His Defender

As she asked the question, she turned around to face him and was immediately relieved to see he was still wearing the jeans and yellow cotton shirt he’d had on earlier this afternoon. She’d sensed that he wouldn’t be one to dress for the evening meal, so she’d changed from her dress into a pair of black capri pants and a black sleeveless top.

His eyes slipped over her face, then downward to where her top V’d between her breasts before he finally met her gaze. “That’s right. Maggie is still single. She’s had a hard time getting over Hugh’s death.”

“What about you?” Isabella asked softly.

“Oh, hell,” he muttered impatiently. “That’s a stupid question. A man never gets over losing his brother. I think of Hugh every day. Sometimes several times a day.”

She suddenly thought of John and how she might react if something were to happen to him. It would devastate her to lose the only sibling she had. But on the other hand, there were times when days went by without her thinking about John. She supposed it might be different if the two of them were close. But they weren’t, and, she thought sadly, she doubted their relationship would ever change.

“So you two were close.”

Even though she’d stated a fact more than asked a question, Ross nodded and grinned. “Hugh was more like me than Seth ever was. Don’t get me wrong, I’m close to Seth, too. But he’s always been a lawman at heart. Hugh liked punching cattle and riding broncs. He was good at it, too. A damn sight better than me.”

The compliment to his late brother surprised Isabella. She’d expected Ross to be the sort that thought of himself as the best.

“I’m sorry Hugh’s not here to help you through this,” she said.

He looked at her, and she could feel his eyes traveling over her hair, which she’d let down from its braid and tied back with a black scarf.

I’m sure that cowboy thought you were very beautiful.

Faint color seeped into Isabella’s cheeks as her mother’s words suddenly waltzed through her mind. She had no idea whether Ross thought she was beautiful, but she did know he looked at her in a way that no man had before, a way that made her feel as though he could see right through her clothing.

“Hugh wouldn’t like what’s been happening on the ranch here lately,” Ross said, his expression suddenly turning grim. “Not even a little bit.”

“What about your other brother?” Isabella asked curiously. “Does he know Victoria’s husband was shot with your rifle?”

“No. He doesn’t even know Victoria and Jess have gotten married. You see, Seth is a Texas Ranger and sometimes he goes off on undercover assignments. When that happens we can’t get in touch with him.” He shook his head. “That’s not entirely right. I expect we could. If it was a dire emergency we could contact his captain down in San Antonio. But this isn’t dire enough…yet.”

Isabella wondered how bad things would have to get before the Ranger was called in. Attempted murder to their brother-in-law wasn’t exactly a minor squabble. Aloud, she said, “Well, I hope it doesn’t become any worse than it already is.”

Grinning as though he didn’t have a worry in the world, Ross turned and walked to the other side of the room where a small bar quartered off one corner. “Would you like a drink before we go into dinner?”

“No. I don’t drink.”

“It doesn’t have to be alcoholic. You can have juice or a soft drink,” he offered.

“All right. Just make it small. I need to save room to try out Marina’s cooking.”

She moved toward the front of the room as he filled two glasses with crushed ice.

“You’re in for a treat,” Ross said. “Nobody can cook like Marina.”

After filling the squatty tumblers with cola, he carried them both to where she was standing by a huge picture window. Beyond the wide glass, dusk was falling, merging the shadows of the distant ranch yard. Lights streamed from the log bunkhouse and horses quietly milled in nearby pens. It was a heavenly sight.

“Twilight and a cowboy’s day is done,” he murmured.

She took the glass he offered and as she looked up at him, the contentment she found on his face revealed more to her about Ross Ketchum than anything he’d said so far.

The T Bar K wasn’t just a ranch or a job to him. It was his love, his life. Without it, he’d be a lost man. Just as she would be lost if she couldn’t fulfill her dream of helping her people.