Free The Texas Ranger's Secret by DeWanna Pace Page B

this?” Gage handed Willow a cloth napkin he’d borrowed when she’d backed up and plowed the bouquet into the side of the cake. “I dipped it in the lake and thought you could use it.”
    Her cheeks turned rosy as she accepted the cloth and held the flowers out to him. “Will you hold these while I wipe my hands? I seem to be an accident waiting to happen lately.”
    He accepted the bouquet, noticing the icing-laced flowers had destroyed its beauty. “Tell you what—why don’t we replace the bad clusters with some good ones? There are plenty of fresh ones to pick along the slope. No one will ever notice the difference.”
    “You wouldn’t mind helping me?” she asked, staring at the ribbons of lace that held the clusters together. “You think we can make it look presentable?”
    “It would be my pleasure to help. Just walk over and moisten the cloth again, then join me,” he instructed. Picking flowers wasn’t exactly one of his better skills, but one she seemed to need at the moment. How hard could gathering flowers be? “We’ll need something clean to wipe our hands with when we’re done.”
    While she did as he suggested, Gage quickly unknotted the lace tied around the stems and took the bouquet apart. He separated good from bad and dropped the ruined clusters into one of the empty barrels near the tables.
    Remembering his mission, he squinted hard at the crowd, looking at each male face again for sign of the horse thief among them. Not so far that he could see. Trouble was, the guests seemed countless and the pesky Texas sun was shining so bright it hurt his eyes to stare too long at their features.
    “Is something wrong?” Willow asked as she returned. “Have you changed your mind?”
    He shook his head. “Let’s head this way.”
    They moved uphill against the tide of visitors flooding the area. “That patch looks healthy,” he said, bending down to pick a cluster and adding it to the bouquet. Ants immediately crawled up his fingers and he shook them off, not wanting her to notice. They’d been stirred up by last night’s rainstorm and were on the march. He hoped the ladies were keeping close watch on the food tables or they would have a few more diners than they expected.
    “Let’s go over there,” he suggested.
    She hurried to match his stride and Gage appreciated that she was long legged enough to keep up with him. Still, he slowed down a little so she wouldn’t become winded.
    Gage offered his arm and she linked hers through it. After a few steps, they settled into a comfortable pace together.
    “I heard Mr. Parker recently bought a large remuda of horses.” He mentioned the interesting fact he’d learned since arriving for the ceremony.
    “Bass plans to build a barrel factory when he returns from their honeymoon,” Willow informed him. “Daisy says wood will have to be hauled here to build and supply the factory and that means he’ll need lots of horses to pull wagons. He got a good deal on them at a fort near Mobeetie and even hired a wrangler there to watch them while he and Daisy are away. I met the man last night. Shepard Hutton’s his name. My sisters seem to like him well enough.”
    Shepard Hutton? Stanton Hodge? Just coincidence the two men shared the same initials? Gage took note. Lots of horses meant opportunities for thieves. He wanted to talk with this Hutton fellow up close. If he wasn’t the man Gage tracked, then he needed to be warned about the thief being in the area. Nothing more appealing to a rustler than an absentee owner. Like dangling a bone in front of a starving dog and daring him to bite.
    Gage bent and picked another cluster of verbena, adding it to the group. She bent with him. No ants this direction. “What do you think? Enough?”
    Willow shook her head. “One more ought to do it. From here or somewhere else?”
    “Anywhere this direction seems good.” He straightened and moved on. “Would you mind pointing out the hired man when we get