by Diana Palmer
Ron’s eyes narrowed. “Can anyone prove that he inflicted those cuts?”
She sighed. “There were no eyewitnesses.”
“Surveillance cameras?”
“Please. The man lives in a shack up a mountain.”
“Sorry. I guess this is pretty far in the boondocks.”
She didn’t reply.
“All right,” he said after a minute. “You said he was arrested and charged with animal cruelty.”
“Yes. The animal control officer said that a neighbor reported him. It wasn’t the first time he’d had such a charge leveled against him. But he has friends and relatives in high places, so the charges were just dropped.”
He pursed his lips as he sipped tea and frowned, deep in thought. “First order of business is to speak to the person who reported him, and have the neighbors questioned. If he has close relatives who live with or near him, they can be deposed as well. The local veterinarian examined him?”
“Yes. Dr. Carr.”
“Would he be willing to testify?”
She smiled. “He said of course he would.”
“You’d be amazed at how few people really will, even if they agree at first. Especially if the perp has connections.”
“The world is a sad place.”
He looked at her. “You have no idea how sad.” He smiled at her. “Do they have any passable restaurants around here? If so, you and I could eat out tonight.”
“I can’t leave Teddie alone,” she said, surprised.
“She’s what, ten? She’s old enough to stay by herself. You can just lock the doors,” he said easily.
“Ron, it’s very evident that you’ve never had a child,” she said sadly. “It doesn’t work like that. A child of ten doesn’t have the judgment she’d need to handle an emergency.”
“Bull. We had a five-year-old boy call nine-one-one after a shooting. He was a material witness in a murder case.”
“This isn’t the city. There are all sorts of dangers out here, including wolves.”
“Wolves are sweet creatures.” He sighed, smiling. “There’s a wildlife center close to where I live. They have two wolves. I love to go and pet them.”
She gave him a long look. “Have you ever seen a wolf in the wild?” she asked.
He smiled vacantly. “What does that have to do with it?”
She was about to explain, in rather biting terms, when she heard voices. Parker and Teddie came in the front door and stopped at the dining room entrance.
Ron stood up. “Ron Woodley,” he introduced himself.
“Parker,” came the droll reply, followed by a firm handshake.
“Parker what?” Ron asked.
Parker just smiled.
“Nobody knows that,” Teddie said, smiling up at her tall companion. “He says it’s a secret.”
“You’re Indian, aren’t you?” Ron asked lazily.
Parker cocked his head. “Crow, actually. Or Absaroka, if you want the proper term.”
“I thought Crows came from Montana.”
“Mostly we do. I grew up there, on the rez, near Hardin.”
“Reservations.” Ron shook his head as he sat back down next to Katy. “It’s sad that we have such a high civilization in the world, but we still have people living in abject poverty on reservations under government programs.”
“Yes. Amazing that such a high civilization put us there in the first place, isn’t it?” Parker asked. His voice was pleasant, but his dark eyes were saying something quite different.
Ron noted that the man was quite muscular and that he didn’t back down from criticism. In fact, he looked rather dangerous. He cleared his throat. “Yes, isn’t it?” he said, avoiding a confrontation.
Parker raised an eyebrow. “You practice law in Maryland, I believe?”
“Yes. Mostly in the Capitol,” Ron replied. “You break horses, I hear.”
“Most of the time,” he agreed.
“He’s teaching me how to ride,” Teddie said.
“You couldn’t do that?” he asked Katy.
“I don’t have the time, and I’m too impatient,” Katy replied. “Besides, Parker knows more about horses than I do. I’ve forgotten a lot over the years.”
“Pity it’s a skill that doesn’t travel well,” Ron remarked when he noticed the way Katy was looking at the other man. He seemed to feel that a man who worked with horses was too stupid to do anything else. Not that he said it. He insinuated it.
Teddie was perceptive enough to be outraged on Parker’s behalf. “You should tell him about the cat,” Teddie told Parker firmly.
