by Claire Adams
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” I asked, my voice quivering. “I know it’s bad, but I’ve been scared to look.”
“There’s nothing left, Cheyenne. I’m sorry.”
I sucked in a wavering breath. “Are the rest of the horses okay?”
“I was able to put them into a pasture last night, figuring nothing would settle them down more than to be able to graze on some good grass,” Colt said. “It was dark of course, but it didn’t look like they were burned or hurt. They were spooked badly of course, but they are happy to be grazing in the pasture. We’ll want to check them over in the light of day though, and probably tie up the ones we can handle and see if we can repair or rig up some paddocks today. You’re not going to want to leave all of them in that pasture.”
“I don’t have any oats or hay for them. Everything was in the barn. All my tack and—”
“I’ll take care of all that for you,” Colt interrupted, as I turned around to give him a surprised look. “I’m serious. I’ll donate supplies if you’re protesting about me buying anything. We have more than enough at the ranch.”
“Are you sure?”
He gave an affirmative nod. A surge of gratitude flowed through me, and I would have hugged him on the spot if his phone hadn’t started ringing. Colt glanced down at it in annoyance before giving me an apologetic smile.
“Excuse me. I’ve got to take this call real quick.”
I nodded. The front door opened a second later before Colt’s muffled voice cut through the morning. I glanced up at the clock above the stove: two minutes until ten. This was the first time in years, and certainly since owning the sanctuary, that I had ever slept in. Despite the pain in my hands and my heart, I had been able to sleep deeply, even though the remnants of the barn smoldered beside me. The knowledge that he was there had somehow allowed me to get restorative sleep.
Since Colt was occupied, I took advantage of the interruption to rush upstairs to shower. I let the hot water splash over my skin and ignored the pain in my hands. The skin beneath the gauze pads was bright red and raw when I peeled everything away, skin included. I washed every inch of my skin, watching the black water and soap bubbles swirl around the shower drain, before slipping into a pair of leggings and a long-sleeved sweater.
Colt was still outside on the phone near his truck when I glanced out the living room window. His .9mm was now holstered on his hip, and he adjusted his hat on top of his head. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to have a man like Colt around. For more reasons than one.
I pushed that last wicked thought away. He was just looking out for me because I was close friends with his sister. From all I had heard, their parents had been kind and compassionate people. Their children were no different.
Grabbing the phone from the wall, I stared down at the numbers for a time. I had to call my parents to tell them what had happened. My grants would be terminated now that I didn’t have the proper place and materials to care for the horses. All the documentation for the previous adoptions was gone too, plus I was already behind on the mortgage for my house. This fire was just a cherry on top of an already shitty situation.
“A fire? What do you mean there was a fire?” my mother asked, aghast after I dialed their number to tell them what had happened. “How did it start?”
“I don’t know, Mom. It was in the middle of the night.”
“Something doesn’t sound right about this, honey. Doing this work puts you at odds with some bad people. Do you think someone could have started it on purpose? Did someone light your barn on fire?”
A headache pounded hard in my temples. “To be honest, Mom. Yes. I think it was a man that confronted me two days ago. The stallion he wanted back had been abused and mistreated. The local vet told me of other things he had seen from this man. I called PETA and asked that he open an investigation.”
“It sounds like he had something to do with it,” she said. “I’m telling your father about this as soon as he gets back home. Do you need us to come out there?”
“Cheyenne.”
I turned around to find Colt standing in the kitchen, phone in hand. He smiled apologetically when I jumped.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, or interrupt,” he said. “I can see the sheriff coming down the road. I’m hoping that it’ll be Paul.”
“Who is Paul?” I asked.
“A friend of mine who is trying to fight against the influence Bill Coates has on this town,” Colt replied and turned to go back into the living room.
“I have to go, Mom. The sheriff is driving up.”
“Who was that man talking in the background?”
I rolled my eyes at the question. Of course that was the one thing my mother was most curious about. Honestly.
“I’ll call you later,” I said, avoiding the question. “Call my cell if you don’t get me on the landline.”
I quickly hung up before she could say anything else. Colt was standing at the front window with his arms crossed over his chest.
“It’s Robert Jones,” he said tersely. “I should’ve known it’d be him because I said something about Bill Coates.”
“He’s the one who’s friends with Bill?”
“Closer than blood. Try to keep your cool.”
Keeping cool turned out to be harder when the older man stepped into my living room, nodding at Colt in acknowledgment before assessing me with critical eyes. He didn’t look to be in great shape to be a sheriff either, based on his hanging gut.
“It’s good to see you both are getting close here,” Robert said as he shot Colt a sly look. “I should’ve known one martyr would save another martyr.”
“It’s what I do,” Colt replied coolly. “What did the fire marshal tell you?”
Robert hooked his thumbs on his belt loop as he turned his gaze to me. “They reported gas cans near the barn when they arrived.”
“It wasn’t me who did it,” I said immediately. “Why would I keep gas next to my barn?”
“It was just a simple question,” he said, and the tone of his voice grated on me. “They are investigating the cause of the fire. However, I am certain it won’t be easy given that Cheyenne has created some enemies here in Green Point and the surrounding areas.”
