Hot for a Cowboy

by Kim Redford

  “You’re not getting KWCB.” She finally had to step down to get in his face over the matter, and she leaned in close.

  “As much as I hate to say it, you cheated me in our divorce.” Graham made a sad look as he turned toward the camera.

  “No. You took everything.” She rubbed her throat, trying to slow her stampeding heart rate as well as ease her voice. She had to appear as strong as possible to counter this frontal attack.

  “If you sign the deed now, we will go without another word and you may return to your life here, such as it is.” Fontaine stepped down onto the top step on the other side of her.

  She was sandwiched between the two men with the videographer in front of her. But she refused to give ground. Not ever again.

  “Eden, be smart,” Graham hissed, leaning close to her. “If you don’t sign over this property, I’ll trash what little reputation you have left. And believe me, I can come up some pretty convincing photos and stories about you to share with the world.”

  “Photoshop? Lies?” she whispered, hardly able to believe he’d stoop so low, although she should have easily believed it after past experience with him.

  “What is the truth in our world? Its value cratered long ago. Control the narrative and you win. It’s that simple. And you well know it.”

  “Our particular information is on a need-to-know basis,” Fontaine said in a reasonable voice. “We need to know. No one else does.”

  “Eden’s smart.” Graham leaned in even closer to her. “You won’t give us any reason to have a little fun with the truth, now will you?”

  She took a deep breath—nothing left to lose—and willed her voice to support her. “You do realize you’re in Texas, don’t you?”

  Fontaine appeared surprised by her words. “So? Texas is large, sure, but that only means it has more than your average good-for-nothing counties.”

  She glanced at Graham, feeling stronger as the need to protect her beloved land arose from deep inside her. “Did I ever tell you that we live by the cowboy code of honor here in Wildcat Bluff County?”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Graham pointed dramatically toward a pasture with a dozen chestnut horses. “Horses. Cattle. Buffalo. And plenty of dung to heat your houses?”

  “We take care of our own.” She didn’t figure that’d make any sense to them, but she said it anyway, in fair warning as to what they were taking on.

  “Got it,” Fontaine said, nodding as if he really did get it. “I take care of my own, too, and right now that is Graham Tanner.”

  “I thought you were going to say something about truth, justice, and liberty belonging to any Tom, Dick, or Harry.” Graham scoffed. “Not true. It all belongs to strong arms—and right now my strong arm is Mr. Fontaine.”

  “If you want to keep your cynical view of life intact,” she said, trying not to feel sorry for the pitiful life Graham had chosen to live, “you’d better leave Wildcat Bluff County before you come up against real truth and real justice.”

  “Believe me, I’ll be out of here as soon as you see what’s best for you. And if I never see another horse or cow, it’ll be way too soon.” Graham gestured toward the nearby grazing horses.

  “Time for you to go.” She raked them all with a sharp, jagged glance from her narrowed eyes. “And don’t come back.”

  “Fine. For now.” Graham stepped down to the ground with Fontaine right behind him. “But it’s only a matter of time until KWCB is mine.”

  She looked out at their big black SUV parked haphazardly in front of the storage hut. She wanted them gone before they did any more snooping around the station, so she hurried down the stairs. As they neared the vehicle, she heard the thunder of hooves.

  She glanced up to see Shane pounding up the lane between white fences, leaning over his buckskin with his Stetson pulled low on his head. He looked like an invincible combination of power and determination and cowboy justice.

  She grinned, feeling her heart swell with pride and happiness. She’d never seen a more beautiful sight. For that matter, the videographer probably hadn’t, either. She doubted he’d expected to shoot such a visually stimulating scene and noticed he was getting every bit of it.

  As Shane neared the SUV, he pulled his mount to a stop, jumped down, and strode over to the group. He put an arm protectively around Eden’s waist, tugged her close, and glared at the intruders.

  “What’s going on here?” he growled, giving the men a hard-eyed stare from the shadow of his hat.

  “Cowboy to the rescue.” Graham glanced at her, shaking his head. “I thought you had better taste.”

  “No matter,” Fontaine said. “It makes a good visual.”

  “True.” Graham shrugged.

  “I won’t ask you again. Get out and stay out,” Shane ordered in a deep voice.

  Eden felt Shane’s arm muscles bunch as if preparing to throw the men off his ranch, so she put a restraining hand on his arm.

  “Fine,” Graham said. “We’re going, but we’ll be back to get what belongs to me.”

  “Don’t count on it.” Shane followed them to their vehicle. “You set foot again on the Rocky T Ranch, and Sheriff Calhoun will haul you in for trespassing on my property.”

  “And that’ll be the least of your worries,” she added for good measure, stopping beside Shane.

  “Big talk from the little people. No worries at all.” Fontaine opened an SUV door while the videographer slipped in behind the steering wheel.

  “Eden, it’s always a pleasure doing business with you, although I remember fond times when it was more pleasure than work.” Graham gave Shane a knowing smile, hinting at hot nights with Eden, before he entered the vehicle.

  She held her body rigid as she watched them drive away, feeling so angry, so sick, so frustrated that she could hardly think straight.

  “Are you okay?” Shane tugged her tighter against his body.

