Kitabı oku: «AK-Cowboy», sayfa 2

Chapter Three

A choking lump in his chest all but cut off Troy’s ability to breathe. Tyler was standing a few feet in front of him. Tyler, his daredevil son who had tried Helene’s patience with his tough and mischievous ways. Tyler who had followed Troy around like a shadow from the day he took his first steps.

Not one or two awkward steps in the beginning, the way their other sons had learned to walk. No, Tyler had stood and waddled all the way across the kitchen to grab Troy’s leg before he stepped out the back door. Troy had swung him into his arms and taken him with him to the barn.

At two, when Tyler should have been content riding his jump horse, he’d begged to ride the biggest horse they had. At four, he’d kept up with his older brothers and mimicked all their antics while swinging from the rope at the swimming hole. At six, he’d broken his arm while trying to rescue a kitten from the top of an oak tree. At eight…

He stopped himself before he dropped into the abyss.

“Good to see you, son.”

“I guess I should have called.”

“No reason to, except that I might not have been struck speechless.”

“So my showing up like this is not an inconvenience?”

“It’s…” Troy searched for the right words and settled on the truth. “I’ve been waiting for this day.” He climbed the steps and joined Tyler and his lady friend on the porch, awkward and embarrassed by the onslaught of emotions that were tearing around inside him like crazed cats.

He’d love to hug his son, but the man staring back at him with the piercing brown eyes seemed all but untouchable.

Tyler rocked back on his heels and looked around. “Ranch looked good when I was driving in.”

“Dylan gets a lot of credit for that. He’s running the ranch with me. Fact is, he did it all for the first few weeks after my heart attack. Sean helped, too, until he moved out.”

“I heard Sean bought his own spread,” Tyler said.

“Yeah.” Troy wondered if Dylan and Sean knew Tyler was planning this visit. If so, they’d kept it quiet.

“Sean started a horse farm over in Bandera.”

“How is that working out for him?”

“Good. He’s got lots of plans, but he’s getting so many calls to work with and train other folks’ horses, he hardly has time to work with his own. Did you hear he got married?”

Tyler nodded. “Both him and Dylan.”

“Right. You have two new sisters-in-law and a step nephew. Family’s growing. Do Sean and Dylan know you’re here?”

“No. I thought I’d just surprise all of you.”

“You definitely did that.”

The silence grew awkward. Troy turned his attention to the woman standing next to Tyler. Nice looking. About Tyler’s age, or maybe younger. No wedding band.

“I’m Julie,” the woman said.

“And I’m Troy Ledger. Glad to have you.”

“I hate to intrude this way.”

“You’re not intruding at all. Any friend of Tyler’s is welcome here anytime.”

“Actually, I only met her a few minutes ago,” Tyler said. “I just gave her a lift. She’s here to see you.”

Troy saw the look that passed between Julie and Tyler, but he couldn’t read it. Could be attraction. Might just be tension that had to do with why she was here to see him. If so, he probably wasn’t going to enjoy the encounter with her. Nonetheless, he wouldn’t let her ruin this moment with Tyler for him.

“Why don’t we go inside,” Troy offered. “It will be easier to talk in there.”

He opened the unlocked door and followed them inside. Tyler had changed a lot but somewhere inside, there had to be a trace of the boy Troy remembered. Hopefully they’d reconnect soon and then he’d feel comfortable clapping him on the back or giving him a fatherly punch to the arm or a quick hug.

But not yet. The past separated them as surely as if they’d been carved apart by a hunter’s knife.

ONCE TYLER ENTERED THE HOUSE, images seemed to seep from the walls themselves. He and his brothers constructing elaborate Star Wars sets out of Legos that stretched across the entire family room. Watching Scooby-Doo with his brothers while sitting on that same old leather sofa. It was amazing that it had survived when so little from his old life hadn’t.

Tyler stopped and stared out the window just behind the pine end table. He’d once hit a baseball through that top right pane. He’d dreaded what would happen when his dad came home. But instead of being punished, Troy had been impressed with the hit that had sent the ball sailing over the hedges and mesquite trees and all the way to the house.

So many good memories overshadowed by the horrifying one. A sick, hollow sensation rolled in the pit of Tyler’s stomach as they passed the stone hearth.

His brothers Sean and Dylan had found a way to merge the past with the present and face that reality every day. Tyler was pretty sure that he never could, though he’d been younger than them at the time of his mother’s death. Out of the five sons, only Dakota was younger.

