A Cowboy Returns

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Crossing the threshold, his heart stopped. There, on his nightstand, was his favorite picture of his mother. She smiled out at him. Even though her dark hair had been burnished by sunlight in the picture, time had faded the effect. Still, he could remember the way she appeared. The love on her face still radiated from the photo, though. In spades. The years had passed, indifferent to his family’s grief at the loss of her, but not even time could change how much Eli’d loved her. Nothing could.

He traced the face in the photo and imagined he could still hear her puttering around upstairs. “I miss her, too.”

Eli dropped the picture and the glass frame shattered. “I—” He glanced at the picture and back to the door, where a large man filled the doorway. “Tyson?”

“I don’t remember her as well as you and Cade, but it was still hard to lose her.”

His youngest brother was now definitely not the littlest. He was a couple of inches taller than Eli’s own six feet two inches and clearly comfortable in his skin as he moved into the room. “Grown a bit since you last saw me.”

Backing up, Eli stepped on the broken glass and winced at the sound.

Tyson paused, his brows winging down. “What the hell happened to your face? You look like someone dragged your ass down the runway. You do know you’re supposed to stay inside the plane until it comes to a complete stop at the gate, right?” He snorted. “And here I figured you were the debonair, well-traveled brother.” Stepping across the small room, he wrapped Eli in a rib-cracking hug. “It’s so good to see you, man.”

Eli wasn’t sure what he’d expected from his little brother, but given the brutal reception he’d gotten from everyone else, it definitely wasn’t this.

He wanted to hug Ty back. He wanted to put distance between them. He wanted someone to shock his heart back into a normal rhythm.

Instead, for just a second, he reveled in a brother’s love.

* * *

REAGAN AND THREE of the ranch hands trailered their rides as far northeast as they could go on the Bar C. Unloading at the gate to the last pasture on the place, she tossed walkie-talkies to each man and left one in the truck in case Ty or Cade showed up and needed to contact them. Mounting one of Ty’s geldings, she adjusted her stirrups and checked her saddlebags. Everything was there, from medical supplies and antibiotics to a pistol for animals that were suffering and beyond help.

Coiling her rope and securing it to her saddle, she whistled for Brisket and headed for the gate. The dog slipped in close, trotting along to keep up.

The men followed in a tight group. Jake Peterson, the most seasoned of the men and another childhood friend of hers, moved up beside her. “How far out do you think the cows’ll be?”

She glanced at the midafternoon sun. “I’m hoping we find them in the front half of this pasture. If not, it’ll mean getting a chopper out here to push them toward us, and that’s not cost effective. It’ll also stress them out more than they already are. We’ll save it as a last resort.” Leaning forward, she tightened her saddle’s cinch without stopping her horse. “Regardless, we’ve got to do whatever it takes to get this contained, Jake.”

He settled his hat more firmly on his head and frowned. “This is going to be bad, Reagan, isn’t it?”

“Let’s not borrow trouble,” she said softly, eyes on the horizon.

“No need to borrow when the coffers are full.”

She snorted. “Aren’t you a bundle of joy today?”

“Just worried. Forgot my canteen. Be right back.” He wheeled his horse around and galloped off.

The soft voices of the other men around her and the methodical clop of horse hooves were almost carried away by the sound of the wind whispering through the grass. Being out here on horseback with nothing but the sky above her and the power and potential of one of Ty’s cutting horses beneath her proved spiritually cathartic. She hadn’t realized how much she’d truly needed the privacy to process the day’s events.

Never in a million years would she have suspected today would be the day she ended up facing off with Eli Covington. So much history. So much hurt. She had no idea how she was going to survive the next week or two as she did what she had to do, and he did the same. He’d want the estate probated as quickly as possible. That made sense. But if this was truly Shipping Fever, it was the worst case she’d ever heard about. She’d have to get the state vet involved.

Wanting more distance, she urged her horse into a swift lope. No doubt the men would catch up, but she’d have a few minutes to herself to just breathe. She never expected the tears that first caught up and then overran her.

Leaning over the saddle, she spurred the horse into a dead run. Ghosts of the past chased her across the plains, nipping at her heels. Their teeth had been finely honed on the sharp clarity of memories she’d once cherished and now resented. Every touch, every kiss, every promise they’d made—every promise they’d broken—it all rushed over her in a ruthless barrage of brilliant recollections. But the taste of him today... It had broken the fragile levee she’d finally managed to build to keep her feelings contained.

The wind whipped her hat off her head. She didn’t slow down. If anything, she urged her horse faster, then faster still. Giving him his head, she buried her face in his mane and just held on. A harsh sob escaped as years of blinding heartache flooded through her.

Hoofbeats thundered up behind her. Sitting up, she scrubbed one hand over her face and fought to catch her breath. No one would say anything, but there would be curiosity. And out here, curiosity led to speculation, which led to probabilities, which led to the birth of the most insane gossip. She didn’t want to suffer through it. Particularly not with Eli in town.

It had been bad enough when Luke had died. For months, all she’d heard were condolences. The sentiments had been heartfelt, yes. But they’d all been as empty to her as her bed had been at night. No casserole, phone call or sympathy card could take the place of the man who had loved her for five years. She’d learned to hear the words without listening, without assigning them value.

A broad hand reached for her reins.

Sitting deep in the saddle, she parked her feet in the stirrups and shut the horse down. Like the brilliant athlete he was, the horse sat on his hindquarters and slid to a hard stop. Barely winded, he righted himself and stood waiting, ready.

