Tempting Fate

by Stacy Finz

  “I don’t know about that. What I do know is, as much as I don’t want a motocross track next to my home, or the crime and nuisance it might bring, the money it’ll generate will buy the department a few more officers, after-school programs for the kids, and a host of other things this town needs. It’ll also lose the city a bunch of money if Moto Entertainment decides to sue because the town blocks it from coming in. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. For me, personally, things would be best if they stayed the same, if the land was kept for agricultural purposes.”

  Raylene didn’t have that choice, unless one of the local ranchers stepped up.

  Gabe got to his feet. “I’m off to search for gold.”

  “Good luck with that.” Rhys beaned him in the back of the head with the ball.

  Chapter 20

  On Sunday morning, Harper showed up at the barn in her pink cowboy boots with a baggie full of apples and her dad in tow.

  It was so cute that Raylene’s mood instantly lifted.

  Drew Matthews followed his daughter around the stable, listening to her chatter on endlessly.

  “This horse’s name is Sugar,” she told him. “She used to have thrush in her hoof. That’s like this really gross infection. But the farrier—that’s kind of like a foot doctor for horses—came and trimmed her hooves and now she’s better.”

  Drew turned to Raylene. “Harper’s been hanging out here a lot.”

  “I can tell. Between this and McCreedy Ranch, you’re an expert, huh, Harper?”

  “Not as much as Justin and Cody. They know everything about horses and cattle, and even chickens.”

  “You’ll get there.” Raylene gave Harper’s ponytail a little tug. “How’s Ginger?”

  “She’s good. Clay gave me a lesson yesterday.”

  “That’s great.” Raylene suspected he wasn’t thrilled about his stepdaughter working for her. At least Drew didn’t seem to have a problem with it.

  “You want to watch me next time?” she asked her dad.

  “I can’t think of anything I’d love more.” He kissed the top of Harper’s head, making Raylene wonder what the world would be like if everyone had a father like Drew Matthews.

  Gabe would be that kind of dad. Attentive, nurturing, proud. She mentally kicked herself for going there and tried to focus on the task at hand.

  “You ready to learn the routine?” she asked Harper, who bobbed her head enthusiastically.

  “First, you break off a flake of hay.” Raylene walked Harper to the hay loft and showed her how to snap open a bound bale of alfalfa by twisting a hook in the wire that held it together.

  Drew watched closely, and Raylene got the impression he’d be taking over this part of the chore. It didn’t take that much strength if you did it right, but the hook was sharp and could cause a serious injury if you weren’t careful. She’d grown up using them and had never had an accident.

  “It’ll break off like this.” She demonstrated.

  “I know. I do it at home all the time.”

  “Excellent,” Raylene said, and showed Harper which trough was Gunner’s. “Always make sure his water is filled.”

  “I know how to do that, too.” Harper climbed up on the fence. “Can I give him some apple slices?”

  “Sure. Then I’ll show you how to feed him his oats. Only once a week, though.”

  “Okay.” Harper stuck her hand inside the stall and held her palm perfectly flat so Gunner could take the apple without nipping her fingers.

  While she fed him a few more slices, Drew joined Raylene at the fence.

  “I hear you’re heading home tomorrow.”

  She’d never really thought of Los Angeles as home, but she supposed it was the closest thing she had to one anymore. “Uh-huh.” She just had to officially accept Moto Entertainment’s offer. “Thanks for letting Harper do this. It’ll help me sleep better knowing Gunner is in good hands.”

  “Are you kidding? Look at her, she’s thrilled.”

  It was funny, because Harper lived on a working ranch with plenty of horses to care for. Raylene supposed this was the girl’s first job and a way of showing some independence. She gathered that after what had happened, Emily was extremely protective of Harper. And who could blame her?

  “You taking off tomorrow too?” Raylene asked, knowing that Drew and his wife lived somewhere in the Bay Area.

  “My wife and I are leaving this afternoon,” he said. She got the impression he wished he could stay longer. It must be difficult leaving his daughter after only recently being reunited with her.

