Fatal Ranch Reunion

by Jaycee Bullard

  But now that he and Steven were actually standing on the front stoop, a wave of uneasiness swept through his veins. Were they making a mistake? This was Tolbert property. Even in all their time hanging out with Tacy when they were growing up, he and Steven had not crossed over further than the disputed never-never land. More than once, Carl had threatened his father about setting foot on his acreage. There was no way that he and Steven would be welcome here.

  There was a click of a latch being turned from the inside. The door swung open to reveal a wide, carpeted staircase and a long hall. Backlit by the lamp on the console stood Carl Tolbert, looking much the same as he had when they met at the hospital. The same grizzled countenance. The same canny intelligence radiating from those piercing blue eyes. All that was missing was his trademark tan cowboy hat, and Seb could see that hanging on the hook by the door.

  The old man glared as he blocked their entry. “Steven. Sebastian. To what do I owe this unexpected visit?”

  “My mom thought you might enjoy an apple pie.” Seb handed the dish to Carl, who set it down on the sideboard.

  “Thank you,” he said. He seemed mollified by their goodwill offering. “This is my wife, Lois Tolbert.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.” Seb forced himself to return her smile.

  “We were just about to have some dessert. Would you care to join us?” she asked.

  “We’d like that,” Seb said. He was grateful for Lois’s graciousness since Carl certainly seemed disinclined to invite them in.

  They turned and followed Lois into the dining room where Gunnar Graff occupied a seat in the middle of the table, directly next to Tacy. Well, that was unfortunate. Seb suppressed a groan. The Tolberts’ attorney had always been one of his least favorite people in Chimney Bluff, as he shared the Tolberts’ grudge against the Hunts.

  As soon as they were seated, Carl cleared his throat and turned his head in Seb’s direction.

  “Now that things have settled down, I suppose I should thank you for accompanying my granddaughter to the hospital and for keeping her company until I could arrive. I heard that you also helped her avoid that bison herd of yours after one of your ranch hands forgot to secure the gate.”

  Seb bit back a sharp retort. Maybe that was true, maybe not—but it was typical of Carl to assume the Hunts bore the blame. Seb looked at Tacy, whose fixed expression was impossible to read.

  Carl continued. “And I’m glad you got a chance to meet my wife. Hard to believe such a beautiful woman would agree to marry an old antique like me. But she did, and I thank God every day for sending her into my life.”

  Lois patted Carl’s hand to acknowledge the compliment, but there was a flicker of sadness behind her eyes. “I think it’s lovely to have neighbors stop by to visit. And I want you to know that I don’t put much stock in any of this talk of a long-standing feud. I’m delighted by the opportunity to break bread with our neighbors. And to that end, we have chocolate cake, and thanks to your mother, homemade pie. So, there’s plenty for everyone. Excuse me while I get the other dessert and a couple extra plates.”

  “I’ll help you,” Gunnar said.

  Seb turned his head to watch them walk toward the kitchen. Lois sure wasn’t what he had expected. It was hard to imagine her plotting against Tacy. But his MP training had taught him that looks were often deceiving.

  They returned a few minutes later, Lois with a white cardboard box with a sticker on top, proclaiming that the product was peanut-free, and Gunnar with the pie and the extra plates.

  “Cake? Or pie?” Lois’s bejeweled fingers fluttered in the air. “Or perhaps a small sliver of both.”

  “How about a big piece of both?” Carl said.

  As Lois bent to cut the cake, the sparkle of a large diamond on her left hand caught the light.

  That was some rock on Lois’s finger. As Seb turned to accept a slice of chocolate cake, a pang of guilt shot through his senses. He remembered the tiny ring he had bought Tacy at the PX. It had cost three hundred dollars, which, at the time had seemed like a fortune.

  Lois settled back on the carved oak chair next to Carl at the table. “This room is one of my favorites at the ranch. When I was helping prepare the listing, I made sure to include reference to the hand-hewn floor and the beautiful bay window.”

  “About the listing,” Steven said. “This might not be the right time to talk business, but I heard you had an offer from an outside buyer. It would be a disaster if the place was bought up by one of those huge conglomerates that swoop in and strip all the resources from the land.”

  Carl Tolbert’s eyes flashed with irritation. “Despite what you may think, young man, I’m aware that there are plenty of people out there who aren’t good stewards of the land, and I’m not such a fool as to miss reading the fine print. I’ve worked this place for over fifty years, and I know my responsibility to the community. I’ve been fair in dealing with everyone who crossed my path. As for the sale, nothing is settled at this point. The mineral surveys and assessments were just wrapped up this week, so there’s still lots to do before the deal is final.”

  Clang!

  Tacy’s fork dropped against her plate. Her mouth fell open, gasping for air.

  Oh, no. Seb’s eyes went to the half-eaten slivers of cake and pie on her plate. Tacy was having an allergic reaction. There must have been peanut products in the dessert. “She’s in anaphylactic shock. Tacy? Tacy? Where is your EpiPen?”

  She couldn’t answer. Her head was rolled back, and her body had already started to slide forward, out of the chair.

