by Vicki Tharp
“Sure.” Wyatt and his new wife lived on a houseboat on Evie’s large stock pond. When you pulled up to her aunt’s house, it was kind of hard to miss. She stuck out her hand, and they shook. She leaned over and looked at the drawings for what looked like some sort of barn or warehouse facility. “What’s this?”
Wyatt glanced at Massey. Massey shrugged as if to say, ‘sure why not?’
“It’s a training facility,” Wyatt said. “For Steele-Wolfe Securities. I’m trying to keep it on the down low for right now.”
In other words, don’t tell anybody. Fine by her. “Ohhh,” Tessa said. “I want to come play when you get it finished.”
Tessa had known that the former detective with the Bison County Sheriff’s Department was now a private investigator, but this was the first she’d heard about him opening a security firm.
“Who knows,” Wyatt said. “Maybe you’ll like the facility so much you’ll want to stay on.”
Tessa raised her brow. “I’m pretty sure you can’t afford me. Or my helo.”
Wyatt’s warm smile said that maybe she didn’t know as much as she thought she did. “We’ll see about that.”
Jack downed half a glass of the milk that Evie had poured him, leaving a white mustache on his upper lip. “You’re going to be late, Mom.”
“Is that your nice way of getting rid of me?” She ruffled a hand through his dark brown hair. She really needed to get him a haircut. “No crying, no whining, no Mom please don’t leave me?”
“Nope.” No thought. No hesitation. Tessa loved Jack’s newfound independent streak, but sometimes a piece of her wondered what happened to that little boy that used to cling to her neck and never want to be put down. But this was good. This was really good.
She started backing out of the kitchen. To Wyatt, she said, “Hey I know a guy in construction if you’re looking for bids.”
Massey leaned against the counter, most of his weight on one crutch. “Who’s that?”
“Boomer – I mean Brian. Brian Wilcox. He built a bunch of the cabins at the Lazy S. Quality work. I don’t know if this job is too big, but you might think about giving him a call.”
“Thanks,” Wyatt said. “I’ll do that.”
To Evie, Tessa said, “You sure you don’t mind keeping Jack for the weekend? I can pick him up tonight. I don’t think we’ll be super late getting back.”
“Mooom,” Jack complained. “You said I could stay all weekend. You promised—”
“It’s fine.” Evie patted Jack’s shoulder. “We love having him.”
“I’ve got my riding lessons.” Jack drank the rest of his milk and used his sleeve to wipe the remains from his lip. Boys.
“And Jack was going to help me build that teeter-totter for the horses,” Massey said. “Go on. Enjoy your time off. You deserve it.”
She smiled, warmed by the way her extended family had embraced her and Jack when they’d moved to the area. What she wouldn’t have given to have that kind of support when Jack had been younger, and Bradley had been nowhere around.
“Go.” Jack waved his hand in a shooing motion.
“Okay, okay. I’m out of here. I have my cell phone if you need me. She pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Evie. “Here’s the Lazy S’s satellite phone number. You should be able to reach me there if need be, once I’m out of cell phone range.”
Evie took the paper and slipped it into her back pocket. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. Go have your fun.”
At the Lazy S, Gil watched as the headlights from Tessa’s Jeep popped over the gentle rise. His guts felt light and he tamped down on the thrill. Yes, Tessa was a beautiful, fascinating, intriguing woman, but a little flirting didn’t mean she had any interest in a relationship with him. Gil pushed himself off the rails of the round pen and tightened Sierra’s and Mr. Ford’s cinches for the final time.
“You made it,” Gil said, as she climbed out of the Jeep. He led the horses over to her. “I was about to give up on you.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you wait. I hate to hold you guys up.”
“It’s all good. They were a little late leaving anyways. A little trotting, a little cantering, and we’ll catch up to them in no time.”
She smiled, but it came off a little unsure. “Quinn did tell you that I’m just now getting back into riding, right? I don’t have to go. I don’t want to slow you down.”
“You’ll be fine. If we start going too fast, you let me know, and we’ll slow down.” He handed her Sierra’s reins.
