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He needed Dusty to be onboard with his relationship with Harper, and he knew that meant sharing more with him about the investigation than he would with most people.
“Dulcie told the front desk staff at the lodge that she was going for a short hike to shake out her hiking legs, as she put it. Sometime later, a woman with a group of hikers found the body. What we’re keeping out of the press was that Dulcie took a single shot to the back of her head. The Medical Examiner used the words ‘execution style.’ Harper knows but no one else outside the investigation does, except now you. When Harper looked through Dulcie’s things, she said there was a laptop missing—one Dulcie always had with her. There was a portable charger in the overnight bag, but no laptop. It wasn’t in her backpack, and it wasn’t at the lodge. We searched for it, and the staff let us take a look in their safe. That missing laptop leads me to believe Dulcie was on to something and got killed because of it. I haven’t shared that thought with Harper.”
Dusty shook his head. “I don’t want to tell you how to do your job, but if I were you, I wouldn’t keep that from Harper much longer. As I see it you may need to know what she knows about getting into Dulcie’s computer, and she won’t react well to not being given the whole truth. Harper is a strong woman.”
“I agree. I’ve also considered the fact that if I try to close her out, she’ll get herself in trouble trying to play investigator on her own, which could get her killed.”
“You think that’s likely to happen?”
“If whatever caused someone to murder Dulcie is as serious as I think, I don’t think they’d even hesitate to come after Harper if they think she knows something.”
“You’ve got the right idea about her. That’s exactly what will happen if you shut her out. I do not want to see her hurt, Spence. She means a lot to me. When my Sophie died, I was just kind of adrift. I hated my old life, and everything reminded me of Sophie and all I had lost when she passed. So, I decided to follow a dream I’d had since I was a kid. Nobody but Harper wanted to give an old investment banker a shot at becoming a ranch hand.”
Spence smiled. “Well, Harper says she couldn’t do it without you, and from what I’ve seen so far, I would agree with that assessment. Harper said when we were done here to come on up to the house for dinner.”
“I don’t want to be a third wheel.”
“You won’t be. I want Harper to have as much normalcy as she can get. I think she needs that to hang on to right now.”
“Hopefully, the worst of the fire season is over. I worry about her packing into those places. I know those boys love her and would protect her with their lives, but she packs in and out, usually alone. However, it doesn’t matter what you or I or anyone thinks. Harper has decided her mission in life is to feed smokejumpers and save wild horses.” The old man chuckled. “You’ve never seen them with her, have you?”
“Wild horses? Only that one time in Yellowstone. I knew it was a woman driving the herd and I kept thinking I knew her and the horse. It wasn’t until I watched her compete last week that I knew who it was.”
“She does what she can,” Dusty said by way of explanation. “She, along with that group of wild women around the country that she calls friends—Etta Ross, now Jensen, in Texas, Devon Cooper, now Gutherie, up in Canada, and Morgan Jennings, now Shepherd, on the Outer Banks. All those gals are into saving the wild horses in one way or another and they are not always as careful or as safe as they should be.”
“Interesting. I’ve seen the others compete at various times, but I didn’t realize they were friends or that they were all into wild horse rescue and care.” Spence allowed a little humor into his voice. “Just so you know, Harper and I are going to have to come to a meeting of the minds about that. It’s one thing to herd a group of horses onto protected land. It’s quite another to snatch them from the grasp of those making a living doing illegal roundups and selling them off to Canada or Mexico.”
“Then you and I are of a like mind. What she does worries me sometimes. I know I’m not a relative, and I’m just an old man, but I’m an old man who loves her like she was my own. She’s my family now, and I don’t want to see her hurt.”
“Well, I won’t let anything hurt her. She is safe with me—well, in most ways.”
Both men laughed as they walked up to the house.
* * *
Harper saw them from the window as they came up from the barn. She wasn’t all that sure that Dusty and Spence becoming friends and laughing together was a good thing. It was hard enough to argue with one of them about her less than purely legal activities. It would be damn near impossible if the two of them ganged up on her. As they came into the house, Spence kissed her briefly before excusing himself to go wash up.
“Well, you two seem to be getting on like a house on fire,” she said.
Dusty smiled. “He’s a good man, Harper. And he’s going to figure out what happened to Dulcie. He gave me his word on that, and I trust him. You were right about him knowing who it was at Yellowstone last year. Don’t know how he’ll take to you continuing those activities now that you’re involved with him.”
“What makes you think I’m involved with him?”
Dusty walked up and hugged her. “Now I may just be an old man, but this old man ain’t blind. There’s something between the two of you, and besides, he tossed his duffle into your room, and he just went in there to wash up. Anyone can see it, but he’s going to put keeping you safe above anything else and I’m guessing that will include no more stampeding wild herds.”
Harper searched his face. “Hmm. I think you’re having a raging bromance with Special Agent in Charge Spencer and projecting your feelings onto me.”
She had her back turned to the door and hadn’t heard Spence join them. He wrapped his arms around her and kept her from escaping him. “And I think you’d better listen to Dusty. He is wise beyond his years.”
She rolled her eyes and looked at both of them. “And I think the two of you had best mind your manners, or you’ll be eating your own cooking down at Dusty’s house.”
Dusty looked at him, “Don’t pay her no mind about that. She threatens me that way all the time. Ain’t missed a meal yet.”
Spence nuzzled her neck. Harper smiled and allowed him more access. “Yes, but I like you. Jury is still out on the fed here.”
“Oh, you liked me well enough this afternoon when we were making out on your couch.”
“I can’t believe you said that,” Harper cried, somewhat outraged.
