Chapter Eighteen
“C’mon, c’mon.” Link tapped his fingers on the truck’s steering wheel as he raced down the road, several ranger vehicles following. After receiving the text from Trudy, he’d contacted Ranger Rasmussen and told him where to meet. Once they planned a strategy, they headed for the place he figured Trudy was hiding.
He slowed as they arrived at the entrance to the path to the cut fence. Everyone pulled to the side of the road. Warned to stay out of the way, he turned off his truck, and watched the six men, guns drawn, crouching, sidling along the hedge row toward the cut fence.
The only thing he wanted to do was go with them. Make sure Trudy was all right. Rasmussen let him text Trudy so she knew they were on the way. She hadn’t responded. His heart raced. Had the rustlers found her? Taken her with them?
The familiar feelings of guilt flowed through him. He should have gone with her this morning. He shouldn’t have been so stubborn, pig-headed or worried that his feelings of inadequacy would make an appearance.
If anything happened to Trudy, he’d never forgive himself, just as he’d never forgiven himself for not being there for his parents.
“Dammit!” He slapped the steering wheel with his palm. He couldn’t just sit in the truck, not knowing what was going on. Hell, it was his cattle being stolen. It was his... what did he call Trudy? She wasn’t his girl. His friend? Yeah. That sounded right.
He opened his door, closing it as quietly as the rangers had, then skittered along the hedgerow, keeping himself as low as possible.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Rasmussen asked, keeping his voice low, when he reached the rangers.
“Where’s Trudy?” Why the hell were they whispering? If the rustlers were using four-wheelers and a truck like they’d seen the other day, there would be no way they would hear them talking. He understood them hiding in the tall grass and behind the bushes, but not whispering.
“I don’t know. She must still be hiding.”
If she was, the only place would be in the bushes. If he wasn’t allowed to protect her by facing the bad guys, then he’d find some other way to protect her. He lay on the ground and peered into the undergrowth. “Trudy.” He slithered down a few feet. “Trudy. Can you hear me?” Something moved.
“Link?” Her smile was bright enough to be seen from miles away. “You came.”
“Rasmussen. She’s here.”
“I think I hear them coming. Tell her to stay where she is.”
Since he wasn’t allowed to help, he might as well join her. The ground vibrated as he slid beneath the bushes until he was beside her.
“Thanks for joining the party.”
He squeezed her hand. “I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.”
“I’m just glad you got my message and understood what I meant.”
“From now until forever, anytime I hear the word snake, I’ll think of you and this place.”
Did her frown mean something good or bad? Had he hurt her feelings? Then she smiled and his heart lurched.
“And anytime I climb into a truck, I’ll think of you.”
He cut his chuckle short when the roar of engines came closer. He pushed her head down. “There are rangers out there waiting for them. They have their guns ready since they don’t know if the rustlers have them or not. But be prepared.”
For a minute he regretted his decision to stay with Trudy. Now he couldn’t see what was going on, but the noises were enough to make his imagination go wild. Yelling. Vehicles coming to a stop. A gunshot. More yelling. Another gunshot.
He covered Trudy’s head with his arms. Dust blew into the underbrush. Trudy sneezed. Then engines cut short. Doors slammed. The air filled with swearing and grunting. A body was thrust to the ground beside them. A face appeared a few feet from them.
“Shit. Trudy, look.”
She raised her head. “You’re kidding.”
“You can come out now,” Rasmussen said after a few minutes, his southern drawl not coming close to covering the cuss words flying through the air.
Since there was still a man lying near them, Link tapped Trudy and pointed to the other side of the brush. He took her backpack and shoved it out from the brush, then waited until she scooted free before following her. Not giving her a chance to brush the dirt and leaves from her clothes, he pulled her into his embrace. He wasn’t sure he could let go.
“When I got your message, I nearly drove the tractor off the field. Good thing I had my cell on vibrate. I’d never had heard it ringing over the tractor.”
“I was so scared. When I didn’t hear from you, I thought you hadn’t received it.”
Rasmussen came around the end of the hedgerow. “You guys can come over here now.”
With his arm around her shoulders, they followed the ranger. Four men, arms secured behind their backs, leaned side-by-side against a truck. A trailer filled with bawling cows was hitched behind it. One four-wheeler was parked in front of it, and another in back. Several rifles lay on the ground beside three rangers pointing their own rifles at them.
