by Connie Mann
“I appreciate it,” Cole said, voice heavy.
Nick climbed back in his SUV and drove away. Eve scanned the ranch as they walked back to the house, trying to focus on the thieves, the sabotage, anything but how right her hand felt in Cole’s much larger one, and how much this place was beginning to feel like home. Actually, it felt more like home than anyplace she’d ever been. Which was enough to send her running for the airport. She had to fight that feeling, that pull, with everything she had. Her place was in DC, championing those who needed her help, who couldn’t fight for themselves. She couldn’t atone for her mother’s death if she stopped fighting.
Cole suddenly tugged her to him, and she realized they were on the porch of the ranch house. He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. “Stop thinking and get some sleep. We’ll deal with this again in a couple of hours.”
Eve nodded, her emotions too tangled to utter a single word. He turned her and led her to the door like she was a child, then held the door while she went inside. The adrenaline drained out of her, and she stumbled down the hall and fell onto the bed without even climbing under the covers.
As she fell into sleep, her last thought was, home.
Chapter 26
Cole didn’t get much sleep. Every time he dozed off he saw Eve in Hector’s truck again, bullets whizzing by her head. He’d wake with a jolt, heart pounding and temper flaring. Several times he hopped out of bed, ready to blast into her room and shake her until her teeth rattled. Or wrap her in his arms and never let go. Neither of which would help a thing. Dang fool woman was going to get herself killed in her efforts to save people.
At 6:00 a.m., he gave up on sleep and made coffee, then grabbed a flashlight and paced every inch of the ranch, scanning high and low for any possible clues the rustlers might have left behind. He knew the chances were slim, but he’d take what he could get right now. Once the sun came up, he could start taking inventory, get an idea of just how many head of his cattle they stole.
Rustlers. He still couldn’t believe it. Somebody wanted to destroy the ranch, that much was patently clear, but he couldn’t figure out who. Blackwell wanted the place, no question, but he was a businessman. The things happening here at the ranch seemed personal. He knew Duane was desperate, but he didn’t think his uncle had the smarts to pull off something this organized. Not with the way he was drinking lately.
So who was left? He rubbed a hand over his face. He had no idea.
He climbed onto the porch and plopped into one of the rockers, more tired than he could remember being. He leaned his head back, thinking he’d rest a few minutes, then get back out there as soon as the sun camp up.
“Cole. Time to wake up.”
He started at the quiet voice, then sat up abruptly, blinking the sunlight out of his eyes. When he finally focused, he realized Eve stood there, wearing a T-shirt and jeans, her hair held back in a colorful band and a smile on her face. He wanted to wake up with her smiling at him just like that every day, he decided. Wait, what? She drove him crazy. He shook his head to clear it, then reached for the mug of coffee she held out to him. “What time is it?” His voice came out a croak.
“Almost nine.” She held out a piece of paper. “The lab called the house and asked you to call them. I asked for the results, but they wouldn’t give them to me.” She grimaced.
He grinned at that. “Bet you tried, though.”
She sniffed. “Of course, but they said they could only release them to you.”
“This could be a good thing, Eve. If you’d put your name on the request, sure as shooting somebody would have accused you of trying to skew the results.”
She rolled her eyes, but nodded. “Just because you’re right doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Since her impatience matched his own, he walked back inside and called the lab.
“Hi, this is Cole Sutton, returning your call.”
“Hi, Mr. Sutton. We have the results of the three samples you turned in to us. So, for the two from inside the home, labeled kitchen and bathroom, the nitrate levels showed forty parts per million, which is far above the allowable ten parts per million here in Florida. That is definitely something you should investigate further. Right now that water is not safe to drink, especially not for infants or anyone with a compromised digestive system. The other sample, marked pond, contains nine parts per million of nitrates, which is well within the established guidelines. Would you like me to mail you a copy of the report?”
“Can you email it to me?”
“Certainly. I just need your email address.”
Cole rattled it off, thanked the woman, and turned to Eve. “The nitrate levels in the samples from Celia’s cottage are way high. Forty parts per million.”
