The Lawman's Noelle

“Look, Ms. Barnes, I—”

“Call me Noelle. And right now you’re in no shape to argue. If necessary, I figure I could manhandle you.” She pulled his horse forward and slipped the reins over the animal’s neck. “See if you can mount up. We’re going to my place.”

Apparently deciding he might be smart to take her advice, he took a step toward the horse and immediately swayed. Noelle grabbed his arm to prevent him from collapsing. With his chin resting on his chest, he pulled in several long breaths.

“I think you might be right,” he said in a strained voice. “I don’t feel so great.”

Fearing he was going to pass out, she slipped an arm around his waist and held him tightly. “Do you need to sit down? There’s no hurry. We can try this in a few minutes.”

“No. Just let me get my foot in the stirrup and then give me a shove up.”

If nothing else, he was determined, Noelle thought. She twisted the stirrup around to give him easier access. “I hope your paint doesn’t decide to move. He might end up dragging you into the next county.”

“If he does, I’ll come back to haunt my brother Finn,” he muttered.

To her relief, he managed to get his foot in the stirrup. With one hand against his back and the other on his butt, she pushed until he plopped into the saddle with a heavy thud.

Hurrying around to the right side of the horse, she fixed his other boot into the stirrup, then handed him the reins. By now he was half slumped over the saddle horn, his face the color of putty.

“Are you going to fall off?” she asked with concern.

He responded with a dismissive wave. “Get your horse. I’ll make it.”

There was nothing more she could do now, Noelle decided as she hurried over to Driller. Except pray that he could hang on long enough to reach the warmth and safety of her house.

Once in the saddle, she turned Driller down the draw. The paint obediently fell into step behind her. Thank God the horse wasn’t behaving like a wild bronco. Now she had to find an easier trail for them to climb the steep bank of the gulch. Otherwise, the lawman might tumble off his horse again. She seriously doubted his head could survive another impact.

Unfortunately, as the draw narrowed, the steepness of the bank increased. A hundred yards from where they’d started, she pulled Driller to a stop to look back at the lawman. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, she would’ve been inclined to smile at the cockeyed angle of his hat and the dazed look on his face. But a head injury could be deadly. She wanted to get him out of the cold and to medical help as quickly as she could.

“Looks like we’d better climb the cut bank here before the trail gets any steeper,” she told him. “And hang on. I don’t want to have to pick you up off the ground and throw you over the saddle.”

“Yes, ma’am. Just lead on.”

The climb made three switchbacks through a patch of scrubby juniper and creosote bushes. Throughout the ascent, Noelle kept glancing behind her, expecting at any moment to see him listing precariously from one side of the horse to the other. But thankfully, he managed to keep his seat until they reached the top. She sighed with relief.

From this point on, the trail wasn’t nearly as challenging. Barring an incident with his horse, they’d be at her place in a half hour. And then what was she going to do with him?

* * *

As the horses clopped along at a steady walk, Evan focused on Noelle Barnes’s back. Although his vision wasn’t completely clear yet, he could see she was bundled in heavy clothing. A worn, brown ranch coat topped her faded jeans, while a red woolen muffler was looped several times around her neck. The old gray felt hat on her head sported a ring of sweat stains around the band. The flattened brim was covered with dust. Long, dark hair fell about her shoulders, and each step of the horse caused it to swish against her back.

What was she doing out here on this cold December day? he wondered. She’d said this was her property. Even so, it was hardly the type of weather in which to take a leisurely ride. She wore long shank spurs on her boots, something a novice rider would never do, and she handled her mount as though being atop a horse was as familiar as walking across the kitchen floor.

One thing was for sure. She wasn’t the soft, delicate sort or anything close to the type of woman he occasionally dated. While he’d been sitting on the ground trying to get his bearings, he’d noticed she was rather tall, with some weight on her bones. Her figure was shapely enough to fill a man’s head with all sorts of pleasurable thoughts. But it had been her face that caught his complete attention.

The cold wind had whipped a rosy color into her cheeks and turned her wide lips a pale pink. Large chocolate-brown eyes had studied him with unashamed candor, and it had become apparent to Evan that she was a woman who followed her own rules.