Fortunately, Troy led them straight to the kitchen. He got cold beers for himself and Tyler. Julie opted for water.

“So exactly how did you two hook up?” Troy asked.

Julie explained how her car got stuck when she was forced off the road by a truck that had swerved into her lane. She left out the best part. There was no mention of the whip.

“And the first person to stop was Tyler,” Troy said, once she’d finished her animated description. “Strange, fortunate coincidence, considering you were both on your way to Willow Creek Ranch.”

“It was, especially when Tyler failed to mention he was your son.” She shot Tyler a quick, accusing glance before turning her attention back to his father. “I’m really glad for this chance to talk to you.”

“Then we should get down to brass tacks,” Troy said. “But I should warn you that if you’re a reporter, I’ll call you a tow truck and send you on your way.”

Undaunted, Julie took a sip of her water, wiped the condensation from her glass with the napkin Troy had provided and smiled as if she were about to hand him a check from Publishers Clearing House.

“I’m an investigative reporter, but you’re not the subject of the investigation.”

“So why come here to talk to me?”

“Because I know that you’ve been covering some of the same ground I have.”

“How would you know that?”

“Word gets around and you’ve made no secret of the fact that you’re actively searching for your wife’s killer.”

Troy rubbed his jaw. “Go on.”

“I’m investigating the murder of Muriel Frost,” Julie explained. “Have you heard of her?”

Troy’s brow furrowed. “Yeah. She was murdered six months before Helene. What of it?”

“I’m hoping you’ll share what you’ve learned with me. Frankly, I can use all the help I can get. A case this cold won’t be easy to solve.”

“You’re right about that. The people who want to talk don’t know anything. The people with information won’t talk.”

Tyler studied Troy. His expression gave nothing away, but the deep grooves around his eyes and mouth and the jagged scar did. His years in prison had killed all signs of the young, energetic father who used to outrun, outride and outswim all of them.

“So what got you interested in the Frost murder case, being as it’s icy cold.”

“It remains unsolved.”

“So do lots of more prominent murder cases.”

“Actually, you’re partly to blame,” she admitted. “You made news when you were released on a technicality and again when one of your fellow inmates escaped and went after the former prison psychiatrist you were protecting.”

“Eve. She’s my daughter-in-law now.”

“I know. She married your son Sean.”

“You have done your homework. I still think you’re going to have your work cut out for you. That’s over in Llano county, and Sheriff Caleb Grayson is very protective when it comes to anything that falls under his jurisdiction.”

“He’s a public servant. And Muriel Frost deserves the same justice everyone else is entitled to.”

“And you’re out to get it for them? That’s a pretty big order.”

“I can’t get it for everyone, obviously, but I can start with Muriel Frost.”

“Sounds admirable, but if you’re here because you think I had anything to do with killing my wife or Muriel Frost, you’re wasting your time and mine.”

The guy was no easy sale, Tyler concluded. Definitely not a pushover for a cute face and hot body. Or maybe he was. She’d admitted to being a reporter and his dad hadn’t ushered Julie to the door.

Julie crossed her mud-splattered legs. “Like I said, I’d just like to collaborate a bit. But in all fairness, if I find out you did kill either one of them, I’ll come after you with everything I’ve got.”

Troy rubbed his chin and stared into space. About the time Tyler figured the interview was over, Troy began to nod.

“Fair enough,” Troy said. “Tyler and I will get your car out of the ditch. Then we’ll set a time to meet and share notes. Are you staying here in Mustang Run?”

“If there’s a cheap motel.”

“Not one I’d recommend,” Troy said. “You can stay here a couple nights if you want. There’s plenty of room. Nothing fancy.”

Julie glanced at Tyler as if expecting him to protest.

“The more the merrier,” he said, not completely sure it would work out that way. But at least with Julie around, he wouldn’t be forced into nothing but awkward moments between him and a father who’d become a total stranger.

“I’ll get your luggage and confidential material out of my trunk,” Tyler offered.

Julie followed him to the car. When they reached it, she grabbed the heaviest piece of luggage as if asserting her independence. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were one of Troy Ledger’s sons?”

“You didn’t ask.”

“Will my staying here bother you?”

“All depends on what you mean by bother.”

“Then just tough it out,” she stammered, getting his point and turning away as one of those disarming blushes turned her cheeks an enticing red.

