Cowboy Command (5 page)

Seth blanched. 
“There were more notes?”

“
Oh yes,” she answered sweetly.  “Very illuminating.  You certainly inspire a certain passionate response in your employees.”

He stood up, probably trying to intimidate her.  She wasn
’t one to be easily intimidated.  “Look, I know you mean well, and I’m very impressed by your go-getter attitude today.  Really.  But I like things the way I like them.  Change isn’t always good.”

If she laughed at his petulant expression, he
’d be really pissed.  Seth Reilly might not be afraid of the people trying to kill her, but he was clearly afraid of a few changes around here. 

“
I guess I’m asking you to trust me.  I’ve screwed up many things in my life, but I know how to organize.”

“
What have you screwed up?” Seth scowled.  “That doesn’t bode well.”

“
Hello?  I’m in a small town in the middle of nowhere working for a sheriff who thinks I’m crazy, all because of my choice of employer.  Shit, I was just trying to make a living.”

Seth pulled up to his full height and squared his shoulders. 
“I think we need to keep things the same.  I expect your full cooperation.”

Presley smiled. 
“You’re the boss.”

“
I’m glad to see we agree on one thing.”  Seth’s voice was gruff.

He was cute when he was frustrated.  Last night she
’d been struck by how handsome he was, but today with his golden hair rumpled by the wind and his overall air of fatigue, he looked like a little boy just out of bed.  If she’d been looking—no, she wasn’t looking for anything.  She was simply trying to survive.

Another blast of cold air made her shiver and Seth strode past her.  He rummaged in a closet and pulled out a small space heater before greeting the person who had let in the cold air.

“You can use this.  It should keep you warmer.”

She took it gratefully, pondering her new boss.  Seth Reilly was a strange man.  Strong and stoic one minute, an old
-fashioned gentleman the next.  She’d even seen a glimpse of the controlling asshole and it hadn’t been too bad.  Seth was shaking hands with an older man and ushering him to his desk.

“
Trask, what can I do for you today?”

The man took off his cowboy hat and sat heavily in one of the wooden chairs. 

“It’s about my Millie.  She’s been gone for a few days and I’m worried about her.”

“
When did you last see her?”

The man stroked his chin. 
“I guess it would be Friday night, late.  We were in the barn checking on the horses.  Haven’t seen her since.  Not like her to be gone this long.”

“
Maybe she just got a turkey or something.”

Until Seth
’s statement, Presley had assumed they were talking about a human.  Clearly, Millie wasn’t this man’s wife or daughter.

Presley cleared her throat. 
“Can I get you some coffee, Mr. Trask?”

The older man turned to her and his eyes lit up. 
“You must be the new secretary.  What’s your name, darlin’?”

She smiled and poured the man a cup of coffee. 
“Presley.  Presley Lawson.  Cream and sugar?”

“
No, take it black.”  He held out his hands with a grin.  “Presley, huh?  Seth, does your old man know this pretty little girl’s name?”

Seth looked anything but happy. 
“I told him this morning.  It doesn’t mean anything.”

Trask chuckled. 
“Maybe yes, maybe no.  Damn, this hot coffee hit the spot.  Winter’s comin’ early this year.”

This was not welcome news to Presley.  She
’d been hoping for a reprieve.

“
So you want me to take a look around for her?” Seth asked, clearly trying to move the subject back to business.

The men stood up and drained his cup. 
“If you don’t mind.  I don’t get around like I used to.”

“
I’ll try and find her, Trask.  I’ll call you.”

Trask slapped Seth on the back and tipped his hat at her. 
“Nice meeting you, miss.  This old boy gives you any problems, you just call old Trask, you hear?”

She liked this man.  He was funny and polite. 
“Thank you, but I think I can handle him,” she said with a smile.

The man nodded and headed out the door. 
“I just betcha you can.”

When Trask was gone she turned to Seth. 
“Millie isn’t a person, is she?”

Seth shook his head. 
“No, she’s a dog.  She’s getting up there in age and I fear something has happened to her.  She doesn’t see well any more.  Trask has several dogs, but Millie is his favorite.”

Seth reached for his coat.  Suddenly, she felt the walls start to close in on her.  She
’d been inside pretty much twenty-four seven since her car exploded.  She needed some fresh air and new scenery.  “Do you want me to come with you?  I can help look for her.”

Seth looked like he wanted to refuse, but then thought better of it. 
“Actually, yes, if you don’t mind.  Another set of eyes will be helpful.”

She grabbed her coat. 
“Do we have an answering service or something?”

Seth held up his cell. 
“If we don’t answer here, it’s routed directly to my phone.”

Presley blinked in surprise. 
“Shit, you must not get much sleep.”

Seth chuckled and locked the door to the Sheriff
’s office.  “I can route the calls to any phone.  If I need time off, I’ll route it to one of my deputies.  You’ll meet them eventually.  Hank is working a couple of calls from last night still.  Tom is off duty.”

“
Is it just the three of you?”

He opened the car door and gave her a hand up. 
“We have others, but Hank and Tom are my right hands.”

They headed off and this time Presley was able to get a better look at the town.  It looked small and a little rundown, with some buildings needing a new coat of paint while others looked brand new.  She saw a sign for a diner, a doctor, and
a hardware store on one side of the street.  On the other she could see a bar and a small grocery store. 

“
Is there a coffee shop in town?”

