Colorado Fire - Colorado Heart 2 (15 page)

Relaxing was part of life at the ranch along with their duties, but being too relaxed could get him killed in the field. That's why he didn't trust his gut right now. He wasn't in the field. He probably was just making up stuff because he hadn't prepped for anything to be out of the ordinary. Deer ran these fields all the time. Everything was normal and he was exaggerating the weirdness.

The eerie feeling continued as he passed by a few trees, entering what most of the guys considered to be the tree line. When they all got together, they debated the issue. Really, it was silly. Trees dotted the pastures, but here, there were more trees.

After he'd ridden a few more minutes, still unable to shake the weird feeling, he contemplated stopping and turning back to the ranch, but the sun would be setting in a few hours. He wanted to be warm inside the house when night fell. If he made it home early enough, he could cuddle up beside Zander, sipping a cup of hot cocoa as they watched a movie.

Marshal shook off the strange feelings and continued on, allowing Dusty to move at a quick pace though not a trot. It probably had been a bear moving through the forest. He was getting higher into the trees and they did occasionally have bears. The fence line was immediately behind a thick swath of forest. He'd heard a tale that the original designers of Wild Bluff had debated where to put the fence and finally decided that the trees would allow them to conceal the video equipment and motion detection devices. Plus their property ran up into the trees.

He enjoyed the ride, even if the trees were exceedingly thick at times. None of the barbwire was broken to the north and the posts looked good. He rode in the gap they'd created between the trees and the fence, checking for damage. At the corner of their property, he turned Dusty and tracked south. Nothing seemed amiss and the earlier freak-out from the dear was history. He had about three more hours of sun left so he didn't force Dusty to move too fast.

After about ten minutes or so of riding the fence, he noticed a spot in the dirt that seemed trampled. Marshal dismounted and tied Dusty to a tree. He pulled out his phone to take a photo to send to Duff and the guys. It looked like someone had tromped through the area, disturbing the grass and breaking branches as they went.

Before he could hit send, he heard the crunch of leaves behind him. Marshal turned to see a man standing in the shadows, a branch raised over his head. The man moved and Marshal squinted. It took him a short moment to realize that the stranger in the shadows was Craig. But it was too late to do anything. Craig swung the branch, hitting Marshal square on the side of his face. He went down to one knee before passing out, his last thoughts were on Zander as his eyes closed.

Chapter Thirteen

The flight to Cape Town was long and he hadn't slept well. Roger dialed Duff the minute he had privacy. He didn't have anything to report other than the fact that he was on the ground. Duff gave him the same instructions he had before about obtaining the paperwork. It didn't hurt to go over the plan, making sure he knew what he was doing.

Though he'd slept on the plane, he was exhausted. He needed to get his supplies and his new identity. He caught a taxi and that drove him a few blocks over to a very seedy area. The cabbie didn't seem to want to leave him, but he told the guy he'd be fine. A car with keys in the ignition was waiting for him exactly where Duff said it would be.

Roger drove ten minutes, finding the address Duff had given him. He picked up a package from a guy outside an electronics store. After stopping by an office supply store, picking up paper and pens sold in South Africa, he headed to a lot on the other side of the airport and dropped the car in the place where Duff had told him to leave it. All in all, it took him two hours to complete his task. He still had six hours to eat and rest.

With all of the things he needed to impersonate the police official in his possession, he felt better. He took a cab to a hotel near the airport and ate at the restaurant inside. The food was good and he knew he'd sleep well with the limited time he had allotted. When he arrived in his room, he placed a call to Duff, informing him that everything had run like clockwork. His flight would leave Cape Town near midnight, giving him a bit more than four hours with some wiggle room to shower, sleep, and get back to the airport. After the call, he showered, brushed his teeth, and headed to bed. He missed Grant terribly. After five minutes of tossing and turning, Roger picked up his phone and texted Grant.

I miss you
.

He waited. It was almost long enough to hit the spot just before sleep but he wasn't quite there when his phone buzzed. He opened his eyes, smiling when he saw he had a text from Grant.

