by Lexi Post
Vince turned and fell into step with his friend. He wasn’t tired either. In fact, his mind was buzzing with possibilities.
“So what do you want me to work on tomorrow? I have a couple people I need to visit, but I’m free mostly.”
“I want to find out who took that bull.”
Hunter pointed to him. “You and me both.”
“As soon as money comes into Rachel’s account, if it comes in, I’ll trace the source and call you to do what you do best.”
Hunter opened the screen door, but waited on the main door. “And that is?”
“Sneak up on someone.”
Hunter’s smile in the moonlight promised retribution. Vince was damn glad he had the man working with him and not against him.
~~~~~
Rachel stood in front of Foxglove’s stall and stared. Her horse was gone. Taking her phone from her pocket, she called Sam. “Good morning, did you or one of the men saddle up Foxglove?”
“No, Miss Rachel. I thought you went for an early morning ride. He wasn’t there when Jack went to feed him. Did he get out?”
She looked around the stall, but everything was locked up tight. A sinking feeling hit the bottom of her stomach and she walked out of the barn. “No, he didn’t get out. He was taken.”
“What? I’ll be right there.” Sam hung up the phone.
It was one thing to take her money and her prize bull, but to take her horse was inexcusable. If they thought insurance money would pacify her, they were dead wrong.
She carefully walked around the entrance to the barn, but her men had already been in and out a number of times. So she strode down to the yard, looking for any unfamiliar tire tracks.
She could see where Vince’s truck had been last night. Hunter’s rental was still there, but there were just too many tracks. She took her phone out and dialed Vince, surprised he wasn’t already at the ranch. She hoped that meant he was closing in on where her missing money had gone.
It was Wednesday and Crystal would be paying those bills on Friday.
“Rachel, what is it?”
“Why do you think something’s wrong?”
He paused. “Call it a gut feeling.”
She could hear highway traffic in the background. “They took my horse.” As she said the words, her slim hold on her emotions slipped and her throat closed.
“Foxglove is gone?”
She nodded with her phone, her tears starting for real now. “Uh-huh.”
“Hell! I’m on my way. Don’t touch anything and do what you can to keep the area clear.”
“It’s too late.” Her voice shook, her frustration and heartache poured into every word.
“Rae, I promise. We’ll find him. Wake up Hunter. He’ll know what to do until I can get there.”
She sniffed and nodded.
“Rae? Can you do that for me?”
“Yes.” She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “Get here fast.”
“On my way.” Vince hung up, and she sniffed again.
If whoever had taken Foxglove hurt one hair on his body, she would shoot them. She strode back to the house, her little baby fit over. Letting the front door slam, she yelled upstairs for Hunter. “Get down here! Please!”
Stomping into the kitchen, she cut into the coffee cake she’d made earlier. Wrapping a large hunk in a paper towel, she stalked to the bottom of the stairs. She didn’t care if Hunter was used to the night shift. She needed his help.
Hunter came down fast, somehow missing all the creaking boards on the stairs. She shoved the coffee cake at him. “Here. You have to do your detective thing.”
He caught the coffee cake against his chest. “What happened?”
She balled her hands and ground out the words between gritted teeth. “They took my horse.”
“Aw, fuck.”
“Exactly. Vince is on his way, but he said you knew what to do to keep people from messing with the evidence.” She turned away from him and strode toward the living room. “But all my hands have already messed things up.”
She stopped in front of the gun case and pulled out her rifle. Grabbing bullets, she loaded it. When she turned around, she found Hunter watching her. “What are you waiting for? Go do your thing.”
He raised one eyebrow, but didn’t move. “Rache, what are you going to do with that?”
She glared at him. “I’m going to shoot someone. What else? I’m going to carry this with me until we find my horse and if my horse is fine, I may not kill the bastard. But if Foxglove has been harmed in any way, I’m going to make my own justice.”
Hunter looked at her a moment longer before he turned around and headed outside.
She watched him through the window as he strode into the barn. Good. Now where was Vince? Why wasn’t he here like he’d been every morning? Maybe this was a sign that she couldn’t depend on him.
She stalked outside and met Sam as he rode in, keeping him far from the barn. He tied his mount to the front porch and dismounted. “I got here at six this morning and he wasn’t in his stall.” He eyed the gun in her hands.
“Good, tell that to Vince and Hunter when Vince gets here. They will want to narrow down the timeframe.”
“Uh, why are you carrying your rifle?”
She pinned him with her angry gaze. “Because I’m gonna shoot the son of a bitch who took my horse.”
Sam took his bandana from his pocket and wiped his brow. “Do you know who that is?”
She looked away. “Not yet, but I will. Even if I have to look in every damn barn in Texas.” A dust cloud in the distance announced a vehicle speeding down the dirt road toward the driveway. She ignored her foreman and strode toward it. There was no way she’d let anyone disturb the scene further. Even now Hunter was using twine to rope off the area.
The truck came to a halt just outside the fence that proclaimed it Sunnyview Ranch. As the dust cleared, Vince stepped from the truck. He started toward her, his stride confident as he stayed to the side of any tracks or footsteps.
