Peril on the Ranch

by Lynette Eason

  “Sounds good to me. Want me to take your cup?”

  He handed it to her and when she took it, his fingers grazed hers, then lingered like his gaze. “Thank you.”

  She swallowed. “Of course.”

  Mac left and Isabelle drew in a slow breath while her heart thudded faster than usual. “Stop it,” she muttered. “He just said he was leaving.” And she’d better start working on a way to protect her heart so it didn’t shatter when he drove away.

  Once inside the kitchen, she found Lilly in her high chair and Ms. Sybil pulling fresh rolls from the oven. “You spoil us, my dear friend.”

  The woman laughed. “Well, they weren’t really for y’all. They’re for the festival tomorrow. Then I decided that would be kind of mean, so made an extra batch.”

  Isabelle kissed the woman’s cheek and snatched a hot roll. She juggled it on her way to her room, where she grabbed her purse. By the time she returned to the den to find Mac waiting, she could finally manage a bite of the tasty bread. “Oh, that’s so good. Did you get one?”

  “One?” Ms. Sybil asked. “He’s already downed four.”

  Isabelle laughed. “I hope your extra batch was extra big.” She tickled Lilly under her chin and the baby grinned at her. With her heart in her throat, she nodded to Mac that she was ready, and headed for the door.

  Once she was buckled in the passenger side of his truck, she looked around. “It’s almost weird not to have Ben or Grant out here. I hope—” She bit the words off.

  “Hope?”

  She sighed. “Nothing.”

  “Can’t shake that bad feeling, can you?”

  “No. I can’t.”

  He frowned. “Well, let’s see what Baldwin has to say before you put any stock into it. After his interview, you might feel better.”

  “I might.”

  But for some reason, she didn’t think so.

  * * *

  Mac sat next to Isabelle on one side of the two-way mirror. He could hear and see into the room on the other side of it, but anyone in the room wouldn’t know he or Isabelle was there watching.

  Drew Baldwin sat at the lone table in the middle of the room. He wore the orange prison jumpsuit and kept his eyes on his hands, which were cuffed in front of him.

  Creed, carrying a manila folder, stepped into the room along with a professionally dressed woman who looked to be in her early thirties. She sat next to Baldwin, who shot her a scowl. “Who’s she?”

  “I know you’ve said you don’t want representation, but Ms. Callahan has agreed to provide it should you wish to retain her. I also need to tell you that these proceedings are being recorded.”

  “Told you. I don’t need a lawyer because I haven’t done anything wrong.” He lifted his hands to his mouth and gnawed on an already shredded nail. His leg jiggled under the table, and his eyes darted to the door, then back to Creed.

  The sheriff sighed. “Drew, look, you’re barely twenty years old. You’re probably scared, but thinking you’ll get out of this if you hold out long enough.” He leaned forward. “News flash, kid. You’re not getting out of this. We take attempted murder very seriously.”

  Drew slapped his hands to the table with a thud. The lawyer flinched and edged away from him. Creed simply moved closer and shot him a glare. Drew scowled right back. “How many times do I have to tell you people that I never tried to kill anyone?”

  Creed opened the folder and slid a photo across the table to Drew. “This is a picture of a car that almost mowed down Isabelle Trent. One of my deputies was clipped by the mirror. Not too long before all that happened, you almost hit a woman in the crosswalk with your motorcycle. Watching the footage, it’s obvious the driver of this car meant to hit one, or both, of those ladies—in the crosswalk. The driver never stepped on the brakes. Are you telling me that’s a coincidence?”

  “No. I mean yes. I mean...” He slapped a hand to his head.

  “That’s attempted murder in my book, kid.”

  “But I’m not in that car! Where would I get a car like that anyway? All you gotta do is run the plates and you’ll see it doesn’t belong to me.”

  “We ran the plates. It was stolen from a friend of mine. He just bought it two days ago. Stolen by someone wearing a black hoodie and black gloves. Sound familiar?”

