The Right Cowboy

“Incredible.” They waved to the guys on the ladder truck who were cleaning up. “Shall we go back to the station?”

“Give me a minute, Wyatt. I’ll be right back.”

Cole broke into a run as he headed for the corral where he could see some hands gentling the horses. A little closer now, he glimpsed the woman he’d been searching for rubbing her horse’s forelock. Her back was toward him. The ponytail looked painfully familiar.

The blood pounded in his ears. “Tamsin?” he called to her.

She turned around, causing his second shock for the night because it was her sister in the last stages of pregnancy who faced him, not Tamsin.

The last time Cole had seen Sally, she’d been sixteen and had just ridden in the local teen rodeo. But her disappointing marks had devastated her and she’d cried against Tamsin’s shoulder. Both sisters bore a strong resemblance to each other and had been touchingly devoted.

“Do I know you?”

Whoa. With his five-o’clock shadow and helmet, she obviously didn’t recognize him. Or maybe she did and pretended not to. Probably the latter since he knew she had no love for him. He removed his helmet.

Her features tightened as she studied him. “So the rumors really are true. The great rodeo legend who rode off chasing his dreams is back and working as a firefighter, no less. Who would have thought? If you turn your head, you’ll see my sister—she’s right over there.” Her eyes narrowed. “You just can’t help yourself, can you? But if you approach her, you do it at your own peril.”

Sally turned back to her horse.

A kick in the gut from a wild mustang couldn’t have been more debilitating than her warning. But he shouldn’t really be surprised when he knew the girls had been each other’s best friend all their lives.

Without saying another word, he looked around and saw Tamsin talking to one of the stockmen while she patted her horse’s neck. He walked closer to her, holding the helmet under his arm.

The unremarkable jeans and T-shirt she must have put on when the alarm sounded only emphasized the gorgeous mold of her body and long legs.

First light had already crept across the sky. That pink tone added a tint to her skin and highlighted the shape of the delectable mouth he’d dreamed of kissing and tasting every night.

Her hair hung to her shoulders. He picked out the streaks of gold among the light chestnut sheen no artificial color could improve upon. Once again her natural beauty took his breath.

Maybe she heard his quickly indrawn breath because her eyes suddenly swerved to his. Though she made no motion of any kind, he could sense the stiffening of her body.

“I’m sorry about the fire, Tamsin, but I’m happy to see all your horses are safe. If you need a place to stall them for a while, I have space in my barn and will transport them for you. I’ve already informed the captain. All you have to do is say the word and I’ll be back to load them within the hour.”

“Thank you,” she said through wooden lips. “We’ve already had three offers and my brother-in-law is taking care of the arrangements as we speak.”

“Tamsin—” He said her name again, but by now another man with brown hair wearing chinos and a polo shirt had come running into the corral and threw possessive arms around her as if she belonged to him. Cole watched her melt against his body. She’d obviously done it before and buried her face against his shoulder.

If this was the kind of peril Sally had been talking about, then Cole got the point. It was more like he’d been run through by Tamsin’s twelve-foot lance on the field of battle. He turned away and walked back to the burned barn where Wyatt was waiting for him.

The ladder truck had already started back to town. Cole climbed in the tender truck and they took off. His body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

Wyatt flashed him a side glance. “Are you all right?”

“I don’t know. Ask me in the morning.”

“It already is morning.”

So it was.

“Do you want to stop for coffee and doughnuts at Hilda’s?”

No, but he knew Wyatt wanted to. “Sure. I could use both. Does this mean you don’t have a wife at home who will fix your breakfast when you get there?”

“What woman would that be?”

Cole actually chuckled. “Amen to that. You’ve just described my life, Wyatt. A half hour ago I was warned that if I approached the woman I was looking for, I had to do it at my own peril. That turned out to be true, unfortunately.”

“You’re talking about Tamsin. I remember back in high school when you two were so close during our senior year, I couldn’t imagine that changing.”

“At the time, I couldn’t, either. Now we live in separate universes.”

“So that’s why you came back to the truck looking like one of the walking dead.”