Ty spun his horse and trotted up to her, her hat in hand. He offered the Stetson without comment.

She accepted it, absently reshaping the brim.

“You were running as if the hounds of hell were hot on your heels.” Reaching out, he grabbed her wrist. “I checked. No hounds. What’s going on?”

Her smile was wobbly as she drew a deep breath and blew out hard enough to puff her cheeks. “I’m good.” When he arched a single brow, she nodded quickly. “Honest.”

“Don’t ever bullshit a bullshitter, Reagan. What happened?”

The noise that escaped was half laugh, half sob. “I thought, just once, I’d indulge myself and try to outrun a past I can’t seem to escape. That’s what happened.” Slapping her hat on her head, she realized the group was quickly catching up. She glared at Ty. “Not a word, Ty. Not to anyone.”

“You should probably know that I, uh...” He tugged at his collar and whipped his head to the side, popping his neck.

“Know what?” she asked with a snarl.

“That he brought me along.” Eli had stopped several feet away, his eyes hidden by reflective sunglasses. He’d changed into jeans and a pair of beat-up boots she recognized from years past. His shirt was clean but wrinkled.

“Great.” How much had he heard? Whatever it was, she couldn’t take it back. Instead, she stared at the very man she’d so wanted to avoid. “Been a while since you’ve sat a horse, Eli. Do your best not to fall off, would you? Earlier, it seemed you’d already taken the opportunity to roll around in shit. Once a day is our limit out here.”

Tyson barked out a laugh. “You rolled around in shit? Where was I?”

Eli never took his eyes off Reagan when he answered. “You missed Cade taking it upon himself to reintroduce me to his fists.”

Ty sobered instantly. “So you didn’t jump from the plane?”

“No.” He shook his head, his eyes still on her. “While I’m flattered you’re worried about my well-being, don’t bother. I can take what you dish out, Dr. Matthews.”

Ty sobered instantly. “That’s right. She said you knew about her marrying Luke and—”

“The marriage. Nothing more, Ty, and I insist it stay that way.” Reagan reined the horse to the side with a heavier hand than necessary. The animal protested by tossing his head and crow hopping. She settled him down and pointed him toward the northeast again. “Chances are, the herd has holed up out here where they can be sick and miserable without human intervention. I want to get to them as quickly as possible. Either keep up or go home, Esquire.”

“You’ve gotten bossy as hell,” Eli muttered.

“And you’ve got a great manicure. Your point?”

Ty bit his lip and nearly choked on his laughter.

“You always were a smart-ass.” Eli coiled his rope with a practiced ease that made her fight the familiarity of him. “Some things never change.”

Settling her hat tight, she forced herself to calm down or she’d transmit her tension to her mount. “True, but some things, and people, do. Don’t pretend to know who I am anymore, Eli.”

Clucking at the gelding, she slipped into an easy lope.

The sooner she got this job over with, the sooner she could get home and start piecing her life together again. But after Eli’s reappearance, it was going to take more than all of her life experience and surgical skill.

It was going to take a miracle.

5 (#ulink_82b2b028-614f-5ec1-80a2-1e3e51eb0df7)

ELI’S LEGS WERE sore by the end of the first hour. By the end of the second, he wasn’t sure he still had an ass. He shifted in his saddle as Ty reined in next to him, a wicked smile decorating the kid’s face.

“You ever do those Buns of Steel videos?”

The casual inquiry caught Eli off guard. “What? No. Why?”

“I was thinking I might market a cowboy version, Buns of Leather. You know—ride ’em rough, ride ’em tough, fifteen minutes is never enough.”

Eli laughed out loud. The ranch hands glanced their way before casually returning to their own conversation. They’d extended due courtesy to Eli. Their words and behaviors stopped long short of respect, though. To Ty, on the other hand, they were deferential. It chafed.

Ty caught him shaking his head. The youngest Covington reached over and punched the elder in the shoulder. “Give them time, Eli.”

“Time to what? Drown me in the stock tank? Drop a branding iron in my lap? Dump my ass in the bull pasture before they take off with my horse? No, thanks.”

“I’d forgotten Cade and I did that your last summer at home. Dad was pissed.” His mouth twitched. “If it makes you feel any better, the bulls are on the south side of the place now.”

Eli shook his head. “You guys almost got me killed.”

“Never saw a guy climb a windmill so damn fast.”

“I was up there overnight!” Reaching out, he flipped his little brother’s hat off his head.

Ty caught it before it hit the ground, grinning. “And you’re still whining about it.”

“Shut up.” Eli smiled through the grumbled command. In a weird way, it hurt to remember the good times. He’d spent so many years hating who he’d been and where he’d come from that looking back with affection felt wrong, like a betrayal of who he’d fought so hard to become. Being reminded that it hadn’t all sucked...it stung.

Then there was the little bit he’d overheard of Reagan’s admission to Ty. That more than stung. Way more.

Clearing his throat, he twisted in his saddle and found her. She rode among the men with the surety of one who belonged. He envied her the ease with which she fit in. She’d always been that way, though, so confident and aware of where she belonged. He’d had to scramble to keep up, always feeling one step behind.

Her eyes met his.

A shock of awareness burned through him. He twisted around so quickly he nearly unseated himself.

“She’s an amazing woman,” Ty said softly.

“Always was.” The admission scraped at emotions that were already raw. He adjusted his sunglasses. “When did she marry?”

Ty slouched in his saddle. “Eight years ago.”

So long. “Any kids?”

“No. They never—”