She nodded at Tate, then looked at Cal. “What would you do? You went away, you came back. Somebody hurt you and Sundown. Would you see his face so they could draw it?”
“I think sometimes if you look at something straight on, look it right in the eye, it doesn’t seem as scary as it does when you close your eyes. And I think you’re about the bravest person I know, so if you need more time with your eyes closed, you should take it.”
“Bodine said I was brave, the doctor said I was brave. You said I’m brave, but I don’t feel brave. I don’t want to go back to the house, I don’t want him to find me. I want to stay here. Can you come tomorrow,” she said to Tate, “ask me again?”
“I sure can. It’s good to see you, Alice. And you, Cal.”
Callen hesitated as Tate started off. “Miss Alice, could you watch Sundown for a minute? I need to ask the sheriff something.”
“We’ll be right here.”
Callen caught up with Tate at the gate. “Did he admit it?”
Tate leaned back against the gate. “He’s changed his story half a dozen times. That hot head of his isn’t helping him. Neither is lying to me about being on the property on that ATV—and he knows he’s caught there. He’s slipped up plenty, and trying to stick to shooting at a snake, not realizing the shot went wild and hit you and the horse. That won’t hold. But in one of his slips, I think I got the truth. He wasn’t shooting at you.”
“Now, that’s bullshit.”
“He was shooting at your horse.”
Callen rocked back on his heels, waited for his temper to peak and ebb. “He aimed at Sundown?”
“I’m going to say that’s my opinion. I’m going to say it comes down to a goddamn dog and a goddamn poker game when you were kids. His father lost a dog to yours, and Garrett shot the dog out of spite. He was trying to kill your horse for the same reason. Pure spite.”
Callen looked back to where Alice walked Sundown and chattered away to him. And could see it, see that wound across the belly, and how a few inches higher would have done the job.
“You’ll take him down for it.”
“That’s going to be up to the prosecutor, the judge, and the jury. But I’ll tell you, I’m going back at him, and I’ll get him to say what he did. That I will do.”
“All right.”
“What you said to Alice, it’s going to help me do my job for her, too. I’ll do my job, Cal.”
Cal nodded, but as he walked back to his horse he thought, sometimes, justice didn’t have a damn thing to do with jobs.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
By Sunday evening, with the crazy weekend behind her, Jessica drove to the ranch. Though just sleeping for a solid twelve hours held a lot of appeal, the invitation to Sunday dinner swayed her.
She enjoyed seeing Chase in his natural habitat, and had yet to connect with Callen since he and Sundown had been hurt. She accepted her Western transition as complete when she realized she wanted to see the horse as much as the people.
The transition didn’t, and likely never would, include footwear. When she saw Sundown in the paddock and, to her delight, Chase spinning a rope—lariat, she corrected—she left the huckleberry crumble, which she’d made, in the car and walked over to watch.
Rory sat on the fence beside a woman with red hair pulled into a short tail. The woman clapped enthusiastically when Chase jumped in and out of the spinning rope.
When Chase gave Jessica a tip of the hat with his free hand, the woman glanced back. Though she’d heard about it, seeing Alice’s transformation left her stunned.
“This is someone else,” Alice murmured and reached for Rory’s hand.
“You might not remember me, Alice. We only met for a minute a few weeks ago. I’m Jessica Baazov. I work for Bodine.”
“Bodine’s Reenie’s girl. This is Rory. Not my Rory. He’s Reenie’s Rory. And Chase is Reenie’s. He’s putting on a show for me because I didn’t get to see it.”
“He’s really good, isn’t he?”
“Uncle Wayne did rope tricks. Chase said Uncle Wayne taught him. Sundown does tricks, too. Cal taught him. Cal’s not just Reenie’s. He’s mine, too.”
“I wanted to see Sundown and Cal.”
“Grammy fussed at Cal and said he had to go in and put his leg up awhile. In a couple days I can sit on Sundown. He’s much better, and the man who hurt him’s locked up.” Alice looked at Rory for confirmation. “He’s locked up?”
“That’s right. We don’t have to worry about him anymore.”
“Bobby Tate does his job.” Alice applauded again as Chase took a bow. “It was a good show,” she told him. “Jessica’s here. I remember now. She’s your girlfriend.”
Chase lowered his head, concentrated on coiling the rope. “It’s looking that way.”
“He’s shy,” Alice told Jessica. “I never used to be shy, but I feel that way a lot now. We’ll go help with dinner.” Alice patted Rory’s arm. “So Chase can be with his girlfriend.”
Barely blocking a snicker, Rory hopped down, lifted Alice off the fence.
“I like your shoes,” Alice said.
Jessica barely managed a “Thanks” before Alice walked away with Rory. “I can’t believe that’s the same woman who came home from the hospital.”
“It’s spine.” Chase looped his rope around a fence post. “That’s Bodine spine. Dad told me she’s going to work with an artist tomorrow, agreed to it, to try to get a picture of the man who took her.”
He reached over the fence for her hand, tugged her so she climbed on the bottom rail. “Fancy shoes. Not for riding.”
“I dressed for Sunday dinner.” Then she laughed when Sundown moved up behind him, nudged him forward. “He’s definitely himself again.”
“Go on now, I don’t need any help.” To prove it, Chase cupped the back of Jessica’s neck with one hand, lowered his mouth to hers.
Then he just stood there a moment, eyes on hers, fingers lightly rubbing her skin.
“Riding’s out.” He vaulted over the fence. “But we can take a walk.”
“I haven’t even gone in to say hello to your mother.”
“Couple of minutes.”
With her hand in his, the sun warm on her face, she walked with him.
She heard a cow lowing off in a field, and a chittering she knew came from some busy squirrel. And through an open kitchen window came laughter.
“You’ve put pansies in.” She paused a moment, looking at the pots on the back porch steps. “My grandmother always put pansies in early, in the window box outside the kitchen window. She said they made her smile while she did dishes. Made her happy spring was coming around again.”
“I didn’t think you’d stay through the winter.”
Genuinely surprised, she stared up at him. “Why?”
“I figure now it was my problem more than yours.” He drew her around the front side of the house, and to the bench between the ginkgo trees. “I thought, just look at her, she’ll run back to New York after her first Montana blizzard. But you didn’t.”