Peril on the Ranch

by Lynette Eason

  Katie burst into tears and Isabelle kept one arm around Danny’s shoulders while she held out the other to Katie. The little girl ran toward her...then right past her to fling herself at Mac, who’d jumped the fence while Duke still struggled to get to his feet. Mac caught the child and swung her up into his arms. Katie buried her face in his neck. “You saved her, Mr. Mac. You saved Izzy-belle,” she cried through her sobs.

  Travis ran toward them, pale and sweating. “Isabelle, are you all right?”

  “Yes. I’m okay. Truly.” Maybe if she said it enough, she’d start to believe it.

  Valerie hugged her and Isabelle held on to her composure by a thread. Now that the danger was over, she needed a good cry. But first...

  She hugged each of the older children and even the dogs joined in, prancing around her. She scratched their ears then went to Katie, who still had her arms around Mac’s neck. Isabelle rubbed the little girl’s back. “You’re okay, Katie. And so am I. God was watching out for us and so was Mr. Mac.”

  Katie lifted her head from Mac’s shoulder and held her arms out for Isabelle, who gathered her close. When she inhaled Katie’s sweet, sweaty scent—a combination of baby shampoo and dirt—she nearly broke down. “You’re okay, precious girl,” she said again.

  “I know,” Katie mumbled, “but I was scared. Duke’s mean.”

  “Yeah, he is. That’s why I sold him to Mr. Galloway. He’s already sent me that money and is coming to get him tomorrow.”

  “Good.” Her brow furrowed. “Do you think Duke’s sick?”

  Isabelle frowned. “I don’t know. Why?”

  “Cuz when Zeb had that cold, he was kinda like Duke. Grumpy and always blowing his nose. Maybe Duke has a cold.”

  Mac let out a low chuckle and Isabelle bit her lip on a smile. “Maybe,” Isabelle said, her voice soft. “And if he does, he can get better in his new home.”

  “Okay. Can I have a lollipop? I need one after that.”

  This time Isabelle did laugh and the urge to puddle to the ground in tears faded. For the moment. “Sure. Go on inside and tell Ms. Sybil you can have one.”

  Katie took off and the other kids followed. Travis caught Isabelle’s upper arm in a loose grip. “Are you really okay?”

  “I’ll be sore tomorrow after that fall, but maybe all the ibuprofen I’m taking for the other bumps and bruises will kick in for the new aches and pains.” She turned to see Mac watching and she offered him a small, shaky smile. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m just glad my roping days came back to me.”

  “It was a perfect throw,” Travis said with a tight smile. “Maybe you should be the one teaching the kids.”

  “Nope,” Mac said, his expression never wavering from his usual quiet confidence. “I’ve got a ranch to keep working on. You’re a good teacher and they were having a blast with you. You just keep doing what you’re doing.”

  Travis’s forced smile relaxed and he nodded. “Appreciate that.”

  “Sure thing.” Mac turned to Ben. “You mind keeping an eye on things?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Thanks.” He motioned to Isabelle and Grant. “Can the three of us take a little walk?”

  Grant frowned but nodded.

  Isabelle shrugged. “Where are we going?”

  “Exploring.”

  * * *

  “That wasn’t an accident,” he said as soon as they were out of earshot of everyone. Cody Ray was taking care of the bull and Mac needed some answers. Grant seemed fine to let him lead the way, so he followed the fence toward the back pasture where Duke had been kept.

  “What do you mean?” Isabelle asked. “Of course, it was an accident.”

  “Isabelle, I’ve been over every acre and inspected every inch of fencing. There’s no way that bull got out without some help.”

  She paled, but her jaw hardened. “All right. Then let’s figure out what happened.”

  Mac’s admiration grew. She was a woman used to handling things on her own but wasn’t afraid to ask for help when she needed it. His heart reached for her and his mind stepped back. She deserved someone who was going to stick around, someone who wanted the same things in life that she wanted.

