Austin: Second Chance Cowboy

by Shelley Galloway

  It was obvious his dad knew he was talking about more than calling the Harts. He blinked and swallowed. Turned away as if he was doing his best to gather his composure. “Austin, are you sure? Because I have to tell you, I’m not real eager to get put in Dinah Hart’s jail cell.”

  At that, Austin grinned. “Dad, for the record, I can honestly say that it ain’t too bad in there. And the dinner they provided was pretty good. I’ve had worse.”

  His dad stilled, then looked at him slowly. “You’re not kidding, are you?”

  “I don’t kid about jail cells, Dad. But…I’ve got a feeling that everything’s going to be all right.” He pulled out his cell phone. “Do you want to make the call or shall I?”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  She should have known the whole family would go into an uproar. And boy, howdy, had they ever!

  From the moment she called the house and spoke to her mom, Ace and Colt had gotten on the line. Then, next thing she knew, Duke had had Beau and Uncle Joshua adding their two cents.

  And, typical for their clan, everyone had a very good idea about what to do with Midnight…and Buddy Wright.

  All her life she’d let her older brothers manage the ranch business. Birth order didn’t lie, no matter how tough of a sheriff she was. At home, she suddenly became Ace and Colt’s little sister.

  But this time she had to show her authority. So, while everyone was arguing and fixing to race out to the Wrights’ ranch with a horse trailer, she raised her voice and fought hard to restore order. “Hold on, now. All of you.”

  Amazingly, all conversation halted. Next to her, Duke winked.

  “What’s wrong, Dinah?” Ace asked.

  “These plans of yours. I am not about to let y’all go gallivanting down to the Wrights’ right this minute.”

  “He has our horse,” Colt said. As though there was nothing else that needed to be said.

  Summoning her patience, she said, “Yes, Mr. Wright does. But I spoke with him and Austin at length, and I don’t think his reasons for holding on to Midnight are cause for us coming down hard on Buddy.”

  After exchanging a not-so-subtle look with her brothers, her mother stepped into the fray. “Dinah, I know you have a soft heart, especially toward Austin. But we’ve been worried sick about Midnight. We deserve to see him right now.”

  “Duke,” she mumbled under her breath. “Want to help me out here?”

  “I think it would be best if Ace and Colt came out to the ranch and met us there,” Duke said soothingly. “Y’all can visit with Buddy and Midnight, then we’ll plan on transporting him back to the ranch tomorrow.”

  “Why not tonight?”

  “Because it’s going on ten at night,” Dinah said. “I know no one wants to get that horse settled in the middle of the night, and all our commotion isn’t going to help Cheyenne’s girls.”

  “What are you going to do about Buddy?”

  “Duke and I are going to talk to him some more.”

  “And Austin?” Colt said. “What did Mom mean that you’ve got a soft spot for Austin Wright?”

  Oh, brother! “That is none of your business.”

  “You’re my little sister.”

  It was time to take control. “Colt, I stopped being a little sister a while ago. I mean, really. Now, Duke and I are heading to the Wrights’. If you and Ace want to meet us, I suppose you can. But no one’s taking that horse anywhere tonight.”

  “Dinah—”

  “Take it or leave it. If you want the offer, then I suggest y’all get a move on. Goodbye.”

  She clicked off with a resounding punch, then set her cell phone on her desk while she grabbed her uniform jacket. “Can you even believe our family?”

  Duke clasped her on the shoulder as he went to grab his own jacket. “Of course. If they acted any other way, I wouldn’t recognize them.”

  As always, Dinah knew she’d chosen her deputy very wisely. Nobody could put things into perspective like Duke Adams.

  “Let’s roll,” she murmured as they got into the cruiser. She just hoped and prayed nobody would put anyone into a headlock during the next few hours.

  * * *

  WHEN SHE GOT TO THE WRIGHT ranch, Dinah noticed Austin’s expression before either of them said a word to each other. Suspicion and animosity showed bright in his eyes. And, she couldn’t help but notice…a measure of protectiveness?

  Just when it had seemed he was never going to forgive his father…he was currently standing in front of Buddy like a Doberman on patrol.

  “You had to go get reinforcements?” he said sarcastically.

  When grumbling from Ace and Colt erupted behind them, Duke did an about-face and sent her two brothers a meaningful look.

  She paused, wondering if she was going to have to get in their faces, too. Midnight was their horse, but she was in charge at the moment. They needed to accept that her rules needed to guide them, not their own agendas.

  When she heard no more complaining from the peanut gallery, she stepped forward and kept her voice easy and relaxed. “Not reinforcements. They are only here because they’re interested in Midnight. They only want to see how he’s feeling.”

  “Sure about that?”

  “Positive.” Deliberately moving around Austin, she looked at Mr. Wright, who was standing quietly. Not really cowed, but respectful. Actually, he was the best-behaved person there.

  But what she noticed even more was his clear vision and alert manner. This was a whole different Buddy Wright than she remembered. “Hey, Mr. Wright.”

