Free Between the Seams by Aubrey Gross Page A

Amusement laced her voice.
    “It helps us keep them straight.”
    “Makes sense.”
    He grinned. “We thought so.”
    Jo gestured towards the wide expanse of scrub brush and cacti surrounding them and asked, “So how in the world did you get involved with this?”
    “Well, you know Matt and I grew up hunting. As kids we would stay up late some nights, dreaming of owning a ranch where we could raise cattle and have horses and hunt when we wanted without having to pay for a deer lease. This place was foreclosed upon a few years ago. Being so big, and with the economy being what it’s been, no one bit and it went to auction. Owen heard about it from a client, mentioned it to me. I mentioned it to Matt, who mentioned it to his agent, who’s also a good friend of his. We decided to give it the old college try—why not? If we bid and lost, we were out nothing, but if we bid and won we could potentially get this place at a steal. Needless to say, we won. And with that, here we are.”
    He killed the engine and opened a toolbox on the inside of the dump bed of the UTV and pulled out two pairs of snake gaiters. Chase handed one pair to Jo and said, “You might want to put these on. Just in case we come across any rattlers.”
    Thank God she’d had the good sense to put on jeans and boots, which he’d completely forgotten to suggest to her.
    She watched him as he slid a snake gaiter over his left foot, and then mimicked his movements.
    “I’ve never seen something like these before. I’m guessing they’re effective?”
    “Supposed to be.”
    “That’s reassuring.”
    “Well, if they’re not that’s what the first aid kit is for,” he grinned at her.
    “Fair enough. We’re a little ways from the hospital, though.”
    “Which is why we have a private runway, a small plane and licensed pilot on staff,” he said and then winked.
    “Y’all have thought of everything, haven’t you?”
    “We’ve had to. Like you said, we’re about an hour and a half away from the nearest hospital, and our guests—which tend to be wealthy or friends and business associates of the wealthy— tend to expect things like private runways and easy access to the city and airport.”
    They finished fastening the gaiters and Chase grabbed the rifle from the gun boot before asking, “I know you’ve never hunted, but do you know how to shoot?”
    She shot him a cheeky grin before turning around and lifting up the back of the flowy white cotton tank top she was wearing. He saw a brief flash of gun metal and pink tucked into the back waistband of her jeans, before she let the shirt fall back in place and turned to face him once again. “I realize my nine millimeter may not be super effective against a rattlesnake, but yes, I can shoot.”
    “Well I’ll be damned. You’re just full of surprises this weekend.” Confusing, sometimes sexy surprises.
    Jo snorted and joined him on the trail. “I live in Austin by myself. I wanted to be able to protect myself. And don’t even act like you’re not packing heat, too, cowboy.”
    He paused mid-stride. “How’d you know?”
    “You leaned over earlier. Crossbreed holster. I didn’t see your gun, though, if it’s any consolation.”
    He laughed, resumed walking and then asked, “Do you ever find yourself in public, looking at people trying to determine if they’re carrying?”
    “All the time. Crossbreed holsters can be easy to spot sometimes, because of the crosses on the belt clips. Sometimes I’ll notice a woman with a concealed carry purse, but rarely.”
    “Same here, although I can’t say the same about the purse. I don’t know if I’ve even seen one before.”
    “I’ll show you mine later. They’re not all the same, but some of them are made a certain way so that if you’re paying attention you can figure out they’re for concealed carry.”
    Of all the conversations he’d imagined them having, easy banter about holsters sure as hell hadn’t been one of them.
    Before