Loe raamatut: «Never Trust A Cowboy»

In loving memory of Phyllis Eagle McKee

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Delano Fox enjoyed watching a smooth heist in progress the way any skilled player might be entertained by another’s performance. Sadly, under the starlit South Dakota sky on the flat plain below his vantage point the only real skill on display belonged to a blue heeler, and even he was a little slow. Del was going to have to forget everything he knew about rustling cattle if he was going to fit in with this bunch. Otherwise he’d find himself itching to take over, which wasn’t the best way to get in thick with thieves. Even rank amateurs had their pride.

One by one, six head of black baldy steers stumbled into a stock trailer, each one springing away from the business end of a cattle prod or kicking out at the biting end of the dog. There was no ramp, but a jolt of fear helped the first two clear the trailer’s threshold. When the third one tried to make a break for it, Ol’ Shep lunged, crowding the animal against the trailer door. The guy manning the door cussed out both critters, while the one handling the prod added injury to insult by missing the steer and connecting with the dog. It would’ve been funny if he’d stung the other man with a volt or two, but Del instantly set his jaw at the sound of the yelping dog. Inexperience was curable, but carelessness could be a fatal flaw, and lack of consideration for man’s best friend was just plain intolerable. The best cowhand of the lot—the one with paws—jumped into the bed of the jumbo pickup, where he shared space with the gooseneck hitch.

Two shadowy figures climbed into the growling workhorse of a pickup that was hitched to the stock trailer, while the third—the prod handler—hopped into a smaller vehicle—a showy short box with an emblem on the door—parked on the shoulder of the two-lane country road. He would be Del’s mark. One of them anyway. He would be local, and he would be connected. Rustlers were high-tech these days, and they used every resource, did their research, found their inside man.

Del didn’t go in much for high tech. He did his research on the down low, and he had already had a private, persuasive conversation with a man he knew to be one of the two hauling the stolen stock. The job he himself was looking for would soon be his.

He chuckled when he passed the sign welcoming him to the town of Short Straw, South Dakota, promising, You’ll Be Glad You Drew It.

Maybe, but there was bound to be somebody in the area who wouldn’t be. Del knew how to handle the short straw. He’d drawn it many times.

He followed the sawed-off pickup at a distance, which he kept as he watched the driver pull up in front of a windowless storefront emblazoned in green neon with what would have been Bucky’s Place if the P were lit up. The B flickered, trying mightily to hang on to its dignity, but it was ucky that cast a steady glow above the hat of Del’s mark, the man who had just helped steal six head of cattle. Del could see enough of the guy’s face now to add a few pieces to those he’d already collected. He could now read the Flynn Ranch emblem on the pickup door. So far, so good. The driver wasn’t much more than a kid, early twenties, maybe. The steers might well belong to his father. Wouldn’t be the first time the heir decided to help himself to his inheritance a little early. Del just hoped Junior had the power to hire and fire ranch hands.

It took Del all of thirty seconds to disable a taillight on Junior’s pickup.

A typical edge-of-town watering hole, Bucky’s was shades of brown inside and out. Customers were lean and green or grizzled and gray, but they were all on the same page at Bucky’s. They were winding down. Two guys sat side by side at one end of the bar, a third sat alone at the other, a man and a woman exchanged stares across the table in a booth and pool balls clicked against each other under the only bright light at the far end of the establishment.

“I’m looking for the owner of the Chevy short box parked outside.” Del was looking at the bartender, but he was talking to anyone who’d noticed his entrance. Which would be everyone.

“That’d be me.” The kid who’d wielded the cattle prod waved a finger in the air and then turned, beer bottle in hand. He wore a new straw cowboy hat and sported a pale, skimpy mustache. “What’s up?”

“The name’s Delano Fox.” Del offered a handshake. “If you’re with the Flynn ranch, I was told you might be hiring.”

Junior admitted nothing, but he accepted the handshake. “Who told you that?”

“Ran into a guy who said he’d just quit. Told me to look for a red short box with a taillight out. Your taillight’s out.”

Junior frowned. “You been following me?”

