Me:It’s about time you put your mouth to good use.
Tuck:Throw down the gauntlet like that, and I’ll be over there in a flash, not giving a fuck if you don’t get any sleep.
My belly clenched.No, Jensen. Not tonight. You need to figure out just what you’re doing with this man.
Me:Go away. I’m trying to sleep like a good girl.
Tuck:You wouldn’t know good if it bit you in the ass. And just to be clear, I like it that way…
I chuckled and set my phone on the nightstand and turned out the light. It was mere minutes before sleep took me under, but it wasn’t long before the dreams found me. This time, it wasn’t just Bryce trying to kill me, it was a shadowy figure who was trying to kill meandthe mustangs. And when I called out for Tuck, he never came…
21
Tuck
I pouredanother cup of crappy break-room coffee. I’d slept for shit last night, and this afternoon was dragging. I couldn’t put my finger on why exactly, but it seemed like Jensen had been blowing me off. That familiar muscle in my cheek ticked. It’d better not be because she was giving that fucker, Cody, a second shot. I would step aside if Jensen found a good man, but I wasn’t stepping aside for some dipshit.
“Tuck, there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” David appeared in the doorway to the break room, looking annoyed.
“Just grabbing some coffee, sir.” I lifted my cup.
David crossed to the counter and picked through the assortment of pastries, getting his grubby fingers on all of them. “Well, I need to talk to you.”
David’s brother appeared in the doorway after him, giving me a sympathetic smile and a shake of his head. Bill was a local rancher, and nothing like his prickly sibling. I had no clue how the two had been raised in the same home. Bill was always helping other ranchers who were struggling and had a kind word for just about everyone.
I gave him a chin jerk and turned back to David. “What did you want to talk about?”
David picked up a donut, sniffed it, and then put it back on the platter. “That friend of yours has been nosing around our case.”
My brow furrowed. “What friend, and what case?”
“You know, that girl. And the wild horse case, what other case would I be talking about?”
David could’ve been talking about one of a dozen, but I resisted the urge to say as much. However, there was only one girl he could mean. My jaw flexed.
Bill sighed and poured himself a cup of coffee. “David, she wasn’t nosing around. I shouldn’t have said anything. Jensen is just concerned.”
David began spluttering. “Of course, you should have said something. We can’t have civilians nosing around in Forest Service business.”
I focused in on Bill. “What was Jensen doing?”
He ripped open a sugar packet, dumped it into the black coffee, and stirred. “She just stopped by the feed store, asking what we knew about the wild horse that had been killed. I wouldn’t have said anything, but I was worried she might get herself into trouble. Most of the ranchers around here don’t take too kindly to wild horse supporters getting in their business.”
Bill cringed. “But looking at your face right now, maybe I should’ve worried about getting her into trouble with you.” He set his mug down on the counter. “Don’t be too hard on Jensen. Like I said, her heart’s in the right place. Maybe just encourage her to leave the investigating up to you all.”
I began to rub my temples. “I’ll talk to her.”
David huffed. “You better. Because if you don’t, I’m arresting her for interfering with an investigation.”
I gave a quick nod, dumped my mug in the sink, and headed for my truck. An arrest was the least of Jensen’s worries.
I pushed openthe door to the Kettle a little more forcefully than necessary, sending the bell over the door into a disjointed jangle. I strode towards the counter, not giving one shit that Jensen seemed to be teaching some willowy girl how to use the cash register. “We need to talk.”
Jensen straightened. “Well, now, who’s the grouchy one?”
“Kitchen. Now,” I gritted out.
Jensen’s hands went to her hips. “I don’t take orders from you, mister.”