“What the hell?” His breath stopped. He clenched his fists. “Joe? Ray? Please tell me you aren’t part of this.” He’d never seen the third man. But the fourth? Shit.
Joe was nearly in tears. “Boss, I can explain.”
Link couldn’t think, couldn’t look at the men he’d hired and trusted for the past five years.
“You can explain it at the office.” Rasmussen said, waving his gun at them. “Now sit.” Once the four men we on the ground, he waved Link and Trudy over to the trailer. “These your cattle?”
Link peered through the slats. “Yeah, that’s my brand.”
“Washburn.” Rasmussen called the deputy over, leaving the other two to guard the rustlers. “Did you bring the camera?”
“Left it in the truck. Didn’t know what kind of ruckus we’d get in and I didn’t want to have it get broken.”
Link wouldn’t want to be at the staring end of Rasmussen’ glare. “Well go get it.”
“Wait,” Trudy said.
Rasmussen frowned. “What? Little lady, we have work to do here. Why don’t you wait by the fence and let us do our jobs.”
Link shook his head. Trudy’s face turned red. Did the ranger have any idea how he’d just demeaned the woman who helped solve this case?
Trudy spun on her heel and sighed. “Never mind. I’ll just take my camera and head back to the ranch. I don’t have any information that would help you anyway. It isn’t as if I saw these guys ride through here or anything. Or that I recognize the truck and trailer.”
Link nearly applauded. If sarcasm was an award, Trudy’d win an Oscar. And if Rasmussen was smart, he’d change his tune. Instead, the man glared at her. The ranger didn’t seem old enough to think women needed to be kept in their place, but one never knew.
Washburn said something to Rasmussen.
Whatever the deputy had said, it seemed to change Rasmussen’ demeanor. He took a step toward Trudy. “Ah, little lady.”
Trudy visibly flinched. Then again maybe not.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d stay. Can Washburn use your camera?”
Trudy looked between Rasmussen and Washburn. “No.”
Rasmussen squinted. His face turned red. “What do you mean by no, little lady?”
Evidently he wasn’t used to being told no—especially by a woman. It was men like this that gave all men a bad name. If he were Trudy, he’d be slapping the jackass in the face. Instead, he’d let Trudy handle it. He had a feeling she’d do a bang-up job of it.
She took a step closer to Rasmussen and slammed her hands on her hips. “First of all, I don’t like being called ‘little lady.” She lifted her camera. “Second, no one, and I mean no one, uses my camera.”
Huh. She’d let him use her camera. He wasn’t sure what, but did that mean something?
Trudy snapped a picture of Rasmussen. “So, if you want pictures taken, you tell me what you want and I’ll do it. Otherwise, you can waste time and send one of your men back to your vehicles, which I assume are back on the road.”
Rasmussen threw his hands in the air. “All right, lit... ma’am. Washburn, tell her what you want. You other two,” he pointed to the other rangers, “get these assholes down to the trucks.”
As they went by him, Joe stopped. “I’m sorry, Link. We’re being blackmailed by him.” He angled his head toward a man Link had recently seen in town.
“No talking. Get a move on,” one of the deputies said. “We can get your statements in town.”
Link didn’t miss the angry glare Joe received from the other man before they headed down the trail to the road. He had a feeling it was going to be a long, long night. Taking his attention away from the retreating group, he strode to the trailer, half listening to Washburn telling Trudy what pictures to take.
From what he could tell, the rustlers tried to get away with five more cows and their calves. Their bellowing was getting on his nerves.
“Can I take them back to the field?” he asked Rasmussen.
“Let her get some pictures first. Then we’ll drive them back and photograph them as they leave the trailer.” Rasmussen said.
His cell phone buzzed. Coop. Probably wanted to know what was going on. He’d called him earlier and told him about Trudy’s text and contacting the rangers. Coop had wanted to come help, but Link convinced him to stay at the ranch and protect their property. Having his brother and Trudy in harm’s way would have been too much for his nerves. And he had a feeling his nerves were going to get worse as the day wore on. He glanced at the sun at the crest of the distant hills. Guess he meant the night.
****
Trudy rolled her neck as she shot the last of the cows’ brands. The sun was beginning to set, and soon it would be difficult to get any good pictures. A day that had started out with some much promise sure had turned lousy.
