Читать книгу Unrepentant Cowboy - Joanna Wayne - Страница 10

Chapter Four

Leif had totally expected the afternoon to be a drag. As it turned out, the hours were flying by.

The doc was a pixie in jeans whose gentle persuasion with four-legged patients ten times her size was amazing. More impressive, not one of the seasoned ranchers had questioned her techniques or treatments. She undoubtedly knew her stuff.

This was their third stop, this one an emergency. Joni was tending a colicky horse that hadn’t responded to the rancher’s attempts to alleviate the pain.

The fretful horse was a two-year-old gelding. The panicky owner was a girl named Ruby, who appeared to be about Effie’s age. Joni’s stall-side manner was equally as reassuring to Ruby as it was to the horse.

His phone vibrated. Leif stepped away from his viewing spot just inside the barn door and checked the caller ID. Serena. He started to ignore the call. But if he didn’t answer, she’d call again. Serena was a very persistent woman.

Besides, he felt a little guilty about ignoring her while he was pretty much mesmerized by a female vet.

“Hello.”

“Leif, hi. It’s Serena.” All signs of the irritation she’d exhibited at his breaking their date had disappeared from her sultry voice.

“Hi, yourself. What’s up?”

“I was just wondering how your day with your daughter is going?”

“Better than expected,” he admitted without explaining that he wasn’t actually with Effie.

“Does that mean you can escape that horrid ranch and return to civilization soon?”

“The ranch isn’t horrid,” he corrected her. He had nothing against fresh air, open spaces or even horses and cattle. “It’s the ranch’s owner I have a problem with.”

“Then tell him that and head back to Dallas.”

“It’s not quite that simple. My schedule depends on Effie.” And Joni’s truck that he sure as hell wasn’t about to mention.

“I have an offer neither you nor Effie can refuse,” Serena crooned in her sexiest voice. “If you leave for Dallas now, you’ll get home in time to show Effie how much more exciting Dallas society life is compared to hanging out with a bunch of smelly horses.”

“That would be a hard sell with Effie.”

“What if I throw in a fabulous outfit for her to wear? Just tell me her sizes and I can have one of the personal shoppers at Neiman’s pick out a dress and shoes and have them delivered to your condo.”

“What’s the occasion?”

“Mallory George called a few minutes ago. Her daughter and son-in-law canceled for the opera tonight and Mallory’s invited us and Effie to share their box.”

He tried without total success to keep from laughing. “You have about as much chance of talking Effie into an opera as I do talking you into a hoedown.”

“I’m not sure what a hoedown is but even the name sounds disgusting.”

“Exactly.”

“But I’m not just suggesting a musical performance,” Serena persisted. “Afterward, there’s a champagne reception for the world-famous soprano who has the starring role. It’s black tie. Glitz and glamour equal to any D.C. event.”

“I’m pretty sure Effie’s not high on glitz and glamour.”

“Nonsense. Any teenage girl alive would be thrilled with this opportunity. Your daughter will be so impressed, she’ll forget all about horses and that Dry Goon Ranch.”

“I wouldn’t count on that, and it’s the Dry Gulch Ranch.”

“Whatever.”

“Look, I appreciate the offer, Serena, but even if I wanted to give it a whirl, I can’t make it back to Dallas in time.”

“You could if you left now.”

“Sorry. No can do. This is Effie’s day, and she’s determined to spend it in the saddle. You go to the opera and reception and have a marvelous time. I’ll call you next week after Effie has flown back to California. We can get together then.”

And when they did, he’d be honest with Serena and try to explain to her and himself why he had no enthusiasm for continuing a relationship with one of the continent’s most beautiful women.

“After Thanksgiving I’ll be in Miami for two weeks on a photo shoot,” Serena said, sounding irritated. “And then I’ll be flying to London for a Vogue shoot. I won’t be back in Dallas until Christmas. I explained all of that to you last week. Did you forget?”

“Of course not,” he lied. “I’ll call you in Miami.”

“If that’s the best you can do, don’t bother.”

“I don’t think this is the best time to discuss this.”

“There’s nothing to discuss. It’s clear that I’m at the bottom of your list of priorities.”

That was about the size of it. Still he hated breaking up over the phone. It was kind of like leaving a note on the pillow the morning after. Zero class.

“We should talk, Serena, but now isn’t the time.”

“Save your breath, Leif. There’s nothing left to talk about.” She broke the connection.

He felt like a louse. A relieved louse. But to be fair, he’d warned her from the first he wouldn’t be putting a ring on her finger or going furniture shopping. He was not a forever-type guy.

