Gambling On a Heart (27 page)

She remembered hearing the stories about his whirlwind romance with the Wyoming pageant queen-turned-nurse. At first, she hadn’t believed Zack could have possibly fallen for her so fast. Logan hadn’t believed it either. He’d wanted Tracy to leave Jake and go after him, but no matter how much she’d loved Zack, she couldn’t have taken Jake’s son away from him.

When she’d heard the news Zack had joined the Marines, she had a hard time accepting the Zack she had known and loved could have been happy giving up rodeo. She’d blamed Lisa for forcing him into doing it. Tracy wondered for years if she’d made the right decision by not going after him, especially when he’d been wounded and near death in the military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.

Now she knew she’d done the right thing. However, in realizing her acceptance of the other woman in Zack’s life, she became more determined than ever to go after him with everything she had. Not only for herself, or to give Bobby a father figure who could teach him right from wrong, but for this little girl who had unwittingly stolen her heart.

When she finally found her voice, Tracy said, “I like you, too, Mandy. As for being your new mommy, how about we just try being friends. I could be like an aunt. Would you like that?”

Mandy nodded and smiled, but Tracy saw the sparkle go out of it. “Okay. But Daddy is a little lonely. I think he could use the company.”

Remembering his reference to wanting her to keep him company that afternoon, Tracy burst out laughing. Mandy watched her, then matched Tracy giggle for giggle, although Mandy had no idea why she was laughing.

Getting her composure back, Tracy patted Mandy on the head. “I say let’s make you beautiful.”

Mandy grinned and clapped her hands. “Yippy!”

Chapter 13

The conference room in the sheriff’s office was full to the max, not an uncommon phenomenon these days. When had Forest County, Texas, become such a hotbed of crime? Dawn stood at the front of the room, having what appeared to be a heated conversation with the Texas Ranger. Besides five other sheriff’s deputies, TSCRA agent Herb Milroy was also sitting at the table.

Feeling out-of-place dressed in jeans and his usual chambray shirt instead of a uniform while working, Zack nodded toward the other men as he headed for the front of the room. “Wyatt, what are you doing here? Last I heard you were over in Midland.”

Wyatt McPherson held out his hand and Zack shook it. “I just transferred to Waco. Sorry to hear about your fillies.”

Zack shrugged and tucked his thumbs into his front pockets. “We’ll find the bastards who took ’em. So, you’re replacing, Mathes? What did his wife have?”

“Yep, the captain sent me, partly because I’m from Colton.” Wyatt grinned. “Mathes is the proud papa of a new baby boy.”

The eldest son of the town’s fire chief and twin brother to Lance Cartwright’s wife, Audrey, Wyatt had been Dawn’s partner while they both worked for the Dallas PD. After she’d been shot in the line of duty, Wyatt had joined the Texas Rangers, and Dawn came back to Colton.

Dawn had her arms crossed over the beige uniform blouse and the naturally tan skin over her high cheekbones pulled taut. She always looked impeccable and professional with her long black hair pulled back and bound in a bun at her nape, but a few loose strands fell over her forehead, like she’d been playing with it, as she had a habit of doing when she was nervous or upset. Nothing usually ruffled her feathers, but by the way her brown eyes were narrowed, she didn’t look at all happy about Wyatt being here.

Perplexed, Zack raised a brow at Dawn’s obvious cold shoulder and Wyatt’s attempt to act as if she wasn’t affecting him. Most police officers developed close friendships with their partners that never went away. Besides, they’d all practically cut their teeth on the same brandy-dipped teething ring.

Before Zack could ponder that situation more, Wyatt ran a hand through his chestnut hair and his blue eyes sobered. “Hey, I just wanted to say, I’m sorry about the crap my shithead little brother put you through. I hope I’m never in the same room with the idiot. They’ll be locking me up in his place because I’ll wring his damn fool neck.”

“Don’t worry about it. No one holds your family responsible for what he did.” Zack reached out and patted the other man on the shoulder. He was well aware of the curious audience. Everyone in town had wondered if Kyle McPherson would receive some special preference after his arrest for the arson of Charli Quinn’s barn and poisoning her cattle. The McPhersons were an extremely respected family in Colton–and second cousins to Tracy and Dylan Quinn.

Before Zack could begin thinking about the amazing afternoon he’d spent with Tracy, Wyatt gave a nod of his head. “Kyle’s always been coddled. He was Mom’s baby.”

“What do you say we get started?” Zack asked to change the subject. “It’s already been a long day. And promises to be an even longer night ahead of us.”

A few moments later, Dawn was standing at the head of the table and debriefing the rest of the group on what she’d already told Zack over the phone.

“When do we expect to get the DNA back from Austin?” Zack asked.

“Within the next two weeks.”

“If the culprit has no DNA on file, the information will be next to useless,” Wyatt pointed out from where he leaned against the wall beside a large map of Texas.

Dawn shot him another glare. “Most people don’t wake up one day and decide to become cattle and horse thieves. This guy has a record. I’d stake my reputation as a cop on it.”

Pushing off the wall, Wyatt raised a brow and smirked. “Well, for the sake of your esteemed reputation, Deputy Madison, I sure hope you’re right.”

Dawn stiffened her already poker-straight back and scowled at Wyatt McPherson in a way Zack had never seen her do in all the years he’d known her. What had gone down between these two?

Several of the other deputies around the table began to snicker. Obviously, Zack wasn’t the only one wondering the same thing. Zack cleared his throat and said, “Lieutenant McPherson, what do you have to report?”

Wyatt slid in beside Dawn. With a bolo tie at the neck of his white Western shirt, black jeans and polished boots, he looked more like a cowboy than a police officer. However if the
cinco peso
coin star pinned to his shirt didn’t prove otherwise, the Colt .45 secured in a shoulder holster would do so. He bracketed his waist with his hands.

