A Cowboy Returns

2

THREE HOURS LATER, Reagan wiped the sweat from her brow with a grungy bandana. “Is it me or is it about a hundred and ten out here today?”

“Only supposed to be about ninety.” Tyson Covington, youngest of the three Covington brothers, tipped the brim of his hat up and leaned on the saddle horn to grin down at her. “I’m no expert in female anatomy, but I’d say you’re far too young for hot flashes, Doc.”

She barked out a laugh. “Not an expert in female anatomy, huh? The only person in Harding County who’s seen more action than you, Ty, is the gynecologist, and that’s only because he’s been in practice longer than you’ve been alive.”

Ty’s grin widened. “I suppose I’ll just have to work harder to catch up then, won’t I?”

Her snort was answer enough. Turning back to the chute, she called out, “Push ’em through, gentlemen.”

“You heard Doc Matthews,” Ty shouted to the other cowboys. “Let’s get the first truck backed up and help the Jensens make a little money.” He let out a sharp whistle as he wheeled his horse around and pushed his way into the thick of things.

She grabbed her pad and jotted down a couple of notes as the semi parked, trailer gate open to the chute. The herd looked pretty good. A few were underweight, but calves sometimes lost a little mass to stress when they were gathered and penned. They’d also lose a bit of water weight when they shipped, but it would be easy to replace that. Picking up her vaccine gun, she climbed up the pipe panel and started inoculating the animals as they moved by.

Once the first group of animals were loaded, they began sorting the second pen. Bawling protests decorated the dusty air. Cowboys called to each other as they moved the calves and pushed the current bunch down the chute, peeling off those Reagan indicated she wanted to assess a little closer. One truck driver after another climbed around shipping trailers like monkeys, opening and closing interior gates to make sure the weight distribution of the oncoming cattle was beneficial for the haul to the sale ring.

A larger yearling turned back. Nose high, the whites of his eyes showed as he tried to work his way against the flow.

Reagan scanned the corral. “Brisket!”

A blue merle body darted between the men and their horses, arrowing toward her. The Border collie stopped twenty feet away, crouched and ready, focused on her as he waited for instruction. With a short whistle and pointed finger toward the offender, she set him loose.

The dog wove through the masses. Reaching the bottleneck, he started nipping with a strike-retreat-strike approach, turning the steer around and driving the herd forward with unparalleled efficiency.

It took a couple more hours to sort the remaining calves, and Reagan was officially exhausted by the time they finished. Carol Jensen approached her with a tall glass of tea, a barbecue sandwich wrapped in waxed paper, and a genuine smile. Such a nice person, and her husband was much the same.

Accepting the drink first, Reagan sighed. “Thanks, Carol.”

“What was the total count?”

“We vaccinated and loaded 812 today. I held back a handful that weren’t ready or seemed a little sickly to ship to market. The other cows are ready to be driven to the bull pasture for breeding. Overall, with price-per-pound holding steady at $212 a hundredweight? Should be a very profitable day.”

“Glad to hear it.” Reaching into her pocket, Carol pulled out a second sandwich. “Brisket around?”

Reagan smiled and shook her head as the dog trotted up and sat at the other woman’s feet. “No wonder he likes to visit you.”

“He works hard enough he should probably be paid day wages.”

“We talked about it, but he decided long ago that self-employment taxes suck. Besides, I’m pretty sure he prefers to be paid with barbecue.”

In apparent agreement, Brisket took his sandwich and sprinted across the arena. He dropped down in the shade of the barn and began ripping off the waxed paper to get to the treat, his tail thumping a happy beat.

Ty sauntered over, his horse’s reins draped loosely over his shoulder. The giant quarter horse followed along, appearing to be more docile pet than high-dollar cutting horse. Ty smiled and winked, the picture of innocence. “You have another sandwich for a starving man, Mrs. Jensen?”

“You’re a menace to the female population,” Carol said primly. Still, she started to head for the house. “I’ll bring you a couple sandwiches. You want tea or lemonade?”

“Whatever you have is fine. I’d get it myself, but I’m too dirty to do much more than strip down and wash in the stock tank.”

