“She said she is. She’s at work.” Aiden’s teeth were gritted. “Said there’s a few of the regulars in who’ll keep an eye on things.”
“Well, that’s good.” Josie placed an arm around Aiden’s shoulder, and he relished her warmth.
He managed a smile up at her. “You okay, sis?”
She nodded. “Just fine.”
“Well now, that’s interesting.” Frank appeared in the doorway, and Josie went to the counter to fetch more cups. “Turns out the burglary was documented, if you can call it that.”
Aiden looked up. “You managed to track it down?”
“Well, a couple of buddies in the attorney’s office did, with a little help from our friendly neighborhood sheriff.” He grinned. “Cam Taylor was the guy who filed it. No way of telling who did the job, though. He reckons the only fingerprints at the scene were Rossington’s and Maggie’s, which didn’t prove anything.”
“Or rather it did.” Aiden snorted as he took a swig of the coffee Josie had just poured out. “That guy’s either stupid or sly. We just need to figure out which.”
“Sounds like another guy I know.” Ben groaned. He glanced up at Frank. “Rossington didn’t make it home last night. Lorraine reckons he was out on another bender.”
Aiden felt the lump in his stomach grow even larger. “That’s what she thinks.”
“I don’t think she’s quite as dumb as she seems,” Ben replied. “When I saw her today, she was like a totally different woman. I reckon she acts differently when he’s around.”
“So you’ve been to see her?” Frank asked, surprised.
“Yeah. I thought I should do the neighborly thing and confess that one of our horses got loose on their land,” Ben said. “I was half-expecting Rossington to hit the roof, but he wasn’t there. Lorraine and I had tea in their conservatory. Did you know Martha’s got dementia, by the way?”
“I didn’t know.” Josie seemed shocked. “They always keep to themselves, so I don’t know much about them. I should have made more of an effort.”
“Come on, sis. We don’t go nosing about in other people’s business. That’s all.” Ben leaned forward and put a hand over hers.
Josie looked ready to cry. “I’m glad you went there today,” she told him, giving him a weak smile.
“So am I. That Lorraine Parry sure is something else. And I wouldn’t worry about not knowing about her mom. Lorraine wasn’t told, either. Came back for her Dad’s funeral to find Martha in that state. Seems the family hadn’t wanted to worry her while she’d been living abroad.” He shook his head. “Their own daughter.”
“That must have been awful.” Josie sniffed.
“Especially being next of kin,” Frank interjected. “That’ll be why the ranch has passed straight to her instead of Martha. Her mom won’t be considered of sound mind, poor thing.”
“Lorraine’s determined to look after her, though,” Ben said. “Sounds like Rossington mentioned putting her in a home, but Lorraine wouldn’t hear of it. The guy went mental. She really thought he was going to hit her.”
“Like he did to Maggie, you mean?” Aiden’s thoughts were never far from the blonde beauty, but today he couldn’t get her out of his head. The sight of her bruised face was almost unbearable, and he felt so guilty for not being with her now. He knew Frank was right, though. They had to bide their time instead of playing straight into Rossington’s hands.
“She’s managed to get some good help for Martha and has even had the house adapted a little to make it a bit easier for her to get around. She helped Martha organize all her things to make them more accessible and she tidied out a whole lot of stuff that had been piling up in the house. She’s real pleased with the results. Martha seems a lot happier, too,” Ben went on as they drank their coffee.
“Well, that’s good to know.” Josie seemed a little relieved. “I should go around and see if there’s anything I can do. Perhaps I could help with the wedding preparations?”
Ben snickered. “I wouldn’t hurry on that score, sis. Lorraine’s not in any rush to walk up the aisle with that dumbass.”
Josie stared at him. “Really? I mean, I know they didn’t seem all that close the other night, but I thought that was just because they were in company. You think she might not marry him?”
“Time will tell on that one.” Ben chuckled. “Right now, I think Lorraine’s more concerned with finding out what Rossington’s real intentions are.”
