The New Cowboy

by Rebecca Winters

  After another hour of celebrating, Zane took Avery aside. “I’d like to stay up all night with you, but an emergency has come up about the case. I’m headed for Billings to meet with Sanders. We’re putting a team together to take these people down. I’ll phone you when I can.”

  She squeezed his hand. “I wish you didn’t have to go, but I understand. Please be careful.”

  Zane left her with a hungry kiss before he drove back to his ranch to change clothes and pack up his gear. He’d already swapped trucks with Matt as a precaution to keep a low profile. In a few minutes he had everything loaded, including the bullet that had killed the calf. That was headed for the crime lab stat.

  He took off along the fire road. It rose up the mountain and opened up between the trees at one point so you could look down over his pasture. Anyone taking a shot with a rifle would have done it from this spot before driving away in a hurry. He parked alongside the spot and got out with his flashlight and gloves.

  A half hour’s search didn’t yield a cartridge. Here and there he found scraps of paper stuck in the blades of grass. As he was about to climb back in the cab, his eye picked out a wadded piece of foil. He scooped it up and opened it.

  A peppermint pattie candy wrapper? He put it to his nose. The mint scent was fresh. Bingo!

  Fingerprints or not, this couldn’t be a coincidence. Things were falling into place. He bagged it and started the engine. Though he’d told Avery he was going to Billings, he would make a trip to the Pryor reservation first. If he spotted Durant’s truck, he could take some dirt samples from his treads and get the results back from the crime lab immediately. The more evidence the better.

  But a tour around the settlement revealed no sign of the BIA truck. Durant was out somewhere off the reservation. Four o’clock in the morning everything was quiet. He left and headed to Laurel on the off chance he’d find the missing Toyota on the Newell ranch.

  This time he parked just inside the turnoff and crept through a field to stay out of sight. When he was within range of the side of the house, he put on his night-vision goggles and took a good look.

  The movement he saw turned out to be the guy who’d been on the tractor the last time he’d come by. His face was a match for Terry Newell. He went into the trailer and came out again with a load of something that he stashed in the Sentra.

  After stowing his goggles, Zane took off for the truck. Once behind the wheel he drove down the highway a block, then circled back and parked on the other side to wait. Maybe Newell wasn’t coming, but Zane was in no hurry. He drank some coffee from his thermos.

  In another ten minutes he saw headlights coming toward the highway from the ranch road. Zane started the engine and followed the car, anxious to trail him to his destination. He phoned local police that he was pursuing a suspect from Old Highway 10 going south on 310 and gave the license plate number. They weren’t to close in until the suspect reached his destination.

  Another five miles and the Sentra turned off the 310 onto a frontage road. Zane gave the signal. Half a mile farther and the suspect slowed down to stop behind a truck with a janitorial supplies logo. Like a swarm of bees, four patrol cars converged on the Sentra and truck.

  The officers told the drivers to step out of their vehicles. Zane climbed down from the truck, flashing his badge. “I’m Special Agent Lawson from the Billings BLM Crime Division office. Are you Terry Newell?”

  “You’re the one who came snooping around our ranch. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “You’re under arrest for theft and vandalism at three known Crow archaeological sites in the area. Each count carries a prison sentence.”

  Another deputy had the other driver cuffed. Zane walked over. “You’re Steve Newell. I recognize you and your brother from these pictures.” He pulled them out of his pocket to show him. “It’ll go better for you and Terry if you tell me the name of the mastermind who planned these heists. Blowing up a vision quest fasting site has put you in deep trouble. Maybe we don’t have to look any further than your dad.”

  “He has nothing to do with this.”

  “You mean he didn’t collude with a certain BIA agent who’s been helping you boys transport artifacts across state lines? I wonder what we’ll find inside this truck. It couldn’t be registered to you since you don’t work for this janitorial service.”

  “You can go to hell.”

  “I’m afraid that’s where you’re going.” Zane nodded to the deputy in charge. “Book him and read him his rights.”

  Zane walked back over to Terry. “Give me the name of the agents who’ve been helping you and I’ll put in a good word for you with the judge.”

  “Don’t tell him, Terry.”

  “Do you always do what your older brother says? Can’t you think on your own?”

  “Butt out, Steve—”

  “Shut up, Terry. I’m warning you...”

  The guy was vulnerable. “There’s nothing Steve can do to you, Terry. But you can help yourself. You’re still young. Cooperation will go a long way since this is your first tangle with the law. What do you say?”

  He hung his head. “There are a couple of men. Steve only told me one of their names. He said I wouldn’t get into trouble if I helped him.”

  “No, Terry!” his brother screamed at the top of his lungs.

  “What is it?” Zane persisted calmly.

  “One’s called Baxter. I heard him call the other one something like Duran.”

  “Good. I’ll see what I can do for you at your arraignment.” He glanced at the deputy. “Book him and read him his rights. I’m on my way to the BLM office in Billings. You can reach me there.”

  On his way to Billings, Zane got on the phone with Sanders to tell him the latest. They needed another warrant to search Durant’s truck and residence for a rifle. If the bullets matched, then he would be charged with more than stealing artifacts. Durant had probably been working with another dirty BIA agent to cover for each other. This was a big crime ring. In time there’d be a lot more arrests.

