March.’”
Jennifer Rodgers came to mind.
“Maybe one day, Mama.”
But not today. And not anytime soon. Anderson had a strict code that required he stay focused on the case. He’d learned early on that being a Ranger was tough on family life. So he just played at dating here and there, mostly when his mother would force some nice woman on him. Never worked out. They usually ran away screaming because of his heavy work schedule and his inability to commit.
So his rule was steadfast. Get in, get the job done and keep moving.
His goal while here was to find out as much as he could about the drug runners using this land and to hopefully catch one or two. Catching one of the Lions of Texas would be even better since the Rangers had a hunch that some of the Lions often met up with the lower cartel members back there. Couple that with trying to protect a stubborn woman and, well, Anderson would be busy around the clock. No time for a love life.
His stomach growled, reminding him of that chili up at the cabin. Looking around, Anderson decided he could do all right in the austere confines of this old bunkhouse. The dusty, outdated place wasn’t user-friendly in a cozy kind of way, but it was functional, and besides, he planned to spend most of his nights out on the property.
A mean late-fall wind howled and hollered through the open pasture across from the cabin. It had already been a rainy week and from the look of those dark clouds over the horizon, more rain might come. Anderson followed the aged, worn trail past the many out-buildings and animal pens, noticing smoke curling from the big chimney. That did look cozy.
He’d studied this track of land, using old maps and internet sites to clarify just how much additional land Jennifer had bought up after Martin Rodgers’ death in a boating accident on the Amazon River. From what Anderson could tell, she’d had a fairly large piece of property to begin with but she’d added around twenty-five additional acres. Anderson would have to find the seller and ask that person about any suspicious activities, too.
“Wonder where her mother is?” Anderson muttered to himself while he tapped mud off his boots, then knocked on the side door at the back of the cabin. Another question to ask, he thought.
Jennifer opened the door without even looking out.
“You need to check who’s here before you unlock the door,” Anderson said by way of a greeting.
“You need to remember I’m not used to having people here for supper. I knew it was you.”
“How’d you know?”
“Because everyone else has left for the day and you’re the only other person here.”
Stubborn had just met up with Stubborn, Anderson decided. “Do I need to remind you why I’m here?”
She waved him to the table. “No. I pretty much got that earlier. No need to go over it again.”
“But there is a need for you to be more aware and a lot more careful. You might think you can handle any intruders but this is the big league. If they even suspect you might be on to them, you’ll be at the top of their hit list. You saw a man back there, so that’s one concern.”
“Duly noted, Ranger-man.” Then she made a face. “I have enough run-ins with mangy varmints on four legs, let alone two-legged critters. That man could have been after an exotic animal. Happens a lot.”
Anderson chuckled in spite of his concerns, but the confidence in her gaze scared him to the bone. How did she do that? Say something cute and funny and make him laugh in spite of the seriousness of this situation. He didn’t like to laugh on the job. He rarely had any reason to laugh on the job.
“You are human, aren’t you?” she asked as she ladled up two steaming bowls of chili that smelled so good his stomach growled again. Only, he couldn’t see any meat in this chili.
“Yes, I’m human and I’m hungry,” he said, grabbing a chunk of cornbread while he hoped the meat was swimming in the bottom of his bowl. Then he stood up. “Sorry. I thought you were ready to dig in.”
She giggled, then sat down. “I am. But don’t wait on me, cowboy. Eat your dinner.”
But Anderson did wait. His mama had taught him manners, after all. And the isolation here told him to be cautious. Not only about the drug runners, but also about how he handled this. He was alone with a pretty woman. Hadn’t seen that coming when he’d been assigned this case.
But his mother had also taught him to be a gentleman. And he’d rather spit dirt than disappoint his mama.
But he could enjoy the company of a woman, right?
Yeah, as long as he remained professional at all times. He said a quick silent blessing of the food with a little plea for guidance thrown in for good measure.
A few minutes later, Jennifer looked up at him while she chewed on her chili. “Is that tea okay?”
Anderson took a sip. “Yep. Tastes good.” Then he shrugged. “It’s a tad weaker than I’m used to, though.”
“It’s green tea. Has a lot of antioxidants.”
Anderson eyed the green-gold liquid. “You don’t say.” He wasn’t quite sure what an antioxidant was, but he had a feeling it didn’t involve red meat and chuck wagon chow.
And neither did this strange chili. “Uh, this is good but—”
“I’m a vegetarian,” she said, grinning. “So no, my chili doesn’t have big chunks of meat. Is that a problem?”
Anderson could see the dare in her dark eyes. “No, ma’am. Not at all. Just happy to get a meal.”
She must have seen the confusion on his face. “You don’t drink green tea, either, do you?”
He shook his head. “Mostly coffee and water, and a soda now and then. I do drink sweet dark tea. My mama makes the best—”
“This will make you healthier.”
“I’m already healthy.”
“I can see that.”
He stopped eating to give her a good long look.
And watched her blush becomingly.
Back to business, Anderson, he told himself.
He tried to sound gruff. “So…let’s go over the ground rules about this new alligator pond.”
“No rules there. It has to be built. The one I have the boys in now is not up to code. And I can’t let school children in here for educational tours until I have a proper pen for those alligators. The new one will have a strong double chain-link fence around it and plenty of open spots for sunning, plus a deeper watering hole so they can relax and hide out if they want. I purposely put it back from the rest of the animals so we’d all be a little safer. Especially my turtles.”
“That all sounds great for ‘the boys’ but we might need to warn your workers to be alert back there.”
“We
