Cut yourself a little slack. Its not as if youve had a lot of spare time on your hands. Catalina snorted. So who is your cowboy? Anyone I know?
Why are you asking? You already know its Reed Bryson. By now everyone in town should know. She smiled sheepishly.
I just wanted to hear you say it. So, you hired Reed? Catalinas brows rose up into the fringe of bangs that swooped to one side of her pale olive forehead. She fanned herself with one of the plastic-coated menus. Hes hot.
You know him?
He broke up a few fights in Leons Bar over the past couple months while I was working my weekend shift. How could I miss him? A grin spread across her face. Howd you catch him? I couldnt get him to ask me out no matter how hard I tried.
I didnt ask him out, I hired him. Her cheeks warming again, Mona glanced toward the window.
Your face is turning red. What else did you do? Fess up, girl.
Mona sighed. Her friend knew her too well. I kinda told Sheriff Lee that Reed and I were living together.
You did what? Catalina chuckled. Id loved to have been there when you did. That mans been chasing you like a rutting bull for the past few months.
I know. He doesnt get the meaning of the word no. So when he came out about the missing cattle, I made up the story. Mona tried to shrug it off, but Catalina wasnt having any of it.
And Reed? He went along with it? Her friend sat back, crossing her arms over her chest. From what he told me, he didnt want anything to do with relationships. Seems contradictory, if you ask me.
It was a lie. I made it clear to him that I only wanted him to provide a front to keep the sheriff out of my hair. Nothing else.
Well, good for you. Maybe something will come of the little game youre playing. You could do worse than have him as a husband.
Im not in the market for a husband. Im looking for a way to save my ranch. Mona stood. Speaking of which, I need to get moving. The men are out repairing the fences, and I have a loan to secure. Guess Ill check out the competition here and then head to Amarillo.
What about lunch? Catalina raced across the floor and grabbed a prepackaged sandwich from a glass-fronted refrigerator. At least take this.
Although the sandwich looked less than appetizing, Mona accepted it and dug into her purse for money to pay.
Its on me. Catalina laid her hand over Monas, halting her search. You know youll have to slow down pretty soon, dont you? She stared at the thickening waist Mona tried so hard to hide by wearing her shirttails loose.
Hiding her bulge wouldnt be an option in the next couple of weeks. Shed be forced to wear bigger shirts and the maternity pants Rosa had purchased from a resale shop. Of all times to be pregnant, now wasnt the best.
Catalina walked with her to the door. Id stop by this evening and check out your Mr. Bryson myself, if I didnt have to work. Why dont you bring him by Leons tonight, if you get a chance.
Dont think that a smoky bar is the place to be at this time. She ran a hand over her belly, the thought of cigarette smoke making the acid churn.
I guess not. Then give Reed a kiss for me, will you? Catalina laughed at the killer look Mona gave her. Okay, be that way. Keep him all for yourself. She glanced at the white truck pulling into a parking space several yards away. Look out, there are the Lang Oil speculators from hell.
Damn. Mona ducked behind Catalina. Between Teague and Lang, theyre as persistent as a heat rash in the summer. Kuhn was pushing Lang as a potential buyer for the Rancho Linda. Not that Id let that happen. Not as long as Im still breathing.
Catalina fluffed her bleached-blond hair and smacked her lips together. Let me take care of them, you can sneak out through the kitchen.
While Mona darted back into the diner, Catalina said, Hello, gentlemen, come back for some of Dees apple pie?
Hurrying through the kitchen, Mona almost slipped on the greasy floor twice before she made it to the back door. But she didnt feel like listening to a sales pitch when she had bigger issues.
With the Lang Oil Exploration people inside Dees Diner, Mona hurried down the sidewalk to her pickup, shaking her head. Catalina had it all wrong about Reed Bryson. Dating and kissing were at the bottom of Monas list of things to do when she had a ranch to save.
Then why did Reeds full lips come to mind when Catalina had mentioned kissing?
REED RODE BESIDE Fernando, slowing his horse the closer they came to the broken fence. The other two ranch hands would be here shortly with the pickup and tools to mend the fence.
Last nights search for clues and evidence had yielded nothing. He wanted to go over the area again in the light of day. Assuming the sheriff and his crew of deputies hadnt disturbed the ground too much.
When he was within a hundred yards he reined in his horse. Lets walk the rest of the way.
Fernando nodded and climbed down from his horse, dropping his reins to the ground. The gelding munched on the prairie grass, his tail twitching like a metronome, swatting at horseflies.
Miss Mona didnt need this to happen. Fernando stared ahead at the mutilated fence line and off into the distance as though he might spot the missing cattle.
Does anyone need to be robbed?
No, but her being with child makes it twice as hard.
Reed agreed silently. Any idea who the father is? He asked the question before he could catch himself. Internally, he rationalized that if the father of the child had a bone to pick with Mona, he could be a suspect in the current situation. What better motive than to ruin Mona Grainger to make her own up to the paternity of her child?
No. As far as I know, she hasnt told anyone. None of us knew she was even dating. He turned his attention to Reed. Why did you leave the sheriffs department?
I had my reasons. Reed squatted in the dust and stared at the disturbed ground.
You worked as a police officer in Chicago before that, didnt you?
That bit of information wasnt hush-hush. Folks in small towns could rarely keep a secret. With a new man in town, word was bound to get around. Especially with a big mouth like Sheriff Parker Lee. Yeah.
The Texas panhandle is a long way from Chicago.
In more ways than one. If not for his mother, Reed wouldnt have come back. I grew up in these parts. Came back because of family.
Fernando nodded. Family is important.
Some of them.
Miss Mona swore on her papas grave shed keep the land in her family. It meant a lot to him and her mother. She wants to have something to pass down to her child.
What if her child doesnt want it? Too often ranches were sold to big corporations when the children showed no interest in eking out a cyclical living on the land. As an only child, Reed had vowed to leave the panhandle rather than work alongside a father who couldnt stand the sight of him. As soon as hed graduated high school, hed left, swearing never to return.
Funny how life came full circle and more often than not, he found himself eating his own words. Never say never. As much as he resented his father, Reed couldnt deny his mother anything. When shed had a stroke, hed flown home to take turns with his father, sitting by her side in the hospital. When hed had to leave to go back to Chicago, shed begged him to stay.