Rustlers and Romance [Saddle Creek 1] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Read online

  She wasn’t sure if Jack of Aces was equipped with Wi-Fi, but she wanted to check her e-mail, mainly to contact her parents and let them know she’d left Rosie’s. Working long hours at Rosie’s and still recovering from her bruises, she hadn’t taken the time to even open her computer. She pulled out her small notebook computer and unzipped the cover.

  “Oh no!” Lauren frowned at Clint’s notebook inside the protective case. In her rush to get away from him, she’d picked up his black notebook instead of her red one. Since their cases were the same shape, color, and size, it wasn’t such an impossible mistake, but she was bothered by the idea of him having his grubby hands on her computer. She shrugged her shoulders. E-mail was e-mail regardless of the computer she used to access it, so she opened it up, turned it on, and waited for it to boot up.

  A few minutes later, she clicked on the task bar to open the e-mail program but couldn’t get in. She needed a damn password. She tried using his social security number, his birthday, his initials, his first pet’s name of Spike, to include all kinds of combinations of letters and numbers as passwords but nothing worked to open e-mail. She tried other programs such as Word with everything she could think of, but it was password protected as well.

  Maybe this is the real reason he’s chasing me down. Not because he wants me, but because he knows I have his computer and he wants it. Maybe there’s some vital information on this thing that could possibly hurt him. That could have been why he was peeking in my car windows at the diner. He was looking for his computer! I knew all along he was a sneaky bastard and up to no good.

  She quickly closed down his computer, zipped it back into its case, and put it in the back of the armoire. She didn’t want anything visible that reminded her of him. The man was disgusting. “I don’t know what I ever saw in him.”

  Lauren made her way back to the bed and lay down. She was mentally exhausted from battling the fear that had spread throughout her body when she saw Clint at the diner, and physically from being jostled around in the back of the truck.

  For a long while, her thoughts kept her awake. Should she even bother getting a job around here? Would he keep coming after her? Maybe she should mail his stupid computer back to him so he’d leave her alone, or she could meet him in a crowd somewhere with lots of witnesses so he’d just take the damn thing without hurting her. She had to make him promise never to look for her again.

  One way or another, I’ve got to be free of him, once and for all.

  She wondered what the dawn would bring and worried what she would do if Chase expected her to leave in the morning. She couldn’t go back to Rosie’s to get her car, not right away, because she was sure Clint would find her there. Since she had no transportation, maybe she could ask her host to give her a ride to the closest town.

  Where can I possibly go?

  Clint Jackson had followed Lauren across the country, with the help of his cop friend, Bill, trailing her by her credit card receipts. Every time she stopped for food or gas, he immediately knew where she was, right down to what road she was on and what hour. Whenever she stopped for the night, he drove, lessening the distance between them.

  She was always one step ahead of him, though, until one morning he found her car parked at a diner in the small town of Saddle Creek, Wyoming. It didn’t take him long to make friends with the right people. All he had to do was buy them a few drinks, and they were more than willing to help him find out where she’d gone.

  He had scoured the wide-open space of the ranch owned by the cowboy—a man he was sure Lauren was sleeping with. He’d even helped some of his new friends rustle some of the man’s herd, just to mess with him. The cowboy’s old girlfriend, Edie, was dead set on revenge, and he was more than willing to help her get it.

  Clint figured the rancher would use Lauren and then kick her to the curb. He had, and pathetic as she was, she’d come running back to him with tears in her eyes. The difference was this time, Clint didn’t want to take her back again. This time, he had better things on the horizon, and to get where he wanted to go, he needed his computer.

  Chapter 3

  Lauren awoke to a knock on her bedroom door. She bolted upright, completely disoriented.

  Clint’s found me. He’s here to take me back!

  She pulled the covers up to her chin. After a moment, she rationalized it couldn’t be Clint. He definitely wouldn’t be knocking on her door. He would have broken the damn door down or slammed it open. There was no way he could’ve found her yet anyway. He had no way to track her without her car or credit card receipts. No way! Feeling more confident now, she squeaked, “Who is it?”