  Which was...what? Was he making assumptions he shouldn’t make?

  Grant’s phone rang and he snagged it from his pocket. After a glance at the screen, he sighed. “I need to take this. I’m right behind you, though.”

  He followed at a distance while Mac led the way. As they walked toward the back fence, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “So do you see yourself doing this—fostering and running the ranch—for a short time or is this what you see yourself doing the rest of your life?”

  She blew out a low breath. “Funny you should ask that now. I was just thinking about that very thing a few weeks ago.” She shrugged. “Right now, I know I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. It’s a calling, I guess. Since Josiah’s been gone, it’s been hard. So very hard.”

  “Have you been tempted to quit? Sell? Go back into private practice and see patients?”

  “Of course.”

  “But you don’t.”

  A sigh slipped from her and she turned to wave a hand as though to encompass her property. “This was gifted to Josiah and me by my parents when we got married. They knew our dream was to use it to help people. When we were first married, we weren’t exactly sure what we were going to do, just that it would benefit others.” She hesitated. “But that was our dream. I’m not sure it’s still mine.” She bit her lip and looked back at him. “Is that awful?”

  “No. Not one bit. Things change. Life—and death—changes things. Often before we’re ready.”

  “Yeah.”

  Grant caught up with them. “That was Regina. She’s already begging to come back to work.”

  Isabelle frowned. “Why’s she calling you? Creed’s the one to make that decision, isn’t he?” Mac thought he remembered Creed being the name of the sheriff.

  “Yep, but she was calling me to see if I could talk to Creed and get him to change his mind.”

  “I hope you told her no.”

  “I told her she’d take the required days off and then ride a desk until she had clearance from her doctor to do otherwise—just like Creed said.”

  A small smile played around Isabelle’s lips at that statement. “I’m sure she let you know that wasn’t acceptable.”

  Grant rolled his eyes. “It’s like you know her well or something.”

  They crested the next hill and Mac nodded to the fence. “You see what I see?”

  “The fence is broken.”

  They walked over to the boards on the ground. “I guess he did break through it after all,” Mac muttered. He strode closer, pulled his work gloves from the back pocket of his jeans and slid his hands into them. He picked up the nearest board. “It’s definitely broken due to impact.” He pointed at the jagged edges. “Here and here.”

  “Maybe Duke heard the commotion in the other pasture and decided he didn’t like it,” Isabelle said.

  “It’s possible, I suppose.” One by one, he examined each piece. And stopped at one of the larger boards. He held it up to her and Grant and pointed to smudges. “What does that look like to you?”

  “Dirt?” Isabelle asked.

  “Look closer.”

  She narrowed her gaze, then gasped. “Dirt in the pattern of the bottom of a shoe?”

  Grant raked a hand over his chin. “Duke followed the noise in the pasture, but he didn’t bust this fence down.”

  Isabelle pressed a hand to the side of her head like it hurt. “No, he didn’t. Someone kicked it down.”

  TWELVE

  Isabelle couldn’t get the image of the broken fence board from her mind. That and the memory of Katie in the path of the angry
bull. She shuddered and prayed that someday the mental pictures would fade. When she, Mac and Grant returned to the house, Grant took the board to his car, saying he’d have it processed by the crime scene lab in Asheville. He stated he was going to drive it there himself. Once he was gone, she and Mac stepped inside the kitchen to find the kids sitting around the table eating apples. Valerie was gathering her two children to leave. She looked up. “Everything okay?”

  “Not really,” Isabelle said, “but I’ll explain later.”

  Valerie frowned. “Okay.”

  “Did you happen to see what Cody Ray did with Duke?”

  “He and Ben and Travis got him loaded up on the trailer. Cody Ray said he was going to deliver him to his new owner a bit early.”

  “Good.” Isabelle had been thinking along those lines, anyway.