“Thanks.”

“Hey—have you taken a good look at me? We could be brothers. Welcome to the club. We’re great at wrangling steers, herding sheep or fighting fires. Give us any task, but get us around a woman and we just don’t know how to do it right.”

“You said a mouthful.”

“I don’t mean you, specifically, Cole. I’ve been a mess for a long time and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. There are more guys like us in the department. Take Porter Ewing, who’s a recent transfer with the forest service from New York. He swings in when needed. The dude’s convinced there’s no woman alive who would want him.”

Cole laughed out loud despite the pain of seeing Tamsin in that other guy’s arms. He’d always liked Wyatt. His sense of humor was a welcome balm to the horrific experience he’d just lived through. Only one thing saved him from oblivion. She wasn’t married yet.

Welcome home, Cole.

Chapter Two

While some of the hands stayed with the horses in the paddock, Dean walked Tamsin back to the house with his arm around her shoulders. “Thank God none of you were hurt. When Lyle phoned me, I was terrified that the ranch house might have caught fire, too.”

“But it didn’t, and I’m fine.” She appreciated his trying to comfort her over the loss of the barn. Naturally she was thankful they’d gotten the horses out in time. But he had no clue what a traumatic night this had turned out to be when she saw all six foot two of Cole Hawkins walk toward her.

He was a firefighter? She was incredulous.

Was he out of his mind after the horrific fire in the Winds nine years ago?

Her best friend Mandy had lost her father in that fire. Tamsin had loved her dad. She and Cole had gone to his funeral. Everyone was grief-stricken over the loss. Eleven other firefighters from their county alone had been trapped and killed in the blaze that had brought other firefighters from around the country to fight it.

Maybe she’d been hallucinating.

But no... When she’d opened her eyes again, there he’d been. In cowboy hat and boots or firefighter gear, no man could touch his dark blond masculine beauty. He was an outstanding athlete with a rock-hard body that made him a breed apart. Over the years that he’d been gone and all the dates with other guys, his image had always gotten in the way. Damn, damn him.

For him to have stood there now with a quiet authority while he offered his barn for their horses—the first words she’d heard him speak in years, as if there’d been no separation or pain—she’d surprised herself that she could respond to him at all. When Dean came running up to her, she’d clung to him because she’d thought she was going to faint. Thank Heaven he’d attributed her state of mind to the fire while she watched Cole walk away on his powerful legs.

Of course it had been frightening to see flames shooting up from the barn, but they’d soon gotten the horses out and the firefighters had come. The shudders she was experiencing now had their roots in coming face-to-face with Cole, knowing he made his living by walking into danger.

The teenage guy she’d fallen crazy in love with existed no more. In nine years he’d turned into a breathtaking man who’d come home a firefighter. She couldn’t comprehend this new image of him. It meant his life could be snuffed out at any moment.

When she and Dean walked in the kitchen, they heard Lyle on the phone making final arrangements for the horses. He’d fixed coffee for them, but one look at Sally’s drawn pale face while she drank some bottled water worried Tamsin. Duke stood guard.

“Excuse me for a minute, Dean.” She eased herself away from him and put a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Come on, Sally. You need to get back to bed. There’s been too much excitement and I’m sure it has raised your blood pressure.”

“Okay.”

At Sally’s six-month checkup, the doctor had said he wanted her to lie down part of every day until she delivered. At that point, their mom had asked her and Lyle to stay at the ranch until the baby was born, where she could be waited on while Lyle was at work. So Sally and Lyle had given up their apartment in town, with plans to move into another one after the baby was born.

Tamsin walked Sally to their bedroom and Duke followed. She waited for her to emerge from the bathroom in her nightgown. Once she got in bed, Tamsin sat down next to her. Duke plopped down at her feet.

“How are you feeling? I have half a mind to call Dr. Ward.”

“No, don’t do that. I’m fine now. Duke woke us all up in time. He’s a hero.”

