Jake (Men of Clifton Montana Book 1) (10 page)

“There might be
some casings. The bastards shot at me.”

“Holy hell,” Gabe
muttered.

Sam nodded. “Okay,
you can go with me and show me where. I’ll be here around seven.”

Jake and Gabe
watched him drive off. They unsaddled the horses and put them in the barn. Jake
was having trouble comprehending the situation. This kind of thing just didn’t
go on in a town like Clifton. The community of fifteen hundred was a tight one.
He couldn’t imagine any of them doing something like this. Yet it was happening.
It had started with Becca’s horses. Now his, but what did that have to do with
him?

Gabe told him goodnight
and left to return to his own home. Jake stayed in the barn for a while. The
other horses were fine and he intended to make sure they stayed that way, even
if he had to sleep with them all night. He wasn’t one to hunt for silver
linings, but he knew one good thing would come out of this fiasco. Settling
himself on a bale of hay, he let out a heavy breath. At least now, Becca would
know that someone else was behind the rustling. Jake hadn’t stolen her horses
and the knowledge that she’d suspected him cut like a knife.
  
                                             

* * * *

Becca was sitting
in the window seat drinking coffee the next morning when she saw the sheriff’s SUV
pull up. Unable to sleep, she’d been up for hours. Setting down her cup, she went
to the front door to let him in.

“Becca.”
He took his hat off and walked past her, bringing the cold in with him.

“Good morning, Sam.
What brings you out here so early?” Becca asked, smiling at him.

“I want to ask you
some additional questions, and then I plan on talking to Stan and the other men
too.”

“Would you like
some coffee?” she offered.

He smiled. “I
would. Thank you.”

He followed her to
the kitchen and took a seat at the table while she poured him a cup. Becca
handed him the mug and sat down across from him. “What do you need to ask? Have
you heard anything about my horses?”

Sam shook his head.
A lock of dark hair fell across his forehead. “Have you seen anything
suspicious around here lately? Did you see any unfamiliar cars or trucks coming
to the ranch?”

“No. The only
people I usually see are Stan and the regular guys. Emma comes for lunch
occasionally, and of course, Jake’s been here a time or two.” She narrowed her
eyes at him. “I know everyone thinks he wouldn’t do this but he does know his
way around my ranch very well.”

“And do you think
he’d have his own horses stolen?”

A ripple of
uncertainty swept up her body. “What is that supposed to mean?” Becca frowned
at him.

“Someone took five
of Jake’s horses last night. He tried to catch them, but they shot at him.”

“Shot at him?”
Becca suddenly felt ill.
Jake might’ve
been killed.

She noticed Sam
watching her closely. Trying to appear calm, Becca took a sip of coffee but it
settled in her stomach like a rock.

“Are you all right?
You look a little pale.” Sam tilted his head as he looked at her.

Becca nodded.
Someone shot at Jake. She felt like she was going to throw up. The reality of
what she was feeling wasn’t lost on Becca. Her heart was pounding and the palms
of her hands were clammy with fear. In the short time she’d known him, Jake had
come to mean more to her than she realized.

Sam stood and put
his hat on. “As soon as I talk to the men, I’m heading over to Jake’s to look
for evidence. I don’t like any of this. Is there anyone who could stay here
with you?”

“I could call my
friend, Olivia. I know she’ll come but she’s in Maryland. It will take her at
least two weeks to get someone to cover for her at the coffee shop. I suppose
in the meantime, I could ask Emma.”

Sam seemed pleased
with that. “Good. Call them both. Emma can stay until your friend gets here. I
want you to call me if you see anything suspicious.
Anything,
Becca.”
He shook his head. “I really don’t like any of this.”

He gave her a brief
nod and left.

Shaking like a
leaf, Becca called Emma and explained everything. Emma told her she would be
there within an hour. Then she called Olivia and filled her in. She knew the
reaction Olivia would have.

“What
the fuck is going on out there, Becs?”
Olivia asked in a clipped voice.

“I don’t know, but
if the sheriff is upset about it then I’m not questioning it. Please come out
here, Liv.” She choked on a sob.

