Reuniting with the Cowboy (3 page)

Maybe she'd have more oomph at the end of the day with Derek around. Most applicants would have waited until Tuesday to start work, but she was thankful for his eagerness.

Today's ranch vaccinations had been so much easier with help, and when she'd gotten the emergency call, Derek had been able to stay with Lance and finish. Best of all, she didn't ache quite as much with an extra set of hands at work.

Wolf and Foxy pranced circles around her, offering unconditional love—even though she'd been with other critters all day.

“Y'all don't care who I play with, do ya?” Her high-pitched tone sent the tiny bundles of energy into excited jitters and she settled on the floor, leaning against the couch. The Poms fought for lap space, then stilled as she stroked their soft coats. “You'll never guess who showed up after you left, though.”

“I saw you with Cody after I got out of the shower.”

“He arrived just as the state inspector was about to write me up for having too many cats. Cody took Bruno and the three I got in yesterday and saved the day.” And rubbed her shoulders. She could still feel his touch.

“I wonder why the inspector came again. Good thing Cody was there to be your hero.”

“Until I asked him to sell me an acre and he admitted he's only leasing the land.” She picked up Foxy and rubbed noses with her. “What's up with that, Foxy?”

The only problem with furry friends—they never answered back.

Wolf let out a yip.

Not in people language, anyway.

“Maybe once his lease is up, you can buy the acreage. It'll work out.” Mom gave her an encouraging smile. “Just have faith.”

Mom's words stung. Faith was exactly what she didn't have.

Why couldn't her new neighbor have been someone else? A single woman living alone, or a family with a mom who needed adult companionship. Someone who could have at least sold her an acre or two. And who didn't stir such confusing feelings in her. Even some animal-hating grouch. Anyone other than landlocking Cody.

Though he probably wouldn't even stay put. Which, as her mom had pointed out, could be good for her. He wouldn't even be here if not for his injuries and she was sure he'd head back to the circuit just as soon as he could hobble there.

If Cody moved on, she'd get another chance to convince the owner to sell her a parcel of the land. But that meant Cody would run out on her like before. When she'd needed him most. She had to stay away from him in order to survive this go-round.

For as long as she could remember, Cody had gone from one obsession to the next, never sticking with anything for long. Baseball, basketball, fishing, hunting, soccer, football, racquetball and finally rodeo. He'd pursued rodeo far longer than anything else.

Wolf was hanging off her lap and Ally shifted her legs into a crisscross position to give the dogs more room. Closing her eyes, she twirled the end of her braid around her finger.

Sometimes she could still imagine it was her dad doing it. Even after twelve years, she longed for his presence, his sound counsel. He'd have known what to do about her shelter. But he wasn't here.

“Ally?”

She looked up. Mom had clearly asked her something. “What?”

“Are you ready for supper?”

“You can go ahead. I need a bath.”

Her only hope was to buy the land once Cody got bored with playing rancher and his lease was done. And that would be best for her wayward heart, too.

A hot bath and a bowl of soup later, she crawled in bed thinking about her predicament.

And Cody. She wouldn't be his new short-term diversion.

Stop thinking about him.

She closed her eyes and snuggled under the covers—exhaustion fogging her brain.

Dogs barking. Ally opened her eyes. Lots of yapping. And they were close. How long had she slept—minutes or hours? It was still dark outside. She was used to the sound. In fact, she usually woke up only when they weren't barking. But this frenzied chorus seemed to come from right under her window.

She rolled over, squinted at the green digital numbers on her clock. Four twenty-three. Why were the dogs stirred up in the wee hours of the morning? And why did they sound so near? She threw the covers back, jumped up and hurried to the window.

Three dogs surrounded the live oak in her yard. Barks, yips and growls filled the early-morning air. As her eyes adjusted to the moonlight, she spotted a cat clinging to a gnarled, twisted limb high in the tree. In the distance, the lights were on in the barn.

What were they doing loose? Her heart lodged in her throat. She flipped her lamp on, tugged a warm-up suit over her pajamas and darted down the hall.

