by CP Smith
I smiled when I thought back to the early morning hours and how much Bo’s heart beat for me.
“She’s lookin’ dreamy,” Poppy whispered to Cali.
Cali turned in her seat and studied Poppy, looking back to gauge my mood. “She looks like a woman who has found a man she can trust.”
Poppy looked back at me and took my measure. “No doubts?” she asked.
I shook my head slowly. “No doubts. Bo was the best decision I’ve made in my life. He makes me feel safe. Wanted. Needed in a way I’ve never felt.”
Poppy’s face melted into a mask of warmth, and her eyes began to glitter with moisture. “I’m so happy for you.”
I reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “You could have the same thing,” I whispered. “You just need to let down your wall around the man who holds your interest.”
Poppy pulled her hand back and grabbed her cup of coffee, acting as if she didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. “Someday,” she shrugged.
“Are you willin’ to risk Nate findin’ someone else?”
She’d wrapped her lips around her coffee cup and was taking a sip when I brought up Nate. She choked on the coffee, sputtering the brown liquid on the table.
“Nate?” she coughed, trying to clear her lungs. “Why on earth do you think I want Nate?”
“For goodness sake, Poppy. You don’t think we’re ninnies, do you?” Cali snapped.
“No one is callin’ you a ninny. I just don’t understand where you got the idea that I have a thing for Nate?”
“How about the fact that when he’s around, you watch him out of the corner of your eye. Or the fact that when he showed up at the ranch, you hightailed it like a jackrabbit into the barn.”
“I only had a T-shirt on. It wasn’t proper.”
“That didn’t stop you from walkin’ around in front of Bo and Devin,” I pointed out.
“They’re like brothers!” she exclaimed.
“And Nate’s not?” Cali smiled.
Poppy opened her mouth, then closed it. “Look, he’s . . . he’s, well, hot. Gorgeous. And way the hell out of my league. I’d only be courtin’ trouble if I set my sights on him. Maybe I watch him,” she shrugged, “but what woman wouldn’t? He’s—”
“—hot, we get it, you’ve said that already,” I interrupted.
“Well, surely you’ve noticed?”
I looked at Cali and shrugged. “I suppose he’s hot. But nothing compares to Bo.”
Cali nodded. “Nate has a certain appeal, I suppose, but Devin’s way hotter.”
Poppy snorted. “In the looks department, Nate wins hands down.”
I had her, and she didn’t even know it. “Yes, I’ve read when you love someone, you prefer them to all others. That even in the face of superior beauty, love blinds you to it.”
“Exactly,” Poppy agreed. “You don’t see his hotness because you’re blinded by love.”
Lord, she was hardheaded. “Ooor,” I drew out, “you don’t see we’re right because you’re blinded by love.”
Poppy blinked. “That’s not it,” she denied.
“Pitter-patter versus a stampeding mustang, Poppy. Which is it?” I asked, reminding her of what I’d said a few days before.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she began shaking her head rapidly. “No.”
“Yes,” Cali and I said in unison.
Bernice, Eunice, and Natasha walked into the diner, drawing our attention away from the matter at hand. It was just as well. Poppy looked like she needed a good half-day to chew on the information.
“We’re grabbin’ coffee to go, then headin’ over to check on old man Craig before we visit Boris at the hospital.”
“Old man Craig?” I questioned.
“The old man who lives on the property next door. The one the herd was on. We figured he might be unsettled by all the activity over at our place. He’s in his seventies now and doesn’t like surprises, seein’ as he’s got a bad ticker.”
“Didn’t the sheriff go over and talk to him?” Cali asked. “Seems like that would be a likely place to start, since the fence was taken down between the two properties.”
“No idea,” Natasha shrugged. “And it doesn’t matter. We’re his neighbors, and he’s an old man. It’s our duty to make sure he’s okay.”
And he might have information about Boris and Natasha that could help Bo.
