Texas Reckless

by Gerry Bartlett

  “I wish.” She really did. Too bad she was practical and had responsibilities. But, oh, did Rhett Hall make her heart sing. He kissed a lingering path down her neck to her breast, taking a moment at her nipple. “I do need to eat, Rhett. Things to do today besides you.”

  “I appreciate that.” He sat back, never losing his grip on his fork and the sausage link poised on the end of it. “I also appreciate the fact that I was first on your agenda.”

  “I know how to prioritize.” Sierra dropped a kiss on his bare shoulder. She’d never been playful before with any man. This felt right. No, perfect.

  Except bad thoughts kept niggling at her. Sally Ann calling out of the blue like that. Why? Had Rachel asked her daughter to step in? Of course the housekeeper was worried about her. With Sierra’s mother moving on to a new life, Rachel clearly thought of herself as Sierra’s mother figure. Rachel knew everyone in town too. So she’d probably heard all of the threats as well and no doubt had been asked to pass them on to her boss. She hadn’t said a word, loyal and not about to upset Sierra.

  But what about Sally Ann? Had they ever been friends? The sad truth was that Sierra had few real friends here. She was working all the time, seeing to her horses, her cattle and trying to make ends meet. She had good friends in Houston and in the horse rescue group. She’d thought there were some friends in town, but they had been quick to turn on her with this Oxcart venture in the picture. Ellie and Marty had lunched with her occasionally. Even her hairdresser had been friendly. Not friendly enough, apparently.

  Her family filled her life when she needed someone. Or they had until her mother and brother Mason had both married and found their own best friends in their mates. Dylan would probably be next to fall in love, and then where would she be? Isolated here. If the town turned on her, she could find herself in real trouble, alone and hated by everyone who had thought to get rich courtesy of Oxcart.

  Rhett stirred next to her. It was way too soon to think he could be the one in her life if she found herself shunned. For now, though, it was good to have someone by her side. She ate slowly, barely tasting the food as she thought about what she needed to do.

  Should she consider selling part of her land?

  Not yet. Not until she heard from Dylan. Oxcart wasn’t doing any of them any favors and obviously couldn’t be trusted. Then there was still the problem of the barn fire. Who had set it? That was a desperate measure that surely none of the people she knew would try. But maybe she didn’t know anyone as well as she thought she did.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Darrel woke up suddenly. His leg! Where the hell was that nurse? He punched the call button and waited. Then he realized what had really made him wake up. Not the sharp pain in his leg, that was bad enough. No, it was the squeal of that special ringtone on his phone. He’d given it to the number of that burner phone. No name, but the caller was always the same voice. It hurt him to reach for it, but at least someone had set it on the nightstand.

  “Yeah?”

  “I heard you had an accident.”

  “Busted my leg.” He could tell this wasn’t a sympathy call.

  “Didn’t I tell you to wait for instructions?” Oh, yeah, “mad as hell” was putting it mildly. “What were you thinking? Oh wait. I told you not to think at all. Remember that?”

  “Listen here. I had it all worked out. My headlights were in her eyes. How was I to know she’d bring that new boyfriend of hers with her? It should have worked. If she’d fallen into that hole, it would have scared the shit out of her. Put her out for a good while too if her leg had been broken. That family of hers would have made her sell the ranch. Then your troubles would be over.” Darrel was getting mad himself. Goddamn it, he’d put his life on the line. And now he was laid up and in pain. Not a bit of appreciation.

  “Just how dumb are you?” The voice wasn’t really asking. “Who the hell else could have dug that hole? Oh, yes. I’ve heard all about what went down out there. In case you haven’t noticed, I have people everywhere. What was your half-assed plan to explain that away? And don’t give me that bullshit about a utility pole. No one believes that.” There was a long string of curses that Darrel would have admired if he wasn’t starting to sweat.

  “I figured everyone would be too upset, excited, you know, to think too much about it. Sierra would be taken off to Austin or Houston to fix her leg and that would give me time to fix the hole. She ordered me to bury them dead cattle. I could claim I tried to put them there but the ground was too hard.”

