The Arizona Lawman

by Stella Bagwell

  Lifting the mug to her lips, Tessa’s gaze followed the sloping landscape until it reached a big white barn and maze of connecting holding pens. Yesterday evening before dark, she’d explored the big building and discovered a room full of tack and a pair of yellow tabby cats. Both had shied away from her efforts to befriend them.

  “From what Deputy Hollister told me, Mr. Maddox’s failing health forced him to sell all the livestock. It’s rather sad seeing the barn area without any horses or cattle around.”

  There was a long pause before Lilly asked, “Who is Deputy Hollister? I thought you’d settled all the legal stuff before you left for Arizona.”

  A flush heated Tessa’s face. Not for anything would she admit to Lilly that she’d spent half the night thinking of the handsome deputy and wondering if she’d ever see him again.

  “The deputy just happens to be a neighbor,” she quickly explained. “He stopped by yesterday, right after I arrived—uh, just to say hello.” She wasn’t about to add that he’d carried in her bags and stuck around to give her a tour of the house.

  “That’s good. Orin will be glad to hear you have a trustworthy neighbor. I don’t have to tell you he’s like a father bear. By the way, did you know he’s already started searching for someone to take your job as the Silver Horn housekeeper?”

  Tessa had been thirteen when she’d been orphaned and gone to live with the Calhouns. At first, the elaborate, three-story ranch house had been overwhelming to her. Especially when she’d been accustomed to living with her mother in a very modest apartment in Carson City. But in no time at all she’d come to love the isolated country life and the wealthy family who’d taken her in like one of their own. And as soon as she’d grown old enough, she’d gone to work as a housekeeper for the family. Not because they’d expected her to repay them, but because she’d wanted to give back to them as best she could.

  “He told me before I left. He believes I won’t be returning to the Silver Horn anytime soon.”

  “That’s not his reason. Orin understands that when you come back to Nevada, you’ll be putting your college degree to use and finding a real job. Not working for us.”

  Tessa’s gaze swept over the spacious kitchen with its varnished pine cabinets and stainless-steel appliances. To her surprise, she’d already found a huge supply of canned and packaged food in the cupboards and even some fresh things in the refrigerator. She supposed the sheriff’s old ranch hand had laid in the supplies for her arrival. It was all so odd, yet in a way, completely comforting.

  “I have so much here to absorb. I can’t think about searching for a job right now, Lilly. Not until I learn about Sheriff Maddox and his connection to me.”

  “Perhaps your deputy neighbor can help you with that,” Lilly suggested. “Could be he worked for the man.”

  Regarding Ray Maddox, Tessa figured Joseph Hollister could be a wealth of information. But would it be smart of her to approach the man for any reason? He already had her thinking things that brought a fiery blush to her face. She didn’t want to feed this instant infatuation she’d developed for the sexy lawman.

  Suddenly the back of Tessa’s eyes were stinging with inexplicable tears. “Lilly, this is still so surreal and hard to explain. Something—some strange connection came over me whenever I walked into the house. It felt like I was supposed to be here. Now I’m so emotional I’m going around dabbing a tissue to my eyes.”

  “Well, it’s not every day that a woman becomes an heiress—completely out of the blue. You have every right to be emotional. I’d be a blubbering idiot.”

  Trying to swallow the lump in her throat, she slowly stood. “I just need a few days to digest everything, Lilly.”

  “Uh, just in case you’re interested, Rafe fired Thad yesterday. He won’t be back.”

  The mere mention of the young man’s name left Tessa cold. Not more than three months ago, Rafe had hired the guy to work on the fence-mending crew. The moment he’d spotted Tessa, he’d come on to her like a house on fire. At first she’d liked his boyish grin and playful teasing. She’d even gone on a few dates with him. But he’d quickly begun to expect more from her than she’d been willing to give. When she’d abruptly ended all connection with him, he’d retaliated by telling the other ranch hands he’d never had any serious intentions toward her. That she was only a cheap housemaid.

  “Rafe needn’t have done that for my benefit,” Tessa said flatly. “Thad needed some lessons in being a gentleman, but he could still build fences.”

