For the second time that day, Sylvie found herself in Dawson’s arms. Yet seeing the screws lying on the floor, and the hole in the ceiling where she’d been standing, robbed her of feeling any enjoyment in their embrace.
How many times would she be targeted? Until she was severely injured?
Dead?
“Stay off the roof,” Dawson said. “Let the ranch hands take care of it.”
“My barn, my job.” The words were automatic, although she could see the wisdom in his suggestion. “Yeah, fine, I’ll stay off the roof. For now.”
“Did you notice anyone hanging around the barn?”
“No one in particular.” She culled through her scattered thoughts. “Truthfully, I was focused on getting the work done. But most of the ranch hands have been helping.”
“Josh and Ace, too?”
She nodded. “They just got back about fifteen minutes ago.” Anything was possible, but she thought the timeframe was too narrow for the person to have loosened the board to be Josh. Maybe she was wrong about the ranch foreman. What did he gain by her selling the ranch? Nothing.
Unless her brother had somehow convinced him to do the dirty work, with the promise of getting a chunk of the inheritance.
“Okay, I’ll take over working on the barn,” Dawson said firmly. “No one is going up on the roof, now anyway. Why don’t you go ahead and take care of the horses?”
“I’ll call Doc Ernie Dunn, I wanted him to check the herd out anyway.” It wasn’t easy to step away from the barn repairs, but her knees still felt a little shaky. “Then I’ll come back to help.”
Dawson rolled his eyes, clearly irritated with her stubbornness, but he didn’t say anything else. She handed him the claw hammer she’d been using to pry up the damaged boards, took a moment to pat Kilo on the head, then turned to jump through the burned out hole in the wall.
Pulling her phone from her pocket, she called the doc. Ernie Dunn was younger than his name would lead a person to believe, he’d been named after his father, so he was technically Ernie Junior. The large animal vet was very good at his job, though, having learned at his father’s knee. She trusted his opinion when it came to her livestock.
She scowled, noting her fingers were shaking as she gripped the phone.
“Sylvie? What’s going on?”
“Hey, Doc, do you have time to check my horses? There was a barn fire last night. They were out in the corral, but I’d still like you to check them over.”
“A fire?” His voice rose in alarm. “How did that happen?”
“Long story.” She figured the grapevine would be vibrating with news before the end of the day. “Are you tied up with something else?”
“Nah, I’m open. I’ll be there in an hour.”
“Thanks, see you then.” She disconnected from the call and turned back to look at the disaster that was her horse barn. Keeping the horses outside all night in the summer wasn’t that big of a deal, yet she still didn’t like it. Wildlife often wandered around the mountains, and big cats and wolves were known to attack large animals. More so in winter, when meat was scarce, but still, it made her nervous. Her goal of having the roof repaired before sundown suddenly seemed far too lofty.
She walked over to the hose and took a drink of water to soothe her raw throat. The water helped cool her throat that still felt as if she’d smoked an entire carton of cigarettes in one sitting.
Not that she’d ever smoked.
Dawson stood near the top of the ladder to remove more boards. She moved around the barn, eyeing which ranch hands were doing various other odd jobs. They were focused on the task at hand, no one looked at her twice.
It was a strange feeling to be standing on your own property, knowing someone close to you had tried to hurt you. Not just once but over and over again.
Drawing in a deep breath she shook off the despair and headed back over to the damaged wall of the barn. She found another hammer and went to work pulling down charred boards.
Keeping busy was the only way she knew how to cope. And maybe, just maybe, they could get enough work done on the barn today that she could use it as a shelter.
Her arms were tired and sore by the time Doc Ernie showed up. She gratefully tossed her hammer down and led the vet over to the corral.
“I looked them over for obvious signs of burns, but didn’t find anything.” She glanced at the vet. “Yet they were close enough that they likely inhaled some smoke.”
“Sounds like you did, too,” Doc Ernie said with a frown. “You should be examined by a people doc. You’re probably suffering from smoke inhalation, they often treat that with oxygen.”
