“That works. And I’m glad. Are you hungry?”
“Starved.”
“Got any food in the house? The bunkhouse needs to be stocked.”
“Sure, and I can get that done tomorrow if you can manage until then.”
“I can manage. Come on, it’s getting close to lunchtime. I’ll cook something.”
“You cook?”
“I cook.”
“Wow.”
* * *
He definitely cooked. Becca finished off the last of the delicious chicken concoction and leaned back in her chair. Her back twinged, but at least there wasn’t any sharp, shooting pain. “You get to stay,” she said.
“What?”
Jack stretched out at her feet and she rubbed his belly with her toes. “You cook. Therefore, you get to stay. And Jack agrees because you feed him scraps as you work.”
He laughed, speared the last hand-cut French fry, and popped it in his mouth. Becca studied him as he chewed. He’d aged a little since she’d last seen him. And had developed a few wrinkles around his eyes. But...he looked amazing.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She sighed and dropped her fork onto the plate. “Okay how? I’m okay in the sense that I have my home, my business and I haven’t had to declare bankruptcy yet, but...” She shrugged. “I don’t know, Nathan.”
“Tell me about the accident.”
She gave a low laugh that held no humor. “I wish I could.” At his lifted brow, she shook her head. “I don’t remember a lot. Bits and pieces, but not much once the accident happened. And I think there are some things I don’t remember that happened before. I get flashes, but nothing that I can string together to make sense of the day.”
“So, tell me what you do remember.”
She studied him then shrugged. “I might be an award-winning equestrian, but I still take lessons to keep my skills sharp since I’m not competing anymore. I don’t remember this, but my trainer, Christine, was here. She said we saddled up and headed for the pasture. Christine said Pete seemed really antsy, but that she thought he was just restless and needed some exercise. Then once we got into the ring and I started him off for the first jump, he just went crazy and started bucking. I think I remember hearing Christine yelling, but it was all I could do to stay in the saddle. And then I just...couldn’t. I remember falling and then waking up with paramedics surrounding me.”
And something else. There was something else she needed to remember, but she just couldn’t seem to grasp hold of the memory that continued to flicker at the edge of her mind. She tried to reach for it—and the pain in her temple hit her. She pressed a palm against the throbbing and cleared her mind.
“Becca?”
She opened her eyes to see Nathan hovering, his brows creased, worry staring at her. “I’m fine. It’s just each time I try to think about that day, I get some sharp headaches.”
“I understand.”
“Do you mind if we change the subject?”
“Sure.”
“Do you mind if I ask about your engagement?”
He froze for a split second, then nodded. “What do you want to know?”
“I heard you were engaged and broke it off.”
“I was and did.”
He didn’t want to talk about it.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to change the subject to one you don’t want to talk about.” Silence fell between them. Becca shifted and wished she’d kept her mouth shut. “Is it too soon?”
“No. It’s okay. Not my favorite topic, but I can talk about it now. The hurt is in the past, it’s just...”
“Just?”
He grimaced. “It’s embarrassing now.”
“Oh. Sorry. Embarrassing how?”
“Just how blind I was.”
“Do you mind telling me about it?”
He drew in a deep breath. “I met Sylvia shortly after I moved to Nashville to take the job with the DEA. She was the sister of my partner. Pretty, an elementary school teacher...and a drug addict who had turned to dealing to support her habit.”
Becca gasped. “Nathan. I’m so sorry.”
“I am, too. One evening, just before the sun was going down, we had a tip where drugs were being kept and sold so we orchestrated a raid. Later, when it was all over, we figured out that they knew we were coming but didn’t know we’d moved the raid up a couple of hours, so we still caught them by surprise. Sylvia was one of the dealers I arrested. That’s how I found out what she was up to.”
“That is...simply awful. Horrible.”
“I was crushed. Betrayed. Furious. And embarrassed for being so clueless. I don’t think there’s an emotion you could name in that category that I didn’t feel within a twenty-four-hour period. And then I went numb, threw myself into my work and swore off women.”
“I don’t blame you.” She let out a laugh devoid of humor. “And here you are, working for a woman who’s accused of being a possible drug dealer, runner, whatever. How can you stand to be around me?”
He looked at her, his eyes boring into hers. “If I thought you were truly guilty, I wouldn’t hesitate to turn you in. But Clay found no evidence, you had no problem hiring me on the spot—a DEA agent at that—so...”
“So?”
“So, I don’t think you’re guilty.”
“Even though a young man involved in drugs died with my number in his phone?”
“Even though.” He paused. “How did that happen anyway? Do you know?”
“No, of course I don’t. If I did, I would have told Clay.” She hesitated. “Are you sorry you decided to come out and work for me?”
“No. That stuff doesn’t match up with the girl I knew in high school. Still doesn’t.” He smiled and then shrugged. “I’ll admit Sylvia messed up my judgment, made me doubt myself, but you... I know you. And I’ve watched you over the last couple of days. My judgment may be skewed, but I don’t think it’s nonexistent.”
“Thanks for that.”
