by Misty Malone
"How so?" asked the sheriff.
"Well, if I don't succeed and I have to sell the ranch, Ralph gets half. But if he knows Jim, he has a buyer. That's what Jim's doing here, looking for a ranch to buy. And Ralph would have not just any buyer, but a buyer I'd be more inclined to sell to quickly because he's a friend."
Sheriff Green was nodding his head. "Yeah, I'd thought of that, too. That's why I asked if they knew each other. I've been looking for some kind of connection between them, but I haven't found a thing. You haven't thought of anything else, have you?"
"No. I've gone over everything in my mind again and again, thinking I've missed something, but I've come up empty, too."
"Okay, we'll keep looking. Two men in my department are determined to get to the bottom of this, so we'll keep at it. If you think of anything, no matter how small, let me know."
"Oh, I will, believe me," Chase promised.
* * * * *
Cece was busy the next several days interviewing ladies to be their housekeeper. She narrowed it down to three applicants, and they arranged to have each of them fix dinner for them one night, with the proviso that they would be paid for their time, but it did not guarantee a job.
During this same time Chase was busy with baling the first cut, so Cece and Chase talked on the phone, but weren't able to see each other much. They were content, though. Knowing how they both felt about the other gave them the assurance they needed to be patient.
Saturday evening Chase ate supper with Cece and her dad. Their new housekeeper and cook was starting Monday, so Cece decided to make one of her dad's favorite meals, and used her mom's recipe for the pecan pie Chase liked so well.
After they ate, they called Joe and put him on speaker while they discussed what Sheriff Green had been looking into. They explained to Joe how a partnership between Jim Hunter and Ralph would be beneficial to both, and that the mystery caller that ordered the dump truck load of salt was a woman. Joe's first comment was, "So it sounds like while we've been trying to determine if it's Ralph or Jim and Leah, it may have been all of them all along."
"But how do we prove that?" Pete asked.
"I don't know," Chase said. "I have thought long and hard, and I can't come up with any way to connect them."
"Unless Jim somehow heard about the will and sought out Ralph. He is looking for a ranch in your area, after all, and you said you don't know of any others for sale," Joe said, thinking aloud.
"Good point," Cece said. "I don't know of any others for sale, either. Since Ralph sought me out we've all been assuming it would have been him approaching Jim or Leah, but maybe you're right. Maybe Jim somehow heard about the will and sought out Ralph, with the idea that he would have a ranch he could buy for his boss then."
"Or, if Jim heard about the will, he wouldn't actually need Ralph's help. He may have enlisted Leah's help, maybe for a cut of whatever bonus Jim gets when he finds a ranch to buy. She may have come down here to scope the place out," Chase suggested.
"Also true," Pete said, "but if he enlisted Ralph's help he'd have a better chance of being able to buy it when it came up for sale."
"You're right, Pete," Joe agreed. "It would make it easier for Jim if he had help from Ralph. And keep in mind, too, Jim doesn't have a ranch background. He may need help from Ralph as to just what sort of things they could do."
"I agree it would be better for Jim to have Ralph's help, but I think we have to keep the possibility in our mind that it could be either Jim with help from Ralph, or Jim separately," Chase said, and they all agreed.
"How likely is it that Jim could have heard about the will, though? He's in Texas. Where would he have heard anything about a will up here?"
"Actually, I can see that possibly happening," Joe said. "Chase, your old friends here all know you went to Wyoming to take over your grandfather's ranch. I think it's entirely possible that Leah may have been at one of the places you young kids used to frequent on Saturday nights and overheard one of your friends mention it. Or she may have asked one of your friends where you've been. Didn't you say you dated her once shortly before you left for Wyoming?"
"Yes, but we only had one date."
"Maybe she was hoping there'd be another date, and when she didn't see you or hear from you she asked one of your old friends about you."
"That makes sense," Chase admitted. "But even if they told her I inherited a ranch and moved up here, they wouldn't have known about the details of the will."
"But if Jim was looking for a ranch in that area Leah may have mentioned it to him and he could have looked into the will," Pete suggested.
Joe agreed. "If he was looking for a ranch in your area he could have done some asking around, checking to see if you inherited it outright, or if it was left to all his grandchildren and you're the one that's going to live on it and run it."
Chase thought about that. "Yeah, I guess that's true. He would want to know that. Okay, so I can see that as a possibility, too, then, that they're all three involved, but Jim sought Ralph out instead of the other way around. Okay, that gives me something else to think about the next few days. I think it's important that we talk like this, go over what we have every so often, because I still keep thinking there's got to be something that we're all missing."
They all agreed, and promised to keep everyone informed if they found anything.
After the phone call Chase took Cece to his house, where they enjoyed a little time together alone.
Sunday Chase took her to her swimming hole for a surprise picnic. They went swimming to beat the heat, and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in or by the water.
Three days later, on Wednesday, Chase was surprised when Jim Hunter came to visit. Mack, who was working at the barn, called Chase in from the field.
Shaking Jim's hand, Chase said, "Good to see you again, Jim. What's going on?"
A rather subdued Jim asked, "Chase, have you got a few minutes? I'd like to talk to you."
