by Kaki Warner
More questions, Richard thought wearily. But when Dalton Cardwell suggested he and “KD’s friend” should take a quick tour of the ranch before it got too dark, Richard jumped at the offer. He’d been looking for an opportunity to warn the vet about Khalil Farid and the possibility of him showing up at the ranch. And he was anxious to know how well the ranch could protect itself—and KD—if that happened.
The sun was sliding into another spectacular evening display when he and Cardwell left the veranda and crossed a wide lawn sloping down to a line of trees that Dalton told him bordered Rough Creek.
“Not much water in it this time of year,” he said, “unless it floods after a heavy rain. But it’s enough to keep the stock watered and irrigate a couple of hay fields, so it suits our needs just fine. Except for the mosquitoes.”
As they walked along the graveled drive that led to the working part of the ranch, Cardwell pointed out the different buildings and their purposes.
It was an impressive outfit. Miles of welded tube fencing, an open hay barn, a dozen paddocks, a stone walk-through livestock barn with a round working pen out back and a big covered arena nearby. The two married workers stayed in a duplex with a big fenced yard, while the three bachelors stayed above the ranch offices and artificial insemination lab. The foreman, Glenn Higgs, had his own house up by the front gate. And all of it was painted white, even the stone on the barn. The black Angus bulls dozing in their paddocks behind the AI lab were a stark contrast. As were the horses, especially a big, friendly buckskin stallion that came trotting across a paddock when Dalton gave a high, sharp whistle.
“This is Rosco,” the horse trainer said, stroking the horse’s sleek neck. “He won us a third at the cutting horse futurity last year. Now he’s making the rounds of the regional shows to build up his résumé. Hopefully, in a year or two, he’ll be bringing in substantial stud fees.”
“You have an insemination program for horses, too?”
“Hell, no. I’d never do that to a horse. Especially one like Rosco. Come on. I’ll show you the house Raney and I are building.”
When they walked past the barn, Richard met the three bachelor workers—Alejandro, the wrangler he’d met at supper; Chuy, a young Hispanic; and an old white guy with the bushiest mustache Richard had ever seen. Looked like a white wig growing out of his nose. The three were adding three-foot-wide rolls of hog wire at the bottom of the welded tube-railed fences bordering just about everything.
“Harvey, here, used to be a marine sniper,” Dalton said, clapping a big hand on the old white guy’s shoulder. “Says he can still shoot a gnat’s ass off a poppy seed roll in a strong crosswind. Isn’t that right, Harvey?”
Harvey shrugged and studied the toes of his dusty boots.
“He say he can, jefe,” Chuy chided with a gap-toothed grin. “But I never see him do it. Most days, he takes a siesta in the feed room.” Which earned him a cuff on the back of his head from the old man.
“Harvey’s more of a cuffer than a talker,” Dalton explained as they walked on toward the married workers’ duplex. “But he’s a damn good shot.”
Richard took note. If Khalil showed up here, they might need a good sniper.
More white welded fencing with hog wire along the bottom stretched around a yard filled with toys. When the four kids digging in a big sandbox saw Dalton, they rushed over, chattering like magpies. Richard didn’t speak Spanish, but apparently Cardwell did. As soon as the kids reached the fence, he leaned over and dropped a piece of peppermint into each outstretched hand.
“Don’t tell Raney I give them candy,” he warned Richard when they’d resumed walking. “She says it’s bad for their teeth. Since she got pregnant, she’s suddenly an expert on children’s health.”
As they neared a construction area, more rolls of hog wire lay stacked beside pallets of quarried white rock. “That’s to keep out the wild pigs?” Richard asked.
Dalton gave a look of disgust. “Damn bastards are taking over. There’s already a million and a half of them in Texas. The rate they breed, there’ll soon be a million more. Even having open season on them and shooting from helicopters isn’t having much of an effect.”
“Are they a hazard to humans?”
Dalton nodded. “If provoked. There’ve been a few attacks, but only one death that I know of. They’ll eat anything, dead or alive. I suppose if you’re wounded or bleeding, they might go for you. But mostly, they’re too smart to mess with people.”
The Cardwells’ unfinished house was typical of some of the rural homes Richard had seen on the drive from Killeen. Only bigger. A two-story rectangular building with a metal roof, balconies and porches, front and back, and shaded by a half-dozen trees. The interior was still under construction, except for some fancy beam work and a curved wrought iron staircase. Judging by the pallets of stone off to the side, the exterior would be finished with white limestone like the main house. “Planning on a big family?” Richard asked, eyeing the span of window openings behind the front balcony.
“You never know. How about you? You like kids?”
“I do.”
“And KD?”
“Her, too,” Richard answered, a little surprised by the question.
After a tour of the unfinished building, they turned back toward the main house, this time following the creek. “You know about her injury?” Cardwell asked after a few minutes.
“I’ve seen her file.”
“Then you know she may not be able to have kids.”
Richard shrugged, growing uncomfortable with the conversation. It didn’t seem right to discuss KD’s reproductive issues with another guy, even if he was her brother-in-law.
But Cardwell wouldn’t let it drop. “Will that be a problem? Not having kids?”
