Cowboy Accomplice by B. J. Daniels

Author:B. J. Daniels
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Ranchers, Mystery & Detective, Romance: Modern, Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, Montana, Romance & Sagas, Romance - Contemporary, General, Intrigue, Espionage, Fiction - Romance
ISBN: 9780373228034
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2004-10-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

J.T. slipped quietly off his horse and reached up to lift Reggie down. He motioned for her to be quiet and stay back as he approached Luke’s mount.

The horse’s coat was lathered. He moved slowly toward it. “Easy, boy. Easy.”

The horse rolled his eyes and backed away. J.T. carefully opened the corral gate, then began to work his way around to the other side of the horse.

As he did, he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Luke’s horse. No saddle. The horse had come back here, had been standing next to the corral when they’d ridden up. J.T. could only assume that Luke hadn’t gotten far from camp. But if he’d been riding the horse, it would have had a saddle on it.

With the corral gate open, J.T. stood back. One of the horses in the corral whinnied, catching Luke’s horse’s attention. J.T. worked his way closer to the horse, then slipped off his hat and shooed it toward the open corral.

The horse shied, then trotted into the corral.

He closed the corral gate.

Where was Luke and what had happened? And the big question: where was Luke’s saddle? It should have been on the horse if Luke had been thrown or the horse spooked for some reason.

He glanced toward an old tack box at the back of the cabin. The lid wasn’t quite closed. He walked to it and lifted the lid. Luke’s saddle and gear were inside. He closed the lid and stood, trying to make sense of it.

Luke hadn’t really left? He’d just wanted everyone to think he had? Or someone else wanted them to believe it.

“Why would Luke’s horse come back here?” Reggie asked when he walked back over to where he’d left her.

He shook his head as he began to unsaddle his horse. Fear vibrated through him like a low frequency hum. Buck should have been back by now.

As he released his horse into the corral with the others, he saw Reggie glance down the hill where the old truck was still parked. No newer four-wheel-drive rig. No Buck. He was relieved to see that she seemed as surprised by that as he was.

What could have happened that Buck was running this late? The foreman knew how important it was that he get right back here. Buck was no fool. He would have hightailed it back to the camp. Unless something had kept him from it. Or someone.

“I would kill for a bath,” Reggie said behind him.

Her choice of words jarred him out of his thoughts. He turned to look at her as he picked up his saddle. The afternoon sun had sunk into the pines. Long shadows spilled across the camp. They had plenty of time before the others would be back for dinner.

She looked tired, her clothes filthy. He’d bet they were the only ones she’d brought that were even close to appropriate in that big suitcase of hers. He met her blue eyes and, even though he fought it, felt sorry for her.

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