by Kylie Brant
To circumvent the lecture she could feel coming, Kaly opened the zippered compartment of her purse and carefully removed the scraps of paper she had recovered from the bar floor. She laid them on the table in front of her.
“I think it might be a phone number,” she proposed as she tried to arrange the pieces into some kind of order. “I couldn’t be sure, but it did sound as if the biker was reading off a number. ‘Call him yourself’—that’s what he said. He might have been talking about the person in charge of the rustling.”
“I don’t know,” Jeff said slowly. “He could have been talking about almost anything.”
Jackson was leaning over Kaly’s shoulder, trying to make sense of the pieces of paper. “Maybe, maybe not,” he answered distractedly. “The jacket he was wearing was similar to the one the buyer remembers on the man who sold him our stolen cattle.” He looked up from the table to his brother. “Jeff, why don’t you call the sheriff and tell him what went on tonight? Roy better see if he can pick up that biker for questioning before he takes off for parts unknown. He can come and get these bits of paper later. Maybe he’ll be able to figure them out.”
Jeff strode to the office phone and placed the call. As he spoke in a low tone to the sheriff, Jackson studied the pieces spread before him. He finally threaded his hand through his dark hair impatiently. “I give up. Too many pieces are missing.”
Kaly had been studying the jagged portions and reached over to move one. “But you can tell that the last number is a seven, see? The edges show it has to be the end piece. And we know this is the first piece.” She indicated another with a similar edge. “Three. That’s the first digit in your cell phone number.”
“Yeah, mine and about three million other Americans,” Jackson said with a snort.
“It could have been to someone around here with the same prefix on their cellphone,” Carrie suggested.
“Even if he was talking to a person near here, that still doesn’t necessarily link him with the rustlers,” Jackson cautioned her. “But Roy does suspect that the rustlers have been staying in the vicinity. The whole thing sounds like a good job for the sheriff. He’ll be able to run checks on a list of numbers with three for the first digit and seven for the last, starting with the numbers around this area. It’s a possible lead.” He rubbed the back of his head reflectively. “I’ll tell you one thing, though, if that biker is the one who slugged me out in the pasture, I’m just sorry I didn’t hit him harder tonight.”
Jeff disconnected his call and heaved a sigh. “Well, Roy seems to think we might be on to something here. The deputy will continue following Larry when he’s not here working.” He looked at Kaly. “I’m just glad you got back safely tonight.”
“Ahem.” Carrie cleared her throat and looked at Kaly. “Do you suppose,” she asked sweetly, “that it occurs to either of these thickheaded men that you would have been more than safe tonight if either had had the sense to tell us about Larry earlier?”
They exchanged a meaningful look, then both swung pointed gazes to Jeff and Jackson.
Jeff rose quickly and changed the subject. “Well, I think the little one’s had enough excitement for the night. What do you say we put him to bed?” he asked, patting the round mound of Carrie’s stomach.
Carrie nodded agreeably. “Yes, I think she is ready to call it a night,” she said. They left the room amid good-natured predictions about the gender of the next addition to the Robertses’ clan.
Kaly and Jackson watched them go, then he stretched tiredly. “Bed sounds like a good idea. But first we better put these away.” He nodded to the pieces of paper, still on the table. “Can you find me an envelope?” She rummaged through her desk drawers and finally came up with one which she handed to him. She smiled slightly as she watched his big fingers handling the tiny bits. He dropped each slip in and sealed the envelope, then locked it in his desk.
Jackson glanced back at her. His look sharpened as he noted the tilt to her lips, and he wondered what she was thinking. His eyes dropped to half-mast as they lingered on her mouth.
Kaly could feel herself begin to tremble. It was heady, this excitement that throbbed through the air between them, springing to life with just an exchange of glances, but it was frightening, too. It was always a little scary for her to feel so out of control, so willing to disregard what her mind told her and to follow her heart.
Right now she was inclined to do just that. Arousal was easy to read on his face. The skin had tautened over his cheekbones, and his eyes were sapphire slits. “Come to bed with me.” Jackson’s voice was a husky murmur.