She bothered him plenty already, and for more reasons than the obvious. For one, she didn’t look or seem like a hardened investigative reporter. Nor did he think she was totally convinced Troy was innocent.

But then, neither was Tyler.

JULIE ACCEPTED TROY’S invitation to stay at the house and unpack while they went for her car. Which meant the inevitable one-on-one father-son encounter could be put off no longer. The awkwardness was not only tangible when Tyler crawled into the front seat of Troy’s new double cab white, pickup truck, it was as solid and impenetrable as a cement wall.

The silence hovered until they’d rumbled over the cattle gap and left the ranch.

“We need to let Sean and Dylan know you’re here,” Troy said. “They’ll want to get together right away.”

“I’ll give them a call once we get Julie’s car out of the ditch,” Tyler promised.

“Good idea.”

They passed a truck pulling a horse trailer. Troy gave a two-fingered wave without lifting his hand from the steering wheel. “That’s Everett Wilson. He’s one of the unrelenting and unforgiving, crosses the street to keep from speaking to me if our paths are about to intersect in town.”

“Yet you waved at him,” Tyler noted.

“Only because I know it irritates him.”

The perfect opening for the question that preyed on Tyler’s mind. “Why did you return to Mustang Run when you were released from prison?”

“It’s home. And it seemed the best place for doing what I have to do.”

“To prove you’re tougher than your critics?”

When Troy didn’t respond to the question, Tyler turned and studied his profile. The muscles in Troy’s neck were strained, his gaze straight ahead as if he were staring down a tank—or a ghost.

“I came back to find your mother’s killer.”

The tone was so defiant that the words were guttural. They ground inside Tyler like grit. Did his father really think that uttering those few words would make a difference?

“I didn’t kill your mother, Tyler. Whether or not you believe me is up to you. I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life, but I won’t cower in guilt for something I didn’t do.”

After a few minutes of silence, Troy visibly relaxed his grip on the wheel and glanced toward Tyler. “I didn’t mean to come at you like that. You have a right to answers.”

Tyler nodded. “I obviously hit a sore spot, but I didn’t come back to start a fight.” At least he didn’t think he had.

“What made you decide to visit? Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled you’re here. It’s that you don’t seem that excited about it.”

“Dylan and Sean sounded so optimistic that I guess I had to see where I fit in this new family scheme of things.”

“Where you’ve always fit. You’re my son,” Troy said. “You’re Helene’s son. You’re a Ledger.”

Right, whether he liked it or not.

“I tried to get in touch with all you boys when I was in prison,” Troy said. “Your grandparents got a court order forbidding it.”

“I know. Dylan told me.” And that had been fine with Tyler.

“Can we just drop this for now?” Tyler said, sorry he’d ever brought it up.

“Sometimes it’s better to get everything out in the open,” Troy said. “Clears the air. Makes it easier to move on.”

“Maybe,” Tyler muttered. But he wasn’t sure he’d ever be ready to move on if that meant just swallowing whatever his dad piled on the plate.

Talk ceased until the ditched car came into view. Troy slowed and swerved into a U-turn after they’d topped the hill and reached a straight stretch of road. He parked on the shoulder and turned on his emergency lights.

Tyler stepped out of the truck and walked straight to Julie’s car. His father stopped to study the tire tracks.

“Lucky she slowed before she veered into the ditch. If she’d slammed into that fence post at the same speed she’d left the highway she could have been seriously injured.”

“The mud slowed her down,” Tyler said, pointing at the grooves her tires had dug into the wet earth.

“Yeah, we had a gully washer about midnight last night. Rain didn’t last long, but the thunder rumbled for hours. And then we had a couple of quick showers today.”

“Julie hit the post hard enough to knock it over. I righted it, but it probably needs to be reset,” Tyler said, remembering the sight that had captured his attention.

Gorgeous, albeit muddy legs. Slim hips. Perky breasts. Dancing ponytail. Whip-cracking action. A surprise tightening in his groin shocked him back to the situation at hand.

“This is Bob Adkins’ spread,” Troy said. “I’ll let him know so that he can check it out. He’ll be surprised to hear you’re in town. Probably stop by first chance he gets.”

“Should I know Bob Adkins?”

“Probably not, but he remembers all you boys. He’s a good man. Honest. Hardworking. Church goer. The kind of friend who doesn’t tuck tail and run at the first sign of trouble. He’s one of the few who stood by me through it all. Him and Able Drake.”

