Lean, Mean and Lonesome

Four

Rafe walked over to the door and looked outside, watching the activity in the ranch yard and concentrating on why he was there. “You mentioned Dan’s partner last night,” he finally asked when it became obvious that Mandy wasn’t going to speak. “His partner in what?”

“He and James Williams started a business with computers. I think they met in college. They make circuit boards for computer companies who want to hire that part out. I guess they’ve been fairly successful. I know they have a small factory with over fifteen employees. James takes care of running the plant—he’s some kind of computer whiz—while Dan’s been handling sales and contacting potential clients.”

She walked over to the table and sat down. Rafe glanced around and saw what she had done. With a certain amount of reluctance he decided to join her. He needed whatever information Mandy could give him. The sooner he resolved the matter, the sooner he could hightail it out of there.

He crossed the room and sat down across from her. “Which would explain why he spends his time traveling,” he replied, thinking out loud.

She nodded.

“But this Williams—he doesn’t know where Dan could be?”

“No, but he said he isn’t worried. He said Dan travels all the time. When I pinned him down, he admitted that Dan usually lets him know when he’s going to be out of town for any length of time.” She hugged her waist. “He’s never been out of touch for this long.”

“When is the last time either the foreman or Dan’s partner saw him?”

“It’s been almost two weeks now since July 1. Tom said he spoke to Dan that evening, but he wasn’t around the next morning when he came up to the house for their meeting.”

“Any of his clothes gone?”

She shrugged. “I have no way of knowing. Plenty of his things are still here. I don’t know what kind of luggage he kept, so I have no way of knowing if he has bags with him.”

“You mentioned last night that you reported this to the sheriff. What sort of response did you receive from that avenue?”

“A deputy came out to talk to me. He was very patronizing. Asked a lot of personal questions about me and my interest in my brother and his possible disappearance. Wanted to know if I was his heir if something had happened to him. He was a real jerk.”

“Do you remember the deputy’s name?”

“Oh, yeah. I’d never forget it. Dudley Wright. I think of him as Dudley DoRight. Treated me like some kind of neurotic female who needed to get a life instead of trailing along behind my brother, asking inane questions.” She looked at Rafe for what seemed to be a long time before she asked, “Do you think there’s a chance Dan could stil be alive?”

“Will you stop thinking that way?” Rafe replied in a growl. “Just because we don’t know where he is doesn’ mean he’s dead. There could be all sorts of explanations why we haven’t heard from him. Let’s don’t start jumping to conclusions.”

“Then why hasn’t he been in touch with anyone?” she replied with some heat. “Why is it I’m the only one who sees something strange about the fact that he hasn’t gotten in touch with me, or with Tom, or even James?”

He shook his head as though he wasn’t sure what she was implying. “You think it’s a conspiracy?” he finally asked “You think everyone else knows where he is but no one i: telling you?”

She glared at him. “Oh, puleeze. So now you’re agreeing with the good deputy and think I’m neurotic as well?”

Rafe took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. “For what it’s worth, Mandy, I think you’re a tad sensitive abou what others might or might not think of you. Like you, I’m puzzled about how a person could disappear like that with out somebody, somewhere, knowing what happened and where he is now. It’s possible someone knows more than he or she realizes he knows.” He rearranged the salt and pepper shaker, moving them around each other. He glanced up at her. “When did you last speak to him?”

Mandy was quiet for a moment. When she spoke, she sounded calmer. “About a month ago. He’d been checking on me more often than usual. During that particular conversation he suggested that I might want to take my vacation early and come to visit him.” Her voice wobbled and she swallowed before continuing. “He said we hadn’t spen much time together since Mom died. He thought I could use a break.”

“From what?”

She nibbled her lower lip. “I recently broke an engagement.”

“Seems to run in the family.” He smiled, trying to put her at ease. “Dan wrote me about his engagement. Then later let me know there was not going to be a wedding.”

She shook her head. “That was Sharon. He seemed to be crazy about her. All she wanted to do was party. I wasn’t sorry to see her back out of their engagement, although I think Dan took it hard at the time.”

