The Arizona Lawman

by Stella Bagwell

  She attempted a laugh, but her battered emotions buffered the sound, turning it into more of a grunt than anything. “He’s not bad for a man in his seventies. Although, he could stand to carry about twenty more pounds on his bony frame. And the wrinkles in his face are as deep as plow tracks.”

  “Hmm. Obviously, Sam isn’t the reason you’re still here.”

  She glanced over to see a thoughtful frown on his face. “Orin, did you make this trip to try to talk me into going back to Nevada?”

  A sheepish expression came over his features. “The idea did cross my mind. I’ve missed you like hell. We’ve all missed you. But I’m not here to badger you about coming home to the Horn. I’m here because I’ve been worried about you.”

  “Worried?” She shook her head in confusion. “I don’t understand. Lilly calls me nearly every day. I’ve been reassuring her that all is well. Hasn’t she been keeping you updated?”

  “Yes. Lilly gives me a rundown of the phone conversations you two have. But I can read between the lines, Tessa. You turned down Jett’s offer and—”

  “I didn’t turn it down,” she interrupted. “Not completely. I told him I’d have to think on it.”

  Smiling slyly, the older man shook his head. “Tessa, Tessa,” he gently scolded. “If you had serious intentions about Jett’s job offer, you would’ve already been packing and heading home.”

  Orin had five sons and a daughter. Tessa had never really thought the dedicated father had paid that much attention to her, a child who’d come to live in his house only because her mother had died. But apparently, over the years, Orin had taken more note of her than she’d ever guessed.

  “I’m sorry, Orin. I’ve been meaning to call Jett and let him know I won’t be taking the job. But things have been—well, I needed time to think on it.”

  “And now you’ve decided.”

  Sighing, she filled a mug with the fresh coffee and carried it over to him. As she placed it on the bar in front of him, she didn’t have to ask if he wanted cream or sugar. She’d served him hundreds of cups of black coffee. She knew his favorite shirts and boots and how he liked his steak cooked. But more than his likes and dislikes, she understood just how much he loved his family. And that included her.

  Easing onto the stool next to his, she looked at him and felt her throat thicken with emotion. “Yes. I’ve decided. That probably doesn’t make much sense to you. Considering that I went to college four long years just to find a job like Jett’s position. But you see, Orin, being here on the Bar X has changed me. And changed the direction of my life. I’m going to make this my home.”

  He didn’t make an immediate reply. Instead he sipped his coffee and studied her shrewdly. “Lilly tells me you still haven’t uncovered the facts of why Ray Maddox willed you this place. Is that right?”

  She nodded glumly. “I’ve been hoping and praying something would turn up to explain things. But...well, so far nothing makes sense. Joseph thinks—” Her throat was suddenly so tight she had to swallow before she could continue. “He believes Ray might actually have been my dad.”

  To say Orin looked stunned was an understatement. “Maybe you’d better explain, Tessa,” he demanded in a fatherly tone. “And you can start with telling me about this Joseph.”

  Drawing in a bracing breath, Tessa told him all about the Hollisters and Joseph, how she’d grown close to him and how he’d been trying to help her uncover the truth about Ray.

  “Joseph took the pictures of Mom’s wedding day to have someone in the crime lab try and sharpen the images. That was a few days ago. I’ve not heard from him since—” Unable to go on, she dropped her head and closed her eyes. “We had an argument—about whether I was going back to Nevada or staying here. I couldn’t tell him what he wanted to hear.”

  “Why not? You didn’t have any problem telling me.”

  Lifting her head, she looked at him through teary eyes. “That’s because you understand everything, Orin. And, anyway, Joseph hadn’t said a thing about being in love with me. It wasn’t right that he expected me to make all sorts of promises to him.”

  A wan smile softened his eyes. “It’s obvious to me that you’re very much in love with Joseph. Maybe you need to let him know you don’t plan to run away.”

