Outlawed! Page 11

  “I hope you get this one figured out, Thom.”

  “You know Rattlesnake Range. They always get what they want. And this job is near completion.”

  Really? Cooper hung up, shaking his head. Near completion. Did the board really believe that? Maybe they were banking on Ty Drummond. But even then, the ranch would be tied up for years in litigation, if Cooper knew Delaney. And he felt he’d come to know her pretty well. Maybe the person the agency hired was lying to them about more than just the alleged murder attempts. Maybe that person was telling Jamison he had Delaney ready to give up. Or—Or maybe Rattlesnake Range had something up its sleeve that Cooper didn’t know about.

  He sat back down at the bar. The jukebox was wringing out a sad country song. Cooper stared into his draft-beer mug. What a mess, he thought. He was on the wrong job with the wrong information. He couldn’t get Rattlesnake Range to back off and he wasn’t any closer to finding out who was behind the attempted murders, his or Delaney’s or maybe both. Now Jamison was trying to get him off the Rockin’ L. And on top of that, there was Delaney. And the way he’d been feeling toward her.

  He swore at the thought of her with Jared. He’d replayed last night over and over in his head, trying to get it to end differently. It always ended the same. He groaned.

  “Let me guess,” Ty Drummond said, joining him at the bar. “Working for my sister has put you in this mood, right? Let me buy you a drink.”

  Cooper watched Ty pull out a pocketful of twenties and toss one on the bar. He wondered again where the cowboy got his money.

  “So, how are things going at the Rockin’ L?” Ty asked, ordering them both an expensive import.

  “All right,” Cooper said, wondering what Ty wanted. Something, that was for sure. “How’s life treating you?”

  Ty swore. “But it’ll be better when I get my inheritance.” He took a sip of his beer. “It’s just that I can’t wait forever—you know what I mean?”

  Cooper was afraid he did. He turned the import in his fingers, liking the feel of the sweat on the bottle, more interested in what Delaney was doing right now than her alleged brother’s problems. “So you’re planning to settle down and ranch, huh?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

  Ty snorted. “I don’t know anything about raising horses. And I sure as hell have no plans to raise cattle. I’ve done my share of cowpunching, thank you.”

  Cooper thought of Delaney and the ranch. Her love for the land and his captivation with her. A small fit of conscience, Jamison would have said. It will pass.

  “You know the Rockin’ L’s been in Ms. Lawson’s family for years,” Cooper said, not so sure the pang of conscience was going to pass. “But I guess you’re part of that family now.”

  Ty made a rude noise. “They’re not my family. I’m Hank’s son by accident. Nothing more.” He took a swallow of his beer. Bitterness distorted his features. “I would think Delaney would be sick of ranching and be looking for a way out.”

  Cooper wanted to laugh. Ty didn’t have a clue. “I get the impression that ranch is her life.”

  “A substitute for a man, no doubt,” Ty said with a curse.

  Cooper didn’t like the turn this conversation was taking. As much as the thought of punching Ty in the face appealed to him, Cooper was no longer in the mood for a fight. “What’s a ranch like that worth, do you think?” he asked, hoping he could get some information out of Ty. If Ty got his hands on the ranch, he’d sell it in a heartbeat. But to Rattlesnake Range. Or someone else?

  Ty smiled smugly in the mirror over the back of the bar but didn’t say anything.

  Cooper had wondered what was so special about the Rockin’ L that Rattlesnake Range would hire someone outside the agency, something he knew was unheard of. But now another thought struck him. Maybe it wasn’t the ranch that was special, but the person they’d hired. A person who was in a position to get them the ranch easier than an agent. Rattlesnake Range had to know about Ty and his claim that he was the beneficiary. Would the board hire him to get the ranch for them?

  He looked over at Ty and wasn’t so sure about his latest theory. He personally wouldn’t hire Ty to feed his pigs, if he had pigs. It dawned on Cooper that even if Ty was dealing with Rattlesnake Range, Ty probably didn’t know what the agency had planned for the ranch. But it was worth a shot.

  “The Rockin’ L isn’t very big,” Cooper said, almost thinking out loud. “And it’s not like it’s in prime ranching country.”

