AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Harper laughed and then trusting him not to let her fall, leaned her head back into the night and shouted, “I love you.”
“That’s better,” he said, and took the opportunity to let her slide down his body so he could wrap her in his arms and kiss her silly.
His cell phone buzzed, and he grabbed it with one hand, keeping the other firmly around Harper. “Alice?”
“Yeah, first you should know we heard her. Second, looks like three of the guys are dead—two in the SUV from the side and one from the SUV behind you. All four doors on both SUVs were wide open, and as we pulled up, we heard another vehicle driving off. The sheriff called in back-up and they’re going to look for them, but my guess is anyone who was in the vehicles with them is long gone.”
He felt Harper go still in his arms. “Can you tell what happened?”
“Obviously not for certain, but it wasn’t Harper who killed them. She caused some major trauma, and one of them might not have survived, but all three of them were shot point blank in the side of their heads. No, whoever these guys are, they didn’t want anyone left behind to tell the tale.”
Harper sagged against him, her relief at having not actually killed anyone apparent.
“Get the sheriff to close the road down and bring in the night crew. I want those crime scenes processed by morning. Have somebody go out to the ranch and get Dusty…”
“No way,” said Harper. “I’m not leaving my stock at risk. You need to be here with your team. I get that. I know a couple of the deputies. Have them meet us at Hearts Afire.”
“You’ll go where I tell you to go and stay there until I tell you that you can leave.”
“We’re better off at the ranch. For one thing we’re closer. I have all the guns and ammo needed to hold off a small army. The farmhouse has an open field of fire all the way around it. And this way, we don’t endanger the rest of the town.”
“She makes sense, boss,” said Alice on the other end of the line.
“I know she does,” he snapped, shaking his finger at Harper, who grasped it and kissed the end of it. “All right. Get it set up but get someone to Dusty now. You’re a little closer to the ranch than we are. I’ll bring Harper back and once I know they’re secure, I’ll rejoin you at the crime scene.” He ended the call, turned Harper toward the SUV and swatted her backside to get her moving. “Let’s go.”
Alice arrived to take over the crime scene until Spence could return. He bundled Harper into the back seat, pulling her close, and was glad when she leaned back into him and relaxed. She looked down at his forearm, tracing the line of the tribal tattoo.
“I keep meaning to ask you about that. What is it?”
“It’s a tribal tattoo that I got when I was a ranger.”
“What’s it symbolize?”
“I think courage, but it’s not so much about what the symbols actually mean, but what it means to me.”
“What does it mean to you?”
“It’s in honor of a fallen comrade of Comanche heritage. If he hadn’t made the ultimate sacrifice for me, I wouldn’t be here holding you. I was wounded when we were under attack. Bobby took a bullet meant for me and died. I was sent stateside to recover, and then my brother was killed. When they presented me with my papers to re-up, I opted out and joined the park rangers. You would have liked Bobby. He loved horses, and like you, he had a real thing for mustangs.”
“Why do you dislike them?”
“It’s not like I hate them. I just don’t think they have any value. They consume a lot of natural resources and do nothing in return.”
“That’s not true. I know they have no monetary value, but they’re a great part of our American heritage.” She touched the tattoo on his arm for his fallen Comanche comrade. “Do you know the Comanche revered the horse? They were probably the greatest light cavalry the world has ever known. They could out ride anyone. The mustang is our touchstone to the past.”
“I get the romance of them, but you breed purebred horses. Don’t you worry about one of them interbreeding with yours?”
“That’s why I have fences.”
“Not always a deterrent to an obsessed stallion. More than one of my bucking mares has gotten knocked up by some mustang Romeo either going through a fence or jumping it.”
“What did you do with the foals?” she asked quietly.
“I made sure they were healthy and got them good homes. Some of them make excellent ranch horses, and a couple I kept because I thought they might produce some outstanding stock. Mostly the ones that are bigger and stronger. What got you started on your life of crime moving animals onto federally protected land?”
Harper shrugged. “Someone had to do it.”
“I can’t imagine there were a lot of wild horses in wine country.”
