"I think Hannah fits the bill." Lauren felt more excited than ever as she looked over the pony.

"I hope so," Billye Jo said. "Spot won't stay on the market long, so I wanted you to have first chance to snap her up."

"She suits me fine, but Hannah will have the final say." Lauren reached out and stroked Spot's thick, full mane.

"Spot's a pony who likes her apples and oats, don't you?" Billye Jo asked.

Lauren looked into Spot's dark-brown eyes that were much the same color as Hannah's. "If I don't miss my guess, my daughter will love you and give you lots of special treats."

Spot gave a soft nicker, lifted her head, and nuzzled Lauren's shoulder with her thick lips in a grooming gesture that revealed her acceptance.

"Looks like you've already made a friend." Billye Jo gave everybody a big smile.

"I notice you've got a blanket, saddle, and halter on her." Kent gestured toward the tack. "Do those come with her?"

"Sure do." Billye Jo patted the empty saddle seat made of natural leather and decorated with fancy leather trim around the rim. "Spot's used to this saddle and it's a child's saddle, so it'll perfectly fit Hannah. We can adjust the stirrups for your daughter's height."

"She's tall for her age," Lauren said, "so I think we'll need to let out the stirrups."

"Easy to do," Kent said. "I can take care of it."

"Good," Billye Jo agreed. "Just make sure they're comfortable for Hannah."

"Will do." Kent reached over and stroked down the bay's nose. "What a beauty."

"Thanks." Billye Jo walked over and gave the horse a pat on his wide jaw. "Rowdy here is my daughter Serena's baby. They've run many a barrel together. I'm just giving Rowdy some exercise to keep him in shape till Serena gets home."

Kent reached under Rowdy's head and felt the gelding's throat behind his jaws. "Good size. He can draw plenty of wind when he runs, can't he?"

"You know it," Billye Jo agreed. "When Serena gets her business up and running, she plans to rodeo again."

"I'd like to see her compete," Kent said.

"And I'm sure Hannah will as well." Lauren stroked down Rowdy's long nose. "You're a handsome horse."

"Even better," Billye Jo said, "he's fast."

Lauren nodded in understanding, feeling happy to be around horses and equestrians again. She could hardly wait for Hannah to meet Spot.

Kent cleared his throat, glanced at the Sinclair station, then back at Billye Jo. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, particularly on such a happy occasion, but-"

"But what?" Billye Jo's smile turned into a frown. "Go ahead and spit it out. I can take it."

"You had a break-in and fire in your building." Kent pointed back toward the Sinclair station.

Billye Jo whipped her head around, gave a frustrated groan, and stomped over to the building's back door. She peered inside, checked the busted lock, and put her hands on her hips. "Well, I'll be hornswoggled."

"I'm so sorry." Lauren hurried to Billye Jo with Kent on her heels. "Fortunately, you'd planned to meet us here, so we arrived in time to save the structure. There's not too much damage."

"Thank you." Billye Jo shook her head as she looked around. "That old desk isn't much of a loss. We're fortunate Serena hadn't stored any of her vintage Sinclair items here."

"You're fortunate all the way around," Kent added. "But it's odd. Who stuffs old oil cans with greasy rags and sets them on fire? It's almost as if the firebug wanted a contained fire instead of a whole building fire."

"It is odd," Lauren agreed. "But that fire still could've burned down the station."

"All's well that ends well." Billye Jo turned to look at them. "I can't thank you enough for saving Serena's dream. She would've been brokenhearted if she'd lost this building."

"Glad we could help," Kent said.

"You know," Billye Jo continued, "somebody went to a lot of trouble to break the lock and start a fire inside. I have to wonder if that dad-burned varmint came back to finish the job."

Kent nodded in agreement. "Do you have any ideas? Maybe somebody wants to cause you, your family, or Sure-Shot trouble?"

Billye Jo sighed as she looked out across the empty field in back. "I hate to say it, but I saw a tall, gangly guy wearing jeans and a blue sweatshirt walk across the field away from here when I was riding up."

