Got em. He sounded grim. Trouble is, I think they got me, too.
It was strange to be woken out of a sound sleep by the dispatch operator and to hear the words, Cattle rustlers. Ford felt like he was sleepwalking through an old cowboy movie as he jumped into clothes and his Jeep. Lights flashing, he barreled through the sleeping town and along the rolling countryside, startling owls and coyotes as he broke speed barriers following directions to a ranch off Mustang Lane.
Good thing he knew where Mustang Lane was. That brought up images of the pretty red-haired cowgirl hed taken a shine tonow he was thinking like an old Western. Made it seem even more like a dream until he spotted the address he was looking for on a big black mailbox and the last name spelled out in silver reflective letters. Granger.
Autumns ranch. Fear gripped his gut as he gunned it, taking the gravel drive at a fast clip. It wove between a shadowed copse of trees and up a rise. Up ahead a two-story house perched, windows glowing like a beacon in the night. He followed the driveway to the side of the house and a detached garage with six doors. He hit the brakes, launched out of his seat and followed the porch light to the back of the house.
The door flew open before he reached the porch and a younger version of Autumn with serious blue eyes and red-brown hair stepped out to greet him. The college-aged girl had a streak of blood on her pajama top.
Autumn? He choked out, unable to ask the question. The fear in his gut cinched tight.
Youre the sheriff? You made good time from town. The girl spun on her heels, gestured to him and led the way toward the brightly lit back door. Justin and my sister are out there, and they havent come back.
His knees felt half-jelly as he forced his feet to carry him up the walk. Usually he was invincible, but the thought of Autumn out there facing armed thieves made him weak. He glanced around. Nothing but miles of rangeland and cattle. The paramedics were volunteers from town who were at least twenty minutes away. And a hospital? He had no idea where the closest trauma center would be.
This was a sign. He cared more about Autumn than hed realized. He stumbled up the steps, across the porch and into the bright lights of a spacious kitchen.
You must be Ford Sherman. A brawny man in his early fifties sat at a round oak table with his chair pushed back, T-shirt sleeve rolled up and fresh sutures exposed. He stood and extended his good hand. Glad to meet you. Im Frank Granger.
Looks like youve been better. They shook. Hed seen a wound like that before. You took a bullet.
Flesh wound, mostly. Granger didnt look troubled by it.
Dad, sit down. Another red-haired young woman pointed to the chair and scowled at him. Youve been shot.
Yeah, but its not bad.
I dont care. Youre going to sit down and stay down. This daughter, who looked to be somewhere in her mid-twenties, dabbed a swab along tidy stitches, her stern tone at odds with the affection on her face. You could have been killed.
Nothing vital got hit.
You still could have slipped off your horse, rolled down the ridge and died, so you will stay in this chair or Ill rope you into it. She dropped the swab into a wastebasket and reached for a sealed package of gauze. Im almost as good as Autumn when it comes to calf roping, so dont tempt me.
Women. Frank shook his head, good-natured, as he eased back into his chair and turned to the business at hand. Out in the field, I got a few good shots in. Didnt see a fireball, but I probably forced them down. If I did, they couldnt have gone far. Theyve got an injured man with them and likely one on the ground.
I havent been briefed on all this. As a country lawman, he was out of his depth. Back in Chicago they would set up a perimeter and start a search. Anyone else hurt?
Dont know. Havent heard from Justin, my oldest son. Hes either out of cell range or in a lick of trouble. Since I havent heard gunshots, Im guessing he and Autumn are safe.
Autumn. The worry in his gut cinched one notch tighter.
Ow, Cheyenne. Granger winced and yanked his arm away. Arent you done yet? I gotta go.
Do I need to get a lasso? the daughter threatened.
Honey, you go right on ahead, but remember this. You cant outrun me. Frank winked, rolled down his sleeve and bounded to his feet. Cmon, sheriff. Lets go huntin. You know how to ride a horse?
Ill manage.
Thats the spirit. Granger opened a cabinet and tossed him a rifle. Youll need this. That little Glock youre packing might not do the trick.
Fords fingers closed on the cold metal stock, and he clicked into action mode. The setting might be different, but the task was the same. This was what he knew. This was what he was good at. He led the way out the door, down the steps and into the night.