Sierra was one of the ranch’s older horses, a babysitter, Jenna had told him. The kind of horse she could put kids and new riders on and the mare would pack them around and treat them like fine bone china.
“Where’s your hat?” Gil bobbed his chin toward her head. “Your face is going to fry.”
She glanced at her Jeep as if a hat would suddenly appear, then glanced back at him. “I’ll be fine.”
Her complexion wasn’t too fair, but the sun at this altitude was strong. Stepping closer, he pulled his black-felt Stetson off the top of his head and plopped it down on hers, sorely tempted to cup her face, run his thumb over her plump bottom lip and lean in and taste for himself what he’d been missing. Would her kisses be sweet and tender? Or would the heat scorch them both?
Instead, he reached up and tugged on the end of her ponytail. “The hat suits you.”
She pulled the hat off her head and held it out to him. “I can’t take your hat.”
“Don’t argue.” He took a step back, pulling an old beat up ATF baseball cap from his back pocket and tugging it down over his head.
The morning sun shone through the bullet hole in the brim. Luckily, he hadn’t been wearing the hat when the bullet had struck it. “Let’s go, daylight’s wasting.”
She replaced his hat on her head. He liked seeing something of his on her. Not like he was claiming her. It wasn’t like that, but it put a self-satisfied smile on his face.
They both swung into the saddles and trotted down the two-track dirt road, past the new cabins, and even further past the old ones. They continued on the trail leading down to the Lazy S’s hot spring and rode on, their horses’ noses pointing toward the foothills.
The horse he rode, Mr. Ford, seemed to know the way. They trotted for a mile or two, over scrub and scraggly grass, his saddle squeaking to the gentle rhythm. Gil kept Tessa ahead of him to make sure that she wasn’t riding above her abilities.
But the truth was, he liked watching her ride from behind. He loved watching how her hips swayed in the saddle and wondered what it would feel like to have those lithe thighs wrapped around him. At a small creek, they slowed the horses to a walk, and let the animals catch their breath.
“Why were you late?”
Tessa remained quiet for a moment, glancing at him and then looking away as if deciding how much she was gonna tell him. The trail widened, and Gil trotted up and slowed Mr. Ford to a walk beside her. She rolled her head from side to side and said, “Flat tire.” She didn’t look at him when she said it.
“Something tells me there’s more to that story.”
“Maybe.” She shrugged, but there was a stiffness to her shoulders. She wasn’t as indifferent as she pretended. “I … It’s nothing.”
“Whoa,” Gil told Mr. Ford. The horse stopped, so did Sierra. “What’s nothing?”
Tessa turned her horse to face him. “My front tire was slashed. But I don’t live in the nicest part of Murdock. It could have been anyone. A bunch of kids on a dare. It doesn’t mean anything.”
By the way she scrunched up her face, he didn’t think that she really believed that. Neither did he. She may not live in the affluent section of town, but while Murdock wasn’t the slums of New York, it also wasn’t the wild, wild, West. “Who was it?” He would bet his left nut that she knew who’d done it.
“It doesn’t matter. I can’t prove—”
“I’m not asking you what you
can prove. I’m not a prosecutor. I want to know what you think.”
She turned her horse and started walking off again. Gil squeezed Mr. Ford into a trot and pulled her to a stop by her reins. “Tell me.”
“I really—”
“Tell me.” There was no asking in his tone. He’d been in law enforcement long enough not to let something like this slide. He waited her out.
She scratched Sierra’s brown and white neck and ran her fingers through the paint’s thick mane. “I think it was my ex-husband. Or maybe one of his lackeys.”
“What about security cameras? Is your house monitored?”
She laughed, it was a little sad, but sweet. “No. And before you ask, my neighbors don’t have any either. It’s not that kind of neighborhood.”
They rode on toward the canyon again. If they didn’t hurry, they’d never catch up to Quinn and the rest of them. Not that that would bother Gil any. He’d much rather spend a little alone time with Tessa, than ride at the back of the herd eating dust and wiping grit from his eyes. “Did any of the neighbors see anything?”