“We could go for you,” I blurted out. “There’s no need for you to drive all that way when I know you’d rather be at the hospital. We could pick up a Bundt cake at the store and take it with us as a peace offerin’.”
Natasha blinked, then smiled. “That would sure be a help,” she said, digging in her purse. “He likes lemon poppy seed. I’ll just give you some money and you can say it was from me and Boris.”
I held up my hand to stop her. “I’ve got it covered. It’s the least we can do. If you’d like us to run any more errands for you, just ask. The guys are gonna be tied up all day investigatin’, so we’ve got a ton of time on our hands.”
“All right,” Natasha beamed. “You three sure are a godsend. I don’t know where Boris and I would be if you hadn’t been here when he got sick.”
I shuddered thinking about it. Probably burned to a crisp in their beds.
“Be safe,” Bernice said as they turned to leave.
I grinned. “Bo told you to keep remindin’ me of that, didn’t he?”
“If a man’s any man at all, his first priority is always the safety of the ones he loves,” Eunice threw out.
Bernice turned and looked at her. “Did Odis Lee teach you that?”
Eunice rolled her eyes, then turned and headed for the door.
“She’s an ‘Unapologetic Bitch’ when it comes to that old coot.”
Cali gasped, “Bernie, you gotta give him One More Chance,” referring to Odis Lee’s years of spying on their family for her grandfather. He’d finally manned up when he saw it would hurt Cali, who was like a daughter to him.
Bernice beamed at Cali for using a Madonna song title. “Gotta say, I love havin’ you back like this, butterbean. Love has helped you Open Your Heart to the world around you.”
Cali’s smile softened. “I’m an Armstrong. We can rise above anything.”
Bernice’s eyes welled, and she cleared her throat, mumbling, “And don’t you forget it.”
“Never,” Cali laughed, “You’d never let me.”
“Bernie!” Eunice shouted from the door. “Get the lead out, sister. Boris is waitin’.”
“Tell him we’ll be by later to visit, and we’ll sneak him in a piece of pie,” I said.
We waved the aunts and Natasha off, then headed for the nearest grocery store to find a lemon poppy seed cake.
Cake in hand, we headed out of town. The drive to old man Craig’s place took twenty minutes. When we pulled in, we were met by an old goat that was chewing on grass. His face reminded me of an old man, and I wondered if that was why the cranky old man had chosen him for a pet.
I looked toward the house and found the gentleman in question sitting on his front porch, rocking slowly as residual wind from the storm the night before whipped around us.
The difference between the two ranches was glaring. Boris and Natasha had state-of-the-art everything, right down to the spacious barn and outbuildings. Old man Craig’s home was small, weathered, and broken down by life. It didn’t look like anyone had run a coat of paint over the clapboard house in years. And the roof had seen better days. I was angry just looking at the place. If he had family, they were obviously ignoring him to the point of neglect.
I waved and called out, “Hello,” but he just kept on rocking.
The girls shrugged at me, so we slammed the car doors and headed for the front porch.
Old man Craig eyed us suspiciously as we approached, so I put on my warmest smile. “Mr. Craig?”
“Who’s askin’?”
“Well, I’m Sienna Miller, and these are my f
riends, Poppy Gentry, and Cali Armstrong. We’re friends of Boris and Natasha.”
He locked onto the lemon poppy seed cake Cali was holding and jerked his head toward it. “Is that for me?”
Cali looked down at the cake, then held it out to him. “Yes, sir. We came by to check on you. To make sure you’re doin’ okay after the storm, and to see if all the ruckus goin’ on next door was botherin’ you.”
His eyes narrowed. “What ruckus?”
“Didn’t the sheriff come by and speak to you?”
He leaned over and spit what looked like tobacco into the dirt yard, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. My stomach lurched a bit, but I held my smile. I needed to gain his trust so I could ask him questions.
“Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. I’m old. Sleep a lot, you know. He could have come by, and I didn’t hear him. So why don’t you tell me what’s goin’ on instead.”