  “I don’t know a single rancher who wouldn’t have gone by and checked their property after ordering something buried. I’m sure Sierra knew exactly where you put her dead cattle. Didn’t she?”

  “Maybe, I don’t know. What do you want me to do about it now?” Darrel couldn’t catch his breath, sweat was running down his armpits and he figured that heart monitor thing had let off a shrill sound that made a nurse appear in the doorway. She frowned when she saw him on the phone.

  “I want you to disappear, you fucking moron. If the sheriff comes by your room, you sure as hell better not be there. Your story doesn’t hold water. Can’t you see that?”

  “I, uh, got to go. The nurse is here.”

  “Don’t you hang up on me. Understand this. Don’t talk to the sheriff. You get out of that hospital one way or another. Because if I catch you there, you’ll be leaving in a body bag.” The line went dead.

  Darrel threw the phone on the bed. God. That was a death threat. Yeah, he knew he’d messed up, but not so bad that he was in line to be snuffed out.

  “Mr. Lockhart, your blood pressure is up and your heart rate is fast.” The nurse shook her head. “It’s not a good idea to make phone calls. You need to relax and concentrate on healing. You’re due for more pain medication in a few minutes. How do you feel now? From one to ten, ten being the worst.”

  “I hurt like hell. Eleven.” He gripped the phone when she tried to take it away. “One more phone call. Then I’ll set it back on the nightstand. I promise. I’m sure that pain pill or whatever will put me right to sleep, won’t it?”

  “Yes, it will. Make it brief, Mr. Lockhart.” She smiled and started to leave the room.

  “Wait! Where are my clothes?”

  “They were ruined and the emergency room staff threw them away. Apparently when you broke your leg, you fell in the mud. Then they had to cut off your jeans. But your wallet and money are in the bedside table there. Your boots must still be in Muellerville where you were taken first.” She held the door. “You’ll need to get someone to bring you some things before you check out. But you’ll be here a few days. There’s plenty of time for that.” She let the door close as she left.

  Darrel frowned. At least he had his friends on speed dial. Because he sure as hell couldn’t have remembered a phone number right now. Shit. How was he going to get out of here with this leg in a cast and stoned on painkillers? He sure wasn’t going to turn those down.

  He looked down the short list. Okay, who owed him a favor?

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I’m glad the heifer and her calf looked good.” Rhett pulled Sierra down onto the couch.

  “So am I. That means I don’t have to call the vet.” She smiled. “Thanks for going with me.”

  “I promised your brother I wouldn’t let you out of my sight.” It hadn’t been a hardship. Except Rhett was certainly beginning to appreciate all the work Sierra had to do on a cattle ranch. How in the hell had she managed with the horses here too?

  “At least the arson investigator was satisfied with taking our depositions over the phone. Much better than in an office somewhere.” Sierra had her leg on the coffee table again. “Rachel left me a voicemail. Our dinner’s in the oven. She had to leave to pick up Billy at school for Sally Ann.” She turned to Rhett. “So we’re alone.”

  “Really.” Rhett knew an invitation wh
en he heard it. He leaned in for a kiss. They were getting somewhere when the house phone rang. Of course. Either Sierra’s cell or that damned thing had been blowing up all day. He pulled back. “Ignore it.”

  “Can’t. It might finally be Dylan.” She was still smiling, though, clearly as reluctant as he was to call a halt to making out on her couch.

  “Let me grab it and look at the caller ID first. May I?” He was pushed to his feet as her answer. The answering machine kicked in, and they could hear the message as he crossed the room. It was Dylan.

  “Sierra? If you’re there, pick up the damned phone!”

  Rhett grabbed it. “We’re here. Just a minute, MacKenzie. Sierra’s on the couch, resting her leg. We’ve been all over the pastures this afternoon getting the cattle settled to her satisfaction. Can you wait a minute?”

