The New Cowboy
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Rebecca Winters
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Chapter One
“Unca Zen!”
Zane laughed. “Hey, sport. I can see you on my computer. Can you see me?”
“Yes.”
“Did you get those little cars I sent you?”
“I like this one.” The three-year-old held it up for Zane to see. As far as he was concerned, Skype was the best cyberinvention ever.
“Say thank-you to your uncle,” he heard Sadie say in the background.
“Thank you. When are you coming?”
“Pretty soon. I still have work to do.”
“But I want you to come home!”
Zane could tell his brother’s son was getting ready to cry.
He got a huge lump in his throat. “There’s nothing I want more, too. Guess what?”
“What?”
“I’ll be there for my vacation on the Fourth of July.” Three weeks away. He was living for it. “We’re going to have a big party with fireworks at my house!”
“Goody!” Ryan turned to Sadie. “What’s fireworks?”
“She’ll show you, sport. Has Jarod taken you riding?”
The boy nodded his blond head. “The horse scared me. He’s huge.”
Laughter poured out of Zane. “They are kind of big.”
“I’m getting a pony.”
“When?”
“Pretty soon,” Sadie volunteered.
“You’ll be a very lucky boy.”
Zane heard her whispering to Ryan. “She says I have to go to bed. I don’t want to!” He started crying.
“But you need your sleep.”
“No— I want you—”
“Say good-night, Ryan.”
“No-o—”
Zane heard talking in the background. Ryan was becoming more unmanageable. Someone else had come into the room. He could hear Sadie saying they had to go.
“Don’t go, Unca Zen—” Ryan wailed, sounding like his heart would break.
Sadie poked her head into view. “Sorry. This little guy is tired.”
“I can tell. Who’s there with you?”
“Avery just dropped by.”
His adrenaline kicked in. “Put her on.”
“Just a minute.” He heard more talking. “Come on over here, Avery. Zane wants to say hello. Tell him what’s going on at the Bannock ranch while I put Ryan down.”
The boy was in complete meltdown mode as they left the room. His nephew’s cries grew fainter and Zane’s heart started pounding harder as he waited to see the woman who kept him awake nights.
His breath caught when she sat down in front of the camera. “Hi, Zane. I guess you can’t tell your nephew adores you.”
“The feeling’s mutual. How are you?”
“Good. Busy. I’m surprised you’ve come out from undercover long enough to manage this Skype session.”
“I’ll always make time for my family.”
“Now that you’ve been working there for a while, do you like the Glasgow area?”
“It’s all right, but I’d rather be back on my ranch. Matt has the whole burden on his shoulders when I’m away like this.”
“He carried most of it all the years he worked for Daniel Corkin. I don’t hear any complaints.”
“Matt isn’t the type to complain. I’m lucky he was willing to be my foreman after Daniel died. But let’s not talk about that. I want to know what’s happening in your world.”
“Since Jarod’s not home yet, and it’ll be a while before Ryan goes to sleep, I’ll tell you a secret. Jarod is driving us all crazy waiting for his offspring to arrive. He’s due in five weeks. I swear Jarod’s going to wear a hole in the floor of their new house.”
“He’s still worried about Sadie?”
“More than ever. I’ve never seen him this bad. I know she’s had a lot of morning sickness, but the doctor says she’s fine. Jarod doesn’t believe him.”
“I guess that’s not so hard to understand. Sadie’s mom died soon after childbirth.”
“But Sadie’s not her mom. That heart operation was successful and she’s fine now. But you can’t tell Jarod that. He bites your head off. We have to walk on eggshells around him. He used to work all hours of the day on the ranch. Now he comes home every few hours, and the rest of the time he’s on the phone with her.”
“The man’s in love.” Zane could relate in the most profound of ways.
“Between you and me, he’s driving her crazy.”
“But never too crazy. Trust me on that. When she was in San Francisco, he was never off her mind for a single second. Those two should have been together years ago.”
You and I should be together now.
“I know. I try not to think about that. But this countdown to the baby is getting hard on everyone. The other day Grandpa got so fed up he told him to take a ride in the mountains and commune with nature. It’s gotten so serious even Uncle Charlo has no wisdom to impart. When I was out on the reservation the other day and talked to him about Jarod, he actually shook his head, indicating he had nothing. I’ve never seen him do that before.”
“Well, it won’t be long before the baby comes.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re not here to watch Jarod implode on a daily basis.”
Zane burst into laughter, causing her to chuckle. “I’ll give him a call and try to reassure him that Sadie’s tough.”
“I’ve seen that strength. She’s already become a mother to her own half brother. Sadie has a remarkable capacity to love. Jarod relies on that love. It’s really touching to watch the two of them.”
The wistfulness in her tone wasn’t lost on Zane, who couldn’t take the separation from Avery much longer.
“I’m afraid I need to get off now. Grandpa is waiting for me.”
No-o—
Zane felt exactly like Ryan. “I guess I’ll be seeing all of you on the Fourth of July for the big family get-together.”
“It’ll be fun. I’ve enjoyed talking to you, Zane. Hold on while I tiptoe to Ryan’s room. Sadie will want to say good-night.” There was a slight pause. “Take care,” she said with a throb in her voice he felt go through his system. It was always there...that little nuance of emotion that told him she missed him, but she’d never admit it.
“The same back to you, Avery.”
* * *
ANOTHER MONDAY MORNING, but it had started out with a surprise phone call that left Avery Bannock frightened and tense. She’d had to leave the Crow Indian dig site where she was working outside Absarokee, Montana, and drive all the way to Bozeman, Montana.
