Her Texas Ranger

“Can you remember Noah having any enemies around here?”

Cal’s forehead wrinkled even more. “Enemies? Hell no! Everybody liked Noah. Now, your papa was a different matter. Me and Tucker had a few rounds between us. But Noah was a quiet, gentle man who never bothered nobody.”

Seth nodded briefly. “That’s how I remember him, too. And I remember you and Dad having a big row over some feed. Whatever happened about that?”

A grimace twisted the old man’s lips. “I’ll tell you what happened. Tucker accused me of selling him moldy horse feed. I didn’t. I told him he’d let it get wet then blamed it on me. We went round and round about it. But I finally gave in and shipped three more tons out to the ranch. At no cost. Took me months to make up that loss,” he added with a huff.

“I can understand you being mad at Dad. But what about Noah? Was he in on any of this argument?”

The old man looked totally surprised by Seth’s question. “Oh, no! It weren’t any of Noah’s fault. Tucker’s the one who let the load get wet.” He shrugged one shoulder. “But I forgave your old man for that. He was a good customer over the years. And Ross still buys a lot of feed from me. I’m not offended to take Ketchum money,” the older man said with a smile.

Seth let out a long breath. “Well, I’m glad to know you’re not harboring any grudge toward Tucker. But I wish you could tell me a little more about Noah,” Seth admitted.

“I wish I could, too,” Cal replied. “You know, it’s downright scary to think there might be a killer around here. Most of my customers say they’re watchin’ their backs. And all of them say they don’t ride fence alone. Makes a man wonder what the world is comin’ to.”

Seth talked a few more minutes with Cal and tried to reassure the older man he believed the killing was an isolated incident and that he shouldn’t worry. When he left the feed store, he noticed traffic had picked up on nearby Main Street. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was approaching the lunch hour.

On sudden impulse, he made a left-hand turn and drove down to the Wagon Wheel Café. If he was lucky, he could get something good to eat and perhaps pick up anything that might be said by the locals about the T Bar K murder. Even though the murder had happened four months ago in early April, he realized the incident was still a source of gossip for the locals.

Moments later, Seth walked into the old diner and instantly felt as though he’d been jetted back in time. Some things never changed, he mused as he looked around at the vinyl booths and long Formica bar with swiveling red stools.

Behind the counter, a waitress was pouring coffee into the cups of the customers lining the bar. Her head was tilted forward, causing a tumble of chestnut curls to hide her face.

Seth took a step toward one of the stools, and then stopped in his tracks as recognition struck him.

Corrina.

Her name shot through his brain at the same time she lifted her head. She spotted him immediately and as their gazes clashed, Seth watched her lips part with surprise, her eyes widen. Something warm and mushy hit him in the stomach.

As he slung a leg over the nearest stool, the feeling spread upward, and by the time she came to stand across from him, he’d figured out the warmth pumping through him was pleasure. And the reason for it was Corrina.

Chapter Three

“Hello, Seth.”

Her low, melodious voice filtered through the clatter of dishes and the hum of conversation filling the diner. The sound touched him and sweetened the joy he felt at seeing her again.

“Hello, Corrina.”

Their eyes remained locked and an awkward moment of silence passed between them before Corrina finally gave him a brief smile.

“I’m…surprised to see you here.” As soon as the words passed his lips, he realized he’d said the same thing yesterday when he’d found her standing on Rube’s porch. She probably thought he sounded like a parrot capable of repeating only one phrase.

“Normally I work at the high school as a teacher’s aide,” she explained. “But since school is out for the summer, I took this job for a little extra income. I was off yesterday when you came out to the ranch.”

No wonder she’d looked so tired yesterday, he thought. When she wasn’t at home waiting on her father, she was here working on her feet, for God only knew how many hours. Evidently she needed all the income she could get.

“That’s good. I mean, good that you were able to find part-time work.”

Hell, he silently cursed at himself, what was he doing stuttering along like some tongue-tied teenager? Communicating with people was a major part of his job. He was normally adept at it. But there was something about this woman that made words of any sort seem trite.

She glanced down the bar to where several men were eating the midday meal. Seth took the moment to let his gaze wander over the fiery curls tucked behind her ears, the soft golden-pink blush on her cheekbones and the smooth moist curves of her lips. She was wearing the same uniform as the other waitresses in the diner, a pale pink smock over black slacks. The collar and lapel folded back to expose the column of her throat and an area of skin just beneath. It was creamy white and as fine and smooth as an Egyptian-cotton sheet.

“Are you here for lunch or just something to drink?” she asked.

Her question jerked Seth back to the moment at hand and reminded him that she didn’t have time to linger, even if he wanted her to.

“I’ll have a hamburger and a cup of coffee,” he told her.

She scribbled his request on a notepad in her hand. “It’ll take a few minutes,” she warned. “We’re rather busy today.”

“That’s fine. I’m in no hurry.”

She gave him a grateful smile. “I’ll turn this in and get your coffee.”

Seth watched her go over to the tall, open counter that separated the working kitchen from the diner itself. A clothesline was strung from one side of the opening to the other. Corrina hurriedly pinned the order to the small white rope with a clothespin, then went to the restaurant-size coffee urn and filled a small, thick-lipped cup.

She carried it and a handful of tiny half-and-half containers back to the spot where he was sitting and placed everything in front of him.

“Thank you, Corrina.”

Nodding, she started to move away. Without thinking, he swiped a hand at her forearm to stop her, but missed. However, his action caught her attention and she paused, her eyebrows arched in question as she looked at him.

Seth felt a dull flush of heat creep up his neck. He didn’t know why he’d reached out for her like that instead of simply asking her to wait a moment. But his mind didn’t seem to work logically when he was in this woman’s presence.

“I just…wanted to…I’d like to talk to you about something. When do you think you might have a free moment?” he asked.

Her eyes flickered with speculation before she glanced at the tiny watch strapped to her wrist by a black leather band. “I get a fifteen-minute break in an hour.”

He nodded. “I’ll see you then.”

She frowned. “Uh, what is this—”

“Hey, waitress, we need some coffee down here.”

The customer’s voice alerted Corrina that she’d already spent too much time serving Seth. With a frustrated glance at the Texas Ranger, she said, “I’ll talk to you in a while.”

Forty-five minutes later most of the noonday diners were heading back to work. Corrina shouldered her way through a swinging door leading into the kitchen. There, she plopped an armload of dirty dishes into a huge stainless-steel sink filled with soapy water.

“Lord, what a rush. My feet are aching!”

The complaint had Corrina turning to see Betty, a fellow waitress, pushing a weary hand through her brassy blond hair.

“It was busy today,” Corrina agreed.

“Busy!” she exclaimed. “Honey, that’s an understatement if I ever heard one. But I’ve got a pocketful of tips. I’ll be able to buy that dress I’ve had my eye on for my granddaughter.”

Corrina smiled at the woman who had quickly become her friend since she’d begun working here at the Wagon Wheel two months ago. Betty was coarse-featured and a little rough around the edges, but her heart was pure gold. She’d immediately taken Corrina under her wing and helped her with everything from writing orders to dealing with flirtatious customers.