Kaly moved silently toward him, and one hard arm tucked her to his side. She was anxious to recapture the magic that had enveloped them earlier and so was Jackson, as evidenced by his hasty retreat to his room. They undressed quickly, silently and came together on his bed. Kaly shuddered at the spiraling emotion brought on by his nearness. She rubbed her breasts against his chest experimentally and was rewarded by his immediate response. He gripped her hips and stopped her play by bringing her completely against him, so they were touching from lips to toes.
“I don’t know how you do this to me,” he rasped. “I can’t seem to get enough. One look, one smile are all it takes to make me want you beneath me again.”
Her neck arched under his ardent mouth. “Fireworks,” she whispered shakily.
“Yeah, fireworks,” he agreed as he moved his lips to the sensitive spot beneath her ear. “Hot, sizzling, then the explosion.” He raised himself above her and pressed himself to her core. Then he proceeded to prove the truth of their words.
Fireworks.
# # # #
Kaly dozed lightly off and on, largely content to remain awake and enjoy lying in Jackson’s heavy grasp. He lay on his side facing her, one arm cradling her close to his hard body. She watched him as he slept, noting the exhaustion with which he slumbered. She loved watching him in such unguarded moments. His face was less fierce in sleep, but not much softer. One dark lock of hair fell boyishly across his forehead, and as she pushed it back lightly she felt an aching tenderness for this tough man.
Kaly shuddered as she thought back to the events of the night. She could have lost Jackson so easily tonight; all it would have taken was one slip of that knife.... She snuggled closer to him. Even so, she was glad he hadn’t had to use that bottle she’d put in his hand. Although the biker might not agree, she was grateful there’d been no bloodshed.
She wouldn’t have had to take any action at all, she reflected, if Larry had moved to help Jackson. She despised herself for the notion. Everybody’s suspicions about the hired man frustrated her. Jackson had shared no real evidence that linked him to the rustling, and she didn’t believe anything that had happened tonight incriminated him. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder about Larry’s strange behavior in the bar. She’d seen him exchange words with the biker earlier. Whatever would he have to say to a hairy monster like that?
Kaly lay there for a long time, but slumber remained elusive. Her mind stubbornly remained completely alert. She peered at the luminous glow of the clock radio on the night- stand and grimaced. Obviously sleep was out of the question, at least for now.
She recalled that Jeff had said Larry was going to be up all night with a cow, and she abruptly decided to join him for a time. He probably dreaded facing Jackson the next day. Remembering Jackson’s biting tone when he’d spoken to Larry, she told herself she definitely needed to run interference for the hired man. She would speak to Jackson again tomorrow, to try once again to convince him of the man’s innocence in the cattle rustling. Despite Jackson’s suspicions, he must not have enough to accuse Larry, or the man would be in jail by now.
She slowly inched out from under Jackson’s arm. He clutched her more tightly at first; she held her breath as she watched carefully to see if she’d awakened him. He needed his sleep; he’d probably been up for twenty hours. She watched carefully, but the frown soon smoothed from Jackson’s brow
and she was able to slip from the bed. She donned her clothes soundlessly and tiptoed to the door.
Minutes later, Kaly closed the front door noiselessly behind her and ambled up the path toward the buildings. All were dark save for the first of the cattle barns. Dim light spilled from beneath its closed doors. The night was black, with not even a star visible, making her progress halting. Kaly cursed softly as she tripped and almost fell. It was with a sigh of relief that she reached the barn and tugged at the heavy door to let herself in. The cavernous structure was positively spooky at night, and she hurried toward the pale glow coming from the back of the barn. She heard faint noises from some of the stalls she passed, animal sounds, but saw no sign of Larry.
She ventured to the last stall, where a brighter light was shining, and poked her head through the entrance. “Larry?” she called tentatively. Kaly didn’t find him there, but she was disarmed at the sight before her. A cow was lying on the straw with what was obviously a newborn next to her. The calf still shone wetly from its recent entrance into the world, and Kaly watched enrapt as it struggled to get to its feet. Finally, after several attempts, the calf rose to stand spindle- legged, each leg splayed in a different direction. She laughed delightedly at the sight, before the calf, exhausted from its exertions, tumbled gracelessly to the straw again.
