The New Cowboy. Rebecca Winters

      “When?”

      “Pretty soon,” Sadie volunteered.

      “You’ll be a very lucky boy.”

      Zane heard her whispering to Ryan. “She says I have to go to bed. I don’t want to!” He started crying.

      “But you need your sleep.”

      “No— I want you—”

      “Say good-night, Ryan.”

      “No-o—”

      Zane heard talking in the background. Ryan was becoming more unmanageable. Someone else had come into the room. He could hear Sadie saying they had to go.

      “Don’t go, Unca Zen—” Ryan wailed, sounding like his heart would break.

      Sadie poked her head into view. “Sorry. This little guy is tired.”

      “I can tell. Who’s there with you?”

      “Avery just dropped by.”

      His adrenaline kicked in. “Put her on.”

      “Just a minute.” He heard more talking. “Come on over here, Avery. Zane wants to say hello. Tell him what’s going on at the Bannock ranch while I put Ryan down.”

      The boy was in complete meltdown mode as they left the room. His nephew’s cries grew fainter and Zane’s heart started pounding harder as he waited to see the woman who kept him awake nights.

      His breath caught when she sat down in front of the camera. “Hi, Zane. I guess you can’t tell your nephew adores you.”

      “The feeling’s mutual. How are you?”

      “Good. Busy. I’m surprised you’ve come out from undercover long enough to manage this Skype session.”

      “I’ll always make time for my family.”

      “Now that you’ve been working there for a while, do you like the Glasgow area?”

      “It’s all right, but I’d rather be back on my ranch. Matt has the whole burden on his shoulders when I’m away like this.”

      “He carried most of it all the years he worked for Daniel Corkin. I don’t hear any complaints.”

      “Matt isn’t the type to complain. I’m lucky he was willing to be my foreman after Daniel died. But let’s not talk about that. I want to know what’s happening in your world.”

      “Since Jarod’s not home yet, and it’ll be a while before Ryan goes to sleep, I’ll tell you a secret. Jarod is driving us all crazy waiting for his offspring to arrive. He’s due in five weeks. I swear Jarod’s going to wear a hole in the floor of their new house.”

      “He’s still worried about Sadie?”

      “More than ever. I’ve never seen him this bad. I know she’s had a lot of morning sickness, but the doctor says she’s fine. Jarod doesn’t believe him.”

      “I guess that’s not so hard to understand. Sadie’s mom died soon after childbirth.”

      “But Sadie’s not her mom. That heart operation was successful and she’s fine now. But you can’t tell Jarod that. He bites your head off. We have to walk on eggshells around him. He used to work all hours of the day on the ranch. Now he comes home every few hours, and the rest of the time he’s on the phone with her.”

      “The man’s in love.” Zane could relate in the most profound of ways.

      “Between you and me, he’s driving her crazy.”

      “But never too crazy. Trust me on that. When she was in San Francisco, he was never off her mind for a single second. Those two should have been together years ago.”

       You and I should be together now.

      “I know. I try not to think about that. But this countdown to the baby is getting hard on everyone. The other day Grandpa got so fed up he told him to take a ride in the mountains and commune with nature. It’s gotten so serious even Uncle Charlo has no wisdom to impart. When I was out on the reservation the other day and talked to him about Jarod, he actually shook his head, indicating he had nothing. I’ve never seen him do that before.”

      “Well, it won’t be long before the baby comes.”

      “That’s easy for you to say. You’re not here to watch Jarod implode on a daily basis.”

      Zane burst into laughter, causing her to chuckle. “I’ll give him a call and try to reassure him that Sadie’s tough.”

      “I’ve seen that strength. She’s already become a mother to her own half brother. Sadie has a remarkable capacity to love. Jarod relies on that love. It’s really touching to watch the two of them.”

      The wistfulness in her tone wasn’t lost on Zane, who couldn’t take the separation from Avery much longer.

      “I’m afraid I need to get off now. Grandpa is waiting for me.”

       No-o—

      Zane felt exactly like Ryan. “I guess I’ll be seeing all of you on the Fourth of July for the big family get-together.”

      “It’ll be fun. I’ve enjoyed talking to you, Zane. Hold on while I tiptoe to Ryan’s room. Sadie will want to say good-night.” There was a slight pause. “Take care,” she said with a throb in her voice he felt go through his system. It was always there...that little nuance of emotion that told him she missed him, but she’d never admit it.

      “The same back to you, Avery.”

      * * *

      ANOTHER MONDAY MORNING, but it had started out with a surprise phone call that left Avery Bannock frightened and tense. She’d had to leave the Crow Indian dig site where she was working outside Absarokee, Montana, and drive all the way to Bozeman, Montana.

      Once inside the police department on Sixteenth Street, she approached the sergeant at the front desk. “A Detective Rymer phoned me two hours ago and asked me to come in because he needed to tell me certain information in person. He said it was urgent.” After hearing that message, the warm June morning she’d awakened to had been lost on her.

      The officer nodded. “Go down the left hall to the first door on the right.”

      “Thank you.”

      She hadn’t been inside this building for eight years, but the emergency that had brought her here would haunt her for her entire life. “Detective Rymer?”

      He stood up when she entered the small office. “Ms. Bannock?”

      “Yes.”

      “I’m glad you came so fast.” He shook her hand and asked her to be seated. “Detective Palmer, who has worked tirelessly on your case, is having back surgery at the moment and asked me to take over for him.”

      “Was he injured in the line of duty?”

      “No. He has a recurring ailment that needed to be fixed.”

      “I’m glad that’s the reason, but I’m sorry for him. He’s been a great support to me.”

      “To you and a lot of people. We’re all waiting for him to come back.”

      “You said this was urgent?”

      “Very. I’ll get right to the point. The man who assaulted you on September 10, eight years ago, outside the women’s dormitory on campus at Montana State University, was captured in Helena, Montana, last week.”

      What? She reeled. “Is that the truth?”

      “Forensics matched his DNA with the DNA taken from you and two other victims.”

      Two others? She shuddered. “I can’t believe it!