her turf—grazing land, cattle and barns—gave her a bit more confidence.

  “Glad to have you here, Amaryllis. Make yourself at home. I need these boys for a little chore.”

  They trio went on high alert. Boone clapped Aiden on the back, since he was nearest. “We’ve got three-hundred head to move. All hands on deck.”

  “I can ride,” Amaryllis said.

  Aiden met her stare. A flutter in her belly began. She knew that look, had seen it the previous night so many times while he was in control. The blazing expression was seared into her memory. When she returned to Texas, at least she’d have something to replay on the chilly nights alone.

  She grabbed his forearm and towed him several feet away. “Can I speak with you?”

  Behind them, his family chuckled.

  “You’re not going, Amaryllis. I’ll let you saddle up and watch, but you’re not getting into the thick of those steers.”

  She rolled her eyes. “What do you think I grew up doing? Playing Barbie dolls? I’ve been running cattle since I was twelve.”

  “Not this time.” His look said this was one of those times he wanted control outside the bedroom.

  She cocked her head. “What do I get out of it if I stay behind?”

  He stepped up to her, body heat scorching her front. Curling his fingers around her upper arms, he hovered his lips a scant inch from hers. “You get my cock deep in your pussy and my palm on your ass while you beg for more.”

  His low-pitched voice sent rivers of need through her body to pool in her belly. When he leaned in and stamped her mouth with a kiss that was hard and yet held so much meaning, her mind spun.

  Before she could regain her wits, he turned and strode back to the guys. “Let’s do this.”

  Wes nudged him in the shoulder and received a playful punch in return. Judd hung back to walk with Amaryllis, which confused her if she didn’t consciously consider who he was. Having a man beside her who was so like Aiden gave her the urge to grab his hand.

  The way he’d just kissed her in front of them meant their connection was out in the open. He had admitted to feeling more. And so had she, which had really surprised her. Things were moving fast between them.

  “You’re legendary in the South,” Judd said.

  She shot him a smile. “Thanks, but I just do my job.”

  “A damn fine one, from what I hear. You keeping my rigid-ass brother on his toes?” He sent her the same gray-eyed stare that Aiden gave, the one that had been haunting her since the first day they’d met.

  She swallowed her giggle. Aiden really was rigid—did that mean Judd was the opposite? She’d heard about twins who swung opposite in personalities. “We’re working fine together.”

  He arched a brow that said that kiss they’d shared hadn’t gone unnoticed. “This crime ring is stretching far and wide. Whether or not some of the crimes are related is still to be determined, but I think plenty are.”

  She nodded. “We believe the butcherings and the thefts are connected, but we haven’t put two and two together yet.”

  “At dinner, maybe we can all sit down and talk business.”

  She pressed her lips together. She wasn’t in a habit of airing secrets of her work over the evening meal, but the Roshannons were all lawmen. And she supposed their daddy was as close-lipped as the rest of them. She hadn’t met their momma yet, but she imagined the woman knew the implications of leaking gossip.

  Amaryllis nodded. “We’ll have to get Aiden to take out his notebook.”

  Judd tossed back his head and released a low, hearty chuckle. “He still carries that thing?”

  Ahead of them, Aiden and Wes twisted to see what was going on. Aiden’s brows drew together.

  “Uh-oh. Now he’s gonna walk back and give me hell. I’ll speak with you later. Gotta get saddled up.” Judd broke into a jog as Aiden did exactly what he’d guessed.

  “What was that about?” Aiden asked.

  “We were talking about your notebook.”

  His ears reddened and his steely eyes softened. “Judd’s always been an ass. C’mon, let’s get you a horse.”

  Surprised by this new, lighter, more easy-going Aiden, she quickened her pace to follow him to the barn. Watching him joke around with his brother and Wes made her realize that he really was different here—at home. When some of the ranch hands gathered, already on horseback, Aiden greeted each with affection.

  After Aiden selected a solid mare that was easy to handle for her, she slipped into the saddle. “God, I missed this. I haven’t ridden in too long.”

  “Me either. Maybe I need a place of my own with a couple horses.” His eyes twinkled at the idea.

  “I was thinking the same thing.”

  Their gazes connected for such a long moment that she felt the need to look away but couldn’t. Right now, their link was so strong that she practically felt him holding the end of a rope that was bound around her. Earlier when her brother had called, she hadn’t had an inkling of what her dreams were. Now, after a few minutes on Eagle Crest, she knew.

  She wanted to see Aiden smile more.

  Riding with a group gave her another sort of thrill. The breeze on her skin, the fall of hooves on the turf. Eagle Crest was a well-kept ranch nestled between mountains that rose up smoky blue against the paler blue sky. She dragged in a deep breath of horse and grasses crushed under hoof.

  After a ten-minute ride, they came upon the herd. “Is that what we’re moving?” she asked Aiden, who rose close to her.

  “That’s what we’re moving. You’re going to hang back.”

  She sighed. “Normally I’d fight you tooth and nail for my place in this, but it’s your ranch.”