“Mom.” Ally knocked on her bedroom door. “The animals are loose.” Flashlight in hand, she bolted through the house and jerked the front door open. A light blinded her as she barreled into something solid.

Someone
solid.

She screamed.

Chapter Three

“I
t's me.” Cody's strong arms steadied her. The soft flannel of his shirt warmed her against the chill of the night air as his familiar spicy scent surrounded her.

Ally pulled away from him. “Are you all right? I didn't hurt your knee, did I?”

“No.” He lowered the beam of his flashlight and she got a glimpse of his denim clad legs. “Why are the animals out?”

“I have no idea.”

“I'll help you corral them.”

“You can't.” She stepped around him. “It's dark and you'll step in a hole or something and hurt your knee. If you want to help, though, go to the barn. I'll catch the dogs and bring them to you. Just put them in pens and I'll sort out who goes where later. Once I get all the dogs, then I'll be able to lure the cats back.”

“I'm on it.” He limped toward the barn.

She ran to the clinic. The door stood wide open. Odd. She grabbed several collars with leashes and a handful of treats, then scurried back out to the gathering under the tree.

“Here, Spot.” The splotched mutt ignored her as he jumped, his front paws running up the tree with each lunge as he growled at the terrified cat. “I've got treats.” She dug a biscuit out of her pocket and held it just out of the dog's reach. Spot's nose twitched and he lost interest in the cat long enough for her to clasp a collar around his neck. “Gotcha.”

She stood on his leash while she went through the same routine with the Border collie mix and the terrier mix. With all three dogs leashed, she tugged them with all her might toward the barn.

A flashlight beam shone from the house. “What can I do?” Mom hollered.

“Catch dogs. Then we'll worry about the cats.”

“I called Lance—I mean Dr. Bridges—to help.”

A truck turned into her drive. Lance? No, he couldn't have gotten here from Denton so quickly. Who could it be?
Please not an emergency.
Pressure mounted in her chest.

The engine died and doors slammed. “Hey, it's Raquel. Cody called us to help.”

Ally could have cheered. “Y'all are awesome.” The Walkers were her closest neighbors other than Cody. Ally usually handled the health needs of their four-legged menagerie.

“How many are accounted for?” Slade, Raquel's husband, hurried to take the three unruly dogs from Ally.

“I'm not even sure.” Ally scanned the area with her flashlight. “These are the only ones I've caught. I didn't want Cody hobbling around in the dark, so he's in the barn waiting to put them away as I catch them.”

“Hunter, you help Mom catch dogs.” Slade roughed up the young boy's already tousled hair with his free hand. Although the dogs fought against the leashes, he didn't budge. “I'll haul this rowdy handful to Cody and then Ally can see who's missing. I'll be right back to help.”

“I'm so grateful y'all came.” Ally surveyed the threesome clad in wrinkled jeans and jackets.

“This is gonna be fun.” Seven-year-old Hunter darted around the back of the house.

“Watch for snakes,” Raquel called.

“Probably too cool for them and I don't usually have any in the yard.” Ally jogged to the barn, opened the door for Slade and took a quick inventory.

Some of the missing were boarders. She had to find them and keep this incident quiet. Strays roaming free could jeopardize her shelter. But if word got out that people's pets had gotten loose, her clients would lose trust in her.

As she stepped outside, another truck pulled in the drive. The door opened and shut. “How many are loose?” Lance's flashlight bobbed his approach.

“Thirteen dogs, nineteen cats—some strays and some boarders. Not all of them at least. I'm sorry to drag you out this time of night all the way from Denton.”

“It's only fifteen minutes and we're in this together.”

Over the next couple of hours, Hunter caught two dogs, while Slade rounded up three. Raquel manhandled a smaller breed and Lance nabbed another, while Ally wrangled an elusive wienie dog boarder who seemed intent on playing hide-and-seek.

“I heard some barking in the woods behind the barn.” Slade headed back out. “Raquel, Hunter, y'all stay here—might be dangerous.”

“Be careful.” Raquel shuddered.

“I'll go with you.” Lance followed.

