Blaze (Missoula Smokejumpers Book 5) Read online

  “You know what you’re doing. I watched you,” Stasha half-whispered.

  “I did okay. I qualified. We’ll see what happens from here.” He closed the door behind them and resisted groaning. The place was a wreck, even for him. There were beer cans and plastic cups everywhere. “Christ. Looks like a college party.”

  She laughed and stood just in the doorway. “You should see where I live. This is a palace in comparison.” Moving closer to the table, she picked up the wooden spoon. “This is interesting.”

  He could feel the heat rising on his face. “Just the guys.”

  “Uh-huh. And these?” Bending down, she fingered and lifted purple panties, giving him a look of amusement. “I remember these types of parties. Lost several pair of panties during them.”

  Snatching the thong from her hand, he groaned and shoved it into his pocket. “Don’t ask.”

  “I won’t.” This time, she laughed.

  “What can I get you? Bourbon? Tequila? Wine? I think I have wine.”

  “Whiskey if you have it.”

  Boone couldn’t help but smile. The girl had several sides. “I can do that. Sit down. Let’s talk.” He found two clean glasses and plopped ice in both. The alcohol had worn off, leaving him with a dull ache and a growing round of questions. After sliding the glass across the table, he sat down on the other side. “Any idea of who you think was shooting at you?”

  She took a sip then a second.

  Her hand was still shaking. Why did he suspect she had an inkling of who was trying to threaten her? “Any?”

  Stasha fiddled with the rim, swirling her finger around the top. “As you might have guessed, I can make enemies quickly.”

  He almost choked on the whiskey. “Yeah. I gathered that by the way you handled good old Gerald today. Is there more?”

  “I don’t know. I was dragged into a darkened space at the rodeo and warned. Then I received the same message in an email. I don’t know what to think.”

  “Whoa. This is something else altogether. You need to go to the sheriff.” Who in the hell thought they could threaten the sexy doctor?

  Snorting, she gave him a hard look. “And say what? That I was a badass today and a couple cowboys weren’t happy?”

  “That adds credence to the possibility that someone did indeed shoot at you. That’s more serious even than the threats you received. You have to know that.”

  She nodded. “I do. I just have no idea how they followed me to the house unless Penny had something to do with this.”

  “Not a chance. She’s like Mother Theresa as far as the town is concerned. Nice lady. Divorced three times. Cares for a bunch of stray dogs. No way she’s involved in criminal activity.”

  “Is that what you think is happening?” Stasha leaned forward.

  Boone sat back in his seat. “I don’t know. Call it a gut feeling, but I have certain suspicions about the rodeo circuit.”

  “What? Tell me!” Reaching over, she touched his hand. A single and very short-lived moan escaped her lips.

  The electricity was intense, shooting through every muscle in his body, driving his cock against his jeans. What the hell?

  Blinking several times, she half smiled then slowly removed her hand. “Just tell me.”

  This was unexpected. This was off the chain. This was… No, he couldn’t do this. He didn’t need any complications. “There’s nothing to tell. Besides, you and I don’t know each other very well.” He shouldn’t have said a damn thing. Spouting off at the mouth wasn’t his usual style. The connection between them was so strong, unusually so.

  “We don’t know each other at all, but I almost feel like you’re a nice guy.” She absently brushed beads of perspiration off her forehead.

  This time, he snorted and raised his glass. “That’s what people keep telling me. Fools.”

  She broke out in a genuine grin. “I’m sorry. I don’t even know what I’m saying, but I can tell you this. Some horrible occurrence happened at that house. Whether or not it has anything to do with our combined fears about the rodeo, I don’t know. I spoke my mind and ten minutes later I had a gun in my back?”

  Hearing the words, he hissed, the sound elongated. “You have to talk to the sheriff. Whoever is doing this isn’t playing games and you can’t either. Do you understand me?”

  “You always this forceful?”

  “With a beautiful damsel in distress? You bet.” Hearing his words, he closed his eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m certain that just added to your disgust of men.”

