Cowboy Reckoning

by Barb Han

  “Thank you,” she said. “Knowing where you’re going makes a huge difference. I feel like I could’ve wandered around in there all night. It’s my fault. I thought I could get to the meadow and back before dark. My bad.”

  “Well, I’m glad the worst thing you ran into was Karma.”

  Her thick wheat-colored hair got caught in a breeze and whipped around her face. Large, cobalt blue eyes stared at his dog and his chest took another hit. This time, it had nothing to do with pity. He got it. Karma was intimidating. In fact, most folks crossed the street and walked on the other side when they saw the two of them coming. Not that Levi minded. He spent most of his time on the ranch and preferred it that way.

  On closer appraisal, Levi realized she was shaken up enough to be trembling. Well, now he really did feel bad. He glanced at her ring finger to see if she was married. No band and no tan line.

  Maybe he could get her talking so she would relax a little bit. He didn’t feel right sending her on her way like this. The fact she was alone facing what had to be terrible memories made him believe she didn’t have a support system here in town.

  “I heard your family moved after you graduated high school. Do you mind if I ask what brings you back after all these years?” Levi asked.

  “My brother for one.” She leaned a slender hip against her sedan. “The other reason is Lowell Whitfield.”

  Levi arched a brow. “The coroner?”

  “That’s right.”

  There was something about Ensley Cartier that made Levi want to get to the bottom of the sadness in her blue eyes and now he was even more curious about her. He couldn’t pinpoint the reason for his next words, but the question came out anyway.

  “Do you want to grab a cup of coffee? I know a place that has the best you’ve ever tasted.”

  “Excuse me?” Ensley’s surprised reaction almost had Levi thinking the coffee offer was a bad idea.

  Levi wrinkled his nose and took in a deep breath. He’d been outside all day…did he smell bad or something?

  His ego wasn’t used to being bruised if he asked someone out, and this wasn’t even for a date. He genuinely felt bad for the woman and her situation. He didn’t want to leave her stressed and looking scared.

  As far as he could tell she was back in town to look into a decades-old murder after the coroner’s death brought out questions regarding how he’d handled a few cases, including her brother’s. Levi couldn’t imagine she had too many friends in town.

  “I asked if you wanted to grab coffee.” He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly like he didn’t care about the cold shoulder. He glanced around. “I’m not hitting on you, if that’s what you’re worried about. I just found you wandering around in the woods and figured you could use a friend.”

  “I have friends,” she said defensively before seeming to catch herself. “But I could use an ally. How well do you know Lowell Whitfield’s family?”

  Now he really did regret the offer. Luckily for him, it didn’t seem like she was going to take him up on it.

  “Not well enough to matter.”

  She made a cluck-noise with her tongue. “I don’t believe that for a second.”

  Her arms were folded over her chest, a defensive move. Her chin was down, a protective instinct. Everything about her body language said she was closed off. Most people did that when they felt vulnerable or exposed.

  He’d seen it plenty of times while interviewing people overseas during his time in Kandahar. He’d gotten pretty good at interviewing witnesses; skills he never wanted to have to use again and one of the many reasons he’d returned to Texas and the land he loved after his tour. Working the cattle ranch that his father had built into an empire was all that Levi cared about.

  “Believe it or not, I wasn’t trying to insult you by asking you out for coffee.”

  “I didn’t think that you were.” Her still body language said he wasn’t making any progress.

  And since this fell into the not his problem category, he figured he’d tried to do the Good Samaritan thing. It didn’t work out. And he probably needed to count his blessings and move on.

  So, why was he still standing there?

  “Hold on a second.” Ensley blew out a sharp breath and her shoulders softened. “I could actually use a friend. The thought of going back to my motel room after this and eating alone isn’t exactly the most appealing thing.” She had a little hint of sparkle in her eye like maybe going to dinner with him would give her a chance to pick his brain a little bit.