“More like following up on a tip. Not too much traffic around here. Hard to miss a single taillight.”

“When did he say he’d quit?”

“Maybe he said he was about to quit. I don’t remember exactly how he put it, but if you’re not short one hand, you soon will be. You hire me, you won’t need anybody else. I’d get rid of the other guys.”

The bartender chuckled.

“Only got one hand. Had, sounds like. Where did you run into him?”

“Couldn’t say. Somewhere along the road.” Del tucked his thumbs into the front pockets of his jeans and gave an easy smile. The way to play the game was to keep the questions coming and the answers on the spare side. “After a while they all look alike. Faces and places and roads in between.”

Junior nodded toward the empty stool beside him.

“Did he mention his name?” Junior asked as Del swung his leg over the stool. “Or mine?”

“Flynn was all he gave me. Said he was helping move a few steers and that the guy driving the red pickup might be hiring. That last part was all that interested me.”

“Brad Benson. Tell me why I should hire you.”

So this wasn’t Junior. One missed guess, but it was a small one. As long as the kid could hire a new hand, he would be hiring Del.

“I’ll put in a full day every day.” Del sealed the deal with a sly smile. “Or a full night. Whatever you need.”

Benson took a pull on his beer, took his time setting it down and finally glanced sideways at Del. “How about both?”

“A guy’s gotta sleep sometime. But yeah, calving time, I’m there. Workin’ on a night move once in a while? I can do that, too.”

Benson didn’t bite. “Where have you worked before?”

“Just finished a four-month job on a place west of Denver. The Ten High. Foreman’s name is Harlan Walsh.” Walsh was his standard reference. Harlan knew the drill. Del had actually worked at the Ten High, just not recently.

“If Thompson don’t show up tomorrow—”

“Pretty sure he won’t.” Damn sure he won’t. Thompson had been most cooperative once Del had ruled out all other options.

“If he don’t, then we’ll try you out. The Flynn place is sixteen miles outside of town on County... Well, I guess you already know the road. We pay thirty a day to start, six days a week. You’ll have the bunkhouse to yourself, and you’ll get board with the family.” The grin was boyish. “Bored, too. Get it?”

“Either way, as long you’ve got a good cook in the family.”

“You can always get yourself a microwave,” Benson said, tipping the beer bottle in Del’s direction. “Oh, yeah, and you answer to me. It’s my stepdad’s operation, but he’s getting on, and we’re trying to get him to take it easy.”

“Understood.”

“And if it turns out you’re more skilled than most, more...specialized...” Benson’s lips drew down in the shape of his mustache. “You could bump up your income, put it that way.”

“Like all good cowboys, I’m a jack-of-all-trades.” Del tapped his knuckles on the bar as he dismounted from the stool. “With resourcefulness to spare.”

“Just to show your appreciation, spare some on buying the second round.”

Del chuckled. There hadn’t been a first round. “My employer always gets the better end of the deal. I’d suggest the other way around if I wasn’t dog tired. I’ve been on the road awhile.”

“And I’d show you to your room, but I ain’t ready to hit the road.”

“I’ll be there by eight.”

“Breakfast’s at six.”

Del glanced at the shot the bartender set down next to Benson’s beer, and then gave his new boss a slight smile. “I’ll be there by eight.”

* * *

The Flynn Ranch sign hung high above the graveled approach five miles south of the scene of the previous night’s crime. Del’s first thought was how easy it would be to alter the Double F brand that adorned the intersection of the gateposts and the crossbar on both sides of the entrance. A seasoned rustler would have it done by now even if he was hungover. Del was betting Benson was fairly new to the game and that last night’s haul still carried the Double F. He doubted Benson had any authority to recruit new thieves. A man new to the game only stole his own cattle for show, to convince family, friends and FBI that he was among the victims. And by peeling off some skin and dropping it into the game, he bought himself some street cred. But he’d have to keep up appearances on both sides. Del looked forward to seeing whether Benson was any more serious about his acting than his rustling.