  “I don’t know if I’m disgusted. Not really. Well, maybe.” She shook her head. “What I know is that there is a certain level of power that surrounds the rodeo circuit. Sadly, there are mostly men involved. What I’ve seen since I came here is reprehensible. I have no doubt there is a faction undermining, or at least attempting to, the concept of the game. Win at all costs. What I don’t understand is why. I mean, even you told me this is all about a contest, a game that has been around for two centuries. Why would someone put the lives of innocent animals at risk in order to claim a winner?”

  Her ideas were nothing more than conjecture, but she knew enough players to realize they were capable of anything. Still, she had no clear understanding of what she was dealing with. “In two days.” Boone studied her face, her reactions. “You worked on the rodeo for two days and you believe that excessive abuse occurs, quite possibly even criminal activity. Do you even have any experience working with this kind of function?”

  “No, but—”

  “But nothing! I don’t know you but obviously you’re from out of town. Tread lightly. We’re a close-knit group here. We care about each other. Hell, you were even on the path to believe that Penny had something to do with the incident tonight. Stretching things a bit, aren’t you?”

  Shrugging, she darted her eyes in his direction. “Maybe. I know this sounds crazy but how do you account for the fact that I was warned not once but twice as well as shot at?”

  Good God. The woman was pigheaded. “As I said before, certain people don’t take kindly to interference.” However, she had a point. In his previous experience with the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, there were certainly hush-hush activities that were never discussed, but nothing he would consider illegal or even immoral. Granted, there’d always been political tactics played, even affecting the outcome of certain events. But to think that certain people he knew and who’d been involved with the rodeo circuit for years could be involved? At this point he’d remain neutral.

  For now.

  Oddly, he’d had a sixth sense since the day he signed up for the Missoula Stampede and hadn’t been able to put his finger on why.

  “Then I’m supposed to sit around and allow innocent animals to be killed? I’m supposed to shove aside all my years of training as well as my ethics?” Stasha threw back her drink, polishing off the entire glass.

  Boone resisted rolling his eyes. The girl was a handful and more. “I’m not suggesting anything except that you step lightly. You don’t know anything at this point. Nothing. A hunter could have misfired.” He poured her another drink and for the life of him wasn’t entirely certain why he was so attracted to this girl, but damn if he wasn’t.

  Snorting, she grabbed the glass, as if he would take it away. “Hunters. Right.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “San Francisco and no, the only kind of hunters we had were gay men trying to find the right dress for a festive occasion.”

  He could see such anger in her eyes as well as hurt. She held a terrible secret or a wretched past close to her heart, preventing her from being objective. “You don’t know me, and my guess is that you don’t want to, but I’m going to give you a piece of advice. That is, if you’ll allow me to.”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “You know what? No, you don’t. But you can take it or leave it.” Boone took a gulp of his drink then finished the rest. “Whatever asshole hurt you in the past had no right. I
don’t need to know the circumstances. I don’t want the gruesome details, but I can tell you this. We all have issues. We all have secrets. We all wish we could go back to the past and change the outcome, but we can’t. We’re dealt one hand, one life and the decisions we make alter the future, not only for ourselves, but for those around us. It’s up to you how you handle the rest of your life. No excuses. No bullshit. Just you.”

  Stasha swallowed hard, her eyes tearing up. After taking several deep breaths, she downed the rest of her drink then pushed back her chair, rising to her feet. “I appreciate what you’ve done very much. If you don’t mind, I’d like to leave the puppies here tonight. I’ll get them in the morning.”

  He debated what to say. “That’s fine. I have to work very early but I’ll leave the barn unlocked or you can wait until later. You can find me at the hanger on the outskirts of town if you need me for some reason. Just ask around for the Jackals.”

  Giving him a heated look, she exhaled and nodded before pushing the glass across the table, her fingers lingering, moving back and forth across the rim. “Thank you.”

