Texas Free (The Tylers of Texas 5)

“I’m with Tanner,” Bull said. “Before they showed up here, those boys were running drugs for the Cabrera cartel. Whatever they told you, I don’t trust them. Neither should you.”

“What about you, Jasper?” Rose asked. “You drove them up to the line shack. What do you think?”

“I think you’d best leave well enough alone,” Jasper said. “We sent those two boys up the mountain to keep you safe. I know they’re like family and all, but the less you have to do with them, the better. As for your bein’ worried about them, they’re big boys. They can look out for themselves.”

“And if they’re up to no good, that’s for me to deal with, not you,” Bull added. Tanner caught the cold glimmer in Bull’s blue eyes. At that moment he realized, with chilling certainty, that the legends he’d heard about the man were true.

“So I’m outnumbered three to one,” Rose said.

“Don’t go up there,” Jasper said. “If you want anybody to check on those boys, we’ll do it.”

“When?” Rose demanded.

“Tomorrow,” Bull said. “It shouldn’t take that long. Satisfied?”

Rose sighed. “All right. Take me home, Tanner. I’ll see you in the morning.”

At her trailer, he walked her to the door and took her in his arms. She came to him without resistance, nestling against his chest. “Are we good?” he asked. “Are you sure you’re not mad at me?”

“I’m fine. Bull and Jasper are probably right,” she said, stretching on tiptoe to kiss him. “Let’s relax and have a good day tomorrow.”

As always, he checked around the yard and gave a wave toward the other side of the creek, in case Reuben was watching—which he likely wasn’t, since they’d seen him in town tonight.

Driving back to the ranger post, Tanner realized that his earlier unease hadn’t gone away. His worry about visiting the line shack had come to nothing. He was looking forward to a day with Rose tomorrow. So what could go wrong?

In his law enforcement work, he’d learned to trust his gut instincts. But maybe this time he was just overthinking. Take it easy, he told himself. Everything is going to be fine.

* * *

Rose was waiting when Tanner came for her at seven-thirty in the pickup with the TSCRA logo on the sides. The sky was clear, the weather mild with a light breeze, perfect for a long drive through beautiful canyon country. As she climbed into Tanner’s truck and fastened her seat belt, Rose was glad she’d been overruled last night. This was a rare day to relax and enjoy being with Tanner, not to worry about what might be happening at the line shack.

Leaving the Rimrock far behind, they drove north along a narrow paved road while Tanner watched for the unmarked turnoff to the Jacobsen Ranch.

“It’s more of a homestead than a ranch,” Tanner explained. “Families settled these canyons generations ago. They built houses, raised some stock, and pretty much lived off the land. We like to keep in touch with them. If they trust us, they can help by being our eyes and ears in this back country.”

Tanner was dressed in his ranger uniform—white shirt and jeans, with his badge clipped to his belt. A holstered pistol rode his right hip. His Stetson hung behind the seat. “You look very handsome today, Mr. Special Ranger,” Rose teased him.

“Today the outfit’s mostly for public relations,” Tanner said. “We want people to know who we are and that we’re here to help them when they need us. If there’s trouble, having met them ahead of time makes things easier on both sides—hey, here’s the road. We might have to eat some dust.”

He swung the pickup onto a narrow dirt road that wound among ledges and knolls, and hoodoos of sandstone, laid down by water when the dinosaurs were on the earth. Prickly pear and cholla grew on the slopes. Tumbleweed and rabbit brush flourished along the roadside. Where springs bubbled out of the ground, cottonwood trees lent touches of fresh green.

“This country is beautiful,” Rose said. “Thank you for bringing me along today.”

“Would it make any difference if I told you that my inviting you was Joe’s idea?”

“Really?” Rose laughed. “He’s a gem. I’ll have to bake him a batch of cookies when I get home. I might even save one or two for you.”

“You’d better.” He touched her knee, his eyes on the winding road.

“Is Wyoming this beautiful?” she asked. “I’ve never been there.”

“It is,” he said, “but in a different way. There are high mountain peaks, covered with snow most of the year. Lots of pine trees and open, grassy plains with deer and elk and pronghorn antelope. Horses to ride and cattle to tend. The winters are pretty rough, and hard on the cattle. But even the snow is beautiful in its own way.”

“Would you ever go back?”

He hesitated. “Maybe someday. I like my job here, but sometimes I miss the family. It would depend on a lot of things, like whether my brother can manage our ranch without me.”

“And the memories?” Rose had to ask the question.