  “Yes, I plan to tell him. I just haven’t done it yet because I very much doubt he’ll believe me. And I...don’t think I can stand watching him walk away a second time.” She left the bar stool and walked over to the sliding patio doors. As she gazed out toward the barn and corrals, she said, “I plan to buy cattle and horses, Orin. To make the Bar X a working ranch again. I realize that won’t happen overnight. But I’m hoping that once Joseph sees I’m making a commitment to the place, he’ll recognize that I’ve grown up.”

  Shaking his head, he left his seat to go stand next to her. “I’ll be frank, Tessa. I don’t like the idea that you’ve set your sights on a lawman, any more than I like your decision to stay here in Arizona. But more than anything, I want you to be happy. If you think the guy is worth all the effort, then you have my blessings.”

  Turning her head, she looked at him and the love she saw on his face reminded her that from the moment her mother had died, Orin had made sure she was never without family support. And that would never change, even if she lived many miles away. He and the rest of the Calhoun clan would always be there for her.

  “You’ve misunderstood, Orin. My plans for the ranch aren’t a ploy to get Joseph back in my life. Sure, I won’t mind if it helps him learn to trust me. But that’s beside the point. I want the Bar X to be productive. I want to make it a thriving ranch again—perhaps even better than before.”

  With his hands on her shoulders, Orin turned her so that she was facing him. “Tessa, you never showed an interest in ranching before. Yes, you always liked to ride horses and be around the animals, but you never mentioned you wanted to be...well, like Sassy or Noelle.”

  “I never dreamed I’d ever have the chance to do something like this. And when I was living on the Silver Horn, you never asked. You were always encouraging me to focus on my education and college. Which I’m glad of. I’m very proud of my degree and I do plan to put it to use. Later on. After I get the ranch going.”

  “Cattle prices have dropped somewhat, but they’re still high. And good working horses do not come cheap. It will take a chunk of money to get started. Have you thought about that?”

  She nodded. “The money Ray left me is more than enough. And deep down I believe he’d be happy that I’m investing it back into the ranch.”

  A faint frown creased his forehead. “I can see that’s important to you. Although I’m not exactly sure why it is. You’re feeling beholden to a man you never met. A man you’ll never know.”

  “That’s not exactly true, Orin. The more I explore the Bar X, the more I’m beginning to see him in all the little things that make a place special. Even if I never learn who he was to me, I believe he was a good man. And that’s all that really matters, isn’t it?”

  Smiling, he gently patted her cheek. “You’ve not only been thinking about things since you’ve come here, it’s clear to me that you’ve also been growing. You were already a special young woman. But I can see a grit in you now, Tessa, that wasn’t there before. It tells me you’re a fighter and you’re going to succeed at whatever you set out to do. I’m very proud of you, darlin’.”

  To have Orin, the only father figure she’d ever known, praise her in such a way caused tears to sting her eyes.

  Giving him a wobbly smile, she said, “I realize you have all kinds of responsibilities waiting on you back on the Silver Horn, but it would make me very happy if you’d stay on a few days. Sam and I could sure use your advice.”

  He curled his arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “I wouldn’t think about leaving now.”

  Through the glass door
s, she spotted Sam parking his truck near the backyard fence. “Sam’s home! Come on and I’ll introduce you,” she said, taking him by the arm and urging him out the patio door. “You two have a lot to talk about.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Joseph was bleary-eyed as he steered his truck off the main highway and onto the dirt road that led to the Bar X and Three Rivers. The night had been extremely busy with all sorts of calls, including an outdoor basketball game that had turned into fisticuffs. He and Connor had barely had time to deal with that fracas when they’d been called to a remote area of the county to give backup to a pair of game rangers rounding up a group of illegal hunters. It wasn’t until the end of their shift, when they’d returned to headquarters, that they’d learned Jimmy’s shooter had been arrested without incident and was safely behind bars.

  At least something was finally going right, he thought ruefully. But how was it going to go when he stopped at the Bar X and knocked on Tessa’s door? Since they’d parted more than a week ago, he’d done nothing but think about her laugh and smile, the scent of her sweet skin and the touch of her soft hands roaming over his body.

