Cowboy Doctor

by Rebecca Winters

  “I’m so glad. She’s a beautiful-looking cat.”

  “I agree. The Burmese breed is exotic.”

  Something was going on he wasn’t telling her. “Roce, dinner is ready, but since you’re still busy, it’ll keep.”

  “No, no. Come with me. We’ll see Marcie out together, then we’ll eat. I’m starving.”

  How many times had Tracey heard that? After he patted Daisy’s head, they left the kitchen and walked to the doorway of the surgery.

  “Marcie?” The other woman looked up from the chair placed near the cat’s crate. Tracey could see Sandi was sound asleep. “When you drive back here from Missoula tomorrow, she’ll be able to go home with you.”

  “I’ve decided not to go all the way back. Sandi might need me. Luckily, I was able to reserve a room for the night at the Stevensville Hotel.”

  Roce smiled. “The owners turned that historic place into a charming bed-and-breakfast. You’ll love it.”

  “I’m hoping you don’t have plans for tonight and will join me for dinner.”

  Ah. Now Tracey understood why Roce wanted her with him. She’d love to hear the history between the two of them.

  He put his arm around Tracey. “Thanks for the invitation, but I’m no longer free to accept. You met Tracey when you came in. We’re engaged to be married.”

  Marcie got to her feet and walked over to them. Her glittering gaze centered on Tracey. “I noticed your engagement ring while you were looking at my cat. I had no idea it came from Roce.”

  So they had been on a first-name basis. “It’s a sapphire from the Clayton sapphire mine. I’m still having to pinch myself.” It was only the truth.

  After a long pause, Marcie stared at Roce. “What time should I be by tomorrow?”

  “At noon.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  “If there’s an emergency, I’ll phone you at the hotel.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Let me see you out.”

  Tracey went back to the kitchen and set the table. Before long Roce came in and helped put the food out. After they sat down to eat, he reached for her hand across the table and squeezed it before letting it go.

  “You’ll never know my surprise when I came home. I never thought I’d see Marcie Hewitt again.”

  “What does she do?”

  “She’s an attorney.”

  “It’s obvious you made a lasting impression on her.”

  “I made the mistake of eating dinner with her after I’d taken care of her cat. Hannah was still alive and asked me to give the poor girl a chance. What could it hurt? I gave in so Hannah would leave me alone. But it was a fiasco. To be honest, I’m surprised Marcie tried to go there again.”

  “I’m not,” Tracey said. “She lives in a world of lawyers, but there’s not another man out there like you and she knows it. I’m crazy about her cat.”

  “Sandi is cute, but it’s you I’m crazy about,” he said, squeezing her fingers. “Have I told you these pork chops are fantastic?”

  “Dad likes them stuffed, too. I learned from watching my mom make them.”

  “It’s time you had a treat. Tomorrow, after Marcie comes to get Sandi, we’re going to take that ride in the mountains I’ve been promising since we met. I’ll make the picnic this time and we’ll go to the lake where my father used to take me and my brothers. It’s so pristine you would never know man had ever been there.”

  “I can’t wait. What about Daisy?”

  “I’ll phone Brianna and see if it’s convenient for her to take her. I don’t know if this is her weekend with Libby or not. If they have other plans, Mom will look after her.”

  After dinner, Tracey checked on Sandi. Later she took Daisy outside for one last time. When it was time to go to bed, Roce stayed in the office near the cat all night to make certain she didn’t suffer any distress.

  He was going to make the most wonderful father. Tracey didn’t know if she could last until their wedding day. Once he became her husband, they would make love to each other for the rest of their lives.

  * * *

  THE NEXT DAY, after they’d driven up to the barn, Roce chose a spirited gelding named Moxy for Tracey to ride.

  “I love my mount!”

  “You’re a pro and deserve the best.”

  “Thank you. What does Moxy stand for?”

  “It’s my shortened version for Chuslum Moxmox, a Nez Perce name that means ‘yellow bull.’ He and my horse Thunder get along great together.”

  “Your dark bay has Appaloosa markings. He’s beautiful!”

  “Jim Whitefeather, Wymon’s friend who breeds Nez Perce horses, told me he’s one of a kind. I’ve found that out. Thunder loves being in nature and knows this area of Clayton private land as well as I do.”

  “Is his name derived from a Nez Perce name, too?”

  “Yes. It’s Heinmot.”

  “Hmm. Heinmot and Chuslum Moxmox. Now those are names you don’t hear every day.”

  Laughter escaped Roce’s lips. No one was more fun to be with than Tracey.

  They’d been climbing higher, winding through the dark green pines, when they came upon a lush meadow filled with paintbrush and lupine. This was heaven.

  “Look at those delphiniums, Roce! There must be miles and miles of them interspersed with arrowroot. It makes me want to roll around in them.”

  Tracey’s appreciation of his world made him fall deeper in love with her every day.

  “Want to dismount and try it? We’ll do it together.”

  She giggled like a young girl. “It would be our luck to squash some cute little rodent.”

  “As a matter of fact, there’s a family of yellow-bellied marmots around here somewhere. Whenever I come up this time of year, I usually spot them.”

