Cowboy conspiracy, p.1
Cowboy Conspiracy, page 1
Cowboy Conspiracy
Barb Han
TorJake Publishing
Copyright © 2020 by Barb Han
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Editing: Ali Williams
Cover Design: Jacob’s Cover Designs
To my family for unwavering love and support. I can’t imagine doing life with anyone else. I love you guys with all my heart.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Also by Barb Han
About the Author
1
Piper Gold lifted her right hand to shield her eyes from the blazing hot Texas sun. She had no such protection from a grandmother on a mission.
“You might be pleasantly surprised if you stick around the house for a little while,” Gran said with a tone that implied she was up to no good. The wink that came next solidified Piper’s reasoning for heading back to the barn to keep working. She couldn’t get too mad at the sweet woman who’d been the only female figure in Piper’s life.
“Is that seriously the reason you called me over here? Because you have another ‘winner’ to fix me up with. I thought you actually needed help with something.” She made air quotes with her fingers when she said the word, winner. She also shook her head and made a show of rolling her eyes.
“I do.” Gran laughed. It was good to see her smile. Piper had no idea how much longer Gran’s mind would be clear or even if she would still recognize Piper’s face in twelve months. Tears welled in her eyes just thinking about the medical diagnosis that caused her to upend her life and move back to Cattle Cove to face Gran’s future together. Piper ducked her head and coughed, trying to hide her emotions from Gran.
“Someone will be here soon, and I thought you might want to visit with him. For old time’s sake,” Gran said.
“I’ve got work to do.” Piper shot a warning look at the woman who’d practically raised her, a woman she loved dearly. “And you better not be trying to fix me up on another date with a random guy without telling me first. I’ve only been home four days and I’m here to spend time with you.”
“No one is too busy for a gentleman caller.” Gran’s face broke into a wide smile as she filled the watering can, obviously pleased with herself. She shrugged, playing the innocent game.
“Gran. If I stick around here and chit-chat with a ‘friend,’ who will feed the horses or clean out their pens?” Right fist planted on her hip, she realized she was being a little dramatic. Piper was still reeling with how much of her life had just been flipped upside down and she hadn’t had time to process all the changes. Because bad news always traveled in pairs, she’d learned that Gran’s barn hand, Owen Dyer, had been called away to care for his aging mother in Fort Worth after she took a devastating fall.
Running Gran’s business, COZI B&B, was supposed to be temporary until Owen could return, and then he called and quit. Hiring someone new was out of the question. Once Piper saw firsthand how bad her gran’s memory was getting, she realized that she was going to be here for the long haul. Piper had volunteered to help out her gran in a heartbeat and would do it again tomorrow. She’d barely had time to unpack her suitcase and Gran was fixing her up with strangers. That part was a hard no.
Returning to the area where Piper had spent most of her childhood brought back a flood of memories. All of the good ones involved either Gran or her best friend, Declan McGannon. Gran had taken Piper in after her father was arrested and then convicted of a crime that he swore he didn’t commit. She’d grown up close with Declan despite his popularity and the fact that he was part of one of the wealthiest cattle ranching families in Texas. She was quiet and kept to herself, which didn’t help matters during her father’s trial.
Declan was also the only one who stood by her side during her dad’s arrest and trial. The two had been inseparable until her dad went to prison and Gran thought it best if Piper was homeschooled. Declan still came over as often as he was allowed between school, homework and his chores around the ranch his family owned. And then the two of them lost touch after her father was released and he moved them to Austin to get away from all the shameful stares and accusations. Being back also reminded her of all the folks who wouldn’t be so happy to realize she was sticking around permanently. James Bowker would be the president of that club. She involuntarily shivered thinking about him. It was best to push those unpleasant thoughts out of her mind. Those were her father’s demons.
The sun was high in the sky on a typical weekday in the fall in Texas, the temperature hovering in the low eighties…
“I’ll be back as soon as the work’s done,” she said. Gran might be turning into a handful, but Piper loved the woman with every fiber of her being.
“Don’t take too long.” Gran hummed as she watered her ferns on the back porch, probably humming one of her favorite show tunes. She loved Broadway despite never leaving COZI B&B, the place she’d started with her husband thirty-five years ago.
“When you live in the best place on earth, why would you leave?” Gran’s words wound through Piper’s mind. Piper’s grandfather had passed away before Piper could get to know him. From the stories, though, he was a great person.
In her teenage years, Piper had taken it upon herself to educate her gran on the reasons people took vacations. They were meant to recharge their batteries and try new experiences. But Gran wasn’t having any of it. She’d wave her hand in the air and say that was crazy talk; everything she needed to ‘experience’ was right there in Cattle Cove.
It had taken years for Piper to realize Gran never left COZI because this was the place where she felt closest to the man she’d spent most of her life with—her husband.
