Cowgirl Heart (The Dalton Boys Book 12)

by Em Petrova

  “Give me a list of the things you need me to cover at Cohen Mortgages and you can concentrate on this.” She bounced lightly in the saddle as they rode through the pastures and checked fence, cattle and food and water supplies.

  “Get Davis on a conference call with me once we get back to the ranch. I don’t care what time it is.”

  “Done,” she said.

  “The Francis acquisition can wait. Put it on hold if you can. No, on second thought, get my legal team to finish the deal and my accountant to disperse the funds to buy them out.”

  “Got it.”

  His jaw firmed, and he turned his head to look at her. “And give yourself a raise, Kizzy. You earn much more than I pay you.”

  “I can’t do that, Knox.”

  “Yes, you can. You’re due for a salary bump anyway—it’s just a bit early because you’re such an overachiever.” The ghost of a grin flickered across his rugged features, drawing on the warm pool of desire deep inside her.

  She nodded. “Okay, give myself a raise. What else?”

  He stared at her for a long minute. Their horses paced their strides, bringing them neck and neck. When he glanced ahead again, she saw his Adam’s apple bob.

  “If you hadn’t found what you did, the ranch would be lost, Kizzy.”

  She had a feeling that the ranch wouldn’t have been the only loss. Whether Knox admitted it or not, he was part of the Amazing Grace and he filled out those Wranglers just as well as the pricey business suits he donned in the corporate world.

  But he couldn’t do both forever, and he had to drive John Cohen off the ranch at once. Funny how he hadn’t even mentioned his uncle since they saddled up. She knew better than to believe his relative had slipped his mind, though—Knox was just biding his time. Back-building like a storm before it really let loose and plowed down a trailer park.

  She shrugged off his praise of her discovering the treachery. “I didn’t do anything special. I’m just observant, and my sisters would be proud to know my people-watching skills I was scolded for all my life were put to good use.”

  He turned those warm hazel eyes on her. “That asshole Rock actually was smiling while John and I argued?”

  She nodded. “I don’t think the guy can control himself very well. Overall, it doesn’t seem like your uncle chooses very good company—his so-called friends were more than happy to discuss the deals that should have been secret.”

  “I can’t believe I fell for his line of shit either. Trying to persuade me to stay on the ranch and meanwhile, he’s trying to sell it out from under me to a friggin’ casino.”

  “If you don’t mind me saying, you’re at your most vulnerable, after your father’s passing.”

  “Doesn’t mean I’m an idiot or that I feel sappy enough about family to put up with his lies and bullshit.”

  “What will you do?” She almost didn’t want to know. She’d seen Knox angry only a handful of times, and one of them had been the other night at the bar when he’d confronted Corbin about… well, she didn’t exactly understand the problem that lay between them, but it was sure to rise to the surface as well.

  Knox was very capable of handling men, and she could hardly wait to see what he did with his uncle. A cruel and underhanded move like John was trying to make deserved some major punishment, and she only hoped she got to see it go down.

  “I’ll corner John, but after we drive out to the far boundary lines and have a good look at the rest of the cattle. Or maybe you’re tired and would like to stay behind.”

  She shook her head. “I’m good. Don’t treat me like a wilting flower.”

  That did rouse a grin from him. “Never. I rely on your strength more than you can imagine, baby girl.”

  She forgot she was riding a horse and almost slid sideways in the saddle as shock poured over her head like icy river water. Did he mean to call her baby girl? Was it some kind of leftover emotion from what they’d shared in the study?

  Cheeks burning, she couldn’t look at him for a few hundred yards. When she stole a glance at his profile, he seemed to be lost in thought, unaware of the endearment.

  She couldn’t forget, though. All the way back to the barn, she circled back to the warm, gritty way the words ‘baby girl’ had fallen from his lips—and how much she wanted to kiss him.

  To swallow his groan of pleasure.