  There had been moments these past days that he’d questioned his own sanity. Why else would he have behaved like a pompous ass and started demanding promises from her that she wasn’t ready to give?

  Because you love her, you idiot! You wanted to hear her say she’d never leave Arizona. Never leave you. But instead of explaining what was really in your heart, you walked out. Now, it’s going to be a miracle if she ever forgives you.

  Ten minutes later, his heart beating anxiously, he turned onto the graveled drive leading up to her house. However, his nervousness was soon replaced by surprise when he pulled his truck to a stop next to a navy blue truck with Nevada license plates. Was someone from the Calhoun family here? Had someone come to help her move back to the Silver Horn?

  Sick with the thought, he took the steps of the retaining wall two at a time and hurried to the front door. After punching the doorbell several times and getting no response, he went to the back of the house and gazed out at the ranch yard. Sam’s old, battered truck was parked beneath the shade of a mesquite, but the only movement he saw was Rosie and Rascal milling around the hay manger.

  Hastening his stride, he walked out to the barn and searched the big building, but Sam was nowhere to be found. Apparently he’d gone with Tessa and her guest, wherever that might be. Which was totally odd, given the fact that Sam wasn’t a socializer. Especially with someone he’d just met. So what could possibly be going on?

  Minutes later, as Joseph walked into the kitchen at Three Rivers, he was so preoccupied with thoughts of Tessa he hardly noticed Reeva working at the cabinet counter. Nor did he see Hannah barreling straight at him until she was flinging her little arms around him and squeezing him with all her might.

  Bewildered by the unexpected greeting, he glanced up to see a smiling Vivian striding toward him.

  “Hannah’s been worried about you,” his sister explained. “We all have.”

  Hannah tilted her head back until she was looking up at him. “We heard on the news this morning about the man who shot the deputy. He can’t shoot at you now, Uncle Joe. He can’t hurt anybody else, either.”

  Doing his best to smile, he touched a finger to the tip of Hannah’s nose. “That’s right, Freckles. So you put all that worrying out of your head. And now that I think about it, why aren’t you at school this morning?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I have to go to the dentist at Prescott. Yuck! Double yuck!”

  Joseph patted the top of her head. “You want to be able to chew your food, don’t you?”

  Hannah tilted her head to one side as she contemplated his question. “Yeah, I guess so. But I mostly want to look as pretty as Mom when she smiles.”

  “Nobody can look as pretty as your mother when she smiles. So you’d better go to the dentist and work on it,” he teased.

  “Ha! You must be wanting something to hand out compliments like that,” Vivian told him then pointed a finger at her daughter. “You, young lady, need to go finish getting ready. We have to leave in fifteen minutes.”

  With a loud groan of protest, Hannah left his side and hurried out of the kitchen. Joseph removed his hat and wearily raked a hand through his hair.

  “Would you like something to eat, Joe? Lunch won’t be ready for another hour.” Reeva turned away from the cabinet to look at him. “Let me fix you a late breakfast. You need to eat. You’re getting downright scrawny.”

  “No thanks, Reeva. All I want is a few hours of sleep.”

  He started out of the room and Vivian followed. As the two siblings both headed toward the staircase that led upstairs to the bedrooms, Joseph glanced thoughtfully over at her.

  “You haven’t heard Mom say anything about Tessa having company from Nevada, have you?” he asked.

  His sister’s brows arched upward. “Why, no. Why do you ask?”

  “Because someone is at the Bar X and I don’t know who.”

  Vivian had climbed two stairs when she paused to look at him. “You have a phone, don’t you? Why don’t you call Tessa to find out what’s going on over there? Wouldn’t that be the easiest way?”

  “It would,” he said stiffly. “But since I’ve not communicated with Tessa in several days, I’d rather not call.”

  With a look of surprise on her face, she descended the steps until she was standing next to him. “Joe, I don’t understand. You’ve been seeing Tessa quite a bit. I thought you two were probably getting close. Has something happened?”

