Chapter Sixteen
Case sat in his living room, the low glow of a single lamp casting long shadows across floorboards.
He cradled a heavy tumbler of whiskey, the amber liquid catching the light with each slow sip.
His thoughts kept drifting back to Sydney.
He understood her hesitation; but he’d told her Gibbs and Tillman wouldn’t repeat their mistake.
They’d learned the hard way what came next; prison bars and regret.
The very idea of a jailcell confinement did wonders for a man’s decision-making.
He set the glass down with a soft clink and rose.
The silence of the house pressed in as he donned his Stetson.
He crossed the wooden floor and stepped into the chill night air, the wind biting at his cheeks.
His boots crunched along the gravel path toward the barn.
Above him, stars speckled the ink-black sky.
The barn door creaked as he pushed it open, revealing shadows and the faint smell of hay. Case paused on the threshold, listening.
“Trip?” he called for his manager, his voice echoing off the rafters.
A figure emerged from the dim glow of a single bulb. Trip Dennison, rag in hand, walked toward him. “Yes, sir?”
Case narrowed his eyes. “Knock off the ‘yes, sir’ shit. You’re older than me.”
Trip chuckled. “I like giving you a hard time. What’s up?”
“Would it bother you if I have to have a young kid accused of horse theft to work here?” Case asked, stepping onto straw-covered floor .
Trip leaned against a wooden post, folding his arms. “Would it bother you?”
“No.” Case ran a hand over the rough wood of the post. “I know he regrets what he did, and I’m sure he won’t do it again.”
“Then if you’d trust him, I’d have to. I trust your judgement, Case,” Trip said. “You could set him up in the bunkhouse if you bring him here.”
“Do we have space?”
“Jeremy quit. Moving to Wyoming, met a girl online.” Trip’s grin was sly.
Case snorted. “You sure you didn’t set him up?”
“He’s dead sure she’s real. All the guys say she’s catfishing him.”
“We’ll see. As for Brent, I’ll see how it goes before I bring him here, if I have to.”
Trip shrugged. “Okay. Up to you.”
Case squared his shoulders. “I’m heading back in. Wish this weather would decide if it’s winter or spring.”
“Supposed to snow tomorrow,” Trip said, smirking. “Audrey’s excited.”
Case shook his head. “There’s something wrong with your wife. But hey, she married you.”
Trip tipped his hat. “Lucky me.”
Case offered a small grin. “No shit. Night, Trip.”
“Night.” Trip touched the brim, then strode to his truck and drove off, headlights vanishing into the darkness.
Case retraced his steps across the yard, light spilling through the windows.
Inside, he peeled off his hat, hung it on the peg, and settled into his favorite recliner.
He picked up the remote, pointed it at the TV, and lifted the footrest. Channels flickered across the screen, but his mind was on Sydney, he missed her, even as irritation lingered.
She had to trust him. He knew they would never do it again and if by some small chance they did, he would put them in prison.
He dialed Rawley, and the line clicked open. “Don’t even think of asking me to take Tillman in too,” Rawley warned, deadpan.
Case laughed. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Any issues on your end?”
“Todd says Gibbs works and keeps his mouth shut.”
“That’s good. They learned their lessons, right?”
“Gibbs better have. If he pulls any crap, I’ll kick his skinny ass.”
Case grinned. “He’s too scared of you to mess up.”
Rawley chuckled. “When I go into the barn, he vanishes.”
“We’re all afraid of you.”
“Fuck you, Anderson.” And with that, Rawley hung up.
Morning came too soon when his alarm screeched. He swiped at it, sending the phone skittering to the floor. “Great.” He peeled back the sheet, dragged himself upright, and shuffled to the bathroom. The hot shower and the sting of shaving cream did their best to clear his head.
Two hours later, he stepped into the department under fluorescent lights that felt far too bright. He passed rows of desks to his own, dropped his keys with a jingle, and barely had time to sit before Dave waved him into his office.
“What did you do?” Rawley teased.
Case rolled his eyes. “Talked to you,” he replied.
Rawley laughed. “That’ll get you in trouble every time.”
“No shit.” Case grinned, then entered Dave’s office to see him on the phone. Dave nodded for him to sit down. Case took a seat and waited. When Dave hung up, Case sat up.
“What’s up?”
“Any luck on the bison?”
“I think I have a lead.”
“Good. How’s those two young men doing?”
“Tillman is working at Ms. Wright’s place and Gibbs is at Rawley’s.”
Dave burst out laughing. “How the hell did you manage that?”
“What makes you think I had something to do with it?”
