“I have a feeling that anything I don’t know about horses you’ll teach me,” he told her, trying to maintain an air of gravity. He caught a whiff of her perfume, a distinct odor of cinnamon combined with a subtler spicy fragrance. Without thinking, Dan inhaled deeply and felt the stirring of dormant longings he’d thought had died years ago.
“You can’t realize the seriousness of my charges unless you know about horses.”
“I’m sure you’ll fill me in.”
Libby frowned, not at all sure he was taking her allegations seriously. There was something magical about Ramsey. He had an inner flame that Libby had never encountered. “Are you making fun of me?” she demanded.
“No.”
“Then why are you laughing? I see it in your eyes, Captain.”
Dan moved uncomfortably in his chair. Libby’s insights seemed as sharp as his. “The truth?”
“Nothing but. I’ve been accused by my friends and enemies alike of being too blunt and direct, but above all else, Captain, I value a person’s honesty. I want the truth, even if it hurts.”
“Well,” Dan said blandly, “this shouldn’t hurt you at all. I was smiling to myself because I was enjoying you as a person. I’ve never met a woman like you in my life.” He held her startled gaze. “That’s a compliment, in case you were wondering. And I take your charges about these horses very seriously.”
“Oh…” He liked her. Flustered, Libby looked away. He didn’t wear a wedding band. Neither did she. Was he making a pass at her? Taking her case for personal reasons rather than professional ones? She suddenly stood up and began pacing around the boxes in the small office.
“Captain, I care for the horses. All horses. Too many people treat them poorly out of ignorance. These five have been ridden into the ground! Yet Mr. Garwood doesn’t seem to care about it, which I find highly unusual. He’s always had the horses’ care high on his list of priorities. Why not these five? I’ve brought them to his attention, but he ignored me.” Libby swung around and held Ramsey’s azure gaze. “I’m not going to let this drop. If you don’t help me, I’m going to go to the civilian paper in Oceanside and make waves.”
“You don’t have to threaten me, Libby. I’ll assign someone to investigate as soon as I can get moved in. Fair enough?”
Libby stopped pacing, her gaze mercilessly probing his. “I know Mr. Garwood and Colonel Edwards think I’m some kind of flaky idiot for bringing this up. Many things in my life touch me, but kids and animals are especially important to me. If one of the children in my classes has a problem, I try to help. If one of the horses in my classes is hurt, I make sure it gets vet attention.” Her voice lowered with even more feeling. “I want to find out who is ridingfj those horses after hours. One of these days, those poor animals will end up lame, or worse. It’s not fair. They need someone to fight for them.”
Dan rose and nodded. “I like your concern, Libby. I promise I’ll get someone from the PM’s office on this as soon as humanly possible. Deal?”
Libby wondered if Ramsey was just giving her words she wanted to hear. “How long?”
“How long what?”
“How long before someone comes to investigate?”
“Within the next forty-eight hours. Is that soon enough for you?”
Relief flowed through Libby. “Yes.” She moved forward suddenly, extending her hand. “Thank you, Captain. You’ve been very patient and understanding.” She gripped his hand and shook it with feeling. “Mr. Garwood and Colonel Edwards think I’ve gone off on a tangent or something….”
The last thing Dan wanted to do was release Libby’s artistic fingers. Her hand was long and lean, like her, the nails cut no-nonsense short. She wasn’t the type of woman to use hair spray, nail polish or much makeup, he thought. No, Libby Tyler was a wildflower who thrived on fresh air, lots of sunshine and a demanding physical job.
“Perhaps they’ve misinterpreted your care for something else,” Dan told her quietly. Her eyes widened beautifully, and he had the powerful urge to take her in his arms and kiss the hell out of her. Shocked by the intensity of the feeling, Dan stepped back, afraid he’d really do it. Libby was like a magnet, inviting spontaneity and erratic behavior. He was sure the children in her classes loved her fiercely, because she’d never lost her own ability to be childlike.
Libby walked to the door and opened it. “Thank you, Captain.” She hesitated. For some reason, she wanted to stay. She liked Dan Ramsey’s ability to put her at ease, as well as his sincerity. Gripping the doorknob, she walked out.
Dan stood, hands on hips, and shook his head. His first case. Although he wasn’t supposed to get into normal PM investigative matters, he didn’t mind taking Libby’s case. The real reason he’d been transferred from the Yuma Marine Air Station to Reed was his unceasing efforts to eradicate drugs from the marine base. Colonel Edwards had heard about his success in Yuma and had pulled strings to get him here, to set up the same kind of program. So why had Edwards assigned Libby Tyler’s case to him? It certainly wasn’t drug related.
Then Dan laughed, something he hadn’t done often in the past two years. Maybe Libby’s tornadolike presence had so discombobulated Edwards that he’d foisted her off on the first person he could think of. Well, Edwards’s loss was his gain.
“Sir? Did you say something?”
Dan looked up. A marine staff sergeant stood in the doorway dressed in his summer uniform. “Uh, no…I was muttering to myself.” And then Dan became all-business. “I’m Captain Ramsey, the new assistant PM.”
The marine stepped forward and offered his hand. “Sergeant Joe Donnally, sir. I’ll be working with you. In fact, I’ll be your right-hand man around here.”
“Good, you’re just the person I wanted to see,” Dan said, turning around to pick up the report. “I’ve got a case I want you to investigate for me.”
“A case? Already, sir?”
“I know the feeling. I’ve only been here two hours.” Dan smiled slightly, liking the alert, predatory look in the sergeant’s eyes. “Think my name precedes me or something, Sergeant?”
Donnally tentatively returned the smile and perused the carefully printed report. “Must have, sir.” He frowned. “Is this a drug case?”
“No. Just a pedestrian one, Sergeant.”
“But…I was told you were going to set up a drug-rehab unit here on base.”
Dan waved his hand. “That’s correct, Sergeant. Read the report, and if you have any questions before you begin the investigation, come and see me.”
“Yes, sir. But I could send this over to Captain Adams’s people to handle. He usually deals with stuff like this.”
“No, don’t do that. We’ll take care of it.”
“Sure, sir?”
“Positive.” Libby would think he was passing the buck if he did that to her. And for some reason, Dan cared what she thought of him. “I’m sure it’s going to be a simple matter to clear up, Sergeant. No, we’ll handle it here through our office.”
Joe shrugged. “Fine with me, sir.”
Dan sat back down. “Stay a minute, Sergeant. If you’re my assistant, I’d like to know a little about your background. Have a seat.”
Joe did as he was ordered, sitting at attention in the seat facing the desk. “Colonel Edwards chose me to work with you, sir, precisely because of my background. I was born and raised in National City, close to the Mexican border.”
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