  “Safe travels.”

  “Thanks.” He watched Harper fawn over Gunner for a few seconds. “Would you mind if I bowed out of the rest of the lesson? I think I got enough of the basics to jump in if she needs help. I should really help Kristy pack up. I know Harper wanted to watch you ride Gunner in the ring, and I don’t want to deprive her of that before dropping her off at Emily’s.”

  “Of course. I’ll take her to your house when we’re done here.”

  “Great. We’re just on the other side of the development. Harper can show you, but it’s not even a half mile away.”

  “Not a problem at all. And again, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate her doing this.” She handed him Harper’s first payment. “I wasn’t sure if I should give it to her or to you.”

  Drew smiled. “You should give it to her. It’ll be nice for her to see what it’s like to earn her first paycheck.”

  “All right.” Raylene slipped it inside her jeans. She’d give it to Harper when she dropped her home. Between the weekly checks and Gunner’s feed, she’d be eating into what was left of her money faster than she wanted to think about.

  Drew went over to Harper to tell her he was leaving, then he drove off. Raylene showed Harper how to dole out Gunner’s weekly grain ration and saddled the gelding for one last ride before she left. Later today she was going to take another stab at finding the gold. They’d gotten more snow on Saturday, but with the sun out today it had already started melting and she fervently hoped the digging would be easier. Yesterday had been rough, and once again they’d come up empty.

  Gabe had bitched and moaned the entire time, but he had stuck with her until it was too dark to dig anymore. She hadn’t told him about her awful meeting with Lucky. There was no sense reliving her humiliation—her shame. Lucky hated her so much he wouldn’t even accept her land, which in her mind was asinine. He could’ve hated her while sitting on two hundred prime acres of real estate.

  Her sponsor had warned her that some of the people she’d hurt wouldn’t readily accept amends, but Raylene thought it was important to at least try to make restitution any way she could. Nothing could undo the trouble she’d caused, but she’d spend the rest of her life willingly paying penance. And that meant leaving tomorrow, with or without the gold. Her visit here had clearly upset the balance of Lucky’s life, which was the last thing she wanted to do.

  She checked her phone to see if Gabe had texted. Nothing yet. She’d spent the night in his arms, this time in a real bed. Leaving him tomorrow…well, she wasn’t going to let herself face all the things she felt for him because there was no happily-ever-after in their future. Examining it too closely not only wasted energy, it was unhealthy. She couldn’t change her past and all the reasons she had to leave Nugget, so pretending there was even an iota of a chance with them would only set her up for disappointment. Besides, as attracted as Gabe seemed to be to her, he’d never indicated that the past two weeks had been anything more than a fling.

  “You ready to take him out?” Raylene stuffed her phone in her pocket and handed Harper Gunner’s reins to lead him out to the arena. She’d give Gabe her ETA later.

  “Can I ride him?”

  “Sure. He hasn’t been out in a while, so let me first.”

  It was a great r
ing, and they had the entire barn to themselves. Tucked away on the other side of the main road from Sierra Heights, the stable was convenient to the community center where the pool, tennis courts, and rec room were, but not too close to subject everyone to the smell. To Raylene it was a good smell—the gamey odor of a working ranch would forever be ingrained on her soul, even if she did live in a big city now—but not everyone felt that way. Especially city folks up to enjoy a summer weekend lounging by the pool or a snowy day in the spa. Or so she presumed. The barn and arena backed up to Redwood State Park, where there were more than a dozen riding trails, which made it even more enticing to residents of the planned community. She’d heard Griffin was searching for someone to manage the stable full-time. That way boarders didn’t have to do it themselves or hire caretakers.

  Raylene took a few turns in the arena. If she had more time, she’d double up with Harper and ride through the park. Harper sat on the top row of the fence and watched Raylene kick Gunner into a lope. Her boy had a lot of pent-up energy and she wanted to tire him out before Harper climbed into the saddle. She rode him until he worked up a nice lather, then got down to give Harper a turn. They’d take it nice and slow at first, to make sure Harper could handle him. He wasn’t a horse for beginners, but Raylene would be right here in case he started acting up.