Reagan hid her grin when Carol blushed.

Flustered, the woman fled.

“You’re a nuisance, Ty.” Reagan finished her sandwich and leaned against the corral fence, one boot heel hung on a rail.

“I’m harmless,” he countered, pulling his hat off and shaking out light brown hair darkened with sweat.

“You’re as harmless as a bad case of ringworm. Treatable, but still a pain in the ass.”

Denim-blue eyes sparkled with mischief. “Treatable, am I? Come over tonight and I’ll play patient to your doctor.”

Reagan pulled her vaccine gun out, the massive needle glinting in the bright sunlight. “Why wait? Drop your drawers, and I’ll take care of you right this minute.”

Ty blanched. “Not exactly the kind of action I had in mind if my pants came off.”

One corner of her mouth curled up. “Chicken shit.”

“Hey, if you weren’t so hot, I wouldn’t feel compelled to flirt.”

This time she laughed. “Ty, you’d flirt with an octogenarian if she was the only woman around. You can’t help yourself.”

His horse nosed him, shoving him toward her a step. “You know it’s all in fun.”

She waggled the vaccine gun at him and fought the urge to smile. “Only because my gun’s bigger.”

“That’s an unfair comparison. You’ve never seen my gun.”

“No offense, but I’m not interested in your caliber.” Her stomach tightened at the memory of just what caliber she had once been very interested in—the same caliber that forced her off the road only hours earlier. Keeping busy had helped her forget him, but now her mind raced.

Chewing her bottom lip, she glanced at Ty. “Today, in town, I...well, I was run off the road by...”

He scrutinized her, and Reagan wondered what he saw. When he sobered, she knew. The barbecue sandwich that had cut through hunger pangs only moments ago now sat like a lead cannonball in her stomach. She swallowed convulsively. It took a minute to work the question around the emotion lodged in her throat. “What’s he doing here, Ty?”

Dark brows winged down and he shoved sunglasses on to cover his eyes. “I asked Eli to come home for this thing involving Dad.”

Her chin snapped around. “Doesn’t the fact you had to ask him to come home tell you where he stands in all of this?”

“He should be here, Reagan. It’s his mess and his legacy as much as it is ours.” Full lips thinned. “Cade and I are going to need his help to sort out the mess Dad left us in. Our best chance at saving the ranch involves Eli...and you.”

The blood drained from her face at being paired, even loosely, in a sentence with Eli. “You can’t be sure your herd’s got Shipping Fever until the lab results come back and I get out there and look at the steer we drew from.”

“I grew up around this stuff. I know what it is.” He snorted and shook his head, hooking one arm through the pipe panel. “It’s going to ruin Dad’s perfect reputation.”

“He wasn’t perfect,” she said softly, remembering how Mr. Covington had always been so cold and rigid in his expectations of Eli. Those expectations had succeeded in driving Eli away for good, and she’d never forgive the old man for it.

Carol’s return with two sandwiches and a giant glass of lemonade interrupted the conversation. She’d also brought Ty cookies. “I thought you might want something sweet.”

Reagan fought the urge to steal a cookie.

As if the conversation hadn’t been deadly serious only moments before, Ty looked at the older woman and grinned wide enough to reveal a single dimple. “You’re an angel, Mrs. Jensen. You ever get tired of Mr. Jensen, you pack up and we’ll run away together.”

She flushed prettily. “You’re incorrigible, Ty.”

“Can’t blame a man for being attracted to a pretty woman...Carol.”

Reagan only half listened as Ty bantered with Carol and then a few of the day workers as he ate his sandwiches. She offered absent, one-word answers when someone said something directly to her, but she couldn’t manage to tease and joke in return.

“Hey.”

She glanced up to find her and Ty alone again. Coughing, she nodded. “Yeah.”

Ty ran a hand around the nape of his neck. “I probably should have warned you Eli was coming home.”

She winced at his name.

“I just wasn’t sure how to bring it up.”