Now that the vehicle was stopped, she could see he’d driven off road. Shit. Her anger started to drift away and her heart lurched, causing her tears to start all over again.
He reached her and enveloped her in his arms. He spoke against her hair. “I’ll find him. Don’t worry.”
She held on until she got control of herself. She pulled her head back and looked at him. “I’m not worried.” She raised the rifle in her right hand. “I’m pissed.”
He grinned. “Good because so am I.”
She stepped away from him, determined to stand on her own. “Do you have any ideas?”
He nodded, but his grin disappeared. “I found the person who took Matterhorn.”
“Is my bull all right?”
“I think so. The person who stole Matterhorn sold him. I need Hunter to track down the buyer while I keep after the thief.”
“Then go. What are you doing here?” She pushed him away.
He looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “I thought you wanted me to find Foxglove.”
She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. “Aren’t they the same person?”
He tilted his cowboy hat up and put it back down. “I’m counting on it. But I need to take a look at the tire treads.”
She shooed him away with her free hand. “Then do it. I want my horse back unharmed.”
Hunter approached. “Rache is right. With Sam and the men coming in to work this morning, the yard is pretty messed up. I’ll bet they planned on that.”
Vince watched the foreman mounting up by the house. “What time did Sam come in?”
“Six.”
“Six.” Rachel answered the same time as Hunter.
He liked that about her. She was sharp, knowing what would be important, like preserving the scene. It wasn’t even light out yet at six, which meant the thieves purposefully came in the dark.
Hunter continued. “When you left it was after midnight. I didn’t go to sleep until abo
ut four.”
Rachel punched Hunter in the arm. “Why didn’t you hear them?”
Vince had a feeling the only reason Hunter didn’t turn her over his knee right then and there was because they were very old friends. Instead, he just looked at her.
She colored nicely at her faux pas. “Shit, I’m sorry. I just want my horse back.”
Hunter nodded. “We got that. I didn’t hear them because I was asleep. The same reason you didn’t hear them.”
Vince looked down the road. “That meant whoever took him rode him out of here to a waiting trailer between four and six this morning. A truck would have been heard.” It also meant that the person who planned the theft knew Hunter was here and when he slept. Either that or they were just damn lucky.
She looked at the twine spread over the yard. “So Hunter didn’t have to do that?” She pointed with her left hand, the right one holding the rifle across her body.
Vince started toward the area. “Actually, if my theory is right, we should find horse tracks heading off the property and down the road. Your men may have rolled over some in their trucks, but my guess is they mount up by the barn and head out in the opposite direction from the driveway.”
For the first time that morning, her fear for Foxglove abated. Vince made a lot of sense. She followed the men toward the corded off area and watched as they combed it for clues.
“Here.” Vince stopped and pointed, then continued toward the driveway and out the fence, watching the ground. They walked a good half mile before he halted. “This is where they loaded him up.”
She looked at the dirt. The tire tracks of her men were obvious, but there were light indentations here and there. He’d figured that out from those?
Hunter finally spoke. “Look at this tire track.”
She and Vince moved to the side of the road where Hunter pointed at one of many.
“That’s the same track that was in the west pasture.” He looked at Vince.
“That’s all I needed to know.” He took a few photos then smiled smugly.
She looked at both men. “You know who took Foxglove?”
He nodded. “I do. The man’s a thug. He’s working for someone else. It’s time for me to pay him a visit.”
Hunter put his hand on Vince’s shoulder. “You want back-up?”
“No, not yet.” He came over to her. “I’ll be back this afternoon. Any chance you have any of those monster cookies left?”
Cookies? The man was worried about cookies? “You bring me back Foxglove and I’ll bake you two dozen cookies.”
He tipped his hat to her. “That’s all the incentive I need.”
She winked at him. “That’s all?”
Despite Hunter standing right there, he pulled her against him as his mouth came down on hers.
This wasn’t a gentle kiss either. It was a hot, passionate, triumphant kiss that had her feeling lightheaded when he pulled away. Vince had definitely changed over the years. She liked it.
He nodded once to Hunter and strode toward his truck.
“You going to keep him this time?” Hunter’s voice startled her.
As usual, she was totally engrossed in Vince. She turned to look at her old friend and smiled. “Yeah, I think I just might.”
He didn’t say anything, just turned then walked with her back to the ranch.
She was happy with the silence, her mind too preoccupied with how to make the evening a rewarding one for herself and Vince…assuming he found her horse.
Chapter Seven
Vince parked around the corner of the apartment building in an older section of Austin. It wasn’t seedy like where he’d expect to find the usual lowlife, but it was definitely less traveled.
Visions of children picking through the garbage in the alleyway behind restaurants threatened to take him off track. This was for Rachel. He had to refocus.
The buyer of the bull had been more than happy to take his money back in exchange for the bull when he discovered the Sheriff at his door. Vince liked to stay friendly with law enforcement because there’d been many times they’d done him a favor.
