by Connie Mann
She made a face at her reflection. She was being ridiculous, and she had far more important things to worry about. She checked her watch and hurried to the checkout. Celia said they were releasing Glory from the hospital soon. But Eve still didn’t know the cause of the contamination. She had to get another look at that well, check the water filtration system, too, before the baby came home.
Cole dismounted and led his horse to the watering trough. He walked over to the hose beside it, turned it on, and took a long swig, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. His mother kept trying to talk him into carrying a water bottle around, but he’d been drinking from this hose since he was a kid. Had done it all through sports at school, too, until Evie the Crusader launched a campaign to install a water fountain. He smiled at the memory, then looked up as a cloud of dust caught his eye.
A prickle of awareness warned him a split second before he saw Eve’s little rental bump down the road and turn off into Celia’s driveway. She was driving too fast for the dirt road, which wasn’t slowing her down a bit.
Something was up. Cole swung back up into the saddle and turned his horse in that direction.
Eve pulled to a stop in front of Celia’s house and hurried up the porch and into the house, compelled by a sense of urgency she couldn’t explain—but had learned not to ignore. Once she stood in the kitchen, she looked around. Was there a chlorination system? She hadn’t even checked. She shook her head at her own stupidity and forced her mind to focus.
If the well had tested in the acceptable range for nitrates, but Glory had nitrates in her system, then either someone had fed them to her deliberately—which Eve couldn’t fathom—or they came from the formula, which was doubtful. Eve had called the manufacturer of the brand Celia used, and they had confirmed there were no recalls.
But powdered formula was mixed with water, so that left checking the taps in the house and any chlorination system between the well and house for breaks or tampering. And it had to happen today. There was no way Eve would let Celia bring the baby back here until they knew for sure that everything was OK.
She didn’t have time to waste. Instead of trying to get the water-testing company to finally get out here, she’d get her own water sample and either overnight it or drive it to the lab in Jacksonville herself.
She opened cupboards, banging doors as she searched for a jar or something to put the sample in. Thanks to whatever idiot tried to run her off the road—and her hands still wanted to shake from that—she didn’t have her own jars.
Down in the bottom, at the very back of the last cabinet, she hit pay dirt. A multipack of canning jars with screw-top lids. That would work just fine. Of course, she’d rather have sterile jars to make sure there wasn’t anything already there to contaminate the sample, but this would have to do. She didn’t have any other options.
Now she needed a cooler. The samples had to be kept on ice. She searched around in the small lean-to off the back porch and found a crumbling Styrofoam cooler that would have to do.
She filled the cooler with ice cubes before she took a sample from the kitchen and another from the bathroom. After what happened yesterday, she knew the threats were escalating. She had to act fast. She labeled both with a piece of paper towel held on by tape she’d found in a drawer.
She went back outside and put the cooler in her car, but she couldn’t leave yet. She got one more jar and started looking around the property. Did they have a chlorination system? If so, where was it?
She went back to the lean-to and spotted a small closet she’d missed in her earlier hurry. Sure enough, the chlorination system stood inside.
“What are you doing, Eve?”
Eve spun around so fast she almost dropped the jar, fumbling it before she got a solid grip. Cole sat next to the porch astride a beautiful paint, Stetson on his head, leaning on the saddle horn. Dressed in a snug blue T-shirt and jeans, he looked good enough to eat, looking at her with that wicked twinkle in his eye. Not that she would let herself notice. She had priorities. Things to do. Yeah, yeah, yeah, her brain said. But look at those gray eyes.
Eve opened her mouth to make some sophisticated remark, or at least something that didn’t sound completely idiotic, but nothing came out. She went with a smile, while her brain scrambled for something to say. She took a deep breath. “I need to get the water inside the house tested. Today. Celia said they’re talking about releasing Glory.”
He dismounted and hopped up onto the porch, leaned in to look at the system. “Looks pretty standard; nothing appears to be corroded or leaking.”
Eve leaned into the doorway beside him, glad suddenly of the denim and boots she was wearing, especially when he let his gaze roam over her outfit before coming back to rest on her face. He grinned, and Eve was reminded why all the girls in high school, herself included, had followed him around like lovesick puppies.
“You look good, Evie. We’ll make a country girl out of you yet.”
Eve grinned back, feeling like she was that high school girl again. Then she looked up at the shelves above the system and sucked in a breath. Cole followed her gaze to the gallon-size commercial fertilizer jugs sitting on the shelf.
He lifted each one. “All look to be full.”
Eve turned back and went down the steps to what had once been a vegetable garden a short distance away. An empty jug lay on its side among the weeds. Eve studied the jar, tried to keep her thoughts from running away with her. Could this be the source of the contamination? Commercial fertilizers were full of nitrates. Had some gotten into the chlorination system?
The silence was broken by a sound she knew too well.
“You’ve got ten seconds to turn around and tell me what you’re doing on my land. Hands in the air while you do it.”
Eve and Cole exchanged glances as they raised their hands and turned to face Leon Daughtry, who had his shotgun aimed at their midsections.
“Well, dang, Cole. What are you doing trespassing on my land?”
