Joe started limping toward the steps, but Alex reached out and grasped his arm. “Uncle Joe, where are you going?”
“After those horse thieves, girl.” He brushed her hand off and turned away.
“No. I won’t have you riding. Doc said your hip won’t hold up. My horse is saddled and I’ll take Frank back with me.”
Justin took off his hat and ran his fingers through his dark blond hair. “You haven’t said whether I have a job, Miss Travers, but you can count me in.” He threw a glance at Martha, who held Toby’s hand. “That is, if Miss Martha will keep an eye on Toby.”
Martha nodded. “I’ll care for him, and my prayers go with you all.”
Alex threw her a grateful glance and turned to Justin. “I appreciate the offer, Mr. Phillips. You do this for me and you’ve got the job.”
He slapped his hat back on his head and met her eyes. “I’ll do it whether I get the job or not, ma’am.” He stalked to his horse, pulled the reins, and swung into the saddle. He turned his attention to the silent child standing by Martha. “You be a good boy, you hear?”
“Yes, Papa.” The little boy leaned his head against Martha’s skirt, and she stooped to place an arm around his shoulders.
Alex strode to the other end of the rail and untied her horse. She pulled a pair of gloves from her saddlebag and slipped them on. Catching movement from the corner of her eye, she jerked her head in time to see Joe sidle up next to Justin’s leg. She barely caught the low rumble of the older man’s voice.
“You watch out for my girl.”
Alex swung into her saddle and pulled her gelding’s head around. “I can take care of myself, Uncle Joe. You’d best tell him to watch out for himself.” She jerked her head toward the two waiting men. “Enough talk. Let’s find my horses.” She touched Banner’s flank with her heel and didn’t have to ask twice. The spirited gelding broke into a trot that quickly changed to a ground-eating canter.
Justin rode his liver-chestnut stallion in silence and watched the slim figure a few yards ahead. He’d made a fool of himself for the third time. After nearly knocking over the woman he now knew as Alexia Travers, he thought he’d done everything possible to make a bad impression. Why hadn’t he kept his shock to himself? Why hadn’t he paid attention when the parson referred to Alexia? He thought back to Ben Travers’s telegram mentioning Alex. All this time he’d assumed Alex to be a son, not the attractive woman riding in front of him like she’d lived most of her life on horseback.
She sat astride her mount wearing trousers, with no skirts to impede her movement, and a hat atop her small, attractive head. Her long, rich brown hair lay in a braid down her back, but a few strands had pulled loose and tossed in the breeze created by the fast-moving horse. She seemed focused on their task, riding with confidence and purpose.
He’d seen something in her face back at the ranch when Frank delivered his news: Vulnerability and a quick flash of uncertainty, both appearing for only a moment and gone so fast he’d almost doubted their appearance. A complex woman for sure—the kind he liked to avoid.
He turned to check on Frank. The wrangler lagged behind on his big chestnut gelding, allowing the horse to recover from his hard run across the valley floor. Or could there be another reason the man didn’t seem to be in a hurry to return? His mind flashed back to Travers’s warning that he keep quiet. Had some of his own wranglers been working against him?
The hill on the far side of the plateau finally came into view. Alex continued the brisk gallop across the grazing land, skillfully skirting the manzanita brush and gopher holes along the way. He’d doubted the wisdom of a woman riding along on a potentially dangerous mission, but she handled a horse as well as any man—better than most, in fact.
Alex slowed her horse and held up a gloved hand. “Frank.” She turned and waited for the wrangler. “Is this where the horses were when you headed into the hills after the stray?”
He drew up beside her and glanced around. “Yes, ma’am.” He pulled his horse to the side and pointed. “And there’s the tracks of the shod horses. I trailed them for about a half mile into the hills then doubled back to the ranch.”
Justin nudged his mount forward and leaned over the side, staring at the prints on the churned-up ground. “Looks like two shod horses loped into this area and swung around the band.”