Convicted of murdering your wife was a hell of a lot more than a sign of trouble. “Who’s Able Drake?”

“A good friend from way back. He had his troubles then, but he turned his life around. And he’s stood by me all the way, even spruced up the old ranch house before I got here. Surprised me with this new truck the day I was released.”

“Hell of a friend,” Tyler agreed. He jumped the ditch to reach the driver-side door of Julie’s car. Surprisingly, it was ajar, though he knew it had not only been closed but locked when they drove away.

“Someone’s tampered with the car,” he said.

“Probably looking for something to steal,” Troy said. “Times are changing, even in this part of Texas.”

Or else someone had been specifically looking for the material she’d had him load into his rental car. Her first words to him had been to ask why he was following her. He’d taken the question as ludicrous, but for all he knew, some nefarious character had been tailing her.

If so and the bastard had arrived on the scene before Tyler, she’d have had more than harmless cattle to crack her whip at. His apprehension surged when he saw the note attached to the steering wheel. He squinted in the sunlight to make out the words.

In spite of the scribbled print, the message was clear.

Someone wanted Julie out of Mustang Run—or dead.

Chapter Four

Julie’s fingers tightened on the edges of the note Tyler had handed her.

Let dead dogs lie, or join them.

She read it for the third time before dropping the note to the table. “It’s just a threat,” she said, hoping she sounded a lot braver than she felt. “Investigative reporters get them all the time. They don’t mean anything.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Troy said.

“I say we bag this in plastic and call the sheriff,” Tyler said. “We’ve only touched the top two corners. He may still be able to get a fingerprint off the surface of the paper.”

“I’ll make a call to the sheriff’s office now,” Troy offered. “They’ll send a deputy out to pick up the note.”

“No, please. I’ll take care of it,” Julie insisted. “It’s far more likely this is from someone in Louisiana. The Frost investigation is just in the beginning stages. Few people even know I’m considering taking it on.”

“Do you have a specific someone in mind?” Troy asked.

“Melody Jinks. This kind of drama overkill is just her style. She thinks she ran me out of New Orleans and she wants to make sure I stay out.”

“Why would she run you out of New Orleans?” Tyler asked.

The guy was way too inquisitive. Getting mixed up with him was probably going to prove a big mistake.

“Long story, but I’ll send the note to a detective I worked with there. He’ll check it out. Believe me, it’s nothing to worry about. I’m totally through with the Louisiana business.”

Tyler’s stare grew piercing. “Exactly what did this Louisiana case entail?”

“It’s convoluted and X-rated.” She waved her hand as if to dismiss the subject.

“My favorite kind,” Tyler said. He took her hand and tugged her over to the brown leather sofa.

An unexpected vibration zinged through her like an electric shock, making it all the harder to fake the appearance of nonchalance as he settled in beside her on the sofa. It would be definitely helpful if the guy had a little less sex appeal.

“I helped uncover a sex ring case,” she said. She looked around for Troy, but he’d disappeared, leaving her alone with Tyler. “It made all the cable news channels. You must have heard of it.”

“News is in short supply in the Afghanistan badlands. So how about you fill me in on the highlights.”

“I’m not your responsibility, Tyler. You’re back in the States. Women take care of themselves here.”

“So I’ve heard. I’d still like to hear about the case and Melody Jinks. Or I can just go online and research it myself. But it’d be nice if you saved me the time.”

She took a deep breath while she chose her words, making sure to provide only what was a matter of public record.

“Some prominent Louisiana businessmen and influential politicians backed a mafia-run operation in New Orleans that smuggled in underage females from South American countries.”

“For prostitution?”

“Right,” she said. “I worked with an inside connection to get the goods on the men responsible. With the help of the NOPD, we were able to follow the money trail all the way to the top. Three New Orleans entrepreneurs and two former politicians are in jail awaiting trial.”

“So who is this Melody Jinks?”

She hesitated. Melody’s crimes were not a matter of public record, at least not yet.

“She’s the wife of one of the politicians. She’s being investigated now for possibly lying under oath and trying to obscure justice by destroying evidence. And she blames it all on me. But like I said, my part of the investigation is finished. I’m on Muriel Frost like red beans on rice now.”

“Then better switch to white gravy on chicken fried steak.”

