“You’re good at this.”
“For a girl?” She glared at him from her half-bent position, then snorted. “I learned long ago I had to do twice as much to be considered half as good as my brother and cousins.”
“Girl is not a word that comes to mind when I watch you work.” He leaned on the post they had reset and tilted his head as he watched her. “My wife was very hands-on. She didn’t back down, no matter how big the job was. She didn’t just sit on the board of the Foundation. She worked in the field.” He grinned, remembering how frustrated she would get when her size would get in the way of what she wanted. She would have liked Belle.
Belle straightened, surprise shining in her eyes. “Looking at your mother-in-law and daughters, I would say your wife was very petite.”
“Really? The size of a person equals their abilities?”
She blushed.
“You’ve heard that old cliché that dynamite comes in small packages? Kari was a tiny bundle of dynamite, and when she got going, there was no stopping her. She ran the Foundation and she worked in the most remote locations. Once she had a mission in her sights, nothing held her back.”
“You were okay with that? Her running the show?”
And just like that, his good mood was gone. He had been okay with it—until it had gotten her killed. He should have been stronger. If... He took a deep breath and turned away from Belle. He wanted to remember his wife without guilt.
He shouldn’t be sharing this much about his wife with another woman.
Tall coastal grass waved in the breeze. In the distance, Elijah and Damian were heading their way. Good timing. He pointed to the field. “Looks like they were partially successful.”
A huge, dark red bull plodded between them, his head down, his hooves dragging. “They found your bull, but those aren’t your cows, are they?” A small group of solid black heifers followed them like a pack of sad puppies. “I’ve only seen Brahman cows on your place.”
Belle arched her back, then twisted to the side to follow his gaze. A low guttural sound came from her. “The Angus cows belong to Jacoby. What happened? Charming doesn’t look good at all.” A scowl wrinkled her face, and she put her hands on her hips.
“Where are my heifers?” She raised her voice so they could hear her. As they drew closer, cuts and abrasions were visible all over Charming’s hide.
Elijah rode to meet them. Damian pulled his horse up and waited at the bull’s side. Not being coaxed along, Charming stopped and nosed the grass. The nervous cows bunched together, glaring suspiciously at them.
Elijah stood in his saddle, then looked over his shoulder at the bull. “We found him in a ravine with these cows.”
Turning to them, he leaned across his saddle horn and crossed his arms. The grim expression on his face warned them it would not be a happy story. “The edge of the ravine looked as if it had fallen out from under them. They couldn’t get back out. That might have saved them from being stolen. First, the trail led us to truck marks, a big eighteen-wheeler-type truck and trailer with a bunch of hoofprints disappearing right into it. The only reason Charming wasn’t taken was that he and a few of Jacoby’s girls had fallen into the ravine. The bawling was how we found them. They were out of water and grass.”
“So, Jacoby stole his own cattle and a handful of ours?” Belle looked at the coiled wire. “He wouldn’t do that. So who? Our herd is just building up.”
Her jaw was tight, and for a moment she looked lost and scared. If they stood here much longer, Quinn thought she might cry. That upset him much more than it should have. He wanted to help but wasn’t even sure what to say.
He pulled out his phone. “I’ll call Sheriff Cantu. You call Jacoby. Let him know what’s going on. Maybe it’s a misunderstanding.”
She stiffened. Elijah and Damian both raised their eyebrows. His gaze darted between them. “What?”
She waved to Damian and Elijah to move the big bull over the property line. “Elijah, call Jacoby. He’ll be less defensive than if I call. I’ll report the incident to Cantu.” Then she focused her full attention on Quinn. “Thank you for your help, but this is a family matter, and we’ll take care of it. Your help is no longer needed.”
And with that, she turned her back to him, putting him firmly in his place.
* * *
Anger seethed under her skin, making it tight. She let her guard down and what happened? Her cattle were stolen, and Quinn stepped in to make her decisions. With the bull on the correct side of the fence, she yanked the wire harder than necessary.
“Do you need me to help with that?” he offered.
Just a few minutes ago she was enjoying his company. She gave him her hardest glare. Did he think her weak? She’d never need a man to help her again. She didn’t.
Without a word, she went to work. Her hand was sore, her thighs numb and her skin raw under the thick leather gloves.
Life had given her much worse to handle. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction that she couldn’t do the job.
Elijah had Jacoby on the phone. Hanging up, he waved goodbye to Belle as he and Damian herded Charming to the smaller pasture to the south. It was closer to the barns.
Quinn was messing with the scrap wire. He was lingering because he didn’t think she could handle this by herself. Her jaw was so tight it hurt. “I know my way to the barns. You don’t have to stick around on my account. I’m a big girl, if you hadn’t noticed.”
He eyed her in a way that said he wasn’t going to touch that with a ten-foot pole.
“I’m not staying because you need any assistance. It isn’t smart for anyone to be out here alone. Especially now that it looks as if there are criminal elements involved. I’d stay if it was Elijah or Damian.” He adjusted his hat. “I didn’t mean to offend you. This is a stressful situation. Someone is stealing from you. You have every right to be angry. I was trying to help.”
