Honey?Jessie couldn’t believe her favorite horse was still here on the ranch. She walked over and ran her hands over the Arabian’s shiny, honey-colored coat. The smooth, silky hair calmed Jessie. She closed her eyes and inhaled. The smell of horses, leather, and straw wrapped around her.
Honey gave a soft whinny and pressed her nose into Jessie’s neck. A feeling of weightlessness swept over Jessie.
She looked at Jake. “How did you know?” The question sounded cryptic, but Jake would know what she meant.
Jake shrugged. “Never had a problem that didn’t seem smaller from the back of a horse.”
Ten minutes later, Jake helped Jessie onto Honey’s back and adjusted the stirrups.
“Are there rattlesnakes out this time of year?” Though Jessie had ridden Honey dozens of times after getting thrown off, she couldn’t help remembering what happened the last time she rode out alone.
Jake patted Honey’s neck. “Haven’t seen any for a few years. You should be fine.”
Jessie turned Honey and led her down the lane, deeper into the heart of the ranch. She relaxed into the saddle, appreciating Honey’s smooth gait, and let her gaze roam over the beautiful countryside.
Everywhere she looked, memories assaulted her. The alfalfa fields reminded her of the time she stayed up all night baling hay with Robert and the cattle grazing in the distant pastures, brought to mind the many times she’d helped with calving, branding, and roundup.
A hundred and fifty yards from the main house stood a grove of trees that hid a small meadow. Jessie and Robert had often stolen away to that cozy meadow when they wanted to be alone.
Honey’s gait slowed as though she anticipated being led into the grove. But Jessie couldn’t go there. Not yet.
Maybe never.
Jessie pulled the reins, turning Honey to the west, and nudged her flanks.
Chapter 16
Brady greeted Robert when he walked through the front door of the Adam’s County Sheriff’s Office the next morning. Cheryl, the weekend dispatcher, must have stepped away from her desk, because Brady lounged in her chair, scrolling on his phone.
“Hey, boss. I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning.”
Robert glanced at the clock that hung in the foyer. Yep. It was still morning, but just barely. He’d slept late this morning, but he was too keyed up and worried about Jessie to sit around at home, so he’d come in even though he wasn’t scheduled.
“I’ve got a few things to take care of.”
“I’ll bet. I heard about the excitement last night.” Brady eyed Robert’s temple. “Looks like Pendleton meant business.”
You have no idea.A chill raced down Robert’s spine every time he thought about the man’s threat concerning Jessie.
He gave a noncommittal response and continued to his office. He still couldn’t believe Pendleton clocked him with an ax. Either Robert was slipping, or he’d let his concern for Jessie cloud his judgment.
He settled into his chair, wishing he didn’t have a headache settling in already. It didn’t help that he hadn’t gotten to bed until after midnight. After dropping Jessie off at the ranch, he’d driven out to the county jail to make sure they had properly booked Pendleton on charges of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, trespassing, and violating a restraining order. Then he’d spend over an hour in his office doing paperwork before finally going home to ice his head.
With it being Saturday, the judge wouldn’t set Pendleton’s bail until Monday. Keeping him behind bars was the only way Jessie would get any peace of mind. He hoped Uncle Dawson, who was the justice of the peace, wouldn’t let him down and set a hefty bail, so Robert didn’t have to worry about Pendleton going after Jessie again soon.
He picked up his phone and called Knight’s Repair Shop. When he got Scott Wheeler on the phone, he couldn’t help the smile that stole over his face.
“Scott, this is Sheriff Winters. I need you to do me a favor.”
“Sure. What’s up?” Scott’s voice was considerably deeper than his brother Rudy’s, one of Robert’s deputies. Of course, Scott was considerably stockier than Rudy, too.
“I made an arrest at my family’s cabin up near the lake last night and I need the perpetrator’s car towed.”
“No problem. Where am I towing it?”
Robert scratched his jaw. Providence didn’t have an impound yard, so they had to improvise on the few occasions that impounding a vehicle had been necessary.
“Do you have room in the lot behind the repair shop?” It was one of the few places in town with an eight-foot chain-link fence and a padlock.