Cali looked at me for direction. I looked at Poppy. We weren’t investigators, but I’d read enough romantic suspense to know that when talkin’ to a witness, you have to hold your cards close to your vest. I mean, I doubted this old man had anything to do with what was happening to Boris and Natasha, and he couldn’t possibly have killed Clint Black, but I’m pretty sure Sheriff Moore would be pissed if we said too much.
“Well?” he asked angrily, snatching the cake from Cali’s hand.
I took a deep breath and went for it. “Mr. Craig, the Winkles’ house burnt down under mysterious circumstances, and then a section of the fence between your two properties came down, allowing their herd to escape. We recovered them, but evidence suggests foul play. The police think someone is purposely tryin’ to hurt the Winkles.”
I left out the fact Clint had been murdered. He was old and didn’t need to be unnecessarily frightened.
Craig didn’t even blink when I told him what happened.
“Why does the sheriff want to talk to me? I can barely walk from the bathroom to my bed without usin’ a walker.”
I looked at the girls to see if they found his lack of surprise concerning. They looked at me and smiled.
Guess not.
“Well,” I started, then looked around his property. Nothing had been done in years. There was no way he could be involved. He didn’t have the strength. “Mr. Craig, has anyone ever come around here asking for access to survey the land? Maybe a man about medium height with tattoos on his arm?”
Recognition registered on his face, and he looked at the three of us, slowly taking each of us in. “I’ve never seen you three before. Are you from town?”
The sharp turn in the conversation surprised me.
“No, we’re from Savannah. We came for the week as guests of the dude ranch.”
“Women came all the way out here on their own just to ride horses?”
That seemed rather sexist to me, and Poppy appeared offended as well, because she bit out, “Why can’t women go to a dude ranch on their own? We can do anything men can do.”
“Settle down,” he snapped. “You young folk are always goin’ off half-cocked. It’ll get you in trouble one day.”
This was getting us nowhere. “Mr. Craig, did you see the gentleman who came around to do the survey?” I asked again.
He hesitated a moment, then nodded. “About a month ago. Asked if he could have access.”
“Do you know where?”
“You mean specifically?”
I nodded with excitement. This might be the break we were looking for.
He rose slowly, shuffling his feet, and all three of us rushed to his aid until he was standing firmly in place.
He turned and pointed up the hill. “Over that ridge is a cave. He went in there several times. It sits on the property line, mind you, so most of the cave is on the Winkle side.”
“Have you ever been in it?”
He shook his head. “Bad legs. Got shot in the spine during the war. It was before I bought the place. Black called it a veritable gold mine once. That he thinks Civil War soldiers must have camped out in there. Said he found some buttons. He gave me a couple hundred bucks for them and asked if he could come back. But he never did. I was hopin’ he was right about the Civil War stuff. I could have used the extra money.”
I stretched my neck and rose to my tiptoes, trying to see the opening.
“You’re welcome to go up and look inside. Black said it’s not full of bugs. Smooth walls and dry. Cool, too. Said it felt like there was air conditionin’ inside.”
I looked at the girls. “Should we?”
“Does this fall under ‘Be safe?’” Cali asked.
I smiled. “Probably not. But Mr. Craig here knows where we are, so what could happen?”
“I won’t say famous last words,” Poppy chuckled.
“We can call it into the guys if you’d rather wait?” I said.
“No, it’s fine. It’s not like we’re gonna go inside, right?”
“Right,” I said, shrugging. “No flashlights.”
“I’ve got a bunch in the livin’ room if you want to look inside. Could be more Civil War stuff in there, and I could sure use the money.”
How could I say no to that?
“Um, sure. I can look if you want.”
Poppy gave me a look, then headed inside and found a flashlight.
“Ready,” she said as she came out.
I put my hand under Mr. Craig’s arm and helped him back to his rocking chair. “Do you want a piece of the lemon cake before we go?”
“I’ll save it for later,” he smiled, patting his stomach. “Just had breakfast.”
“Okay. We’ll be back in a jiffy,” I said.
