The Lawman's Noelle
Autore
Stella Bagwell
Letto da
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Capitoli
13
Chapter One
Reining the bay horse to a stop on the rocky rise, Noelle Barnes stood in her stirrups and peered toward the dry wash more than a hundred yards below. The dark lump lying near those slabs of rock looked like a man! And he wasn’t moving!
Was he injured or sick? Or even dead?
Her adrenaline pumping, Noelle quickly guided her horse, Driller, down the rocky slope. Along the way, she buried the lower half of her face in the woolen muffler tied around her neck and tried to ignore the early December wind whipping across the bare Nevada hills. The frigid air permeated her heavy brown ranch coat and caused her eyes to water, but she was used to being out in brutal weather. And she could hardly turn back now!
Halfway to the gulch, a sinking feeling hit the pit of her stomach. Her eyes hadn’t deceived her. The object lying at the bottom of the wash wasn’t an animal. It was a person!
Urging her horse to a faster gait, she wound her way downward through the rocks and sage until she reached the bank of the deep gulch. By then she could see a man lying facedown in the gravel.
Oh, my! Was he dead? What was he doing way out here? Alone?
Her heart pounding with fear, she guided Driller over the ledge and down the steep embankment. The ground was loose and the horse’s hind feet slid in several places, but at that moment she wasn’t concerned about either of them falling. Driller was sure-footed, and she’d ridden a horse for nearly all of her twenty-eight years.
“Come on, boy,” she encouraged her trusted mount. “A little farther and we’ll have it made.”
Noelle had hardly gotten the words out of her mouth when, several yards up the draw, another horse nickered shrilly. Driller returned the greeting.
“We’ll find your friend later,” she told Driller. “Right now we need to see if we have a corpse on our hands.”
At the bottom of the wash, Noelle dismounted. After tying Driller’s reins to a dead juniper trunk, she hurried over to the motionless body.
Dropping to her knees, she leaned over him, but stopped short of touching any part of him. Only a portion of the left side of his face was visible, yet it was enough for Noelle to discern he was young—somewhere in his thirties—and clean-shaven. A trickle of blood oozed through the dark chestnut hair just above his ear.
Jerking off her leather glove, she shoved away the kerchief tied around his neck and felt for a pulse. Relief flooded through her as she detected a faint but steady beat.
“Hey, mister, can you hear me? Wake up and tell me what happened.”
With her property being so remote, it wasn’t much use carrying a cell phone. She would either try to move this man on her own or go for help. And considering that he appeared to be at least six feet tall and somewhere close to a hundred and eighty pounds, she figured throwing him over his horse would be a mighty big chore.
Racing back to Driller, she jerked a bottle of water and a piece of ragged towel from her saddlebags. “He’s out, Driller. Colder than a mackerel. If I can’t wake him up, you and I might have to ride like hell to get help.”
Noelle raced back to the downed man, while behind her, the horse pawed as though to tell her he understood. And she’d bet that he did. Living out here for nearly four years, with no one to talk to but her animals, she figured they’d all learned a vast human vocabulary.
The water was slushy with ice. She poured a bit onto the rag and placed it on the man’s forehead, then shook his shoulder.
“Mister, can you hear me?” she practically yelled. “You need to wake up so I can get you out of this gulch.”
The shock of the water coupled with her voice must have done the trick, because he suddenly moaned and attempted to lift his head from the gravel bed.
Tossing the cold cloth aside, she slipped a hand beneath his head and lowered it to the ground. “Whoa, there. Just lie still for a minute.”
He continued to stir. As his head moved slowly back and forth, his eyelids fluttered open. Noelle had never been so glad to see a pair of dark green eyes, even if they weren’t totally focused.
“Oh, hell—I hurt all over.” Lifting a hand to the wound on the side of his head, he gazed groggily up at her. “Who are you?”
“Noelle Barnes. My property runs along the east side of this gulch. I spotted you from up on the ridge. Do you know what happened?”
Appearing to gather more steam, he braced a hand against the ground and, with Noelle supporting his shoulder, he pushed himself to a sitting position. “My head feels like someone used a claw hammer on it.”