His phone vibrated again as he slipped it back in his pocket. Evidently, Serena had more to say.

He took the call. “I’m sorry if I pissed you off,” he said, “but—”

“What?”

Damn. It was R.J. “I thought it was someone else on the phone.”

“Must have been a woman.”

“How’d you guess?”

“You started the conversation with an apology.”

“Good point,” Leif agreed. “Is the doc’s truck ready to roll?”

“Nope. Turns out the battery’s dying in my driveway might have been a blessing. That old jalopy has a slew of problems.”

“Like what?”

“An oil leak. Hoses that need replacing. An engine in desperate need of a tune-up. It’s a wonder the darn thing ran at all.”

“Sounds like Joni needs to become bosom buddies with the local mechanic.”

“Or else buy a new truck,” R.J. said. “In the meantime, I told Abe to go ahead and take care of what needs fixing.”

“Don’t you think you should have talked to Joni first?”

“Nope. No use to jaw about it when something has to be done. Can’t have a sweet thing like Joni riding around in a vehicle that’s likely to leave her stranded on some dark country road. When Abe’s finished, the doc’s ride should be as safe as a banker’s wallet.”

Leif had his doubts about that. He figured the only guarantee that truck would be safe was to replace it with a new one. “Did you get a cost estimate?”

“Don’t matter. Abe’s fair. He’s not gonna rip off anybody. I told him to bill the repairs to me. Joni can pay me back whenever she has some spare cash lying around.”

“That’s mighty generous of you.” And presumptuous. The same kind of controlling behavior that made R.J. think he could order his adult children around after ignoring them all their lives.

R.J. might convince Effie this sudden concern for family was genuine. Leif wasn’t buying it.

“Where and when do we pick up the truck?” Leif asked.

“Abe says it won’t be ready until late—maybe not until tomorrow. Just bring Joni back here with you and she can have dinner with us. After that one of us can drive her home if the truck’s not ready.”

There he went again. Making decisions for other people without consulting them. “Did it occur to you that Joni might have other plans for the evening?”

“Do you always go looking for complications, Leif? Sure you do,” he muttered without waiting for a response. “You’re a damned attorney.”

“I suppose you have a problem with that.”

“Don’t go getting riled,” R.J. said. “Didn’t mean it as an insult.”

Of course he had, but Leif didn’t give a damn what R.J. thought of him. “I’ll extend your invitation,” Leif said. “Whether Joni accepts or not is up to her.”

“Tell her Adam is grilling some Dry Gulch steaks. Hadley’s cooking up her twice-baked potatoes and Mattie Mae made a couple of her famous pecan pies. If Joni has plans, she’ll break ’em. Eatin’ don’t git no better than that.”

So Adam and presumably his wife and daughters and a woman named Mattie Mae would all be there. A family dinner; only they weren’t Leif’s family and never would be. Hopefully, Effie had come to that same conclusion after half a day with her illustrious grandfather and was ready to put the whole family togetherness scene behind her.

“Can you put Effie on the phone?”

“I could if she was around.”

“Where is she?”

“She and Hadley are riding the range. They’re liable not to show up back here before dark.”

“I thought Hadley had young children.”

“She does. Lacy and Lila are here with me and Mattie Mae. We got a mean game of Chutes and Ladders going.”

A doting grandfather—now that he was dying. “I’ll give Effie a call on her cell phone.”

“Capital idea. Let her tell you how much fun she’s having. That girl loves horses. Knows a lot about them, too. Bright as a new-mint penny and more spunk than you can hang on a barbwire fence.”

“Effie can do most anything she sets her mind to,” Leif agreed. Her mother had made that claim about her many times over the past fifteen years, not always as a compliment.

“Tell Joni if she has any questions about her truck to call me or Abe,” R.J. said. “Otherwise I’ll catch her up to speed at dinner.”

“I’ll see she gets the message.” Leif ended the call and punched in Effie’s cell number. She didn’t answer until the sixth ring. When she did, she sounded breathless.

“Dad. Guess what I’m doing?”

“You’re out horseback riding with someone named Hadley.”

“How did you know?”

“Your—” He barely caught himself before the word grandfather slid off his tongue. “R.J. told me. Sounds as if you’re having fun.”

“I am. We were galloping like the wind. I didn’t hear the phone until we stopped to let the horses drink from a creek that just appeared like a mirage.”

“I’m sure the horses appreciate that.”

“They do. You should see Aunt Hadley’s horse. She’s a beautiful chestnut filly that Uncle Adam gave her for her birthday.”

