The Reward Read online

  “I’m sorry, Mal. Sometimes I need to keep my tongue in a bridle.”

  “No, amante, you would not be yourself if you were not honest. I would expect nothing less from you. My knife needs to be sharpened, it is dull.”

  “Next time we’re in town you can get it sharpened at Mr. Hall’s. He’s the blacksmith,” she suggested as her eyes continued to devour the man.

  He staunched the bleeding, rinsed off his knife and completed his shave. Tossing out the dirty water, he refilled the bowl from the rain barrel and splashed cool water on his face. He dumped the rest of the water, then hung up the bowl for the next drover. Blotting his face dry on the towel, he approached her. Water droplets traveled down his chest and circled the whorls of hair like she wanted to do with her tongue.

  Mary and all the Saints above! Was sex all she thought about? Her ranch was in serious jeopardy. She needed to keep her mind, and her hands, out of Malcolm’s pants.

  He reached her and threw the towel around her neck, effectively lassoing her and drawing her closer. Soon she was pressed up against his warm, hard body. Her body reacted with a pulse of heat and she leaned toward him. He smelled like soap, and sunshine, and man. The combined scent was more tantalizing than the most expensive perfume.

  “I missed you, too.”

  He cupped the back of her head and brought his lips to hers. She still had a split lip and his was swollen so theirs was a relatively gentle kiss, when all she wanted to do was let loose and to hell with the cow count.

  Malcolm stepped back and Leigh clearly saw the outline of an erection in his jeans. From a kiss. A small kiss. So he was as affected by her as she was by him. The current between them was strong, like a river. She had a feeling they were heading toward the white water, and it had only begun to get rough.

  He grabbed a shirt from a nail by the door and shrugged into it with a small wince.

  “Are you sure you’re up to riding today?”

  “If I have to repair tack again today, I’m going back to the snow in Wyoming.”

  She smiled. “That’s serious. I guess we’d better saddle up and head out. Wouldn’t want you to freeze any important body parts off.”

  He threw back his head and laughed, then slapped her on the ass with one big hand.

  “Vamanos, amante. We’ve got some cows to count.”

  Leigh hoped the count would be good news. Any more bad news and she wouldn’t have enough cows to sell to keep the ranch. The bad feeling still rode her shoulders and she hoped it was only a split lip that bothered her today.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Leigh stared down at the tally she’d calculated. Seven hundred fifty-two. Impossible. No, not impossible. Unbelievable. She flipped the small piece of paper over and diligently began to add their totals together again. Malcolm stood behind her, holding the horse steady while she used the saddle to brace the paper.

  She finished adding and stared at the number again. Still seven hundred fifty-two. That meant more than twelve hundred head of cattle were missing. Or more. They usually had at least five hundred calves, and they’d only seen twelve. Someone had not only stolen from her, they’d ruined her. There was no way in hell she’d make the payments due on the ranch with only seven hundred fifty-two cattle. She had to keep at least four hundred cows, which left three hundred fifty-two. Ten of them were bulls she needed to keep—their bloodlines were too great to lose. That whittled the total down to three hundred forty-two.

  Two years ago, she had driven the herd up to Abilene and made seventy-five dollars a head. With the railroad less than fifty miles away and still coming closer, these cattle were only worth about ten dollars a head. Quick calculations confirmed her worst fears. She wouldn’t even come close to having enough to pay her yearly debts. What was in the bank from last year would only last until the fall round-up, to pay the drovers and buy feed and supplies.

  After the fall round-up she’d sell her three hundred forty-two remaining cows—if there were that many left by then—and have one quarter of the money she needed to run the ranch and survive until the following spring. She had, by her count, four to six months before total bankruptcy.

  She felt sick. Her stomach churned and started creeping up her throat. Turning, she ran for the nearest tree and threw up what remained of the biscuits and coffee from breakfast.

  Holy Mother of God. She’d never been in such a crack. Oh, she’d been in corners before, but none this tight.

  Malcolm gently touched the back of her neck.

  “Amante?”

