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

  He saddled Midnight while she groomed Lucy, just as the ranch manager had taught her.

  Within minutes, Chase rode east. He followed the fence line, his property border, and found the originally cut fence in good repair.

  After passing the fixed break, he slowed down. “Damn it!” The fence had been cut again. Now there was a gaping hole in the line. He’d have to have a little chat with his old friend and neighbor, Duffy, himself.

  He called Mitch on his cell phone while riding back to the house. The Sherriff promised he’d be right over, and they planned to talk to the neighboring rancher, together. He called Amos and told him where he needed the fence fixed.

  “I want extra security put along the fence at night, too. We can’t allow this to keep goin’ on.”

  Lauren stood in the middle of the kitchen. She’d barely set foot in the room, and now she was in charge. Rummaging through the cabinets, drawers, pantry, and fridge, she discovered where things were and what was available. She decided her first attempt at feeding Amos and Chase should be something easy and foolproof. The other ranch hands would eat in the bunkhouse and she was thankful for that.

  After pulling out the supplies needed, she set a huge pot of water on the stove to boil. While the spaghetti cooked, she prepared the sauce and a big bowl of salad. She popped several pieces of Texas-sized bread, lathered with garlic butter, into the oven to toast. Pleased with the meal, she stepped out onto the back porch and rang the dinner bell.

  Chase and Amos came in from the barn and hung their hats on the wall, washed their hands, and sat at the table.

  “Mmm! Sure smells good in here.” Chase sniffed the air.

  “Sure does, boss!” Amos sat in the same place he had before.

  Lauren surmised it had been his spot for years.

  “Spaghetti and meatballs? My favorite!” Chase grabbed his fork and wound the strings of noodle around the utensil.

  “I hope you like it.”

  After Chase finished with the last bite, he licked his lips and rubbed his perfectly toned stomach. “Very, very good, Lauren.”

  “Thanks. I just used what you had on hand,” she said, embarrassed by the accolades.

  “Well, you did a damn fine job! How was your day today?” Chase asked.

  “It was great. I love the horses, and Lucy’s my favorite! I think we’ll be friends since she already knows plenty about me. I talked her ear off while I groomed her.”

  “Well, horses are good for talkin’ to,” Amos agreed, “and they can’t talk back or spread no rumors neither!” He laughed.

  Lauren laughed, too. “I know! I told her all sorts of things I’d normally not say out loud to anyone.” She turned to Chase. “I sure look forward to riding out with you one day soon. I’d love to see your entire ranch.”

  “Good! That’s what we like to hear, don’t we, Amos?”

  “Yes, sirree,” Amos said, taking the last sip of his sweet tea.

  “I take it you found everything in the kitchen all right,” Chase asked her pointedly.

  “Yes. It’s much nicer than the kitchen in my house back east…and so modern! Lots of workspace.” The kitchen was a very large room, the kind she envisioned everyone happily hovering around during the holidays. She looked forward to getting up early and making coffee, imagining the fresh aroma wafting through the house.

  “Just so you know, I make the coffee in the morning,” Chase said, as if he’d read her mind. He poured himself a cup from the always hot and strong pot on the counter by the sink.

  “Not if I get up before you,” she teased, placing her plate on the counter, standing quite close to him. She stared into his eyes, thinking about what it might be like to…Then Amos cleared his throat. Oh my God. She’d forgotten he was in the room.

  “Ahem…uh, I’m gonna head out to the barn. We got another mare about to deliver.” He scraped his chair on the floor as he backed it away from the table, then stood and headed out the backdoor.

  Chase’s eyes searched hers, pinning her to the spot with their intensity. It was as if, for that single moment, he’d let down his guard and gave her a glimpse at the heart of the man. Everything she felt and couldn’t find the words to say echoed back from the depths of those soulful blue eyes.

  “Sure. I’ll be right out,” he said to the man who had already left the room, pulling his gaze away from the tractor beam of hers. “Are you all right to clean up in here? I’d offer to give you a hand, but Amos might need my help with the mare.”