The red Chevy pickup was parked kitty-whompus beside an old two-story farmhouse that probably had been a local showplace in its day. The right front tire had crushed a bed of pretty blue-and-white flowers. Some of the once-white paint on the house was peeling, and some had been scraped. The covered porch looked as though it had recently been painted.

Del mounted the steps to the sprawling porch and rapped on the screen door. He heard movement, peered through the screen and saw a pair of chunky rubber flip-flops—neon green, if he wasn’t mistaken—sitting on a rag rug in the dim alcove.

The bare feet that belonged to the shoes appeared at the top of the stairs beyond the alcove, paused and then ran down like water bouncing over rocks. Del was fascinated by the quickness of the flow and the lightness of the feet. He’d never seen prettier. He watched them slip into the rubber thongs, pink toenails vying for his attention with bright green straps. The colors spoke volumes about the woman who came to the door.

He wasn’t sure why he wanted to hold off on looking up. The colors were cheerful, the feet were pretty and their owner probably belonged to his new boss. But for some reason he wanted to take her in bit by stirring bit.

She wore jeans that ended partway between her knees and her curvaceous ankles—Del admired a well-turned ankle—with a sleeveless white top over a willowy body. Her neck was pale and slender, chin held high, lips lush and moist, dark hair pulled back, and her big blue eyes stared at him as if he were some kind of a rare bird. Maybe he was looking at her the same way. He couldn’t tell.

“Mornin’.” Del recovered his game face and touched the front edge of his hat brim. “I’m looking for Brad Benson.”

He watched her shut down any interest he’d sparked. “You came to the wrong door.”

“If you wouldn’t mind pointing me to the right one...” He smiled. “Sorry. Del Fox. I’m your new hired man.”

“I don’t have an old hired man. Or a man of any kind behind any of my doors. And if I did, it wouldn’t be Brad Benson.”

“My mistake. I saw his pickup out here.” He was pretty sure she hadn’t meant to be funny, but he had to work at keeping a straight face. His new boss was clearly in trouble. He stepped back and nodded toward the side of the house. “Looks like his pickup anyway.”

She pushed the screen door open and ventured across the threshold, took a look and planted her hands on her hips. “It does, doesn’t it?”

“Same plates and everything. Must be around somewhere. You wanna tell him I’m here?”

“I want to tell him to get his pickup out of my flower bed. Or maybe you’d tell him for me when you find him.”

“Should I try the doghouse?”

“I don’t have one. My dog...” She stepped past him and surveyed the yard. Her tone shifted, the wind dropping from its sails. “Should be chewing on the seat of your jeans right about now.”

“Guess he ain’t hungry. Maybe he got a piece of Benson.”

She gave her head a quick shake, banishing some momentary doubt that had nothing to do with him or with Benson. “Maybe you should check the pickup.” She nodded toward the dirt road. “It’s another mile and a half to the new house, and you can be sure Brad didn’t walk. How drunk was he when he hired you?”

“Couldn’t say.”

“And you wouldn’t if you could.” She lifted a lightly tanned shoulder. “It really means nothing to me, but it might make a difference to you.”

“I’ll check the pickup.” He touched two fingers to his hat brim and stepped back. “Sorry to bother you. Sign says Flynn Ranch, and Benson wasn’t clear on where the house would be.”

“I’m Lila Flynn,” she said quickly. “Brad is my stepbrother. He lives down the road with his mother and my father.”

“In the new house.” He smiled, grabbing the chance to start over. “You get the home place.”

“And you’ll get the bunkhouse out back if Brad remembers hiring you.” Suddenly retreating, she cast a backward glance. “Like I said, check the pickup.”

Before the screen door slapped shut, Del caught the edge of a smile, the flash of blue eyes. Slim chance, he thought, but the door to making a second first impression had been left ajar.

Driveway gravel rattled under Del’s boot heels as he approached the red short box pickup. Benson’s chin rode his collarbone as his head lolled from one side to the other.

“Good morning.”

Benson opened his eyes halfway, squeezed the right one shut again and squinted the left one against the sunlight until Del’s shadow fell across his face.

“Remember me?”

“Yeah, I remember.” Brad waved a fly away from his face as he slid his spine up the back of the pickup seat. “You said you had all the experience I might be looking for. You haven’t seen Thompson around, have you? The guy you’re replacing?”

