Texas Free (The Tylers of Texas 5)

Rose was doing all right, too. Her garden and chickens were thriving, and Bull was paying her a little to do his bookkeeping and help his sons with their schoolwork. Rose’s late grandfather, a retired professor, had educated her well while she lived with him. She could have been a teacher, Tanner thought. Maybe one day she would have the chance.

Over time, he and Joe had been interviewing the ranchers who held properties in the canyons below the caprock. The interviews were nearly finished, except for a visit to one isolated ranch, located in a remote canyon at the end of a long dirt road. Getting there and back would take the better part of a day.

“Why don’t you drive out and do that interview tomorrow?” Joe suggested to Tanner. “Take your honey along. Make an outing of it. I can manage things here for a day.”

Joe’s offer was a gift. “Thanks,” Tanner said. “I’ll tell Rose when I see her tonight. She’ll like that.”

“I’d tell you to marry that girl and make an honest woman of her,” Joe said. “But I know what this job can do to a marriage. My wife couldn’t handle it—the hours, the time away, and the worry that I’d get shot and wouldn’t make it home. She left me for a tax lawyer.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Tanner had had the same concerns himself. Rose was tough and accustomed to hardship. But he wanted to give her a good life and be around to enjoy it with her. For now, that would have to wait.

* * *

The closest thing to a fancy date in Blanco Springs was pizza and sodas at the Burger Shack. Tanner and Rose didn’t go out often, but he enjoyed showing her off. She was a striking woman, and he loved the way she displayed her birthmark with pride. When he was with her in public, he could sense the envy of the men who glanced their way.

Tonight they’d taken the corner booth, where they sat close together, enjoying their combo pizza and talking. Earlier they’d seen Reuben Potter walk up to the counter and order a cheeseburger. Reuben and Rose had exchanged glances but hadn’t spoken. Their friendship was known to Tanner but was otherwise a secret.

It tickled Tanner that Rose had won over the young man Ferg had hired to spy on her. And it was reassuring to know that an extra pair of eyes was watching her place, helping keep her safe.

So far there’d been no sign of the cartel and, after two weeks, no word from Raul and Joaquin on the mountain. But the worry was always there, in the back of Tanner’s mind. He wouldn’t rest easy until he knew that the threat was gone for good.

“I’m excited about our outing tomorrow,” she said. “Do you want me to pack a lunch?”

“Nothing fancy, and not unless you have time. I’ll bring some snacks and plenty of water. We can stop for a meal after we get back from the interview.”

She stirred the ice in her Diet Coke. “I’ve been thinking,” she said. “As long as we’re out in the truck, how much time would it take on the way home to circle around and stop by that line shack in the Rimrock’s mountain pasture?”

A subtle alarm went off in Tanner’s head. “I’ve never been there, but I’ve seen it on an aerial map. It’s not that far out of the way. Maybe an extra hour. But are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I’ve thought about it,” she said. “I know it’s the usual thing for cowboys to work out of the line shack for weeks at a time. But I’m worried. Raul and Joaquin were like brothers to me once. What if something’s happened to them?”

Uneasiness crept up Tanner’s spine and tightened a knot in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t like this. But he knew Rose. She’d made what seemed like a reasonable request, and she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“We’ll go on one condition,” he said. “I want you to let Bull or Jasper know what we’re planning. If they say we shouldn’t go to the line shack, promise you’ll at least listen.”

She sighed. “All right, we can stop by the Rimrock tonight. Why don’t we box up the rest of this pizza for Joe? I’ve had all I can eat.”

“Fi

ne.” Tanner signaled the server and asked for a take-out box. Minutes later they were back in the truck, on their way to the Rimrock.

They found both Bull and Jasper sitting on the front porch. Bull’s boots rested on the porch railing. Jasper’s cigarette glowed red in the darkness. He tossed it over the side as Rose and Tanner came up the steps to join them.

“What are you youngsters up to?” Jasper asked. “You look way too serious for such a nice evening.”

Rose told them about her plan to go to the canyon ranch with Tanner. “I hope you can spare me for a day, Bull,” she said.

He lowered his feet to the porch. “That shouldn’t be a problem,” he said. “The books are up-to-date. And with school ending next week, the boys don’t have much mind for their classwork. Go and have a good time. I know you could use a break.”

“Thanks,” Tanner said. “But there’s more. Tell them, Rose.”

“If you two are running off to get married, that’s fine with us,” Jasper teased.

“Not that,” Rose said. “But I’ve been concerned about Joaquin and Raul, alone up there in the line shack. I’m trying to talk Tanner into paying them a visit, just to make sure everything’s all right. We could even deliver them more supplies if you want.”

“But I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” Tanner said. “We’ve agreed to let you two make the call.”

“We have?” Rose raised an eyebrow. “I said I’d listen.”