Cowboy Under Fire

by Carla Cassidy

  Her thoughts were interrupted by a couple stopping by their table to visit with Forest. It had been apparent to Patience the moment they’d walked into the church that Forest was not only liked and respected on the ranch, but among the townspeople of Bitterroot, as well.

  He’d come to the Holiday Ranch as a heartbroken teenager in mourning for the parents he’d lost. He’d had lived a tough life on the streets and yet had turned into a caring, honorable man. She’d told him people didn’t change, and yet he’d transformed into a man any mother would be proud to claim, any woman would be thrilled to call her own.

  Was change really possible for her? Could she go back to her life in Oklahoma City and welcome in new friendships and laughter? She didn’t have to believe in love to open her heart up enough to allow a select few through.

  She mentally shook her head. Once a tiger, always a tiger. A month spent on a ranch with special men bonded together by tragedy and trauma and among a small town full of people who obviously cared about each other couldn’t turn her into something she was not. Sharing a meal, a kiss, and sex with Forest didn’t change who she was at her core.

  She knew in her heart she’d return to Oklahoma and resume the same dragon lady lifestyle she’d lived up to this point. She would be the same difficult taskmaster focused only on her job. Once a tiger, always a tiger. She wasn’t sure why the thought depressed her just a little bit.

  When the couple moved away, Forest stood and took her hand in his. “Things are starting to wind down and I want to be the last man to hold you tonight.”

  His words created a ball of warmth in the pit of her stomach. The song was slow and romantic, and once they hit the dance floor she moved into his arms and tried not to think about how much it felt as if she belonged there.

  It was just a kiss. It had just been sex, and this was only a dance, and yet together she had to admit that they combined to fill her heart with a crazy feeling she’d never felt before.

  She wanted to stop the dance immediately and she wanted the music to never end. She was conflicted as she’d never been before in her life, but ultimately she snuggled closer to the only man who had made her feel safe and cherished and beautiful.

  He held her tight, one of her hands captured in his and pulled against his heart and the other arm wrapped tight around her back with his hand splayed as if in an attempt to cover every inch of her.

  She would never forget this dance. She would never forget this man. He was burned into her brain with his sexiness, his kindness and how special he made her feel.

  It was eleven-thirty when they finally got back into Forest’s truck to head back to the ranch.

  “It’s a good thing we’re leaving now,” she said. “You know that at midnight Cinderella goes poof and turns back into the forensic anthropologist who needs to finish things up here.”

  “Then we’d better hurry back because I intend to get a Cinderella kiss before the anthropologist shows up again,” he replied.

  “And what makes you think I want a kiss?”

  He grinned at her. “Oh, you want a kiss. You might not want to admit it, but that’s another topic altogether.”

  She leaned back in the seat and stared out the passenger window where the darkness was broken only by an occasional light beaming out from a ranch house that dotted the landscape here and there.

  She did want a kiss...his kiss. Darn him anyway. Not only did she want his kiss, she longed for it...had thought about it for most of the evening.

  The only answer to her unusual desire was that she’d been submersed in “love” for the last several hours. She’d watched Lucas and Nicolette interact with each other, their eyes filled with the emotion she didn’t believe existed, the emotion her father had taught her was false and something scientific facts couldn’t prove.

  She was in a love la-la land and she wouldn’t manage to pull herself out of it until she was back in her room alone where she could get herself mentally into the real world, her world again.

  By the time they reached the ranch and Forest parked the truck in front of her room, she’d shoved all thoughts out of her brain. The adrenaline that had filled her throughout the night was gone and exhaustion had taken over.

  “You’re tired,” Forest said as they stood in front of her door.

  She nodded. “I’m not used to kicking up my heels to a country Western band and socializing with the locals.”

  “You were a charming, dazzling date and I appreciate you agreeing to go with me.” He stepped closer to her, so close her heart quickened despite her tiredness.

  “Actually, I enjoyed myself. Everyone was so nice.”

  “I knew you would if you’d just let yourself.” He looked at his wristwatch. “I have five minutes to get my Cinderella kiss.” He took another step closer to her, and her heart leapt into her throat in sweet anticipation.

  “Do you intend to take all of the five minutes?” she asked, surprised that her voice was half-breathy.

  “I do, indeed.” He leaned his head down to capture her lips with his. His mouth moved softly against hers, and without her volition her hands rose to rest on his upper arms as she pressed herself closer to him.

  She couldn’t help herself. The merest touch of his fired a desire through her that made her want to be as close as possible to him. He teased her lower lip with his tongue and she opened her mouth to allow him to deepen the kiss.

  What had begun as tender and gentle quickly became fiery and hot as their tongues battled and he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly against him.

  He was aroused, and she knew it would only take a single word from her and they’d be in her bed, naked and tangled together and satisfying each other.

  She couldn’t allow that to happen. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them. As much as she wanted him, it wouldn’t be right.

  She halted the kiss and stepped away from him. She was far too vulnerable. Her brain had been taken out of her head and shaken around, leaving her confused about who she was and what she really wanted.

