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“I guess so,” she said softly.
“Don’t let me regret my decision.”
* * *
The drive into Timber was quiet. Travis was thankful that AJ kept her focus out the window, eliminating the need for conversation. She was an employee, he reminded himself. Nothing more. No need for chitchat.
When Travis pulled into town, he circled the block, looking for a parking spot.
“Why are there so many cars in town?” AJ asked.
“The Timber Diner.”
“I’ve never in all my life seen this many cars for the diner,” she said. “As I recall, their coffee could take paint off a wall.”
“New owners. Best food in Timber and it only has a seating capacity of twenty-five. Early bird gets the Denver omelet.” When his cell phone rang, he pulled the device from his back pocket and glanced at the screen. Big Heart Ranch again. He nodded to AJ.
“Do you mind if I take this call? I’ll catch up.”
“No problem.”
“I’ll drop you off at the station and circle around until I find a parking spot.”
When the truck stopped, AJ reached for the door handle.
“Check in with Chief Daniels,” he said. “But be warned. He’s going to regale you with a story about his latest fishing expedition or his grandchildren. Just nod and smile.” He paused. “Oh, and if Rusty gives you any problems—”
AJ placed a hand on his arm and he froze, his mouth wide open as her baby blues met his. “I have this,” she said. “Trust me. I have everything under control.”
She was tossing his own words right back at him.
Then she opened the passenger door of the truck and hopped down. For a moment he watched her walk down the street, hat in hand. AJ Rowe’s mettle was about to be tested. They were both about to find out if Big Heart Ranch’s new assistant foreman could do the job she’d been hired to do.
His cell rang again and he put it on speaker phone as he pulled into a parking spot. He put out a few more fires at the ranch before heading to the police station.
The door to the City of Timber police administration building swung open just as Travis placed a hand on the metal push bar. A large man wearing a black Stetson barreled out the door, his shoulder grazing Travis as he stormed past.
“Careful there, friend,” Travis said.
The man stopped and turned around, his expression thunderous.
“No. You be careful, Maxwell. Or I might have to mess up that pretty face of yours.”
Travis nearly groaned aloud. The man that stood facing him down was none other than Jace McAlester. What the cowboy lacked in height he made up for in bulk. McAlester was as huge as a double-wide and as intimidating as an angry bull just out of the chute.
He stomped through each day with a permanent attitude problem, along with a grudge against Travis that dated back to their professional rodeo days. No telling what had set him off today.
“Good to see you, too, Jace.”
“Only good thing about seeing you, Maxwell, is another opportunity to wipe that smile off your face.”
“Not today, buddy.” Travis raised his hands.
“I am not your buddy.”
“That’s too bad. No reason old competitors can’t be friends.”
“In your dreams. I hear your kiddie farm is up against us big boys for that government grant.” McAlester sneered.
“That grant is for emerging ranchers.”
“The McAlester Ranch deed was turned over to me when my father retired last summer. That means I qualify as manager and foreman of my new ranch.”
“That so? Good for you. As I recall, you and I always favored a bit of competition.”
“Only when I win, and you can be sure I will. McAlester Ranch is certain to take that grant.”
“It’s not over until the fat cow sings.” Travis chuckled, unable to resist a parting shot for the uptight cowboy.
“What did you call me?” McAlester raged as the ham-hock-size hands he held at his side curled into fists.
“It’s an expression, Jace.” Travis released a weary sigh. Lucy was going to be very unhappy if he got into a tussle, especially with this sorry excuse for a cowboy. He’d be no better than Rusty, setting a poor example for the kids of Big Heart Ranch.
So instead of drawing his fists, Travis braced himself as Jace pulled back his arm, ready to strike.
“Jace, stop!”
AJ pushed out the door of the police station with Rusty behind her. She jumped between Travis and Jace.
“What are you doing here?” Jace cocked his head, confusion all over his face.
“None of your business,” AJ said. “But if you don’t stand down and keep moving, I’m going to get Chief Daniels and then I’m calling Lem.”
“You’re defending this guy?” Jace asked. He rubbed his fist into the palm of his other hand, eyes wide with annoyance, steam practically rolling from the space between his ears.
“Mr. Maxwell is my boss.”
Jace’s eyes rounded. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Does Lem know?”
“I don’t report to Lem these days, but yes, he does know I’m back in Timber and working for Big Heart Ranch.”
“What about Gus?”
“I’ll come and get Gus when I’m able. Lem says he can stay.”
“Lem’s not in charge. I am, and Gus’s keep isn’t cheap.”
“I’ll pay you as soon as I can.”
