rocked him back on his heels.
He grabbed his cell from his back pocket and dialed 911. His gaze scanned the buildings of his ranch—his foreman’s house, the hay barn and stables, the equipment shed, feed shed—and the Wyoming landscape beyond, searching for the threat. Snow swirled in the air and covered the pastureland spread out over the sixty-thousand-acre ranch.
All appeared quiet and undisturbed on this brisk March morning.
“Lane County Emergency Department,” the female operator answered. “What’s your emergency?”
“Eleanor, this is Wyatt Monroe.”
“Hey, Wyatt. What’s wrong?”
He could picture the older woman who’d been manning the town’s emergency line for longer than he could remember. But that was life in Lane County, Wyoming. Predictable and steady. The way he wanted his life to be. Sans dead bodies.
“Is Gabby okay?”
The concern in Eleanor’s voice wrapped around Wyatt and squeezed. Too many people in this town wondered if his little girl was safe with him. Three years after his wife, Dina, had died, he couldn’t escape the speculation and suspicion. Even from her grave she was wreaking havoc with his life.
That was what women did. They wormed their way into a guy’s heart and then stomped all over it. His mother had done it to his father. Dina had done it to Wyatt.
Never again.
His gaze lifted to the second floor of his family home. The dormer window with the pink, frilly curtains was closed to protect his four-year-old from the winter weather.
But how protected could she be if someone had dumped a body on his front porch so callously?
“Gabby’s fine,” he said, assuring himself as much as Eleanor. “It’s George Herman.”
Eleanor snorted. “What’s that rascal gone and done now?”
Wyatt’s gaze strayed back to the bloodied, lifeless body of his ranch hand. Gaping wounds littered his torso. Bruises covered his face. The skin of his knuckles had been scraped raw. Poor George.
It was no secret Wyatt and George hadn’t seen eye to eye on most things. But the man had been a hand on the Monroe Ranch since Wyatt had been old enough to sit a horse. Wyatt couldn’t bring himself to fire him. He and Dad had been friends. And George didn’t have anyone or anyplace else to go.
“Got himself killed.” A shudder worked through him. He worked to keep his voice calm. “I found him on my front porch.”
Death was a part of life. He knew that. He’d dealt with more than his share. But still...
The silence on the line was as loud as a shotgun blast.
Wyatt swallowed back the memories of the last time he’d had to make an emergency call. The night Dina had died. The night the town had turned on him, accusing him of murder.
A burn spread through his belly. Her death had been an accident. But few believed him. Including his own mother. Which solidified his belief that women couldn’t be trusted with his heart.
“I’ll inform the sheriff,” Eleanor stated with a decidedly cool tone to her voice.
“Appreciate it,” he said and hung up.
The front door opened behind him with a barely discernible squeak. Wyatt pivoted and strode toward Gabby, her sweet, freckled face peering through the crack in the doorway.
“Daddy?”
He shooed her back inside with a wave of his hands. “It’s too cold for you to come outside in your jammies.” He stepped inside the warm house and firmly shut the door behind him. His daughter didn’t need to see the horror on the porch.
Gabby lifted her arms. “I want pancakes.”
“When Penny comes over, I’m sure she’ll make you some pancakes—if you ask politely.” He glanced at the clock. His pulse still thundered like the horses he bred. Penny would be here any minute. His foreman’s wife watched Gabby during the day while Wyatt worked.
Swinging Gabby into his arms, he carried her into the living room and deposited her on the worn brown leather couch. “For now, why don’t you snuggle up under this blanket?” He tucked a fussy blue blanket around her tiny body. “As a special treat today, you can watch some TV before breakfast.”
Her bright green eyes lit up. “Barney!”
The favorite of every preschooler. He kissed the top of her curly red head before turning on the television and tuning into the channel with the big purple dinosaur. “Gabby, I need you to stay right here, okay?”
She didn’t answer. Her attention remained captivated by the singing character on the screen.
Love for this little child pierced his heart. He searched her sweet face. She looked so much like Dina, the same red hair, the same freckled nose and emerald eyes. He didn’t see any of himself in Gabby. Like a knife, the thought sliced as deeply as it always did when he let his mind travel down that perilous road.
A scream from outside split the air. Wyatt flinched. Penny had arrived. He’d hoped to get back out front before she’d walked over. One last glance at Gabby assured him she was too engrossed in her show to have heard the scream. He hurried out the front door.
Penny Kirk clutched a hand over her mouth and held on to the porch railing with the other. Beneath the bright red wool cap pulled low over her graying hair, her lined face was pale, her eyes wide with shock.
Grimly stepping over George, Wyatt went to Penny and steered her away from the sight of the dead man. Her scream had brought others pouring out of the outer buildings.
Penny’s husband, Carl, ran to his wife’s side. His untucked plaid shirt flapped against his denim-clad thighs, and white shaving foam covered half of his face. “What happened? Are you hurt?” He wrapped his arm around Penny.
“George,” she said and broke into tears.
Wyatt met Carl’s gaze. Gesturing with his head, he announced, “He’s dead. On the porch.”
Carl’s gaze widened. Wyatt saw the questions, the suspicions, and knew this was just the beginning of what promised to be a mess.
Wyatt recaptured Penny’s gaze. “Gabby’s inside watching TV.”
Penny’s eyes filled with horror. “Did she...?”
Wyatt shook his head. Thankful for that.
Penny blew out a breath of relief. “I’ll go to her.”
Grateful to the older couple who’d virtually adopted him and Gabby as family, Wyatt knew he and Gabby wouldn’t have fared well without them over the years. They’d come on board the ranch before Wyatt’s dad passed on, had witnessed the turmoil of Wyatt’s marriage and had stepped in as surrogate grandparents for Gabby as soon as she was born. Dina had resisted their help, but Wyatt thanked God for them every day.