“Not since last night. Your sister’s the only person I’ve run into since I got here.”

“Stepsister. She sure can be a bitch, that one.” Brad draped one hand over the steering wheel and rubbed his eyes with the other, muttering, “The kind you wanna bring to heel.”

“She said I could have the bunkhouse out back.”

Brad dragged his hand down over his face. “She did, huh?”

“She did, but it’s up to you. Like you said, you’re the boss.”

“You just said the magic words. What’s the name again?”

“Del Fox. Do I need a key?” No answer. “You got anything you want me to do before I stow my gear?”

“What time is it? You probably missed breakfast.”

“I had breakfast.”

“That’s right. You got yourself hired and called it a night. Showed up on time, too. Maybe we’ll keep you around.” He fired up the pickup. “Make yourself at home. Fox? It’s Fox, right? Sorry, I’ll be more hospitable after I’ve had some coffee.” He pointed to the cabin fifty yards or so behind the house, not far from an old red barn with a lofty arch roof. “That’ll be your home sweet home. We’ve got another barn down at the new house, but that’s the only bunkhouse. Who needs two bunkhouses these days, right? Or two hired hands.”

“One of each is more than most places have.” And having a cozy log cabin to himself was a vast improvement over his usual accommodations.

“Everybody around here is downsizing. Either that or diversifying.”

Del glanced to one side and noticed a fenced area close behind the house with a swing set, a little playhouse, a sandbox and more kid stuff. For some reason he was surprised, and he turned quickly back to Brad. “Which is it for you?”

“You’ll have to ask Frank. My stepdad. Can’t seem to make up his mind.” Brad shifted into gear. “Take your time. I’ll be getting a slow start today. If Thompson shows up, tell him to come find me.”

* * *

Del dropped his duffel bag just inside the bunkhouse door and drew a deep breath. Pine pitch and dust. Pine was fine, but dust— He grinned—busting dust was a must. He opened the window between the two single beds and heard someone whistling—warbling, more like—and then calling out for Bingo. From the window he had a view of distant tabletop buttes and black whiteface cows grazing on buffalo grass. A meadowlark sang out, and a chorus of grasshoppers responded. He liked the sights and sounds, most of the smells, and he decided he wouldn’t be living out of a suitcase for a while. He liked the idea of hanging up his shirts and putting his toothbrush on a shelf.

He was wrestling with the drawers in a broken-down dresser when the warbler tapped on the door.

“It’s open.”

The woman with the big blue eyes, Lila, peered inside. “It’s always open, but you can have a lock on it if you want.”

“I don’t use locks. You knock, I’ll answer.” Gladly. No man in his right mind would lock her out. She was a pretty woman trying to pass for plain, and it wasn’t happening. The world owed women like her a clue. She’d get noticed no matter what. “You need any help?”

She pushed open the door with the edge of a straw laundry basket. “I brought you some bedding. I have a feeling you won’t see Brad before suppertime, and I don’t know what’s here.”

“Somebody’s clothes. If anyone comes looking, they’re in that box on the bench outside the door.” He nodded toward the floor in front of the dresser, where he’d tossed the sheets he’d stripped off the beds. “I wasn’t sure what I was gonna do with those.”

“I’ll take care of them.” She peeked into the bathroom. Her hair was clipped up on the back of her head in a jaunty ponytail. “I guess I could spare you some towels. Doesn’t look like the last guy...” She turned and handed him the neatly folded bedding. It smelled like early morning. “I still can’t find my dog,” she said quietly as he set the laundry on the bed.

“I didn’t see anything on the highway.”

“You weren’t really looking.”

“You want me to? I’ve got nothing else to do. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve been on the payroll for about an hour now.”

“He’s pretty old. Doesn’t usually go far from the house.”

“You probably don’t want your kids to find him first. How old are they?”

“My kids?” She gave him a funny look, as if maybe he’d been reading her mail. And then the light went on. “Oh, the play yard. I do some day care. Other people’s kids.”

“Maybe other people’s kids took your dog.”

