Taming a Texas Rascal (Bad Boy Ranch #6) - Katie Lane Page 0,12

brains good.” His gaze narrowed on Maisy. “And what happened to you?”

“Busted collarbone.”

“Well, it looks like you two have had quite a day.” Chester glanced at the horse. “Whose horse it that?”

“We don’t know,” Sawyer said. “Maisy and I found him a mile or so back. It looked like he’d been running for a while. Probably from whoever abused him. He’s been whipped.”

Chester shook his head. “Some folks shouldn’t be allowed around animals. I’ll get him fed and bedded down.”

“I’ll help. He’s a little skittish.”

“No, you won’t. I can handle a skittish horse.” Chester pointed to the house. “You need to get to bed.”

“And you too, missy,” Lucas looked at Maisy. “You can have my room and I’ll bunk with Chester.”

“That’s sure hospitable of you,” Maisy said. “But once I get Sawyer’s truck unhitched, I’m going to head to the Lucky Lane Trailer Park.”

“You’ll do no such a thing.” Chester gave her a stern look. “You have no business driving with a broken collarbone.”

“But—”

“No buts, missy.” Lucas herded Sawyer and Maisy toward the house like a herding dog. “Both of you inside now. I have some chili on the stove and some apple pie cooling in the windowsill.”

Sawyer really didn’t want Maisy to stay. Especially when he was having trouble keeping the shower images out of his head. But he didn’t like the thought of her driving back to town alone either.

“You might as well stay,” he said. “I’m sure Lucas made enough food to feed an army.”

Lucas laughed. “Not an army. But there’s enough for two old farts and a banged-up rodeo cowboy and cowgirl.”

Chapter Four

The sun pushed its way above the horizon with rays of pink and tangerine, reflecting off the dew-drenched wild grass that grew everywhere on the Double Diamond ranch.

Maisy leaned back in the wooden rocker and stared out at the soothing scenery. But she didn’t feel soothed. Somewhere on this land, her father was buried. Sheriff Willaby knew where, but he wasn’t talking. No doubt because he knew if they didn’t find a body, the prosecutor didn’t have much of a case. The one bone that had been found couldn’t be identified as Sam Sweeney’s. Lincoln had sent it to a specialized forensic lab in Washington D.C. in hopes that they could identify it. Until they did, or until they found Sam’s body, Maisy was having trouble getting closure.

Which was ridiculous.

She didn’t even know Sam. He had left her mama right after Maisy was born and had never come back. Or even called or written. So why couldn’t she let him go? Especially when everyone who knew him said he’d been a horrible human being. It was a million dollar question. One she had no answer for. All she knew was that her father haunted her thoughts during the day and her dreams at night.

Which was why she had come back to Simple. If she had to recuperate from her injury, she planned to search for her father’s body while she did. She needed proof Sam Sweeney was gone. Until she had it, she knew she couldn’t find peace.

The front door squeaked. She glanced over to see Chester stepping out to the porch. He reminded her of her grandpa. His face was weathered and his blue eyes kind. He shuffled over with two cups and held one out to her. “I thought you might like a cup of coffee. But I’ll warn you. I make it strong enough to put hair on your chest.”

She smiled as she took the cup. “I like it strong. I hope I didn’t wake you. I’m a bit of an early bird.”

“Me too. Lucas has taken to sleeping in—especially after his late nights of courting Miss Gertie. But me, I still wake with the roosters.” He sat down in the rocker next to her. Horses whinnied from the barn and he smiled. “That would be Cookie and Doris wanting their breakfast. They must’ve heard the porch door squeak.”

“I already fed them,” Maisy said. “I hope that’s okay. The two young mares put up quite a fuss when I walked into the barn to check on the horse we found last night, so I gave them some hay. And I fed the sweet old mare too. Although she patiently waited her turn.”

“That would be Misty. She’s old enough to know that patience is a virtue.”

Maisy took a sip of her coffee and burned her tongue. When she glanced over at Chester, she found him grinning beneath his gray handlebar mustache. She