by Delilah Hunt
Sure enough, she spotted his car right away. She lifted her head and there he was, shoulders slumped exiting through the wrought iron gates.
“Dad?”
Sullen, lackluster eyes stared back at her. “Danika, what are you doing here?”
She rushed to him. The last time she had seen her father look so gaunt and broken was after her mother’s death. He had the same appearance now, like a man stripped completely of life’s direction. Her heart ached for him. What if Brandon was right all along and desperation drove him to commit such a despicable act?
“Did you have anything to do with Brandon’s cattle being stolen?” she blurted, before thinking.
The cloudiness left his eyes within an instant. “What are you talking about? Weren’t those cattle stolen months ago?”
“Yes, but he’s been hit again. There’s more to it. Brandon thinks you’re the mastermind behind it.”
He looked toward the grave, back at her then replied softly. “I’m an old man, Dani. I didn’t have anything to do it. Why would Sharpe think I had anything to do with his stolen cattle?”
“After the first break in, he had a security camera installed afterward out on the pasture.”
His gaunt jaw flexed. “If Sharpe has a camera out there shouldn’t he have the answer right there in his face?”
“The men wore masks, Dad.” She told him slightly annoyed by his round of questioning. “For some strange reason criminals don’t seem to want to broadcast their identities.”
“Don’t get slick with me.”
“Then just answer the question. Did you have anything to do with those cattle being taken last night?”
“No. I haven’t been anywhere close to the Bar S in months, long before you and Sharpe got hitched.”
“You swear?”
He let out a loud breath. “For the love of God, yes I swear I didn’t have anything to do with whatever happened over on the ranch.”
Danika laid her mind to rest. Her father’s vehement denial was genuine. “I believe you. The problem is I’m not sure anyone else will. A receipt from one of your credit cards was found beside the damaged fence. It was for the pliers and I’m guessing it was the same pliers Brandon and I saw the men on the footage use to dismantle the fencing. It’s not hard to see how anyone might put two and two together and arrive at the same conclusion as Brandon. Anyone who doesn’t know you well enough, that is.”
He slapped a hand on the hood of his car. “If Sharpe wants to play judge and jury why did he send you out here? Not man enough to accuse me himself?”
“Brandon didn’t send me here. He’s aware I left to see you, but he’s not exactly thrilled about it.”
“Hmmph. I wondered when he would start dictating to you.”
“He’s not dictating anything to me,” she snapped. “Even if he was, that’s not what I came to discuss. Brandon plans to file charges against you. I know you’re innocent. You don’t have to convince me. The problem is, everyone in Hart’s Fall has heard about your disagreement with Brandon over the ranch.” She rubbed her forehead and cut to the gist. “Dad, do you recall buying those pliers, or know who those two men could be? Does anything I’ve said stand out to you? Do you even care?”
“I don’t have a clue, Dani girl. I’ve been trying to figure out how to get my company back up and running. None of those plans rely on more money from Sharpe, stolen or otherwise. I don’t have the time to get tangled up in Sharpe’s problems.”
Her shoulders fell. “All right. You think about what I said and I’ll have another talk with Brandon.” And say a prayer in the meanwhile that he’ll listen to reason.
"We need more proof, Brandon.” Austin said. “I made a call to the marshal hired by the Cattle Raisers Association to work these cases. The prosecutor says there’s probable cause for an arrest on theft, but they need the actual perpetrators if they want a slam dunk case to make an example.” Austin shrugged. “If Frank gets arrested, he’ll likely spend a night in jail, get out on bail, since it won’t be too high. Unfair as it is, these crimes aren’t exactly seen as a top priority although it costs the ranching community hundreds of thousands each year. Hell, if he’s smart he might argue the bag with the pliers and receipt was stolen from him, too. Right there, we have another victim of theft unless we get a confession.”
He wasn’t surprised. Less shocking had been Danika’s insistence of the old man’s innocence.
“You’ve lived here all your life, haven’t you?”
“Born and raised.” Hart’s face brimmed with the show of pride Brandon wished he could claim of his own upbringing.
“That means you’ve known Prescott for quite a while. I’m asking for your honest opinion, Hart. Do you think he’s the one behind this or do you agree with my wife?”
Austin slapped his hat against his thigh and let out a loud breath. “That’s a tough one. I’m of a mind that you can never know a person one hundred percent. Still, I have to keep in mind Frank isn’t all that bad. He and my father got along well enough. Never heard of him having it out with anyone before or any run-ins with the law.”
“So you’re saying there’s a chance I’ve got this all wrong?”
“All I’m saying is, I’d have the same reaction as you if it was my ranch that had been hit up. And that footage and receipt is damning enough.”
Brandon nodded although there was no relief to be found in the rancher’s justification. After speaking with his friend, Brandon headed over to the ranch. His mind was no longer centered on Prescott but on Danika. She had to have returned by now.
Not long afterward, he spotted her outside, ruffling Finn behind the ear. She caught sight of him and immediately dropped her hand from the dog’s fur.
“Hey.”
He tried not to be affected by the dull greeting or the way she stood apart from him as if she were afraid.