  Ty played with his change on the bar. “Look, McLeod, my sister seems to like you. I was thinking—”

  “Can’t see that it would be very good for subdividing into lots, either,” Cooper continued, ignoring Ty’s attempt to change the subject. “It’s too far from anything.” What did Rattlesnake Range want with the Rockin’ L? It didn’t make any sense.

  “Let’s just say I’m going to do all right when the time comes.” Ty finished off his beer. “The thing is, I thought maybe you could talk to her, tell her how stupid it would be to drag this thing out in court, tell her—”

  “I’m just a hired hand,” Cooper interrupted. “She wouldn’t listen to any advice I had to offer. Believe me.” He thought about the wisdom he’d given her on Jared. Look how she’d paid attention to that!

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Ty picked up his money, failing to leave a tip for the bartender, and stuffed it into his pocket.

  “Maybe you’re Hank’s son,” Cooper said, disliking Ty more than he originally thought he could. “But all you have to do is prove that the will you have is legit.” Cooper smiled, unable to hide his satisfaction in needling the cocky fool. “But you’re right. You probably won’t see any money for years while the ranch is tied up in court.”

  Ty adjusted his hat in the mirror. “Mister, if I were you, I’d start looking for another job,” he said, sliding off his barstool. “And soon. Because when that ranch is mine, you won’t be needed there anymore.”

  As Ty left, he tipped his hat to a blond woman coming through the door. Angel Danvers. The writer. And her boyfriend, Buck Taylor. Cooper let out an oath as she made a beeline for the bar—and him.

  Chapter Ten

  In an angry silence Delaney knew was directed at her, Jared drove the pickup out of Helena. They left behind the houses and businesses that dotted the countryside from Helena to Hauser Lake, crossing the dam and turning onto Trout Creek Road. Tall ponderosas lined the narrow road, darker than the sky. Delaney could make out starlight above the trees and thought of Cooper. Was he lying under those same stars right now? He was probably thinking what a fool she’d been to go out with Jared. And he’d be right, she thought with annoyance. But it wasn’t as if she hadn’t known that from the beginning. She just hadn’t expected things to go this badly.

  “So, did you enjoy your dinner, Del?” Jared asked.

  He sounded more than a little testy. Jared had become testy not far into the meal and hadn’t improved by dessert.

  “Why did you agree to have dinner with me anyway?” he demanded.

  “So we could talk.” Not that it had done any good. He hadn’t told her anything she didn’t already know.

  “Talk?” he snapped. “But not about anything important.”

  She glanced at him, recognizing for the first time that being on the isolated road with Jared unnerved her. They hadn’t seen a car for several miles now. She felt alone and a little frightened. And told herself she was just being silly. She was with the county sheriff, for cryin’ out loud.

  “I think what’s happening on my ranch is important, Jared, but you refused to talk about that.”

  The muscle in his jaw jumped. His hands tightened around the steering wheel in a death grip. “Dammit, Del, you know what I wanted to talk about tonight. Us.”

  Her fear level rose like a rocket. She and Jared had been over this before. He just didn’t seem to want to accept it. “Jared, you and I are neighbors. There’s never been an us.”

  He looked ov
er at her, anger making his eyes dark beneath his Stetson. Suddenly he brought the pickup to a rattling stop in the middle of the road. The night seemed to close in instantly.

  “Del, you know what I want.”

  She stared at him, pretty sure she did, but equally sure he wasn’t going to get it. “Jared,” she said cautiously, hoping the three margaritas he’d had would help loosen his tongue and not make him actually dangerous. “You want my ranch.”

  He looked surprised. “No, all I’ve ever wanted was you.”

  That surprised her. She’d just assumed that the attraction was her ranch because it ran adjacent to his. “But I don’t feel the same way and you know it.”

  “Yeah. Well, that’s a problem, isn’t it?” He turned off the engine.

  “Jared, let’s not do anything here you’re going to regret,” she said more reasonably than she felt. Normally Delaney felt she could take care of herself. But that was on her ranch, where she wore something more than a dress and a pair of pumps. And on the ranch she carried a rifle in her truck or in her scabbard. Right now she had nothing but a quarter in her shoe to call for a ride home, a trick her mother had taught her after meeting Hank Lawson.