“What kind of horse are you riding?” he asked. Finally, Effie was communicating, and he wanted to encourage that—even if it was all about the horses at Dry Gulch Ranch.

“My mount’s a black quarter horse named Dolly and she’s perfect for me. She’s spirited, but she stood real still until I was in the saddle. And she responded to my every pull on the reins as if she had no problem letting me be in control.”

“That sounds like the perfect horse, all right.”

“Aunt Hadley named her horse Kenda. It’s an Indian name that means magical powers. Aunt Hadley says Kenda has the power to fill her heart with joy.”

“Nice name.” Aunts, uncles, a new grandfather. Effie was jumping on the family plan as if she was starving for relatives. Yet she’d all but closed him out since the divorce.

He’d tried everything he knew to get closer to her. It pissed him off royally that R.J. had gotten her to Texas with just a note and a promise of horses.

“We rode all the way to the gulch that the ranch is named after,” Effie continued. “It looks like a plain old gully to me, but it was dry as a bone.”

“I think I missed that on my tour.”

“We can go riding tomorrow and I’ll show you the gully and the pool we’re at now. Grandpa says he has the perfect horse for you.”

Probably one that would buck Leif off the second he settled in the saddle. And now Effie was talking about tomorrow like it was a done deal.

“There’s an old foreman’s cabin nearby,” Effie said. “No one lives inside, but I bet they could if they made a few repairs. I wanted to go inside and look around, but Aunt Hadley says it’s full of spiders and scorpions. We’re steering clear of it.”

“Very smart of you and Hadley.”

He’d like to stay clear of everything on the Dry Gulch Ranch, but if it took riding horses to connect with his daughter, then he’d have a sore butt and thighs by this time tomorrow.

That didn’t make R.J. the winner. Once Effie went back to California, R.J. would hopefully fade back into the woodwork.

By the time Leif finished his conversation, Joni, Ruby and the young rancher—a man named Latham Watson—had stepped outside the barn and Joni was giving them instructions for follow-up care.

He waited until Joni turned his way, smiled and motioned him over.

“Does this mean the patient is on the mend?” he asked.

“Benjy is resting now,” Ruby said. “I was afraid he was going to die, but Dr. Griffin knew exactly what to do.”

“But you need to watch what he eats,” Joni said. “No more leaving a bucket of apples where he can get to them.”

“I won’t,” Ruby promised.

“I guess I better watch what goes on in my own barn a little closer, too,” Latham said. “Got more on my plate some days than I can handle.”

“I told him he needs to find a wife,” Ruby said. “Mom’s been dead for two years. That’s long enough for him to get married again. Don’t you think so, Dr. Griffin?”

Joni put up her hands and waved off the question. “Can’t look to me for advice on that. I’m just the vet.”

“I told Ruby I’d marry again when I found the right woman,” Latham said. “You can’t go rushing those things.” They talked a minute more and then Joni was ready to move on.

The sun inched toward the horizon as Leif and Joni started back to his car, and the air started to grow cooler, though it was still warm for November. Leif had shed his lightweight denim jacket two hours ago.

The puddles from yesterday’s storm had vanished, leaving the carpet of grass beneath their feet bouncy but dry. Even the oppressive humidity that had refused to acknowledge the arrival of fall had dissipated in the wake of last night’s rain-producing front.

Leif took a deep breath, his lungs suddenly hungry for the fresh air. Somewhere along the way, without realizing it, he’d actually begun to relax. Thoughts of work and Edward Blanco had taken a backseat to watching Joni work.

He opened the passenger door for Joni and then walked around to his side and climbed behind the wheel. “Do you mind if I put the windows down?”

She laughed. “I understand completely. I get a little rank after a day in the stalls. You’ll probably have to have your vehicle fumigated after chauffeuring me around all day.”

“It’s not that bad,” he teased. “A half-dozen cans of deodorizing spray and it’ll be good as new.”

“Except for the odor of antibiotic ointment. That has a shelf life of forever.”

“Now you tell me.”

Leif started the car and headed back the way they’d come. “Actually, I was just thinking how nice and fresh the air smells out here.”

“Spoken like a man who spends far too much time in a stuffy office.”

“Everybody can’t be a cowboy.”

“Too bad. You’d look good in a Stetson and a pair of Western boots.”

“I’ll have you know, I own a pair of genuine, handmade ostrich-skin Western boots. When I wear them, I have to fight the urge to don a rhinestone jacket and break into a country ballad.”

“Oh, no. Not another urban cowboy. You should take me shopping with you, and I’ll point out when you look ridiculous.”

