by Bonnie Vanak
He’d already texted Shelby with the terrific news, and left a message on Jake’s phone. Now he dialed Dan’s phone number. His cousin sounded cheerful, but Nick cut him off with the news. “I’m not selling to Beaufort.”
Silence on the line. Then Dan spoke in a weary voice. “Make up your damn mind, Nick. You suddenly find all that money under a tree?”
Nick looked at the sleek table and the bookcases lined with law manuals. “Something like that. I found a way to pay off the mortgage without selling outright. Called an old buddy.”
“Why?” Dan blurted.
“Shelby said something that made me change my mind. And Silas did as well. I’m doing this for her.” He paused. “For the entire town. Belle Creek is living history.”
“Shelby.” A snort. “She’s interfered too much. Silas always listened to her, not his own damn kin. Shelby should learn to shut up.”
Anger curled low in his belly. “Shelby has done a hell of a lot for Belle Creek. Stop insulting her. I’ll have provisions for you and Felicity—”
“Provisions won’t put a down payment on the house we’re buying in Knoxville. You’re being a selfish bastard, Nick. If it weren’t for Jake, we’d never have money to even rent.”
“When you get home, we’re going to talk, Dan.”
“I’m nearly there. Left this morning to return back to Belle Creek to retrieve some things. And when I see Shelby, I’ll give her something to think about.”
“Dan, wait...”
The line clicked off. Nick studied his phone with a frown. His cousin was clearly upset that Nick had decided against selling for a profit. There went the cash Dan counted on to buy the Knoxville house.
Was Dan the person behind all the vandalism at the ranch, and the arson?
Jake had given them rental money. Of course, Jake was a bachelor, who eschewed spending money and liked to sleep in the stables.
Then again.
Nick clicked on his phone and accessed his notes about the list of websites he’d jotted down that Jake had visited in the past two weeks. Nothing unusual, except Jake had been accessing his bank account a lot. Same as Dan had. And he had the log-ins and passwords for both accounts, thanks to his cyber hacking skills.
He went to the website of the bank Jake used, and entered his cousin’s log-in and password. Then he scrolled through the deposits and withdrawals to see how much money Jake had given Dan.
Son of a bitch.
Nick told the receptionist to have the attorney handle the wire transfer to the bank to pay the mortgage. Sick with worry for Shelby, Nick raced out of the office. Shelby was alone at Belle Creek. And if what he suspected was true, trouble was headed straight for her.
Chapter 20
Homeless again.
Shelby knew she could move in with Ann temporarily, but she hated imposing, especially since her friend was dating someone new. At least now she didn’t have to worry about Timmy. Instead, she’d phoned a few places and found a boardinghouse in town. It would suffice until she figured out her next step.
Seattle? Too far, and Heather and Pete needed time alone with Timmy. Shelby thought of her watercolors, and her love of art. Nick was right. It was time for a fresh start. By selling the ranch, he forced her into doing the one thing she’d dreaded, and longed for, her entire life. Change.
Shelby finished packing her suitcase. Later, she’d ask Nick to sell the furniture. She wanted to start fresh, without any burdens. Her heart ached as she swept her gaze around the apartment. Of everything on Belle Creek, she’d miss Nick the most.
She headed to the house to say her private goodbyes to each room. Dan and his family were returning tomorrow to pack their belongings. Jake was probably with his new girlfriend. He’d texted her earlier, telling her that he would be gone most of the day.
No doubt Beaufort would bulldoze the house as soon as the ink was dry on the contract to sell.
When she finished downstairs, she went through each bedroom. In Jake’s room, she paused at the French doors opening to the balcony, and then opened the doors to air out the room. Jake always kept this room so clean and neat. Seldom had he slept here.
For the first time, she wondered why Nick’s cousin never stamped his personality onto this room. He was family, and Silas always treated him well. Her fingers trailed over the spotless bureau. Jake had won trophies in equestrian jumping competitions, including a Rolex awarded to him when he rode Readalot in the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida. Jake had been so proud of that Rolex.
