Cowboy Six Pack

by Kari Lynn Dell

  "There he is," Tyler said.

  Lonnie climbed down out of the truck cab, a squirt bottle of vinyl cleaner in one hand and a trash bag in the other. Shannon put the car in gear and drove around to pull into the space between Tyler's pickup and Lonnie's truck. When they climbed out of her car, not striking up a conversation would have been unnatural.

  She gave him a bright smile. "Hey, Lonnie. Have you met Tyler?"

  "Uh, no." Lonnie's gaze hopped from her to Tyler and back, speculation bright in his eyes as he folded beefy fingers around the hand Tyler offered. "Been a pleasure to listen to you this weekend."

  "Thanks. It's good to be back. Big West gave me my first shot in the booth, you know."

  Damn. He was good. He couldn't have handed Shannon a better opening. She latched onto Tyler's arm, letting Lonnie's curiosity about the two of them distract him from the conversation. "I guess that's something the two of you have in common. Bud and Judy are always ready to give someone a chance. And it's nice of Danny to scrounge up extra work for you, like that load of cattle this week. And the horses."

  "Horses?" Lonnie tried to look clueless, but his wide, placid face was an open book.

  Shannon gave him a smile that was the equivalent of a wink and made her voice so sweet and chirpy her teeth ached. "Don't worry. We won't say a word to Bud or Judy. Danny said his dad doesn't approve. I suppose he's afraid one of the horses will get hurt and he'll end up getting sued or something." She did a respectable eye roll. "Bud's pretty stuck in his ways."

  Lonnie's broad forehead creased, as if thinking pained him. "I told Danny I didn't like keeping secrets from his dad, but it seems kinda dumb not to take an extra horse or two along when we're headed south anyway. His buddy buys a lot of horses up here and takes 'em down south where he can sell 'em for more than he paid 'cuz the market's better."

  Yep. Danny had found his sucker. "And you make a few extra bucks, too."

  Lonnie shuffled uncomfortably. "It's a big help, with the baby comin' and all."

  "That's great," Shannon gushed, then snuggled up closer to Tyler. "We should let you finish up and get your nap. It’s gonna be a long drive tonight, especially if you have to stop to meet Danny's friend. Do you have to go out of your way?"

  "Not too much. Danny tries to make it as easy as possible." Lonnie made a pained face. "First time, I got lost tryin' to find the corrals where I was supposed to unload, so now Danny puts it in my GPS before I leave."

  Ding! Jackpot. Shannon felt Tyler tense and squeezed his arm, a reminder to both of them not to let so much as a quiver of an eyelash show that Lonnie had just handed them Danny's partner on a platter.

  "Worst part is the guy's always late," Lonnie grumbled. "Keeps me waitin' at least half an hour every time."

  Another bell chimed in Shannon's head, this one a warning. Late? Maybe. More likely, Danny's partner made a habit of sitting back, watching to be sure the truck hadn't been followed. A piece of information she had to pass along to her father...but that would require explaining how she'd come by it, when she was under strict orders to stand down and observe only.

  She'd have to wait until it was too late for him to pull her out completely—which he wouldn't hesitate to do if he caught even a whiff of rebellion. But she could afford to wait. There would be plenty of time to warn the team to stay well back after the truck had left Glendive, and no need to stay right on his tail if they had the GPS coordinates of the meeting spot.

  Lonnie's expression changed, alarm flickering in his eyes. Shannon glanced around at the sound of a vehicle approaching. Crap. It was Danny. She leaned in and lowered her voice. "Don't tell Danny we talked about this. He made me swear to keep it to myself, and if he finds out I said something in front of Tyler...well, you know how he can be."

  Lonnie nodded emphatically, obviously having experienced the lightning strike of Danny's temper.

  Shannon flashed him a grateful smile. "Thanks. I really need this job, you know?"

  Lonnie nodded again and started to turn away as Danny jolted to a stop, sending a cloud of dust billowing over them.

  As Danny hopped out of the cab, Tyler waved a casual hand and said, "Great to meet you, Lonnie. Best of luck to you and your wife." Then he turned. "Hey, Danny. What's got you out and about in the heat of the day?"

