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“How long he’d worked for me. If he’d known me for a number of years. Just weird. The dude was dressed in a suit but didn’t identify himself. When my ranch hand finally started grilling him, the dude left. I thought I’d let you know.”
I took a deep breath, uncertain what to make of it. “Maybe it just about undocumented employees. I’ve heard they’re doing a sweep.” Sounded like FBI to me. The question was why?
“Yeah, maybe you’re right, but the timing is strange.”
The timing. That’s the only thing we could call it. The anniversary of when all our lives changed dramatically was coming up, something none of us had ever talked about. I glanced toward the mountains, thinking about that day. “Do you ever go there?”
He snorted, tossing me a look. “Not on my bucket list. Besides, what good would it do? And don’t say that shit my therapist keeps telling me to do. Confront my past to erase the demons. The asshole has no clue what he’s talking about.”
“Maybe so, but the guilt’s gonna kill you.”
“A bit like the pot calling the kettle black.” He lifted his eyebrows then something caught his eye. “You have a guest. I’m interfering.”
I shifted my gaze in his direction and smiled. “Yeah, an unexpected pleasure.”
He clapped me on the back. “It’s good to see. Maybe you can finally be happy.”
“Happiness comes from within.”
“Shit. You’ve got a better psychiatrist than I do.”
I laughed as Wren approached. She’d thrown on a dress meant for the wedding but surprised me by wearing cowboy boots. In the shimmer of the early morning light, the way the light breeze was flowing through her long strands of hair, she was a picture of beauty and my desire roared to the surface.
“I better get out of here,” Snake said.
“Why don’t you meet her? She’s got a mouth on her, but I’ve grown fond of it.”
“Maybe that’s the kind of woman you need,” he said, grinning.
“To hell with you,” I teased then walked toward her, taking a deep breath. “You’re a ray of sunshine.”
She laughed, brushing a strand of hair from her face then glancing at Snake. “Am I interrupting?”
“Nah. Snake brought back a horse that was injured in a shooting,” I told her.
“A shooting?” She glanced toward the trailer, her face pensive.
“Some asshole decided he’d kill a couple of Phoenix’s horses,” Snake told her.
“Why would anyone do something so horrible?”
“There’s a lot of assholes who don’t like us very much,” Snake admitted then threw me a look, immediately shifting his gaze toward the barn.
“This is a good friend of mine. We go way back. Snake, meet Wren Tillman,” I said, half laughing.
“Not to be rude, but please tell me your parents really didn’t name you Snake.” She moved closer, holding out her hand.
He wasn’t one for handshakes or any physical contact since returning from his nightmare, but as he rubbed his hand on his jeans, his face lit up for the first time in months. “No, ma’am. Ricardo Garcia. I got the moniker while serving in the Marines.”
“I’m afraid to ask why.” Her sparkling laugh continued as she shook his hand.
“We all have different skills. This dude’s a fly boy.” Snake was nervous, which shocked the hell out of me.
“What’s a fly boy?” She glanced into my eyes, a wry smile crossing her face.
“I can fly anything. Helicopters. Planes. I love being in the air. That’s what I do for the smokejumpers sometimes. I fly the choppers that use weapons to start another fire.” I laughed when confusion rocked her face. “That’s a tactic to try and steer the initial fire in another direction. It’s perfectly safe.”
She nodded several times. “Uh-huh. You’re a real danger junkie.”