  Quickly, she dismounted at the gate of the paddock and rushed through caring for the horse before setting it loose to graze. Knox was efficient and slung a saddle over his shoulder and carried it to the barn to put away. Seconds later, he came out and fetched her saddle and disappeared again.

  Standing inside the paddock, she tried to collect her senses, but the horses weren’t giving her the calm she’d hoped for.

  It was impossible not to think of Knox differently now—as more than her boss. She heard Jessamine’s words once more—you would never have a casual fling with a man you didn’t care for at least a little bit.

  Watching his carved body appear in the yard, she felt a warm sliver jab at her heart.

  Yeah, she was falling for him. Maybe she’d already fallen. But she was smart enough to keep her thoughts to herself and retain a professional distance—at least most of the time.

  He glanced up and caught her stare. An electric jolt carried between them, through the humid Texas air to zap her heart, and a puff of a gasp left her lips.

  His stride faltered, and then he came on faster, walking right toward her. When he reached the fence between them, he braced a hand on it and vaulted over the top as if it was two inches tall and he didn’t just heave his big body over it.

  Her jaw dropped.

  With his gaze burning a hole through her, he caught her face in his palms and kissed her.

  The liquid heat she’d been feeling most of the afternoon puddled in her core, and she parted her lips for the invasion of his tongue. He rumbled as he plunged inside her mouth, tasting her and delivering long strokes that had memories of his mouth between her thighs dancing through her mind.

  Just as quickly as he’d scooped her up, he released her. She had to brace herself to keep from collapsing, confusion flooding her mind.

  “I’m not sorry about that, Kizzy. And I’m not sorry about making love to you in the study either.”

  “What am I supposed to do with that information?” Her voice was a weak counterpart of its regular tone.

  His grin hit full force. “Put it in one of your spreadsheets.” He reached for the gate and held it open for her to pass through before him, and then securely latched it behind him. “Meet me in five at the truck so we can check the rest of the herd. There’s a lot of territory to cover, and we need to get done before dark.”

  She was still puffing from the excitement of his kiss, but she managed a nod that didn’t resemble a boy-crazed teenager’s. At least she hoped it didn’t.

  Knox tossed her another crooked grin and headed toward the house, leaving her standing in the yard dazed and more than a little in love with the man.

  * * * * *

  It was almost full dark when Knox slammed on the brakes in front of the barn, jerked the truck into park and then jumped out. Fury possessed his every step as he cut across the yard to the bunkhouse.

  When he threw open the door, it hit the inner wall, and all six ranch hands who resided here looked up with surprise on their faces. After seeing who it was, a couple of them stood out of pure respect. Corbin wasn’t one of them.

  Knox zeroed in on the man who’d been his enemy ever since that day Samantha had been killed on the way home from the dance—after he and Corbin had realized both of them had been making a play for her and she’d fled the school gym in tears. Neither had ever set eyes on her again, and Knox blamed Corbin for her shattered state of mind, while Corbin blamed him.

  Shoving his way past the table and chairs set up in the middle of the room, Knox reached Corbin, who was slumped in an armchair watching the game on TV. “You knew it, and you didn’t
say a damn word.” He swept a glare to the others. “You all knew it.”

  One of the older hands pushed to his feet. “Calm down now, Cohen. Knew what?”

  “That the herd in the clover pasture is riddled with scabies.” He and Kizzy had discovered the horrible health of a hundred fifty head of cattle, and he’d nearly gagged with the horror. Their hides were ravaged by the mites that were the equivalent of bedbugs in a house, and the condition hadn’t just started a day or two before. It took weeks to get a herd to this point.

  Corbin’s brows crinkled together. “Scabies? We dipped them weeks ago.”

  “All of them? Every damn head on the ranch?”

  Corbin threw a look at some of the others. “I wasn’t in on some of it, but yeah. We got the solution in and dipped them all, at least that was the directive.”

  “Get the foreman. I want to have a word with him.” He directed one of the younger hands to locate the man.

