by Alice Sharpe
“Helping the mother give birth. Anyway, nothing that’s gone on today has anything to do with ranching.”
She leaned closer until their heads touched. He didn’t draw away. “So this isn’t another day at the office?”
“No,” he murmured.
They sat quietly until she noticed his breathing had grown deeper and his weight against her arm heavier than before. “Adam?” she whispered.
No response. For a second her heart froze—what if he’d gone unconscious or even died? Then he made a soft groaning noise. Just asleep. That meant it was up to her to keep watch. Sitting as still as she could, she concentrated on night noises and was astounded by how many of them there were.
What would she do if she suddenly heard the sound of a returning motor? There was no more ammunition. The concern had no sooner sprung to mind than it turned real.
“Adam,” she said again, this time more urgently.
He jerked awake. “What?”
“I hear an engine.”
He tilted his head and listened. “Relax, it’s coming from the lake trail and our thief comes around from the mountain. It must be Cody.”
She took a deep breath and got to her feet, hoping he was right.
By the time Cody appeared, his vehicle’s headlamp sweeping the clearing, she’d collected Solar Flare and helped Adam stand.
Cody was slightly taller and heavier than Adam, good-looking as all the Westin men were, in an outdoor tough-as-nails way. Where Cody differed the most from Adam were his eyes. It wasn’t only that they were darker. It was the No Trespassing sign that was impossible not to notice. She knew his marriage had fallen apart several months earlier, but really, in this day and age, besides Adam, who hadn’t suffered that fate? She herself had been in and out of different relationships for years, even tying the knot once for a whole eleven months.
“Hello, Echo,” Cody said as he got off the vehicle, produced an electric lantern and held it aloft. “I was hoping to see you again before you left, but not like this. Are you okay?”
It was like the Wyoming question of the day. “Fine,” she said. “It’s your brother who’s about to drop.”
Cody directed the light and looked at Adam closely. He whistled. “Man, you look like hell.”
“I feel like hell.”
“You want to carry that bullet back to the ranch or do you want me to dig it out here?”
“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman here says the bullet isn’t in there.”
Echo rolled her eyes.
“You were lucky you weren’t up here alone when that happened,” Cody said.
Adam’s fingers grazed Echo’s arm. “I know.” His attention once again on Cody, he added, “Sorry I had to wake you.”
“You didn’t wake me. The two oldest Garvey brothers showed up at the house about an hour and a half ago, drunker than skunks. They swear Open Sky owes them two hundred bucks in Lucas’s back wages.”
“They were both there?”
“In the flesh.”
“Damn.”
“Are you sorry you missed them?” Cody asked with what Echo suspected was a rare flash of a smile.
“No, I just had my heart set on one or both of those losers being behind the thefts and this shooting. If they were at the ranch yelling at you, they weren’t out here shooting at us.”
“Back to square one.”
“So, despite the fact Lucas did his best to kill Analise and Pierce, his brothers want money.”
“That’s right. I’m about ready to pay them out of my own pocket and get rid of them for good.”
“I’ll go half with you.”
“Deal. You’d better get back to the ranch. I’ll take Solar Flare up to the cave and keep guard. I’ll come join the mowing as soon as Mike relieves me in the morning.”
“I can run a tractor,” Adam said.
“Maybe.”
During the ensuing pause, Echo had to keep her mouth clamped shut. It was second nature to offer help, but she’d never even ridden in a tractor; on the other hand she had mastered her stepfather’s truck—how hard could a tractor be?
However, that wasn’t the plan. Tomorrow she was figuring out how to get to the airport and return home just to pack her bags and fly to New York where she had a month to find an apartment and learn to navigate the city before she started work. Time to let go of the past, the mountains and Adam Westin.
“I’m calling the university in the morning,” Adam finally said. “If they can start processing the cave this summer, they can figure out how to guard it.”
He and Cody exchanged long glances, which Echo assumed had something to do with the fireworks they knew would ensue once their father got wind of their plan. With any luck, she’d miss it.
Cody gave her a few quick instructions on how to run the ATV and Echo and Adam took off.
ADAM LOVED THE SIGHT OF acres of windblown rolling grass in the early morning light. It was a sea of green and gold, peaceful and vast as seen through the windshield of the tractor. Mowing it down was an almost hypnotic experience, mind-numbing in its repetitive nature and yet oddly satisfying, as well.
Usually, that is.
Not today. Today his shoulder reminded him of the night before and the night before was disturbing for a host of reasons.
He’d been at it since right after dawn, which meant precious little sleep but that wasn’t what had his gut in a knot. Jamie had assured him Echo was right, there was no bullet lodged in the flesh, but he would still need to drive into town and have the doctor take a look at it for insurance purposes. As Echo needed a ride to the airport that afternoon, it seemed natural that he should take her along. She was leaving.
But that wasn’t what made him antsy, either. He looked up at the blue sky and a circle of vultures spiraling a mile or so away and felt cold. He kept mowing.
At eleven-thirty he returned to the field closest to the road where he’d made plans to meet Echo. Cody had showed up as well, as had their father. Pete and Jamie must be off in different fields, maybe miles away.