“I’m fine.” She wasn’t going to waste time driving all the way into town for a sore throat and nagging cough. “The horses are more important.”
“Spoken like a true rancher,” Doc Ernie teased. Then his expression turned serious. “Go on, Sylvie, this will take me a while.”
She nodded and left him to it. Her entire body was sore, but she ignored the pain and went back to work on the barn. An hour later, the entire roof and back wall had been removed.
“Looks like the other walls are intact and stable,” Josh said, swiping his face with a bandana. “You want us to start building the new wall?”
“Give me a minute.” She gestured for Dawson to follow her inside the barn. Kilo dogged his heels. “What do you think, Dawson? Should we tear these down, too?”
Dawson frowned and began to examine the walls for himself. She knew how to do rough construction, a necessity on a ranch, but gauging the stability of the structure was a bit beyond her.
“I’m no expert, Sylvie, but I don’t see any signs of damage.” Dawson shrugged. “I’d say trust Josh on this. After all, whoever did this made sure the horses were safe. I doubt he’d put them in danger, here.”
“Okay, thanks.” It helped to hear his opinion. She turned and headed back over to where Josh waited. “Yes, let’s start the new wall. When that’s finished, we’ll work on the roof.”
“Got it.” If her foreman was annoyed that she’d chosen to listen to Dawson over him, he didn’t show it. “I’d like to give the guys a break for lunch.”
“Of course.” Her own stomach was rumbling with hunger, too. “We got farther on this than I dared hope. We might be able to use it tonight.”
“That’s the goal.” Josh gave her a nod, then turned away to talk to the ranch hands. She eyed Dawson. “Let’s head inside and find something to eat.”
“Leftover chili and cornbread?” He asked, his blue eyes twinkling with hope.
“You’re such a goofball.” A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Sure, why not? We’re obviously having roast beef for dinner.”
“Can’t wait.” Dawson and Kilo followed her to the ranch house. As she opened the door, she glanced over her shoulder in time to catch Josh watching them with a scowl etched on his features.
As earlier, Dawson prayed before their meal. She found herself remembering how she’d prayed while fighting the barn fire. Something she hadn’t done since her mother died.
“Seems like Deputy Holmes wasn’t here very long.” Dawson eyed her over his glass of iced tea. “He couldn’t possibly have spoken to all the ranch hands in the time I was gone.”
“He did his best, but every ranch hand said the same thing, I was sleeping and woke to the fire.” She grimaced. “I think he gave up, knowing he wasn’t going to get anything more information out of them.”
“Maybe I need to have a talk with them.”
“Why, because you’re a man?” She narrowed her gaze. “You’re not in charge, Dawson. Just stay out of it.”
They ate in silence for several minutes. “Max Wolfe mentioned the fire, claims he sent some ranch hands over to make sure the fire wasn’t a danger to the Copper Creek.”
The news was interesting, but not a total surprise. She managed a wry smile. “I’m sure Josh would have done the same if the situation was reversed. An out of control wildfire is a serious threat to all ranchers in the immediate area.”
“You’re probably right. It just seemed strange to me, that’s all.” Dawson ate more of his chili.
“You haven’t been living the ranch life for the past twenty years, right?”
“True.” He stared down at his meal for a moment, then met her gaze. “If I was the one being targeted, I’d suspect Max of being the guy responsible. If I decided not to take over running my father’s ranch, I’m pretty sure dad would name Max as his heir.”
She nodded slowly. “I can imagine that’s true, but I’ve been here my entire life. There’s never been any talk of me giving up the ranch. Quite the opposite. My dad clearly wants me and my brother to run it equally, but Sean isn’t on board with that plan.”
“I found your brother on social media with a couple of guys.” Dawson looked thoughtful for a moment. “Do you know Matt Keagan and/or Ned Burns?”
“Yeah, they’re both rodeo friends of Sean.” The chili sat like a lump in her gut. “Why do you ask?”
“You mentioned Sean was staying with a friend, most likely one of those two, right?” Dawson shrugged. “Might be worth checking them out.”
