It caused a big ruckus at the town meeting, since all the ranchers on this end of the county showed up demanding the council hire someone sympathetic to our needs. I was in that room, so I know. She remembered how outraged several ranchers had felt when the new hire had been announced. My dad said we ought to give you a chance, and I can see he was right. I guess I expected someone much different from you.
And you can admit you were wrong about me?
It appears Im going to have to. They crested a hill, and the wind picked up, whipping with a frenzy and driving ice through her clothes. Fords phone rang. For a moment there shed forgotten they werent alone.
Chapter Five
His call done, Ford flipped his phone shut and jammed it into his pocket. He could have used some good news since he was frozen. Even his bone marrow was officially iced over. When hed been cozied up in his old apartment near Chicagos Chinatown considering a change, being a small-town sheriff sounded nice. Friendly. Warm. Especially since hed interviewed in September when the temperatures had hovered in the high seventies.
He was glad it would be exciting, too. Nothing like chasing cattle rustlers to liven up things. Might as well start his new career off with a bang. It had a huge perk, too. Maybe lovely Autumn Granger was looking at him with a new perspective.
Sheriff Benton said they lost the trucks. Because of the storm, they had to put down. He hated to have to deliver the news.
Im thankful no one was seriously hurt this time.
He heard that catch in her voice, the grip of emotion she probably thought she could hide. This time?
Weve had rustlers before. Didnt the mayor fill you in?
He mentioned a little trouble now and then. Now that he was clued in on the definition of trouble in these parts, it all made sense. Trouble at the Green Ranch last spring, a few incidences of it through the year. First thing Monday morning he would be in the office going over old files. What happened?
My dad. Her voice wobbled, betraying her. He didnt have to ask to know it had been a serious hit. He waited for her to clear the emotion from her throat, wanting the rest of the story.
He was in the ICU for six weeks. For the first two we didnt know if he would live or die. I stayed at the hospital with him, and I cant tell you how terrifying it was to wait through every minute of those two weeks praying he would survive. She took a shaky breath, batted snow from her face and turned her horse cross-ways into the wind. Come to think of it, I shouldnt have let him come out tonight. Next time Ill remember to hogtie him in the kitchen.
He heard a tad of humor in her words and a daughters love. You wouldnt do it, and he wouldnt want you to.
True. Plus, hes a good shot. He brought down the helicopter, so its good I allowed him out of the house.
Something tells me you know how to use that rifle youre carrying. Youre just as good a shot.
Sure, because my dad taught me. More warmth and way too much affection to measure. A shadow rose out of the stormthe roofline of a stable. She dismounted clumsily, a little frostbitten. This probably doesnt come as a surprise, but I was a tomboy. I loved being outdoors with my dad riding horses, mending fences, feeding the cows.
Daddys girl. It was easy to picture her trailing after Granger, her red hair up in pigtails, riding the fields and hills just as shed ridden them tonight. He tried dismounting and found that his right leg didnt want to move. After some encouragement he managed to swing it over the horses rump and land on the ground, not that he could exactly feel his feet.
Youll thaw, she informed him breezily as she whistled and the horses followed her. Light and warmth beckoned through the fierce storm. When he closed the stable door behind them, he discovered he couldnt feel his hands as well as hed thought. The Lord was busy in this world full of strife, but Ford really didnt want to lose a finger. It was his fault he didnt have a better pair of gloves with him. A mistake he would not make again. He peeled off his mittens and blew out a sigh of relief. Pink skin, not white.