Carpathian 15 - Dark Secret

"You're way too wicked for my taste."
    "You mean I'm too much of a man," he countered, swaggering a little as he crowded closer to her horse.

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    Colby raised an eyebrow at him. "I hear they're looking for stand-up comedians at the Wayside Saloon.
    Why don't you check it out?"
    "I just might do that." He was right in front of her, close enough for her to read the thoughts lurking behind his too handsome face. "I've always wanted to have you to myself, just for a couple of hours," he said softly, as if thinking aloud. "You're always sitting up on that pedestal; it'd be kind of nice to have you groveling at my feet."
    Colby laughed openly at him. "You have a vivid imagination, Tony. It's a wonderful fantasy, but I'll have to pass. I've got too much work to do. Which reminds me, just what are you doing on my property? Not looking for stray calves, are you?"
    "Are you accusing me of something?" he snapped, instantly angry, taking another threatening step toward her.
    Domino moved restlessly, not liking the man's close proximity. Colby casually turned the horse sideways, resting the rifle naturally across her body, the barrel low, but unmistakably centered on Harris's large frame.
    "Hey, Tony, you drive those cattle back yet?" A voice bellowed the question from the rocks nearby.
    Colby kept her eyes on Harris. She didn't recognize the voice, but Harris looked triumphant, more malevolent than ever. "Sure did, but Miss Jansen isn't nearly as grateful as she should be. Maybe she needs a lesson in how to treat a man properly."
    The second man, a total stranger, dark, with a day's growth of beard and shrewd assessing eyes, scrambled from the rocks and into her line of vision. His eyes were red-rimmed and streamed constantly.
    He shoved dark glasses on, but not before she saw his expression. Where Tony Harris annoyed her, this man frightened her. Harris was a bully; this man was truly evil. Daniels had himself a wonderful crew.
    Most likely they were stealing him blind. "So you were returning my cattle," she said thoughtfully.
    "That's right, Colby, those little critters of yours just don't want to stay put." Tony took another step closer to Colby, watching her carefully with hot eyes.
    "What the hell is taking so long?" Daniels strode up to the fallen fence, glaring at his foreman. "Get back to work, Harris. It shouldn't have taken the two of you all this time to return a couple of steers. And you could have fixed the fence." He dismissed the two men with a wave of his hand, ignoring Harris's surly grumbling and the other man's mocking insolence. "Sorry, Colby, it didn't occur to me they wouldn't fix the fence." For the first time he seemed to notice the rifle. "They weren't giving you any trouble, were they?"
    Colby faced him across the fallen fence. Smooth. Charming. A shark. Clinton Daniels had deliberately used her stepfather's terrible accident for his own gain. The hospital bills were piling up and Colby had taken out a loan using the family ranch as collateral, the terms nearly impossible to meet. A blur of movement caught her eye. Up on the ridge one ofEverett's somber, silent workers stood beside Juan Chevez, surveying the scene below. The worker lifted a hand at her, still watching from his vantage point.
    Colby burst out laughing. "It's a regular convention out here. I thought I was all alone, but we've got enough people out here to have a party."

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    Daniels was scowling up at the two silent men. "I don't think it's so funny, Colby. There's something strange aboutEverett's hands. Every last one of them is an ex-con. It makes me nervous to know they sit up there watching everything we do."
    "They just want to be left alone."
    "It isn't safe for you riding around alone out here." Daniels cast another fierce glance up at the two men.
    "And those foreigners are a strange bunch too. I think they're up to something."
    Colby gathered up the reins as Domino sidestepped nervously. "Thanks for returning my cattle,Clinton.
    I'm sorry about the fence. I'll get some materials out here as soon as possible and we won't have the problem anymore."
    "You might want to hold off a couple of months, save yourself time and expense," he told her suavely.
    Colby's chin went up. "You don't have to worry, I'll have your money for you."
    "Colby"—he shook his head, clucking his tongue at