“Alright, gentlemen...and lady.” Wyatt glanced at Dawn.

She turned and sat down in a vacant chair by one of the other uniformed deputies. Zack was so intent on watching Dawn he almost missed what Wyatt said next.

“Before Mathes ran out of here earlier this afternoon, he was following up on possible routes the thieves could have taken. As all of you know, livestock theft is on the rise, as are the number of shady packing plants and livestock auction houses willing to buy questionable stock and horses. Agent Milroy...” He nodded toward the TSCRA agent. “Has some leads on a few such butcher houses in Texas, Western Oklahoma and Southern Colorado. However, theft of horses is a different game. Usually they’re sent to Mexico and slaughtered. When I was in Midland, the Rangers along with the sheriff’s department of Gaines County were tracking a ring of horse thieves operating near Seminole. We suspected them of selling not only stolen horses, using bogus papers, to buyers from mostly back East and even overseas. We also suspected the same ring to be connected to one in New Mexico that has been rounding up wild Mustangs for the same purposes. I believe our boys are headed for this ring.”

Wyatt cleared his throat and rubbed his clean-shaven chin. “Since the twenty horses stolen were not branded and were young thoroughbred mares, they’re the perfect target for this ring.”

Zack shifted uncomfortably in the hard wooden chair when every eye looked his way.

With a grin, Larry Simms, the oldest of his deputies teased, “Just how much were those fillies worth again, boss?”

Zack squared his shoulders. “Enough for me to learn not to ever pasture horses again without branding them.”

Everyone laughed at his expense. He supposed he deserved the ribbing. He’d known the dangers and ignored them. “Okay, how much are the horses worth on the black market?”

Shrugging, Wyatt said, “Anywhere from two to five thousand a head.”

Now a few whistles accompanied the laughter. When the group finished their teasing, Deputy Kennedy asked the question Zack was sure was on everyone’s mind. “Despite what the horses are worth to this ring, what makes you think our boys went that direction? We’re a heck of a long way from Seminole. The Mexican border is a lot closer. Or, if it’s the same guys rustling the cattle, they could’ve just taken them to the same slaughterhouse.”

Wyatt paced the front of the room. “I hit possible pay dirt when I followed up on a lead Mathes found, and contacted a truck stop in Stephenville. At approximately four AM, Saturday, two livestock trucks pulled into the Texaco. The driver got out of only one of the trucks and went into the convenience store.” Wyatt turned to the state map and picked up the pointer from the top of a file cabinet in the corner. Using the slender piece of plastic, he pointed to Stephenville. He slid the pointer along the line representing a state road. “As you can see, State Route 108 intersects with I-20 and that leads west.” He paused, and with a smirk, glanced at Dawn. “I bet my reputation as a Texas Ranger that our boys headed to Seminole.”

Dawn huffed and closed her notebook. “I’ll call for a warrant for the security tapes.”

“I already have.” Wyatt replaced the pointer on the cabinet top where he’d found it.

Zack finished writing in his notebook. “Have you talked to the clerk?”

Wyatt looked his way. “No, she apparently works the graveyard shift. I was hoping to talk to her tonight.”

“Good.” Zack stood, indicating the meeting was at an end. “I’ll go with you. Let’s get back to work, folks. Dawn, Grant, contact the Gaines County sheriff and find out if they’ve had any increased activity in the sale of horses within that ring they’re watching. Kennedy, Timmons, and Simms, you hit the patrol. Stick close to the ranches we discovered have recently bought livestock. I don’t expect any trouble, but we can’t leave our guard down.” As the deputies listed got up and started to gather their notes, Zack turned to the remaining two deputies. “Griscom and Abbott, you guys are off tonight.” Before they could show their jubilation, Zack added, “I want you here to assist Herb in his investigation at oh-six-hundred.”

Zack waited for the deputies to acknowledge him and then turned to Wyatt and nodded. “Let’s go.”

* * * *

Tracy and Mandy returned to the ball field just as practice was ending. With Mandy holding Tracy’s hand tight, they headed to where the boys gathered around Jake.

“There you are. You know I don’t go chasing down all my clients like this.”

Tracy stopped when Logan strode up beside her.

Mandy let go of Tracy’s hand and launched herself into Logan’s open arms. “Uncle Logan, what are you doin’ here?”

He let go of Mandy and raised a brow at Tracy. “I’m here to talk to Miz Tracy. What are you doin’ here? Is your dad around?”

“Tracy’s watching me tonight. Daddy’s got to work.”

Logan looked at Tracy. “That so?”

Before Mandy could respond, Tracy said, “Zack was called in and asked if I could watch Mandy tonight. Now that
that
’s all settled, what
are
you doing here?”

Logan sniggered at the abrupt change. “I’ve got some news.”

“What is it?”

Logan pulled a letter from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and held it out to her. “After tomorrow, you can start signing my checks as Tracy Caroline Quinn.”

Tracy stared at him as his meaning sunk in. When it did, she snatched the envelope and bounded into his arms. “Oh, Logan. Thank you!” Then she kissed his cheek, and Logan laughed as he hugged her back.

“Hey!” Mandy exclaimed. “I thought you liked my daddy.”

Tracy pulled away and met a pair of narrowed blue eyes. She laughed and stepped out of his embrace.

He swung Mandy up into his arms as if she weighed nothing and tickled her sides until she giggled. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head, firecracker. I know Tracy likes your daddy, and I think your daddy likes her.”

Tracy looked sharply at him, but he was focused on Mandy.

“Well, if this isn’t a heartwarming little scene.” Jake drew Tracy’s attention. His lips twisted upward, but it was more grimace than smile. “Hello, Logan. You sure do like stepping in and taking over another man’s family, don’t you?”