  “Sure! It’ll be a breeze with the dishwasher.”

  “Thanks, and come on out to the barn when you’re done. I’m not usually a braggin’ man, but I’d venture to say our sunsets out here are somethin’ more to speak of than the ones you see in Michigan.” He walked to the backdoor, took his hat from the peg, and put it on his head. He turned to her and winked, then opened the door and left for the barn.

  Lauren watched him as he walked away, missing him already. She closed her eyes and imagined the feel of his lips touching hers, her hands running through his hair. She wanted more. Oh, so much more.

  She made quick work of cleaning up the kitchen and hurried out to the barn, only to find both of them coming out of a stall with concerned looks on their faces. “How’d it go?” she asked. “Is the mare okay?”

  “Yeah, she’s doing fine. She’s just not ready to deliver yet,” Chase answered. “Maybe by morning. If not, we’ll have to get the vet out here to help her along,” he explained as they walked to the corral.

  When they reached the railing, she paused. “Do you have very many pregnant mares left?”

  “Just a few late bloomers now.” He laughed as he leaned his forearms on the fence, gazing off at the sunset beyond the grazing horses.

  “You were right,” Lauren smiled.

  “About what?”

  “The sunsets out here are remarkable. This beats back east by a long shot.” She put her foot on the bottom rail of the fence and looked at him. She stared at his beautiful blue eyes, mesmerized, as they stared back into hers. His eyes were too blue, too intense, but she couldn’t look away.

  When Chase slowly leaned in closer, she didn’t pull away. He brushed her soft lips with his, cradling her head with his hands, then pulled her closer. She placed her hands on his chest as he caressed her back. Sliding her hands up to his shoulders, she played with the curly hair sticking out from beneath his hat.

  Then, like a snap of a finger, he pulled away.

  “I–I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened.” He turned away and then faced her again. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since I saw you at the diner.”

  “Really?” She stepped back and wiped her sweaty hands on her jeans. Her heart raced, her knees began to buckle, and her body quivered.

  “Hey, boss!” Amos called from the barn door.

  “I’ll be right there,” the cowboy answered, looking hungrily at her. “Goodnight, Lauren,” he said, sounding regretful, and she felt certain he stifled his desire. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Goodnight.” She watched him walk toward the barn, swung around, and ambled to the house. She couldn’t resist the front porch rockers and sat to take in the breathtaking sunset from the perfect vantage point.

  The sky lit up with orange, yellow, and pink hues as the sun dipped below the horizon. It was as if Mother Nature was putting on a fireworks display, just for her. On any other day, the sight would have taken her breath away, but at this moment, Lauren just wished she had someone to share it with—and she was starting to realize who that someone could be.

  Chapter 7

  When Chase walked into the kitchen the next morning, Lauren stood at the large window taking in the sunrise, with a cup of coffee in her hand.

  He smirked when he saw the coffee already made, admiring the woman’s headstrong and stubborn ways. He poured a cup and leaned his back against the counter. He took a sip. “Coffee’s good. You got up early this morning. Did you sleep okay?”
/>   “Yes, I sure did.” She carried her cup to the counter for a refill and stood beside him.

  He tightened in response to her closeness. His arms yearned to pull her against him. The cup in her hand trembled, and when he looked at her, her gaze dropped to his mouth. A potent hunger filled him, starving for a taste of her.

  He put his cup down and took her seductive face in his palms, for a moment relishing the softness of her skin. He stroked his thumbs over her cheeks, slid his hands into her hair, cradled the back of her head, and tugged her closer. “You look beautiful this morning,” he whispered against her mouth as he brushed his lips over hers. His mouth slanted over hers. He groaned low in his throat, a sound of need too long denied.

  He pressed into her, his arousal thick and hard. He gave way to his hunger and changed his tender kisses into more demanding sips and tastes. His lips explored hers, unhurried.

  The backdoor opened, and Amos stuck his head inside. “Ahem…uh…sorry, boss, but we got ourselves a little problem, and I need to talk to you right away.”