Hey. Aren't you tired? Duff said you were going to sleep for a while.

Yes
, Roger texted back.

If I was there with you, I'd wrap my arms around you and make you sleep.

Roger smiled and replied.
I'd love to be in your arms. I can't explain it.

Explain what?

Warmth filled him. How did you explain these feelings over text?
How I feel. I shouldn't feel this close to you yet. It took me a while to feel this way about Hayden. I was debating with myself on the plane over.

Oh

The reply made him feel bad, like he shouldn't be talking about Hayden.
I hope I didn't make you angry talking about Hayden.

No, I'm just not sure what you meant by debating with yourself.

Roger typed fast, hoping to put Grant's mind at ease.
I was wondering why a great guy like you would like me.

Roger

The one word texted from Grant could mean almost anything but he smiled to himself.

What?

You are amazing. I can't believe you would want me. I'm damaged.

The words came, defying all logic.
I'm falling in love.

He hit send before he meant to, the words had flown from his fingers faster than his brain had thought. He regretted it almost immediately. Ten seconds went past, then fifteen. Nothing. He closed his eyes, wishing he hadn't typed those words. His phone buzzed and he almost didn't want to see the text that had taken Grant more than a minute to type out.

I'm afraid. Craig poured it on fast, wooing me into a relationship. It wasn't his fault though, I wanted it. But I shouldn't have fallen for him so quickly. He lied to me and took advantage of me. He was with other men when we had an exclusive agreement. I want us to work, but I'm so scared of the same thing happening.

Now it was his turn to wait to reply. They were speaking openly, telling the truth without lust getting in the way. He wanted Grant, no doubt about it, but would their pasts keep them apart?

I'm not trying to pressure you. And I swear I'll never lie to you. We're exclusive. No one else. Please tell me you feel the same way.

Roger waited a few seconds before hitting send. Almost immediately his phone buzzed.

Yes

He smiled and couldn't help but laugh. They were making progress though they were a half a world away from each other. He rolled to his side and hugged one of the pillows. His phone buzzed again.

I want to make sure you understand that I don't want to pressure you either.

Roger nodded though Grant couldn’t see him.
I'm very happy we are in an exclusive relationship.

Roger, I have strong feelings for you. Now go to bed. You have a long trip and a lot to accomplish. You're plane will be leaving before you know it and you need some rest.

Yes sir.

Roger snuggled with the pillow, pretending that it was Grant. He fell asleep quickly, satisfied that he and Grant were moving in the right direction.

Eight hours after he landed, Roger was back at the airport as Patrick Smit. He felt that he made a decent impostor for the inspector. No one questioned him going through security and he was on the plane bound for London within two hours of arriving at the airport.

He sighed and relaxed, closing his eyes as he headed north. It would be a long flight. A little over two full days on a plane or in the airport. It had felt good walking round Cape Town, and he'd slept for almost two full hours, but there hadn't been enough time to enjoy the city.

This was his first mission since moving to Wild Bluff. He was nervous, but didn't want to obsess on the fear he felt. If he messed this up, he would die of embarrassment. The other guys all seemed so confident in their missions. Being alone was frightening in a way. He'd done so much in the Marines, but this was different. He was impersonating an officer of the law, entering a country on a fake passport, breaking all sorts of rules, and no one would back him up if he were found out. On top of it all, he was going to question the bombing suspects under false pretenses. If he were caught, he could spend a long time in jail.

Never before had he broken so many laws in the act of duty. Hell, breaking laws was highly frowned upon by the government, and he'd spent most of his life fighting to make people obey laws, but this was different. Him breaking the law would mean others could live in peace.

*~*~*

Zander had listened in on Duff's conversation with Roger. He was glad that Roger had made it to Cape Town and that the mission was on target. Roger's plane had left South Africa a few hours ago and he wouldn't land in England for a while.

They had time and were relaxing before the final push on their end when Roger arrived in London. It would be early morning for them when his plane set down. At least they'd get a good night sleep.

