Leaving Liberty, a Western Romance (Book 5) (Texas Hearts) Page 4

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  Chapter Five

  It had been three days since Libby had shared a meal with Jackson at the diner. Three days. And the days that followed had her glancing down her driveway every time she heard a car drive past the house. Nothing.

  Until today. When she spotted the cloud of dust behind the pickup coming down the driveway, she knew better than to think it was Cole coming back home. Cole was always true to his word. He’d left to protect her. He wouldn’t jeopardize that as long as a Texas Ranger was sniffing about. That meant only one thing. Jackson was back. What irked Libby the most was that she’d actually been waiting for him. She pulled her attention away from his approach and went back to spreading manure in the side garden with her pitchfork. She usually loved tending her own garden of flowers and vegetables. But the only person who’d be enjoying the spoils would be her if Cole didn’t come back. She worked with determination. Her face was hot and the muscles in her chest were screaming at her. But exercise was good and she’d reward herself with a hot bath later to ease some of the kinks out. When the sound of Jackson’s boots on the ground stopped, Libby lifted her head and stopped working, conscious of the fact she probably looked like a sweaty wreck. To her surprise, Jackson wasn’t even looking at her. “You have a real nice spread here,” Jackson said, looking around. His gaze swept over the pasture. His eyes slowly took in each detail from the slight swell of the land as it reached the hills in the distance and the pond nestled just on the other side of a lush green patch of trees. His lips lifted to an appreciative smile. For some reason that mattered to Libby. “This is beautiful country.” “I’ve always thought so. My father always wanted John to take over the ranch, have a bunch of boys to carry on after him.” “It’s what every man wants, isn’t it?” Her breath caught in her throat. “I hope not.” Jackson glanced at her then. Libby shrugged. “That leaves half the population insignificant in the eyes of men.” A small chuckle escaped his lips. “Not hardly. I’d say that the female population has a whole lot of significance to most men.” Her jaw tightened. “But not for the right reasons. This may come as a shock to you, Jackson, but women aren’t just playthings. If you open your eyes you might actually find one who knows how to do a thing or two on the ranch that’s useful.” He eyed the pitchfork in her hand. “I imagine you’d have no problem showing me your talents with that thing. But I’ll pass for now.” “Too bad. I’ve got an itch to show you.” He laughed. “Why so hostile? And here I thought we had a nice connection at the diner the other day.” “Long day already. Sorry.” “You said your family owned this place for a while?” “Generations. But I imagine it doesn’t compare to what your family has up north.” “It’s different. This is…smaller.” Libby chuckled. “A few thousand acres can’t really compare to the tens of thousands of acres in Steerage Rock, Texas.” Jackson’s lips tilted into an irresistible grin. “What do you know about Steerage Rock?” “Enough to know that your brother, Beau, is a famous bronc rider who up and left the circuit right before he had his shot at world champion.” His eyebrows narrowed. “Beau had his reasons.” “It was quite a bold move. Big news around here. People were talking about it for months. This is rodeo country, after all, and my dad was a big fan.” He turned his attention to her directly. “Anything else?” “Every once in a while I hear Brock Gentry’s music on my radio when I’m driving to town or when I have the radio on in the kitchen. He’s good. I like his music. And your brother Cody is—” Jackson shifted uncomfortably. “So my brothers have made a name for themselves and obviously left an impression on you. I get it.” She couldn’t help but smile. “Jealous?” He shook his head. She doubted he was. What could a man like Jackson have to be jealous about? “I chose a different path for my life. I went into the military and then became a Texas Ranger. Nothing quite as newsworthy as what my brothers do, but just as important I think.” Libby’s stomach dropped. “Is that why you’re here?” “Partly.” “Cole’s not here.” “I know.” She relaxed just a little. Did he know Cole had left town? “Then why are you here? I’ve already told you everything I know about the accident.” “You know where Cole is.” She sputtered and dug the pitchfork’s teeth into the dirt. “What makes you think that?” “You’re saying you don’t?” “I knew he was leaving. He didn’t tell me where he was going. I can’t help you.” “You expect me to believe that?” She lifted her head to look at him directly. She was no match for his height, but she had other assets that were just as intimidating. “I don’t expect you to believe anything, Jackson. In fact, believe whatever you want, even if it’s not the truth. I’m just telling you what I know.” “You're awfully pretty when you get riled up.” His voice was like a caress against her skin, soft and slow and tender. And when he spoke to her like that, she actually believed him. Damn him. “Save that for the pretty girls back home. It doesn’t work on me.” She gripped the pitchfork tighter, turned her back to him and walked away. “You think all that steam and fire you just threw at me is enough to get me to leave Liberty?” “One can hope.” “I’m not going anywhere, Libby.” “Fine. Do whatever you’d like,” she said, not turning back. “I have work to do.”