“No time today, we have to finish the barn.” She hesitated, then added, “If you’re still willing to help. If not, that’s okay. I know you have other things to do.”
“Nothing more important than making sure you’re safe.”
His declaration warmed her heart. Since her divorce, she felt as if she were fighting to run the ranch all by herself. Sure, Josh and the other ranch hands were there to help, but the decisions were hers. The trials, tribulations, all hers.
She’d protected her father from any and all problems, so that he could focus on his health.
Now, for the first time in a long while, she didn’t feel completely alone. Dawson was someone she could depend on.
A rare gift, yet also a temporary one.
Because she knew deep down, Dawson wasn’t staying in Montana for long. Once they’d figured out who was attacking her, she was sure he’d go back. And not to his father’s ranch.
No, she didn’t think ranching was in Dawson’s blood, the way it was in hers.
Humbling to realize how much she’d miss him when he left for good.
The fatigue etched in Sylvie’s features was concerning. It was only noon, yet she looked as if she’d put in a ten hour day already. He hated how she was working herself to the bone, just to prove she was as capable as Josh and the other ranch hands.
Running a ranch wasn’t all brawn and strength, it took smarts. Intelligence he knew Sylvie had, except for the way she’d spent her time pretending to be one of the guys.
He hated to admit, his own strength was failing him. His abdominal muscles were extremely sore, from the events yesterday and the physical labor he’d done so far today. They both needed a break.
But how to convince her?
“Sylvie, I really think we need to confront your brother. Today. You have a dozen men outside working on the barn. But if we don’t get to the bottom of this, which part of the ranch will be targeted next?”
She frowned. “I know, but I need to help.”
“Sylvie, listen to me. You’re the boss, and a good leader knows how to delegate.” He hesitated, then added, “I can’t lie, my abdominal muscles are killing me. I’m not sure I can do much more today.”
“Oh, of course you shouldn’t.” A flash of guilt darkened her green eyes. “You’ve been very helpful.”
“Delegate the rest of the work to Josh and his men, while we take a ride into town to visit your brother,” he repeated. “It’s important.”
She stared at him for a full minute, before reluctantly nodding. “Okay. We’ll take a ride to see Sean. Although I don’t think he’s going to confess.”
“No, but he should know that he’s a suspect. Maybe he’ll back off, or give up the fight altogether.”
“Doubtful.” She pulled her phone from her back pocket. “I’ll try calling him again, although he hasn’t answered since he left.”
“Good idea.” He finished his meal while she set the phone on the table. Through the speaker, he could hear ringing, then the automatic voice mail system.
“See?” She stabbed the end button. “Told you. He hasn’t spoken to me since I cut him off financially.”
Yeah, and that alone provided motivation for him to come after Sylvie at the ranch. He could all too easily imagine the guy causing the multiple incidents. “All the more reason to talk to him directly.”
“Fine. We’ll go.” She stood and carried her dishes to the sink.
He did the same, gently elbowing her aside. “Go talk to Josh about the barn and check in with your vet. I’ll wash these.”
She didn’t argue. Kilo stretched out on the floor behind him, watching him with wide brown eyes as he worked.
When he finished, he led Kilo back outside. He stood and watched Josh and the others return from the bunkhouse to continue working on the barn. Dawson was confident they’d get the roof built before the end of the day.
It took another ten minutes before he saw Sylvie walking toward the house with the vet. He wasn’t close enough to hear their conversation, but he didn’t see any sign of bad news on either of their faces.
“Thanks again, Doc.” Sylvie shook his hand. “I appreciate you making the time to check the herd.”
“No problem.” The young vet eyed the barn where the ranch hands were starting to work. “I hope you don’t have any more trouble, Sylvie.”
“Me, too.”
Dawson went over to join Sylvie as the doc slid behind the wheel of his truck and left. He gestured to his SUV. “Better if I drive, Kilo has a crate area in the back.”
“Okay, but where exactly are we going?”