She waved a hand in dismissal, but the words that matched the gesture wouldn’t come. Her chest was too tight. Shrouded in panic, she pushed off the fence. It had been years since this had happened, since she’d given in to the devastating loss that had changed the course of her life and affected every aspect of it, from what she’d taken in school to five years of marriage.

A hard gasp escaped her at the same time large hands spun her around. She said the only thing she could say to him. “Keep him away from me, Ty.”

“You want the Bar C to use Doc Hollinsworth? I don’t want to, but if you ask, I’ll do it.”

She swallowed convulsively. He was offering her a shameless out. All she had to do was seize it.

“You know we’re in trouble,” he continued. “None of us are sure just how bad it’s going to get, but I’ll wager my assless chaps it’s going to get ugly. We’ve got to have a vet on call. You know that, too. I can’t imagine Eli’s going to keep his share of the cows, even if they survive. Probably ship them off as soon as we can prove they aren’t infected. If that’s the case, I can try to put off getting the shipping papers until after Eli’s gone, maybe handle that part myself—me or Cade, anyway—and just send Eli the check.”

She straightened. “Call me when you’re ready. Hollinsworth isn’t half the man I am.”

Ty grinned, but it didn’t lessen the tight lines at the corners of his eyes or the crease between his brows. “Hell, Reagan, not many of us are.” Curling a finger under her chin, he nudged her face up. “You’ve managed really well.”

Her laugh was bitter. “Survival isn’t admirable, Ty. It’s the only option they ever left me with, him and Luke.”

“Luke didn’t die on you on purpose.”

She nodded, swiping viciously at the tears that fell for the loss of each man. “He might not have done it on purpose, but gone is gone. The only difference between Luke and Eli?” Backing away from Ty, she didn’t bother to try to hide her misery. “Luke didn’t have a choice. Eli did. But in the end? They both left me.”

Spinning on her heel, she called hoarsely for Brisket. The dog leaped into the truck bed, and she didn’t try to coax him into the cab.

Vaulting herself into the seat behind the wheel, she cranked the engine and took off, pretending not to hear Ty calling her name.

There was nothing left to say.

3

ELI MADE THE 120-mile drive to the Clayton County courthouse in average time considering his rental car was powered by little more than a two-stroke lawn-mower engine.

His first order of business was to determine whether or not anything had been filed on his old man’s behalf or—worse—against the estate. Nothing showed up, so he went through the rest of the probate process.

Privately, he was grateful for the mundane tasks. They kept his mind busy, kept him from thinking too much. He made the appropriate inquiries at the courthouse and filed the required documents as the estate’s representative. Then he’d gone to the newspaper to arrange for the mandatory ads to run in the classifieds. That done, he started for the ranch.

Less than ten miles from the courthouse, he was the only car on the highway. No surprise. The locals would consider traffic heavy if they passed a dozen cars. He was as far from Austin’s bumper-to-bumper lifestyle as he could get. Considering the clown car and his surreal surroundings, it was as if he’d been fired from civilization’s cannon into the wilds of wide-open space. Every instinct he had screamed the landing was going to suck. Bad.

The memory of Reagan—her summertime smell, her cinnamon taste, her feminine strength, her lean body—had haunted him all morning.

She’d always been at the heart of the community. It made sense, then, that she’d married the community’s son.

Everyone loved Luke. He was the kind who stopped to help a stranded motorist and not only fixed their car but topped off their gas and gave them food and a fresh set of directions before sending them on their way. Always neighborly, he’d be the first to volunteer for day work during shipping season. He’d be the last to leave. As a kid, every son had been compared to Luke—his dad had told him several times he would have preferred Luke as a son over him any day. Even Reagan’s mother had expressed her opinion, pushing her daughter toward Saint Luke—and away from Eli. She must have been overjoyed when Reagan married the right man.

Eli would put money on it the guy had evolved to the ultimate cowboy, the type of man every boy wanted to grow up to be. He and Eli had always been casual friends, but at the moment? Eli hated every damn cell in the man’s body.

Rolling the car window down, he breathed in the dry air. New Mexico’s unpopulated roads and wide-open spaces never failed to press their beauty on him without apology—right before they reminded him how insignificant he was.