Jim's demeanor had Chase curious. "Sure. Come on into the office in the barn." He led the way in, and closed the door behind them. Once they were both seated he asked, "What's on your mind, Jim?"
"Your sheriff's been investigating me. I'm not sure why, but it didn't really bother me. He can look into me or what I do for a living if he wants. But now it seems the investigation has switched over to Leah, and I don't like that. Not that she has anything to hide, but she doesn't need that right now."
Chase studied Jim's expression. "What do you mean she doesn't need that right now?"
Jim sighed and said, "We owe you an explanation, Chase, and I'm going to be honest with you. When I first came down here it was for two reasons. What I told you is true, but I hadn't planned on coming down here quite this soon. I was working on another project on the east coast and planned on finishing that first. Once I had that wrapped up, then I was going to come over to Wyoming and do my scouting and look for a ranch to buy."
"What changed your schedule?" Chase asked.
"Leah. I came up here to investigate you, actually, because I was pretty upset."
"You were upset with me?"
"Yes, but let me explain," he said. After a moment he added, "And apologize. I knew something was wrong with Leah, but she kept denying it. Finally she admitted she's pregnant. She said you were the father, and that's why she came up here to see you a few weeks ago."
Before he could go on Chase was on his feet. "She said what?"
"I know, but you can relax, Chase. I know better now. Let me go on, though. She said that when she told you she was pregnant you weren't at all interested in being a father to the baby, or helping her."
"I can't believe she said that."
"When she told me that, I was understandably upset. So I decided to make my trip to Wyoming now instead of later. I didn't know you that well in school, but that's not the kind of reputation you had then, so I decided to come up and see what was going on."
"I can't believe she told you that, Jim.
She didn't tell me she was pregnant."
"I know. She's come clean with me now. I'll tell you why she really came up in a few minutes, but let me explain why I came here when I did. When I got here I was really upset with you, and I planned on coming here and having it out with you. I wanted an explanation. I couldn't believe you would do that to my sister. But on my way here I did a lot of thinking. I decided it would be good to know a little bit about you before I just charged in here ready for a fight. So I did some asking around. What I kept hearing was pretty much the same thing I'd heard about you in school. Refusing to be a father to your own baby didn't match up with what I was hearing about you at all. So I kept checking."
Chase nodded, but didn't say anything.
"The thing that made me question her story the most was when I met with you. You never once said anything about her, but more importantly, you didn't cringe when I mentioned her. You didn't react one way or another. That didn't make any sense to me. Finally, I started to question her story. I went home last Friday and talked to her again. I finally convinced her I couldn't help her if she wasn't honest with me, and she confessed everything."
"Everything?"
"Well, I think she confessed everything," Jim amended. "Shortly after you left, Leah started acting crazy. I don't know what happened, but it's like she turned wild. She went to parties she wouldn't normally have gone to, and at one of those parties she got pregnant. She's not really sure who the father is, but she said she thinks it's one of two guys, and neither one is good father material, according to her. She said she found herself wishing it could have been someone like you. Then she realized it had only been a couple weeks after she'd dated you."
"Yes, but we didn't—"
"I know, it couldn't have been your baby because you didn't have sex. But she thought maybe if she came up here to see you she could get you interested in dating her again. If she could do that, then she could try to—"
"To lure me into her bed?" Chase said, contempt in his voice.
"Yes. Sorry, Chase. I can't believe she thought that, but that was her plan.
"Then once that happened, she could announce she was pregnant?"
"Exactly," Jim confirmed, "and then hopefully convince you it was yours."
"Did she really think that would work?" Chase was indignant.
"Actually, she was hoping to make you fall in love with her before she had to announce her pregnancy. Then even if you knew it wasn't yours you'd be in love with her and wouldn't want to leave her."
Chase sat there, shaking his head. "Seriously, she actually thought I'd fall in love with her within a few weeks, so that when she announced she was pregnant I'd raise the child as my own, even though I'd know it wasn't? Or did she think I'd have sex with her the first time or two we dated, without using a condom or any protection? When you go back home you can tell her neither of those things would have happened, if she's interested."
"I know it doesn't mean much, but I really am sorry, Chase. I feel terrible about what Leah did, and I'm sorry I upset you to the point that you felt you had to have the sheriff check me out. Can I ask you, what made you call the sheriff; was it finding me watching the ranch?"
Chase studied Jim again, wondering if this whole thing was the honest truth, or if he really was behind these acts of vandalism and this was an attempt to cover up the truth. He thought a little while before asking, "If this story is all true, then Leah is undeniably pregnant by now?"
Jim looked at Chace curiously. "Yes, she's definitely showing. You know to look at her she's pregnant."
"Do you have a picture of her?"
"I have a picture I took this weekend while I was home," he said as he took out his phone. He showed it to Chase, who nodded.
