Rodeo Daddy

by B. J Daniels

  “We started losing cattle just after Jack hired on. Dad and I didn’t want to believe it was him, because from the start we could see how you felt about him.”

  “Jack was rustling cattle?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper. “I don’t believe it.”

  “Well, it’s true. Remember the night Ray Dale Farnsworth was killed?”

  Ray Dale was the son of a neighboring farmer. Her father had hired him as a favor to Angus Farnsworth, Ray Dale’s father. Ray Dale was a wild one, always in trouble, but Ryder thought he could help the young man.

  Then Ray Dale was found dead in Box Canyon at the north end of the ranch. It appeared he’d fallen from his horse and hit his head. Everyone had always wondered what he’d been doing in the canyon that night.

  The sheriff had wondered as well. She remembered overhearing something about semi-truck tire prints along a nearby road and a rumor of rustling. But rustling was always something to worry about on a ranch the size of the Wishing Tree, and when the sheriff ruled the death accidental, that had been the end of the rustling talk.

  “Ray Dale and Jack were rustling our cows,” Cody said quietly. “Dad and I had suspected it for some time.” He held up a hand. “It’s the honest to God truth. I saw Jack ride out after Ray Dale that night.”

  She couldn’t believe her ears. “That proves nothing.”

  “The two had rounded up about fifty head in Box Canyon,” Cody continued, as if she hadn’t spoken. “I don’t know what happened. There was a storm that night so maybe the lightning and thunder spooked the cows and they stampeded and Ray Dale got thrown from his horse.” He shrugged. “But Jack was there. I followed him to the canyon, then I rode back to tell Dad.”

  She shook her head. “There has to be another explanation.”

  “Jack had a record, Chels. We found out that this wasn’t his first brush with the law. He’d done some time in Juvenile Hall for stealing on other ranches where he’d worked.”

  She closed her eyes, remembering Jack telling her he’d gotten into some trouble when he was younger, made some mistakes. He’d grown up hard and hadn’t had the advantages she and Cody had, but he’d been so determined to change his life.

  “He wouldn’t steal from us,” she said adamantly, opening her eyes. “And if they really were rustling, then why didn’t Dad have him arrested? Why didn’t any of this come out at the time?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? Dad knew how you felt about Jack. He didn’t want you to be hurt. Ray Dale was dead. The Farnsworths were going through enough, losing their only son, without adding the pain and embarrassment of knowing Ray Dale was rustling. Dad felt that the loss of a few cows and letting Jack Shane get away with it was better than hurting people he cared about.”

  She stared at her brother, missing her father all the more because what Cody said was true. That’s exactly how Ryder Jensen would have handled the situation. But it wasn’t like her father to try to buy off a thief and they both knew it. “Dad wouldn’t offer ten thousand dollars to Jack if he really believed he was stealing from the ranch.”

  “Wouldn’t he?” Cody said.

  She didn’t want to hear this. Didn’t want to believe it.

  “He did it to protect you,” her brother continued. “I can’t tell you how it hurt Dad to do it. He knew you’d be devastated if you learned the truth. By then, Jack knew we were on to him. That’s why he took off the way he did.”

  “But why didn’t he take the money?” she cried. “If money was all he cared about, why didn’t he take it?”

  Cody shook his head. “Maybe there is some honor among thieves. Or maybe he thought it was a trap.” He reached out, encircled her neck with his arm and pulled her to him. “I’m sorry, sis,” he said, hugging her. “Maybe now that you know the truth, you can finally get over Jack Shane once and for all, and Dad will be able to rest in peace.”

  Unable to hold back the tears, she hugged Cody, glad to have her big brother back. She’d give up crying tomorrow. At least now she knew why Jack left the Wishing Tree and hadn’t looked back.

  CHAPTER TWO

  IN THE DAYS that followed, Chelsea rode Scout every morning, galloping through the cool dawn, the wind blowing back her hair, blowing back her tears.

  On those rides, she questioned every aspect of her relationship with Jack, searching for some sign that she’d been dead wrong about him. That her love for him had blinded her to his faults, his weaknesses, his deceitfulness. Or that, like her father and brother believed, she really had been too young to see the truth.