Eve gasped. “No wonder that baby got sick. Ten parts per million is the maximum considered safe.”
“I know, that—”
“Wait. Sorry to interrupt. The health department said her well tested within acceptable margins.”
Cole immediately understood. “That means the problem isn’t coming up from the aquifer through the well. Someone tampered with the water after it reached the house.”
“The chlorination system. It has to be.” Eve started pacing. “But I still can’t imagine Celia doing such a thing. Even with hormones sometimes messing with a mother’s mind, I’ve seen nothing, not a single hint that would indicate anything like that is happening with Celia.”
“Which means someone else contaminated it.”
Eve squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head in frustration. “Which still leaves us where we were before. Trying to figure out who. And why.” She stopped, grabbed her cell phone. “I need to call Celia. Make sure she’s not using water in the house.”
She dialed and put the phone to her ear. “Celia, are you and Glory home? Oh, that’s good news. You’re not using any of the water in the house to drink or make formula, right? We just heard from the lab. The nitrates are way too high, and Glory will get sick again if she ingests the water.” She paused, and Cole saw the tension drain out of her. “Good. You are one smart mama, Celia. Glory is lucky to have you. Yes, I would definitely use the canned formula, or bottled water to mix it up from powder for the foreseeable future. I’ll stop by later, OK? Take care of that baby.”
Cole opened his mouth to tell her he’d come with her, when her cell phone rang.
“Hey, Sash, is Mama OK?” She paced to the end of the porch and back. “For lunch? Of course I’ll come, but wouldn’t you rather have Jesse there? OK, I’ll be right there.” Eve disconnected and turned to face him. “Sasha’s long-lost aunt wants to meet her for lunch today, and she wants me to come along. Jesse is manning the bait shop while Pop is with Mama.” She paused. “I don’t want to leave you alone dealing with all this.” She waved a hand to indicate the ranch.
Cole smiled. “You need to go. Be there for Sasha. The only thing we’ll be doing here is calculating how many cows we actually lost.”
They both looked up as a Safe Harbor police SUV started down the drive. “That should be Nick,” Cole said.
Eve still looked torn, but then she nodded. “OK. I’ll call you when I’m done, and we can head over to Celia’s place. Tell Nick if he needs anything from me to call me later.”
She turned to go, but Cole stopped her. He put a finger under her chin to tilt it up. “Be careful, Eve. No heroics.”
She flashed him the saucy grin that got him every time. “It’s lunch at the Blue Dolphin. How dangerous can it be?”
He shook his head. With Eve, you never knew, and that’s what worried him.
Chapter 27
By early afternoon, Eve felt totally unnecessary, an unfamiliar and uncomfortable sensation. Though she’d been quizzed on the rustlers by the lunch crowd at the Blue Dolphin and then gotten all teary-eyed at Sasha’s emotional reunion with her late mother’s sister, they didn’t need her there.
As she drove Sasha back to the marina—after Sasha and
Sophia promised to get together again in a few weeks—she smiled at Sasha, who sat in the passenger seat looking dumbstruck. “You OK, Sash?”
Sasha looked at her, eyes bright. “I’m overwhelmed, I guess. I never, ever expected to feel such a connection to someone I’ve never met. It’s so unexpected, but so . . .” She lapsed into silence, and Eve didn’t respond, just kept her eyes on the road. Watching Sasha and Sophia had created a jealous tug in Eve’s heart she wasn’t sure what to do with. For the first time, she longed to be a mother, to create her own family ties. Cole’s face appeared in her mind, and she shoved it away.
As soon as they reached the marina, Sasha headed directly to the bait shop to find Jesse. Unsettled by her thoughts, Eve went into the house to check on Mama, who kindly but firmly told Eve she wanted to rest and told her to leave her in peace.
Eve got back in her car and called Cole to let him know she was headed back so they could stop by Celia’s, maybe get some answers there, but his phone went right to voice mail.
