The Deputy Gets Her Man

by Stella Bagwell

  “Weren’t you on your way out?” she asked. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt your morning.”

  “The errand I was going to run isn’t that important,” he assured her. “Just wait until I turn around and I’ll follow you up to the ranch yard.”

  He didn’t give her time to protest. Instead, he drove on to leave her sitting there wondering if fate was trying to play a hand against her. The last thing she needed was to spend any more time with a man who continually reminded her she was a woman with needs. Ones that only a man could satisfy.

  Forget the urges, Rosalinda. Just remember that Tyler Pickens obviously has problems of his own. Something clearly drove a wedge between him and his family. Could be that something was a woman. You don’t want to become part of this man’s problems. And you sure don’t want to have to deal with another stalker like Monique.

  Her lips pressed to a grim line, Rosalinda watched his truck approaching her from the rear. Like it or not, she was going to have to make this trek with the man and keep herself under control while she was doing it.

  Chapter Five

  Ten minutes later, they arrived at the Pine Ridge Ranch yard. After plucking up a small backpack holding the few items she needed to take with her, she left the truck and found Tyler waiting for her a few steps away from the tailgate.

  He said, “Let’s walk down to the horse barn and I’ll find something suitable for you to ride. In the meantime, did you bring any lunch with you?”

  “Lunch? It’s only ten o’clock. It won’t take us that long to get to the site and back, will it?”

  “It’s not that far in distance, but the roughness makes it slow going. Probably an hour in and another to come back out,” he answered.

  “Well, I’ve got a candy bar in my backpack. That’s enough to keep me going.”

  He shook his head. “That won’t do. I’ll have Gib bring us down something while I saddle the horses.”

  The man was clearly taking over and she needed to open her mouth and tell him to back off. But this was his ranch, she reasoned. And if he was willing to extend her a little help, she wasn’t going to protest.

  As they walked the fifty yards or so to the stables, Tyler called the house cook and gave him a few short orders. By the time Tyler had a black gelding saddled for himself and a handsome paint for her, Gib showed up with a pair of saddlebags packed with food and drinks.

  After the older man had handed the leather pouches over to Tyler, he turned to Rosalinda. “Good mornin’, Deputy. I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

  Rosalinda offered him her hand, and he gave it a warm, hearty shake. “Good morning, Gib. I’m sorry my appearance caused you extra work. I told Tyler not to bother. But he ignored me.”

  The cook’s gaze slid thoughtfully over to his boss. “Tyler tends to do that. He has a mind of his own.”

  “So does someone else I know,” Tyler commented, as he adjusted the latigo on Rosalinda’s mount.

  Rosalinda’s gaze encompassed both men. “Have you two known each other for long?” she asked Gib.

  The older man chuckled. “I held Tyler in my arms the day he was born. That’s how long we’ve known each other.”

  “Oh. Then he must be like a son to you,” Rosalinda commented while her thoughts went back to Tyler’s remarks about leaving his family behind in Texas. Apparently, this man had chosen to leave Texas, too. Out of love and loyalty to Tyler? she wondered. Or because of some sort of shared problem back there?

  “Yes, ma’am, he is. I’ve whipped his britches a time or two.”

  Tyler chuckled. “You mean you tried.”

  Grinning, Gib tossed her a wink. “Damned little rascal was always kicking me in the shins.”

  Rosalinda smiled at his teasing. “I hope he’s grown out of that sort of mischief.”

  “Sometimes I wish he hadn’t,” Gib replied. “I liked him better when he was a naughty tyke.”

  Before Rosalinda could make any sort of reply, Tyler led both horses forward. As he passed the cook, he shot the man a dry look. “And I like you better when you’re seen and not heard.”

  Unaffected by Tyler’s sarcasm, Gib looked over at Rosalinda and smiled. “Stick around a while, deputy, and you’ll soon learn he’s a real sweetheart.”

