by Debra Webb
All the working pastures and corrals and stables, including the bunkhouse, were well beyond the main house. Like a general in charge of his troops, Gus conducted surprise inspections to ensure all met with his rigid standards. Lack of order and cleanliness were other reasons for a speedy departure from his employment. His expansive, powerful world operated his way and his way only. Failure to agree with him would cost a person his or her position, even the position of daughter.
Sadie fought the sting of tears. She would not cry. The rift between them was his doing, his decision. After her mother’s death, he seemed to focus that impossible-to-please self-righteous conviction on her. Nothing she did or said had been right. Whoever said that blood was thicker than water had never met Gus Gilmore.
“Stay put,” Lyle said, shutting off the engine, “until I determine how this is going down.”
“Whatever you say.”
Lyle stared at her for a moment as the interior light faded to black. She held her breath, hoping he would buy her no-questions cooperation. After a moment he reached for the door handle and got out. She restrained the urge to bail out immediately despite the new blast of fury detonating inside her. As soon as Lyle had started up the wide steps leading to the porch, she was out of there. She bounded around the hood just as the massive double doors leading into the house’s grand entry hall opened. The ostentatious overhead porch light came on and Gus himself stepped out to stand beneath its spotlight.
Sadie took aim even as Lyle whirled toward her and ordered her to put down the shotgun.
“Where’s Dare Devil?” she demanded of the man who cared more about power and position than his own daughter or any animal he’d ever owned.
By the time her furious words had stopped vibrating the air, Lyle was down the steps and at her side. Gus’s cohorts had appeared from around both corners of the house, weapons readied for trouble.
“Put it down, Sadie,” Lyle urged. “This is not the way to handle this.”
“Not until I have an answer.” She didn’t look at Lyle. Her full attention remained fixed on the man standing on the porch, hands on hips as if surveying a pile of horse dung his help had overlooked.
Unafraid of what he likely perceived as a nuisance, Gus descended the steps. He glanced to his left then his right, giving those gathered to protect him a slight nod. The men faded back into the darkness on each side of the house. Then he lowered his attention to Sadie. There wasn’t a more arrogant man alive.
“What’s the problem?” Gus walked right up to where they waited. “It’s not even daylight yet. What is it you think I’ve done now?”
For a second Sadie couldn’t speak. Why had everything changed between them all those years ago? When had he stopped loving her? Loving anything or anyone? Just because he’d lost his wife hadn’t given him the right to quit loving his daughter. Sadie had lost her mother and she had still loved him…until he stamped the life out of those feelings. No one else around here had the guts to stand up to him. As dysfunctional as it sounded, she had made that another of her quests. She relished every opportunity to undermine his superiority and arrogance. Didn’t he get it that she’d been trying to send him a message all these years?
She squashed those weaker emotions. “You stole Dare Devil. Where is he?” This, she had to admit, was low even for him. Wielding her shotgun and making threats appeared to have become the norm for her.
Gus shook his head. “You’re the thief, little girl. Not me. You stole him from me.”
If she hadn’t known what a liar he could be, she would have sworn he was telling the truth. “You’re avoiding the question,” she charged. “Did two of your men trespass onto my property and steal him?”
“What do you mean trespass onto your property?” He swung his interest toward Lyle. “Is this your doing? You know mine and Sadie’s relationship is on rocky ground.” He took what he likely hoped to prove an intimidating step toward Lyle. “You’d like nothing better than to finish tearing us apart.” He jammed a finger in Lyle’s chest. “Is that why you’re here? Who are you representing, McCaleb? Maybe your own selfish interests. I know for a fact you have an agenda, so don’t deny it.”
Lyle laughed, but there was no hint of amusement in the strained sound. “You don’t need my help destroying your relationship with Sadie. You’re doing an amazing job of that all on your own. And as for my agenda, Sadie knows why I’m here. What you do or don’t know is of no interest to me.”
“Maybe you’ve got Sadie fooled, but not me,” Gus warned.
“This is not about Lyle or me,” Sadie argued, not about to let this turn into a what-did-I-ever-do-to-you session. “Where is Dare Devil? I know you took him, so don’t bother lying.”
Gus turned back to her. Even in the faint light she could see the fury in his dark eyes. “Whatever our issues in the past, you’re wrong about this one.”
He was lying. There was no other explanation. “Then you won’t have any problem allowing me to check the barns and other outbuildings. Maybe even the house.” She added that last bit just to be a smart aleck.
He didn’t answer, just glared at her with that same disappointment he’d showered upon her since she was twelve years old. When she was certain he would deny her request, he turned back to the house. “Billy!”
Sizemore swaggered from the shadows. “Yes, sir.”
“Escort my daughter around the property. Whatever she wants to see.”
With that stunning announcement, Gus walked back into the house and closed the door.
The impact of his decision shook Sadie far harder than it should have. He hadn’t denied her request. What the heck? He never gave in that easily.
“Load up and follow me,” Billy suggested, “unless you want to walk.”