He rubbed his hands together. “Let’s not think about it anymore. I’m tired of heavy topics. What do you need me to do for the rest of the day?”
“You’re going to use hard labor to keep from thinking?”
“Exactly.”
She laughed, but there wasn’t much humor in the sound. “All right, then, I need to clean out the rest of the stalls and look at the schedule for the lessons. The kids come after school.”
“You have really full days, don’t you? Kids riding in the morning and then again in the afternoon? That’s a lot of work.”
“Yes, but I love it.” Thinking about the day, and the children who would arrive later, eased the headache. The time she spent with them was her happy time, her stress reliever. “You can help with the lessons, can’t you? You haven’t forgotten how to ride now that you’re a big city cop, have you?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Wanna race?”
She laughed at the playful question. This time it was a real laugh and the sound actually surprised her. How long had it been? “No, not yet. Not with this back. But one day I might take you up on it.”
They finished their food, and Becca cleaned the kitchen while Nathan went out to prepare for the lessons.
As she put the last dish into the cupboard, her cell phone rang. “Hello?”
“Ms. Price? This is Paul Gowen.”
“Hi, Mr. Gowen, what can I do for you?”
“You can pack up those two horses of mine and have them ready to be transferred into the trailer. I have someone coming to get them in thirty minutes. I’ve got another stable I’m going to board them with.”
Becca’s breath left her in a whoosh. “Ah, okay, sure, I can do that, but do you mind me asking why?”
“You need to sta
rt paying attention to what people are saying about you in town. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I can’t take any chances or be affiliated with anything that has the rumor of drugs attached to it.”
“Drugs? No! It’s not true. They searched the whole place and didn’t find anything. It was a lie.”
“Sorry, little lady. Like I said, I can’t take any chances. I’ll give you two months’ boarding fees for the inconvenience of pulling out on you so fast, but we’re done.” He hung up and Becca couldn’t move. Her feet were frozen in place, her hand still pressing the phone to her ear.
Drugs. Why was this happening? God, I don’t understand. Please make this all go away.
But he hadn’t stopped her fall, and he hadn’t made her parents understand her need for independence and the desire to own a stable and work with children. Why would she even bother to pray that he would help her with anything else? She felt guilty for the doubt, but figured God was big enough to deal with that, too.
Her phone rang. Grateful for the distraction, yet scared to death it was more bad news, she answered. “Priceless Riding School. How may I help you?”
* * *
“I did a little research, Clay, and that snake is not found in Tennessee. I think it was planted there during the party.” Nathan pressed the phone to his ear and paced in front of the bunkhouse.
“But who could have done it—and why?”
“I don’t know, other than to assume someone wanted to hurt Becca. Either by having a tragedy happen in the barn with one of the kids, or by killing her when she went to clean the stall. At this point, I’m just glad no one was hurt. But I’m telling you, something might be going on out here—as evidenced by the attack on her in the barn and now the snake’s mysterious appearance—but Becca’s not a part of it,” Nathan said. “I think she’s a victim in the whole thing.”
“What thing?”
“Whatever thing you suspect there is.” He paused to think, then asked, “Is there anyone who would benefit if Becca lost the ranch?”
“Well, her parents would be happy, but I don’t know that they would benefit from it.”
Nathan sighed and frowned. “Why are they so against her doing what she’s doing? Just because she put her medical career on hold?”
“You’ll have to ask her for the specifics, but I have a feeling it’s not just because she walked away from a medical career, but because she might not go back.”
“They should be proud of her for doing that. Most people get stuck in a job and only later regret they didn’t chase their dreams.”
Clay sighed. “Hey, I agree, but trust me, they’re not happy about it.”
“Would they go so far as to hire someone to scare her into giving up or cause her enough trouble that she went bankrupt?”
“Scare her? Maybe. My uncle is a tough man. He’s hard to read and can come across really cold, so while I’m skeptical, I wouldn’t rule it out. But, that snake could have killed her. I seriously doubt he’d go that far.”
And just because the man had a chilly personality didn’t mean he was a killer. Didn’t mean he wasn’t either, but...
“Anyone out for revenge?” Nathan asked.
“For what?”
“Interfering? Like MacDougal?”
“Brody Mac’s father?”
“Yeah.”
“He was the first one I thought of when I learned of the attack so I looked into him. He was in Nashville at a bar when Becca was attacked in the barn, so I’m going to say it’s not him. Not that he couldn’t have hired someone, but it wasn’t him personally. And as for hiring someone...” He gave a short laugh. “I highly doubt that, too. He’s flat broke as far as I know. His house is falling down around his wife’s head and the city is getting ready to condemn it. Sabrina just learned their heat is out.” Clay had married social worker Sabrina Miller and together they’d adopted two children and then had two of their own. Clay shook his head. “We have a guy at church who’s going out there to fix it for Mrs. MacDougal as soon as he finishes up his paying job. Others have jumped in and offered to fix various things like the plumbing and the roof. So... MacDougal as Becca’s attacker? No. Not unless...”
