The Lawman's Noelle (Men of the West Book 31) Read online

  “I think you might be right,” he said in a strained voice. “I don’t feel so great.”

  Fearing he was going to pass out, she slipped an arm around his waist and held him tightly. “Do you need to sit down? There’s no hurry. We can try this in a few minutes.”

  “No. Just let me get my foot in the stirrup and then give me a shove up.”

  If nothing else, he was determined, Noelle thought. She twisted the stirrup around to give him easier access. “I hope your paint doesn’t decide to move. He might end up dragging you into the next county.”

  “If he does, I’ll come back to haunt my brother Finn,” he muttered.

  To her relief, he managed to get his foot in the stirrup. With one hand against his back and the other on his butt, she pushed until he plopped into the saddle with a heavy thud.

  Hurrying around to the right side of the horse, she fixed his other boot into the stirrup, then handed him the reins. By now he was half slumped over the saddle horn, his face the color of putty.

  “Are you going to fall off?” she asked with concern.

  He responded with a dismissive wave. “Get your horse. I’ll make it.”

  There was nothing more she could do now, Noelle decided as she hurried over to Driller. Except pray that he could hang on long enough to reach the warmth and safety of her house.

  Once in the saddle, she turned Driller down the draw. The paint obediently fell into step behind her. Thank God the horse wasn’t behaving like a wild bronco. Now she had to find an easier trail for them to climb the steep bank of the gulch. Otherwise, the lawman might tumble off his horse again. She seriously doubted his head could survive another impact.

  Unfortunately, as the draw narrowed, the steepness of the bank increased. A hundred yards from where they’d started, she pulled Driller to a stop to look back at the lawman. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, she would’ve been inclined to smile at the cockeyed angle of his hat and the dazed look on his face. But a head injury could be deadly. She wanted to get him out of the cold and to medical help as quickly as she could.

  “Looks like we’d better climb the cut bank here before the trail gets any steeper,” she told him. “And hang on. I don’t want to have to pick you up off the ground and throw you over the saddle.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Just lead on.”

  The climb made three switchbacks through a patch of scrubby juniper and creosote bushes. Throughout the ascent, Noelle kept glancing behind her, expecting at any moment to see him listing precariously from one side of the horse to the other. But thankfully, he managed to keep his seat until they reached the top. She sighed with relief.

  From this point on, the trail wasn’t nearly as challenging. Barring an incident with his horse, they’d be at her place in a half hour. And then what was she going to do with him?

  * * *

  As the horses clopped along at a steady walk, Evan focused on Noelle Barnes’s back. Although his vision wasn’t completely clear yet, he could see she was bundled in heavy clothing. A worn, brown ranch coat topped her faded jeans, while a red woolen muffler was looped several times around her neck. The old gray felt hat on her head sported a ring of sweat stains around the band. The flattened brim was covered with dust. Long, dark hair fell about her shoulders, and each step of the horse caused it to swish against her back.

  What was she doing out here on this cold December day? he wondered. She’d said this was her property. Even so, it was hardly the type of weather in which to take a leisurely ride. She wore long shank spurs on her boots, something a novice rider would never do, and she handled her mount as though being atop a horse was as familiar as walking across the kitchen floor.

  One thing was for sure. She wasn’t the soft, delicate sort or anything close to the type of woman he occasionally dated. While he’d been sitting on the ground trying to get his bearings, he’d noticed she was rather tall, with some weight on her bones. Her figure was shapely enough to fill a man’s head with all sorts of pleasurable thoughts. But it had been her face that caught his complete attention.

  The cold wind had whipped a rosy color into her cheeks and turned her wide lips a pale pink. Large chocolate-brown eyes had studied him with unashamed candor, and it had become apparent to Evan that she was a woman who followed her own rules.

  As the two horses carried them through a series of low hills covered with sparse tufts of grass and patches of sagebrush, thoughts of Noelle Barnes continued to slip in and out of his groggy mind. Normally Evan would’ve used this opportunity to toss a pile of questions at her. But with pain still beating at the backs of his eyes, it was all he could do to stay upright in the saddle.

  Fifteen minutes into the ride, they passed a herd of cattle numbering a hundred or more. Evan wondered whether they belonged to Noelle Barnes, but he lacked the strength to ask her. A quarter of a mile later, a small house came into view. The run-down stucco sat on a knoll and was a faded beige that matched the color of the dead vegetation covering the land around it.

  Several yards behind the house stood a big barn of weathered gray wood. The loft was open at the end, and he could see it was practically full of alfalfa hay. Next to the structure were several corrals, some of them made of wooden rails, the others crudely built with cedar posts bound closely. A cow with a small calf was in one of the pens, while two horses were stalled next to them.

  Yep, there was definitely a man around, Evan thought with a measure of relief. This woman wouldn’t be ranching out here alone. It just wasn’t possible.

  He followed her to an old hitching post erected a few feet in front of the barn. Nearby, the penned horses lifted their heads and nickered at their buddy. Other than that, nothing stirred.

  Evan glanced from the barn area over toward the house. “Where’s your help?”