Suddenly, the thought of losing Gran, too, struck like stray lightning on a sunny day, unexpected and dangerous. Physically, Gran was strong. Mentally, not so much. Gran chalked her issues up to becoming senile, but the doctor had confirmed there was more to it and now that Owen Dyer had to quit, it was up to Piper to help Gran live out the rest of her life in the place she loved.
Being in Cattle Cove, watching her once-fiery grandmother as she lost her mental sharpness nearly broke her heart. Since coming to COZI B&B to help Gran, Piper had been living equal parts frustration and pity. Her gran was the last living Gold after Piper’s father lost his life last year.
She’d been home a few days and wasn’t certain she was cut out for country life. She already missed living in Austin with its weird vibe and live music. The place was twenty-four-seven. Being back in Cattle Cove was a throwback. It was quiet unless she counted the crickets chirping—chirping that had kept her up all night the first night. Don’t even get her started on how pitch black it was at COZI after dark.
The idea of Gran being forced off the property she loved if Piper didn’t give up everything she knew caused a wrench to tighten in her stomach. She felt incredibly selfish feeling sorry for herself after the woman had helped Piper find her footing after her father had been arrested. Gran had also been there when Piper’s father had died last year. Thinking about her gran’s declining mental state added to Piper’s funk. It was strange to think she would be the last Gold on her dad’s side. Piper never really knew her mother. So, she had basically no relatives on that side. She’d played around with the idea of getting on one of those genealogy sites and tracing her family history. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Piper’s parents had been teenagers when she’d been born. All she knew about her mother was that the woman had handed over her newborn daughter and never looked back. Her father had offered to give over her mother’s name, but Piper didn’t really care. Her birth record had been sealed because she was supposed to be an adoption.
Piper’s chest squeezed and her heart hurt thinking about losing the last of her family, especially Gran. Sucking in a breath, filling her lungs with much-needed oxygen, she grabbed the barn door handle and slid it open.
She loved the satisfaction of a day’s work in the stables. She put her gloves back on and reclaimed the shovel she’d been using before Gran had interrupted, thinking how she needed to figure out a trip back to Austin in order to put her furniture in storage and close out her apartment. Her landlord, Briley Hope, had agreed to let Piper out of her lease after she got the call that Owen had taken off and most likely wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon.
She understood the news about his own mother had come out of the blue and, of course, he should help his own family, but it didn’t sit right that he’d abandoned Gran like he had. Piper was probably being overprotective but what happened to loyalty? Owen Dyer had worked for Gran the past ten years.
Piper still wasn’t clear on the details of his mother’s condition, only that he’d had to leave abruptly. Her heart went out to him. When she’d gotten the news about her father…
Rather than slide down that slippery slope, Piper dug the beveled end of t he shovel into the pile of hay and walked it over to Rosie’s stall before scattering it around. One of the best parts about being at COZI was the work. Sure, it could be backbreaking, but it was also exactly what Piper needed because work was good for grief.
After losing her father last year, she didn’t want to think about Gran dying. It was impossible not to feel like everyone was leaving her.
She’d barely worked up a sweat when a loud noise startled her. She glanced around, realizing it came from somewhere behind the barn. She tried to place it but couldn’t. Something faint and far off made the hairs on the back of her neck tingle. She listened for the unfamiliar sound, trying to figure it out. It wasn’t a howling. It couldn’t be a wolf, not this time of day. She thought about a coyote. And then she heard it again…
It made the hairs on her arms prickly. But what was it? And, more importantly, where was it coming from? Icy fingers gripped her spine at the sound. An animal? In trouble? Being attacked?
Pulse racing, she stalked over to the corner of the barn to retrieve the shotgun she’d placed there. The weapon was gone. She’d been forgetful lately with all the stress coming at her, but she was almost a hundred percent certain that she’d put her shotgun there. After being stalked by a coyote and coming close to being attacked when she lived here with Gran during middle school, she’d learned to keep a weapon handy.
This part of the country could be deadly. There were feral hogs in the area even though they didn’t usually come this close to the house. She fisted her hands and planted them on her hips, staring at the wood beam where her gun should be. She issued a sharp sigh. Now she was the one losing it. Her shotgun must be in the main house. By the time she ran there and back, whatever animal was making that sound would be long gone and she’d be too late to help.
When the noise sounded this time, it was so loud and so gut wrenching that she took off toward it. She might not have a shotgun handy, but she picked up the shovel. She could use it to scare off whatever animal was attacking.
Frustration nipped as she bolted toward the sound. She supposed she had to get used to these kinds of noises.
Piper blasted out of the barn to the woods that weren’t ten feet from the back door. The sounds, the wails were growing, and it was pitiful. Her heart wrenched. She heard something else too, but she was sure what it was. Something with a motor.