He grinned at her. “Patience is a virtue,” he said gently. “We make haste slowly. Right?”
She made a face. “Right,” she added with a covert glare at their other visitor.
“Well, I’ll say good night,” Parker told them. “I’ve got an old army buddy coming to visit for a while. We were in Iraq together.”
Ron looked uncomfortable. He’d managed to keep out of the military. He didn’t really like being around men who’d served. They made him look bad.
“Then we’ll see you next Saturday, right?” Teddie asked.
He smiled. “Of course.” He glanced at Katy, who looked uneasy. “See you.”
“See you,” she said, and forced a smile. Because even though Parker was polite and courteous, she sensed that he was drawing away from her because of Ron. She didn’t understand why. At least, not then.
Chapter Seven
Katy had thought that Ron would start right away to interview people who knew the horse’s owner, his neighbors and relations. But mostly what Ron did was drive around to see the sights and take Katy out to eat. He allowed Teddie to go with them, but the invitation was reluctant at best. He didn’t like the child around, and it was painfully obvious.
A week after Ron’s arrival, Katy came in with the mail and her expression was one of abject misery.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Teddie asked. “You haven’t been yourself all the way home from school.”
Katy put up her purse and car keys. She pulled out an opened envelope. “It’s a legal document insisting that Bartholomew be returned to his rightful owner.”
“But he can’t! He just can’t make us give Bart back!” she exclaimed.
“I’ll discuss it with Ron as soon as possible.”
“He won’t do anything,” Teddie said shortly. “He hasn’t even asked anybody about how that man treated Bart.”
“How do you know that?”
“My friend Edie told me,” she said belligerently. “She says her mother and father are furious. They know at least two of the man’s neighbors who would be willing to go to court to testify against him, but neither of them has even been asked.”
Katy made a face. She was feeling worse by the day about her idea to have Ron come and do them this favor. He was pleasant company, but he spent their time together talking up Washington society and her gift for putting people at ease. She’d make a proper hostess for a politician, he insisted, and instead she was burying herself out here in the boondocks with filthy cattle and wild people.
She was glad Parker hadn’t heard him say that. Sadly, Parker had kept his distance since Ron had shown up at Teddie’s home. He excused himself because of the pressure of work, he said, but this time of year, ranch work was more attuned to watching over the cattle and repair work than breaking new horses.
“Ron,” Katy began when they were briefly alone at the house, while Teddie was out in the stable grooming Bart, “we need to talk.”
“Oh, yes, we do,” he said.
He got up, pulled her up into his arms, and began kissing her hungrily.
She was too shocked to react, which was unfortunate, because just at that moment, an excited Teddie opened the door and came in with Parker.
Katy pulled back abruptly, feeling sick when she saw Parker’s expression. It wasn’t angry. It was disappointed. Sad. Resigned.
“Oh. Mom.” Tedd
ie flushed when she saw the glare Ron sent in her direction. “Sorry. I needed to ask a question.”
Ron, furious, stuck his hands in his pockets and turned away to look out a window.
“What is it, Teddie?” Katy asked, almost shaking with indignation.
“Parker said Dr. Carr has a neighbor who actually saw Bart’s owner hitting him with the whip, and he’s willing to testify in court!”
Katy was still catching her breath. “He did?”
Parker’s dark eyes went from Ron’s back to Katy’s flushed face. “He said that the man would have his attorney contact your attorney. When you get one,” he added pleasantly.
Ron whirled around. “She’s got one,” he said tautly. “And just who are you?”
Parker lifted an eyebrow and smiled. “Forgotten me already? I’m just a horse wrangler. I’m helping Teddie learn to ride.”
Ron made a dismissive sound and turned to Katy. “If you want my advice, you’ll take the course of least resistance and let the man have his horse back.”
“Did you not understand what was done to the horse?” Parker asked.