  Once Harper got up, Raylene adjusted the stirrups. “Walk him around first, nothing fancy.”

  Raylene watched as Harper rode in a wide circle. She had a nice seat. Raylene figured Clay had worked with Harper on that. “You’re doing great. How does he feel compared to Ginger?”

  “Bigger.” Harper looked down and Raylene laughed.

  “A little bit. But you’re a natural.”

  “You think? I’m always kind of scared. Clay said a horse can sense that.”

  “It’s true. But it’s good to be on guard, yet confident. You have to be the boss, or else he’ll take advantage.” Just to prove it, Gunner stopped to nibble on a few weeds under the fence. “Give the reins a little jerk, but not too hard. Just enough to tell him to stop it.”

  Harper successfully tugged his head up, and with a nudge to his flanks, he was walking again.

  “Good job!”

  “Thanks for letting me ride him.”

  “You’re welcome.” Raylene thought she was getting even more enjoyment out of it than Harper. Maybe someday, when she finally got her horse farm up and running, she’d give a few riding lessons to kids. Though the ranch would be a pipedream without Levi’s Gold. After she donated part of her property sale proceeds to Lucy’s House, she wouldn’t have enough for the land, let alone the capital to get the business off the ground. Not unless she left California. And even then it would be a stretch. “He likes you.”

  “You think?”

  “No doubt about it. You ready to call it a day?”

  “I guess so. My dad and Kristy probably want to get going. It’s a four-hour drive.”

  Raylene helped Harper get down and led Gunner toward the barn to unsaddle and groom him.

  “Don’t worry about feeding him tomorrow morning.” Raylene wanted to see him one more time before she left. “And this is for you.” She slipped the check in Harper’s jacket pocket.

  Harper’s face lit up. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t spend it all in one place.” Raylene squeezed Harper’s shoulder. The girl was just so darn cute. “Let’s get done here and get you home.”

  She carried the saddle to a small tack room at the rear of the barn while Harper brushed Gunner with a curry comb. Taking a second to look around, she marveled at how neat everything was. Gabe had saved her bacon by sweet-talking Griffin into letting her keep Gunner here. For all her sins, the universe had sent her an angel in Gabe. She wondered if he would keep in touch with her after she left, or if she would simply go back to being Logan’s high-maintenance sister.

  She left the tack room, making sure to lock it behind her, and it struck her that she should make Harper a copy of the key. “Hey, Harp—”

  Raylene stopped dead in her tracks. There were three people with Harper, one of them a small woman who at first glance looked like a young girl. On closer inspection, all three looked homeless and rough. The hairs on Raylene’s neck went up. Something didn’t feel right. She stuffed her hand in her pocket and fumbled around for her phone.

  “Hi there,” one of them, a man with stringy hair, a beard, and clothes that looked as if they hadn’t been washed in a month, greeted her, then wrapped his arm around Harper’s shoulder. Though he smiled, nothing about his demeanor was friendly. “Your friend said it was okay for us to pet your horse.”

  Raylene palmed her phone, keeping her hand casually inside her pocket. First, she wanted to put herself between Stringy and Harper. She didn’t like his familiarity with Harper, and from the looks of it the frightened thirteen-year-old didn’t either.

  “Sure,” Raylene said. “Harper, can you get me the hoof pick in the tack room?”

  “Uh, okay.” But Harper hesitated. Sweet little Harper didn’t want to leave Raylene alone with their threesome.

  “Go on.” Raylene nudged her head toward the back of the barn, hoping Harper would take the hint and run to get Drew or the first person she could find. Her creep meter was way off the charts.

  Harper started to move, but Stringy pulled her back. “Don’t go yet. What’s your name?”

  “Her name is none of your goddamn business. Let go of her. Now!”

  Stringy put his hands up in the air. “Why do you have to be so hostile?”