  Boone was at a complete loss for words. A certain portion of him didn’t want her to leave. The other had a feeling that getting involved with her, even if she would allow it, was like playing with firecrackers. After counting to five, he jerked up from his chair and followed her to the door, crowding her space. “Wait.”

  “Why?” The single word was little more than a whisper.

  From where he was standing, he could see her lower lip quivering. A nervous laugh escaped his lips. “I’m not certain but I do know, I don’t want you to leave.”

  Stasha swallowed, her eyes darting back and forth. “Boone, I can’t. I just…”

  Grabbing her wrist, he yanked her around and against his chest then threw his other arm around her. Crushing her mouth with his, he was electrified, so alive, his hunger unlike anything he’d experienced. He wanted her, every inch. He thrust his tongue past her lips, exploring the dark recesses of her mouth.

  She resisted at first, pushing hard against his chest then began to moan, her body undulating against his.

  The kiss continued, wild and full of intense and perhaps insane desire. Shoving her against the door, he yanked both arms over her head, his hands placed over hers, his groin grinding into her stomach. Only seconds later, he could feel her mood as well as her longing shift, almost frozen as she stiffened. Breaking the kiss, he kept his lips against hers, his heavy breathing blowing a swath of hot air. “I want you.”

  Panting, she fingered his shirt, clawing and releasing. “Boone, I… I can’t. Not right now.”

  Boone held the stance, wanting nothing more than for her to accept, to crave, but he could tell she had no idea what she was supposed to do. A woman who seemed so assured of her actions, her words and her drive, seemed frail and terrified. Easing back, he held up his hands and offered a simple smile. “I understand. Not trying to push.”

  “I know you aren’t. I can tell. I just…” Stasha rubbed her lips with two fingers.

  He could see that the tears remained, perhaps a reminder of whatever she was unable to rid herself of. “I need to get the puppies some food. I’ll give them a cursory look, just to make certain they’re all right.”

  She remained quiet. “Thank you. I really do appreciate your help.” After another hesitation, she turned around, her hand wrapping around the door handle, her other palm on the door.

  Whatever her hesitation, he wanted to reach out, to protect and even comfort, but she had to come to him. She had to be honest. “Good night.”

  “Night.”

  She didn’t move.

  He waited, his skin prickling.

  “You’re right,” she whispered.

  “About?”

  “About me. I’m damaged. I’m not sure I’ll ever be whole again, but I know this, I don’t think I can ever trust again. I just can’t.”

  “What happened?” Boone kept the tone of his voice even.

  “Let’s just say that nightmares do exist.”

  Chapter 4

  Boone was dragging when he rolled into the hanger. He hadn’t been able to sleep after Stasha’s departure. He’d spent some time with the puppies and searched on the internet, trying to find out anything about the ranch. The house had to have been owned by the same person for years given search of the real estate records didn’t list any transactions for the twelve years they’d been available in digital format. Shame he didn’t know all the local lore, but one of the team must have a general idea about the owner.

  After finding no real specifics, he’d searched for any disparaging stories on either Gerald Tucker or the entire rodeo circuit. He’d found nothing of value. Why did his gut tell him that the animals were being exploited? He thought about the way his application for the Stampede had been scrutinized, almost kicked out. Perhaps they hadn’t wanted him in the event at all. Sighing, he knew he was mind fucking himself and why?

  Because of one sexy veterinarian with a brash attitude and a harsh mouth.

  “You’re fucking late, and the captain is out for bear today,” Sawyer said under his breath as he walked into the locker room.

  “Why? This is just a training day.” He thought about the kiss. What an impetuous move, but damn, the woman was so sensual.

  “Yeah? Well, tell the captain that. You have five minutes and there’s some mandatory meeting.”

  He knew Stasha was upset, fearful of whoever was shooting at her, but she was also edgy and uptight, pushing hard against the world around her. And her comment at the end of the night. Where in the hell had that come from? He was hard pressed to believe some jerk had decided to threaten her on an abandoned piece of property, unless she was getting too close to some type of scheme. He rolled his eyes, chastising his very amateur concept of detective work. He’d leave that to Stoker, the jumper who just had to get in the middle of everything.

