More Heat

By Robin Rance

IN THE HIGH DESERT COUNTRY OF ARIZONA...
A young woman’s search to find those responsible for her father’s death leads her to danger. The tall dark stranger in town captures her attention. Will she lose her life, or her heart first?

Julie Carrington is looking for the people who murdered on her father on their cattle ranch. Her foreman Larry insists on remaining with her to help find those responsible, and to make sure that her ranch continues to thrive...

Lenox Binx Marcum is searching for some relaxation and heat. He stumbles upon more than he'd ever expected when a beautiful, young woman who's looking for more help, hires him to work on her cattle ranch...

A neighbor’s cruel deception, a mother fleeing with a child, and the vicious Drug Cartel, bring more problems than either one of them would have expected. Will it be the problems that they are facing, or will it be the attraction between them that will bring, More Heat...

“Thank you Binx. I really didn’t mean to break down like that. God, I miss him so much.” I watched her suck in both of her lips and bite down to stop from blubbering again.

I’d never seen anything as pitiful as that. “You’ve a right to do whatever you need to. No one handles loss the same way. It’ll take some time, trust me. I lost my granny a few years back. She, was my everything.” Stick as close to the truth as you can, then you don’t have to remember your story.

“Cry, scream, yell, hell do them all at the same time. Whatever it takes, but promise me,” I tipped her chin so I could consider her eyes one more time before I left for bed. “You come and find me anytime that you need to talk, or to cry. I’ve got a big shoulder, and it’s officially reserved for you.” She took a few deep jerky breaths, then nodded her head in agreement.

“I will Binx. Just being here with my horses made me feel better. I was going to spend the night upstairs in my loft, so if you need to head back to your bunk, I understand. It’s probably getting late.” Was she kidding?

“I’m sorry, Little Bit. I don’t think that’s a safe thing to do right now. There could be an arsonist running around loose, and until you hire some security to patrol, I think you’d be safer inside that ranch house.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robin Rance
• Release date: Jan 31, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370444380

Robin Rance

Robin Rance is married but spent twenty-two years as a single mother of five before she married her forever husband. She was a letter carrier for twenty-four years and is now retired from the postal service. Now she lives in Southern Utah, where she writes her books, cooks, and spends quality time with her family and grandkids.   Robin began writing after a reoccurring dream kept making an appearance. She wakes up regularly with other stories begging to be told. Robin generally writes contemporary romance and has written other genres, including inspirational romance and a fantasy historical book. She also has three children’s books, one a sweet young adult book.  Robin currently has over thirty books that are all self-published and is always working on writing more. If you enjoy what you’ve read, please remember to leave a review, and please recommend her to your friends and family members who read

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More Heat

Robin Rance retains 100% of the rights and copyright licenses to the manuscript and all other materials found in this book.

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

2017

Publisher Robin Rance

ISBN-13: 978-1539804161

IN THE HIGH DESERT COUNTRY OF ARIZONA…

A young woman’s search to find those responsible for her father’s death leads her to danger. The tall, dark stranger in town captures her attention. Will she lose her life or her heart first?

Julie Carrington is looking for the people who are liable for murdering her father on their cattle ranch. Her foreman Larry insists on remaining with her to help find those who are responsible, and to make sure that her ranch continues to thrive…

FBI agent, Lenox Binx Marcum, is searching for some relaxation and heat. He stumbles upon more than he'd ever expected when a beautiful, young woman who's looking for more help, hires him to work on her cattle ranch...

A neighbor’s cruel deception, a mother, fleeing with a child, and the vicious Drug Cartel, bring more problems than either one of them would have expected. Will it be the problems that they’re facing, or will it be the attraction between them that will bring on, More Heat…

This is dedicated to those who have loved and struggled with prejudice.

Love is not just skin deep; it comes from within…

The character of Binx Marcum was based on a man I knew very well. The story about what happened to him in Chicago is true. He had to fight for survival and succeeded. He owned his own mixed martial arts studio and was a tenth-degree black belt the last time I spoke with him…

More Heat

Chapter 1

Larry

Larry, I want to thank you again for going with me; not just going with me, but undertaking everything for me! I’m not sure what I’d be doing if it wasn’t for all of your help.

We’d almost made it back home from northern Utah where we’d attended an auction for heavy machinery and farm equipment. Unlike Utah, I knew the state of Arizona like the back of my hand. I’d taken many road trips just like this one with Julie’s father to purchase different things for their cattle ranch that was located just outside of Prescott Valley.

