The Right Cowboy

“I’m going to help you, too. It’ll go a lot faster. Did you phone Dad?”

He nodded. “Sally and I did it together earlier. They’re coming home today. We talked about whom to hire to start rebuilding the barn.”

“How upset was he?”

“Your father believes it’s someone working for the forest service who has a grudge against the government and some of their policies. Your dad has seen this behavior before. A few crazies out there try to take the law into their own hands and start fires. In your father’s case, they want him to stop allowing his cattle to graze on forest land even though he has the legal right.”

“That’s horrible.” She looked at Dean. “Do you think Dad’s insurance will cover the arson damage completely?”

“I’d have to take a look at the policy.”

“When the police catch the man who did this, I hope he goes to prison for the rest of his life!”

On that note, they finished eating. Lyle got up from the table first. “While I go in and check on Sally, will you find the keys to the horse trailer rig? Then we’ll start loading the horses.”

Tamsin nodded. “They’re in Dad’s study. I’ll get them. Be right back.” She hurried through the house and got the keys out of his desk. When she returned to the kitchen, Dean was loading the dishwasher.

“You don’t need to be washing our dishes.”

He turned his attractive head in her direction. “What if I want to?”

Dean was that kind of guy and so rock solid. She could never find a better man who would always be there for her. Loving him for those qualities, she walked over and gave him a hug.

“You’ve done enough. Let’s go load the horses.”

He kissed her thoroughly before they left the house. For the last month he’d wanted to take their relationship to a more intimate level. Tamsin had held back, but for the life of her she couldn’t understand why. He was a terrific man and had been so understanding the other night about breaking their date.

Because he and Lyle were brothers, he was over at the ranch a lot. The cozy situation threw the four of them together all the time. She and Dean didn’t have enough privacy. Maybe that needed to change. Not for the first time had she thought about getting her own apartment.

What was she waiting for? Seeing Cole again made her realize she’d been living in a deep freeze while he was out having the time of his life. It was time to do something about it.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized she needed her independence. It was long past time Tamsin lived on her own. She’d stayed around her family too long. They’d been there for her after Cole had ridden out of her life, helping her to recover. And she’d gone along allowing it to continue.

She’d saved enough money to get a place of her own. With the horses having to be boarded for at least a couple of months away from the ranch, now would be the time to leave. Her family could wait on Sally.

Once Tamsin was on her own, maybe she would discover just how in love she was with Dean. It was time to find out. After seeing Cole again, all she knew was that she needed perspective to get her head on straight. His arrival in town seemed to have served as a wakeup call, pulling her out of a deep sleep.

All this and more ran through her head while she and Dean helped Lyle load the horses from the paddock and drive them to their new temporary location. Before the day was over, she planned to get online and see what housing rentals were available. The sooner the better.

Two hours later, they’d accomplished their objective. Tamsin did everything in her power to make the horses comfortable in their temporary home, especially her mare Flossie. While she fed her some treats, Dean put his arm around her shoulders.

“You love her the way some people love their children.”

She chuckled. “I guess I do.”

He turned her around. “Last night I almost lost it when I thought you might have been hurt in that fire. It’s all I’ve been able to think about.” With that admission he gave her another long kiss she welcomed.

“I was so thankful you came over when you did!”

“I never want to be separated from you. I wish I didn’t have to leave now, but I have an important meeting at work. I’ll call you later and we’ll get together tonight.”

“I’d like that.” She meant it. Cole had come home and she’d survived seeing him again. But it was Dean she cared about now and she wanted to show him.

* * *

AT EIGHT O’CLOCK Tuesday morning Cole walked into the fire station wearing jeans and one of his long-sleeved denim shirts. He’d been getting ready to go to work on his new job when Chief Powell summoned him to attend an emergency meeting.

When he entered the conference room, he saw a large group of firefighters assembled plus Chief Powell and Commissioner Rich, head of the arson unit. Other men had been called in, too, several of whom wore police uniforms.

Wyatt sat in one corner and signaled to Cole, who joined him in the empty seat next to him. “What’s going on with the big confab?”

“I guess we’re going to find out.”

Another couple of guys walked in the room and found a seat before Chief Powell got to his feet. “Gentlemen? Thanks for coming on such short notice. We’ve had a serious arson problem here in Sublette County for the past three months. Commissioner Rich, the head of the Arson Task Force, has called a meeting of all of us for help. As I read your names, will you please stand?

“Whitebark Police Chief Holden Granger—

“Director Arnie Blunt of the Wyoming State Fire Services Department—

“Norm Selkirk, head of Sublette County Law Enforcement—

“Orson Perone, regional head of Wyoming forestry that includes fire prevention—

“Thank you, gentlemen. Now I’d like to turn over the meeting to Commissioner Rich.”

The sixtyish-looking, sandy-haired man got to his feet. “I’ve been interviewing the owners of the other ranches who’ve been hit with fires in the last three months. I’ve just come from interviewing the owner of the Circle R Ranch, Howard Rayburn, the latest victim in this rash of fires. It happened just two days ago.

“He wasn’t home at the time, but he believes he’s being targeted for using forest land to let his cattle graze there despite his legal right. Occasionally someone comes out of the woodwork upset over this practice. He’s seen it before.”

Cole bowed his head. The memory of those few painful moments with Tamsin in the paddock were still too fresh not to be affected by what he was hearing.

“What I’d like is to get an opinion from each of you, especially the crew from this station who fought the fire the other night. Anything you tell us in this meeting could be valuable no matter how insignificant you think it might be.

“Before I call on you one at a time, I’ll pass out a map that shows the location of each fire and read the list I’ve compiled of what we know about them. In all cases, a ranch was targeted.”

Once the maps were distributed, he began talking. While Cole listened, he kept studying the areas of Sublette County where the fires had been set and thought he saw a pattern in their locations. His mind kept harkening back to something his mentor had explained in detail during the last year of his graduate studies.

“They were all started in the middle of the night with no witnesses, and an accelerant was used every time,” the commissioner explained.

“Eight fires were set inside the fencing that holds the stacked hay bales. None were locked. No lightning was involved.

“The other two were set inside barns where it was estimated that the large fire load of hay inside the barn must have been burning twenty to thirty minutes before it was detected. The electrical wiring and all other potential accidental causes of the fires have been ruled out and no lightning was involved.

“The public outcry is mandating a response to solve these crimes despite the availability of only circumstantial evidence. These fires have now become a priority for the criminal justice system. We’re preparing a flier to distribute to every rancher in the county. They need to be alerted to the impending danger to their property and figure out ways to safeguard it.

“We’re hoping those warnings will make a difference, but we need to pick the brains of you men who fight these fires every day. Your instincts could help to save lives and millions of dollars. Why don’t we go around the back row first and get your opinions? Please state your name and tell us how long you’ve been with the department.”

Cole heard a lot of grudge theories, but nothing specific. When it came to his turn, he got to his feet. “I’m Cole Hawkins. I grew up right here in Whitebark and went to college in Boulder, Colorado. While I was studying, I also trained to become a firefighter with the Boulder Fire Department. I planned to come home to the ranch after graduation and combine my work with firefighting the way my dad did.”