Page 21 of Dairy and Deadly

Johnny straightened in his chair as another piece of the puzzle fell into place for him. No wonder Ashley had a fragile edge to her. She’d done more than gotten shot in the line of duty. She’d nearly died alongside her partner, a man who’d additionally turned out to be a dirty cop.

Man, that’s rough!He slowly sat back in his chair at the realization that he and Ashley had more in common than he’d originally surmised. Tragedy had driven him from Wyoming, just like it had driven her from Dallas.With nothing more than two suitcases and the clothes on her back.She probably wasn’t half as okay as she pretended to be.

He was gladder than ever that he’d covered her first month of rent. It was anyone’s guess what shape her finances were in. He vowed on the spot to keep an eye out for her well-being now that she was living on his turf. He made it his business to look after all of his employees, and she would be no exception, but this felt different.

Though he doubted Ashley would appreciate the gesture, he shot off a quick text to the other guys on staff. Clint, Tucker, and Hawk deserved to know they were dealing with a wounded cop, one with scars on the inside and outside. Deep ones. They’d help him look after her, no questions asked. It was just the kind of men they were.

Tucker was the first to text him back:Sure thing, chief. Might not keep as close an eye on her as you will, but I’ll do my part.

Johnny’s face reddened, a little irritated that the guy was taking this as a joke.

Hawk responded next:I’ll keep a Hawk eye on her.Johnny shook his head. Yeah, they were totally messing with him. To his dismay, Clint didn’t chime in at all. He hoped it didn’t mean his brother-in-law was angry with him. Clint was a level-headed cowboy and didn’t normally jump to conclusions, but that didn’t make this any less awkward for the two of them.My fault.He’d speak to Clint alone at the next available opportunity to clear the air between them. He wished he’d thought of speaking to him before sending out the group text.

Even though it was Saturday, he shot off a text to one of the partners at Lonestar Security next.

Got a minute to talk?

Josh Hawling’s response came in seconds.

Yep. Can you meet me at the office in thirty minutes?

Johnny stared at the message. He’d been hoping for a phone call with Josh, since he happened to be one of his oldest friends. Meeting at Lonestar’s headquarters, instead, was unexpected. On the weekend, no less! However, he reported to Josh and not the other way around. If he preferred to meet face-to-face, then that’s what they’d do.

He glanced at his watch, noting it was roughly an hour shy of lunch time. He had the time to spare, so he texted back a thumbs up and headed to the garage. His new black Jeep was parked there alongside his much older, rustier work truck. One was primarily for his PI work. The other was reserved for chores around the dairy farm.

He was soon bumping down the gravel driveway in his Jeep toward the highway. As he drove, he wondered if the reason they were meeting at the office was because something was brewing with Josh.

He pulled into the parking garage and waved at the gate guard. Less than a minute later, he lightly tapped on the open door of Josh’s office. He found his friend hunkered down behind his desk, looking engrossed in whatever was pulled up on his computer screen.

Josh glanced up at the sound, and a lopsided smile stretched across his rugged features. “Come in!” The light in his eyes dimmed a little as he read the misery on Johnny’s face. He silently pointed at the pair of chairs in front of his desk. Then he stood and moved across the room to shut the door.

He returned and took the seat beside Johnny. “Start talking.”

So Johnny did. He told him about the wounded cop he’d unexpectedly hired this morning and what he’d found online about her former partner.

“That’s unfortunate.” Josh’s dark eyes had taken on a shrewd gleam that made little sense. “Sounds like you did the right thing in hiring her.”

“Did I?” Johnny spread his hands. “I think about her too much, Josh, and that bothers me.”

Josh grew still. “Define too much.”

“Nearly all the time,” Johnny confessed, feeling guilty. “Go ahead.” He waved shamefacedly at his friend. “Tell me I’m an awful human being.”

“No can do.” Josh’s dark eyebrows rose. “I don’t hire awful people.”

“You know what I mean.” Johnny gritted his teeth, hating himself for being disloyal to the memory of his dead wife and son.

“I do, but falling in love again still doesn’t make you an awful person,” Josh returned mildly.

Johnny nearly shot out of his chair. “Who said anything about love? I barely know the woman!” He was aghast that his friend had so badly misunderstood the situation.

“You may have just met, but you’d like to get to know her better,” Josh retorted. “I’ve known you forever, remember? I can read you like a book, the same way you can read me.”

“She and I just met,” Johnny spluttered again, feeling his neck and face grow hot.

“Sometimes it happens that quickly.” Josh snapped his fingers.

Johnny couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I’m not?—”

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