Far in the distance, a horse called out. Mr. Ford pricked his ears and returned the call. They must be getting close to the others. As they walked on, the scrub grass slowly gave way to greener pasture. With careful steps, they negotiated a steep downhill, crossed the shallow river, and trotted up the gentle slope of the embankment on the other side.
“I was in too much of a hurry to check with the neighbors.”
“Check with them when you get home.” It was an order. Even if it wasn’t his to give. An ex, angry enough to slash a tire, could easily escalate. He’d seen it happen too many times. She bristled but didn’t say anything. If she didn’t do it, he would. She was living alone in a not good part of town with a young child. This wasn’t the kind of thing where you shrugged your shoulders and dismissed it.
“Look, my ex is an asshole, clearly, but he’s basically harmless.”
“And angry. Clearly,” he said, mocking her tone.
They came over a rise, and saw the rest of the group a few hundred yards ahead. This time it was Sierra who called out, but none of the other horses answered.
“Yeah, well, he thinks he can swoop back into his child’s life after being AWOL for the past six plus years and get full custody. Not gonna happen. He’s going to have to get over himself. As it is, the judge granted him limited visitation. Not as much as my ex would have liked, but more than I’d wanted.” She stared off into the distance, where everyone from the Lazy S had gathered, but Gil could tell she wasn’t seeing them.
“Who is this guy?”
She looked at Gil then. Eyed the embroidered letters on his baseball cap. She was law enforcement herself, but she flew helo’s, she wasn’t the kind to bust down doors, guns blazing. He was. The way her eyes narrowed, she’d guessed that about him.
“Why do you want to know? You going to bust down his door? Tell him to back off? Rough him up?”
Yes. Yes. And hell yes. “Maybe,” he said, deciding to answer her honestly. She wasn’t a damsel in distress, and he didn’t have a white knight complex. She was tough, he could see that, but even the toughest people needed backup.
“I’d rather not say. I don’t need you, or Quinn, or any of y’all’s buddies making matters worse. It was a slashed tire. He made his point.”
“Which is?”
“That he’s not happy with me. Look, can we drop this? I want to enjoy the day. The last thing I want to do is to bring my ex on this ride with me. Think we can do that?”
“On one condition.” He held back a smile. “Have dinner with me tonight.”
She pulled Sierra up short. The horse tossed her head. “Aah… Look, Gil, I’m not looking for –”
“It’s dinner, Sunshine. It’s not a proposal. Even you have to eat sometimes, right?”
“Sunshine? I seriously don’t think anybody has called me that before.”
Up ahead Quinn broke away from the rest of the riders and trotted toward them on a heavily muscled black gelding. Despite what Tessa had said, Gil got the impression she kind of liked the nickname. Who would’ve thought? He’d been prepared for her to reach over and slug him in the shoulder.
Quinn hardly slowed down. He gave them a rash of good-natured shit for taking so long, then told them to get a move on. They spent the next hour rounding up the cattle before they could start pushing them toward the big box canyon.
By the time the cattle had settled into their new grazing spot, it was afternoon, and everyone pulled up to break for a late lunch. They dropped their reins, ground tying their horses. Quinn and Boomer unpacked the food from their saddlebags, while Jenna and Sidney passed out bottles of water.
Tessa pushed Gil’s hat up high on her forehead, cracked open a bottle, and sucked down four long, gulping swallows. A few drops of water escaped the corners of her mouth, and Gil couldn’t take his eyes off of the water as it dripped down her neck before disappearing beneath her shirt. Quinn stepped up beside him and bumped him in the shoulder. “Enjoying the view?”
Gil tore his gaze away from Tessa. Quinn had a shit-eating grin on his face. Damn. It’s wasn’t that he really cared if Quinn knew that he was interested in Tessa, but after years of working undercover, it was hard to get used to living a more public life.
In the past, he’d avoided any type of long-term relationships. They didn’t work out when you couldn’t be completely honest. If truth be told, the type of women he’d attracted while undercover, weren’t the type he’d wanted to take home to his mother. But Tessa… Tessa was a new and interesting wrinkle. “None better.”
