She lay down on her bed while trying to get Meghan to take an afternoon nap, and tears sprung to her eyes. She was a terrible public relations representative. Instead of getting good publicity, she’d only managed to bring on bad. Then she fell in love with Jace, which was something she’d promised herself she wouldn’t do. And now that she’d finally got the endorsement to make her family happy, more hunters were coming to the ranch to threaten more of the animals she loved. She was not happy about that, and her wildlife rescue group wouldn’t be either.
She pulled a pillow over her head and wished more than anything she could just stay there, but Meghan lifted up a corner and peeked under at her. “Are you playing hide-and-go-seek?”
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Delaney confessed.
Meghan smiled. “I found you. Now it’s your turn. You need to find me.”
Delaney pulled off the pillow and sighed. She couldn’t hide. She had a daughter to support, a daughter who was depending on her to take care of her as much as she depended on her to play. Her hand reached for the bear claw necklace her grandmother had given her for courage. She knew she couldn’t live her whole life within her comfort zone, especially when she lived on a ranch with people who fished, hunted, and ate meat. But lately she’d been forced to live completely outside it and she didn’t know how much more she could take.
She also thought of the time she’d wasted on Steve. He’d said he didn’t want to be trapped with a wife and child, and implied she wasn’t good enough, that he wanted someone better to spend the rest of his life with. What if she wasn’t good enough to hold Jace’s attention long term? Was everything she was doing for nothing? Would she never have her happy ending?
After Meghan drifted off to sleep for a nap, Delaney went to Jace’s cabin and confessed about hiding the cubs, told him how Gavin had once shot a deer she’d just healed, and what her father had told her about finding the antelope.
Jace admitted he’d been feeling a little discouraged, too. “I really screwed up,” he said, his voice low. “Eli Knowles gave me a talking-to after we straightened things out with Luke and your dad. He said I could have ruined their covert operation by exposing their cover. Eli reminded me that an undercover agent’s job is to infiltrate and gain information, but to let the sheriff and other officials make the arrests so the agent’s identity is never discovered. Luckily your family has vowed not to tell anyone so they can continue their search for the true poachers.”
Delaney nodded. “Luke said he’s posting more Private Property signs along our borders, letting people know they can’t hunt in this area without permission.”
“I’m not sure that will help. Eli told me it’s hard to convict poachers. He said if there’s no evidence on paper, they must be caught in the act either by an eyewitness or on video. Preferably both.”
“We can use my cameras,” Delaney offered. “I have a good pocket camera you can keep in your coat pocket and take with you wherever you go.”
Jace drew her into his arms for a warm bear hug and then pulled back to give her a soft kiss. “Do you want me to go with you to drop off the bobcat cubs at the clinic?”
“Considering how my friends reacted the last time they saw you, I’d say that’s not a good idea,” Delaney said, and headed toward the door. “This is something I have to do on my own.”
Delaney drove to Fox Creek in her father’s pickup and entered the animal rescue clinic with the bobcat cubs in a small wire cage. After she explained why she was there she found the cubs weren’t the only ones who could pounce.
“How could you let Jace Aldridge stay at your ranch?” Ben demanded.
“Is that the reason you left us short-handed,” Mary Ann asked, wearing an incredulous expression on her face. “To spend time with him? A rotten rodeo hunter?”
“He is not rotten,” Delaney said defensively.
Carol eyed the cage with the bobcats. “Not only are you giving up your values, but now you’re giving up the cubs, too?”
“They are no longer safe at my ranch,” Delaney pleaded, begging her to understand. “I’ll come into the clinic like I used to, and help take care of them. I’ll take photos of the new animals who have arrived to post online and try to find homes for them. I’ll even speak at your rally.”
“Your services are no longer needed here,” Carol informed her. Mary Ann and Ben nodded their agreement.