  Oh great. The first person he’d asked out since his last date with April turned out to be a bust. Levi suppressed a chuckle. He wasn’t exactly asking out Ensley Cartier. She just seemed too broken to walk away from and too stubborn to admit she needed help.

  He’d always had a soft spot for anyone in trouble. He glanced down at Karma. Yep, a weakness that had him fighting for the underdog.

  “Is there a place that will let him come inside?” She motioned toward Karma.

  “There’s one I can think of. It’s not too far from here. It’d be faster to take my ATV if you don’t mind leaving your car.”

  She glanced around, looking a little bit helpless and a lot confused. Since living in the outermost part of the ranch, as far away from the big house as he could get, Levi was beginning to think he was losing his social skills.

  He decided to ignore the adorable dimple on her chin as he waited for her answer.

  “Is it busy there? I’m not sure I want to be around a lot of people right now,” she said.

  “I can almost guarantee we’ll have the place to ourselves.”

  “I guess it couldn’t hurt to leave my car here for a little while. As long as you promise to walk me back.” She glanced down at Karma. “And you keep him as far away from me as possible. I don’t want to be too readily available if he changes his mind about me and decides I’m a threat.”

  “Karma?” Levi feigned surprise. “He’s a cream puff.”

  “Well, just make sure that pastry doesn’t decide to take my arm off.” Her voice was so low that he almost didn’t hear it but also so sarcastic that he chuckled out loud.

  Finally, someone who seemed to get his sense of humor.

  “That wasn’t meant to be funny,” she quipped, and he realized he’d assessed her too soon.

  “I know,” he said a little too quickly. He needed to get his defensiveness under control. Well, this was off to a really great start. But then, company had been in short supply lately. Call him a sucker for good conversation but he either needed to talk to another human or actually go back up to the big house. As long as his Uncle Donny was still there, Levi preferred to live almost anywhere else.

  “How far is this coffee shop from here?”

  Levi turned around and caught Ensley’s gaze. His heart betrayed him with a little squeeze. He would deal with that later. Right now, he had one question on his mind.

  “Trust me?”

  “Why should I? I know your brothers and not you specifically. They were good people. Decent. I know you come from a good family.”

  She’d used the word, good, to describe him twice already. This was going well, he mused.

  “From an investigator’s perspective, I’d be a pretty bad criminal. My dog’s DNA is all over this place.” He motioned toward a tree and she seemed to get the message. Your car would lead them to your identity. My dog would lead them to me. If I had anything less than the best of intentions, this wouldn’t be the smartest way to go about it.”

  “I don’t know you personally and I have no idea if the fact you come from a good family means you’re a decent person. Or if you’re the lone, rogue McGannon.” She stared him down and he saw a hint of her personality behind those beautiful blues.

  Well Levi really did laugh now. He also noticed she didn’t answer his question. “Do you?”

  Another sharp breath later, and her shoulders relaxed just enough for him to see that she was going to say yes.


  “Good.” He reached for her hand and linked their fingers, a big mistake considering the effect their contact had on him. He ignored the electricity shooting up his arm with enough voltage to revive a dead heart. He had news for her and anyone else; that wasn’t going to happen any time soon.

  He led her to where his ATV was parked.

  “Climb on back.” He and Karma were a well-rehearsed team when it came to the ATV. Levi bent down and unlatched Karma’s leash. The two of them had been checking fences earlier to make sure there were no place cattle could get out when Karma had taken off. He must’ve heard someone and gotten spooked. Maybe he’d heard Ensley. Only a couple of times in the last few months had he run away and not at all lately.

  Levi clearly had a lot of work still to do when it came to handling the retired bomb sniffer. Even a year later, he felt like he was still gaining Karma’s trust and strengthening their bond.

  When he’d first received the dog, he had to drive to San Antonio and fill out a mountain of paperwork. It had all been worth it. Taking care of Karma was the best thing Levi ever could’ve done. It had given him a greater purpose after he’d soured on the fact the lines could be blurred between good and evil, thanks to his time overseas.

