by D. F. Jones
“And thanks to your brave ranch-hand here,” Frank gestured toward where Cat and Levi still sat on the grass, “Jasper is safe, too.”
“I’m not a bloody ranch-hand,” Cat muttered under her breath, surprising Levi with her vehemence. But before he could formulate any sort of reply, she was levering herself off the ground and dusting down her filthy jeans and T-shirt. But no amount of brushing was going to get rid of the black soot covering her from head to toe. He got to his feet as well.
“Things got a bit hairy here for a while,” Frank continued. “We thought Cat wasn’t going to make it out with our Jasper. But then this wonderful young ranger showed up out of the blue and ran in to help her.”
“Levi Wilson,” he said. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
The man seemed to have recovered his composure and he proffered his hand. “I heard we had a new ranger in town. I’m Dean Williams, the owner of Stargazer Ranch. Thanks so much for your help.”
“I didn’t need rescuing. I was fine,” Cat said, a dark frown marring her beautiful face. She was so determined she didn’t need his help that Levi almost laughed.
Dean flashed an exasperated glance in Cat’s direction and Levi got the impression he’d heard it all before. Then Dean’s glance zeroed in on something behind Cat, and Levi turned around. A horse and rider were coming at full gallop up the gravel road, from the same direction Dean had come only minutes before. At the last moment, the speeding horse propped to a stop, gravel flying up from his hooves as the rider jumped off.
“Holy shit.” He took his Stetson off to get a better look at the remains of the burning cabin. “I got here as soon as I saw the smoke.” He sounded winded from his mad dash up the hill on the horse. “Is everyone okay?”
“Yep, everyone’s out safely, Clayton,” Dean said. “Frank and Pamela are fine. As is Jasper.” The owner indicated the dog, who was licking the elderly lady’s face. “I’d better phone Naomi and let her know what’s happening.” Dean was already pulling his cell out of his pocket as he moved away to make the call.
The small group stared at the building, mesmerized by the flames.
“I can’t believe it. This is the third one in two weeks,” Clayton muttered, almost as if he were talking to himself.
Levi’s head snapped around at the cowboy’s words. What did he mean by that? As he was about to open his mouth to ask, they all turned their heads in unison at the approaching siren.
“Fat lot of good they’re going to do,” Clayton muttered loudly. “The cabin is a pile of ashes already.”
Cat gave another snort—Levi was coming to understand it was her trademark snort of derision—and turned on her booted heel to go and direct the two firetrucks bouncing their way up the rutted gravel track.
Levi followed her, and asked, “What did the cowboy mean, that this is the third one?”
She cast a wary glance over her shoulder, and he thought she might not answer. Then with a delicate lift of one shoulder, she said, “I guess you’ll hear it through the town grapevine soon enough. There’s been a spate of fires on the ranch lately. The first one started in the tractor shed. Dean thought a spark from a hot motor might’ve lit up an oil spill, or something like that.”
The red and yellow firetrucks were getting closer, so he didn’t have much time to hear the rest of the story. “And,” he prompted.
“About ten days after that, the barn where we keep the milking cows and a few goats caught fire. But Moonbeam made such a ruckus, mooing and bellowing, one of the ranch hands heard her and was able to put it out before it did any damage.”
“Did Dean report it to the police?” Levi asked, his mind whirling with all kinds of alternatives.
“At first we were all putting it down to coincidence. But now…”
“It seems like way more than just a coincidence,” Levi countered.
Cat didn’t answer. Instead she waved the firetruck over to a flat spot on the grass and watched as four firemen jumped out and began rolling out a long hose.
Chapter 3
CAT
* * *
Cat pushed back from the table and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Twelve other staff were gathered in the large, farm-style kitchen. Some of them sitting, the others standing, the sound of everyone talking became almost deafening. The guests had been fed and most of them had returned to their cabins or their rooms at the lodge. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Levi also put his cutlery on his plate and lean back in his chair next to her.
