Texas Lonestar (Texas Heroes Book 4) (14 page)

Bang! Bang!

Dammit! Lennon stirred in his arms and Dallas hated her rest was disturbed. “What time is it?” she asked as she raised up and made a grab for her clothes.

“A little after eight,” was all he managed to get out before the door was slung open.

“Oh, crap,” Lennon pulled at the upper sheet, holding it to her nude body. Dallas had to scramble to retain a corner of it to cover his own nakedness as George came barreling in.

“Lennon! Do you know where Dal…” The older man’s countenance changed from curiosity to disapproval in a microsecond. “Excuse me, I didn’t know you were…occupied.” He backed out and closed the door.

“Wow.” Lennon rose and quickly dressed, her back to Dallas. “I’ve got a feeling I just fell from grace in his eyes.”

“You’re an adult. George knows that,” Dallas pulled on his own clothes. “I’ll get out there and see what’s going on.” He walked around the bed and pulled her against him. “Stop worrying. About everything. I’ve got it under control.”

Once he was gone, Lennon sank back to the bed. What was she doing? Setting herself up for heartbreak–that was for certain.

Outside Lennon’s room, Dallas found George standing at the cold fireplace, staring down into it as if he were looking at flames. “What’s going on?”

“I guess I could ask you the same question.”

“I don’t really think…”

George whipped around as fast as he could, leaning on his cane. “No, I guess you didn’t.” He pointed down the hall toward Lennon’s room. “That little girl in there has a heart as big as Texas. She’s as good as gold. The goddamn men in this county have been blind and stupid as far as she’s concerned. And then here you come–short-timer–and you’ll break her heart.” Pinning him with a stare, he spat out the words. “Unless you intend on doing the right thing.”

Dallas listened patiently, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m not sure I know what the right thing is, George.”

Boot steps coming down the hall halted their conversation. Conrad joined them. “Hey, we’ve been trying to get ahold of you. Is your phone dead?”

George muttered something unintelligible. Dallas pulled out his phone. “Damn, it is dead. Sorry, I charged it last night.”

“No problem,” Conrad said. “But you’d better get out here. We found the fence cut and there’s cattle all up and down the road. We did get a good lead though, we saw that same grey truck and headquarters just called and they know who it is.”

“Who?” Dallas asked, falling in step by his fellow ranger.

“Howard Keel, a Sierra Blanca deputy.”

“What the fuck?” Dallas was stunned.

“Doesn’t surprise me,” George mumbled as he came along behind them.

“Aiden is on his tail and has called for back-up. Headquarters is trying to get ahold of you. They need your help trying to make sense of all of this.”

“I’ve got a charger in my truck, I’ll call them as soon as I get plugged in.”

“We’ve got to get back out to round up the herd.” Conrad held the door open for Dallas and George to walk through.”

“I’ll be right out there to help as soon as I talk to Headquarters.” Dallas muttered. He hung back to make the call and couldn’t ignore the disappointed look that George leveled at him when he walked by.

Inside… Lennon covered her face with her hands, embarrassed that George had walked in on them. She didn’t regret being with Dallas, having a little happiness in her life was better than none. A smile came to her lips. He had made her happy, she wouldn’t deny that for a moment. Even though he was a bit high-handed, demanding that she take his money…. Actually, it was pretty sweet. But she couldn’t do it. In fact, that reminded her, she needed to call Brewster and confirm when she could expect to bullfight and where. First things first, however. She poured a cup of coffee while she called to check on Sally.

“Marge, here.”

“Marge, this is Lennon Haley. How is Sally?”

“Oh, honey.” Her voice was bubbly and sweet, typical grandmother fare. “That little girl is a joy. I have baby kittens and she’s head over heels in love with them. Hiram tells me that they have a lead on your problem. They’re tailing someone who just cut your fence.”

“Oh, really?” Lennon started pacing, feeling left out. “The men aren’t doing a very good job of keeping me informed.”

“Isn’t that just like a man?” Marge fumed with her. “You need to get out there and straighten them out. That is your ranch, after all.”