  “Edie, Edie Benner. I’m a friend of Chase’s.” A feminine voice sounded from the hall.

  She jumped out of bed and ran to the door. She unlocked it and opened it just wide enough to look out and see who was there. When she saw Edie was alone, she opened the door wider.

  Edie, not much older than herself, walked in carrying a tray. “Chase said you might like some coffee to help you start the day.”

  “Sure, of course. What time is it anyway?”

  “It’s a little past eight, but Chase has been out workin’ since well before six. Up with the sun, that one! Anyway, I’m very close to him and help out managing the house.”

  Her mouth was animated as she held the tray propped against her hip and gestured with her other free hand. Her black hair flowed in waves over her shoulders. Her chocolate-brown eyes were the highlight of a very pretty face covered with a little too much makeup. Thin, but with curves in all the right places, she wore Daisy Duke denim-blue shorts, showing off her long legs, and a stretchy, lightweight sweatshirt-like top, along with tall cowboy boots.

  “I’m Lauren. Thank you so much for the coffee. I sure need it.” She held out her hand to shake Edie’s, but it was ignored.

  “Do you need anything else?” Edie placed the tray on the bed.

  “No, thanks. I’m good.” Lauren covered a yawn. “How long have you worked for Chase?”

  “About six months now.” Edie looked around the room with her hands on her hips. She walked around the room, moved the drapes to look outside, and then gazed toward Lauren’s small amount of toiletries. She glanced at her, then ambled over to the armoire and opened it. After rummaging through her clothes, she turned toward Lauren and slammed the door. She stomped over to the foot of the bed, and stared at her.

  Lauren felt uneasy when Edie lingered at the foot of her bed. The weird tension hovering in the air between them was as thick as the butter on the saucer.

  Why won’t she leave? Is there something she wants to say to me? Maybe she’s waiting for a tip, like the bellhops in a hotel.

  “Uh…thanks for breakfast. I’ll be downstairs as soon as I get showered and dressed.” Lauren sat on the side of the bed, poured some coffee in the cup, and took a sip. “I thought we had the best coffee at the diner where I used to work, but this is delicious. Did you make it?”

  “No. I can’t take the credit for it. Chase gets up before I get here in the morning, and he always makes a pot. I’m like his right-hand man in the house and things run very smoothly, thanks to me. He couldn’t survive without me.”

  Lauren vowed it would be the last time she would ever sleep late while she was there. She took pride in taking care of herself, and she didn’t like being waited on by anyone. If that cowboy can get up at the butt-ass crack of dawn, so can I. Next time she’d be up and at ’em before Edie arrived.

  After she filled her coffee cup a second time, she stood and moved closer to Edie at the foot of the bed. The woman stared at her and didn’t say a word.

  “Uh…is there something else you wanted to tell me?” Lauren asked, her hands fisted on her hips.

  “Just one thing.” Lauren watched Edie’s eyes change from milk chocolate to dark and evil.

  “What’s that?”

  “Enjoy your breakfast.” Edie turned and sauntered to the door. Just as she was about to step out, she flun
g a suggestion over her shoulder—one sounding far more like a threat. “I’m sure you can see yourself out the front door as soon as possible.” She slammed the door shut behind her.

  Lauren rolled her eyes and sighed with relief. With a shake of her head, she grabbed clean clothes, and raced down the hall to the bathroom. After a quick shower, she dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, then headed downstairs, hoping Edie wouldn’t be around. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she stopped. No one was in sight and she only heard silence. She quickly headed out the front door, just as Edie had told her to do. Only instead of running off the Jack of Aces ranch like a bat out of hell, she made her way toward the barn to talk to Chase about getting out of there.

  Drawn to the beautiful horses in the corral, she stopped to admire the majestic animals. They appeared healthy and happy. A few colts loped around the pasture on their long, spindly, wobbly legs, and she couldn’t resist watching them frolic in the clean mountain air.