"Okay, I believe you. There have been several things happening on my ranch lately, acts of vandalism. They started about the time Leah showed up and then you followed close behind. Because I hadn't seen either of you for a fair amount of time, and we'd never been close friends to begin with, it looked suspicious. Sheriff Green has been investigating the vandalism on my ranch, and that includes anyone or anything he sees as suspicious."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jim said, holding his hands up. "I understand why you would think that makes us look suspicious, but we had nothing to do with any vandalism on your ranch. What I told you is the truth, Chase. I'm not at all proud of what Leah did and her plan to rope you into thinking you were the father, but I think she was desperate and not thinking clearly. But she would never do anything that included vandalizing someone else's property."
"Thank you for telling me, Jim."
"I'm sorry it happened, but since it did, you have a right to know why she came to see you." He paused before saying, "It may not seem like it to you, but she'd never be involved in vandalism involving your property because she likes you. She has a lot of respect for you. That's why she came up with that crazy plan in the first place. She knew you were a good man and would make a good father."
"Did she really think it would work? I mean, it seems really far reaching to me."
"It does to me, too," Jim admitted, "but I don't think she was thinking straight. She was in a panic."
"Is she thinking clearer now?"
"I think she is, yes. We've talked, and I think the idea of being a single mother has settled into her and she realizes it won't be easy, but it can be done."
"Good, because her baby's going to need a mother that's thinking clearly."
"You're right. She's got several more months yet to get used to the idea and make some plans. I think she'll be okay by then."
"I hope so. Even though I can't say I'm impressed with what she tried to do to me, I can understand how she could be acting in desperation. I hope it works out for her."
"Thank you. I'm going back home and we'll be out of your hair. If you want to tell the sheriff the real reason we've been up here to see you, I'd appreciate it. I'm sure he'll want to check it out for himself, and now that I hear why he's involved I don't blame him. But I can personally assure you we're not the culprits. I hope the sheriff finds who it is and stops them soon."
"Thank you, Jim. And thank you for coming clean. Personally, I'm glad to know you and Leah had nothing to do with the vandalism around here. I'll tell Sheriff Green about your visit. Tell Leah I wish her the best with her baby." He reached out his hand, and Jim shook it with a nod of his head, and left.
Chase sat in his office after Jim left, thinking. Ten minutes later Ty stuck his head in the door. "Everything okay, Chase? I heard Jim Hunter came to talk with you. Did he confess?"
"Yeah, he did," Chase said, nodding his head.
"Seriously?"
"He confessed to why he and Leah were here, but they aren't the vandals."
"You're sure, or did he just feed you a good line?"
"No, I believe him. Sit down and I'll tell you what he said. You can make up your own mind about it." Half an hour later Chase had related the entire story, along with the picture he'd seen of a pregnant Leah, to Ty and they were discussing the situation.
"If she thought she could get you to have sex with her and think the baby was yours, she must not know you very well," Ty said. "I grew up in that same town she's living in, and I've got to think most of the guys I knew know what a condom is and how to use it. How was she going to get around that?"
"So she's a little irrational. I actually feel kind of sorry for her, facing a baby alone, but once she gets her head on straight I think she'll be okay. She's really not a bad person, although I can see how you could argue that point right now."
"Yeah, I think I could make a good argument right now."
"But once she's not in a panic and settles down, I hope she meets a good man that will help her raise her baby," Chase said, but quickly added, "It's just not going to be me."
"Cece will be glad to hear that," Ty said with a chuckle. "So I assume you're going to tell Sheriff Green about Jim's visit?"
"I already called him and told him
I have some news. He's stopping by later today."
Ty sighed. "So where does that leave us? If it's not Jim or Leah, we're back to Ralph. He always did have a good motive, and he obviously tried sabotaging the ranch earlier. Do you think it's him?"
Now it was Chase's turn to sigh. "I don't know. If you look at it your instincts are to say yes, of course it's him. It's pretty plain. But then that worries me. It's almost too plain, and no one's found a thing that implicates him at all."
"What about that Medic Alert bracelet? Has Sheriff Green done anything with that, tried to find the owner?"
"He's tried, but has come up empty."
"So we basically have one suspect, and that's based on circumstances only; there's not one thing that points in his direction?"
"That's the way I see it," Chase agreed. "I guess we just have to let Sheriff Green do his work and hope he finds something soon, before whoever's behind this does anything else. We have a ranch to run. Did you guys get the fences checked in the pasture we're going to move the young heifers to?"
"Yep. We checked every bit of it. There were a few spots that needed a little fixing or re-enforcing, but it's ready to go."
"Good. We'll move them into that pasture tomorrow morning right after breakfast."
That evening Chase went to eat supper with Cece and Pete again. After they ate he asked, "Could we go in the other room and sit down a few minutes? I've got something I want to tell you both."
Cece and her father looked at each other, curious. "How about we go to my office? We can talk there privately," Pete offered.
"Thank you," Chase said as he and Cece followed Pete down the hall.
Once inside, Pete sat at his desk and Chase sat down on the couch. He pulled Cece down to sit beside him. "Jim Hunter came to talk to me today. He told me kind of a far reaching story, but I believe him, and I want you two to hear it from me and not someone else."
Pete became a little concerned, and Cece was curious. Chase retold Jim's story, not leaving anything out. He concluded with, "So Leah was up to no good when she was here, but it doesn't involve the vandalism around here."
