A Cowboy To Keep

No.

Tanya was trustworthy, as was Smiley. But he might be hiding out because he didn’t want to be charged with a crime he didn’t commit.

Hadn’t she done the same when she’d fled to Colorado to reboot her off-the-rails life and avoid bringing trouble, aka her incarcerated ex and the pending charges against her, to her family’s doorstep?

The news item that’d shown the composite sketch of her face with her misspelled name flashed before her eyes. And she could still hear her former boyfriend vowing to find her when he got released.

But the police didn’t have her correct name and she hadn’t talked much about her family back then, so Kevin never knew exactly where in Texas they lived.

She squashed her sudden spike of fear. She’d left that world. Stood on her own two feet now. Nothing would knock her off them again.

Please don’t let Jack turn that sharp investigative eye on me...

“I’m good. I like your hair. Did you get a perm?”

Tanya shot her a tic-smile and thrust her hands in the pockets of her jeans skirt. “I’m still getting used to it.”

“It’s great. I, uh, wanted to introduce you to one of our new wranglers. Jack, this is Tanya. Tanya—Jack.”

“Howdy,” Tanya blurted, but she didn’t step onto the porch to extend a hand. In fact, she hadn’t even hugged Dani, which was unlike her. Did Jack’s appearance scare her? He really needed to stop scowling around people.

“Ma’am.” Jack dipped his head. He stared steadily at Tanya, his eyes dark, his expression unreadable.

“Smells like you made some corn bread,” Dani observed when an awkward silence descended. Tanya should have invited them in by now. Strangely, her friend stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind her.

“Yes. I’m hoping Smiley might stop by. He hasn’t shown up yet, has he?”

Her shoulder muscles relaxed; Tanya didn’t know anything about Smiley.

“No. In fact, I thought I might run into both of you here.”

“I haven’t seen him.” Tanya bent down to adjust a loose strap on her sandal and her hair slid forward, obscuring her face. “I haven’t seen him at all.”

Unease curled in her gut at Tanya’s repetition. “When’s the last time you spoke to him? I thought he would have shown up today with the rest of the groundskeepers.”

Her gaze flicked sideways at Jack, who peered through the window beside the front door. Tanya brought her hand up to her mouth and nibbled on her nail. “Didn’t you hear? We broke up months ago, though I’m hoping to get back together.”

Dani shifted her weight onto her other foot. It bugged her that she felt more suspicious than sympathetic. Jack’s doing. She could trust her own judgment now.

“I’m sorry, sweetie.” When she wrapped her arms around Tanya, she inhaled a familiar whiff of cherry. What did she associate that scent with? “How about I stop by later for a chat?”

Tanya gave her a big, crinkly smile. “That’d be nice.”

“Good to meet you,” Jack said, as he followed Dani down the porch stairs and onto the path that swept by parked Gator vehicles, used for off-road carting, in front of a two-car garage.

“See. I told you Tanya wouldn’t know anything.” She waved to Nan, who rocked on the front porch of the May’s house. Like Dani and the Mays, she lived here year-round.

The elderly woman stopped petting a calico cat on her lap and waved back. Her bright pink shirt contrasted with her white cloud of hair and brought out her piercing blue eyes.

“Tanya knows more than she’s saying,” he murmured.

Two energetic Australian shepherds bounded down from the porch before she could argue the point. She crouched for the hurtling fur balls.

“Hey, Beau. Hey, Belle.” She laughed as the dogs jostled to give her frantic tongue baths. “Who brought you guys back from the vet’s?”

“Sam picked them up,” called Nan. “They got all the porcupine needles out. Would you believe some were lodged in the back of their throats?”

When she gestured for them to approach, they climbed the steps and Dani settled on the porch swing. Jack leaned against the railing, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Poor puppies,” Dani crooned. “I hope you’ve learned your lesson.” Beau whined and rolled over on his back, presenting his white belly. Belle swerved back down the porch after a butterfly. Her obsession.

“I’m Nan.” The woman extended a gnarled hand in Jack’s direction, and he shook it gently with an old-school, courtly kind of grace. “My, aren’t you a tall drink of water. Are you single?”

“Nan.” Dani stopped rubbing Beau’s soft stomach and shot the would-be matchmaker a warning look. Nan approached setting up couples like it was a competitive sport—one she indulged in with gusto every season.

“Jackson Cade.” To her surprise, he didn’t seem ruffled by her question at all. In fact, he gave Nan a warm smile. “And I’m single.”

