“Why?” My eyes narrowed. “You think this man had something to do with why Daniel was having money issues?”
“I can’t say for sure,” Mrs. Jones said. “But before Daniel started letting go of his workers, he spent an awful lot of time poring over his books. He’d spend half the night up in his study, raking over the numbers, and he never would tell me what was going on.” She wrung her hands. “I just can’t help but think that man had something to do with it.”
I frowned. It was a long shot, I had to admit, but it was the best lead I had so far. “Do you remember anything about the man? His name, what he looked like, where he was from?”
Mrs. Jones bit her lip. “I’m not right sure. I think his name was Branson or Branford or something like that. He was tall with dark hair and dressed in a nice suit. Had a Texas accent, but it was a watered-down version, as if he’d been living up north for too long.” She wrinkled her nose. “Certainly didn’t have much of any of our manners.”
I bit back a smile. Mrs. Jones was a Texan woman through and through. “Well, that’s certainly a start,” I said. “Mrs. Jones, can I ask you something?”
“Yes?”
“Why do you keep looking at the window? Do you see or hear something out there that I’m missing?”
“Well, no . . . not exactly.” But Mrs. Jones started wringing her hands again. “It’s just that I can’t help but think Mr. Nash’s death wasn’t an accident.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Well, they say he fell down the stairs when he died, but I can’t imagine how that happened. Mr. Nash might have been getting old, and certainly, he was working himself hard, but he was still strong and mostly healthy. It just doesn’t seem like him to take a tumble down the stairs.” She glanced out the window again.
“I see.” I wasn’t quite so sure that she was being silly. “So, you’re thinking that someone might have murdered Daniel and that they could come after you next?”
Mrs. Jones let out a nervous laugh, waving me off as though I were being ridiculous. “I’m probably just being silly,” she said. “There’s been no proof of foul play, and I didn’t see anyone at the ranch that night.”
“But, nevertheless, you’re afraid.” I leaned forward and looked the old woman in the eye. “Look, Mrs. Jones, I’d like you to come back to work at Bridle Hill.”
Mrs. Jones blinked. “You want to hire me back on as the housekeeper?” she said, her eyes wide. “You didn’t tell me you’d bought the ranch.”
“I didn’t,” I said. “But I am helping the new owner get it back into shape.”
“New owner?” Mrs. Jones wrinkled her nose. “Did some outsider buy the place or something? I hope it wasn’t that man,” she said with a shudder. “I’d hate for him to have finally gotten what he wanted this way.”
“No,” I said with a slight smile, “Daniel left the ranch to his next of kin, who happens to be a young woman from New York.”
“A New Yorker?” Mrs. Jones laughed. “And she wants to keep the ranch?”
I shrugged. “I convinced her to give it a try,” I answered. “Just trying to honor Daniel’s wishes to keep it in the family. We have a little arrangement going, and there’s a lot of work to do. We sure could use some help with the house. And, in case you really are in danger, I’d feel a lot better if you stayed with us on the ranch instead of out here, by your lonesome.”
Mrs. Jones nodded. “It certainly would be nice to have some extra money,” she said. “I was barely squeezing by between my social security and the little bit Daniel was still paying me. And since he died, I’ve been worried I’d have to sell the house and move in with one of my children.” Her lower lip trembled a little, and then she squared her jaw. “But I’m afraid I’ll need to think on it for a night, Mr. Golden. I can’t go making rash decisions, not at my age.”
“I understand completely.” I looked out the window and then stood up. “Well, it looks like the rain’s let up enough for me to drive home safely. But I do hope you’ll say yes, and at the very least, I’d love it if you came by to see the ranch sometime.”
“Oh, I will,” Mrs. Jones said. She surprised me with one of her old sunny smiles. “I’d love to meet this new relative of Daniel’s to see if she bears any kind of resemblance to him.”