He’d never been able to accomplish enough to stand out as his own man, always living in his father’s shadow. Never Elijah Covington, but always Max Covington’s boy. And even in that, the only thing that set him apart was that he was the eldest of the three. His greatest distinction was that he’d been his dad’s biggest disappointment. Never quite country enough, never quite smart enough, never quite proud enough of his name, just...never quite enough.

The only one who’d ever made him feel he was more, could be more, had been Reagan.

Seeing her today had shaken him. Hard. She’d been more beautiful than he remembered, those moss green eyes set in a deceptively feminine face. Most people just saw a pretty girl who’d make a good rancher’s wife. He’d always known there was far more to her than that. It had terrified him they’d both end up doing exactly what the community expected of them—him taking over his father’s ranching operation, and her staying on in the little town because she loved her man.

She had stayed, but not for reasons he’d ever understood.

Emotions whipped through him as unchecked as spring winds, tearing up certain pieces of his life and battering others until he was a mess of overlapping memories. When he finally reached the right road, Eli pointed the little car across the first of eleven cattle guard and started through the sand hills. It was a different world out here, yet nothing had changed. He could find his way through this alien landscape with his eyes closed.

Rounding a corner, he rolled to a stop. Cows blocked the road, completely unconcerned with either him or his cartoon car. Waving his arm out the window and shouting, pair after pair of huge brown eyes lifted to blink at him. He honked and snorted at the almost comical beep that made him think of circus cars that dumped out twenty clowns in the ring.

“I am not getting out of this car,” he shouted at them. Laying on the horn, he whistled and eased into the mass of bodies. Slowly, the herd began to move off.

Eli tunneled his fingers through his hair and fought the urge to turn the car around. He could get to Amarillo and catch a flight back to Austin tonight, be in his own bed by midnight and back in the office first thing tomorrow morning. And if it weren’t for the fact Tyson had asked for help, he would have done just that.

Damn it.

His youngest brother had never asked him for anything. Ever. The realization yoked him with heavy guilt. He’d do this for Ty and leave.

And what about Cade? his conscience whispered.

Oh, Cade had asked him for something once, had asked for the one thing he couldn’t give. He’d never forgiven Eli for saying no, either.

Eli whispered dire threats to the little car as it struggled up the final hill. It peaked and the world opened up. From the Sangre de Cristo mountain range to the west, the uninterrupted northern horizon and the plains to the east, open range spread before him with regal silence. His breath caught and his chest ached.

This would always be his place, his heritage and his home. But it seemed as foreign to him as another country, as if a passport should be required to visit his past. He was nothing more than a visitor and an unwelcome one, at that. Trying to ignore the undeniable beauty of the land and the way it called to him, soft and familiar, he put the car in gear, starting forward again. The car rattled over the washboard road. A bolt fell out from under the dash and clunked against the passenger floorboard as Eli’s teeth clattered together.

A dust trail caught his eye. Somebody was tearing through the sand hills. If Eli’d had a four-wheel drive, he would’ve ducked down a side road to avoid being seen. In this thing? He’d be dooming himself to walking, and it was way too far to the ranch to run the risk. Instead, he eased forward at the same time he rolled his window up. It would be easy enough to stay focused on the road and ignore whoever passed him. Might be the smartest thing to do, too.

He gained momentum heading down the hill, the little car bucking over the rutted road. A pickup truck roared by. Eli didn’t look up. Instead, he leaned on the accelerator, jaw tight, wheel strangled in a death grip. Habit had him flipping a hand up in absent greeting. Brake lights lit up the rearview mirror as the truck fishtailed to a stop.

Curiosity got the better of Eli. He slowed as he watched the driver’s side door swing open. The driver jumped down, boots stirring up small puffs of dust as he stormed toward the slowing car. Tall and clearly furious, the man yanked his hat off and tossed it aside without a care. Long legs ate up the distance between them. Lips thinned and eyes hardened the closer the guy came.