  Chase jerked away from Lauren faster than a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “I’ll be right out,” he said, staring at her while Amos backed out and closed the door. “I’ve gotta go. Maybe later we can pick up where we left off.”

  “Maybe.” She cocked her head with a mischievous smile. “I’ll ring the bell for lunch.”

  He gave her one last kiss, then moved toward the door. “I’m sure you’ll ring my bell when the time is right,” he teased, picking up his hat from the peg, and headed out the door.

  Lauren kept smiling, her heart filled with happiness. She felt rejuvenated. She hurriedly cleared the dishes from the table, loaded the dishwasher, then headed upstairs to straighten up her room.

  With her bedroom chores finished, she lay on the bed to catch her breath. She touched her lips. Chase’s taste still lingered on them. Would life on his ranch be the fresh start from her volatile past? She closed her eyes and the violent night she thought was behind her flooded her mind.

  Clint’s retreating footsteps and the slam of the screen door vibrated in her ears.

  That night. She’d held her breath until the engine of his truck came to life and she heard stones from the gravel driveway flying up and hitting the fenders. When the tires finally squealed on the street’s pavement, she relaxed. The farther away he got, the safer she felt.

  She crawled over to the phone, which Clint had knocked from the table onto the floor during his rage. She dialed the number she’d known since the eighth grade. “Jan?” she croaked when her best friend, Janelle, from down the street, answered on the second ring.

  “Lauren? What’s wrong? You sound funny.”

  “It’s…it’s Clint. I’m really hurt, Jan,” she rasped, hoping Janelle could understand her words. She tried to sit up, but it hurt too much to breathe.

  “Clint? That bastard! I’ll be right there, hon. Don’t move,” Janelle said and the line went dead.

  She laid her head on the cold tile floor and continued to cry until she heard the sound of a vehicle in the driveway. Terrified it might be Clint back for more, she cringed on the floor until she heard soft footsteps come through the front door.

  “Lauren? Sweetie, where are you?” Janelle hollered from the front of the house.

  “I’m in the…kitchen,” she tried to answer, but her throat was too raw, and the words only came out in a distorted croak.

  Janelle finally found her and fell to her knees beside her best friend on the floor. She carefully turned Lauren over and surveyed the damage on her face. “Oh my God, Lauren. What’d he do to you?” Without waiting for an answer, she jumped up and grabbed a tea towel from the kitchen counter, reached in the freezer, and retrieved a bag of frozen peas. She wrapped the bag of peas in the towel and placed it on Lauren’s face.

  “This will relieve some of the pain and swelling until help comes. Lie still now, hon. I already called the police, and they’re on their way. This is the last time he’s going to get away with this.”

  “Is it…bad?” Lauren whispered.

  “Hell yeah, it’s bad. It’s worse than the last time. You’ll be okay though. Don’t worry. You’ve just got to get away from him this time. He’s done this to you before. He apologized just to get you to take him back, and then the jerk does it all over again. You can’t go on like this. You deserve better.”

  “Not this time. This is it, the last time. That son-of-a-bitch will never hit me again. I’ll move away and change my name if I have to,” she whispered, gasping to catch her breath after every other word, her lips puffy.

  When the doorbell rang, Janelle left Lauren’s side, opened the door to find two police officers, and ushered them into the kitchen. “It’s my friend,” she said. “Her asshole boyfriend used her as a punching bag…again.”

  “It looks like it all happened right here in the kitchen,” said one officer, as he viewed the surrounding disarray.

  After one look at Lauren’s broken and bleeding face, the police called the paramedics. While waiting for the EMTs to arrive, the police had asked a bevy of questions and noted numerous bruises on her face, neck, and torso. They also took pictures of the disarrayed kitchen.

  When the ambulance arrived, she remembered being put on a stretcher and taken to the emergency room for stitches and much-needed pain medication. With Janelle to help her pack up her clothes and toiletries, she’d left town two days later when she was released from the hospital. She’d called Janelle once since being on the road to make sure she was okay, that she hadn’t implicated Janelle in her escape. She was assured Clint had not contacted Janelle. Both were relieved.

