Love Finds You in Valentine, Nebraska

by Irene Brand

  Derek had warned her against going to Smith’s office alone, but that was only if she accused him of embezzling, which she didn’t intend to mention. The connecting door between Smith’s office and the reception room was open, and although Kennedy intended to present an air of calm and self-confidence, her heart was pounding like a jackhammer.

  Forcing herself to speak normally, she asked Naomi, “Is your boss busy now?”

  “Come on in, Kennedy,” Smith called from his office. “I saw you drive up.”

  He greeted her suavely, apparently in a jovial mood. “I see you’ve acquired a guard dog,” he said.

  “This is Derek’s dog, but he stays with me,” she said, patting Wilson’s head. “He seems to like my company, and I like his.”

  “What can I do for you, cousin?” Smith said with a smile.

  She was tempted to say, “You’ve already done enough,” but he was family, and her father wouldn’t like what she was going to do. Besides, she had promised Derek, so she held back the accusation that hovered on her lips.

  “Thank you for sending the report to my attorney and the copy to me,” Kennedy said deliberately. “After all my years in college and law school, I’ve learned enough to handle my own business affairs, so I don’t find it necessary to retain an accountant any longer. I’ve learned a lot about the Circle Cross this summer, and having seen how well Derek keeps records, I’ll have him send his reports directly to me from now on.” having seen how well Derek keeps records, I’ll have him send his reports directly to me from now on.” Anger spread across his face, but he said civilly, “So you’re not going to sell.”

  “Definitely not. That ranch has been in the Blaine family for a long time, and I intend to keep it.”

  “Are you moving to Nebraska?”

  “I’m leaving for Los Angeles soon, but I don’t intend to be an absentee landlord like Dad was. I’ll take a personal interest in running the Circle Cross. I plan to keep a residence in both states, so I’ll be here often.” She stood up. “I’ll keep in touch.” Smith didn’t say anything as she left his office. Facing him hadn’t been easy, and Kennedy’s hands shook as she started her car.

  Although she knew it would be easier for Derek if she stayed away from him, he should know that she was starting the process to put the ranch on the National Register and that he’d be reporting directly to her instead of Smith. Kennedy was disappointed when she drove into the ranch yard and saw that his pickup was gone.

  June was sweeping the porch and waved to Kennedy. Wilson jumped out of the car and headed toward his food and water containers on the back porch. “Come in,” June called.

  “I can’t stay long. I wanted to see Derek, but I see his pickup is gone.”

  “He and Al went to the northwest pasture to check on the horses. There’s always something to do around the ranch. Let’s sit on the porch. He’ll be back soon.” Mentally and physically exhausted, Kennedy welcomed sitting in the rocking chair. June was a good companion, and Kennedy encouraged her to talk about Derek’s childhood. “I know he’s an adopted kid,” she said, “but that’s about all he’s told me. Will you tell me how you came to adopt him?” Derek’s mother was too sharp to have missed what was going on between Kennedy and her son, but Kennedy knew she wouldn’t become involved in their decisions.

  June slowly rocked back and forth, gathering her thoughts. “John and I moved to Chicago after he found good work in a factory, but neither of us ever liked living in the city. We were young and expected to have a large family, but that didn’t happen. I was volunteering at a city mission when Derek came up for adoption. He’d been in two foster homes before that, and they had been bad experiences. After I’d worked with Derek for a few weeks, I loved him and talked to John about adopting him, which we did. We felt that God had provided a son for us, and we loved him like he was our own.”

  “I haven’t questioned Derek about his background, but he volunteered a little information. He said he was abandoned on the streets of Chicago when he was a toddler.”