  Lilly snorted. “The only thing Thad wanted to work was his mouth. I say good riddance.”

  The ugly incident with Thad had made Tessa wonder how other people viewed her. When she’d told Joseph Hollister she lived at the Silver Horn, she’d not mentioned she’d worked there as a housekeeper. Was the deputy the type of man who’d look down on her for holding a menial job?

  Forget it, Tessa. Joseph might be a super-nice guy. But you don’t have any business wasting your thoughts on him. Your home is in Nevada. You’re here to look over this property and make a reasonable decision about what to do with it. Not to strike up a romance with a lawman you met less than twenty-four hours ago.

  Tessa’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted with Lilly expressing the need to end the call.

  “Sorry, Tessa, I have to hang up. I hear Austin screaming at his sister.”

  With their conversation over, Tessa went to the bedroom to change out of her pajamas. As she tossed a pair of jeans onto the bed, she gazed around the beautiful white room. Just being in it made her feel like a princess.

  Deputy Hollister had seemed to think the late sheriff had actually prepared this room just for her. Most folks would find that eerie, Tessa thought, but strangely enough, it made her feel wanted. And that was the best gift the late sheriff could’ve given her.

  * * *

  A few minutes later Tessa was in the barn, trying to lure the cats from their hiding place, when she heard a vehicle drive up somewhere in the ranch yard.

  Thinking it might be Deputy Hollister stopping by, she put down the pan of food and hurried out of the big barn. But instead of seeing the Yavapai County lawman’s vehicle, she spotted a red-and-white Ford truck with a crunched passenger door.

  Pausing in her tracks, she watched an older man with a crumpled straw hat and a short, grizzled beard climb from the vehicle. His worn jeans were stuffed into a pair of tall, yellow cowboy boots while a faded red shirt with long sleeves was buttoned tightly at his throat.

  As he moved toward her, Tessa noticed his gait was a bit uneven. Whether the slight limp was because of his leg or some other problem, she could hardly say. In any case, she decided this had to be Ray’s ranch hand.

  She walked across the hard-packed earth to greet him. “Hello. I’m Tessa Parker. Are you Mr. Lemans?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m Samuel Lemans—just Sam to you. I work for Ray.” Grimacing, he shook his head. “Excuse me, ma’am. I said that wrong. I did work for Ray.”

  Tessa extended her hand to him and as he gave it a firm shake, she noticed his palm was as tough as rawhide and his face as crinkled as dry leather. From what she could see beneath the brim of the mangled hat, his thick hair was a mix of black and gray and his eyes were the color of a black bean. Yet in spite of his hard-weathered appearance, the gentleness in his gaze put her instantly at ease.

  “I met Deputy Hollister yesterday and he mentioned you,” she explained. “I want to thank you, Sam, for keeping everything looking so beautiful.”

  “Glad to do it. I’ll keep on taking care of things until you don’t need me anymore. That was Ray’s wishes. And I aim to see them carried out.”

  “Well, I’ll see that you get paid,” Tessa assured him. “Mr. Maddox left me a sizable sum.”

  He scowled. “I don’t want pay, Ms. Parker. Ray has already taken care of that. You don’t worry about a thing.
If you need me, I’ll be here. If you don’t, that’s okay, too.”

  Tessa was totally bewildered. This man and his late boss were making things so easy for her to stay here. Had that been another of Ray’s wishes? To make her want a permanent home on the Bar X?

  “I don’t know what to say, Sam. This is hard for me to understand.” She passed a hand over her damp brow then made a sweeping gesture with her arm. “I don’t suppose you can tell me why Ray—uh, Mr. Maddox—left me this ranch?”

  He lifted the crumpled straw hat and scratched the top of his head. “I expected you to ask me and I wish I could give you an answer. Ray never talked to me about such things. The only thing he told me was that, after he died, a young lady would be getting this property and his money. I gave him my promise to keep on working around the place—that’s how Sheriff Ray wanted it.”

