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He’d be proud of her if he wasn’t slapping mortar across the cracks and crevasses opening up in his heart as it shattered, trying to keep it together. Gander whined at his feet, and Bennett nodded.
“Yeah, this sucks, boy. Big time.”
Bennett caught her gaze as she put her purse in the truck and went around to get in. She sent him a warm smile that could have meant so many things. Too bad it read as goodbye since everything he’d gotten to know about her had changed overnight. Gone were her worn jeans and scuffed boots, replaced with the slacks and suit jacket she’d worn her first day back in Deer Creek. Her hair was straight and shiny. Beside her was the small suitcase he’d once thought as a harbinger of her departure. Damn, he wished he wasn’t right all the time.
Guess you could take the girl out of the city, but—
He nodded sharply, desperate to keep the pain at bay, and turned the reins away from Maggie and the future she’d stolen from him. He heard the roar of her father’s old-as-dirt engine as it sputtered to life.
Was that the last time he’d lay eyes on Maggie Newman?
This time, whether it was true or not, his heart wasn’t prepared to take the risk to ask.
“Yah!” he yelled at Jove. The stallion took the command as gospel and shot across the field. The wind and heat dried up any rogue tears rolling down Bennett’s cheeks. Gander panted next to him but kept the pace of the horse.
They caught up to Hector and Bennett exhaled, letting Maggie go. She’d leave and he wouldn’t stop her. This was his life, and if he was going to be present in it, he needed to leave her behind.
“What’s the word, Hector?”
“Things look good up here but look at these.”
Bennett glanced down and nodded. “Yeah, I had the pleasure of meeting her a couple times this summer,” he said about the fresh bear tracks in the dirt that Gander pawed at. “She and her cubs have been coming into town for food and water. Must be dryer up north.”
“Dang. Hopefully she keeps to her end of things. The cows won’t take too kindly to a black bear joining the fray.”
“No, they won’t.”
Hector sniffed and frowned. “You smell that, boss?”
Bennett inhaled. The dry air tickled his nose, but Hector was right. “That smoke?”
“Maybe. Think we should bug off till we find the source?”
“Nah. Let’s get the herds in the canyon. The water and sand’ll make it the safest place for ’em if anything’s going on, but it’s probably just a local rancher burning off weeds.”
“In this heat, he’d be an idiot to do that.”
Bennett shot Hector a look that said yup.
“True, boss. They can’t all be you. In case I haven’t reminded you lately, thanks for being… well, you. This work is usually thankless but it’s not.”
“Aw, shucks, Hector. You gettin’ sappy on me?”
“Maybe. Working with that Matthews guy to get the herds ready to move made me appreciate what I got at MBE, that’s all.”
Warmth not from the weather crept along Bennett’s extremities. “Thanks, Hector. Johnny’s not a high bar, but I’ll take the compliment. Hey, speaking of the guy, you know why he didn’t show up this morning?”
Hector shook his head and put his horse to a trot so they could pass single file through the fence they’d left open at the edge of Newman’s east property before the river and canyon narrowed.
“Nope. Guys on Ms. Newman’s team said he was cleaning out the clover up here with Ms. Newman yesterday, then when they came to help, he’d left his trash but wasn’t anywhere around. Neither was she.”
“Clover, huh?” Bennett glanced at the fence line as he made his way through. There were small patches of dirt where clumps of the invasive weed had been eradicated, but beyond them was about a hundred feet of scorched earth along the barbed wire border. It disappeared down the hill.
Bennett’s mouth twisted into a frown. “You see that ash?” he asked Hector.
“Yeah. Was wondering about Ms. Newman’s choice to take care of the clover with propane when it’s this dry up here. Kinda like a rancher who’d burn weeds during a year-long drought. Like I said, they can’t all be you, boss.”
Bennett gave a weak smile in response, but something nagged at his thoughts. This wasn’t Maggie. She knew better. More likely, she’d started the task of clearing the field and left it to Johnny to complete and he’d gotten lazy.
