Page 17 of The Cowboy’s Reckoning

“Wildlife can be hell on fences.”

She had him there.

She lifted her chin in the direction of the roof. “Do you know what you’re doing up there?”

He recognized a diversion when he saw one. “Well, it is my barn, so I will do my best to make it watertight.”

Lil’s mouth twisted sideways. “Walked into that one, didn’t I?”

“Yeah. You did.” And he had to admit he liked the fact that she owned it.

He also liked her mouth, which tilted up naturally at the corners, giving her a look of being secretly amused, even when annoyed about another downed fence.

“I kind of expected you to hire someone to fix the barn.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “Why, when I can do it myself?”

“You’re handy with things, then?”

“I know my way around a hammer.”

She gave a nod in response. “You don’t need me to hang around, do you? After I put the mare away, I need to fix the fence.”

“I think I can handle myself on the roof.” It wasn’t like he hadn’t climbed onto a zillion roofs in the past, some to fix, some to inspect, and a couple just to drop water balloons on his unsuspecting brother and girlfriend. Good times.

“Great.” She untied the mare and started toward the corrals. Jordan’s gaze drifted down as she walked away, then jerked back up when she stopped and looked over her shoulder. “If you do get in trouble, make sure it’s on the ground, not the roof. I don’t do heights.”

Right. As if he was going to need a rescue.

*

Lil drove across the field in the ATV, her equipment stashed inside milk crates strapped to the back. She’d waited until Jordan had climbed onto the roof before leaving, just to reassure herself that he’d be fine. She would never get onto a roof without having someone nearby in case of emergency, but then her father had fallen off a roof when she’d been eight years old and she’d remembered how long he’d worn the big sling for his shoulder injury. From Christmas to Valentine’s Day. But the pitch of this barn roof wasn’t as steep as that on her family ranch, and it also wasn’t December, so chances were that Jordan Matthews was correct—he could handle himself. She hoped so anyway because it looked like the repairs that had been neglected for so long were finally being done. She told herself she didn’t care about the reason Jordan was jumping into things—to pretty the place up to sell—but there was no denying that she was anxious. Did he understand that she and Meg were not vacating? Would he adjust his plans accordingly?

Lil parked the ATV next to the wire that had come to rest in large coils after being snapped. As she’d driven the cows to the holding pen less than an hour ago, she’d convinced herself that she’d been overreacting. Deer had busted through the fence as they often did. But now, inspecting the wires, there was no missing the diamond-like cut of nippers on wire.

Or was there? Maybe that was how kinks broke under pressure.

Bullshit. That wire’s been cut.

Lil studied the belt of trees that grew on the opposite side of the creek that bordered her pasture. Rude fishermen with wire nips?

Destructive kids?

Shane?

Her stomach tightened even as she dismissed it. Shane had been a possessive asshole where Meg was concerned, but not the kind to creep around doing damage to property. He preferred making his presence known. And he wasn’t exactly a woodsman. The thought of him sneaking through the forest to the far side of their property just to cut a fence was ridiculous.

It took close to an hour to fix the fence and then drive the ATV over to the break that had allowed the cattle onto Baxter land a little over a week ago. It didn’t do much good because Meg had strung new wire between the post and brace where the break had occurred and disposed of the old. Lil had nothing to inspect and therefore no way of knowing if that wire had been cut.

Instead of starting back to the ranch, she sat straddling the ATV and staring across the field at the barn where Jordan was working on the far side.

Unless he’d fallen off, of course.

*

After using a small hand saw to square up the hole in the roof for future repair, Jordan scooted on his butt toward the ladder. He paused before stepping onto the rungs, taking a last look around. The ranch was, in a word, peaceful.

You own this place.