Tamsin smiled down at the dog. “He sure is. I almost had a heart attack when I looked out the window and saw the flames. It sounds like Roy next door will be letting us board our horses at his place until we get the barn rebuilt. We’re so lucky.”

Her sister stared at her with unswerving intensity. “I agree, but I’m afraid you’re the one I’m worried about now. You’re so pale.”

She couldn’t pretend with Sally. “I admit I’ve been a mess since I heard the news Cole was back. But seeing him tonight in firefighter gear gave me another shock.”

“Don’t you mean seeing him in the flesh? That expression took on new meaning for me tonight, too. He’s really something. Did I ever tell you I used to have a crush on him?”

Tamsin smiled without mirth. “You and everyone else. What helps me is knowing that he’s either married or getting close to marrying that singer I read about in the Sublette Gazette a few months ago.”

“I saw him talk to you. What did he say?”

She sucked in her breath. “As calm as a hot summer day, he said he’d be happy to board our horses. He even offered to bring his rig over and load them.”

Sally gripped her hand. “What did you say back?”

“Don’t worry, sister dear. I learned my lesson a long time ago. As Dean was coming toward me, I told Cole that arrangements had already been made. You have no idea the joy I felt to shove the offer in that good-looking face of his before he walked away.”

Her sister took another drink of water. “I don’t get it. I thought he rode the circuit to make money because he was the hotshot bull rider and wanted the fame. All that pain he caused you when he could have stayed right here and become a firefighter... What was the point?”

“To get away from me, of course,” Tamsin murmured. Nothing else made sense. The circuit meant being surrounded by women who would idolize him. Why would he stay in Whitebark? Tamsin had been such a fool, and what a consummate liar he’d turned out to be!

The letters she’d stopped reading and the phone messages she wouldn’t listen to were tokens of his supposed guilt. What a joke! It sickened her. Sally spoke the truth. He could have stayed here to become a firefighter. But no. He had to strive for fame and glory. She’d never have thought he was that type of man back when they were dating.

“I don’t want to talk about him. Married to some singing celebrity or not, free to do whatever he wants, he’s been out of my life for nine years. Compared to Dean...” She shook her head. “I’ve got my own life to think about, and I’m furious I’ve spent one more minute thinking about him. You know?”

“I believe you.”

Tamsin smiled sadly at her sister. “No, you don’t, but I’m going to prove you wrong.”

“Where are you going?”

“To talk to Dean. Try to get some more sleep, Sally. I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.”

Duke stayed by her sister while Tamsin walked through to the kitchen. “Your wife is comfortable now, Lyle. She’s going to catch up on some sleep.”

“Good.” He looked relieved and had made breakfast. She joined them at the table. “Dean’s going to help me load the horses to take over to the Ingram ranch.”

“I’m going to help you, too. It’ll go a lot faster. Did you phone Dad?”

He nodded. “Sally and I did it together earlier. They’re coming home today. We talked about whom to hire to start rebuilding the barn.”

“How upset was he?”

“Your father believes it’s someone working for the forest service who has a grudge against the government and some of their policies. Your dad has seen this behavior before. A few crazies out there try to take the law into their own hands and start fires. In your father’s case, they want him to stop allowing his cattle to graze on forest land even though he has the legal right.”

“That’s horrible.” She looked at Dean. “Do you think Dad’s insurance will cover the arson damage completely?”

“I’d have to take a look at the policy.”

“When the police catch the man who did this, I hope he goes to prison for the rest of his life!”

On that note, they finished eating. Lyle got up from the table first. “While I go in and check on Sally, will you find the keys to the horse trailer rig? Then we’ll start loading the horses.”

Tamsin nodded. “They’re in Dad’s study. I’ll get them. Be right back.” She hurried through the house and got the keys out of his desk. When she returned to the kitchen, Dean was loading the dishwasher.

“You don’t need to be washing our dishes.”

He turned his attractive head in her direction. “What if I want to?”

Dean was that kind of guy and so rock solid. She could never find a better man who would always be there for her. Loving him for those qualities, she walked over and gave him a hug.

“You’ve done enough. Let’s go load the horses.”

