by Unknown
Why was she crying over him? Was she still so much in love with him? Could she ever get over that love when she was living in the same house with him?
She didn’t think a day had passed since she’d left him that she hadn’t thought about him. Why did they have such a volatile chemistry between them when neither of them wanted it?
She wiped her cheeks and walked to the window to look outside. She should move somewhere else. The instant the thought came, she rejected it. Henry was happier now than she had ever seen him. She was going to save so much money, and that would help her and Henry later.
Kate resolved to make a greater effort to avoid Jonah. If they didn’t see each other, there would be fewer opportunities for moments like the one that just passed. “Stay away from him completely,” she told herself. “That’s what he wants.”
She saw him cross the terrace. He was in his skimpy swimsuit and his muscles flexed as he walked. Her gaze ran over his bare back, his taut buttocks, his strong thighs and long legs, and her heart pounded again as if he had touched her.
She wanted him physically with all her being. She was starved for his lovemaking, aching to be kissed and caressed and held in his arms, and to explore that marvelous male body of his. The pure joy of sex had been rapture in their marriage.
She watched him drop his towel and take a leaping dive into the pool. He swam with long, powerful strokes while she stood mesmerized, unable to walk away, remembering too much, recalling sensuous details that had her tied in knots and hurting.
“I don’t want to love you again, Jonah Whitewolf!” she whispered fiercely, before she turned and rushed from the window. She ran to her room to take a cold shower. Then she pulled on a T-shirt and shorts and headed to his workout room, needing to do something physical to get her mind off Jonah and cool her fevered condition. Every nerve was raw with desire for him.
In the exercise room, she climbed on a stationary bicycle and began to pedal and push, working furiously as if she were in a race. A race to forget tormenting memories sexy enough to tempt her right back into his arms.
Her muscles began to ache, and she had to laugh at herself. At Jonah’s, too, because she suspected his muscles, and more, ached as well. She stopped pedaling and dropped her head on her arm, her laughter changing to hopeless tears of frustration.
Jonah turned and floated on his back, breathing deeply from the exertion of swimming lap after lap. He thought about the slaughtered cattle and the Brants’ barn. Was it random or was someone deliberately selecting certain ranches to strike? Was it someone he knew?
He heard the phone ring, swam to the edge of the pool and climbed out, grabbing his towel as he answered. He talked briefly to Sheriff Gallen, making an appointment to see him early Monday morning. When he’d hung up, he glanced at his waterproof watch. It was almost two o’clock in the morning, but he knew he wasn’t going to sleep, even after a night lost fighting the fire. Jonah headed to the cabana to change into jeans, a T-shirt and boots.
Minutes later he saddled a horse and headed across the ranch, knowing it was a futile gesture to ride out in the night, but curious if he might see anything amiss.
An hour later, Jonah was still riding quietly along the fence line. The nearby county road, an asphalt ribbon cutting across the land, had few turns in this part of the country, and he could easily see when a car approached. Only he knew he wasn’t watching for a car. He was looking for a cattle truck and a pickup. They had learned that much.
But nothing more. None of the stolen cattle had shown up at any markets yet.
Jonah peered into the darkness, knowing that somewhere out there someone was filled with hate directed toward the Long Bar, its owner or occupants. He had a bad feeling that the worst was yet to come.
Chapter 8
T he man sat swishing amber liquid in a glass, while his blue eyes peered at a map spread on the table before him. He had drawn a circle around the Long Bar Ranch. Also circled were other ranches in the area—the Brant place, the Big Windy Ranch belonging to Duane Talmadge, the S Bar Ranch of Wyatt Sawyer. The man tapped the map with his pen and raked a hand through his long, blond hair.
Slaughtered cattle and a burned barn. That was little or nothing to these ranchers. Cattle could be easily replaced. The barn was more serious. But not serious enough. There had to be more.
He thought of all the old-time ranchers in the area—Rivas, Kellogg, Brant. The Sawyer kid, the black sheep of the Sawyer family, who had inherited a ranch his father never intended to give him. More power to him; he was off the list.