“He seemed pretty keen on selling off that patch of land,” Aiden remarked. “You think he’s faking it?”
“Oh no, he wants us to buy the field, all right. Seems he’s pretty keen to sell a lot more than just that small area, though. Lorraine says he’s been looking into selling off the entire spread, though he’s got no idea she’s found out about it.”
Frank smirked as he got up to go. “Something tells me that girl’s a whole lot smarter than we gave her credit for,” he remarked. “Wouldn’t surprise me if she’s actually got her own agenda.”
* * * *
Maggie took one last glance in the hallway mirror before leaving home the next morning. It had taken a ton of makeup to cover the bruise on her face, which was almost black now, but she had done her best.
As she stepped out of the building and into the street, she felt a thud of dread in her stomach. That feeling that she was being watched hadn’t left her all night, and she was convinced she wasn’t alone as she strutted toward the busier streets.
“Morning, Aiden.” She was relieved when her cell went off and she heard his cheerful voice.
“Are you okay? Where are you?” He sounded worried.
“Yeah. I’m almost on High Street.” She instinctively looked behind her. She couldn’t be sure whether there was someone there, standing in the doorway of one of the derelict houses.
“Maggie?” She wasn’t certain how many times Aiden had called her name, but the urgency in his voice suggested this wasn’t the first.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, just…” She quickened her step and breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the main street.
“Maggie? What is it? Are you okay, darlin’?” Aiden was frantic.
“Yeah, yeah… Honestly, I’m fine. I just thought for a minute that—”
“Is someone following you?”
“I’m not sure. I’m on High Street now anyhow. I haven’t got far to go, and there are a few people around here, so I think it’s okay.” She tried to keep the tremble out of her voice in her efforts to reassure him.
“I can be there in twenty minutes, Maggie. I’ll—”
“No, really, it’s fine. You know what Frank said. It’s best to try to act normal for a while, let the dust settle.” She was almost running down the street and the café was just around the next bend. “I’m here now.”
“Are you sure?”
She could already hear the quiet purr of Aiden’s engine and guessed he was true to his word.
“Yes, I’m certain.” She put the key in the lock and felt herself relax a little. The familiar smell of coffee and yeast filled her senses, and she quickly got to work. “I’m here. I’m at work,” she told him, trying not to pant over the phone.
“Okay. You just call me if you need me, darlin’.” Aiden had obviously cut the engine, and she heard him open his car door. “I’ll have my cell with me the whole time. Make sure you do, too.”
“I will.” She smiled, touched at his concern. He really did seem to care for her, and she felt a warm glow in her stomach that eased the lump which had settled there.
It was actually quite busy, and she was glad to be kept on her toes. She knew she’d be exhausted by tonight, though. It had sure been an eventful couple of days.
“Morning.” Frank arrived toward lunchtime and plunked himself at the counter in front of her.
“Hi there.” She smiled at him, remembering his advice about pretending not to know him. “What can I get you?”
“Is that donuts I can smell?” He smiled, loo
king toward the kitchen area.
“Sure is.” She grinned. Frank was a kind man, and she wondered whether he hadn’t just popped in to check up on her. Although Aiden wouldn’t be coming himself in case Robert heard about it, she wouldn’t have put it past him to have called Frank and asked him to stop by.
She placed a fresh donut and a cup of coffee in front of him.
Frank pulled out his wallet.
“Oh, no, it’s on the house,” she assured him in a whisper.
“No, no. I don’t want you getting into trouble on my behalf,” the old guy insisted, pulling out some cash. “Besides, if you’re going to keep your job around here, you need to prove to your boss that it’s a viable business. Aiden told me,” he murmured conspiratorially, clearly noticing her surprised expression.
Something dropped onto the counter along with his money, and Maggie frowned at it. “What’s that?”
Frank looked down in surprise and picked up the scrap of rubbish.
“Is it yours?” She felt that sick feeling return to her stomach as she stared at the piece of paper.
“Nope. Do you know what it is?” He stared at her curiously and offered it to her.