“Oh, sweetie, I’ll
be there as soon as I can. I’ll see if Beth can run the shop for us. If not, I’ll
close up for however long it takes.”

“I really need you
here, Liv.” Becca started crying.

“I promise you, I’ll
be there. Please don’t cry. Emma will be there soon and you’ll feel better. I’m
going to get off here, and start getting things ready so I can leave here. A. S.
A. P. Okay?”

Becca nodded, and
then realized Olivia couldn’t see her. “Yes. Please hurry.”

“I will. I love
you, Becs,” Olivia whispered.

“I love you, too,
Liv.”

After hanging up,
the tears fell in earnest. Why was this happening? Would someone in the town
want her gone that badly? Why steal Jake’s horses too? None of it made any
sense. Becca leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and must have drifted off
because the next thing she knew someone was knocking on the back door. She rose
and hurried through the kitchen. Outside, Emma was standing on the porch. She
unlocked the door and let her in.

Emma pulled her
into a hug. “I’m so sorry this is happening to you.”

“Not just to me, to
Jake too.” Becca sniffed.

Emma pulled back. “What
do you mean?”

Becca took a deep
breath. “Someone took five of Jake’s horses.”

Emma’s blue eyes
widened. “There are rustlers in Clifton? Good Lord, things like that just don’t
happen around here.”

Becca didn’t know
what she could say. It had to appear to everyone else the way it did to her.
That all the trouble started once she arrived. She nibbled on her bottom lip to
stop it from trembling, trying to keep the tears at bay.

“Don’t even think
about it, Becca,” Emma chastised her, obviously reading her mind.

Becca winced. “What?”

“I know you’re thinking
all of this is your fault, but it’s not. I don’t think any of this has anything
to do with you.”

“How did you know I
was thinking that? Are you a friggin’ mind reader?” Becca grinned as they moved
into the living room to sit in the window seat.

Emma laughed. “I
wish. I just knew by the look on your face what you were thinking.” She reached
out and touched Becca’s hand. “And I don’t want you to think that.”

Later as the snow
and wind whipped past the windows, Becca lay in her bed, wide-awake. She couldn’t
get Jake out of her thoughts to save her life. She had to wonder what was going
through his mind with his horses gone. Was he blaming her?

She groaned and
rolled to her side. Her mind went back to the day they’d made love, as it had
so many times. No, she corrected herself. They’d had sex. There was no love
involved. She knew Jake felt that way so there was no use for her to entertain
any romantic notions. Her body heated up just remembering the way he’d touched
her, the way his hands ran all over her body and his mouth…Lord, his mouth. His
mouth was amazing.

Becca had always
thought she wasn’t any good at sex, but Jake sure changed her mind about that. She
was responsive after all—to the right man. The problem hadn’t been her at all,
it had been her partner. Becca had been with only one other man before Jake and
there was no comparison at all. Mack had only cared about his own pleasure and
had left her hanging out to dry.

She snorted.
Literally.

Jake, on the other
hand, had her wet and willing just with a simple kiss.

The more she
thought about him, the more turned on she became. Becca moaned and rolled back
over to stare at the ceiling. There was no use denying it. She wanted him
again. But, after the way she’d accused him of stealing her horses, Becca was
sure he wanted nothing to do with her ever again.

Sighing, she threw
the covers back and got out of bed. Maybe warm milk would help. Tiptoeing past
the bedroom Emma was sleeping in, she quietly slipped downstairs.

Before she turned
on the kitchen light, she thought she saw something outside. Her nerves on
edge, Becca walked to the kitchen door and looked out the window. The moon was
full so she had a good view of the barn. It was then she saw the flames
reaching for the sky from the barn’s roof.

It was on fire!
Becca ran back to the
stairs and screamed out Emma’s name.

Emma came to the
top of the stairs. “What is it?” Her eyes were wide with fear.

“The barn’s on fire!
I’m calling 911. Please call Stan,” Becca screamed as she ran to the living room
to get her cellphone. The operator assured her a fire truck would be there
soon. Becca then ran upstairs to change into jeans and boots. As she hurried
back down, Emma came running up.

“I called Stan. He’s
calling the ranch hands to help. They all live close by. As soon as I change, I’ll
be out.”

