The New Cowboy Read online

  En route he phoned the Corkin ranch he’d bought a year ago near the Montana-Wyoming border. He needed to talk to his foreman, Matt Henson.

  Matt and his wife, Millie, lived in the house next door to the Corkin ranch house. She did the housekeeping for Zane. They were both salt of the earth people. Since a little over a year ago when he’d first come to Montana from San Francisco with his stepniece, Sadie, and his nephew, Ryan, Zane had grown to look upon Matt and Millie as family.

  “Hey, Matt—”

  “Zane? What’s going on? I thought you were out on a case and couldn’t be reached for a while.”

  “That sting produced results at long last and now I’m coming home.”

  “For how long?”

  “Permanently.”

  Zane could hear Matt’s mind turning things over. “What kind of permanently do you mean? Is that good or bad?”

  “Oh, it’s good. After cleaning up a drug ring that had been plaguing the area for a long time, the transfer I asked for came through to work in the Pryor Mountains area. The lead state ranger in Billings just phoned to let me know I’ve been assigned to the Billings office. They’ve added a bonus I never expected.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’ll be running a satellite station for the BLM Law Enforcement Division right here at the ranch.”

  After being in the grasslands around Glasgow at the northern end of the state, the thought of going home to the mountains thrilled him. He’d missed three-year-old Ryan and the ranch so badly he could taste it. Their latest Skype session that had included Avery had been hard on him.

  “You’ll be working from the ranch?” Matt wasn’t one for drama, but after hearing about the transfer, he let go with a long ear piercing whistle. “That’s the best news I ever heard.”

  Zane smiled. “No. I’m pretty sure the best news came the day your rodeo champion daughter married Connor Bannock. But now I’ll be on hand to do the ranching with you more often.”

  “You’ll be just in time to help me calve out the heifers from the herd.”

  “Yeah? I’m looking forward to it more than you know. How’s Millie?”

  “She’s going to be higher than a kite when she hears this.”

  “I’m pretty happy, too.” The opportunity to buy the Corkin ranch where Sadie had been raised had come at the same time he’d left the SEALs to work for the Bureau of Land Management—both changes had turned his life around. With two viable careers, one of them ranching in the area of Montana he loved, he could plan for his future and put down roots. “How are the lovebirds?”

  “Which pair of newlyweds are we talking about?”

  Zane chuckled. “Both!”

  “I do believe Lizzie and Sadie have found their soul mates.”

  “That’s a fact.”

  Zane hadn’t been so lucky. Besides being in a marriage that had grown troubled, his wife, Nedra, had been unfaithful to him. He’d retired from a ten-year stint in the Navy SEALs and divorced her. After that his older brother, Tim, his only living blood relative, was killed in a car crash. That left Tim’s pregnant wife, Eileen, Sadie’s mother. But after giving birth, Eileen soon died unexpectedly of heart failure.

  Too many deaths...

  Together he and Sadie took care of little Ryan. Just eighteen months ago, he’d been jobless, homeless and womanless. He hadn’t known what direction to take with his life. Then fate had stepped in to change everything.

  “You should see Sadie,” Matt went on. “She has blossomed with her pregnancy. Once Jarod found out they were having a boy, you can imagine the grin on his face.”

  Sadie’s husband wasn’t the type to grin. It told you everything. Jarod and Sadie were raising Ryan as their own and now a new son was on the way.

  With a smile he asked, “How’s the Queen of the Rodeo?” That was what Avery’s brother, Connor, called his wife, Liz. The famous five-time World Steer Wrestling Champion was crazy about his new wife.

  “She and Connor have started advertising their feral stud farm. Talk about two people meant for each other. They built their new house near Jarod’s and will be moving into it this Saturday. Ralph Bannock is so happy these days, he’s put on some weight and gets out every day. Having both of his grandsons home and married has given him a new lease on life.”

  “That’s a miracle.”

  “It sure is. When you and Sadie flew here with Ryan for her father’s funeral a year ago May, Ralph couldn’t get out of bed. So much has changed since you came to Montana for Corkin’s funeral—it’s unbelievable.”

  Everything had changed, including Zane. He had one more question and had been saving it for last, but his pulse was pounding. “How’s Avery these days?” The Avery she’d always kept hidden from him. Those Bannock brothers had a beautiful sister who’d knocked him sideways the first time he’d met her.

  “She’s fine, but we don’t see much of her.”

  That sounded like Avery. She was an elusive creature with brown hair and unforgettable crystalline gray eyes. The nature of his work had made it impossible for him to be around her on a regular basis and really get to know her.

  When he did get some time with her, she seemed nervous around him. He didn’t understand her reaction because he knew deep down she was attracted. There were times he felt her eyes on him when she thought he wasn’t looking. Now that he was coming home, he planned to get to the bottom of it and was determined things were going to change.

  He was so deep in thought about her, he didn’t realize Matt was still talking to him. “Zane? Are you still there? Can you hear me?”