  “He wants it all.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “KWCB. Every little thing.” She wrapped her arms around Shane, hugging him with all the strength she had left.

  “He can’t get it, can he?”

  “Graham believes he can make it so rough on me that I’ll give him whatever he wants.” She glanced up at the radio tower. “And he’s never lost.”

  Chapter 24

  “I’ve got news for Graham Tanner.” Shane watched the big black SUV turn onto Wildcat Road, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. “If he keeps this up, he’ll find out he’s messing with the wrong folks. We don’t cotton to bullyboys in Wildcat Bluff County.”

  “I’m so glad you’re here.” She stepped away to get a better view of the now-empty road. “They’re really gone, aren’t they?”

  “You sent ’em packing.” He clasped her hand and threaded their fingers together.

  “I did, didn’t I?” She grinned up at him. “With a little help from my friend the cowboy firefighter.”

  He chuckled. “You already had them buffaloed by the time I got here. Sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner.”

  “You did just fine. I’m mighty grateful.” She rubbed her thumb across his knuckles. “What do you think Graham will do with the video?”

  “Don’t know. Don’t care.”

  “I wish I didn’t care. He can hurt me and knows it, since I’m trying to put my professional life back together.”

  Shane dropped her hand and squeezed her shoulders as he looked deeply into her blue eyes. “Do you really think I’d ever let anybody hurt you again?”

  “No. But still…”

  “Tell you what.” He grinned, knowing exactly what he needed to do to get their lives back on track. “Let’s throw a welcome-home party up at the house. Mom and Dad hosted the last ranch party. It’s time we continue the tradition.”

  “A party?” She gazed at him in
amazement. “But I’ve got to do something to save the Wildcat Den.”

  “That’s exactly what this party is about.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “We’ll invite every horse trainer, every cattle rancher, every business owner, every resident in the county. Most won’t be able to come, but plenty will be here to support you and the Den.”

  “Support me? How?”

  “Hedy and Morning Glory will get the word out. Everybody will be mad as a wet setting hen when they hear about these sidewinders trying to hurt you and trash-talking our county.”

  “But you’re planning to close KWCB, if you can.”

  “I’m rethinking my position.”

  She threw her arms around his waist and hugged him hard again. “That’s almost funny. I’m rethinking my position, too.”

  He set her back, so he could look into her eyes. “Are you telling me that about the time I’m considering renewing the lease you’re considering not renewing it?”

  “I don’t want your animals to go thirsty.”

  “I don’t want the county to lose its radio station.”

  She chuckled, shaking her head. “We’re something, aren’t we? I don’t think we’re ever going to agree on a solution.”

  “Let’s set it aside for now. We’ve got a party to plan.”

  “Are you sure a party is wise?”

  “Hedy and Morning Glory will get their social network humming, so we’ll get more food brought to us than we can shake a stick at.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Even better, they’ll let everybody know we’re in a radio station war. If we want KWCB to survive, we’re going to have to fight for it.”

  “I think the battle may be more legal than anything, and I can’t afford attorney fees. If Graham gets his hands on the Den, he’ll break up the assets and sell them to the highest bidder. The tower would probably go for scrap metal. I can hardly stand the thought.”

  “Isn’t KWCB your inheritance?”

  “Yes. Still, I’m concerned he’ll wear me down again or come at me from some new angle, like the video.”

  “We’ll fight on several fronts.” The more Shane thought about outsiders coming into the county and trying to make trouble, the madder he got. “We’ll ask Nathan Halford from Thingamajigs to bring his camcorder to the party. We’ll have our own Wildcat Bluff County video to counter Tanner’s nastiness. Ken can help us get it up and running.”

  “He’s good with tech stuff, that’s for sure. Still, I don’t know how any of this really helps me.” She sighed, looking up at the KWCB sign.

  “Trust me.” He clasped her hands again to transmit strength and courage and commitment. “Graham Tanner and his bullyboys just kicked a hornet’s nest named Wildcat Bluff County. And he’s going to regret the day he ever set foot here.”

  “I’d like to see that.”

  “You will.” He turned toward the station. “Come on, we’ve got some calls to make.”

  “Let’s use the black phone.”

  He glanced over at her. “Now why would you want to do that? You know it’ll take a lot longer to reach folks because that behind-the-times phone has no preprogrammed numbers.”

  She gave him a mischievous sidelong glance. “I have a very good reason. Smarmy Fontaine thinks he’s going to get my family’s phone and sell it for a mint, or maybe use it as a talking piece in his office.”

  “Even if it’s vintage it can’t be worth much.”

  “I told him all the major and minor country stars in the past had probably used it while in the studio.”

  “How could you ever prove the provenance?”

  “Fingerprints?” She gave him a big grin with fake, wide-eyed innocence.

  He couldn’t help but laugh, since it sounded so ludicrous. Still, there might be something in it if she could prove that Waylon, Willie, Johnny, Loretta, and others had made calls while at KWCB. Fat chance of that happening, but it was a funny thought. Still, he’d take particular pleasure in making sure Fontaine never got his sticky fingers on the Den’s rotary phone.