My jaw dropped open.
“Enemies? For rescuing abused animals?”
“Yes, enemies,” Robert said steadily. “Do you have any idea who could’ve done this other than Bill Coates?”
“It was him,” I spit out through clenched teeth. “He barged in here two days ago about his horse, mad because I refused to give it back.”
“Where is this horse at?”
To my horror, hot tears flooded my eyes again. Strong and calloused fingers touched my shoulder, and I looked up at Colt, whose gaze was fixated pointedly on Robert.
“The stallion perished in the fire,” Colt said. “We couldn’t get him out of the stall. He was too afraid to move.”
Robert frowned.
“I know Mr. Coates, personally. He wouldn’t have started a fire with the intent to kill his own horse. Who would do that?” I opened my mouth to reply, but Robert held his hand up. “Rest assured, there is an investigation underway. We’ll get to the bottom of this. I just wanted to make sure that you both were okay.”
Colt’s fingers tightened on my shoulder. It took all my strength to not lean into his strong and tall body, to absorb some of his strength instead of using my own for once.
“We’re fine,” Colt said. “Just do an investigation, Robert. You and I both know who is at the top of the list.”
The edges of Robert’s lips twitched as he adjusted his hat. He nodded once at me before opening the front door, pausing to look at us both.
“I’ll be in touch,” he said. “Call me if you hear anything that needs to be looked into.”
Colt let go of my shoulder the second the front door closed. He peered out the window before turning to look at me.
“Bastard,” he said flatly
, adjusting his hat and running a hand through his hair. “The guy is a piece of shit. I hate dealing with him, yet he always manages to get voted back in somehow.”
Light-headed, I sat down on the edge of the couch and ran a hand through the damp strands of my hair. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I mumbled, relishing the soft silkiness of my hair. “What am I going to do?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Colt said. He was in front of me then, crouching lithely on the heels of his feet as he gently held my hands in his own. A jolt went through me at the simple but assuring touch of his strong fingers around mine. “Green Point takes care of everyone, and I’ll help you with whatever I can.”
My eyes slipped closed because I didn’t want Colt to read any of the emotions there. I was just grateful he was there—even if we were complete strangers. He had risked his life last night and was still here vowing to help me.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Chapter 6
Colt
Bill Coates’s ranch was clean and organized. When I stepped into the barn, I saw that all the tools were where they needed to be. The horses were well fed, and everything was in order, but it didn’t fool me. With an animal cruelty investigation going on, I wasn’t surprised to see all the animals in sight appearing healthy and well cared for.
I pulled the bell out of my pocket that I had found tied to the front of the barn door, used to alert him if anyone was coming into the barn. The element of surprise was on my side, but I knew Bill well enough to know that he’d have me arrested for trespassing if I didn’t indicate my presence in his barn. I shook it hard before tossing it to the ground.
“Coming!” Bill yelled out from the small room he kept bags of feed stored in. “Just give me one second. I thought you weren’t coming back until—”
He stopped talking the second he saw me standing there. His eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion, while one of his hands automatically went to his right backside where I knew his .9mm was sure to be holstered.
“What do you want?” Bill asked coldly. “I don’t have supplies to volunteer to Cheyenne like you if that’s what you’re here for.”
“You don’t look pleased to see me,” I commented, crossing my arms. “Before you shoot me, you should know that my staff knows I was coming by here to talk to you.”
Bill immediately pulled his hand away from his back, sneering. “Lucky you. I’d put a bullet right between your eyes for coming in here the way you did, but you’re better than those damn PETA people your girlfriend got on my ass.”
“Is that why you burned down her barn?” I spat out. “Because you were upset that she actually took care of your damn animals, unlike yourself?”
“Look at my horses right now,” he said, pointing a finger at the stalls. “They look perfectly fine to me. That’s what PETA said, too.”
“PETA is the last thing you need to worry about, Bill. Your worry is me. I’ll be watching you now. Every move.”
“Terrifying,” Bill said, laughing darkly. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, boy. I’ll give you that, but you can’t threaten your way around Green Point.”
“You can’t burn barns down either. You’re just not used to someone standing up to you, are you?”
“My horse was in that barn,” Bill said flatly. “That stallion cost me money. Do you honestly think I would’ve risked my own horse?”
“Nobody else knew that horse died,” I said. “Only me, Cheyenne, and the sheriff. That tells me you knew exactly what was in that barn. Because you were there!”
A thick silence followed. I watched as Bill rubbed at his meaty jaw, glaring at me through narrowed eyes as he took a step in my direction. I tensed up at his approach. My hand went to my right hip out of instinct to touch the bolt of my gun. The gesture immediately stopped Bill’s approach, and his eyes flicked up to mine.
“Get out,” he said. “I did nothing wrong. I didn’t cause that fire. I may not like the damn woman for not minding her own business, but fires aren’t my thing. I’d rather just shoot someone.”
I smiled coldly at that. “Like my horse when he wandered onto your property?”
“Damn right. And I’ll shoot you too if you don’t leave. You’re on my property just like your horse was. That’s all that matters. I have the right to protect my property. Now get out of here while you still can.”