He kept moving. Alex and Frank followed, but he didn’t look back. The band of horses was easy to trail, but the shod tracks appeared intermittently when a hoof landed on a bare patch of ground or chunks of grass were dislodged. “They’re headed toward the hills, all right, and being careful.” He gestured toward the direction Frank had indicated with a nod. “Want to go after them, Miss Travers?”
She shot him a glance and moved ahead. “That group of geldings was shipping to the army next week, and I can’t afford to lose them.” She touched a spur to the horse’s flank and surged forward. “Let’s go.”
The small group stayed close together for the next half mile, following the tracks as far as Frank had gone. Then they slowed to a trot. Alex scouted ahead, with Frank and Justin fanning to each side. As far as they could tell, no stragglers had dropped out or headed into the narrow canyons branching off to the right.
As the ground became steeper and rockier, the tracks grew less distinct and the riders were forced to slow to a walk. Alex waved an arm and brought the men to a halt. “There’s a shallow valley up over this ridge.” She pointed to the hills above them. “Move slow and keep your ears open.”
Justin loosened his rifle in its scabbard. It went against everything in his nature to allow Alex to take the lead, but seeing her determination, he kept quiet. It certainly wasn’t common for a woman to take charge of a ranch, but it wasn’t totally unheard of, either—especially when a death in the family forced her hand. But a woman leading a hunt for missing horses that could lead to a shoot-out? He shook his head. As much as he wanted a job, this might be more than he cared to tackle.
Of course, working for Travers’s daughter would enable him to settle his debt once and for all. And it seemed that Alex needed all the help she could get. The missing horses might have spooked and the shod-horse tracks been made by the other wranglers, but Justin doubted it. What was it that Travers had written? “Ranch in trouble and life in danger.” Was there more to his death than a heart attack and a fall from his horse? The doctor didn’t seem to think so. But something about the horses’ disappearance didn’t sit right with Justin.
They worked their way around loose boulders and skirted a small section of shale, slowing the ascent. Justin watched the trim figure ahead with grudging admiration. She hadn’t done anything foolish so far, and hopefully there wouldn’t be a problem on the far side of this ridge.
Alex pulled up her horse before she crested the ridge. She stepped off and hunkered down against the ground. Smart. She didn’t plan on sky-lining herself where a potential attacker on the other side could take a shot.
Justin eased himself from the saddle and looked around at Frank, who spat a stream of tobacco against a rock before stepping down, as well. Justin led his horse the last few paces.
Alex looked from one to the other. “Ready?”
Frank let loose another stream of tobacco and nodded. Justin pulled his rifle from his saddle and moved to her side. “Let’s go.”
She glanced at the rifle then turned to her horse and withdrew hers. “Right. Keep a sharp eye out.”
They ground-hitched their horses and moved on silent feet for the last few yards, bending low and keeping their heads down. No one spoke for several minutes as they crested the ridge and surveyed the small valley below. Finally Alex eased back and dropped down on a rock. She glanced from one to the other. “The horses aren’t there.”
Justin set his rifle butt on the ground and nodded. “Want to wait a few minutes and then take a look?”
Frank bit back a curse. “I tell you, the riders moved them horses into this valley. You seen the tracks.”
Alex pulled off her hat and plunked it on the rock nearby. “Well, they’re gone now. There’s no rocks or brush big enough to hide them.”
“So whadda we do now?” Frank let loose with another stream, which hit a small pebble, making it bounce.
She brushed loose hair from her face and shrugged. “We follow their tracks.” She stood and walked to her horse, sliding her rifle back in its sheath.
Justin kept a firm grip on his rifle and strode back to the ridge. Nothing. He narrowed his eyes. No wrangler worth his keep would move a herd from good grazing to rocky terrain. He swung back toward Frank. “You sure you didn’t see anything else?”
Frank pushed to his feet and stuck his face up against Justin’s. “Don’t make no never mind if you’re new, you’d best watch yer mouth.” His eyes narrowed. “In fact, you could’a stole those horses your own self, ’fore you come to the ranch.”