  “Thanks for the advice, Gib. And if I have time when we get back from this ride, I’d like to talk to you about the fire.”

  “Anytime, Deputy Lightfoot. I’ll be glad to help if I can.”

  As the older man ambled away, Rosalinda looked at the rancher. A sweetheart? At the moment the gelding he was about to ride had a nicer expression on his face than Tyler. But that didn’t put her off. Last night she’d learned there was a tender side to this man and she couldn’t help but wonder if or when he might show that part of himself to her again.

  “Don’t pay any attention to Gib,” Tyler told her. “He’s always full of bull.”

  She took the reins he offered her. “I like him. He reminds me of my Grandfather Lightfoot. He’s still going strong at age ninety. If you’re lucky, Gib will be, too.”

  “Yeah. I hope my old friend will be around for a long, long time.” He gestured to an open spot a short distance away. “Let’s walk them out there and get mounted. We’ve got a long ride ahead.”

  Once they were safely away from the stable area, Rosalinda looped the handle of her backpack over the saddle horn, then levered the reins over the animal’s head. “What is this paint’s name?” she asked him.

  “Moonpie. And he doesn’t have any bad habits except grabbing a mouthful of grass or leaves whenever he gets the chance.”

  “Okay, Moonpie,” she said to the horse. “Be a good boy and take care of me.” She was about to put her foot in the stirrup when Tyler suddenly came up behind her and clamped his hands around her waist.

  “Let me help you,” he said lowly. “Moonpie is a tall guy.”

  The touch of his hands sent heat radiating through her upper body and urged her to turn and bring her face close to his, but she was determined to keep her eyes straight ahead and focused instead on lifting herself into the leather seat.

  “Thanks,” she murmured once she was safely settled atop the horse.

  His fingers rested on her stirrup, so near to the toe of her boot that she could very nearly feel them.

  “Good thing you wore boots today. But is the pistol necessary?”

  “I wear boots and the pistol every day,” she replied. “The weapon is a required part of the uniform. And it might come in handy.”

  He let out a long breath. “Yeah. Who knows, we might see a snake along the way.”

  Whether he was talking about the two-legged kind or one that crawled on its belly, she wasn’t sure. Either way, she got the impression that her weapon unsettled him. “Does the pistol bother you for some reason?”

  “Not exactly. It just looks out of place on such a—lovely woman like you.”

  She’d not expected anything like that to come out of his mouth any more than she’d expected his compliment to fill her with such warm pleasure.

  “Flattering an officer of the law will get you nowhere,” she murmured.

  He pushed the brim of his hat back slightly on his forehead as a sly grin crinkled the corners of his eyes and curved his lips. “I wasn’t flattering the officer part—just the woman.”

  A long, shaky breath eased out of her. In her line of work she’d dealt with all sorts of men. But she’d never encountered one quite like Tyler, and to say that his presence shook her would be a ridiculous understatement.

  “Well, the officer part is saying we need to get going,” she said.

  He tugged the brim of his hat back onto his forehead, then gave the toe of her boot a companionable pat. “Okay. Let’s head ’em up and move ’em out.”

>   Once he was comfortably astride Inky, the black gelding, they turned the horses in a southerly direction and eased them into a long trot. As she watched the distant tree line grow closer, it suddenly dawned on Rosalinda that he’d not bothered to consult her about the GPS directions. Of course he would know the general area of the burn. But how could he know the exact spot of ignition? she wondered.

  “Don’t you think you’d better follow my GPS?” she asked as she strove to get her body to relax and go with the rhythmic rise and fall of the horse’s gait.

  “No need for that.”

  “So you know where the fire originally ignited?”

  “I haven’t been there since the fire, if that’s what you’re asking. Sheriff Hamilton informed me this morning as to where the fire began and I’m familiar with the spot he’s talking about. Before I talked with him I wasn’t sure if the flames had started on my ranch or the Chaparral. And I’m grateful to him for letting me know. You didn’t tell me yesterday,” he added in a faintly accusing tone.