“I figure once we get to Dillon, we can ask around for Sean and the other guys, Matt Keagan and Ned Burns.” He grinned as he opened the back hatch for Kilo. The yellow lab nimbly jumped inside. “You know how people love to talk. I’m sure we’ll find them without a problem.”
The corner of her mouth tipped up in a smile. “I know, it’s crazy how much everyone knows about everyone else’s business. I think the news of my divorce went through the place like wildfire. I find it amazing, considering we live so far outside of town.”
After they were settled in the front seat, he started the car and shifted into gear. He headed down the long winding driveway that would take them to the highway. He glanced at her. “It only takes one person to start talking, and cell phones make that super easy.”
“When they work,” she argued. “Honestly mine rarely works anywhere except in Dillon and at the house.”
“Phones didn’t work most of the time when I was deployed overseas, either.” He shook off thoughts of his last op, and quickly changed the subject. “Any idea where Sean might be working?”
“Other than the rodeo circuit?” She shook her head. “I have no idea.”
“We’ll find him.”
“I hope so.” She didn’t sound convinced.
“By the way, who works on your chopper?” He’d almost suggested taking the chopper into town, then remembered she’d mentioned it needing a new fuel gauge.
“Sean used to do the majority of the work, but I can do minor repairs, too.” Her expression brightened. “Hey, I can pick up a new fuel gauge when we get to Dillon. Makes the trip even more worthwhile.”
“Glad to help out.” He wryly shook his head, wondering when she’d done something just for fun. If the situation wasn’t so serious, he’d encourage her to go to dinner and a movie with him. Their explosive kiss seemed to have happened days ago, rather than hours.
Yet he’d promised himself not to lead her on.
That meant no dinner and no movie. He needed to stay focused on finding Sean.
The ride to Dillon took a solid twenty minutes. He slowed the SUV as they entered the outskirts of town. “Do you want to pick up the gauge, first?”
“Yes, please.” She gestured with her hand. “The small engine supply store is over there.”
He pulled up in front of the building. She was out of the SUV and striding inside before he had time to shut down the car. He took a moment to pull his Sig Sauer from the glove box, sliding the holster onto his belt, before headed around back to let Kilo out. Because they were in town, he reluctantly put the dog on leash.
“Behave,” he told the canine.
Kilo wagged his tail looking all innocent, as if he’d never misbehaved. Dawson wasn’t fooled. The dog loved people and seemed to believe they would all love him the same way. Kilo didn’t have any boundaries.
Not as much of a watch dog as he’d have liked, although Kilo had growled about the smoke, so maybe he wasn’t giving the lab enough credit.
He looked around, curious about where they should start searching for Sean. The guy was only three years younger than Sylvie, yet often acted much younger.
“Got it!” Sylvie lifted the fuel gauge with a wide grin. He could honestly say he’d never met a woman who’d shown this much excitement over a replacement part for a chopper. “Glad you brought it up, or I might have forgotten.”
She tucked the box in the back seat, then frowned. “You’re carrying?”
“Yeah.”
She considered this for a moment, then nodded. “I guess you’re not the only one, this is the wild west after all.” She glanced around. “Where do you want to start?”
“The Rocking Wrangler.” Her eyes widened when he mentioned the most popular bar in Dillon. “Even if he’s not there, chances are good someone hanging out there will know where to find him. And it’s centrally located, so we can park there and walk up and down Main Street too, if need be.”
A tiny frown furrowed her brow, but she slowly nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”
He put Kilo in the back again. Less than five minutes later, he pulled into the very crowded parking lot of the Rocking Wrangler.
“It’s Thursday, right?” Sylvie asked. “Why on earth is it so crowded?”
“Summer tourists, maybe?” He honestly had no idea if Dillon was a draw for tourism or not. He pushed out of the car and went around back. Taking Kilo inside might be against the rules, but he couldn’t leave the dog outside unattended, either.
“Not sure dogs are allowed.” Sylvie voiced his thoughts.
“We’ll see. If they raise a stink, then you can take him outside while I ask around.”
“Why me? He’s your dog.”