  Her body shook from reliving the nightmare. That was then and this is now, she reminded herself. She was in Wyoming with Chase, a good man who cared about her as a human being. Not in Michigan with Clint, who only wanted her around to release his power and control.

  She scooted off the bed, her lips pursed firmly together with determination. No one would abuse her again. Never. Lauren raised her chin and went downstairs.

  After she switched the clothes from the washer to the dryer, she headed to the barn to visit with her best friend, Lucy. She hoped she could convince Amos to give her another riding lesson today.

  Lauren dodged the puddles left by the light rain that had fallen earlier. The sun was out and the grass was rich and green with nourishment. She gazed at the horses in the corral beside the barn, their forelocks hanging in their eyes and their long tails sweeping the ground and catching in the breeze. Lucy, out of her stall, came over to her by the fence. She stroked the horse’s warm nose and chin. The horse put her head over the rail and tried to rub on her.

  “Such a lovely girl,” Lauren said, admiring and adoring the animal who kept all her secrets.

  It was unusually quiet and Lauren wondered where everyone was. The ranch wasn’t as hustling and bustling as it normally was at this hour. She strolled to the barn and past Midnight’s empty stall. She hadn’t noticed him in the corral but knew he could be anywhere on Chase’s acres of property. Since she saw no sign of Amos, she wandered back to the corral and leaned on the fence.

  A moment later, a car came screeching down the dirt lane and she turned around in time to see the Sheriff pulling in. Another man she didn’t recognize was with him in the cruiser. With a simple wave to her, the sheriff and his friend made their way into the barn, started up the four-wheelers, and headed to the eastern pasture.

  Her gaze followed them until they were out of sight. A feeling of dread swept over her, but she’d have to be patient to find out what had happened. Waiting without worrying was not one of her virtues.

  Back in the house, anxious and worried about Chase, she kept busy. She got her laundry out of the dryer and folded it. Carrying her things upstairs, she put them away, glad to have enough clean clothes for another day or two. She was headed down the stairs when she heard the hum of the four-wheelers returning to the barn. She hurried to the kitche
n window and saw Chase and Amos on horseback, with another horse in tow. The unfamiliar horse had something wrapped in a blanket and draped over its back.

  Lauren ran out of the house and toward the men. Chase dismounted and held the reins of the towed horse while the Sheriff and his partner untied the cargo from the saddle. As the object slid free, an arm appeared from the bulk, its hand flopping back and forth as though waving. They laid it on the ground.

  She was staring at the body of a man.

  Chapter 8

  Lauren’s breath caught in her throat and goose bumps covered her flesh. The man lying on the ground wasn’t moving. “Should I call 911?” she asked of the group of men surrounding the body.

  “I’m afraid it’s a little too late for that, Lauren.” Chase put his hands in his pockets. “He’s already dead.”

  “Who is…er, who was he?”

  “Hank Hardy. He worked for a neighboring ranch. It seems he was thrown from his horse on my property. We still haven’t figured it all out, but Mitch and Doc Stevens here, our coroner, will take poor ol’ Hank back to town to see if they can put two and two together.” He took off his Stetson and slapped the dust off of it on his thigh.

  “Lauren, I presume,” the coroner said, nodding at her. “I’m Doc Stevens. Nice to meet you.”

  “Same here.” She wrapped her arms around her waist, chilled by the circumstance of meeting him while standing over a dead man. She turned at the sound of the ambulance from Saddle Creek coming up the gravel drive.

  Getting out of the way, she moved onto the porch and watched as the EMTs put the man in a black plastic body bag, loaded him onto a stretcher, then rolled him into the back of their vehicle. Doc Stevens closed the backdoor and pounded on it twice to let them know everything was secure. The ambulance left with its siren silent and red light dull. The men dispersed in different directions, Amos to the barn, Mitch and Doc Stevens back to town.