“Well, she sure has his mouth,” I told her. I was struck by just how hot it made me even to think about Kia’s mouth. I’d nearly lost my mind when she kissed me last night, and thinking about it made my lust come roaring back. “She’s feisty, so I have a feeling you’d probably like her.”
I took my leave of Mrs. Jones, thanking her for her hospitality before I climbed into the truck.
I mused on what I’d said to her, realizing I was sincere. Mrs. Jones probably would like Kia. Even though Kia was a pain in the ass, she had a certain amount of spunk to her that the old woman would find charming. I could easily imagine Mrs. Jones plying Kia with heaps of food and regaling her with all kinds of stories of the farm, and I was suddenly eager to make it happen. Maybe Kia would develop an affinity for the ranch and her deceased great-uncle if she knew more about him and would decide not to sell the ranch.
Maybe she’ll even decide to stay on the ranch, my wolf suggested.
I scoffed. Trade in her glamorous New York City lifestyle to put down her roots in Texas? I don’t fucking think so.
But the idea did have some appeal, and I found myself whistling a happy tune as I drove away, heading over to pay Johnny a visit.
CHAPTER 12
Kia
“WHEW!” I WIPED THE sweat off my brow as I finally moved the last of the furniture back into place. I’d managed to do not only the living room, but also the dining area in the four hours since Hunter had been gone, and I felt pretty proud of myself.
A few coats of paint, and the place looks ten times better already. Just wait until Hunter sees it!
My excitement was much the same as a child’s would be when they finished a project and counted down the minutes until they could show their parents, but I felt no shame in it.
Everyone wants approval every once in a while, don’t they?
Humming to myself, I washed off the brushes, gathering up the first set of supplies to take back to the shed. I stepped outside, pausing on the porch to take a breath of clean, rain-scented air. The cloud cover had finally broken, revealing a gorgeous sunset that painted the sky in hues of red, purple, and orange, and there was even a rainbow arcing through the sky.
Maybe ranch life isn’t so bad.
The sound of an engine prevented me from examining that outlandish thought any further, and I looked up to see a shiny black sedan rolling through the gates. Frowning, I carefully placed my armload of supplies onto one of the porch chairs. Then I stood at the top of the steps and waited to see who the unexpected visitor was. Anxiety squeezed my stomach, and I wrapped a hand around one of the roof support pillars, holding on for support.
Don’t be silly. I’m sure it’s just one of the townsfolk coming to scope out the new owner.
I’d already had a few visitors before Hunter showed up. But none of them had driven a nice car like this, and certainly, none of them wore thousand-dollar suits, I noted as the man got out of the car.
Shit. Why didn’t I go back into the house for my gun?
Well, at least he doesn’t look like he’s armed.
I didn’t see any bulges in his suit jacket indicating that he was carrying. But he was a tall, solidly built guy who probably outweighed me by at least sixty pounds.
And there are no neighbors to hear me if I scream. Damn . . . I am pretty much a sitting duck. Fuck ranch life.
“Why, hello there!” the man greeted me, waving to me from his car.
He started walking in my direction, and I gripped the post more tightly, wondering if I should go back into the house. Something about this man was setting off all of my alarm bells. But he stopped at the bottom of the porch steps, maintaining a reasonably safe distance
, so I stayed where I was.
“Miss Kia Nash, I presume?” he asked, a hint of Texas in his accent.
“Who’s asking?”
He smiled, revealing rows of perfect white teeth, and I had to admit, he was handsome with his swarthy complexion and perfectly styled dark hair. But the smile didn’t reach his cold, gray eyes.
“My name is Samuel Bradley,” he said. “I’m a real estate developer, and I heard that Mr. Nash, the former owner, recently passed away.” His smile dimmed a little. “I was planning on buying the ranch, as one of my associates had told me it was going up for sale, but then I found out you’d inherited it.” He hesitated. “Would you mind if we went inside and talked for a moment?”
“Yes, I do mind.”
