A little overkill, considering the only vehicle they came across was Jeremy Miller in his semi-sized tractor rumbling toward them at a leisurely clip. Autumn waved when Jeremy did.
Whos the yahoo with the lights? The rancher leaned out his window.
The new sheriff.
Just my luck. I didnt think he was supposed to start until December.
Neither did I. She glanced over her shoulder. The sheriff had eased back behind her to give the tractor his lane. Did you see Parnell back there?
Spotted two of his girls riding down the hill. They ought to catch up with you in a few. Jeremy tipped his Stetson and raised his window, so that air conditioning and satellite radio kept him comfy and entertained as he rolled along. She suspected he waved to the sheriff, but she didnt look to be sure.
I give him three months tops before he heads back to Chicago, she thought, glancing over her shoulder. Yep, there he was back in the oncoming lane, trying to keep the cattle from drifting over into it, determined to protect the ranching population of White Horse County from a few cows on a rangeland road. Poor guy. Probably really thought he was helping.
She spotted the Parnell girls on the next rise. Both high school girls trotted along the road, horses manes flying. When they were closer, one of themAshleighheld up a small pail and rattled it. Grain!
Cow heads swung higher. The promise of cookies was forgotten as excited moos rang out and the three dozen animals took off at an eager lope.
Thanks, Autumn! Hazel called out.
No problem. She drew Aggie to a stop and rested her hands on the pommel. The saddles leather was cool from the near-freezing temperature.
Is that the new sheriff? Ashleigh asked.
So Im told. Behind her she heard a door whisk open and an engine idling.
I didnt know he was in town already. Cool. The girls wheeled their mounts and took off, trailed by their pets, who raced after them. Why are you here? Autumn urged Aggie around to face the newcomer. Its not December.
Came early to get settled in. Im not officially on the clock yet. The mayor told me I could have the car for personal use. Part of my salary.
That and youre the only officer around, so you get to answer all the emergency calls. Even in the middle of the night. Did he tell you that?
I heard a fleeting mention. The mayor made it sound like it was no big deal. Do emergency calls come in a lot around here?
I have no idea. She dismounted with a creak of the saddle and the thud of her boots on the road. Couldnt be more than five foot three, he decided. She stood a full foot shorter than he did.
Is there anything else I should know? Wait. Maybe I dont want to hear it. Maybe next youll be telling me Millers rental house is really a henhouse. Couldnt say why he felt the need to tease another smile from her, but he did.
No, but it is a barn.
What? Hed only been joking. His pulse screeched to a stop. A barn? Hed trusted the real estate agent, who was the mayors wife. Thats what I get for renting sight unseen.
You figured you could trust us honest country folk, right? Her hazel eyes, an amazing combination of browns, greens and golds twinkled like veiled trouble.
He didnt think she was laughing at him, but she was having fun with him. He had the feeling he wasnt the first city boy whod come to these parts and had decided to banter with the pretty cowgirl. Very pretty, he corrected. So pretty that hed like to get to know her more.
Living in a barn wont be so bad. She turned to her saddle pack and dug through the leather bag. Think of it this way. Because of all the animals, you will always have company. Youll get the full country experience. Plus, you wont have to pack water far at all, since theres an outside pump nearby.
Pump? That didnt sound like the place had indoor plumbing. Are you serious? No, youre kidding me.
You read all those Westerns. You ought to know about ranch life. She handed him a roll of duct tape. Its probably illegal to drive without a functioning side-view mirror. Good luck, Sheriff.
Do you want to have dinner with me?
Nope. Im busy tonight. That was an urban dude for you, always eager to play the dating game.
Any night, then. How about Friday?
Cant. Busy then, too. She swung into the saddle, settled into the stirrups and considered the man leaning against the side of his four-wheel-drive. He was trying to look suave while clutching a roll of tape and standing next to a dangling mirror. The cows had not been kind to the vehicle. Heres a hint. Country girls arent dumb or easy. Have a good evening.
I never thought
She pressed her heels to Aggies side and the mare took of, eager for the day to be over, too. Autumn tipped her hat as they raced by. This wasnt her first experience with a city sheriff come to town.
I dont know about that guy, she told herself, leaning forward in her saddle as Aggies gait changed to a canter. Sheriff Ford Sherman might not be Denny Jones, but he may as well be.