“Unless what?”
“Someone paid him to do it.” Nathan heard Clay scribbling in the background.
“But he was in Nashville at the time.”
“Maybe. What if that was a cover story whoever hired him came up with?”
“Is there any security footage you can get from the bar?”
“Working on that now. I’ll let you know what I come up with. Now, assuming MacDougal comes back clean, what else you got?”
Nathan rubbed his chin. “Who gets the ranch if something happens to Becca?”
“I don’t know. That might be a good question to ask her.”
“I’ll do that.”
From the corner of his eye, he saw Becca step out of the house, the screen door slamming behind her. She walked to the barn with a hand pressed against her lower back. The other hand swiped one cheek then the other and Nathan frowned. Was she crying? “I’ve got to go.”
“Check back in if you learn anything more.”
“Will do. You do the same.”
Nathan hung up and slid the phone into his pocket. He hurried to catch up with Becca as she stepped into the barn. “Hey.”
She stiffened, then sighed and turned. Yep, she was crying.
“What is it?”
“Nothing, not really.”
“It’s something. Now tell me.”
She shook her head. “I had another client cancel a large-party trail ride, and one more person is pulling his horses from my stable.”
“Because of the drug rumors?”
“Yes.” She glanced at her watch. “I have to leave to go into town because I have a physical therapy appointment in about thirty minutes.”
“I’ll drive you.”
“No, that’s all right. I need you to stay here and keep an eye on Brody Mac. He texted me and said he would be here after he gets out of his last class.”
“I wondered about that. He mentioned graduation coming up. He goes to college?”
She smiled. “No. It’s a special school for people like Brody Mac. There’s a bus that picks him up in the morning and brings him home in the afternoon. It’s about a thirty-minute drive. He’s learning a trade—all about agriculture and growing things—but it’s on his level. He’s doing really well and has stuck it out in spite of his father’s discouragement.” She glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to go.”
“I’d rather you not go alone.”
“I’ll be all right. It’s this place I’m worried about. I’m afraid if I leave it empty, someone will really come do some damage. And besides, Sharon’s coming back to ride Lady Lou.”
She had a point. “What about hiring a night security person or something?”
“That costs money. I don’t have any to spare.”
He suspected she barely had enough to keep the place going right now, but she wasn’t ready to admit that fact to him. “Okay, then. You’ve got my number on speed dial. Use it if anything makes you nervous.”
“I will, and the physical therapy office is just a couple of blocks down from the sheriff’s office.”
“Right, but you still have the drive there and back.”
“I’ll be careful.” She reached out and hugged him. Nathan clasped her to him and simply held her, offering her whatever comfort his embrace had to offer. When she stepped back, he didn’t want to let go, but he forced himself to release her. She patted his arm. “Thanks, Nathan.”
Becca climbed into her truck and slammed the door. Nathan waved and watched her leave before dialing Clay’s number again. When Clay answered, Nathan said, “Becca’s heading to
the physical therapist. I’m going to nose around a bit and see if I can find anything. You keep an eye out and make sure she gets there safely.”
“Will do.”
Nathan hung up and headed toward the house. With guilt weighing heavy on his heart, he stepped inside and stopped. “I don’t want to do this,” he said to the empty room. But someone was trying to hurt Becca, and the only way to help her might involve being sneaky and secretive.
He drew in a deep breath and walked down the hall to her office. Once there, Nathan took a reluctant seat in her chair and opened her laptop.
FIVE
Becca pulled into the parking lot of the physical therapy office and breathed a sigh of relief that she’d made the ten-minute drive into town with no incidents.
Maybe she was right. Maybe she was safe as long as she was off the ranch. The thought depressed her. Becca climbed out of her truck and walked toward the door of the office. It was getting late and her stomach was rumbling. She’d pick up something at the diner to take back for dinner.
“You stay out of my family’s business, you hear me?”
Becca spun, wincing at the pull on her back muscles. Her heart thudded against her ribs when she spotted Jeff MacDougal leaning against the waist-high fence just outside the general store.
“I’m not in your family business. Brody Mac loves horses and ranch work. I simply let him help out.” She paused. “And he’s good at the work. He’s a real help for me.”
“Brody Mac don’t have no business doing nothing for nobody. When he shows up, you tell him to get lost and get on home, you hear?”
“I hear. But I won’t do it. He’s a wonderful young man with a gentle heart. Why can’t you see that? What do you have against him working and earning some money?”
He faltered for a moment. “He’s really doing that good?”
“Yes. He really is.”
Had she finally reached some soft spot in his anger-encrusted heart? For a moment, hope sprouted.
Then he scowled and straightened from his relaxed pose against the fence and pointed a finger at her. “Never mind that. If he wants to work, I’ll be the one to put him to work, not some uppity debutante who don’t know a mule from a donkey.” He took a step toward her and she lifted her chin to stare him in the eyes. Backing down wasn’t an option. And what right did he have to judge her? She probably knew her way around a ranch better than he did.
Christmas Ranch Rescue Page 5
