Читать книгу The Military K-9 Unit Collection - Valerie Hansen - Страница 14

TWO

“What can I do for you, Deputy...?” Jason paused and hoped she’d fill in the blank, because at this distance he couldn’t see the name etched on the gold pin on her brown uniform.

“You can keep your hands where I can see them and step closer, Mr. Hargrove.”

So she knew his name. Interesting. “You can call me Jason.”

Deciding it would be better to comply and not risk her getting a twitchy trigger finger, he kept his hands up and strode forward.

Sunlight gleamed on the ends of the red braid hanging over her right shoulder. And though the brim of her brown cowboy hat shaded her face, he might not know her name, but he knew she had deep blue eyes. It had been hard not to notice the pretty deputy on the rare occasions that he ventured into civilization.

He stepped through the slats of the fence, stopping two feet from her. His folks hadn’t raised a fool, so he remained very aware of the Glock leveled at his chest. Her little dog pranced forward to sniff his booted feet. Not finding anything interesting, the dog turned away, her nose twitching in the air as she followed the corral fence west.

The deputy frowned. “Ginger,” she said. The dog halted, glancing back. “Stay.”

Ginger sat and lifted her twitching nose.

Meeting the deputy’s gaze, Jason said, “She’s well trained.”

“She’s working,” she replied and tucked her weapon back in its holster, apparently deciding he wasn’t a threat. “I have some questions, and I want answers.”

Now that he didn’t have a gun aimed at his heart, the coiled tension left his muscles in one big rush. He leaned against a fence post to hide his relief. “I may or may not have answers.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Who else is on the ranch?”

“My housekeeper. Rosa came with the place.” He hadn’t had the heart to turn her out. She had no family in the area. Besides, she made the best chili con carne he’d ever tasted.

“Where were you last night and early this morning?”

“Here. What is this about, Deputy—” he asked again, and now that he stood closer to her, he could read her name tag “—Evans?” A bad feeling crept through him, reminding him of his days on the force before his world exploded. Tension tightened his gut. “What are you tracking?”

Her posture stiffened at his question. “Can your housekeeper verify that you were here?”

“I haven’t left the ranch in two days.” He pushed away from the fence post. “And yes, Rosa can provide me an alibi.” But to what crime?

He glanced around, realizing for the first time there was no car in sight. “Where did you come from? And why all the questions?”

“Police business.” She turned and headed for her dog.

He followed her. “Police business on my land? What gives?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

“You’re on private property, Deputy, and unless you have a warrant, you’re not going any farther.” He was the one who wanted answers now.

She whirled around and stared at him, her blue eyes flashing fire. “Then maybe I should just take you in.”

His jaw dropped. He held back a laugh. “How do you plan to do that? Piggyback?”

Her mouth pressed into a flat line. Her gaze accessed him as if deciding whether to draw on him again or not. Finally, she said, “We’re on the hunt for the Red Rose Killer.”

Indignation reared, but he tapped it down. “And you think I’m him?”

She tucked her thumbs into her utility belt. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

“Ginger doesn’t seem to think I’m the guy you’re hunting,” he pointed out.

Flicking the dog a glance, she shrugged. “I’m reserving judgment.”

He blew out a breath. “I like your dog. She’s a good judge of character.”

Her eyebrows twitched. “Normally.”

Sassy lady. He liked that.

She turned and stared out at the land that had soothed his soul these past six months. “How far does the fence stretch?”

“At least another five miles west. You don’t mean to walk the whole property line, do you?”

“If Ginger can recapture the scent, we’ll do what we have to do.” Determination underlined each word.

“How do you know she’s on the trail of the serial killer?”

After a moment of hesitation, she explained the morning’s events that had led her to his doorstep. Anger arched through him. Some madman was using his property to commit unspeakable crimes? He’d put a stop to the criminal’s trespass.

“So let me get this straight—you walked all the way from town? That’s a good six and a half miles.” Admiration for the petite deputy and her partner spread through his chest. “Come inside and let Rosa get you a drink while I saddle a couple of horses. Then we can follow your dog.”

The deputy licked her lips, drawing his gaze to her lush mouth.

“I don’t ride.”

Forcing back the attraction warming his blood, he stared. “That could be a problem. It’s really rough terrain when you get away from the main house. You’ll never make it on foot.” He turned and headed for the barn. “Looks like I’ll be heading out on my own to catch a killer.”

* * *

“No!” Serena couldn’t believe the audacity of this man. He might look all handsome in his worn jeans, plaid shirt and Stetson covering his dark hair, but there was no way she was going to let this cowboy in on her investigation.

He stopped outside of the door to the barn. “Change your mind?”

“I said I don’t ride. Not that I can’t.” She was an accomplished horsewoman but ever since she was thrown during a competition last year in front of the whole town when a snake happened to slither into the arena, she hesitated to get back on a horse. She’d had every idiom about attempting a challenge after failure quoted to her multiple times, especially by her parents, but the words fell flat. Nothing could erase the horror of the fall or the humiliation.

“Look, you’re a civilian. You can’t go off searching for a madman who has a gun.” She took out her cell phone. “I’ll call the sheriff.” The words tasted bitter on her tongue.

Her boss was not going to be pleased that she and Ginger had gone out on their own. Failing to follow the sheriff’s order to go home could result in her being fired. She could feel her cheeks heating with both embarrassment and a strange sense of guilt. Yet she couldn’t really say she regretted tracking the scent, not if they could bring the Red Rose Killer to justice.

“Listen, if you’ll ride with me,” Jason said, “I’ll have your back.”

Curling her fingers around the phone, she stared at the handsome cowboy. “You’ll have my back?” She wasn’t going to trust her life to a wannabe superhero.

The man stared at her with an intensity that made her want to squirm. She held still and lifted her chin.

“Come with me,” he said and walked into the barn.

Caution tripped down her spine. For all she knew he could be the serial killer terrorizing the town of Dill despite Ginger’s lack of alert. Keeping a hand on her weapon, she stepped into the cool barn that smelled of hay and horses. Jason disappeared inside a small office and returned a moment later. He handed her a badge and a leather-bound ID case.

She stared at the photo of Homicide Detective Jason Hargrove of the Dallas Police Department.

What was a big-city detective doing in the rural town of Dill?

She wanted to delve in and uncover the story, but time was of the essence. They needed to get back on the trail of the Red Rose Killer. She handed back his credentials. Lifting up a quick prayer that she wasn’t making a mistake in trusting Jason, she said, “Saddle up two horses. Ginger will lead us as far as she can.”