“While you snicker behind my back?”

“Never. I’d snicker to your face.”

“That’s helpful. So where to next?”

“I’m through with my scheduled calls, but I do have one more stop to make. I promised my favorite cowboy I’d bring him a special feed mix for his steer.”

“Your favorite, huh? Now you’ve gone and made me jealous.”

“You should be. Jeffrey is too cute for words. Of course, he’s also only eleven years old and the steer is one he’s raising for his 4-H project.”

“So where do Jeffrey and his steer live?”

“About a mile down the road we turned off on to get here. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the feed with me, which means I have to go back home to pick it up.”

“Where do you live?”

“About twelve miles from here, almost to the downtown area of Oak Grove, but near Abe’s repair shop. You can drop me there if you don’t mind. I have no idea what happened to Corky, but Abe surely has the new battery installed by now.”

“Unfortunately, I have bad news. It seems the battery is only the beginning of your problems. Abe is making a few additional repairs.”

“When did you hear that?”

“R.J. called while you were tending Benjy. The truck may not be ready until tomorrow.”

She grimaced, took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. “What else have you heard and why do I suddenly see dollar signs dancing in front of my eyes?”

Leif explained the situation, including R.J.’s taking charge.

“That sounds just like R.J. Always ready to jump in and help.”

Unless you happened to be a son he’d abandoned. Then you could live in hell and he wouldn’t bother to send you a glass of cold water. “How many miles does your truck have on it?”

“Just over 150,000.”

“Sounds as if it might be time to put it out to pasture.”

“Easier said than done. I’m emotionally attached.”

“To a truck?”

“Don’t laugh. It got me through four years of undergrad work, four years of veterinary school and a one-year internship with a clinic in Oklahoma specializing in equine insemination and breeding. Getting rid of it would be like dumping an old friend.”

Impressive. Joni was committed to a worn-out truck. Leif had never kept a vehicle long enough to need new tires. His record with relationships was worse.

But with that much schooling under her belt, apparently Joni Griffin was not as young as he’d assumed.

“Your old friend is not as dependable as he once was,” Leif said. “Maybe you should start looking for a nice retirement home for lovable metal scrap.”

“There’s also a money issue,” Joni admitted. “My school loans devour a huge chunk of my salary every month. I was hoping to make a dent in them before I had to purchase a new truck.”

“I could help you get a low-interest vehicle loan.”

The comment surprised him. He was not one to jump into women’s financial issues. Not that he wasn’t generous. He just didn’t like ties that might bind.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” Joni said, quickly letting him off the hook. “Blake has already offered to front me the money if I need a loan. I’ll take him up on it if I have to—after I pay R.J. back for this round of repairs. Who knows? Abe and his mechanics may do such a good job that the truck will run for another fifty thousand miles.”

“Good luck with that. So, moving on, I have a proposition you can’t refuse,” Leif said.

“I can if it involves loans or getting rid of my truck.”

“Nope. It involves food, reputed to be as good as it gets.”

“You’ve got my interest.”

“Adam is grilling steaks, Hadley is making her specialty potatoes and Mattie Mae—whoever she is—is baking pecan pies.”

“My mouth is watering already.”

“Perfect since R.J. insists I bring you to dinner. And I’m sure I can use a little moral support around that table.”

“Something tells me you can hold your own. Tell R.J. how much I appreciate the offer, but this should be Effie’s special night with her newly found grandfather and a chance for you to connect with R.J., as well. I don’t want to butt in.”

“Trust me—you wouldn’t be butting in. This is not going to be the return of the prodigal son. Besides, Effie will love talking veterinary work with you.”

“I’d have to go home and shower first and then someone would have to take me home after dinner. That’s a lot of extra driving.”

“Not so much. I’ll take you home to shower and pick up the special feed, go with you to deliver it and then we’ll show up at the Dry Gulch just in time for dinner.”

“That’s really not necessary, Leif. I’ve already taken you away from your daughter too long.”

“I don’t appear to be missed. Effie’s horseback riding with Hadley and may not make it back to the house until dark. And you have to eat.”

“I have to admit it’s hard to turn down Mattie Mae’s pies,” Joni admitted.

“Then it’s settled. All I need are directions to your house and an explanation of how Mattie Mae fits into the Dry Gulch family.”

“She’s R.J.’s housekeeper, cook and longtime friend. She and her husband owned the neighboring ranch until he died a few years ago—or at least that’s what I’ve been told. Now she lives in a small house in town, just across the street from the Oak Grove post office.”