The animal cried out again—pain. The feral sound shot through the woods and blasted her in the chest. Whatever that animal was…
Wait, maybe there were poachers on the land. They never came this close to the B&B, but she couldn’t rule them out and they were more dangerous than many wild animals.
Either way, she bolted toward the noise as she gasped for air. Running through the trees, she darted left and right, ducking branches as others slapped her in the face. The toe of her boot got caught in scrub brush and she faceplanted as the poor creature cried out in agony.
She wondered if those teenage Maddox twins had gotten loose again and thought it was a good idea to steal her boat and torture an animal. Because the other sound in the background was a boat motor.
The screams intensified. The howling intensified. The noises shot straight through her soul. She’d never heard anything that sounded so pitiful. Her only reaction was to keep running toward it.
Maybe she could scare off the attacker by yelling. She screamed, loud and wild, doing her best to be intimidating.
As she neared the lake, the sound suddenly stopped.
The trees thinned as she got closer to the water’s edge. The scrub brush opened up a little more. A flock of birds flew out of the trees as she breached the line.
Her thighs burned and her lungs clawed for air as she searched for the animal, and it had to be an animal based on the sound. She white-knuckled the shovel and scanned the area for any signs of a wild hog or black bear. She’d heard they were in these parts. She saw nothing. She was one hundred percent certain this was where the noise came from, so it was confusing to get here and not be able to find it.
Was the animal dead? Had the carcass been dragged into the woods and she’d somehow missed it?
She skimmed the treetops and then dropped her gaze to the underbrush. More nothing. Her side ached from running. She bent forward and tried to catch her breath. She listened for any sounds, any whimpering, anything that could lead her to the animal. Her heart went out to it because those howls had been heartbreaking.
There was no engine-sound or boat on the lake. The water lapped up on the beach area, just like normal. There was nothing out of the ordinary. And that was just…strange.
Could she dare hope that she’d managed to scare off the attacker?
She walked around the water’s edge, skimming the surface. She turned around and scanned the treetops again, searching for a predator. There was nothing. No one was around.
It was difficult to hear anything, even something subtle, as she sucked in bursts of air trying to fill her lungs with oxygen.
Piper stood there for a couple of frustrating minutes, searching everywhere and coming up empty. She didn’t want to leave any stone left unturned considering a life was a stake. She had a soft spot for animals, preferring them to humans most of the time.
After a few more frustrating moments, she concluded that whatever happened out here was gone. It was quiet now, she’d caught her breath, and she’d already been walking around for several minutes. This was a bust. She said a silent protection prayer for the animal.
Turning around, she started back toward the barn. A few steps in, a hand reached up and caught her by the ankle.
Piper gasped and tried to jerk her leg away, but the grip was too tight. All she could do was scream. And she did just that. So loudly, in fact, the sound echoed through the trees.
2
Declan McGannon stepped onto the back porch of Violet Gold’s B&B. COZI was a Cattle Cove staple and Ms. Gold had been a fixture in town since before he was born. She was also one of the kindest people he knew. So, when she asked him to stop by and check a spot on her roof, he’d thrown a ladder in the back of his truck without question.
There was only one vehicle in the parking lot when he pulled in and parked. Not a good sign for how well business was going. He’d also heard about her hired hand needing to leave on short notice for a family emergency. Rumor had it Owen Dyer quit, leaving Ms. Gold in a lurch.
Declan grabbed his ladder and headed around back. The property held good memories of being here with his best friend, Piper. At thirteen, she had yet to grow into her tall frame. Her fiery hair was long and thick, but he doubted he’d ever seen it outside of a ponytail. She’d worn glasses and had braces back then. Freckles dotted the bridge of her nose and he’d thought they were the cutest things.
Considering how much he’d changed since they were kids, he wondered if he’d recognize her if she walked right past him today. Smart. Funny. She’d had a quick wit that he missed since she moved away with her father. She’d been a great buddy, and the fact they had the same sense of humor made him figure that was part of the draw of hanging out.
Piper had an amazing ability to see Declan as an individual and not just a McGannon. Carrying that last name brought expectations, considering his family was one of the wealthiest cattle ranching families in Texas. It came with a responsibility to act a certain way with folks. Declan didn’t mind showing respect, especially to his elders. But his last name meant he always had to be ‘on’ even during his hormone-fueled teenage years that made him want to punch a hole in the wall some days as he learned to deal with pressures from outside the ranch.
With Piper, he didn’t have to put on airs. He could relax and be himself. He still remembered the time he’d chased a hog away from her dog, Max, in the rain and ended up covered head-to-toe in mud as he brought her beloved pet back to the B&B. She’d met him halfway across the backyard, soaked, with rain pouring off her impossibly thick eyelashes, bringing both him and her dog into a bear hug. Missing her had caused him to push those memories down deep but it was nice remembering now.