They didn’t want her here? Delaney’s eyes pricked with hot tears and she fought to hold them back for the second time that day. Her heart tightened painfully in her chest. How could they give her the cold shoulder? They were her friends. How could they be so judgmental?
“What about the cubs?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“We’ll take the cubs to the wildlife conservation center over in Helena so they can grow up in a natural habitat,” Carol told her.
The conservation center, with its large outdoor facility, had Delaney’s full approval and at least part of her heartache lifted, knowing the bobcats would be well cared for. But as she took one last look at the three people she left behind, she walked out of the building wondering, like her daughter, who was a friend?
She wasn’t sure she knew anymore.
THAT EVENING, RIGHT before dinner, Jace kept his eye on Rio’s front leg as he, Delaney, and Meghan led him across the field to see the other horses.
“He likes Fireball,” Delaney said, smiling as their two horses sniffed one another.
“Rio likes Party Marty, too,” Meghan said, pointing to the miniature pony who trotted up beside them, then ran to Grandma’s side to follow her to the house.
A deep neigh came from the trail connecting the other properties and both Rio and Fireball stood at attention, their ears perked forward. Jace turned his head to see who was coming and spotted Zach Tanner riding toward them. He sat upon a black quarter horse that was taller than most and flaunted an extra thick black mane and tail.
“Isn’t he a beauty?” Zach asked, his eyes on Delaney.
She stepped forward and brushed her hand down the side of the horse’s neck in greeting. “He is,” she agreed. “Is he yours?”
“Bought him today,” Zach said, and then as if just realizing they weren’t alone, he lifted his gaze and said, “Hi, Jace.”
“What about me?” Meghan demanded. “You didn’t say hi to me.”
“You didn’t give me a chance,” Zach said, which Jace didn’t think was true. “How are you?”
“You didn’t say my name,” Meghan complained.
“He has other things on his mind,” Jace soothed, scooping the child up onto his shoulders. “Like his new horse.”
“He runs twice as fast as my other one,” Zach told Delaney, sliding out of the saddle to stand beside her. Too close beside her. “That’s why he’s named Jet. Of course, it’s possible he could be named for his color, jet black, too. Would you like to ride him?”
For a moment Delaney looked excited, as if she was going to accept the offer. Then she glanced back at him and told Zach, “Maybe another time. I need to watch Meghan.”
“Looks like Jace is watching Meghan there just fine,” Zach coaxed.
Delaney shook her head and smiled. “Another time.”
Jace held Meghan’s ankles so she wouldn’t wiggle around on his shoulders so much and heard her ask above his head, “Who are the flowers for?”
Jace stared at the flowers in Zach’s hands. He’d been wondering the same thing, although he had a sinking feeling he already knew.
“They are for your mother, of course,” Zach said, directing his words toward Meghan while handing the flowers to Delaney.
Del thanked him, but didn’t blush like she did when he flirted with her.
“You didn’t bring any flowers for me?” Meghan asked, as if shocked by Zach’s lack of disrespect.
“Next time,” he promised. “Hey, Jace, did you know Del presses wildflowers and uses them to create her own greeting cards?”
“I do now. Thanks for the tip.”
He wasn’t a fool. He knew Zach was purposely trying to come between him and Del. He guessed she realized it, too, because she abruptly stepped away from Zach and his horse and came to stand back by him.
“Bet your horse doesn’t have a toy,” Meghan challenged in her cute little high-pitched voice, clearly still miffed Zach wasn’t paying her any attention. She held out the plastic toy horse Jace had given her in front of his face to show Zach.
Jace’s cousin shook his head. “No, Jet doesn’t have a toy that looks like him.”
“Didn’t think so,” Meghan taunted, and held her toy out again. “This is Rio, just like the real Rio. He’s a star.”
“Meghan!” Del said, color rising to her cheeks. “You shouldn’t talk to people like that. You must be nice.”
“Sorry,” Meghan called out, but Jace was certain she didn’t mean it.
