The Long Moon Read online

  “Drop the subject and move on to what you came to tell me.” She gave him a quick glance and sat in the chair. Her fingers entwined on her belly.

  “When Harvey came to harass you, did he have on sneakers?” A blush rose on Will’s cheeks.

  “Yeah, if he wore hard soled shoes, his steps would have been loud and not squeaky like sneakers on the waxed wood.”

  “Two of the prints we found are made from sneakers, the other set were boots.”

  She looked at the floor and followed the footprints left after his visit. With all the business at hand and Carson coming in, she had neglected to dust the hard wood. Heat climbed up her cheeks as she thanked her mind for the slight slippage.

  “Call Carson and Logan. Have them come to the house.” She grabbed the masking tape from her desk drawer. Carefully she ripped off four strips and enclosed the footprint. With a slight heft of a chair, she placed it over the tape to keep anyone from contaminating her crime scene. Pink spread up her cheek and pride filled her chest as she thought about what a lousy housekeeper she could be when a crisis hit. At least she did have a small contribution to add to solving her dilemma.

  Carson showed up first. He stormed in the house. “What is going on? Why the urgent call?”

  “Two days ago, Harvey came by to toss his threats around. I got busy and forgot to dust the floor.” The front door squealed and Logan’s hurried pace clomped across to the office door. “Two days ago Harvey came here. Look.” She pointed to the floor.

  “Those are his footprints in the masking tape. Did you find a tread matching this one?” Logan scrolled the cell phone camera to a picture from the scene.

  “Looks like a match. Will, call the sheriff’s office. At least we can now put Harvey at the butcher block.” Logan glanced at Carson.

  The sun was going down when the house cleared. River took a seat on the front porch. Will and Carson made their way to the bunkhouse to warn the rest of the hands.

  A few shadows moved near the barn. River watched for a moment before she realized it was men. She stood and strolled in the direction, when the smoke and blaze became apparent. Her screams rang in her ears.

  Around the corner, a man was busy lighting his match and tossed it to the empty gas can, and the flames shot up the building. River ran and jumped on his back. The man staggered around as her fingernails dug into his face.

  Her legs tightened around his midsection, he tried to sling her off but she held tight. His neck bared as the scuffle continued. River’s mouth opened and she clamped her teeth into his skin. His cry of pain went unnoticed by her as she bit harder. She raked her fingernails across his face once again. Strong massive hands pulled her from his back and slung her to the ground.

  Like a cat, she sprang to a stand to see Carson applying the cuffs and twirled the man around to face her. Blood streaked his face where the welts grew larger. The man’s eyes lowered to the ground, but she didn’t recognize him.

  From the corner of her eye, she saw Will and some of the others emerge from the barn leading most of the horses to safety.

  “What’s your name?” Carson narrowed his eyes on the man.

  The man twisted in Carson’s grasp. His mouth tightened to white, and he refused to say a word. The sirens broke the silence with the sheriff in the lead followed by the fire department. The men from the bunkhouse threw buckets of water on the dry grass near the barn’s edge. Will dragged the garden hose around the corner of the house.

  River looked up to see the flames shoot from the roof and the horrible crash which followed as it caved in. The call of a horse screamed out in pain before it faded into the roars of the fire. Nothing but the crackles and pops of the wood entertained the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles. She counted the horses pulled from the barn and came up one shy. Her heart sank. The one missing was her pride and joy, her best friend.

  River hit the ground on her knees and pleaded for the life of the sole horse stabled inside. The one thing she had left of Carson from when they were younger now slipped through her hands at the cruel and evil hands of Harvey. “This is the last straw. Harvey, you have gone too far in your underhanded evilness!” she cried out to the heavens.

  Strong hands clamped onto her shoulders and pulled her from the ground. Carson lifted her to his chest and carried her listless body to the porch. He lowered into the rocking chair and cuddled her in his arms as he rocked back and forth, watching the firefighters battle the blaze. His chin rested on the top of her head.

