Colton 911--Caught in the Crossfire

by Linda O. Johnston

  Hers, too, in a way. Whoever they were, they’d killed Pierce. Why? Would they try to kill her, too?

  And Casey?

  Well, she’d been looking around and searching for answers, too, and after a while of not sharing anything but, in effect, their environment, she’d thought it was finally time for her to say something. And so she did.

  And, of course, the brief conversation she’d initiated had morphed into something emotional, at least for her.

  But she could turn it now into something a lot more useful and, hopefully, more effective.

  “So,” she said, “it’s time. Let’s discuss your plan and see how we can best get it implemented.” Or possibly not, if she didn’t think it made sense.

  But she had come to know the man beside her—this deputy sheriff with a conscience and a heart—well enough to believe that, whatever he’d been pondering, it could potentially finish this long, lengthy stakeout in the best way possible. Successfully. It had to be.

  “First, can you check your GPS? I could do it, but you’re better at it out here than I am. I want to confirm that the cattle still seem to be beneath that hill they were apparently being walked down.”

  Melody quickly took her phone from her pocket and looked. Again. And she was able to confirm the information for Casey. “It appears that eight of the cattle are in a herd together at the bottom now. Two more may still be at the top of that hill, and another’s on the way down, if I’m interpreting this right.”

  “I’m sure you are.”

  She glowed a bit under Casey’s smile and nod toward her, but stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue.

  “Okay. Here’s what I’m thinking now.” He described a scenario where they’d go a bit farther, getting closer to where the topography dipped downhill, then dismount.

  Next, the two of them would advance farther on foot, using more underbrush and the rolling land as their cover while they got nearer to the edge of that hillside, where they should be able to see the rustlers.

  “We’ll observe them then and figure out the best way of bringing them down...and saving the cattle, of course,” he explained. “Does that work for you? Do you have any suggestions? Of course, we can modify anything as we go along, if it seems appropriate.”

  Fine, Melody thought. But he’d better take good care of himself, too. “It sounds really good in generalities,” Melody said. “And, yes, as long as it’s all subject to change I’m fine with it. Only—”

  “Only you’re concerned about our excellent mounts here, aren’t you?” Casey leaned forward and stroked Witchy’s neck.

  “How did you guess I was going to address their welfare further?” Melody was both amused and impressed. It wasn’t a surprise, though, that Casey had come to know her well enough to understand how much she liked the livestock in her life.

  “A little bird told me. Oh, no, wait. It had to have been a little horsefly.” Casey smiled, and Melody couldn’t help laughing. “Well, what I figured is that once we get into range of where I think it’s time to leave our horses, I’ll let you check it out and make the decision as to when and where to tie them up. Securely and safely and with grass and water around, since we’re not sure how long they’ll have to stay there without us.”

  Like, would they ever return? Melody wondered that immediately. If all went well, of course they would. But if it didn’t, would there be time and opportunity to contact other ranch hands or some of the deputies Casey worked with to ask for their help in saving the horses, too?

  Well, the two of them had to do things right so this wouldn’t become an issue. Melody knew that and she trusted Casey well enough to believe he’d do everything in his power to make sure not only the cattle, but also these wonderful horses, came out of this situation healthy and happy.

  And he’d said he would let her make the decision. “Thanks,” she said. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to figure out the best locale for the horses so I’ll want your input, too, but I appreciate that you’ll let me make the decision.”

  “Oh, I’ve got a feeling that if I attempted to do it all on my own I’d hear something from you, like it or not.”

  “You’ve got me,” Melody said with a laugh, and then realized that her words could be interpreted as a bit suggestive.

  Well, they’d not get that opportunity now, while finally at the stage of finishing this vital assignment together.

  “So after we secure the horses, we’ll hike toward where the cattle are, or at least approach the hillside they’re being led down?” Melody was fairly certain that was what he’d said and what he intended, but she needed to keep talking now, so she would know what he was thinking. She also wanted to keep her own thoughts in line with what they would need to do, and not be distracted by any unwanted, though much-too-tempting, ideas.

  “That’s what I think will be best. I’m just hoping there’ll be enough bushes or other cover around there so we can continue on foot without being seen. And since we need to do it today, hopefully the cattle won’t be too far ahead of us by then.”

  “There’s that road parallel to the base of the slope that’s not far away,” she reminded him. “I’m hoping the rustlers are smart enough not to attempt to drive the cattle to the other side, at least not if there are any cars at all using it.”

  “So far, we don’t really know how intelligent the criminals are,” Casey said. “They can’t be too smart since they stole some pretty valuable cows from one of the town’s most powerful people. No way would your boss back down and allow them to keep going with any part of his herd.”

  “And no way would I stop now without making sure those cattle are nice and safe and back with the rest of the herd.” She hadn’t needed to say that, of course. He knew that.

  “Right. And no way would I stop and give up and let those felons escape without my arresting them.”

  “So we’re together on this,” Melody said, as if there’d been any doubt before. But she was enjoying their teasing fellowship at the moment.