“Because there’s no way Rawley would have him working there. Not after all the shit the kid gave him.”
“True. I asked him. He wasn’t thrilled about it, but he said Gibbs was working out well.”
“Well, maybe that will straighten that boy out. I know he’s considered an adult but twenty was so damn long ago for me.”
“For most of us.”
“Okay, that’s all I wanted to know. I hope you can find those bison, Case. That entire family are good friends of mine.”
“I know, Dave. I’ll do my best.”
“I have no doubt about that.”
Case nodded, walked out to his desk, and resumed his seat. He needed to call his CI soon. It had been a week since he last heard from him, and he wanted to see what he’d been up to.
By Friday, Case was about to pull his hair out.
How can six bison just up and disappear?
By the time four o’clock rolled around, he was more than ready to get out of here.
He wanted to stop by and talk to Sydney.
It had been three days and either he was hardheaded, or she was, but neither made an effort to get in touch with the other and that had to change.
He loved her and he wasn’t about to let something like this break them apart.
****
Saturday morning, Sydney sat on her sofa, crying. Why hadn’t she heard from Caysen? She missed him so much and losing him over something so trivial tore at her heart. If she had a dime every time she’d picked up her phone to call him, she could retire to another country.
When her phone vibrated, she quickly reached for it but sighed when she saw Kinley’s number.
“Hey, Kin.”
“Sydney, do you want to go out with us all tonight? It’s girl’s night out.”
“No. I’m staying home and being miserable.”
“Uh, oh. What happened?”
As she explained it to Kinley, she wiped tears away as she did.
“I miss him so much, Kin.”
“Then call him. Men are so stubborn.”
“Surely, Levi isn’t,” Sydney teased.
“I think that man invented stubborn.”
Sydney laughed. “Caysen has to be a close second.”
“Let’s face it. It’s all men. They’re pains in the ass.” Kinley laughed, then said, “I don’t mean you, baby.”
“Stop lying to the man,” Sydney said.
“I’ve got him fooled. Are you sure you don’t want to go?”
“I’ll think about it. I’m hoping he’ll come by or call tonight. If I didn’t love him so much, it would be much easier.”
“If you didn’t love him so much, you wouldn’t be with him.”
“Yeah, well, there is that.” Sydney yawned. “I’m sorry. I haven’t slept much.”
“Maybe he’s just busy on a case.”
“He did tell me he had a new one, so let’s go with that.”
“Whatever will make you feel better.”
“I think I’m going to take a hot bath and relax. I’ll think about tonight and let you know.”
“Okay. Tess is driving, so you can drink your sorrows away.”
“I promise to think about it. If I don’t go, drink one or six for me.”
Kinley laughed. “Okay. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Sydney stood up, carried her phone to the bathroom, turned the water on in the tub, added bubble bath and as the room filled with steam, fogging up the mirror, she stripped, then pinned her hair up on her head.
She stepped into the tub, sat down, leaned back and moaned. It felt fantastic but she knew it would feel a lot better if Caysen was here with her. She missed him and if he broke her heart, she’d break his balls. Well, that was a little extreme, but she’d do something to make him regret hurting her.
After bathing, she stayed in the tub, bubbles up to her chin and relaxed. Closing her eyes, she almost drifted off and knew it was time to get out. She pulled the plug, stood, reached for a towel, dried off then stepped onto the plush bathmat.
Once she was dressed in her lounge pants and T-shirt, she decided to watch TV from the bedroom. It was late and she knew Caysen wouldn’t be by tonight. He was still angry .
After she climbed into her bed, she propped the pillows up behind her, pulled the blankets up to her chin, and settled in to watch a movie.
“Damn you, Caysen Anderson, you’d better call me tomorrow.”
A few minutes later, she felt her eyelids drooping, so she turned off the TV, snuggled under her blankets and fell asleep.
The following morning, Sydney stood at her kitchen counter, cradling a steaming mug of dark-roast coffee.
The rays of the sun streamed through the lace curtains.
A low rumble on the gravel driveway reached her ears, and she set the mug down, its handle still warm against her palm.
She crossed the kitchen floor in her slippers, peered through the window, and felt her heart slam against her ribs.
Caysen’s pickup idled just beyond the porch, his familiar silhouette behind the wheel.
Then the passenger door swung open, and another man stepped out.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair peeking out from under his Stetson and he made her breath catch in her throat.
Not that anyone could ever outshine Caysen in her mind, but this man was undeniably handsome.
Then she saw the two younger men climb from the back seat. Bobby Gibbs and Brent. She knew Brent didn’t work today, so what were they all doing here?