  She remembered everything about Jack Shane. The way he talked, the way he stood, the way he touched her. And the way he’d left her.

  She’d been seventeen that summer, Jack twenty-two. He had a way about him. A quiet, gentle strength. She liked how he handled the horses she loved. She liked the tenderness that came into his dark eyes when he looked at her. She’d felt a pull to him, stronger than gravity, whenever she was near him.

  She’d known he’d been hurt bad when he was young, and suffered poverty and neglect. She’d felt his pain, just looking at him. But she’d also seen his desire to overcome his past, his determination to succeed. He was a man willing to work for what he wanted. He hadn’t been kicked down so much that he didn’t still have dreams.

  Maybe it was that hunger that had led him to steal.

  It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen how overwhelmed he was by the size of the Wishing Tree ranch, how envious he was of her family’s closeness and how…uncomfortable he was with her wealth. He hadn’t wanted to fall in love with her because of it, and told her as much.

  Chelsea had never thought much about money. Probably because she’d never had to. Everything she’d ever needed was on the ranch. Her life was unbelievably rich in so many things she hadn’t realized until she’d met Jack Shane. Money was only one of them.

  Jack had never believed he would be accepted in the circles in which her family traveled, and because of that, he’d had trouble believing the two of them had a future.

  He’d been right. She ached at the thought of how Jack must have felt when her father offered him ten thousand dollars to leave the Wishing Tree and her. She knew how much pride he had. In fact, he’d had little else.

  That alone could explain why Jack had written the hurried note telling her it would never work out. Why he’d left without talking to her and why he’d never come back.

  What if Cody was wrong? She kept thinking about the check and the fact that Jack hadn’t taken the money. The more she thought about it, the more she believed Jack hadn’t left out of guilt, but hurt and embarrassment. What if there was an explanation, just as she had originally thought, for Jack going to Box Canyon that night?

  The more she considered it, the more she worried that Jack had been falsely accused. She couldn’t have been that wrong about him. If she had been, she would never trust her heart again.

  “I’m going to find Jack,” she said one morning at breakfast, surprising herself as much as she did Cody. “I have to confront him. I have to know the truth.”

  “I told you the truth,” Cody said contrarily.

  “I believe you,” she assured him. At least she believed that Cody believed it. “I just need to know why.”

  “For once in your life, just let it go, Chels,” Cody said, pushing away his plate. “He’s going to break your heart all over again.”

  “Try to understand,” she pleaded, not wanting this to come between them. “I have to do this.”

  “The man is no good, Chels,” her brother said hotly. “The worst thing you can do is dig all this back up. Think of Dad. This isn’t what he would have wanted. If it comes out about the rustling, it’s going to hurt everyone, especially the Farnsworths.”

  “This is just between me and Jack.”

  Cody threw down his napkin and pushed back his chair. “Why do you think Dad debated telling you for so long?” he demanded as he got to his feet. “Because he feared you’d do some fool thing like
this. You always took in every stray cat or dog that wandered onto the ranch, thinking that with some food and love you could save them all. Well, you couldn’t save Jack Shane but you would have died trying.”

  “It wasn’t like that. Cody, please, try to understand. I’ve never been able to get over him. If you’re right, then after I see him, I’ll be able to move on. Finally.”

  “You think he’ll admit the truth to you?” he demanded.

  “Yes, I think he will.”

  Cody shook his head, his gaze softening. “Sis, I’m just afraid you’re going to fall under this guy’s spell again.”

  “I’m a big girl now, Cody. I’m not seventeen with stars in my eyes. If Jack lied to me, I’ll know.”

  Cody was still shaking his head. “Dad made one hell of a mistake by running him off. He should have let Jack stay long enough to hang himself so you could see who he really was.”

  “Yes, Dad should have,” she agreed. “But since he didn’t, I intend to see for myself. Support me on this, Cody. Trust me.”

  “It isn’t you I don’t trust, Chels. It’s Jack. I saw the way he stole your heart. He would have stolen this ranch just as quickly. You’re making a mistake, one you’re going to regret.”

