Page 58 of Deputy Brand Gets Her Man
“Where would he get an ATV?” Willow asked, lifting her binoculars.
“Come on, all he’d have to do is ask. There are like six of ‘em on the ranch.”
“Where’s he going?”
The ATV answered their question by stopping near a large rock formation. A man and a lanky pup got off it. “I remember that rock. It was in Uncle Garrett’s notes about the big showdown with Ethan’s birth father.”
“See?” Drew asked. “He really is retracing his father’s steps, just like he told you.”
“Yeah,” Willow said as her heart sank. “With a metal detector.”
“What?” Drew pulled up her spyglasses and saw the same thing Willow had. Jeremiah, moving slowly back and forth, waving a metal detector over the ground as the pup ran a large figure-eight around him. “Son of a?—”
“I knew it.” Willow sank down low, turned around and leaned back against the jutting stone. “I knew I was fallin’ too fast.”
“Just because he’s lookin’ for somethin’ doesn't mean it’s somethin’ illegal.”
“Right. Just somethin’ he wants to hide from his pal the deputy. Even while wheedlin’ for information she hadn’t ought to be getting.”
“What information did you get that you shouldn’t have?” Drew asked.
“None yet. But I called a friend and asked. It’ll be waitin’ for me when I go into the office.”
Drew arched her brows.
“Background check on Juanita Lopez, the current owner of the Bluebonnet, ‘til it sells, I guess. She was just a teenager when de Lorean was here.”
“And we’re interested in her because…?”
“Because Gringo is.”
Willow looked at her watch. “He’s fixin’ to quit soon. Look, he’s putting the pup on the ATV.”
“Well, shoot, I need to go make brownies for the bonfire,” Drew said. Then she wiggled her brows. “But everything I need’s at your place. You want me to stay tonight? Or do you want the Gringo back?”
“You know damn well I want the Gringo back,” Willow said.
Drew looked down at Jeremiah again and tipped her head to one side. “I’m not seein’ it.”
“Well, that’s because he doesn’t have dark brown curls and nerdy glasses,” Willow said.
Drew grinned and punched her in the shoulder. They headed back to their horses and rode back to Willow’s place. In the stable, they rubbed the horses down thoroughly, gave them oats with molasses, and turned them out into their cool meadow with plenty of time for grazing before they’d go in for the night.
Then they headed to the cottage
Willow was physically tired as hell. She was hurting more than she should’ve been, too. Already, she’d let the Gringo get under her skin.
“Take the first shower, Drew. I need to rest before the bonfire.”
“You need anything?” Drew was already bringing her a glass of water and an apple.
“I’m good. Go on.”
“Okay.” Drew started for the bathroom. Then she paused, “I like him,” she said. “And I don’t think he’s bad. I think maybe he thinks he’s bad, but he isn’t really. Not down deep.”
“And you base this assessment on…”
“The whole saving the puppy thing, mainly,” Drew admitted.
