One Texas Cowboy Too Many (Burnt Boot, Texas #3)(83)

Leah put her head in her hands, dropped to her knees, and let all the frustrations out in a long weeping wail. “I’m so sorry you saw that, Rhett,” she sobbed.

He gathered her up in his arms like a baby and carried her to the porch, where he sat down with her, tears wetting the front of his shirt. Poor old Dammit whined and licked her hands and cheek as Rhett rocked from side to side with her in his lap.

“His truck looks the same as your new one, so I thought you’d come home a little early and…” She hiccuped. “I made Dammit wait on the porch because I thought I could take care of it.”

He hugged her tighter to his chest with one arm and rubbed her back with the other. “From what I saw, it looked like you gave him something to think about. How’re your knuckles?”

She raised her hand and showed him. “If they bruise, it was worth it. I feel violated. I think he planned to kidnap me, but when I hollered at Dammit, he changed his mind.”

“From now on, I’ll be home in the evenings.”

“I think it’s over,” she said.

He continued to rub her back. “Why?”

“Because he called someone on the phone and said something to them about doing it. He was so mad, and I think whatever is about to happen was the Gallaghers backup plan,” she said.

“Think you should call your father?” he asked.

“In a minute. I want to sit right here until I get control of my voice. If Daddy finds out what Tanner did, there’ll be blood and the feud will never stop,” she answered.

Dammit whined and whipped his head around to the south. His nose shot up and he sniffed several times before he let out a lonesome howl. Leah stuck an arm out from the cocoon that Rhett had her wrapped up in and looped it around his neck.

“It’s okay, boy. He’s gone and he won’t be back. You did good,” she said.

“He is not getting away with this,” Rhett said.

“Promise me you won’t do anything. If we leave it alone and live our own lives right here on Double Shot, it’ll quiet down.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks.

Dammit sniffed the air again, whimpered, and shook free of Leah’s hold. He ambled around to the end of the house, let out a howl, and took off like he was chasing down a coyote or a jackrabbit.

“What’s gotten into him?” Leah asked at the same time the smell of smoke hit her nose. “Oh. My. God. They’ve set fire to our ranch.”

Sirens sounded before she could unwind herself from Rhett’s embrace and get to her feet. He grabbed her hand and followed Dammit’s baying, taking them out to the road, where smoke billowed. The fire trucks were already there, putting out a long line of grass fires running parallel to the ranch fence line when Leah and Rhett arrived.

One of the firemen shouted from the road. “Y’all call this in?”

“No, we had no idea it was on fire. What caused it?” Rhett asked.

“Dry as it’s been, could have been a lit cigarette thrown from a car window. Crazy thing is, it’s running up and down the road, and the way the wind is blowing, if it had been from a cigarette, it would have traveled right onto your property. You’re a lucky man tonight.”

“Lucky, my ass,” Rhett mumbled. “It was set and…hell’s bells, Leah, this is a diversion. Call your dad right now.”

“It’s after midnight,” she said.

“Call him and tell him the Gallaghers are about to do something tonight. Probably a fire since the fire trucks are out of water,” he said.

“We got it all wet down. Call us if any hot spots fire back up. Took every drop of our water to put this one out because it was so long,” the fireman said.

Leah yelled across the blackened earth. “Thank y’all for getting out here so fast.”

“We got the call forty minutes ago.”

“Here.” Rhett handed Leah his phone. “Call your dad now. I haven’t been home forty minutes. They made the call before the fire was even set.”

Leah punched in her dad’s cell phone, and it went to voice mail after the fifth ring. She didn’t bother with a message but hit the numbers again. He picked up on the fourth ring that time.

“Daddy, listen to me. The Gallaghers are about to set fire to something. I don’t know what but…” She went on to tell him what had happened.

“It’s probably a threat, but I’ll get Declan up, and we’ll check things out on this end. Why would they set fire to Rhett’s ranch?”

“Because…” She told him what Tanner had done in the restaurant the previous Monday and about him showing up at the ranch that night.

“I’ll kill the bastard with my bare hands,” Russell said.

“Daddy, please forget that and go check out the ranch. The fire trucks are empty and on their way back to Gainesville,” she said.

“I’m up and on my way. I’ll call you later if anything is wrong. If I don’t call, then you’ll know it’s okay. And, Leah, honey, thanks for the call.”

“It’s Rhett’s idea. He thinks this fire was a diversion,” she said.

“Then tell Rhett thank you.”

Rhett took Leah’s hand in his and headed back toward the house with Dammit right behind them. They made it to the porch before his phone rang. Leah knew before he even answered it that it was her father and something was burning on River Bend. It was one of those gut feelings that was never wrong, and her insides clinched up into pretzels as she waited to hear what was on fire.