Adam cleaned himself up with the help of spring water while his father fooled with his tractor, which was apparently acting up, and Cody sat in the shade of his rig eating a sandwich. He offered Adam lunch, but Adam declined. He was entirely too anxious to eat.
He was relieved when his pickup rolled onto the field, Echo behind the wheel. She was right on time.
All night long, he’d thought about her, reliving her fervent kisses, reviewing each acerbic word she’d uttered. She was not his kind of girl and yet there was something about her that had begun to worm its way under his skin. He was glad she was leaving the ranch. He didn’t want to think about her anymore.
As the truck stopped a few feet away, he caught sight of Cody waving him over. Bonnie had stretched out in the shade beside him. Her tail thumped once or twice when she saw Adam.
Cody handed him a thick envelope. “You’ll be going right by the Garvey place. Stop by and give them this. I wrote up a paper and everything so it’s all formal. This is what we technically owed Lucas at his time of death. There’s no more. Tell them if they come again, we’ll charge them with trespassing.”
“Got it. I’ll go to the bank and get out enough to pay you back my half. I assume we’re not telling Dad.”
Cody almost shuddered. “God, no. Did you call the university?”
“I emailed the department head a few weeks ago. She was very receptive and then Dad blew up and I backed down. I emailed her again this morning but I haven’t had a chance to see if she responded yet. Thought I’d drop by on the way to the airport and talk to her personally.”
“My plane leaves at six twenty-five,” Echo said. Adam hadn’t realized she’d approached. He turned to assure her that he’d have her there in plenty of time but for a second, his vocal cords froze.
She was wearing a fitted black jacket over tailored white jeans, a wispy black-and-white blouse underneath, bold silver earrings and slicked back hair, r
ed lips. The look was anything but random or casual. Her shoes were city bound and how she kept the tapered heels from sinking into the ground was a mystery. She looked sophisticated and classy in a way few women he had occasion to see in person ever looked.
And like a stranger. He could no more imagine the woman standing in front of him on a runaway horse or lying in the bottom of a mine shaft than he could picture her snuggling against him when he was hurt let alone covering his face with relieved kisses. Even her dark eyes held an edge they hadn’t shown before.
“Adam, wait a second,” Cody said softly as Echo made her way to say goodbye to Birch. He lowered his voice. “Did you tell Dad about last night?”
Adam tore his gaze away from Echo’s shapely retreating form and looked down at his brother. “Not yet.”
“Me neither.”
“I asked Jamie to keep it to himself, too. I’ll come clean tonight when it’s a done deal. He can throw a fit then for all the good it’s going to do him.”
“You sound just like him.”
“I think I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Cody smiled. “Might as well.”
Adam knelt down, balancing his butt on his heels so he could lower his voice. “Yesterday in the cave, the looter’s shot was so wide that at the time, I thought he was just trying to scare us into hiding so he could get away. But last night’s attempt was brazen. He was coming up that hill as though he was going to make a kill. For some reason, things escalated. He’s not going to stop this until we make him stop.”
Cody held up both hands. “You get no argument from me.”
“Yeah, well, Dad knows most of what’s going on, too, and yet he puts up roadblocks and waxes poetically about Westin responsibility. Why?”
Cody’s eyes narrowed. “What are you getting at?”
Adam stared hard at his brother, then shook his head. “I don’t know what I’m getting at. But I’m not taking no for an answer. Not this time. I’m not willing to risk my life or anyone else’s life for a bunch of old bones. What I don’t get is why Dad is.”
He got to his feet abruptly as he spied Echo approaching. He felt an uneasiness he’d experienced just a few times in the past; things were running on an agenda he couldn’t see or understand—yet.
“Ready?” she asked Adam as she shook Cody’s hand goodbye.
Adam took out his cell phone. “You drive. I have a call to make.”
Chapter Six
He checked his email as she drove, then called Mike who reported he’d heard the sound of a distant engine about an hour before. One blast from his shotgun had apparently alerted whoever was approaching that the cave was guarded and the noise had retreated. Adam repeated his directions to Mike to take no chances. He hung up, the anxious feeling worse than ever.
“Will they finish up without you?” Echo asked as she accelerated up the hill.
“Finish what?” he said, jerking around to look at her.
“The mowing. Seeing you all in the field today made me wish I was still working in Frisco. Your ranch would make a great Americana show. Everywhere I looked, there was a picture that seemed to tell a story. That’s the best part about producing television, you know, when what you film opens doors to reveal glimpses of something else.”
He looked at her distinct profile and couldn’t help but think how lovely she was. And smart. And frustrating. And totally wrong for him.
“Well, I don’t know about all that,” he said, “but the mowing will take several days. There are other pastures besides this one. The mown grass has to dry before we can bale it and then it needs to be hauled and stored—the process takes most of a month.”
“This is what you meant yesterday when you told me ranching was predictable.”
“Precisely. Not that emergencies don’t arise that require a change in plans, but generally speaking there are things that have to be done no matter what.”
“The same is true in any profession,” she said.
He nodded. He imagined it was. He just couldn’t quite equate the importance of creating a TV show with the life-and-death struggle of ranching, but he supposed that was because he was kind of biased. The thought of spending his life inside four walls all day made him squirm.