“Take your time. Might miss somethin’ valuable inside.”
I nodded and stepped off his porch. Poppy and Cali followed me, and we didn’t say a word until we were out of earshot.
“You’re not really goin’ inside, are you?” Cali asked.
“I’ll shine the light inside. If I see anything, I’ll get it. But not unless the crown jewels are involved.”
“Then why did you say the only reason you couldn’t go inside is ‘cause you had no flashlight?”
“I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want to appear chicken.”
“Chicken is good. Chicken keeps you alive and spider free. And snake free!” Poppy cringed, shuddering in disgust.
“Good point,” I agreed, shuddering in solidarity.
We made it to the top of the rise, then scanned the outcropping of sharp, jagged rock for anything that looked like a cave.
“Do you see it?” I asked hopefully.
Cali shook her head at me, slightly annoyed. “Maybe it’s further up? Let’s give it a few more feet, then head back.”
We hiked up the rocky rise, sliding on stones, holding on to each other to keep from falling, and we still didn’t see the cave.
“Maybe he’s confused about the location. Let’s go back and call the guys. They can look for it,” I finally said.
We started to turn when a sharp sound echoed across the muggy air.
“Did you hear that?”
We stood stock-still and listened. The sound of metal hitting something solid grew louder.
“Okay, I’m officially spooked. Can we go back?” Poppy asked in a strained voice.
I nodded empathically and turned to head down the hill. Whatever that noise was, it was definitely man-made. And considering Mr. Craig lived alone, that could only mean one thing. Someone was on his property without his knowledge.
We made it five feet before movement caught my eye. A woman I recognized immediately stepped out from behind a bush about ten feet away, startling us. She was holding a gun with a phone plastered to her ear. If I’d been the damsel in distress type of woman, this would have been the moment I swooned from fright.
“Got them. We’ll take care of it.”
Red, the woman I’d danced with the night before, hung up the phone and slipped it into her back pocket. Then she leered at me a
nd winked. “You should have taken me up on my offer, gorgeous,” she called out. “Now I have to kill you.”
“Oh, shit!” Poppy gasped.
“Devin’s sixth sense better kick in quickly,” Cali whispered.
“Maybe I can flirt my way out of this,” I offered.
They both looked at me in disbelief.
“What?”
Red strode the ten feet separating us and stopped in front of me. “How’d you figure it out?”
“Um,” I mumbled. Figure out what, exactly? “We looked at the geological survey,” I lied, stalling for time.
She narrowed her eyes. “Black said you couldn’t see it on the map.”
See what?
“He must have lied.”
“Who else knows about the gold?”
Gold? I glanced at Cali. She had her best poker face on. Devin really was rubbing off on her.
“Answer me,” Red bit out.
Here goes nothing. “The sheriff, Bo, Devin, Nate, Natasha, and Boris. We figured it out last night. We just didn’t know who was involved. They’re headed here now. We came ahead to check on Mr. Craig to make sure he was okay.”
Red’s mouth pulled into a sneer, and icy fingers of fear ran down my spine. Something told me I’d said the wrong thing.
“Then I have nothin’ to lose,” Red stated cryptically. She grabbed my neck and pulled me to her mouth for a quick, hard kiss, then shoved me back.
“We’re goin’ for a little walk. Since they don’t know who’s involved, we’ll keep it that way.”
I closed my eyes. I was so stupid.
“I’m T.S.T.L.”
“We all are,” Cali replied, grabbing my hand. “From now on, I’m listenin’ to Devin.”
“Works for me. Books and more books,” I said, trying to keep the fear out of my voice.
“To Live or Die,” Poppy whispered.
I turned my head. “What?”
“Let’s go,” Red growled, shoving Cali first.
“Don’t touch her!” I shouted.
“To Live or Die,” Poppy ground out.
It hit me slowly what she was saying. She was referencing a romantic suspense book where two friends were held at gunpoint, and one of the friends rushed the bad guy so the other could escape. It didn’t end well. The hero’s friend died.