  “Cinderella time is over,” she said with a slight tremble in her voice. “It’s time for the forensic anthropologist to get some sleep.” She held out her hand for her room key.

  His disappointment shone from his eyes as he dug her key out of his back pocket and handed it to her. She turned to unlock her door and was about to go inside when he called her name.

  She turned back to face him. “Yes?”

  “I just... I want you to know...never mind.” He grimaced and then added, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Good night, Forest.” She escaped into her room and locked the door behind her. She was afraid of what he’d been going to say to her. There had been such softness in his eyes and such fire in his kiss. She’d been afraid he was going to do something stupid like tell her that he was in love with her.

  She didn’t want to hear it. She didn’t want to contemplate it. She couldn’t be more wrong for him, and hopefully within a few more days she’d be gone and he could find the right woman to fulfill all of his dreams.

  What she couldn’t understand was why the thought of Forest being with the right woman created such a deep ache in her heart.

  * * *

  He’d almost told her last night. He placed the bridle on Twilight, pleased that the horse didn’t fight him. He glanced toward the tent and grimaced. He’d almost told her he was in love with her last night, but at the last minute he’d changed his mind and chickened out.

  It was late afternoon and she hadn’t appeared in the tent entrance once during the day. She and Devon were obviously making progress.

  He should be glad for them, but it was difficult to want a job finished when you knew that meant the end of time spent with the woman you loved.

  But she doesn’t believe in l
ove, he reminded himself. And she probably wouldn’t have appreciated his declaration the night before. It would have only made things awkward between them for the rest of the time she was here, and he didn’t want that.

  She would leave here and he would go back to loneliness and wishes unfulfilled. With his love for her in his heart, he couldn’t imagine seeking another relationship with any other woman for a very long time to come.

  Even knowing she would be leaving within the week, his heart, his head, his very soul was filled with her, and he didn’t know how to stop himself from loving her.

  Time. Time had healed much of the pain he’d experienced when his parents had died. Time was slowly working on the grief over Cass’s death. It had simmered down from a sharp pang to a dull ache.

  Weeks would pass, as would months and maybe eventually he’d forget he’d loved Patience so deeply. Maybe his heart would once again open enough to welcome love with another woman, a woman who shared his hopes and dreams for the future.

  Dusty walked to the corral fence and set a boot on the lower rung. “Heck of a party last night,” he said.

  Forest left Twilight and walked over to join Dusty. “Yeah, it was a good time, though I couldn’t help but notice that you never did ask Trisha to dance with you. She might have welcomed the invitation because I didn’t see her dancing with anyone all night long.”

  “I know. Even drinking a couple of glasses of bubbly couldn’t make me work up my nerve to approach her.” Dusty heaved a deep sigh. “I’ve asked her out a couple of times, but she’s always had an excuse to turn me down. Then she’ll take a break and sit with me for a few minutes. Definitely mixed messages.”

  He took off his hat and raked a hand through his blond hair. “I swear, sometimes I feel like I’m still a scrawny kid again afraid of the world.”

  Forest laughed with a touch of sympathy. “There’s nothing scrawny about you anymore, Dusty. You’re a grown-ass man and maybe you should tell her exactly how you feel about her.”

  “It’s not that I’m in love with her or anything that deep. I just want to get to know her better. All I really know is that she’s a great waitress, she has a three-year-old kid and she lives at the motel. But I’m so attracted to her despite how little I know.”

  “Buck up, buttercup, and just go for it,” Forest replied. “Even though you’ve asked her out, she probably doesn’t know just how interested you are in her. Maybe she thinks you were just looking for a quick hookup. Or maybe she just thinks you like Daisy’s Saturday night meat loaf and just ask her out because she’s convenient.”

  Dusty raised his chin and gave a slow, thoughtful nod. “You’re right. I need to let her know that I’m interested in her, and I’m not looking for a simple hookup. I need to make it clear to her that I’d like to get to know her better, away from the café and her job.” A new determination shone from his eyes.

  He lowered his chin and gazed toward the blue tent and then looked back at Forest. “So, you have all this great advice for me. Have you told the doc how you feel about her?”

  Forest frowned. “What do you mean? She’s just somebody I’m trying to keep safe.”

  Dusty eyed him knowingly. “You can spew that line to a lot of people, but I know you better than that. I see how you look at her and I watched you dance with her last night. You’re crazy about her.”

  Forest took off his hat, raked a hand through his hair and then plopped his hat back on his head. “Okay, you’re right. I’m in love with her, but telling her wouldn’t make any difference. She doesn’t believe in love or relationships. Besides, in the next couple of days she’ll be finished with her work here and headed back to Oklahoma City.”

  “They don’t have ranches around Oklahoma City?” Dusty asked innocently.

  Forest looked at him in surprise. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

  Dusty tipped his hat back, his eyes glittering ice blue in the sunshine. “I’d like to work with you for the rest of my life. I owe you my life, Forest. But we both know you were never meant to spend the rest of your days living alone and working here. As much as I’d hate to see you go, I’d always want you to seek your happiness wherever it took you.”