Jace stared at her for a long moment and then shook his head. “So you’re telling me that you chose Maxwell over your own family? Over your future?”
She winced at the verbal jab, which opened a truckload of questions in Travis’s mind.
“We aren’t family, Jace, and you took my future years ago.”
At the words, Jace’s jaw tightened and he narrowed his eyes. “You think Maxwell has anything to offer but a temporary wrangler position? Wake up, Amanda Jane. No rancher with any sense is going to let a woman run his ranch. Your daddy did you no favors letting you believe that fairy tale.”
“The only mistake my daddy ever made was telling me that all cowboys are honorable men.”
The silence stretched as everyone froze.
Though AJ had paled, she stood her ground, her gaze unwavering as she looked at the big man.
Jace released a breath, his eyes steely with fury. “You’re going to regret siding with Maxwell.” The words were low and ice-cold. “Mark my words. He’s going down and you’re going to go down with him.”
“Easy there, McAlester,” Travis said as he gently moved AJ aside. “Those are pretty strong threats you’re tossing around.”
Jace McAlester looked him up and down, contempt all over his face, before he stalked off.
“You okay?” he asked AJ.
She offered a shaky nod and wrapped her arms around herself.
Travis glanced up and down the street, where several people had stopped to see what was going on. He had a hundred questions for his new assistant foreman, but he wasn’t going to ask them in the middle of the sidewalk in downtown Timber, Oklahoma.
Instead he turned to Rusty, who sported a black eye and a split lip. The man’s red hair stood on end and his wrinkled, pearl-buttoned, white Western shirt was buttoned all wrong. Drops of blood spattered the once pristine shirt and his Stetson was dusty.
Rusty’s eyes were wide and his mouth open as he stared at AJ.
Travis shook his head. “So, Rusty, I see you’ve met the new assistant foreman.”
“Uh, yeah.” He blinked and turned to AJ. “She bailed me out.”
“What do you have to say for yourself?” Travis asked.
Rusty bowed his head. “I let you down, and I apologize.”
Travis turned to AJ. “Did you—”
“She fired me.” Rusty looked at AJ and wiped his eyes. “You were right, ma’am. I’ve got to get my act together. I’m going to look into that counseling. I appreciate your concern.”
Travis’s eyes popped wide open when Rusty folded him into a bear hug. “Thanks for putting up with me for so long.”
“Ah, yeah. Sure, buddy.” He stepped back, far from Rusty’s reach. “No problem. You understand we’re between a rock and a hard place here?”
“Oh, yeah. Absolutely. AJ explained that I was endangering the ranch and the kids.”
“She did?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Stop by the office on Monday and you can pick up your last check and your personal stuff.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Uh, Rusty, I’ll need your keys and your gate security badge.”
Rusty dug into the pockets of his baggy Wranglers and pulled them out along with a pair of pliers, a barbed wire stretcher–cable puller and a roll of electrical tape. “Here you go.”
Travis blinked at the sight. “How did you get all that in your pockets?”
“I don’t know. I was fixing fences when my girlfriend called yesterday. I shoved everything in my pockets and headed to town.” He shrugged and turned to leave. “Thanks again.”
“Ah, yeah.” Travis stared in stunned silence as Rusty moved down the sidewalk. When the wrangler was out of earshot, he turned to AJ. “Nice job.”
“Thanks.” She cleared her throat. “So I passed the test?”
“First one,” he said without meeting her gaze.
“Mind if I ask how you know Jace?” she asked.
“Rodeo. Seems like a long time ago.” He cocked his head in question. “What’s going on between you two?”
“Going on? Nothing. Jace McAlester is my stepbrother.”
Travis blinked, digesting the words. “I did not see that one coming,” he murmured. “Jace McAlester is your...”
She nodded.
He shook his head. His new assistant foreman was kin to the man who considered Travis his arch enemy. Oh, yeah. This day just kept getting better.
* * *
“Where are you going?” AJ asked as she double-timed her steps to keep up with Travis. She dodged people and pots of geraniums, trying to keep up with the man’s long strides down Cedar Avenue and around the corner to Main.
“Back to the ranch. I had to park around down by the library.”
Suddenly he stopped and she rammed right into him. “Oomph.”
Travis turned and grabbed her arm, steadying her. “You okay?”
Dazed, AJ met his dark eyes and nodded. Yes, she’d be fine once her heart slowed down and breathing commenced. “Why did you stop?”
He pointed to the sign in the office window of the Timber Independence on Main Street. “Timber Rodeo. We can sign up here at the newspaper office.”
“‘We’?”
“One of the things the grant committee looks at is our community involvement.”