He locked his truck and walked behind the building. Now, he just needed to find Foxglove and return him as well. Looking around, he found exactly what he’d come for. He smirked. It wasn’t hard to determine which truck had had a bull in the back.
He walked to the white pick-up and looked inside the bed. Good work, Matterhorn. The inside was completely busted up and the tailgate was held on with rope. A large tow hitch stuck out from below the bumper for pulling trailers. Pretty much every pick-up worth its salt in Texas had one.
He crouched down next to the driver side rear tire and scratched at the dirt in the tire’s tread. Interesting how even after a half-hour drive, there could still be rocks and dirt in there. He pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled to the picture he’d taken of the cast Hunter had made.
It was a perfect match, even down to the wear on the outside. This man really should have his truck aligned more often. Vince took a picture of the tire then slipped his phone back into his pocket. This was the truck that hauled off the bull and Foxglove.
He leaned against the bed of the truck and folded his arms. Now to wait. He didn’t mind. He was a patient man.
His gut tightened as he remembered Rachel’s face when he first jumped out of his truck. She loved that horse, and he’d be damned if he didn’t get it back for her.
About twenty minutes into his wait, a young man drove in and parked near the door to the building. He looked back at Vince and nodded then hurried inside.
Shouldn’t be too long now.
Seven minutes later, the apartment building door opened and a middle aged man in jeans and a gray checked shirt stepped out. His hair was limp and past his ears. He had stubble on his chin and a mustache.
“Hey, cowboy. What ‘er you doin’ leaning against my truck?”
“Waiting for you.”
The man strode closer and squinted up at him. Near sighted? “Why?”
“I’m looking to buy a Quarter horse. A blue roan that could produce some smart looking foals.”
The man spat. “I don’t know who told you I could help you, but I’m not in the horse selling business.”
Vince could smell alcohol on the man’s breath. This early in the day was a good sign he dealt with a drunk and a drunk could be easy to intimidate…sometimes. He moved a step closer to the man, emphasizing his height. “That’s not what I hear. Let’s talk price.”
The man shook his head. “I tell you, I don’t have no horse to sell.” He spread his arms wide. “Does this look like stables to you?”
He took the final step that put him within arms-length and grabbed the man by his shirt. “I’m not playing around. I want that horse. Now tell me who I talk to to get it.”
The older man’s eyes had widened, but then they turned shifty. “Sure, I’ll put you in touch with her.”
“You work for a woman?” Hell, it was the last thing he wanted to hear.
He shrugged. “It keeps the boss happy, so I do it. Besides, it pays well.” The man motioned with his head toward the building, indicating the nice digs he scored with his better pay.
Vince loosened his hold on him. “So where can I find the woman who’ll sell me the horse?”
“I’ll call her. Set up a meeting.”
“You do that.” Vince let the man go so he could make the call on his cell.
When the man was done, he hung up. “She said to meet her at the Seventh Street Cafe near Springer Street at noon.”
“Good and if this is a setup, I’m coming back here and breaking both your legs.”
The man shook his head. “No set-up. Just be sure she knows Jack gets the referral fee.”
“Right. I’ll do that, but one thing before I go. Who’s this boss you’re trying to keep happy?”
Jack’s smile disappeared fast and he looked around, his gaze darting across the area. “He’s just the boss. N
o name. Now, I gotta go.”
Old Jack was scared shitless. Good. That meant if Vince had to come back here, it wouldn’t take long to get the info he wanted. “You go. I got a date with a horse.”
Jack moved away, mumbling beneath his breath about pushy cowboys. Vince let him go. He didn’t plan to get involved with the filth in the city again. He’d asked out of habit. Now he had to find out who the woman was.
He already knew, but this would be the final evidence he needed. He walked back to his truck and started it up. The cafe wasn’t too far from where he was and he had an hour, which meant it was a good opportunity to scout places nearby that might hide a horse.
By eleven thirty he gave up on finding the horse and waited across the street from the Seventh Street Cafe, his truck parked two blocks away. He didn’t need it to be recognized.
He wandered around the shop he was in, pretending to look at the knick-knacks and craft supplies, while keeping his eye on the cafe. Having spent all the time he could there, he walked out and into the alcove of the doorway next door. He pulled his phone out and pretended to be on a call.
When noon hit, relief settled in since he didn’t recognize any of the women who entered the coffee shop across the street. He was about to put his phone away when a taxi pulled up to the cafe and let out a passenger. She stepped out in an aqua blue dress and matching purse and heels. She rushed into the place as if she were late.
Vince lowered his phone. Crystal.
Not taking any chances, he stepped into the store he’d been standing near and pretended to look at the bronze statues by the window. Crystal came out and looked down the street and then up and finally across. He stayed behind the angry bear near the door so she wouldn’t spot him.
Finally, she got on her phone and made a call. She stepped to the curb and hailed another cab, still on the phone. The fact she hadn’t come out of the cafe with a cup of coffee or a scone or something, made it clear she’d been expecting to meet the buyer of Foxglove.