"Did you recognize him?" Kent asked. "Firebugs like to hang around and see their handiwork go up in flames. I wonder if he was here watching when Lauren and I were putting out the fire."

"That's a chilling thought." Lauren felt a shiver run up her spine.

"Sure is," Billye Jo agreed. "Wish I could say for sure, but the guy was at a distance and I wasn't paying close attention. Still, he had a gait kind of like Moore Chatham."

"What do you mean?" Lauren asked.

Billye Jo gestured toward the horses. "You get real attuned to a horse's gait. You're watching for a rock in a hoof, a strain in a tendon, or a particular way a horse moves. Guess I naturally watch a person's gait, too."

"Makes sense." Lauren c.o.c.ked her head to one side, looking at the horses and thinking about the importance of gaits.

"Who is this guy?" Kent glanced out toward the pasture in back.

"Remember River Ranch?" Billye Jo asked.

"Sure." Kent nodded. "Wasn't the owner about a hundred years old?"

"Something like that," Billye Jo agreed. "Anyway, he up and died a few years back. His granddaughter and her son moved from Dallas back into the old ranch house. I guess they've been fixing it up, because it'd sure need it."

"Ranchers?"

"Don't seem to be." Billye Jo raised her shoulders in a shrug. "They don't seem to fit in real well here, or at least they've never returned friendly overtures by local folks."

"You think Moore might be up to mischief?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Billye Jo looked back at the station. "You know, Moore was in Serena's cla.s.s. I always thought he was sweet on her, but you never know about kids. Anyhow, they graduated a couple of years ago and went their separate ways."

"That's interesting." Lauren couldn't help but wonder if this was the key to the problem. Unrequited love could take unexpected turns.

"Any problems with him?" Kent asked.

"Not as far as I know," Billye Jo said. "Serena hasn't mentioned him, but she's totally focused on getting her business up and running."

"Sounds like she's got a good head on her shoulders." Lauren wished she could think of a way to ease Billye Jo's concern, but she'd done all she could for the moment.

"She does," Billye Jo agreed. "Look, I'm not putting this fire on Moore. He might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, or that might not have been him at all."

"Don't worry. Nothing goes forward without proof. But a few questions might be in order," Kent said.

"I agree." Billye Jo walked over to Rowdy. "Heaven knows, this goes beyond vandalism. We better call the sheriff."

"Already done," Kent said. "And I let Wildcat Bluff Fire-Rescue know about the situation. Dune will be here soon. He'll keep an eye on the structure till Sheriff Calhoun gets here."

"Thanks." Billye Jo sighed as she glanced around the area. "I don't like to take chances, not with family, horses, or Sure-Shot. Guess we better start a local patrol in town."

"Bet the sheriff will have some recommendations, too," Kent said.

"I'll ask him about it." Billye Jo reached out and patted Spot's saddle. "Now, let's turn our minds to happier thoughts. Where's Hannah?"

"I left her at the Bluebonnet, so she'd be safe while we put out the fire," Lauren explained.

"Well then, let's don't keep a girl from her horse. That'd be plain cruel. And we don't do mean in Sure-Shot." Billye Jo grinned as she picked up Rowdy's reins.

"Suits me." Lauren was more than ready to introduce Hannah to Spot and see her daughter's reaction.

"Okay," Kent agreed. "Let's go around front. Dune ought to be here soon because he drives like a bat out of h.e.l.l."

Billye Jo laughed. "That'd be like n.o.body else in Wildcat Bluff County, how?"

Kent joined her laughter. "Guess we're all guilty of pushing the speed limit sometimes."

"But not when we've got a child in our vehicles." Lauren clasped Kent's hand to make her point.

"You know it." He squeezed her fingers in response. "In Wildcat Bluff County, we take care of our own."

Chapter 28.

Lauren felt as if she could drown in Kent's smoldering gaze. Everything about him, from his hazel eyes to his dimples, set her ablaze with a yearning so deep, so heartfelt that she wanted nothing more than to drag him off to the woods and have her way with him.