I cant believe this. Autumn rode up alongside her brother on the ridge. Below rolled the shadowed meadows and lowland hills, and a herd of quarter horses huddled in the hollows. You walked up here?
As fast as my boots could carry me. His grip tightened on the binocs. Had a blowout. Someone knifed the tires. I was lucky to get as far as I did.
Puts a whole new light on what happened to the truck. Autumn slipped down, rifle in hand.
My guess is that every tire in the place is flat.
Mine, too. See anything around that smoke cloud?
The chopper has to be down, but I cant get a look. If weve got rustlers on the ground, we might have a chance of rounding them up. He pocketed his binoculars in his bulky winter coat. I need a horse.
Take Aggie, I can get Bella out of the field. She slid to the ground. How many men are there?
Wont know for sure until we ferret em out, but we do know theyre armed and likely to be cranky at us for grounding them. Justin bounded onto the mare, talking quietly to her. Aggie wasnt used to being ridden by anyone else, and she cast a long, pleading look before Justin signaled her with his knees and pressed her forward down the crumbling slope.
Autumn stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled. In the meadow, a few colts moved closer to their mamas, and mares lifted their heads nervously. Only one horse broke from the herd and paraded head up, mane and tail flying.
Bella. Autumn slipped and slid down to the valley floor, startling small creatures and dodging a stray bat. When she reached her girl, she noticed that there was foam on her withers and her sides were heaving.
Did that helicopter bother you, too? Autumn rubbed the mares nose. Did you think you were missing out on the fun?
A loving nicker, and Bella pressed her face against Autumns stomach, leaning in. Sweet. She ran her fingers through her old girls forelock like always and laid her cheek against the hard plane of horsey forehead. Just for a moment. A greeting between old friends.
I missed you, too, girl. She broke away, rifle still in hand. Are you ready to ride?
In perfect understanding, her friend whinnied, head up, tail flicking. They were a team. Theyd always been the best team. She grabbed a fist of mane and swung up, Bella already moving. Without a single lead, the mare wheeled in the direction where Justin and Aggie had disappeared and took off, confident, racing the wind.
I missed you, too, girl. She broke away, rifle still in hand. Are you ready to ride?
In perfect understanding, her friend whinnied, head up, tail flicking. They were a team. Theyd always been the best team. She grabbed a fist of mane and swung up, Bella already moving. Without a single lead, the mare wheeled in the direction where Justin and Aggie had disappeared and took off, confident, racing the wind.
Fencing was down. It was hard from this distance to tell if it had been cut or torn down by running cattle. The cows could be hurt, and she didnt have her pack on her. She flipped open her cell, but still no service. When they reached the hard path along the fence line, she caught sight of Aggie and Justin trying to gather the nervous animals.
Helicopter! Justin called out, pointing to the south. Looked like it was approaching the ranch house. The bird was white and well lit, the countys south-boundary sheriff responding.
Finally. Relief flitted through her. At least they wouldnt be stuck with an inexperienced city sheriff in this dangerous situation. Ford Sherman might well be a good city lawman, but she couldnt picture him riding bareback in the middle of the night while sighting and shooting a rifle. Sure, he had been great in town earlier, getting Loren on the horn, and her truck towed, and interviewing anyone within earshot of the diner. But this? Probably not. A lot of men, even strong alpha men, werent suited to it.
These cows arent all ours, Justin called out when she and Bella ambled closer. I see Parnells brand and someone elses.
Why am I not surprised? This was premeditated, well planned, and theirs wasnt the only ranch hit. Good thing Dad had taken down the chopper. Are we safe here?
Dont know. Lets get the cattle behind a working fence and worry about it later. Justin flanked the herd on one side, leaving her the other.
Cmon, girl. She could feel Bella eager to go, and they took the near side, gathering the herd toward the downed fence. They made short work of it, moving together in rhythm, familiar and at ease. When she spotted three Parnell steers trying to break free, she brushed her heels against Bellas side and they neatly drove the animals back to the herd. A job well done. Justin dismounted and worked the downed wire while she held the curious cattle in the field.
Someone cut this, Justin called over his shoulder, hauling up a fence post and ramming it back into its mooring. They were going to drive the combined herds down the boundary road and into trucks.