He kissed her thoroughly before they left the house. For the last month he’d wanted to take their relationship to a more intimate level. Tamsin had held back, but for the life of her she couldn’t understand why. He was a terrific man and had been so understanding the other night about breaking their date.

Because he and Lyle were brothers, he was over at the ranch a lot. The cozy situation threw the four of them together all the time. She and Dean didn’t have enough privacy. Maybe that needed to change. Not for the first time had she thought about getting her own apartment.

What was she waiting for? Seeing Cole again made her realize she’d been living in a deep freeze while he was out having the time of his life. It was time to do something about it.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized she needed her independence. It was long past time Tamsin lived on her own. She’d stayed around her family too long. They’d been there for her after Cole had ridden out of her life, helping her to recover. And she’d gone along allowing it to continue.

She’d saved enough money to get a place of her own. With the horses having to be boarded for at least a couple of months away from the ranch, now would be the time to leave. Her family could wait on Sally.

Once Tamsin was on her own, maybe she would discover just how in love she was with Dean. It was time to find out. After seeing Cole again, all she knew was that she needed perspective to get her head on straight. His arrival in town seemed to have served as a wakeup call, pulling her out of a deep sleep.

All this and more ran through her head while she and Dean helped Lyle load the horses from the paddock and drive them to their new temporary location. Before the day was over, she planned to get online and see what housing rentals were available. The sooner the better.

Two hours later, they’d accomplished their objective. Tamsin did everything in her power to make the horses comfortable in their temporary home, especially her mare Flossie. While she fed her some treats, Dean put his arm around her shoulders.

“You love her the way some people love their children.”

She chuckled. “I guess I do.”

He turned her around. “Last night I almost lost it when I thought you might have been hurt in that fire. It’s all I’ve been able to think about.” With that admission he gave her another long kiss she welcomed.

“I was so thankful you came over when you did!”

“I never want to be separated from you. I wish I didn’t have to leave now, but I have an important meeting at work. I’ll call you later and we’ll get together tonight.”

“I’d like that.” She meant it. Cole had come home and she’d survived seeing him again. But it was Dean she cared about now and she wanted to show him.

* * *

AT EIGHT O’CLOCK Tuesday morning Cole walked into the fire station wearing jeans and one of his long-sleeved denim shirts. He’d been getting ready to go to work on his new job when Chief Powell summoned him to attend an emergency meeting.

When he entered the conference room, he saw a large group of firefighters assembled plus Chief Powell and Commissioner Rich, head of the arson unit. Other men had been called in, too, several of whom wore police uniforms.

Wyatt sat in one corner and signaled to Cole, who joined him in the empty seat next to him. “What’s going on with the big confab?”

“I guess we’re going to find out.”

Another couple of guys walked in the room and found a seat before Chief Powell got to his feet. “Gentlemen? Thanks for coming on such short notice. We’ve had a serious arson problem here in Sublette County for the past three months. Commissioner Rich, the head of the Arson Task Force, has called a meeting of all of us for help. As I read your names, will you please stand?

“Whitebark Police Chief Holden Granger—

“Director Arnie Blunt of the Wyoming State Fire Services Department—

“Norm Selkirk, head of Sublette County Law Enforcement—

“Orson Perone, regional head of Wyoming forestry that includes fire prevention—

“Thank you, gentlemen. Now I’d like to turn over the meeting to Commissioner Rich.”

The sixtyish-looking, sandy-haired man got to his feet. “I’ve been interviewing the owners of the other ranches who’ve been hit with fires in the last three months. I’ve just come from interviewing the owner of the Circle R Ranch, Howard Rayburn, the latest victim in this rash of fires. It happened just two days ago.

“He wasn’t home at the time, but he believes he’s being targeted for using forest land to let his cattle graze there despite his legal right. Occasionally someone comes out of the woodwork upset over this practice. He’s seen it before.”

Cole bowed his head. The memory of those few painful moments with Tamsin in the paddock were still too fresh not to be affected by what he was hearing.