  He blinked at her like an owl.

  “What?”

  “You actually backed down. I can’t believe you didn’t kick your horse into a run, circle the cattle and do it all yourself.”

  She stared straight ahead at the hats of men bobbing with the rise and fall of their horses and beyond that, the dark blot of cattle. “There’s still time. Don’t tempt me.”

  He chuckled and reached over to squeeze her shoulder.

  A whistle sounded, and Aiden perked up. “That’s me. Promise me you’ll hang back.”

  Since it was so important to him and it didn’t bother her to watch so many strong men at work, she nodded.

  The men began to close around the herd in a semi-circle as a barrier. Then two riders rode the inside perimeter between horsemen and cattle, pushing the beasts in the direction they wanted them to go. When a cow would try to break loose, one of the border patrol would direct it back.

  Amaryllis reined up to watch their progress, which didn’t seem to take long considering the amount of wayward cattle. She kept her gaze on Aiden’s hat, though sometimes she lost it among the sea of ranch hands. He
and Judd worked together well, anticipating the other’s moves, working closely yet staying out of each other’s way.

  Another loud whistle, and the entire group of riders moved forward, funneling the cattle toward a road.

  She edged up close, fixated on the rider who went ahead up the road to block any traffic for the herd. She hadn’t been told what they were doing, but by her guess, there was another pasture down the road that could be reached most easily this way.

  The air was filled with moos and a dog up near Aiden that kept nipping at one wayward cow’s legs to keep it in line. Broad backs of cowboys moved ahead of her, bringing up the rear of the herd.

  She felt slightly sweaty, taking it all in. The testosterone, the beauty of the sight. Her pulse was hammering, and she realized she’d gotten bitten by the ranching bug all over again. She hadn’t felt this way since her teen years. Now when she returned to her family ranch, her brother, Ulyss, was such a rigid dictator that she didn’t stick around long. But this reminded her how it was to work as a team toward one big goal.

  She pressed her heels into her horse and guided it forward, riding at the rear, her heart lifted.

  * * * * *

  After Amaryllis met his momma and was shown to the bathroom to wash up for dinner, Aiden paced the hall waiting for her.

  “She’s not going to escape, bro,” Wes said as he spotted Aiden.

  “You don’t know Amaryllis. She can shimmy out a window lickety-split.”

  Wes cocked a brow. “Interesting talent. May be useful.”

  “Yeah, plenty useful.” Though he still hadn’t forgotten the way his heart had pounded when she’d launched into that abandoned grocery.

  “She’s handy to have around then.” Wes pushed the conversation.

  Aiden turned to him. Squared his shoulders. “Look, I know what you’re doing.”

  Wes chuckled. “What’s that?”

  “Trying to edge in. We aren’t eighteen anymore, and she isn’t Lorna.”

  Wes swung his gaze to the closed bathroom door several feet down the hallway. “Sure about that?”

  “No.” Aiden’s voice came out as a low growl. “She isn’t because I’m not willin’ to share. So back off.”

  Wes held his glare a moment and then chuckled. “Been waitin’ for you to come back to us.”

  Confusion made Aiden’s brows pinch. “What’s that supposed to mean? I come here as often as I can, same as you.”

  Wes shook his head, his slightly shaggy hair falling into his eyes. “I mean that you were here in body but not in spirit. Not since you left for the Marines.”

  And definitely not since he’d come home for good. Aiden swallowed hard. The notion that, somehow, the missing pieces of himself had found their way home and made him whole again seemed right on.

  The door opened, and Aiden spun to Amaryllis. She froze, looking nervous. “I’m sorry, were you guys waiting for the bathroom? Sorry it took a bit. I was grubbier than I thought and the water’s really hot.”

  “Just waiting on you.” Aiden stepped forward, the need to put his hands on her a burning ember in his chest.

  Wes said, “I’ll see if your momma needs any help gettin’ dinner on the table.”

  When he’d left Aiden and Amaryllis alone, Aiden said, “He always was a suck-up, settin’ the table every meal and making me and Judd look lazy as dogs in a puddle of sunshine.”

  She looked up at him. “What is the tension I feel in you, really?”

  “It’s nothing. Let’s go see if Judd’s around.”

  Turned out Judd was outside with the ranch hands and had to be called to the table by their annoyed mother. But once they were all seated, she beamed at them. “I love having my boys around me. And Amaryllis, we’re so happy you’re here.”

  Under the table, Aiden squeezed her thigh. She clenched her muscle and smiled at him and then his momma. “Thank you for having me, and on short notice.”

  “Always plenty to go around. Now tell us all about your case.” His momma picked up a serving spoon and took a helping of noodles swimming in gravy.

  Amaryllis made a surprised sound in her throat but quickly swallowed it. “Um, maybe Aiden can start it off.”

  He shot her a crooked smile. Seeing Amaryllis out of her element was giving him a new glimpse of her. He liked this softer version of her as much as he loved the badass who would tackle grown men and dig a knee into their backs.