She didn’t need to touch it to know exactly what it was.
“It’s from a cigar band.” A vision of a particularly bad row flashed in front of her eyes. “Ever heard of Louixs?”
Frank looked stunned. “They’ve got to be about the most expensive smokes in the world. Who in hell uses them around here?”
“I’ll give you one guess.” Robert had insisted on smoking the best, even when they’d been up to their eyes in debt. Apparently it was the preferred house cigar of the Beverly Hills Cigar Club, and he figured if it was good enough for them, it was good enough for him. Not that he was, or ever had been, a member of the Beverly Hills Cigar Club, mind you. They would never have let him in!
Chapter Twelve
Maggie could almost see the cogs whirring in Frank’s brain.
“Where did you get it?” She frowned.
“One of the Fieldings’ thoroughbreds got out of its paddock the other night. This was in the grass just by the gate.” Frank pressed his lips together tightly.
“Got out or was let out?” she asked quietly.
“That’s the million-dollar question.”
She could tell by the look in the old man’s eyes that he already suspected the answer.
“Is it the land he’s trying to sell to Aiden and his family?” Maggie pursed her lips thoughtfully.
Frank nodded.
“So there has to be a good reason why he didn’t just steal the horse, if that’s what he wanted. Unless… Could it be some kind of subliminal threat? Sort of, ‘you’ll need to buy this strip of land because next time your horses stray onto it, you’ll get fined for trespassing’?” She knew only too well how Robert’s mind worked.
Frank stared at her. “Of course! Ben said the guy was in a real hurry to sell. This could be his way of trying to rush through the deal.”
“But why the hurry?” Maggie wiped her hands in her apron as she spoke, more out of habit than necessity.
“He doesn’t own the land, so he’ll either need to marry Lorraine or have her do the deal, then he’ll try to wheedle the money out of her afterward. Perhaps he’s nervous that she might go off the idea before he gets around to marrying her.” Frank pulled out his cell and relayed their find to Aiden.
“More coffee?” Maggie busied herself pouring another drink while Frank strolled toward the door as he spoke. It was hard, but Maggie did her best not to listen to his conversation.
Frank returned, a satisfied grin on his face. “Lorraine might not be as keen on the idea of marriage as Rossington seems to believe,” he explained to her. “Ben’s been talking to her, and she doesn’t seem to have any kind of feelings for the guy at all. It’s almost as though it’s her that’s stringing him along.”
Maggie felt a warmth flood her stomach. “Good for her.”
“We still need to figure out how he plans to get the money out of her, though.” He frowned, looking thoughtful. “If they don’t marry first, he’ll have a job persuading her to part with all that cash.”
A thud hit the bottom of Maggie’s stomach. “He’ll find a way.” She felt her face flush as a recollection of how Robert had tried to convince her that her own money had been stolen. She had known it wasn’t true, but she had no way of proving that he was lying. Even the sheriff supported his story, though she bet that must have cost Robert big time. When her mother wouldn’t listen to her side of things, Maggie knew the fuckwad had won. No one was ever going to believe her. Chances were he had a similar fate planned for Lorraine Parry.
* * * *
Aiden was pleased to see Frank when he swung by the ranch a little later.
“Thought I might head on over to Almondine to see if I can dig up any more dirt on that Taylor guy. Wanna come along?” Frank grinned.
“This should be interesting,” he told the older man.
“Yeah. He definitely had a hand in this business with Maggie’s money. I just wondered what the state of play is between him and Rossington nowadays.”
“You really think he’s likely to spill?” Aiden looked over, surprised.
“I shouldn’t think so, son—honor among thieves and all that. But your horse was let out by Rossington. Maggie recognized that piece of paper as part of his cigar wrapper. If I’m not mistaken, the fuckwad’s about to try to cheat Lorraine Parry out of her money, the same as he did Maggie.”
Aiden frowned. “You think he’d involve Cam Taylor again?”
