Chapter 5 Smoke on the Horizon

The morning after the shootout came quiet, almost too quiet. Birds chirped in cautious rhythms, the breeze felt cool and clean. Lila had just stepped outside with her coffee when she noticed it-thin wisps of smoke curling in the distance, over the ridge to the south.

She narrowed her eyes. No lightning storm last night. No reason for brushfire this early in the season.

Jack stepped up behind her, still moving slow, but steadier than before. "That normal?"

"No," she said, lowering the cup. "And it's too far to be from town."

Jack watched the smoke a moment longer. "You think someone's tracking us?"

"I think someone's warning us they are," Lila said. "Ranchers around here don't send smoke signals."

Jack's jaw tightened. "Then I'll ride out and check it-"

"No, you won't," she said firmly. "You can barely lift your arm. You're still half-stitched and two steps from collapsing. You go out there now, you're asking to die."

He studied her for a beat, then nodded. "Then you'll go?"

"I'll go," she said. "I know the land. And the shortcuts."

He didn't like it, she could tell. But he respected it. That was more than most men she'd known.

As she saddled Dusty, Jack appeared beside her, a revolver in hand.

"You'll take this."

"I've got mine."

"This one's cleaner," he said. "And the trigger's lighter."

She took it silently and holstered it at her side.

Their eyes met before she mounted. The air between them was full of things unsaid.

"I'll be back before sunset," she said.

Jack's voice was low. "Be careful."

Lila nodded and rode off, dust trailing behind her like a promise.

The ride was quiet-too quiet. No deer darted from the brush. Even the crows seemed scarce. When she crested the ridge, she reined in sharply.

What she saw wasn't a brushfire or an accident.

It was a burned-out wagon.

Charred, half-buried in smoke, still smoldering. Horse tracks trailed off into the scrub, deep and fast-someone had ridden away in a panic. Or in pursuit.

She slid off Dusty and approached slowly, revolver drawn. The wheels were blackened, cracked open like dried bone. Whoever had been riding in that wagon hadn't been there long ago. The fire was fresh.

Then she saw it.

A badge, blackened and half-melted, lying in the ash.

Texas Rangers.

Her stomach dropped. Not because she cared for lawmen, but because it meant one thing:

Someone dangerous enough to ambush a Ranger had just crossed into her valley.

And Jack Colton was still back at her ranch.

Alone.

Lila crouched low beside the ashes, fingers brushing over the singed badge. It was warped, but the star was unmistakable. Texas Ranger. She scanned the ground-hoof prints circled the wagon in both directions. Not a random attack. Someone had laid an ambush. And whoever survived... didn't stick around.

She stood, heart thudding. If the Rangers were this close, someone was looking for Jack. And judging by the burned-out wreckage, they weren't planning to take him alive.

She mounted Dusty fast. "Hiyah!" The mare lunged forward as Lila urged her down the slope, wind tearing through her braid. She didn't look back.

The sky was darkening by the time the homestead came into view. Smoke still hung in the distance, but it wasn't drifting from the house. Relief hit her hard-but it was short-lived. She pulled up sharply as she spotted a rider approaching from the north, cutting across her property like they owned it.

She rode straight for them, revolver drawn.

"Hold it right there!" she shouted.

The rider halted, raised both hands. "Easy, ma'am. Name's Deputy Finch. Marshal's office out of Abilene."

"What are you doing on my land?"

"Looking for a man named Jack Colton," the deputy said. "Goes by 'Scout.' Tall, lean, scar on his jaw. Heard he passed through these parts."

Her grip on the gun tightened. "What's he wanted for?"

"Not wanted. Missing." The deputy gave her a careful look. "He turned informant last year. Took down the Copper Ridge Gang. We've been trying to keep him alive ever since."

Lila narrowed her eyes. "Funny. He didn't mention any deputies looking out for him."

"Probably because he don't trust us. Can't blame him. A bounty of $5,000 will make enemies out of friends fast."

She didn't lower the gun. "So what's your plan?"

"Find him. Warn him. Before someone worse does." The deputy squinted at her. "He here?"

Lila said nothing for a beat too long. Then, finally: "He was. He's gone now."

The deputy nodded slowly. "If he comes back... tell him he's not as forgotten as he thinks."

He tipped his hat, turned his horse, and rode off the way he came.

Lila waited until he was out of sight, then kicked Dusty into a gallop. She didn't trust anyone who showed up with a badge and a story-especially not when Jack's past was chasing him so close.

When she reached the house, the door swung open fast. Jack stepped out, rifle in hand.

"I saw him," he said. "You okay?"

She dismounted and strode toward him. "You didn't tell me about the bounty."

His eyes hardened. "It's not active. Not legally."

"$5,000 says otherwise." She shoved past him into the house. "You need to start telling me everything, Jack. All of it. Because if I'm putting my land and life on the line for you, I want to know who's coming to kill us."

Jack followed her in, jaw clenched. "You want the truth? Fine. The man who put that price on my head wasn't law. He was gang. Copper Ridge didn't die easy. The ones who got away want revenge. And they've got friends with deep pockets."

She turned to face him. "Then why come here?"

"Because it's quiet. And because the first time I looked in your eyes, I thought maybe-just maybe-I could stop running."

Lila stared at him. "You're not the only one who's tired of running, Jack. But I won't die for someone who lies to me."

His voice softened. "I never lied. I just didn't tell you how close the fire still was."

She looked away, out the window toward the smoke. "Well, now we know. It's right on our doorstep."