  “What’s with you?” Sawyer asked, then his eyes flew open wide. “Oh, shit. Those two girls stayed last night. Didn’t they?”

  Then again, what had really been going on at the ranch next door? Why would anyone leave puppies to die when there were plenty of no kill shelters?

  “Earth to Boone, or should I start calling you lover boy?”

  “What?” The words slowly registered. “Eh, shut up. So, I had a good time for once. Shoot me.”

  Sawyer opened his eyes wide. “You didn’t.”

  Boone could feel the heat rising up from his neck. The ménage had been so out of character.

  “Well, well. I’m damn glad you had a rousing bout of sex,” Sawyer teased.

  “Sex. Did I hear the word sex?” Landen popped his head around the corner.

  “Our boy got laid,” Sawyer stated and danced a little jig.

  “I’m going to slaughter both of you!” Boone growled.

  Landen burst into laughter. “You deserved a little kinky fun after that performance, dude. Every woman in the stadium wanted a copy of your phone number. Take advantage of your celebrity.”

  “They’ll learn quick when I fall on my face at the October rodeo.” Boone had already considered backing out.

  “You can run into fires, but you’re worried about one prickly steer?” Sawyer folded his arms, moving closer.

  Exhaling, Boone dropped his bag and quickly struggled into his workout gear. Not that he was in the mood to run laps or bench press any weights. The headache remained, compounded by the whiskey he’d consumed both during his discussion with the frustrating vet and after. Even the bottle of Gatorade hadn’t done a damn thing.

  “Okay. What else is going on? I know that look.” Sawyer lowered his voice.

  Boone lowered his voice. “Had a slight run in with that veterinarian from the rodeo last night.”

  “Oh, yeah? Another pretty hot little number. Three in one night. Might need some Viagra.”

  Giving him a nasty look, he slammed his locker. “Very funny. You know? I think some bad sh
it went down at the ranch next door and don’t you dare say a fuckin’ word.”

  Backing away, Sawyer grinned. “Who me? Not a thing. I’m the buddy who knew you needed to get laid.”

  “Get out of here!” Boone hissed.

  “Who got laid?” Garcia asked, grinning as he kept his distance from Boone.

  “That’s it. All of you.” Boone laughed.

  Sawyer twisted to get out of Boone’s possible punch. “That abandoned ranch near you? Spooky ass place if you ask me.”

  “How would you know?”

  “Took a ride over there one day. Not sure why. Just after hearing you talking about some of the creeps you saw hovering around.”

  “Well, the good doctor found some abandoned puppies.” Boone folded his arms. For some reason, he didn’t want the others to hear the conversation.

  “That’s shit. What’s she doing creeping around a place at night?” Sawyer shook his head.

  “That kind of woman.” Boone couldn’t help but grin.

  “A woman you like, you mean.” Sawyer backed toward the entrance, the shit eating grin remaining on his face.

  “Gentlemen, the captain is waiting.” Antonio stuck his head in the door.

  Boone heard the men grumbling as they walked toward the captain’s office. His thoughts remained on the situation. At some point, he’d take a ride over to the abandoned ranch himself.

  “We’re here. What’s up, Cap’n?” Stoker asked as he leaned against the doorjamb.

  Captain Phillips rubbed his eyes. “I wish, just once, we could eradicate the criminal element.”

  “Uh-oh. What’s going on?” Garcia flanked Stoker’s side.

  “Don’t know the details yet and the shit might not matter to us, but I have a friend out in Hamilton, Montana. Called me last night. He mentioned that a couple ranches near him had been almost burned to the ground, the horses taken. Happened in the last month. Thing is, the authorities haven’t found a single horse. Not one. They weren’t sold on the black market or found running free. Word is on the street that there is some kind of horse thief ring going around. Not sure what to make of it, but because the details seemed damn close to something that happened around here, I thought it worth mentioning.” Captain Phillips huffed.