Had he sold it?
She opened the top drawer and rummaged through the items. Socks, jockey shorts. A smile touched her face at the old joke Jake used to always recite. Can’t be a good rider without your jockey shorts.
No Rolex. But a piece of paper caught her eye, stuffed way into the back. Shelby pulled it free.
A check for ten thousand dollars made out to Jake, from Chuck Beaufort. Hand trembling, she stared at the numbers.
Jake was working with Beaufort. Not Dan, as Nick suspected.
She had to alert Nick, fast. Maybe he could stop the sale, use this as leverage to get a judge to stall for time. As she fished her cell out of her jeans pocket, she saw a text from Nick. Shelby started to read it when footsteps sounded outside the bedroom door.
“You know what they say about snoops,” a deep voice drawled. “Curiosity killed the cat.”
She started to turn, and something hit her head hard. Then the darkness rushed up and she felt no more.
* * *
Her head pounded, and her jaw ached. Shelby woke up to find herself on the cabin floor. Arms and legs trussed, she could not move. The stench of gasoline filled her nostrils.
Blinking hard, she forced herself to focus. Don’t panic. Panic won’t solve anything.
Her vision finally cleared. She scanned the room. On the table close to her was a metal laptop and a case bulging with papers.
Jake stood by the back wall, splashing liquid onto the wood beams. There was a woman with him. The woman turned.
“Ann?” Shelby struggled to sit up. “Ann, help me!”
“Right.” Her best friend laughed. “Help you? You brought all this on yourself, you stupid bitch. Nick should have sold. He would have sold to Beaufort if not for your little pep talk. Now, we have no choice. Once you’re dead, and the cabin’s gone, Nick will be so filled with guilt he’ll change his mind. He won’t want to keep Belle Creek. He’ll sell to Chuck, climb on that bike of his and take off, never looking back.”
Her best friend had been her enemy all this time. Feeling utterly betrayed, Shelby looked at Jake, who ducked his head. He tossed aside the empty container as Ann removed a lighter from her pocket.
Shelby looked at Jake, desperate to reason with him. “Jake, this is murder. You’re not like this. Please, don’t ruin your life. They will find out. Nick will find out.”
Jake laughed. “Nick? He won’t. And I’ll be long gone. Nick, the hero! My whole damn life with Silas, all I ever heard about was how wonderful Nick was, how smart and clever.”
He seized her hair and she cried out. “You know why Silas never found out where Nick was stationed, or deployed? Because I burned all those damn letters. I was sick and tired of hearing about my damn cousin.”
Understanding came to her. Jake had hidden away all his anger and jealousy. All the time Silas was being hard on Nick, he was also praising his son to Jake.
“You set the barn on fire! You almost killed Timmy!”
A shadow touched his face. “I didn’t know the kid was in there. I swear it.”
Encouraged, she pressed on. “You’re not a murderer, Jake. You’re better than that.”
He shook his head and went to the table to join Ann. “No, Shelby, you’re wrong. I’ll do anything to
get away from this damn prison. It’s too late.”
She was going to burn alive. Shelby thought fast. Greed had brought them to this point. Perhaps greed would work to buy her time.
“Before you light that, you should know the secret of Henry’s treasure will die with me.”
Both Jake and Ann turned.
“I know where the treasure is.”
“Where?” Jake fisted his hands. “Uncle Silas never told us.”
“He never searched as thoroughly as I did. I lived in this cabin for a week when he was renovating the garage apartment.”
A small lie, but Jake wouldn’t know, for at that time he’d been on the equestrian jumping circuit.
“Tell us where it is.” Ann held out the gun. “Or you die now.”
“Untie me and I’ll tell you.” She forced down her fear and stared Ann straight in the eye. “Won’t do you any good if I’m dead.”
Jake loosened her bonds as Ann trained the pistol on her. Shelby marched to the fireplace, her head pounding, her heart racing. She had one shot at this...