“No doubt. You have a goose egg and a gash just above your ear. I’m not a doctor, but I’m guessing you have a concussion, at least. You can move your arms and legs, so that’s a good sign. Still, you need to get to a hospital.”
He swiped a hand across his face and Noelle used the moment to gather more details about the man. He was dressed in dark blue jeans and a pair of brown ostrich-leather boots that probably cost more than she would spend on food for the next six months. His heavy, olive green jacket was made of oiled canvas, and beneath the corduroy collar was a white shirt. Although he looked natural in the cowboy gear, he appeared far too neat to be a working rancher.
“I’ll worry about that later.” He turned his head stiffly in an effort to look behind him. “Right now, do you see my hat anywhere? And what about my horse?”
“You sit still,” she ordered him. “I’ll round up both of them.”
She found the tan felt hat a few feet from where he’d fallen. The left side of the crown was bent in and the brim smeared with dirt, but that was the least of this man’s problems at the moment. She wasn’t at all sure he was feeling up to riding anywhere.
Thankfully, the horse, a black-and-white paint, wasn’t far away. The moment he spotted Noelle, he walked right up to her, as though he’d already decided he and his saddle pal needed help.
After gathering his reins, she gave the animal several reassuring pats on the neck, then led him through a tangle of sagebrush and rock until they reached the man. He was still sitting on the ground, his head hanging between his knees.
“Here’s your hat and your horse,” she told him. “But I’d advise you to stay where you are and get your bearings before you try to stand up.”
He turned an accusing eye on the horse. “This is the first time a horse has dumped me in years. That’s what I get for trusting my brother when I asked him for a mount.”
Noelle didn’t attempt to figure out that last remark. Instead, she got straight to the point. “Do you remember what happened?”
“I do now. A sage hen or some kind of bird flew up right in front of our faces, and it must have scared the devil out of the horse. Before I knew what was happening, he was walking on his hind legs, and I was headed toward the ground. I must have hit my head on a rock or something. That’s all I know until I woke up and found you standing over me.”
The man was an attractive son of a gun, she thought, but not in the pretty-boy kind of way her old girlfriends down in Phoenix used to swoon over. No, this man’s features were too harsh and rugged to be described as handsome or anything close to it. But the dark rusty hair falling onto his forehead was as sexy as all get-out, and so were his green eyes.
“What are you doing out here, anyway?” she asked. “This is private land.”
He reached inside his coat and pulled out a leather wallet. When he flipped it open and flashed a lawman’s badge at her, everything inside Noelle went cold and stiff.
If the man hadn’t been injured, she would’ve climbed on Driller and rode away without a backward glance. But he was dazed and hurt, and she wouldn’t turn her back on anyone who needed help. Even a lawman.
“Detective Evan Calhoun, Carson City Sheriff’s Office,” she read aloud. “What’s a detective doing out here on my land?”
“Your land? I was on government lease, following four-wheeler tracks. I crossed over a downed fence because the tracks continued into this gulch. I never thought the fence was a boundary line. Most landowners try to keep those upright.”
She huffed out a heavy breath. “The fence on the other side of this draw does need work,” she admitted. “I’ve been using the gulch as a boundary fence.”
“Well, sorry about getting onto your land.” He pushed up the cuff of his jacket and squinted at a gold watch. “Damn. I’ve been out here way too long.”
He made a move to get to his feet. Noelle felt compelled to grab his arm and give him a steady pull. Once he was standing, he swayed slightly, but with her supporting him, he managed to stay upright.
“Between the freezing weather and that whack on the head, it’s a wonder you haven’t gone into shock,” she told him.
His gaze focused directly on her face, and Noelle felt something in her stomach do a crazy flip.
“I’m grateful that you found me,” he said. “What did you say your name was?”
“Barnes. Noelle Barnes.”
“Miss? Mrs.?”
She tried not to bristle at the question. It wasn’t really any of his business whether she was married or single. But maybe he was thinking she had a husband back at the house who could help. Only Noelle didn’t have a husband. She didn’t even have a cell phone.
“Ms.,” she answered curtly.
He extended his hand to her. “Well, thank you very much, Ms. Barnes. If not for you, I might still be on the cold ground.”
