“I don’t think they will. They seem terrified of whoever it is.”
“I don’t want to lose any more cows, Wilder.”
“I know, Rory. I’m doing my best.”
She stared at him, then walked to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. His arms encircled her, and he heard her sigh.
“I know you are. It’s just thinking that they could take more of my cows. I hate it.”
“I know, baby, I know. I’ll get them. I’ll keep at Hal and Bernie until they tell me.” Wilder sighed. “Maybe I should just beat it out of them.”
“Two against one? Don’t be silly.”
“So you don’t think I can take them?”
“Seriously? No, I don’t.”
“Damn, woman. Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
She chuckled. “I’m being honest here, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“I have a gun, you know.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “I’d better head back out there, or they’ll be looking for me. They can’t see me coming here all the time.”
“All right. Please be careful.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He kissed her lips and walked out.
Wilder stepped onto the porch and sucked the hot, humid air into his lungs. It rarely took this long for him to solve a case. He knew he could arrest Bernie and Hal, but he’d never find out who was giving them orders if they didn’t talk.
When he walked to the barn, he saw Duane coming out of the bunkhouse. He waved at Wilder, got into his pickup truck, and drove off. Sometimes they made runs to town for Rory or themselves. He frowned as he realized how new Duane’s truck was. He looked at the other trucks parked in front of the bunkhouse and only Duane’s, Hal’s, and Bernie’s were newer models.
Wilder knew they made good money, but those trucks were almost brand new. Was it Duane? Wilder looked at all of them with suspicion. There was someone else involved, and it only left Duane, and Buster.
Rory swore it wasn’t Buster, but Wilder wasn’t ruling anyone out. He’d be happy if it wasn’t Buster because Rory trusted him, and if he was involved, he was a damn talented actor.
Wilder had to get the men to talk. That was one reason he kept mentioning Rory to them. He hoped that one of them would talk if he egged them on enough about what they were doing to her.
He hated seeing these men stealing from her and it made Wilder madder than a wet hen.
He would never understand why some people had to hurt others and try to take from them without permission. No one has that right, and that was one reason he wanted this job. His father had been so upset by the theft of his bison. He didn’t want to raise them anymore. He had told Wilder that he couldn’t see raising them, taking care of them, and then someone taking them. It wasn’t long after that he sold the ranch and moved to a small house in town.
Wilder still had his money from the sale of the ranch. He loved living with his brother, but eventually, he knew he’d want his own place. He wanted to settle down with a good woman, and that woman was Rory.
He decided to head for a milking parlor to see what he needed to do next. When he entered, he saw Buster talking with Hal.
“What do I need to do now, Buster?” Wilder asked when he reached them.
Buster turned to look at him. “Where have you been?”
“I wanted to tell Rory my new address. I’m moving.”
“Close by?”
“Yeah, closer.”
“All right. You two can get to work in this parlor,” Buster said, then walked away.
“We’re going to lie low for a while. We don’t want her getting suspicious,” Hal said once they were alone.