Cowboy Under Siege. Gail Barrett

hoping to turn a profit this year, enough for a down payment on Del Harvey’s place.”

      “He’s selling?”

      Cole nodded. “He can’t make a go of it anymore, not with property taxes so high.” Ever since celebrities had discovered the valley, real estate prices had soared.

      “How big is his ranch?”

      “A thousand acres. The land’s good. Lots of native grasses, year-round herds of elk. There’s a movement underway to get cattle off federal lands,” he explained. “If that goes through I could lose my BLM lease. Del’s ranch would provide me with summer pasture, enough so I wouldn’t have to reduce my herd.” But every dead cow—and dollar lost—jeopardized that plan.

      Bethany looked toward the mountains, a small crease bisecting her brow. “How long will he hold on?”

      “I don’t know. He’s been getting calls from developers. They’re offering him a lot of money. He wants to keep the ranch intact, but if I don’t come up with the down payment soon …”

      His chest tight, he scanned the huge granite peaks scraping the sky, the aspens glimmering in the waning sunlight like burnished gold. He inhaled deeply, soaking in the beauty of the land. He couldn’t begin to express his feelings for this place. This wild land touched something inside him, giving him a reason to live.

      And he’d do everything in his power to preserve it, to make sure future generations could breathe the crisp, clean air and absorb the majestic views. In his mind, he didn’t own the land; he was its steward—a privilege he felt honored to have.

      For several minutes, they rode without speaking. Shadows inched over the fields. White-tailed deer crept from a grove of trees. They crested a hill, startling a herd of antelope. The animals sprinted toward a pine-sheltered meadow where he and Bethany had first made love.

      His pulse thudded fast at the memory. He’d been nineteen, and so tortured by lust for her that he could barely ride his horse. And when she’d stripped off her clothes amidst the wildflowers, baring her sleek, ripe curves to his gaze …

      “That gate’s open,” she said.

      Cole dragged his attention to where she pointed. “You’re right.” Grateful for the distraction, he tugged on the reins and trotted to the open gate. Bethany joined him a second later, and they both dropped to the ground. He handed her his reins, then strode over and secured the gate.

      He paused to study the tire tracks in the grass. “They must have come through here on the way to the stream.” Which made sense. They weren’t far from a forest service road.

      “You have any idea who’s doing this?” she asked.

      “My father’s enemies, I guess.”

      “Why do you think that?”

      “Because ever since he showed up we’ve been having problems—windows smashed, fences cut.” One of his father’s mistresses, Gloria Cosgrove, had even attacked him at the bank in town.

      Her brows furrowed. “But why? I don’t understand the point.”

      He tipped back his hat and sighed. “I think they’re trying to make him leave. Security’s tight at the ranch house. My grandmother was a little paranoid and had it rigged like Fort Knox. So if someone wants to hurt him, they need to get him away from the ranch.

      “It’s no secret that we don’t get along.” Hell, he despised the man. His father had never kept a promise in his life—not to his wife, not to his children, and certainly not to the gullible constituents who kept voting him into power. “They probably figure if they make my life miserable enough, I’ll boot him out.”

      But unlike the senator, Cole was a man who kept his word. He’d promised to protect his father and he would—no matter what he thought of him.

      Bethany hesitated. “You don’t think it could be someone else … like one of your men?”

      “Why do you ask that?”

      She pulled a piece of leather from her pocket and handed it to him. He studied it for a moment, examining the braided horsehair design. “It looks like part of a bridle.”

      “I found it in your field, not far from the stream. Any idea who it belongs to?”

      He shrugged and handed it back. “Tony goes for that kind of thing. Why? You think he’s causing the problems?”

      “Do you?”

      He turned that over in his mind. “No. He’s worked for me for a couple of years now. He’s reliable.” He liked to booze it up on the weekends and brag about his conquests, but there was nothing criminal about that.

      Her eyes thoughtful, Bethany stuffed the scrap back into her pocket. “Speaking of your men … I can help with the cattle while I’m here. My father doesn’t need me to do much. As long as I check on him occasionally, he’ll be fine.”

      He opened his mouth to agree. But the glint in her eyes brought him up short. He recognized that look—the same stubborn resolve that had made her class valedictorian and earned her a full-ride scholarship to the university back east.

      She had an agenda. And if that plan included snooping around and asking questions …

      “Forget it,” he said. “It’s too dangerous.”

      “I don’t see how. And you said you needed more help.”

      She was right. This was the do-or-die moment for the Bar Lazy K, the only paycheck he’d get all year. Everything hinged on getting those cattle to market—and to do that, he needed help. Even worse, he still had those hundred head stranded in the mountains. If he didn’t rescue them before that front moved in, he could lose even more of the herd.

      But he refused to put Bethany in danger. And the thought of working beside her made everything inside him rebel. She dredged up too many memories, stirred up longings he’d worked too hard to subdue.

      “You know I can do the work,” she said.

      “That’s not the issue.” She could run rings around most of his hands.

      “Then what is the issue?”

      “Whoever’s killing my cows is armed. Dangerous.” And if she’d come across that shooter in the field … His belly contracted with dread.

      “They haven’t hurt any people, have they?”

      They’d kidnapped his sister. But he couldn’t tell her that.

      When he didn’t answer, she stepped closer. “Listen, Cole, if my dad’s in danger, I deserve to know.”

      “He’ll be safe in the house. You both will. I’ve had the alarm repaired, and there are plenty of people around, including my dad’s bodyguards.”

      “Safe from what?” Exasperation tinged her voice. “Exactly what do you think is going to happen?”

      He folded his arms, refusing to say. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her—at least in this case. She wasn’t the gossipy type. But his father had insisted they keep this mum.

      “There’s something you aren’t saying,” she said slowly. “Something else has happened, more than the cows. Something your aunt Bonnie Gene didn’t want to say.”

      He exhaled, knowing he might as well tell her the truth. She was smart. She’d eventually figure it out. And he couldn’t take the chance that she’d nose around, asking questions that could get her killed.

      He released a sigh. “All right, look. No one outside the family knows this. You have to promise you won’t tell anyone, not even your father. I can’t let this leak out.”

      “I promise.”

      He nodded. “Lana’s been kidnapped.”

      Her