Zack (Armed and Dangerous Book 1) (23 page)

Sky explained what had happened. “I imagine he was asking for water, but I’d hoped he’d be able to tell us who did this to him—that’s why I called you into the room.”

Deputy Blalock nodded. “I’ll keep an eye on him to see if he wakes again.”

Sky took a deep breath. “Thanks.”

After the deputy left, Sky turned back to Hector. “You get some rest.” She lightly settled her hand on his cast as the backs of her eyes stung. “We’ll take care of everything.”

She squeezed his fingers one last time before she left Hector’s hospital room. The deputy guarding the room gave her a short nod, and she tried to answer it with a smile but failed and turned away to head out of the hospital.

Her sneakers squeaked on the county hospital’s cracked linoleum floor. Sky stopped and spoke to the nurse manning the reception desk and let her know that Hector had tried to talk and that she thought he was asking for water.

Sky took the cell phone from the clip on her western leather belt and called Zack’s number that he’d given her back when he’d been working with Satan.

A few rings and then she was directed to his voice mail. “Hey, Zack,” she said as her gaze roved the parking lot through the glass front doors. “I just visited Hector Ramirez at the hospital. He tried to talk but was only able to get out a ‘wu’ sound. He was probably asking for water but I thought you might want to know he woke long enough to attempt to speak.”

When she finished, she closed her cell phone and reclipped it to her belt. She took a deep breath and pushed open the hospital’s glass front doors and stepped into the chilly but clear October morning.

After saddling Empress, Sky swung up and onto the sorrel mare. Leather creaked as Sky seated herself and loosely held the reins of the bridle. Blue stood calmly by Empress, waiting for them to head out.

Dust motes glittered in a shaft of sunlight, particles of hay floating with the dust. The familiar scents of alfalfa, manure, horse, and cob with molasses calmed Sky and the ongoing tightness in her belly relaxed. She could almost forget all that had happened over the past few weeks. This was normal. This was how things should be.

She smiled at the memory of the crazy-wonderful sex she’d had with Zack. Good Lord. Zack had given her an orgasm in a restaurant while feeding her cheesecake. And then she’d gone down on him under the table, making him come twice. God, and the sex half in, half out of the truck had been so hot.

Sky had woken at dawn just as Zack had been ready to leave.

He had to change at his place and get to work. Then she’d gotten up, showered, and gone to the hospital to visit Hector.

Her smile vanished into a frown and she couldn’t help a deep sigh.
Damn, damn, damn.

Sky clicked her tongue and pressed her knees into the sorrel’s sides. “Let’s go, girl.” Empress tossed her head, the bit firmly in her mouth. “You, too, Blue,” Sky added to her Border Collie. “We’re escaping this place and getting some fresh air and sunshine.”

Sky always found herself talking to Blue and Empress like they were people. They certainly were just as intelligent, if not smarter than a lot of people.

Blue trotted at Empress’s side as Sky guided the sorrel out of the barn into the cool October afternoon. The copper-red Quarter Horse was one of the finest on the ranch and of Sky’s best breeding stock.

In the house, Sky had tucked her S&W in its holster at her side, her long overshirt covering the weapon. The S&W was the only company she wanted right now, other than Blue, who was a damned good guard dog when she needed him to be.

Of course her cell phone was in its clip on her leather belt, the phone set on vibrate. She wished she could turn it off for a while. She didn’t want any interruption to break the afternoon’s peace, but she was the owner of a large ranch and if she was needed, she had to be available.

In one saddlebag she’d shoved a pair of pliers, her heavy-duty leather work gloves, and a small spool of baling wire in case she found any downed fence lines. She could do a temporary patch to keep the cattle in if she needed to and send one of the hands out to finish the job later. As usual when she worked, she had her utility knife shoved into the right front pocket of her jeans.

The other saddlebag contained her snack—a banana and a granola bar—along with some treats for Blue and Empress. Of course she had a couple of large bottles of water.

Sky’s long braid swung across her back as she, Empress, and Blue headed out to the south pasture. The hay had been harvested in August and the bales now filled the southern end of the cattle barn.