The last thing I wanted to do was invite this strange man into my house. But part of me was interested in what he had to say. After all, he was clearly interested in buying the ranch. But the other part of me knew it would be wrong to renege on the bet I’d made with Hunter. Besides, I’d already decided to honor my great-uncle by not selling the ranch to a housing developer.
“I’d feel more comfortable with talking on the porch.”
“Well, I just thought it would be nicer to go inside since it’s all wet out here,” Samuel started to say as a truck rolled in through the gates.
He turned to look, and I was relieved to see it was Hunter’s truck.
“Friend of yours?” Samuel asked mildly.
“Yes, actually,” I said before smiling. “He’s assisting me with renovating the ranch.”
“I’m willing to offer you a hundred thousand for it,” Samuel said quickly, turning back to face me. “Instantly wired to your account as soon as you sign the papers.”
My jaw dropped. “A hundred thousand dollars?”
“Hey!” Hunter slammed his cab door behind him before jogging up to us from his truck. A thunderous scowl marred his handsome face as he looked back and forth between Samuel and me. “Who the hell is this guy?”
I knew it was wrong, but Hunter’s aggressive tone got my back up, and I responded in kind. “His name is Samuel Bradley,” I said sweetly, “and he’s offering me one hundred thousand dollars for the ranch.”
Hunter raised an eyebrow. “That’s a mighty nice sum,” he told Samuel. “Wonder why some bigwig like you would pay so much money for a run-down place like this.”
“This is prime real estate here,” Samuel answered, flashing Hunter a sharklike smile that made me remember I probably shouldn’t be on Samuel’s side. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
“Well, I hate to break it to you, buddy, but it is my business.” Hunter planted himself directly in front of Samuel, putting a buffer between Samuel and me that I was grateful for. “This little lady is sticking around for a bit.”
“Is that right?” Samuel asked, looking over Hunter’s head to raise his brows at me.
I nodded. “Hunter is the one who agreed to help me fix up the ranch.”
“Is that so?” Samuel’s expression seemed mild, but there was a cold gleam in his eye that told me he wasn’t pleased by this news. “Well, best of luck to you.” He stepped smoothly around Hunter, produced a card from his inside jacket pocket, and handed it to me. “But in case you change your mind and are interested in selling me the ranch, here’s my card. I hope you’ll be in touch.”
Samuel sauntered back to his car, as if he hadn’t a care in the world, and I let out a sigh of relief. We watched as he turned his car around and drove away, and the knot of tension in my stomach eased as the black sedan crossed the cattle guard and moved out of sight. That was, until Hunter rounded on me with a look so deadly, I knew I’d have been struck dead on the spot if looks could actually kill.
“I wonder,” he said quietly, “if you would have made the deal with that guy if I’d come back but five minutes later.”
“Of course not,” I said hotly. “Why would you even say such a thing?”
“Because I saw the dollar signs in your eyes,” he spat, closing the space between us until we were barely three inches apart.
I felt his breath on my face, and a tremor of fear went through me as I noticed that the gold rim was back in his eyes.
So, I didn’t imagine it. That is some weird birth defect.
“You wanted to make that deal so bad, you could practically feel the money in your hot little hands,” he finished.
“And so what if I did?” I shot back, rising onto my tiptoes so I was nose-to-nose with him. I was not going to let him intimidate me, freaky eyes or otherwise. “It doesn’t make me any less of a person just because I faced temptation today. What should matter to you is that I. Didn’t. Give. In. To. It.” I jabbed my finger into his chest with each word to make my point, which was a little like trying to poke a boulder. His chest was a wall of solid muscle.
I suddenly remembered what those rock-hard pecs had felt like when I’d pressed myself against them, and I had to take a moment to shove the memory from my mind. “I don’t know what kind of bug got up your ass today, but you can get off your high fucking horse anytime now,” I snarled. “I haven’t given you any reason to think that I’m untrustworthy, so fuck you if you think you can go ahead and be my judge, jury, and executioner.”
Turning on my heel, I stomped back inside the house, slamming the door.