At least they’d caught the rustlers—anyway, these rustlers. From what she’d overheard the rangers saying, catching them all was like catching greased pigs. Just when they thought they had them, more cropped up and slipped through their fingers.
Washburn had been questioning her while she took the pictures he wanted. She and Link had definitely been wrong about thinking the man was blasé about his job. Instead he was concise and unrelenting in his questions.
Yes, she knew who Joe and Ray were. Yes, she recognized the third man as the one she’d bumped into behind the car dealership. And, for heaven’s sake, yes, she recognized the fourth guy, the one who’d sold Link his truck.
Yes, the trailer was the one she and Link had seen the day his truck broke down and the one in the picture from the car dealership.
No, she didn’t know any of them. Had never met them before coming to Texas less than a week ago. Hoped to never see them again. His next question stopped her as she put her camera in her backpack.
“What’s your relationship to Link?”
What the hell? “What does that have to do with the rustlers?” Did he think she’d traveled all the way from Wisconsin to steal some cattle? Like her state didn’t have enough of its own.
Washburn sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. “Just answer the question.”
Link came up beside her. “Can we answer these questions later? It’s getting dark. Soon it’ll be hard to see the trail.”
Saved by the tall, hunky man.
“Good idea,” Rasmussen said, raising the trailer’s ramp and pushing in the lock pins. “Washburn, you drive the truck out. I’ll take one of the four-wheelers, and Link, you take the other.”
Trudy held onto the four-wheeler’s side bars, trying to keep from flying off as the machine bounced and jerked over the rough trail. She swore she’d loosened a few teeth during the trek. Link’s strong back beckoned her to wrap her arms around it. But if she let go, he’d be leaving her on her rear end, eating his dust as he continued down the trail.
What would happen when they got back to the truck? Would they be allowed to go back to the ranch or have to head into town? She was afraid it was the latter. Right now, she wanted a hot bath, hot toddy, and a hot man to curl up with.
Hours later, too many hours later, Trudy sat beside Link at the kitchen table, hot toddies before them. The aroma of cooking pancakes made her stomach growl. She ached from her pinky toe to each hair follicle. Since leaving at seven this morning, she’d been gone nearly fifteen hours, and felt like she’d been trampled by a herd of buffaloes.
Bed. She wanted her bed. From the corner of her eye, she watched Link sink his head into his chest. As much as she’d love to snuggle into his strength, she needed to sleep alone. If Link was with her, there’d be no sleeping.
Once, during a break in questioning, she was allowed to use the bathroom at the station and dared glance in the mirror. Her hair was matted and dirty, face covered in dust, clothes torn, and lips dried and cracked. A scrape on her chin was probably from a thorn. That was hours ago. No wonder Jade had flinched when they walked in the door and shooed her to the half bath to freshen up. The only way she’d freshen up would be with a shower, but she was too tired to contemplate taking one.
“I can’t believe Joe and Ray were involved.” Coop hooked an arm over the back of his chair. “Bastards.”
Link glanced up at his brother. “There’s more to it than them just being rustlers. That jackass Bradford was blackmailing them.”
Jade turned from the stove and placed a plate of pancakes in the middle of the table. “Doesn’t he own the car dealership where you bought your truck?”
“Yeah. I wonder if I can return it.”
Trudy stabbed two pancakes before Link had chance to empty the plate. If she hesitated, she’d have to wait for the next batch to be done. She needed sustenance, and needed it now. The last thing she’d had to eat was a bag of chips from the vending machine at the station—and that was eons ago.
She couldn’t hold back a moan when the first bite hit her taste buds. “Jade. I said it before, and I’ll say it again. These are the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten.”
Link took the remaining four. “I’m so hungry right now, I’d eat goat food.”
Coop’s bottle of beer hung between his fingers. “So tell us about Bradford.”
Link swallowed. “You know how big his car dealership is?”
Coop and Jade nodded.
“He’s in hock up to his eyeballs with all those vehicles. Plus, he has a big gambling problem.” He shoved another forkful of pancakes into his mouth.
Coop tapped his fingers on the table. “C’mon, man, tell us more.”
“One night he caught Joe and Ray’s nephew and some of his buddies trying to steal a car. Joe had bought a used truck from him, so Bradford knew where he worked. Instead of calling the cops, he called Joe, then blackmailed him into telling him about our place. Where and when was the best time to grab some of our cattle. Then he further blackmailed them by saying now that they were involved finding cattle, they would have to help steal them, too.”
