Cowboy Country (87 page)

Levi turned a final corner and the ranch spread out in front of them. A huge log structure faced them, big enough to easily house a dozen or more people. Off to the left stood a matching barn, outbuildings and fields. To Ava’s delight, she spotted a herd of horses eating bright green hay on the fresh snow.

Levi parked in front of the house—lodge?—and a dark-haired woman stepped onto the porch. A girl who had to be her daughter followed on her heels. A teenager followed and rushed toward them.

Paco stirred. “Are we home?”

“We are.” Levi jumped out of the truck, came around to Ava’s door and opened it. “Come meet my family.”

Together, they helped Paco out of the pickup and up the walk toward the house. The scents of snow, evergreens and wood smoke hung on the air. Snow crunched under their feet and a horse neighed. Each step closer made Ava’s stomach a little tighter. None of Levi’s family appeared friendly and she faltered. Levi’s hand on her arm steadied her and she took a deep, cleansing breath. “I’m okay.”

He looked between her and his family. “Relax. They look meaner than a bunch of junkyard dogs, but in truth they’re harmless.”

“Uncle Levi! Let me see that shiny new buckle.”

The two embraced before Levi showed off his trophy.

A tall, slim blonde with light blue-gray eyes came toward them. She nodded their direction before taking Paco’s arm. “Let’s get you inside before your toes freeze off.”

Levi slung his arm around Ava’s shoulders, and the warmth of his body near hers gave her courage. They followed the others up a wide staircase onto the porch.

A woman with waist-length black hair shot with streaks of silver stepped forward. “You must be Ava. I’m Levi’s mom, Ginger. Welcome to the Callahan spread.” She embraced Ava, then released her. “You must be worn out. Come in. You can meet the clan inside. I have lunch on the table.”

“Thank you,” Ava said.

“How’s Trav?” Levi asked.

“Better. Resting right now.”

The group of people moved inside. The younger woman kept her hand on Paco’s arm. “I bet you’re tired. We fixed up my old room for you.”

“I’m beat,” he admitted.

She ushered him down a long hallway and out of sight.

Ava caught a glimpse of a high ceiling and lots of western art before they were ushered into a dining area that seemed big enough to seat an army. A long plank table had enough food on it to feed that army. Tantalizing scents of roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy filled the air.

Levi removed his hat and hung it on a coat tree near the doorway, then pulled out a chair and indicated Ava sit in it. She did, and he pushed the chair to the table. After he seated himself, he waited until everyone else had also been seated, then spoke. “I’d like to introduce you to Ava Demassi. Ava, meet my family.” He started with the teenager at his right. “My nephew, Hunter.”

The teen blushed. “Ma’am.”

Levi indicated the tall blonde who had returned from getting Paco settled. “My sister, Liberty.”

“Nice to meet you.”

He motioned toward the woman who could only be his mother. “My mom, Ginger Callahan.”

“Welcome to our home, Ava.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Ava said. “Thank you for letting me visit your lovely home. Although I wish it were under different circumstances.”

Ginger spoke from the head of the table. “One Callahan has trouble, we all have trouble. Levi didn’t tell us exactly what’s wrong, only you have a killer on your tail?”

Ava looked into their expectant faces and sighed. “Three nights ago I left my dressing room, went around the corner and walked into a murder. Unfortunately, the triggerman recognized me. His name is Dario Abruzzo and he’s the son of a Las Vegas mobster.”

“And how did Levi end up in this story?” Liberty peered over the rim of her coffee cup, her gray eyes cool as a mountain morning.

“He gave me a ride and offered protection.” Ava glanced at him. “I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for him.”

Ginger passed a platter of roast beef to Hunter. “And you believe this hitman is coming here?”

Ava took a heaping bowl of mashed potatoes and served herself. Her mouth watered. “I pray not, but he chased me all the way from Las Vegas to Denver then Wyoming. And he sent a girl I know to kill me in the hospital. Obviously, she didn’t follow through.”

“Do you have a plan?” Ginger dipped into her meal.

“Not really,” Ava admitted. “But I think it’s time to bring law enforcement in. I was afraid to go to the cops back home because I thought they might be involved in the murder.”

