Page 24 of Cowboy Jeopardy

“As long as they realize he was here first.” Dylan grinned, already feeling a thousand times safer. He turned as men carrying rolls of wiring moved toward the house.

“If you ever feel you don’t need these girls anymore, we’ll buy them back from you. Seems like there’s always a need for good dogs on farms and ranches.” The man opened the back door of the SUV, and two brindle dogs jumped out. “Hey, girls, meet your new master.”

Dylan held out his hand. Once the sniffing was over, he patted both heads and called Monster over. “How are they with kids?”

“They’ll stay away from them for the most part, but they won’t attack. Just don’t let anyone go hanging on them. They don’t like that. These girls aren’t cuddlers.” He handed the donkey’s reins to him. “This boy loves kids.”

“Thanks.” Dylan gripped the lead rope and led the donkey to the group of children by the corral.

~

He watched from the woods. Things were becoming a whole lot harder. Getting close wouldn’t be easy with two more dogs and a security system. Still, the upcoming camping trip should provide the opportunity he needed.

Stupid woman didn’t appear to be trying to get her hands on any money. Dani had done it before with the help of her mother, then she didn’t have to pay a dime because of the fall of the Roberto family. If she could do it once, she could do it again.

Shoot. The rancher would pay the money himself in order to keep his boys safe. Why else threaten the kids? He didn’t have a beef with them, only the woman and all he wanted from her was the money. She hadn’t been the only one in hock because of gambling debts. If he didn’t pay up soon, he’d be at the bottom of Misty Mountain Lake, with no one the wiser.

Being alone in the world held no merits.

He cursed and marched away from the ranch and down the logging road where he’d parked the rental truck. An older model as dilapidated as many he saw around Misty Hollow. A vehicle that helped him blend in.

In the driver’s seat, he turned the key in the ignition and tried to devise a plan to meet his goal of staying alive past the end of the month.

If he died, so would Dani Cooper. He didn’t plan on going down alone.

Chapter Ten

Dani smiled asClarence ate a carrot from her hand. The boys had fist-bumped each other when their father had told them about the new addition to the ranch. The dogs had held a mild interest, but unless one of the females had puppies, they didn’t seem to care as much about them as about the donkey. “You’re supposed to warn us when the bad guys come, huh?” She patted his nose. “You don’t seem so tough.”

“Let a coyote wander into the pasture, and you’ll see how tough he is.” Buster hung a halter on the fence post. “Cattle ranchers keep donkeys all the time. They can be brutal and noisy.”

She crossed her arms on the top rail and rested her chin on them, her gaze on the grazing donkey. “I hope all the measures you’ve put into place will be enough.”

“Chin up, buttercup. You’ve been through this before, and you came out okay.” He clapped her on the shoulder, before continuing on his way.

Dani wished she shared his optimism. If there weren’t others in danger, maybe she’d have more faith. “I really hope you do your job, boy.” She pushed away from the paddock and went to get the boys ready for the soon-to-arrive group of schoolkids. “Good job, boys.” She grabbed a pitchfork and helped feed the horses in the stalls.

“It’s not fair that we have to shovel horse manure first thing in the morning.” Derrick leaned on his shovel.

“You don’t want your friends to step in the stuff, do you?” She arched a brow. “Besides, shoveling horse doo is on the list of summer chores your father gave you.”

“Where’s your list?” Eric glared.

“My job is to make sure you do yours.” She grinned and hefted another pitchfork of hay over a stall door. “Chores are a blessing—they keep you from being lazy.”

“Ha,” they said in unison.

As the squeak of bus brakes sounded outside, they leaned their shovels against the wall, each grabbed a wheelbarrow full of manure, then raced as fast as they could out the door without toppling the wheelbarrow.

“Don’t forget to wash up before greeting your friends.” Dani took over and pushed each wheelbarrow out of sight around the barn. One of the cowboys would dump them later. She glanced around for any unfamiliar face as she’d started to do each day, then joined the boys at the water pump to wash her hands. “You two seem to really be enjoying having your classmates here each day.” She lathered her hands with soap.

“Beats all-day chores or watching TV.” Eric flung water from his hands, then dashed toward the rented bus where his friends had gathered.

“We like being boss.” Derrick flashed a grin, then joined his brother.

Boss, huh? She chuckled. Yes, they did seem to enjoy telling their friends what to do and how to do it.

Heidi and Sadie sped past her, barking. Clarence brayed.

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