Eve chanced a glance at Cole, who didn’t look the least bit worried, despite the weapon pointed at them. “Meant no disrespect, Leon. We heard that Glory might be released from the hospital today and wanted to see if we can’t get this water tested, make sure she doesn’t get sick again.”
“They already tested the well. There’s not a thing wrong with it.”
“That’s true. But we thought it best to check the system, too.”
“That’s not necessary. I’ll thank you to move along.”
“Now, Leon, we just—” Cole began, but Eve interrupted.
“You can’t seriously just let that baby come home and risk her getting sick again, maybe dying?”
At the last, Leon blanched, but he didn’t lower the gun.
Eve went on in a rush, desperate to convince him. “If we know for sure the water is fine, that would be a relief, wouldn’t it?”
“It’d be a relief to see you two get off my land.”
“I heard tell that big-box store is interested in buying the property,” Cole said, and Eve watched Leon closely, looking for a reaction.
“All due respect, Cole, this here is none of your concern.”
“Except your niece almost dying,” Eve shot back. What was wrong with this man?
“We don’t know why she got sick. Nobody does. Now get off my land.”
Suddenly Leon turned as an aging Oldsmobile pulled into the drive. He lowered the shotgun, and his urgency became a palpable thing. “Get on out of here, right now. I won’t tell you again.”
Eve climbed into her car and took the long way back to the ranch. She didn’t want to get stuck again. She passed IdaMae’s car, and the woman did not look happy. Cole got back on his horse and took a shortcut across the fields back to his place.
What was that all about?
She wasn’t sure, but she smiled when she saw the cooler sitting on the passenger seat. All she had to do was get these samples to the lab within twenty-four hours.
; Chapter 18
By the time Eve pulled up in front of the house at Sutton Ranch, Cole was waiting for her. He’d unsaddled his horse, and Hector was leading it into the barn.
“So what do you make of all that?” Eve asked the minute she got out of the car.
“Hard to say. It could be as simple as wanting to protect their privacy.”
“How well do you know Leon?”
“Not much better than I did when you and I were young. He keeps to himself, even when he’s here.”
“Doesn’t seem overly close to his niece or his grandniece. I’ve only seen him at the hospital once.”
“Don’t be too quick to judge. Not everyone can deal with hospitals.”
Eve planted her hands on her hips, instantly in his face. “Nobody likes hospitals that I know of. But when your people are there, you show up. It’s that simple.”
Cole sent her a half smile. “It’s that simple for you. Not for everyone.”
Eve wondered if he was talking about himself, but she didn’t have a chance to ask.
“Did you get any samples from the house?”
“I did. One from the kitchen and another from the bathroom. Do you know a local lab to take them to? Otherwise I need to overnight them to Jacksonville.”
“I think I can sweet-talk someone. But before I do, I want to take a sample from my pond, which I forgot about when I had the wells tested.” He shook his head and gestured toward the barn. “Want to come? We can ride over.”
Eve narrowed her eyes. “You know I don’t ride.”
Cole’s eyes were serious. “I know, and with good reason. But we can replace those bad memories with some good ones.”
He waited and Eve was tempted. Oh, she was tempted. To spend time with Cole. To lose the fear.
But in the end, her heart wouldn’t stop racing, and her palms were sweating just thinking about climbing onto the back of one of those animals.
“I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“No problem, Evie. We can walk over.”
Everything inside her jumped at the chance, but they had to get that water to the lab. “Will we have enough time if we walk?”
“You have the right shoes this time, so yes, we’ll have enough time.”
He took her hand, and Eve walked beside him along the edges of the pasture, past the blueberries. Eve merely raised a brow when he offered her some. “I’ve had my share, thanks.”
Within a few minutes, they reached the pond, shaded by a huge hundred-year-old live oak tree that stood nearby. Spanish moss dripped from it, and the whole thing looked like a postcard. A few head of cattle roamed nearby, cropping grass, while one of the cows stood belly deep in the water, cooling off. Eve laughed.
But before she said anything, Cole started muttering and stomping around.
She hurried over. “What’s wrong?”
He stopped, blew out a breath, and pointed to some withered plants lying at the edge of the pond. Several more floated in the water, near the cow. He waded in and fished them out, showed them to Eve. “This is poison hemlock. Any cow eats that in the early gestation period, and you get calves like the ones my cows have been birthing.”
Eve leaned closer to study it. Then she looked around, but didn’t see where it came from. “Does it grow around here?”
“It can, but we check for it on a regular basis. Actually, we just checked a few days ago. This wasn’t planted. Someone brought it here.”
Eve heard what he wasn’t saying. It was probably someone he knew well, one of the men who worked for him, most likely.
“You think someone deliberately fed it to your cattle.”
He nodded once, scanned the area, his jaw clenched.
“Is that cow pregnant?” Eve pointed to the bather.
“She is.”
“What will you do now?”
Cole studied the nearby tree. “I’m thinking a motion-activated wildlife camera is the first step. That way, it will record if someone else comes out here. I’ll call Nick, too. But right now let’s get this water sample and get out of here.” He pulled out the jar they’d brought along and scooped some of the water into it. He also put some of the hemlock in another jar and capped that, too. “I’ll get this to Pure Water, Inc., this afternoon, have their lab test it.”
