The Maverick Cowboy(10)

"Then I'm glad you called me. Come on. We'll take your truck and leave Messi here."

"Will he be okay?" Jenna asked.

"He's trained to stand for as long as necessary. I'll make sure he can't trip over the reins."

"I can't see Nolly doing that," Jenna said.

"Nolly's a nightmare. He'd be following us up the drive and poking his nose into everything. I have no idea why Chase puts up with him."

Blue checked Messi over and made sure he was in the shade before getting into the passenger seat of the truck. Jenna backed up and turned to face the driveway to the Lymond ranch house. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened as they approached the final gate.

"Were you due to visit the ranch today?" Blue asked.

"I've already been there."

"So Mark won't be expecting a return visit."

"Actually, I forgot to get him to fill in one of the forms for the Department of Agriculture, so I stopped on the road to get it done and heard the horses neighing to each other." Jenna took a deep breath. "The thing is-when I asked him earlier, Mr. Lymond told me he'd sold off most of his horses, not left them in a field and seemingly forgotten about them." She glanced over at Blue, her brown eyes troubled. "Why would he do that?"

"Maybe he couldn't afford to pay for their upkeep or veterinary fees and decided to let them live off the land for a bit." Blue shrugged. "He wouldn't be the first rancher to do that when times are hard. He's never had a lot of spare cash."

"But why didn't he just sell them on like he said he did?"

"I don't know. Perhaps he didn't want to admit he was short of money."

Blue got out to open the gate and closed it behind them. Two dogs ran out barking as they came to a stop in front of the ranch house. It was an unappealing square box with gray textured walls and a shingle roof that was in desperate need of repair.

In fact, the whole place looked like it was suffering from neglect. Blue's tension level rose as no one came out of the house to greet them.

"How do you want to handle this?" he asked Jenna softly.

"I'm not sure." She hesitated. "Although maybe I could tell him that I didn't get his signature on that form, and while he's fixing that, I could just casually ask about the horses."



       
         
       
        

"It's a plan," Blue said dubiously. "I'll just follow along behind you."

He wanted to do a lot more than that, but over the years he'd learned that the diplomatic approach was always the first thing to try. If Mark got in Jenna's face about anything, he'd be dealing with Blue instead, and screw diplomacy.

Jenna got out of the truck and patted the two dogs that had come around to investigate her arrival. Blue noted the dogs were on the thin side, too. Whatever was going on at Lymond Ranch was affecting all the livestock. He'd hardly seen any young cattle out in the pasturelands as they'd driven up to the house. If Mark didn't have cattle, he wouldn't need ranch hands and they wouldn't need horses.

Blue walked up to the door of the house and banged the knocker, the sound echoing through the quiet house. There was only one vehicle parked nearby that he knew belonged to Mark and no others, which accounted for the silence. A ranch couldn't operate with just one man running it.

Blue gave up on the house and directed his attention to the barn.

"Let's try down there."

Jenna nodded and set off, her bag in her hand and her chin set at a determined angle that didn't quite disguise her nervousness. Mark Lymond was a big man and probably a foot taller than Jenna. The thought of her confronting him by herself made Blue want to curse like a sailor. She didn't lack for guts, though. That was one thing he'd already learned about her.

"Mr. Lymond?" Jenna called out.

A shadow detached itself from the innards of the barn and moved toward them.

"I'm so sorry to bother you again, but I forgot to get your signature on one of the forms," Jenna said.

"Damn stupid woman," Mark Lymond muttered as he threw his shovel to the ground. "Shouldn't be allowed to do work that's beyond their understanding."

Blue stepped up until his shoulder touched Jenna's.

"Morning, Mark."

The old rancher stopped moving, his gaze flicking between Jenna and Blue.

"BB Morgan. I heard that you and your father were back in town."

Blue nodded. "I'm due to leave the Marines this summer. I'll be living on the ranch full-time and helping Ruth run the place."

"Good luck getting her to listen to a damned thing you have to say."