“What are you doing here this time of night?” a gruff voice said behind her, and Kaly jerked around in surprise.
“Larry!” she exclaimed weakly, sinking back against the stall door. “You frightened me to death!”
He finished wiping his hands on the cloth he was holding before he redirected his original question to her. “What are you doing? Haven’t you had enough excitement for one night?”
Kaly studied him, biting her lower lip uncertainly. He didn’t sound exactly welcoming. Of course, he’d probably spent the past several hours anticipating Jackson’s wrath. She gestured toward the stall. “Is this what you’ve been doing tonight, helping deliver her baby?”
Larry’s face lightened a little at Kaly’s ingenuous way of speaking of the cow in human terms. “She didn’t need much help. I was just here in case something went wrong. Jackson is mighty particular about the cows he’s breeding with that fancy new bull of his. He wants to get the breeding part of the business off to the right start, so we try to bring the cows into the barn when they’re ready to drop, so we can help if they need it.”
Kaly relaxed under his explanation. As he spoke, Larry began to seem his old self again, instead of the stem stranger of a moment ago. She impulsively laid her hand on his arm and said, “I hope you didn’t spend the night worrying about what happened earlier. I’ve explained to Jackson and Jeff that it wasn’t your fault.”
His arm, which had stiffened at first, relaxed at her earnestness. “I knew I was in trouble as soon as I saw that last group of bikers come in.” He gave her a crooked grin. “I just hope that guy wore Jackson out enough to make his right jab a little less lethal by tomorrow.” He rubbed his jaw. “Although I’d be satisfied to still have a job when he’s done with me.
“You will,” Kaly said with more assurance than she felt. She would have her work cut out for her in the morning, but somehow, she would convince Jackson and the sheriff that they were wasting their time. She just couldn’t believe that Larry was capable of stealing from anyone. Once they followed up on that phone number she’d found, she hoped they would find the real culprits. “I don’t think you have anything to be anxious about. You didn’t do anything wrong and Jackson knows that.” At least he would before he confronted Larry, Kaly vowed. She’d make certain of that.
The ranch hand surveyed her intently for a moment before responding. “I hope you’re right. I like working here. Jackson’s a tough boss, but he’s fair. It would be rough to have to start over again.
“You won’t have to,” Kaly said firmly. She tilted her face up to his. “Feel better now?”
Larry nodded slowly, then said, “Let’s give Mama and baby a chance to get some rest.” He turned on a lantern-style flashlight that was sitting in the straw and snapped off the extension light he’d been using. The two moved out of the stall, and Larry reached behind Kaly to latch the door. He flipped a switch on the wall and the barn fell into darkness, save for the beam from the lantern he was holding.
Kaly eyed the silent man beside her and wondered if she would rile him if she asked him some of the questions that had plagued her earlier. “There’s just one thing about tonight that puzzles me,” she ventured cautiously. She stopped and looked up at him. “What were you and that biker talking about before you went into the men’s room?”
“He said I still owed him for a game of pool I lost last week.” Larry shrugged. “I don’t recall playing pool with him, but I wasn’t going to argue with a character like that. I gave him a five.”
“He didn’t say anything else?”
“Not to me. But I sure had a scare after I came out and saw him reach for you. What the heck were you doing there, anyway? You could have gotten hurt tangling with someone like that.”
“I was only going to use the washroom before we left,” she responded. “I no more wanted to get into a conversation with that creature than you did.” They had reached the front of the barn and stood before the half-open door.
“Well, I’m glad you’re okay, anyway.” Larry moved his shoulders back and forth wearily, working out the knots in his tired muscles. “I’m heading home. I can’t wait to get cleaned up and grab a little sleep, not necessarily in that order.” He grinned crookedly at Kaly. “I’m going to need all my senses about me to stand up to Jackson tomorrow. C’mon. I’ll walk you back up to the house.”