Hunter and Raquel helped soothe the dogs, and as the sun began to rise, Slade and Lance returned with the last two Lab mixes.

“What about the cats?” Hunter helped her get the last two in their pens.

“They won't come out unless it's quiet and calm.” Ally hugged Raquel. “Thanks so much for coming. I'd still be at it if y'all hadn't.”

“We were glad to help. Hunter had a blast.” Raquel tousled his hair. “You can tell all your friends about your dog-wrangling skills.”

“Um...about that.” Ally bit her lip. “Would y'all mind keeping this incident quiet? I don't want the people who board their pets here to lose confidence in my services.”

“Good point.” Slade gripped Hunter's shoulder. “Hear that? We're keeping this a secret.” Hunter nodded and Slade turned to his wife. “We better go so Ally can tend to her cats.”

The threesome waved goodbye as Ally thanked them again.

“Go home, Lance. Get some rest. I can handle things here today.”

“Not happening. Saturday's always our busiest. If your mom will ply me with coffee, I'll be good to go.”

“Great idea.” Mom covered her yawn and the two strolled toward the house.

Leaving only Cody. “You should get some sleep. All I have to do is call the cats.”

“I'll stick around.” He scanned the pens lining each side of the long barn. “I doubt any of the dogs are in the pens they're supposed to be in. Once you retrieve the cats, I'll help you sort it out. Besides, I need to talk to you.”

“Okay.”
About what?
“Can it wait?”

“Go call your cats. It'll keep.”

“I'll be back as quick as I can.” She dug a stack of collapsed cardboard carriers from the storage closet, tucked them under her arm. “And thanks for all your help.”

“My pleasure.”

Ally stepped out. Cody seemed so serious. Had he talked to the owner? Would he sell her the land after all?

* * *

“Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.” Ally's call was a gentle singsong as Cody watched from the barn window.

It took several minutes, but the cats started coming. From trees, from the roof, from the loft and from the woods. Soon she had them in cardboard kennels, and she pulled her truck near to load them.

Cody couldn't stand watching her do all the work. It had nearly killed him to let Slade and Lance play dogcatcher while he stayed in the barn. It was daylight now—easier to watch for holes. He limped out to help.

“What are you doing out here?”

“At least let me load them for you, save you a little work.” He made his way to the truck bed.

“Fine.” She picked up a kennel. “Stack them in twos and make sure they're stable. I don't want them tumbling around and scarring their delicate sensibilities for life.”

“Cats have sensibilities?” He grinned.

“They most certainly do. Very delicate ones.”

“I guess if anybody knows about it, it would be you.” Cody loaded a kennel she handed him. “You looked like the Pied Piper out there gathering them all up.”

“Just call me the crazy cat lady.”

“You must be exhausted.”

“You, too.” She adjusted a stack of kennels. “I can't believe the Walkers came over to help so early. How do you even know them?”

“Raquel's first husband was a Texas Ranger and Mitch's partner. A few years after he died, Mitch tried to fix us up, but neither of us was interested and she eventually met Slade.”

He slid another kennel in place. “Slade used to be a chaplain on the rodeo circuit, so I'd seen him around. They're good folk. Since Raquel's the school nurse and it's Saturday, and Slade's a preacher and it isn't Sunday, I knew they could come without messing up the rest of their day.”

“I couldn't even think of any of that. I was in panic mode.”

“Speaking of panic, I don't mean to scare you—” A cat yowled at him as he hoisted its kennel on top of another “—but you don't have any enemies, do you?”

“Not that I know of.” She stopped, caught his gaze. “Why?”

“That's what I wanted to talk to you about.” Cody's heart thudded. He really didn't want to frighten her, but she seemed so oblivious. “Somebody had to have let them out.”

“But why would they?” She hugged herself. “I must have left a couple of the pens open.”

“Have you ever done that before?”

“No. But I've been distracted.”

True. The almost reprimand from the inspector. The land Cody couldn't sell her. “Even if you left a couple of pens open, that doesn't explain how thirteen dogs and nineteen cats got out. You don't really think one of each got out, then nosed all the other locks until they opened like it happens in the movies?”

