In a Cowboy's Arms (Hitting Rocks Cowboys) (3 page)

“She’s busy taking care of her brother, Ryan.” That shouldn’t have made Jarod feel as if he’d been spirited to a different universe.

Connor shook his head. “It’s incredible what happened to that family. Maybe now that Daniel’s gone she’ll have some peace. Avery told me on the phone she doesn’t have a clue what Sadie’s going to do now.”

“I would imagine she’ll go back to San Francisco with Ryan and his uncle.”

Connor looked stunned. “Do you think the two of them are...?” He didn’t finish what he was going to say.

“I don’t know.”

“He’s old enough to be her father!”

“He certainly doesn’t look it, but age doesn’t always matter.” The way her eyes had softened when she’d looked at Zane Lawson had sent a thunderbolt through Jarod. “Why don’t you go inside and make your own judgment. I’ve got to leave. Grandfather’s waiting.”

“Okay. See you back at the house.”

But once Jarod had driven home, he went straight to his room and changed into jeans and a shirt. Before he talked to his grandfather, who was still asleep according to his caregiver, Martha, Jarod needed to expend a lot of energy.

He’d made tentative plans to have dinner in town with Leslie Weston after the funeral. She was the woman he’d been dating lately, but he couldn’t be with her right now, not after seeing Sadie again. He would have to reschedule with her. For the moment the only way to deal with his turmoil was to ride into the mountains. He’d take his new stallion up Lost Canyon. Volan needed the exercise.

Though he started out in that direction, midway there he found himself changing course. After eight years of avoiding the meadow, he galloped toward it as if he were on automatic pilot. When he reached their favorite spot, he dismounted and slumped into the bed of wildflowers. Their intoxicating scent was full of her.

Jarod remembered that last night with her as if it was yesterday. After their time together, he’d followed her to make sure she reached the Corkin ranch safely. He’d felt great pride that she rode like the wind. She and Liz Henson had provided stiff competition for the other barrel racers around the county, until Sadie suddenly quit. When Jarod had asked her about it, she’d said it had taken too much time away from being with him.

When he could no longer see her blond hair whipping around her, he’d set off the long way home, circling her property to avoid being seen. But before he’d reached the barn he’d had the impression he was being followed.

* * *

I
N
A
LIGHTNING
move he turned Chief around and bolted toward the clump of pines where he’d detected human motion. As he moved closer he heard a curse before his stalker rode away, but Jarod had the momentum. He knew in his gut it was Ned. In half a minute he’d cut him off, forcing him to stop.

He looked at his cousin. “Where are you going in such an all-fired hurry this time of night?”

“None of your damn business.”

“It’s a good thing I knew it was you or I might have pulled you off Jasper to find out who’s been keeping tabs on me. I would think you’d have better things to do with your time.”

“You’ve been with Sadie.” Ned’s accusation was riddled with fury.

It was possible Ned had seen him and Sadie together tonight, but he decided to call his bluff, anyway. “If you know that for a fact, then why isn’t my grandfather out here looking for me right now, waiting to read me the riot act? Wait, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you ride over to the Corkin ranch and ask Sadie to go for a midnight ride with you?”

When Ned said nothing, Jarod continued his taunting.

“Oh, I forgot. Her father forbid any Bannock to come near her years ago. Have you forgotten he vowed to fill us full of buckshot if he ever caught one of us on his property? Of course, if you can figure out a way to get past Daniel, you can see what kind of reception you’ll receive from her.”

“Damn you to hell,” Ned snarled as Jarod headed for the barn in the distance.

Grandfather would be furious with him for baiting Ned. It was a mistake he shouldn’t have made this close to leaving with Sadie, but his cousin had chosen the wrong moment to confront Jarod, who was too full of adrenaline not to react.

For two cents he’d felt like knocking him cold. Ned had been asking for it for years, always sneaking around to catch him with Sadie. No doubt he planned to tell Daniel in the hope Sadie’s father would finish Jarod off. For his grandparents’ sake, Jarod had never stepped on Corkin property and he’d held back his anger at Ned. But Ned’s obsession with Sadie seemed to be getting out of control.

