AK-Cowboy. Joanna Wayne

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ blush climbed to her cheek. She ignored his hand and slid off the front fender of the car on her own.

      He walked around to study the back wheels and the hole she’d dug herself into while revving the engine.

      She joined him, all too aware of the mud that was drying in mottled streaks from her knees to her toes. “I’ll need to call a tow truck.”

      “Why bother? I suspect every rancher around here has a truck heavy enough to pull you from the ditch.”

      “Does that include you?”

      “No. All I have is the rented car you see. I’m on vacation.”

      “Oh, so you’re only a fake cowboy.”

      “You could say that. Where are you heading?”

      “To Willow Creek Ranch.”

      “Really?”

      “Yes. I’m going to see Troy Ledger,” she admitted. “Have you ever heard of him?”

      “Isn’t he the man who went to prison for murdering his wife?”

      “That’s the one.”

      “In that case, why don’t I give you a lift there and you can get him to pull your car from the ditch?”

      “I’m not sure he’ll be willing to help me, but I would appreciate the lift.”

      “Why wouldn’t he help you?”

      “We’ve never met, and he didn’t invite me.”

      “Then by all means, I should give you a lift. I wouldn’t want to miss the surprise party.”

      “Okay, but first I need to get my things from the car. I have material in there that I wouldn’t want to fall into the wrong hands.”

      “Sounds intriguing.”

      “It is, but it’s nothing you’ll want to get involved in.”

      “Risky business?” he asked.

      “It could turn out to be quite dangerous,” she said. That should keep him from making fun of her—and it was also true. “So you’ll just want to drop me off at Willow Creek Ranch and be on your way.”

      “Yes, ma’am,” he drawled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

      TYLER FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS Julie gave him for driving to the ranch where he’d been heading all along. He considered telling her his last name, but decided the conversation would likely be far more interesting if she continued to think he was merely a vacationing stranger.

      Not to mention that she hadn’t offered her last name and was hinting of mysterious secrets.

      She was fascinating. The girl-next-door type, if you were lucky enough to have a neighbor with a to-die-for body. He’d never been.

      But the body wasn’t nearly all she had going for her. There was the cute turned-up nose, full, enticing lips, hay-colored hair pulled into a ponytail that bounced with every move of her head. And not to be shortchanged was the endearing blush when she was the least bit embarrassed and the most expressive blue eyes he’d ever seen.

      “How did you choose this part of Texas for a vacation?” she asked.

      “I lived here, years ago.”

      “Where do you live now?” she asked.

      “Mostly in Afghanistan for the last four years. I’m in the army.”

      “From what I hear on the news, it’s incredibly dangerous in Afghanistan now.”

      “It’s no picnic in a field of bluebonnets,” he teased.

      “Ha ha.”

      “Sorry, but that was some scene back there.”

      “Get over it. Are you back in the States for good?”

      “Afraid not.” Tyler decided it was time for a few questions of his own. “Why didn’t you let Troy Ledger know you were coming?”

      “I was afraid he wouldn’t see me since I want to question him about his wife’s death.”

      “Can’t say that I’d blame him.”

      “Yes, but actually, I’m even more interested in the murder of Muriel Frost. She was about the same age as Helene Ledger and murdered in a similar manner in a neighboring county just six months before Helene was killed.”

      “Do you think Troy Ledger killed both women?”

      “It’s possible, but judging from the way he’s been looking for Helene Ledger’s killer, my gut instinct is that he didn’t kill either one.”

      “A jury convicted him,” Tyler reminded her, the way his aunt and grandparents had reminded him countless times over the years.

      “Innocent men go to jail all the time.” She turned to face him, talking as much with her hands as her mouth. “You see the thing is, Troy Ledger was convicted almost entirely on circumstantial evidence. I mean, sure, Helene Ledger was shot with his gun, but anyone could have found the gun in the bedroom and then shot her with it.”

      “Circumstantial evidence can still be accurate and anyone can claim to be looking for his wife’s murderer.”

      “Yes, but Troy Ledger was a model citizen, at least he had been ever since marrying Helene. Before that, he was a bit of a maverick—drinking, partying and riding the local rodeo circuits. But that’s what youth is for.”

      “Does that mean you’ve sown a few wild bales of hay?”

      Julie struck a defiant pose. “I’ve been around.”

      Tyler seriously doubted that. She was much too innocent looking. “Guess that’s where you learned the Indiana Jones routine,” he teased.

      But the mood between them grew more serious as he made the turnoff to the ranch. “Why are you so interested in old murders?” Tyler asked. “You don’t look like a detective.”

      “I’m an investigative reporter.”

      Tyler let out a low whistle. “No wonder you don’t think Troy Ledger will welcome you with open arms.”

      Tyler stopped at the entrance to the ranch and stared at the weathered, wooden sign above the old iron gate. Willow Creek Ranch.

      Haunting memories attacked, bringing things to the forefront of his mind that he hadn’t thought of in years. The smell of chicken frying in the skillet atop the gas range. The family gathered at the big dining room table. His mother’s voice singing along with the radio.

      The tears in his father’s eyes when Troy had been literally ripped from his arms on the night his father had been arrested. And СКАЧАТЬ