  “I guess it’s my mistake to make,” she said quietly.

  “Then you’re on your own.” He swore as he turned and stomped out, grabbing his hat on the way. “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  * * *

  “I NEED YOU to find someone for me,” Chelsea said the moment she stepped into the office of Finders Keepers a few hours later.

  Dylan Garrett laughed at her abrupt entrance. “Chelsea. What a surprise!” He got up to embrace her.

  Dylan and her brother Cody were the same age and had been good friends since they were boys. The Garretts owned a ranch in the same area outside of San Antonio as the Jensens. She hadn’t seen Dylan and his sisters Lily and Ashley since her father’s funeral.

  Dylan released her, holding her at arm’s length to look at her. “How are you? I’ve been wanting to stop by to see Cody….”

  She knew what he was asking. “Cody is doing…better. You saw how he was at the funeral. He fills his days with work. But I think he’s sleeping more now and he’s talking to me again.”

  “Good,” Dylan said, offering her a chair.

  “That is, he was,” she added.

  Dylan raised a brow. Rather than go back behind his desk, he took a chair across from her. Dylan had always been a strikingly good-looking man. At one time, Chelsea had had a terrible crush on him—his rugged, muscular build, his sun-streaked light-brown hair, always in need of a haircut, and those incredible blue eyes so like his father’s.

  But it was the laugh lines around his eyes and mouth and that little dimple in his left cheek when he smiled that used to get to her. That and the fact that he was a nice guy.

  Unfortunately, he’d been her brother’s friend, one of the reasons the crush hadn’t lasted long. That and Jack Shane.

  She took a deep breath and smiled, trying to calm down. She’d always been impetuous, but now that she was in Dylan’s office she felt a little…scared. “How are you?”

  He smiled. “Good.”

  “I’ve been following your wonderful success with Finders Keepers. I hope I get to see Lily while I’m here, and the baby. How old is Elizabeth now, almost a month?”

  “She’s the cutest thing,” the proud uncle said, a sparkle in his eye.

  It struck her what a great father Dylan would make. But so far, it seemed, no woman had caught his eye.

  “So, who do you have to find this early in the morning?” he asked, no doubt sensing her need to get this settled and as quickly as possible.

  She took a breath and braced herself, not sure how much he knew about all this. “Jack Shane.”

  He arched a brow. “Jack Shane?”

  “He worked on the ranch about ten years ago.”

  She filled Dylan in on everything Cody had told her, although she suspected he probably knew most of it. “I was in love with Jack,” she confided.

  “I remember,” Dylan said quietly. “You went to Europe later that summer.”

  Her father had surprised her with that trip to Europe. Now she knew why. Obviously, he’d hoped it would help her get over Jack. Too bad it hadn’t worked.

  “Are you sure about this?” Dylan asked.

  She’d never been more sure of anything. Or more afraid. “I have to know the truth.”

  Dylan looked skeptical. “More than likely, you’ll never know the truth. If he conned you before, what’s to prevent him from doing it again? I have to raise these questions, Chelsea. Jack Shane might be guilty. He might even be…dangerous. What then?”

  She started to argue, but he stopped her.

  “Did you ever think that he might not want to be found?”

  She knew what Dylan meant: if Jack was guilty, seeing her turn up on his doorstep wasn’t going to make his day.

  “Or he might be in prison—or worse,” Dylan added. “Ten years is a long time. And all things considered, there’s more than a good chance you aren’t going to like what you find.”

  She nodded. “Either way, I need to know and I need to hear it straight from Jack.”

  Dylan studied her for a moment. “Okay, I’ll do my best to find him for you, but I have to tell you, it’s against my better judgment.”

  “Thanks, Dylan,” she said, opening her purse to pull out her checkbook.

  He reached over to put a hand on hers. “Let’s see what I find out, then we can talk about my fee. I’ll give you a call.” He got to his feet. “Lily is around—you have to see this baby. Stay here, and I’ll be right back.”

