Chapter 6

When Chase saw Lauren come out of the house, his heart jumped. She looked well-rested. He hoped a few days away from town and whoever or whatever messed with her would be the best thing for her. He just wanted to give her a chance to get her pretty little head on straight.

As he stood beside her, he smelled her sweet, fresh fragrance. Her thick hair whipped around her face in the soft spring breeze as she smiled at the frolicking colts in the paddock. When she spoke, her voice was melodic and lyrical. He liked the sound of it.

What the hell are you doing? You have work to do! Yet at the same time, he knew what it was that held him captive. Those eyes! God, those beautiful green eyes. They called to the deepest part of him. His heart hammered as an inexplicable surge of lust expanded in his chest. He wanted herjust one wild night with a sultry woman who could stroke his libido like no one had in a long time, a night he could walk away from, no strings attached.

"So, uhdo you know how to ride?" Chase asked, trying to release himself from the hold of her emerald eyes.

"Not really. I've only ridden a couple of trail horses for recreation." She turned and looked at him. "Is there anything I can do to earn my keep around here? I don't believe in freeloading, and I'm afraid I haven't got much money to offer you for the room last nightor the breakfast this morning."

He laughed. "I don't want your money, babe. If you knew how to ride, though, I'd take you with me. But since you don't, I s'pose you can hang out around here and relaxI mean, if you want." He brought his arm up to wipe his brow with the sleeve of his white snap-up shirt.

She jumped and stepped away from him, cowering against the fence. Her eyes were huge as she stared at him.

"It's okay. I won't get too close and I will never hurt you. You're safe here. You have to learn to trust again, and you can begin with me."

"Okay. I'll try. Thank you for understanding."

He glanced at the grimace on her face. "Hey. I bet Edie gave you an earful, tellin' you to stay away from me."

"Well, not in so many words."

He laughed. "Don't pay her no mind. She's got a bad case of puppy love for me and tells everyone to stay away. Why don't you stay outside and do whatever you feel like doing?"

Lauren smiled. "Okay. How about if I just watch for a while?" She nodded toward the horses.

"No problem, but I've gotta take off. If you need anything while I'm gone, just give ol' Amos a holler. He sticks close to the barn most of the time."

"What are you going to do?" she asked, smiling at the horses on the other side of the fence.

"I have to go round up some strays before they get too far. I'll be back for supper." He turned when he heard Amos behind him, leading a tall, shiny black horse, saddled and ready to go.

"Gee, I really wish I could go with you." She looked off toward the mountains.

"Maybe after you get some riding lessons under your belt. There's always plenty of riding to do around here." His horse began prancing and pawing the ground, anxious to run, and Chase took hold of his bridle. "It's okay, boy. Don't worry. You'll get your run. Be patient." After patting the animal affectionately on the head and neck, he turned back to Lauren. "This is Midnight. He used to be one of our champion sires, but he's retired now."

"Retired or not, he's beautiful!" She reached over to stroke the horse's cheek, as black as the hour he was named after.

Chase rubbed Midnight's nose, then moved to his side, placed one foot in the stirrup, and hoisted up onto the saddle. With a wave, he kicked the horse into a trot and headed off to the east.

As he rode along the fence line, he checked for damage. When he approached a gully, he leaned back in the saddle to keep his balance as Midnight's hoofs slipped on the small rocks. At the sandy bottom, Chase noticed something amiss. He reined the horse closer to get a better look.

A portion of the fence had been cut, and whoever had done it hadn't taken great effort to hide their deeds. Hoofprints led across the fence line and onto his neighbor's property. Tire tracks on the other side indicated horses had been loaded into a trailer.

He slid from the saddle and squatted to examine the ground closely. Boot heels mingled with the hoofprints and tire tracks. Chase strode to the fence and picked up a loose wire. The line hadn't been brokenit had been cut. God damn it! He wasn't going to put up with anyone's horse-thieving. He wanted his horses back and the sooner the better.

He pulled out his cell phone from his buttoned shirt pocket and dialed the sheriff's number to report the incident. "Mitch, Chase Montgomery here."

"Hey, Chase. How were things out in the mile-high?"

"Fine, but now I'm back home, and there's a bit of trouble out at the Jack of Aces. I need your help."

"Oh? What can I do for you?"

"It seems a few of my herd have gone missing, and there's some evidence indicating they didn't march away on their own."

"Whatcha got?"

"A cut fence, hoofprints leading from my property onto Duffy's, and tire tracks on his side. The SOB's loaded my horses into a trailer or truck and I want 'em back. I don't have time for any bullshit. If you and your boys don't move on this quick, I will. We wait too long, and my horses will be gone for good."

"All right, I'll take a ride out there and see what's going on. Be there in about an hour."

Chase ended the conversation and called Amos to let him know about the missing horses and to tell him to keep an eye out for Mitch. "After the sheriff has given the place a onceover, we'll need to fix this fence up proper again," he said to his right-hand man.

"You got it, boss."

Frustrated and angry, Chase spurred Midnight into a gallop and headed back to the ranch. Lauren was still standing at the corral when he reined the stallion to a stop a short distance from the barnyard. She must have talked to Amos, though. The short, stooped-over man was walking out of the barn with Lucy, a retired brood mare Amos declared had "just enough spark left in her for a short ride." It looked like Lauren's riding lessons were about to commence. Amos gave her the quick-study version of horse handling and then helped her into the saddle. Chase smiled when she yelled "Giddy-up!" and the old horse obeyed. There was something infectious about her giggle, a little tinkle that carried across the airwaves. He liked the sound of it.

He urged Midnight forward with a nudge of his knees when he saw the sheriff's car pull up to the paddock. Within minutes, he was at the barn door.

The sheriff, a tall, ruggedly handsome man, was dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt, dark pants and boots. The shiny star on his chest pocket twinkled in the sun. A full head of dark-brown hair appeared when he took off his state-issued hat, wiped the band with his handkerchief, and smiled. "Hey, Chase."

"Hi, Mitch. Thanks for responding so quickly." He slid out of the saddle and shook Mitch's hand, a man he'd known since kindergarten.

"No problem. It's always nice to see a good friend, and it's my job." He smiled again. "I'm here to serve the people of this jurisdiction, and I'm not gonna stand idly by and let any theft happen during my watch." The sheriff slapped his hat against his thigh and dust flew off and got caught up in the breeze. "Besides, there're a lot of horses in these partsyours and otherwiseand the sooner we get to the bottom of this, the better off everyone around here will be."

"What's going on?" Lauren asked when she and Amos joined them at the barn door. Her eyes were wide and filled with fear.

"Nothing you need to worry about, babe," Chase answered. "Sheriff Mitch Rogers just came out to look at something for me."

As the sheriff produced a small notepad and pen from his pocket and began scribbling notes, Chase and Amos went into the barn to fire up two four-wheelers and drove them outside.

The loud rumbling of the engines made it impossible to carry on a conversation, so Chase motioned with his hand it was time to go. Mitch hopped onto the four-wheeler and, with Chase leading the way, they headed east, toward his neighbor's ranch.