But Kaly shook her head. She was more wired now than ever. “It’s no use. I’m not going to be able to sleep yet. Do you think I could go back and look in on the new calf one more time?”
“I don’t see why not,” Larry replied. “But you’d better take this flashlight with you.” He handed her the one he was carrying.
“But what will you use? You’ll need something to find your way to your bike. There’s no moon or stars out tonight. I nearly fell on the way out here.”
“My bike’s parked close by, and I’ve got cat’s eyes. Always could see well in the dark.”
Kaly accepted the light from him and shifted it to her other hand as he started away. “See you tomorrow.”
Larry touched the brim of his hat, turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Kaly made her way quickly toward the back of the barn. Intent on her own thoughts, she was startled by a noise to her right. She shone her light in that direction and almost screamed at the sight of the eyes staring at her. She clapped a hand to her mouth. Jackson’s purebred bull gazed impassively back at her. Kaly went weak with relief. As she studied the huge animal, she was nervously grateful for the stout gate separating them. She’d never seen the bull up close before, and she wondered at the men’s ability to control the giant animal.
She hurried on. The beam from her light swept the last stall containing the new calf. She watched in amusement as the calf suckled energetically from its tired mama. There was something very sweet about its fuzzy face. Hard to believe that it would grow into an ugly creature like its sire, Kaly mused. She watched for a time, feeling the tension of the past several hours seep away as she observed the picture of nature at work. After a time, Kaly felt her eyelids grow heavy. She turned away from the stall, intent on going back to the house.
The ray from her flashlight bounced over the barn phone on the back wall. She fixed the light on it, marveling at the intricate system Jackson had, linking lines to all the buildings and the house. A large sheet was tacked next to the phone, and she idly played the beam over it. It was a list of all the hired men’s cell phone numbers, at least those who didn’t live in the bunkhouse full-time. She examined it more closely. All had the same first three digits—345. Kaly recalled the paper she had found tonight and was more convinced than ever that the ma
n in the bar was somehow involved in the rustling. She just had to persuade Jackson to give more credence to her theory.
As another yawn overtook her, Kaly started to turn away, when something in her subconscious stopped her. Puzzled, she spun back to rapidly scan the list again, seeking that which had bothered her. Her flashlight moved down the list of numbers, then bounced back to the center of the paper to a phone number that ended with a seven. Kaly’s rounded eyes followed the number across the paper to match it with its owner.
Larry Scott.
Kaly’s stomach did a slow roll. She looked more carefully at each number on the sheet, but his was the only one that ended in a seven. She turned away, shaken.
As Jackson had said, the number could belong to any one of three million people. She started toward the door of the barn, still mentally berating herself for her wild imagination. She was abashed at the immediate suspicion that had sprung to her mind. Larry had never been less than a friend to her. But one circumstantial piece of evidence, and she had quickly joined everyone else in suspecting him, if only for a second.
But an irksome voice inside Kaly slyly reminded her of the way Larry had explained away his conversation with the biker. He had admitted he’d been to that bar before. He’d certainly have had the opportunity to establish contacts there. Whoever was in charge of this operation surely wasn’t acting alone, or without inside information on when and where to hit.
Kaly’s mind whirled from her inner debate, before she shook her head firmly. She must really be exhausted even to consider that good-natured Larry Scott could be behind the rustling. She had determined to help clear his name, not to add to the trouble he was already in.
The heavy barn door squeaked as she pushed it shut. Still mentally castigating herself, she walked past the corner of the barn in the direction of the house. The night was still cloudy, and she was glad of the flashlight.
A faint noise reached Kaly’s ears and she spun about nervously. She played the beam of her light over the area, but she was unable to detect anything out of the ordinary. You really are in a fanciful mood tonight, she told herself derisively. She stood still for a moment longer, trying to calm her racing heart. She listened intently, but heard nothing further. She hurried on until the breeze brought a strange odor to her nose, which brought her up short again. She sniffed disbelievingly. It smelled like…gasoline.