  Leigh wiped her mouth on her sleeve and straightened. Her head whirled around mercilessly making her stomach lurch again. Malcolm’s hand on her arm steadied her.

  “Easy, now. Take a deep breath.”

  She did as he bade, then took a few more. Her head started to clear. The paper and pencil were still clutched in her hand. She opened her fist and stared down at the numbers, blurred by the sweat from her clammy palm.

  “Someone stole my ranch, Malcolm.”

  He sighed and leaned against the tree, pulling her into his arms. She went willingly. He was so warm and hard, and his very scent was all she needed to calm her. His hands stroked her back.

  “How bad is it?” he asked.

  “At least twelve hundred head are missing, probably more. And nearly all the calves.”

  “Mierda! How could someone steal that many cattle and no one noticed?”

  She grimaced against his shirt. “Someone noticed. You were right, Mal. Earl must be behind this. Maybe Damasco is giving him a cut.”

  He hugged her tightly.

  “We’ll get them back. Even if we have to kill a few to turn their hides out to see the Circle O brand.”

  Even if a cattle was re-branded, the original brand could still be seen from the inside out. It was a bloody way to prove cattle rustling, but effective.

  “Are you sure we’ve counted all over the ranch?”

  “Yes. There might be some that wandered onto Rancho Zarza, but I don’t think it would be one thousand head. They’re dumb beasts, Mal. They stay where the grass is green and the water is nearby. We’ve checked everywhere.”

  His ear was so close to her nose, she felt the unrelenting urge to lick it. So she did. He sucked in a breath.

  “You are playing too close to the fire, amante.”

  He was right, but she really wanted to burn. Right now. Right here. Life had just given her a swift kick in the ass and she needed. She needed him. She needed to lose herself in him.

  “Please, Mal. I…I can’t…”

  She started kissing his neck frantically. He seemed to understand and grabbed her mouth with his own in a startling, deep kiss. His tongue delved and danced and caressed the inside of her mouth, her tongue, her teeth, her lips. Her pussy flooded with moisture, with need, with hunger.

  More.

  He unbuttoned her jeans and reached down inside them until he touched her pulsing core. Using his nimble fingers on a nipple and her hot button, he kissed her senseless while he brought her quickly to a climax that had her moaning and writhing in his arms. After a few minutes, he kissed her softly, then withdrew his hand and buttoned her pants back up.

  She clung to him and he wrapped his arms around her. Not taking any pleasure from her, just giving her a release of emotion and the comfort she needed.

  “Better?”

  She nodded against his chest, embarrassed now by the way she let him give her pleasure in the middle of the day, under a tree in plain view of anyone.

  “I sure as hell hope none of the drovers are nearby.”

  He chuckled and she felt the vibrations through his chest.

  “If they are, they’re probably back behind their own tree, imagining it was your hand wrapped around them.”

  She stepped back and looked at him incredulously. “You are absolutely blind if you think any one of them imagines me with my hands on their bodies.”

  He smiled and her heart was caught again. “Why not? I
did. You are muy bonita, amante.”

  She scoffed at his compliment and stepped back. The paper crinkled beneath her boot. She picked the list of her decimated herd up off the ground as a spurt of anger zipped through her body.

  “Let’s go find Earl.”

  He nodded and they headed back to the horses happily grazing on the tall Texas grass.

  After they’d mounted, Leigh let her anger build further. Who the hell did Earl think he was? And for that matter, Damasco? What right did he have to ruin her or try to steal her ranch? And why did he want it? Rancho Zarza was already ten times the size of the Circle O. It wasn’t for the stock, and it sure as hell wasn’t for her. He’d been in that pasture already. So why?

  ———

  By the time they arrived back at the ranch, her anger had turned to all-out rage. She wanted to tear into Earl like a bear at a chokeberry bush. Her proverbial claws were sharp and hungry.

  Leigh leapt off Ghost and left him standing at the barn, taking long dirt-eating strides to the bunkhouse and Earl’s office. She barely heard Malcolm behind her, calling her back. There wasn’t going to be any stopping her now. Not a goddamn chance.