  Sanders couldn’t have been more pleased over this major break in a case that had stumped law enforcement for a long time. They discussed the shooting on his ranch and Zane’s suspicions that Durant might be responsible for it along with everything else. He reminded his boss of Ranger Margaret Rogers’s tip about BIA involvement. He needed to thank her.

  “How about that. The lowlife likes peppermint patties. That’s a new one,” Sanders muttered. He told Zane to mail the bullet into the crime lab, then go home for some well-deserved sleep and they’d catch up later in the day.

  Zane drove home to the ranch, happy to obey orders. When he’d gotten enough sleep he’d call Avery and they’d make plans. He couldn’t go a day without seeing her.

  * * *

  AVERY TOOK THE day off work and met her cousin Cassie in Billings. They spent all Monday morning shopping for a wedding dress. She’d found a gorgeous white silk and lace princess-style dress that she loved. By saying yes to Zane’s proposal, Avery needed to show him she was doing everything to handle her PTSD and be positive. For him, the long white wedding gown would speak more plainly than words that she wanted to be his wife.

  Over the past eight years she’d given up every thought of getting married. But when she stood in front of the full-length mirror in her dress with a lace veil over her hair, she felt like a real bride.

  It was because of his unconditional love.

  Cassie went crazy. “Look at you! Zane will die when he sees you walking down the aisle.”

  “I don’t want him to die, Cassie,” she teased.

  The shop needed to make a few alterations. Her dress would be ready in a week. Avery felt almost giddy with happiness. They celebrated by eating at a French restaurant. Cassie worried that her brother Ned wasn’t making much progress
yet. She shared her concerns about her parents’ state of mind, and then they drove to the Rafferty ranch.

  At two-thirty Avery headed home in her truck, eager to see Zane. He hadn’t phoned yet, but she knew he would as soon as he could.

  It was only an eight-mile drive back along the winding dirt road threading through the forest before it met with the highway. The day had turned out hot, but it was cooler beneath the trees. When she happened to glance in the rearview mirror, she was surprised to notice a vehicle way back. Where had it come from? That was odd. When she’d left Cassie, there’d been no one else around.

  Dr. Rafferty opened up his property for seasonal hunters with permits. His house was set back away from people. The only other road that fed into this one ended up at a closed-off, abandoned logging site. Avery didn’t understand it.

  She rounded the curves, aware that the vehicle was inching closer. Each time she saw it, she felt a menacing sensation. A dark feeling came over her. Avery knew she was in danger. Her adrenaline started to pump. She rolled up the windows and set the locks.

  That old sick uneasiness crept over her and wouldn’t leave. It was like the night she’d walked toward her dorm after leaving the library. Though she couldn’t see anyone around her, she’d sensed she wasn’t alone and she’d started running.

  When she’d reached a copse of pines growing at the side of the building, she was grabbed from behind and knocked to the ground. The man dragged her beneath the boughs. Blackness rose up inside her at the memory.

  Sweat poured off Avery’s body. Terrified at this point, she reached for her phone and pressed five. Pick up, Zane. Her heart pounded like a kettledrum. The second he answered she screamed his name.

  “Avery? What’s happening? Talk to me, darling!”

  “Someone’s after me, I just know it!” she cried.

  “Where are you?”

  “I just left Cassie. I’m on the road between the Rafferty ranch and the highway.”

  “I’m on my way from the house. Stay on the phone with me. I’m calling for backup. Is it a car?”

  “No, I think it’s a truck, but it’s still a ways off.”

  “Go as fast as you can.”

  “I am, but they’re starting to gain on me. Zane, I’m terrified!”

  “You’ll be all right. Keep driving and don’t stop.”

  She could barely swallow or breathe. “They’re getting closer.”

  “Can you see who it is?”

  “No. The driver’s sitting too high in the cab. Oh, no—it’s a dump truck! Whoever’s driving must have followed us from Billings and was waiting on the logging road until I was alone.”

  “Stay focused.”

  “I’m trying, but he’s starting to bump into the back of my truck. Zane, he’s trying to run me off the road.”

  “Don’t let him do it. Just keep driving as fast as you can. It’s a narrow road with little room on the sides. You have the advantage. How close are you to the junction?”

  “Maybe three-quarters of the way. He’s butting me again—”

  “Hang in there. He’s doing everything to scare you, but you’re still in control. I should be there as you reach the highway.”

  “Zane!” she screamed. “He just shot out my rear tires.”

  “Keep going until you can’t.”

  Avery had to grip the wheel with her left hand, but it was impossible to prevent the truck from shimmying around. “I’m going to be sick.”

  “No, you’re not. Grab your gun!”

  She lifted her blouse with her right hand and pulled out her weapon, but she was shaking so hard, she could hardly get a good grip.

  “Have you got it?”

  “Yes, but my truck can’t go any farther. I’m stopped. What am I going to do?” she cried. “He’s getting out. I can see him in the side mirror. He has a gun. He’s the guy who was with Mike Durant at the Rosebud!”

