He said, “It’s been my experience that drug dealers don’t generally look like drug dealers.”
“Ohh, known a lot of them, have we?” she said sarcastically.
He was quiet. He was also tired of fighting what he was beginning to feel for her. It wasn’t comfortable, especially with Phillip James foaming at the mouth and looking for soft targets. He thought of Josie lying in a pool of blood and it chilled him all over. “Listen,” he said earnestly, “while we’re gone in New York for Odalie’s debut, don’t leave the ranch, not for any reason,” he said solemnly.
“Why?” she asked, puzzled. “Do you think I’ll get lost and not be able to find my way back?” she replied.
He stopped the truck on a long branch of dark country road. His big hand reached out and brushed back a strand of hair away from her mouth. She tingled all over and tried not to let it show. “Tony Garza says Phillip James is looking for soft targets. Youdon’t technically belong to the family, but that doesn’t mean you’re not involved with us. We have good men on the payroll, even a couple of ex-feds who are dead shots. But you mustn’t give him any opportunity to snatch you,” he added.
“So nice of you to care,” she said lightly, trying to sound sophisticated, when actually she glowed inside at the words.
“I don’t want you hurt,” he said suddenly, and his face was solemn. “Stay on the ranch. Don’t wander, and never go anywhere alone, even here.”
He was really worried. It made her feel strange inside; young and carefree and cared for. These were feelings she hadn’t enjoyed in years. Especially not since her mother was alive. But of course this was nothing like a mother’s concern. It was something totally different.
“I’ll be careful,” she promised.
“Carrying that weapon around with you is still a good idea,” he added.
“Yes,” she said, and the one word carried a level of confidence that convinced.
Unexpectedly, he caught her fingers with his and twined them together. “Do you like to fish?” he asked.
She laughed, “What a question!”
“Do you?” he persisted.
“I love to fish,” she said. “But I don’t like fly fishing or trout fishing. I like to just sit on a stream with a cane pole with a hook, line and sinker and catch whatever I can.”
He chuckled, “That’s how I like to fish, except once in a while Dad and I like to go down to the coast and fish for blue Marlin or red snapper.”
“I’ve never gone deep-sea fishing,” she said. “I think you have to be pretty strong for that and I’m not.”
“Well, you can watch me fish.” He glanced at her and grinned. “And I’ll let you clean what I catch.”
She laughed delightedly. “That might be fun,” she said.
“Next year, then,” he replied. “In the spring, when all of this drama is over.”
Her heart jumped. He actually sounded serious, and the fingers so warm and strong around her own closed even closer as they neared the ranch house. She felt odd. It was a nice feeling; although what might happen between now and next spring was up in the air and worrisome.
John was surprised by his own reaction to her. She was such a conundrum. One minute she seemed like a street-smart girl who knew all the angles, and the next like a shy young woman who barely went out of the house. Surely, the answer was somewhere in between. There was this unfortunate choice of professions that had landed her in what didn’t really sound like real estate at all, but in something that was against the law. He wasn’t sure whether she was a good girl or a bad girl, but he sensed something about her that made him feel warm inside, that made him feel happy as he hadn’t felt for years while he mooned over his brother’s wife. Even in the hopeless knowledge that she could never love him, ever since Josie had stormed into his life, he felt differently. It wasn’t a bad feeling at all and even the worst of people could be reformed if they wanted to be. He was going to make sure that she wanted to be reformed. He was thinking ahead; no longer behind.
The treaty sale had only a few buyers, so Josie’s acquaintance, Eduardo, was able to match and surpass the only other bid—an online one—on the small lot of purebred bulls. Josie’s new friend was wearing expensive boots that probably cost as much as a luxury car, and a Stetson that would have bankrupted a rodeo cowboy. With that he wore designer jeans, a long blue chambray shirt and a sheepskin jacket like the one John liked to wear. He was so gorgeous that even Mercedes and Heathercame out into the yard just to look at him. Josie was amused at the attention he drew and surprised that it seemed to make no difference to him at all. He was totally oblivious to the attention he attracted.
He and Cole were talking at the fence. A handful of other cattlemen had come but not to bid on the purebred young bulls; they bought some of Cole’s older bulls. Duarte was curious about why Raines had been so impatient to get his hands on these young bulls and, in fact, had almost begged Duarte to purchase them. The man never did anything without an ulterior motive. Velasquez wondered what his motive was. Raines had already volunteered to drive the bulls all the way down to Velasquez’s ranch with the help of two other men. It was probably just business, but something about the man’s demeanor disturbed Velasquez. All his instincts were standing up yelling at him.
“There’s nothing like a Santa Gertrudis bull,” Cole told the other man.
Velasquez chuckled. “As I have often remarked to other people, who think I must be crazy.”
“Obviously, you weren’t talking to cattlemen,” Cole chuckled.
“Absolutely,” Velasquez replied. He was scowling. “Do they not seem unusually—what is the word?—chubby to you?” he asked. “And they seem uncomfortable, as if they are ill. But they do not look ill.”
Cole frowned. “My foreman mentioned that they’ve been having some stomach issues. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about, but we can have our veterinarian give them a once-over before you take delivery, if you want them. It could be scours. If so, it will need to be treated promptly.”
“Oh, now, boss,” Raines said quickly, coming up beside them, “it’s probably just the cold. You know how young animals get when it’s too cold or too hot. They just have all sorts of little health issues. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
