One Texas Cowboy Too Many (Burnt Boot, Texas #3)(15)

She liked the way his deep Texas drawl was expressed even in his laughter. It was like warm, silky lotion on her skin after a long, lingering bath.

Three hours later, she looked at the clock and gasped. “Rhett, it’s eleven thirty.”

“I don’t turn into a pumpkin at midnight. Do you?”

She laughed. “No, but we should end this call now.”

“Then good night, Leah. I loved talking to you.”

“Me too,” she said.





Chapter 4


Sirens woke Rhett. He sat straight up in bed and glanced at the nightstand, thinking it was part of his dream and that the noise was really his phone or the alarm clock. The phone was dark; the clock said it was five minutes past midnight.

He bailed out of bed, pulled on his jeans, and stomped his feet down into his boots. The emergency vehicle had gone toward the general store and the bar, and they’d need all the help they could get.

He met Jill and Sawyer in the living room. Both fully dressed even if they were sleepy eyed. A lamp had been turned on, but there were still deep shadows and an eerie feeling about the room. Rhett could have sworn he smelled smoke, so that meant fire and that it wasn’t far away. Jill had the phone to her ear and Sawyer paced.

“Is it the store or the bar?” Jill asked and paused slightly while she listened. “Well, thank God for that.”

She hit a button and shoved the phone back into her pocket. “It’s not our place. The Gallaghers’ school is burning. Aunt Gladys says that the fire department isn’t going to try to put it out because it’s too far gone. They’ll watch it all night and let it burn completely to the ground so the cleanup will be easier,” Jill said.

“Couldn’t they save any of it?” Rhett asked.

“Aunt Gladys said that by the time anyone knew there was a fire, it was completely engulfed in flames. The Gallaghers are already blaming the Brennans, so I guess the feud is about to get hot and heavy again.” Jill yawned.

“This may top the last battle that folks called the ‘pig war,’” Sawyer said.

A heavy knock on the door startled all three of them.

“Aunt Gladys,” Jill said and started that way.

“I don’t really care about the fire. I’d rather go back to bed.” Sawyer covered a yawn with the back of his hand.

“Is Rhett O’Donnell here?” a big, deep voice filtered through the shadows. The smell of smoke preceded the policeman into the room.

“I’m Rhett.” He stepped forward.

The man wore a sheriff’s patch on his uniform. Shorter than both Rhett and Sawyer, he had broad shoulders and a spare tire that said he enjoyed his meals. His eyes were serious and his mouth set in a firm line.

“I’m Sheriff Orville Dawson and I have a few questions for you.”

“Yes, sir,” Rhett said.

“Where were you all evening?”

“Right here on Fiddle Creek.”

“And this afternoon?” Sheriff Orville asked.

“Fishing in the river until chore time.”

“Did you set that fire that burned down the Gallagher school?”

Jill raised her voice. “Hell no, he did not!”

“I’m askin’ him, Jill.” Sheriff Orville frowned.

Rhett locked eyes with the sheriff and said, “I did not.”

“Well, you were fishing with Leah Brennan. Who’s to say that you weren’t conspiring to burn down the school in retaliation for the last thing that happened in the feud?” the sheriff asked.

“I can vouch for my cousin. He’s been right here all evening,” Sawyer said.

“When was the last time you actually laid eyes on him? It’s only about three miles to the school. He could have crawled out a bedroom window and jogged that far, set the fire, and been back in bed when the sirens started,” Sheriff Orville said.

“I could have. I could have done lots of things, but I did not leave Fiddle Creek from the time that I stopped fishing and came back here to do the evening chores. I’m not an arsonist, Sheriff, and I’ve been right here in this bunkhouse since about eight o’clock. That’s when Dammit, my dog, wanted to go outside and I stood on the porch while he watered down a couple of trees. And, yes, I was fishing this afternoon. Leah Brennan was fishing too, but it was a coincidence that we both showed up there, and I assure you, sir, we were not conspiring to do anything other than catch a few fish.”

“And I stood on the porch with him when he let the dog out to go take a piss,” Sawyer said.

“There’s a lot of time between eight and midnight,” Orville said.

“Yes, there is,” Rhett said.

“Don’t leave town. I’m going to talk to Leah Brennan right now. If there are holes in your story—”

“Sheriff, I was on the phone with Leah until eleven thirty tonight,” Rhett said. “I don’t think she could have jogged to the Gallagher school and set fire to it either.”

Orville crossed his arms over a belly that hung out over his belt. “So that’s the way it is. Y’all are going to be each other’s alibi. That looks damn suspicious to me.”

“It’s the truth. We were talking until almost midnight. You can ask her if you want, but she’ll tell you the same thing,” Rhett said.