High-Stakes Colton. Karen Anders

as if Buck thought Jake might be a mite sore after getting his hide stripped by Alanna.

      Jake faced the pretty, agitated blonde and waited. She dropped her arms and her fists clenched. “I don’t believe you can tame that horse with magic and moonbeams, Mr. McCord. Just so you know I have no compunction telling you straight to your face.” He went to speak, and she held up her hand. “I believe he’s ruined, unpredictable and dangerous and even a rugged cowboy, all hopped up on his sage wisdom, can’t pull off a save. That’s my honest opinion.”

      “I had no doubt you are an outspoken woman, Ms. Colton. I will do my damnedest to show you that I don’t doctor up my résumé or my reputation. Pretty much what you see is what you get. No subterfuge.” He realized he was here undercover, but he was being completely straightforward about who he was. What she saw was what she got.

      “My brother might have hired you, Mr. McCord, but I run the stables, and I don’t go for all that horse-whispering mumbo jumbo or your sense of humor.”

      He cocked his hip and set his hands on his belt buckle. “There’s a saying that you can’t step into the same river twice. Once you step in, you alter it, you affect its flow, you transform the soil and water mixture, and you make a mark. It’s a changed river. When I’m finished with Zorro, he won’t be the same horse he was when I got here. I’ll guarantee that, Ms. Colton.”

      He leaned in. He couldn’t help it. She was so attractive when she was setting her boundaries. Tangling with her was more dangerous than French-kissing a rattlesnake. He should heed his instinct, but it wasn’t in his nature to back down, even though it was in his best interests. Getting attached in any way to a suspect was asking for trouble and getting mired in emotions was certainly not something he needed to add to his already burned-out attitude. She was...refreshing, though, and it was his job to get close to her. Get her to reveal any secrets she might be storing in that pretty head of hers. Getting just close enough, but not too close was his game plan. A little wooing was necessary and he was finding it more enjoyable than he’d planned. “I take your meaning, but my sense of humor might grow on you. And, Ms. Colton, I do all kinds of whisperin’ and reckon it works like a charm, no complaints so far. Let me know if you...” his voice dropped an octave “...need any samplin’.”

      He turned on his heel and left her standing there with her mouth open. With each step he felt buoyant, not that he wanted to; he couldn’t seem to help himself.

      When he cleared the doors and stepped back out into the sunlight, it was going on seven thirty. “Your hide looks intact, and you’re walking pretty good there, cowboy.”

      “This ain’t my first rodeo,” Jake said and grinned.

      “Yeah, it takes a strong man to stand up to that lady. Hats off to you.”

      “Let me take a look at this devil horse and see what we’ve got.”

      “I’m with Miss Colton on this.” He started walking over to a two-seater golf cart. Jake looked at it skeptically and Buck grinned, his demeanor open and warm. “Not exactly what cowboys normally ride around on, but this is a big area and it’s fast transportation. I’ll give you the breakdown as we go.”

      “Fair enough.” Jake slid into the seat and Buck started up the engine.

      Buck settled his hat tighter to his head. “You also think Zorro is a lost cause?” Jake asked as the foreman put the little vehicle in gear.

      “Yes, I’m afraid so. I’ve been riding and ranching all my life. I’ve never seen such a rogue horse. He belongs in the wild with his own herd. Gelding him would be the other choice, but I don’t think he’ll ever be a top-notch cutter or agreeable barrel racer. Fowler is adamant the horse would enhance our bloodlines, and I disagree. He’s got everything else going for him conformationwise. No doubt. But breeding a horse with that disposition seems like a disaster in the making.”

      “I haven’t met Mr. Colton yet. I hear he’s not a tolerant sort.”

      Buck chuckled. “Fowler Colton doesn’t suffer fools well, or anyone for that matter. But he and the family are under enough stress.”

      “You mean with Eldridge Colton missing.”

      Buck shot Jake a look, his expression contained with an undercurrent of censure. “I wasn’t here when it all happened. But I’m sure it is a source of stress no doubt, but the family is weathering his disappearance as best they can. Best to leave that to them and Sheriff Watkins.”

      “Sure, I understand. It’s been in the news a lot lately. Hard to miss.”

      “The media is as hungry for news as a newborn calf is for its mama’s milk,” he said, his message clear. He didn’t gossip about the Coltons. Jake had to admire that and wondered if it was just Buck’s character or something in Alanna that inspired such loyalty. “The stables behind us house the sale stock as well as the indoor arena, as you’ve seen, and includes a viewing area as well as the forty stalls.”

      He drove until the apartments were in sight, then made a right to go around. “These are the two barns that house the cutters. Cisco is where we keep the horses we’re training and the studs. Jasper is where we keep the mares, foals and yearlings.”

      “How many head you got?”

      “Altogether, we’ve got about two hundred or so depending on sales and such. We’re about to have an auction for the new crop of fully trained horses.”

      He looped around and pointed out the next set of identical barns. “Spur and Dallas house mostly training stock. I believe that’s where your mount is, correct?”

      “Yes, sir. Name’s Valentine. Blue roan.”

      “I have a soft spot for roans. Had me one when I was just a tyke.” He gestured ahead. “Each of the service barns holds forty horses with two wash racks and tack room. The mare barns also have sleeping accommodations when mares are foaling in case Alanna or the vet want to catch some shut-eye.”

      “It’s an expansive and impressive operation Miss Colton is running.”

      “Yes, she has the staff to help her, but she’s pretty tireless and always on top of things.”

      As they passed, Jake noted each of the barns had a paddock adjacent to the structure opening out from the stalls.

      Buck pulled the small cart over and parked. He got out and Jake followed. “Time for breakfast. Don’t want to miss Ellen’s cinnamon rolls.”

      * * *

      “You’re both right on time,” Ellen said, her gaze lingering a little longer on the foreman. “It’s nice to have you back, Buck.”

      “Good to be back, Ellen.”

      “Any luck?”

      “Yep, two new mares.”

      “Very good. Have a seat before the masses arrive and all hell breaks loose.” Ellen waved them to chairs. She returned with cutlery, two steaming cups of coffee, a pitcher of cream and a pan of cinnamon buns. She set them down in front of them, then went back for a napkin dispenser and a bowl of sugar from the lazy Susan. “Have at it,” she said with a smile.

      They dug in and Ellen had been right. People started to arrive. More than he could learn the names of in the first sitting. But it wasn’t until Alanna walked in that for him, all hell broke loose.

      She was cordial to everyone, but reserved. When she met his eyes, she didn’t shy away. He liked her self-possession, but he was a master of body language, partly from being a cop and partly from his ability to work with horses. Alanna Colton didn’t trust easily. Who could blame her? If it wasn’t her controversial and backstabbing family, it was the media trying to get dirt on them. Getting close to her was his job. There was no getting around that. But his ability to professionally detach himself from any situation involving the criminal element seemed to elude him. Didn’t mean she wasn’t guilty.

      When Buck