“Could his disappearance have anything to do with her?”

She looked at him, startled. “Oh, I don’t think so. That was a couple of years ago. He’s dated several women since then.”

“Any seriously enough that they might have some idea where he would be?”

“I don’t know. I could talk to James about it.” She hesitated, then said, “Better yet, I’ll let you talk to him. He makes me uncomfortable.”

“How?”

“Every time I see him, he makes a pass at me.” She shivered, as though repulsed by the idea.

Rafe smiled. “The man shows good taste, at least.”

She frowned. “Very funny.”

He could see he wasn’t going to win any points around her at the moment. He shoved back his chair and stood. “I’m going out to get my bag. Is the cabin in use these days? If not, I might as well bunk down in it.” He moved rapidly toward the door, but came to an abrupt halt when Mandy spoke.

“Uh, no. The cabin burned a few months after you left here.”

He turned around.

“Really,” he said softly. “How did that happen?”

She shrugged. “One of the hands got careless, was my dad’s guess. Left a smoldering cigarette too close to something flammable. By the time anyone saw it, the cabin was in full blaze. It was too late to do anything but keep the fire from spreading.”

Rafe looked out the window for a moment before returning his gaze to her. “Then I’ll find a motel in town. I have a rental car parked outside the gate that I need to return. ] figure there are enough vehicles around the ranch for me to use one of them while I’m here.”

“Of course you can use one of the pickup trucks and there’s no reason why you can’t continue to stay here at the house. Dan isn’t going to mind your using his room and you know it.”

Rafe knew that he would get little rest staying in the same house with Mandy. He needed all the distance he could muster between them. However, his choices at the moment were limited. In his opinion, the ranch held the key to Dan’s disappearance. It made more sense for him to stay put.

“What about Parker?” he finally asked. “He’s not going to like us sleeping under the same roof.”

“And whose fault is that? You certainly didn’t put yourself out trying to get along with him.”

“Yeah, I’m funny that way. Somebody slugs me from behind with no warning, I become very judgmental about his character.”

“You know why he did that.”

“I know why you think he did it, but I’m not buying his explanation. He could see I was making no effort to hide for God’s sake. I was no threat to any one. It’s my guess he doesn’t want anyone hanging around you. He might have figured that taking me out would discourage me from lingering for more than a brief visit.”

“Will you please stop it! Tom isn’t interested in me...o in acquiring this ranch through me. Really, Rafe. I don’t remember you being so cynical.”

“Right. I always waited around for the Easter bunny every spring.” He walked out the door and let the screen slam behind him. He strode across the porch shaking his head at his juvenile behavior.

What did it matter to him what kind of relationship Mandy might have with the foreman of Dan’s ranch, anyway? Maybe he was still reeling from too many hours of travel. Mandy had nothing to do with the reason he was here. He needed to remember that.

“You looking for something?”

He stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around. Parker stood a few feet away, his hands on his hips. Damned if he didn’t look like a gunfighter waiting to draw on him.

“I left my bag out there,” he said, nodding toward the thick foliage across from the house. “Thought I’d go pick it up. You got a problem with that?”

Parker ignored his question and asked one of his own. “How long you intending to stay?”

Rafe turned back and continued to walk toward the brush, forcing Parker to follow him if he intended to continue the conversation. “Until Dan shows up. Why?”

“Then you think he’s still alive.”

Rafe stopped Why in hell was everyone so willing to think that Dan was dead. “Don’t you?” he asked pointedly.

Parker shifted his feet, removed his hat, smoothed his hair, replaced his hat, then looked toward the rolling hills that surrounded them. “I don’t know what to think,” he finally admitted. “He’s never just disappeared like this before. He’d know we’d be worried about him and would do everything in his power to let us know if he was all right. If he could. I think something’s happened to him. I’m just not sure what. It’s been too long now. Much too long.”

“Tell me about the airstrip.”