  Restless, Chelsea walked around the tastefully furnished office, too nervous to sit. She knew she wouldn’t be good for anything until Dylan found Jack. Until she got this settled in her mind. And her heart.

  She heard Lily’s voice and turned to hear Dylan say, “Give me that baby, and come in here and say hello to Chelsea.”

  “Chelsea? You didn’t tell me she was here.” Lily burst through the door and rushed to hug her as Dylan brought the baby in. Elizabeth was so tiny and adorable, Chelsea melted at the sight of her.

  “Everything’s all right, isn’t it?” Lily asked with concern after Chelsea had made a fuss over the baby.

  Chelsea nodded. She’d always felt close to Lily and her sister Ashley, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell Lily about Jack. “Congratulations. Elizabeth is beautiful.”

  Lily’s face glowed with happiness as she nudged the blanket down with a finger so she could look at her baby cuddled in her brother’s arms. Chelsea watched the expression on Lily’s face and wondered if she would ever have a child of her own.

  * * *

  DYLAN WATCHED Chelsea leave, unable to shake off the bad feeling he had. Chelsea was like a little sister to him, and, like Cody, he felt protective of her.

  “What’s wrong?” Lily asked behind him.

  He turned to look at her holding her precious infant daughter. Everything, he wanted to say. He envied his sister. She had Cole and now Elizabeth.

  “I’m worried about Chelsea,” he answered honestly.

  “She’s a headstrong woman,” Lily agreed.

  He had to laugh. “Like someone else I know.”

  “Dylan, when I came in earlier, you were on the phone with Zach Logan. I couldn’t help but overhear.”

  Zach had been Dylan’s boss when he’d worked with the Dallas police. “Zach’s just helping me with Julie’s case,” Dylan said. He didn’t want to concern his sister any more than he already had. “Zach’s involvement will help me settle it faster, that’s all.”

  Julie. The woman he loved. The woman who had married his best friend, Sebastian Cooper.

  It had only been a few months since Dylan had discovered Sebastian was up to his neck in the mob. Julie had learned of it even earlier and had taken off, pregnant.

  That
had been a year ago January—a long year in which Dylan had searched for Julie, finally locating her in the tiny Texas town of Cactus Creek. Julie was fearful for her life and that of her baby son, Thomas. She was convinced Sebastian meant to harm her, and after eavesdropping on Sebastian and mobster Luke Silva, Dylan knew her fears were grounded. He had put her in a safe house in Boot Hill until he could find enough evidence on Sebastian to send him to prison for life.

  Dylan worried that he wasn’t moving fast enough. That Sebastian was going to find Julie and Thomas before he could get what he needed on his old friend. He had tried to keep the fact that he’d found Julie a secret, but his twin sister Lily knew him too well—Lily and their ranch foreman, Max, who was like a brother to Dylan. They noticed Dylan had changed in the past few months and had guessed the reason. But Dylan trusted them to keep his discovery of Julie a secret. And even though he hated to inflict worry on his sister and Max, it had helped having them to confide in.

  “I heard you tell Zach that you’re planning to go see J. B. Crowe in prison to flush out Sebastian,” she said, then lowered her voice, realizing she’d startled Elizabeth. She looked down at the infant, then back up at him. “J. B. Crowe is the head of the mob. You helped put him in prison—you know how dangerous he is.” Dylan stepped over to his sister and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Believe me, I know. But for Julie’s sake, I’ve got to find Sebastian before he finds her, and J. B. Crowe is going to help me. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

  “You really love her, don’t you?” Lily said. “Just do me a favor. Please be careful.”

  “Always.” He kissed his sister on the forehead, then Elizabeth. “You just take care of my niece and don’t worry.” But he could tell that would be hard for her. It was another reason he had to find Sebastian. And soon.

  * * *

  IT WASN’T UNTIL the next evening that Dylan called. Chelsea had been waiting anxiously by the phone. Cody had cleared out of the house and was back in his distant, uncommunicative mood. Her attempts at conversation with him only elicited grunts until she’d finally just given up.

  It broke her heart to lose him again. She could only hope he’d come around, because now that she’d gone this far, she wasn’t turning back.