As the two horses carried them through a series of low hills covered with sparse tufts of grass and patches of sagebrush, thoughts of Noelle Barnes continued to slip in and out of his groggy mind. Normally Evan would’ve used this opportunity to toss a pile of questions at her. But with pain still beating at the backs of his eyes, it was all he could do to stay upright in the saddle.

Fifteen minutes into the ride, they passed a herd of cattle numbering a hundred or more. Evan wondered whether they belonged to Noelle Barnes, but he lacked the strength to ask her. A quarter of a mile later, a small house came into view. The run-down stucco sat on a knoll and was a faded beige that matched the color of the dead vegetation covering the land around it.

Several yards behind the house stood a big barn of weathered gray wood. The loft was open at the end, and he could see it was practically full of alfalfa hay. Next to the structure were several corrals, some of them made of wooden rails, the others crudely built with cedar posts bound closely. A cow with a small calf was in one of the pens, while two horses were stalled next to them.

Yep, there was definitely a man around, Evan thought with a measure of relief. This woman wouldn’t be ranching out here alone. It just wasn’t possible.

He followed her to an old hitching post erected a few feet in front of the barn. Nearby, the penned horses lifted their heads and nickered at their buddy. Other than that, nothing stirred.

Evan glanced from the barn area over toward the house. “Where’s your help?”

“You’re looking at it,” she said bluntly. “Get down and I’ll take you to the house before I deal with the horses.”

Evan wasn’t used to having a woman order him around. Normally he would’ve been irked by Noelle Barnes’s bossy attitude. But he was too busy thinking about her being out here alone to dwell on her brusque commands.

He climbed to the ground. As soon as his boots were firmly on the hard dirt, he was stunned to feel his knees shaking with weakness. Evan had always been a fairly healthy guy with hardly a sick day in his life. Feeling this vulnerable was something he’d never experienced. It jarred him to the very core of his being.

“I’m feeling better,” he said in the strongest voice he could muster. “And I need to leave my horse saddled. I’ve got a long ride from here.”

“You’re not riding anywhere.”

Not wanting to argue the matter and waste what little strength he had, he simply handed her the reins.

After she’d tethered both horses at the hitching rail, he followed her across the barren yard to a back porch with a low roof supported by cedar posts. The door opened directly into a small kitchen. As Evan stepped in behind her, he caught the scent of burned coffee and cooked apples.

Rough-hewn beams supported the room’s low ceiling, while the floor was covered with worn brown linoleum. A green curtain with roosters printed across the hem hung over the only window. Below it, a chipped porcelain sink was full of dirty dishes.

“Sit at the table and let me take another look at your head,” she said. “Looks like it’s still bleeding.”

Evan walked over to a white farm table pushed against the back wall of the room and removed his coat before he sank into a chair at the end.

“I’ll be right back,” she said.

He watched her leave the room, then glanced curiously around him. Where was the phone? Surely she had a landline somewhere. He had to call in to the office. His coworkers had probably been trying to contact him for the past two hours.

The thought had him pulling his phone from its holder, but as soon as he turned it on, he mentally cursed. The signal was no stronger here than it had been in the dry gulch.

Deciding he didn’t have time to wait for the woman with the velvety brown eyes, he pushed himself to his feet and moved, albeit shakily, toward the open doorway she’d disappeared through.

He’d taken two steps into a tiny hallway when she suddenly stepped from a door on his right and nearly rammed right into him.

“What the hell are you doing?” she barked at him. “I told you to sit!”

He understood this whole ordeal was a nuisance and a huge interruption to her day, but he didn’t deserve this. Nor had he asked for it.

Squinting, he focused his aching eyes on her face. “I admit I got a wham on the head, but as far as I can tell, I still have my memory. I don’t recall you being my boss.”

Her lips, which had turned a darker pink since they’d entered the warm house, pressed into a thin line of disgust.

“I’m not trying to be your boss. I’m trying to keep you from falling on your face and reinjuring yourself.” She made a sweeping motion toward the front part of the house. “But be my guest and roam around all you want. If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen.”