Cowboy Command by Olivia Jaymes Read Free Book Online Page B

the blink of an eye they were out of Harper and on to the open road.  Seth picked up the radio and called his deputy Hank, letting him know they were out of the office. 
    “ Are you almost done there?” Seth asked.
    “ Almost.  Perry is still pissed so I’m trying to calm him down.”
    “ Let me know if you need me.  Ten-four.”
    Seth finally turned to her and grinned.  “There’s no coffee shop in town.  I guess you could say we’re self-sufficient that way.  We don’t need a yuppie shop selling flavored coffees and muffins.”
    “ That’s what I was afraid of.  For the record, I like those flavored coffees and muffins.  A lot.  What does Millie look like, by the way?  I’m supposed to be looking, too.”
    “ We won’t see her this close to town.  Trask’s place is out a ways, but she’s a black lab.”
    They were quiet as they drove, the only sound the rush of air from the heater.  His masculine scent wafted around her and she had to admit he smelled damn good despite the fact he didn ’t talk much.  She was starting to get impatient when he slowed the SUV and rolled his window down, blowing on a soundless whistle.
    “ Dog whistle?”
    He nodded but never turned back to her, blowing the whistle every quarter of a mile or so.  She kept a look out of her side of the car but there didn ’t appear to be a living soul for miles.  He pulled onto a dirt side road and parked the car.
    “ I think we need to go on foot from here.”
    She pushed open her door and zipped up her coat as high as she could and pulled her gloves back on.  She wasn ’t going to complain about the cold.  She’d watched the news this morning on the television in her small apartment and the people in Harper apparently didn’t consider fifty degrees cold.  They thought it was downright warm, in fact.  She didn’t agree but she wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it.
    She walked with him a little ways until Seth pointed to the other side of the gravel road.  “Check that side and I’ll check this one.”
    They walked for a while until she saw something black from the corner of her eye, way in the distance.  She plunged into the brush, wading through it until she was close enough to see the large black outline of an animal.  She swallowed hard and forced herself to keep walking toward it, not wanting to see what she knew was there.  When she came up on it, she had to put her hand over her mouth not to vomit as bile rose in her throat.  Tears welled up in her eyes and she whirled around to yell at Seth, who was still looking.
    She shouted and waved her arms until she had his attention, motioning for him to come.  He ran quickly but stopped abruptly when he saw what was at her feet.  His skin paled and he closed his eyes for a minute.
    “ Fuck.  I’d hoped I was wrong.  Shit.”  Seth looked heavenward then looked at her.
    “ Good job finding her.  Why don’t you get the blanket out of the back of the truck and we’ll wrap her up.  Trask will want to give her a proper burial.”
    She nodded, her throat tight, dashing the tears away with the back of her hand.  Presley retrieved the blanket, handing it to Seth, and then hung back , unsure what to do.  He laid the blanket flat and lifted the cold body onto it, then wrapped it up gently.  His hands moved quickly but surely and she was impressed that he didn’t try to hide how this affected him.  His expression was grim and his eyes bright with unshed tears.
    He patted the blanket.  “That’s a good girl.  We’re going to take you home now.”
    She stood back as he easily lifted the canine into his arms and hiked back to the truck, carefully placing his burden into the back.  He leaned against the bumper and took a deep breath.  “This is going to break Trask’s heart.  Man, he loved that dog.”
    “ Was she hit by a car?” Presley sniffled.  She’d never seen anything like this and she wasn’t good with blood.
    “ Yeah,” Seth