The drum of Aggies steel shoes became pleasant music to match the wind whistling in her ears as they raced home.
Chapter Two
A barn? Not only was Ford surprised to learn the tractor guy was his landlord, but his new dwelling was a barn. Imagine that. The pretty cowgirl hadnt been pulling his leg after all.
Ought to have everything you need, Jeremy Miller was saying as he paced across the bars of sunshine from the front window and dropped the keys on the windowsill. Except furniture. You got a truck coming? If not, I could put in a call to the furniture store over in Sunshine. Its the closest big town around until you hit Jackson.
Ive got a moving truck coming with my stuff.
Good luck with that. Jeremy tipped his Stetson and lumbered toward the open door where a fly buzzed in. Took the liberty of getting the phone company out here to set you up. Should be here day after tomorrow. My cousin works for the company and squeezed you in.
That was thoughtful of you, Jeremy. Thanks.
No problem. Least I can do for the new sheriff. Just do me a favor, will ya? Miller halted on the porch. Give me some notice before you bolt.
Bolt? Like leave?
When youve had enough of small town life. Itll happen, dont you worry. Youre not the first sheriff Ive rented to.
That didnt bode well. What was wrong with the job he didnt know about? Learning from Autumn Granger that maybe the emergency calls came in more often than hed been led to believe had thrown him. Maybe hed made a mistake burning the bridges of his old life to come here.
I hope this isnt one of those impulsive decisions I live to regret, Lord.
Give me a call if you need anything. Jeremy bobbed his head in a single noda gesture of goodbye, country style.
Ford did the same, his movements echoing in the wide open space of the living area. Outside the slam of a trucks door ricocheted like a bullet through the quiet and a pickups motor turned over and rumbled away.
Alone in his new place, he paced across the high-gloss oak floor and stared out the bay window. The horse barn had been totally remodeled with sedate gray siding, white trim, ivory walls and indoor plumbing. He batted at the lone fly, smiling as he thought of Autumn Granger. He did not know what to think about the woman, but he liked her. Hard not to like a gal who carried a holstered .45 at her hip and a lasso on her saddle.
Alone in his new place, he paced across the high-gloss oak floor and stared out the bay window. The horse barn had been totally remodeled with sedate gray siding, white trim, ivory walls and indoor plumbing. He batted at the lone fly, smiling as he thought of Autumn Granger. He did not know what to think about the woman, but he liked her. Hard not to like a gal who carried a holstered .45 at her hip and a lasso on her saddle.
Granddad would have loved seeing all this. Ford frowned, shaking his head. Too bad he hadnt made this change earlier, when his grandfather had been alive and hed been more optimistic about his life.
Regrets. He shrugged them off. A pack of cows was grazing out beyond the small patch of lawn behind red posts and three skinny strands of barbed wire. He saw one of them eyeing his Jeep and hoped to high heaven those animals didnt get out and gnaw something else off the poor vehicle. One of the first things on his list would be to drop by the feed store for treats. Without them, he feared the Jeep wouldnt last long.
His stomach rumbled. That got him thinking about dinner. Maybe he would mosey down the street and see what he could rustle up.
WHAT ARE YOU still doing here?
Good question. Autumn leaped over the last two stairs, landed in the kitchen and grabbed her purse off the table by the back door. She tossed a grin at Rori, her friend, the familys temporary housekeeper and her older brothers fiancée. Im about an hour late. My friends are going to disown me.
You? Never. Rori hefted a big pan of pasta over the sink and upended it. Water and noodles tumbled into a steel colander. Have fun.
I intend to. For a change. First it had been calving and foaling season, then it had been harvest and hay. The last time I had a free night in town it was February.
The life of a rancher. Why exactly did you want to do this for a living?
No idea. Must have been out of my mind. She found her truck keys in a drawer, wished Rori a good night and flew out the door.
Whoa there, little lady. Her dad, Frank Granger, caught her before she charged into him. Where are you off to in such a hurry?
Its my night off, remember?
I didnt know you were allowed one of those. He chuckled. That was her dad, Mr. Humor.
Ha, ha. I wont be out too late, but dont wait up. She danced around him, skipping down the porch steps, two at a time.
