Colton 911--Caught in the Crossfire Read online

  Or had he just been acting on that very unwanted attraction on his part? For, yes, she was clearly fit and smart and skilled at what she did, no matter how much older than him she was.

  And after that kiss, despite its brevity and his attempt to be humorous, he knew he wanted her. Only for a night, or perhaps for several nights. He didn’t want any relationship, though, especially not now. Not ever. It had nothing to do with their age difference and everything to do with the fact he’d been dumped by someone he’d thought he cared about and he never wanted to deal with anything like that again.

  Dear Georgia. Leaving him at the altar like that, shattering his expectations for the future. Damn, but it had hurt.

  Still, sex now with Melody? Oh, yes.

  Not now, though. Not under these circumstances.

  Now, he just lay there in the faint light of the lanterns, feeling the hardness of the ground beneath his sleeping bag digging into his shoulder and the rest of him, warmed maybe too much by the bag’s enveloping cover...and the lust he was tamping down. Fast.

  He listened to the silence across the tent from him.

  He also listened for any sounds outside. He wasn’t certain but thought he might have heard some clomps of hooves, just stomping down but not disappearing into the distance.

  A snort, perhaps, also from a horse?

  Nothing at all from Melody. What was she thinking? She surely couldn’t have fallen asleep that fast.

  Especially considering that kiss.

  That kiss. Again, why had he done it?

  And why had it seemed so appropriate, despite their being mere colleagues now, most likely for a while?

  Yet, who was she really? He recalled again the name on her driver’s license that he’d seen: Ellison, and not Hayworth. What did that mean? He was the one in law enforcement, and if he’d been in town he’d have attempted to check it out. Was she using an alias on this job? If so, why?

  Or was she simply married without telling anyone about it?

  And why did it make a difference to him?

  But out here, Melody and he were the only humans in sight, for now just seeking stolen cattle. They might need to work even more closely together to get the cattle back and take down the thieves on their own, if there was insufficient time to bring in backup. He had to rely on her. On her integrity. And did an inconsistency in her name mean there were other inconsistencies in her life that he should be concerned about?

  Or—

  Well, despite the brevity of their acquaintanceship, the fact they were working together and the inappropriateness of any feeling for her other than as colleagues, he’d come to like the woman, in addition to wanting her.

  She seemed nice. She liked animals. She had a job she liked and was dedicated to it and her employer.

  Enough of this. He was overthinking the entire situation.

  It was time to go to sleep. After all, they needed to awaken at dawn to continue their mission.

  Sleep, he commanded himself.

  And eventually, maybe an hour later, his body complied.

  * * *

  Melody woke up early, as she’d intended, the next morning.

  Or maybe she hadn’t slept at all. She thought she’d dropped off now and then but couldn’t be certain. She hoped so, though. She needed to be wide-awake to continue their journey to find the missing cattle.

  And falling asleep in the saddle was simply not an option.

  She lay there for a short while, listening. Yes, she believed the soft, regular sound she was hearing was Casey’s deep breathing, while he was still asleep. He wasn’t snoring, though. That was a good thing.

  She thought again, for maybe the millionth time, about his kiss last night. He’d been joking, right? Only it had turned her on even more than her attraction to him that she’d been fighting somewhat successfully—somewhat being the operative word.

  And now?

  Now she simply couldn’t, wouldn’t, let it happen again—no matter how much she yearned to be the one to start the next kiss...

  Enough of this. It was time to get up. Get going.

  For now, though, she remained as quiet as she could, as she unwrapped herself from her sleeping bag, slipped her shoes back on and glided out of the tent.

  And stopped. It was gorgeous out here! She’d seen lovely Arizona sunrises before from around the ranch house, but this was spectacular. The sky was multiple shades of bright orange, a beautiful coverlet that lit up everywhere, showing the distant hillsides and mountains in silhouette. Some clouds in the sky gleamed white, streaking through the vivid color.

  It was startling. Stunning. Incredible.

  Okay, she had to share this. She hurried back inside and found Casey sitting up in his sleeping bag.

  “You’ve got to come and see this!” she exclaimed.

  Before she could explain what this was, he was on his feet. He was still dressed in the clothes he’d been wearing yesterday, as was she. This wasn’t a place to stick on, or even carry, PJs. “Are the rustlers out there? Should I grab my gun?”

  She laughed, but what did she expect from a deputy sheriff on the job?

  “No, I want you to come see something good that has nothing to do with our cattle quest.”

  He looked puzzled. “What—?”

  “Get your shoes on and I’ll show you.”

  Like her, that was one thing he hadn’t had on when ensconced in the sleeping bag. His boots, the same as he’d worn while in uniform, were beside him, and he immediately pulled them on.

  Melody didn’t wait any longer. She pushed open the tent flap once more, stooped down and straightened when she got outside.

  It hadn’t changed. That beautiful sunrise was still there. If anything it was even more breathtaking since the few white clouds interrupting the color had disappeared. The orange gleamed brighter, but Melody knew that it all could disappear fast as the sun rose even more.