You know I’d do anything at all to help you, Miss Julie. We’ll catch the bastards who did this to your father. Don’t you worry none! I looked over at the beautiful girl I’d known for most of her life. Her dad would be very proud of how she’d handled the whole nasty mess. We can go into town and post for more men as soon as we get back to Prescott. How’s your hand doing, Miss Julie? I noticed that she still was favoring it.

Almost good as new. Thanks, Larry. If you hadn’t found me when you did, it could have been more than just my hand that’d been burned.

I watched her sweep her good hand through her unkempt, blond hair. I need a haircut, but it’ll have to wait until I can use my hand again. After cutting my Pa’s hair and my own for such a long time, I can’t imagine spending good money to have someone else do it. I’ve been using my scissors on some of the ranch hands, too.

She had lowered her head before she spoke again. I guess my Mom sending me to that exclusive beauty college in Scottsdale before she went off to see the world spoiled me. Do you remember how badly she wanted me out of the cattle business? Pa was so angry when he heard what she had done without his permission. A lot of good it did. I love the ranch as much as my Pa did. At least going to that college taught me how to cut hair, and I did use it often.

She quickly wiped at a tear that had escaped. Larry, I’ve cried enough; it’s time to put my big girl jeans on and get the ranch up and running again. We sure got a great deal on some of that equipment at the auction, didn’t we? I’m so excited about that dually pickup. Were Jack and his son as mad as he sounded when we won the bid?

I knew that she’d made even more of an enemy. I saw the look on Jack’s face right after Julie had outbid him. Jack Tillman had wanted to buy some of Garth’s property for years. I already had my suspicions about the fire; it looked to me like it was set on purpose. Miss Julie, just promise me that you won’t go out on your own until we find out who set that fire. The insurance company is supposed to be sending out someone to investigate it soon. I still think either Jack or that smarmy son of his had something to do with it!

We’d decided to stop in Flagstaff to get something to eat. It was still light outside, but it would be dark before we got back to the ranch. Will you look at that?

Up ahead of us walking on the side of the road was a woman holding the hand of a little boy. As soon as the girl saw us in the truck, she grabbed the boy and hid behind some trees. Miss Julie, we’ve got to stop and see what’s going on. We’re miles away from anywhere, and they could be in trouble. I slowed down near the spot where I saw them disappear.

What did you say, Larry? Why are we stopping? Who’s in trouble? Julie asked me as soon as we stopped moving.

There’s a young woman pulling a little boy by the hand. They just disappeared into the trees. I’ve got to see if they need help! I opened the door of the king cab truck and jumped out. Hello in the trees. Hello, are you alright? I heard nothing Miss Julie, I’ll try a different approach. Hello, me and Miss Julie are going to get some dinner, I’ll bet you’re both hungry.

Julie climbed out of the truck and started yelling in the same direction that I was. We’re going to get something to eat, please join us. The place that we are going to has great pie!

There they are, Miss Julie. You need to hold still; you’re going to get hurt. Don’t move from that spot! I watched the young Hispanic woman come out from behind the bushes. She still held onto the hand of a little boy. His big brown eyes were focused on me as I approached them. She seemed more afraid of me than the boy did.

Well, hello there, little feller. What’s a big boy like you doing walking around these parts alone? I could see that they were both had on dirty clothes that had been torn in many places. It was clear that they’d been running from something or someone. Are you alright, Miss?

If you would have just some little… comida y agua, then we be ok. My son, Jose, is very thirsty! The woman who spoke looked just a little younger than Julie. I guessed the boy to be four or five. They both looked more than just a little hungry and thirsty.

Come with us, and we’ll get you both something to eat. I could hear how desperate the girl sounded. We’re going to a quiet place in Flagstaff. It’s a favorite of ours, and it’s run by a good friend of my family. Let me help Miss Julie get back into the truck and then I’ll be right back around to help you both climb inside the truck.

You heard Larry. We’ve got a big back seat in that truck that’ll fit you both. Julie stood still listening to our conversation. Larry, are they coming?

I stepped a little closer to the small boy, then bent down to balance on my haunches. Hey, little man, what’s your name? Mine’s Larry. I wasn’t sure if the boy understood me or not. Then, I heard the young women speaking to him in her broken English-Spanish mix.

Decirle su nombre. His nombre es José, Señor. I sido llamado Claudia. I thin you say, Claudia. Estrechar su mano José. Shake his hand, José. He is very quiet, Señor. I watched her circle her arms around the boy’s shoulders.