  She was nearly running by the time she got to the door. Thrusting it open, she found a few of the drovers playing cards. The cards flew up in the air and coins tinged on the floor as they all jumped out of their seats.

  She ignored their surprised looks and stalked toward the office at the end of the building. The door was ajar and light spilled from within. She slammed the door open so hard, it jarred her hand and put a few splinters in her fingers.

  Earl sat at the desk with a bottle of whiskey in front of him and a Colt Peacemaker .45. Her anger stepped back and wariness replaced it.

  “Earl, you’ve got some explaining to do.”

  The older man stared at her, eyes a little bloodshot. He’d obviously had a few hits of whiskey already. How many was anyone’s guess. His expression was bleak, resigned.

  “Ya counted the cows, didn’t ya?”

  Of course he knew why she was there.

  “Where the hell are they?”

  He didn’t answer. He fingered the pistol and poured himself another whiskey. The amber liquid spilled on the desk, which was littered with papers and old cigar butts.

  “Don’t rightly know, Leigh. Don’t rightly care.”

  She punched the desk. “I care, goddammit. Why, Earl, why the hell did you do it?”

  “Didn’t have no choice.”

  She laughed sardonically. “Oh, I believe that completely. The ranch that you’ve worked at for twenty frigging years and you’ve run it into the ground. No choice? I don’t believe it.” She punched the desk again. “You owe me an explanation, old man.”

  Earl’s expression turned a bit mulish and he tightened his grip on the Colt. “Don’t owe you a thing, girlie. Just ‘cause Sean took you in like a lost puppy in the rain don’t mean I owe you a thing. He shoulda left this ranch to me, but you came along and snatched it.”

  She stared at him, flabbergasted. “What? I didn’t snatch anything, Earl. I didn’t even know Sean had left it to me until after he’d died.”

  “I don’t believe you. You seduced him until all he could think about was fucking you and making money to give you pretty gee-gaws.”

  That’s when Leigh realized Earl was quite possibly mad. What in the hell was he talking about? She didn’t own even one pretty gee-gaw, and she certainly never did anything remotely like “fucking” Sean. It was more like groping under the sheets in the dark for a quick poke.

  “Easy, abuelo,” came Malcolm’s voice from behind her.

  Earl blanched. “What are you gonna do, shoot me? Go ahead.”

  Malcolm must have drawn his pistol. The tension crackled between the two of them. The animosity had never pulsed so strongly.

  “No. But if you don’t take your hand off that Colt, old man, you will lose a finger.”

  Earl eased his hand back, obviously aware of how dangerous Malcolm really was. Earl showed his teeth in a feral snarl and snapped, “You’re like a dog protecting his bitch.”

  Leigh realized they weren’t going to get any information out of him, but she had to try one last time.

  “Earl, tell us where the cattle are. I won’t turn you in. Just tell us and you can go on your way.”

  “Amante,” Malcolm admonished from behind her.

  Earl stood, grabbing the bottle of whiskey, then reached down and picked up a pair of saddlebags from the floor by his feet.

  “I don’t know where they are. And I don’t care. You can all rot in hell.”

  He staggered a bit, then came out from behind the desk, walking right up to Malcolm’s pistol. Leigh watched the old man press his chest against the nose of the gun.

  “Shoot me or get the hell out of my way, Mex.”

  “I am not Mexican, abuelo. I am Spanish and Scottish.”

  Earl waved the hand with the bottle in it. “I don’t give a shit. Just get out of the way.”

  Malcolm’s eyes were black ice. They flickered to her, allowing her to make the decision.

  “Let him go,” Leigh said.

  Malcolm moved in a circle to allow Earl to pass through the door. His eyes and the pistol never left him. The drovers at the table watched Earl with interest and a bit of disbelief.

  Leigh let out a breath of frustration. “I can’t believe it. That old man is crazier than a bug house. He stole my cattle and we’re letting him go.”

  Malcolm said, “Yes, but I will follow him. And before you even say another word, you are not coming with me. Go to town and talk to the sheriff. He’s a friend of…of Alex’s. He might be able to get around his belly and do something.”

