The Sheriff Catches a Bride (14 page)

Cab hated to think what those embellishments might be. “Want me to steer clear of the Cruz ranch tonight?” he asked wearily.

Rose hesitated. “No.” She didn’t meet his eye as she got into her vehicle. “Just stop bossing me around.”

Thank goodness she’d planned out
each and every step to build her cabin. Now that Rose had the posts in place, the rest of it went more easily. Pieces fit together correctly and screws tightened easily in her predrilled holes. By the time the pale sun had climbed as high as it would get on this fall day, she had the floor and four walls in place. Which was good, because if ever she needed a place to get away to, it was now.

Autumn had welcomed her with open arms to the Big House last night, assigned her a room and told her to stay as long as she liked. Later she’d pick up the rest of her things from the carriage house and move them in, but for now she needed to be alone, outside.

Here.

It felt good to work like this on her own. No one to stand over her and tell her what to do. No one to point out the small mistakes she’d made on the way. No one to take the tools out of her hands and do it for her. Why was it no one thought she could do things for herself?

Standing on the ground and looking up at her creation, Rose felt proud of what she’d accomplished. The small house wasn’t perfect by a long shot, with gaping holes where the windows would go, another for the door, and not even a start to the roof on top. It was a plain square box.

But it was her plain square box. She couldn’t wait to finish it.

First, however, she needed lunch and a bathroom break. A quick trip to the truck got her the bag lunch she’d packed this morning and a roll of biodegradable toilet paper. She left her lunch near the tree house and walked farther into the woods to find a suitable place to pee. As she heeded the call of nature, it occurred to her this was a flaw in her flawless plan. She envisioned slipping away to her tree house for long days of painting, which meant many more cold and uncomfortable bathroom breaks like this one in her future.

What if she wanted to stay overnight?

An image floated into her mind of her grandparents’ lakeside cabin where they used to visit when she was a kid. Completely off the grid, it had no indoor plumbing. Instead it had a pristine outhouse with a linoleum floor, washable walls and a padded toilet seat. Adequate ventilation ensured that while not exactly odor-free, it didn’t reek either. Rose finished up and made her way back to the building site. Should she make one of those, too?

Maybe.

First things first. She used hand sanitizer to clean her hands, and sat down to eat her lunch with an appetite she rarely had when she worked at the jewelry shop. She liked it out here where it was quiet and peaceful. Sociable by nature, she wouldn’t want to be alone all the time, but she needed restful periods like this for her artist’s soul.

She frowned as she thought over her difficulties finding time and places to paint. No one took her art seriously. In fact, it galled her that no one took much of what she did seriously. Including Jason. Even now that it seemed obvious he hadn’t been serious about her for quite some time, that didn’t stop him from getting together with her when he came through town. She was good enough to sleep with, obviously. Just not good enough to marry.

Was he dating someone else in North Dakota?

She waited to feel the blow that thought ought to deal her, but instead of anger, she only felt sad. What had happened to them? Were they ever meant to be together?

Probably not, given the way things had gone.

She set down her sandwich and contemplated the thin band of silver on her finger. Was it time to take it off? She’d planned to wait until she had a final conversation with Jason, but the truth was, she didn’t feel like waiting. Jason had kept her waiting for years, and lately he hardly had bothered to pretend they were having a relationship. Why should she give him the courtesy of a formal breakup when he hadn’t given her any such courtesy?

She gave the ring an exploratory tug, wondering if it would cling to her after so much time on her finger. But just like the other day at the jewelry store, it slipped off easily. She held it up, looked it over one last time, then slid it into her pants pocket. Nothing to it. With a shrug that masked an ache in her heart, she packed up the remainder of her lunch and got back to work. She was sad for the death of her first real relationship, but her pain was for the girl she’d been, not for the woman she was today. She was ready to move on.

She’d been ready for quite some time.

Rose stood up and surveyed the tree house rising above her. She should have done this years ago. She didn’t know how she’d get through these next few days, until she rescued the rest of her things from the carriage house, found a new job and moved on. She was afraid Emory might try to hold her to the lease she’d signed. If he did, she might have to make a trip to small claims court. Autumn had said she’d be glad to rent the room to her on a long term basis, but if she had to pay for two places, money would be awfully tight.