  “Wow,” Casey said, stopping short. “I’ve seen great sunrises before, even out in open areas like this, but I’ve never seen any as amazing as this one.” His tone sounded awed, even reverent, and Melody was surprised—no, shocked—when suddenly he reached out beside him and grabbed her hand.

  His was somewhat cool and definitely strong as he tightened his grip—not too tightly, but she had no doubt that he was there and hanging on, sharing with her, united in this special moment.

  And her? She tightened her own hold as well. They were sharing a lot of experiences these days, and this one was definitely the most spectacular so far.

  She found herself taking a step sideways, closer to him. Feeling his arm, in its long-sleeved blue T-shirt, against her own arm. Without thinking about it—much—she leaned her head against his arm as she continued to observe the universe around them, still holding Casey’s hand for another minute. Longer.

  Off to the side, she heard a couple of equine snorts, and that brought her back to her senses. So did the fact that the incredible orange of the sky had started to fade just a bit in some places to a softer peach.

  “Wow,” she echoed. “But I think it’s time for us to start getting ready to go again.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” He let go of her hand, and she looked up, smiling at him—and his eyes caught hers. He stared down at her, and she felt her face nearly freeze, then melt as his mouth moved downward and met hers.

  This kiss was softer, more tender, than the one they’d shared before, but it still got to her. She reveled in the feel of his growing facial hair. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him there.

  And felt regret when they both pulled away, as well as a bit of shock.

  “I think we’d better stay away from sunrises,” she gasped as she backed even farther away from him. “This one must have somehow mesmerized us.” She shook her head slightly, then turn
ed to look beyond Casey to the other side of their tent, where the horses were still tethered to the bushes, stomping a bit as if demanding attention. “Let’s get ready right now, and get on our way.” She said that even more firmly this time, figuring he wouldn’t object, anyway, but made it clear she wouldn’t tolerate an objection or delay.

  Especially because her mind returned to reality. They had a job to do. An important job. Finding and saving those cattle. And who knew what kinds of danger that might involve, even later today?

  “Absolutely,” Casey said, sounding all business, and when she looked back she saw that his expression had changed from the softer look he’d aimed at her after their kiss to one that appeared much more serious. He must be thinking about reality now, too.

  Without looking back toward Casey, Melody hurried over to untie Cal’s tether from the bush and started leading him once more to the nearby creek, hearing the crunching of dried leaves beneath her feet and Cal’s hooves in the cool morning air. She expected Casey to follow, and he didn’t disappoint her.

  In fact, the guy seemed never to disappoint her in anything since she’d met him—was it only a day or so ago?

  She would definitely have to be careful. When all this was over, they’d have no reason even to stay in touch, let alone camp out together and observe stunning sunrises.

  And she knew only too well what it was like to have a real relationship end with a horrible jolt. She didn’t need to let herself get so involved with Casey that she’d feel even a little upset when they stopped seeing each other.

  They were business associates. Period.

  For the next twenty minutes, Melody worked on ensuring that the horses, and their own gear, were ready to go.

  After Casey and she performed some quick morning ablutions by the creek, they handed each other more of the snacks like those they’d eaten for dinner. She still had a bit of water left in her current bottle and added some water she filtered to refill it, then did the same for Casey and the horses.

  Casey handed her back her phone after detaching it from the charger, which he returned to his saddlebag. She used that opportunity to check the GPS.

  Damn. It appeared that the herd of cattle was on the move again. Most of them, anyway, increasing the distance from Casey and her, heading south. Was there something wrong with the system? One dot appeared still and not particularly near where the others had spent the night. Strange. But she’d had the GPS system act oddly at other times now and then.

  Of course, she’d been able at those times to tell one of the more senior ranch hands, usually Pierce Tostig. He took her to a tech store in Cactus Creek and had her phone checked and, when it needed it, fixed.

  That wasn’t going to happen out here. She just hoped it continued to work adequately for them to locate the herd, even if it had occasional glitches. And they could always check Casey’s phone, too.

  “You ready?” she asked Casey, sticking her phone into her pocket and mounting Cal. She studiously avoided casting a look toward her male companion with whom she’d shared such an amazing few moments earlier beneath the incomparable sky.

  “Yep.” Casey mounted Witchy as he spoke, then just sat there watching her, but only for a few seconds. “Let’s go.”

  Which they did.

  They were silent for a while. Melody couldn’t help seeing that sunrise in her mind over and over—and reliving its aftermath somewhat.

  Her hand enfolded in Casey’s.

  That kiss.

  And her regrets about it. Sure, it had felt wonderful at the time, but she didn’t want to feel that way about any man: close. She wanted to be with him. Wanted to touch him.

  But that could lead to more touching...more feeling.

  She felt a bit uncomfortable now and wanted to put those thoughts behind her and talk to Casey again like the professional colleagues they actually were and would continue to be, at least for a while.

  He was the one to ultimately break the silence as the horses kept walking at a swift pace through the grass and along the irregular meadow turf in the cool November morning. “I assume we’re headed the right way, according to your GPS, right?”