  Once Valerie, Travis and the children were gone, she left Ben and Mac discussing the best way to upgrade the security system, to step outside for a moment to catch her breath. Her fingers curled around the porch railing and she closed her eyes. “Lord, I don’t know what Lilly’s father hoped to achieve with that stunt with the bull, but I thank You for keeping everyone safe.”

  For a long time she stood there, gazing out over the land. The fact that it was hers free and clear never failed to awe her. Gratitude for her parents washed over her and she pulled out her phone. She hadn’t spoken to her mom or dad in what felt like forever. Her father had been so busy taking care of her mother and Isabelle had been so involved with everything happening on her end, they hadn’t spoken since before Mac had arrived. Of course, her mother’s sister was there, so they weren’t having to rely on Isabelle for help.

  Hi, Dad, she texted. How’s Mom? You need anything? Groceries? A break? Love you.

  She held on to the phone and rubbed her forehead with her left hand. A headache had started to form behind her eyes. Stress? Definitely.

  A car pulled in the drive and she narrowed her eyes, tension threading through her until she recognized the sheriff’s vehicle. Sheriff Creed Payne and Isabelle had once been good friends. He’d been two years ahead of her in high school, but their parents were close.

  Creed pulled the SUV to a stop and climbed out. “Hey, Isabelle.”

  “Hey, yourself. What brings you out here?”

  He raised a brow. “You have to ask?”

  “I guess you got an earful from Grant and Ben?”

  “I did.”

  “Well, as of the moment, all is well.” She paused. “I hear you talked to Regina today.”

  “She’s delusional. She needs to heal. End of discussion.”

  He stepped up beside her just as Mac opened the storm door and walked out onto the porch. “Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting?”

  “Not at all,” Isabelle said. She made the introductions and motioned for Mac to join her. He mimicked her posture and leaned against the railing.

  “Hear you’re a former cop,” Creed said.

  “I am.”

  “Grant said you’ve been doing a good job with security out here. Thanks for watching out for Isabelle and the others.”

  “Of course.”

  Isabelle’s gaze jumped back and forth between the two men. They seemed to be sizing each other up while having a silent conversation that she wasn’t privy to. She cleared her throat. “Everything is fine now, Creed. You didn’t have to come all the way out here.”

  “It’s not that far. I saw your dad in town yesterday and promised him I’d check in on you.” He narrowed his eyes. “You haven’t told him about the trouble you’re having, have you?”

  “No.” She straightened and jutted her chin toward him. “And you’d better not tell him, either. He’s got enough to worry about without adding me to the list.”

  Creed hesitated. “Fine. I don’t guess he needs to know. I think we’re pretty close to catching the person that’s causing you all this trouble, anyway.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “I tracked down that former foster kid of yours. Zoe Hawthorne.”

  “And?”

  “She’s been in a rehab facility in Asheville.”

  The air left Isabelle’s lungs. “What? But she never had a problem when she was here. Rehab for what?”

  “I talked to her college roommate. Apparently, she started dating a guy named Drew Baldwin. He was bad news and Zoe was easily influenced. He got her involved with drugs and alcohol. When she found out she was pregnant, she got clean. The roommate said she went cold turkey. After Zoe had the baby, this fellow, Drew, kept coming around and making trouble. Knocked Zoe around a bit and threatened to take the baby. In an effort to keep him happy, she resumed that lifestyle and got hooked again.”

  “Oh, no,” Isabelle whispered. She placed a hand over her heart. “I need to go see her.”

  “You can’t. She’s not allowed visitors.”

  “Then how did the baby wind up here?”

  “Fortunately, my badge allowed me access to her. I asked her about what her roommate told me, and she broke down. She said Drew would never leave her alone and she was afraid he’d hurt the baby, so she snuck away from the facility one night, caught a bus to Boone, then a taxi to Isabelle’s place. Drew had followed on his motorcycle, but Zoe didn’t realize it.”

  “And Drew didn’t try to stop her?”

  “No, he probably thought he’d see where she was going first. He also probably thought he’d have the opportunity to grab the baby at some point.”