  Only everything, he thought miserably. He’d fallen in love, but rather than embrace the feelings, he’d run and hid from them like a scared pup.

  “Yeah,” he mumbled. “We argued.”

  He started to move on up the staircase, but Vivian snagged a hold on his shirtsleeve. “Joe, just a moment—”

  “I can’t talk about it now, Vivian.” He cut her off before she could begin a long lecture. “Maybe later.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to pump you for details. I only want to say that if you love Tessa, don’t walk away from her. That doesn’t fix anything.”

  The shadows of regret he saw on Vivian’s face reminded Joseph how deeply his sister had been hurt by a man who’d given up on their marriage and walked away.

  Suddenly ashamed of the self-pity he’d been carrying around, he said, “Thank you, sis. And, believe me, I don’t intend to let Tessa get away. Not for any reason.”

  He gave his sister a brief hug then hurried up the stairs. It no longer mattered that he’d been up and going without sleep for nearly twenty hours. He was going to shower and head back to the Bar X. If Tessa wasn’t there, he’d sit on her doorstep and wait until she showed up.

  * * *

  “You really should let me cook for us tonight, Orin,” Tessa argued as the two of them entered the house through the back patio doors. “I have some fresh cuts of steaks. I can make salad and fries and garlic toast to go with them.”

  “I know that Greta taught you to be a good cook. But I’ll take you up on the steaks tomorrow evening,” he told her. “We’ve already told Sam we’ll stop by his place and pick him up by seven. It’s not that far of a drive to Wickenburg and the three of us will have a nice outing together. It will give Sam and me a little more time to discuss the breed of cattle we think will work best on the Bar X ranges.”

  For the past few hours Sam and Tessa had been driving Orin over the grazing areas of the ranch, along with checking the water supply sources.

  Now as the two of them made their way to the living room, she glanced over at him. “You really do like Sam, don’t you?”

  “I’ll tell you one thing, Tessa. I can go back home to the Silver Horn and not have to worry about you or the Bar X being taken care of. He’s a simple man with a heart of go
ld. And he damned well knows his way around a ranch yard. I couldn’t be happier that he’ll be your ranch foreman.”

  Yes, she could count on Sam, Tessa thought. But Joseph was another matter. He’d let her down so hard that the fall had cracked her heart. But she couldn’t think about the misery of losing him now. Orin was here to help her. She couldn’t waste the time whining over what could’ve been. She had to focus on her future. But could she ever be truly happy without Joseph in her life?

  “I’m glad you approve, Orin. At least, I—”

  Her words trailed away on a wistful sigh, which promptly had Orin folding his arms across his broad chest while his shrewd gaze took in her glum expression.

  “You’re thinking about that deputy now.”

  His deep voice was like that of a high school principal, stern yet at the same time empathetic. The sound helped her keep her spine straight and her chin up.

  “I’m sorry, Orin. And don’t worry. I’m not going to burst into tears at our dinner table tonight. I’m just—”

  “Thinking it might be worth a try to reach out to him? Try and talk things over?”

  Amazed that he could read her mind so well, she nodded then gave him a wry smile. “That’s what I’m thinking. And that’s what I’m going to do. We still have about three hours to kill before we pick up Sam. I’m going to call Joseph and see if he’s willing to meet with me for a talk.”

  “That’s my girl,” he said with an approving grin. “You do that. In the meantime, I’ll go fetch my bags from the truck. Which bedroom do I put them in?”

  “First one on the right.” As he started to the door, she added in a teasing tone, “And, Orin, I think you’ve had one too many kids. You’ve started reading our minds.”

  Chuckling, he glanced over his shoulder at her and even at a distance Tessa could see a sly gleam in his eye. “And I might not be finished yet. Having kids, that is. Noreen wants a baby and I’m sure not opposed to giving her one, or two, or a dozen if she wants them. I’ve learned, Tessa, it’s never too late to love.”