  “I’m telling you, it’s not me. Can you get a look at the guy’s face?”

  “No, unfortunately, not a good one, anyway.”

  “Then look for my DNA in it. You won’t find it because I’ve never been in the car.” He rubbed his hands down his face. “You found the car, right?”

  “Yes, actually, we did. Right where you left it. Parked just outside of town on the side of the road. Probably where you left your bike.”

  “I didn’t leave my bike anywhere!”

  “You left it in the woods at the Trent ranch when you tried to burn the barn down.”

  “I wasn’t trying to burn—”

  The lawyer leaned forward. “I need to advise you not to say anything else until we’ve talked.”

  Drew shot her a baleful glance. “Shut up.”

  She sighed and sat back.

  “And,” Creed said, “we found the gasoline can you ditched near the barn and pulled a lighter out of your pocket when we searched you. We’ve got a piece of material that snagged on a branch that matches an article of your clothing. We’ve got a shoe print of the person who tried to snatch the baby—and seeing as how you’ve been camping out with the homeless under the bridge outside of town, I’m assuming you’re wearing the only pair of shoes you have—and we now have impressions to compare. We’ve got you cold, Baldwin. Why don’t you just come clean?”

  The young man chewed off another fingernail and moved on to the one beside it. “I’ll admit to the stuff I did,” he finally said, dropping his hands to the table, “but I didn’t steal that car and I didn’t try to kill anyone.” He crossed his arms and met Creed’s stare over the table.

  Isabelle sighed and leaned forward in the chair to massage her temples. “What do you think, Mac?”

  “I think he’s lying. He knows he’s in big trouble. Copping to the little stuff will get him less time.”

  “Maybe.”

  He took her hand. “Isabelle, you’re safe. The kids are coming home today. Enjoy it.”

  She smiled at him, but it wasn’t hard to see she had to force it. “I think I’m ready to leave now. I have a lot to do before tomorrow.”

  “We.”

  “What?”

  “We have a lot to do before tomorrow.”

  This time her lips curved in a genuine smile. “Yes. Yes, we do. Why don’t we go join Cody Ray and Ms. Sybil? The other volunteers should be arriving soon, as well.”

  “Other former foster kids?”

  “Yes.”

  “I look forward to meeting them.”

  Isabelle opened her mouth to say something, then snapped it shut. He wanted to know what she’d planned to say but decided maybe it was better if he didn’t. Their conversation about him leaving and that kiss they’d shared was definitely the elephant in the room, but neither of them wanted to address it. Not now. They rode to the ranch in silence and when he pulled into the drive, the kids were home. “They’re early,” she said, the pure joy in her voice hitting Mac right in the heart. Isabelle jumped out of the truck.

  “Izzy-belle! Mr. Mac!” Katie screeched her happiness and ran at them. Isabelle opened her arms and caught the little girl up in a tight hug. Even the boys ran to her and wrapped their arms around her.

  Then Katie wiggled away from Isabelle and threw herself at Mac. Heart thudding, he lifted her to kiss her nose. She giggled and returned the gesture. Mac wanted to sit down and cry. How could he leave?

  How could he not?

  Katie caught his cheeks in her small hands. “We�
��re back, Mr. Mac.”

  He cleared his throat. “And I’m so glad you are.”

  “Me, too. Will you take me fishing?”

  Mac blinked. “Fishing? Where did that come from?”

  She shrugged. “I watched a movie and it looked fun.”

  “Well, okay—” He stopped. He wasn’t going to be here much longer, and he didn’t need to make promises he wasn’t going to keep.

  “Katie,” Isabelle said, “Why don’t you go check on Lilly? I’m sure she’s missed you.”

  “Okay! I’ve missed her, too.”

  Mac set her down and she scampered off toward the house. He looked at Isabelle. “Thanks.”

  She nodded and looked away, but not before he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. Feeling like the lowest of the low, he turned to the boys. “Hi, guys, glad you’re back.”

