Where the Heart Leads (24 page)

“That was my thought too.” Gabriel nodded, sharing an unspoken agreement with the cowboy. The Klemp brothers were wanted, they were criminals and they were being tracked. There could be only one reason why they were hanging around. “I hear their father used to work here.”

“Like Beckett.” John waved across the yard to where Beckett emerged from the barn, heading toward them. “He was promised a piece of this ranch, but his sweat equity wasn’t good enough. Maureen likely burned up their agreement. When she died, there was no way to prove it.”

“Sounds like Maureen.” He’d had plenty of dealings with that woman. She’d done her best to buy him off more times than he could count, and when that didn’t work, she’d tried to scare him off. “She cheated that Klemp fellow too?”

“That’s what Burton and I told Milo. We’ve been talking to him ever since we found out about his sons. We ain’t gonna let them hurt this ranch. It’s Aumaleigh’s heritage, and it’s our livelihood. It’s our sweat and our blood. We’ll defend it.”

“Let me know what I can do. I’ll do anything.” He meant that—with everything he had and everything he was.

Aumaleigh. She was at the fence line petting the demanding gelding’s nose. It was in her stance, in the humor like a bell in her voice, in the natural accord she had with animals.

“Phil, you are a nut. Here’s your carrot.” She held the vegetable on the flat of her palm, laughing as the horse lipped up the treat. “Oh, you’re such a gentleman. What a good boy you are.”

The animal preened. She had a way with animals. She still had that soft touch. Tenderness took him over, melting even more.

“I don’t think the true nature of the situation has occurred to her yet.” John was grim. “Aumaleigh has a gentle soul. She doesn’t understand the deception of certain kinds of men.” John’s voice dipped with meaning, with feeling.

Gabriel tried not to bristle. It wasn’t hard to see that John was being protective of Aumaleigh, the way a father might. All he could do was to reassure the cowboy. “I’ll be careful with her, John.”

“See that you do. Burton and I don’t want to have to come knock some sense into you.” John winked, belying his threat. “Not that we’re violent sorts, but you’d be mighty unpopular with us.”

“I don’t want to risk that, believe me.” Gabriel understood. He liked that she had good men looking out for her, good men who understood what she’d been through with her family. “Save me a place inside. I want to talk with her.”

“Okay, but don’t be long.” John chuckled. “We’re a hungry horde. We’ll eat anything that’s not nailed down. Ain’t that right, Beckett?”

“That’s the truth.” Beckett strolled up. “C’mon, John. Let’s leave the two of them be.”

The younger man nodded his approval, and it felt good. It mattered a lot. Maybe her family would be behind them this time. Wouldn’t that be a change?

“Sorry, Phil, there’s just one.” Aumaleigh’s laughter was like music, and for an instant, he caught sight of the girl she’d been, full of charm and hope. “Stop that, stop kissing me right now. That’s just—oh, you’re tickling me.”

The troublesome Phil didn’t stop. He went right on nibbling Aumaleigh’s ears and face, giving her a rough lick along her jaw. He swished his tail, his chocolate eyes full of mischief. The horse seemed enchanted too by the willowy woman, as good-hearted as a princess, as sweet as spring.

Gabriel didn’t remember crossing the yard, only that he was near to her, that he was touching close. His fingers itched to settle on the small of her back and turn her toward him so he could capture that laughing smile of hers with a kiss.

“Gabriel. Why aren’t you in eating with the cowboys?” She stepped back, safely out of reach of the kiss-prone horse. The gelding stretched his neck over the top rail as far as it would go, and when he couldn’t reach her with his tongue, he put more muscle against the fence.

Yeah, he knew just how the horse felt. “I could use a bite to eat and a cup of coffee, but I just had to come see this horse.”

“What? Phil? Oh, he’s nothing but trouble. Look at him, trying to break down the fence.” She reached out a hand, graceful and kind, and her touch made the gelding close his eyes.

Longing lodged in Gabriel’s chest. He wouldn’t mind being touched like that by her. Would it still be as sweet? Or would it be different? Would time have changed what once sparked between them?