She pulled up to the ranch house, completely at loose ends. She didn’t see his pickup, but that didn’t mean anything. He could be anywhere on the ranch. She got out and then drummed her fingers on the roof of her car. She had to think, to figure out what was going on, once and for all. Growing anxiety simmered just below her skin and made her antsy, desperate to keep her hands busy so her brain could process. Maybe she could cook dinner, let Alice have a night off. She kept offering, but Alice always said she had it taken care of. Maybe today she could convince her otherwise.
She didn’t see Alice’s car, though, so she was probably at a church meeting or something. Which was the perfect opportunity.
Eve headed into the kitchen and went right to the big pantry to take inventory. Between that and the freezer, she found everything she needed to make a nice baked ziti, a la Rosa Martinelli. Perfect. She’d have a big pan ready to go into the oven by the time Alice returned.
Feeling better now that she had a plan, Eve set to work, browning ground beef on the stove and boiling water for the pasta. She rummaged around in the fridge and found salad fixings, so she made that, too. Meanwhile she mentally reviewed every piece of information they had while her hands kept busy.
The list of those who wanted Cole’s ranch wasn’t long. Richard Blackwell wanted to expand his agribusiness. That was no secret.
Did Buzz want the place? He didn’t seem to, but he also didn’t seem impressed with how Cole was running things. Then there was Duane, who had a chip on his shoulder that got bigger when he drank, which, sadly, was too often. But if he wanted to buy the place, why try to sabotage it?
Eve stirred the meat as she tried to sort everything out. There was something here she was missing, that they were all missing. Some clue or . . . something.
She stepped over to the sink to wash a tomato and glanced out the window. What she saw stopped her heart.
The hay field was on fire.
No! She had to tell Cole. She grabbed her cell phone from the table and raced out the back door, dialing with one hand as she ran full-out toward the barn.
It rang three times and then his voice mail came on. “This is Cole Sutton. Leave a message.”
“The hay field is on fire! Hurry!”
She shoved the phone in her pocket and kept running in the direction of the flames. Halfway there she slowed, realized she had nothing to fight the fire with. But it was spreading, and fast. She grabbed her phone again and dialed 911, knowing it would take time—time they didn’t have—before the volunteer Safe Harbor Fire Department could get organized and get here, but she had to try. She couldn’t just watch it spread.
“The hay field at Sutton Ranch is on fire, and it’s spreading fast. Hurry!” She ignored the dispatcher’s questions, hung up, and kept running.
She raced through the big open doors of the barn. “Cole! Buzz! Hector! The hay field is on fire!” She raced down the center aisle, calling their names over and over, but nobody answered.
When she got to the other end, she ran out the door and scanned the area, trying to spot them. If they were off in the back pastures, she knew she wouldn’t be able to see them from here. Inside the barn, she heard the horses shifting, getting restless, several kicking at their stalls. What if the fire came this way?
OK, one thing at a time. But what should she do first?
Shovels. She ran back outside to the tool shed, made sure she propped the door open behind her, and ducked in, eyes out for bees. She grabbed several shovels and a pair of gloves, ran back outside, and hopped onto an ATV parked nearby. She’d never driven one before, but how hard could it be?
Someone had left the key in the ignition, so she fired it up and goosed the throttle just a little too hard and almost went flying off the back. She overcompensated when she hit the brake and stopped so suddenly, she almost flew over the handlebars. Heart racing, she forced herself to take a deep breath and focus. She eased it into gear and sped up as she raced toward the fire’s edge.
Once she got there, she took a moment to see which way the wind was blowing the flames and made sure she parked the ATV well out of the fire line. She hoped.
She tugged on the gloves, grabbed a shovel, and got to work, scooping sand onto the flames, trying to keep them from advancing. She had no idea if it would work, but she’d seen it on TV once, and she didn’t know what else to do. But if there was one thing Florida had plenty of, it was sandy soil.
It didn’t take long to realize this was seriously hard work. And it was hot. The flames emitted enough heat it felt like she was standing in an oven. Her clothes stuck to her skin and sweat ran down her face and neck, but she didn’t slow. She couldn’t.