  “We’re together on this,” Casey agreed, and the grin he shot her way...well, did he really intend it to look as sexy as it did?

  Not that it mattered. Not now, when they were still out chasing their quarry, and not later, even after all had been resolved—favorably to them, she reminded herself. There could be no other result. Period.

  “So let’s find that right spot for our buddies here,” Melody said. She scrutinized the area in front of them.

  “Absolutely.”

  They only continued for about another twenty minutes before Melody said, “Let’s stop here and take a look at this place.” It was an area where there were lots of bushes with thick branches, as well as a few trees that appeared to be firs. At the far side, the narrow brook they had seen before ran by. There were patches of tall grass, as well.

  To Melody, it appeared ideal. “I vote for this location,” she told Casey while still seated on Cal’s saddle. “If you want to look farther, we can give it a try, but I suspect we’ll return here. What do you think?”

  He looked ahead of them. From Melody’s perspective, the route to the hill dropoff was getting close. She saw no cattle at the top, nor any people to watch them or spot the horses. The last of the cattle must have been accompanied down.

  She waited, though, to hear Casey’s opinion. He was the law-enforcement agent, after all. In some ways, he was in charge—as long as she didn’t disagree with him.

  “Let’s get down and have a look,” he said.

  “Good idea.”

  Melody edged herself out of the saddle and eased down to the ground. She tied the end of Cal’s reins to a nearby bush just to make sure he didn’t start walking away, and noticed Casey do the same with Witchy.

  For the next few minutes, they wandered around the area. It still looked appropriate to Melody but she wanted to hear Casey’s opinion.<
br />
  “I think you’re right,” he said, and she enjoyed his appreciative smile. “You ready to do a little hiking?”

  She considered his question for a moment. “Soon,” she said.

  She was glad her boots were comfortable and made for walking and more, with their laces tied nice and firmly. Her work shirt and jeans felt just fine in this warm temperature. She’d get warmer, anyway, as they proceeded.

  To make sure Cal felt comfortable after they attached him here for his safety, she removed his saddle and saddlebag and placed them on the ground, and also removed the bit from his mouth and loosened his girth. She was happy that Casey did the same with Witchy. Fortunately, the brook appeared fairly clean and they left the horses near enough that they could drink from it. But Melody also left filtered water in containers near both of them.

  She then reached inside her saddlebag and removed her fanny pack, making sure it contained her wallet and personal information, which she wouldn’t want anyone else to pilfer, as well as some tissues and other things for comfort. She fastened it around her waist.

  “I’m ready,” she finally said to Casey, who had also been checking his saddlebag on the ground and removing a few things, which he stuck in his pockets.

  The last thing she noticed was that he took out his gun and stuck it into the back part of his belt. He wore a long black shirt outside his white T-shirt, with the gun hidden beneath it.

  He turned and walked over to her then. To her surprise, he got close. Very close. Close enough that he pulled her into his arms for a tight hug, and, of course, she reciprocated before even considering whether it was a good idea.

  And when she looked up at his face, she saw his heated glance back down at her. In moments, their mouths met in a hot kiss. A very passionate kiss. Appropriate out here? Well, why not? She threw herself into it. But it was too brief.

  Casey pulled away more quickly than she was ready for, but it was for the best. “I’m ready, too,” he said.

  Chapter 16

  Casey wasn’t sure how best to approach the hilltop. Thanks to Melody’s GPS, he believed the bad guys had gathered the cattle just beyond the foot of it. Hopefully, they were with the cows now. In any case, there was no sense in being too obvious in his approach to the edge, especially with Melody. He asked her to walk close to the plant life beside them and sometimes even close to the cover of the bushes, where there was room, just in case one of the rustlers sneaked back and checked out the direction from which they’d come for anyone who might be following.

  Like them.

  If anyone ahead had exceptional hearing, perhaps they’d even be able to make out the crunching of his and Melody’s feet on the dead leaves on the ground. He looked back at his companion often, glad they were both wearing long sleeves since bushes along their route scraped at them constantly. He was also glad they were both dressed in dark colors, to help limit their visibility.

  At least the air temperature remained tolerably warm, even though it was now midafternoon.

  Melody tapped his shoulder, so he stopped and turned toward her. “Is it okay to talk in a normal voice now?” she asked softly. “Otherwise, you probably won’t know I’m saying anything.”

  He started walking again slowly, beside her. “Should be fine for now, but not when we get much closer. I’m not sure when we’re likely to run into anyone, or if they’ll be able to hear us from down the hill.”

  “Our footsteps in the dried leaves of these bushes make a lot of noise, too.” She’d noticed that as well, which wasn’t surprising.

  She was frowning in apparent concern, and he wanted to reassure her all would be well. But he couldn’t do that. Not without taking the chance he’d be lying. Instead, he found something to ask her. “Do you know what kinds of plants these are?” He gestured toward the low bushes beside them, then raised his hands to where tree branches stuck out overhead. A few times he’d caught a sweet aroma that originated from the nearby growing things.