Kellogg…Nope, he didn’t want to tangle with Kellogg. The Brants…Gabriel Brant, with his wife, Ashley. The man wrote “Brant” on a piece of paper.
Slaughtered cattle were nothing. A mosquito bite. No, he could do better than that. Another strike against the Long Bar—one that would put fear in all the ranchers’ hearts. The man carefully printed Kirk Rivas’s name on a list. Rivas: three divorces and two teenage sons who had left home. The girlfriends didn’t matter.
Rivas, the Long Bar and the Brant ranch. And Duane Talmadge. Duane Talmadge would be last. The crème de la crème of crimes against the ranchers.
But he’d start with the Long Bar Ranch on the first night with no full moon, and this time it wouldn’t be just slaughtered cattle.
The man turned to look at a calendar. Two nights from now. Two nights from now they would still be worrying about the burned barn and they wouldn’t be on the lookout for anything else. At the thought, the man gripped the glass until his knuckles were white. The slaughter and the barn burning were just a beginning.
He toyed with the list in front of him. Put them in order of importance: Talmadge, Rivas, Long Bar, Brant. Let them worry and let them suffer, as he had worried and suffered. Let them wonder. They would never get it, and soon he would be safely away. Even now they would never search in the right direction and find him.
He laughed. “Now, you bastard, I’ll pay you back!” he exclaimed in a loud voice. Gulping down his drink, he threw the glass across the room. It hit the brick fireplace and shattered into a hundred glittering pieces, and he laughed again. He was safe, absolutely safe, from this vantage point. He could watch, wait and strike, and when he was finished, he would vanish forever.
This week he would return to Frates’s place—the Long Bar. It was time for payback.
The man got up, knocking over the chair. He tilted the bottle and drank, feeling the tequila burn his throat. He slammed down the bottle and turned to stagger to the bed, sprawling across it.
As he lay there, he thought of the burning barn. He had stayed behind to watch all the hands running back and forth. He’d watched Brant giving orders and jumping in to try to save a structure that was already lost. There were horses in it and they had gotten them out. Next time, he would see to it that they didn’t.
It was time to get serious. His practice runs were over. Whitewolf, Brant, Rivas and Talmadge.
The man hissed, thinking about what he intended to do. He wanted them to pay and pay and pay.
At ten o’clock Monday morning, Jonah drove to Stallion Pass. It always surprised him that this small Texas town had so much wealth. The prosperity showed up in many ways, from the reproduction turn-of-the-century lampposts on each street corner to the ornate Victorian courthouse in a tree-shaded square that held fountains, park benches and a gazebo. Surrounding the square were office buildings, boutiques, elegant shops and galleries. The original hotel, now over one hundred years old, stood on the square.
Stallion Pass had been a cattle town, then a railroad town. Later, when a rich oil field had been discovered just beyond the city limits, the boom had continued.
In recent years Stallion Pass had developed into a haven for artists. Streets running off the square were lined with art galleries.
Jonah slowed and parked in front of the ornate courthouse, then went inside to look for the sheriff’s office. He walked on marble floors past offices with frosted glass door
s. Some original brass spittoons were still in the building, and high ceilings held slowly-turning fans.
He stopped at the reception desk and told the uniformed man there who he was. He was directed to an office that had Sheriff Gallen’s name on the door. Knocking lightly, Jonah entered and found Dakota Gallen sitting behind a desk in the spacious room.
“Dakota,” he said in greeting.
The sheriff dropped his pencil on the papers spread on his desk, got up and came around to shake hands with Jonah. “Thanks for coming in.”
“Sure. I didn’t mind stopping by your office. I had some errands to run in town, anyway.”
“Have a seat,” Sheriff Gallen said, pulling another chair around to face Jonah. His tan uniform was wrinkled and his office was cluttered, but one look at his lively gray eyes refuted the notion that he wasn’t well organized. “You’re wondering why I asked you to come to my office,” he said with a friendly smile.