  He grasped her waist and he lowered her to the floor. “Somebody call 911. I’ll find her EpiPen. Where’s her purse?”

  “It’s in the hall.” Carl said.

  “I’ll call the paramedics,” Steven said.

  Seb rushed toward the entryway, his eyes zeroing in on the hooks along the wall. There it was. A small red leather purse, with a set of keys dangling from the strap. He flipped it over, and a wallet and a pair of sunglasses thumped onto the floor. No EpiPen. “Maybe she left it at the bunkhouse.”

  But driving back there would take too long. Wait. What was that? A familiar backpack had been set next to a pair of Carl’s boots on the floor. Tacy must have forgotten it when she rushed off to meet Steven the day after the accident. He unzipped the top flap and dug inside. Seconds later, his fingers locked on the cylindrical shape of an EpiPen.

  “Got it,” he said, spinning around and heading back into the dining room.

  “I’m going to turn on the outside light and wait out front for the ambulance.” Gunnar’s voice boomed from behind him.

  “Good idea.” Seb rolled up the hem of Tacy’s skirt and placed the orange tip of the pen on her right thigh. He pushed, and—click.

  He held the needle in place for five seconds and then pulled it free. Then he massaged the site of the injection.

  In the background, he could hear Steven giving the 9ll operator an update on the situation. “My brother just gave her the injection.” Steven held the phone away from his mouth. “The ambulance is still a few minutes out. They want to know if she’s conscious.”

  Tacy groaned and opened her eyes. “What?” she said.

  “You’re okay, Tace. Just hang in there.” He looked up at Steven. “Tell them that the medicine seems to be working.”

  Tacy forced a wobbly smile. “I’m good. I feel fine.”

  “Glad to hear it. But the paramedics are still going to want to check you out.” And besides, the sooner Tacy was away from her Grandfather’s ranch the better. There was no way that this was an accident. His mom had taken pains to ensure that her pie was peanut-free, which meant something else at the dinner must have caused the allergic reaction.

  The high-pitched whir of a siren cut through the air.

  Carl stepped forward, his brow knitted with worry
and anger. “I’m going with Tacy to the hospital. I just don’t understand how something like this could have happened in my own house. It must have been the pie. I should have known not to trust Hunts bearing gifts.”

  EIGHT

  The hands on the clock were nudging close to midnight when Tacy climbed into her grandfather’s truck for the ride home from the hospital. If she looked rough after four hours spent in the emergency room, he looked even worse for the wear. Dark circles rimmed the bottoms of his tired eyes, and his mouth was bent in an anxious frown.

  “Thank you for staying with me at the hospital,” she said.

  “My pleasure,” he said. “How are you feeling now?”

  “Much better than I did a couple hours ago, that’s for sure.”

  “What did that intern say before he signed your release? I should have taken notes when he was issuing his orders.”

  “Are you kidding? You were a rock star, asking questions and making sure I was good to go. I had the easy part. I got to stretch out on the bed while you sat in that uncomfortable plastic chair.”

  “You were very brave. I was proud of you. But I’d feel a lot better if I could bring you home with me instead of dropping you off at the Hunts’.”

  Tacy swallowed hard. There were so many things she wanted to share. But he looked so tired and frail. And definitely too exhausted to hear about Timmy. But she’d have to tell him sooner rather than later, before he heard the news from someone else.

  As they pulled in front of the bunkhouse, she turned to face him with a weary smile. “What do you say that we both tuck in and get some sleep. Maybe we can meet at Dot’s later today and really talk.”

  Her grandfather nodded. “I’d like that, but not today. This afternoon, I have an appointment in Bismarck with my heart doctor. Nothing serious. Just a routine check.”

  Heart doctor? Was he really okay? Obviously, it was the right decision to postpone her big revelation. “I hope you can get some sleep before setting off on the drive.”

  “I’ll be able to rest until ten. But Lois won’t have that luxury. She’ll open her flower shop and then stop back at noon to go with me, so I won’t have to make the drive alone.”

  “I’m glad you’ll have company. Is it hard for Lois to take time away from the store?”

  “Not right now.” Her grandfather’s lips formed a half smile. “The flower shop is more of a hobby. But she’s also working on verifying her real estate credentials, so she’s keeping busy.”

  “Does that mean Lois is handling the sale of the ranch?”

  “With Gunnar’s help, of course. We thought it would save time and some of the fees if she was involved. She did a lot of work with real estate in Reno, so she’s had some experience with this sort of thing. You know me. I’m a rancher, not a businessman. I’m glad to let the experts take the lead on this. When and if a decision is made, I’ll be there to sign on the dotted line.”

  “I get it,” Tacy said. But she had some doubts that such a lackadaisical approach was the right way to proceed with such an important transaction. Especially since she had a few doubts about Lois, herself. “I’d be happy to look at the documents if you need another opinion.”

  “That shouldn’t be necessary. Lois and Gunnar have the situation well in hand. You know, I’ve made no secret that I’d rather not leave Chimney Bluff. But it will make Lois happy, and that’s important to me.”

  “She’s your wife. You need to do what is best for your marriage.”