Parker looked at him, surprised by the shift in subject. “What about it?”

“Can you hear when a plane lands or takes off from the ranch buildings?”

“Sometimes. When the wind’s right.”

“Did you hear a plane the night Dan disappeared?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Mandy mentioned his Jeep being found down there. I figure that’s how he left the place. Which reminds me, I need to turn in my rental car. Is there someone who can follow me into Austin?”

Parker took his own sweet time about answering. “I can send Carlos,” he finally said.

Rafe nodded in acknowledgment of the foreman’s reluctance to accommodate him in any way. “Thanks,” he said wryly. Rafe pushed through the thick undergrowth and picked up his bag. When he came out, Parker was still standing there.

“You made my efforts at security look pretty bad, coming in like you did. How did you manage to do that?”

“I’m professionally trained to get in and out of places without anyone knowing about it, courtesy of the United States government. So don’t feel too bad, okay? Unless enemy infiltrators decide to take over the country by starting with this ranch, your security is just fine.”

He turned away and left Parker standing there, a frown seemingly etched permanently on the man’s face.

Rafe figured it probably wouldn’t hurt for him to brush up a little on his people skills now that he was back in the States. He could see that he certainly wasn’t winning many points around here. Then again, he had no plans to teach any Dale Carnegie courses as a second career, either.

His immediate plans were to find out what had happened to Dan.

Mandy watched Rafe slam out of the house. What was she going to do if she wasn’t able to better handle her reactions to him? It was obvious that he had no intention of leaving until the mystery of Dan’s disappearance was solved.

She should be feeling relief that she could turn the matter over to someone as capable as Rafe appeared to be. There was nothing to be gained by her continuing to stay on at the ranch. Her life was in Dallas, after all. She could go home, return to her job and wait there for developments.

She had come to the ranch when Tom first notified her about Dan’s disappearance, thinking it would help her peace of mind to be closer to where he had disappeared. She had thought that if and when Dan did show up, he would return to the ranch. Unfortunately, now that Rafe had arrived there was no more peace of mind to be found.

This morning had certainly proven that. They couldn’t be in the same room without arguing. Which was ridiculous. She generally got along with everyone, but Rafe seemed to deliberately bait her with his caustic remarks.

As if his attitude wasn’t irritatmg enough, there had been a moment there when she’d suddenly felt as though he was about to kiss her. She’d looked up at him and seen something in his eyes that had started her heart racing. She must have imagined it, though. He’d turned away as though nothing had happened.

Oh, but something had happened to her. She’d been thrown back into all those confusing feelings she’d had for Rafe McClain when she’d been a teenager.

Her thoughts drifted back to that time in her life...when she had been fifteen and in love for the first time.

After weeks of feverish anticipation, the night had finally arrived for the big barbecue celebrating the high school graduation of Dan and Rafe. Mandy could scarcely contain herself. Her mother had allowed Mandy to choose the dreamiest dress she’d ever owned to wear to the party. She loved the soft pink color, but more important to her was the fact that the neckline barely hung on each shoulder, the sleeves puffing out and thereby disguising her rather bony shoulders. The dress accented her small waist, then flared in a full-skirted way to her knees, with flouncing petticoats beneath it.

Mandy took a last look at herself in the mirror before going outside. She no longer looked like a child. In this dress, she appeared to be a full-fledged woman—attractive, seductive and alluring. She leaned closer and slowly smiled at her reflection...and blinked...startled at the sensuality she portrayed. Wow, she scarcely knew herself.

She patted her hair, swept up in a coil with an ornamental comb, blew herself a kiss and strolled out of her room.

She paused once she reached the patio. There had never been a more beautiful Texas night, she decided. The stars looked as though they’d been freshly polished and hung, glittering on the black velvet backdrop of sky.

She breathed deeply and smiled. The giant barbecue smoker had been going long enough that the scent permeated the area.

A large dance floor had been laid down on the back lawn, surrounded by the live oak trees that shaded the house and surrounding area from the blazing Texas sun. Lines of Chinese lanterns stretched from tree to tree, casting colorful lights and adding a festive atmosphere.