Even with the leather acting as a barrier between their skin, the feel of his strong hand wrapping around hers was very unsettling. Her reaction had nothing to do with him being a detective for the sheriff’s office.
She looked away to a spot at the far end of the gulch. “No need for thanks. Do you think you’re up for a short ride? My house is only a couple of miles from here. Where did you leave your truck and trailer?”
“Farther than that. It’s parked just off a county road a few miles north of here.”
She eased her hand from his. “Then you’d better come with me and rest before you head on home.”
“My vision is still a little blurred, but my head is clearing. I think I can ride back to my truck all right.” He pulled a cell phone from a leather holder on his belt and squinted at the flat screen, then muttered something under his breath. “I’m having trouble focusing, but it looks to me like I’m not receiving a signal of any kind. This thing is useless out here.”
“Which is why I never bother with one,” she replied.
He jammed the phone back into the holder. “Okay, I’ll forget that plan. If you’d be kind enough to call the sheriff’s office when you get home, just let them know I’m okay and will be getting back late.”
In spite of being uncomfortable in this man’s presence, she shook her head. He hardly looked well enough to ride to his truck. It was going to be difficult for him even to get to her house.
“Forget it,” she said flatly. “I’d be stupider than you are if I let you ride off in the condition you’re in.”
“Look, Ms. Barnes, I—”
“Call me Noelle. And right now you’re in no shape to argue. If necessary, I figure I could manhandle you.” She pulled his horse forward and slipped the reins over the animal’s neck. “See if you can mount up. We’re going to my place.”
Apparently deciding he might be smart to take her advice, he took a step toward the horse and immediately swayed. Noelle grabbed his arm to prevent him from collapsing. With his chin resting on his chest, he pulled in several long breaths.
“I think you might be right,” he said in a strained voice. “I don’t feel so great.”
Fearing he was going to pass out, she slipped an arm around his waist and held him tightly. “Do you need to sit down? There’s no hurry. We can try this in a few minutes.”
“No. Just let me get my foot in the stirrup and then give me a shove up.”
If nothing else, he was determined, Noelle thought. She twisted the stirrup around to give him easier access. “I hope your paint doesn’t decide to move. He might end up dragging you into the next county.”
“If he does, I’ll come back to haunt my brother Finn,” he muttered.
To her relief, he managed to get his foot in the stirrup. With one hand against his back and the other on his butt, she pushed until he plopped into the saddle with a heavy thud.
Hurrying around to the right side of the horse, she fixed his other boot into the stirrup, then handed him the reins. By now he was half slumped over the saddle horn, his face the color of putty.
“Are you going to fall off?” she asked with concern.
He responded with a dismissive wave. “Get your horse. I’ll make it.”
There was nothing more she could do now, Noelle decided as she hurried over to Driller. Except pray that he could hang on long enough to reach the warmth and safety of her house.
Once in the saddle, she turned Driller down the draw. The paint obediently fell into step behind her. Thank God the horse wasn’t behaving like a wild bronco. Now she had to find an easier trail for them to climb the steep bank of the gulch. Otherwise, the lawman might tumble off his horse again. She seriously doubted his head could survive another impact.
Unfortunately, as the draw narrowed, the steepness of the bank increased. A hundred yards from where they’d started, she pulled Driller to a stop to look back at the lawman. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, she would’ve been inclined to smile at the cockeyed angle of his hat and the dazed look on his face. But a head injury could be deadly. She wanted to get him out of the cold and to medical help as quickly as she could.
“Looks like we’d better climb the cut bank here before the trail gets any steeper,” she told him. “And hang on. I don’t want to have to pick you up off the ground and throw you over the saddle.”
“Yes, ma’am. Just lead on.”
The climb made three switchbacks through a patch of scrubby juniper and creosote bushes. Throughout the ascent, Noelle kept glancing behind her, expecting at any moment to see him listing precariously from one side of the horse to the other. But thankfully, he managed to keep his seat until they reached the top. She sighed with relief.
From this point on, the trail wasn’t nearly as challenging. Barring an incident with his horse, they’d be at her place in a half hour. And then what was she going to do with him?