“Yes, I am. I’ve told you everything I know.”
Dakota leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “I’ve looked up your Special Forces record.”
“You must have friends in high places,” Jonah remarked with wry amusement, and Dakota shrugged.
“I wanted to check it out. And it’s impressive.”
“Thanks,” Jonah replied, suspecting the sheriff’s own record might be just as impressive or more so.
Dakota nodded his head. “I know how highly trained you are. Would you let me deputize you?”
“What the hell for?” Jonah asked with a laugh.
“I want your expertise. You don’t need to report in for work or anything like that, and I’ll ask you to forgo getting paid.”
“That’s no problem.”
“I didn’t think so. Being a deputy would give you official status for the investigation, and if you find the culprits, you would be authorized to act.”
Jonah’s first thought was of Kate, and then he clamped his jaw tightly shut. She wouldn’t be happy with whatever he did, anyway. And it no longer mattered what she thought. He thought about Henry and knew he would do whatever was necessary to keep him safe. “I’m thinking about my son.”
“I don’t want you in any danger. You don’t have to go after the culprits. It’s just to give you the authority to check things out.”
“And to act if I find someone rustling cattle.”
Leaning back in his chair, Dakota nodded. “That, too, which would put you in danger. If you’ve had enough of dangerous situations, say no.”
Again, Jonah thought about Kate, and knew she would hate it if she discovered he was a deputy. He stood. “You know, I think I’m going to turn you down. Out at my place I offered to help, but I wasn’t thinking about going so far as to become a deputy. That’s too official. I got a divorce over my being in Special Forces. My ex-wife and I aren’t reconciled. We’re just together because of our son, but I don’t want to fling this in her face.”
Dakota’s expression was impassive, and he shrugged. “That’s fine. Just thought I’d try. You can still call me if you hear anything or get any leads.”
“Sure. Thanks for thinking enough of me to ask.”
“I enjoyed the party Saturday night.”
“Thanks.” Jonah paused at the door. “Do you see any pattern to the crimes?”
“Not so far. You and Gabe Brant don’t have much in common except for owning ranches in this area. He grew up here. You didn’t. He knows nearly everyone for three or four counties around. You hardly know anyone. I can’t imagine why anyone would have a grudge against you. It has to be your ranch or your men or something else.”
“Or maybe it’s just random hate,” Jonah said.
“I don’t have any leads,” Dakota continued. “I did learn that the fire was set, and not very cleverly done. They just poured gasoline all around, tossed a match and ran.” He reached out and picked up a paper from the stack on his desk. “We did get a description of the tires and some possibilities about make and model. They drove a pickup and a cattle truck.”
Jonah took the paper to read about the brand and size of tires, what vehicles they would fit.
“You can’t find where the tires were purchased or any leads to these vehicles? A cattle truck is a big, noticeable item.”
“Nope. Nothing so far. And no cattle with brands from the Long Bar or the Brant ranch have turned up at any feedlots or cattle sales.”
“So what do you think they’re doing with the stolen animals?”
“They could be crossing the border somewhere and selling them to our neighbors to the south. The border is patrolled, but there’s no way to cover it all the time,” Dakota said.
Jonah shook his head. “Well, there may not be a pattern to which ranches they’ve robbed. Or even a reason for burning the barn. These creeps may just be destructive.”
“Keep your ears open, and thanks for coming by.”
Jonah told him goodbye and left. As he drove away he thought about Dakota’s offer and his own refusal. He’d do whatever he could because he wanted the culprits caught, but he didn’t want to be a deputy. And he didn’t think he would be any more help if he was.
For the next week Kate saw little of Jonah except at suppertime, when they both sat down to eat with Henry. She made arrangements for carpenters to come install shutters on the downstairs windows, and when the job was finished, she felt more secure.
Two nights during the week she had to work late, but Jonah and Henry waited to eat with her when she got home. Some nights Jonah would take Henry to swim, or would tuck him in bed, and she would leave the two of them alone. Other nights she would do something with Henry, and Jonah would disappear.