  “Yes. Sorry. I got distracted for a minute. I’ll be driving in sometime tonight, probably around seven-thirty.” The distance to White Lodge, the nearest town to the ranch, was a good three hundred and forty miles. “I have to make a stop in Billings first.”

  “Be sure to drive safely because we’ll all be waiting for you.”

  “Thanks, Matt.”

  He clicked off and increased his speed. While he’d been in Glasgow, he’d constantly wondered if Avery might have fallen for someone he didn’t know about. But Sadie, who was close to her sister-in-law, kept in touch with him by email and she hadn’t said anything to that effect.

  During his Skype sessions with Sadie, which let him talk to his nephew and see how he was growing, he always hoped Avery was there. Occasionally she happened to show up. On Monday, he’d devoured her with his eyes as they talked. Every time they spoke, it made him hungrier for her.

  She’d been the only woman to stir Zane’s senses since his divorce. But as he’d found out on the day of Daniel Corkin’s funeral, her guard went up around Zane. He figured she’d seen him as an outsider at first and that was why she didn’t let him in. Yet when she was around her brothers, she was a completely different person, warm and loving.

  He found it unbelievable that such a desirable woman wasn’t involved with someone special. In talking with Sadie he’d learned that Avery had dated a little in high school. Evidently she preferred to be off riding in the mountains and spending time on the Crow Indian Reservation. After high school she went to Montana State University in Bozeman for her undergraduate degree. Later she received a graduate fellowship from the anthropology department at Berkeley in California.

  Zane could only speculate about her social life during that six-year period before she returned home to work these past two years. His thoughts flew back to the time he’d lived at the Bannock ranch house for two weeks. Sadie and Jarod had spent their honeymoon on the Corkin ranch so they could be near her half brother, Ryan, while the Hensons helped tend him.

  Zane had moved out temporarily to accommodate them and took over Jarod’s bedroom on the second floor down the hall from Avery’s bedroom. During those two weeks, Zane shared his meals with Avery and her grandfather in t
he morning and evening.

  They’d mostly discussed ranch life and her work with the Crow people who lived on the reservation. Not only was she intelligent, she had a great love for the Crow culture, no doubt due to Jarod’s deceased Crow mother.

  Connor and Avery shared a different mother. After Jarod’s mother died, his father met another woman and married her. Two children came from that marriage, Connor and Avery. From the beginning it was clear Avery worshipped her older brothers and the three of them were tight in every way.

  Avery had depths he hadn’t found in other women. She did ranching chores with her brothers and could ride a horse like Sadie and Liz. In fact she could do a lot of things a vet could do. Her remarkable talents and the desire for academic learning that had earned her a master’s degree made her exceptional in his eyes.

  During those two weeks they’d played cards with Ralph and were starting to get to know each other better when his application to join the BLM was approved and he was sent to Georgia for law enforcement training. After being in the SEALs, it was like déjà vu.

  But in one day Zane had to pack his bags and go. When his training was over, he was temporarily assigned to the field office in Glasgow, cutting off his chance to spend more time with her. Though his instincts told him she wanted to be with him, something was holding her back from expressing her interest openly. She was a mystery that wanted solving.

  He picked up lunch at a drive-through before entering the field office in Billings. While he ate, he listened to the noon news.

  ...And there’s still no news about the explosives heist. Last week we reported that five hundred pounds of explosives had been stolen from a locked federal storage facility near Billings, Montana. Federal officials do not believe it’s terrorism-related, but it has raised security issues.

  Montana’s only congressman was quoted as saying, “I’m deeply concerned about the theft and will be closely monitoring the investigation.”

  Zane frowned and turned up the volume to listen while he finished off his hamburger.

  The thieves took off with various emulsion-type explosives, cast boosters and detonating cord. Federal officials aren’t able to point to why the explosives were taken and have downplayed what could happen if they fall into the wrong hands.

  Some in the area—who don’t want to be named publicly—believe the facility might have been looted by local miners or by private forestry-related companies that want to bypass buying the explosives legally. The local sheriff says they don’t have any idea who did it, but the types of items taken are used in mines and to clear rock slides and construction trails.

  The latest news flash on the heist was the first thing the lead ranger Sanders talked about after they shook hands. “Welcome to Billings and your first case.”

  Zane chuckled.

  “The spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said they’re offering a five-thousand-dollar reward for information and the culprit will be given ten years of prison time. There’ve been no arrests yet.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “We’re pleased to have you assigned to our team, Lawson. That drug trafficking ring you put away has rid the state of a real menace. Congratulations on your special commendation from the top brass. With your background in the SEALs, no one’s surprised you’ve surpassed expectations.”

  “Thank you.”

  “From now on you’ll be conducting criminal and civil investigations into various types of crimes spreading through eight counties associated with our field office. Besides pursuing investigations for cultivation of marijuana, fraud, arson and assaults on BLM employees, you’ll be looking into thefts of archaeological and paleontological resources. More and more of that is going on.