“Of course not.” She huffed out a sigh, shoved another pet carrier at him. “But I don't know why anyone would let them out.”

“Maybe somebody wants to shut you down.” He settled the last cat in place, striving for casual, trying not to let her see how worried he was. “Think about it—you said your state inspector must have gotten a complaint to show up when he did, and now your critters are loose in the middle of the night.”

“But no one lives anywhere near here.” She spread her hands wide, gesturing to miles of endless woods and pastures surrounding their properties. “Just you and me. Who would want to shut me down?”

“What about Lance?”

“No. I've known him a couple of years. He's a nice man, a member of our church.”

“Maybe he wants to buy you out?”

“He had his own clinic in Denton and sold it to work toward retirement.”

“What do you really know about Derek?”

“He's a great guy. I can't tell you how much it helped to have another set of hands on duty yesterday.”

“You're sure he's okay?”

“Positive.” She shook her head. “He has no reason to want to shut me down.”

“Maybe he wants his own practice.”

“No. He's a tech. The only way he can do anything is under the supervision of a licensed vet.”

But Cody wasn't so sure. Maybe he needed his Texas Ranger brother to do a background check on Derek. And Lance. Ally's safety was too important to risk.

She was way too important to him. Way more important than he should allow her to be.

* * *

It felt good to attend the church Cody had grown up in. How many years had it been since he'd been here? When he'd visited home for the holidays while on the circuit, he'd often gone with his sister in Dallas, with his brother when he'd lived in Garland or with Grandpa in Medina. Over the years, he'd only attended his home church a handful of times.

As morning class dismissed, he caught up with Mitch. “Can we talk a minute?”

“Sure.”

Metal chairs scraped the tiled floor and multiple conversations started up.

Cody waited until the classroom emptied. “Can you run a background check on Derek Tatum for me?”

“Why?”

“I think somebody's trying to shut Ally's shelter down.”

“What gives you that idea?”

“This has to stay quiet.” She'd tan his hide if she knew what he was up to. “Ally's worried it'll hurt her shelter's reputation.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Someone turned several of her animals loose the other night,” Cody whispered, even though they were alone.

“You're sure it wasn't a faulty latch?”

“Thirty or so faulty latches? How about Lance Bridges—know anything about him?”

“Isn't he the other vet at her clinic?”

“Can you run a check on him, too?”

“I need probable cause, little brother.” Mitch folded his arms across his chest—his stubborn stance. “I can't just run a check on random citizens because you want me to.”

“How much probable cause did you have when you ran a check on each of your wife's employees?”

“What makes you think I did that?”

“I know you.”

Mitch's Adam's apple bobbed. “Touché.”

Cody sighed. “I'm worried about Ally's safety.”

“I'll see what I can find.”

“Thanks.”

The brothers exited the classroom, strolled into the sanctuary and claimed their seats on each side of Mitch's wife Caitlyn. Old-fashioned pews lined the church with traditional hymnals in the book racks, and prisms of multicolored light radiated through the stained-glass windows.

Even after his years away, it was still home. New preacher, new Sunday-school teacher, new pianist, even a new song leader, but the same timeless hymns. He still knew most of the congregation, and a lot of the new faces he'd seen on the circuit over the years. But the most important member—to him—was nowhere in sight.

“Where's Ally?” Cody elbowed Caitlyn, trying for casual.

“She doesn't come anymore.” Caitlyn grabbed a hymnal from the book rack. “Not since her dad died.”

“Really?” Why would Ally turn away from God after her dad died? That was when she'd needed Him most.

“You two are neighbors now. Haven't you seen her?”

“Well, yeah. But we didn't talk about church.”

The pianist played louder as a deacon approached the pulpit to begin announcements. “Welcome. We hope you enjoy our services today. All of the announcements are in your bulletin, but we have one pressing need. Our volunteer couple who'd signed up to supply animals and oversee the petting zoo at our annual church carnival had a family emergency out of town.” He checked his notes.