Richard stopped and faced the other man. “Do we really need to talk about this?” Next thing, he’d be asking about their sex life.
Dalton’s face reddened. “You’re right. Sorry. Somehow, I’ve been appointed the family watchdog. I figured you should know about her issues, in case it’s a problem.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“Sure. Okay, then. Good to know.”
They walked on in silence for a time, then Richard stopped again. “Now can we talk about why you really dragged me out here?”
“What do you mean?”
“KD said you wanted to talk to me. I doubt she meant the condition of her ovaries.”
“Hell, no.” Cardwell ran a hand across the back of his neck and gave an embarrassed laugh. “She’d kill me if she knew I’d said anything.”
And justifiably so, Richard thought. “Then what?”
No longer smiling, the other man said, “She told us a relative of the guy she killed has threatened her.”
Richard nodded. “Khalil Farid, the dead man’s father. He’s threatened everyone involved with the investigation, including me. He’s rabid about it.” Richard hesitated, not sure he should say anything about Farid’s disappearance, then decided Dalton should know. “I haven’t told KD yet and would rather you didn’t say anything, either. Farid is missing. He may have plans to come here.”
“Here? To the ranch? Shit! Is the army doing anything about it?”
“Not really, other than sources keeping me informed if they find him. State canceled his visa and flagged his passport, but they can’t find him, either. We’re on our own. Can we protect KD and her family here? Or should they relocate?”
“We?” Cardwell’s green eyes narrowed. “You planning on staying long?”
“Long as it takes, whatever it takes. I don’t leave until Khalil Farid is on his way to Guantanamo or fed to the hogs.”
Cardwell looked relieved. “We could use the help. As for relocating, you’ve met these women. Do you really think you could get them to leave?”
“Then you plan to stay and st
and your ground? No matter what?” If anyone was going to bail, Richard wanted it to be now, so he could see what they were up against.
“Damn straight,” Cardwell said adamantly. “Our workers, too. Although if there’s any real danger of Farid coming here, I’ll send the married families clear.”
“Understood. Now all we need is a defensive plan. Let’s talk to the workers.”
* * *
* * *
“Are you serious?” Raney finished zipping KD’s suitcase closed and straightened, her electric blue eyes wide with surprise. “He’s staying in here? With you? And Mama said it was okay?”
“I didn’t ask her permission.” KD stuffed socks and underwear into the bureau, then shut the drawer. “I’m well past the age of consent, even if I am the baby of the family. I just told her we’d be staying in the guest room.”
“She didn’t have a problem with that?”
KD grinned. “Not after I told her we could stay at the hotel out by the Roadhouse, if she’d prefer.”
Laughing, Raney shoved the roller bag into the back of the closet. “You’re devious. I wish I’d thought of that when Dalton was bunking in here. But you know how Mama is—her house, her rules.”
KD sank down in the upholstered chair by the side window. “You always worried too much about getting into trouble. Mama’s not near the hard-ass you think she is. Give her reasonable pushback and she folds. I figured that out in high school when I joined ROTC. Told her I was aiming for West Point, that I’d given it a lot of thought and wanted a career in the army. She didn’t argue at all.”
“Maybe not, but she cried about it.”
“She did?”
Her sister settled on the foot of the king bed, one hand absently cradling her tiny baby bump. “I’d hear her at night sometimes. When I asked her what she was upset about, she said she was worried about you being a soldier and was afraid something terrible might happen. Prophetic, huh?”
“I didn’t know that.”
“She didn’t want you to. She’s a little intimidated by you, I think.”
“You’re kidding.”
Raney shrugged. “You were always so self-sufficient and independent. Even as a kid, you didn’t seem to need her as much as the rest of us did. You had already planned out your life while we were worrying about what to wear to homecoming.”
“Then she ought to be happy now,” KD muttered.
“Happy about what?”
KD battled an urge to confide in her big sister. She’d always looked up to Raney and, when growing up, had gone to her more often than Mama whenever she’d had a problem. But this was more than a problem. It was an admission of failure. Rising from the chair, she went to the bureau to find something to wear after her shower. With her back to her sister, she said, “You know that day trip Mama took when she said she went shopping?”
“What about it?”
“I think she went to Austin. Don’t the US senators usually come home on break in late May or June?” KD stared into the open drawer. What was she going to do with all these army green tees? She wasn’t ready to toss them out. Not yet anyway. Pulling out a tank top and pair of shorts, she closed the drawer and turned back to Raney. “I bet she went to Tomlinson’s office in Austin and talked him into convincing the army to cancel my hearing.”
“She did leave right after you did,” Raney mused. “Pretty ballsy of her to confront a US senator.”
After tossing the shorts and tank top on the bed, KD bent to unbuckle her sandals. “Tomlinson is also a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the group that handles military budgets.”
“No shit!” Laughing, Raney flopped onto her back across the duvet, arms thrown wide. “I bet if I checked with our accountants, I’d find that she gave the senator a sizable campaign donation while she was in Austin, too. The woman is incorrigible! You going to call her on it?”
“It’s a moot point now anyway.” KD tossed the sandals into the closet.
Raney lifted her head. “Why?”