  The sheriff hauled the man off in the blaring car. The sirens faded as a few fire trucks stayed behind. She tried to halt the images of the day she and Carson trained the colt. The one thing she held dear for more than a few years. He meant more to her than the ranch. Carson held her as if he was going through the same loss.

  Her arms wrapped around his neck. She buried her head in the bend and let the sobs flow as natural as if he had always been there for her. A flood of warmth and understanding showed in the way he pressed her to his chest. It had been a long time since she felt as safe and secure as she did at this moment. Without a move, she lingered in the position as long as she could. Hoping he would stay forever in her life.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be troubling you. You have other things more important in your life.” She pushed from his grasp and stood to stare at him before he was on his way again.

  “That may be, River. Right now, I’m here for you. I know how much Orphan Andy meant to you. It will take a while, but we will find another horse to steal your heart the way he did. I promise.” His voice was low and sympathetic.

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Carson.” She gazed into his brown eyes. The gold flecks sparkled, danced about as he stepped closer. The smell of burnt wood floated in the air. Her breath caught when he laid his hands over her shoulders.

  “You don’t have to pretend you’re all right. I know what it’s like to lose your best friend, even if it is a horse.”

  She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her head pressed against his thrumming heart. His corded muscles flexed at her touch. She lifted her head to his. The shine in his eyes caught her by surprise, and she gasped at the emotions she recognized reflecting there. His lips lowered to hers. She met his parted lips taking in the sweet taste, savoring the warmth of his embrace and swallowing the moan that erupted from his throat.

  Desire flamed within the depths of her being. She leaned closer, attempting to blend into his massive chest, melting in the security of his arms. His body stiffened as he pulled her tighter in his grasp. The sleekness of his tongue invaded her mouth, sweetly caressing the inside while it danced with hers leaving the minty taste she’d longed for over the years.

  She broke the kiss, and his hand rose to her cheek. His knuckles wiped away the tears and he kissed each eyelid. He turned and strolled away. She stared at his back as he made his way to assess the damage to the smoldering barn.

  ****

  The phone rang in Moon’s room. He picked up the phone. “This better be good, you interrupted my nap…Is River okay, Carson?...A fire? Who would do that to her…Just let me at Jamison. I’ll teach him to pick on my little girl…No, no that’s fine. You take care of her. Thanks for letting me know son.”

  Moon lay in the bed wide awake for a long while. How could anyone be so cruel to another? Setting a fire and hiding in the shadows like a coward. His anger burned deep in his soul. He cursed himself for the first time for crawling on the colts back.

  Guilt plagued his mind. He wasn’t there to stop the harassment and he prayed Carson would step up to take his place.

  Chapter Eight

  A few gas cans and a box of matches lay on the ground near the back of the barn. Carson followed the footsteps toward the grove of trees surrounding the pasture pond. Three sets of tracks disappeared near horse prints. He searched the trees, rounding each one with the hopes of finding some sign as to who the other men might be.

  The one man the
y caught wasn’t talking. He wondered if he was willing to go to prison for the others.

  Anger burned deep inside as he thought of the gelding trapped in the barn. The one he gave River for her sixteenth birthday. Lightening had struck its mother, and the colt followed her everywhere she went when she visited his parents’ place. His mother had made a pitcher of lemonade and home baked cookies for him and River. She refused to indulge in her own treats until she had fed the colt a bottle. It was the first time he witnessed her putting another living creature before herself.

  Memories of the day they trained the colt and took him to the Fair… the Fair. He turned and ran back to the house.

  “Isn’t the Fair coming up this weekend?” His gaze scanned her tearstained face. The fair had slipped his mind during the melee of events.

  “Yep. I don’t see what this has to do with my barn burning down.” River stared back.

  “The men who burned the barn will more than likely be there. I tracked the three of them to the grove. Were you supposed to run the barrels this year?” He knew the answer from the pain in her eyes.