Quinn slapped two sandwiches in Gil’s hand. Gil walked over, sat on the boulder next to Tessa, and handed over one of the ham and cheese sandwiches.
“Thanks. I’m starving.” She unwrapped her sandwich and took half in her hands. These weren’t your average sandwiches. The bread was homemade and thick, the ham piled high. He had to unhinge his jaw to take a bite.
He tore a section free and tucked it into his cheek. “What’s the verdict on tonight?”
The more he’d watched her on the drive, the more he wanted to get to know her better. There was something about her, beyond the physical, a boldness perhaps, that intrigued him. It showed in the way she drove the cattle and handled the horse even though she’d had limited experience.
She took a bite of her sandwich and wiped away the mayonnaise from the corner of her mouth with her thumb. He captured her wrist, and brought her thumb to his mouth, sucking it clean.
He released her hand. “What do you say?”
Her gaze locked on his. He glanced at her lips, then lower, to the spot where her pulse thrummed at the base of her neck.
“Maybe that’s not such a good idea.”
“Why’s that?”
“Look, I’ve got a kid…”
“You say that like he’s a contagion.”
She gave him a look he didn’t know how to interpret. “Is your having a kid supposed to make me run for the hills?”
She took another bite, chewed it slowly as if chewing on her words. When she swallowed, she said, “I like you.”
“That’s a yes on dinner then?”
“No. It’s not.”
He washed down his sandwich with a big swig of water. “I’m not following you. I’m interested, so I asked you out. I may be reading this incorrectly, but when you say ‘I like you’ I’m thinking you’re interested too. Explain why you’re flashing a giant Do Not Pass Go sign? You have a thing against dating fellow LEO’s?”
“I don’t have anything against dating law enforcement officers.”
Bold, like he’d thought. Tessa wasn’t one to play head games. He liked the fact that she didn’t deny she was interested. “Then what is it?”
“Five more minutes.” Hank—the foreman of the Lazy S, and Jenna’s father—started gathering their trash and stuffing it into his saddlebags. Alby and Santos had already finished eating and were tigh
tening their cinches. Jenna drank the last of her water, and Quinn walked over and caught their horses.
Tessa handed Gil the last of her sandwich as if she’d lost her appetite. “My life is a little complicated at the moment. I don’t need to throw a wrench in it and make it any worse.”
He polished off the rest of her sandwich and brushed the crumbs from his fingers. “It’s not a complication, it’s dinner. Think about it.”
With that said, he gathered up Mr. Ford’s reins, tightened his cinch, and swung up into the saddle. Sierra had wandered about thirty yards away from the other horses, and Boomer trotted over, ponying Sierra behind him.
“Thanks.” Tessa took the reins but was slow to get up off the bolder. Her leg seemed stiff, and she looked a little bowlegged.
“How is your rear?” Boomer asked. “You sore yet?”
“Maybe a little.” Tessa tried to put her foot in the stirrup, but her leg wouldn’t bend enough.
Boomer chuckled.
“Okay,” Tessa said. “Maybe a lot. But it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
Boomer flashed a grin. “Never doubted that for a minute.” Boomer squeezed his horse and trotted off to catch up with Sidney and Jenna.
Tessa gathered her reins, and with a soft groan, that made Gil’s jeans a size too small, put her foot in the stirrup and gingerly settled in the saddle.
The day had been hot, and dirt clung to the sweat on Gil’s skin. Grit ground between his molars every time he closed his mouth. He spat, trying to clear some the grime, but it didn’t seem to do much good.
When they were almost back to the ranch, Boomer and Jenna galloped away on their horses, disappearing behind a rise.
Gil, Tessa, Sidney, and Hank rode four abreast. Alby and Santos brought up the rear about fifty yards back.
Sidney’s horse jigged in place, his head high as if he wanted to run after the other horses. Mr. Ford and Sierra were content to plod along. “You’ll have to excuse them.” Sidney waved her hand, indicating Boomer and Jenna. “They have this little rivalry.”
“I’m surprised you don’t want in on that,” Tessa said