Pretending to stumble, she started to fall, then she kicked Jake hard. Jake grabbed her as he staggered backward, and as he did, she twisted hard. He released her with a cuss as they started to fall.
“Shelby!”
That dear, familiar voice filled her with hope and fear.
“She’s got a gun,” Shelby screamed out in warning.
Nick charged into the room, cocking his pistol. Ann fired back, but she was no match for Nick’s skills. She dropped the gun and raced for the back of the cabin.
Shelby was on the move, swinging wildly at Jake. Don’t miss, don’t miss...
Contact! She hit him hard with the steel casing of the laptop, and he staggered back. Nick tackled him and slugged him hard on the chin.
Recovering from the earlier blow, Jake tackled Nick. Nick elbowed the back of Jake’s head and the man did not move. Then she heard a window breaking. Ann laughed as she crawled through the broken window, and then she tossed in the burning candle. The back of the cabin went up in flames with a loud whoosh of air. Black smoke filled the air and filled her lungs.
“Let her go,” Nick shouted. “Shel, get out of here.”
“Jake.”
“I’ll get him.”
He dragged Jake out of the burning cabin as Shelby ran to the water pump, using the hose to spray the cabin. Soon, sirens rang out in the air. Nick secured Jake’s wrists with his leather belt and then helped her spray down the walls.
“I thought you were dead,” Nick said hoarsely. “Dan told me he was headed back here to talk to you. I never imagined Jake was the threat.”
“How did you know I was here?” She handed him the hose and hugged him hard, her heart racing still.
“Cyber spying. I read an email from Ann to Jake, telling him of the plan to ‘dispose’ of you in the cabin. Once you were gone, I’d sell out of guilt. Damn, Shel, I almost lost you.”
She regarded him with a stern look. “And how did you cyber spy, Nick Anderson? Did you install some kind of software that spied on me as well?”
The sheepish look on his face told the answer. “On everyone who used the ranch’s Wi-Fi. Sorry. I only examined the network communications that looked suspicious. It was originally to protect the ranch from outside hackers, not for capturing sensitive data on the network. But after Dan told me he had money from Jake to rent a house in Knoxville, I hacked into Jake’s bank account and saw several healthy deposits from Chuck Beaufort.”
“You’re forgiven.”
Minutes later, the police arrived with the fire department. Jonah Doyle rushed over, looking at Jake on the ground as the firefighters took to spraying down the flames.
“Guess you found the culprit, Anderson.” The sheriff gestured to one of the deputies. “Bob, take them back to the house.”
In his patrol car, Jonah’s deputy took them back to the house. As they pulled up into the drive, Felicity and Dan stood near their truck.
An unconscious Ann was sprawled out on the driveway.
“What happened?” Nick demanded.
“We saw the fire and Felicity went inside to see if anyone was home. Ann came driving up in the ATV. She was dirty and sooty and had a knife. She told me if I didn’t give her our truck, she’d kill me.” Pride was evident in Dan’s voice as he looked at his wife. “Felicity came out of the house and beaned her.”
“What did you use as a weapon?” Shelby asked.
Her expression one of astonishment, Felicity looked at the unconscious Ann. “My mother’s canned peaches. I asked Mom for more to sell. I thought every dime would help.”
“Killer fruit,” Nick quipped as the deputy hauled the moaning Ann to her feet and hustled her into the patrol car. “First you with the laptop, Shel, and now Felicity with fruit. No one messes with our women.”
“My wife, the champion fighter of canning.” Dan slid an arm around Felicity and hugged her tight.
Telling Dan about his brother was going to be tough. Nick drew his cousin aside. Shelby gestured to Felicity to join her on the porch to give the two men privacy.
“I never did like Ann.” Felicity frowned, and looked at Shelby. “Did you know she called you a trashy hick last year when she came to the ranch to check on her horse? I overheard her saying it to Natalie.”
Shelby blinked. “No. Why didn’t you tell me?”
