Austin (New Horizon Ranch Book 8) Read Free

of longing. She loved babies and hoped maybe one day she could be so lucky. Moving to her truck that she’d moved to the bunkhouse, she grabbed her gear, which consisted of a couple of duffel bags, a saddle, and a bucket that held her chaps, spurs, bull whip, and an assortment of other tools of her trade. It didn’t take long for her to get the items into the apartment and then she checked the place out.
    There was the tiny kitchen area with oak cabinets, a coffee maker, and even a dishwasher. She hadn’t had a dishwasher other than herself in a very long time. The bedroom wasn’t small and it wasn’t huge but it had a queen-sized bed with a wooden headboard and a matching dresser and side table. There was a handmade quilt on it and thick pillows. It looked like heaven. She’d been sleeping on a lumpy, thin mattress in the overhead space of the trailer. It was stuffy and cramped.
    She strode into the bathroom and stopped. Instead of the serviceable single-stalled shower, she found a tiled shower with ample room to accommodate a tall, large built man—which meant there was more than enough room for a small-framed gal like herself. She couldn’t wait to get into it later that night. She just might stay under the hot spray of water all night.
    Walking back into the bedroom, she was tempted to fall out on the bed and just test out that big mattress but she didn’t. Tonight would be soon enough. Right now she had work to do. Because she wanted more than anything for this job to work out.
     
     
    Austin walked into the small sheriff’s office in town and went straight for the coffee pot.
    “Everything okay?” Brady Cannon, the sheriff, looked up from the papers he was reading.
    “Yeah, quiet day in the neighborhood.” Austin poured his coffee and took a sip. “Had one runaway cow, a traffic stop, and a flat tire today.”
    Brady picked up his pen and tapped it on his desk. “It’s different being a cop in a rural area like this than on the streets of a bigger town or city. Don’t get it in your head that it’s just about herding cows and fixing flats. These folks rely on you, on me, and the other officers to keep it safe.”
    “Oh, I’m not taking it for granted. Just telling you how the day went.” He liked his job here in the quiet community, though he sometimes felt guilty about his fellow officers in the cities and the heavy burdens they carried to keep citizens safe. He liked being part of the law enforcement community and being able to ride his horse when he felt like it.
    “You’ve got the weekend off—you working at New Horizon Ranch tomorrow? Or are you going to actually have a day off for a change?”
    “I’m working. This is a big roundup for them.”
    “Okay. I know you have a lot on your plate with your sister and all, but Austin, you might think about getting a little rest every once in a while.”
    “I’m fine.”
    “If you say so. Go on home now and get some sleep. Or at least eat a decent meal and sit on your porch.”
    “But I still have an hour on my shift.”
    “Go home. That’s an order. You worked your shift and Caleb’s last night. This may be a laid-back job most of the time but I still need you to be somewhat alert.”
    Austin took a draw of coffee and then set it on the counter. “Fine, boss. I’ll go.”
    Brady looked at him firmly. “And don’t find something else to do in between your place and here unless you’re getting dinner at Sam’s then hitting the hay.”
    Austin just laughed. “Okay, papa bear. Geesh, you’d think I didn’t know how to take care of myself.”
    “With the way you’ve been working, I sometimes don’t think you do. Now go on.”
    Austin exited the building and passed up the department SUV and headed to his black Chevy. In minutes, he was leaving the colorful town behind him and driving the short distance to the rental he’d moved into three months ago when he’d arrived. He’d taken the job to be closer to Sydney after her husband