* * *
As the horses clopped along at a steady walk, Evan focused on Noelle Barnes’s back. Although his vision wasn’t completely clear yet, he could see she was bundled in heavy clothing. A worn, brown ranch coat topped her faded jeans, while a red woolen muffler was looped several times around her neck. The old gray felt hat on her head sported a ring of sweat stains around the band. The flattened brim was covered with dust. Long, dark hair fell about her shoulders, and each step of the horse caused it to swish against her back.
What was she doing out here on this cold December day? he wondered. She’d said this was her property. Even so, it was hardly the type of weather in which to take a leisurely ride. She wore long shank spurs on her boots, something a novice rider would never do, and she handled her mount as though being atop a horse was as familiar as walking across the kitchen floor.
One thing was for sure. She wasn’t the soft, delicate sort or anything close to the type of woman he occasionally dated. While he’d been sitting on the ground trying to get his bearings, he’d noticed she was rather tall, with some weight on her bones. Her figure was shapely enough to fill a man’s head with all sorts of pleasurable thoughts. But it had been her face that caught his complete attention.
The cold wind had whipped a rosy color into her cheeks and turned her wide lips a pale pink. Large chocolate-brown eyes had studied him with unashamed candor, and it had become apparent to Evan that she was a woman who followed her own rules.
As the two horses carried them through a series of low hills covered with sparse tufts of grass and patches of sagebrush, thoughts of Noelle Barnes continued to slip in and out of his groggy mind. Normally Evan would’ve used this opportunity to toss a pile of questions at her. But with pain still beating at the backs of his eyes, it was all he could do to stay upright in the saddle.
Fifteen minutes into the ride, they passed a herd of cattle numbering a hundred or more. Evan wondered whether they belonged to Noelle Barnes, but he lacked the strength to ask her. A quarter of a mile later, a small house came into view. The run-down stucco sat on a knoll and was a faded beige that matched the color of the dead vegetation covering the land around it.
Several yards behind the house stood a big barn of weathered gray wood. The loft was open at the end, and he could see it was practically full of alfalfa hay. Next to the structure were several corrals, some of them made of wooden rails, the others crudely built with cedar posts bound closely. A cow with a small calf was in one of the pens, while two horses were stalled next to them.
Yep, there was definitely a man around, Evan thought with a measure of relief. This woman wouldn’t be ranching out here alone. It just wasn’t possible.
He followed her to an old hitching post erected a few feet in front of the barn. Nearby, the penned horses lifted their heads and nickered at their buddy. Other than that, nothing stirred.
Evan glanced from the barn area over toward the house. “Where’s your help?”
“You’re looking at it,” she said bluntly. “Get down and I’ll take you to the house before I deal with the horses.”
Evan wasn’t used to having a woman order him around. Normally he would’ve been irked by Noelle Barnes’s bossy attitude. But he was too busy thinking about her being out here alone to dwell on her brusque commands.
He climbed to the ground. As soon as his boots were firmly on the hard dirt, he was stunned to feel his knees shaking with weakness. Evan had always been a fairly healthy guy with hardly a sick day in his life. Feeling this vulnerable was something he’d never experienced. It jarred him to the very core of his being.
“I’m feeling better,” he said in the strongest voice he could muster. “And I need to leave my horse saddled. I’ve got a long ride from here.”
“You’re not riding anywhere.”
Not wanting to argue the matter and waste what little strength he had, he simply handed her the reins.
After she’d tethered both horses at the hitching rail, he followed her across the barren yard to a back porch with a low roof supported by cedar posts. The door opened directly into a small kitchen. As Evan stepped in behind her, he caught the scent of burned coffee and cooked apples.
Rough-hewn beams supported the room’s low ceiling, while the floor was covered with worn brown linoleum. A green curtain with roosters printed across the hem hung over the only window. Below it, a chipped porcelain sink was full of dirty dishes.
“Sit at the table and let me take another look at your head,” she said. “Looks like it’s still bleeding.”
Evan walked over to a white farm table pushed against the back wall of the room and removed his coat before he sank into a chair at the end.
“I’ll be right back,” she said.
He watched her leave the room, then glanced curiously around him. Where was the phone? Surely she had a landline somewhere. He had to call in to the office. His coworkers had probably been trying to contact him for the past two hours.