Later that afternoon she rolled back into town and parked at the grocery store. She needed a contribution to bring along to the gathering at Ethan and Autumn’s place tonight. She’d left the woods early today to give herself time for a shower and change of clothes once she got back to the Big House. She’d framed in one of the large windows of the tree house securely, without even scratching the glass. And she’d prepped the doorframe, too. Next she’d put in the smaller window and get started on the roof. It had been hard to leave the tree house at the end of the afternoon. She wanted to keep on working straight through until it was done, but she was tired, her muscles ached, and she desperately needed a shower before she would be fit for company.

“Hi, Rose.”

Rose turned at the entrance to find Hannah Ashton behind her. “Hi, how are things at the clinic?” She made a mental note to stop by soon and visit the animals. It was hard to play with the strays and not be able to take any home, but she knew Hannah’s boss, Bella Chatham, appreciated anyone who took the time to come and handle them.

“They’re good. We’re busy,” Hannah said. “You coming to Ethan’s tonight?”

“Yes.” Rose smiled. “I take it you are, too?”

“Uh huh. These poker nights are getting out of hand. I think we might have enough people for three tables tonight. Are you shopping for something to bring along?”

“I’m grabbing some chips and dip.”

“I’m on soda duty. Although we all know everyone’s going to drink beer.”

“Except Autumn, Claire and Morgan,” Rose said. She envied them their built-in friendships and the fact that next year they’d be overrun with babies. The Cruz ranch was a heavenly place to live and work. She determined to make the best of the fact that she was living there now, too. At least temporarily.

Hannah nodded. As they made their way through the aisles of the grocery store, Rose noticed she was quieter than usual.

“Anything wrong?” she asked.

Hannah let out a sigh. “Actually, yes. Do you ever feel the need to get away?”

Rose laughed. “All the time.”

“Really?” Hannah faced her. “It’s not just me?”

“Nope. It sucks being young. You don’t own anything that’s yours.”

“That’s it exactly.” Hannah brightened. “I need my own place. My own land. Somewhere no one will watch what I’m doing. Somewhere away from Cody.”

“There’s a lot of land out there,” Rose said noncommittally, wondering what was wrong between Hannah and her boyfriend. She knew Hannah currently lived at Cody’s house, so if things weren’t right between them Hannah wouldn’t have anywhere to retreat. When they reached the potato chips, she stopped to survey the shelves and chose several bags.

“Sure, but someone owns all of it,” Hannah said. “It isn’t fair. It’s not like people even use all their land. It just sits there. And then there’s the fencing. How do you even build it?”

“Fencing?” Rose struggled to keep up with her. “You mean like for a corral?” Did Hannah want a horse? Was that what she and Cody were fighting about? Maybe Cody didn’t like horses. “Check online,” she said, thinking about the YouTube videos she’d watched to learn how to build the tree house.

Hannah looked at her. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. Anyway,” she suddenly became brisk. “I need to grab some pop. What do you think I should get?”

As Rose watched her pace up and down the row of brightly colored drinks, she wondered what scheme Hannah was considering. She obviously had a secret. Just like Mia.

Just like her.

There was much more going on in Chance Creek than met the eye.

By the time Cab drove up
the long dirt lane to the Cruz place, the parking area was filled with vehicles, and when he entered the large house, conversation and laughter spilled over him. He stood for a moment unnoticed in the doorway and counted all the friends in the large open-plan interior. Ethan, Jamie and Rob stood clustered by the fireplace where flames danced and sputtered in the grate. Bella and Evan Mortimer sat side by side on one of the comfortable sofas, their knees touching. Claire sat opposite them, gesturing as she spoke. Morgan and Autumn stood behind the half-height kitchen partition, setting up the snacks. He was surprised to see that all of Rob’s brothers had joined them tonight. He remembered a time not too long ago when Rob could barely stand to be in the same place as them. Things must have sorted themselves out between them now that it was clear who ran what over at the Matheson ranch. Rob and Morgan owned their section of Matheson land outright, along with a stake in the Cruz ranch. The other three Matheson boys ran the rest of their ranch jointly, overseen by their father, Holt.