He turned when they passed the Garvey place, straining to see if anyone was home. The usual menagerie of old cars and trucks decorated the fenced yard—impossible to tell if anyone was there, but in all likelihood one or more of them would be. He needed to figure out the right approach…?.
“What were you looking at?” Echo asked as they sped down the road.
“We just passed the Garvey place.”
Her foot let up on the gas pedal. “Shall I turn around?”
“No.”
“But I thought I heard you tell Cody you’d stop by and talk to them.”
He hoped that was all she had heard. “Not with you along,” he said adamantly.
There was a deep silence followed by a swift glance, narrowed eyes and a muttered, “You know, not everything that happened yesterday was my fault.”
He shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. These men are thugs. Hard drinking, hard living, in and out of jail and trouble. Two of them were murderers and the ones who are left detest every Westin on the planet. I just don’t want to subject you to them, that’s all.”
She gave him a longer glance this time, her dark eyes intense. “I understand,” she said at last, and damn if he didn’t miss her taking another jab at him. This Echo De Gris was like the physical twin of the one he’d met yesterday, and he wondered what had happened to change her in just one night.
Why couldn’t he stop thinking of her lips on his face, of the whiff of perfume he’d inhaled and subsequently followed into consciousness? She was just another woman and as poor a match for him as anyone could dream up, but he kept having to fight the urge to shake her new cool veneer and rattle her the way she’d rattled him.
He had her stop at the bank to get his share of the money he owed Cody, then they proceeded to the university. The campus was located on the outskirts of town. Adam knew exactly which building to park next to thanks to his former research. As he’d told Cody, he’d sent an email that morning to Dr. Wilcox who was the head of the archaeology department. On the way into town, he’d checked his email from his phone and was relieved to find she’d be in her office and was still very interested in his proposition.
“You can take a cab from here if you like,” Adam told Echo after she’d parked the truck. “It’s not that far.”
“Why would I do that?”
“I just thought it might be easier for you than waiting around for me.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll come with you,” she said.
“Since when do you care if I mind?” he asked with a grin.
His joking fell flat in a way it wouldn’t have the day before. Unsure how to fix it, he jerked his head. “Come on. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“No, maybe you’re right.” She was digging in her large handbag and finally produced a cell phone. “I’ll call a cab company. Better get used to it, right? That’s how I’ll be getting around in New York. I won’t have a car—”
“What’s wrong with you?” he interrupted.
A familiar flash ignited her eyes. “Nothing is wrong with me.”
“Something is wrong. You’re all standoffish.”
“And you’re all tense.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that.”
She shook her head. “Listen. We’re wasting time.”
“Will you be here when I get back?”
She took a big step toward him and stuck out her hand. “I’ll take care of myself. It was great seeing you, Adam. Thanks for the adventure.”
He took her hand and they shook, but when she tried to draw away, he pulled her against him, careful her weight landed against his good shoulder. Tossing common sense aside, he lowered his voice to a whisper. “My turn to say goodbye.” Without allowi
ng himself one more rational thought, he kissed her.
She gave a halfhearted push, which he ignored. He’d intended the kiss as payback for the day before, but the second his lips touched hers that notion went out the window. She trembled as she melted into him. She had the softest lips in the world and the invitation buried in her kiss sent spikes of desire racing through his groin that were so strong they hurt.
She broke their connection. Her eyes were huge and soft and she looked as disheveled now as she’d looked pulled together a minute before.
“Adam—”
He kissed her again, quickly this time. He could have kept at it all day, but he was suddenly aware of a whole bunch of things including two white-haired men who had stopped to chuckle.
“Goodbye,” Echo said, and this time she kissed his cheek. She slapped his arm in a parody of the many good-old-boy greetings she’d undoubtedly witnessed in the past twenty-four hours but unfortunately, she chose the wrong arm and he winced. “Oh, sorry,” she said, her forehead wrinkling with concern, but it was soon gone. “Take care, Adam,” she added, and grabbed her suitcase from the back of the truck. She took off down the sidewalk at a fast clip, her heels punctuating her steps with sharp retorts, her phone held up to her ear.
He turned and walked the other way.
DR. WILCOX WAS AN ATTRACTIVE woman hovering near forty with chocolate-brown skin and hair and eyes to match. She wore loose-fitting khaki jeans and a matching shirt; it appeared that, with the addition of a pith helmet, she’d be ready to start a dig that very afternoon.
“I can’t tell you how excited we are about this,” she said, perching on the edge of her cluttered desk, square brown hands waving as she spoke. “I was so disappointed when your father backed out earlier this year, but this is just perfect.”
Adam stood a few feet away, supporting his left arm with his right hand. Echo’s parting gift had jarred his injured shoulder and the throb was back. “Why perfect?”
“Because we have a visiting archaeologist who will be here for four weeks and I was hoping I’d have something as fascinating as ancient remains to interest him. Your burial cave sounds perfect. I’ve already talked with Professor Lavel. We’d like to bring out some graduate students tomorrow and take a look, start a survey, get things rolling. Your father is ready to sign the papers this time, right?”