  The ATV barely dipped when Ensley took the seat behind him. She leaned far back so they made as little contact as possible. That took some effort on an ATV meant for one.

  He glanced behind him to see that her hands were behind her firmly planted on the seat. He hoped she wouldn’t be disappointed when she saw where he was taking her. He’d been honest before–the place he was taking her had the best coffee in all of Cattle Cove and probably all of southeast Texas. At least in his book anyway.

  It was his respite and the place he went to every morning to make fresh coffee before connecting to the morning call. There was a ranch meeting every day at four a.m., rain or shine.

  “Where are you taking me?” Ensley asked.

  Levi started the engine, turned to the side, and said, “One of my favorite places.”

  He waited for her to protest but she didn’t. He found that he wanted to hear her story and get to know her a little bit better. Chances were she was just cruising through town, staying for a few days and needed a short-term friend. He was up for it.

  Levi could admit to being restless lately. Bored. Maybe it was the bits and pieces of the case and how devastated the community had been that tugged at his heart strings and made him want to help Ensley.

  No family should ever have to deal with the loss of a child. From what he’d heard, Ensley Cartier had been a loving big sister who cared deeply about her younger brother. Folks had said Cooper was seen with his sister more than his parents. From what he remembered, the two had different mothers. Their father had been labeled as a social climber shortly after moving to town.

  People in Cattle Cove had a rare ability to see right through bull.

  Mr. Cartier had seemed to fit the bs bill. He’d moved the family to town a long time ago and had joined the country club set. That was about as much as Levi remembered about her family.

  Being overseas and facing a different enemy had his mind far away from home and things that went on there. Even so, the news of Cooper Cartier and his best friend’s death…news that had rocked the community…had made it all the way to Kandahar.

  If memory served, Cage McGannon had been friends with Cooper. The two had played on similar sports teams and ran in similar circles. So much so, Levi remembered the case had shocked and devastated his much younger cousin.

  Levi rode over the terrain, his headlights shining the way. His favorite lake wasn’t far away, and he liked the sound of the wind as it whipped through the tree tops. A ten-minute ride later, he pulled up to his campsite.

  “I thought you said we were going to the best coffee shop,” Ensley said.

  “That’s not exactly accurate. I said we’d be going to a place to get the best coffee. Nowhere in there did I say it had to be bought.”

  “Good point.” She climbed off the back of the seat and he half expected her to demand to be taken back to her vehicle. Instead, she walked around the campfire and started searching for something.

  Levi stood there for a long moment, trying to figure out Ensley Cartier.

  “What are you looking for?” He stood there, perplexed.

  “A match.”

  3

  As Levi went to work, building the small campfire, Ensley noticed there were two logs, butted up against each other at one end. Sitting on one would put Levi’s back to the water. With that position, no person or thing could sneak up behind him. She took note of the fact he claimed that seat. She figured that was his usual spot.

  From the side of the log facing the lake, he produced a metal lockbox. He unlocked it and, once the fire was going, pulled out supplies to boil water. Next he set up three metal prongs over the fire and hung a small metal teapot that he’d filled with bottled water.

  “Nice setup.” She meant it.

  “I always keep two cups here.”

  “Do you have a lot of company here?” she asked.

  “I have all the company I need in Karma here.” He smiled and wiggled an eyebrow. He held up the cups. “An heir and a spare just in case something happens to one, plus this always ensures that I have a clean cup.”

  It was practical. It was also easy to see that Levi McGannon was resourceful. One look at his muscled body said he could handle himself in almost any situation. He’d had a more casual, easy-going look about him in high school. She wondered if serving in the military was the reason his once-playful eyes had turned more serious. Or maybe it was just growing up in general and realizing that life wasn’t always butterflies and rainbows, like she’d once believed as a small child.