  He nodded solemnly. “Sheriff.”

  “You’ve been calling me Dinah all my life. You don’t need to stop now.”

  He straightened his shoulders. “I think it might be best if we keep things on the straight and narrow right now. I can’t be letting no girl I call Dinah escort me to jail.”

  Beside her Duke chuckled. “Before we cuff you and haul you in, why don’t we take a few steps back? How about you first tell us how Midnight came to be eating oats in your barn.”

  Buddy looked warily at his son. “I thought Austin told you everything.”

  “I did, Dad.”

  Duke continued. “Austin did talk to us. But I’d rather hear the whole story from you.” Motioning to Ace and Colt, who looked as if they were staying in the background only by sheer will, he added, “And while we talk, would you mind if my cousins went and took a peek at Midnight?”

  “I don’t mind at all.” He swallowed. “That’s a real fine horse you got there, Ace.”

  Ace nodded. “Thank you, Buddy.” Ace started forward, then stopped. “Dinah?”

  She looked at Austin, who had visibly relaxed as if he started to realize that she wasn’t about to start throwing her weight around. “Would you mind taking Colt and Ace on back? That way your dad and Duke and I can have some privacy.”

  “You okay with that, Dad?”

  “It’s a little late to start looking out for me, son,” Buddy replied with a shadow of a smile. “Go on, now. Show those boys Midnight.”

  Austin didn’t look happy, but he nodded. “Ace, Colt? The horse is back here.”

  After they walked in the barn, Buddy crossed his arms. “If I told you both that I didn’t steal that horse, is there any chance y’all would listen?”

  Duke laughed. “I’ve seen that horse in action, Mr. Wright. He’s a fine animal. He’s a heck of a bucking horse, too—a real champion. But h
e’s definitely got a mind of his own. We’ve learned the hard way about trying to make Midnight do something he doesn’t want.”

  Slowly, Buddy’s lips curved into an appreciative smile. “I have a feeling you don’t try the same thing twice. That horse is smart as a whip and twice as wily.”

  “You got that right,” Duke said with a grin. Then his expression turned more serious. “Dinah, you ready?”

  “Yep.” Dinah felt a fresh batch of nervous anticipation. In a lot of ways, she felt as though her whole future was on the line. She didn’t want to alienate Austin, or her family, or her reputation in the area. She was going to need to tread carefully and take careful notes.

  But it was also time to begin. “So, when did you first see Midnight, Mr. Wright?”

  “I’m not sure exactly, but it was near sunset, and I was just fixing to go sit in the barn and read—long story there—when I spied him limping along the back fence.”

  “Limping?”

  Buddy rubbed his cheeks. “Maybe ‘limping’ ain’t the best way to describe it. It was more like he wasn’t wanting to do much. Kind of at a standstill. He was cut up something awful.”

  As he continued to tell his story, Dinah took copious notes. As she did, she began to get a real sense of Midnight’s injuries…and how much Buddy Wright really had cared for the horse.

  Her gut was telling her that he wasn’t twisting the truth at all. It didn’t stand to reason that he would, anyway. After all, what was he going to do with Midnight? Attempt to hide him from all of the Harts—and everyone else in Roundup who’d known he was missing—for the rest of the horse’s life?

  “Hey, Dinah?” Ace called out. “When y’all get a minute, come in here, would you?”

  After another few minutes of questioning, she looked Duke’s way. He nodded, letting her know without words that he was thinking the same thing she was—that there was no need to cart Buddy Wright anywhere.

  When she closed her notebook, they all took a deep breath. “Well, let’s go see what my brother wants, Mr. Wright.”

  When they walked into the dimly lit barn, Dinah’s stomach seemed to grow even more knots. What did Ace want to show her?

  And what was he going to expect her to do about it?

  She didn’t want to side with Buddy Wright in front of her brothers, but she didn’t want to ignore Ace’s concerns, either.

  Feeling more than a little bit of trepidation, she led the way into the barn, Duke and Buddy Wright following her silently.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  All of Austin’s senses went on alert when Dinah, Duke and his dad entered the building. So far, neither Ace nor Colt had said anything derogatory about his father. But they could be waiting until they were all together to do that.

  And the thing of it was, Austin knew he couldn’t have really blamed the Harts. If the situation had been reversed, he’d be out for blood. On the other hand, Austin was feeling protective instincts he didn’t even know he possessed rise up.

  After far too long, he’d finally patched things up with his father. He didn’t want the truce to last all of two hours.

  When Dinah, Duke and his dad stopped in front of the stall, Midnight fussed a bit and twitched his tail. Almost as if he was showing off for company.

  Then Ace waved a hand. “Look at this horse, Dinah.”

  She approached the stall, keeping a careful distance between her and Midnight. “What’s up?”

  “Look at his pastern. This horse must have been bleeding like a stuck pig.”

  “And?”

  “And he’s obviously been well treated and cared for.” From his crouch, Ace looked up at Buddy Wright. “Mr. Wright, I don’t know what issues Dinah might have with you. But as for me, I can assuredly tell you that we’re grateful for your care of Midnight.”