Alex jerked her head at the man. “Enough, Frank. No one is accusing you of anything, but I want to know the same thing. Is there anything else you saw?”
He swung his head from side to side and glared. “No, ma’am. I didn’t see nothin’ more than I said, and I don’t know nothin’ about them missin’ horses.”
“Fine.” Alex swung into her saddle. “Let’s head out. I can’t afford to lose that contract with the cavalry.”
They covered the first half mile toward the ranch in silence with Alex leading the small band of riders and Justin trailing. He squinted against the sun and shaded his eyes toward the horizon. It looked like a rider was darting through the clumps of mesquite and heading their way. The cloud of dust kicked up by his cantering mount increased as the rider drew near. A heavily lathered bay gelding pulled to a stop a few yards in front of Alex and the rider raised his arm. “Alex. I’ve been hoping I’d run into you out here. I stopped at the ranch and Joe sent me out.”
Alex kept a firm grip on her restive horse’s reins, forcing the jigging gelding to a halt. “What’s the trouble, Carter? Looks like you’ve been running your horse pretty hard.”
“Yeah. I was coming from my ranch, cutting through over the hills on the other side of this pasture, and saw some men driving a band of your horses.”
Alex leaned forward, her back stiff and eyes intent on the stranger. “You saw them?”
He took off his hat, wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his sleeve, and then replaced the hat, giving it an extra shove onto his head. “Yeah. I didn’t think anything of it, as I wasn’t close enough to see if they were your men. But it looked suspicious when they spotted me and moved the horses from a trot into a run. They headed down into a gully. I thought about following, but they had a pretty good lead. Figured I’d do more good letting you know.”
Alex pressed her palms against her forehead. “I’m so mad I could… I could…” She dropped her hands, drew a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “Thank you, Carter. Frank brought word earlier.” She nodded toward the silent wrangler sitting nearby. “You must have come along after Frank headed back to the ranch to alert us. We didn’t get there in time, either, but I intend to find out where they went and who took my herd.”
Carter picked up his reins and swung his horse’s head around. “Anything I can do to help, just name it.”
Justin followed Alex and the two men but kept well behind. He needed time and space to think about what just happened and how it all might play into Ben Travers’s telegram. Travers’s warning of trouble reared in his memory again, and Justin’s gut told him this could be just the beginning.
Chapter Thirteen
Alex slapped her gelding on the rump and waited as he trotted out to roll in the pasture. She swung the gate shut and turned to the silent man standing nearby. “I can’t believe we didn’t find those horses.”
“That bank of shale and the heavy brush made tracking difficult. Not much more we could do.”
She shrugged. “I’m sure your son is wondering about you. You’re welcome to walk to the house with me.”
Justin slapped his hat against his leg, making the dust fly, and then settled it back on his head. “Thank you.”
“You’re from Nevada?”
“Yeah.”
She was silent for a moment, wondering what to say next. “Your little boy must look like his mama.”
“Yes. He favored her.”
Alex sighed and headed to the house. Another man of few words. Her father was much the same, and at times it had irritated her. What was so hard about saying more than two or three words in a row?
They’d gone three strides when Davis swung around the end of the barn into sight and then abruptly pulled to a halt. Something flickered across his face, but then it stilled and grew passive. “Miss Alex.” He nodded and tossed a curious glance at Justin.
“Davis, did you happen to move the herd of geldings from their pasture to the small valley over the hill?”
“No, ma’am. I been workin’ on the far side of the ranch. Didn’t go anywhere near the geldings today. Why?” He stuffed his hands into his pockets and leaned a hip against a nearby post.
“They’re gone. We found tracks of two riders, but they disappeared in the rocks. I want you to question the rest of the wranglers and tell me what you find out.”
“Sure thing, ma’am. Happy to help.” He touched his fingers to his hat brim and moved away.
Alex had taken two steps before she realized that Justin wasn’t beside her. She looked over her shoulder. He stood staring at the open barn door where Davis had disappeared. “You coming?”
“Yeah.” He turned and moved forward. “How long has he been with you?”