Zach glanced at the toy Rio in Meghan’s hands and then the real Rio, with his hurt leg, and grinned as if he didn’t think either one could compare to Jet. “My horse doesn’t need a toy,” he said with a smirk. “Or titles. He’s the real deal, magnificent exactly as he is.”
Jace thought Zach was referring to himself, instead of his horse, and didn’t like the way he’d been talking either, but gave him a friendly wave as he remounted his horse and rode away. Then Jace remembered Eli’s warning at breakfast that he should consider every angle.
What if the incident with the tranquilized deer in the cabin wasn’t related to the poachers at all? What if whoever put the deer in there did want it to cause a fight between him and Delaney? How far would Zach go to get rid of him so he could win Del’s attention?
BREE, DELANEY, AND Luke spent a large portion of the next day cleaning up the mess the panic-stricken, neck-bleeding deer had caused in Cabin 26. The three women who had rented the place had salvaged what they could of their belongings and left the rest for Del to gather up and put into a garbage can. But the extra work didn’t bother her. It helped keep her mind off the fact that, as of today, the hunters were allowed to use guns. Already several shots had echoed between the rolling hills and she’d winced each time, praying the targeted animal had managed to escape.
Bree knelt on her hands and knees using a rag to scrub the bloodstains off the wood floor. “This is never going to come up,” she complained. “And we need this cabin ready for our new guests tomorrow.”
“Clean what you can and I’ll use my sander to get rid of the rest,” Luke said, then tore down the last piece of the broken paneling separating the bedroom and kitchen. “I’ll have this wall fixed before the new guests arrive, too.”
Delaney glanced at her watch, realized it was midafternoon, and frowned. “Where are those twins? They promised they’d be here to help clean.”
“I saw them a few minutes ago when I drove the gator down to the supply shed to get a new sheet of plywood,” Luke said, picking up a hammer and a couple nails. “They were fiddling with their cameras and taking pictures of the people next door at Woolly Outfitters.”
Delaney tossed the last bit of broken debris into the trash can and frowned. “I’m going after them before they get themselves into trouble. We don’t want our new neighbors to accuse us of spying.”
Both Bree and Luke agreed that was a good idea. Frustrated by the twins’ lack of focus, Delaney went out the door, but halfway to the property line she was already having second thoughts. Like maybe Bree should have been the one to come talk to them and not her.
Then she spotted the twins, hiding in the brush, each with a camera around their neck, except they weren’t looking through the lens. In fact, they weren’t taking pictures at all. Nora held a remote control, and Nadine was pointing toward something hovering in the air, a small black object with four tiny propellers like a mini helicopter, barely perceptible through the shadow of the trees.
Delaney moved closer, stared at the UFO, and instead of scolding the twins, she asked, “What is it?”
Both twins jumped, then turned, waved her forward, and placed their fingers to their lips, indicating for her to keep quiet.
“It’s a drone,” Nora whispered. “With a video camera attached giving us supersharp clarity and a range of up to five hundred feet.”
“We combined last month’s paychecks to buy it,” Nadine said, her face full of excitement.
“But why are you using it to spy on our neighbors?” Delaney asked, glancing around them to make sure no one had noticed them.
“We’re not spying on Mr. Woolly,” Nora told her. “We’re—”
“Filming the new cute guys who came to the ranch with their father,” Nadine explained. “We wanted to catch them in action. They took their guns to go hunting, but instead of going up the trail, they crossed over to Woolly’s property with Jace.”
Delaney gasped. “What’s Jace doing over there?”
“Take a look,” Nora said, holding the remote control at an angle so Delaney could see.
She leaned her head toward the small two-by-three-inch video screen in the middle of the handheld device to view exactly what the video camera on the drone flying above was recording and saw Jace and the three undercover agents staying at their ranch speaking to Isaac Woolly and another couple in front of the mobile trailer the outfitter had brought in.
