A Cowboy To Keep

His boots resembled the size and shape of the prints, though Jack would need a closer look to be certain. What was more, he had the height and build to be one of the suspects.

“What’s your business here?” the man growled, with no pretense of welcome or friendliness. Just straight-up menace.

Well, good. Jack liked knowing where he stood.

“What’s yours?”

“I work here,” protested the guy, looking like he didn’t get challenged much.

“Well, so do I.” Jack lowered his head and met the guy’s stare dead on from beneath his brows, enjoying his new acquaintance’s deepening scowl and the way his eyes darted away, small fish scattering before a bigger predator.

Could this be the real person behind the Everett Ridland alias?

“I’m a groundskeeper and I’ve got to clear that out. This, uh, isn’t a safe place.”

Jack followed the man’s point to the pile of rocks left by the avalanche. His doubts about the rough man settled some. Seemed like a legitimate reason to be here. Still. He had to check.

“What’s your name?”

“Sam. Perkins. Not that it’s any of your business,” the groundskeeper huffed. “Now. I like to get on with my work.”

Jack nodded slowly, considering. Why didn’t he have any tools? He couldn’t outright accuse the guy of anything exactly and didn’t want to blow his cover. He’d run the name Sam Perkins by Lance later.

Out of choices, he said, “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

A few hundred yards down the trail, Jack doubled back, creeping through the thick new growth on the forest floor slowly, carefully, his breath a silent pull of air in his teeth. At last, he reached a vantage point, and peered around a tree.

What was Sam really up to?

But to Jack’s surprise, he was gone.

CHAPTER SEVEN

AFTER SCOURING EVERY inch of the internet for more on Jack, Dani finally admitted that she’d gone too far when she looked up his astrological sign.

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