“Davis? I don’t know. A year or so, I guess. He came some months after Tim arrived, and that was well over two years ago. Why?”
Justin shrugged. “I’m not sure—he looks familiar.”
“Papa!” A small figure flew off the porch and launched himself at the legs of the man striding beside her. “You comed back.”
Justin swung the youngster up and hugged him. “Yes, I came back. I told you I would, didn’t I?”
Toby nodded but pursed his small lips in a frown. “But Mama said she’d come back, too, and she goed to heaven.”
Justin pulled the boy to his chest and buried his face in Toby’s hair. “I know. But Papa will take care of you. I promise.”
Alex’s footsteps faltered. Toby’s plaintive question cut to her heart. She drew a deep breath, suddenly certain of what she needed to do.
She stepped up on the porch and drew the door open, holding it for Justin and Toby. He nodded and took one long stride across the threshold then paused inside the roomy foyer that spanned the front of the house.
Toby wriggled down from his arms and pointed toward the kitchen then tugged at Justin’s hand. “Cookies over there, Papa. Come on.”
Alex bit back a chuckle and smiled. “That’s where we’re headed, young man. To the kitchen.” She beckoned Justin forward and saw him glance around then carefully wipe his boots on the rug inside the door.
Justin grasped Toby’s hand and slowed the boy’s rapid pace. “You’ve had enough cookies for now. We’ll take you back to town and get a proper meal.”
Alex swung around and paused. “Martha cooks enough for a small regiment. Why don’t you plan on staying for supper so we can discuss the terms of your employment?”
His brows rose. “I didn’t tell Miss Alice I wouldn’t be back.”
“She won’t worry. Her boarders come and go and oftentimes skip meals.”
Justin nodded. “Thanks.”
Alex stepped into the large, sunny kitchen and glanced around. “Martha?” She noticed a pot bubbling on the stove, which meant Martha couldn’t be too far away. A wonderful fragrance rose from the pot, making Alex’s stomach rumble in anticipation.
“I’m in the pantry, child.” Martha appeared in the door in the back corner of the kitchen, clutching a large jar of strawberry preserves. “Found it.” She paused, glanced from
Justin to Toby, and then leaned down to the little boy. “Do you like bread with preserves?”
Toby’s blue eyes lit up and a big smile covered his face. “Uh-huh! Toby loves bread ’n’ jam.” He turned to tug on Justin’s sleeve. “Papa want some?”
Martha chuckled and straightened. “Yes, Mr. Phillips, do you? Or should I say, would you care to try my homemade bread, along with roast beef, mashed new potatoes, and a slice of apple pie?”
Justin’s eyebrows rose, and Alex noticed that he didn’t hesitate to respond. “It’s Justin, and yes, ma’am. Much obliged.” He glanced around the room. “Where would you like me to wash up?”
Martha motioned toward the back door. “There’s a pitcher with soap and a towel outside that door. Help yourself and come back hungry.”
A big smile crept onto Justin’s normally serious face, and Alex realized that it was the first time she’d seen the man grin. How amazing, that a smile could transform a face like that. She’d thought him a handsome man before, but after that smile….
Alex shook her head, annoyed at herself for entertaining such thoughts about one of her cowhands. Didn’t she have enough to think about? Besides, the man was grieving his dead wife and had a small son to care for. That was not a triangle she cared to get caught in.
She slipped away to change out of her riding clothes and into a dress. Martha had begged her years ago not to come to the table in her riding gear. Usually it irked Alex to have to change for dinner, but for some reason she couldn’t quite decipher, a dress appealed to her tonight. Besides, the idea of sitting down with Justin while wearing men’s pants caused her a twinge of embarrassment. She didn’t know what he’d thought when he’d arrived and seen her wearing them, but she could only imagine.
She drew a simple, pale blue cotton dress over her head, buttoned the front, and ran a brush through her curls. After another quick glance in the mirror, she slipped back into the kitchen. “Where’s Uncle Joe?”
Love Finds You in Last Chance, California Page 10