  “Yeah, sure. I couldn’t reach her on her cell so I was getting worried.” Dylan still sounded impatient.

  “Let me check her cell.” Rhett saw it on the bar. “Looks like she’s out of juice. I’ll plug it in to charge while you talk to her. Here she is.” He handed the cordless to Sierra then found the charging station next to the coffeemaker. He peeked into the oven and saw baked chicken and dressing with some vegetables that were probably fresh from Rachel’s garden. His stomach growled as he headed for the hidden bar and selected a bottle of rosé from the cooler.

  “You’re kidding!” Her exclamation stopped him as he was pouring two glasses.

  Maybe he’d better sit down and listen in. She was sitting up straight.

  “You did all that today?” Her hand shook as she held it out for her glass. “Send me an email with the details. Do you have a list of names of the local investors?” She glanced at Rhett. “I’ll take what you’ve got. I’m beginning to realize that all of these local people are going to suffer because of me, Dylan. Can we do something about that?” She sank against the sofa cushions.

  Rhett put his arm around her. She’d asked a good question, one he’d been pondering himself. Those bastards in Dallas had put her in an impossible position. The little town of Muellerville was full of struggling entrepreneurs who had been given a glimpse of a financial future beyond their wildest dreams. Oxcart had cleverly dangled that future in front of them—a vision of hundreds of well-heeled seniors shopping in the town, using the local restaurants and stores on a daily basis, and bringing in their extended families for visits. Naturally the locals would resent anyone who stood in the way of making that brilliant dream come true.

  The fact that Sierra hadn’t jumped at the generous offer to buy her land had been a reminder that she wasn’t like the rest of them. She could afford to thumb her nose at this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not only had she been a rich girl, summering here so she could ride her horses in the local rodeo, but she had oil wells pumping liquid gold on her property. A quick internet search had shown Rhett that there were very few other properties with productive wells in the area. He didn’t know why. It was something Dylan could probably explain to him. He noticed Sierra had hung up and dropped the phone next to her.

  “You okay?” He kissed her cool cheek. “Talk to me.”

  “Dylan’s investigator found some people he could talk to in Dallas. He even got copies of the contracts Oxcart used with the landholders here. Brubaker wasn’t lying. There’s a contingency clause in those contracts. If I don’t sell the company access to the highway, Oxcart can pull out of the deal and all the landowners will keep is the five hundred dollars of earnest money the company put down when they negotiated the price. Can you believe it?” Sierra reached across him for her wine. “That’s so unfair, Rhett.”

  “Sounds like it. I’m not into real estate so I have no idea if that’s the normal way to do business.” He held her for a moment, savoring her soft body and sweet smell. He appreciated the fact that she cared so much for how the other ranchers were being treated. It was added pressure to sell out, but she shouldn’t have been put in this position in the first place.

  “Why can’t they get to the development another way?” He had looked at a map and there were other roads, other routes.

  “Every other ranch they’ve bought has limited access.” She frowned. “I remember Dad bragged that he owned the only ranch that bordered on a state-maintained highway. Trust me, the dinky roads into the places Oxcart bought first will look as bad as my driveway as soon as they start construction and use heavy equipment. Then the county and city will fight over who has to pave them. Delays like that cost money. You ended up at my gate because you took a turn out of Austin, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, it was pretty direct.” He realized she was right. It wasn’t a wide highway and not busy, but it was in excellent shape. “I see your point.”

  “Exactly. The highways from Houston and San Antonio connect not far from here. Like my brother said. The location is perfect. Daddy had friends all over Texas who would come enjoy our barbeques because of that.” She sipped her wine. “Just my luck that an outfit like Oxcart took a notion to build in the vicinity.”

  “Right idea, wrong company.” Rhett could see Sierra didn’t want to hear that.

  “Dylan says Brubaker is dodging his phone calls so he’ll ambush him at Oxcart headquarters tomorrow. Or try to.” She sighed. “I’m sick of this whole thing. What happened to my nice dream of rescuing and taking care of horses?”