“I’d like to come along, if you don’t mind. They sure didn’t want to deal with me, but I have some questions they might be able to answer.”
“They better talk to you. We have to figure out who’s doing this.” Eve heard the anger in his voice and saw the way he wrestled it under control. He paused. “I didn’t have time to eat lunch. Do you want to grab food afterward?”
Eve raised an eyebrow. “You sure you want to be seen around town with the environmental wacko?”
Cole gave her that lopsided grin that always went straight to her belly. “I think I can handle it. And I think we could both use a break from all that’s been happening.”
When they got back to the ranch, Cole held the door of his truck open for her, and they drove straight to the lab about twenty miles away.
When Cole gave the woman at the reception desk both their names, Eve wanted to kick him. The woman’s wide-eyed glance said she’d recognized Eve’s name, but she made no other comment. She had them fill out paperwork, processed their payment, and assured them they’d have results as soon as possible. When Eve pushed for specifics, the woman merely repeated what she’d said. But as they turned to leave, the woman glanced over her shoulder before leaning closer to Eve. “My sister waits tables at the Blue Dolphin with Celia Daughtry. I’m glad you’re trying to find out what made Glory sick. I’ll do what I can to rush this.”
Dumbfounded, Eve smiled and whispered, “Thank you so much.”
Eve looked at Cole once they were back in the truck. “Wow. That was a nice change.”
“Let’s hope she can get that rush on it.” Cole massaged the back of his neck as they headed toward the highway, shaking his head. Finally he asked, “Want to check out the new barbecue place that just opened?”
“Hm. That’s where they serve dead animals, right?”
Cole laughed. “Right. Of course you’re a vegetarian. How could I not have thought of that? OK, where else would you like to go?”
“The new place is fine. I’ll just order a salad. They have that, right?”
“I’m pretty sure they do, even in this little hick backwater.”
The unexpected edge to his voice surprised Eve. “That was a joke, albeit a lame one.”
“Sorry. Just me. I forget sometimes that you’re a big-city gal, used to all the finer things.”
“I grew up here, just like you did.”
“But you didn’t stay, did you?”
“No, but neither did you.” She held up a hand when he started to protest. “No offense intended. I know you were kicked out. True, I never felt part of the town, but I didn’t exactly try to fit in. I was too busy trying to right wrongs.”
“Like the ‘calf caper’?”
Eve chanced a glance at his face, relieved to see a teasing grin. “Among other things.”
His expression turned serious. “I heard people gave you a hard time because of the color of your skin, too.”
“Call me naive, but I think that part would have resolved itself eventually if I hadn’t caused quite so many, um, inadvertent disasters.”
“Would you ever consider moving back?” he asked as he pulled into the gravel parking lot. The building had the rustic look of an old barn, though with a sheen of newness they hadn’t tried to hide. Country music blared from a set of speakers into a parking lot containing mostly pickup trucks, along with several sedans and jeeps and a few convertibles.
Eve wasn’t sure how to answer. He came around and opened her door, offered a hand down. “Would you?”
“Stay?” She looked around, shook her head. “I love my family, but my life and my work are in DC.”
Cole met her gaze, and a flash of something that lo
oked like disappointment slid through his eyes before he looked away and took her elbow as they entered the building.
The young gal at the hostess station smiled warmly at Cole. “Hi, how many today?”
Eve didn’t like the possessive feeling that swept over her when the young woman gave Cole a once-over that lasted far too long, in her opinion. She almost wrapped her hand around his arm in a show of ownership, but caught herself just in time. She mentally rolled her eyes at her own behavior as they followed the girl to their table.
“Thanks,” Cole said when she seated them in a booth, still completely ignoring Eve.
“If you need anything at all, you just let me know,” Eve purred when the hostess had left.
Cole looked up and frowned. “What?”
“Seems the Sutton charm hasn’t diminished since high school.”
He looked confused for a moment, then glanced at the hostess, who gave a little finger wave from her spot behind the podium. “I was just being friendly.”
“I know. She wanted to get a lot more friendly.”
“Not my problem.” He looked uncomfortable. “Can we talk about something else?”
“OK. Do you have any more theories about what made Glory sick?”
He studied her a moment, then folded his arms on the table and leaned toward her. “How about if we don’t talk about anything like that right now. Let’s just pretend we’re a couple out for a bite, getting to know each other.”
The temptation to pretend things were normal, just for a little while, proved irresistible. She smiled and nodded. “OK, then. I heard you were in Montana. Tell me what you liked best about it.”
Cole started talking, and before Eve knew what happened, they’d been moving from topic to topic, laughing. A waitress took their order, and they laughed at Eve’s water and salad and Cole’s pitcher of sweet tea and platter of ribs.
They were almost finished when three guys walked past their table, ranchers from the way they were dressed in Western shirts, jeans, and boots that had seen their share of work. The first one, who looked to be in his midthirties, stopped at their table, looked from Eve to Cole and back again. Eve thought they might be guys she’d known in high school, but she couldn’t be sure.