  Danny's eyes narrowed, hard with suspicion. "I was wonderin' the same."

  "Had to come back for my truck." Tyler wrapped an arm around Shannon and smiled down at her, his words tinged with just enough innuendo to make it sound unintentional. "Sorry. Didn't mean for everybody to know you took me home last night."

  Danny stared at them for a long beat, during which Shannon turned her cheek into Tyler's chest as if embarrassed, but not so far that she couldn't see Danny from her peripheral vision. Make him forget you were talking to Lonnie. She gave a sheepish shrug. "We should've come earlier to get your pickup. I guess that's what we get for, um, sleeping in."

  Tyler's arm tightened and his smile widened, the picture of a man who'd slept very well, thank you.

  "What happened to not dating co-workers?" Danny asked, a razor edge buried under his smirk.

  Shannon straightened and dialed up the dumb blonde. "Oh, well, Tyler's different. He's not permanent, you know? With Big West, I mean."

  "Uh-huh." Danny raised mocking eyebrows. "Far as I've seen, Tyler's not permanent with anyone. Might wanna keep that in mind, sugar."

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Tyler slowly unbunched his fist as he watched Danny walk away. Conniving little bastard, stirring up trouble just for the fun of it.

  Shannon shook off his arm and stepped free, edging toward her car. "Thanks. That was perfect."

  As if it was all an act, even the way she'd molded her body against him. The thought stung deep. Tyler dug his pickup key out of his pocket and beeped the locks open. The cab would be like a broiler.

  "My room or yours?" he asked.

  "What?" Shannon jerked around, visibly surprised, a sign that she was more on edge than she wanted to admit.

  "In for a dime, in for a dollar," he said. "I want to know every detail of your plan for tonight. So...my room or yours?"

  "I...uh..." She glanced around, as if one of the bucking horses lounging in the pens nearby might give her a clue how to put him off. Then she sighed, realizing it was a lost cause. "Yours. We're less likely to get interrupted."

  An hour later, Tyler almost wished he'd left well enough alone. Her plan was simple—and scary as hell.

  For the steer wrestling, tie down and team roping events, Shannon and Judy started and stopped the hand held watches on the signal of the judges' flags and averaged the times for the greatest possible accuracy. All of the rough stock events and the barrel racing used automated electronic timers, operated by one person. Technically, once the tie down roping was over Judy could handle the rest on her own, though it wouldn't be easy.

  Which meant Shannon could make an excuse to leave the announcer's stand and go hunting for a stolen horse—and a thief. With luck she would intercept the delivery man and nab him and Danny when they made the exchange.

  Before Danny put the horse on the truck.

  Tyler's gut knotted at the thought of her confronting a known criminal, but she shrugged off his concern. "Horse theft will get them a year or two in prison, max, plus probation. If they're armed, it's a whole different ball game. You know Danny. Do you think he's stupid enough to take that chance?"

  No. Tyler didn't want to admit it, but Danny was neither stupid or, in his experience, violent. He'd always preferred to talk or con his way out of trouble. But still...

  "I've got my pepper spray," Shannon reminded him. "Plus a Taser and, last resort, a gun. I know how to use all of them."

  Her mind was made up, and now that she'd dropped the sweet country girl act in his presence, Tyler could see the pure steel underneath. Instead of putting him off, he found the tough and savvy cop a little—okay, more than a little—hot.

  But she was
n't a stranger. He knew this Shannon.

  This, he realized, was the woman who'd climbed into his bed and claimed him, body and soul. For that one breathtaking night she'd set aside the mask and taken what she wanted, given back without reservation even knowing what it would cost her professionally.

  She was the woman who'd blown his mind—and still owned his heart.

  They sat face to face—him on one bed, her on the other—close enough to touch if either of them chose to reach out. Tyler did, snagging her hand in his. She tugged, startled, but he didn't let go.

  "What about after?" he asked.

  "After what?"

  "Tonight. What happens tomorrow, Shannon?"

  "I—" Her jaw worked and she looked away, then down. "We'll wrap things up, and I'll go home."