Worse, Jarod couldn’t get that night years ago out of his mind.

Once he’d removed Chief’s saddle and had brushed him down, he entered the ranch house and found his grandparents in the den. That was the place where they always talked business at the end of the day. It was time to put his plans into action.

Addie hugged him. “I’m glad you’re home. You missed dinner. Are you all right?”

“Yes. Everything is set for our marriage. Thank you for standing behind me in this.”

“If your father were still alive, he’d understand and approve. We know it’s the Crow way to marry young. You’re a lot like your dad and have always known what you wanted.”

“I’m thankful for your understanding and help, but right now my biggest concern is Ned. He must have been following me tonight. In order for him not to find out what’s going on, I’m setting up a smoke screen. I’ll pretend Chief is favoring his hind leg.

“After chores tomorrow I’ll put Chief in the trailer and drive him to the clinic in White Lodge. If Ned finds out I paid a visit to Sam Rafferty for an X-ray, it should throw him off the scent long enough for us to be married.”

“That’s as good an idea as any,” his grandfather said. “We decided not to tell Connor and Avery your plans. It’s crucial they know nothing so that Ned doesn’t pick up on any change in their behavior. He’s a talker when he drinks and it could get back to Daniel.”

Jarod nodded. “Where are they?”

Addie smiled. “Connor’s in town with friends and Avery is spending the night with Cassie while they study for their finals. They’ll be graduating from high school in two weeks.”

“Sadie will be getting her diploma right along with them, but by then she’ll be my wife. Here’s what I’m going to do. After I leave the vet clinic, I’ll drive up to the mountains where Sadie and I will meet. From there we’ll go to the reservation to be married and spend a couple of days with Uncle Charlo and his family. We’ll be home Sunday night in time for her to be back in school.”

His grandfather got up from the chair and hugged him. “When you two arrive, we’ll all celebrate.”

Jarod’s heart was full of love for his grandparents, who’d always supported him.

“Tell me what you need me to do before I leave tomorrow afternoon and I’ll get it done.”

“Why don’t we go over the quarterly accounts after breakfast?” Ralph suggested.

“Sounds good.”

He hugged his grandmother hard, then left the den and headed down the hall to the kitchen. After filling up on a couple of ham sandwiches and a quart of milk, he took the stairs two at a time to his bedroom at the top.

His watch said twenty after ten. At this time tomorrow night he’d be with Sadie on reservation property. He knew a private spot where they wouldn’t be disturbed. They’d stay there until it was time to drive to White Lodge for their marriage license.

You’re going to be a married man, Bannock.

If he had one regret it was that his siblings wouldn’t be there. But when he brought Sadie home as his wife, they’d understand the measures he’d had to take to protect Sadie from her out-of-control father.

* * *

“S
O
, D
R
. R
AFFERTY
,
you don’t think there’s a need to take an X-ray?” Jarod asked, walking Chief out of the trailer to the paddock behind the clinic with the vet.

“Not that I can see,” Sam Rafferty told him.

“His limp does seem to be a lot better. Last night I was really worried about him.”

“Horses aren’t that different from people. Sometimes we wake up in the morning and everything hurts like hell. But the next day, we feel better.”

“Well, I’ll take your word for it nothing serious is wrong.”

Sam nodded. “Give him a day of rest and see how he does.”

“Will do. How much do I owe you?”

“Forget it. I didn’t do anything.”

“You can’t make a living that way.” Jarod put a hundred dollar bill in the vet’s lab coat pocket. “Thanks, Doc.”

“My pleasure.” They shook hands before he led Chief back into the trailer and shut the door.

Jarod started the truck and drove his rig away from the clinic. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ned’s Jeep down the street across from the supermarket. That was no coincidence—Ned must still be tailing him.

Twenty after five. The sun would set at nine. Jarod would have driven to the mountains immediately, but he couldn’t do that with Ned watching him. It would only take a half hour to reach Sadie. He had three hours to kill. Might as well drive Ned crazy.

After making a U turn, he parked near the supermarket and went in to buy a meal at the deli. Then he took it out to the truck and sat there to eat while he listened to music. Ned had finally disappeared, but Jarod knew he was somewhere nearby watching, hoping to see Sadie show up and join Jarod. The fool could wait till doomsday but he’d never find her here.