  June nodded, and there was a faint tremor in her voice when she answered. “The director of the mission told me that he was a healthy baby, dressed well, and hadn’t been abused. Because he’d been abandoned near the mission, they believed he’d been left there deliberately so he would be taken in. He must have been dropped off by someone out of town, but they could never find out where he’d been born. We figured he might have been adopted by someone who couldn’t keep him for some reason or other, but whoever it was wanted to be sure that he found a good home.” Trying to swallow the lump that lingered in her throat, Kennedy stood and walked to the edge of the porch, her troubled eyes scanning the wide sweep of rangeland around ranch headquarters. Knowing how much this land meant to Derek, she closed her eyes, her heart aching for the pain she knew he experienced because of his family background. She’d given him the Circle Cross, but what else could she do for him?

  With her back to June, she said, “I asked him if he had tried to find his biological parents, but he said he didn’t want to know. He’s afraid he’ll find out things that will make him feel worse than he already does about his heritage. I’m convinced he came from a good background. I told him I’d search for him, but he said he doesn’t want me to. I may do it anyway.”

  June continued the talk by telling about their early days at the ranch, but she was vague about their lives in Chicago after they had adopted Derek. He’d told her that there were things in his past he hoped she’d never learn about, so Kennedy thought perhaps she should refrain from asking questions regarding that portion of his life. She loved the man he was today—his past didn’t matter to her. But it did to Derek, and that was the hurdle they couldn’t overcome.

  After a while Kennedy went to the office, checked her e-mail, and downloaded some information she needed to review for the bar exams. After asking June to have Derek get in touch with her, she went home.

  In the late afternoon Wilson started barking, and by now she could tell by the dog’s tone when he was greeting Derek. She hadn’t dared to hope that he would stop by so soon, and her heart beat a little faster. Smiling, she hurried to unlock the door when she heard his footsteps on the porch.

  His dark eyes softened at the sight of her, and the very air around them seemed to be charged with an undeniable magnetism. After an interminable minute, he shook his head and looked away. “Mom said you wanted to talk to me.”

  “Yes, but I didn’t expect you to come over until this evening. Do you want to sit inside or in the gazebo?” Kennedy questioned.

  “Let’s sit out here,” Derek said, looking down at his clothes. “I’m not very clean. I still have some work to do, and I didn’t change my clothes.”

  “You sit down, and I’ll bring out some iced tea.”

  He had taken off his boots and hat and was relaxing on a chaise lounge when she returned with a pitcher of tea, two glasses, and a plate of cookies.

  He seemed more depressed than she’d ever seen him, and there was a bleak expression on his face. She longed to sit beside him, smooth back his ruffled, sweaty hair, kiss his forehead, and tell him she loved him. But it would be cruel to talk about her emotions when it was painful to him. Whatever his problems, she wouldn’t add to them.

  “Bakery cookies,” she said lightly. “I haven’t learned to cook yet. There isn’t much motivation when I generally eat alone.”

  “I like bakery cookies,” he said, taking three of them and a glass of tea. He drained half the tea in one swallow and she refilled his glass before she sat on the lounge near his feet. A cool breeze wafted around the house, and they sat silently for a few minutes.

  “Anything wrong?” he asked.

  “No, everything is right, in my opinion,” she said. “I told Robin today that I wanted to place the Circle Cross on the National Register, if possible. We’re going to meet later in this week to work on the application. Of course, Robin says it sometimes takes a long time to review applications and that o
ur ranch might not be approved, but we’ll never know until we try.”

  “So that means you won’t sell the Circle Cross no matter how much money you’re offered?” he asked.

  “That’s right, and I feel content with my decision. There are some things that money can’t buy.”

  “Yeah, I know,” he said, with a pointed look at her.

  She wasn’t sure what he meant. Surely he didn’t think she was trying to buy a husband! But she’d opened the door for his comment.

  “I intend to get the papers ready before I leave.”

  Wistfulness clouded his eyes before he looked away and asked, “When are you going?”

  “I intend to make plane reservations this week.” She poured more tea for him and said, “I also stopped by Smith’s office today and told him that I didn’t need his services any longer—that you’ll be submitting your reports directly to me.”

  He glanced quickly toward her, obviously surprised.