  Disappointment stung Tessa. Evidently this man and Ray Maddox had been more than boss/employee. If Ray hadn’t given Sam any sort of explanation about her and the will, it was doubtful he’d discussed the matter with anyone else.

  “He didn’t say anything about me?” She persisted.

  “Ray didn’t talk about his private life. And I didn’t pry. If he’d wanted me to know more, he would’ve told me. Anyway, Sheriff Ray always did the right thing. I expect he had good reason to do this for you.”

  Sam’s lack of information hadn’t helped to explain anything. But she wasn’t going to let it discourage her. Somewhere, someone had answers and she fully intended to find them.

  Hiding her disappointment behind a warm smile, she said, “Someday I’ll find his reason. For now I’m going to enjoy being here.”

  With a wistful look in his eyes, he glanced over her shoulder to the empty holding pens. No doubt there had been a time when the dusty corrals would’ve been filled with weanling calves or cows to be tagged and doctored. Now the ghostly silence of the working area was a sad reminder of happier days.

  “You going to hang around until the place sells?” he asked.

  Though his question was quite reasonable, the weight of it staggered her. Already the idea of letting this place go was very unsettling. On the other hand, she had to make smart choices for her future. And her life was back in Nevada. Strange, how she had to keep reminding herself of that fact.

  “I—I haven’t made any definite decisions yet, Sam. Except that I’m not going to be in any hurry about making plans. So I would be grateful to you if you’d come by and help me see after things.”

  “Sure thing. I’ll be around first thing every morning.”

  For the next half hour Sam helped her make friends with the cats and gave her a detailed tour of the barn and ranch yard. Afterward, she invited him to a cup of coffee on the backyard patio.

  Although he wasn’t exactly a big talker, she was enjoying his company. And listening to him reminisce about Ray and the Bar X might possibly help her unravel the secrecy surrounding the will.

  “When the ranch was going full swing, were you the only hand working for him?” she asked.

  Reaching for his mug, Sam shook his head. “During the slow seasons I handled everything by myself. When calving season or roundups were going on, two other guys came in to help. See, the Bar X is small compared to some of the neighboring ranches. But acre for acre, it’s a damned good one. All it needs to get going again is a herd of mama cows and a few horses.”

  Tessa was about to ask if he’d like to see the ranch back in production, but a woman’s voice suddenly called out in the vicinity of the front yard.

  The unexpected interruption quickly pushed Tessa to her feet. “Excuse me, Sam. I’ll go see who that might be.”

  Just as Tessa started off the patio, a tall, dark-haired woman somewhere in her early sixties appeared around the corner of the house.

  “Hello, there,” she said cheerily. “Sorry about all the hollering. I knocked on the door but didn’t get an answer. I—” Suddenly spotting Sam, she paused and then called to him. “Sam, you rusty old codger! Where have you been hiding yourself?”

  Sam scraped back his chair and came to stand next to Tessa.

  “Good to see you, Maureen.” He greeted her with a tip of his hat.

  He glanced at Tessa before gesturing to their unexpected visitor, who was dressed in a gray, double-breasted dress with a rust-red silk scarf knotted at her neck and matching red high heels on her feet.

  “Tessa, this is Maureen Hollister.” He introduced the two women. “She’s your neighbor and owner of the Three Rivers Ranch.”

  Still smiling, the woman extended her hand to Tessa. “Nice to meet you, Tessa,” she said while pumping her hand in a hearty shake. “And don’t worry, I can only stay for a minute. I’m on my way to Prescott. My son, Joe, told me you’d arrived, so I just wanted to stop by and welcome you to the area.”

  “Joe? You mean Deputy Hollister?” Tessa asked.

  Maureen’s smile deepened. “Sorry. All his family calls him Joe,” she explained, then shot a pointed look to Sam. “I hope you’ve been helping this young lady get settled in.”

  Scowling, Sam said, “Maureen, I don’t need to be questioned. You know I’ll see to my duties.”

  Maureen laughed and then said to Tessa, “He’s a touchy old cuss. But he won’t bite. I doubt he has enough teeth left to leave any damage, anyhow.”

