LITMIR.BIZ

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No wonder he’s got his feathers ruffled.”

      “Roscoe always has his feathers ruffled. But think positive,” Mitch said. “You’ve got the day shift. Come fall, you’ll be home in time to pick up the kids from school and have dinner with them. Most new hires work graveyard for the first year.”

      “You’re giving me preferential treatment?”

      “No, ma’am. Think of it as a trade-off. You don’t have the night shift, but you do have Roscoe.”

      “Which is more challenging, Officer McFarland or the night shift?”

      Mitch’s lips twitched at the question. “I can’t make that call.”

      “And what about Henna?”

      “Definitely not challenging.”

      Daisy stifled a laugh. “No. I meant, what is her role at the department?”

      “Henna pretty much runs the place. She does a bit of dispatching, handles the administrative duties, including handling the chief of police. If you need something, she knows where to point you. During the school year, she also manages our school liaison program at the elementary and high school.”

      “That’s a lot multitasking.”

      “Oh, she’s good.”

      Daisy’s gaze remained out the window, taking in the town as they drove up and down Rebel’s patchwork of streets. “How long have you been in Rebel?” she asked.

      “Me? I was born here.”

      “You’ve been in the department how long?”

      “Too long.” Mitch shook his head at the understatement. “Elected chief four years ago.”

      “You’ve never wanted to leave Rebel?”

      “Sure. Lots of times. However, I’m known for my terrible timing.” He released a short laugh. “I always figured it was the Lord’s way of telling me that I belong in Rebel.” Though being police chief hadn’t been in his long-term plans when he’d started down this path.

      Mitch’s dash began to buzz. He pressed a button on his steering wheel to receive the call. “Rainbolt.”

      “Chief.” Henna’s voice filled the vehicle. “Reece called. Asked if you could stop by the ranch when you have time. He said to tell you that it’s definitely not an emergency.”

      “Thanks. Officer Anderson and I will head over there.”

      “Roger that, Chief.”

      Mitch turned to Daisy. “Since I’m showing you around town, this is as good a time as any for you to see Rebel Ranch.”

      “Rebel Ranch?”

      He nodded. “Owned and operated by the Rainbolt family. I’m pleased to say it’s an integral part of the Rebel community.”

      “Your family owns a ranch?”

      “The largest guest ranch in the county. My brother Reece runs the place.” He was unable to keep the pride out of his voice. After a rocky start, Rebel Ranch was now a thriving business.

      “You mentioned a couple of brothers and a sister.”

      “Tucker and Reece live here in Rebel. My sister, Kate, spends a lot of time on the road with the rodeo circuit.”

      “The rodeo. That’s fascinating. I’ve been to the rodeo in Denver quite a few times during the stock show, but I don’t recall seeing her name on the programs.”

      “You probably have and didn’t know it. She’s a rodeo clown.”

      Daisy’s mouth rounded with surprise. “There are female rodeo clowns?”

      “The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association sanctions over six hundred rodeos a year. But there are only a handful of female rodeo clowns. That explains why you’ve never heard of her.” He smiled as once again his pride took over. “My sister is one of the best.”

      “Good for her.”

      He nodded. Not adding that while he was proud of Kate, he worried about her safety too.

      When Mitch turned onto the ranch drive, he caught Daisy staring at the elaborate metalwork that comprised the archway and gate to Rebel Ranch.

      The sight of the ranch entrance against the clear blue, cloudless summer sky really was awesome. Seeing Daisy’s reaction reminded Mitch that Rebel Ranch had come a long way from their humble but heartfelt beginnings. His brother Tucker often said that Mitch needed to stop focusing on the pain of the past and remember the good things from their childhood.

      Trouble was, Mitch was the oldest, and he remembered things differently from Tucker. It was as though they had different childhoods. In a very real way, that was the truth. Mitch had been raised by their mother. The rest of the siblings were raised by Mitch.

      “That’s some view.”

      His gaze followed hers up ahead and farther down the tree-lined drive to a pond surrounded by a canopy of weeping willows. Ducks glided across the sun-dappled surface of the water. Beyond the pond, two barns rose up on the left.

      “They have ranches in Colorado, of course. Lots of them,” Daisy said. “But I have to admit, I’ve been a city girl all my life. This is my first visit to any ranch.”

      Mitch sneaked a look at the woman next to him. Her eyes sparkled and a smile lit up her face as she took in her surroundings.

      “I guess I’ve sort of taken all of this for granted,” he mused. “Though Rebel Ranch has grown since I was a kid. Evolved, you could say. All thanks to Reece. He’s the businessman in the family.”

      “What was it like when you were a kid?”

      “This was my grandfather’s land. He ran a successful horse ranch.”

      “You were raised here?”

      Mitch nearly laughed out loud. He grew up in a trailer on the other side of Rebel. “No. We visited my grandfather on the weekends. This wasn’t even called Rebel Ranch growing up. This was my mother’s daddy’s ranch.”

      “Your mother inherited the ranch?”

      “Not exactly. It’s a long boring story. The local gossips would be happy to fill you in at the barbershop or the beauty parlor.”

      Yeah, pretty much anyone in town would be happy to talk about how his grandfather refused to let Mitch’s father on his land, and the Rainbolt kids didn’t inherit the ranch until both their parents passed.

      Daisy swiveled in her seat, her attention now focused out his side window. “What’s that?” she asked.

      Mitch turned to see what had caught her attention. In the middle of the pasture yard, ranch hands were setting up tents. “They’re getting ready for the first big ranch event of the summer.” Mitch parked the vehicle and unstrapped his seat belt. “And now I know why my brother asked me to come out here.”

      Daisy opened her door and took a deep breath. “That smell. Horses and hay.” The words were spoken with the wonder and awe of a child at Christmas.

      Mitch smiled, trying to see the world from her eyes. Didn’t work. He’d lived in Rebel for far too long. The next thing he heard was a plaintive cry of surprise as she stepped down from the other side of the vehicle.

      “You okay?” he asked.

      “I am, but my shoes will never be the same.” She groaned. “These are new duty shoes too.”

      Mitch held back a chuckle as he realized exactly what just happened. “You stepped in something, I take it.”

      “Yes.” Disgust laced her voice.

      “My fault. I should have given you a heads-up. When you’re on the ranch,

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