  “Beauties, aren’t they?” Chase asked, placing one booted foot on the bottom rail of the fence, letting his strong arms hang over the top rail.

  Startled, she clasped a hand to her chest. For a man of such a strikingly masculine physique, likely honed from years of ranch work, he was extremely light on his feet. She moved a few steps away from him. He stood at least a foot taller than she and his presence filled the surrounding air until all she could think or breathe was the heat and essence from his body beside her. Every time she inhaled, his warm, manly scent drifted to her on the breeze blowing through the trees.

  “Yes, they are.” She looked up at him. His blue eyes were shaded by the brim of his white Stetson hat but were still as vibrant as she remembered from the diner. They were open and honest, and in that unique moment as they searched one another’s eyes, the big, strong horse rancher looked every bit as vulnerable as she felt. It was as if they’d both stepped into unfamiliar territory, and he was reaching out to her.

  Anxiety swelled in the pit of her stomach, seized her chest, and she trembled. Deep down, she wanted to run to him, to slip into the safety those eyes promised.

  “Did you sleep well?”

  “Yes, and thank you for everything,” she said as she diverted her eyes from his, preparing for the inevitable good-bye.

  Chapter 4

  When Chase saw Lauren come out of the house, his heart jumped. She looked well-rested. He hoped a few days away from town and whoever or whatever messed with her would be the best thing for her. He just wanted to give her a chance to get her pretty little head on straight.

  As he stood beside her, he smelled her sweet, fresh fragrance. Her thick hair whipped around her face in the soft spring breeze as she smiled at the frolicking colts in the paddock. When she spoke, her voice was melodic and lyrical. He liked the sound of it.

  What the hell are you doing? You have work to do! Yet at the same time, he knew what it was that held him captive. Those eyes! God, those beautiful green eyes. They called to the deepest part of him. His heart hammered as an inexplicable surge of lust expanded in his chest. He wanted her—just one wild night with a sultry woman who could stroke his libido like no one had in a long time, a night he could walk away from, no strings attached.

  “So, uh…do you know how to ride?” Chase asked, trying to release himself from the hold of her emerald eyes.

  “Not really. I’ve only ridden a couple of trail horses for recreation.” She turned and looked at him. “Is there anything I can do to earn my keep around here? I don’t believe in freeloading, and I’m afraid I haven’t got much money to offer you for the room last night…or the breakfast this morning.”

  He laughed. “I don’t want your money, babe. If you knew how to ride, though, I’d take you with me. But since you don’t, I s’pose you can hang out around here and relax…I mean, if you want.” He brought his arm up to wipe his brow with the sleeve of his white snap-up shirt.

  She jumped and stepped away from him, cowering against the fence. Her eyes were huge as she stared at him.

  “It’s okay. I won’t get too close and I will never hurt you. You’re safe here. You have to learn to trust again, and you can begin with me.”

  “Okay. I’ll try. Thank you for understanding.”

  He glanced at the grimace on her face. “Hey. I bet Edie gave you an earful, tellin’ you to stay away from me.”

  “Well, not in so many words.”

  He laughed. “Don’t pay her no mind. She’s got a bad case of puppy love for me and tells everyone to stay away. Why don’t you stay outside and do whatever you feel like doing?”

  Lauren smiled. “Okay. How about if I just watch for a while?” She nodded toward the horses.

  “No problem, but I’ve gotta take off. If you need anything while I’m gone, just give ol’ Amos a holler. He sticks close to the barn most of the time.”

  “What are you going to do?” she asked, smiling at the horses on the other side of the fence.

  “I have to go round up some strays before they get too far. I’ll be back for supper.” He turned when he heard Amos behind him, leading a tall, shiny black horse, saddled and ready to go.

  “Gee, I really wish I could go with you.” She looked off toward the mountains.

  “Maybe after you get some riding lessons under your belt. There’s always plenty of riding to do around here.” His horse began prancing and pawing the ground, anxious to run, and Chase took hold of his bridle. “It’s okay, boy. Don’t worry. You’ll get your run. Be patient.” After patting the animal affectionately on the head and neck, he turned back to Lauren. “This is Midnight. He used to be one of our champion sires, but he’s retired now.”

