The Eagle and the Fox (A Snowy Range Mystery, #1) by Nya Rawlyns Page B

sad brown eyes and a kindness in his soul that shone like a beacon.
    Josh swallowed and conceded, knowing if he didn’t ask Marcus, she would. “Okay, I’ll see if he’s busy. Just...”
    “Just what?”
    “Don’t fuss. Promise me you won’t make a big deal out of it. He’s just a friend. Nothing more.” Begging rarely worked with Becca, but it never hurt to try.
    She mumbled, “Uh huh,” and checked her watch. “When you planning on talking to that Barnes’ kid?” She peered around the corner of the porch, checking on the girls. Apparently they were still occupied with the pony.
    “I’m heading over to the state cops barracks to talk with Ted Sorenson for a bit. I need to see if they’ve got anything on those four assholes. And the boyfriend. After that I’ll head over to the fairgrounds. The rodeo team’s got team penning practice on Mondays. Might get lucky and find a way to corral Will and have a conversation.”
    “That’s a good idea. They always get a lot of looky-loos. Nobody will think twice on you being there.” She pulled on her lower lip for a minute, then asked, “You think that young man’s really her boyfriend, Josh?”
    He shrugged. “Damned if I know. Marcus and me run into a brick wall every time we get close to talking about him. She clams up, like a kid who’s afraid of something would. But with Petilune, that’s not the vibe I’m getting.” He tipped Becca’s chin up. “Maybe she won’t talk to us old fogies, but she might talk to you. Woman to woman. I really doubt Janice has had that talk with her, if you catch my drift.”
    “Oh Josh, it’s called sex, and yeah, I doubt the poor kid has a clue.”
    He could see Becca mentally rolling up her sleeves. If he’d had any qualms about bringing Petilune to stay on the ranch, they’d been dispersed. The girl was in good hands.
    As he was leaving he called back, “She’s wearing all she’s got, sis. Want me to pick anything up in town?”
    “Nah, she and I are near the same size.” Becca grimaced. “I’m fatter, but I can find something in the trunk upstairs that will do for now.”
    “You’re not fat. You’re... poofy.”
    “Fuck you.” She made a rude gesture, then shouted, “Don’t forget to ask.”
    “I will. Just remember, it’s not a date.”
    “It is if you want to get laid, bro.”
    Her laughter followed him as he drove down the lane.
    ****
    J osh settled across the desk from his old acquaintance. Ted Sorenson tilted back his chair and rocked as they looked each other over. Sorenson had been less than supportive when Josh had finally owned up to being gay. They hadn’t been exactly close friends, but in a small community college with only twenty or so kids going through the law enforcement and corrections program at the time, it seemed natural to hang out together. Losing Ted’s friendship had acted to split the group, causing tension.
    The last few months hadn’t been pleasant, for any of them. The experience had been one of the reasons why Josh had decided to go the military route rather than try for a local position. He never regretted that decision, even now.
    On the way over, he’d practiced how to approach asking for information. If it was an active investigation, he wasn’t entitled to anything other than we’re working on it with a very strong subtext of butt out . He appreciated that and was prepared for this to be a short and probably unproductive interview.
    When Sorenson folded his arms over his massive chest, and said, “Tell me what you know, Foxglove,” a sharp thrill raced up and down his spine.
    He took a breath, folded his hands on the desk and explained, “Not a lot more than what I told you on Sunday. However, after giving it some thought, I suspect those four are responsible for a lot, if not most, of the trouble we’re seeing around here lately, am I right?” Sorenson nodded and waited for Josh to continue. “Thing is, they don’t exactly fit the profile for the kind