I knew that Bill Coates was a man of his word. He didn’t hesitate to shoot first and ask questions later. He had done it once before.
I walked out of the barn with Bill’s eyes burning holes into my back the entire time. Hopping into the safety of my truck, I backed out of Bill’s driveway and headed in the direction of town.
There was not a single doubt in my head that Bill had something to do with the barn fire. Cheyenne had made enemies by telling owners off for abusing their animals, but Bill was a different type of man. He didn’t care who or what it was, he always got his revenge—just like the day he shot my horse after losing a lucrative contract with my father’s ranch.
My fingers curled around the steering wheel. Before turning onto the highway, I glanced down the road. The sheriff’s SUV was parked alongside the road as I drove by. My eyes briefly met his before I continued down the road in the direction of the Iron Stallion to check in on my staff. The town was quiet for a Wednesday evening, many of the shops already closed up for the day, but several vehicles were parked outside of the Iron Stallion.
“Hey,” Joe said, the moment I walked into the busy bar. “I was worried that something happened to you when you called me in early.”
“I needed to clear my head,” I replied and scanned the dining area. “Is everything running smoothly here? We’re pretty busy for a Wednesday night.”
Joe frowned. “I told you, boss. Everything is fine here. What happened to you?”
“I went to see Bill Coates,” I said. “That’s why I called you in early. I wanted to talk to the man alone.”
“Argh. Please tell me you aren’t going to get arrested for shooting the guy,” Joe groaned, shaking his head at me. “That man wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in you if he had the chance. You know that.”
“I do know that. I just wanted to tell him that I know he’s responsible for burning Cheyenne’s barn.”
“No one doubts you there. It’s the sheriff that doesn’t want to believe it.”
“No shit,” I said, sighing. I needed a drink. “Gimme a drink, would ya? I know that’s my big rule here, but I need a fucking drink.”
“Coming up, boss. Grab a table and relax.”
Joe patted me on the shoulder as he went back to the bar to get me a drink. I took a seat at the small table away from the bar and dining area that I frequently used to look over payroll and such. A few minutes later, Joe came back with a glass of whiskey on a tray and set it on the table in front of me.
“I hope that man gets what he has coming to him,” Joe said quietly, but loud enough for me to hear it. “It’s been years of this shit, Colt. The man has always gotten away with being an asshole to everyone. I hope the son-of-a-bitch gets thrown in jail for arson.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“I hope that Cheyenne is okay,” he added sincerely. “She seems like a wonderful person, and a hard worker with what she is doing with the rescue. I hope she stays here. We need people like her in Green Point.”
“I hope she does too,” I said, and the sincerity of my own emotions caught me off guard. I didn’t want Cheyenne to leave town over this. Even though I’d spent the past eight hours helping her clean up after the fire, I still enjoyed the time I’d spent with her. There was just something there that drew me in like a moth to a flame.
An hour later, Tiffany came in. She sat down across from me at the table, silent for a moment before reaching over to grab my drink take a long and hearty sip.
“Cheyenne is devastated,” she said, speaking quietly. “I just left her house. She’s terrified of what Bill Coates can do, especially si
nce he’ll probably get away with it.”
Anger surged through me again. I took back my drink to gulp the rest of it down, letting the alcohol burn the back of my throat. “He always has,” I growled, waving my glass to catch Joe’s attention at the bar. “I normally don’t drink here, but I went by Bill’s ranch before—”
“What? Colt, are you an idiot?” Tiffany interjected, horrified. “That man wouldn’t hesitate to shoot you. He hates our family. What the hell were you thinking?”
Cheyenne’s tear-stained face flashed before my eyes. My heart clenched just thinking about those quiet and devastated tears streaming down her cheeks while we sifted through the blackened debris. I thought about the stallion that died in the barn, terrified by paralysis, too afraid to move. I thought of my sister crying over our horse as it struggled to breathe, with Bill Coates standing nearby, a gun propped up on his shoulder and a cold look in his eye.
And for what? Money? Contracts? The thought of it all made me sick. The day I saw Bill Coates take revenge against my family over a lost contract was the day I had decided to stay away from ranching.
“I was thinking of Cheyenne,” I said. “And of what we went through. He can’t get away with this shit forever.”
Tiffany shot me an exasperated look.
“I wish that too, and so do lots of others in town, but don’t put yourself in the position to make it easy for him. He wouldn’t hesitate, Colt.”
I shrugged my shoulders indifferently.
“Let him do it. He’d go to prison, and we all know he couldn’t handle that.”
“Colt—” She paused when Joe stopped by our table to place two whiskeys in front of us. Sipping at her own drink now, she took a contemplative look around the restaurant. “We need to help Cheyenne somehow. I was thinking that maybe a fundraiser here would do it.”
“A fundraiser?” I repeated, arching an eyebrow. “I suppose if everyone is supportive of Cheyenne’s cause. We can float the bill if we need to.”
“Yeah, but we can’t let her know that. She would never accept it. I’ll talk to Cheyenne about it,” Tiffany said. “First, we have to figure out where those horses are going to go, though.”