  “Retired or not, he’s beautiful!” She reached over to stroke the horse’s cheek, as black as the hour he was named after.

  Chase rubbed Midnight’s nose, then moved to his side, placed one foot in the stirrup, and hoisted up onto the saddle. With a wave, he kicked the horse into a trot and headed off to the east.

  As he rode along the fence line, he checked for damage. When he approached a gully, he leaned back in the saddle to keep his balance as Midnight’s hoofs slipped on the small rocks. At the sandy bottom, Chase noticed something amiss. He reined the horse closer to get a better look.

  A portion of the fence had been cut, and whoever had done it hadn’t taken great effort to hide their deeds. Hoofprints led across the fence line and onto his neighbor’s property. Tire tracks on the other side indicated horses had been loaded into a trailer.

  He slid from the saddle and squatted to examine the ground closely. Boot heels mingled with the hoofprints and tire tracks. Chase strode to the fence and picked up a loose wire. The line hadn’t been broken—it had been cut. God damn it! He wasn’t going to put up with anyone’s horse-thieving. He wanted his horses back and the sooner the better.

  He pulled out his cell phone from his buttoned shirt pocket and dialed the sheriff’s number to report the incident. “Mitch, Chase Montgomery here.”

  “Hey, Chase. How were things out in the mile-high?”

  “Fine, but now I’m back home, and there’s a bit of trouble out at the Jack of Aces. I need your help.”

  “Oh? What can I do for you?”

  “It seems a few of my herd have gone missing, and there’s some evidence indicating they didn’t march away on their own.”

  “Whatcha got?”

  “A cut fence, hoofprints leading from my property onto Duffy’s, and tire tracks on his side. The SOB’s loaded my horses into a trailer or truck and I want ’em back. I don’t have time for any bullshit. If you and your boys don’t move on this quick, I will. We wait too long, and my horses will be gone for good.”

  “All right, I’ll take a ride out there and see what’s going on. Be there in about an hour.”

  Chase ended the conversation and called Amos to let him know about the missing horses and to tell him to keep an eye out for Mitch. “After the sheriff has given the place a onceover, we’ll need to fix thi
s fence up proper again,” he said to his right-hand man.

  “You got it, boss.”

  Frustrated and angry, Chase spurred Midnight into a gallop and headed back to the ranch. Lauren was still standing at the corral when he reined the stallion to a stop a short distance from the barnyard. She must have talked to Amos, though. The short, stooped-over man was walking out of the barn with Lucy, a retired brood mare Amos declared had “just enough spark left in her for a short ride.” It looked like Lauren’s riding lessons were about to commence. Amos gave her the quick-study version of horse handling and then helped her into the saddle. Chase smiled when she yelled “Giddy-up!” and the old horse obeyed. There was something infectious about her giggle, a little tinkle that carried across the airwaves. He liked the sound of it.

  He urged Midnight forward with a nudge of his knees when he saw the sheriff’s car pull up to the paddock. Within minutes, he was at the barn door.

  The sheriff, a tall, ruggedly handsome man, was dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt, dark pants and boots. The shiny star on his chest pocket twinkled in the sun. A full head of dark-brown hair appeared when he took off his state-issued hat, wiped the band with his handkerchief, and smiled. “Hey, Chase.”

  “Hi, Mitch. Thanks for responding so quickly.” He slid out of the saddle and shook Mitch’s hand, a man he’d known since kindergarten.

  “No problem. It’s always nice to see a good friend, and it’s my job.” He smiled again. “I’m here to serve the people of this jurisdiction, and I’m not gonna stand idly by and let any theft happen during my watch.” The sheriff slapped his hat against his thigh and dust flew off and got caught up in the breeze. “Besides, there’re a lot of horses in these parts—yours and otherwise—and the sooner we get to the bottom of this, the better off everyone around here will be.”