by Sheila Kell
Something hit her square between her shoulder blades and she froze, then smiled. Ducking down as best as she could, she removed her hands from her pockets and wrapped them around a big pile of snow pulled up between the cars and made it into a ball. The three men, carrying luggage, acted as if nothing had happened. The corner of Trent’s mouth ticked up and she had him. Standing, she launched her snowball and hit him squarely in the chest before he could react.
Since he sought a somewhat dry place to place the luggage before playing, she had enough time to make another snowball and launched it as he squatted down, nailing him on the forehead. With exceptionally fast snowball-making skills, he launched them at her one after another, beating her two to one, hitting her almost everywhere but the belly. She moved from spot to spot, hoping to throw him off, giggling the entire way.
Breathing hard, she had to call a halt because her side hurt from so much laughing and running. Then, Trent threw her off by grabbing her up and spinning her around until he winced at what she suspected was a twinge in his stitches. Her breath caught when he gave her a quick peck on the lips before setting her down.
Without a word, he returned to collect their luggage while she fought for control of her breathing and her heart. The man didn’t realize what he did to her. A sinking sensation slid through her.
Settled in the backseat of the rental beside Trent, she folded her hands in her lap and stared straight ahead.
The hour went by quietly with a strange tension in the vehicle. When they reached Reed Point, AJ laughed at the sign that said, “Sheep drive capital of the world.” Kelly perked up at it. Driving down the main street—the only real street with businesses—she pointed out the interests.
She directed their attention out her side window. “That’s the Waterhole’s Saloon. Best lunch around. Next to it is the old hotel and lounge.” She frowned. “Like many businesses, they closed their doors.”
“What about getting basic supplies? Do you have a Walmart or Target here?”
Almost hopping in her seat, she said, “No, we have better. It’s almost like an old general store.” Giving them directions, they found a newer part of town with a few businesses lining one side of the street.
“Pull in would you?” Kelly asked. “I want to get something.”
Matt caught Trent’s eye in the rearview mirror and pulled over at Trent’s slight nod.
When Kelly entered the store, an older man, graying and slightly stooped smiled broadly and greeted her by name. She rushed into his arms and kissed him on the cheek when they parted.
“Look at you, young ‘un,” Marvin Sinclair said.
With her hand resting on her belly, she laughed nervously. Now her parents would know as word would spread. “I’m hoping you might have pickled bologna.” When the man’s brows drew down, she rushed to add, “It’s a craving I haven’t been able to satisfy.”
Nodding, Marvin walked down one of the aisles, looked around, examined a jar and then handed it to Kelly. “It’s the last one, and I had to check the date I’ve had it so long.”
She hugged the jar to her chest. One might not be enough. Ashley had been asking for strange things, things she’d never have eaten otherwise. Glancing to Trent, she almost burst out laughing at his disgusted look. She’d probably be the same way if it hadn’t been for the craving.
After settling the bill, they returned to the car for the final drive out to Mike’s ranch. Closing her eyes, a peace fell over her with the mountains to one side and Yellowstone River to the other. If it hadn’t been for her wanting to be a big-time reporter, she’d never have left Reed Point. She’d also never have met Trent, so there had been a good trade-off.
When she opened her eyes, the open range spread before them. They arrived much faster than she was prepared for.
Stepping out of the car, she inhaled the scent of the woods not far away and the crisp, mountain air. Home, her heart said.
Mike Platt, a man of about fifty years of age, stood on the front porch of a two-story wooden home that Kelly remembered running around as a child. Even young, she and Brian had been paired by their parents.
The dog at his side barked once but quieted when Mike placed a hand on the dog’s head.
She shook away the memories and focused on the home. The white paint had seen better days, but the wood appeared in good repair. She wasn’t sure why she’d assumed Mike had let everything go when he’d heard of Brian. Yet, it’d only been a short time and he still had Luke. Then again, according to Brian, there was no telling where Luke was at the moment. Once Mike had apparently laid down the law with him, Luke had lit out like there’d been no tomorrow. Maybe she could help reunite the two. Somehow.