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  Jackson watched Libby as she stalked back toward the barn. Sashayed was more like it. He wondered if she even knew she was doing it. Or if it were natural. Did her hips sway like that whenever she was walking away or did she only do that when he'd gotten her riled up? A man could spend hours just wondering about this woman. And he was wasting a whole lot of time doing it. “You don’t have any other ranch hands here?” he called out to her. As she got to the barn door, Libby turned to him. “I thought we already established the size of this ranch. Cole was it. My father didn’t need anyone more than the three of us.” “So now you’re down two men.” “We’ve already established that, too.” She disappeared into the barn. Jackson followed her. He’d somehow put his foot in his mouth again where Libby was concerned. How that kept happening was a mystery to him. He found her in the first stall. “I just meant…you could use some help here.” She dug the pitchfork into the soiled hay in the stall and carried it to the waiting wheelbarrow without acknowledging him. “I’m going to be in town for a little while until I finish…filing my report.” Libby kept working. Lord, the woman was beautiful when she was irritated. And now she was irritating him. “I could help you.” She stopped dead in her tracks. “Are you kidding me?” “No.” “Why in hell’s blazes would I want you on this ranch?” Realization seemed to cross her face. “Oh, wait. You don’t want to help me at all.” He blinked his confusion. “I just offered, didn’t I?” “Yeah, but only so you can dig up dirt on Cole.” She may as well have stabbed him in the heart with her suspicion. “If digging up dirt is needed, then I’m happy to help you do it. But the offer was to help you with the chores. Libby I’ve come out to this ranch a few times and each time something more needs to be done. You’ve been out in the sun for I don’t know how long today but half the day isn’t even over you look like you’re about to topple over. You can’t do the work of three men all by yourself.” “If I have to, I can.” He shook his head, baffled by her stubbornness. “Hasn’t anyone ever offered genuine help to you before? She stared at him for a long time, weighing him, thinking. “I’m used to… It doesn’t matter. I didn’t realize you were serious.” “I am. To lose two people you care about so quickly and then be saddled with all this work is enough to break anyone. I can’t believe you haven’t had a neighbor or someone from town offer to help you out.” She sighed. “They have. I’ve said no. Despite what you think, I’m not saddled with anything here. Everything I do is a labor of love. I love this ranch.” “Have you even looked into getting help?” “I haven’t had time since Cole left. It’s going to be hard to replace Cole. He did the work of five men, I swear.” “Then I have a lot to live up to.” * * * Jackson had spent the rest of the day helping Libby get caught up on some much-needed work on the ranch. Most of the day they worked independently. Jackson had checked the fences on t
he far side of the property where the cattle were somehow getting out. He’d been gone for hours, taking Spirit with him. She had a mixed sense of envy that Spirit would enjoy the afternoon’s ride with someone else, and pride that Jackson would see all the hard work she’d put into training Spirit. Not all horses took to strangers well. But of all the horses on the Bucking Hills Ranch, Spirit had the sweetest temperament and would not give Jackson any trouble. Libby actually felt guilty for sitting down on the porch with a glass of iced tea during the time Jackson had been gone. He’d been right about her. Her body wasn’t as strong as it used to be. But it had nothing to do with her grief over losing her father. She had to be easy with her body if she expected it to heal well. It had her thinking about what Jackson said about finding someone to replace Cole. Part of her hoped that the investigation would be over so Cole could come home. If he did, there would