Cab’s eyes narrowed as he took in another couple; Hannah Ashton and Cody Frank. Since Hannah and Morgan became fast friends over the summer, she’d joined them a couple of times, but this was the first time she’d brought her boyfriend. Cab frowned. He didn’t care for the man. Cody was a bit of a hotshot. Full of himself. Kind of an ass, if you asked him. Hannah was sweet and he hated to see her hitch her wagon to a man like that.

The door opened again behind him and he swung around to see Rose come in. She stopped in her tracks when she saw him.

“Hi,” he said, trying to keep it casual. The last thing he’d expected this morning was her tirade in the parking lot. He still didn’t understand what she was so upset about. By his way of thinking not only was it smart for him to make sure she got safely home—he saw enough in his line of work to know how dangerous the world was—it was also romantic. It showed he cared about her.

That certainly wasn’t the way Rose saw it, however, so he would heed her request. He wouldn’t follow her home next time. At least not closely enough for her to see him.

He smiled down at her now, enjoying the sweet curves of her figure and the way she looked back up at him, interest and suspicion warring in her eyes.

“Hi,” she said and edged around him to enter the living room. “Hi, everyone,” she called out as they both moved into the large, open space.

“See? What did I tell you? They’re together,” Rob said loudly, his voice cutting through every conversation in the room.

There was a hush as all eyes turned to them. Cab stifled the urge to strangle Rob, not an unfamiliar feeling since the man never missed a chance to create mischief. A glance told him Rose had gone pale. He also caught sight of her hand, however, where a certain ring finger no longer wore a ring. Hope surged through him. Had she broken up with Jason?

“I thought she was engaged,” Jamie murmured to Ethan, but his voice carried in the sudden hush.

Cab winced. Awkward, to say the least. Rose stood rigid, her lips pursed together, but just as Cab moved to set things straight, she said loud enough for everyone to hear, “I’ve decided not to be with Jason anymore.” She glanced at Cab. “I had some trouble at my place last night with Emory and Cab helped me out. He was checking to see how I was earlier when you saw us together, Rob. Cab’s a good friend. I appreciate that.”

After another awkward moment of silence, Autumn bustled over and took Rose under her wing, tugging her toward the kitchen where the rest of the women gathered around to question her. Cab shot an angry look at Rob, who ducked his head. He went to sit by Bella and Evan and hoped the rest of the evening would pass more smoothly.

“How are those bison doing?” he asked Bella.

For a moment she seemed confused. When understanding dawned, she laughed and said, “Still haven’t managed to acquire any for my menagerie, but Hannah sure seems interested in them these days.”

“Really?” Evan asked. “Bison?”

Cab still found himself wary around the billionaire, but Evan was proving to be a regular guy. A regular guy with wide interests and the money to fund investigations into many of them. The last he’d heard, Evan and Jake Matheson were putting their heads together to research ways to lessen cattle ranching’s environmental impact.

“Yes,” Bella said. “She’s had a million questions about them this week.”

“Odd,” Evan said. “I do, too.”

Bella looked at him askance. “Why?”

“I’ve read their meat is healthier for us than beef. And since bison ranged here long before we brought cattle with us, you’d think they’d do less environmental damage. It’s one of the things I want to investigate with Jake.”

“There are a few bison ranches to the west,” Cab said. “Mostly for meat, but a few stock the animals so that big game hunters can come and hunt them.”

Bella wrinkled her nose. “I don’t get that. Where exactly is the sport if they’re all penned in?”

Cab shrugged. “Beats me.”

“It’s all about the rush.” Cody appeared suddenly in their midst. A stocky man of medium height, dirty blond hair and brown eyes, he sat down at the far end of the couch Cab occupied, his legs wide and a beer propped on the armrest. He wore faded jeans and a rumpled sweatshirt. Cab doubted he’d done anything to clean up for the gathering tonight. “It’s just you and five thousand pounds of wild animal squaring off. It doesn’t get any better than that.”