  “You’re looking at it,” she said bluntly. “Get down and I’ll take you to the house before I deal with the horses.”

  Evan wasn’t used to having a woman order him around. Normally he would’ve been irked by Noelle Barnes’s bossy attitude. But he was too busy thinking about her being out here alone to dwell on her brusque commands.

  He climbed to the ground. As soon as his boots were firmly on the hard dirt, he was stunned to feel his knees shaking with weakness. Evan had always been a fairly healthy guy with hardly a sick day in his life. Feeling this vulnerable was something he’d never experienced. It jarred him to the very core of his being.

  “I’m feeling better,” he said in the strongest voice he could muster. “And I need to leave my horse saddled. I’ve got a long ride from here.”

  “You’re not riding anywhere.”

  Not wanting to argue the matter and waste what little strength he had, he simply handed her the reins.

  After she’d tethered both horses at the hitching rail, he followed her across the barren yard to a back porch with a low roof supported by cedar posts. The door opened directly into a small kitchen. As Evan stepped in behind her, he caught the scent of burned coffee and cooked apples.

  Rough-hewn beams supported the room’s low ceiling, while the floor was covered with worn brown linoleum. A green curtain with roosters printed across the hem hung over the only window. Below it, a chipped porcelain sink was full of dirty dishes.

  “Sit at the table and let me take another look at your head,” she said. “Looks like it’s still bleeding.”

  Evan walked over to a white farm table pushed against the back wall of the room and removed his coat before he sank into a chair at the end.

  “I’ll be right back,” she said.

  He watched her leave the room, then glanced curiously around him. Where was the phone? Surely she had a landline somewhere. He had to call in to the office. His coworkers had probably been trying to contact him for the past two hours.

  The thought had him pulling his p
hone from its holder, but as soon as he turned it on, he mentally cursed. The signal was no stronger here than it had been in the dry gulch.

  Deciding he didn’t have time to wait for the woman with the velvety brown eyes, he pushed himself to his feet and moved, albeit shakily, toward the open doorway she’d disappeared through.

  He’d taken two steps into a tiny hallway when she suddenly stepped from a door on his right and nearly rammed right into him.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she barked at him. “I told you to sit!”

  He understood this whole ordeal was a nuisance and a huge interruption to her day, but he didn’t deserve this. Nor had he asked for it.

  Squinting, he focused his aching eyes on her face. “I admit I got a wham on the head, but as far as I can tell, I still have my memory. I don’t recall you being my boss.”

  Her lips, which had turned a darker pink since they’d entered the warm house, pressed into a thin line of disgust.

  “I’m not trying to be your boss. I’m trying to keep you from falling on your face and reinjuring yourself.” She made a sweeping motion toward the front part of the house. “But be my guest and roam around all you want. If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen.”

  With that, she started to walk away, but he snatched a hold on her forearm. She met his reaction with a questioning stare that had him immediately dropping his hand to his side.

  “Sorry. Just tell me where the phone is. I’ll make a call and get myself out of your hair.”

  She pointed to the right, where a doorway opened to another room. “In there. At the end of the couch.”

  “Thank you. I—” Before he could finish, a wave of woozy weakness came over him. He instinctively reached out to her to brace himself.

  He heard her mutter a curse under her breath as she grabbed his arm to steady him. “Come on,” she said in a gentler tone. “I’ll help you to the phone.”

  With a supporting hand on his arm, she guided him out of the hallway and into a cozy living room. Along the way, he noticed she’d taken off the ranch coat, and he was surprised to catch the faint, mellowed scent of flowers emanating from the wool sweater she wore. The garment was tattered at the neck and the cuffs, and the Nordic weave across her breasts had faded. She hadn’t bothered with makeup or fussed with her clothing, but she’d taken time that morning to put on a feminine scent. Evan had always found it difficult to understand a woman’s thinking, but this lady was far too complex for him even to try to unravel.

  He sank heavily onto the cushion of a short red couch. Noelle handed him a cordless phone from a nearby table.

  “I’ll look at your head after you finish your call. Do you think you can drink something? Water? Coffee or hot chocolate?”

  She was standing in front of him, her legs slightly apart and one hand resting on her hip. The faded denim outlined her strong thighs and rounded hips, while the sweater clung to her breasts. She was more woman than he’d ever had in his arms. In spite of the throbbing pain in his head, he had to admit to himself that there was something very sexy and sensual about her.

  “Do you have any aspirin? I’d take two of those with a cup of coffee.”

  “You think it’s wise to medicate yourself?”

  He reached up and tentatively touched his fingertips to the lump above his ear. “I’ll make sure the doctor knows—whenever I see him.”

  “You’re going to see him as soon as I can drive you into town. So make your call. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She turned to leave the room.

  He quickly asked, “You’re planning on taking me to town?”

  She frowned at him. “That’s right. You’re not up to riding or driving. How else would you get there?”

  He did his best to straighten his shoulders. “There’s no need for you to trouble yourself. I’m about to call my office. Someone will drive out to pick me up.”

