a promise to Danni. Maybe I didn’t want to face the fact his health was failing. Maybe talking to him was too much a reminder of the past. While he continued to work at the shop a couple of days a week, he’d allowed the majority of the business end to be handled by someone else.
And he still groused over the fact I hadn’t returned to take over as he’d always wanted.
However, I’d called him for a favor, asking if he’d send one of his mechanics out to Danni’s place to replace her tires. I’d been surprised at his reluctance at first. His reaction had further fueled the anger that had been increasing since I’d returned.
There’d been no way of predicting how I’d feel accompanying Snake’s body back to the US. The truth was, I’d felt drained, the requirement to wear my uniform more difficult than I would have imagined. Snake’s death had affected all of us in different ways, the remaining five in the posse retreating into heightened levels of sorrow. Why I’d been tasked with the honor was beyond me, but I’d accepted the task without question.
My angst was being forced to return to Montana at all. I’d shut the door on that part of my life, promising never to return. It was funny how fate intervened.
I yanked one bale of hay out of the back of my truck after another, tossing them into place. When I walked out of the barn, I glanced back toward the sky, the lightly falling snow and brisk chill a reminder that I was definitely back in Montana. As the ice pellets fell against my face, I closed my eyes.
“Looks like you haven’t seen snow before,” Tanner said from behind me.
“Been a long time. Kinda missed it.”
“Well, this storm is going to be a doozy from what the weather forecast says.”
“Fabulous.”
“Guess we need to get the horses locked down,” he encouraged.
I nodded, realizing the snow was indeed picking up fast. “I’ll shift to the other barn.”
“Perfect.”
“Tanner, wait a minute. You mentioned some guy when we were at the auction. While I know you said the story wasn’t worth talking about, there was something about him I didn’t like.” Almost immediately he tensed, barely able to look me in the eyes.
“Just something that happened a long time ago when Drake was running the ranch. The guy is a real snake. That’s it. Your instinct was spot on.”
Uh-huh. Was everyone keeping secrets? “Okay. I just wanted to make certain there wasn’t something I needed to hear, especially since accusations were thrown around.”
“I doubt that has anything to do with him, Mustang. He’s not that intelligent. For me, I just don’t like lying assholes.”
I chuckled as I wiped my gloves on my jeans. “You and me both.” The asshole had something to do with Hawk’s brother, huh? Maybe that’s why Hawk had remained tight-lipped.
Grinning, Tanner waved me off, heading deeper into the barn. I didn’t like his reaction at all, the look in his eyes telling me the story had been troubling for the entire ranch. Finding the guy’s identity might be difficult, but he’d certainly been the one following Danni around. Unfortunately, I hadn’t seen the man’s face, only the back of his head. Was I making something out of it, trying to put pieces together?
The nagging remained. I’d learned a long time ago that I needed to trust my instincts. They’d never let me down.
What I did know is that Tanner had been around since Hawk and Drake’s father had been alive, working his way up from tending to the horses to foreman. If anyone would know about rumblings with the locals, Tanner certainly would.
I tossed the last bale of hay, longing to talk with Danni. I couldn’t help but grin as I too left the barn.
As I moved toward the truck, I heard my phone. Seeing Hawk’s number pop up, a bad feeling crept into my mind. “You found something.”
“Maybe, but we definitely need to talk. Where are you?”
“Heading to the south barn now.”
“Then stay there. I’ll meet you there in about thirty minutes.”
I narrowed my eyes, my instinct working overtime. Things were about to get difficult.
Or worse.
Violent.
As I drove toward the other barn, I was surprised just how fast the snow was coming down. There would be a thick blanket of white in the morning. I parked the truck near the fence, jumping out to help the other ranch hands corral the horses. While it took some time, we finally got