It was the middle of October and the fields had turned yellow. The scent of fall was in the air and she was thankful for the overshirt to protect her arms from the slight chill. Overnight the weather could turn and she’d be freezing her ass off the next time she rode out onto her acreage to work or just to get some fresh air.

In another month roundup would begin so that her cattle could be vaccinated and wormed. Then part of her herd would be cut and shipped. The calves would be castrated, tagged, and branded with the more-than-a-century-old Flying M brand. She tightened her jaw. Luke would have a better idea at that time just how many of her cattle had been rustled. And damnit, she was afraid it was more than they had figured.

Blue bounded ahead of her, head down every now and then as he sniffed the path they were taking. Empress’s hooves sank into the earth that was still damp from the rain the night Hector had been beaten.

Sky frowned and her stomach did an angry flip. Thank God Hector was going to pull through. “At least Hector’s alive.” Sky used her knees to guide Empress south. “That’s what counts right now.”

The mare whickered and tossed her head. Blue looked over his shoulder and gave a short woof. It sounded as if they both agreed.

Sky had to smile at that.

It wasn’t long before they reached the fence dividing the Flying M and Wade’s ranch, Coyote Pass.

A jackrabbit bounded across Empress’s path, but the sorrel was so well trained she didn’t so much as step sideways. Blue watched the rabbit, but he was just as well trained as the mare and didn’t give chase. The Border Collie was trained to work cattle and obeyed Sky’s every order.

For a while Sky traveled along the length of the fence line with her two companions. They reached the eastern pasture where her cattle grazed. The southern pasture had already been harvested or Sky would have had them herded there. As it was, the only grazing fodder was in the eastern pasture and they’d been forced to leave the cattle where they were, regardless of the rustlers.

Sky swung down from her saddle to open the gate from the southern to the eastern pasture. She guided Empress through with Blue following before she shut the gate behind them. She mounted the horse again, settling comfortably in the well-worn saddle.

Sky let out a huff of breath as she looked down the stretch of fence that had been patched in several places where it had been cut.

She scowled at the tire tracks and flattened grass that told her where the rustlers had broken through to take her cattle. Luke and Zack, along with Sheriff Wayland, had already investigated the area and were checking to see if the prints along this fence line matched those where Hector had been beaten.

If her ranch weren’t a thousand acres, it might have been easier to patrol the eastern range, but as it was they didn’t have the man power. Her ranch hands were at a minimum until roundup in the fall and spring.

Horse hooves hitting the earth hard caught Sky’s attention. She glanced back the way she’d come. On the other side of the fence, a rider approached at a gallop and a whirling sensation tingled in Sky’s belly. The man was large and rangy and she wasn’t positive who it was. As for the horse, at first Sky just saw the head and chest, which were cinnamon red in color. But then she got a glimpse of the horse’s hindquarters and saw that it was an Appal oosa.

Wade, she realized as he and his horse got closer. Just great. After his last visit she’d rather put him on the end of a stick and roast him on a barbeque spit.

A low rumble rose in Blue’s throat and she glanced at the Border Collie. She turned back to watch the approaching man. “I did tell you that you had permission to bite him in the ass the next time you saw him.”

Blue growled a little louder and Sky looked at the dog. “Let’s hold off on the ass biting for a moment. Okay, boy?”

The border collie stopped growling but remained at Sky and Empress’s side.

When Wade reached them he pulled his mount up short. His green eyes looked as fiery and obstinate as ever.

Empress shifted beneath Sky as if sensing her irritation—or perhaps because she was pressing her knees tight to the mare’s sides without realizing it. Sky relaxed the pressure as she tilted her chin and met his gaze. “What can I do for you, Wade?” She said with a hint of ice to her tone.

Wade removed his straw western hat, his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. His collar was soaked and perspiration glistened on his face. Despite obviously working a long, hard, sweaty day, he was still a handsome man. It was easy to see the sexual appeal in him that she’d found enticing. She’d grown up around Wade, but she’d been too much younger than him to really know him—four years was a big gap as kids. It wasn’t until he truly turned into a man and she was older that she’d found him attractive.