Dean had invited the ranger back to the homestead for a late meal with the rest of the staff after the last of the flames had been extinguished to discuss the recent turn of events. She wasn’t sure she wanted Levi there. This was Stargazer Ranch business; they didn’t need some upstart new ranger poking his nose in where it wasn’t wanted.
As the conversation carried on around the table, Cat took a surreptitious glance in Levi’s direction. Shoulder-length, dark hair was pulled back and tied at the nape of his neck. Equally dark eyebrows lowered in a frown, his high forehead wrinkled in concentration. A hint of stubble hovered around full lips and across a strong square jaw. The khaki ranger-issue shirt—scorched black in places—sat snug across broad shoulders as he sat with one arm slung over the back of his chair. His dark looks hinted at his Native American heritage.
Emily, her roommate and fellow ranch-hand, would’ve called him hot. Drop-dead gorgeous, with a sexy-as-hell smile. She would’ve been swooning all over him. But Emily was away visiting family this week which left Cat contemplating the man sitting beside her with equal doses of wariness and mistrust. Because he was gorgeous. And there was some kind of strange attraction thing going on, even though her head was trying hard to override her treacherous body’s reaction every time he turned those earth-colored eyes her way.
She wasn’t looking for a relationship. She was here to work, to earn enough money so she could move on. That was it. That was how she lived her life. Just the road and her motorcycle, moving from one place to the next. And she definitely didn’t do gorgeous men. They only broke your heart, and he looked like a definite heart-breaker.
“You need to tell the police, Dean. This is getting beyond a coincidence,” his wife, Naomi said loudly, so she could be heard over the staff talking. Naomi sat at the head of the table, next to her husband. Long auburn hair hung to the middle of her back. She was a petite woman, only just hitting five feet, but Cat had learned never to underestimate her. She was strong and determined, and her large personality more than made up for her small stature. The ranch had been built as much because of Naomi’s determination as it had from Dean’s dreams.
Everyone quieted down to hear what Dean had to say.
“I agree with you,” he said into the hushed silence. “Things could’ve ended badly tonight. We can’t take the risk of this happening again.”
He took a deep breath and held up his hand as Clayton said, “Hear, hear, it’s about time.”
Clayton hushed and Dean continued. “Something else has come to light that adds an even more sinister edge to the whole thing.” Dean glanced down at his diminutive wife. “I wasn’t going to tell you this, but Naomi says you all have a right to know. Your lives may be in danger.”
Cat sat forward and leaned her elbows on the table. She noticed Levi do the same thing, his arm almost brushing hers as he did so. His proximity set her skin to tingling and even as she fixed her eyes on Dean, she couldn’t shift her awareness away from Levi’s presence.
The room became hushed as everyone waited to hear what he had to say. “I had an anonymous email come through on my phone when I got back to the homestead tonight.” You could hear a pin drop as Cat almost dared not breathe. “I’m not going to go into the details, as most of it was a heap of personal slurs against my name. Someone obviously has a grudge against me, but I’m at a loss as to who or why.” Naomi laid a hand on her husband’s arm, and Cat felt a lump rise in her throat. That small gesture said so much mor
e than words ever could—Dean and Naomi were a caring and compassionate couple. They were so perfect together, it almost made Cat want the same thing. Someday. Not today. She wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment yet.
“The important part of the message is we needed to take care, or people were going to die. Whoever sent the email didn’t give any reason as to why they’re targeting me—us. But I’m definitely taking them seriously.”
Quiet murmurs of shocked surprise started up around Cat. Levi grunted beside her. Why would anyone want to harm Dean? Or his ranch? It was a happy place, where people could come and find time to reconnect with nature. Enjoy the Big Sky country and all the mountains had to offer.
“If any of you feel unsafe, or want to leave for any reason, Naomi and I completely understand,” Dean continued.
