Page 24 of Dairy and Deadly

He was so busy fuming that he almost missed his turn into the farm. Jamming on his brakes, he squealed his tires on the pavement and hung a right at the last possible second. He skidded on the gravel lane, raising a cloud of dust.

It billowed like smoke behind his truck, matching his mood so perfectly that he purposely skidded again as he entered the parking lot. He did a half-donut in the dirt before pulling into his parking spot, which raised an even bigger cloud of dust. As he hopped out of his truck, a mixture of clapping, chuckling, and complaining met his ears.

“Aw, come on, Johnny,” one guy shouted. “My wife made me wear a white shirt tonight!”

Guilt slammed into him, making him holler back an apology. He’d hung so much dirt in the air that he could taste the grit of it in his mouth. It was plumb rude of him, and he wasn’t normally rude.

What’s gotten into me?He lifted his Stetson and ran a hand through his hair, probably rubbing some of the dust into it. He needed to shake off whatever this was so he could do his job.

“Hey, Johnny!” The familiar voice caught him off guard. It was followed by a friendly cuff on the shoulder.

He turned in surprise to face Josh Hawling. “What are you doing here?” Josh was the last person he’d expected to run into this evening. Johnny gave a quick glance around them, but the rugged bull rider hall-of-famer was alone. He angled his head in the direction of the barn that housed tonight’s dinner and dance, beckoning Johnny to follow him.

“Did I miss an important memo?” Johnny kept his voice low.

“Nope.” Josh’s voice was terse. “There’s been an update to the tip the police received, though, one I thought it would be best to deliver in person.” He slowed his steps, falling well behind the group in front of them. “The sheriff reached out to one of his counterparts in Dallas. Long story short, there’s a trail of bodies that may or may not be connected to a business owned by Caro Madison.”

“Sunrise Solutions?” He remembered Caro bragging about owning her own business. He hadn’t thought much about it at the time.

Josh nodded.

Not good.“How many victims are we talking about?”

“Three.” Josh blew out a weary breath before adding, “That we know of.”

Not good at all! “Are you trying to tell me you sent me to a holiday party to hunt down a serial killer?”

“We’re not sure about anything yet.” Josh didn’t sound too thrilled about the possibilities. “Which is why I’m joining you tonight. No way am I sending you in alone to face whatever this is.”

“I take it we still have no idea who called in the tip in the first place?”

“That is correct.”

Johnny shot a sideways look at Josh’s black jacket, cargo pants, and combat boots. “You aren’t exactly dressed for a party.”

“Neither are you.” Josh jammed a thumb at him. “I came here straight from work. What’s your excuse?”

Johnny’s boots ground to a halt in the gravel. “Believe it or not, I’m not in the mood to party.” Like Ashley, his mood tended to swing into the un-Valentine range this time of year.

“You sure had me fooled.” Josh looked repentant. “Honestly? I thought I was doing you a favor. At least I did before you told me about Ashley.”

“I’m tired of folks assuming I’m single and looking,” Johnny growled.

“Isn’t that what you wanted ‘em to believe?”

“At first, but only because it was easier that way.” Johnny had come to Heart Lake for a fresh start, not looking for sympathy. “But the fact remains, I’m a widower. Not a single guy. And there’s a difference.” A big one.

“Don’t I know,” Josh sighed. “Looks like Gage and I may have butted our heads in where they don’t belong.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Johnny met his gaze. “I’m beyond grateful for the way you butted into my life a couple of years ago and offered me a job.”

“But stay out of your love life, eh?” Josh dropped his hand.

“I didn’t say that, either.” Johnny glanced away, trying to find the right words. “But moving on isn’t as easy as you made it sound the other day. No matter what comes next, I’m still gonna have two headstones up in Wyoming, bro.” His voice cracked.

“I’m sorry, Johnny.” Josh ducked his head. “More than you’ll ever know.”

It felt like flood gates had burst inside of Johnny. “Holidays are my least favorite time of the year. All of them. But especially Christmas and Valentine’s Day.” It felt good to finally say that out loud.

---