  “Ooh! I hope we see some.”

  “Listen hard and you might hear them whistling. They get noisy when they’re disturbed.”

  “It’s an education to be with you. You know everything.”

  He chuckled. “We’re approaching the ridge. Watch for goats. As soon as we reach the summit, we’ll drop down to a little lake.”

  “What’s it called?”

  “Hidden Lake. Not an exciting name. There must be thousands of lakes called that throughout the Rockies. Some trapper around here probably called it that when he came upon it hunting for furs. You don’t know it’s there until you’re right on top of it.”

  “I bet it’s beautiful.”

  “It is, but what you will find interesting is the way it’s shaped, like the stunted, knobby fingers of gingerroot.”

  “You have to be kidding.”

  “I swear.”

  “Now I can’t wait to see it.”

  “There’s an ancient game trail that leads to the water. On any given summer night the animals come down to drink. One night we’ll camp out here under the stars and watch them. It’s magical.”

  She stared at him. “I love you, Roce.”

  The throb in her voice reached every atom in his body. “Better not look at me like that or I’ll pull you off Moxy and we’ll never make it over the ridge.”

  He saw her take a deep breath. “Since we don’t want to hurt any of the flora or fauna around here, I’ll race you there.” She took off like a bullet. Before he could catch up to her, she’d reached the top in the distance.

  “You’re right, Chef Clayton!” she cried out in a laughing voice. “You’re living up to your five-star reputation. It does look like a piece of gingerroot. That’s the strangest-shaped lake I’ve ever seen, but it’s incredibly blue and I love all the pines growing nearby.”

  Roce grinned and sped up. “Last person who reaches it gets tossed in.”

  “You’re on!” Her
eyes threw out a challenge and they both headed through the trees and underbrush for the water’s edge. He’d never had so much fun in his life. With determination, he reached it first and jumped off Thunder.

  “Come over here, baby.”

  “No!” she shrieked. “I didn’t bring extra clothes.”

  “That’s all right. You can wrap up in Moxy’s blanket. If all else fails, you’ve got me to keep you warm.”

  She shook her head. “You wouldn’t!”

  “I’m afraid I would.” He reached her in a few swift strides and pulled her off her horse.

  “Roce! No!”

  “No, what? Let’s see what a good swimmer you are.”

  He carried her over to the shore where the undergrowth wasn’t quite as dense. She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him for dear life. “If you throw me in, you go in with me, Roce Clayton.”

  “What will you do for me if I grant you a reprieve?” They were both breathing hard.

  “Anything!”

  “Marry me a week from tomorrow. I refuse to wait until July 29. That’s five weeks away. It might as well be a hundred.”

  “But our families—we’ve already settled on that date.”

  “I’ve changed my mind.”

  “Then Toly won’t be able to come. We can’t do this to everyone.” Tracey kissed Roce’s chin.

  “Yes, we can. It’s our wedding.”

  She bit her lip. “But if half of them can’t be here—”

  “That’s too bad.”

  “You don’t really mean that. Roce, be reasonable.”

  “What if I don’t want to be?” He felt out of control, and holding her this close wasn’t helping.

  “I think we’re having our first fight.” Her anxious eyes coaxed him to give up. “Maybe if you eat. Please put me down and we’ll set out the food you made.”

  “Food isn’t going to fix what’s wrong.”

  In the next second he felt something zing over his right shoulder, missing it by a couple inches. Roce lowered Tracey into the shrubs and covered her with his body.

  “Someone is shooting at us. Don’t move.”

  He pulled out his phone and sent a group text to his brothers and Luis.

  Sniper on the loose at Hidden Lake. Almost got shot. Don’t know if he’s working alone. Bring help quick.

  Tracey clutched at his arms. Her body was shaking. “Who’d be shooting at us? Wes has problems, but he’s not a killer.”

  “I agree. Whoever took that shot hasn’t tried it again. Maybe it’s one of his friends trying to give us a scare, since you weren’t spooked away from the area by the slashed tires.”

  “But how do any of them know where we are when the surveillance team is guarding the house?”

  “I’m sure one of the cohorts has been keeping tabs on us from a distance and phones Wes to keep him apprised. Let’s hope he thinks that warning shot has put the fear in us.”

  “It has,” Tracey admitted.

  Roce kissed her forehead. “I know. I’m heavy. Forgive me.”

  “Do you think I’m even noticing?”

  She was a wonder. “Lie still while I whistle for Thunder,” he replied.

  Over the last few years he’d played games with his horse and had trained him to come on his signal, But Roce had never imagined having to rely on him to follow through in a life-or-death situation. Two low whistles and his horse’s ears twitched before he walked over to the bushes where they were hiding. Moxy followed.

  “Don’t move, my love.”

  “I promise.”

  Stealthily, Roce got to his feet and reached for his rifle. “Good boy, Thunder.” While his horse stood there, he removed the saddlebag. After resting his body against the trunk of a pine tree, he opened the bag and got out an apple.

  “What are you doing?”

  He knew the direction the bullet had come from—a little ways above the lake and farther along the shore. “I’m going to throw this apple into the water and draw the sniper’s fire, if he’s still around.”

