EXCERPT
Chapter One
Squinting into the crimson glare quickly disappearing behind the building clouds of an approaching winter storm, Lucas Callahan watched twin columns of dust race along the usually deserted ranch road.
“What the hell—”
Releasing the small calf he’d just tagged, he stood in silence and watched the first of two cars come to a dirt-spewing halt, missing the fence in front of the sprawling two-story house by inches. A woman climbed from the older model, red sports car, panic written all over her. She stood frozen to the spot when the tan cruiser of the county sheriff stopped, nearly crashing into her car.
Sheriff Ben Tatum climbed out of his vehicle and slammed his hat on his head. He strode forward, badge bouncing on his barrel chest. Coming to a stop directly in front of the woman, he planted his fists on his hips, legs spread wide. “Lady, what the hell do you think you’re doin’?”
Lucas stepped back into the deepening shadow of the barn and waited. From his vantage point, he could clearly see the scene unfolding in the yard, even though the sun continued its slow descent, and the sky had begun to darken. He wanted to hear what the woman had to say, but he didn’t want to be seen. Ben would handle the stranger better than he could. The two men had known each other all their lives, being born a few days apart, thirty-two years earlier.
“I…you….” She tugged at the hem of a too large sweatshirt, her nervous glance sweeping past Ben and lingering on her car. Squaring her shoulders, she faced him and lifted her chin. “I guess I’m lost.”
Ben knuckled back the brim of his hat. “Don’t you know you should pull over when an officer attempts to stop you?”
Her chin went up another notch, and she stiffened. “What did I do wrong?”
“Nothin’.” Ben walked around to the back of her car and leaned down.
The woman took a faltering step to follow, but brought herself up short when he straightened, a license plate in his hand. Her mouth opened once, then snapped shut.
He rounded the fender and held out the tag. “This was just flappin’ in the breeze, about to fall off. Drivin’ around without plates will get you in trouble, even here in Montana.”
“You came after me with your lights flashing because my license tag was loose?”
Ben’s stern countenance deepened to a frown. “So you did see me behind you. Next time an officer attempts to stop you, you stop.”
Her head lowered. “Yes, sir.”
Impatient to get back to his chores before dark settled in and the storm put a halt to the work, Lucas stepped out of the shadows. “I’ve got some plate screws.”
The woman jumped, and her hand flew to her throat. “How long have you been there?” she demanded.
Lucas took three strides in her direction and stopped at the corral fence. “Long enough.”
Brilliant blue eyes narrowed. “And what does that mean?”
Lucas sucked in a breath at the sight of those eyes. “I saw you flyin’ up the road.”
She tugged on her shirt again, her nervous gaze going to the car for the second time. “I was lost.”
“You’ve got a bigger problem than that, little lady.” Ben pointed to the front tire of her car, where a soft hiss could be heard.
“Flat,” Lucas grumbled. He wanted her gone, blue eyes and all. Something was wrong, and he didn’t want to know what it was. He wanted her off the Blue Sage. “We’ll get it changed, and you can be on your way.”
“I—I don’t have a spare.”
Before Lucas could reply with a string of words unfit for a woman’s ears, Ben interrupted. “Where was it you said you were headed?”
Looking up, she tensed again. “I didn’t say.”
It couldn’t have been clearer that something was going on. Lucas glimpsed fear beneath the stubborn stance. He wondered if Ben noticed it. The sheriff might look a little slow to some, but the man didn’t let much get by him.
Lucas didn’t take his eyes off her. He quickly reminded himself that strangers couldn’t be trusted in the middle of nowhere. Even isolated areas like the Blue Sage Ranch were known to have their share of con-artists and other misbegotten vermin. Never a trusting soul, especially when it came to women, he wouldn’t put it past her to be part of some sort of scam.
And he didn’t welcome the interruption. The weather was expected to get bad--real bad. The woman needed to be on her way. The sooner the better.
Lucas let his gaze take a slow journey over the stranger, checking out the chestnut brown of her hair and the slender neck holding up an obstinate chin. Skipping over the loose-fitting shirt, his gaze lingered on her slim hips and long legs encased in threadbare blue jeans. A pair of dirty, time-worn tennis shoes finished the trip.
“If you’re lost, I’ll give you directions,” Ben was saying, jerking Lucas’s attention away from the leisurely tour of her body.
“Just tell me where and how far I am from Deerfork,” the woman replied. “I’ll find my way from there.”
“You’re headed to Deerfork?”
She hesitated. “Sort of.”
“Near Deerfork?”
Nodding, she said nothing.
“I’ll give Willie a call and have him bring the tow truck out,” Ben said, then turned for his patrol car.
“If you tell me where you’re headed, I can give you better directions,” Lucas offered, his patience wearing thin. His suspicion mounted as he watched her twist her fingers in the hem of her shirt. She was scared. And not just of the law.
“I’m headed to see my—my friend,” she finally answered. “She and her husband live near Deerfork. I must have taken a wrong turn.”
The glare she directed at him nearly brought a smile to his lips. She was too easily riled. And too pretty when shewas. He shook off the thought. “A name would give me somethin’ to go on.”
Lowering her head, she hid her expression behind a curtain of hair. “Richmond. Jenny Richmond.”
He swore under his breath. “Jen and Pete left a couple of weeks ago for a vacation.”
“Oh, no!” She swayed, wrapping her arms around her middle.
He gripped the fence in front of him to keep from rushing to her. No way was he getting involved. “You okay?”
Her chin lifted again. “I’ll be on my way, as soon as the tow truck gets here.”
While they glared at each other, Ben returned. “There’s been an accident over on I-15 I’ve gotta get to. Willie’s on his way there now.” He turned to the woman. “You’ll have to stay here, until he’s done and can get here.”
©Roxann Delaney |