As she pulled the last strand, her fingers slipped, and the wire popped free. Coiling back, it whipped past her, bouncing off her arm when she covered her face. Losing her balance, she fell backward into the mud. She wanted to yell and cry but bit down hard instead.
“Belle.” His voice was low and soft. Balanced on his heels, he was eye level with her. “Were you hit?”
Her fist clenched in the mud. She was proud of herself for not throwing a mudball at the gorgeous man who had done nothing wrong but enter her world when she was falling apart.
She wiped her face and checked her arm. “No, just embarrassed.” If the ground wanted to open and swallow her right this minute, she’d be fine with that.
He slipped his work glove off and held out his hand, waiting for her to take it. If she didn’t accept his offer of help now, she’d be acting the brat. It might be too late for that, anyway, so she shouldn’t make it worse. Her poor glove was coated in mud. Using her left hand, she pulled it off and put her hand in his.
His big hand engulfed hers. She’d never been dainty, but he made her feel small. She shouldn’t like it.
Warmth zipped through her from his touch. “Thank you.” Avoiding his gaze, she tried to clean off her jeans.
“I’m sorry I overstepped. I’ve been running the Foundation alone for almost five years now, and making quick decisions is what everyone expects of me. No excuse. This is your operation, and I shouldn’t have barked orders.”
Her gaze darted across her boot toes. Did he mean his words, or was it a trap? She raised her chin until she was meeting his gaze. “I appreciate that.” She glanced at the horses grazing close by. “I might have overreacted.”
If Elijah were within earshot, he’d be doubled over laughing. He always said she was the queen of understatements with a dash of drama. Quinn’s smile was tentative but real, not flashy or cocky. And she truly appreciated that, more than he’d understand if she tried to explain.
The wire was coiled around the post. One brow arched high, he waited for her to say something. With a sigh, she shook her head and chuckled. “Would you help me close the gap between the posts? It seems to be a two-person job.”
He was polite enough not to laugh, allowing her to keep her dignity. Oh, if she was honest with herself, she liked him, liked him on a very dangerous level.
Wire in hand, he grinned at her. “What next?”
That was the question, wasn’t it?
Chapter Six
The sun wasn’t up yet, but today he’d been out of bed before the kids. He didn’t want to give too much thought as to why he was ready to get the day started, or he’d fall into a bad mood. The last time this kind of lightness took over, he’d been pursuing his wife. She’d been the love of his life. His whole life.
How could he even imagine kissing another woman?
He had promised to love Kari forever.
He’d never broken a promise to her, and he wasn’t going to now.
The warmth of the coffee cup didn’t help. How had kissing Belle even seeped into his brain?
“Daddy, Cassie says it’s not fair we get to keep the baby ocelots.” Meg walked into the little kitchen area.
Hannah was right behind her, arms crossed. “They were the ones that found them, and it was on their ranch. She said we should have joint custody. Why can’t we?”
Forcing his mind to concentrate on his children, he took a sip of bitter coffee. They should always be forefront in his thoughts. “It’s complicated.”
“Like a dating status?” The girls giggled.
He frowned as he glanced up. What did they know about social media statuses? This needed further investigation. They didn’t have phones, and he limited their use of the internet, so they shouldn’t know any of that stuff.
He glanced at Gina. She had her back to them, preparing breakfast.
“Cassie and Lucy’s mom is single, like you.” Hannah leaned toward him. “Both of you have kids. You should go on a date.”
“Yes!” Meg gave him a cheeky smile. “A movie and dinner, then dancing. That’s what grown-ups do on a date. Why don’t you date?”
The change in topic had his brain struggling to stay in the conversation. He slid into a chair at the table and gathered his thoughts.
After talking over each other, they went quiet and stared at him. Sweat ran down his spine. “It’s...” There was no way he could use the word complicated again, but it was the truth. If he couldn’t muddle through his own feelings and thoughts, how did he explain it to two nine-year-olds?
He was saved as Jonah dragged himself into the room, and Gina placed a bowl of eggs and avocado over rice in front of each of them.
“What I need from you is a list of activities that would be fun for Jonah’s birthday. It’s going to be here soon, and the De La Rosa family is letting us go out on their pirate ship.”
The kids screamed and cheered. Jonah stood in his chair. “Really? I get a whole ship for my birthday?” His face glowed with excitement. “This is the best birthday ever!”
“Yes, sir. Sit before you fall. Let me know some of the stuff you want so I can give a list to Ms. Belle.”
Gina smiled at him and patted his arm. The girls started listing idea after idea. Finished eating, he stood. “Baba will be taking you to the ranch this morning. I need to get an early start to some research.” He kissed each of them, then headed out to the barns. Elijah had given him permission to explore the ranch with a horse.
His team had already gathered pages of data, but he needed actual hands-on evidence to pull it all together. Maybe he wouldn’t even find proof of what he suspected.
As he rode the horse along the rise, miles of shoreline met the ocean. It would be like searching for a single grain of rice in the Gulf, but his instincts told him this private bit of beach was hiding several treasures. The spring breeze and rising sun slowed his thoughts. On the ranch, he was communicating with God in a way he hadn’t in years.