Once inside the police department on Sixteenth Street, she approached the sergeant at the front desk. “A Detective Rymer phoned me two hours ago and asked me to come in because he needed to tell me certain information in person. He said it was urgent.” After hearing that message, the warm June morning she’d awakened to had been lost on her.
The officer nodded. “Go down the left hall to the first door on the right.”
“Thank you.”
She hadn’t been inside this building for eight years, but the emergency that had brought her here would haunt her for her entire life. “Detective Rymer?”
He stood up when she entered the small office. “Ms. Bannock?”
“Yes.”
“I’m glad you came so fast.” He shook her hand and asked her to be seated. “Detective Palmer, who has worked tirelessly on your case, is having back surgery at the moment and asked me to take over for him.”
“Was he injured in the line of duty?”
“No. He has a recurring ailment that needed to be fixed.”
“I’m glad that’s the reason, but I’m sorry for him. He’s been a great support to me.”
“To you and a lot of people. We’re all waiting for him to come back.”
“You said this was urgent?”
“Very. I’ll get right to the point. The man who assaulted you on September 10, eight years ago, outside the women’s dormitory on campus at Montana State University, was captured in Helena, Montana, last week.”
What? She reeled. “Is that the truth?”
“Forensics matched his DNA with the DNA taken from you and two other victims.”
Two others? She shuddered. “I can’t believe it! After eight years...”
“I’m sure it has seemed like a lifetime. He’s a thirty-nine-year-old Caucasian male from Butte, Montana. In the past eight years he’s been responsible for two other assaults that the police know of and probably many more.
“Unfortunately those victims who didn’t go to a hospital and notify the police will never know that he’s been arrested. After his trial he’ll spend the rest of his life in prison. If there’s any good news in all this, it’s that you no longer need to fear that he will be back to assault you again.”
She put a hand to her mouth and jumped up from the chair. “Thank God.”
“All the particulars are here in the report if you want to look at it.”
“No—” she said. “Not right now. I couldn’t.” Though she’d promised that she would be willing to testify against the person if he was ever brought to trial, the thought of having to divulge all the details again in front of a room full of people made her ill.
He eyed her with compassion. “I understand. Detective Palmer will want to talk to you when he’s recovered. He’ll be the one to keep you informed when the suspect is brought to trial for his crimes. You can discuss all that with him when he’s back on his feet.”
“Thank you.”
Avery rushed out of the office and down the corridor to the front lobby, but everything was a blur. When she reached her truck in the parking lot and climbed inside, she broke down in a convulsion of tears.
A half hour passed before she lifted her head, once again aware of her surroundings. Pulling herself together as best she could, she reached for her cell phone and called Dr. Moser, her psychologist. When she got the other woman on the line and told her the incredible news, the doctor who practiced on the other side of town asked her to come to her office straightaway.
Once inside, Dr. Moser enveloped her in a fierce hug, causing Avery to shed more tears when she hadn’t thought it possible. “I don’t have to be frightened that he’s stalking me any longer.”
“That’s true and takes away a whole world of stress.”
Avery sat down. “But not all of it,” she admitted.
“No. With two other victims, there will be a trial and then you’ll have to decide if you want to go through it and face him. For now it’s enough to know he’s been caught. I can’t tell you how proud I am of you. Only a small percentage of victims come forward. How wonderful that you listened to your half brother’s aunt and did the right thing by calling the police right away and getting to a hospital.”
One day Avery would thank Jarod’s Aunt Pauline for her wisdom. By listening to her, she now had closure, even if it had taken eight years for her assailant to be caught.
“You have a special kind of courage that’s going to get you through this life. Mark my words. One day you’re going to know real happiness again. With this news you can live your life without always having to look over your shoulder in fear. I’ll call the pharmacy in White Lodge and refill your prescription. Is there anything else I can do?”
“You’ve been here for me. I’ll always be thankful for that.”
Avery had been fighting to get her life back since the night the assault had happened, but this news was like receiving a “get out of jail free” card, even if it couldn’t take away the horrendous memory of it.
She thanked the doctor and left for the dig site. Work helped her keep her sanity, especially on a day like this when she didn’t know what to do with all the new emotions flooding her system. It was so automatic to worry that her assailant might try to attack her again that she’d probably continue to worry out of habit for a long time. Hopefully the news that he’d been caught would finally sink in.
All these years of fearing he would target her again had left their mark. Now that it was over, she could breathe a little deeper. But since there were other assailants out there, the fear would never completely go away.
Today had to be a new beginning—the start of a happy future—but she still couldn’t comprehend it. Happiness was found in all kinds of ways, but she feared that the kind of joy she longed for with the man she’d loved for the past year would always elude her. After talking to him over Skype at Sadie and Jarod’s ranch house the other night, her thoughts had been filled with him.
He was coming home for the Fourth of July, but it was just a vacation. Then he’d go back to northern Montana where he’d be unavailable for who knew how many months. But none of it mattered because even if he was attracted to her, he wouldn’t be able to handle what had happened to her if he ever found out.
* * *
THURSDAY MORNING, ZANE LAWSON left the Bureau of Land Management’s office of Law Enforcement and Security in Glasgow, Montana, where he’d been an undercover special agent, and headed for the parking lot. Once he’d climbed into his unmarked blue four-door Dodge Power Wagon without government plates, he started the engine and headed for Billings.
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 the 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.