  “Not really. My thing is livestock, not plant life. But if you wanted me to guess, I think some of these bushes are honeysuckle, or barberry...maybe. And the trees? We’ve already decided some, those tall ones, are likely to be firs of some kind, and the ones that aren’t evergreens might be a type of mesquite, and maybe a type of buckeye.”

  “Who says you don’t know your flora? Don’t know if you’re right, but that certainly sounds good.”

  They continued to walk beside each other. Casey had an urge to grab Melody’s hand—just to help stabilize her, he told himself.

  But she clearly didn’t need any assistance to stay upright and move quickly and steadily alongside him. Still, he kept her closest to the cover of the bushes, so she did occasionally reach out to push some greenery, or bare branches, out of her way.

  As they inched closer to the top of the hill, Casey developed his plan further. One that would keep Melody safest. He would take all the chances, although he wasn’t yet certain how much cover there would be to keep him from being obvious to the bad guys. He couldn’t yet see the actual slope beyond the wide summit, although it shouldn’t be too bad if the rustlers had managed to get the cows down it, one at a time.

  That probably indicated someone standing at the base could see someone leaning over the top, though, or slipping down it some way. But he would nevertheless figure out a way once he was closer to get to the level of the cattle, without being seen.

  Depending on what he observed, if he believed it was too dangerous he’d tell Melody to remain in hiding up here.

  And somehow find a way to get her to agree. That woman definitely had a mind of her own.

  If he could find a way to convince her it was in the cattle’s best interest for her to wait on top of the hill, that might work.

  But he preferred not to get killed or captured, either. His gun remained easily reachable, stuck into his belt. And once he saw the actual layout, he would determine the best way to close in on the rustlers.

  He would then perfect his plan.

  He kept checking the area around them. There did appear to be paths leading sideways into the cover of the bushes and trees, which could be okay. If he found a way to head in that direction and get down the hill beyond the point the rustlers did, he might be able to draw nearer without them seeing him, especially since these bushes and other growth appeared to be fairly thick off to their right.

  “Are you trying to figure out how to get down that hill without being seen?” Melody asked even more quietly than before, remaining at his side as he slowed just a bit.

  Damn, but she was perceptive. And smart. And...well, attractive. Too attractive, even in her casual clothes out here in the middle of nowhere. Ranch-hand clothes. Not that he hadn’t noticed that before. He had to get himself to stop thinking about it, and her, though, and what was beneath those clothes...

  Now, especially, when they were reaching the end of their journey, and the possible meeting with the bad guys they were chasing, was a bad time for distractions like that.

  Those thoughts were irrelevant to where they were, what they were doing. He had to think deputy-sheriff thoughts only—to accomplish his mission out here, where Melody was simply his colleague.

  Or not so simply.

  “Yeah,” he responded. “I’ve got some ideas, and I’ll welcome any suggestions you have, too.”

  They talked about it briefly. Melody had some thoughts about going in the other direction from the way he’d been considering, toward the left, maybe until the area at the top of the hill grew level, assuming it eventually did as she’d learned from the GPS, then hurrying to the roadway and walking back that way.

  “But I doubt that would work well even if the hill does end in that direction, the way it appears,” she said, gazing straight into Casey’s eyes. She looked to be even more worried than she had on most of their expedition. “For one thing, I’m not sure
what the road shoulder’s like. We wouldn’t want to walk down the middle of the road, of course. We’d not only probably be seen, but we’d be more likely to get hit by a car.”

  “My thought was going the other way.” Casey pointed off to their right side, into the bushes that were their current cover. “I’d like to head that way before we get too close to the hilltop.”

  “Will we be able to see what’s going on below from there?”

  “Don’t know yet,” he admitted. “We’ll just have to check it out. And if that doesn’t work, maybe something that will work will become obvious.”

  “Or not,” Melody said glumly. “If not...well, I’ve been thinking about contacting Clarence and maybe getting him to send a van or two down the road to hopefully collect the cattle there.”

  “And I’m telling you not to do that,” Casey said abruptly. “I don’t want any more of your ranch hands put into the line of fire, not till we have some control over what’s going on. Besides—” he looked her straight in her beautiful face with an expression he hoped appeared concerned—as well as reminding her who the leader of the two of them was “—your cattle will be endangered more that way, too. If the rustlers see any indication that their prey is about to be collected, they’ll most likely start killing all of them, the way we’ve been afraid of all along. And us, too, if we’re close enough and they’ve noticed us.”

  Melody shook her head and looked down, walking forward once more. “You’re right. But I just don’t envision anything coming out the way we want now. I’m glad we’ve been following and are about to catch up with them, but... Look, I don’t want to be critical of you or what you’ve been doing, but—”

  He laughed harshly, feeling as if she’d kicked him where it hurt. Nevertheless, he understood, and acknowledged it.

  “You’re right,” he said. “Our just following was a good idea, before. Now we need to do something to end it. I need to do something,” he amended. “And...well, I understand why you don’t trust me. But I’m damn good at my job.” And he was—though he’d never been in this kind of situation before. Even so, he continued, “You need to follow my instructions as we go ahead. We’ll save your cattle and bring down the murderous thieves. I promise. Got it?”