be no need for her to hire another ranch hand. But Jackson would have to leave Liberty for that to happen. She decided her break was over when she’d drained the last of her iced tea. If Jackson was out fixing her fences, then she couldn’t very well rest all afternoon. There was plenty of work to be done in the barn. She was just finishing up spreading fresh hay in one of the stalls when Jackson came trotting in with Spirit. She greeted him with a smile, but it quickly faded when she saw the scowl on his face. “Why haven’t you reported the breaks in your fencing to the sheriff?” he asked, climbing down from the saddle. “Animals break through fences all the time. Neither the sheriff or Dane has time to deal with that sort of thing.” “Animals break out from inside. This break was made from the outside, Libby. Your father and Cole had to know that. There were three sections that were broken into. Someone was doing this on purpose.” She shifted uncomfortably. “We live close to the Mexican border. Someone might have wandered over.” “Might have? Do you know who this is?” It took her a few seconds to weigh how much to tell Jackson. “My father spotted some teenagers on the property during a ride. They might have been a little older.” “When?” “A few days before he died.” “Is that why he was carrying two rifles with him?” “He wasn’t. Cole was using the other one.” She swallowed hard, fearing she’d just gone too far. The look of surprise on his face made her turn cold. “Why didn’t you tell me Cole was with him?” “Because he wasn’t with him. He found him.” Jackson shook his head. “You’re not making any sense.” “Because it doesn’t make any sense.” Her outburst boomed inside the confines of the barn, spooking the big gray quarter horse they called Skittish. It hadn’t always been his name. But as he grew and it became clear he was easily startled, he grew into it. “Cole was riding Skittish,” she said calmly, stroking the horse’s nose and face. Skittish quickly recovered from Libby’s outburst. “Skittish threw Cole off the saddle and took off on a run when he heard something in the mesquite bushes. Cole went to check it out, but didn’t find anything. Then went to look for Skittish. That’s when he found my father.” “Was he dead when he got there?” She shook her head. “Cole saw it from the distance. Skittish was still spooked when he ran into my father. He reared up again. Cole didn’t see the rifle fall from the saddle, but he heard the shot. When he got there, my father was dead.” Tears spilled over her eyelids and fell down her warm cheeks. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” “Cole feels responsible.” “Why? As you say, it was an accident. That being the case, why did he leave town? And why did you show up at the police station with bail money?” “Oh, come on, Jackson. What was he supposed to think? What was I supposed to think for that matter when you come down here asking all kinds of questions? Do you really blame him for leaving?” “Yes. He left you with this ranch to deal with on your own. Why kind of man does that?” “The way you came at him, interrogating him like he purposely killed a man he’d spent years working with, a man who treated him like the father he never had, well, you just about killed him, too. He loved my father.” “Does he love you, too?” She blinked hard, thrown by the question. “What?” “It’s a simple question, Libby. Do you really need me to spell it out?” “You’re out of line.” “That’s what I thought, too. Until Cole disappeared.” Libby stalked to the faucet on the other end of the barn, yanked a clean bucket from the stack by the door and started filling it with water. When she turned off the water, she straightened up and turned to him, pushing an errant stand of hair away from her face with back of her hand. “Tell me the real reason you went after him the way you did.” “I told you. The accident details didn’t add up.” He gave her a hard look, but kept his eyes fixed on hers. “Tell me the truth. You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