He nodded and searched his mind for the right thing to say, instead of gathering her into his arms where she belonged. “Danika, I…”
“He didn’t do it, Brandon.”
Prescott. His jaw ticked. Raw fury burned inside his blood. It was back to her old man again. She was unable to summon a proper greeting for him yet she was ready to sing her father’s praises.
“I don’t want to hear a damn thing about Prescott. Spare me your talks of loyalty and innocence. I’m not buying it.”
“What about honesty. It seems like you also have a problem with that little virtue. You couldn’t even give me an answer this morning when I asked if the only reason you want me around is because of the baby. The baby who, I hope you realize, shares my blood, yours and thus my father’s.”
Brandon curled his lips at the dig. As if he needed a reminder. “Don’t push me.”
“Push you into what? Admitting the truth. Just say it, Brandon. Give me the truth for once. Do you or do you not regret marrying me?”
“I made you my offer. How else was I supposed to have someone like you?” He swept his hand toward the corral. “That pen you see me building over there. You think I’m doing it because I love the extra work? The money I used to cancel your father’s debt was supposed to pay for a new corral. When you came to me and asked about the money, I didn’t care. I didn’t care about the corral or the ranch. I cared about you. I wanted you that much. This isn’t about money, Danika. This is about Prescott, and me not letting him get away with stealing what belongs to me. What he’s been trying to do for years.”
“You used money you had saved up to give me?” She stumbled backward and clasped a hand to her neck. “Oh my God. Why didn’t you say something before?” Tears pooled inside her eyes. “No wonder you can barely look at it me. I’ve pretty much cost you everything.”
Brandon let out a sigh. He hadn’t wanted her to see it in that light—that she was at fault. “That’s not true. Nothing’s changed between us. I still want you.”
Danika heard the words he said and more important, the ones he didn’t.
&nb
sp; “We rushed this relationship. We shouldn’t have done so. I started all of this by reaching out to you for help. I shouldn’t have done so. The biggest mistake was on my part. I’m sorry. It never should have snowballed this far. Once I realized that I cared about you, I should have stopped you from paying off my father’s debt.”
“This isn’t about the money. It’s about principle.”
A wry smile turned her lips. “On that we agree. I have principles too. Principles that won’t allow me to shut my eyes to the problems I’ve caused for you and the Bar S. I’ll reimburse you for everything my father and I received.”
“I don’t want your money,” he gritted. “The only thing I want you to concern yourself with is my baby inside you. Let Prescott handle his own problems.”
“I can’t do that. I’m the only person he has left in this world. I won’t abandon him and neither of you can force me to make a choice. I won’t allow it. That’s why I think it’s best if I leave. I need some time by myself to help straighten all of this out.”
“Time by yourself? Where the hell do you plan on going?”
“I’m not running back to my father’s house if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Are you leaving me?”
Danika forced herself to face the man she loved so desperately and not shed a tear. “I don’t know. I just know I’ve caused a lot of trouble for you, Brandon. I have to figure out a way on my own to undo this situation.”
His long legs eclipsed the distance between them. In a single stride she was pressed up against his chest, with Brandon peering down at her. “How will I know if you’re all right? You and the baby?”
A sob threatened to burst free from her very soul. Was it that hard for him to love her? If they had love, at least then she’d feel as if she did belong on the Bar S. “You’ll know.” She gave him a watery smile. “It’s Hart’s Fall. It isn’t such a big town for me to completely disappear.”
Worth the Price
Brandon felt like crap. It had been seven hellish days since Danika had packed up a bunch of her clothes and left. On the first day, the ranch hands steered clear out of his way, under the impression their boss’s black mood was brought about by the latest string of theft. Not surprisingly the news soon spread like wildfire that Sharpe’s wife had left him. This time the workers gave him a wide berth, using Clint as a go-between if they needed to relay a message.
“Try’na see how fast you can run off all the hands?” Clint asked. “Give it a week and it’ll be you, me and the dogs working this place.”
“No one else is hiring.”
The foreman scratched the back of his head. “Lighten up, Bran. It was a joke. The guys are just afraid of stepping on your toes. Ain’t nobody leaving Bar S.”
Brandon nodded to appease his friend. In truth he didn’t care if everyone left, so long as he’d be able to gaze into Danika’s sparkling brown eyes every night and sample her delectable lips at his leisure.
“I take it you didn’t hear from the missus today.”
He had. Earlier today she’d placed a call to him from her cell phone. Instantly, his groin had tightened upon hearing the sound of her voice. He knew she would be at the shelter today, volunteering as usual. Brandon hoped she wasn’t pushing herself to go the extra mile and perform a lot of bending and lifting in her condition. His lips twisted. If it weren’t for fear of making things worse, he’d drive across town, ignore whatever protest she’d undoubtedly put up and haul her back onto the ranch…and in his bed.
“I heard from her.” His scowl deepened as he thought back to their conversation. “She thinks she can change my mind about her da.”
“She got a plan?”