  “I don’t know. What I do know is that you need another ranch hand if you’re going to keep dealing with the cattle. Where are the two guys who were here working with the kids the day I arrived? I think their names were José and Pete, something like that.”

  “José and Brian. They actually volunteer their time once a month to help with the children who come for therapy. Great guys, but they have other jobs.” She rubbed Rhett’s leg.

  A habit? As if it was her own leg that ached? Rhett didn’t care why, he just knew he liked that she felt comfortable touching him. Earlier, they’d gone to separate bathrooms to shower. He’d had other ideas, but one look at Sierra’s slumping shoulders as she’d limped into the house had told him she was too tired for the kind of shower shenanigans he had in mind. He hoped the wine would relax her and that lingering over dinner would give her time to get a second wind. Because later, he planned to sleep with her again. If she felt like it, he’d like to show her how much he admired the way she was handling things. And how sexy he found her toughness.

  “You still plan to sell the cattle then?” He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. Not a move, just affection.

  “I’ll call the guy tomorrow who can handle the sale for me.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “Did I tell you how much I appreciated your support today? I would have hated to do any of this alone.”

  “Glad to be available.” He rubbed the calluses on her hand. She had so much strength in every way. “It’s time for you to tell me about your accident. All the details you can remember that will help me investigate it.” Her grip on his hand tightened. “I know it’s been a long time, Sierra, but see what you can recall. I need the names of people who were there at the time. Dates. Any little thing that might pop up as you think back to the day it happened. Before the race, then immediately after it.” He let go and got up to get his laptop. “I’ll be taking notes.”

  “I appreciate this. You sure you have time? I haven’t seen you work on your book yet.” She walked to the bar, glancing back to see if he needed a refill. He’d barely touched his wine so she just filled her glass.

  “My deadline is months away. I turned in a book before I came to Texas. My editor will probably send me some notes, but I’ll deal with those when they come. Right now I have time to give to you.” He sat at her father’s desk, opened the laptop and started hitting keys.

  It gave Sierra a little chill to see him sitting at that desk, looking serious. Not that Daddy had done much work while they’d been at the ranch. No, what gave h
er a shivery feeling of dread was the idea of going through that awful day again. How many times had she relived it? Wondered if she’d missed something because of the haze of pain after the accident? Had she repressed the key to what had gone wrong? She took a quick drink then set the wine aside. That wouldn’t help her think. Her leg ached. Good. It was a reminder of why this was so important.

  “It was a big day for me. I got up really early to check on Destiny. My parents and I had spent the night at a hotel close to the arena. Destiny had a stall in the arena itself. I was in the stall at dawn, going over my horse to make her pretty because I was too wired to sleep. I’d taken my own car. Mama and Daddy knew I’d be like that and always came over a little later. I’d been racing all summer and it had become my routine.” She paused behind Rhett to look over his shoulder. She gave him the date, the name of the arena, even the name of the hotel where they had been staying.

  “Do you need to know what kind of car I was driving?” She rubbed his shoulders. Oh, she did love his shoulders, so broad, strong and solid. She was learning she could lean on them too.

  “Not really, but who did know? Any of your competitors? They’d see your car at the arena and know when you were there and when you weren’t.” He was a fast typist. Of course, he was a writer.

  “Sally Ann for sure. She hated the fact that Daddy had bought me a nice car for my junior year in high school. Nice, fast and red. Each of my brothers had gotten one at the same age and I nagged him to death until he caved. I don’t know about Boston, but in Texas, we get a driver’s license at sixteen if our parents can afford the insurance. Rachel claimed she couldn’t unless Sally Ann got a summer job. They had big arguments about it. Sally Ann wanted to concentrate on her riding but finally took a part-time job at the Trading Post. She still didn’t get a car, though. Rachel stalled her. We pay our housekeeper well, but they had Sally Ann’s horse to board and racing expenses. You get the picture.”