KD hesitated, then thought, What the hell. They’ll know soon enough. She went over to sit on the bed beside her sister. “If I tell you something, you can tell Dalton, since I know you will anyway. But not Mama. Promise?”
Raney nodded.
“I’m not in the army anymore.”
Raney jerked upright. “You’re not? What happened? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. But it’s complicated, and I’d rather wait and tell everybody at the same time tomorrow morning.”
“Did Richard quit, too?”
“He was leaving anyway. And I didn’t quit.”
“Oh my God! They kicked you out?”
“We negotiated an amicable separation,” KD said, thinking that sounded better than admitting she’d been blackmailed into leaving. “And stop looking so stricken. It’s all good. I’m even getting a Purple Heart.”
“But you loved being a soldier.”
“Not one chained to a desk.” She explained the limitations of her injury, adding, “So it was either sit behind a desk all day, which I would have hated, or leave. So here I am.” Seeing her big sister was about to start in with more questions, KD rose from the bed. “I’ll explain it all in the morning. Right now, I’m heading to the shower.”
“But what about Richard? What’s he going to do?”
“He hasn’t decided.” Picking up the clothes she’d chosen, KD crossed to the bathroom. “But he’ll probably need a shower, too,” she added, grinning back at her sister. “If he gets back before I’m done, tell him to come on in.”
“Stop! You’re my sister. That’s almost as creepy as thinking about Mama and Sheriff Ford together.”
“Together?” KD turned in the doorway. “You mean biblically?” Mama’s favorite euphemism for knocking boots. It was difficult to think of prim and proper Coralee Whitcomb and sex in the same sentence. And a little horrifying.
“Don’t know—don’t want to know. But he’s been coming around a lot, and she’s not complaining. They look kind of cute together.”
“They’re in their sixties.” And this was Mama they were talking about.
“He’s not so bad. And I have to say I haven’t seen Mama this happy since Daddy died.”
“I’m not calling him Daddy.”
“I doubt he’d expect it. He’s not looking for grown kids. It’s Mama he wants.”
The idea gave KD the creeps. “You like him?”
Raney thought for a moment. “I do. He seems a good guy, and since none of us has snagged a lawyer, she might as well take a sheriff.”
KD didn’t even try to follow that. “She can take whoever she wants, as long as she gets a signed prenup before she marries him.” Seeing the way her newly married, deeply in love, pregnant sister’s eyes narrowed, KD quickly added, “For her grandkids’ sakes,” which seemed to calm her down.
“So what’s going on between you and Richard?” Raney called as KD continued into the bathroom.
“Mostly, really good sex,” KD called back.
“Ew, KD! You keep talking like that and I won’t ever be able to look him in the eye again.”
CHAPTER 14
It was late when Richard and Dalton headed back to the house after talking to the ranch hands. They both felt the workers should be told there might be trouble headed their way. The family, too. Richard would have to tell KD that night.
Hicks, Alejandro, Chuy, and Harvey had readily agreed to help. Dalton didn’t press the married men, suggesting, instead, that if necessary, they should be prepared to move their families elsewhere for a while. It was probably a long shot that the Afghan would come to the ranch, but Khalil’s erratic and violent nature made anything possible.
After determining what kind of firepower they had on hand—which included seven long guns, Raney’s Glock, whatever
pistols KD, her mother, and the workers might have, along with the two handguns Richard was having mailed to the ranch—Dalton suggested that on Monday they should buy as much ammo as they could, then begin target practice the following afternoon. Meanwhile, he would tell his wife and Mrs. Whitcomb what was going on, and Richard would get KD’s input on how they could best protect the ranch. After he told her about Khalil disappearing.
He didn’t look forward to it. She might be a trained soldier who had seen combat, but she was also vulnerable right now, and although Richard hated to add to her worries, he didn’t want to keep her in the dark any longer. He felt bad that he’d shielded her this long. She was tough and didn’t appreciate being pampered.
As they approached the house, he was disappointed to see the light was off in the guest bedroom.
Dalton noticed, too. “Looks like KD’s in for the night. Raney, too. Want a beer? Mrs. Whitcomb keeps a stash on the back porch.”
Richard shot him a wry look. “You mean on the veranda?”
“Yeah. I know. She’s a starchy lady. But threaten one of her girls and she’ll tear your face off.”
“You seem okay.”
“It wasn’t me she went after.”
The porch was deserted. Dalton grabbed four Lone Star longnecks from a cabinet refrigerator along the back wall, handed two to Richard, and motioned to the patio chairs around the ottoman in front of the unlit fireplace. “Have a seat.”
Richard sat. It was surprisingly cool for such a hot night. Probably because of the misters strung along the outside eaves of the porch roof. There were also sun shades, but they were up for now, and the full moon hanging above the trees along the creek cast a milky glow across the long, sloping lawn.
Dalton propped his boots on the ottoman and downed most of his first beer before he spoke. “Raney was engaged to a guy who worked for their accountants. When she found out he was looking through the ranch books and making plans to run the ranch after they married, she kicked him to the curb. Mama suggested he find work in some other county. He did, but still filed for bankruptcy last year.”