“What I’d like is to get an opinion from each of you, especially the crew from this station who fought the fire the other night. Anything you tell us in this meeting could be valuable no matter how insignificant you think it might be.

“Before I call on you one at a time, I’ll pass out a map that shows the location of each fire and read the list I’ve compiled of what we know about them. In all cases, a ranch was targeted.”

Once the maps were distributed, he began talking. While Cole listened, he kept studying the areas of Sublette County where the fires had been set and thought he saw a pattern in their locations. His mind kept harkening back to something his mentor had explained in detail during the last year of his graduate studies.

“They were all started in the middle of the night with no witnesses, and an accelerant was used every time,” the commissioner explained.

“Eight fires were set inside the fencing that holds the stacked hay bales. None were locked. No lightning was involved.

“The other two were set inside barns where it was estimated that the large fire load of hay inside the barn must have been burning twenty to thirty minutes before it was detected. The electrical wiring and all other potential accidental causes of the fires have been ruled out and no lightning was involved.

“The public outcry is mandating a response to solve these crimes despite the availability of only circumstantial evidence. These fires have now become a priority for the criminal justice system. We’re preparing a flier to distribute to every rancher in the county. They need to be alerted to the impending danger to their property and figure out ways to safeguard it.

“We’re hoping those warnings will make a difference, but we need to pick the brains of you men who fight these fires every day. Your instincts could help to save lives and millions of dollars. Why don’t we go around the back row first and get your opinions? Please state your name and tell us how long you’ve been with the department.”

Cole heard a lot of grudge theories, but nothing specific. When it came to his turn, he got to his feet. “I’m Cole Hawkins. I grew up right here in Whitebark and went to college in Boulder, Colorado. While I was studying, I also trained to become a firefighter with the Boulder Fire Department. I planned to come home to the ranch after graduation and combine my work with firefighting the way my dad did.”

He looked at the commissioner. “When you were giving the statistics, I was curious to know if this kind of an outbreak with this same set of circumstances is unique to this year only.”

The older man shook his head. “We saw this happen last year to six ranches, but this year’s number of outbreaks has increased and summer isn’t over.”

“Were the fires set at the same time of year last year?”

“Come to think of it, yes, around the end of April and running through August.”

“If you had a map of last year’s locations of fires, where would they be?”

He stared at Cole. “I’m not sure.”

Chief Powell broke in. “I’ll get on the computer right now and we’ll find out.” Within minutes he had the answer. “All of them were near the Winds.”

Cole got excited. “Then that cycle fits with the fire locations on the map you just handed out to us. Notice that every ranch targeted this year and last is close to the Bridger Wilderness.”

At this point he’d caught everyone’s attention.

“There’s a war going on between the ranchers hunting the elk coming down from the mountain onto their property, and the ranchers who are against elk hunting.”

“Go on,” the commissioner urged him.

“Years ago, the elk in the snow country came down to the desert to find food, hay particularly. They ate in the cattle feed grounds where the cattle carried brucellosis disease that caused the cattle to abort. It was transferred to the elk. By the 1930s, calves were dying and humans started getting sick with undulant fever, until pasteurization came along. It’s been a battle ever since to eradicate the disease.

“You want a reason for these fires? I believe they’ve been set to warn the ranchers allowing the hunting. The conservationists want the elk rerouted down to the desert in different migration paths that don’t come into contact with the cattle feed lines so the disease won’t spread.

“But other ranchers want to bring in the big game hunters who pay a lot of money for the elk hunt. With the hay left out and exposed, the elk are lured to the ranches, thus ensuring plenty of elk for a good hunt. A lot of hay could feed a thousand cattle a day, and the elk, too.”

“How do you know so much about this?”

“When I was young, my father used to complain about the brucellosis disease that caused cattle to abort. He hoped that one day it would be eradicated. By the time I went to college, I decided to go into that field and ended up getting my master’s to be a brucellosis ecologist.

“I learned that some cattle brought into the States by early European settlers carried this disease. In my role as an ecologist, we’re trying to manage the disease and lower it in the elk herds so it’s less likely to spill over into cattle.”