Read Online Saving the Sheriff: A Three River Ranch Novella (Entangled Bliss) by Roxanne Snopek - Free Book Online

cold as she was. They had to work together, and they had to hurry.
    But as they drove around to the field, hard drifts of snow a foot tall blocked their path, defeating even four-wheel drive.
    “We’ll have to use a sled,” said Red, shifting into reverse. “As long as we can get the hay over the wire, the wildies can find it.”
    Frankie squinted across the field, looking for the mustangs. But instead, she saw her reindeer. They stood exactly where they’d landed after she’d shooed them out of Conrad’s trailer.
    “Oh no,” she breathed. She’d assumed they’d disappear into the wilderness as soon as they had a chance. “Red, my reindeer. Or elk or whatever they are. They need to get deeper into the woods, where they’ll be sheltered. Why are they still hanging around the trailer?”
    Red glanced to where she pointed. “I don’t know. We’ll drag some hay out closer to them too.”
    Then he frowned as he took a closer look. “What the hell?”
    “What is it?”
    He turned to her, his expression shocked. “What did your boss do to those animals?”
    Anger rose again. “He put dye in their feed. You know. To make them red-nosed reindeer. Only now they look like they’re all wearing smeared lipstick. Who knows what was in that stuff? He might have poisoned them.” Outrage warmed her. “You see why I had to get them out of there?”
    “It’s exploitation.” Disgust laced the sheriff’s words.
    “Thank you.”
    “But you still stole them.”
    “I’m undoing a crime. What would you have done?”
    But Red wasn’t listening as he kept staring at the animals.
    “Frankie, where did he get them?”
    “I don’t know! Who cares?”
    She saw a muscle twitching in his jaw. He was angry.
    “Those aren’t elk. Those are caribou.”
    “Oh.”
    “ Woodland caribou.” He turned to her then and the frigid air was warm compared to his expression. “Endangered woodland caribou—protected animals that don’t live in Montana because it’s not their natural habitat. However your boss got them, it wasn’t legal.” Red’s voice promised vengeance. “And now these caribou are in real trouble.”
    …
    “Tell me the truth, Francesca,” said Red, looking squarely at her. “What’s really going on here?”
    Endangered caribou? Damn you, Conrad Toole!
    Frankie fought waves of panic. What if she’d only made things worse for those poor beasts? “I knew Conrad was lying about them being reindeer. Who’s gonna pay to see Rudolph the red-nosed elk? So I had to get them somewhere hunters wouldn’t get them. But I swear, I had no idea they were endangered anything! Conrad kept calling them moose. Said he’d caught them eating with his cattle. He figured he could make a buck off them before he filled his freezer with meat.” She poked him hard in the chest. “I didn’t tell you because how could I know you wouldn’t turn around and shoot them yourself?”
    “Season ended weeks ago.”
    “See! You are a hunter! How else would you know? And I’ll bet hunters shoot things whenever they want out here.” Disappointment laced through her. And she’d imagined him as a knight!
    “For one thing, I’m not a hunter,” said Red, rubbing his chest. “Second, I am law enforcement. No one poaches in my jurisdiction. No one.”
    The tightness of his features left no doubt in her mind that he was serious. Now he wasn’t just a knight, he was Robin Hood.
    “Third,” he continued, stepping close enough for her to see the golden striations in his irises, “you keep your hands to yourself, Francesca, or I’ll be forced to restrain you.”
    That zing arced between them again and her train of thought derailed. Crashed. And exploded.
    She imagined herself against a wall, her arms above her head, both wrists encircled by one strong hand, while Red pressed his body against hers—
    “So?” Red’s eyes shone and a smile teased his lips, as if he knew what she was thinking. “You were confessing.”
    “I’m not