“No reason to get all prickly.” Her attitude was growing weary. “I’m assuming if Sean hears about a woman asking around for him, he’ll assume it’s you, right? So I need to ask about where he is. Therefore if one of us needs to stay outside, it should be you.”
“I guess.”
The inside wasn’t as packed as he’d expected. No one said anything about Kilo, maybe because the canine didn’t bark or draw attention. For once the dog stayed close to his side, although his tail wagged back and forth with enough force to be a deadly weapon.
“Do you see Sean?” He asked in a low voice.
Sylvie shook her head. “Not yet.”
He took his time, focusing on the faces of the patrons as he searched for Sean, or his rodeo buddies. He was blessed with a very good memory, so he could easily recall the faces he’d seen on social media.
But none of the three men were inside the bar. At least, not yet. It’s possible they’d stop in later.
“He’s not here.” Sylvie’s tone was dejected.
“Can I help you?” A pretty woman came over holding two menus. She frowned when she saw Kilo. “I’m sorry, dogs aren’t allowed.”
It was somewhat comical that guns were okay, but dogs weren’t.
“I’ll take him outside.” Sylvie took Kilo’s leash from his hand. “Come on, Kilo. You’re a good boy, aren’t you? Yes you are.”
Kilo didn’t want to go, but Sylvie managed to get him to obey. Dawson eyed the woman. “Have you seen Sean McLane lately? We’re supposed to be meeting him here.”
“Not lately, no.” She tapped the side of the plastic menu against the palm of her hand. “I think it’s been about a week since he was in here with his buddies.”
“Matt Keagan and Ned Burns, right?” He smiled broadly. “The three of them hang out a lot from what I hear.”
She shrugged. “Ned, Matt and Sean used to be regulars. Now that you mention it, it’s very strange none of them has been in lately.”
“Do you know where Sean or the others have been staying?” Dawson gave her a look of concern. “We should check on him, maybe he’s been sick or hurt in some way.”
“No clue, but a bunch of the rodeo guys stay at the Timber Inn when they’re in town.” She stopped tapping the menu. “Is Sean in some sort of trouble?”
He arched a brow. “What makes you say that?”
“Nothing.” She quickly turned and hurried away.
He swept one more glance over the restaurant, then went out to meet up with Sylvie and Kilo. “Are you familiar with the Timber Inn?”
“No, should I be?”
“The hostess mentioned it as a place where many of the rodeo guys hang out. Can’t hurt to swing by.” He grinned. “We’ll stop for ice cream on the way.”
“Ice cream?” She looked at him as if he’d spouted horns. “This isn’t a social outing, Steele.”
“You have something against ice cream?” Oddly he was beginning to like it when she went all prickly pear on him. Obviously it was a sign he was getting under her skin. Not that he’d necessarily tried to do that on purpose.
“No, but I’m still full from lunch and we’re here to find Sean, not eat sweets.” She thrust Kilo’s leash back into his hand. “Come on, let’s go. If I remember correctly, the Timber Inn is on the other end of Main Street.”
Oh yeah, it’s been a long time since she’d done anything for fun. And that made him sad. He and his SEAL teammates had gone through many dicey situations, but they’d always took time off to have fun.
At least, until their last op had gone upside down. Losing Jaydon had been hard, yet that only proved that life was short.
Too short to give up the opportunity to have ice cream on a warm summer day.
He was about to head down Main Street, grimacing a bit when he saw the long line in front of the ice cream shop, when the sharp retort of gunfire rang out.
“Get down!” He yanked Sylvie to the ground, as Kilo growled low in his throat. He pulled his Sig Sauer and raked his gaze over the area as people scattered from the sidewalks and streets.
There was no sign of the gunman, but he wasn’t taking any chances either. “Get behind the car,” he whispered.
Sylvie crawled toward the closest car in the Rocking Wrangler parking lot. He quickly followed, keeping his body in front of hers and covering Kilo’s too.
These attacks were really starting to make him mad. And now, more than ever, he believed Sean McLane was the person responsible.