  “Be careful, Roce.” Fear laced Tracey’s voice.

  “Always.”

  Positioning himself on the other side of the tree, he threw the apple the same way he used to skip rocks with his brothers, making as much noise as possible. Sure enough, he heard more gunfire, but the sniper was way off the mark.

  Roce lifted his own rifle and looked through the scope. When he saw movement, he shot three times, then waited for return fire. There was none, but he could hear the sound of rotors in the distance.

  “That’s a helicopter,” Tracey whispered.

  “Thank God.”

  “Can I sit up now?”

  He pulled her to her feet and sheltered her in his arms while they watched two forest service choppers circle the area where the first shot had come from. A minute later his phone rang. Wymon’s caller ID. Roce clicked on and put it on speaker so Tracey could hear.

  “Wymon?”

  “You’re a crack shot, Roce. You got Grady Cox in the leg.”

  “Grady was the shooter?” Tracey’s voice shook.

  “He was trying to reach a forest service truck he’d stolen and left up here near the top of the ridge. The thug is dressed in a forest service uniform.”

  “That’s how he got access to the property without being suspected,” Roce murmured. “The surveillance crew wouldn’t have noticed anything out of the ordinary. These mountains are laced with roads, to give better access in case of fire.”

  “Be assured Cox isn’t going anywhere now except to jail. We have more breaking news. Wes Hunter took off from his job at the fruit farm today. No one saw him leave. To make things worse, Mr. Farnon, the owner, discovered one of his rifles was missing.”

  “Oh, no.” Tracey burrowed her face against Roce’s chest.

  “Wes is still on the loose and we were just informed that Ramon Cruz is also missing from his father’s ranch.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.” Roce kissed his shivering fiancée.

  “Are you two all right?”

  Roce looked into Tracey’s eyes. Though shaken, she nodded. “We will be,” he said. “You guys got here in record time.”

  “There’s a reason for that. When Farnon called Sheldon about Wes’s disappearance, he also notified the sheriff, and a manhunt was already under way to look for him.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “John called me and Eli to let us know what was going on and to warn us that Wes is armed. We checked with your surveillance crew, but they hadn’t seen anyone come around your house. When they checked their video tapes, though, they spotted a forest service truck that had been driving by the house all week.”

  “Incredible. Right under our noses.”

  “The instant Eli and I got your text, we assumed it was Wes and came in the second helicopter.”

  “That’s two down out of the gang of four.”

  “Now it’s down to Cruz, working behind the scenes with Wes like an evil tag team,” Eli said, breaking in.

  “Hey, bro.”

  “With the help of the police we’re going to track down these goons. It won’t be long before we close in on them. In case they’re hiding out up here, we’ve asked the pilot to hover over you until you reach the ranch house safely.”

  Roce was so thankful for his brothers he could hardly talk, given the boulder-sized lump that had suddenly lodged in his throat. “Have I ever told you guys you’re the best?”

  “We feel the same way about you. Wymon and I have been talking. The two of you should stay at the ranch house until this is over.”

  “Agreed,” Roce said. “I don’t want clients coming to the surgery to be targets or to be taken hostage by those two. I’
ll have to give advice over the phone or ask patients to seek out another vet while the hospital is closed.”

  “We’ll pick up Daisy and bring her to you. Later you can go back for the things you need.”

  Roce hung up and hugged Tracey once more. She clung to him. “Look what has happened since I came to the dude ranch. Because of me, you’ve gotten involved and could have been killed just now.” She broke down sobbing.

  “Hush, sweetheart.” He covered her tearstained face with kisses. “No one could have known something like this would happen.”

  “But it would have been my fault. To think your life might have been snuffed out. I can’t stand it.”

  “I honestly don’t believe Wes or his friends intended to kill anyone, but they do have serious issues. Grady and Simmonds need therapy, and hopefully they’ll get it once their families are notified.”

  “How can you be so calm about this?”

  “Because I’ve got my warrior fiancée with me.” Thank God she was alive and safe in his arms. This close call reminded him how precious life was. Hers was the most precious of all.

  He heard her give a little laugh. “Don’t be silly.”

  Encouraged, he said, “Do you think you can handle the ride back? Otherwise we’ll drive home in the forest service truck.”

  “I feel perfectly safe with you and the horses.” After giving him a passionate kiss he would remember for the rest of his life, she wiped the tears from her face and mounted Moxy before he could help her. Another woman might have fallen apart, but not this angel who’d transformed his life.

  Roce threw the saddlebag back on Thunder and mounted him, keeping hold of his rifle in case he needed it again. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go home.”

  She rode by his side. With the helicopter flying overhead, the pilot keeping watch for Wes and Ramon, Roce knew she’d let go of her fear enough to handle it. They made quick time retracing their path down the mountain. A welcoming committee consisting of Solana, his mother and Luis, who’d assembled some ranch hands, was waiting for them at the barn. He handed Luis his rifle to take care of.

  Roce’s mom kissed both of them and ushered them into the house, while a couple hands took care of the horses. “A guest room is ready for you, Tracey. Solana will take you upstairs so you can freshen up.”