It’s very nice to meet you José, and Claudia. Come on, let’s go and feed you both some dinner. First I went around to assist Julie back inside the truck. Then I opened the rear door and carefully lifted the boy inside. The young woman climbed in after him.

You’ve never had pie before, Jose? Mixed berry is my favorite. I’m sure we’ll have to warn Betty before we come up next time. She can make some extra so that we can bring a few of the pies home with us.

I looked over at Julie fighting to keep her eyes open. Why don’t you go ahead and rest your head back on the seat, Miss Julie. I’ve got this. Once we get back to the ranch, I can get these two inside and find them a room to sleep in. We can discuss plans for them in the morning. I saw her try to hide her yawn.

Thank you, Larry. It’s been a long day for us all. She could hardly keep her eyes open.

It sure has. How are you two doing in the backseat? I noticed the girl’s confused look in the rear-view mirror. Oh yeah, they no comprendo me. You go sleep with boy. I wake when we get home.

Finally, there it was, the turn off in Prescott that took us back home to ‘Sun Valley Carrington Cattle Ranch.’ As soon as we reached the secured gates, I hopped out of the truck and walked over to press in the code. The gates opened up while I walked back to the truck, and I drove through and headed towards the ranch house. Once I reached the circular driveway, I pulled right up close to the front doors of the two-story home. Miss Julie, we’re home. Do you want me to help you inside first?

I watched her stretch her arms out above her head. No. I can manage, but thank you, Larry. Do you need help with our visitors?

I waited to see if she needed me. I knew she’d say no even she did need my help. Nope, I got ‘em. You go on upstairs and get yourself to bed. I’ll see you in the morning, Julie.

Julie moved slowly towards the stoop. It had been a long day for us all. Tomorrow we still had plenty that needed to be done. Good night, Larry. She yawned and found her way into the house on her own.

I walked over to the side of the truck and opened it for Claudia. Hey, Missy, let’s find a place for you and Jose to sleep. Then I hurried around and opened the other side of the truck and went to grab hold of the boy. Claudia tried to stop me. Claudia, I’m going to get him inside. He needs to sleep in a bed, and so do you. I don’t know how much you’re understandin’ me, but Miss Julie is a kind woman. She just lost her father, and she’s lookin’ for someone to help her around the house. Maybe you all can work somethin’ out. I carried the boy out of the truck. I just kept talkin’ Claudia into the house; I knew she wasn’t going anywhere without the boy.

I understand un poco. Mi hijo habla bien English. He aprende su Padre, his father muy importante hombre. He teaches Jose.

She followed behind me into the house and up the stairs. That’s good. In the mornin’ after breakfast, we can all sit down and talk with Miss Julie. I’m sure she could use your help around the house.

I opened the door to one of the spare rooms with an on suite. You can both sleep in the bedroom here. The bathroom is through that door over there. I entered the room and laid Jose on top of the comforter that was covered in bright yellow flowers to match the color of the walls. Then I went over and opened the bathroom door to show Claudia the accommodations.

You all have a good sleep now. I’ll come and get you in the mornin’ for breakfast. I tipped my hat then said good night. Oh, I almost forgot, there’s a lock on the door. I demonstrated how the lock worked so that she would know that she was safe inside the room. She nodded her head; it seemed that she understood me.

Buena noche, Senor. She closed the door behind me, and I waited outside for her to lock it before I went around to check things out around the ranch and prepare for the night. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day for us all.

I was going to take Julie into town in the morning and put up some more help wanted ads in the all the local businesses and the post office. Julie had some of her hired hands run off after the fire. I figured they were either guilty as sin, or they were afraid something would happen to them if they kept working for Julie Carrington. This cattle ranch was one of the biggest in the state, and now Julie had a lot of responsibility to take on by herself. I had my own ideas of who had set the fire, but I had to help her find some more ranch hands before I could ponder that.

I would do everything I could to make sure that Miss Julie was safe. But, in the meantime, I wasn’t taking any chances. I had all the hired help switching off to protect the perimeters. I told them all to wear their guns, I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt or worse.

Lenox Binx Marcum

I had just spent the last two years and three days of my life freezing my ass off and chasing oil thieves in Alaska. I was tired of the cold, and I was tired of having my days and nights all screwed up. I had spent most of the time while I was in Alaska in Fairbanks, but recently I’d been in Juneau.