“Does this thing have audio?” Delaney asked, wondering what the group on the screen could possibly be talking about.
Both twins gave her a regretful shake of their heads.
“Can we zoom in?”
This time the twins smiled. “Oh, yes,” Nora whispered, turning one of the dials on the controller. “Watch this.”
The group’s faces enlarged and focused in on the two young men, Clint and Clay. One was speaking, the other smiling, and both the twins happily sighed as they gazed at the male images on the screen.
“Let me see the others,” Delaney said, squeezing her way in between Nora’s and Nadine’s shoulders. “Quick!”
“Okay,” Nora agreed, her tone showing her reluctance to view anything but the boys.
The view shifted and showed Jace was the one now talking. Then Nora scrolled over to the man next to him and Isaac Woolly’s white bearded face came onto the screen.
“Keep going,” Delaney encouraged.
The next images were those of the couple standing beside Mr. Woolly, and as soon as Delaney saw them, she fell back and let out a small yelp.
Both Nora and Nadine put their fingers to their lips again to tell her to hush and Delaney cupped her mouth with her hand. Then drawing toward the screen again, she stared at the couple who had racked up so much trouble for her family over the last few months.
“It’s the Randalls,” she whispered, her pulse racing as she considered what she should do.
“Who are they?” the twins asked in unison.
“Our previous ranch managers,” Delaney informed them, her head spinning. “The ones who embezzled our money and want to steal away our ranch.”
Delaney ran toward the house and nearly collided with Bree, who came running from the opposite direction.
“The PI called,” Bree said, her voice breathless. “The Randalls have been spotted in Fox Creek.”
“I know,” Del told her, and pointed toward the property line. “I just saw them next door.”
It took both of them, Luke, and Ryan Tanner to hold their father back and prevent him from charging next door.
“The sheriff and his men are on their way,” Bree scolded. “They’ll be here in just a few minutes. We need to let the authorities handle this.”
“Susan and Wade Randall have some nerve showing up here,” Jed growled, stomping his foot. “I want to t
alk to them.”
“After they’re arrested I don’t think they’ll be allowed to speak to anyone,” Luke said, keeping guard by the front door of the main house in case their father tried to run out.
“But at least we’ll have peace of mind knowing that they are finally caught,” Delaney added.
“That’s right,” Grandma added. “We must always look on the bright side.”
A knock sounded on the door and everyone in the room glanced at one another as Luke moved aside to open it.
“Sheriff McKinley,” Delaney’s ma called out the moment he stepped over the threshold. “Did you catch them?”
Because he didn’t answer right away, Delaney held her breath, and when he shook his head, her stomach squeezed tight. “But I saw them. How could they escape?”
“We searched the premises,” the sheriff informed them. “But the Randalls were gone before we arrived. Isaac Woolly said he knew them by a different name and had no idea there was a warrant out for their arrest.”
Jace walked through the door next and Delaney ran toward him. “You were there,” she gushed. “What did the couple with Isaac Woolly say to you?”
He looked at her as if bewildered, and after the sheriff and Delaney’s family filled him in on what was happening, Jace said, “The couple wanted to know if Woolly was interested in forming a partnership with another outfitter.”
“What was Woolly’s answer?” Delaney’s father demanded.
Jace gave him a solemn look. “He said he’d think on it.”
Chapter Twelve
WITHIN THE PRIVACY of his cabin, Jace took Delaney into his arms, and tried to allay her fears. “A week has passed and no one’s seen the Randalls, not even Isaac Woolly.”
“I don’t think Isaac would tell anyone even if he did,” Delaney said, her voice rising as high as her ma’s in a near hysterical panic. “And if they work together and put our ranch out of business, we’ll have nowhere to go. I won’t have any way of supporting myself or Meghan, and I have no idea what we’ll do!”
“You weren’t this upset yesterday,” he said, pulling back with a frown.
Montana Hearts Page 17