  He turned her hand over and traced the lines across her palm. "Do I get to call you? See you?"

  Her gaze shot up to meet his, her eyes wide. "I didn't think, after everything—"

  "I'm not a complete ass, Shannon. It took me longer than it should have, but I understand why you lied to me. I even sort of understand why you didn't come back." His hand tightened around hers. "Please don't do it again. Give us a chance."

  Her breath hitched on what sounded almost like a sob. "Okay."

  "Okay." He felt as if every cell in his body breathed a sigh of relief. Standing, he scooped her up and dumped her in the middle of the bed, then lowered himself beside her.

  She pressed a hand to his chest. "Tyler, we can't—"

  "I know. But I can hold you, can't I? I meant what I said last night. I'm tired, Shannon, clear down to my bones. I have been for over a year." He touched a gentle fingertip to the shadow beneath one of her eyes. "We've got hours to kill before the rodeo. Will you rest with me? Just let me hold you?"

  "That's all?"

  "Hmm. Maybe..." He nestled a kiss into her hair, just behind her ear. "A nibble or two?"

  She made a sound that was half laugh, half hiccup, as she moved to find his mouth with hers. "Just a nibble."

  The nibble turned into a five course meal that left them both fighting for air. Tyler surfaced first, and Shannon was sure she'd never seen anything as beautiful as his face smiling down at her, his jaw rough with stubble and his hair standing up every which way from her fingers. His eyes were dark, the same deep, delicious chocolate as his voice.

  "We better stop right there, or nobody's gettin' any rest this afternoon."

  She sighed, but nodded. He settled beside her, his body long and lean and warm against hers, his arm snug around her waist. Something flared inside her, so bright and hot she barely recognized it.

  Hope.

  She'd lost it so many long, cold months ago. But now...if Tyler truly had forgiven her, if he could accept that sometimes, in her line of work, bad things happened to good people and there was nothing she could to stop it...

  Assuming she still had a job by morning.

  The flame inside her flickered, then steadied. Tomorrow was soon enough to face her team. Her father. Her future. If it included Tyler, she could survive the rest. Find another way to make use of her training and talents. As long as she had this...

  His breathing had gone slow and steady, and she realized he was asleep. She wiggled a tiny bit, just to feel the rub of his body against hers and remind herself that yes, it was real.

  Then she closed her eyes and drifted into not another of her fevered dreams, but an even more beautiful reality—asleep in Tyler's arms.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  They drove to the rodeo grounds in Shannon's car, on the assumption that they would be leaving together. They were both tense, the silence humming with anticipation of what the night might bring. As he watched Shannon disappear into the rodeo office he had an absurd urge to jump in the air and click his heels like Fred Astaire in one of those old black and white movies.

  His smile wilted when he met the granite stare of the man standing in the shade of the infield bleachers. Tyler's muscles tensed, one by one, until he was rigid as a poker. He knew that face, the cropped gray hair and bull-chested body—Lieutenant Don Murphy with the Department of Livestock. He'd roared onto the scene a week after Kevin's arrest and threw himself into the investigation like a man possessed.

  Kevin's attorney had warned them before they were questioned that Murphy seemed to have a personal vendetta against Chuck Potter and didn't give a damn whose blood he drew in the process of ensuring that the man never again saw the light of day. Tyler still wasn't prepared for the manic rage in Murphy's flint gray eyes as he bludgeoned them mercilessly with accusations thinly disguised as questions.

  After forty-five minutes Tyler, already stressed to the limit, had exploded. "You've got some damned nerve, accusing me of lying, when there's no limit to what you'll do to get what you want, sending your little blonde spy to weasel her way into my business, my family, even my damned bed."

  Murphy had frozen, a stunned expression on his face, as if Tyler had slapped him. Then his eyes filled with pure, red fury. He’d lunged over the table and grabbed a fistful of Tyler's shirt, hauling him up and out of his chair. "Count yourself lucky that we're standing here in front of your lawyer and not in some back alley," he growled, his nose an inch from Tyler's. "And pray like hell I don't find even a shred of evidence that links you to those stolen cattle."

