Page 39 of The Cowboy’s Reckoning

Chapter Nine

“We have to do something,” Lil muttered as she drove down the county road toward Jordan’s home ranch.

She was glad he’d come with her, even though she kept catching his scent, which in turn distracted her from the task at hand. A distraction she could handle. It was the sense of inertia that was getting to her.

“What do you have in mind?”

“I don’t know. Talk to people. Show whoever is doing this that we are being proactive in the off chance that the shooting has nothing to do with Connery.”

There was something about his silence that made her wonder if he’d been thinking that way.

“Turn to the right just after that no passing sign.”

Lil slowed, made the turn.

The ranch was located almost three miles down the road, well out of sight of the county roads. Like the driveway of the Willow Creek, the road passed through a grove of aspen before the ranch proper came into view.

It was a classic. Not a fancy spread like one would see in a movie, but instead, a generations-long Montana classic that had been built over decades. With the exception of a couple of new-looking sheds, it appeared that the ranch had seen its last construction phase mid-century, just like her family’s old ranch.

A wide gravel driveway divided the buildings, with a medium-sized two-story house, an older house, which was probably the original dwelling, and a detached garage on one side, then the barn and outbuildings on the other. Pole corrals mixed with paneled cow-working areas and there was a decent round pen behind the grain silo.

“Home,” Jordan said simply after she’d parked near the corral he’d pointed out.

“Nice,” she said, tamping down the pang of regret at losing her own family ranch. “Newly painted.”

“It was time. Wade used to make us paint all the time to keep us busy and out of trouble, but after we left, home maintenance kind of slowed down.”

“Did it work?”

“Did painting keep us out of trouble?” He flashed a smile that brought to mind Aubrey’s assertion that he accidentally broke hearts. “What do you think?”

“I think we better unload the horses.” While she could still breathe normally.

He frowned bemusedly, and then a blond woman stepped out from in between the tractors parked near the fuel tanks and approached the truck. Jordan and Lil got out of opposite sides and met her at the front of the vehicle.

“Hey, I’m Bailey,” she said, extending a hand to Lil. “Really sorry to hear about your troubles.”

Lil liked her vibe. Open and genuine. “Nice to meet you.”

“Bailey is one of my future sisters-in-law,” Jordan said as he joined them on the driver’s side of the truck. “No date yet for the festivities.” He ginned at Bailey. “Wade is hoping for a double wedding.”

“Probably triple,” Bailey replied, gesturing at the horse trailer with her chin.

Lil sensed an inside joke, which Jordan acknowledged by saying gruffly, “I’ll explain later.”

“I’d like to hear that,” Bailey said on a laugh before asking, “are you guys staying for lunch?”

“I think we’ll head back after we get the horses settled,” Jordan said. “I don’t want to leave the place empty for too long.”

“I understand.” Bailey met Lil’s gaze in a friendly way, then headed back toward the tractors.

A herd of about a dozen horses grazed in the pastures beyond the corrals, and their heads came up as Lil and Jordan led her horses to the corrals. Of course, Fancy called out and minutes later a herd of gorgeous animals were crowded at the pasture gate, trying to get closer to the newcomers as Lil and Jordan released them into individual pens.

“You have an excellent setup,” Lil said.

“Which you can use for as long as you like,” he said.

The barn door opened as they returned to the truck and Wade emerged.