  Sam didn’t make a retort. Instead he purposely put a grin on his face to reveal he still possessed a full set of teeth.

  After another laugh, Maureen went on. “If there’s anything at all that you need while you’re here, Tessa, just call on us. We like to help our neighbors.”

  So this was Deputy Hollister’s mother. Tessa could only imagine what he’d told this woman about their meeting yesterday. That she’d seemed overly emotional and out of her element? He certainly wouldn’t have been lying, she thought dismally.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Hollister. It’s very kind of you to offer. Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee?”

  Maureen promptly waved away the invitation. “I’d love to sit and talk for hours. But I can’t be late for my meeting.”

  “I understand. I hope you can come by another time,” Tessa suggested.

  “Oh, she’ll be by.” Sam spoke up in a dry voice. “She keeps the road hot. All you see when Maureen drives by is the blur of a blue truck and a cloud of dust. Roadrunners aren’t even safe when she’s around.”

  Instead of being offended, Maureen laughed heartily. “Sam, one of these mornings you’re going to wake up and the gate to your goat pen is going to be standing wide open. Then we’ll see how fast you go.”

  The man chuckled and Tessa could see he clearly enjoyed teasing Maureen. Which meant the two must have known each other many years for them to exchange this sort of banter.

  “Okay, I’m off,” she said, “but before I go, I’d like to ask you to join us for dinner tomorrow night, Tessa. We’ll be eating around seven, but come sooner. We’ll have a drink and a nice talk. And you come, too, Sam. The kids would all love to see you.”

  He said, “I don’t—”

  Before he could decline the invitation, Tessa turned and clasped his crusty hand between her two. “Oh, please, Sam. It would be extra special for me if you’d come.”

  Maureen must have sensed Tessa had already developed an emotional connection to the old ranch hand because she suddenly spoke up in a persuasive voice.

  “You don’t have to dress up, Sam. You can come just as you are. And Reeva is cooking brisket, so you don’t have to worry about being fed bean sprouts.”

  “Well, I guess I can’t fight two women at the same time,” he said.

  “Great!” Maureen said with a happy smile. “So I’ll see you two tomorrow tonight.”

  As Maureen hurried away, Tessa tugged Sam back over to the table.

  “Come on,” she urged, “let’s finish
our coffee.”

  “I didn’t plan to stay this long,” he protested. “I really need to be going, too.”

  “A few more minutes won’t hurt,” Tessa argued. “Anyway, there’s still lots of coffee left in the thermos. I don’t want it to go to waste.”

  “You’re hard to say no to, Tessa.” Grinning, he sat back down and motioned to his cup. “Okay. Fill it up again.”

  Tessa returned to her seat and poured his coffee. “Thanks, Sam. I realize I’m being a nuisance. But—”

  “Now that Maureen has stopped by, you want me to tell you about the Hollisters,” he finished.

  The sly look in his narrow eyes had Tessa smiling sheepishly. “I don’t want you to gossip, Sam. But I’m a stranger around here. It would be helpful to know a little about the Hollister family before I have dinner with them.”

  He picked up his coffee cup. “Okay. Three Rivers is one of the biggest ranches in Arizona and the family has plenty of money. Maureen and her husband, Joel, had six kids together. Four boys and two girls. The last I heard all the kids were still living at home. Joe, the one you met yesterday, is second from the youngest.”

  Joe. He might be just plain Joe to everyone else, but to her he would always be Joseph, she thought. “He seemed like a very intense young man.”

  Sam sipped his coffee and stared off at the jagged rock cliffs in the distance. “He has reason to be that way.”

  The subtle insinuation had Tessa curiously eyeing the old cowboy. “Why do you say that?”

  He shook his head. “You need to let Joe tell you that.”

  Joseph Hollister would hardly be sharing personal facts about himself with her. And that was probably a good thing, Tessa decided. The less she knew about him, the less she’d have to forget once she was back in Nevada.

  But when will that be, Tessa? You’re telling yourself you’re going to remain here on the Bar X until you learn the reason for your inheritance. But aren’t you really more interested in getting to know Joseph?