“You think the Las Vegas police are dirty?” Ginger piled a huge amount on her plate. How could she eat like that and stay so slim?

“I don’t know,” Ava admitted. “All I know for sure is I saw Dario with one of them in front of my trashed apartment. I’ve heard some mobsters have insiders in the police department. There was a huge scandal last year.”

“It’s not only big-city cops who are rotten to the core,” Levi muttered as he poured gravy over his mound of mashed potatoes. “Small-town police can be just as bad.”

No one disagreed with him. Why? He’d made similar statements before, but she’d never pinned him down on what his beef with police was about. Now didn’t seem the best time to bring it up, but she didn’t have much choice.

“The cops here are dirty?”

Uncomfortable silence filled the room. No one made eye contact. What was going on?

“They don’t like to help us because of what my ex-husband did,” Ginger said finally. “And their lack of concern for us caused a young woman’s death, or at least contributed to it.”

“Mom…” Levi sounded strangled. He abruptly pushed away from the table. In a second the front door slammed.

Ava looked around the table. “Excuse me, please.”

She found Levi standing on the deck, his hands on the railing, staring at the mountains in the distance. Together, they stood looking at the Snowy Range for several minutes. The icy winter air began to seep into her bones and Ava shivered.

Levi noticed. “You’re cold.”

“A little,” she admitted.

He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her. The embrace was intimate, as if they’d been lovers for a long time. His groin pushed against her rear end and she shivered again, but not from cold this time. His warm breath on her neck made her tingle. Her nipples hardened, but whether from the freezing temperature or Levi’s proximity, she wasn’t sure.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.

“No.” He pulled her closer, if that was possible. “But I’ll tell you anyway.”

“You don’t have to,” she said.

“When I was in college, I met a girl named Beth at a rodeo club meeting. We hit it off almost instantly even though she had a boyfriend. She broke up with him and he began stalking her. He left notes on her car, called her constantly. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. Everywhere she went, he showed up. He caught her alone a couple of times and threatened her.”

“Oh, Levi.” She wrapped her fingers around his arms.

“I thought if I brought her here to the ranch she’d be safe. But somehow he tracked her here.”

Ava drew in a harsh breath. How could he face that again? “I knew better than to come home with you.”

“I want you here, so stop worrying about it.” He continued his story. “Remember I told you my father murdered a man, his team roping partner, over a bet they made at the local rodeo? The man he shot, Moe Browning, was the sheriff at the time. From that moment on the department harassed us, made life so miserable we were almost forced to move.”

Ava looked at the mountain range that had stood for thousands of years and was reminded of Levi and his family. “But you didn’t run.”

“No.” His voice was husky. “We didn’t.”

“Surely the police let go of their grudge sooner or later,” she said.

“They haven’t. Not to this very day.” Bitterness edged his voice. “That’s why I know they’ll do you no good. No more than they did Beth.”

“What happened to her?” Ava whispered, afraid to find out but more scared not to.

A ragged sigh that seemed to come from the bottom of his boots tore out of him. “Beth’s ex tracked her here. She insisted we report him to the police. I tried to tell her they wouldn’t listen, but she went in anyway. Alone. Because I refused to go with her.”

“And?”

“Just as I’d warned, they ignored her plea. Said as long as she was with a killer Callahan they couldn’t help her.”

Ava didn’t want to know the rest, but she asked anyway. “And then what?”

“Her boyfriend found, abducted and killed Beth on her way back to the ranch.”

A shudder ripped through Ava. That poor woman. Poor Levi. “My God. I’m so sorry I’ve brought my troubles to your door.”

He turned her so she faced him. “I turned my head just long enough and Beth died because of it. I won’t make that mistake again. And my family is right there alongside you, too.”

“You can’t watch me forever,” she protested. “You have a life, a career. I do, too. Or at least I did. Maybe I’ll be like Tiffany and go to New York to try out for the Rockettes.”

“Do you want to leave?” Levi asked, his gaze intense.

“No,” she admitted.

“Then stay and we’ll figure this out together.”

She moved into the circle of his arms, knowing she shouldn’t. “For now.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Levi ushered Ava inside. “Maybe we should finish eating.”