In the blink of an eye they were out of Harper and on to the open road.  Seth picked up the radio and
called his deputy Hank, letting him know they were out of the office. 

“
Are you almost done there?” Seth asked.

“
Almost.  Perry is still pissed so I’m trying to calm him down.”

“
Let me know if you need me.  Ten-four.”

Seth finally turned to her and grinned. 
“There’s no coffee shop in town.  I guess you could say we’re self-sufficient that way.  We don’t need a yuppie shop selling flavored coffees and muffins.”

“
That’s what I was afraid of.  For the record, I like those flavored coffees and muffins.  A lot.  What does Millie look like, by the way?  I’m supposed to be looking, too.”

“
We won’t see her this close to town.  Trask’s place is out a ways, but she’s a black lab.”

They were quiet as they drove, the only sound the rush of air from the heater.  His masculine scent wafted around her and she had to admit he smelled damn good despite the fact he didn
’t talk much.  She was starting to get impatient when he slowed the SUV and rolled his window down, blowing on a soundless whistle.

“
Dog whistle?”

He nodded but never turned back to her, blowing the whistle every quarter of a mile or so.  She kept a look out of her side of the car but there didn
’t appear to be a living soul for miles.  He pulled onto a dirt side road and parked the car.

“
I think we need to go on foot from here.”

She pushed open her door and zipped up her coat as high as she could and pulled her gloves back on.  She wasn
’t going to complain about the cold.  She’d watched the news this morning on the television in her small apartment and the people in Harper apparently didn’t consider fifty degrees cold.  They thought it was downright warm, in fact.  She didn’t agree but she wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it.

She walked with him a little ways until Seth pointed to the other side of the gravel road. 
“Check that side and I’ll check this one.”

They walked for
a while until she saw something black from the corner of her eye, way in the distance.  She plunged into the brush, wading through it until she was close enough to see the large black outline of an animal.  She swallowed hard and forced herself to keep walking toward it, not wanting to see what she knew was there.  When she came up on it, she had to put her hand over her mouth not to vomit as bile rose in her throat.  Tears welled up in her eyes and she whirled around to yell at Seth, who was still looking.

She
shouted and waved her arms until she had his attention, motioning for him to come.  He ran quickly but stopped abruptly when he saw what was at her feet.  His skin paled and he closed his eyes for a minute.

“
Fuck.  I’d hoped I was wrong.  Shit.”  Seth looked heavenward then looked at her.

“
Good job finding her.  Why don’t you get the blanket out of the back of the truck and we’ll wrap her up.  Trask will want to give her a proper burial.”

She nodded, her throat tight, dashing the tears away with the back of her hand.  Presley retrieved the blanket, handing it to Seth, and then hung back
, unsure what to do.  He laid the blanket flat and lifted the cold body onto it, then wrapped it up gently.  His hands moved quickly but surely and she was impressed that he didn’t try to hide how this affected him.  His expression was grim and his eyes bright with unshed tears.

He patted the blanket. 
“That’s a good girl.  We’re going to take you home now.”

She stood back as he easily lifted the canine into his arms and hiked back to the truck, carefully placing his burden into the back.  He leaned against the bumper and took a deep breath. 
“This is going to break Trask’s heart.  Man, he loved that dog.”

“
Was she hit by a car?” Presley sniffled.  She’d never seen anything like this and she wasn’t good with blood.

“
Yeah,” Seth sighed heavily.  “It looks like she got hit and then wandered away from the main road to die.  Dammit, I hate this shit.”

She patted his arm. 
“You did a good thing, wrapping her up.  I’m not sure I could do that.”

He shook his head. 
“I bet you could.  You found her and got me here.  I know it wasn’t a pretty sight.  Are you okay?”

The fresh air was working on her nausea and she felt surprisingly fine.  She
’d been of more use this morning than she had in the last six months.  Doing right by Millie was a buttload more important than organizing a cocktail party or reserving a charter flight.

“
I’m okay.  Let’s take her to Mr. Trask.”

Seth nodded. 
“Let’s go.”  He touched her sleeve.  “Thanks again.  I don’t know if I would have found her without you.”

“
You would have, but it would have just taken you longer, that’s all.”

Seth turned the car around and headed back to the main road.

“Hell of a first day for you.  You must be really missing Florida right about now.”

Funny thing was, she hadn
’t thought about Florida for the last hour.

* * * * *

“They have good food here.  I hope you’re hungry,” Seth said, opening his menu.  Presley was surprised to find she was starving.  Maybe it was the fresh cold air, but she had an appetite for the first time in days. 

She and Seth hadn
’t had the most pleasant of mornings.  When they’d pulled up to Trask’s place, the old man had known the truth just by their expressions.  He’d been sad but determined to give Millie what he called a “Christian burial.”  Seth had insisted on digging the grave and they’d laid the dog to rest with its favorite toy and pillow. 

It had been a simple gesture but spoke volumes of how deeply this old man felt for the dog.  Presley had tried to comfort him but he had
shaken his head with a sad smile.

“
No need, darlin’.  Life can be hard here in these mountains.  Millie lived a good, happy life with not a worry in the world.  We should all live like that.”

Presley had agreed wholeheartedly.  Worry
-free living was looking pretty good these days.  She perused the menu, but felt the heat of eyes everywhere.  She peered over the plastic menu.  “Is it my imagination or are there people staring at us?”

Seth shook his head. 
“No one is staring at us.  They’re staring at you.”