“You’re right,” Lennon agreed, but she also knew what a relief it was not to be standing alone against this threat. Dallas had come into her life when she needed him the most and Lennon knew it was a long shot, but she couldn’t help but dream what it would be like to have him in her life on a permanent basis.

“Lennon, don’t worry about Sally until we’re sure this is all over. She’s fine and we’re enjoying her to pieces.”

Marge’s assurance relieved Lennon. “Could I speak to Sally?”

“Absolutely, hold on.”

In a few seconds, Lennon couldn’t keep from smiling, even though tears rose in her eyes.

“Lenny! Do you miss me?”

“So much, I miss you so much. Are you having fun?”

“I is. Miss Marge has cats and ice cream!”

“Well, you can’t beat that, can you?” Lennon laughed, but her heart was hurting. Sally was her baby.

“When can I come home, Lenny?”

“Just as soon as I can make everything right and I’m determined to do that as quickly as possible. I love you, Sally.”

“I wuv you too, Lenny.”

Lennon ended the phone call, wiping the dampness from her cheeks. Without putting down the phone, she called Brewster. “What do you have for me?”

“Ah, glad you called. Can you get to Fort Stockton tomorrow?”

“I sure can.” He gave her the details, then she pulled on her boots and headed out to see what was up with her fence and cattle. Since the Rangers had a lead and were in pursuit, Lennon presumed it was safe to go outside.

When she got to the barn, no one was in sight but Tilly and Lancelot. Seeing things that needed to be done, she took time to do them. The sheep that were penned and ready for market needed to be fed and watered. If she played her cards right, she could leave early enough to drop them off at the sale barn on the way to Fort Stockton. All she’d need to do was cancel the arrangement she’d previously made with the sale barn to pick them up. This was a much better idea and it would save her a good bit of money. Lennon felt satisfied–two birds with one stone was always the best way to go.

After taking care of the animals, she climbed into her truck and headed out toward the road. Before she got very far, her phone rang. “Hello?”

“Hey, I hate we were interrupted. Don’t let George give you a hard time.”

Her heart raced at the sound of his voice. She was falling in love with Dallas McClain, no doubt about it. “Did he give you one?” She could just imagine her old friend holding a shotgun as he forced Dallas to do the right thing.

“He tried,” that was all Dallas would say. “Listen, I wanted you to know that Howard Keel was apprehended a few minutes ago trying to cross the border in El Paso. I’m going to be taking him in for questioning. If we find he’s been responsible for all of this–well, that’s great. If there’s any doubt, I’ll be back.”

His statement didn’t bring her comfort. Dallas implied he wouldn’t be coming back if the case was solved.

Well, now she knew.

Lennon swore she wouldn’t let him know how much she cared–how much it would hurt. “Okay. Good luck.” Frankly, she didn’t know what else to say.

Dallas could tell something was wrong. “Look, Lennon. I know we need to have a talk.”

Lennon didn’t want to hear this–not now. “Sure…I look forward to it. I need to go and see if there are any cattle to feed tonight.”

“I’ll make sure to tell the guys to help you. They’ll see that the fence is repaired too.”

“Thanks.” Lennon knew this wasn’t part of the Rangers job description. He was calling in favors because… Dang. Maybe he just felt sorry for her. Poor, pitiful, Lennon. No–she wouldn’t cling. “Be careful.” Her concern for him couldn’t be hidden, she just didn’t have the strength.

“I will and I’ll keep you informed.” He lingered. “You take care too.”

“I will. Bye.” She hung up quickly before he could tell she was crying.

*  *  *

The next day, Dallas was completely worn out. And he wasn’t any closer to getting the case solved than he had been when he’d left. Howard Keel had been interrogated by the best, but he wouldn’t crack. The best they could determine was the fact that he wasn’t working alone. The lie detector test confirmed Keel didn’t know where the stolen cattle were or who had shot the Mexican. What he did admit to doing was the acts of vandalism. Dallas was convinced he was working for Rooster Daniels, but so far his suspicions hadn’t been confirmed. Bottom line–Lennon was still in danger and his job wasn’t done.

A strange sense of relief filled him. He wasn’t ready to let her go.

Heading west, he figured he could be at Apache Springs before dark. He was on I-10 about thirty miles east of Fort Stockton. Holding his phone to his ear, he called Lennon.