“We’re not that easily scared,” a voice from the back of the room said over the quiet. “I, for one, am sticking around.” Cat glanced back and saw it was Big Tom who spoke. He towered over everyone else in the room. But he was such a gentle giant. In the eleven months Cat had worked on the ranch, Big Tom had become one of her favorites. Softly spoken, and always compassionate with the animals, she nonetheless respected his often steely sense of purpose and his enduring work ethic. Cat was glad for Tom’s words, because she’d been about to say the exact same thing.
“Thanks, Tom.” Dean nodded his head in the big man’s direction. “But from now on, I want you working in pairs. No one is to be left on their own. Got that?” There were nods of agreement and murmurs of “yes, boss” from around the table.
“We don’t care if things take longer to get done, we’d much rather know you’re safe,” Naomi said into the growing cacophony of voices.
The staff milled around the table for another ten minutes, all talking amongst themselves. Cat tried to smother her third yawn of the evening, but without success. It was time to hit her bed. She had an early start in the morning, and even all this excitement wasn’t enough to keep her awake much longer. Besides, she needed a shower to wash off the stink of smoke and soot. A few other staff began drifting out the door, all headed back to their own staff quarters for much the same reason.
Slipping out the kitchen door, she walked down the dim corridor and into the cool of the night. The starry sky blossomed above her and she had to stop and tilt her head back to stare up in wonder. This view would never get old. She pitied the people who lived in the city their whole lives and never got to see such an amazing sight.
A deep voice called out to her through the dark, startling her. She turned around and saw Levi silhouetted in the light from the back door. Shit, was he following her?
“You shouldn’t be out here on your own. You heard what Dean said.”
Who the hell did he think he was? Just because he thought he’d rescued her from the burning cabin—which he hadn’t, she was fine—he thought he could order her around, too?
“I’m going to bed,” she said, turning around and striding off into the dark, hoping he’d go back inside. But he didn’t take the hint, and she heard his footsteps gaining on her in the dark.
“I’ll walk with you,” he said, now level with her shoulder. “Make sure you get there safe. Where are the staff quarters, by the way?”
She shrugged. She couldn’t stop him, it was a free country after all. But she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of an answer. Cat shared a small cabin with Emily, nestled into a copse of fir trees half-way up the hill. Most of the ranch hands stayed in the large staff quarters next to the main house, but it was full to overflowing—Dean had promised to build an addition soon. So some, like her, were stationed in one of the many small cabins and studios dotted around the property.
She also wasn’t going to tell him Emily was away at the moment. Which meant she’d be sleeping on her own tonight.
Chapter 4
LEVI
* * *
The light from the main house faded and dark enveloped them, the only sound the crunch of their boots on gravel.
“How can you see where you’re going?” Levi asked.
Cat was striding off into the night, without a care for her own safety. Exactly like she’d done when she raced into that burning building to save a damn dog. She was exasperating. Infuriating.
And she didn’t answer him, so he kept pace with her up the small hill, holding his tongue.
“Here it is,” she said, stopping abruptly after a few more minutes of silent walking.
It took a second for him to make out the tiny cabin nestled into the side of the grassy knoll. A slight breeze whistled through the branches of the pine trees surrounding the isolated little hut.
“Where are all the other staff?” he asked.
She gave a deep sigh. “They’re back at the main staff quarters.”
“You mean you sleep alone up here?” He couldn’t keep the incredulity out of his voice. What had Dean said only fifteen minutes ago? That no one should be alone on the ranch from now on. And what was Cat doing? Exactly that.
“No.” He heard the hesitation in her voice. “Well, not usually.”
He waited. It was like pulling teeth; Cat was so annoying.
After another loud sigh, she said, “Emily normally shares with me. But she’s not here at the moment.”
“So, you are sleeping up here on your own?”
“Yep.” From the light of the stars, he saw her take a step back and put her hands on her hips.
“Does Dean know?” he demanded.