  “You know,” she said thoughtfully, “for such intelligent guys, I’m not sure how much country smarts they’ve got between them.”

  “Push comes to shove, I’ll take smarts.” He walked over to his horse and picked up the ground-tied reins.

  She looked at the buckskin then back at him. “I called you out in the middle of something, didn’t I? I’m okay now. You’d better get back to work.”

  “I was fixing a fence, but I can pass that along to another cowboy.” He pushed up the brim of his hat, thinking about what needed to be done next. “Come on, let’s get in the station and start plotting our next move. Max is up at the barn. I’ll alert him to our trouble and ask him to come and get my horse.”

  As he walked beside Eden, he jerked his phone out of a pocket and sent Max a quick text and got an immediate reply. “Max is on his way. Cowboys will keep an extra eye on all the entrances to the ranch.”

  “Good. I’m feeling better about my situation, but still…”

  “Don’t go there. We won’t let you down.”

  As she walked up the steps to the Den, he looped the reins around an old hitching post on one side of the building. He gave the buckskin a pat before he followed her inside, where she was picking up papers off the floor.

  “Let me do that.” He took the load from her, then knelt and grabbed a paper here and an envelope there until he held a whole stack in his hands. “Where do you want these?”

  She gave him a mischievous grin, picked up the corner of an official-looking document with one hand, held her nose with the other, and dropped the offending paper in the trash.

  “Fontaine’s gift to the Wildcat Den?” he asked.

  “Some gift! Stinks to high heaven.”

  “Bet it’s some pretty creative writing.”

  “No doubt.”

  “I’ll get the Rocky T’s attorney to take a look.”

  “I can’t afford it.”

  “I’ll cover the expense. KWCB is on my ranchland, so I’m involved one way or another.”

  She nodded, looking down at the trash. “I’ll pay you back.”

  “We’ll talk about it when the time comes.” He dropped her stack of paper, which looked like a lot of bills, on top of the desk. “For now, let’s get this show on the road. Who knows what mischief they’re up to while we’re losing time?”

  “You’re right.” She picked up the black phone receiver, stuck her finger in a number’s hole, and started rotating the dial. “I’m calling Morning Glory first. We’ll need Ken’s help, too.”

  “Don’t forget Hedy. We need firefighters for extra patrols.”

  “I’m on it.”

  He pulled his cell out of his pocket and hit speed dial for Sheriff Calhoun, hoping he wasn’t at some far end of the county and out of reach.

  “Sheriff Calhoun here.”

  “Shane at the Rocky T.”

  “You got news?”

  “Yep. Graham Tanner, Eden’s ex, a lawyer named Fontaine, and a videographer paid her a visit a while ago.”

  “Videographer?”

  “I hate to say, but looks like it might get nasty in a trashy tabloid kind of way.”

  “Not on my watch. And not in my county,” Sheriff Calhoun huffed into the phone. “What’s the attorney want?”

  “KWCB. They figure to get what she’s got left.”

  “No grounds, far as I know.”

  “Jones’ll know what to do, legal wise.”

  “Best attorney in town.”

  Shane chuckled at the old joke. “Only lawyer in town.”

  “That’s why the best.”

  “Listen, I’ve got the guys here on alert. We can count on our firefighters, too.”

&nb
sp; “Do you expect trouble?”

  “Yes. I just don’t know what or where or when.” He saw Max outside, so he walked over to the front door and gave a thumbs-up as his foreman settled into the buckskin’s saddle and headed toward the barn.

  “They’re not staying anywhere in Wildcat Bluff, and that’s a fact,” Sheriff Calhoun said. “I figure they’re driving in from another town. Maybe even Dallas. Now we have names, I’ll check up on them. And I’ll have my deputies on extra alert, too.”

  “Thanks. No gray sedan today. Big black SUV.”

  “Got it.”

  “We’re throwing a welcome-home party for Eden tonight at the Rocky T. Hedy and Morning Glory should be inviting the whole county.”

  “Now that’s in your face,” Sheriff Calhoun said, chuckling. “Guess you wouldn’t mind a little support from my department.”

  “Hope y’all will come.”

  “You might be stirring up a hornet’s nest.”

  “Hope so.”

  Sheriff Calhoun laughed harder. “Keep me posted.”

  Shane clicked off, slipped his phone back into his pocket, and felt his body kick into gear for battle.

  Eden dropped her receiver into its cradle as she looked at him. “Hedy and Morning Glory are on it. Jack is coming in later.”

  “Ken will be done and up here after a bit.”

  She put her hand over her heart. “We’re doing the right thing, aren’t we?”

  “What’d I do the other day out in the pasture when that fire was bearing down on us?”

  “Fought fire with fire.”

  “It works.”

  She suddenly stood up with blue eyes blazing. “You’re right. Fire with fire.” She walked briskly over to the sound studio’s door, stopped, and looked back. “Rae Dell’s had enough airtime.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I started this day about to climb back in the saddle.” She squared her shoulders. “Graham knocked me off my feet again, but that’s the last time.”

  Shane grinned, feeling proud of her grit.

  “I’m going into the studio. I’ll pick up that poster of The Highwaymen and tack it back on the wall.”