  Corbin ran his fingers through his messy hair, and Knox was reminded of the moment they’d all heard what had happened to Samantha the morning after the car accident had taken her life. At the time, he had hated Corbin more than ever for his part in it—but the years had shown Knox that he was equally responsible for her being upset. They might not have argued with Samantha, but they’d gotten into a fistfight over her out back of the school, and she’d run to her car and they’d never set eyes on her again.

  When his father had told Knox he’d hired Corbin on at the ranch, it was even better that Knox was far away in Houston running his own life, because he couldn’t deal with seeing the man on a daily.

  “Who was in charge of ordering the treatment of the mites?” he demanded. “My father?”

  “John,” Corbin said quietly.

  “Son of a bitch.” Worse than he feared, then. Knox had suspected the man might try to sabotage something on the ranch, but he’d left the herd sick and untreated in the field. And another pasture was overcrowded, with too little grass for grazing and too little water, resulting in skinny cattle that would mean far less dollars on the hoof at market.

  His uncle trying to sell the Amazing Grace was one thing, but mistreating animals was quite another, and Knox was seeing red.

  The foreman entered the bunkhouse, and Knox fired questions at him for ten solid minutes. What he discovered was John had told the foreman he was taking a few of the hands to do the dipping, but once the ranch hands shook their heads that they hadn’t gone, he realized John had played them all.

  “And the pasture to the northwest?” Knox braced his legs wide as he glared each man down. “Who was the last to check that herd?”

  The foreman spoke up. “John said he checked it daily.”

  “Alone?”

  “He told me he took Corbin and some others last time.”

  Corbin’s brows shot up. “I haven’t been out there for a bit. I was told Ricky and Wade were taking care of it.”

  Both of the ranch hands shook their heads.

  “Well, John’s played all of us with his lies, and that ain’t any of your faults. Except yours.” He pointed to the foreman. “Your job is to oversee this outfit, and you trusted a man’s word instead of looking into the operations yourself. So as of this moment, you’ve resigned your position on the Amazing Grace. Pack your things and head out tonight.”

  The foreman dropped his head, and Knox turned from him before he softened. This wasn’t personal, and the business of a cattle herd was the most important thing on this ranch. The man had gotten lazy and failed to do his job, and now he was leaving.

  Knox jabbed a finger at one of the older hands. “You’re takin’ his place, but only till I can get someone more seasoned in here to fill his boots. Got it?”

  The man nodded.

  Business concluded here, Knox spun and strode back out, crossing the yard quickly to the house.

  “Knox!”

  He stopped and glanced back to see Corbin jogging to catch up to him.

  “I’ll check if there’s solution left from the dipping. There shouldn’t be, and if there is, we know it was never done.”

  “Do that.”

  “It coulda been mixed too weak too, and it didn’t do the job.”

  Knox met his gaze. “Might have been, but damn unlikely, knowing what I do now about my uncle. You check on those things, all right?”

  “Will do.”

  Knox continued to the house. As soon as he entered, Kizzy was standing there, looking pale. He didn’t like how the color had drained from her face the minute she set eyes on that herd. Hell, he had felt his own blood turn to ice at the fact these animals that belonged to him were being neglected.

  “Can I do anything, Knox?” Her quiet voice wove through him.

  He gave a shake of his head. “Gonna go to the cabin where John’s been squatting and talk to him. Then we’ll figure out what to do with the herd.”

  “May I make a suggestion?” Her words came reluctant and soft, as if she thought her recommendation might not be accepted by him.

  “Of course. I always welcome what you have to say.”

  “The herd could use the vet. Administering shots to each will be a lot more costly than dipping them in the solution, but we need to take quick action.”

  He stared at her in awe. “Woman, is there anything you don’t know about? I’m so damn lucky to have you in my corner.”

  Then it hit him hard.

  He wanted her fighting in his corner for the rest of his life, and not as his personal assistant. He wanted more from her, and it involved the exchanging of vows on a cool Texas day.