Brandon scrubbed a hand along his jaw. “I’m clueless. Danika has it in her head she’s supposed to solve everything.” Maybe because you made her think it was her fault, his conscience taunted.
“I’m lost, Clint. I want my wife to come home. I’m not that thickheaded to believe she up and left because of this business between Prescott and me.”
Clint’s eyebrows went up. “No?”
“Danika thinks I don’t love her. There was a look in her eyes before she left. She was waiting to hear it. I’m sure of it.”
The ranch hand gave him a puzzled look. “But you don’t love her. Told me so yourself.”
“I know what I said,” Brandon growled. “I don’t want to lie to her, that’s all.”
“What’s there to lie about? Either you love the li’l gal or you don’t. It’s a simple question, Bran.”
“And what about Prescott? Even if I do love Danika, I can’t forgive and forget, pretend everything is cool. I can’t pretend I’m the same scrawny little kid who let everyone piss on him and take it with a terrified smile. Not in this lifetime.”
“What if she was right and Frank ain’t had a thing to do with them bulls being stolen? Not many women will take a liking to being saddled with a mule-headed cowboy.” Clint held up a hand. “Not saying you are, Bran, just try’na help you stay one step ahead of your missus.”
Brandon shot daggers at his foreman. “Then she’ll be stuck with an ugly, scar-faced, mule-headed cowboy won’t she?”
Danika’s hand trembled as she released the latch on the door to Brandon’s office. She’d felt horrible sneaking into the house while he was outside harvesting hay for the upcoming winter. She’d considered asking him outright for a copy of the security camera footage. That idea lasted for all but a second, before she realized it was out of the question and would only strengthen his resentment of her.
An entire week away from her husband proved more painful than she had anticipated. Danika missed him and the bed they shared. The room she was occupying above Evelyn’s café was miniscule. She rubbed her left arm, grateful she hadn’t broken the bones last night after scrambling out of her twin sized bed for what had to be her third trip to the bathroom—courtesy of pregnancy. She’d discounted the angular wall that separated the sleeping area from the bathroom and banged smack dab into it.
After pocketing the downloaded footage, she eyed the door of the bedroom in which she had experienced so many cherished memories with Brandon. She contemplated going to her husband beneath the guise of a planned visit. That idea also died a sudden death. He would take one look into her eyes and pin her for a liar. He’d never comprehend her reasoning. Moreover, she didn’t want to risk the possibility of not being able to help her father maintain his innocence, if a case was brought against him. The impromptu visit from a federal marshal two days ago had changed her father’s nonchalant attitude to one of stark distress. The worry that it was only a matter of time before the situation would take a vicious toll on his already frail body, did not make sleep come one bit easier at nights.
“Dad,” She called out after arriving at her father’s house. No answer. She tried again, this time climbing the stairs two at a time. Worry morphed into panic as she ran from room to room shouting her concern. She scoured upstairs then raced back down the staircase. Taking a deep breath, Danika forced herself to relax. Maybe he had gone for a walk, instead of driving. Yes, that had to explain why she was able to park her car next to his in the driveway.
“Dad,” she called out again, in a singsong, despite a bone chilling eeriness that curled around her entire frame.
Danika made it to the arched doorway of the kitchen. There was no need to go any further. Lying facedown on the kitchen tiles was her father. She sprinted to his side and dropped to her knees.
“Daddy, can you hear me?”
Of course he couldn’t, she chided herself. She felt for a pulse. The breath she had been holding returned to her lungs when she felt the faint but steady beat on his wrist. Within moments, Danika was on the phone with nine-one-one. She followed the operator’s instruction and administered CPR. In what seemed like an eternity instead of minutes, she waited until the paramedics blessedly arrived.
At the hospital, the cardiologist confirmed what the EMTs had told
her during the ambulance ride. Frank Prescott had suffered a cardiac arrest. If she hadn’t reached him in time and acted as she did, he might have succumbed to heart failure.
After she had spoken with the doctor, Danika slumped into an uncomfortable plastic chair in the visitor’s lounge. She rested her head on her knees and prayed for the trembling that wracked her body to cease. Feeling lonelier than ever, she did the only thing possible—reached for the phone and dialed the one person in the world whose voice could assuage her despair.
On the first ring, Brandon answered the call. He’d barely said “hello” before she blurted the entire episode, her voice cracking at the end from exertion and sorrow.
“I’m coming over.”
And just like that, she dissolved into sobs. It was too hard being away from Brandon. She wanted to return home to the Bar S. With him.
Some minutes later after being given the go ahead by one of the nurses, that it was okay to visit her father’s bedside, Danika found herself running headlong into a brick house frame. She didn’t have to look up to know who it was. The smell of him, so masculine and earthy made her heart do a backflip with joy. She threw her arms around him as if he was an anchor tethering her to the ground.
“I thought he was dead,” she cried into his chest.
“Shh.” He smoothed back her hair. “He’ll be fine, Cailín. You saved his life.”
Danika nestled into his embrace then felt a sudden tap on her back. It was the nurse she’d previously spoken with. “Mrs. Sharpe. You should go on in before Dr. Hassan comes to check on him.”