CHAPTER 13
Hunter
I STARTED AFTER KIA, intent on giving her a piece of my mind.
How dare she talk to me like that!
I was her fucking lifeline, and it was time she started treating me like one. But I paused at the sight of a bunch of paint cans and brushes, piled on the porch chair closest to the door.
“What the . . .” I muttered, picking up one of the brushes and thumbing the bristles. The horsehair was still slightly damp, indicating recent use. “Did she actually use these today?”
Carefully, I opened the front door and stepped inside. Then I stared at the living room in shock. Gone was the mottled white paint, replaced by a lovely shade of lemon yellow that I knew would really brighten the room during the day. She’d also repainted the baseboards and molding a bright white, and upon closer inspection, I couldn’t see a single brushstroke out of place.
I noticed how smooth the walls were. She even used primer.
Glancing back toward the entrance, I saw another pile of painting supplies and knew she’d done more than just the living room. Guilt swamped me as I realized, while I’d been out investigating, she’d been here, at home, doing manual labor. And instead of complimenting her on it, I’d laid into her about something she hadn’t even really done.
God, I’m such an asshole.
Not willing to face Kia quite yet, I quietly gathered up the painting supplies and returned them to the shed in the backyard. I stood out there in the twilight for a long moment, thinking about everything that had gone on today before finally heading back inside.
Closing the front door behind me, I heard the microwave running in the kitchen. I walked in to find Kia standing in front of the machine, staring intently at it, as if it were the most fascinating thing in existence.
“I was going to paint the kitchen too, but I didn’t have time,” she said coldly without turning around. Her back was stiffer than a steel pole in the dead of winter. “Sorry I’m such a fucking disappointment.”
“Oh, Kia,” I sighed, feeling like ten kinds of asshole.
I crossed the distance between us, turning her around by the shoulders. Her eyes were hard and brittle, as if they might crack at any moment and tears would spill forth.
“I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to snap at you like that, and I know you didn’t do anything to deserve it. I was just in a really bad mood when I got here, and when I saw you with that man . . .” My mood darkened as I thought about that slimeball. “Well, I overreacted, and for that, I apologize.”
Kia’s shoulders relaxed a little, but the look in her eyes didn’t soften. “Well, okay then.” The microwave beepe
d, and she turned around to take her food out.
I eyed the frozen dinner with distaste. “You don’t need to eat that crap, Kia,” I protested. “Leta’s coming by with dinner at any moment.”
Kia shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m not even very hungry anyway. You can help yourself to the food when it gets here.”
She took her microwaved dinner into the dining room, and I followed her. I paused to admire the pale gray paint she’d chosen for the walls.
“You did such an excellent job,” I told her, awed.
Kia blinked, clearly surprised at the compliment. “You really think so?” she asked hesitantly.
“Absolutely.” I pulled out a chair and sat beside her, determined to repair the rift between us. We needed to be able to work together if we were going to get the ranch in shape. It wasn’t as though I actually cared about her feelings otherwise. “Where did you learn to paint so well?”
Kia smiled a little, and some of the anxiety in my gut eased.
“My college roommate was going to school for interior design, and she was constantly upgrading our dorm room,” she said, her eyes shining fondly with the memory. “At first, it was annoying. But eventually, I looked forward to her redesign projects and even helped her with some of them. I learned a lot from her.”
“Well, from what I can see here, she was a pretty good teacher,” I said, looking at the walls again. “Are you two still friends?”
Kia nodded, but her face fell a little. “She moved to the West Coast for a job though, so I haven’t seen her in years. We try to keep in touch.”
The doorbell rang, and I excused myself to answer the door. “Leta!” I exclaimed, my stomach grumbling at the bags of food in her hands. I reached down to take them from her and then stepped back to let her inside. “I was just daydreaming about sinking my teeth into a rack of your delicious baby back ribs.”
Operation Wolf: Hunter ~ Sedona Venez Page 6