Ron shrugged. “Animals are just animals. Some people are abusive, even to other people. Teddie can always get another horse.”
“You mean man!” Teddie burst out. “You don’t even care about what happens to Bart if that man gets him back. You haven’t done anything to help me save my horse! You only came here to try to get my mother to marry you. And if she does,” she added, glaring at Katy, “I’ll run away from home! I’d rather live at a shelter than have to live with you!” she cried, tears running down her face.
“Teddie, that’s enough,” Katy said quietly.
Teddie was sobbing. Parker pulled her close and held her. He stared at Katy with something akin to contempt.
She flushed.
“It’s going to be a hard case to prove in court,” Ron said breezily. “You have to call witnesses, it will tie you up in court, make you enemies in the community. The man is rich and he has powerful friends,” he added. “You won’t find a local attorney who’ll even consider the case.”
Katy turned to look at him, undecided.
“And it will cost an arm and a leg in legal fees,” Ron added. “You’ll face censure, your daughter will face it, and for what? An old, beat-up horse with hardly any time left to live anyway. It might be a mercy to just let the vet put him down. That’s the course the owner favors, anyway. I spoke to him. He said he’ll let the whole thing go, if you’ll agree to let the vet do what’s necessary.”
“Nobody is putting Bartholomew down,” Teddie said fiercely.
“You’re just a kid,” Ron said with faint contempt. “You don’t have a say about this.”
“She doesn’t. I do,” Parker replied.
“And you’re a nobody around here, horse wrangler. You work for wages,” Ron said with obvious distaste. “You’re Indian, too, aren’t you?” He smiled sarcastically. “That won’t go over big with the locals, will it?”
“Oh, I’ve never been one to curry favor,” Parker replied.
“Are you going to let them kill my horse?” Teddie asked her mother, with a dignity that sat oddly on such a young face.
Katy was torn. Ron sounded very logical. The horse was old. But that look on her daughter’s face wounded her.
“It’s painless,” Ron said. “The horse won’t even feel it.”
“Why don’t we get the vet to put you down first, and you can tell us if you feel it?” Parker drawled.
Ron looked outraged. “You have no right to even be here,” he began.
“Parker is my friend,” Teddie said. “The nicest thing you ever said to me was that it was a shame that my mother had a child.”
Ron didn’t deny it. He just shrugged. “I guess the local attitudes are corrupting your daughter, Katy,” he said. “Another good reason to come back to Maryland where you belong.”
Katy was feeling sicker by the minute, torn between logic and her daughter’s pain.
“I have a simple solution,” Parker told the child. “Give the horse to me.” He looked up at Ron with a cold smile. “And I’ll take on his former owner in court, with pleasure.”
“I don’t think a public defender will take the case,” Ron commented smartly.
“Mr. Denton employs a firm of attorneys out of L.A.,” he replied. “I’ve already spoken to him about the case.”
“A rancher with attorneys in L.A.” Ron laughed.
“His wife is the lead writer for Warriors and Warlocks,” Parker replied quietly. “Mr. Denton owns Drayco Properties.”
Even Ron had heard of those. It was one of the biggest conglomerates of oil and gas property in the country.
“He also likes horses,” Parker added. He looked down at Teddie. “You get your mother to sign Bart over to me, and I’ll do the rest.” He glanced at Ron. “I don’t mind a good fight.”
He was insinuating that Ron would run from one. And Ron knew it. His face flushed. “I could win the case if I wanted to,” he said.
“We all need to calm down,” Katy said, glancing from one heated expression to the next. “Let’s sleep on it and talk again tomorrow.”
Parker bent and dropped a kiss on Teddie’s hair. “Don’t worry. We’ll save Bart. One way or another,” he added, with a cool glance at Ron and an even cooler one at Katy. He went out, with Teddie right behind him.
“You need to keep that man away from your daughter,” Ron told Katy firmly. “He’s using her to get to you.”