  Jared lunged for her. She elbowed him in the chest. That took the wind out of him long enough for her to jump from the pickup and slam the door in his face.

  IT WAS PROVING to be quite the night at the York Bar, Cooper thought as Angel moseyed up beside him, fingered the neck of his beer bottle and whispered, “I’ve seen you somewhere before, haven’t I?”

  Cooper smiled sweetly, figuring she’d had too much to drink, and said, “I believe we met at the Rockin’ L the other day, ma’am.”

  She laughed, filling the bar with a sound that did everything but shatter glass. “No, I’ve seen you somewhere before that. I never forget a face. Especially one like yours.”

  Cooper glanced over his shoulder to see Buck standing behind her, looking mean. “Can I buy the two of you a drink?” Cooper asked, sliding off the stool to put a little distance between Angel and him.

  “No, thanks,” Buck said with a snarl.

  Angel bumped Cooper’s beer as Buck tried to steer her away. It splashed on the bar. Buck and Angel both grabbed for the bottle, making Buck swear and Angel giggle as they finally saved it from tipping over.

  “Come on, Angel, it’s time to call it a night,” Buck said firmly.

  “Oh, Buck, you’re such a party pooper,” she whined.

  To Cooper’s relief, she went willingly enough. But at the door she stopped to call back to him.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll remember. I always do.”

  That’s what Cooper was afraid of.

  STANDING IN THE middle of the road, a half-dozen yards in front of the pickup, Delaney felt like a scared teenager, not sure what to do next. Couldn’t Jared see the foolhardiness of this? She heard his side of the pickup open. Surely the night air would bring him to his senses.

  “Dammit, Del, get back here.” He stood silhouetted against the lights of the truck. “This day’s been coming for a long time.”

  Delaney pulled off her pumps, ready to run.

  “Oh, come on, Del. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  He took a step toward her. She took two back, stepping on a sharp rock that she felt go right through her stocking.

  “You going to walk all the way home?”

  “If I have to,” she said. “You’re half-drunk, Jared. And you’re acting like a damned fool.”

  “I’m not drunk, and fool or not, I’m in love with you, Del.” He took a step closer. “I know what you need. I can make you happy, if you’d just give me a chance.”

  “Jared—”

  “Let me finish!” he snapped. “Del, don’t you see, this is an opportunity for us. We don’t have to get up in the middle of the night and check calves or foals in thirty-belowzero weather. We can put all of this behind us.”

  “What are you talking about?” she asked, backing up.

  “Leaving ranching altogether. I’m talking about selling and going away together. We’ll be rich, Del. We can go anywhere we want.”

  Leaving ranching? Going away together? “How long have you been thinking about this, Jared?” she asked. Maybe Cooper was right. Jared was behind her problems, but not for the reason Cooper had thought. Jared didn’t want her ranch; he wanted her to sell it and take off with him.

  Jared shook his head. “What does it matter?” he asked belligerently. “You’re not interested, right?”

  She took two more steps back, hoping she could outrun him if it came to that. “And who are we going to sell our ranches to?”

  He looked down at his boots. “What difference does it make?”

  She had a feeling it made a big difference. He said they’d be rich. Neither of their ranches was worth that much. Was he just exaggerating?

  “I’m sorry, Jared, but I’m not selling my ranch. Not to anyone.”

  “But what if you can’t keep it, Del?” His voice had dropped dangerously low. He moved closer. She got ready to run. “What if you don’t have a choice?”

  The roar of an engine and a set of lights came up over the rise in the road. Jared swore and hurried back to move his pickup off to the side. The lights came around Jared’s pickup at a snail’s pace. Delaney moved to the center of the road to flag down the driver. Anyone was safer than riding with Jared Kincaid.

  “Del?” Buck asked as he rolled down his window.

  She got a whiff of Angel’s perfume from the passenger side of the pickup. It hadn’t been empty long, Delaney figured.

  “Buck, boy is it good to see you. I sure could use a ride home.”

  He glanced back at Jared’s pickup, now pulled over to the side of the road, engine running. “Jump in.”

  She started around the front of Buck’s pickup, when Jared came roaring up beside her. As he rolled down his window, she saw that his face was an angry red, his eyes wild.

