with their pseudoChristian mask. They go to church all the time and quote all kinds of
rules, but it's all for show. They don't possess an ounce of real faith."
"Didn't Jon ever tell you what he'd asked me? He said he would."
Allie shook her head. "He only said if I was ever in trouble to come
to you. Maybe he didn't want to worry me. I I think it seems a little
extreme, his solution, I mean. You've been in special ops. Surely you
can pull some strings and make the problem go away."
He smiled, his white teeth catching a glint of moonlight. "No strings
that could alter a custody battle. They'll find you eventually, but there
would be nothing they could do if we were married and I adopted Betsy"
She studied his face, the strong planes and angles, the determined
jaw. Jon said Rick was one in a million, but she couldn't imagine being
tied to him for the rest of her life. Maybe it wouldn't have to be that
way. "W we would divorce once Betsy was secure?"
"If that's what you want."
Was that relief she heard in his voice? He probably didn't want this
any more than she did. Maybe she wasn't his type any more than he
was hers. "I'll think about it," she said, turning to flee to the safety of
her room.
RICK DISMOUNTED GUNNER AND SCANNED THE FAINT MARKS IN THE DUST.
Two people, one smaller than the other, had left their tracks in the
pasture behind the barn. Maybe a man and a woman or a man and a
youth. Or the tracks could have been made before last night. He was
too tired to tell.
He shaded his eyes with his hand and let his gaze wander over the
hills around the ranch. There was no movement other than a jackrabbit darting from shrub to shrub.
"Anything, Cowboy?" Charlie asked.
"Nope." Rick dropped his hand back to his side. His gaze lingered
on Charlie's new saddle. "Nice chrome. You must have spent a year's
pay on that."
Charlie grinned. "It was worth it."
"Did you hear anything last night?"
Charlie shook his head. "I fell asleep with the TV on. The volume
was kind of high." He gestured to the tracks. "Could be illegals. I'd
guess a couple wandered through here and tried to catch a ride.
Maybe the big cat scared them off."
"Maybe." Rick wasn't buying it. "You go to rodeos.You ever see her?"
"Allie? She was working the rodeo in El Paso I went to last month.
I told her Elijah might be able to help Betsy."
"What do you know about her?"
Charlie mounted his roan mare, Freckles. "Her parents were killed
in a small plane crash about a year ago. Her mom was Anna Morgan."
Rick whistled. "I heard about that crash. It will probably be a long
time before anyone breaks Anna's record. Most barrel racing wins.
She was a phenomenal rider."
"Word was Allie had a good shot at it. I saw her in one event. She's
fast. She had a great horse. I wonder what happened to the mare?"
The men turned their horses' heads to the trail that rambled to the
top of the butte. A good barrel-racing horse was worth as much as
forty thousand dollars. Plus whatever she got from her parents' estate.
"So the poverty act is just that all show." His lip curled at the
memory of the way she'd wolfed down the sandwich. And he'd fallen
for the act. What a sap.
Charlie shook his head. "Not according to the chute boss who told
me about it. Her dad liked toys: his own plane, the best of everything.
Wasn't much left after everything was sold, and she sold the horse to
pay for trying to fix Betsy's problem."
Rick regretted his cynicism. Okay, maybe she wasn't just a good
actress. He eyed Charlie. "You sure know a lot about it."
The kid flashed a grin toward Rick. "She's a hottie, man, in case
you didn't notice. So, yeah, I watched her."
"She's a little long in the tooth for you."
"Only ten years or so. Her sister was a real looker too."
"Was?" Though Rick knew she was dead, he wanted to probe a
little. Maybe Charlie had heard some rumors.
"She was murdered about a month ago, I think. What a waste."
Rick pulled up on the
rules, but it's all for show. They don't possess an ounce of real faith."
"Didn't Jon ever tell you what he'd asked me? He said he would."
Allie shook her head. "He only said if I was ever in trouble to come
to you. Maybe he didn't want to worry me. I I think it seems a little
extreme, his solution, I mean. You've been in special ops. Surely you
can pull some strings and make the problem go away."
He smiled, his white teeth catching a glint of moonlight. "No strings
that could alter a custody battle. They'll find you eventually, but there
would be nothing they could do if we were married and I adopted Betsy"
She studied his face, the strong planes and angles, the determined
jaw. Jon said Rick was one in a million, but she couldn't imagine being
tied to him for the rest of her life. Maybe it wouldn't have to be that
way. "W we would divorce once Betsy was secure?"
"If that's what you want."
Was that relief she heard in his voice? He probably didn't want this
any more than she did. Maybe she wasn't his type any more than he
was hers. "I'll think about it," she said, turning to flee to the safety of
her room.
RICK DISMOUNTED GUNNER AND SCANNED THE FAINT MARKS IN THE DUST.
Two people, one smaller than the other, had left their tracks in the
pasture behind the barn. Maybe a man and a woman or a man and a
youth. Or the tracks could have been made before last night. He was
too tired to tell.
He shaded his eyes with his hand and let his gaze wander over the
hills around the ranch. There was no movement other than a jackrabbit darting from shrub to shrub.
"Anything, Cowboy?" Charlie asked.
"Nope." Rick dropped his hand back to his side. His gaze lingered
on Charlie's new saddle. "Nice chrome. You must have spent a year's
pay on that."
Charlie grinned. "It was worth it."
"Did you hear anything last night?"
Charlie shook his head. "I fell asleep with the TV on. The volume
was kind of high." He gestured to the tracks. "Could be illegals. I'd
guess a couple wandered through here and tried to catch a ride.
Maybe the big cat scared them off."
"Maybe." Rick wasn't buying it. "You go to rodeos.You ever see her?"
"Allie? She was working the rodeo in El Paso I went to last month.
I told her Elijah might be able to help Betsy."
"What do you know about her?"
Charlie mounted his roan mare, Freckles. "Her parents were killed
in a small plane crash about a year ago. Her mom was Anna Morgan."
Rick whistled. "I heard about that crash. It will probably be a long
time before anyone breaks Anna's record. Most barrel racing wins.
She was a phenomenal rider."
"Word was Allie had a good shot at it. I saw her in one event. She's
fast. She had a great horse. I wonder what happened to the mare?"
The men turned their horses' heads to the trail that rambled to the
top of the butte. A good barrel-racing horse was worth as much as
forty thousand dollars. Plus whatever she got from her parents' estate.
"So the poverty act is just that all show." His lip curled at the
memory of the way she'd wolfed down the sandwich. And he'd fallen
for the act. What a sap.
Charlie shook his head. "Not according to the chute boss who told
me about it. Her dad liked toys: his own plane, the best of everything.
Wasn't much left after everything was sold, and she sold the horse to
pay for trying to fix Betsy's problem."
Rick regretted his cynicism. Okay, maybe she wasn't just a good
actress. He eyed Charlie. "You sure know a lot about it."
The kid flashed a grin toward Rick. "She's a hottie, man, in case
you didn't notice. So, yeah, I watched her."
"She's a little long in the tooth for you."
"Only ten years or so. Her sister was a real looker too."
"Was?" Though Rick knew she was dead, he wanted to probe a
little. Maybe Charlie had heard some rumors.
"She was murdered about a month ago, I think. What a waste."
Rick pulled up on the
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