LITMIR.BIZ

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appeared unaffected.

      She silently cursed his ability to remain cool, calm and collected.

      “Keep an eye peeled for Crowley or any suspicious strangers while we’re gone,” Cliff warned Sam. He’d had Ruby give Sam a rough description when they first talked.

      “Are you really sure you’re okay with this?” She couldn’t stop fretting about Sam and his family. “You have two young daughters. I’d hate putting you and them in danger.”

      “Cliff says the danger’s minimal. For the moment.”

      “Yeah.” It was that “for the moment” that concerned Ruby. She’d believed she was safe in her condo. Look how wrong she’d been.

      “If for any reason the situation changes,” Cliff addressed Sam, “you’ll be the first person I tell. After Ruby.”

      She released a worried sigh.

      “If Crowley and his resources track your sister here, all they’ll report back to him is that Scarlett McPhee is alone and doing her job as usual. It should be enough to deter him.”

      “What about my car? It’s parked beside the barn. Scarlett drives a Jeep.”

      “We need to move it out of sight right away.”

      “If you want,” Sam said, “I’ll park it in the barn while you’re on the ride.”

      Ruby dug in her pocket and extracted her keys. How was she going to get around?

      Sam must have read her mind. “Can you drive a stick?”

      She nodded.

      “We’ve got an old Chevy half-ton pickup you can use. Scarlett’s driven it before on errands.”

      Ruby was touched by his generosity. “I can’t impose on you more than I have.”

      He smiled kindly. “We’re not going to let anything happen to you.”

      Her sister’s boss was clearly a good man, if a little crazy for going along with the switch and all it entailed. “You owe me nothing,” Ruby reminded him.

      “Oh, don’t think you’re getting off scot-free. You’ll have to work. Pretty hard, some days.”

      “I’m used to it.” She hadn’t risen to the position of assistant manager in two years by being a slacker.

      Today might be different, however. She was running on pure adrenalin. When her lack of sleep and acute anxiety caught up with her, her energy level would plummet.

      “Well then, let’s see what you’re capable of,” Sam said. “Starting now.”

      Ruby glanced around. In the time they’d been talking, Luis had finished with the horses. All twelve stood shoulder to shoulder, tied to the fence.

      “Which one’s mine?” she asked, evaluating the selection from a distance.

      “None of those.” Sam started for the corral, motioning to Ruby when she was slow to follow. “Your sister’s favorite is Mama Bear.”

      The remaining horses came over to greet the newcomers, seeking a petting. Good, solid, dependable stock, Ruby decided. Trustworthy enough for the most beginner of riders and capable of giving the experienced ones a run for their money.

      Ruby took an instant liking to Mama Bear. With a prominent nose ridge, the medium-size dapple gray was no beauty. But her eyes were gentle and the hair on her muzzle was softer than peach fuzz.

      Sam nodded approvingly. “She’ll go all day long if you ask her.”

      Cliff settled on a handsome brown gelding that followed him to the gate like a puppy dog, then nearly ran him over in his haste to join his pals on the ride.

      In the tack shed, Ruby perused the equipment. It was of good quality and sound condition. There were also helmets for those riders wanting extra protection. The Gold Nugget Ranch didn’t take any risks when it came to their guests and employees.

      Except for letting her ride along with them.

      Ruby prayed Cliff and Detective James were right about Crowley and that the danger to others was minimal.

      Locating Scarlett’s bridle, saddle and blanket on the rack, she carried them to where Mama Bear was tied. It really was like riding a bike. The leather straps felt familiar in her hands, as did the smell and sound of horses. She’d missed being around them. Funny, the different paths her and Scarlett’s lives had taken.

      Cliff also knew his way around a horse and was ready to mount before her. He strode over. “Need a boost?”

      “No, thanks.”

      She placed her foot in the stirrup and swung up into the saddle, not quite as nimbly as she’d hoped but still confident. She wriggled, trying to find a comfortable position. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible. Her stirrups were too long. Without adequate support, she’d slip and slide going up and down the mountains. Grabbing hold of the saddle horn, she moved to dismount.

      “Stay.”

      At the abrupt order, she glanced down at Cliff.

      “I’ll get them,” he said.

      Before she could muster a protest, he took hold of her ankle and removed her foot from the stirrup. Next, he unfastened the buckle and raised the stirrup two notches.

      “I can do that,” she insisted.

      “No problem.” He finished and guided her foot back into the stirrup, his hand remaining on her heel.

      She could feel the pressure of his strong fingers through the thick hide of her boots. It wasn’t unpleasant. Then, his hand skimmed up her calf.

      “How’s that?” he asked.

      “Nice...” Ruby caught herself. “I mean, good.” She put weight in her heel, testing the stirrup’s length.

      He went around to her left side and repeated the process. For some reason, he seemed to take considerably longer than necessary.

      Leaning down, she whispered, “Hurry. People are watching.”

      They were. The guests and Luis, all of them astride their various mounts, were waiting for the ride to start. Ruby was used to a certain amount of attention at work. This was different.

      “Done.” Cliff let the second stirrup drop. Then, with an agility Ruby wished she’d shown, he mounted the gelding.

      Her resolve promptly deserted her. She’d always been attracted to men who could sit a horse well. Figured Cliff Dempsey, sheriff of Sweetheart and her sister’s romantic castoff, would be one of them.

      Fifteen minutes into the ride, the group abandoned the main road in favor of a well-used trail that was wide enough for two horses to walk abreast. Cliff kept pace with Ruby, his expression unreadable. For her part, she said nothing, unsure of what to say.

      As the morning sun rose higher in a brilliant blue sky, many of the guests shed their sweaters and jackets, either tying them around their waists or behind their saddles. Ruby attempted to do her job by keeping an eye on the riders ahead of her and answering questions. The horse-related ones were simple enough. Cliff had to step in and assist with those concerning the region.

      Eventually, the group settled down as the newness of the ride wore off and they became more comfortable with their mounts. Ruby’s mind drifted, lulled by the rhythmic clip-clopping of hooves on the hard ground and sunlight flickering over her face as it filtered through the sprawling tree limbs.

      This day, this entire situation was surreal. Unbelievable. Yesterday, a mere twenty-four hours earlier, she’d been getting dressed for work. Then, her manager called to say that Crowley had showed up at the casino again and was asking about her. When the manager insisted Crowley leave, he became physical and shoved the manager aside. Ruby, in turn, contacted

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