  “No,” she blurted. “I don’t want any more lawmen around here.”

  Although each word he spoke seemed to intensify the ache in his head, he attempted to joke, “What’s the matter? Is there a stack of warrants out on you or something?”

  Her nostrils flared as she stared at him. “No. I simply don’t like you people. That’s all.”

  Too stunned to make any sort of reply, Evan watched her walk out of the room.

  You people? Through the ten years he’d worked for the sheriff’s office, he’d met plenty of folks who disliked lawmen. But they were usually drunks, drug users or hardened criminals. Not a decent woman like Noelle Barnes.

  What had a lawman ever done to her? he wondered. Put her in jail? Broken her heart?

  Mentally shaking his aching head, Evan punched in his partner’s cell number and lifted the phone to his ear.

  It didn’t matter whether Noelle Barnes loved or hated law officials, he told himself. Once he got back to civilization, he’d never see her again.

  Chapter Two

  More than an hour later, as Noelle paced restlessly around the large waiting area of the hospital emergency unit, she was still trying to figure out what had come over her.

  Like Evan had told her, there’d been no real reason for her to drive him into town or to see that he got to a doctor. There were plenty of deputies in the sheriff’s office who would’ve come to Noelle’s house and collected him. Instead, she’d insisted she drive him herself. Now, as the long minutes continued to tick by, she began to worry that his injury might have been more serious than either of them had suspected.

  She’d seen people before who had taken severe licks on the head. Once her brother, Andy, had been hit in the temple with a hard-thrown baseball, but the only bad effect he’d suffered was a black eye. Then a girlfriend of hers had fallen and banged her head against a concrete wall while she and Noelle were roller-skating. But the only injury she’d sustained was a minor cut on the scalp.

  On the drive into town, Evan Calhoun had told her that his mother had died from a head injury after a simple fall on the staircase. And though he didn’t appear to be connecting her demise with his own injury, just hearing about it had shaken Noelle. No matter whether he worked as a carpenter, a cowboy or a law officer, she didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.

  The sound of a crying baby drew Noelle’s attention. Across the room, a young woman was trying to pacify a fussy infant and control a rowdy toddler at the same time. The mother looked completely frazzled, yet Noelle couldn’t help but envy the woman. She had someone to love, someone who needed her. She had a family.

  Jamming her hands into the front pockets of her jeans, Noelle looked down at her boots and tried to keep her mind from slipping back to Phillip and the short year they’d been married. For a while, she’d been naively in love. Like most new brides, she’d been dreaming and planning for their future. One with two or three children they would raise on a small ranch outside Phoenix. But those wonderful dreams had been flattened when she’d discovered Phillip was as phony as her father’s integrity.

  With a weary sigh, she looked away from the mother and children and glanced for the umpteenth time at the double doors where Evan had disappeared with a nurse. He’d been back there nearly two hours. Something had to be dreadfully wrong.

  Determined it was high time to get some answers, she marched over to the admission desk, where two nurses were dealing with ringing phones, paperwork and people who were just as weary and worried as she.

  Trying to hold on to the slender thread of patience she had left, Noelle was waiting in line to speak with one of the nurses when the double doors suddenly opened. Relief flooded through her as she spotted Evan in a wheelchair, being pushed by a male nurse. Evan looked pale and wrung out, but that was far better than lying flat on his back in a hospital bed.

  Stepping out of the slow-moving line of people, she intercepted the two men before they re
ached the middle of the waiting area.

  “The doctor isn’t holding you over?” she asked in surprise. For the past half hour, she’d been thinking he’d be admitted to a room for a night of observation, at the very least.

  “No, thank God.” He slanted her a weak grin. “I didn’t think you’d still be here.”

  She lifted her chin. “Why would I run out on you? I’ve already wasted most of the day. What’s two more hours?”

  He chuckled before cringing in pain. Noelle was surprised at how much empathy she felt for him. Up until she’d found him in the gulch with his face in the gravel bed, she’d never met him. Having this much concern for a complete stranger wasn’t normal.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the nurse making a survey of her rough work clothes and dusty hat. No doubt he wondered what connection she had to this Carson City detective.

  “Are you taking this man home?” the nurse asked Noelle.

  “That’s right.”

  “Then park your vehicle next to the curb and I’ll bring him out.”

  Noelle exited the building and hurried to fetch her truck. Cold wind swept across the crowded parking lot. She tried not to imagine what would’ve happened if she’d ridden in a different direction today. Even if Evan had awakened without her help, he might not have been physically capable of tracking down his horse and riding out of the gulch on his own. The plummeting temperature tonight would’ve surely caused him to suffer hypothermia. Noelle had always believed that things happened for a reason. It was clear that she was meant to rescue the detective, although she couldn’t imagine why.

  A few minutes later, after Evan was safely buckled in the passenger seat and she had the heater blowing on their feet, she put the vehicle in motion.

  “Okay, you need to give me a clue where you live,” she told him as she directed the truck toward the nearest exit of the parking lot. “I’m not familiar with the residential streets around Carson City, so you might start with some general directions.”