  “Right,” Melody agreed. “The cattle seem on the move toward the south, and that’s the direction we’re going. We need to speed up a bit since they’re continuing to move at the same rate as before, and it would take us a full day to catch up with them if they were standing still. There might have been a glitch, too.” She mentioned seeing the lone dot by itself. “Nothing major, fortunately. Even so, I just hope that’s not the case now.”

  “I hope so, too.”

  They were both silent again for maybe a minute. Melody didn’t like it. She looked at the vast green pasture in the direction they were heading. It was also broken up here and there by patches of trees or bushes and was a very pretty outdoor venue with a purpose: feeding grazing cattle.

  And horses, since, as they weren’t traveling extremely quickly, Cal and Witchy occasionally stopped to bite into a patch of grass, and she and Casey let them.

  Getting to their destination a few minutes later would be fine if their mounts remained healthy and well-fed.

  But—“What are we going to do if your GPS is entirely wrong?” Casey asked, aiming a troubled frown toward her. “Is that possible? I assume the one I downloaded would be the same.”

  “Yes, it would. And it’s possible for the GPS to be wrong, but very unlikely, fortunately. I’ve talked to other ranch hands about that kind of possibility, and also the tech guy in downtown Cactus Creek who takes care of the ranch’s system as well as the apps on our phones, and I never got the sense that there could be that kind of a major problem.”

  “But is the system obvious on the cattle? Are the rustlers likely to know about it and try to find a way to turn it off or, worse, somehow aim us in the wrong direction?”

  “Again, yes, that’s possible. But our Angus cows are all black, of course. Their tags that contain their ID numbers and GPS chips are dark and purposely attached to their ears, where they’re not particularly visible to people, even those who are specifically looking for them. But even so...”

  She had just remembered her own concerns about cattle security when she had started working at OverHerd Ranch and had mentioned them to Clarence and the other hands.

  Clarence had scoffed at her worries. He was the one in the business and he had done his research—or at least he’d hired and spent a lot of money for people who really knew what they were doing to install these kinds of location systems. Or supposedly knew.

  Even so, she’d had a suggestion. “What about bringing on some herding dogs and a trainer or two?” she’d asked him. “There are several different breeds that are popular and apparently quite skilled. They can help to gather and keep track of the cattle and find them if any go missing.”

  “Yeah, right, I’ve considered that,” Clarence had responded. “But that’s an added expense and, worse, having dogs around sniffing and circling them and barking might only make the cattle nervous. Our cows need to be able to procreate without getting all anxious and edgy because there are dogs around giving them a hard time.”

  Melody had considered doing some research and providing Clarence with evidence that having herding dogs around would be a big plus rather than a problem, but she’d decided against it. Sure, she’d had a lot of those kinds of dogs around at the ranches she’d worked at in Texas, but right now she needed to be sure to keep this job.

  And criticizing the ranch owner, who also happened to be a town bigwig, wasn’t a great idea.

  So she’d shut up about it.

  And wondered now if she should have tried again.

  She mentioned the idea to Casey. “Not that I’m an expert, but I’ve had good luck at past ranches where I worked, but Clarence wasn’t interested in giving it a try.”

  “Too bad. I like
the idea. And if there were dogs at OverHerd now we could have appropriated them to help us out here.”

  Melody felt a small surge of warmth inside that she quickly tamped down. He liked her idea. But so what? Clarence hadn’t, and that had been what was important then.

  And now?

  Now it was just Casey and her—alone.

  Chapter 8

  The slightly cloudy sky was mostly blue now, though it was still fairly early in the morning. Casey was glad that Melody, who now rode quietly beside him, had awakened him for that amazing sunrise.

  And had held his hand—well, let him hold hers—while they watched it. And shared a kiss...

  Okay. He was overthinking this, as he tended to do about Melody. Sure, he enjoyed being with her. Sharing things like the sunrise...and their kiss. But so what?

  He could admire her as a ranch hand, one who apparently felt comfortable instructing him in what he needed to know to survive and to do a good job out here chasing cattle and suspects. Even admire her looks. She appeared to be one heck of a woman.

  That didn’t mean he should allow his admiration for her to get out of hand, not only now, but also as their assignment continued.

  For now, he looked down at his horse’s neck and mane. Witchy was a nice, calm girl who walked steadily enough to keep Casey comfortable on the hard saddle he’d put back on with Melody’s help, along with the saddlebag. Today it had seemed pretty much routine. A stakeout with a beautiful cowgirl wasn’t really something he’d imagined while thinking of his career with the sheriff’s department, but it was enjoyable for now, partly thanks to Melody’s tutelage.

  When they actually found the missing cattle, things would change. He’d be in charge of handling that and making sure his department sent whatever backup was needed to bring down the perpetrators.

  He recognized that he was thinking a lot as he rode this morning. Melody and he had been quiet for a while, after she’d described how she had suggested to her boss, Clarence, that having dogs around would help with herding and locating lost steer. He’d thought that was a good idea, too. Another thing to admire about her, and maybe to talk about as they continued riding along the turf in the direction where the main herd of cattle appeared to still be heading.