Wednesday of the following week, she saw Jonah and Henry in the corral when she came home. Both father and son were in T-shirts, jeans and boots. Henry was riding a bay, the horse slowly circling the corral, while Jonah watched him. Henry looked so small on the large animal, but he sat up straight and was smiling, and she knew he was happy.
As she walked toward them, Jonah turned and sauntered to the fence. She was aware of his steady scrutiny and she twisted a wayward tendril of hair back into place, even though others had escaped the bun behind her head and she knew taming them all was hopeless. She had already shed the jacket to her navy suit.
“Hi!” she called to Henry, who waved.
“Mommy! Watch me ride!” he exclaimed. “We’re going out on the ranch tomorrow and I get to ride Butter.”
“That’s great,” she called. “Butter?” she asked Jonah, who rested his arms on the top of the fence and gazed at her impassively.
“You look excited, Kate. Did something special happen at work?”
“It’s not fair how you always can tell if I’m happy or sad, while I don’t have a clue how you feel or what’s on your mind.”
“Well, it doesn’t really matter anymore,” he drawled, while she stared at him, tempted to turn around and walk back to the house and not say another word. But then she looked at Henry and changed her mind.
“I did have a super day. When I took this job, they assigned particular clients to me and certain projects. There was one ad campaign they had been preparing for a long time, the campaign was for a company called Design Landscape Gardeners. The week I started work there, I was placed on the team working on the Design Landscape campaign. Well,” she continued, feeling fluttery now, because he looked so unapproachable. “What I’m working on now is a colossal assignment and will mean a lot of money for my new company.”
“That’s great,” Jonah said quietly. “And a bonus for you? That’s the way it used to work.”
“Actually, yes. I’ll receive a bonus.”
“Congratulations. That’s great, but I don’t think that’s what you walked over here to tell me.”
Jonah being so prickly wasn’t making it any easier to talk to him. Once again, Kate was tempted to turn around and walk away. Since they saw little of each other, the chasm between them seemed to be growin
g larger. She looked again at Henry, who was smiling and leaning forward to pat the horse. Taking a deep breath, she glared at Jonah, who gazed steadily back.
“No, that isn’t what I came over here to tell you. The office wants to celebrate this deal and two others that have happened this year, plus the company’s anniversary is coming up. Therefore, they are having a party and an open house. I’m to present an award to one of the men and someone is presenting an award to the team which includes me.”
“Congratulations again, Kate,” Jonah said politely, as if he were talking to a total stranger on the street.
“I want Henry to come see my office and I want him to see me when my team gets this award.”
“It’s fine with me,” Jonah said with a shrug.
“Well, it concerns you, too,” she stated, becoming exasperated and trying to think of some way to avoid including Jonah. “I’ll be busy with the clients and with the party. I thought maybe you could bring Henry and take him home.”
Jonah’s brow arched, and his eyes narrowed slightly. He turned to watch Henry riding around the corral. “I reckon I can do that.”
“Jonah, if I could think of any other way, I would. I don’t want to send Henry with just anyone.”
“Nope. I’ll do it, Kate. Don’t worry about it. Just tell me when and where you want us to be. And how do I dress him?”
She bit her lip and looked at her son. “He’s got some Sunday slacks and a white shirt, if he hasn’t outgrown them. He’s got one sport coat. The party is Friday afternoon. It starts at four o’clock, the awards will be around six o’clock and the party is over at half past seven. There will be hors d’oeuvres, but Henry better eat something before he comes.”
“I’ll take both of you to dinner afterward,” Jonah said.
“You don’t need to do that,” she replied stiffly and turned to go.
Jonah watched the sway of her hips, and when he thought she was out of earshot, he swore softly. The minute she had pulled up and stopped, his pulse had started racing. When she’d swung her long legs out of the car and walked toward him, his insides had turned to jelly. Her hazel eyes had sparkled and she had looked bubbly and desirable, but he had doubled his fists and tried to remember to keep distance between them.