* * *
LYLE WASN’T SURE WHAT Sadie’s intent was here. If Gus was responsible for the break-in and the horse’s disappearance, there was no way he would bring Dare Devil here to his ranch. Lyle settled behind the wheel of his truck as she and her shotgun loaded into the passenger seat. He started the engine and executed a three-point turn so that he could catch up with Sizemore in his dually beyond the back of the house.
“Dare Devil isn’t here.”
He’d been about to say the same thing, though he hadn’t expected it to come from her, considering she insisted on checking the property. “Yeah, I know.”
Sadie watched out the window instead of looking at him. “But that doesn’t mean he didn’t do it.”
Well now, he couldn’t debate that conclusion. “So we go through the motions?”
“Yep.” She twisted around in the seat and stared back at the house. “As convinced as I am, I’m not taking his word for anything.” Sadie faced forward. “Gus would take that as a sign of weakness.”
Lyle wondered if Gus’s relationship with his daughter would have turned out differently if she were his own flesh and blood. Did he know the truth about her former identity? How had he and his wife been chosen to be a part of this? Had someone selected the Gilmores based on their financial status and approached them? What reason would Gus and his wife have had for going along with the offer? Sadie was the only child they’d had. Was there a reason for that? Was that reason the explanation for how they had come to be involved with a backdoor adoption? There were a lot of questions, and so far Lyle had no answers.
The one thing he knew for an absolute certainty was that he was in deep trouble with Sadie. What he’d irrationally intended as a distraction—however selfishly motivated—had proved without question that he couldn’t maintain his objectivity, much less his professionalism, when it came to her. That made an already perilous situation crazy dangerous. If she decided to confront him about what happened, he would be in even more trouble. He’d already skirted the truth about why he was here. Outright lying about that kiss was out of the question. He suspected she wouldn’t like his answer.
* * *
AS REQUESTED, SIZEMORE escorted them to every buildi
ng and corral on the property. Dare Devil was not on the Gilmore ranch, unless he was tucked away on the proverbial rear forty. Lyle wasn’t surprised. Gilmore was far too smart to have allowed himself to be caught so easily. Sadie had called off the tour after more than an hour of futility. It would take days to carry out a thorough search of a ranch the size of this one. The horse would be tucked some place out of reach until the dust had settled. Lyle got it that Sadie had needed to see, to show Gus she wasn’t going to take this sitting down. The two had this business of one-upping each other down to a science.
“Stop at the house.”
He sent her a questioning look and she added, “I have to talk to him.”
Lyle parked in front of the house and prepared to get out, particularly if she opted to hang on to that shotgun.
“Alone.”
A frustrated breath puffed out of him. “We’ve been over this already. I don’t want you out of my sight.”
“This will only take a minute and I’ll be inside the house. He’s my daddy, he’s not going to kill me.”
Lyle shook his head to stop the voice suggesting that her real daddy had been accused of exactly that. “Two minutes, and I’m coming in after you.”
“Fine.”
She climbed out of the truck and hustled up to the entry doors of her father’s home. The house where she’d grown up. With parents who had kept a dark secret from her. Lyle scrubbed a hand over his face. How was he ever going to tell her the truth? He thought of the album hidden in the storage compartment behind his seat. Whatever happened, even if he told her right now, the result would be the same as if he’d told her the instant she came to her door yesterday morning.
There would be no forgiveness for the messenger. Particularly one who had shattered her life once already.
* * *
GUS SAT BEHIND THE BIG polished desk in his study, as he did every morning at this time, savoring coffee brewed from freshly ground beans imported from some place she couldn’t pronounce and scanning the morning paper. Sadie burst in without a knock or announcing herself. “Wherever you took him,” she warned, “you bring him back unharmed before dark today and I won’t go to the sheriff and press charges.”
Carefully placing his fragile and expensive china cup—from France, if she recalled—in its saucer, he let go of the newspaper and settled his attention on her. He studied her a moment over the tops of his reading glasses. “I don’t have Dare Devil, Sadie. You should consider the other possibilities before making accusations. He may not be a competitor anymore, but his reputation carries some value.” He removed his glasses and neatly folded them before placing them on the desk. “I’ll make some inquiries and see what I can find.”
The laughter burst out of her. She couldn’t help herself. The man wanted to be a comedian now? What else would explain his sudden need to play daddy. “I don’t need your help, Gus Gilmore. I need my horse back.”
Another of those long assessing looks sent her frustration level skyrocketing. “You are in way over your head, little girl. Do you know who Lyle McCaleb is now?”
“Don’t try to change the subject.” He loved to play mind games. Well, she wasn’t playing his games. Besides, he’d hated Lyle seven years ago, and she doubted that had changed. This diversionary tactic was nothing she hadn’t expected. “This isn’t about Lyle.”
“Are you certain? What was his excuse for showing up after all this time? Don’t you think it’s ironic that he suddenly comes back after you’ve inherited your grandmother’s property? That makes you quite a financially secure woman with valuable assets. Not to mention he knows how I would loathe you falling for him again. I don’t want to see him hurt you.”