  She glanced over at him and couldn’t help thinking how at home he looked in the saddle and the easy way his body blended with the horse. No doubt he’d grown up in this type of life and whatever had occurred back in Texas hadn’t pulled him away from it.

  You’re thinking too much about this man, Rosa. You need to be concentrating on the fire that blazed across hundreds of acres, instead of the fire he’s building in you.

  Giving herself a mental shake, she said, “I didn’t have the authority to give you that information.”

  “So you don’t break the rules,” he stated. “That’s good to know.”

  Was he talking about more than her job? What other rules could he be talking about? Rules of life? Courtship or marriage?

  Even though her mind was screaming at her to forget the innuendo, she couldn’t help but ask. “What about you? Do you break the rules?”

  He shot her a clever grin. “Not yet. But I’ve been tempted.”

  Since his remark only confused her more, she didn’t make any sort of reply and for the next few minutes they rode in silence.

  The summer sun was already hot in the morning sky and by the time they rode beneath a copse of tall cottonwoods, the shade felt cool against her bare arms and face. Here the trees, grass and underbrush were lush and green, telling her they were still a long distance from where flames had wreaked havoc with the land. Birds were twittering overhead, while a breeze faintly ruffled the leaves. The sound of creaking leather mixed with the occasional clank of a metal horseshoe against stone. Somewhere in the near distance a cow bawled to her calf. The natural sounds were soothing to her, and she decided Brady had done her a favor by sending her on this little mission.

  “It’s beautiful here,” Rosalinda spoke her thoughts aloud. “The trees are like a green roof with hundreds of tiny skylights.”

  He looked over at her. “Well, I’d have more grazing land if I took out the trees, but they work as shelter for the cattle. Especially during the winter months.”

  “I expect the snow gets fairly deep up here,” she remarked. “What happens to the cattle then? Do you move them to a barn or something?”

  Smiling patiently, he shook his head. “I’d have to build a dozen more barns to do that. No. When the weather is bad, we make sure the herds are all off the mountain ranges and locked down on the flats. They find shelter in the arroyos and brush. And we spread feed and hay to them on a daily basis.”

  “I see. That must be a huge task. You probably hope it never snows.”

  “On the contrary. The snow helps moisture and nutrients seep right into the roots of the grass. So it, in turn, helps feed the cattle.” He made a sweeping gesture to the area around them. “God knew what he was doing when he made all of this.”

  And He’d certainly known what He was doing when He made Tyler Pickens, Rosalinda couldn’t help thinking. Everything, from his jet-black hair and sunbaked skin, to his long, sinewy body, was eye-catching, and she had no doubt that wherever he went female gazes would follow.

  So why weren’t any of those females around? Rosalinda wondered. The man was young, yet past the age when most men take a wife and started a family. That could have already happened, her thoughts ventured on. Could be it was a wife and children he’d left behind in Texas? No. He might leave a woman, she decided, but she couldn’t picture this man walking away from a child.

  “You must be very proud of your ranch.”

  “Damn right. I’ve worked long years to make it what it is today. And those first few years were lean times. Very lean. I only had Gib, Sawyer and Tobey to help me. I couldn’t afford to hire dozer work so most of the meadows we cleared by hand. And we ate beans until I thought I’d turn into one.” He shrugged as though he’d put the memories of those hard times behind him. “But it was all worth it.”

  “My folks always told us kids that worthwhile things rarely come easy. And I guess my job has taught me the truth of that motto. Most days are never easy, but it’s all worthwhile.”

  A faint grin slanted his lips. “Well, I’ll do my best to make part of this day easy for you. It’s the least I can do to help you catch the creep who decided to play with matches.”

  He urged the black gelding into another long trot and Rosalinda had no choice but to follow.