Tyler stretched his long legs in front of him and slid his arm along the back of the couch, grazing her neck with his muscular flesh. She scooted away from him, determined to squelch the effects of his nearness and raw virility.

“So exactly who knows that you’re taking on justice for Muriel Frost?”

Julie stood and walked behind the couch, giving herself some distance from Tyler’s piercing eyes and seductive touches. “I’m not free to discuss my sources. And now that I think about it, I don’t believe my staying here is a good idea.”

“You’d let my questions scare you off from the chance to pick Troy Ledger’s brain from inside the magic circle? That doesn’t sound like a woman who takes death threats in stride.”

“It’s not just your questions that concern me.”

Tyler’s brows arched over his dark, hypnotic eyes. “Then what?”

“I’m adding obstacles to your homecoming.”

“Let me worry about that.”

“There’s no need. Just drive me to the nearest motel.”

“Yeah, motels are always safe.”

A good point. And she wasn’t nearly as convinced that the note was from Melody Jinks as she’d insisted. But she wouldn’t let fear stop her from doing what she’d come to do. She wouldn’t let Tyler Ledger’s sex appeal stop her, either.

“Okay, I’ll stay,” she conceded and then felt foolish. It wasn’t as if she was doing the Ledgers a favor.

“So what’s next?” Tyler asked.

“The first thing on my agenda is to visit the house where Muriel was killed.”

“That was eighteen years ago. You can’t just march in someone’s house that long after the fact.”

“It’s a vacant farmhouse. No one will know.”

Troy rejoined them and picked up right on cue. “The house is in bad shape,” he offered from where he was leaning against the door facing.

“Have you been to the house?” Julie asked.

“Just two weeks ago. It’s been taken over by spiders, roaches and local addicts when they need an isolated place to get high. A lot of the windows are broken and some are boarded over. I doubt you’ll find any clues hiding in the rotting wood. I didn’t.”

“Still, I’d like to see it for myself.”

Tyler stood and stuffed his hands into the back pocket of his jeans. “I’ll go with you.”

“Sorry, I fly solo.”

“I haven’t applied for the job of assistant. This is just a one-time offer. Roaches in Texas are far more frightening than attacking bulls.”

He was never going to let her live down the whip cracking. Julie swallowed the rest of her protest. She had no intention of having him trail her every movement, but having someone to stomp roaches would be a definite advantage.

“When can you leave?” she asked.

Tyler turned to his father. “How far is it?”

“It’s just over the county line, but still a good hour’s drive, maybe longer.”

Tyler turned back to Julie. “Then how about first thing in the morning? By the time we could get there tonight, the sun would be going down and you wouldn’t be able to see much inside the house.”

“Tomorrow morning’s fine,” she said. “If there’s nothing else, I have some notes I need to look over. And you two need some time alone to get reacquainted.”

“Right. Make yourself at home,” Troy said. “There are soft drinks and beer in the fridge and some homemade cookies that my daughter-in-law Collette made in that boot cookie jar on the counter.”

“Thanks.”

“And plan to join us for dinner,” he said. “I s’pect the whole family will be over, so it will be a madhouse. But the food is guaranteed to be good.”

“I’d be delighted.”

Troy had that easy way about him that made her feel right at home and made it all but impossible to think of him as a wife-killer.

But the tension between him and Tyler remained as thick as midnight river fog. Apparently, family ties could strangle as well as bind.

At least Tyler had some ties to strangle him.

AFTER A HALF HOUR OF TRYING to force conversation, Tyler had escaped the house with the excuse of needing some exercise. Troy had not offered to go on the walk with him. Instead, he’d seemed as relieved by the break as Tyler.

Strange that returning home was far more taxing on Tyler than living in a constant state of danger and battle fatigue. When he was with his squad, he knew what was expected of him and what the enemy was capable of. Back at Willow Creek Ranch, he was in a no-man’s-land where the adversary resided in the hidden crevices of his own mind.

Splinters of caustic images had bombarded him ever since he’d first driven through the clanging metal gate. They’d become as sharp as shrapnel the second Julie had left him and Troy alone.

Memories of his mother’s bloodied body were crippling after all these years. But it was more than the haunting visions that dragged him back into his personal hell. The sensations of loneliness and emptiness that had haunted him for most of his childhood had erupted, as well.

With both parents out of his life and separated from his brothers, he’d felt as if he were drifting in an ocean with no haven in sight.