Youve got a four-thirty wake-up call, girl.
I know! As if she could forget. Shed been waking up that early as long as she could remember. Really. Dad must think he was hilarious. She could be a comedian, too. Hey, guess who Im giving a riding lesson to on Saturday?
Uh, are you still doing that? Frank swept off his Stetson. Something passed across his rugged face that looked a lot like interest.
Yeah, thats just what shed thought. She kept going, running backwards. Cady Winslow. The nice lady new to town who bought one of my horses? You remember her, right?
I suppose. He cast his gaze down, as if looking at some trouble with one of the porch boards.
Good way to hide his interest, but she wasnt fooled. She tripped along the concrete path. You could drop by the arena tomorrow if you want. Hang around. Offer some advice.
Im sure youve got it covered. A faint blush crept high on his face. Have a good time tonight, darlin.
Sure. That was the problem with men in this family. They didnt give much away. They acted as if real feelings were something to be wrestled down and extinguished.
Autumn, you know weve got an early morning tomorrow. Her older brother Justin called out as he slipped between the fence boards. Dont be too late.
Late is the story of my life. The dinner bell on the back porch clanged, signaling the time as she hauled open the garage door. Six oclock. Late, late, late. Her friends were used to it. Shed been leaving them to order for her for years.
She jammed the key into the ignition, turned over the engine and took the driveway as fast as she dared. Gravel crunched beneath the tires and dust rose up in her back trail, blocking all views of the pretty two-story ranch house tucked between the orchard and a copse of aspen.
The second she hit the county road, images of the new sheriff dogged her. His wide-shouldered stance. The dimples bracketing his grin. Confidence beaming from him like the sun from above. Gorgeous. She was a total softy when it came to a man with dimples and big baby blues. A sign she couldnt give this man an inch. She gave the truck a little more juice, ignored the posted speed limit by a few miles per hour and kept an eye out for wildlife and livestock.
The trick was to keep the to-die-for new sheriff out of her mind. She glanced at the dashboard clockeight minutes after six. Yikes. A hawk swooped low in the road in front of the truck. She hit the brakes to miss it. The creature sailed away, and in that unguarded moment her thoughts returned to Ford Sherman. She would never forget the look on his face when he realized the cows were destroying his Jeep. Thats something you dont get in a Western movie, she thought.
If only she could have witnessed the look on his face when he saw his remodeled barn. That would have been priceless. No doubt he was mighty relieved to discover he had indoor plumbing and not a single barnyard animal sharing his living quarters.
The radio blared, and Christian country songs accompanied her all the way to town. She skidded into a spot in front of the diner, leaped out of her truck and hit the ground running. After she popped through the front door and glanced at the clock behind the till, she wanted to pump her fist in the air. Shed shaved two minutes off her drive time.
There she is. Merritt waved from a booth halfway down the long stretch of front window. I cant believe my eyes. Shes here almost on time.
Before we had to order for her. Caroline twisted around to wave, too. Glad you could make it. We figured you got held up on the ranch.
Broken fence line, escaped cattle, met the new sheriff. I didnt think I would make it, but Scotty offered to take care of Aggie for me. Bless their best hired man. She dropped into the booth beside Caroline. Otherwise, Id still be in the stables. How have you been?
Lets go back to the part about you meeting the new sheriff. Merritt flipped a lock of brown hair over her shoulder and leaned one elbow on the table. So, spill. Is he young or old?
Cute or ugly? Caroline took a sip of soda.
Hes somewhere in this thirties. She grabbed the laminated menu and flipped it open. Not too ugly, I guess.
Well, he at least sounds promising Merritt fell silent, her sentence unfinished. Her eyes rounded.
A battered roll of duct tape landed on the edge of the table, held in place by a sun-browned hand. The hand was attached to a muscled arm, and she didnt have to look farther to know who belonged to that arm. Ford Sherman.
Not too ugly? His baritone warmed with amusement.
Okay, not the most comfortable situation shed ever been in. Good going, Autumn. She squirmed on the vinyl bench seat, wishing she could disappear beneath the table, spontaneously combust, anything to escape the embarrassment. Shed wanted to hide her interest in him, that was all. What she needed was a snappy comeback. What do you think, girls? We have certainly seen worse in these parts.