Frank grunted. “I dunno. Sure will be interesting to find out, though.”
The ride over was fairly quiet, as both men tried to avoid talk of Rossington. It didn’t stop Aiden from thinking about him, though. Most of his thoughts were of how good it would feel to kill the fucker with his bare hands, although he knew that might not be too helpful at this point.
Aiden snickered as Frank pulled up in the main street of Almondine. This was going to be fun.
“We’ll try the sheriff’s office first,” Frank announced, putting on his hat. He was always well-dressed, and today was no exception. His brown boots shone and his corduroy pants were well-fitted. His plain cream shirt was neatly tucked into his waistband and his belt buckle gleamed in the afternoon sun. He walked with the confident gait of an older man as they crossed the street and strolled up the steps to the open doorway.
“I’m really hoping you can help me, Deputy Taylor,” a familiar woman’s voice said from inside. “Robert told me you’re the best, so I’m kind of relying on you.”
“I’ll do everything I can, Miss Parry.” Cam Taylor sounded gruff and a little unnerved.
Frank reared, almost knocking Aiden back down the steps. He put a finger to his mouth in a gesture of silence then stood with his back to the wall just by the doorway.
Aiden frowned but followed suit.
“I know you will. And, of course, there’ll be a reward for the return of my necklace. You see, it had great sentimental value to me, but obviously Robert doesn’t know that.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Perhaps we could keep this between us?”
“Yeah, sure…” Cam Taylor seemed to have perked up all of a sudden. “I’ll do my best to get it returned to you. You just leave everything to me—and, of course, mum’s the word.”
Aiden grimaced, wondering just how naïve Lorraine was. Maybe it was time to find out.
He pointed to the ground, indicating to Frank that he was planning to stay put. Frank nodded and slowly strolled into the office.
Aiden peeped around the door and saw Frank stand with his back to Lorraine, carefully studying a large notice board at one side of the room.
“Well, I can see I’m in safe hands,” Lorraine remarked as her heels clicked across the wooden floor.
Aiden quickly made his way down the steps and leaned nonchalantly across the rail at the bottom as the blonde-hai
red woman came out. He watched her give a tiny smirk as she stood on the top step, then carefully but confidently walked down the steps toward him.
“Hi, Lorraine.” He smiled as he raised his hat to her.
“Aiden, how nice to see you again.” She beamed at him, blushing slightly. “What brings you out here?”
“Frank’s got some business to attend to in town,” Aiden told her, shrugging. “I thought I’d tag along for the ride, but I didn’t want to get involved. How about you?”
“I had some jewelry stolen recently. Deputy Taylor’s promised to look into it for me.”
Aiden frowned, surprised that she didn’t look more concerned about her loss. “That’s awful. Do they know who did it?”
She chewed her lip hesitantly. “You got time for a coffee?”
“Sure thing.” Aiden jumped at the chance.
Lorraine linked his arm then led him up the street to the nearby diner where they took a table in a quiet corner.
Aiden ordered their coffees, aware of the way Lorraine studied his face. He turned to smile at her, wondering what she was thinking just then.
“You’re very like your brother, aren’t you?” she answered his unasked question with one of her own.
“No, I like to think I got the brains as well as looks,” he said with a grin.
She hooted. “I’ll tell Ben you said that,” she teased, just as the waitress put their drinks on the table.
“I think he likes you,” Aiden noted.
Lorraine flushed and immediately busied herself adding cream to her coffee. “I like him, too,” she confided.
Aiden smiled. He could certainly see why his brother was attracted to her. Lorraine was quite pretty when she smiled, although not as attractive as Maggie, in his mind.
“We got to talking,” she went on in a hushed tone. “Ben told me about that misunderstanding with Maggie. I hope I didn’t make things worse?”
Aiden sipped his coffee, then asked, “In what way?”
“Just by being there, I guess. It must have been awful for her, especially with Robert’s reaction. He can be very…insensitive at times.”
Maggie’s Man (The Cowboys of Cavern County Book 2) Page 9
