Texas Lonestar (Texas Heroes Book 4) Read Online Free PDF

these days.”
    Dallas sat upright, lowering his booted feet to the floor and leaning forward. “Is there something I can do? You know you only have to ask.”
    “Well, there is, if you have time.” Dallas could hear Marge’s voice in the background, telling him that Dallas was too busy, not to bother him, that she didn’t mind being left alone.
    “I’m in between cases right now. There’s been a body discovered in a deep gorge in East Texas that I need to check on soon, but there’s no rush for him. He’s been there a decade or two at least. So, tell me what’s up.”
    Hiram cleared his throat as if relieved. “I got a call from the TSCRS. There’s a woman rancher over near El Paso in Hudspeth County who thinks a cattle rustler has taken about a dozen or so head of her cattle. Funny thing is, she’s also reporting vandalism to her property.
    “What does the local Sheriff have to say about it?” Dallas was familiar with standard operating procedures.
    “Well, as far as I can tell, the Sheriff’s a prick.”
    “You don’t say. How’s that?” Dallas mused. Hiram’s reaction surprised and puzzled him.
    “I called him as a courtesy and to get his opinion and he just laughed the whole situation off. He says the woman has a reputation for exaggerating things. How he acted bothered me, because he talked about her with so little respect. Dallas, I knew her Daddy. Richard Haley was a damn good man and if this is the daughter I remember meeting, she was a little go-getter even then. I can recall her steering the tractor sitting on a big fluffy pillow to reach the steering wheel with wooden blocks fixed on the floor controls so her legs would be long enough to touch the pedals.”
    Dallas could easily see the image Hiram painted with his description. “So, you think her complaint may be legit?”
    “I do think it’s legit, yes. You know, I was looking at the 2014 statistics and we had 726 cases in Texas. Those 726 cases involved over 5000 head of cattle stolen, at a value of almost five million dollars. This woman could very well be telling the truth. I don’t want to dismiss her out of hand like Ferguson wants to, so I’d appreciate if you’d drive over to Hudspeth County and pay her a little visit.”
    Dallas’s mind was already working. He was looking at the map app on his phone. “Where did you say she was located?”
    “Hudspeth County, north west of Big Bend Country. Apache Springs is out in the middle of nowhere. El Paso is a good hour east and Sierra Blanca is about an hour north of the ranch. If you have to stay any length of time, I’m sure she’d put you up. There used to be a nice lodge on the property, as best I can remember.”
    “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.” Dallas muttered, he’d much rather be in a motel, if possible. “Let me check in with the office and let them know what’s going on. As a courtesy, I’ll stop in and pay a visit to Sheriff Ferguson before I head over to Apache Springs.”
    Hiram let out a relieved sigh. “Thanks, son. I owe you one.”
    “No, you don’t owe me anything,” Dallas reassured him. “I’ll be glad to take care of this. Don’t worry. You just take care of Marge.”
    The next day found Dallas on the road to West Texas. He’d driven through Wimberley and stopped to visit his Fire Chief, Titan Sloan, for a few minutes. When he was in town for a good spell, he always answered calls to fight fires with his unit. He’d been on the call when Titan’s wife, Makenna, had almost been killed by her abusive ex-husband. If things ever settled down again, he looked forward to being more active in the Volunteer Fire Department.
    As his personal truck ate up the miles, Dallas let his mind wander. How different his dreams were now compared to what they’d been when he first married Carly. He’d been determined to work hard, save money and buy a spread of his own. Giving up the desire to own a little piece of Texas was difficult. But