Jade plopped another plate on the table, the pancakes still steaming from the stove. “Why didn’t he just say no?”
With her stomach full, Trudy was able to join the conversation. “It seems Joe’s sister is in the United States illegally. Her son was born here, but she never followed through on becoming a citizen like Joe and Ray had. Bradford threatened to have their sister deported if they refused to help.” Her eyes grew heavy. If she didn’t hit the sack soon, she’d fall asleep at the table.
“What’s going to happen to Joe and Ray?” Coop asked. “They were good employees.”
“I’ll put a good word in for them, and hopefully they won’t do too much time.” Link stretched his arms and yawned. “Their sister was set to take her citizenship test, and hopefully the courts will allow her to do so, since she wasn’t part of the ring.”
Jade picked up their empty plates. “What about those boots we saw in the picture Trudy took in the barn?”
“They belonged to the fourth guy of the group,” Link said.
Trudy tried to hold back her yawn. “He was the one I saw behind the car dealership. The one who told me to leave. I guess he’s Bradford’s brother-in-law.” Her yawn nearly cracked her jaw. “He was trying to find out if Joe and Ray had told us anything.”
“He also was looking for equipment to steal to pay for his drug habit,” Link added. “They’re quite a family.” He tossed his napkin on the table. “I need to get some sleep. Trudy does, too. It’s been a hell of a day.”
Trudy stood, her head woozy, her legs wobbling. “Night, everyone.”
“I’ll walk you to your room.”
She ignored Coop’s snort from behind them. “Yeah, don’t get lost, bro.”
At her door, Link held her in his arms and brushed her hair from her face. “Tired?”
“Exhausted. I may not even make it into the shower.”
“Me, too. Can I stay the night?”
“As much as I’d love you to, I think I need to sleep alone.” She smiled when his shoulders drooped. “I’m sorry, Link. I wouldn’t be very good company.”
“I just want to hold you.”
She reached for the doorknob behind her and opened the door. As much as the idea enticed her, she just couldn’t. She stepped behind the door. “Night, Link. See you in the morning.”
After a quick shower, she dropped into bed, asleep before the covers were up to her neck.
The sun was already half-way up the sky before she woke, groggy, hungry, and sore. She threw back the covers and grimaced. Crawling and hiding beneath bushes used muscles she hadn’t used in a while. Plus, she’d probably walked more yesterday than ever before.
The multiple scratches on her back, legs, and arms that had stung in the shower last night, still throbbed. Maybe she’d have Jade put some ointment on them. She attempted to finger-comb her ratty hair, but gave up when her fingers became trapped in the snarls. The only way to fix the problem was another shower.
On the way to the bathroom, she picked up her dirty and torn clothes from yesterday and tossed them in a wastebasket. No sense in packing clothes she’d only get rid of once she got home. Between her tossed snake clothing and the ones from yesterday, her suitcase would be much lighter on the trip back to Wisconsin.
After showering, she left the room. The house echoed with silence. Where was everyone? It was nearly noon. Chores had been done a long time ago. Jade was usually in the kitchen throwing together lunch. She pulled back the living room curtains and searched the yard.
Link’s truck was gone, but still in the driveway were Jade’s small car and her own rental.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.”
Trudy turned at Jade’s voice. “The house was so quiet, I didn’t think anyone was here.”
“I just came in from outside. Besides, I didn’t want to make any noise. After yesterday, you needed your rest.”
She followed Jade to the kitchen. “I didn’t mean to sleep so long.” She accepted the cup of coffee and breathed in the rich aroma before taking a sip and letting the caffeine jolt her body to life. “Ah. Thanks. I needed this.”
“I’ll have something for us to eat in a minute.”
“Where’s Link?” She paused. “And Coop?” She didn’t want his sister to think she was only worried about one of her brothers.
“After chores, they went to town.” Jade took out a loaf of bread, some ham and cheese, and condiments, and set them on the table. Forks, knives, and plates followed.
Trudy’s mouth watered. As Link had said last night, she was so hungry she could eat goat food. “Why did they go to town?”
“Rasmussen called. Said he had more questions for them. Also, after checking out Bradford’s property, they found several corrals filled with cattle.” Jade handed a sandwich to Trudy. “Link and Coop were needed to check them to see if any are ours, which I imagine they are.”