We had finally caught the thieves in action. I’d been hot on their trail for months, but I just hadn’t figured out how they had managed to divert so much oil. I’d had my suspicions after overhearing a couple of men bragging one night in the local bar. Because of my dark skin, I’d blended right into the background.

I followed the men to Juneau, and sure enough, they had placed some phony pipelines above ground to avoid suspicion. They had buried their own pipes under a thick layer of gravel. It had cost the bastards tons of money to get it set up, but they’d been taking barrels of oil out of there hidden in livestock trucks for who knew how long. Then they’d been shipping it out on boats and across the ocean. I was ready for some greatly deserved and earned time off after that case.

I’d been with the FBI for almost five years now. My time in Alaska was the longest time that I’d spent on a case. I’d earned a lot of respect from the guys that I had worked with while I was there. Now I was ready for a break and some heat. I had a road map, and I’d rented a pickup truck. I’m keeping my little sports car put away for just a bit longer. If I like it here, I’ll have her shipped to me. She was a 2014 cherry red Corvette coupe that had been in storage all this time. I had just bought her before I was sent off to Alaska.

A sign for Prescott off on the side of the road drew my interest. I was trying to get to the Phoenix area, but I needed to make a pit stop. Let’s see what this little town has to offer. I’ve always heard that small towns have the best places to eat. I turned onto Montezuma Street; it ran alongside the courthouse, and right there on the opposite corner was a little place with a street sign out front that said, ‘Shirley’s Diner.’ Written in smaller print under the sign were the words ‘nothing finer’. Sounds good to me.

I drove around until I found a spot to park in that was just around the corner from the diner. I stepped out of my truck and felt the warm air surround me. This is what I’m talking about. I’m going to thaw out real fast while I’m here. I headed for the small diner, and I knew that I’d made the right choice. It was mid-morning, and the place was Packed. There was a sign that said seat yourself or wait to be sat. That made me chuckle. You can make up your own mind, and they’re not making you do anything.

I stood just inside the small building waiting for my eyes to adjust, then I spent another moment or two looking for an open seat. I heard one of the young servers say to me, If you’re waiting for a table there’s going to be one opening over by that window. It looks like that couple are just finishing up, and I can clean it for you in a hurry.

That looks like the perfect spot. Thank you miss; take your time. I saw her quick smile. From that table, I’d be able to look out and watch the traffic and see how this place worked. Every small town had their own way of doing things. The bigger cities were all the same, cold and impersonal. It was the small towns like this one where most people knew each other, and everyone knew everyone else’s business, and that intrigued me.

I had grown up in Chicago on the south side. The side that people warned you about going into. When I was fourteen years old, I was run over by a car from behind. It had been on purpose, and after running me over, they had left me to die in the street. I never did find out who had hit me. Maybe it was random, maybe not. Who cared, they were just out to rid the world of one more nigger.

I didn’t know how I had survived that attack. My back was broken in three places. I had scars running down my spine and along the side of my upper thigh after a compound fracture had torn through the muscle. A rod and pins were used to put my leg back together. Some anonymous ‘Good Samaritan’ had Paid for all my hospital bill. After I had healed enough both in body and mind, I decided it was time for me to leave the windy city. After what happened to me, I that I would never let anyone put me down again.

I worked hard to finish school early. I joined the army and was passionate about becoming one of the special ops. I was particularly skilled in hand to hand combat. Once I had finished my tour, I continued learning self-defense. Soon after returning to the States, I moved to LA and became partners with a buddy whom I’d met in the service. My friend had his own karate studio, and with my help, we turned it into a money-making machine. I was now a tenth-degree black belt, and I was considered a registered weapon. I was lethal.

It’d been the FBI that had first heard of my specific skills. They had approached me and offered me a job with their agency. I think in the back of my mind I accepted the job offer knowing that one day I might use my connections to go back to my old neighborhood in South Chicago and find the person who had mowed me down and left me in the streets to die that day.

It had been a long time since I’d thought of the day that I’d been hit. I had to grow up tough living in Chicago. Things were never easy for my family or me. Life would have been a whole lot different growing up in a nice quiet town like this one.

After I ordered the breakfast special with a large orange juice, I’d had to push half of it away. It was way too much food to eat, even for me. I looked around at the other customers in the place, and I could see why they were all in the shape they were. Fat and happy. Life was good here in Prescott. I looked out the window and watched a silver, king cab pickup truck park close to mine. I watched an older gentleman wearing a cowboy hat