Nan’s rocking chair picked up speed and she returned his smile. “Well, now. Dani here’s single, too.”

“That a fact,” drawled Jack. He tipped back his broad-brimmed hat and studied her with amused eyes.

“He’s our new wrangler,” Dani blurted, heat creeping in her cheeks at the shrewd look Nan was giving her.

Nan’s rocking chair slowed. “Diane and Larry didn’t mention a new hire.”

“It was a last-minute thing. They should be home soon, right?”

The cat on Nan’s lap purred loudly as she scratched behind its ear. “They’re about an hour out. Got a nice deal on a seven-year-old finished heel horse.”

“Good,” Dani observed absently, her mind flashing to Milly. The mare had been one of her best roping horses and they needed a replacement. When they put on their weekly rodeo, she’d always gave a show. Had relished performing as much as Dani did. No, more. She stopped petting Beau and straightened. “Hey. You haven’t seen Smiley, have you?”

Nan rubbed the side of her nose. “Not that I’m certain.”

“What do you mean?”

“Thought I might have spotted him a couple of days ago, but haven’t seen him since. I heard rumours that he got into some trouble, though, so I must have been mistaken.” She held up the glasses that dangled from a chain around her neck. “Whatever you do, don’t get old.”

“Who’s old?” Dani avoided Nan’s playful swat and kissed her soft, creased cheek. “Would you ask Diane and Larry to page me when they get in?”

“I will. Nice meeting you, Jack. I expect you’ll be at the welcome-back square dance tonight.”

“Same, ma’am. As for the party, I’m not much of a dancer.”

“Dani here can teach you, can’t you dear?”

Dani opened her mouth, thought better of her words and swallowed them. “I’m sure Mr. Cade’s got more important things to do.”

“Well, now.” The corners of his mouth hooked up, the attractive half smile that got under her skin flashing at her. “Don’t know if I can turn down such a tempting offer.”

Nan’s hand clap shooed the cat off her lap. “Of course you can’t. I knew I saw something between you two.”

“Goodbye, Nan,” Dani said firmly, then shot her elder a significant look before traipsing down the steps after Jack.

Bella and Beau wove through their legs and Jack’s hand came up, quick and warm around her elbow, his touch firing along her skin.

“Nan saw Smiley,” he observed, as they passed an old-time stagecoach, which the guests still got to ride in. Chickens meandered through its spoked wheels.

“She thinks she did. Beau. Stop.” The rambunctious dog quit jumping and took off after his sister.

“Tanya’s hiding something.”

She rounded on him, her patience wearing thin. “How do you know?” Overhead, an American flag hung from its rope in the still air. The fragrance of the newly planted petunias encircled them.

“I saw two glasses on her coffee table.”

“So?”

“She said we were her first visitors.”

Her mouth opened then closed. Brain cells, get moving, she ordered, but they just rolled in her skull, sluggish. He was too observant by half. “Tanya wouldn’t lie. She must have used both of them.”

“Is she a sloppy housekeeper?”

“No...”

“Food for thought.”

“Corn bread,” she blurted, not sure if she was doing the right thing, but suddenly needing to speak when the source of the cherry scent came back to her. “It’s Smiley’s favorite.”

Jack nodded slowly and a smile lightened his eyes to dark amber with gold flecks. “I appreciate that.”

“And her hair.” Was she really saying this about her friend?

“Go on.”

“It smelled like one of his cigars.” Her chest burned at her admission...but she couldn’t hold it back. There had to be reasonable explanations for this...

But another part of her worried. Was there a chance that she’d befriended the kind of people she’d come all this way to avoid...the sort of friends that brought out her old trouble-making self, the person she no longer was...or wanted to be?

“Can we get inside Tanya’s cabin?”

“This doesn’t feel right.”

“Her employee agreement gives—”

“Consent to search,” she finished for him.

“And my search warrant request is just waiting on official approval.”

“Larry and Diane won’t want a fuss made,” she protested, feeling defensive of her friends. “I’ll think of something when I drop by to see her later.”

Jack nodded slowly, then chucked her under her chin. “Thanks, partner.”

“I’m not your partner,” she called to him as he doubled back and headed for the trail behind Tanya’s house.

He turned and the gleam of amusement in his eyes got her heart thumping. “Right. Thanks, boss.” After a long look he turned and disappeared into the forest.

She stared after him far too long, then let out a breath.

Honestly.

Mooning after a cowboy who was all kinds of wrong for her...and dangerous. Had she learned nothing from her mistakes?

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