Becca nodded, and
then ran through the kitchen and out the door. She didn’t even bother with her
coat. She saw Stan leading Daisy out of the barn and ran to meet him.

Sheer panic made
her almost dizzy with fear. “Is she alright? How bad is it?” Becca asked.

Stan coughed and
shook his head. “It’s a good thing you saw it, Becca. I think it just started
but the flames were getting close to Daisy.” He rubbed the horse’s nose.

Daisy’s eyes were
wide and the smell of smoke surely frightened her. In the distance, they could
hear the sirens. Emma came running out from the house and handed Becca her
coat. Several trucks came barreling up the driveway. Becca figured it was the
ranch hands but there were three other trucks behind those. She was shocked to
see Jake and Gabe step from their trucks. The third tall man had to be Wyatt.

Jake headed right
for her. The welcome sight of him almost brought her to her knees.

“Becca, are you all
right?” His voice was hoarse. “Stan called us.”

She nodded and did
her best to keep the tears back but one rolled down her cheek.
Damn it!
It seemed like crying was all
she did lately.

Gently, Jake
reached out and wiped the tear away with the pad of his thumb. Unable to stop
herself
, Becca stepped toward him and he wrapped his arms
around her. A feeling of sublime relief flowed through her. She put her arms
around his waist and laid her cheek against his chest. His strong heartbeat
made her feel safe. He laid his chin on top of her head. She realized Gabe was
standing beside them.

“Is she all right?”
Gabe asked softly.

Becca felt Jake
shake his head. The fire truck and the sheriff’s SUV came up the driveway. Sam
came rushing toward Becca and Jake.

“Did you see
anything, Becca?” Sam touched her shoulder.

She pulled away
from Jake. She was trembling.

“I couldn’t sleep.
I was thinking about…” she began as her gaze glided past Jake. Whoa, she sure
couldn’t confess that dream. With a slight cough, she adjusted her thought
process. “I was thinking about…the horses and I came downstairs to get some
warm milk. Before I turned the lights on, I saw something by the barn.” She
shook her head. “I’m not sure what I saw but when I looked closer, I saw the
flames.”

Sam wrote down
everything. The firefighters were working to get the fire out before it got out
of control. The roof had flames shooting out of it and if it collapsed, all
would be lost.

Jake kissed her
gently on the forehead and moved away to help the men.

Becca felt Emma put
her arm around her and give her a squeeze. She wrapped her arm around Emma’s
waist as they watched the men fight the fire.

“Let’s go inside.
They can come in and talk to us once the fire’s out,” Emma suggested.
              

An hour later, it
was all over. They’d saved the barn. The roof would need repair but the
structure was sound. Emma and Becca sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee
and had another pot ready for anyone who wanted it. Becca hoped Jake would come
in. As cold as it was, all the men could use something to warm them up. She
looked up anxiously when the back door opened. Sam walked in with a firefighter
who wore
Chief
on his helmet.

“Would you men like
some coffee? We made a full pot,” Becca asked, rising from her chair,
disappointed that Jake hadn’t come in too.

The men nodded and
she got cups down for them. She had her back to the door when it opened again,
she turned and her heart hit her stomach when Jake entered, followed by Gabe.
Her gaze met Jake’s and held it. He smiled and winked at her. Blushing, she turned
back to the cupboard to get more cups down. She put them on the table along
with cream and sugar.

Gabe picked up the
coffee pot and poured himself a cup. Becca leaned her back against the counter
and sipped her own coffee. Jake came over beside her and poured himself a cup.
He nudged her with his elbow. “You doing all right?” he asked quietly.

Becca nodded, but
she wasn’t. This was getting ridiculous. She wanted it to end. Someone wanted
her gone. Someone wanted to bid on the ranch and hoped to scare her enough to
make her leave. She trembled. Jake put his arm around her, and she leaned into
him. Having him here with her made all the difference in the world.

Gabe raised an
eyebrow at them. Jake glared at him.

The exchange wasn’t
lost on Becca and it made her feel self-conscious, so she moved away from Jake
and sat down beside Emma at the table. She looked at the fire chief. Emma had introduced
him as Chet Browne.