“I hear the tracking went pretty well last night.” Aumaleigh gave the gelding one final pat before pushing away from the corral. “It was smart of Zane and the deputies to break up and search all the different out buildings. It sounds like it paid off.”

“Yep, we found tracks outside one of your line shacks up on that rise.” He nodded in the direction of the emerald hills and the purple mountain peaks rising behind them. “They’d clearly been staying in there. They’d already left, they must have been nervous enough to have been watching for us. But Zane followed a clear trail through the woods. He’s still at it.”

“And I bet you would be too, just like John and Beckett and a few more of the cowboys, if Zane hadn’t sent you home.” Aumaleigh stopped in the middle of the yard, crossing her arms over her chest like a barrier. “I hear he’s got men on rotating shifts.”

“Yep. Zane knows what he’s doing. The Klemp brothers don’t have a chance.”

“I’m thankful for that. If they’d shoot a sheriff in cold blood, one who’d never done them harm, what else would they do? And who would they hurt next? Women? Children? I’ll be glad when this is all over.”

“Me, too. At least the Klemps are safely away from here. Zane tracked them through Lawrence’s land and through the valley.”

“Better for us, I suppose, but not for those in their path.” Aumaleigh shivered. After all her nieces had been through with Verbena’s old beau Ernest, who’d tracked her down and refused to let her go, and George who’d helped him to do it, she had a new perspective about criminals. “Let’s get you inside and fed.”

“Those are some beautiful horses you’ve got.” He didn’t move toward the kitchen house, but turned his attention to the paddocks surrounding the barns. “You wouldn’t happen to have any for sale, would you?”

“Why? You already have a team. Your horses are beautiful.”

“Yes, but I thought I’d breed and raise horses. It would give me something to fill my days. I’m not sure retirement is going to sit well with me.”

“Retirement. It’s hard to believe that’s where we are in our lives. How fast the years whip by—”

“—and I keep wondering how I got here,” he finished. “It makes you realize how precious your days really are—”

“—that they can be spent so quickly.” This time it was her turn to finish his sentence. She did it without thinking, simply saying what she felt. Was the accord between them so great? Or was it simply because they were so alike in their thoughts?

“Show me your horses,” he asked. “I can get food and coffee later.”

He had to be exhausted. He’d been up all night. “You can look at the horses later.”

“I want to see them now.” The pitch of his voice dipped, rumbling low and tender, meaning so much more.

Or was she hoping so?
Don’t start hoping too much, Aumaleigh.
Gabriel was here about the horses. It was best to be realistic. She shoved her hands into her skirt pockets. “I’m sure Josslyn can handle things without me in the kitchen.”

“Are you kidding? Josslyn loves to be in charge.” He took the first steps up the hill toward the barns.

She moved with him without thought, falling in line beside him the way she always used to. But it was different. It was sad. There was no closeness between them. No connection. Time had severed that.

“Did Leigh talk your ear off on the drive last night?” He tipped his hat up a notch and their gazes met.

Once she’d gotten lost in the tenderness of his gaze. But that was gone too. “Leigh is adorable. She kept me entertained all the way home to my house. I invited her over for tea and cupcakes.”

“You did?” He arched an eyebrow. “What did she want? I’m almost afraid to ask.”

“She wanted to see the house. She was being nosy.” Pleasure softened the delicate angles of Aumaleigh’s face. Clearly she hadn’t minded. “I also think she wasn’t sure about coming home to an empty house. So I kept her until almost bedtime and then drove her home.”

“Thanks for looking after her, Aumaleigh. She’s engaged, but to me she’ll always be a little girl.”

“That’s the way it should be.” Aumaleigh paused at the paddock gate. “She spent quite a bit of the night talking about you.”

“About me? Wait—maybe I don’t want to know about this. I have a feeling she violated one of the laws I laid down.” He moved in close to her, his hand brushing hers as he grabbed the latch. “Let me do this, Aumaleigh. You’ve been on your own so long, and I know you’re independent and capable, but this is courtesy. Let go and let me open the gate.”