  “Yes. In two days, as a matter of fact.” Tears welled again.

  “Who are you going against? We need the names of all the contestants. To make our case we have to clear your competition.” He pulled out his notepad and pen. River gave him the names of the competitors. She doubted any of them would be the ones to commit arson, yet they had to rule out all possibilities. The number one suspect would then be blamed as he should be.

  “Thanks. You can ride my horse.” He kissed the top of her head, then whirled around and ran to his pickup. The engine roared before the door shut, and he headed down the road. He could still feel the tingles of her touch. His body shuddered with confusion. How could she kiss him with such feelings after tossing him out of her life the way she did?

  He lay awake for a long time. The brightness of the moon danced through the curtains and across the wall. The faint sound of a car horn blared as it passed down the highway. It was early in the morning before exhaustion took over him.

  Sunshine seeped through the split in the curtain covering the window. Carson slipped from the bed, showered and dressed then walked out the door.

  The image of River’s tear-stained face floated in his mind. He shook his head to wipe out the memory and drove to the fairgrounds in town. Heat beat down on the earth. A slight breeze swept between vehicles as he casually strolled around the grounds. There the town congregated to set up booths, bleachers, and concession stands for the weekend. A truckload of port-a-potties crept to the corners to drop two in their place.

  Carson made his way to watch the clown practice his routine. Farley the Fearless was one of his old buddies from New Mexico. Farley had been hurt by a bull two years before. Being a kids’ clown was the closest he would get to another bull until the night of the rodeo.

  If Carson hadn’t called Farley, the County Fair wouldn’t have been the same for the kids. He stood on the outer wings waiting for Farley to approach him.

  “My assistant can’t make it, would you fill in?” the clown extended a plunger to him.

  “Not if you expect me to wear the dress.” Carson glanced at the painted face. “What happened to Cassie? Y’all aren’t getting a divorce are ya?”

  “No, we’re having a baby, and she needed to rest. She only has a few weeks left and can’t fit in the dress at the moment.” The painted on smile stretched into a real one.

  “Well, by all means, I’ll do it for the family.” He slapped Farley on the shoulder.

  “Are you gonna be here for the bull riding?” Carson glanced up at Farley.

  “Are you riding?” Farley danced around Carson as he spoke.

  “Yep.”

  “I’ll be there. It’ll be the first time back in the arena.” Farley pushed a pebble with his oversized shoe. “Don’t do anything to get us in trouble. I’m not sure how good I’m going to be.”

  “I think you should stay out when I ride. I drew the Gentleman. You know there ain’t anything gentle about him, and he eats every man that crawls on his back. I don’t want you gettin’ hurt again. Cassie would tan our hides right along with the Gentleman’s.” Carson eyed the clown.

  “You should back out. There isn’t anything wrong with backing down, bud.”

  Carson shook his head. The memory of the Gentleman tossing Farley in the air and into the metal gates haunted him. Farley put his own life at risk just to save Carson’s hide from the beast. He owed Farley, but he couldn’t back down.

  “Does your woman know?” Farley nudged Carson in the side.

  “I don’t have a woman.”

  “If she isn’t your woman, why is she making cow eyes at you?” Farley glanced at the woman.

  “River? She’s meaner than the Gentleman.” He nodded his head her way but kept his eyes on Farley.

  Farley turned to a few kids gathered at his feet. He produced a big bouquet of flowers for them to deliver to River.

  Who cares what River is thinking anyway? She never cared one way or the other if he rode a bull or not. Not one time did she congratulate him when he made a winning ride. He hoped she wouldn’t stick around for the rest of the rodeo after she ran the barrels. One more glance in her direction, and his breath caught.

  The straw cowboy hat tilted in the breeze and sported the ends of her long brown hair dancing around her shoulders and face. An ample amount of tanned skin showed above her green button down tank top, covering her slender abdomen and tucked into her tight fitting blue jeans.