Blue's smile wasn't friendly. "She's the expert. I'm the one who's learning, so I'll be doing the listening." He glanced down at Jenna. "Have you got that paper for Mark to sign?"

"It's here." Jenna took out the form and found a pen. "There always seems to be one more form than I'm expecting, so I apologize for missing this one." 

Mark grunted and moved across to take the form from Jenna's outstretched hand. "As I said, send Dave next time. He never messes up."

"I'll certainly bear that in mind." Despite the fact that Mark was looming over her, Jenna certainly didn't seem intimidated. "I noticed you had some horses down at the far end of your property. Did you want me to check them over for you while I'm here?"

Mark slowly straightened, the pen clenched in his fist like a weapon. "You spying on me, little girl?"

Blue cleared his throat. "I saw the horses when I was riding the fence line and I asked the vet what she knew about them."

"What's it got to do with you, Morgan?"

Blue met Mark's furious glare. "I'm looking to buy some more horses for our new program at the ranch. I was wondering whether those four were for sale."

Some of the anger leeched out of the old rancher's face. "They might be."

"Then you won't mind if Ms. Jenna checks them over, will you? If they are sound, I can make you a cash offer and you can take it or leave it." Blue shrugged. "It's way cheaper for me to source my horses locally than have them transported here, so you'd be doing me a favor."

Mark held Blue's gaze for a long moment. "She can look at them."

"'She' has a name. Use it."

"I don't hold with female veterinarians," Mark snapped. "They don't have the strength or the brains to work with large animals."

Blue stepped back. "Then we'll be on our way. I don't deal with misogynists."

"Miss so jar whats?" Mark scratched his head.

Blue picked up Jenna's bag. "You ready to go, Ms. Jenna? We've got a lot to do this afternoon."

"Wait." Mark spoke from behind them, but Blue didn't turn around. "The veterinarian can look at the horses."

"Thank you." Blue nodded at Jenna. Mark must really need the cash. "Do you have time to do that right now, or do you need to schedule a new appointment?"

"I think I can fit it in if I skip lunch," Jenna said. "I'll call the clinic and make sure they know where I am. Thank you, Mr. Lymond."

Mark couldn't quite force out a "you're welcome," but at least he kept his mouth shut as Jenna walked to the truck. Blue waited a beat and then turned to the surly rancher, lowering his voice.

"If I ever hear that you have disrespected one hair on that woman's head, I will come over here and beat the shit out of you. Understood?"

Mark dropped his gaze, but not before Blue had seen the flash of rage residing there.

"And if those horses don't make it because you couldn't be bothered to take care of them, I'll make sure you face every charge I can pin on you for animal cruelty." Blue touched the brim of his Stetson. "I'll be in touch about purchasing the horses. Have a nice day."

He hefted Jenna's bag into the truck and got in beside her as she started the engine and drove off.

* * *

"What were you saying to him?"

"Nothing much. Just making arrangements for potentially buying the horses."

"Yeah right, that's why he changed color." Jenna gave Blue the side eye. He looked like some dangerously smug predator sitting beside her. "Did you threaten him?"

"I might have suggested some consequences for his actions that he wouldn't like if he messed up."

"I just bet you did." She focused on the road for a moment. "My parents always told me that violence wasn't the answer, but sometimes, when I see animals that have been neglected or mistreated, I wish I had a gun." She bit her lip. "You probably think that's appalling, right?"



       
         
       
        

"Nah. I'd be the one giving you the weapon."

She fought a smile. "You'd have to teach me how to use it first. My parents-"

"Don't approve of guns."

"How did you know?"

He shrugged. "Just a wild guess."

"Thanks for helping out." She shivered. "He kind of scares me."

"I'm not surprised." The smile was gone from his face. "I know it's got nothing to do with me, but I'd suggest you get Dave to go up there for a while until Mark gets over his temper tantrum. I didn't see his wife's car there. I wonder if she's still around? He's definitely struggling, and for some reason he's decided to take it out on you."