But it didn’t look that way to Katy. Parker had barely glanced at her on his way out, the sort of impassive expression you might expect from a total stranger. It had hurt. She’d felt guilty about her closeness to Parker and he’d backed off. Asking Ron out here had been the last straw, and she could see it. Parker thought she was serious about Ron, especially after he’d witnessed that impassioned kiss.
Ron approached her, but she backed away.
“I’m not interested in you that way, Ron,” she said firmly. “I’m sorry if I gave you the impression that I was. I honestly thought you meant it when you said if I ever needed help, you’d come.”
“Of course, I meant it,” he protested.
“So you talked to the horse’s owner, without telling me, and offered to have Bartholomew put down, knowing that I got you out here because my daughter loves the horse and wants to save him.”
Ron cleared his throat. “I prefer negotiation to a stand-up fight.”
“Oh, I can see that negotiation is certainly more preferable. It would have been a great solution when my great-great-grandfather was fighting off cattle rustlers up in Montana, negotiating with people pointing loaded guns at him.” Her eyes were sparking now.
“Nobody rustles cattle anymore,” he argued.
“Yes, they do. They use transfer trucks instead of horses, but they still use guns.”
“Barbarians,” he muttered.
Her eyes went over his expensive suit, his styled, neat hair, and his expensive jewelry. And she found that she infinitely preferred Parker’s simple denims and long hair.
“Barbarians,” she mused. She smiled. “That’s what you think Parker is.”
He wrinkled his nose.
“You should never judge people by the way they look,” she said.
He made a rough sound in his throat. “I’m going back to my motel. I’ll see you tomorrow. By then, hopefully you and that rude child will have come to your senses. Good evening.”
She held the door open for him and watched him drive away in his expensive rented car.
She walked out to the stable to find Teddie still grooming Bart, tears running down her cheeks. Parker had already gone.
“Teddie,” she began.
Her daughter looked at her with eyes that were red with tears and disappointment and anger. She put Bart back into his stall and put up the grooming tool.
“Daddy would be ashamed of you,” Teddie said simply. She walked out of the stable
and left her mother to turn off the lights.
Teddie didn’t come out for supper. Her door stayed locked.
Katy was miserable. She shouldn’t have listened to Ron. He was part of another world, another mindset. And yes, her late husband would have fought Bart’s former owner to the Supreme Court, if he’d needed to. But he would have saved Teddie’s horse. Even Parker fought for her, which was more than Katy had done.
She took a shower and dried her hair, put on a night gown, and sat down on the side of her bed. She picked up her phone and sent a short text to Parker.
It wasn’t answered. She tried again and her number had been blocked.
She put the phone down, tears stinging her eyes. If she needed to know how he felt, that was her answer. Obviously, he felt that she’d taken the lawyer’s part over her own daughter’s, and he was disgusted with her. He’d witnessed that kiss, as well. It must have been painful to him, because he’d thought that he and Katy had something going for them. That kiss had shown him that they didn’t.
She lay down and turned out her light. But she didn’t sleep.
* * *
Parker couldn’t sleep either. He was sorry that he’d blocked Katy’s number, but he’d thought they were headed for a good place together, and that wasn’t happening. He’d found her in the arms of this eastern attorney whom she’d vowed that she disliked. It hadn’t looked like dislike to Parker.
He got up and made coffee. It wouldn’t help him sleep, but it was something to do. He heard a vehicle coming down the road. It stopped and pulled into his driveway.
For an instant, he thought it might be Katy. But it was only his boss. Odd thing, to find the boss out driving at this hour of the night, he thought as he opened the door.
“Hey, boss. How’s things?” Parker greeted.
J.L. Denton came up on the porch, out of sorts and weary. “Got any coffee?” he asked.
“You bet. Come on in.”
The two men sat at Parker’s kitchen table sipping black coffee in a companionable silence.
“Okay, what’s this about some lawyer from back East sucking up to the man who beat that horse that the Blakes rescued?”