Eli let the car drift to a stop even as his stomach went into free fall. His mouth was so dry he couldn’t have share-cropped the space without subsidized water rights. Slipping the car into Park, he couldn’t make himself stop staring until the man was so close Eli could only see his torso in the little mirror.

Eli reached for the door handle.

The man beat him to it, yanking the door open. “Get out.”

Eli’s jaw set. “Out of the car or out of town?”

“Car first, town second.” The low voice was so raw it sounded like it had been dragged over sharp gravel.

His hands ached with the urge to clench into tight fists. “That’s not your call.”

Work-roughened hands reached into the car.

Shoving the man away, Eli lunged to stand. “What’s your—” A meaty fist connected with his jaw, whipping his head to the side. Stars exploded in his vision. Shaking his head, he rounded on the man, considering him through narrowed eyes. “What the he—” A short jab split his lip. “That’s. It.”

Eli threw himself into the fight. Grunting as the other man’s fist connected with his ribs, he spun and kicked out. He connected with a hip, forcing the bastard off him.

The man regained his balance and, chest heaving, charged Eli.

They went down in a heap, arms swinging and legs kicking as they pummeled each other for all they were worth. A hard shot to Eli’s temple made him see double. The guy grabbed him by the front of his oxford and twisted so he knelt over Eli, fist raised.

Eli set his jaw. He wouldn’t fight anymore. Not like this.

“You sorry son of a bitch,” the man gasped. “All these years. You been gone all these years. Why now?”

Eli swallowed hard. “It’s good to see you, too, brother.”

Cade Covington shoved off Eli, panting. “Can’t say the same.”

Seemed karma was determined to put the screws to him by dumping every ounce of history in his lap all at once.

Excellent.

Eli dabbed his split lip with his shirttail. “You still hit like a freaking truck.”

“You used to be faster.” Cade shook out his fist. “What’re you doing here, Eli?”

Cade’s tone was cold and Eli glanced at his brother. “Ty didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Cade asked, the words flat.

“He asked me to come home and probate the estate.”

His brother cursed, low and harsh.

“I’ll take that as a no.” Eli leaned against the little clown car and, one at a time, emptied his shoes of sand.

Cade turned away, his voice carrying on the wind. “I’ve got this covered. We don’t need your brand of help.”

The words hit Eli harder than any of Cade’s blows. He watched his younger brother, the middle of the three of them, retrieve his hat and head for his truck, his gait as long and sure as ever.

“I’ll see this through,” Eli called after him.

Cade shook his head, slapping his hat against his thigh as he paused beside his idling truck. “Why bother? You don’t want to be here, and we don’t want you. So just...go on. Get back to Austin and do whatever it is you do down there.”

Eli clenched his jaw so tight his molars ached. His nostrils flared on each exhale. “I have a client roster that proves I finish what I start.”

Cade settled his hat on his head and glanced over his shoulder. “A client roster, huh?” He shook his head and grinned sardonically. “And how many of those clients have you stuck by through the years, Eli? How many have you seen through the hard times because it was the right thing to do?” When Eli didn’t answer, Cade shook his head, grin fading. “They pay you to stick. You don’t do it because it’s the right thing, and that makes all the difference.”

“I’ve never walked out on my professional responsibilities,” Eli snapped.

“Then I can honestly say I wish we’d been professional associates instead of brothers.” Slamming the driver’s door behind him, Cade shifted the truck into Drive and took off.

Hurt and anger warred for dominance, an internal battle that bloodied Eli with every volley. Who the hell does Cade think he is?

The idea that he could leave this whole mess to someone else crossed his mind again. He could send a check to cover the attorney’s fees, let it be someone else’s headache. Epic temptation that it was, it would only reinforce Cade’s opinion that he didn’t care about his family.

Eli glared down the empty dirt road. He might be a lot of things, but a quitter? No. His leaving had been about survival and what was best for everyone. If Cade didn’t get that?

“Screw him.” Folding himself gingerly into the car, he winced as it gained speed and resumed rattling over the dirt road. Each jarring bump hammered every new bruise. By the time Eli reached Highway 102, he was pretty sure at least two fillings were loose.