“Yes, he knows.” Again, the slight hesitation gave her away.
Levi guessed that while Dean probably knew one of his staff members was away, it’d probably slipped his mind that Cat was left on her own, what with everything else going on. And of course, Cat wouldn’t remind him. Because she was a stubborn, independent…
“I’m going to tell him. I’m sure he’ll send someone else up here to stay with you,” he said.
Levi had already turned on his heel, when her voice stopped him in his tracks. “Please don’t. He has enough to worry about as it is. I’ll be fine.” She came around to stand in front of him, laying a hand on his upper body in an effort to stop him. The warmth of her palm melted through his shirt, branding his chest with her touch. He wanted to recoil from her hand. And he also wanted her to leave it there, always.
The shock left him paralyzed for many seconds until he eventually found his voice. “Okay. But I’m walking you to your door, and I’m going to check out your cabin before I leave.” He wasn’t taking no for an answer this time, and she seemed to understand that, because she lowered her hand and led him towards the front steps without another word.
She flicked on a light and watched him with those crystal blue eyes as he searched the small cabin—bedroom, bathroom, and then kitchen-dining area. There was no one lurking in the shadows. It was all clear, but he wasn’t finished yet.
“Have you got a flashlight I can borrow?”
Cat narrowed her eyes at him, then stalked over to one of her kitchen drawers, pulling out a tiny flashlight.
“I’ll be right back,” he said. He wasn’t leaving until he’d done a perimeter search as well. To make sure nothing was out of the ordinary out there, either.
Five minutes later, Levi came back to the front steps to find Cat sitting on the bottom one, silhouetted in the porch light, a beer in one hand, glaring out into the darkness.
“Find anything?” she asked with a lift of her eyebrow.
“Nope,” he admitted. But that was a good thing. He still loathed to leave her alone up here, and so he found himself saying, “Have you got another one of those?” He nodded toward the beer.
After a moment, she said, “Sure.” Handing him her own beer, she went back inside. Levi sat on the step and waited. She emerged a few seconds later with a second one. “Cheers,” she said, settling down on the wood next to him. “To the stars,” she added, clinking her bottle against his and then tipping it toward the sky.
Th
e step wasn’t very wide, and they were forced to sit close together. Levi was acutely aware of every movement she made. Every minuscule flex of her long legs as she stretched them out in front of her. Her sleeveless forearms, fit and tanned as she held the bottle, the many tattoos swirling across her skin. Then she tipped her head back to take another swig of beer, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her long, elegant neck exposed to the starlight. He found himself wanting to taste that smooth skin, run his tongue gently down the side, from her ear to the dip of her collarbone. The glint of metal in the porch light reminded him of her eyebrow piercing. Not many girls he knew could carry that kind of thing off, but on Cat it made her all the more captivating.
To distract himself, he took a long swallow of the cold liquid.
“So,” she said, turning her gaze toward him. “I suppose seeing as how we’re sitting here sharing a beer, you better tell me something about yourself. You from around here?”
“Yeah, I guess you could say that. I was raised in St Ignacius, over in the Flathead Reservation.”
“Oh.” Her mouth formed a bow of surprise. “I’d love to visit there one day,” she replied. “I’ve been lots of places, but never to an Indian Reservation.” She turned curious eyes on him. “Tell me about it.”
And he found himself doing just that. About his life in the small town, about how beautiful the country was there, how his family managed to exist on very little, how he grew up like one of the wild things that lived in the surrounding forests and how he finally won a scholarship to study at Montana State University.
He talked and Cat listened.
At one stage, she brought them out another beer, and she didn’t appear to be in any hurry to be rid of him. In fact, her prickly personality seemed to have disappeared, showing a warmer, more inquisitive side as she asked questions and prompted him to tell her more. He found himself opening up, telling her things he hadn’t told another soul, about his ambitions to help protect this wonderful but fragile environment they lived in.