  His chest swelled with emotions. No, not any old emotion—love.

  He was in love with Kezziah Dalton, and there was no going back now. Besides, when his mind was made up, it couldn’t be undone. As soon as he took care of this mess with the ranch, he planned to spend all night showing this amazing, beautiful woman that his life wasn’t worth anything without her by his side.

  But first, he had to deal with his uncle.

  Chapter Eight

  Knox remembered very well when this small cabin had been built on the land. He’d been twelve, and his father had granted him his first paying job, helping the builders. So each nail, every shingle on the place, Knox had had his fingers on. He’d worked so hard that he’d fallen into bed every night exhausted but eager to work the next day.

  Maybe that was the beginning of his drive to strike out on his own. Without his father overseeing him, Knox had become his own man, and that summer had been a turning point in his life.

  This was another.

  He pounded on the front door of the one-bedroom structure meant to house a man who would oversee this more remote portion of the Amazing Grace. From day one, his uncle had taken up residence here.

  It was time for him to vacate.

  After he beat on the door till it rattled in its frame, he tried the knob. It was unlocked.

  Without waiting for admittance, he took it for himself and stormed inside.

  John kept the place relatively neat, he’d give him that, but nothing more.

  He cocked his head and detected the low drone of the shower. Seconds later, it switched off and John emerged in only a towel.

  Catching sight of Knox standing in his home had him doing a double-take. He gripped the towel and sent Knox a glare, which he quickly transformed to his pleasant look of greeting.

  “What brings ya all the way out here tonight, son?”

  He bristled at being called his son but said nothing. “Oh just thought I’d check in on things. I’ve spent all day inspecting the ranch. Lifting rugs, you might say,” he drawled.

  John’s expression blanked, and he said, “Can I at least get dressed?”

  “Yeah, do that.” I don’t want to have to strangle a man who isn’t wearing pants.

  He drew a calming breath and gathered his anger close. For the sake of his father, he would suggest John run off into the night and never return. If he refused, then the
best thing to do would be to get the sheriff on the case. Charging his uncle with fraudulent intent and animal abuse and neglect would be preferable to Knox beating him to a pulp.

  All this passed through his brain in what felt like a blink. John stepped out into the front room of the cabin.

  “What’s up, boy? Trouble on the ranch?”

  “Yeah, plenty of it too.” When he stared at his uncle, he didn’t see even a trace of his father in the man. Though they were brothers, the two were night and day—his father would never stand for this behavior and would have let his fists do the talkin’.

  Knox could control himself, though.

  He drew up to his full height. “I know everything, John.”

  His uncle’s expression didn’t change.

  “I know your plans to sell the ranch in parcels to your friends and then buy them back so you can give the entirety to the casino. What kind of deal are they cutting you in on? Profit holdings as well as top dollar for the property?”

  His face paled slightly under the year-round tan he wore from being outdoors.

  Knox stepped closer, closing the gap between them. “Of course, the cattle aren’t going to fetch much of a price, not when they’re sick.”

  “Sick? When did that happen?” His false surprise didn’t faze Knox.

  “I don’t know, John. You tell me when you decided to skip dipping the herd in the clover pasture.”

  He narrowed his eyes.

  Knox continued, “That’s right. We checked the stores of the dipping agent, and there’s far too much still there. You didn’t bother dipping them, and now they’re so covered in scabies that it’s going to cost thousands for us to get them healthy. Not to mention,” he moved in till their chests were an inch away, “the overcrowding of the herd in the northwest. That pasture’s dry, and every blade of grass is bitten down to the nub. You’re letting them starve out there with neglect, and why? Are you trying to fetch less at market, so it looks as if the Amazing Grace is a losing operation?”

  The entire filthy mess burned his tongue as he spoke the words. What he couldn’t do was kill the man responsible. But he was damn well going to ruin him so he never worked on another ranch.