She bent and scooped, tossed. Bent and scooped, tossed. But before long, the toss started to get shorter and the amount of sand on the shovel, smaller. She was running out of strength.
Where was Cole? She eyed the angry flames and kept going. Please God, don’t let it all burn. Please don’t let it all burn.
Eve lost all track of time as she focused on the next scoop and then the next.
Suddenly a hand reached out and grabbed her arm, spinning her around. She jumped in surprise, then looked up and thought her heart would stop.
She was surrounded by flames. How had she not realized what was happening? Cole scooped her into his arms and took off running, muttering the whole way. He ran over to the ATV, plopped her on the back, climbed on, and took off, away from the fire.
Eve grabbed his waist so she wouldn’t slide off the back. He didn’t go far, just far enough that Eve didn’t feel her face was melting off. He stopped, pulled her off, and studied her from head to foot. “Are you OK? Did you get burned anywhere?”
Puzzled by his panic, Eve glanced down at herself, surprised to see several burn marks on her jeans. “No. I’m fine. Really. But we have to get back.” She turned to look and saw the fire moving farther and farther into the field.
“The fire was all around you, Eve. Had you not seen it?”
“No, I’m sorry. I hadn’t. I was so focused on trying to smother it or create some kind of barrier, I wasn’t watching. I just kept shoveling.”
His grin melted her from the inside out. “You are one of the toughest cowboys I’ve ever met, Eve Jackson.” Then his smile disappeared as he looked in the direction of the flames. “I don’t think we’ll be able to stop it. It’s moving too fast.”
“I called the fire department.”
“I appreciate it, but I’m not sure there will be anything left to save by the time they get here.” He turned back to the ATV, grabbed a bottle of water he had in the back, and tossed it to her. She caught it and hurried over to him, hopped on the back, and wrapped her arms around his middle.
He looked at her over his shoulder. “You sure you have any fight left?”
“I’m sure.” Though her shaky knees might argue otherwise. She wouldn’t give up. Not while she could make a difference.
He dropped a quick kiss on her li
ps. “Warrior.” Then he hit the throttle.
Eve held tight as he raced around to the far side of the field. Hector and Buzz were there, doing the same thing she’d been doing. Buzz was shoveling sand, and Hector had the water tanker going, wetting down the sand perimeter.
And still, the flames greedily consumed more hay, almost laughing as they danced along.
“Where’s Duane?” Buzz asked. “Did you find him?”
“No. I found Eve instead.” Cole turned to her. “Duane’s pickup is out by the barn, but we can’t find him. Did you see him?”
Dread coiled in Eve’s gut. “No. I ran through the barn calling for all of you, but nobody answered. The horses were getting restless—nervous about the fire, I think.”
“I’m sure they are. Ma is standing by to lead them out if the flames head that way.”
“I’ll go look for him while you guys work.”
“I don’t want you getting too close to the flames again.”
“I’ll pay closer attention. I promise.”
Cole nodded and grabbed his shovel. Eve hopped on the ATV and set off toward the barn. She called Duane’s name as she went, thinking that if he’d fallen or something, he might hear her—though with the sound of the engine, she had to stop regularly so she could hear him if he responded.
She got all the way back to the barn and hopped off to run inside. “Alice! Have you seen Duane?”
Cole’s mother was standing by one of the stalls, murmuring and stroking the forehead of one of the horses. At Eve’s question, the color drained from her cheeks. “You didn’t find him?”
“No. But Cole hadn’t had much time to look for him before he found me. So I’ll keep looking while they work on the fire.”
She looked her over. “Are you OK?”
Eve wondered just how bad she must look, since everyone kept asking her that. “I’m fine. Just sooty, I think.”
Alice nodded. “Check the sheds. He may have gone into one to, ah—”
The word drink hovered in the air, but neither woman said it out loud. Eve nodded and ran back out to the ATV. She took off in that direction, her worry hitching up as she saw how much the fire had spread in the past few minutes. Off in the distance, she could see Cole, Buzz, and Hector hard at work. Where was the fire department?