The sun sank lower until it dropped below the horizon. It was time to make his move. His heart thudding in anticipation of making love to Sadie for the rest of their lives, Jarod started the truck and turned onto a road that would eventually lead to the fire road. From that crossroads you could either go to the mountains the back way or head the other way for the reservation.

But as he reached the crossroads, from out of nowhere, something rammed him broadside. The last thing he heard was the din of twisting metal before he passed out.

The next day he woke up in the hospital with a serious brain concussion, bruises and a nasty gash near his eye. Frantic, he tried to reach Sadie, but the report from the Hensons came back that she wasn’t at home.

When he awoke a second time, the nurse brought him Sadie’s note and read it to him. The words ripped him to pieces.

* * *

J
AROD
LAY
IN
the clover remembering the pain until Volan nudged him. Feeling as if his heart weighed more than his body, he climbed on the stallion and rode home.

Avery confronted him in the tack room after he returned. Her brunette hair and bright smile reminded him of their father Colin’s second wife, Hannah. She’d been a wonderful mother to Jarod, never pushing him. Avery was a little more aggressive in that department.

“When you didn’t come in the ranch house with Connor, I knew you’d gone riding. Did it help?” Her hazel eyes studied him anxiously.

She could read most of his moods, but he didn’t answer her this time. There was no help for the disease he’d contracted eight years ago.

“Grandfather was hoping to talk to you.”

“I know. I’ll go see him now.”

“He’s gone to bed, but don’t worry, Connor and I told him all we could. Great Uncle Tyson came to the funeral with his family. It was so strange, all of us together on Corkin land after so many years of being warned off the property. I think it overwhelmed Sadie. She thanked us for coming, but clung to her little brother the whole time.”

Jarod’s thoughts were black. “Did Ned behave?”

Her mouth tightened. “Does he ever?”

“Tell me what he did.”

“He asked a lot of questions in such bad taste it raised the hairs on the back of my neck.”

“Like what?”

At his rapid-fire question, his sister looked startled. “I was standing by them when he asked if she and Zane had an interest in each other besides Ryan. He said he hoped not because he was planning to spend a lot of time with her now that she was back.”

Jarod bit down so hard he almost broke a tooth.

“It was appalling, but no one else heard him. Sadie didn’t answer him, but I was so angry I broke in on their conversation. That angered Ned and caught Uncle Grant’s attention. He wasn’t thrilled with his son’s behavior, either, and got him out of there as fast as he could.”

“Ned gave me an ultimatum the other night.”

“What kind?”

“Not to show up at the funeral.”

“That’s no surprise. He was jealous of you from birth. It only grew worse when grandfather gave you more responsibilities for running the ranch. Ned couldn’t handle it. But when you and Sadie became friends, that killed him.”

“There’s a sickness in him.”

“I know. Sadie was never interested in any of the guys chasing after her, least of all Ned. He used to wait for her after school and follow her as far as Corkin property. Sadie never paid him one whit of attention because the only guy she could ever see was
you.
”

Until Jarod had planned to make her his wife. Then she’d run like the prong-horned antelope, putting fifteen hundred miles between them. Had his accident been the excuse she’d been looking for not to marry him?

“After today she’ll like him even less, but I guess it doesn’t matter,” Avery added.

He closed his eyes tightly. “Why do you say that?”

“The chances of her having to deal with him are pretty remote. She’s got a home in California and a little brother to raise.”

“With Zane’s help?” Jarod didn’t want to listen to another word.

“Forget what you’re thinking. I asked her outright if she was involved with Zane. She said no and was shocked at the question. I think it actually hurt her.”

Jarod’s relief had him reeling.

“I have to tell you I’m envious of her. Ryan’s such an adorable boy, I wish he were mine.”

Those were strong words. Jarod heard wistfulness in her voice and eyed her with affection. “Your time will come, Avery.”

Her eyes darted him a mischievous glance. “Are you trying to make me feel better, or did you have a vision about your only female sibling who’s getting older?”