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

without a family, there really was no reason for those types of aspirations. The lessons he’d learned so painfully had taught him well. He was much better off alone. 
    The farther west he traveled, the more the landscape changed in front of his eyes. By the time he reached Sierra Blanca, he could easily imagine he was on the set of a Spaghetti Western. Looking at the stark vista before him, the jutting mountain peaks and the surrounding desert – he knew this was what most people pictured when they thought of Texas. It never crossed their mind the state also contained flat prairies, dense pine forests and a gulf coast shoreline. 
    Easing into the two-horse town, Dallas parked in front of the small brick law enforcement office. Getting out slowly, he took a moment to stretch his legs. This was the type of town where they rolled up the sidewalks at five-thirty, if there were sidewalks to roll up. A cloud of dust blew down Main Street causing a beer bottle to roll and clank on the hot asphalt in front of him. The calendar might read spring, but the thermometer begged to differ.
    At the tattered front door, two old men sat drinking coffee and chewing tobacco. Dallas grimaced, he didn’t know how they could combine those two activities without choking to death. Lifting his gray Stetson, he greeted them as he passed by. “Good day, gentlemen. How are you?”
    “Fair to middlin’,” one replied and Dallas nodded his understanding. The screen door creaked and inside a warped brown ceiling fan whipped the dust around. A rotund deputy sat with his feet on his desk and another’s head was buried in an ancient green filing cabinet.
    “Is Sheriff Ferguson in?”
    The one at the desk, whose nameplate said HOWARD KEEL, pointed to an office to the left and called out. “Colin! There’s a Ranger here to see you!” Both deputies came ambling toward him. “Man, we haven’t seen a Ranger in these parts in a while. What’s going on?”
    Before he could answer, a man strolled out from the side office with his thumbs hooked in his belt. He reminded Dallas of a young Gary Busey. “A Ranger, huh? What did we do?” He smiled and reached for Dallas’s hand.
    Dallas shook hands with all of them. “I’m here by request of Special Agent Hiram Glover. He wanted me to check in on the Haley case.”
    “The Haley case?” Ferguson laughed. “There is no Haley case. You don’t know this woman like I do. She’s a little hard up, if you know what I mean.” He winked at Dallas. “Any ploy she can use to get a man across her cattle guard, she’ll do it.”
    Dallas didn’t respond, but he did see how the other two deputies looked at one another with an uncomfortable expression. He wasn’t sure if their disapproval was for the woman in question or the sheriff himself. “Is there any specific information you can give me?”
    “Nah, I didn’t go out there. I told her I had real sherrifin’ business to tend to.”
    Dallas nodded as if he understood. In reality, the guy was beginning to get on his nerves. “Well, this is just a courtesy call so you’ll know I’m investigating in your precinct. If I find there’s a matter for concern, I’ll let you know. If not, I’ll just head back the way I came.”
    “I won’t expect to hear from you, then.” Ferguson said, with a bit of edge in his voice.
    “Are you sure you don’t want to stay and have some coffee?” One of the deputies offered, as if trying to diffuse the situation.
    Dallas saw no reason to linger. “I appreciate it, but I’m going to stop by the Dairy Queen on my way out of town.”
    “I’ll take some coffee, boys. I’m always thirsty!” A booming voice drew their attention.
    “Rooster! Good to see you!” The Sheriff almost ran to meet the man who sauntered in, dressed in a cream colored linen suit, the kind Dallas always associated with drug lords from tropical countries. “What can I do for you, Sir?”
    “I’m here to see if one of your men would like to