Rawhide Ranger. Rita Herron

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ LAUNCHED HERSELF AT the Ranger and shoved him up against the Land Rover. “What in the hell were you were doing taking my horse and leaving me unarmed?”

      A shocked look crossed his face, then fury flashed into his eyes, and he grabbed her arms to fend off her attack. “Trying to save your pretty little ass,” he barked. “And why didn’t you stay in the car like I ordered?”

      “Because I don’t take orders from anyone.” Her pulse clamored, a mixture of anger at him mingling with relief that he’d returned and the shooter was gone. Although she’d never admit that to him. Then his comment registered, and she couldn’t resist taunting him. “So you think my ass is pretty?”

      His jaw tightened as if he was working to control his temper, and regretted any compliment, no matter how backhanded it was. “You have a gun?”

      Good grief, he was going to turn the tables on her. “Of course. I live on a ranch, Sergeant. I have to protect myself from snakes and rustlers and whatever else.” She gave him a challenging look. “And before you ask, yes, I know how to use it.”

      His eyebrow lift infuriated her more. “You’re surprised? Don’t tell me you were expecting some spoiled, rich girl with a dozen servants who lives off her daddy’s dime.”

      His evil smile confirmed she’d hit the nail on the head.

      She huffed in disgust. “For your information, I have a master’s in business administration,” she continued, squaring her shoulders. “I started the quarter horse training operation, and now we supply working horses to other ranchers. And I not only run the books, but work the ranch myself. I’m a damn good horse trainer, if I do say so myself.”

      “I bet you are,” he said with a sultry smile that made her belly clench.

      For a moment the air changed between them, their eyes locked, and she sensed she’d won his admiration.

      Then his frown returned, and he gestured toward the spot where they’d found the bones. “Then you oversaw the purchase of this land?”

      She stiffened, knowing he was backing her into a corner and yanked away from his grip. In spite of his razor-sharp voice, his touch had been protective and almost … tender.

      She couldn’t let him confuse her with those touches, or seduce her into incriminating her family. She was not her mother, a woman who fell into bed with every man who looked at her.

      “No,” she said cautiously, back in control. “Dad made the deal when I was away at school finishing my degree.”

      “How about your brother, Trace?”

      She bit her lip. Things had been tense between her and Trace since she’d moved back. Because of Trace’s animosity, she was staying in one of the small cabins on the property instead of the main house. “He put the deal together,” she admitted.

      “And your father’s lawyer, Jerry Collier, handled the sale?”

      She nodded.

      “I’ll need to question your father, brother and Collier.”

      That knot of worry in her stomach grew exponentially. She only prayed her father handled the interview without looking incompetent—or guilty. Between his ruthless business tactics, and his recent memory lapses, he might just hang himself.

      “You’re going to talk to them now?” she asked.

      He regarded her with suspicion in his eyes. “No, but soon. First I have to take care of business, obtain that injunction against this land being used until the land issue is resolved and transport the evidence I collected to trace.” He heaved a breath. “Did you see anyone else here after I rode off?”

      “No.”

      “No one could have touched my crime kit?”

      She narrowed her eyes as if she realized the direction of his thoughts. “No, there was no one else here. And I didn’t touch your kit or the evidence.”

      “How do I know I can trust you? You and I don’t exactly have the same agenda.”

      His husky voice skated over her with distrust … and sexual innuendo. Damn, the man was so seductive that for a moment, her chest pounded, and she wanted to win his trust. But she would not allow him to turn her into a pile of feminine mush.

      “Yes, I want to clear my family’s name,” she said, “but I also know that the best way to do that is for you to find the truth.”

      Another long, intense look, and she barely resisted the urge to fidget—or turn tail and run. Normally his size and stare probably intimidated men and women, but she refused to allow him to rattle her. She lived in a man’s world, did jobs men did on the ranch.

      “You can take my prints if you want,” she said with a saccharine smile.

      A deep chuckle rumbled from within him. “If the lab turns up prints, I will.”

      She planted her hands on her hips. “So, what now, Sergeant?”

      She intentionally made his title sound like a four-letter word, and was rewarded when a muscle ticked in his jaw.

      “I’m going to look for the bullets and casings from the shooter, then make sure this crime scene and those burial sites are guarded around the clock.”

      She frowned, half wanting to stick around to see what else he discovered—and to watch him work. But she needed to check on her father and warn him about the Ranger. Hopefully her dad and Trace both had alibis for this morning. Her father had still been in bed when she’d stopped by for coffee, but Trace had already left the house. He was somewhere on the ranch.

      He’d been adamant about getting rid of the Rangers. Would he have shot at this one to try to run him off?

      Irritated, she turned and headed toward Firebird, but the Ranger called her name, his voice taunting.

      “Where are you going, Jessie? Running to warn Daddy that I found more damning evidence against him? That I intend to take a sample of his blood to see if it matches the red paint used in the ritualistic burials so I can nail him for murder?”

      She schooled her reaction, then offered him a sardonic look. “No, Sergeant. My father is innocent. Get a warrant and take your blood sample, and you’ll prove it.” She swung up into the saddle and glared down at him again. “And in spite of the fact that you’re trying to take away our land and destroy our reputation, I have a ranch to run.”

      The challenge in his dark eyes sent her stomach fluttering again, then his look softened, turned almost concerned. “Be careful, Jessie,” he finally said in a gruff voice. “Remember there’s a shooter out there, and he may still be on your property.”

      She patted her saddlebag where she kept her pistol. “Don’t worry. I can take care of myself.” Settling her hat more firmly on her head, she clicked her heels against the mare’s flanks, yanked the reins and sent Firebird galloping toward the main ranch house.

      But his warning reverberated in her head, and she kept her eyes peeled as she crossed the distance in case the shooter was still lurking around. Not СКАЧАТЬ