  “And he would have if I hadn’t stepped out of the house when I did,” Isabelle murmured.

  “And that really made him mad. He left here and went looking for Zoe. He knew she was in the rehab facility and caught her sneaking back in. Drew beat her up when she refused to come back with him and get the baby. She passed out and woke up in the hospital several days later. Thankfully, she was released this morning and is already back at the rehab facility.”

  Isabelle shook her head. “That poor girl. Why didn’t she ask me for help?”

  “She did,” Mac said, “in a way. She entrusted her daughter to you.”

  He had a point.

  “Okay,” Isabelle said. “Now you just have to find Drew, right?”

  “We’re looking for him as we speak,” Creed said. “I checked the two hotels in town and no one by that name’s rented a room. I took his driver’s license picture by and no one recognized him.” Creed flicked a glance at Mac. “Nice job on the sketch, by the way. It was pretty similar to the license picture.”

  Mac nodded and Creed said, “Anyway, Drew’s hiding out around here somewhere.” He paused. “Zoe met him at school and said he didn’t have family here, so she’s not sure who he would stay with or where.”

  “Could be camping out in the woods somewhere,” Mac said.

  “I’m guessing that’s the case. I’ve taken his picture into town to the places he might show up to get supplies.” He shot Mac a look. “Heard you’d already done that with the sketch.”

  “I did. But now that there’s a name to go with an actual picture of him, maybe someone will spot him.”

  Creed nodded. “All right, I’ll get out of your hair. I just wanted to come by and let you know what was going on with Zoe. Ben and Grant are going to be watching your place closely until this guy is caught.”

  “What about everything else going on in town?” Isabelle asked. “It’s not like you have an unlimited supply of deputies. Don’t you need police presence in town?”

  “What do you think I’m here for? And if I need some backup, I have a radio to call for help.” He smiled. “And this is Timber Creek. Not a whole lot happens here.”

  “Except my ranch.”

  “Which is why I’ve got my deputies out here.”

  Isabelle winced. “You’re going to be working overtime, aren’t you?”

  “Wha
tever it takes,” Creed said, his eyes serious. “This guy is dangerous and we need him off the street.”

  “I’ll second that,” Mac said. “Not just off the street, but behind bars.”

  * * *

  After the sheriff left, Ben followed him so he could get some rest, and Grant stayed to patrol the grounds with Mac, Cody Ray and the dogs. Darkness was falling and Mac wanted to be sure Drew Baldwin wasn’t on the property—or at least anywhere near the house.

  Finally satisfied, Mac bade Cody Ray and Grant good-night and made his way back to his apartment.

  “I don’t want to go to bed! I’m not going to go to bed, and you can’t make me go to bed!”

  Mac blinked at the furious emotion beneath the words and detoured from his entrance to the main front door. He rapped on the wood as sobs reached him. The blinds parted, then Isabelle opened the door, a fussy baby in her arms and a weeping Katie clinging to her leg. “Sorry, are we bothering you?”

  “Bothering me? Not at all. I came to see if you could use some help.”

  “There’s no way I’m turning that down.” She passed him the baby, then swept Katie up into her arms. “If you can get that one to sleep, you’ll have an extra star in your crown.”

  Katie’s sobs hiccupped into shuddering breaths. “What’s going on with you, Katie girl?” Mac asked.

  “I don’t want to go to bed!”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t want to go to bed!”

  Lilly cried and squirmed in his arms and he shifted her to a more comfortable position. “What’s up with this one?”

  “She’s overtired and is having a hard time relaxing. Especially with all the noise going on in here.”

  He nodded. “You take care of Katie. Lilly and I’ll be just fine.” His words were much braver than he felt, but he was going to do his best.

  “Bless you,” she said and carried Katie down the hallway to the little girl’s room.

  Mac turned the baby so he could look into her red face. After snagging a tissue from the end table, he cleaned her up and studied her. “So, kid, it’s just you and me.”