Jenna Night - Lost Rodeo Memories

“He’s always done what he wanted to do,” Jake muttered. “When he first showed up, he was skin and bones. Limping. Patches of his fur missing. Janelle felt sorry for him and spoiled him rotten. That is the true source of the problem with Billy Clyde.”

Luke glanced over at Jake, relieved to see that his brother could mention his late wife’s name without choking up. Jake and Janelle had married right out of high school. They had settled here, at the family ranch, while Luke joined the army and took off to see the world. Luke had come back to visit when he could. And, of course, when their father had died. Their mother had passed away when they were both young.

Luke had been energized by the adrenaline rush of serving in the military. Couldn’t imagine ever coming back and settling for a quiet ranch life, just a few miles outside of Bowen.

But then his sister-in-law had started to get sick. The end had come so swiftly for her that Luke was truly at a loss for words when he got the news while on an army base in Afghanistan. Even for a man who had faced the horrors of combat daily, when the phone call came, telling him that his upbeat, fun-loving sister-in-law was gone, he’d had a hard time believing it.

And his little brother had been a wreck. Not only had Jake faced the horror of losing his wife, but he knew from experience the feeling of emptiness left behind when children lose their mother at an early age. And worry for those kids started eating him up.

Eventually Jake pulled himself together. Kept putting one foot in front of the other, because he was tough. Always had been. He didn’t complain, but Luke had heard the heaviness in his brother’s voice when he talked to him. And he knew what he had to do.

Luke had been near the end of his tour of duty when Janelle had passed away. He hadn’t reenlisted yet, though up to that point he’d had every intention of doing so. Instead he finished his tour and came on home and moved to the ranch to help his brother. Not so much with managing the ranch. Jake had a handle on that. But with raising the kids. With getting on with life.

That had been two years ago. Being a Miles County deputy sheriff was a long way from the intense challenges Luke was used to facing on a daily basis. But once the kids were a little older, and he was convinced Jake was emotionally settled, Luke would get back to traveling the world. Seeing new things. Facing new challenges. Maybe he’d reenlist in the military. Or see what was available in the world of private security.

His thoughts drifted to Melanie Graham. He’d responded to assaults and strong-arm robberies before, but her case was certainly unique. One of the most interesting cases he’d worked in a while.

It was because of the amnesia angle, and the second attack taking place so soon after the first, that he’d made sure the sheriff’s department pushed to be the lead agency on the case. And he’d made certain he was put in charge of the investigation.

He found himself recalling Melanie Graham’s face. The fear and confusion in her eyes. He’d seen that so many times in combat. He couldn’t stand by and let somebody go through that without helping them. And okay, maybe he was a little motivated to help Melanie specifically. In just the small amount of time he’d spent around her, he’d been drawn in by the appeal of her strength and determination to work through the aftermath of the attack on her rather than remaining paralyzed by fear. Her warm hazel eyes and defiant smile, at moments when he knew she was afraid, had their appeal, as well. The woman was a fighter.

Luke wrenched himself back to the present and glanced around. Billy Clyde had let the kids catch him and they were rolling around in the thick grass outside the corral together.

“Little brother,” Luke said, turning and clapping Jake on the shoulder. “You are going to have to give both of your kids a bath tonight.”

“Tonight and every night,” Jake said agreeably. “Sometimes in the middle of the day, too.”

“I’ll give Billy Clyde another bath. Unless you want to make him stay outside tonight.”

Jake laughed and shook his head. “I can’t make that animal stay outside and he knows it.” Then, just like a cloud passing over the sun on a clear day, his expression completely changed. He cleared his throat a couple of times. “Janelle insisted we keep him after he showed up that day, and he was always really her dog. Maybe that’s why he’s always acting up. Maybe he misses her, too.”

Jake’s voice broke and he dragged his knuckles across his eyes, wiping away the tears that had slipped out.

Luke stood by him. As usual he was clueless about what he should say. But he knew there was power in having someone present when you were hurting. Even if they didn’t say a word.

By the time the smelly dog and the kids ran over to them, Jake had composed himself. “I’m starving,” Alan announced.

“Yeah, well, the way you two smell, it’s going to be baths first and then supper,” Jake answered.

The three of them turned and started up the hill to the house.

Luke headed back to the stables with the dog at his heels so he could fill the big tub in there with soapy water and re-bathe Billy Clyde.

* * *

“I still can’t remember what happened to me at the fairgrounds,” Melanie said to Luke, with exasperation burning in her chest like indigestion. “How do you expect me to identify the attacker in these pictures?”

Two days had passed since she’d been grabbed in the alley beside the coffee shop. Three days since someone had tried to kill her at the fairgrounds.

Physically and emotionally she’d taken a slight turn for the worse, once she was settled in her room at her cousin’s house, after the second attack.

Every time she let down her defenses, told herself to relax and tried to get some sleep, that panicky feeling would come back with a vengeance. Her neck hurt even more, as did the scrapes and bruises on the places where she’d hit the ground. She was afraid to take the sleeping pills and painkillers the doctor had prescribed for her. Because what if the attacker came back again? Tried to break into the house?

She was doing a little better now. Well enough to drive herself to the sheriff’s department’s office in town and meet with Luke to look at mug shots. Anna had offered to take her to the meeting, but she’d already missed enough work looking after Melanie. And it was a short drive. Melanie could handle it. Like so many things these days, she had to handle it.

When Melanie’s husband had filed for divorce, she’d needed somewhere to go. Anna had welcomed her with open arms. The rent money Melanie paid was appreciated. Anna made that abundantly clear. But Anna still needed to show up at the accounting firm where she’d recently gotten a job. And thanks to Melanie, she’d already missed two days of work.

Luke took a sip of coffee and set the mug on the conference table, where they were seated. There was an electronic tablet in front of him and he slid it over toward her. “These are pictures of men from this part of Idaho, as well as a few from Northern Wyoming who have a history of violent, strong-arm robbery, specifically targeting women.” The screen showed four images. She could swipe her finger across the screen to see more.

“Do me a favor and just take a look,” he continued. “See if anyone seems familiar. It’s possible you crossed paths with the attacker more than two weeks ago and that you’d remember him if you saw his picture. Maybe he worked alongside you at a rodeo or a fair or somewhere else where you were selling your jewelry over the last few months.”

That was possible. She’d been busy over the summer, traveling to as many events as she could.