Mike opened his arms wide and almost croaked out her name. “Kelly.”
Falling into his embrace, tears streamed down her cheeks, and she couldn’t speak. Her heart hoped he didn’t hold Brian’s death against her. When she felt a drop she suspected was a tear from above, she pulled back and wiped her face with the back of her gloved hands. “I’m so sorry, Mike.”
Using his coat sleeve to wipe his face, Mike said, “There’s nothing to be sorry about. Now, introduce me to your friends and then we can get inside, and you can tell me what this is all about.”
Perceptive man. Then again, why else would she bring three men with her?
It took a while, handling introductions and getting everyone settled. The men wanted to scope out the place right away, but she pulled Trent aside and explained Mike needed to know something before they went off and did their jobs. Having them strolling the grounds without a word would not only be rude but add to the concern the man must already feel.
She had to threaten to go back on her word and get involved if he didn’t do this first. Not that she would’ve, but he obviously didn’t look forward to doing it, and a kick in the pants had been needed.
Sitting in the living room, Kelly squished between Trent and AJ on the couch, she glanced between Matt and Mike, looking comfortable in the chairs.
“So, how do you all know Kelly?”
Kelly spoke up before the men could. “They’re one of my good friend’s brothers-in-law.” Trent stiffened beside her. Maybe he’d planned to keep his association to the Hamiltons secret. It wouldn’t be possible because from what Megan had said, once the senator spoke with Trent, he wanted to make a public announcement about it.
AJ smiled and nodded. “I’m Megan’s husband. She works with Kelly. We’ve kind of adopted Kelly into our family.”
“I’m glad to hear it. We didn’t like her being alone in the big city.”
“We didn’t like it either,” Trent added.
Straightening in his chair, Mike cleared his throat. “I’m awfully glad you brought Kelly back, but I know you aren’t here just to escort her.”
Trent shook his head and frowned. “No, sir, we’re not.”
“Then, son, you’d best tell me what this is all about.”
“Well, we think it’s possible Brian’s death wasn’t an accident,” Trent informed him more bluntly than Kelly would’ve liked. “And, someone is after Kelly.”
Quite unexpectedly, Mike grabbed his chest and doubled-over.
MIKE STOPPED THEM from calling an ambulance after taking a tablet for his heart condition. Then, he took a nap to rest. It took him a while to recover, and Kelly informed them that Brian had told her that his father’s health was failing. Trent swore. She could’ve told him before he’d been so blunt about the death of the man’s son. Then again, he hadn’t expected such a physical reaction.
While Kelly napped and the men scoped out the place, Trent took advantage and settled down with a recovered Mike to find out everything he could. With a bottle of water in his hand, he joined the man in his office. The first time he’d seen the room, he’d had a tough time believing it was an office because it was so damn neat and organized. Not what he’d expect the men of this ranch to be, yet he’d never met Brian, so what did he truly know?
“I’m fine. Just spit it out.”
Trent nodded respectfully. “Okay. We don’t know for sure, but after your son died, his suitcase and then papers were stolen from Kelly. That’s why she didn’t have his stuff for you.”
Mike didn’t speak but nodded.
“Since then, there have been… incidents that make me think someone might be after Kelly.” That was an understatement after the knife attack, but Brian had had enough tough news to take.
The man’s hands slammed on the desk. “You have to protect her! She’s carrying my grandchild.”
“That’s why we’re with her.” That and he didn’t want to let her out of his sight for longer than necessary.
“Are there enough of you? I have a lot of land.”
Taking a slow drink of his water, Trent remembered how he’d thought the same thing, but Jesse and Devon had disagreed. “A lot of it is open range, so we can see for miles. If we think we need more men, we’ll address it then.”