People would soon be arriving, bringing casseroles, salads and desserts. Her mom and dad had been planning this party for weeks. Their friends, neighbors and all the members of the graduating class and their families were invited. Her dad was in charge of seeing there was enough barbecued brisket, ribs and chicken for everyone.

Mandy wondered if her folks would do this again in another two years when she graduated. If so, she hoped that Dan and Rafe would be there to help her celebrate.

Rafe had mentioned the possibility of his going into the military sometime this summer, but Dan wanted him to stay at the ranch and go to college. Dan had talked about possible scholarships that were available. Rafe would certainly qualify because his grades were excellent.

Mandy didn’t want Rafe to leave. Her dad had promised her that as soon as she turned sixteen he would allow her to go on single dates. He was still living in the Stone Age, insisting that she could only go out with a group until that time, preferably one that included Dan. Neither she nor Dan liked that idea at all. But once she was sixteen, she hoped that Rafe would ask her out on a date.

Of course he had no idea how she felt about him. She’d made sure that no one did. If Dan got a hint that she had a crush on Rafe, he would never let her forget it. He’d taunt and embarrass her every chance he got.

People would be arriving any minute, but for now it was just her parents and the hands making sure there were enough tables, chairs and picnic tables outside for people to have a place to sit and eat.

Mandy wandered away from the lights so that she could enjoy the luminous heavens. She loved living on the ranch away from the city lights. It gave her a sense of belonging to the land that she had never felt whenever she visited anywhere else.

From her sheltered position, Mandy spotted Dan and Rafe when they came out of the house. They looked so grown up in their Western-styled summer suits. She’d never seen Rafe dressed so formally. He’d chosen a light beige, which set off his bronzed skin tones. Rafe and Dan were opposites in coloring, opposites in personality, but were as close as brothers, closer, even, because they never really quarreled.

Dan had been the team quarterback for the past two years. Because of the extra time it took for him to practice and play, Rafe had covered for him here at the ranch, doing the work they’d both been assigned without complaint.

Rafe showed no interest in sports. He’d always been a loner and seemed to prefer his own company even when he was on the ranch. He probably wouldn’t have come to the party if her mother hadn’t insisted that the party was for both of them.

A couple of hours later Mandy found herself on the dance floor, having the time of her life. It must be the dress. All of Dan’s classmates seemed to suddenly discover her tonight and were giving her the rush.

She loved the attention. She hoped Rafe had noticed.

When she looked around for him, she saw him standing with her dad and some of his friends, listening to them talk. With newfound courage, Mandy walked up to him and in front of her dad and everyone else said, “When are you going to dance with me, Rafe?”

His ears reddened and one of the men chuckled, causing Rafe to stiffen slightly. “How about now?” he replied in a husky voice.

He held out his hand.

Mandy couldn’t believe it. He was actually going to dance with her. She almost laughed out loud, but that wouldn’t do. She smiled, the smile she’d been practicing in front of the mirror, and grasped his hand.

He felt warm, which wasn’t surprising. Even though it was after ten o’clock, it was probably still eighty degrees outside. He looked as if he’d like nothing more than to remove his Western string tie, unbutton his collar and toss aside his jacket.

That was the first thing she asked him when they started to dance to the slow, melodious music from the tape deck that had been set up for the party.

“Why don’t you get comfortable? It’s too hot for a jacket.”

He glanced around at the other males, young and old, dancing nearby. “I don’t know. I guess I thought I was supposed to wear it all evening.”

“Naw. Dan had his off fifteen minutes after the party started.”

He smiled. “You look cool enough, like cotton candy.”

“Yuck. That stuff is so sticky it gets all over you.”

“I was thinking about your bared shoulders. That dress makes you look years older.”

Ah, bless him. What a wonderful thing for her to hear. “Thank you.” She took a breath, then blurted out, “I think you look very handsome in your suit, Rafe. I’ve never seen you in one before.”

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