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  Chapter Six

  He’d done it again. Libby didn’t owe Jackson an explanation of her relationship with Cole Rivers outside of the investigation he was charged to do. And yet, that burning desire to know her answer coiled in his stomach as he waited for her to respond.

  She laughed so loud Skittish bobbed his head.

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” she said. “He’s practically my brother.”

  “That’s not exactly an answer, is it? Besides, he wasn’t too happy having me around you either.”

  “Do you blame him?”

  Libby walked over to Spirit and began to undo the straps of her saddle. When the straps were free, she slid the saddle off Spirit’s back. It wasn’t the weight in her arms that Jackson noticed most. It was the way Libby winced when she lifted her arms.

  “Give that to me,” he said, taking the saddle from her hands. He carried the saddle to the tack room and laid it on the makeshift sawhorse where she’d retrieved it earlier. She followed with the blanket. “It’s been over a month since my father died. I’ve got to move on. I can’t keep having this hashed out. My father died from a stupid accident. I wish to God it hadn’t happened, but it did.” “You didn’t answer my question.” “Does the answer really matter? It doesn’t change your investigation. It doesn’t change the fact that there is more work here than I can handle. I just want to move on.” The tears in her eyes broke his heart. “It matters to me.” “Why?” “Because I like you. And if you weren’t so damned stubborn, you’d admit that you like me, too.” She heaved a heavy sigh. “I won’t start what I can’t finish. I don’t have time to like anyone. And by the way, don’t you have family and a life somewhere else? You’ve been stuck in Liberty for weeks. When is this investigation going to end?” “I’m not comfortable with the fact that someone has been breaking through your fences.” “That’s my problem. Not yours.” “I’m making it mine until you can get Deputy Bancroft involved. The local law should be aware of this. And you shouldn’t be here alone. But…” “But what?” “Unless there are any new developments, the investigation into your father’s accident is closed.” “Really?” “Based on what you just told me, the explanation of how Buck was shot with a rifle that was fifteen feet away from him is plausible. I don’t know why Cole didn’t mention any of this to me when I questioned him.” “Because he feels responsible.” “If I can get Cole to submit a statement to what happened, that should be enough to close the case.” “That means you’ll be leaving town?” “Cole can send his statement to me in the Austin office so…yeah, there’s no need for me to stay. Make sure you let him know.” “I can’t.” “What do you mean?” She was quiet a moment. “He left because of me.” “Why?” Libby hesitated a moment. “He told me a few weeks ago he didn’t want to stand in the way of my happiness. He thought by being here… But it doesn’t matter now. You’re leaving. Will you be going back to Steerage Rock?” “No. If I do that, my brother Cody will think I’m back to take over the ranch now that Dad has retired and is spending so much time in Houston. No, I'll go to visit and for special occasions. Except for that period of time when Cody didn’t have his eyesight, I’m mostly on the road. Eventually I’ll probably settle down and work at the Silverado Ranch again. But…” “No. Don’t stop there. Finish what you were going to say.” “It doesn’t matter.” “It does to me.” “My mother always hoped her boys
would one day run the ranch together. Now that she’s gone it’s been hard to be around the ranch.” “I know the feeling,” she admitted. “But this is home. I don’t know where else I’d go. I guess I just can’t imagine it. My dad hoped it would be my brother John who’d take over the ranch when he was gone. After he was killed…I don’t think he thought anyone would. And then Cole came here.” “You were always here. I’ll bet you surprised him with what you could do on your own.” A bittersweet smiled tugged at her lips. “Yeah, I guess I did. But my father was very old fashioned. I think he thought I’d marry one day and my husband would run the ranch. That’s not going to happen.” “The running of the ranch or the getting married?” “I have no intention of letting a husband of mine run this show alone.” “Does that mean you’ll share?” “Marriage is a partnership, if nothing else.” Jackson smiled wickedly. “Well, I hope it’s a whole lot more than that. At least in the bedroom.” She flushed. “I have work to do.” “No, don’t blush.” She waved him off as she walked away. “And don’t run away.” Jackson looked around. There was a whole lot of work that was still left to do. Libby had made a dent while he was out checking the fences, but it was a small one. “Have you eaten?” Libby kept walking until she was outside the barn. “I will after the animals have.” “They’re not going to be, if you collapse from exhaustion." “I’m fine,” she said, picking up the pitchfork that had been propped against the barn. She started poking at the bales of hay that was stacked neatly next to the paddock and added some hay to the hay box. Jackson grabbed the pitchfork from her hand. “Let’s eat,” he said, his tone firm. “When we’re done eating, we can both finish up and make sure the animals have what they need.” Anger surged through her. Her chin lifted the heat in her eyes was unmistakable, like a viper about to strike out at him. Jackson almost wished she would. He wanted to see just how much fire there was in her. She was full of passion, full of spirit. But Libby didn’t strike out. Instead, her shoulders slumped. “I can do this, Jackson. I can.” “I didn’t say you couldn’t. But I’ve been out in that pasture all afternoon and quite frankly, I want to spend a little time with you without talking about investigations or ranches. I’d like a few minutes with you all to myself. Don’t worry. I won’t kiss you. Unless of course, you want me to.” The glare she leveled him with had him laughing. “Why don’t you hold that steam for later when we’re mucking stalls?”