“The way R.J. talked I thought she lived at the ranch.”

“No, she has her own home, but she spends some nights at the ranch. She has a bedroom suite on the second floor with her own bathroom.”

“So she’s not a romantic interest?”

“Not according to Hadley.”

“It doesn’t really matter,” Leif said. “I was just curious as to whether or not R.J. was still chasing skirts. So which way to your place?”

“Go back the way we came. Take a right at the first fork and then turn right again when we get to the highway. The last turnoff is just before we reach the downtown area.

“I’ll tell you when to turn when we get there. But don’t expect much from the house. It’s old and furnished in what I lovingly call junk chic.”

“Sounds fascinating. Do you live alone?”

“Yes, it’s just me in a rambling old house that was meant for a large family. But after sharing an apartment with two other students for most of the past five years, all that space seems heavenly.”

They settled into an easy silence as he drove. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this relaxed with a woman, especially one as attractive as Joni. Maybe it was because she lived in R.J.’s world, and that made the possibility of a romantic entanglement a total impossibility.

There was something about her that got to him, though. He wasn’t sure if it was the perky personality, the cute nose with its spattering of freckles or her smile. But together, they were awesome.

There had to be a lot of cowboys fighting for her attentions.

“Take a left at Baxter Road,” Joni said after they’d driven for about eight miles. “Then mi casa is two miles down on the right.”

Once Leif made the turn, the scenery changed from fenced pastures to heavily wooded areas. An occasional driveway, some with multiple mailboxes, wandered into the thick clusters of trees. Now and then a house was partially visible through the pines and golden-hued oaks.

The isolation was a chilling reminder of the Oak Grove murder. A woman alone in any of these houses would be an easy target.

“Is your house visible from the—” Leif stopped midsentence as streams of bright yellow police tape came into view. It wound around and through the links of a metal gate and a chain-link fence that edged the road. This time the drive sported only one rusted mailbox.

A pickup truck had pulled onto the shoulder and a man was leaning out the window snapping pictures of the house that would have gone unnoticed were it not for the bright-colored tape. As it was, Leif could barely make out a railed front porch and part of the roofline.

Two sheriff’s patrol cars were parked in the driveway near the road. Leif pulled to the shoulder just past the pickup truck for a better look. No defense attorney could turn down a crime scene.

“I guess you heard about the Oak Grove woman who was murdered sometime yesterday,” Joni said. She shuddered and pulled her arms tight around her chest. “That’s where she lived.”

“Did you know her?” Leif asked.

“I know her name was Evie Monsant and that she lived alone.”

“That’s more than they were reporting last night.”

“She kept to herself. I’ve seen her at her mailbox, but she always looked away and pretended not to see me wave. She does the same with the other neighbors.”

“She must have talked to someone.”

“Not unless she had to. She’d only been in the area a few months. Gossip was that she was a recent widow and still grieving.”

“Seems unlikely that a grieving widow would move to an area where she had no friends or family and then make it a point not to meet anyone.”

Joni lowered her window a couple of inches. The slight breeze ruffled her short hair, sending dark wisps dancing about her face. “The news report I heard said she might be a victim of The Hunter. I would have never expected that in Oak Grove.”

“That’s merely speculation,” Leif said. “I wouldn’t put any trust in that at this point.” Leif shifted into Drive, pushed down on the accelerator and sped away.

“But it does sound like his other murders,” Joni argued. “An attractive woman living alone. An isolated setting. Leaving her in the woods after sexually assaulting her and then inflicting wounds with what appears to be a hunting knife.”

“If the murder was the work of The Hunter, he’s probably long gone from here by now,” Leif said. “He’s never killed in the same area twice in the past and his murders have always been months apart.”

Still, Leif was getting bad vibes about Joni living so close to the victim.

A few minutes later they reached her drive. It was on the same side of the road as the victim’s. The woods surrounding her house were just as thick.

He pulled into the dirt driveway leading to her house. Lengthening shadows crept across the gray clapboard porch, intensifying the feeling of isolation as Leif stopped a few yards from the front door.

Joni sat up straighter, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. When she turned toward him, her eyes mirrored the same dark thoughts that were eating at him.

He put an arm around her shoulders. She nestled against him, and a surge of protectiveness swept through him, stronger than any in recent memory. That was far too quickly followed by a kick of arousal, especially when Joni snuggled closer in his arms, her head resting beneath his chin.

Joni pulled away quickly. He didn’t know what she was feeling, but there was no denying the sensual jolt he’d experienced. He should run and run fast.

Instead he killed the engine and stepped out of his car.