Chapter Nine

Dyna woke with a start at dawn and realized she was asleep on the office couch, a soft chenille throw covering her.

Rico. Where had he gone?

Sitting up, she brushed her hair away and wondered if he’d left for good. Not quite sure if she could trust him but wanting to do just that, she hoped he would still be around.

Dyna headed into the bathroom next to the office and freshened up. Grabbing some gloss and mascara she kept hidden in the vanity drawer, she managed to pull herself together.

When she opened the bathroom door, her heart took a leap of faith.

Rico stood staring out the window. A tray loaded with coffee, toast and scrambled eggs sat on the coffee table.

“You made breakfast?” she asked to hide her gratitude.

“Sharon made breakfast,” he replied, turning to smile at her. “I’m the delivery boy.”

“Remind me to leave you a big tip.”

He laughed at that and sat down in a chair across from her.

Dyna inhaled the coffee and munched on the toast, then took a bite of the eggs. “Any news?”

“No, I’m afraid not.”

“I’m riding out again and none of you can stop me.”

“I’m going with you, so don’t try to stop me.”

This one was tough. She’d become accustomed to issuing orders but Rico didn’t take orders very well. That should bother her but with him, she liked that they seemed equal and that he stayed the course when necessary and backed off when he needed to.

“I’ll call someone to saddle our horses,” she said. Then she finished the piece of toast and took another bite of the eggs.

When Rico reached for the tray, she held onto the coffee. “I might need a bit more caffeine.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” he said. “I’ll be right back with two fresh cups.”

“And some water,” she said. “We might be out there a while.”

Fifteen minutes later, they took the same path they’d been on last night. Things sure did look different in the early morning light, Dyna decided. Less sinister, more beautiful and harsh. Maybe she’d imagined all of yesterday.

But no, it was real. The burned out building set as testimony to that. Today the insurance adjustor would be by to assess the damage and discuss the source with the fire inspector. Meantime, no one was allowed in there to clean up. Hard to ignore that.

“So … my mom and Edwin are taking point to work with Sean,” she said to Rico. “I talked to Mom when you went to your truck for your jacket. She’s been great at getting together information.”

“She’s worried about you,” Rico said. “She jumps right in in a pinch, doesn’t she?”

“Wendy likes to be in the thick of things,” Dyna replied. “She loves me and she loved my dad, but she leans on Edwin more than I like.”

“He does like to hang around but I think he has your best interest at heart,” Rico replied. “It’s hard when you lose a parent. I’ve never been through that, but my cousins lost their dad years ago and it sure changed their perspective on things.”

Dyna let that soak in. “Did their mother take up with the first man who came along?”

“No, but she likes to nurture people who are hurting. She’s a good woman.”

“My mother is not the nurturing kind,” Dyna pointed out as they checked the paths again and looked for any signs of how Domino was taken. “I think she just needs a man in her life but she refuses to marry Edwin.”

“He told me that,” Rico said. “He thinks if I make Domino a champion again, you and your mother will soften toward him.”

“He’s on my suspect list,” Dyna retorted. “I’m not softening just yet since Domino is missing and no one can explain why or how it happened.”

Rico pulled up at the arena area. “Do you suspect me?”

Surprised he asked that question after they’d kissed last night, Dyna dismounted and turned to face him. “All of these things happened after you arrived. And … you’ve been in the Army. You immediately suggested a bomb had caused the explosion. It did make me wonder for a minute or two.”

Scoffing, he leaned close. “Possibly. I said a bomb had possibly caused the explosion, but it was a Molotov cocktail—something anyone can look up on the Internet. Something your construction working, horsey ex could have easily pulled off. Besides, wouldn’t that make me the stupidest horse theif in the world? To show up, watch the action while I’m with you, then tell you how I made the building go ka-boom?”

Glancing around, Dyna realized she was the dumb one, confronting him out here alone. Or just confronting him at all. “You could have had help.”

Rico pulled her close, his big hands holding her arms. “You can’t be serious? I was with you most of the day and you saw me with Domino.”

“I had a phone call,” she said, knowing in her heart he hadn’t been involved. Why did she have to test him? “I walked away.”

“And I had two stable hands watching me.”

She stared into his eyes, searching for any signs of deceit. But what she saw was disappointment and regret.

“Dyna?”

“I’m sorry,” she said, pulling away. “I’m all keyed up and looking for excuses, looking for someone to blame.”

Stepping back, he shoved a hand down his face. “Well, you can vent with me all you want, but if you accuse me again, I’ll be gone before you can turn around. Stealing horses and burning down barns is not part of my repertoire. Understood?”
Dyna saw the anger flashing in his eyes. Was he that mad or just trying to throw her off? Or had she hurt him?

Realizing she was grasping at straws, she let out a sigh. She was so very good at pushing men away but this was a low point for her.