This time she laughed for real at his comment. She was basically flat broke. A few folks donated feed and hay to her on a fairly regular basis for the horses. The tiny trust took care of property taxes and insurance along with a few other basic necessities. The only asset she owned was that ranch, and she wouldn’t sell it for anything. She would always find a way to survive. Oh, and her grandfather’s old truck, which was on its last legs, belonged to her. “Where is the horse? I’m not letting this go.”
“As I said, I’ll look into it.” He sipped his coffee. “Meanwhile—” he set his cup aside once more “—why don’t you ask your friend what interest the Colby Agency has in you? Or me, for that matter.”
A frown furrowed its way across her brow. “What’s the Colby Agency?” Lyle hadn’t mentioned that name. He was here in an official capacity for some branch of law enforcement, but she wasn’t giving Gus a speck of information.
Gus made a disparaging sound. “I knew he’d leave that part out, which, my dear, smacks of deceit.” He shook his head. “I expected as much. He’ll do nothing more than break your heart again, and, foolishly, you’ll allow him to do just that.”
Sadie held up both hands. She wasn’t listening to this. “By dark today,” she reminded him.
“Watch yourself, little girl.” Gus stood, pinned her with an intensity that made her uneasy. “The Colby Agency is a private investigations agency. McCaleb’s client is anonymous, so far as I can ascertain. I haven’t been able to glean any information on that aspect of his assignment just yet. But there is a client and whoever that client is, your friend is being paid to be here and do whatever it is he’s doing or planning.”
Sadie didn’t believe him. Lyle wouldn’t have lied to her about that. What would have been the point? She couldn’t tell Gus why he was here…she’d promised, sort of.
“I’ll be waiting,” she reminded him.
Before he could throw out some other bit of purposely twisted information, she left. She’d done what she came here to do. This nonsense about Lyle he’d tried to confuse her with would prove more of his lies. Even knowing how Gus loved proving she had no real friends, the mere idea that there could be some smidgen of truth to what he said made her sick to her stomach. Made her want to cry hard, but, by God, she would not.
She didn’t utter a word as Lyle drove back to her house. The sooner she was out of this truck the better. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Gus had planted the seed, and like that damned bean stalk story her mother had read to her as a kid, the seed had sprouted into something overwhelming.
Wrenching the door open before the truck came to a complete stop, she slid out, staggered a little and headed for the barn. Her stomach roiled with the bitter silt of remembered betrayal. Gus was a no-good, lying, mean son of a gun, but he never made that kind of mistake. She didn’t want to admit it. With the fading of the initial shock, reality had taken root. If he said Lyle worked for a P.I. agency, it was likely true. It was always the murky details he warped into his own version of the truth. Something as cut and dried as place of employment was too easy to prove. Gus wouldn’t waste his time.
Lyle had lied to her.
He’d kissed her as if he meant it—as if he still had feelings for her and wanted her. He’d been back in her life barely twenty-four hours, and he’d already lied to her.
Halfway to the barn, Sadie stalled. Set her hands on her hips and closed her eyes against the swaying landscape. Why had she let him fool her this way? Because she’d wanted to believe he’d finally come back for her. What an idiot she was!
“Sadie.” Lyle moved in close. “What happened back there?”
She didn’t want to open her eyes and see. His eyes, his face, the mere scent of him made her fuzzy-minded, made her want to fall into his arms and just forget. But that would be an even bigger mistake than the whopper she’d already made.
She forced her eyes open to the truth. The sun was up and showering its bright, unforgiving light over the land…over them. The worry she saw on Lyle’s face was real, but that meant nothing. She’d been a fool for him, twice now.
“I want to see your official ID.” Her chest ached beneath the ever-tightening band of emotions wrapping around and around her, keeping her unsteady. “Not your driver’s license, but whatever
proves who your employer is.”
His hesitation told the tale before he uttered a single word. “What did Gus tell you?”
She turned away, couldn’t bear to look at him. “I want you off my property.” She shot him a look that she hoped cut to the bone. “Now.”
“I was sent here by the Colby Agency. A private investigations firm looking into exactly what I told you. I didn’t lie to you, Sadie.”
Renewed fury ignited. “No, you just left out the parts that didn’t fit with what you wanted me to believe. You kept your mouth shut while I assumed precisely what you wanted me to presume. I filled in all the gaps you left.” She slammed her hands into his chest, shoving him away from her. “You succeeded. Good for you.” Too heavy to hold, she dropped her arms to her sides and dragged in a breath that hurt her heart. “Now get out of here.”
“I can’t do that.”
The blast of outrage that burst inside her then made her tremble. “Don’t you dare pretend you want to stay to protect me. I don’t believe anything you say.”
“It’s the truth, Sadie.” He reached out, tried to touch her. She backed away. “You’re in danger. I can’t leave until this is over.”
And there it was. The other truth. He would leave when the job he was being paid for was done. The kiss hadn’t meant a thing. His decision to take the job, if that part was even true, was about nothing more than the job.