“Okay.” Mike nodded once. “How can I help?”
“We need to nail down the why. Have you had anything happen here, or to you personally?”
Mike appeared thoughtful before he spoke, “I’ve had a few livestock found dead. It can happen, but we suspected poisoning.”
Wheels spinning, he asked thoughtfully, “How easy is it to do that?”
“It’s not, which is why the cause of their deaths is questionable. Someone would’ve led the cattle off and fed and watered them separately. It is possible though.”
“Anything else?”
He shrugged. “I did have two men quit on me, about that same time. I didn’t think anything of it as they are all about the money so bigger money can tempt them away.”
“What are their names?”
“River Montgomery and Tim Warren.”
Trent put the names into his memory. If bigger money would draw them away, it’d also draw them to do something like separate a few head and poison them. Not having Devon to do the thorough background checks frustrated him. His brother had to teach Em his tricks.
It sounded like scare tactics, but why kill Brian and not Mike? It didn’t make sense to him. He reminded himself that he’d just started collecting information. “Is there anything else?”
“I’ve also had two people who have been persistent in their offers to buy the property.”
That caught Trent’s attention. Scaring someone off their property made sense if it was valuable. Nine million was a lot of money, but ranches weren’t always that prosperous. Not willing to ask the man if he was making money, he settled for a different tact. “Are you planning to sell?”
Mike shook his head. “No interest whatsoever. One offer is a repetitive thing, but one came out of the blue.”
“Tell me about them.” While the two cowhands might have dirtied their hands, it had to be for someone else, someone with money, someone who might want the land for themselves. Yet again, he reminded himself they killed Brian not Mike. Maybe Mike was in danger also.
“Christian Kent of Kent Oil has offered about once a year for the past ten years. This year, he’s upped his offer and been more hands-on, trying to open negotiations personally. I guess he thinks this’ll be the next big strike for his company, as if they aren’t rich enough sucking up the land,” Mike scoffed and shook his head in disgust.
Pulling his brows down low, Trent contemplated this. “Is there any reason to suspect you’re sitting on a goldmine in oil?”
“No. Although we haven’t surveyed or probed for it either.”
“But this year is different?” Christian Kent obviously knew something they didn’t.
“Yeah. Just the amount and him trying to talk to me directly instead of going through lawyers.”
“Have you spoken to him?”
Mike nodded. “Only to tell him no and to call my lawyer if he didn’t understand my answer.” The man chuckled.
Smiling, Trent decided he liked Mike Platt, and he wanted to settle this for his son. “You said two offers. What’s the other?”
“Young, rich kid named Reggie Brightmore who stayed when Brian experimented at making this a sportsman vacation spot. Reggie loved it so much, he wants to move here permanently.” The man laughed then coughed as he caught his breath.
“He loved it enough to buy a fully functioning ranch?” Trent wondered how a small herd of cattle and breeding horses could draw such attention. “Does he have ranching experience?”
With a brisk shake of his head, Mike answered, “No. He’s a city slicker—full up greenhorn. No telling what he’d do with the place. Probably just have his rich friends out to kill off all the wildlife, then move on to a new place.” Mike’s mouth tightened into a tight line, and his jaw clenched.
Unfortunately, he could foresee that happening also if the proper management and oversight weren't put into place. The idea of managing a ranch like this tickled something inside him. “From what I can tell from Kelly, your son was pleased with the results of the vacation getaways he’d hosted and was going to approach you with expanding the number of outbuildings to include some cabins and renting them out regularly for the sportsman and fisherman vacations.”
The raspy sound of Mike’s hand rubbing over his nearly gray-bearded chin broke into the air as the man appeared to consider the idea. “I believe it has merits and saw the enjoyment of the vacationers. As for expanding it, I wouldn’t have been opposed to the idea. Heck, even one of the hands mentioned offering trail rides. But it would have to be managed well enough not to deplete our resources.”