We caught them in time. She would have felt relieved, but the back of her neck tingled. They werent alone. As if Bella felt it, too, the mare stiffened. Her head went up and her ears swiveled as she scented the wind. The horse was telling her someone was out there. Autumn hefted her rifle, safety off. She sighted north, searching the rolling fields through her scope. Justin? Weve got company.
I hope its not the rustlers. We are seriously out-gunned. Justin tightened a wire, raised his rifle and peered through his scope. It took him a beat to survey his side of the ridge. Its Dad and some stranger.
What stranger? Alarm settled into the pit of her stomach. She followed the rise of the ridge with her rifle until she saw Dad astride Rogue clear as a bell through the scope. She recognized the man following him. Ford Sherman, riding one of their horses and looking confident and as sure as any western sheriff. Trouble was definitely on the way.
Chapter Four
Ford saw next to nothing in the dark except for a few feet ahead of him. What he could see disappeared in a fast drop. A looming cloud cover obscured all of the stars. He could make out a hint of the hillside cascading downward into an abyss. At the bottom of that abyss, Autumn Granger gazed up at him open-jawed. Looked like the last thing she would ever figure was to see him riding and not falling off a horse.
Half-hidden in the night and graced by shadows, she was breathtaking. He took in the sight of her bareback astride an unbridled palomino, both woman and horse luminous in the night. Autumn wore no hat, and her long unbound hair tangled in the breeze. She looked powerful and free and impossibly sweet, holding that rifle at half-mast. He wondered if she saw him as a city boy now, and pretty much hoped hed gone up a notch in her estimation.
Gunfire spit through the air and made his mount dance. Ford kept his seat, squeezed slightly with his knees and spoke gently to calm the fine quarter horse he was riding. No stranger to gunfire, he lifted the rifle and carefully sighted and searched the dark line of the hill rising slowly to the north. He couldnt see much with the cloud cover moving in, but he had range, so he squeezed the trigger, pretty sure where the shot had originated. The Winchester kicked hard against his shoulder, but the distant spit of rock fragmenting and a faint, pained curse told him hed hit true.
Good shot, Sheriff, Granger told him. Youll do.
Glad to hear it. The echo of gunfire faded, and there was no mistaking the scatter of footsteps. Shadows slipped from behind boulders and trees heading for the fence line. Looks like I flushed them out.
Lets try to round em up. Weve got some hard riding ahead, so hang on.
Dont worry about me.
Granger led the way down the ridge, plunging into the dark like some fearless rodeo stuntman.
You can do this, cowboy. He took a breath and tightened his grasp on the horses mane, and off they went. It had been a long time since hed been on horseback, but some things a man didnt forget. The symmetry of an animals gait, the ripple of muscle and the swing of a horses walk were unlike anything else. Without stirrups, he gripped his knees forward and leaned back to fight gravity on the steep slope. He didnt take his gaze from the fleeing shadows far ahead. Autumn rode into sight, chilling his blood. Did the woman know she was riding straight into danger?
Something cool brushed his cheek. Snow? He didnt have time to do more than wonder. His horse leaped the last few feet to the valley floor and broke into a smooth, flawless gallop. He was trailing the others. Without a word between them, the family circled the area like the ranchers they were, looking to round up stray cattle. Autumn was in the lead. She stayed left, flanking the area, thinking to cut them off at the section property line. He remembered the rugged dirt lane cutting through the fields, where hed first met Autumn. Now it was the rustlers means of escape.
Ignoring the faint beats of the county helicopter and the patter of more snowflakes against his face, he raised his rifle to scope the land. It was tricky because of the horses constant motion. Something gleamed darkly ahead. He recognized the barrel of a semiautomatic. Adrenaline spiked, clearing his senses. Because of the lay of the land, Autumn couldnt spot the danger, but he could. The rustler hed downed was prone on the ground, providing cover for his buddies, who were running as fast as they could for the tree-lined river. Ford took careful aim. Lord, dont let me miss.
Autumn! Grangers call of warning split the night.
Ford squeezed, and his shot fired in unison with Grangers. An eternity passed in a millisecond while he waited with fierce red rage beating through him. Finally the gun flew out of the rustlers hands and he toppled backward, winged. The helicopter beat more loudly, visible through the newly falling snow, lights flashing. The horse beneath him didnt shy from the distraction but reached out, eating ground, gaining altitude on the hillside. He felt rather than heard his cell ring. He hated to lower the rifle, but he fished the phone out of his pocket.