Page 79 of Wild Mustang Security Firm

“As long as all you do is roll your eyes and don’t give them any of your sass, I suppose I can live with that.”

“Oh, heavens, no. I save all my sass for you,” she said sweetly. With that, she cracked through his men’s reserve. She was glad to see them relax and watch their boss, their looks of admiration and envy easy to see.

Having taken care of Roscoe and Gator, Mac sat beside her.

“Thanks, babe. You put them at ease. Sometimes, it’s hard to bring in someone they don’t know, haven’t trained with.”

“I figured. I also figured I’d probably be seeing a lot of these guys, so they may as well get to know me and lighten up.”

Once the campfire was blazing, she and Gus prepared a simple meal that was filling, nutritious, and not too heavy. Willa enjoyed seeing the men tuck in and eat heartily. Each manwent out of his way to compliment her, and Taylor went so far as telling Mac he thought she should come along on all their missions.

“Not happening, Taylor. This is a once-in-a-lifetime exception. I don’t like her being in harm’s way.”

“We’ll keep her safe, Mac. You know that.”

Mac smiled. “I do, or best tracker or not, she wouldn’t be out here with us.”

The men put out the campfire after everything was cooked, so the equipment could cool before repacking, and they could ensure the fire was completely out. As the heat of the day abated, they broke camp, resaddled, loaded their gear, and once more, set out on Eastwick’s trail.

They followed the trail of the two stolen horses until after sunset. As it became too dark to ride or track, Mac called the group to a halt, so he and John could make their way around the butte they’d been traveling by to ensure the way was clear.

Willa sat and waited.

“This sucks,” she said emphatically.

“Now you know how the marshal felt when you went out after them mustangs without any kind of back up,” Gus remarked.

“I forgot you were always on his side,” Willa said drolly

“Yes, ma’am, and I’m not ashamed to say I’m damn glad to see he’s returned. I take it the two of you figured out what the rest of us knew—that you were always supposed to be together?”

“Yeah. I guess all it took was a murder, two gunshot wounds, and being locked up in the same house together,” she said, smiling. “I didn’t realize how much I’d missed him until I was with him again. I love him, Gus.”

“He loves you, too, Willa,” John said as he joined them. “He never stopped loving you.”

“Where is he?” she asked anxiously.

“Not to worry. He took Roscoe to the top of the butte to see if he can spot anything with the night-vision binoculars.”

Willa stepped down off Gator, walked to the hoofprints, squatted, and felt the impressions. Without saying a word to anyone, Willa swung up on Gator and loped off. She’d caught the marshals unaware, but two of them and John were hot on her heels within moments.

“Damn it, Willa. Mac told you to stay put,” John said as he caught up to her.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I heard him.” She dismounted and again bent down to check the hoof impressions.

“What are you seeing, Willa?” Baez asked.

“Something’s not right, but I can’t tell without better light. Can one of you go get Gus and have him bring one of the lanterns?”

Taylor loped toward Gus and brought the requested instrument. Willa swapped the lantern for Gator’s reins, then turned on the bright light and held it close to the ground. She swept the lantern back and forth, covering a wider expanse of ground.

“Shit!”

“What?” John rode up beside her, leading Gator.

“Somebody’s been here and brushed away some kind of tracks. I’d have noticed it in the daylight, but they did a decent job trying to erase them. I’m not going to be able to tell what itmight have been, how long ago, or whether it was before, after, or during the time Eastwick was here. Shit!”

“Willa? The boss is headed down from the butte. I think we’d best be where he left you. I’ve worked with him since the two of you split up, and he isn’t going to like you taking off like this.”

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