Trudy shook her head. “I can’t imagine going through all the work of stealing cattle. I wonder why he hadn’t sold them yet.”
“I don’t know. Maybe he needed time to change the brands or something. Who knows what goes through a crook’s mind.”
“What time will they get back?” Would she and Link have any time to spend together today or tonight? Her flight left from San Antonio at twelve-thirty the next day, so she wouldn’t have to leave until the morning.
“Wanna spend more time with my big brother?”
Don’t blush. Don’t blush. Shit. Heat rose to her face.
“That’s all right, Trudy. You’ve been good for Link.” Jade took a bite of her sandwich and followed it with a drink of ice tea. “I wish you didn’t have to go back.”
“I still have a job waiting for me.” And a family she needed to talk with.
“I forgot about that.”
“I’ve enjoyed my time with you guys.”
Jade set her sandwich on her plate and wiped her hands on a napkin. “Do you think you’ll come back?”
Would she? Did she want to? Link’s handsome face popped into her head. It wasn’t just his looks, but his sense of humor and caring heart that drew her to him. Not to mention the way he made love. Crap. She’d never forget him.
“You’re blushing again.” Jade tilted her head to the side. “You care for him, don’t you?”
Trudy tossed her sandwich onto her plate. “Yeah. After our first few encounters in which he was a complete jerk, he kinda got under my skin.”
“I think you got under his, too.” Jade put a hand on hers. “Say you’ll come back.”
“I’m not sure what’ll happen when I get back to Wisconsin.” Since she hadn’t shared her family problems with anyone but Link, Jade couldn’t know what she was talking about. She wasn’t about to enlighten her, either.
“At least you’ll be back to see Presley, won’t you? Maybe we can meet at the Hardbodies. It’s been nice having another woman here on the ranch.”
“We’ll see.” She started when her phone dinged. She blinked and read the message again. “Oh my gosh.”
“What’s wrong?”
“They’ve changed my flight. A big storm is supposed to come in tomorrow. They’re canceling flights. I was supposed to leave at noon tomorrow, but they’ve bumped me to 6:30 tonight. Otherwise I can’t leave until Monday.” She glanced at her watch. It was already two. It was a little over an hour to San Antonio where she’d flown in. With time to drop off her rental, she’d just make it to her gate. She hit confirm and jumped from her seat. “I need to pack and get going or I’ll miss the flight.”
Jade raced after her to her room. “Can’t you leave on Monday? You need to say good bye to Link and Coop.”
“I can’t.” She pulled her suitcase from the closet and tossed it on her bed. “I have to be at work Monday morning.” Until she decided what she wanted to do with her life, she needed to keep her job.
“But, Link will be disappointed when he comes back and you’re not here.”
“You’ll just have to explain. Tell him I had a wonderful time.” That was putting it mildly. She’d never forget her time here. The hours in Link’s arms. His lips on hers. Hell, she had to quit thinking about it or she’d never leave.
Jade followed her into the bathroom. “You can’t just up and leave like this.”
“I have to, Jade.” She put shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and makeup into plastic bags and zipped them closed, nearly tripping over Jade as she left the room.
After looking around for any misplaced items, she closed her suitcase and swung it from the bed. With her backpack over one shoulder and her purse over the other, she left the room, Jade dogging her heels.
“I don’t know what this’ll do to Link.”
She set her suitcase and backpack by the front door. She wasn’t sure what this delightful, little interlude was going to do to her, either, but she’d have the long flight home to think about it.
“Link’s a big boy. He can handle it.” Anyway, she hoped so. She wasn’t sure she would. She wrapped Jade in a hug. “Thank you for everything. This has been the best vacation I’ve ever had. And I mean that.”
With one last look over her shoulder at the homey house, she stepped out onto the porch and viewed the ranch buildings. There was the one where the goats were housed. Had Brutus overcome his fainting fits when he mounted Collette? Was she now pregnant?
When Link entered the barn, would he remember their kiss in the doorway? Even though his truck was gone, she visualized it in the yard. Would he think of their off-beat night together whenever he drove it?
With a sigh, she put her belongings in the rental, got in the front seat, and started the engine. Before she put it in gear she rested her forehead on the steering wheel. She was doing the right thing. Wasn’t she? Scenes of the past week flashed behind her eyes. Maybe she would return. It all depended on what happened back home.
With fierce determination, she jerked the car into gear and headed down the road, blinking through the tears.