  Food was passed, the details of the case discussed. Judd interjected with a few bits about what was going on in his county, and Wes contributed a name of a solid lead for them to check out later.

  Amaryllis glanced up at Aiden. “Aren’t you gonna put that in your notebook?”

  Everyone at the table laughed, including his parents. Aiden sent her a look that said, I’ll get you alone sooner or later. She squirmed in her seat, satisfying him on another level.

  “There’s got to be one person who started this off. They didn’t hold a meetin’ down at the grange hall looking for members of an illegal cattle theft ring,” Wes said.

  Aiden forked a bite of roast beef and waved it over his plate as he spoke. “Amaryllis and I have discussed that. Who and the motive behind it.”

  “That’s easy,” Judd said around his own bite of beef, “money. Man doesn’t get power or prestige from stealing cattle.”

  “No, but he sure must have made it look enticing to his buddies to get so many in on it.”

  “I’ve seen that in the South plenty.” When Amaryllis spoke, everyone listened. “I’ve actually brought two bands of rustlers down that had one very influential ringleader each.”

  “How’d you do it?” Judd asked. “What were your tactics?”

  She shot Aiden a look. “I don’t think you want to know.”

  Aiden chuckled. “Amaryllis doesn’t always do things by the book.”

  “Which is why Latchaw brought her up here, right? He didn’t care about the hows but wanted it to end fast.”

  “I already feel like we’ve been working the case forever and don’t have nearly enough leads.” Amaryllis set aside her fork, nibbling her lower lip. Aiden squeezed her thigh again. She was kicking herself for not running out, identifying her criminal immediately and hauling him in, tied up in a neat little package, within five minutes of being in Wyoming.

  “It’s a big crime. A lot going on. There’s no way to solve it quickly. But we need to follow the leads we have from Wes and Judd. There’s also that slaughterhouse video tape.”

  “What was on it?” Judd asked.

  Wes’s gaze was steady on Amaryllis, and Aiden caught his stare with cocked brow of challenge.

  “Oh hell, here we go again.” Judd sat back in his seat.

  Everyone at the table tensed. Amaryllis looked between them. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” he and Wes said at the same time.

  Judd chuckled. “These two have tastes that run the same in women. Back when we were eighteen—”

  “Enough, Judd,” their momma said with a flush of horror crawling over her face.

  Aiden felt the metal of the fork in his hand flex he was gripping it so hard. He shook his head. “We’re talking the job here and you bring that shit up, Judd?”

  “I didn’t bring it up. Just made an observation is all. Now about that surveillance tape.”

  Amaryllis was confused but she sure wouldn’t be for long. A woman like her would have questions, demand answers. By the end of the evening, Aiden would have aired all his dirty laundry and given details about the time he and Wes had shared a young woman.

  Aiden wasn’t sure how he felt about telling the tale, especially when he didn’t know how she’d react. He didn’t want her to think he was willing to share her with anybody.

  “Amaryllis, do you want to tell them about the video?” he asked quietly.

  She nodded. “They caught a man driving up in a gray pickup with a trailer on. He spoke with someone in the slaughterhouse, who led him insid
e. Money changed hands, they shook on trust, the cows were unloaded and ten minutes later they were on the processing line. Aiden and I believe a few were from the group stolen from Owens.”

  Judd scratched his jaw. “Now that sounds interesting, doesn’t it? When were those cows stolen?”

  “Beginning of the week.”

  “So this rustler’s got a place to hold several cows while he sells them off in different places. Who was the guy? Did you get a look at his face? A name?”

  “Got the face first. The name later.”

  “Explain,” Wes said, his attention more on the talk than on Amaryllis, which made Aiden breathe easier.

  “Amaryllis had the idea to call around to stores that sell pricey items, like electronics or off-road vehicles. She asked if anybody had made any big purchases lately that seemed unusual or stuck out in the owners’ minds. Then she got a description.”

  “And it matches the guy in the video.” Judd crossed his arms over his chest, his meal forgotten as often happened when they talked cases. Even as a kid, he couldn’t think and eat at the same time.

  Amaryllis and Aiden nodded.

  “Is there a name connected to the face?” Wes asked.

  “The guy paid in cash. But a man thought he recognized him. Right now, Latchaw has Hoyt on it, running records and investigating whereabouts.”

  “Who is it?” Judd asked.

  “The guy came from Kansas a few months back, took a room at the B&B for a while before moving in with one of the waitresses down at Delaney’s.” Amaryllis looked between the people at the table, who waited for the name. “It’s Owens’ own nephew, Billy.”

  * * * * *

  Amaryllis had been caught up in coming to Eagle Crest and meeting the Roshannons, but now that she was talking cases again, she was eager to get back on the road. She didn’t like leaving things in the hands of other people, no matter how capable they were.

  Aiden watched her pace the room they’d been given to share. Night had fallen, drawn around the ranch like a private velvet curtain closing them off from the world. He’d taken off his hat but hadn’t moved to remove his boots yet. He just sat on the edge of the bed watching her like a big cat watched an antelope.