Marshal would be happy to hear about their success. Dinner was in the crockpot and he was having a beer. He smiled, satisfied with his life. His man would be back any moment and they'd have the night to together touching and kissing. Everything was working out perfectly for them. He finished his beer and went inside to grab another. Billy talked to him for a moment and by the time he looked outside again, the sun was almost set. His heart quickened and he glanced to the barn. He knew Marshal wanted to be home before the sky turned dark and it was damn near dark.

"Zander, have you tried my new mashed potatoes recipe?" Mike asked.

"Not yet. What's different?"

"Garlic."

'"Should be good. You made enough, right?"

Mike laughed as he dished up the potatoes into the serving bowl. "You might want to get a bite now."

He walked to the utensil drawer and pulled out a spoon before moving in to take a bite. The flavor was magnificent and he moaned. "Dang, those are good."

"Exactly."

"What did you do?" Zander asked.

"I'm not telling. But you might want to start with potatoes."

He glanced out the window again, worry building with each second. "Has anyone seen Marshal?"

"Nope. Not yet." James said.

"Dang it. I'm going out to check the barn." Zander placed the spoon on the counter and picked up his beer before going out the back door. He ambled over to the barn, thinking that maybe Marshal was taking extra time with the horses. The man was known to spend a lot of time in the barn when he was stressed.

"Marsh?" He called out when he opened the door. No one answered. "Hey, anyone in here?" Zander moved farther into the barn, flipping on the lights as he went. Dusty's stall was empty and the saddle Marshal liked was gone.

Panic set in and he tossed the beer into the trash before racing out of the barn to the main house. He banged in the door, drawing stares.

"Marsh isn't back," he blurted out.

"Hold on, are you sure?" Duff asked.

"Yeah, his horse isn't in the barn and his saddle isn't in the tack room."

"Shit," James whispered.

"Here's what we're going to do," Duff said. "Zander, Grant, you both take one truck and head out to the far north pasture where Marshal was checking the fence line. James and Billy, you take another truck and drive the ranch. See if you can find him wandering somewhere else. Tucker, you and Mike stay here. Clean up and if he comes back, call us so we know we can stop searching for him."

Zander's hands were shaking and his head throbbed. He wished he hadn't drunk the beer and that he'd actually eaten something. On his way out of the kitchen, he grabbed a dinner roll and some meat. The other guys did the same, grabbing food to sober up.

Grant followed him out to the truck, taking the driver's seat. Zander felt like he'd fallen into a bad dream and he couldn’t wake. His head was throbbing with terrible ideas of tragedies that might have struck.

"We'll find him," Grant said.

"God, I hope so. What the fuck could have happened?"

"I don't know, but I swear I won't stop until we have him back home."

"Thanks."

Grant sped down the dirt and gravel path to the first cattle guard crossing where he was forced to slow. He drove more cautiously in the second pasture since they had livestock in the field. When they approached the second cattle guard, Zander saw movement. He sat forward and Grant slowed.

"Is that Dusty?" Grant asked.

"Fuck. It is. His saddle is gone. What the hell do you think that means?" Zander was frantic with worry. He imagined Marshal lying on the ground, his body broken and bloody. But Marshal was a good horseman. He could ride and falling off his horse wasn't like him.

"No clue, but I'm calling Duff."

Grant drove the truck over the cattle guard and stopped. Zander opened the gate and Dusty came to him, nickering quietly. Zander pulled out his phone and swiped to turn on the flashlight. He looked for any cuts or injuries, finding nothing after running his hand over almost all of the horse.

Zander was confused. Marshal should be here. "There isn't anything wrong with Dusty. We need to find the saddle and bridle. If it was just the saddle gone, I'd think that maybe it fell off, but the bridle has been removed. It makes no freaking sense."

Grant came around the front of the truck, his phone still at the side of his head. "Duff, Zander says Dusty doesn't look injured. Looks like the bridle was removed. The horse didn't do it himself so Marshal must have."