  Forest looked toward the tent as emotion threatened to overcome him. “She could be my happiness, but it takes two and she isn’t willing to change her beliefs to take a chance on me.”

  “That’s a damn shame because as far as I’m concerned, nobody deserves a family and happiness as much as you.”

  Forest looked at Dusty with real affection. “You’ve been the little brother I never had and now this conversation is getting way too deep.” He cleared his throat to swallow the emotions that had risen up inside him.

  The conversation stayed with Forest long after Dusty had left the corral and he was once again working with Twilight. Would he be okay just to let Patience leave here without ever telling her what was in his heart?

  If he spoke to her of his love for her he didn’t expect her to suddenly reciprocate. Yet, each time he was with her the words of love pressed tight against his chest, leapt to the back of his throat as if begging to be spoken.

  What could he possibly hope to gain by telling her? Nothing, that’s what he would get back from her. He focused again on Twilight. She was taking the bit well and it was time to move on to other equipment.

  He might be known as a horse whisperer, but he definitely wasn’t a woman whisperer. He didn’t know how to change a woman’s mind or how to make her love him.

  It was almost four when Dillon’s patrol car parked by the house. As the lawman made his way toward the tent, Forest could tell he wasn’t happy. His stride was long and determined and he didn’t acknowledge Forest’s presence with a nod or a wave.

  Uh-oh, it looked like more trouble. Dillon disappeared into the tent and a moment later he stepped back out, followed by Devon and Patience.

  “How can I tell you how this happened when I don’t know what happened?” Patience’s strident voice rose in the air and pulled Forest out of the corral.

  “First a missing skull and now this? Are you sure you haven’t overlooked them?” Dillon asked.

  “Don’t question my work. Of course I haven’t overlooked them,” she replied, her voice louder and letting Forest know she was on the verge of one of her legendary full-blown explosions.

  “What’s going on?” Forest asked as he approached the three.

  “What’s going on is that Chief of Police Bowie is questioning my proficiency,” Patience exclaimed, anger rife in her voice.

  “Calm down before I pull you over my shoulders and dump you into the top of one of those corn silos,” Forest retorted.

  She stared at him in shock, and then to his surprise she laughed. “Okay, I deserved that. I was about to go completely ballistic.”

  “So, explain this to me again,” Dillon said.

  “We found all of the bones that would make up a palm, but we’re missing the distal phalanges, the middle phalanges, the metacarpus...”

  “Whoa,” Forest interrupted her. “In plain English, please.”

  “The fingers. We’re missing the fingers,” she replied. “This particular skeleton has long finger bones, and none that are left in the pit are a match.”

  “More souvenirs?” Dillon asked to nobody in particular.

  “That would be my guess,” she replied, calmer now than she’d been before.

  “If that’s the case, whoever committed these crimes was a sick twist,” Forest said in shock. It wasn’t enough that these people had been murdered, but to discover that the killer had taken a skull and fingers from one of the victims made it even more heinous.

  Dillon raced a hand through his hair, his features twisted in obvious disgust and frustration. “So what does this do to finishing up your work?”

  “
We’ve almost completed the fifth skeleton. The sixth should go relatively quickly and then the surprise seventh promises to be fast, especially if it all isn’t there,” Patience replied.

  “Who would want to keep a skull and fingers from somebody they’d murdered?” Forest asked, still stunned by this latest bit of news.

  “Somebody who wants to relive the crime over and over again,” Devon said with a weary sigh. “Taking souvenirs from victims isn’t exactly anything new.”

  “It’s new for Bitterroot and the surrounding area. I can’t wrap my head around what happened here so many years ago,” Dillon said softly. “I just want to catch the person who did this. Whoever it is, there’s no indication that he’s been active since these crimes.”

  “Unless there’s another pit of bones somewhere that hasn’t been discovered,” Patience said.

  “That’s a horrible thought.” Forest’s stomach turned at the idea of another pit of bones buried and yet to be discovered.

  “Francine Rogers is supposed to be home sometime tomorrow. I’m hoping to talk to her and see if she remembers or has records of who she brought here to work for Cass,” Dillon said. “I can’t help but think because of the victims’ ages, these were young men that Francine brought here to work on the ranch.”

  “Let’s hope if Francine doesn’t have records then she has an amazing memory,” Forest replied.

  “We’ve got to get back to work,” Patience said. She looked at her wristwatch. “I still have an hour or so before my protective bodyguard shows up and forces me to stop working for the day.” She shot Forest an affectionate smile.

  “That would be me,” Forest said agreeably.

  “I’m out of here. Come on, Devon.” She turned on her heels and with Devon closely behind her, they disappeared back into the tent.

  “Thanks for your intervention,” Dillon said to Forest as the two men walked away from the tent. “I swear, I don’t know why she was mad at me.”

  “She wasn’t. She was frustrated and shocked by the new finding and she always takes those emotions and turns them into anger. You were there so she directed it at you.”