  “Well, why should I pay for a middleman I don’t need?” she said. “I’ve looked over your system and can understand it a lot better than I could the reports Smith made to Dad. Besides the fact that he’s an embezzler, I really don’t need him.”

  “You didn’t confront him with your suspicions?”

  “You didn’t confront him with your suspicions?”

  “No. I’m leaving that up to Mr. Talbot. I don’t want Smith to sue me for libel.”

  “Only a lawyer would think of that,” he said with a wry grin. Taking a deep breath, he sat up. She stood up while he pulled on his boots. “It’s sure comfortable here, but I have some work to finish.”

  “Will you promise me something?” she asked.

  His dark eyes were sharp and assessing. “Not until I know what it is.”

  “I want you to treat the Circle Cross as if it were yours. Together, I think we can make it the best ranch in Cherry County. After I’m back in California, anything you think of that will make an improvement, let me know about it, and we’ll discuss it. Will you do that?”

  “I’ll think about it.” He put on his hat. “Anything else?”

  “Yes. I don’t intend to mention this to anyone else before I give it a lot of prayerful consideration, but I’m considering turning the West Eighty into a conference center where we can have spiritual conferences for people of all ages. You said that it isn’t very valuable to the Circle Cross. I looked over the building inside and out while I stayed with the campers, and I think we could easily have it in operation by next summer. I’d have to get a contractor to estimate what the cost would be to finish. It would have to be set up as a corporation, with a board of directors to advise me, and we’d have to hire someone to manage the place and set up a program that will provide adequate income to fund the operation. I thought it could be named the Grace and Kenneth Blaine Conference Center to honor my parents. Do you think it’s a good idea?”

  Derek shrugged his left shoulder. “I’m just a rancher, so I don’t have a clue as to what would work and what wouldn’t. But I don’t know of anything else like that in Nebraska, so it probably is a good idea. Your lawyer and Tony could give you a better opinion than I can.”

  “But I wanted you to know before I mentioned it to anyone else. It’s just an idea now, but I can’t let go of it, if you know what I mean.” He nodded understandingly. “Give it a few more weeks, and if the idea won’t go away, then go for it. My only help would be moral support, and you know you’d have that.” He grinned at her, and for a moment his burden seemed to have lifted and he was the Derek she’d learned to love. “Do you realize how complicated my life has become since you showed up on my doorstep? Until then, all I had to do was worry about running a ranch.” She knew he was kidding her, so she retorted, “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of. Sorry to leave good company, but I have to go.”

  Derek went slowly down the steps, and she noticed that his shoulders were bent as he walked to the truck. It wasn’t his work that he loved but rather emotional stress that had caused the change in his demeanor. If only he would tell her what was wrong!

  “Derek,” she said. He turned dark and unfathomable eyes toward her. She stifled the desire to run and throw her arms around him and tell him that she loved him.

  Right now he looked like a man who needed a hug. Instead she said, “If there’s ever anything I can do to help you, please let me know. You won’t even have to give a reason—just tell me what you need.”

  “Thanks,” he said. “I’ll bring the horses as soon as I can so we can go riding.” He leaned down, pulled gently on Wilson’s ears, and pointed to the house. Tail wagging, Wilson joined Kennedy on the porch, and Derek drove away without looking back.

  When Derek drove into the ranch yard, Al ran toward him. “Boss,” he said, “we’ve got trouble. Five of the cattle in the river pasture have been shot, and there’s a big note on one of them. I didn’t touch a thing.”

  Derek didn’t waste any time questioning Al, who was a reliable puncher. But he was stunned at the news. Nothing like this had happened at the Circle Cross since he’d lived here. Was this Lazaro’s attempt to get money out of him? Or did it have some connection to Kennedy’s harassment? If so, better the cows than Kennedy, he thought.

  “I’ll phone the sheriff, and you bring her to the pasture when she gets here,” he called to Al as he reached for his phone. “I’ll get in touch with Kennedy, and as soon as she gets here, we’ll go see what’s going on.”