No answer. Next, he tried the house phone and was relieved when George answered. “Apache Springs.”

“Hello, George. May I speak to Lennon?”

“She’s not here.”

“Where is she?”

George was silent. Obviously, Dallas was still in the doghouse as far as George was concerned.

“Come on, George. I need to talk to her. Howard Keel wasn’t working alone, and we don’t know who else is out there trying to hurt her.”

“Besides you, you mean?”

“I’m not trying to hurt her.” Dallas sighed. “I’m trying to protect her.”

“Who’s going to protect her from you? Are you about to propose?”

Dallas didn’t want to have this conversation. “This is mine and Lennon’s business.” He didn’t want to be rude, but… He focused on the passing landscape. The farther he drove west, the more barren the land became…. Just like his life before Lennon – barren.

“You hurt her, McClain, and you’ll have to answer to me.” George promised.

“I respect that.” Dallas couldn’t tell George that loving Lennon would hurt her far more than if Dallas just walked away.

George sighed. “She left the ranch this morning, dropped the sheep off at the auction barn and she’s now over at the rodeo arena trying to rake in a little extra dough.”

Dallas remembered. “What rodeo arena? How will I find her? Is she running a booth?”

“Fort Stockton, not too far off the interstate. Just follow the billboards.” He chuckled. “And no, she’s not running a booth. Not exactly. Just get a ticket and sit in the stands, you’ll find her soon enough.”

The phone went dead in his hands. Damn. Dallas checked the mileage. He’d be in town in time to catch most of the events. But then, the events weren’t really what he was going after…

At the arena…

“Cowgirls and Cowpokes, please rise for the National Anthem and the presentation of our flags.”

Near the gate where the bulls would emerge, Lennon stood with the other bullfighter, a man named Dinky Diehl. While Dinky was in full clown regalia, Lennon was dressed in her usual red outfit with hair in pigtails and her trusty bra slingshot with nerf balls ready to shoot at her bovine targets.

“You need to watch Whiskey River, Lennon. He’s smart and mean as a snake. He gored a guy up in Montana a few weeks ago.”

Lennon nodded at Dinky. “Okay. I will.” She stared at the crowd, trying to ground herself. This hadn’t been the best day in the world. She’d had words with George over Dallas. Lennon hadn’t wanted to offend her friend, but she refused to be ashamed of what she’d done or how she felt. He’d asked her if she took precautions against getting pregnant and Lennon refused to answer, Mainly, because she’d been stunned–shocked–dumbfounded. She felt beyond stupid. Birth control had never entered her head. She couldn’t blame Dallas; she was a grown person. He hadn’t asked her about protection, but she hadn’t insisted on it either. Could she be pregnant? Probably not, but she wouldn’t know for certain until she took a test.

Leaning against the fence, she worried. If she were pregnant, what would she do? What would Dallas do? She didn’t want him to feel obligated to marry her. People probably didn’t do those type of things too much anymore. Lennon sighed. In many ways she was behind the times. Her parents had been older, she’d had no siblings and the main influence in her life, other than her own folks, had been her elderly neighbors.

“Want a hot dog?” Dinky asked. “We’ve got about fifteen minutes before our action starts.”

“No, I’m good.” She didn’t feel like eating. Anytime she had to face the bulls, her stomach seemed full of butterflies. Lennon hoped that was the case and she wasn’t expecting. Part of her wanted to walk away, not to do something so dangerous when she might be pregnant. But what choice did she have?

Down the street…

Dallas searched for a parking place. He was anxious to see Lennon, to tell her what was going on, to ask her opinion…
Fuck
. He was just anxious to see Lennon. As he moved across the parking lot, the buzz of the security lamps seemed louder, like the buzzing of a thousand insect wings. Gasps from the crowd told him some cowboy had just been pitched into the air by a bucking bronc. The closer he came, the more familiar the noise became. He’d been to several rodeos since moving to Central Texas. The smell of parched peanuts and roasting hot dogs wafted on the air. He intended to hunt Lennon, and if he couldn’t find her on the outskirts, he’d climb into the stands where he had a better view.