The woman sighed. “I was still recovering from losing the baby. My head was messed up. At one point, I hated the world, and I really didn’t like how you seemed to be first in Silas’s affections. I’m sorry, Shelby. You were so nice to me, and I wanted to be friends, but I felt too insecure. You’re so smart and motivated...and all I know how to do is can fruit.”
The woman’s confession stunned her. All the time Shelby had thought her snobbish as she tried to make friends with her, but Felicity felt too shy to reach out.
“You’re underrating yourself,” she told her. “You’re an amazing wife and mother. And you were wonderful with Timmy. Thank you for that.”
Nick and Dan returned to the porch. Dan slid an arm around his wife’s waist. He looked pale, but stoic.
Nick joined Shelby on the porch steps. “I don’t want you to move until the EMTs get here to check out you.”
Shelby smiled, resting against Nick. “I’m fine.”
He cupped her chin. “Let’s have the EMTs determine that. I’m still insisting you go to the hospital to get checked out.”
“Really, I’m going to be okay.”
It was going to be okay.
Better than okay.
Chapter 21
Ten days after the fire, it was time to make a fresh start.
Jonah Doyle and his deputies had hauled Ann and Jake off in patrol cars. Jonah then paid a visit to Chuck Beaufort, taking a pair of handcuffs.
After his arrest, Beaufort arranged for a plea deal with the district attorney’s office. He’d confessed to hiring Jake to sabotage the ranch and leave threatening notes for Nick in exchange for a percentage in the theme park Beaufort planned to build. Ann, who had loved to eavesdrop on Natalie at the restaurant, had overheard the developer talking to Jake one late night. She’d blackmailed both to get her own cut, promising to run Shelby out of town. It was Ann who left the roaches and the rat in Shelby’s locker at work.
Desperate to keep his secret, Jake became lovers with Ann, stealing Felicity’s jewelry so they could have quick cash to buy a new truck no one could trace. They planned to leave Barlow and live in Kentucky.
Dan and Felicity had agreed to remain at the ranch, with Dan in charge of restoring Belle Creek to its former glory as a showpiece for equestrian jumpers to train. The money would come from the sale of the cabin and its surrounding fifty acres to a local pre
servation foundation, which planned to restore the cabin and open it to tourists. The sale of the land allowed Nick to partly repay Jarrett, who asked only for the ranch to be part of the underground railroad he was building for battered women to stay in safe houses. The garage apartment would make excellent temporary guest quarters for those women on their way to a new life and new identity through Project SOS.
Nick hadn’t asked her to move out of the garage apartment. Neither did he say she could stay. Instead, he’d been closemouthed about any future plans for her.
Today, Nick insisted on taking her out to the burned cabin. Riding on the ATV, they passed Dan supervising a group of construction workers rebuilding the barn. He waved to them.
When they reached the cabin, it saddened her to see the ruins. But at least the fire hadn’t spread to the entire structure, thanks to the diligent efforts of the Barlow fire department and Nick’s zealous insistence on maintaining the pump at the cabin.
Nick parked the ATV and helped Shelby climb off.
Hands in his jeans pockets, Nick studied the charred ruins. “A piece of history is gone. But it will be rebuilt.”
“The kind of building Chuck Beaufort wouldn’t like to see. Thanks to you, and your friend Jarrett, Belle Creek is saved.” She leaned against him as he kissed the top of her head.
Picking their way through the ruins, they walked through the cabin. The fire had claimed the back portion of the cabin, but the front had been spared by the fire department.
Shelby looked at the fireplace, remembering how she and Nick had made love here. She touched the masonry, trailing her finger along it, and downward.
“Seems odd old Henry’s treasure was never found,” he murmured into her ear.
Crouching down, her fingers combed over the soot-stained bricks. “Nick, did your dad ever check this fireplace? Is it the original?”
“Yeah, he said he did. The bricks should be all original. Dad was meticulous about maintaining the history of the cabin.”