She certainly hadn’t found him too attractive when he’d been by last, though.

“I planned to come by your place later,” Wade said as he wiped the back of his sleeve over his sweaty forehead. “But I saw you heading on out this way and I thought I’d meet up with you so that we could talk.”

Sky narrowed her eyes. “I think you said enough.”

His jaw tightened before his eyes met and held hers. “I think we could have had something if Hunter hadn’t returned.”

“You and I didn’t have a relationship beyond being friends.” A strange sensation swirled in her stomach as she watched his darkening expression. “We hadn’t even dated for a couple of months.”

“Only because you were too busy.” His scowl deepened. “At least you said you were.”

“I was busy,” she said, suddenly feeling the need to be careful of every word she spoke. “But I also didn’t realize you thought our relationship was more than casual.”

“I’ve had a thing for you for years.” Wade’s gelding sidestepped and Wade brought the horse back in line. “You know that.”

“You’ve always been a good friend.” She gripped Empress’s reins. “I thought that would be enough for our relationship to go somewhere, but it never felt right to me.”

Wade’s knuckles looked a little white as he clenched the Appaloosa’s reins. “You’re making a mistake.”

A crawling sensation tickled the back of her neck. Something wasn’t right.

His voice came out harsh when he continued speaking. “Everything changes. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.”

Blue growled and the way Wade said those words sent a chill along Sky’s spine. “What do you mean?”

His eyes returned to hers, his gaze hard now. “Nothing to concern yourself with.”

A lead weight went straight to Sky’s stomach. For the first time she noticed the Remington rifle secured on his saddle. His pistol was in the holster strapped to his thigh as usual, like a cowboy gunslinger from a century ago.

Wade used the horse’s reins to wheel the Appaloosa around, facing his ranch. “Watch out for yourself, Skylar,” he said before he snapped his reins and urged the gelding away at a steady gallop.

Sky swallowed as she watched the horse and rider fade from sight. Shit. Did Wade have something to do with the rustling? Did he have some kind of personal vendetta—maybe against her? What had that all been about?

She caught her breath. No way he’d be jealous enough to go after Zack, right?

“No,” she repeated aloud as she stared at what was now just a pinprick of Wade and his horse. She’d had a hard time believing Wade would even be involved with the rustling. But she’d believe that before she’d even consider him capable of murder.

All of a sudden the scene in Hector’s hospital room came back to her. What if he hadn’t been asking for water but had been trying to tell her a name? The name of his attacker.

Wade.

“No, damnit.” She said the words loud enough that Blue looked at her.

Was she being fricking naive? She rubbed her forehead with her palm as she pictured Hector’s battered body. Was Wade capable of that kind of violence?

Should she tell Zack? Or was she just overreacting? Wade hadn’t actually come out and threatened anyone.

Still...

“Wu... wu... wu...”

“Wade?” she said as she stared in the direction he had cantered off with his horse.

Damn.

Maybe she should let Zack know of her thought that Hector could have been saying a name instead of asking for water.

Crazy.

But what if?

Sky sucked in her breath so deep her lungs ached. She decided to follow her instincts and tugged her cell phone out of its clip. Again she reached Zack’s voice mail. She let him know about her run-in with Wade.

She felt silly, but she continued, “I’m wondering if Hector was trying to say a name that started with W instead of asking for water. I’m probably wrong, but the thought occurred to me.

“If you come over,” she added, “I’m off in the eastern pasture checking the fence line. I needed some fresh air to sort things out.”

Sky called Luke just to let him know where she was and when he could expect her to be back.

After she’d shoved her cell phone in its clip she said, “Come on, Empress. Blue. Let’s get to work.”

Spending time on the fence line this afternoon, and some good, physical labor, was bound to help her work out her frustrations.

Zack made a stop at the assisted-living center and was glad that his mother was having a good day. She deserved so much more than the life she was forced to lead. Every time Zack saw his mother in the condition she was in now, he couldn’t help but mentally curse his father and his stepfather.

Afterward, Zack spent the morning out in the field, doing a portion of the surveillance.