  “Us, too,” Zeb said. He turned to Isabelle. “Ms. Cheryl came and got us at school and said you needed to see us.”

  “Well, she was right about that.”

  “We were glad,” Donny said, “Cuz we needed to see you, too.” He gave her another hug, then glanced at the house. “Something smells good. Did Ms. Sybil make cookies?”

  “Of course. And a big batch of her rolls.”

  “Rolls! See ya!” He darted off, catching up with Katie on the front porch. He scooped her up, making her laugh, then the two disappeared inside.

  Isabelle held Mac’s gaze and he thought she might be silently asking him how he could leave.

  The sound of an engine caught their attention, once again rescuing him from his thoughts and her...sad resignation.

  The police cruiser pulled to a stop and Ben climbed out to walk over to them. “I see the kids made it home.”

  “Yes,” Isabelle said, a smile curving her lips but not quite reaching her eyes.

  Mac didn’t like the look on the deputy’s face. “What is it?”

  Ben shrugged. “Nothing major. I just thought I’d come see if there was anything I could do to help out for tomorrow.”

  Isabelle gave the man a brilliant grin. “Just ask Mac what he needs. I’m going to head on into the house and hug the kids one more time.”

  “You just want cookies,” Mac said.

  “I wouldn’t turn them down.” She winked and spun to hurry away.

  When she was out of earshot, Mac turned to Ben. “Okay, spill it. Something going on with Baldwin?”

  “I’m not sure.” Ben leaned against his car and crossed his ankles. “The whole time he was talking, I kept thinking that I believe him.”

  “Why?”

  “Because what he says makes sense. I’m not saying the kid isn’t trouble, but I don’t think he’s a killer. And the timing of the almost hit-and-run doesn’t add up. We have him on security footage on his bike looking through the window of the café where Isabelle was meeting with Travis, Regina and Donna. We also show him riding out of town. An hour later, the car tries to run down Isabelle and Regina.”

  “Sounds like the timing would work just fine for him to ditch his bike and steal the car.”

  “No, don’t think so. At least not from the location it was reported stolen. I tried the route and timed it. It would have taken him at least thirty more minutes at the very least.”

  Mac crossed his arms, not liking the direction of the conversation. “Creed said the car was stolen from a friend of his. Whose was it?”

  “Travis Lovett. Apparently, he had a big sale last week and kept it secret but went right out and bought the car for Valerie. He was in the meeting with Isabelle when Valerie called and reported it stolen. Said someone took it right out of the driveway. She’d left the keys in it to run back inside to get her phone and came back to find it gone.”

  “Could have still been Baldwin.”

  Ben nodded. “Could have. But the boot print on the fence didn’t match his shoes.”

  “No?” That was interesting.

  “No. And that’s the only pair of shoes he’s got on him. Nothing in his backpack or in the storage container on his bike.”

  Mac frowned. “So, what are you saying, Ben?”

  “I’m saying things don’t add up for me. And Creed is looking real hard at everything, too. He’s going back and investigating everything from the beginning.”

  “I see.” Actually, he didn’t. “So if it’s not Baldwin, why would someone be trying to hurt Isabelle?”

  “I don’t know, but let’s keep this under our hats until tomorrow is finished. No need to stress her out any more than she already is with everything going on. Grant will be here and so will Creed and myself. Nothing’s going to happen tomorrow to ruin that day as long as we can help it.”

  “I’m right there with you.”

  SEVENTEEN

  Saturday morning dawned overcast and rainy, but the weather app said it should clear up in the next hour. Isabelle was praying it was right. She’d been eyeing the weather for the past week and so far, it hadn’t changed its prediction for the day. As she fed the baby, she sent up silent prayers for the sun to come out.

  Ms. Sybil stepped into the kitchen and brushed her hands over the apron. “It’s going to get busy pretty quickly around here. You ready?”