“I’m sorry, Rico. I didn’t want you here, that’s true. But … I’m glad you are here now. But everyone’s speculating and you’re the stranger who showed up in the middle of all of this. I had to be sure.”

He stomped into the arena and starting looking at the dirt. “Yeah, well, instead of blaming the stranger amongst you, why don’t you consider your culprit could be hiding in plain sight? We still don’t know where Eddie is. But I’m thinking he’s with Domino, wherever that is. He had the perfect opportunity to take the horse while all the excitement was going on. Mighty strange that they are both still missing right along with James Roy, don’t you think?”

Dyna couldn’t argue with that. “I’m worried about him, too.” She followed Rico into the arena. “Maybe we’ll find something to help us figure this out.”

Rico turned to stare at her, the fire gone out of his eyes now. “I’m not going anywhere. I told you that. But Dyna, I need your trust, in the same way I tried to get Domino to trust me. He knew he was safe with me, but somebody else has been messing with your prize saddle bronc. Stop trying to figure me out and focus on what we know. Your property was destroyed in what could have been a catastrophe fire, your rodeo horse was stolen, and one of your hands is missing. Plus, you were threatened and we can’t trace the call. I’d say someone is also trying to pin the blame on me, so don’t listen to that kind of talk.”

“Got it,” she said. “I’ve gone over all of that in my head. I won’t doubt you again. Now can you forgive me and help me?”

“Already done,” he said. Then he pointed to the dirt in the far corner of the arena near another gate. “I think they took Domino out through here. See those tracks.”

Dyna hurried to where he stood. “Shoe prints. Boots probably.”

“And more than one set. They didn’t even bother covering them.”

“So if Eddie is involved, he had someone to help him,” she said, checking the fence. “Look, Rico.”

Rico studied the fence post. “That’s a fresh mark. It’s not rusty like the older ones.”

“Yes and it looks like the marks Domino left on the fence yesterday when he charged us. He must have kicked up a fuss when they took him.”

“I sure hope so,” Rico replied. “That means he’s got some fight left in him.”

* * *

Dyna kept taking phone reports from the men who’d gone out last night searching for Domino and Eddie. Rico listened while he scanned the countryside for clues. They’d reached the rocky terrain at the very western edge of the ranch but with the recent droughts and such a vast acreage, it was hard to find any definitive tracks.

Trying not to think about that kiss last night and Dyna’s accusations this morning, he figured she was good at deflecting her true feelings. ‘Cause she’d kissed him in a way that showed him she liked him. But she was afraid of admitting that.

So was he. He hadn’t come here looking for love. But he’d been blindsided by a woman who intrigued him and challenged him.

Where would they go from here?

If she lost Domino, things wouldn’t turn out in a good way and he’d be forced to head back to Texas with just the memory of one sweet kiss.

Could he live with that?

Dyna put away her phone. “Nothing. No tracks, no sign of a struggle, no sign of Domino. The fields are safe and the other livestock is good. I told Jonah to bring them all home. We have to get back to work.”

Rico agreed with that. “I know you hired me to help Domino, so that’s what I’m gonna do. I won’t leave until we find him.”
“If we find him.” She shrugged and stared at the far fence line. “You can’t stay here forever.”

“I could be persuaded,” he quipped. “That is if you kiss me again instead of doubt me.”

She sent him a conflicted stare. “I did like the kiss better than the interrogation.”

“So did I.”

“Let’s call a truce,” she said, tossing her haphazard ponytail around. “I won’t question you or doubt you again, no matter what.”

“Okay, I can agree to that but I’m feeling a but in there.”

“But … we need to be careful on the kissing. I met you yesterday, remember?”

“Yeah, so?”

She grinned, a sweet parting of those luscious lips. “So … I had a rough time with my last boyfriend. He wanted me to take care of him and he lied to me at every turn. So I’m still smarting from that experience. Just because you’re handsome and a good kisser, doesn’t mean I’m falling for you right out of the chute. Got it?”

“Got it,” Rico replied. “But I told you I like a good challenge. You’re the best thing to come along in a very long time. I won’t rush you, Dyna. But … while I’m around, we can practice up on the trust and the kisses, okay?”

“Okay. Deal.”

Rico let out a breath of relief. “Good, so let’s keep looking for Domino. Sean thinks putting out a reward can help, too, from what he told me when he last called. They’ve already circulated pictures of Domino and alerted everyone to his lip brand and the Double M brand on his rump. A reward could bring out a lot of tight-lipped people though.”

“Tell Sean to do what he has to do.” Then she named the reward price.

Rico nodded as they worked their way toward the last spot to be searched. When he heard Dyna gasp, he looked toward the fence line. And saw what looked like a body lying there in the scrub brush.