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Rose was doing all right, too Her garden and chickens were thriving, and Bull was paying her a little to do his bookkeeping and help his sons with their schoolwork Rose’s late grandfather, a retired professor, had educated her hile she lived with hiht Maybe one day she would have the chance

Over ti the ranchers who held properties in the canyons below the caprock The intervieere nearly finished, except for a visit to one isolated ranch, located in a re there and back would take the better part of a day

“Why don’t you drive out and do that interview to Make an outing of it I can s here for a day”

Joe’s offer was a gift “Thanks,” Tanner said “I’ll tell Rose when I see her tonight She’ll like that”

“I’d tell you to irl and make an honest woman of her,” Joe said “But I knohat this job can do to a e My wife couldn’t handle it—the hours, the tiet shot and wouldn’t make it home She left me for a tax lawyer”

“I’ll keep that in h and accustoood life and be around to enjoy it with her For now, that would have to wait

The closest thing to a fancy date in Blanco Springs was pizza and sodas at the Burger Shack Tanner and Rose didn’t go out often, but he enjoyed showing her off She was a striking woman, and he loved the way she displayed her birthmark with pride When he ith her in public, he could sense the envy of the lanced their way

Tonight they’d taken the corner booth, where they sat close together, enjoying their co Earlier they’d seen Reuben Potter walk up to the counter and order a cheeseburger Reuben and Rose had exchanged glances but hadn’t spoken Their friendship was known to Tanner but was otherwise a secret

It tickled Tanner that Rose had won over the youngto know that an extra pair of eyes atching her place, helping keep her safe

So far there’d been no sign of the cartel and, after teeks, no word from Raul and Joaquin on the mountain But the worry was always there, in the back of Tanner’s mind He wouldn’t rest easy until he knew that the threat was gone for good

“I’ tomorrow,” she said “Do you want me to pack a lunch?”

“Nothing fancy, and not unless you have ti some snacks and plenty of water We can stop for a et back from the interview”

She stirred the ice in her Diet Coke “I’ve been thinking,” she said “As long as we’re out in the truck, how much time would it take on the way home to circle around and stop by that line shack in the Rimrock’s mountain pasture?”

A subtle alarm went off in Tanner’s head “I’ve never been there, but I’ve seen it on an aerial map It’s not that far out of the way Maybe an extra hour But are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I’ve thought about it,” she said “I know it’s the usual thing for cowboys to work out of the line shack for weeks at a time But I’m worried Raul and Joaquin were like brothers to ’s happened to them?”