The table had been cleared and he led her into a massive kitchen with gleaming, state-of-the-art appliances and an island with copper pots and pans hanging from it. Their plates had been covered with plastic wrap and left on the counter. He placed hers in the microwave. When it dinged in a couple minutes, he handed it to her. “Careful, it’s hot.”

He heated his own food and carried it to the breakfast nook. Framed on three sides by windows, the sun lit up the area, warming them. Levi felt himself begin to relax. He hadn’t realized how tense he he’d been until he looked out at the glistening snow, felt the warm sun on his shoulders and got some of his mom’s good home cooking in his belly. He finished eating and leaned back with a contented sigh.

“This is nice.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Are you tired?” he asked.

“No.”

“How’s your headache?”

“I’d almost forgotten it.”

They were talking about nothing. What he really wanted to do was get her alone and kiss her until they both forgot about the killer after them. “Let’s go outside.”

After they wrapped up in coats and hats, he took her uninjured hand and led her outdoors. The sun reflecting off the snow blinded them for a moment and they stopped. “Wait here. I’ll get sunglasses.”

He ran inside and grabbed a couple from a basket in the closet. Handing Ava a pair, he said, “Better?”

She nodded. “I can see.”

With her long blonde hair falling around her shoulders, the sporty glasses and borrowed rodeo jacket, she looked as much at home as his mom or sister, except she wore tennis shoes. Maybe he’d buy her a pair of boots for Christmas. Whoa! Buying gifts was for family, friends and serious relationships. Ava didn’t fall in any of the above. As soon as she was out of danger, she would be going back to Vegas.

Alone.

Making a relationship work with him on the road and her there would be next to impossible. They couldn’t get involved any deeper than they already were.

One of the ranch dogs ran up with his tail wagging and Ava bent to pet him. “Hi, doggy. That’s a good boy.”

Her smile was so happy it tore a hole in Levi’s gut. She deserved to look like that all the time. He guided her to the massive log barn and opened the door.

She glanced at him as he ushered her through. “What’s in here?”

“You’ll see.” The familiar scents of horses, leather and fresh hay greeted their noses as he walked way down a short alleyway to the horse stalls. Unless it got brutally cold outside, most of the equines lived outdoors year round. But they kept a couple of old guys with arthritic joints inside during the winter months.

At a roomy box stall, he stopped and took a halter from the peg next to the door. “Wait there a minute,” he told Ava, “and I’ll bring him out.”

He led the old mouse-colored horse out of his stall and handed her the lead rope. “This is Mickey, named for that famous mouse. Hold on to him a minute while I grab some oats and you can feed him a little.”

She pushed her sunglasses up on her head and a brilliant smile lit up her face. “Oh, Levi. He’s beautiful.” The look on her face was rapt. Tentatively, she touched the ancient gelding’s silvery nose. He blew softly into her hand and her smile widened. “Hi, Mickey.”

Inside the tack room, Levi filled a bucket with some grain, then carried it back to Ava. Mickey stretched his neck toward the bucket. Levi handed it to her. “Here. Let him have a little.”

She took the bucket and let Mickey dip his nose into it. Her hand slid up down his neck in a soft caress. Levi envied the horse. For a second he envisioned her hands on him like that. Dangerous ground again.

“I love him,” Ava said. “Thank you, Levi.”

“When it warms up, I’ll take you riding.” Why did he keep making these promises?

Her eyes sparkled. “I would love that so much. Do you think I could ride Mickey?”

“I think you’ll probably want to ride something with a little more life.” He patted the animal’s shaggy neck. “No offense, old man, but you’re kind of a falling star.”

Her smile faded and the spark in her eyes dimmed. “Like me.”

“What are you talking about?” Levi stared at her in disbelief. “This horse is thirty if he’s a day. You’re young with a long life ahead of you.”

“I’m done at the Blue Valentine and probably in Vegas.” She stroked the horse’s face as he munched. “I may as well be put out to pasture for as far as me being a showgirl goes. I’m probably blackballed by now.”

“Have you ever thought of being something else?”

“Have you ever wanted to do anything but ride bucking horses?” she challenged.