  “He doesn’t know you’re armed. Press your head up against the corner. When he breaks in the window you’ll be protected from the glass. Shoot him in the chest or the pelvis.”

  “I’m petrified.”

  “You can do it. I’m almost there.”

  Zane was on his way and he was keeping her sane. Oddly enough Avery wasn’t as terrified as the night of her assault. She could see this man’s face and it was broad daylight. No way was this killer going to get his hands on her. She cocked her pistol.

  “Get out of the truck, lady, or I’ll have to shoot out the window.”

  Avery held her breath and stayed pressed up to the corner.

  In the next instant, glass shattered. For a second she had a full view of him and shot him, but her body was shaking too hard to get a good aim and she hit him in the thigh. He let out a surprised cry. Then she heard Zane’s voice and saw police cars converging.

  “Hands on your head, Baxter.”

  Thank God. Thank God.

  He staggered backward, but at the last second he opened fire on Zane, hitting him in the shoulder. While several officers subdued the criminal, Avery screamed and got out of the truck. By the time she reached Zane, they’d put him on the ground. One of the officers was stanching the blood. Another officer called for an AirMed helicopter.

  Avery took one look at Zane’s colorless face. She cried out in anguish and knelt down next to him. “Please, God. Don’t let him die.”

  His eyes opened and those blue orbs stared into hers. “That’s not going to happen. Thank God you’re alive and safe. I’ve just been stunned and I’m going to be fine. Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

  The officer working on him nodded. “He’s right. The bullet didn’t hit an artery.”

  “It’s a miracle.” She grasped his hand and kissed it. “You talked me through my ordeal and saved my life. It’s my turn to take care of you. I love you, sweetheart. I won’t leave your side.”

  “Avery...”

  Everything became a blur as the helicopter arrived. One of the men found her purse and handed it to her before she climbed in behind Zane’s body.

  When they landed at the hospital in Billings, he was rushed into surgery. Avery stayed in the lounge and made phone calls to everyone, including her grandfather.

  Connor and Liz were the first to arrive. Connor took one look at her and hugged her hard. “Don’t worry about Zane. He’ll be up and around in a few days. It was only six months ago I had to have an operation on my shoulder. You need any nursing instructions, talk to my wife here.”

  Liz smiled and gave her a hug. “He’ll only be helpless for a few days, then watch out. Most men make terrible patients.”

  * * *

  ZANE WAKENED AFTER his operation, but was given a hypo and went back to sleep. When he woke up again, it was the next day. His shoulder and upper arm had been wrapped and put in a sling.

  Avery leaned over to help him drink water through a straw. “Good afternoon, my love. Welcome to my world again. You obviously needed the sleep after what you’ve been through. How do you feel?”

  “I’ll tell you after you kiss me,” he murmured in a husky voice.

  She lowered her mouth to give him a brief kiss, but he surprised her with a long, drawn out kiss that took most of the air from her lungs. A flushed Avery lifted her head because a nurse had just come in the room to bring more flowers and check his IV. “I guess I have my answer. Liz told me you’d recover fast,” Avery said.

  “She ought to know,” he teased.

  “Your boss came by earlier. He’ll talk to you soon but wants you to know you’re to take it easy so you’ll have a full recovery. Your name is all over the news. According to him, the arrests you’ve made have led to the capture of Mike Durant and Chris Baxter of the BIA. The ballistics from the bullet proved it came from Baxter’s rifle, but Durant was t
he brainchild.

  “Their plan was to kidnap me to bring you out in the open so they could kill you for ruining their elaborate scheme. It’s been in progress for several years. They stole the dynamite. On the news they were described as homegrown terrorists.

  “What you’ve uncovered is huge, Zane. You’ve not only captured the attention of the governor, but the leaders of the Crow and other nations of the High Plains.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m so proud of you, I can’t begin to articulate what I want to say.”

  She saw banked fire in his eyes. “Don’t try. Show me instead.”

  “I don’t dare. That wound needs to heal.”

  He reached for her hand, fingering the diamond. “I’m planning on the doctor releasing me today so we can go home.”

  “No, sweetheart. He said the earliest might be tomorrow. It all depends on how well you’re healing. He’s giving you masses of antibiotics to stem any infection and wants to keep you here just to be safe.”

  “You’ll stay with me again tonight?”

  “Where else would I go? We’re walking in Liz’s and Connor’s shoes. Instead of a bull throwing you, a madman shot you.”

  “I’ll take the madman anytime.”

  She smiled. “To each his own poison.”

  But he didn’t laugh. Instead his features sobered. “You were so brave.”

  “That’s because you had my back through the whole ordeal. I knew you were coming. You helped me keep my head. I’ve had a lot of time to think about the assault. It forced me to learn to do things to protect myself I would never have done otherwise. By talking me through everything yesterday, you empowered me.

  “In some respects I feel like I’ve thrown off the blackness that has imprisoned me for years.” She molded his cheek with her hand. “You’ve done that for me.”

  “Then you’re not going to back out of our wedding plans because I have a dangerous job to do?”

  That was no idle question. He really was worried. His vulnerability caught at her heart. She loved him too much.