  “Get in this truck right now, woman,” he said through gritted teeth. “Don’t you embarrass me in front of your ranch manager.”

  She felt her own anger simmering just below the surface. “Jared, I’m going to forget this night ever happened. But don’t you ever make the mistake of trying something like this with me again.”

  He glared at her. “You’re crossing the wrong man, Del. You could live to regret this.”

  She hoped it was just the booze talking, as she walked around to the passenger door of Buck’s rig. She heard Jared gun his engine and roar off.

  COOPER STILL HADN’T finished the beer Ty had bought him, when Jared walked into the York Bar. The couple of beers Cooper had had before to dampen his sorrows if not drown them had left him feeling even more out of sorts and a little woozy.

  But when Jared slammed into the bar and ordered the bartender to pour him a Black Velvet ditch and make it a double, Cooper’s mood improved considerably. Jared looked anything but happy. The date must not have gone well, Cooper thought with a grin.

  “Let me buy you a drink,” he said, moving down the bar with his now-warm beer to pull up a stool by the sheriff.

  Jared glared at him, scooped up his ditch the instant the bartender, a guy named Dude, set it in front of him, and drained it. “Give me another one, but this time put some booze in it.” Jared turned to face Cooper. “You got a problem, cowboy?”

  Cooper shook his head and grinned. “Just wondering how your date went.” He thought for a moment Jared was going to take a swing at him. The idea appealed to him, until he remembered Jared was the sheriff, which reminded Cooper how much he hated being behind bars.

  “Better than yours,” Jared said, looking around the nowempty bar.

  Cooper laughed. “Yeah. You got me there. It’s been pretty lonesome here.”

  Jared seemed to calm down by the second drink. He took a buck from the bar where the bartender had left his change and went over to the jukebox. He punched a couple of numbers, then came back and told Cooper to finish the
selection off. Cooper didn’t have any real interest in listening to music, let alone picking songs, but he did it because he got the idea Jared was trying to be nice to him. And that made him real suspicious.

  He punched “Pretty Woman” and “Your Cheating Heart,” then joined Jared back at the bar.

  “Delaney tells me you’re not a bad hand,” Jared said after a moment.

  Cooper doubted Delaney had told him that. Or that the two had talked about him at all.

  “I could use a decent hand. And I pay more than Del.”

  Jared was offering him a job? Cooper wanted to laugh in the man’s face. “I’m flattered, but I kind of like working for Ms. Lawson.”

  That didn’t seem to please the sheriff. “Well, you won’t be there long.”

  Funny, that’s the same thing Ty had said. “How’s that?” Cooper asked.

  Jared took a long sip of his drink. “I mean I figure a man like you will be moving on pretty soon. I would imagine you’d be missing the rodeo. Am I right?”

  “You sure got me pegged.” He could feel Jared studying him in the mirror above the bar.

  “So, were you any good?” Jared asked.

  Cooper tried not to be insulted. “Good enough not to starve.”

  Jared chuckled and finished his drink. Cooper pushed some money across the bar and motioned for Dude to freshen the sheriff’s drink. Cooper caught a look of something stronger than dislike that passed between the bartender and Jared.

  “You know, I’ve got a horse that no one can ride,” Jared said to Cooper after a moment. “He’s called Hell’s Fire. The meanest bronc I’ve ever seen. I bet even you couldn’t ride him.”

  “How much would you bet?” Cooper asked, taking the bait.

  Jared smiled. “You’ve probably heard about the little rodeo I put on each year at my place. It’s Saturday. I’d make a substantial wager personally, if you were interested. Then there is always the prize money.”

  “Let me think about.” Cooper excused himself to take a trip to the men’s room. He didn’t doubt for a moment that Hell’s Fire was a mean horse or that Jared was hoping he’d get himself killed riding it. But the idea of going to Jared’s ranch for the rodeo appealed to him. He told himself it was just because it would give him a chance to look for the barred-shoe horse. He’d had a strong feeling for some time that he was going to find the horse on the Kincaid ranch. He assured himself riding Hell’s Fire had nothing to do with the thrill of rodeoing or personal pride, although he had to admit he’d love to ride the bronc to show Jared.