Trent leaned forward in the seat, resting his forearms on his thighs and thought for a moment. Something just wasn’t right. “Was Brian your heir?”
A heavy sigh released from Mike. “He was. Now it’s my grandchild.”
Bristling at the lack of name being used, Trent added, “Ashley.”
Mike nodded. “Yeah, Ashley,” he said softly. “After Brian’s mom.”
That was new information to him, but it didn’t matter. “What about your other son?”
A scowl appeared on the man’s face. “I wrote Luke out of my will as far as the property was concerned when he took off. I didn’t trust him not to sell it without thought for what would happen to it,” Mike all but spat out. “He just wants the money.”
Trent kept to himself that he’d been told Mike made him leave. Two sides to every story, he guessed. “Does he know he’s out of the will? Even with Brian gone?”
Mike nodded, then stopped his head’s movement midway. “He knew when I wrote him out and gave it all to Brian. He may not know about Ashley.”
While considering this, Trent took a long drink of his water as he stared at Mike’s red flannel shirt. It wasn’t unheard of for greed to go too far in a family. “Where’s Luke now?”
“I don’t know.” The heavy sorrow in the man’s voice told Trent he still cared deeply for his son, no matter the reason for the estrangement. “Do you think someone’s trying to kill my heirs?”
Looking Mike in the eyes, he pushed confidence in his voice. “I don’t know. It appears that way, but it doesn’t make sense. I’m missing something.”
Mike leaned forward with an elbow on the desk and placed his chin on a fist. “Do you think Luke is in danger?”
At the unexpected question, Trent raised his eyebrows, hating what he’d have to say, but answering honestly, “I don’t know.” Seeing the concern cross the man’s face, he decided to get back to the topic at hand. “How many times have the two men made official offers on the property or pushed you to sell in the past year?”
Seeming happy with a question that could be answered, Mike pondered, “Let’s see, Kent Oil has offered three times, and Reggie has offered four times in the past year.”
“That seems excessive if you told them no.” Trent drew his eyebrows down in tho
ught. “If you don’t mind me asking, did they increase their offer each time?”
Mike nodded. “They did. But I still said no. The place isn’t for sale. It’s for my family.” A heavily burdened sigh escaped the man, and he seemed to fold up on himself.
Trent swallowed hard thinking about little Ashley potentially growing up here. Away from him. “What are you going to do now?”
“Me? I’m going to watch my grandbaby grow up while you make it safe for my family.”
That was exactly what he planned to do, but their family would soon overlap.
NOT STOCKED FOR company, Mike’s pantry didn’t have enough food to serve up the men in the style Mike had wanted, so they rode into town to the Waterhole. Entering through the old-timey saloon doors, Kelly didn’t balk, but knew the more she was spotted in town, the sooner her parents would know she’d arrived. In her heart, she knew Trent was right, and they’d love her no matter what, but the embarrassment of it all kept her away. And the disappointment that surely would come already had her insides in turmoil.
Seated at wooden benches and long tables with sawdust at their feet, the men kept up a lively conversation with Mike about his ranch and the area. AJ seemed keenly interested in the annual sheep drive. Kelly doubted Megan would want to come to Montana just for that, but she did love her husband enough she’d do almost anything.
Love made people do strange things—like make love to a man because you were so damn horny for him you couldn’t stand it, even though he didn’t feel the same way about you. Not sure how to act around Trent, she’d tried to avoid him as much as possible, but that hadn’t been easy when he tried to remain close to her. She could only take so many naps.
After a meal where the men had eaten practically half a cow, Whiskey Straight, a country band began to set up on a makeshift stage on the side corner of the saloon. Memories flooded back. The first time she’d danced had been when she and her father had attended a daddy-daughter night here. She’d been eight at the time, and her momma had dressed her up in her prettiest blue dress and tied a ribbon in her hair. Her vision misted. Around and around her father had spun her until she’d almost lost her breath from giggling so hard.
