Running Wild by Linda Howard & Linda Jones

Author:Linda Howard & Linda Jones
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Paranormal, Fiction
ISBN: 9780345520784
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 2011-10-25T00:45:50+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

It was turning cold. Not just chilly, but definitely cold. Zeke and the men had just about caught up on all the maintenance that needed doing; another week, and it would be done, and he’d cut back on the number of employees for the winter. Darby and Bo would head south for the rodeo circuit, Patrick and Eli would look for work farther south to tide them over until next spring—or maybe not, he never knew for certain whether or not they’d come back, though they had for the past few years. Kenneth and Micah would be here; as married men, they stayed put, and were available if he needed them during the winter. Walt was a permanent fixture, and Spencer was almost one, though the kid would take some time off during the winter to visit his folks.

Their employment schedule was no secret from the men. Ranch work was seasonal. As they were finishing up repair on a pumping station, Darby straightened and rolled his shoulders. “This is about it, right, boss?”

“Looks like it. Another week, maybe.”

“Reckon you could do without me? There’s a rodeo in Tucson I’d like to hit before I move on to Texas.”

“Sure, we can handle the rest of it.”

“Mind if I head back to the bunkhouse early, so I can get my shit packed up? I’m thinking I’ll start out early tomorrow morning.”

Zeke glanced at Walt, silently checking if Walt had something lined up that he’d need Darby’s help. Walt gave a “why not” shrug. Nothing was in the works that the rest of them couldn’t handle.

“Go ahead, we’re good here.”

“Thanks.” Darby collected his tools, loaded everything into one of the ranch pickups, and headed out. They had four trucks there, so getting everyone back wasn’t a problem.

Darby had been gone about ten minutes when Zeke got an uneasy feeling. First, Darby would have had plenty of time tonight to pack; it wasn’t as if he needed a moving van. Second, Carlin was there alone, and though she was still religious about keeping the door locked, this was also the time of day, when normally all the men were gone, that she would do some light cleaning in the bunkhouse, and in Walt’s cabin.

Maybe it was nothing. As far as he knew, Darby had taken his first warning to heart and not bothered Carlin in any way. Nor would he necessarily know her house-cleaning schedule, unless he had happened to go back one day to fetch a needed tool, and noticed her coming or going to the bunkhouse. That was a stretch. But … would Darby know how fanatic she was about keeping the doors locked while she was in the house? Her edict on locks hadn’t extended to the bunkhouse, because she wasn’t in there all that much. She dusted, she swept, and the rest of it was left to the hands to keep their space clean.

So far as he knew, the subject of the locked doors had never come up with the men.

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