  “But—”

  “No, Leigh.”

  His voice was so grave, so serious, she cocked her head and stared into his eyes. As usual, those black orbs told her nothing.

  “Fine. But if you’re not back here by morning, I’m coming after you.”

  ———

  Leigh gathered the drovers together within an hour. They all stood around talking quietly, smoking or staring at her. She was sure they’d heard about the confrontation with Earl. Malcolm was itching to get started after him, but Leigh asked him to wait until after she’d spoken to the men. He stood behind her again, literally and figuratively. It had been a long time since she had experienced that feeling.

  “Listen up, everyone,” she began. “I’m sure you’ve all heard about Earl. I wanted to let you all know what I know so you can make your own choice. There are over twelve hundred head of cattle missing. If we don’t find them, the Circle O will be bankrupt within four to six months, and all of you, and me, will be out of a job and a home.”

  A few curses and exclamations of disbelief met her words.

  “It looks like Earl was in on it. He admitted it a little while ago before he left. If anyone here had anything to do with the rustling, I’ll give you a choice. Take your sorry asses and leave before the sun comes up tomorrow. Because if I find out you’re guilty, I’ll geld you and leave you to the buzzards.”

  Murmurs rippled through the men.

  “From here on out, the new foreman is going to be the man standing behind me. You may all know him as Hermano. His real name is Malcolm Ross y Zarza.”

  The ripples turned into a full blown wave.

  “Zarza?” asked Andy. “As in Rancho Zarza?”

  She didn’t answer, waiting for Malcolm to step forward and speak. It was his choice whether or not he wanted to do so.

  He did.

  “Yes, as in Rancho Zarza. Alejandro is my father. Damasco is my half-brother.”

  She smiled inwardly. It was about time he stopped hiding in the shadows.

  “I am going to be at Leigh’s back until we find the cattle and catch the bastards red-handed. If you are loyal to the Circle O, then you are loyal to her. That means you have me at your back too. Together we can stop them and save the ranch.”

  T
he men were silent, digesting Malcolm’s words.

  Leigh’s thoughts kept returning to him saying he would be with her until the cattle were found and the culprits caught. Then what would happen? Would he leave again? Disappear back into the shadows he’d been hiding in?

  She had to set her personal demons aside and think about saving the ranch. Then she’d think about keeping Malcolm there with her.

  Andy was the first to step forward. “Well, I’m with ya, Hermano…I mean, Malcolm.”

  His friendly grin was all that was needed for more of the men to express their agreement. Leigh released the breath she’d been holding. No doubt some of them would be gone by morning, but others would be there to fight by her side.

  It was the first time in two years she really felt like she owned the Circle O and was ready to fight to the death to keep it.

  ———

  Malcolm was cinching his saddle when he sensed Leigh hovering behind him. What he felt about her had sunk deep inside to take hold of him. Take hold and not let go. Even now, his body was rising to her nearness. This must be what Roja felt for that son of a bitch bounty-hunter husband of hers. The unrelenting connection and the unending need to be near.

  “You ready?” she asked.

  He turned. She had her hands in her back pockets, pulling her shirt tight across those magnificent breasts. Her brown shirt was a little crooked, and she had a smudge of dirt by her nose. This was Leigh. And he loved her.

  The realization sank through him like a rock in a pond. Deeper, and deeper, sending ripples behind it.

  He loved her.

  When she’d said, “Hell, I probably love you” he’d run like an idiot. Now wasn’t exactly the best time to profess his love to her, if there ever would be a good time. He had too many ghosts and not enough life.

  “Yes. He already has a good head start. Even though I think he was as pickled as an egg, he has been gone more than an hour.”

  She nodded, then pulled something out of her back pocket. It looked like a watch.

  “This is a compass. I got turned around my first month here and spent a cold night shivering in a tree. Sean bought this for me, ordered it from the Sears and Roebuck catalog and it came all the way from New York. I want you to take it with you so you can find your way back home easier.”