  “I’m ready. Cody Ray and Mac are getting everything set up. The other volunteers are on the way and already know what to do, Donna’s already delivered the pastries, the cotton candy machine is here, Evie is on her way with the K-9, the kids’ bowling alley is ready along with the other games. The ponies are in the smaller pasture for rides, the pig is greased, the dunking booth is set up, the dogs are put up, and the plastic bull is in the larger pasture for the kids to rope.” She drew in a breath. “Have I forgotten anything?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Ms. Sybil handed Lilly the bottle and the child grabbed it with both hands and stuck it in her mouth. “She’s gotten the hang of doing that for herself.”

  “Yep, she’s a good eater.” She stood. “All right, I’m going to change and get ready to get this thing going.” She paused. “Do I dare look out the window to check the weather?”

  Ms. Sybil didn’t have any hesitation. She looked, then laughed. “The Lord is good. The sun is shining and not a cloud in sight.”

  “Oh, thank you,” Isabelle breathed. Then hurried to finish up all of the last-minute details needed to make sure it was a fun and profitable day for all.

  When she stepped outside thirty minutes later, the volunteers had arrived. With tears in her eyes, Isabelle hugged each one. They kept in touch, but seeing them whole and happy never failed to warm her heart.

  After they went to their respective stations and the people started arriving, Isabelle threw herself into the hostess’s role and flitted from one group to the next.

  She knew the town looked forward to this day each year and she took pleasure in being able to provide it.

  “Iz?”

  She turned to see her father walking toward her, Lilly in his arms. “Dad!” She hurried to him and hugged him. “What are you doing here? Is Mom okay?”

  “She’s fine. Since your Aunt Tammy’s here and is with her, I decided to ride over.” She noticed his golf cart parked next to hers. “I saw Sybil had her hands full,” he said, “so offered to take this little scamp and entertain her for a few minutes.”

  “She’s a joy.”

  He shifted the baby to the other arm. “Haven’t seen much of you lately.”

  “And you were a little worried so decided to put in an appearance?”

  He smiled. “Something like that, but you know I love this day as much as you do.”

  “I know.” He’d wanted to come see everyone and revel in the organized chaos. He’d also pitch in if he saw something that needed doing.

  “I’ve been hearing rumors, so wanted to come hear from you what’s going on.�
��

  The small-town gossip mill at work. She sighed. “It’s been kind of exciting around here.” She told him about Drew Baldwin but left out most of the scary details.

  Her father frowned. “Saw his picture at the pharmacy, then spotted him a couple of days ago in the grocery store. I called Creed and let him know, but the guy was gone by the time a deputy showed up.”

  “Wait, what? When was this?” Isabelle asked.

  “Ah, I don’t know. Two days ago? Maybe three? Why?”

  “Just wondering. Could it have been Tuesday midmorning?”

  His frown deepened. “Yeah, suppose it could have been.”

  “Huh.”

  “What?”

  “It might be nothing.” Or it might be something. If Drew had been in the grocery store at the time she and Regina had been dodging the car in the crosswalk, then who had been driving?

  * * *

  Mac couldn’t relax. From a distance, he kept an eye on things, but there were so many people that it was hard to keep track of Isabelle. And that made him nervous. Then again, there were reasonable arguments to be made that could implicate Baldwin in every single incident. He could have parked his bike on the side of the road, walked to the Lovett home, stolen the car, then come back to get his bike. He agreed with Ben that the timeline was a bit questionable, but it still could have happened. Maybe.

  “Hey, there.”

  He turned to find Isabelle behind him. “Those are some deep thoughts,” she said. “Wanna share?”

  “Everyone’s having a good time. You’ve really done a wonderful job.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without a lot of help. But yes, it’s turning out to be pretty amazing. My stress level has gone down several notches.”

  And he didn’t want to raise it again by telling her what Ben had said.

  “When are you leaving?” she asked.

  “After everyone is gone.”

  “I see.”

  He turned to her, his heart aching. “Isabelle—”

  “Don’t draw it out,” she said. “Just go.”

  “I don’t know if I can. You might still be in danger.”