“The kids aren’t here on the weekend. Bingo. Little black terrier. If you see him...” She wagged her finger and chirped, “Bingo is his name-o.”

“Ain’t much of a singer, but I’m a hell of a whistler.” He reproduced her warble perfectly. “Like that?”

“He won’t be able to tell us apart.” She smiled. “I’m not a hell of a whistler.”

He smiled back. “You’re a singer. You can have my whistle for a song. I’ll drive out to the highway and walk the ditches. How’s that?”

“As you said, you’re on the payroll, but you don’t work for me.” She started for the open door, did an about-face on the threshold and came back. “But it’s a generous offer, and I’ll take you up on it. In return I’ll—” she grabbed the laundry basket by one handle and lifted her shoulder “—owe you one.”

“Two.” He presented as many fingers. “If one good turn deserves another, I’ll take two towels. If you’re sure you can spare them.”

“I’ll even throw in a washcloth.”

* * *

He came back empty-handed and genuinely relieved. He liked dogs and didn’t want to see her lose hers. He was good at turning on the charm for people no matter what he was feeling, but there was no pretense when it came to dogs. He’d lived with them, worked with them, learned to respect them without exception. Lila Flynn was a dog person. He could be himself with her on that score.

Plus, she’d brought him clean sheets without him even asking.

He parked his pickup near the bunkhouse, taking care not to block the view from the door or either of the windows. He had to smile when he noticed the broom and mop leaning against the bench on the little plank porch, along with a bottle of Pine-Sol. His favorite.

His return didn’t distract her from pinning laundry to the clothesline in her backyard. He watched her from his new front yard, a little below the level of hers. Another nice view. The summer breeze batted blue denim and white cotton around and toyed with Lila’s hair. He enjoyed watching. But if she was still feeling friendly toward him, he would enjoy shooting the breeze with her even more.

Especially if she’d found her dog.

“Any luck?” he asked when he reached the clothesline. She shook her head. “I didn’t find anything on the highway.” She paused for a moment. “Guess that is lucky, when you think about it.” He ducked under an assortment of socks and turned so he could see her face. “Maybe he’s off huntin’ rabbits.”

She didn’t look at him, but she smiled a little.

Try again, he told himself. “I haven’t been around too many terriers. Maybe not big enough to take down a rabbit.”

“Size doesn’t matter. Not to a terrier. They’ll take on all comers.” She snapped a wet shirt straight. “So to speak.”

He was pretty sure she meant to be funny, but her face wasn’t showing it.

He smiled big. “A little confidence buys a lot of respect. From most comers anyway.”

“Thanks for your help.” She slid her empty basket across the grass and touch tested a sheet. “Oh, right. Towels.” She headed for another line. “Let me fold these sheets and then I’ll see if they’re dry.”

He stepped forward to help, and they fell naturally into the two-person task of taking down sheets and folding them, meeting corner to corner, brushing hand to hand.

“So your dad’s kicking back and letting Brad take over?” Del asked.

“Take over what?”

“The cattle operation. Sounds like your brother’s stepping up.”

“Stepbrother.”

“Stepping on toes, is he?” He surrendered a smooth sheet to her charge. “Kinda feelin’ my way here. You hire on with a family operation, you like to get a feel for the pecking order before you step into the coop. Don’t wanna slip on anything the first day.”

She bent to the laundry basket. “You’ll be on the bottom.”

“And you?”

“I’m not part of the order. There’s no pecking in my coop.”

“Good to know.” He unpinned a stiff towel. “Is the bunkhouse part of the peck-free zone?”

“That’s up to you. Do you have any terrier blood in you?”

He laughed. “I can sure tell you do.”

“Here you go.” She selected a pair of blue towels, started to turn them over but paused for a quick nuzzling. “Mmm. Don’t you just love the smell of air-dried laundry?”

“Mine usually comes from the Laundromat.”

She straightened suddenly, her attention drawn to something just outside the play yard. “Bingo!” She dropped the towels in the basket, ducked under the clothesline and took off toward a mass of conspicuous greenery. “Bingo?”