  The other two laughed, drawing Raylene’s attention to the small woman who she’d initially mistaken for a child and a man who was slightly taller than Stringy. He had beady eyes and reminded Raylene of a ferret. She couldn’t decide who of the three was the biggest threat, but her money was on Stringy.

  “We come in peace,” he said, and again the other two laughed.

  “Well, we’re packing up here. My boyfriend’s on his way to pick us up.” And he’s a former Navy SEAL. “You have to be with a resident to stay in the barn, so you’ve got to leave.” Raylene tried to usher them out the entrance, but they didn’t move.

  Stringy went back to draping his arm around Harper’s shoulders, as if he hadn’t heard a word Raylene said. That’s when she knew this really, really wasn’t good. She eyed the hay hook and calculated how long it would take for her to get to it, wondering if she’d be better off trying to surreptitiously unlock her phone and dial 9-1-1. Hard to do without looking.

  The tiny woman caught the direction of Raylene’s gaze and shook her head. “Don’t even think about it.”

  Raylene could take her with one arm tied behind her back. It was the two men she wasn’t so sure about. They weren’t large, both well under six feet and on the waifish side. One on one, she might’ve had a chance, but not all three of them at once. And she had Harper to worry about. If anything happened to her, Raylene couldn’t live with herself.

  “What do you people want? We don’t have any money.”

  Ferret gave her a once-over that made her skin crawl. She had to get Harper out of here. Pressing the home key on her phone, she felt the surface of the screen, trying to spatially figure out where the numbers were to punch in her passkey. She was so nervous her hand shook.

  “What are you doing?” Tiny grabbed her arm.

  “Get your hands off me.” Raylene pushed her, a tactical error because Stringy tightened his arm around Harper.

  “Don’t push me again, bitch.” Tiny reached in Raylene’s pocket, found the phone, and threw it against the barn wall.

  Time for another plan. The problem was Raylene didn’t have one. And Harper…not again… Raylene wouldn’t let them put her or her parents through any more trauma. They’d already been through so much.

  “What. Do. You. Want?” she asked through gritted teeth.

&nb
sp; “We want the map.” Tiny backhanded Raylene across the face. She might have been small, but the slap stung so hard Raylene’s eyes watered.

  The map? It took a few moments for her to process what they were asking for, then it all became clear. They were the ones who’d stolen the pickax, broken into her car…and possibly killed someone in Utah during a home invasion robbery. That third piece of the puzzle chilled her to the bone.

  “I don’t have it with me.” Raylene held her throbbing face, trying not to look at Harper, afraid her fear was so palpable she’d scare the girl even worse.

  “Well, that’s a problem, isn’t it?” the woman said, and Raylene knew she’d miscalculated. She, not Stringy, was running the show. Tiny exchanged a glance with Stringy and he stroked Harper’s arm.

  “You’re not going to get it unless you let her go,” Raylene said, knowing it was an empty threat. The more she protested on Harper’s behalf, the more they’d use Harper to their advantage.

  Tiny laughed before turning to Ferret. “Search her.”

  He took his time, emptying Raylene’s pockets and running his hands under her clothes. Her purse was in her truck. The map was in Gabe’s. Gabe. She silently prayed that he’d show up here, instead of her property.

  “Nothing,” he said.

  “Check the truck,” Tiny demanded.

  “My boyfriend has it.” Raylene tried to block Ferret. “Let me call Gabe. He’ll bring it, and you can leave us alone.”

  “You mean the boyfriend who’s on his way?” Tiny snorted and signaled to Ferret that he should search Raylene’s Ford.

  With him gone, Raylene considered her odds against Tiny and Stringy. She wished she had something she could use as a weapon, and scanned her immediate area as discreetly as possible. During the commotion, Gunner had wandered closer to his stall. The curry comb sat on the mounting block, but Raylene didn’t think it was capable of doing any real damage. Her fear was she’d only antagonize the trio and they’d take out their anger on Harper. Whatever she did had to be enough of a distraction to give Harper time to make a run for it. Before she had any more time to contemplate it, Ferret came back, holding her purse.