She swallowed hard, forcing her eyes away from him. She had to be realistic and do what mommies did best, and that was to take care of their babies. She'd brought Hannah to Sure-Shot to find a pony. The fire had interfered, but Kent had saved the day and all was well. Now was the time to refocus on her daughter rather than break out in a damp glow-as the term had long been used in Texas by ladies who preferred not to use the more descriptive term of sweat-because a hot guy had set her hormones on too hot to handle.

"Sounds like Dune just pulled up in front," Kent said. "He's got that big motor in his truck."

"Got a way with engines, does he?" Billye Jo asked in a teasing lilt.

"And gals," Kent added, glancing down at Lauren as if to warn her off a player.

She chuckled as they all headed around the side of the building with Billye Jo leading the horses. She kind of liked the idea that Kent might be a little jealous. She hadn't felt that way about a guy in a long time. Fact of the matter, she hadn't felt that way since she'd last been with Kent. Maybe some things never changed or died or got left behind through all the twists and turns of life. Like Kent. He just might be the one who stayed a lifetime.

When Lauren rounded the corner of the Sinclair station, she saw Dune-hot by anyone's standards with his s.h.a.ggy, dark-blond hair and sky-blue eyes-step down from his white dually with the red-and-yellow racing stripes. He wore a tan cowboy hat with his starched and pressed blue shirt and jeans. With the extra tires, his truck looked like it could pull any heavy load.

She glanced from Dune's pristine pickup to Kent's blue truck that was already dirty despite being washed yesterday. Somehow Kent tended to attract dust like Peanuts' perfectly happy Pigpen, a cartoon character who traveled in his own cloud of dust. Lauren wouldn't tell Kent, but she found that trait just as endearing as always because it made him so very human in a world that too often sought perfection over connection.

"Glad to see y'all did my job for me," Dune said in his deep, gravelly voice as he closed his door behind him.

"You bet," Kent said, following up on the Texan's understated humor in a crisis situation. "Appreciate you coming over to keep an eye on the building for us." Kent gestured toward Billye Jo. "I'd like you to meet Billye Jo Simmons. Her daughter Serena is repurposing the old Sinclair station. Billye Jo, this is Dune Barrett. He's working out at Cougar Ranch and volunteering as a firefighter."

"Good to meet you, ma'am." Dune respectfully tipped his cowboy hat.

"Likewise," Billye Jo agreed. "I'm always glad to see a new face around here."

"Good-looking horses you got there." Dune cast an obviously practiced eye over the animals.

"Thanks." Billye Jo stroked down the nose of her bay. "I'm right fond of them myself."

Dune glanced toward the back of the building. "Do I smell gasoline?"

"Yep," Kent agreed.

"Another case of arson?"

"Looks like it."

"Got any ideas on the firebug's ident.i.ty?" Dune's straight brows came together in a puzzled frown.

"Billye Jo saw somebody crossing the field away from the structure after the start of the fire," Kent explained.

"I can't be sure," Billye Jo said. "I saw him at a distance, but he did remind me of Moore Chatham."

"Sheriff will be wanting to talk with you," Dune said.

"He's on his way." Kent glanced toward Wildcat Bluff as if looking for the sheriff's vehicle.

"Would you let him know I'm down at the Bluebonnet when he gets here?" Billye Jo asked. "Right now I'm taking this pony down to Lauren's daughter."

"Don't let me stop you or slow you down." Dune patted the pony's head. "I'll be here, so y'all go ahead and make a little girl happy."

Billye Jo mounted her horse, waved good-bye, and led the pony toward the Bluebonnet.

"We'll see you in a bit." Kent nodded in farewell.

Dune doffed his cowboy hat to Lauren, gave her a big grin, and then ambled his lanky six-five frame toward the back of the station.

"Tall drink of water, isn't he?" Lauren couldn't help but watch the hunk, knowing he could easily star in a gal's favorite dream.