A telltale hiss prompted Del to follow her. The woman could sure move.

“Lila, back off,” he shouted, and she froze at the edge of the vegetable garden. “Step back real slow. That’s not Bingo.”

The critter sprang a good two feet above an orderly row of bush beans. It was a badger.

“He’s got something cornered,” Del said quietly.

“Bingo!”

He grabbed her from behind, pulled her to his chest and clamped his arms around her. “Good Lord, woman.”

He held her close and still, and they watched the badger disappear and a rattlesnake spring forth. Snake down, badger up, like squeezing a long balloon, alternating ends. It might have looked funny if desperation hadn’t been alternating with brutality.

“Damn. We’re not even on their radar.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Lila whispered, mesmerized by the hopping and hissing. “Good thing Bingo isn’t around. He’d be right in the thick of it.”

“You were close.” And he wasn’t letting her go.

They were close. She turned her head and looked up at him, and for a moment he was as deep into her as the snake was into the badger. Just as surprised. Just as engaged. Her eyes were crystalline, as blue as the sky, and damn if they weren’t almost as big. They had power.

It wasn’t until she turned back to the combatants that he was able to draw breath. He loosened his arms reluctantly but didn’t let go, and she seemed a little reluctant to be let loose. An even match, neither could gain without yielding. It was too late to compromise, too soon to take prisoners.

Too late for a handshake; too soon for a kiss.

“I can’t tell who’s winning,” she whispered.

He chuckled. All things considered, he’d made gains.

“No, really,” she insisted. “Can you?”

“I think they’re both hurtin’. Probably both wishing they’d never met.”

Finally the two animals jumped apart as though someone had blown a whistle, then turned tail and took off in opposite directions.

“What do you s’pose that was all about?”

“Home.” His arms were a little lazy about letting her go. “Some dank hole in the ground. Had to be. They sure as hell weren’t fighting over the same female.”

“As long as it wasn’t about my dog.”

“I didn’t hear either one call out, ‘Bingo!’”

“You’re funny.” Her little smile settled the urge to apologize. “I like that.”

“You really love your dog. I like that.” He grinned. “How about going to supper with me?”

“You’re expected at the other house.”

“That’s what I mean. How about going with me?” He shoved his thumbs into his front pockets. “When I get my first paycheck I’ll take you to the best café in Short Straw.”

“I thought you’d been to Short Straw.”

“I’ve been to Bucky’s Place. Had a sausage-and-egg sandwich there this morning. Fresh out of the microwave.”

“I can make you some lunch.”

“My stomach’s still working on that sandwich. Iron gut chippin’ on a rock.”

“It doesn’t get much better in Short Straw. As for Flynn ranch fare...” She glanced past him, nodded toward the road to the other house. “Here comes your boss. Do you have much experience working cattle?”

“I’m a good hand, yeah.”

“Don’t let Brad get to you. He likes to give orders.”

The red Chevy short box turned off the road and sped across the grass in their direction. Brad leaned out the window. “Hey, Fox, you ready to get to work?”

“Been ready.”

“Hop in and I’ll show you around.” He pulled on the brim of his straw hat. “What’s up, Lila?”

“Have you seen Bingo?”

“What, that old dog? You lost him?”

“I can’t find him.”

“Then he must be dead somewhere. I guarantee you, nobody would steal him.” Brad caught Del’s eye, expecting an ally. “Good for nothing, that dog. Except making a lot of noise.”

“Only when you come around,” Lila said.

“Recognition of the alpha. One thing about dogs, they know their place.” He stroked his scraggly mustache with thumb and forefinger, then grinned, basking in the perfection of his observations. “I’ll keep my eyes peeled. If I see hide or hair, you want me to bag it up for you?”

“If you find him, I’d like to have him back. Del’s already searched the right-of-way.”

“Del, huh? Just remember he works for me, Lila.” He watched Del slide into the passenger seat. “Don’t let her boss you around, man. She likes to give orders.”

“Just something to do while I was waiting on the boss.”

Del’s smiling eyes connected with Lila’s as he propped his elbow on the open window and gave her a conspiratorial wink.