But he’d been a kid then. He didn’t need family now. He’d found a way to tough it out and make a life for himself and it wasn’t on this ranch or even in Texas.

So why had he come back?

Forcing his mind away from his own dilemma, he concentrated on Julie. She was hot. There was no doubt about that. She seemed intelligent enough—except that she’d jumped on the invitation to stay at Willow Creek Ranch a little too quickly. He could see why she’d want to pick Troy’s mind, but staying in the house with a convicted killer was taking job responsibilities a bit too far. So were death threats.

But what really puzzled him was why she’d decided to investigate a Texas crime that was so cold it could chill a desert when she’d just closed the book on a sizzling hot case in Louisiana.

Tyler swatted a huge mosquito that had decided to feed on his neck. A few minutes later, he rounded the horse barn and the ranch house popped back into view. He spotted two unfamiliar pickup trucks parked at the side of the house.

As he got closer, loud talk and laughter and mouthwatering odors wafted through the open kitchen window. No doubt Dylan and Sean had come over to welcome him home, just as Troy had said they would.

Tyler slowed his pace as dread ground in his stomach. Ordinarily he’d be excited about seeing his brothers. But not here, not on this ranch. They’d found a way to fit in and make peace with their father. Tyler felt as if the man were a complete stranger, an imposter playing the role of a man who’d died in his mind years ago.

Turning away from the house, he looked back at the rolling pastureland and the sun setting just behind the tops of a patch of mesquite trees and one lone pine. A horse neighed in the distance. Wildflowers danced in the early evening breeze. The scene was idyllic. In contrast, his insides were a tempestuous storm.

The back door slammed and he looked again at the house to see his brother Dylan heading his way.

“Welcome home, bro,” Dylan called.

Home? Not likely. Not in this lifetime. Not for Tyler.

MADHOUSE HAD BEEN AN accurate description for the family get-together. Tyler couldn’t help getting a bit caught up in the joviality as introductions bounced around amid hugs and brotherly punches.

There was no getting around the fact that his brothers looked and sounded great. He studied his new sisters-in-law for a second as introductions were made, trying to get who went with whom straight in his mind. It shouldn’t be that difficult.

Dylan’s wife Collette had flaming red curls that bounced about her shoulders. The green silky blouse she wore over her form-fitting jeans set off her flashing emerald eyes. Her enthusiasm bubbled like chilled champagne, and he liked her instantly.

Sean’s wife Eve was just as stunning, but more reserved and he had the feeling she was sizing him up the same as he was her. She was probably a damn good shrink, though Troy had mentioned this afternoon that she hadn’t worked as a psychiatrist since her son’s father was murdered.

“This is our son, Joey,” Sean said, touching the shoulder of a tow-headed tyke who studied Tyler warily.

Tyler bent to shake his hand. “Hello, there, cowboy. Nice boots you’ve got on.”

Joey stuck one foot in front of him so Tyler could get a better look. “You can get ‘em as muddy as you want.”

“They look clean and spiffy now,” Tyler assured him.

“What’s spiffy?”

Sean patted his stepson on the head. “Means they’re looking good.”

“I’ll be six years old next month,” Joey said. “I might get a pony.”

“Wow. Now that’s exciting.”

“Yeah.” Joey beamed. “I already have a dog. I named him Sparky.”

“Nice name.”

Joey took hold of Sean’s hand. “Sean and Grandpa got him for me.”

Grandpa. The word bucked around in Tyler’s head like hooves to the temples. He wasn’t sure Troy had the right to the title.

“Never saw myself as a dad,” Sean said when Joey walked away.

“The kid adores you,” Tyler said. “So you must be doing something right.”

“I can’t imagine a life without Eve and Joey in it.”

“I can tell.”

According to an email he’d gotten from Dylan, Sean had gone from renegade horse whisperer who disdained romantic relationships to husband and father in record time. But then Dylan had fallen just as quickly for Collette.

It was almost as if Willow Creek Ranch had put a spell—or a curse—on them. Luckily, Tyler wouldn’t be here long enough for that to happen to him.

Still, he impulsively looked around for Julie. She was nowhere in sight, though he doubted she could concentrate on work with this much noise to disrupt her.

“Dad said you went out to get your bearings,” Dylan said, handing Tyler a cold beer. “Did you get to see much of the ranch?”

“Just what I could get to by foot, but what I saw was impressive.”

“We’re building the herd slowly, taking our time with choosing good breeding stock.”