  “A lot of people probably think that it was an impulsive decision for me to marry again after all these years. But as soon as I saw Lois, I knew I wouldn’t rest until she agreed to be my wife. She’s beautiful, of course. But what attracted me most was her vulnerability. She’s like a tender blossom, clinging to the vine.”

  She smiled, and Carl shook his head. “I know. It sounds like a cliché, but it’s true. She puts on a good face, but life has dealt her some serious blows. She lost her husband and all her possessions in a devastating house fire. She barely escaped with her life.”

  “How awful.” But hadn’t Seb said that the fire was being investigated as arson? And what about her first husband, who also died under mysterious circumstances?

  “Awful doesn’t even begin to describe it. I thought it would be a tonic to bring her home to the ranch. I always believed that this place was created by God to calm the troubled soul.”

  God’s country. That was exactly what her father always said.

  She thought back to the last moments she and her father had spent in Chimney Bluff, ten years earlier. Before that day, she had never seen her father cry, not even when her mother walked out on them. But he had broken down that morning when they crossed the state line. She remembered it as vividly as if it had been yesterday. Her tall, handsome father, clutching the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip as tears ran down his face.

  She took a deep breath as overwhelming grief threatened to squeeze all the air from her chest. Oh, Dad. How badly were you hurting that you could never come back, not even for a visit?

  Her grandfather shifted his eyes away from the road. “I told Lois that your showing up like this is a sign that the rush to put the ranch on the market is a big mistake. Not that you’d want to live here again. But if you did, I hope you’d feel comfortable enough to tell me, so I could stop the sale before it was too late.”

  Her eyes filled with fresh tears.

  “Don’t cry, darlin’. I’m sorry for putting you on the spot, especially when you’re still recovering from what happened at dinner. You almost died right there in the dining room, with all of us watching, unable to help.”

  “You did help. And Seb was an MP in the military, so he knew how to give an injection.”

  “I’d still like to identify the culprit here. The bakery or the Hunts? Actually, it would be easy to find out. There’s a half of pie left, and we can have it analyzed. And the lawyers can handle the rest.”

  Lawyers? Please, no. Was this crazy feud ever going to end? Future generations will probably find it hard to believe that the two families almost come to blows over peanut products in a cake.

  Or a pie.

  Not that she suspected the Hunts for even a moment. But then, what had happened? Could Lois really have deliberately added peanuts to the cake? The drum of her heartbeat quickened its pace, and her throat tightened as she recalled her allergic reaction. One minute, she had been sitting at the table, eating dessert, the next she hadn’t been able to breathe.

  Cold realization washed over her. If Seb hadn’t been there last night, she might have died. But why would Lois want to kill her? Seb’s theory—that the motive revolved around the sale of the ranch—offered as many questions as answers. And would her grandfather ever believe that his new wife wanted his granddaughter dead?

  * * *

  Seb was exhausted. A few hours earlier, he had returned to the bunkhouse to relieve his parents, who had been watching Timmy. But he couldn’t sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he was back in the Tolberts’ dining room, watching helplessly as Tacy went into anaphylactic shock. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t banish the image of her terrified face or stop the sound of Carl Tolbert’s angry voice from playing in his head.

  I should have known not to trust a Hunt bearing gifts.

  It had taken all his will power to ignore the accusation and keep the focus on Tacy, where it belonged.

  But now, with Timmy tucked safely in bed, he had plenty of time to think. And the longer he considered the facts, the more he was convinced that what happened that evening was yet another deliberate attack against Tacy.

  But who had tampered with the dessert? He knew who he suspected, but he couldn’t let himself jump to conclusions. That was no way to run an investigation.

  He eliminated Carl from consideration. And, as much as he didn’t like or trust the
Tolberts’ attorney, he couldn’t come up with a motive to pin on Gunnar that would justify murder.

  Which left Lois. She had ample time to tamper with the cake, just as she had the means to put something in Tacy’s coffee the day of the stampede. Too bad the doctor’s office still hadn’t returned the results of the drug test.

  But apart from all of the circumstantial evidence, he still needed to come up with a concrete reason to explain why Lois would want to kill Tacy.

  A car door slammed.

  He walked over to the window. The porch light was on, and he could see Tacy lean over and kiss her grandfather’s cheek. A second later, her footsteps sounded on the steps, followed by the vroom of a motor as Carl pulled away.

  Tacy paused and reached into her purse. Was she looking for her keys? He hurried across the room and opened the door.

  Tacy smiled as she stepped toward him. “Hey! What are you doing still awake?”

  “I...” His answer hung in the cool night air as the crunch and snap of something moving in the nearby bushes sent his senses into high alert. His brain registered the possible threat as his body reacted on instinct. He leapt forward, covering the remaining two feet between him and Tacy, his eyes frantically scanning the shadows.

  Positioning his body in front of Tacy, he pulled her across the threshold and into the bunkhouse and then slammed the door behind them. As the latch clicked, he reached for the deadbolt and slid it into the grove.

  “Seb?” Tacy stammered. “What’s happening?”

  He shook his head. His body felt like a chord being pulled too tight, but he didn’t want to cause unnecessary worry. He took a steadying breath.