  He dialed the courthouse. A deputy answered, and Derek learned that the sheriff was out on a case. “Contact her right away and tell her that Derek Sterling called. We have some bad trouble on the Circle Cross. Have her come to ranch headquarters.” He didn’t go into detail, figuring that the sheriff would act more quickly if she was in doubt as to what had happened.

  Kennedy didn’t answer until the fourth ring, and Derek fidgeted from one foot to the other. He was on the verge of getting into the truck and going back to Riverside when she answered.

  “Are you all right?” he asked quickly.

  “Of course.” Laughing, she said, “You’ve only been gone ten minutes.”

  “Several Circle Cross cattle have been killed, and I figured you’d want to go with us when we investigate. How soon can you go?”

  “I’m on my way.”

  In spite of being worried, Derek had to smile. Kennedy was one in a million! Most people would have started pelting him with questions, wanting to know all the details. But she instinctively knew that they had serious trouble, and she wouldn’t cause a delay by questioning him.

  June must have realized that something was wrong, too, for she hurried out of the house. He explained what had happened, and she asked, “What was written on the sign?”

  “I don’t know.” He walked to where Al stood. “What did the sign say?”

  “Just some big letters with an X on top of them. Didn’t make sense to me.”

  Derek heard Kennedy’s car coming at breakneck speed, and he went to meet her. She parked quickly, and they got into the truck. She struggled to catch her breath.

  “What’s happened?”

  He told her what the cowboy had found. “I’ve called the sheriff, and Al will bring her to the pasture when she gets here, but I want to get there as soon as possible.”

  They traveled the ten miles to the field quickly and almost in silence. To get to the field where the slaughter had occurred, Derek crossed the Niobrara River at a ford. About twenty cattle had gathered in the shade of a tree, bawling and looking at the dead animals. Derek turned off the truck’s engine and stared with anger and sorrow at the five two-year-old heifers, among the best cattle on the ranch, lying dead in the sun.

  He couldn’t understand why anyone would take out their spite, whatever it was, on helpless animals.

  “Oh, Derek,” Kennedy whispered, and she turned tear-filled green eyes toward him. She moved closer and put her hand on his where it gripped
the steering wheel. “I’m so sorry,” she said, and he knew her grief was for him, not the loss of five valuable cows.

  In spite of his good intentions to avoid touching Kennedy, he lifted her hand and kissed it.

  “Let’s get out,” he said. “I don’t want to mess up any evidence for the sheriff, but we can take a closer look. I’d like to see what’s on the sign.”

  “Let’s get out,” he said. “I don’t want to mess up any evidence for the sheriff, but we can take a closer look. I’d like to see what’s on the sign.” He stepped to the ground and raised his arms. She scooted under the wheel and he lifted her down. Holding hands, they walked closer. His first thought was that Lazaro was responsible, but if he wasn’t mistaken, the killing had been done with a high-powered rifle, and Lazaro was a knife and handgun killer. Were there two different threats hanging over the Circle Cross? He halted abruptly when they reached the large cardboard sign leaning against one of the cows.

  NRHP had been painted in bold strokes with a large X superimposed over the letters.

  “NRHP,” Kennedy said slowly, and then the significance of the letters must have hit home, for she whispered, “Of course! National Register of Historic Places. I can’t believe it! Why would people go to such an extent to keep me from setting this property aside for historic purposes? I only decided yesterday. Who would have known?”

  “You’re used to L.A. The news travels fast in small towns,” Derek muttered. “A lot of people could already know that you’re considering it.”

  “Smith Blaine, for instance,” Kennedy said angrily. “There has to be more going on here than someone wanting the property for a housing development. As big as Nebraska is, there must be a lot of land that would be more valuable than this. Could there be oil or gas on the ranch?” Shaking his head, Derek answered, “Not according to geological surveys.”