  During the next half hour, the landscape continually changed from thick woods to open meadows, to river bottom land, then back to steep gullies and rough washes. Because of her job, Rosalinda worked out at the gym on a regular basis and made sure she was in the best of shape, but by the time they’d traveled about forty-five minutes every muscle in her body was aching with fatigue. Brady must have been out of his mind thinking she could reach this area by foot, she thought. But then it might have been much closer if she’d started from the main road instead of the Pine Ridge Ranch yard.

  Just when Rosalinda thought she couldn’t go any farther, Tyler pulled his horse to a stop and motioned for her to do the same. For the past few minutes the landscape had turned even rougher with huge slabs of rock jutting from the ground at precarious slants. The underbrush was thick and scrubby while most of the ground was covered with huge patches of prickly pear. Presently, the cacti were blooming bright yellow roses, making her wish she could pull out the department camera and snap photos of the beautiful sight. But Brady would hardly appreciate her attention straying to flowers.

  “There’s a bluff up ahead,” Tyler announced. “It would be safer for us and the horses if we dismount and walk the rest of the way.”

  “Fine with me,” Rosalinda agreed. “As much as I like Moonpie, I need a break from the saddle.”

  He swiftly swung himself to the ground and walked over to give her a helping hand off the horse’s back. Once she was standing on the ground, she realized there was much more than the beautiful cactus blooms distracting her. Having Tyler standing so close, with his hand resting on her arm, was like watching an approaching tornado, while knowing there was no path of escape. The thrill of oncoming danger was almost more than she could bear.

  “Are you okay?” He ducked his head just a fraction so that he could look directly into her face. “Your legs aren’t going to buckle on me, are they?”

  Even as he asked the question, she could feel his fingers tightening on her arm. His concern made her feel special and oh, so womanly. And suddenly she found it hard to breathe. Hard to do anything except gaze into his green eyes.

  “I’m okay. Just a little wobbly,” she finally managed to say, letting out a nervous little laugh. “I thought my legs were in great shape. I run several miles a week. But right now they feel like a wet sponge.”

  His gentle smile said he understood completely. “Riding uses muscles that running and other exercises don’t. I should’ve stopped sooner and given you a break.” He gestured to an area just ahead of them. “Let’s wal
k over there. It will help loosen your muscles.”

  She nodded and he promptly closed a firm hold around her elbow. As he helped her over the rough ground, Rosalinda could have told him that his touch made her knees just as weak as their morning ride. But that would be the same as admitting that she was more than attracted to him. And she couldn’t do that. She wasn’t ready to allow a man to enter her life again.

  “What about the horses? Shouldn’t we tether them to a bush or something?” She voiced the questions as they walked away from the animals.

  “They’ve been taught to be ground-tied. They won’t go anywhere until we come back for them.”

  “Smart horses.”

  “I wouldn’t have any other kind on the ranch.”

  What about women? she wondered, before mentally shaking herself. He’d been a bachelor for several years. That ought to be enough answer for her wandering mind.

  By the time they reached the edge of the bluff, most of the strength had returned to Rosalinda’s legs, but she wasn’t at all sure her sanity was intact. She kept telling herself that she didn’t need his support and to move away from him, but her body refused to follow the message in her head.

  “Be careful here,” Tyler warned. “The ground is very loose here. I don’t want you falling.”

  Craning her neck, Rosalinda peered down to see a drop of thirty feet or more. At the bottom everything was black and burned to a crisp. “Oh, my, that’s a long and dangerous drop. Is that where the fire started? Down there?”

  “When Sheriff Hamilton described the place to me I didn’t have to wonder. My ranch includes several thousand acres, but there’s no other spot on it like this one. Before the fire it was beautiful. Now it’s a wasteland.”

  There was a touch of anger in his voice, but mostly there was disappointment. And the sadness in his eyes was something that couldn’t be faked. If she’d had any suspicions about the man being involved with the arson before, they were totally gone with the wind now.