“You’ve gotten bossier over the years.”

“Something I learned from my daughter,” he joked and lifted the latch. “The horses know you. Look at them run to you.”

“I’ve been known to come with treats.” She breezed past him with a snap of her skirts and the faint scent of roses.

He breathed her in, wanting, just wanting. Hoping for what could be.

But Aumaleigh’s attention was on the horses. She held up her hands. “See? No treats today. How are my good girls?”

The mares loped toward her, surrounding her. Some were heavily pregnant, others sporting long-legged, knobby-kneed foals by their sides.

Just like old times, Gabriel thought, watching Aumaleigh rub a nose there, pat a cheek there, stroke her fingers down another mare’s neck. She snuggled foals, chatting to the animals all the while. They clearly loved her. Mares pressed closer, eager for her touch. Foals lipped her skirt and apron.

This was the life she’d built. Admiration beat through him. Animals had always flocked to her, and over the years her tenderness to them had not changed. The notes of her voice, the kindness, the melody of her laughter were the same, but the woman was not. She possessed an inner strength that neither diminished nor outshone her beauty. He could not look away.

“Miss Ginger, I didn’t mean to ignore you.” Aumaleigh turned her attention to another mare. “You are looking very pretty today, you good girl.”

The mare lifted her chin to give Aumaleigh better access and her eyes drifted shut, enjoying the attention.

“Gabriel, don’t stand back there. Come and take a look,” she invited, and he moved without thinking, drawn to her like she was his destiny, like they’d never been apart.

But the way she turned from him reminded him that they had. She spun around, bending down, to take a foal’s muzzle in her hand and give it a kiss on the nose. The little filly preened, brown eyes warm with adoration.

Yeah, he knew how she felt.

“This is Petunia. Her dam is Angie. She’s the sorrel with the three white socks.” Aumaleigh laughed when another foal nosed in and knocked little Petunia out of the way. “Hey, Felix! You are a bad boy. No, I’m not going to kiss you next. No, I’m not at all.”

Aumaleigh stopped herself. Not everyone thought the way she talked with animals was, well, practical or sane. But Gabriel didn’t seem to mind—that much about him hadn’t changed either.

He held out a hand to let the spunky colt scent him. “Hello there, little fella.”

Her pulse fluttered. Just went wild in her chest like a hummingbird taking flight.

“Would you and your pretty mama like to come live with me?” He knelt down, using both hands now. Big, powerful hands, and so, so gentle. “I made my living with cattle, raising horses when I could afford to. But it’s time to start living new dreams. I’m going to buy some horses from you, Aumaleigh.”

“Okay. You’ll want to talk to Burton about that. He’s our resident wrangler. He can tell you all about the mares, their age and their lineage.” The wind tangled her hair, plastered her dress against her slim shape.

Nothing could be more beautiful than her, standing among the green grasses and budding wildflowers, surrounded by the horses who loved her.

“I don’t need Burton.” He took a risk, took a step toward her. “I just need you.”

“M-me?” Her hand flew to her throat. Shock rocketed through her, and the wild fluttering in her chest grew. A quiet, vulnerable hope rose up to the surface. Was that how he felt about her? Did he feel the beginnings of real tenderness for her too?

He swept off his Stetson, looking strong and vital in his blue muslin shirt and denims. The wind tousled his thick, dark hair. It was a friendly smile he tossed her, bracketed by his charming dimples.

Friendly. Not the intimate, loving smile she’d once lived to see.

“Sure, you used to be the best judge of a horse’s temperament I knew. Or has that changed?” He arched an eyebrow at her, good-natured, unaffected.

So, no tenderness then. Disappointment, as heavy as lead, settled over her heart. Disappointment she had to hide. “Burton certainly would be better.”

“But if you love a horse, than I know I will.” He took a step closer and a few of the foals moved with him. Curious, they nibbled his trouser leg and licked his boots. “This isn’t a business I’m starting. This is all for me. I love horses, I want to spend my time with them.”