  Levi handed her a fresh cup of coffee and she took a sip, noting that Karma lay dutifully at his feet.

  “The search and rescue volunteers who found my brother threw away the clothes they’d been wearing that day.” It was an odd detail to remember and yet it stuck in her mind so vividly. She’d forgotten plenty other details about her brother’s life. Details she wished she could recall and couldn’t. But for some reason the clothes stuck in her mind after reading an account from one of the volunteers a year after his murder. Or should she say death, like the coroner wanted everyone to believe?

  Levi shook his head and issued a sharp sigh.

  “It’s unfair.” He paused. “I know I said it before, but I couldn’t be sorrier for what happened to your brother. I didn’t know him myself, but if my cousin liked him then he was a good kid.”

  Ensley nodded. She appreciated the kind words.

  “He would’ve graduated college this year. In May. It’s really strange when I think about what he would be doing now.” Cooper would forever be twelve years old in her mind. That was the strange thing about death. It suspended time for the living.

  “I can’t say I’ve been through anything like what you have because I haven’t. I can only imagine your horror. The closest I could ever come to it was when I left to serve. I was gone five years and I expected everyone to be the same age as when I left once I came home.” He smiled and his dimples peeked out.

  She totally understood what he was saying though. “Did you come home for visits?”

  “Nope. I was stationed overseas and I missed my brothers. I figured coming home would only remind me of what I was missing here. It seemed like the best way to stay focused was to keep my head down and finish out my tour. It was something I’d felt compelled to finish but also realized it wasn’t something I’d do for a living.”

  “Then why go at all?”

  “I ask myself that same question sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t be prouder of serving my country. I was looking for answers that I thought I couldn’t find in Cattle Cove.”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I thought all people with your family’s money went to find themselves in Europe and stayed in hostels on their parents�
� dime.” She heard how superficial and shallow that sounded, and immediately felt bad for the judgment. “I didn’t mean…”

  Levi laughed and it broke some of the tension.

  “I’m pretty certain from the outside it looks like we’re all trust fund kids. But we weren’t made that way and we certainly weren’t brought up that way.”

  “So, you don’t stand to inherit any of the family business?” she asked.

  “Inherit? Yeah. Someday. But that doesn’t stop a person from wanting to make their own way in life. Does that make any sense?”

  “Actually, it does. It makes a lot of sense to me. To be honest, I always sort of felt like my dad was looking to ride other people’s coattails and I never respected him for it.” Her cheeks reddened. “I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud.”

  “We have an uncle that I feel the same way about. He’s been all gung-ho to jump onboard the family business now that he’s gambled away his own inheritance and he’s seen how my father made the company even more successful. He wasn’t around to put in the hard work to build it but he sure is here with his hand out because he happens to share the McGannon last name.”

  “I feel like my dad would sadly fit into that same category. When he and my mom married, neither one had two nickels to rub together. And then my mom worked two jobs to put him through first college and then law school in addition to having a surprise pregnancy.” She pointed her finger at herself. “Once he graduated and went to work at a firm handling trusts and wills, he ended up meeting the person who would become my step-mother and Cooper’s mother, he decided he’d outgrown mine.” She shook her head like she could somehow shake off those thoughts. “But I didn’t come here to talk about my mixed-up family.”

  She lifted her gaze and focused on Levi.

  “I want to know more about Lowell Whitfield.”

  “I’m sorry to tell you that you’re not going to get much more from me than a free cup of coffee and good company.” He grinned, obviously pleased with his quip. “I’m afraid to disappoint you but I spend most of my time out here and prefer it that way. I’ve been pretty out of the loop since Karma came to live with me. I thought it would be better for him if we lived out here and I slowly introduced him to people. Turns out, he doesn’t like crowds any more than I do. Basically, fewer people talk to me when I’m with him. Since I’m not up on town gossip, all I can tell you is what you already know. Lowell Whitfield passed away.”