Scanning the beach, he pulled up the horse and focused on the marks in the sand. Heart pumping fast, he dismounted and eased closer.
Turtle tracks.
Leaving the horse to graze nearby, he climbed the sand dunes. Easing his way through the tall grass, he spotted a Kemp’s ridley female laying eggs in the sand.
Tablet in hand, he recorded the site, then logged in date, location, weather and all the other details that might help them tell a story. He’d need to report it also.
Looking for more tracks, he moved north.
He walked with the reins in hand. Nests could be well hidden, and he didn’t want to miss anything. Soon he found evidence of another nest. Blood rushed through his body. More tracks, at least ten females.
The quietness was broken by the sound of small engines.
Leaving the beach, he climbed the dunes as Belle and Xavier came into view. They each had a couple of men with them on the ATVs. Men who didn’t have the look of ranch hands. One sported a cowboy hat and fancy boots, the kind for show. Too much money spent on them to wear for dirty work.
The other three men were all business. His gut burned. Belle was showing the land to potential developers.
They stopped, and she introduced him to the strangers. One was a Realtor. Protectiveness swamped him as he stood between these men and the nesting females.
A bit of small chitchat, and then they were moving on to look at the rest of the land. “Belle, I need to talk with you.”
She frowned, then looked at Xavier. “Warren, you wanted to drive. You can follow Xavier to see the rest. Swing by on your way back to pick me up.”
With a nod, they were gone. He glanced to the edge of the dunes. If the turtles were nervous, they wouldn’t be able to lay their eggs.
“What is it, Quinn? You seem upset. Is everything okay?”
“There are Kemp’s ridley sea turtles nesting on your beach.”
“Oh. Um.” She turned to the Gulf, her well-worn cowboy hat shading her face. “We’ve had them before. We just need to report the location.”
“It’s more than one. You might have an arribada on your ranch.”
She swung back to face him, a crease between her brows. “What does that mean?”
“A large group of females return to the place they hatched to lay their eggs. The largest is in Mexico, but I predicted that we could find one in Texas.” He knew this could end Belle’s plans for the ranch but hesitated to say anything yet.
Heading to the dunes, she disappeared into the tall grass. Her arms flailed as she fell.
“Belle?”
The only sound was a low moan. “Belle.” He went to his knees at her side. He checked her for injuries but wasn’t sure what he was even looking for. “What’s wrong?”
“My foot’s stuck in something.” She tried to sit up but then held her head. “I hit something as I fell.”
He moved to her leg. Buried under the sand was an odd snare-looking thing. “Your foot is in some sort of trap that probably washed up long ago. Can you move your foot?”
“Ouch. It hurts.” She pulled at it. “I can’t get it out.”
He took his backpack off and pulled out some tools. “I’m breaking off the metal and wood pieces. We might have to slip your foot out of your boot.” He studied her eyes. “How’s the head? Vision?”
“A bit blurry at first, but it’s clearing. It was a shock to find myself looking at the sky. My foot just kept going. The ground was gone.” She closed her eyes. “I’m okay.”
“Not sure about that. We need a doctor to make that diagnosis.”
“No doctor.” She moaned. “No insurance.”
“No worries. The clinic’ll bill you.”
He wasn’t going to argue with her while she was pinned. “Your boot saved your foot from being impaled by the bars of th
e trap. I’ve cut them away, so now I’m going to pull your leg out. Tell me if you feel anything that shouldn’t be there. I don’t want your skin to be broken.” He looked into her gray-green eyes. The pain was clear. “Are you ready?”
She nodded.
With his hands on her leg, he gently lifted until she was clear. Once her foot was out of the boot, she tried to stand and just about fell again.
Hooking one arm under her leg, he lifted her against his chest. He adjusted her weight, then went up the hill toward the horse. “Do you know how far out Elijah is?”
She shook her head.
“Then I’ll drive you to a clinic. You need X-rays. Are you current on your tetanus shot? We’re going to have to double up.”
“Put me down.”
“I know you’re strong, but I don’t think you’ll get far if you try to walk.” He grunted as he topped the dune.
He shifted her in his arms. The horse was close.
“I’m too heavy.” She shivered and groaned. He felt the pain tightening her muscles. “You can’t carry me.”
He chuckled. “I’m carrying you as we speak.” His arms tightened around her. The feel of her in his arms was too right.
“You’re going to drop me or hurt yourself.”
Her hair brushed his face. He loved her scent. “I’ve lifted orcas back into the ocean.”
“Did you just compare me to a whale?” Her face was pressed against his chest.
He was an idiot. A middle-school boy at his first dance knew better than to compare a woman to a large animal.
There had to be something to make it better. “The most majestic creature on the planet.” He let her slip to the ground as he stood next to the horse. He pressed his lips to her forehead to do a fast wellness check and placed his fingers against her pulse.
“I fell. I’m not dying.”
“We’ll let the doctor decide that.” He draped her arm over his shoulders. “Does this horse allow a left-side mount?”
The Texan's Promise Page 6