  “Just today we had another call from the local police concerning more vandalism and thefts at one of the dig sites. Some of these crimes are broad in scope, involving interstate transport of stolen artifacts. Many of your investigations will require you to work outside your assigned area. Don’t be surprised if you’re asked to join a task force for interagency operations and security.”

  “Understood.”

  “With this latest theft, I trust you’re ready for more trouble.”

  “To be honest, I’m anxious to get started on some new cases.”

  Sanders broke out in a smile. “The SEALs loss is our gain.” He got to his feet. “I know you’re on your way home so I won’t detain you. Before the day is out, I’ll email some of the recent cases involving geovandalism and felony mischief to you. Call me anytime.”

  “I will. Thank you.”

  He hurried out to his truck, anxious to get home. Six months ago he’d flown down to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas with Sadie and her husband to watch Liz and Connor compete. Avery had come with her family.

  They’d all partied after the competition and she’d seemed to enjoy his company while everyone was around. They’d danced for several hours, long enough for a fire to have been lit. If they happened to be alone she kept him at arm’s length, yet the chemistry between them was stronger than ever. Unfortunately he’d had to get right back to Glasgow.

  Under the circumstances, any relationship had to be put off while he was still working in the northern part of the state. Though he’d been home a few times since then and had gotten together with her and both families, he needed more time alone with her.

  A half smile broke the corner of his mouth. Now that his transfer had come through, he was going to get all the time he wanted. After all, they were next-door neighbors from here on out.

  Chapter Two

  Avery loved the month of June. After coming out of freezing winter, night didn’t come until late and the mountains sprang to colorful life with wildflowers. But lovely as it was to have the warm sun following her home to the ranch on this Thursday evening, the balmier weather brought out vandals and thieves who desecrated the archaeological sites.

  The one she’d been working on outside Absarokee had been hit again, infuriating her. She and the team spent hours out there, so careful not to destroy one millimeter of soil in order not to corrupt the ground holding precious information. Then during the night their work was set back by thugs and lowlifes.

  During the thirty-minute drive home, the helplessness she felt over the situation had caught up with her and she needed to calm down. Mike Durant would be coming to the ranch for her soon. He’d driven by the site to make arrangements for tonight. They were going to dinner in White Lodge. For several months he’d been dropping by the site to talk to her about her work and had asked her out repeatedly.

  She’d finally accepted and they’d had one dinner date. But this second date would have to be their final one. He’d asked her out again in front of the other team members and she hadn’t wanted to embarrass him by turning him down. Though she didn’t want to hurt his pride, she couldn’t go out with him again. It was a mistake she’d regretted from the moment he’d tried to turn friendship into something else.

  Earlier in the month when Liz Bannock had learned that Avery had gone out on a first date with him, her new sister-in-law had eyed her with the kind of excitement that made her uncomfortable. “What’s he like?” Funny about happily married people. They wanted everyone else to find their soul mate and settle down.

  “Nice, but I can see what’s in your eyes, Liz, and it’s not going to happen.”

  Her expression deflated. “What’s wrong?”

  “I like him, but—”

  “But what?” Liz prodded.

  “I’m not interested.” On the advice of her psychologist, Avery had accepted a date with Mike in order to get back in the dating loop, but it hadn’t worked and now she was paying for it.

  “I thought you found him attractive.”

  “I did in a way. He works for the Bureau of Ind
ian Affairs and he’s a good source of information because of his work among other tribes.” That much was true. “He’s well-informed about the Crow culture, kind of like Jarod.”

  “Wait a minute—you mean you were drawn to him because he reminds you of Sits in the Center?” That was Jarod’s Crow name.

  Avery and her brothers shared the same father, but his first wife, Raven, was from the Crow Nation. After Jarod was born, she died. Later he married another woman named Maddie, who was Connor and Avery’s mother.

  “Only in a certain sense, but after one date I discovered Mike is nothing like Jarod. He’s nice, but that’s all.” Mike was too aggressive.

  Growing up, Avery had worshipped her big brother and everyone knew it. On more than one occasion she’d told her sisters-in-law and her cousin Cassie that she’d never get married unless she found a man she loved more than she loved Jarod. It was an easy excuse that still worked these days on those who were concerned about Avery’s almost nonexistent love life.

  No one knew that a year ago May, love had hit her with the force of a supernova when Zane Lawson happened on the scene. But like the heavens, he was beyond her reach and would remain her secret.

  Unfortunately Liz wouldn’t let it go. She shook her head. “I don’t believe you. What’s the real reason you don’t want to see Mike again?”

  “To be honest, there’s something about his personality that turns me off.”

  “That’s too bad. It makes me sad because I’m worried about you.”

  She had to tamp down a burst of temper. “Not everyone is lucky enough to find the kind of happiness you’ve found with Connor.” To have a normal life was something that had escaped Avery, but the news from Detective Rymer had taken away a gargantuan shadow. With it gone, she had to face a new reality. Her feelings for Zane ran so deep, the last thing she wanted was to give another guy hope that she was interested in him. Especially not Mike.