  Carson’s heart raced across his chest searching for a way to escape the princess as she walked his way. The sway of her hips melted his legs to the point he thought he could no longer stand steady. She was a vision of delight, he matched against the response of his body from the unexpected kiss that lingered on his lips. He couldn’t get enough of her. His mind absorbed strange thoughts and opened his heart back up to River, tearing down the dam he built around his affection.

  The low roar of the kids gathered around Farley as he fashioned balloon animals drew his attention from River as she neared. He mentally thanked his buddy for the diversion. Her image burned in his mind. He hadn’t seen a woman look that good since the night she tossed him off her Moon Glow ranch. Don’t go there again, she’ll rip your heart out and feed it to the Gentleman. He was sure she was in cahoots with the wicked bull.

  “Afternoon, Carson.” Her sweet voice touched close to his ear. The smell of her gardenia perfume tickled his nose as her soft hair whipped across his face when she leaned into him. She was in a peculiarly happy mood, and he wondered what she had up her sleeve.

  Carson stepped back a few paces. “I’m busy right now, River. We have to make sure the kids have a good time. I’ll catch up with you later.” He strolled toward his safety net. The kiss they’d shared wouldn’t leave his mind. His skin still tingled from holding her in his lap as she mourned the loss of her horse and barn. A miraculous change alienated the woman as if all the fight had left her slender body.

  Farley glanced his way and shook his head. Carson refused to watch the long legs of River retreat into the crowd. His heart would follow, and he would never have control of it again. The one time he did have it under control was the time he rode for Moon. He cursed Moon’s daughters again as he thought about his mentor being imprisoned under private care.

  Women. Everything wrong in his life was caused by women. First, it was River and now Moon’s other two daughters. Why can’t all of them just leave him alone and let him ride his bulls and work his ranch? The old man’s words floated in his mind like a ghost on a haunt. What did he mean, one day the ranch would belong to him and River. Fat chance that would ever come to fruition. He had a job to do, and then he could bow out gracefully and leave all three of the women to squabble amongst themselves.

  He had to find time to practice with Farley until the kids’ rodeo was over. Parents ventured to find the children pooling at Farley’s feet. The crowd
meandered toward a couple of cowboys flipping burgers over a grill. A long table held paper plates, bags of chips and tubs of soft drinks packed in ice. They carried their bounty to one of the nearby picnic tables and sat on the hard wooden benches.

  Farley and Carson stood in line to receive their own burgers before the show started. The buzz of the line filled the vicinity with excitement. The two men snatched up their food and found an empty table close by.

  “Incoming, left shoulder.” Farley’s chuckle was low. Carson glanced at the amusement settled in his friend’s eyes. Without a doubt, Farley’s mocking expression radiated with assurance the woman headed their way meant more to Carson than he was willing to admit.

  Carson stared as a long, lean leg lifted to straddle the bench next to him. His affection beat out of control, bringing back to life the feel of the softness of her skin against the palm of his hand. An aching desire rose to reach out and touch her loveliness. Nothing short of having River all to himself could corral his spirit. “What do you want, River?”

  “Who’s your handsome clown friend? You’re riding in a few days and need someone on your side?” Her long sleek fingers tore open the bag of chips and merrily danced over the opening until she selected one and placed it on her sensuous tongue to draw it in. His mouth watered, he envied the chip as she drew it in, wishing it was his own tongue she readily accepted. She lowered her eyes to his plate and gingerly dumped the rest of the bag on it.

  “His name is Farley, and yep, I’m riding in the rodeo. You don’t have to pretend you’ll be on my side. You never have been before.” He stuffed the last bite of burger in his mouth.

  “I always back my employees, Carson, and you know it. I can’t afford to have one down and not know about it. Especially ones close to my heart.” Her eyes narrowed.

  “Don’t fret over it. If I need a nurse, I’ll go home with Farley and let Cassie tend to me.” Carson stared at the hurt in her eyes. His words spewed out harsher than he intended.