  He'd sent Tyler stumbling backward with a shove and stalked out of the room, slamming the door so hard the safety glass cracked.

  The burger Tyler had wolfed down on the way to the rodeo grounds congealed in his stomach. Murphy's presence now was no coincidence. This was Shannon's boss, the one whose operation she was preparing to derail. Tyler had to force himself to look the man square in the eye as they came face to face.

  Murphy inclined his head. "Jernigan."

  "Lieutenant." Tyler hesitated. What could he say or do that might make it easier on Shannon?

  Murphy stifled him with a single hard stare. "This is not your problem. You do your job and stay out of my way. Got it?"

  "Got it."

  "Good." Murphy gave him a curt nod of dismissal and strode off toward the concession stand.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Evening shadows stretched across the arena as the rodeo began, and tension crackled like static electricity in the announcer's stand, gaining voltage with every passing moment. Anticipation combined with intense physical awareness made them both skittish as alley cats.

  After the second event, Judy made Shannon switch stools with her. "The vibes you two are givin' off are about to microwave my liver."

  "Sorry," Shannon muttered, and elbowed Tyler when he grinned.

  In the bucking chute directly below them, the last saddle bronc rider nodded his head and the gate swung open. The horse lunged into the arena, a savagely graceful dance of flying mane and flashing hooves, countered jump for jump by the lightening-quick spur strokes of the man balanced so effortlessly on his back. The crowd roared its approval as the whistle sounded. The cowboy vaulted into the air and stuck a perfect, two-footed landing in the soft dirt, fists raised in triumph.

  As the horse trotted through the gate into the stripping chute, Shannon felt her nerves winding up like the spring on a Jack-in-the-Box. The bucking horses were done for the night. As soon as the bulls were sorted and run into the chutes, Danny would start loading the truck.

  She had to get downstairs now.

  It took every ounce of her concentration to focus on the tie down roping. Start the watch when each cowboy nodded his head and the barrier flag popped up. Stop it when the roper completed his tie, threw up both hands to signal time, and the judge in the arena dropped his flag. Only ten contestants in this performance.

  It felt like a hundred.

  The last had barely recoiled his rope when Shannon leapt to her feet, a hand pressed to her stomach. "I've got to go. I don't...it must've been something I ate."

  She bolted for the door and down the stairs, Judy's shocked protest trailing along
behind her. Shannon made straight for the ladies' restroom. She had to trust Tyler to keep Judy from following her. As she hustled past the stock pens, she saw Danny and Bud in the alley sorting bulls and took a breath. Yes. She wasn't too late.

  Shannon ducked into the door on one end of the restroom, paused long enough to be sure Judy wasn't still watching from the announcer's stand steps, then slipped out the door at the other end. Dusk had muted everything behind the bucking chutes to a homogeneous shade of gray. She paused for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light and making a rapid reconnaissance survey as she pulled a penlight out of a pocket in her purse.

  Logic said anyone trying to sneak a horse onto the truck would park as close as possible to the stock pens. During her earlier checks, she'd picked out several trailers in the immediate vicinity that were possible suspects. Now she could see that the rear doors were open on two of them, the horses tied alongside, none matching the photos. She ticked those off her list, which left three to check.

  Other than the crew working in and around the stock pens, there was no one in the immediate vicinity. The pools of dense shadow between the pickups and trailers were empty of people, as far as she could tell. She spotted the cameraman perched on the arena fence, near one end of the bucking chutes, where he had a bird's eye view of the stock pens but not the parking area beyond. His job was to watch Danny and wait for the horse to be dropped off.

  Her father was stationed near the contestant gate, where the trucks exited. His was the vehicle that would tail Lonnie when he left. They had purposely left this area behind the stock pens uncovered, to avoid any chance of scaring off the delivery man.

  The shadows between the trailers were darker than she'd anticipated, and Shannon's heartbeat pounded in her eardrums. Stop it! You're in a public place, nothing can happen.

  She nearly shrieked when a dog popped from under the nearest truck and stuck its nose on her leg.

  "Nice boy," she murmured, scratching the silky head he thrust into her trembling hand.