Joanna Wayne - Ambush At Dry Gulch

If she’d even gone to Angie’s.

The sweet, adorable Lizette he’d known once had to live somewhere inside the stranger she’d become. Somehow he had to find a way to reach her.

Instead he was off to a meeting he could do without.

* * *

CAROLINA MARCHED UP the steps of the capitol building, fighting the growing agitation that she was forced to accept Jake Dalton’s help, mentally debating how she’d handle their initial meeting.

“Slow down,” Mildred said. “I’m out of breath trying to keep up with you.”

“Sorry. I guess I’m still blowing off steam.”

“You are going to be civil to Mr. Dalton, aren’t you?”

“I’ll try. That’s the best I can promise—which is more than he was with me when I called him about paying R.J. a visit.”

“You might have caught him at a bad time. Maybe this is his way of making it up to you.”

“I seriously doubt that. And if it was just a matter of timing, he’s had time to rethink it and contact R.J. Besides, he was the one who made this personal by insinuating I’d done something wrong.”

“If he’s still upset with you, he certainly wouldn’t have volunteered the Silver Spur for the Saddle-Up project.”

“I strongly suspect a little quid pro quo was involved. He probably owed a favor to Aidan Bastrop—or wants one from him.”

“Whatever his reason, I’m glad the training wasn’t canceled,” Mildred said. “Now I just hope I can continue to be part of it.”

Mildred’s voice hinted of angst. Carolina slowed and turned to face her. “Of course you’ll be part of it. You’ve already put in hours and hours of work.”

“I know, but...”

“But what?”

“Thad.”

Carolina’s irritation switched from Jake to Mildred’s abusive ex-husband. “Have you heard from him?”

“Last night, near midnight. He sounded as if he’d been drinking.”

“What did he want?”

“To see me. He said it’s urgent.”

“What gall. He almost beat you to death. You’re divorced now. You owe him nothing.”

“He admitted all that, but he begged me to give him another chance. He says he’s a changed man.”

“What did you tell him?”

“That it’s over and he should go on with his life. But I know Thad. He’s not going to accept that. He thinks I belong to him like a piece of property. He always did.”

Mildred was clearly disturbed and with good reason. She needed to talk this out, but the meeting was due to start in minutes. “Why didn’t you mention this at breakfast or on the drive from the hotel to the capitol?”

“I didn’t want to upset you, but then I started to feel guilty about keeping it from you. If you want me to drop out of the training, I’ll understand.”

“Drop out and let Thad dictate your life. Absolutely not. You can block him from calling you again, and you definitely don’t have to see him.”

“That doesn’t mean he won’t cause trouble.”

“If he does, we’ll contact Sheriff Garcia and he’ll have him arrested. The law is on your side. You don’t have to put up with Thad’s abuse ever again. Now, let’s not let Thad Caffey ruin our day. After all, we have Jake Dalton for that,” she added with a smile, trying to ease Mildred’s tension.

Senator Ralph Baldwin caught up with them just as they reached the door. He pushed it open and held it for them to enter.

“Good morning, Carolina. You look beautiful, as always,” he said, practically ogling.

“Thank you. You look nice yourself.” She stepped through the door and kept walking. She could definitely do without Ralph’s seduction routine this morning.

The senator took her arm and tugged her to a stop. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d be here today?”

So she could avoid awkward moments like this one. “I’m just here for a meeting.”

“I have a luncheon meeting myself today, but I’m free tonight. Surely you could stay over in Austin and have dinner with me,” Ralph said. “I hate to eat alone.”

“I’ll go on ahead,” Mildred said, no doubt mistakenly thinking Carolina would appreciate the privacy.

Carolina turned back to Ralph. “You could always have dinner at home with your wife.”

“She’s in Midland visiting her parents.” He lowered his voice. “Besides, I’ve told you, we’re married in name only and even that will come to an end after the next election.”

“Perhaps we’ll have dinner then.” And perhaps there would be a Dallas snowstorm in August. “I need to go now. Time for my meeting.” She hurried away before he had time to reply.

No one seemed to understand that she didn’t need a man in her life. She’d been married to Hugh Lambert, bigger than life, a man among men. How could she ever expect to find a man to measure up to him? If she did, it certainly wouldn’t be a lowlife philanderer like Ralph Baldwin.

Carolina hurried down the wide halls of the capitol and slipped inside the conference room a few minutes before the scheduled starting time. Once she was inside, the noise level increased dramatically. A good sign that the volunteers were excited about the project.

Carolina glanced around the room, nodding and smiling at the attendees. This would be her first time to meet many of them, though she’d interviewed every volunteer by phone and had a background check run on them. In every case they were respectable ranchers’ wives or experienced riders, active in their communities.

There was much more to providing an enriching summer experience to these teens than just teaching them to ride. She had to make sure the volunteers knew exactly what they were signing up for and that they had a true desire to help and bond with the frequently troubled girls.

She quickly spotted Jake Dalton, standing in a corner by himself. It was only the second time she’d seen him in person, the first being at the Dry Gulch just after R.J. had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.

The occasion had been less than joyous—the reading of R.J.’s will while he was still alive. Jake had been resentful then, and unlike his half siblings, he apparently still nurtured his grudge.

He had the same ruggedly handsome features as his four younger half-brothers. Tall. Tanned. Broad shouldered. Chiseled jaw. Lean and hard bodied. Blatantly masculine in his ranch-cut sports jacket and shirt that was open at the neck. A bit of gray salted the thick, dark hair around his temples.

About her age, she’d guess, though he might be younger than her fifty-five years. The only obvious negative to his looks was a mouth that looked as if it might have forgotten how to smile. Probably a reflection of having to deal with her this morning.

Only he didn’t have to. He could have said no. She knew for a fact he was good at that.

Aidan welcomed the group and talked for only a few minutes before introducing Carolina. Jake Dalton stared at her, looking as shocked as if someone had thrown a glass of ice water in his handsome face.

So he hadn’t known he’d be dealing with her and hadn’t recognized her before now. That explained a lot. She could start looking forward to five days from hell.

After the introductions, Aidan and Jake excused themselves and left the room, and the rest of the meeting went off without a hitch. The women all seemed capable and excited about the project.

They broke at noon. Carolina, Mildred, Peg Starling and Sara Billings, the four who planned to tour the facilities at the Silver Spur Ranch that afternoon, lingered in the conference room.

“How is it you failed to mention our host was a hunk?” Sara asked.

“And no little gold band on the gorgeous rancher’s finger,” Peg commented. “Guess that means he’s available?”