  Colt nodded. “We’re obliged.”

  Unexpectedly, Austin felt a lump grow in his throat at his father’s stunned expression. His father had let so many people down in his life, Austin knew he never expected to be praised.

  Especially not for his care of the missing prized stallion. Both he and his father had expected that he would be spending the night in a jail cell in Roundup.

  “It was nothing,” his father finally mumbled.

  “Okay if we come by tomorrow morning to pick him up?”

  They all turned to Dinah.

  She shrugged. “Of course.”

  Colt nodded. “We’ll see you in the morning, then. Night.” And without another word, Ace and Colt left the barn together, their expressions easy and relaxed, as if they weren’t doing anything more than going home after an eventful evening.

  His dad faced Duke and Dinah. “What happens now?”

  Duke glanced Dinah’s way before replying. “We’re going to need to talk to Sarah and see if she wants to press any charges.”

  Just when Austin opened his mouth to refute that, Duke raised a cautioning hand. “Everything needs to happen in its own time, Austin. Don’t fly off the handle.”

  “Sorry. You’re right.”

  “Mr. Wright, we’ll stop by here tomorrow morning, too. Look for us around ten. Okay?”

  “I’ll be here.”

  “Good. Then we’ll see y’all in the morning. Night.”

  When they started walking away, Austin strode to Dinah’s side. “Can I speak with you for a sec?”

  “Now’s not the right time. I can’t give you any more information.”

  He lowered his voice. “I wanted to talk about us. Not the horse. Not anything else.”

  A new warmth flickered in her eyes. “Why don’t you call me later? I should be home in about an hour. We could talk then.”

  “I’ll do that.” He reached out and squeezed her hand gently before releasing it and letting her get on her way.

  When they were alone again, he turned to his dad, who was staring at Midnight. His father looked weary. “Dad, you okay?”

  “Yeah. Considering that I thought they were going to cuff me and cart me off, I’m doing just fine.” He shifted on his feet. “I think this horse pretty much saved my life.”

  “How so?”

  “He trusted me. It’s been a long time since I’d felt that.” His hands curved around the top railing of Midnight’s stall. “I’m not saying that I haven’t deserved everything that I’ve gotten, but there’s something about this horse that made me see myself just a little bit differently than I have in a very long time.”

  Guilt washed over Austin before he firmly reminded himself that his own feelings hadn’t been without good reasons. He’d been burned time and again by his father’s failings.

  But Austin was stronger now. Wiser, maybe. And he knew that the opportunity to feel worthy was a gift that couldn’t be ignored. “In that case, I do believe I’m going to be indebted to a horse.”

  His father laughed. “Me, too.”

  “I’m going to head on home now.”

  “Anxious to see your girl?”

  “Dinah?”

  “Of course. It’s fairly obvious that there’s only one woman you have eyes for.”

  Now it was Austin’s turn to smile broadly. “I am anxious to see her, but I won’t be seeing her tonight. She’s kind of tied up. I am going to call her, though.”

  “A good woman is worth more than gold, Austin. That’s one cliché that’s absolutely true.”

  “I’ll remember that.” He paused, then stepped forward and held out hi
s hand. “Night, Dad.”

  His father’s large, work-roughened hand squeezed his own. It wasn’t a hug, but it was a first step. “Night, Austin.”

  “You heading back to the house?”

  Taking a seat on that fold-out chair again, his dad shook his head. “No. I’m good here.”

  When Austin turned and took that lonely walk back to his own truck, he realized all of a sudden that he wasn’t all that lonely after all. He had a woman who was expecting him to call…and a father he felt he could finally have a relationship with again. Life had never felt so sweet.

  * * *

  “CRAZY HOW THINGS WORK OUT, don’t you think?” Duke asked as they left the Wrights’ ranch and headed back into town. “All this time, we’ve had both the thefts and Midnight’s disappearance on our minds. Now both cases are solved.”

  “It is amazing. Especially since I can’t claim that our superior detective skills had much to do with solving either mystery.”

  Beside her, Duke puffed up a bit. “Speak for yourself,” he said. “You might not feel like we earned this success, but I sure as hell do. I’ve spent hours on the computer and on the phone attempting to track down the whereabouts of expensive saddles.”

  “And expensive horses.” Feeling buoyant about it all, she said, “I can’t thank you enough for all your help, Duke.”

  “I was only doing my job, same as you. And before you get all mushy, let me just tell you that I think we make a real fine team, just the way we are. For the record, I have no designs on being Roundup’s sheriff.”

  “So you’ve heard about those rumors, too?”

  “Of old men thinking a young woman can’t manage things well? I have. But they’re wrong, Dinah. You’re doing a great job.”

  “Thanks. Hearing you say that? It means the world to me.”

  After a moment, she said, “Duke, tell me the truth. Do you think Ace and Colt really are going to let things slide with Buddy Wright, since they’ve got Midnight back?”