The thought had him pulling his phone from its holder, but as soon as he turned it on, he mentally cursed. The signal was no stronger here than it had been in the dry gulch.
Deciding he didn’t have time to wait for the woman with the velvety brown eyes, he pushed himself to his feet and moved, albeit shakily, toward the open doorway she’d disappeared through.
He’d taken two steps into a tiny hallway when she suddenly stepped from a door on his right and nearly rammed right into him.
“What the hell are you doing?” she barked at him. “I told you to sit!”
He understood this whole ordeal was a nuisance and a huge interruption to her day, but he didn’t deserve this. Nor had he asked for it.
Squinting, he focused his aching eyes on her face. “I admit I got a wham on the head, but as far as I can tell, I still have my memory. I don’t recall you being my boss.”
Her lips, which had turned a darker pink since they’d entered the warm house, pressed into a thin line of disgust.
“I’m not trying to be your boss. I’m trying to keep you from falling on your face and reinjuring yourself.” She made a sweeping motion toward the front part of the house. “But be my guest and roam around all you want. If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen.”
With that, she started to walk away, but he snatched a hold on her forearm. She met his reaction with a questioning stare that had him immediately dropping his hand to his side.
“Sorry. Just tell me where the phone is. I’ll make a call and get myself out of your hair.”
She pointed to the right, where a doorway opened to another room. “In there. At the end of the couch.”
“Thank you. I—” Before he could finish, a wave of woozy weakness came over him. He instinctively reached out to her to brace himself.
He heard her mutter a curse under her breath as she grabbed his arm to steady him. “Come on,” she said in a gentler tone. “I’ll help you to the phone.”
With a supporting hand on his arm, she guided him out of the hallway and into a cozy living room. Along the way, he noticed she’d taken off the ranch coat, and he was surprised to catch the faint, mellowed scent of flowers emanating from the wool sweater she wore. The garment was tattered at the neck and the cuffs, and the Nordic weave across her breasts had faded. She hadn’t bothered with makeup or fussed with her clothing, but she’d taken time that morning to put on a feminine scent. Evan had always found it difficult to understand a woman’s thinking, but this lady was far too complex for him even to try to unravel.
He sank heavily onto the cushion of a short red couch. Noelle handed him a cordless phone from a nearby table.
“I’ll look at your head after you finish your call. Do you think you can drink something? Water? Coffee or hot chocolate?”
She was standing in front of him, her legs slightly apart and one hand resting on her hip. The faded denim outlined her strong thighs and rounded hips, while the sweater clung to her breasts. She was more woman than he’d ever had in his arms. In spite of the throbbing pain in his head, he had to admit to himself that there was something very sexy and sensual about her.
“Do you have any aspirin? I’d take two of those with a cup of coffee.”
“You think it’s wise to medicate yourself?”
He reached up and tentatively touched his fingertips to the lump above his ear. “I’ll make sure the doctor knows—whenever I see him.”
“You’re going to see him as soon as I can drive you into town. So make your call. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She turned to leave the room.
He quickly asked, “You’re planning on taking me to town?”
She frowned at him. “That’s right. You’re not up to riding or driving. How else would you get there?”
He did his best to straighten his shoulders. “There’s no need for you to trouble yourself. I’m about to call my office. Someone will drive out to pick me up.”
“No,” she blurted. “I don’t want any more lawmen around here.”
Although each word he spoke seemed to intensify the ache in his head, he attempted to joke, “What’s the matter? Is there a stack of warrants out on you or something?”
Her nostrils flared as she stared at him. “No. I simply don’t like you people. That’s all.”
Too stunned to make any sort of reply, Evan watched her walk out of the room.
You people? Through the ten years he’d worked for the sheriff’s office, he’d met plenty of folks who disliked lawmen. But they were usually drunks, drug users or hardened criminals. Not a decent woman like Noelle Barnes.
What had a lawman ever done to her? he wondered. Put her in jail? Broken her heart?
Mentally shaking his aching head, Evan punched in his partner’s cell number and lifted the phone to his ear.
It didn’t matter whether Noelle Barnes loved or hated law officials, he told himself. Once he got back to civilization, he’d never see her again.
