Wildfire Read Free Page A

wounded leg ached and she had to concentrate to hide her limp from Gus’s concerned eyes.
    But when she came outside he was still standing there, with his arms folded and a flinty expression on his face.
    “It ain’t safe, you going up in the hills alone. Especially when you’re hurt. Shoulda had me come along,” he said.
    “I needed you here while I was gone, Gus. I can’t let some little accident change how I live my life.”
    “That wasn’t no ‘accident,’ missy,” he retorted.
    “There’s no reason for anyone to take a potshot at me,” she said firmly. Their eyes met, and she knew he was thinking the same thing she was—maybe she didn’t personally have any enemies, but there were plenty of people in the county who had good reason to resent her family. “Anyone call about my ad in the paper?”
    He shook his head. “Nope. And my Sofia just told me that Danny still hasn’t called.”
    Tessa felt her stomach tense at her housekeeper’s message. “He was supposed to stop out on Monday, but he didn’t. I left two messages on his cell phone and e-mailed him last night.”
    Gus snorted in disgust. “You’ve given that boy too many chances already. He runs with a bad crowd, Tess. What happens if he starts drinking on a pack trip?”
    Danny Watkins had worked for her during the past two seasons—ever since Tessa had started her Snow Canyon Ranch Outfitters company. He was just twenty-three years old, but had grown up in the area and was already a highly skilled fishing and hunting guide; personable and charming and responsible…so far.
    But he’d also been in some serious legal difficulty as a teenager, and somewhere along the line, he’d fallen into trouble with alcohol. Last winter he’d been in a fight at a party and had been arrested.
    “He needs this job. The tip money is far more than he could ever make in town, and he’s saving for college.” She bit her lower lip. “He’s never brought any alcohol on a trip. Not once. He promised me he wouldn’t.”
    Gus snorted. “That’s what he says. But a promise ain’t going to hold water if he really feels the need, Tess. You know that.”
    She did. And yet…” I just need to give him a chance. If we cut him loose, what will he do? What kind of job could he find around here? I’ve told him he’ll be fired instantly if there’s ever even a hint of trouble. He understands that.”
    “Maybe that’s why he ain’t calling you back.”
    “Then I guess the decision was his. I’m just trying to be forgiving, Gus.”
    He gave her a long, knowing look, as if he could see straight into her heart. “Too many people want to judge others, and it’s a hurtful thing. You’ve been on the wrong end of that too many times. Just don’t go too far in the other direction. He could do something stupid and cause a lot of harm.”
    She watched Gus shuffle back into the barn, then she turned toward the house.
    She knew all too well about judgmental folks in this town; the ones who resented her mother and who took pleasure at any opportunity to see Claire McAllister or her daughters stumble. Tessa had always done her best to ignore their whispers and lies and sidelong glances, but she’d still had a place at her mother’s ranch, and a blanket of security.
    Danny had nothing—his dad was gone, his mom was disabled. He needed someone to give him a break, and she was going to give him every chance she could…though there were folks in town who didn’t feel the same.
    There’d been another break-in at a remote cabin owned by wealthy, out-of-state people. Someone had hauled away thousands of dollars worth of fancy electronics, fine art and expensive fly fishing gear.
    It had to be someone who knew the backcountry, because no one had found so much as a clue about the perpetrator’s identity.
    So…just how well did she know Danny and his rowdy friends, and how far could she trust them?

THREE
    D anny didn’t call, but he did show up the following week,