by Roma James
On the other hand, I’d hoped that was the reason why Cade and Boone had decided to stick around. Did that make me a hypocrite?
Maybe.
But it was sort of hard to care when I had Cade and Boone on either side of me, their biceps brushing against my arms and their thighs pressed against mine. It was hard to think about anything except the fact that there were way too many layers of clothing between the three of us.
Those kinds of thoughts would have to wait, though. I took a deep breath and reminded myself of the reason for this little road trip.
“I hope Derek can give us some information that we don’t already know,” I said. “I’d started to feel safe again over the past few days, but now…”
Boone reached over and took my hand. “You can still feel safe. We’re not going to let anything happen to you. We’ll find out who’s behind this and then—”
“Then we’ll take care of it,” Cade interrupted, his low voice sounding deadly serious. “Whoever this is has made a big mistake by messing with you, Janessa. We’re not going to let them get away with it.”
Just hearing how seriously they took the threat made me feel better and worse at the same time. Better because I completely trusted them. I knew they’d do everything they could to keep me and my ranch safe.
But I also knew they couldn’t be everywhere at once. Whoever was behind the poisonings had already struck twice, right under our noses. If they wanted to do something else, something worse, I wasn’t sure there was anything we could do to stop them.
Chapter 13
Janessa
I wrapped my hands around the steaming cup of coffee Derek Winslow had given me and listened as he told us about the poisoning and the fire that had thrown his whole ranch into chaos for the past couple of days.
“It sounds a lot like what we’ve been experiencing,” I said. “Except for the fire, of course. But I suspect it’s only a matter of time until we have to deal with something like that, too. Thank God nobody was hurt, though.”
“Yeah, we’re very thankful for that,” Derek said. “The barn can be replaced. But my family and the rest of the people who work here…” He shook his head. “I honestly don’t know what I’d do if something happened to them.”
“So far, we just know one thing for sure,” Cade said. “Whoever is behind all of this is getting more aggressive each time. They started by poisoning one horse, then came back to poison almost a dozen cows. Now, they’ve added arson to the mix.”
Hearing him list off the incidents and realizing that they were, in fact, escalating and getting more dangerous each time made a chill go down my spine. What would they try next? This time it was just a barn that had been burned down, but what if it was one of our houses next time?
“Do you have any idea who could be behind it?” Boone asked. “Is there someone you’ve argued with recently? Anyone who might be holding a grudge for some reason?”
Derek shook his head. “Sheriff Prescott asked me the same thing when I talked to him. He’s coming out here to take a statement a little later, but I don’t really have anything useful to tell him.” Derek looked at me. “Would you mind staying until the sheriff gets here to give him a statement of your own? I think it will probably be helpful at this point to give him as much information as possible. Maybe he can piece something together that we’ve missed.”
“Of course,” I said. “I think you’re right. And I hope he can help us figure out who is behind all of this. I’ll be honest—my first thought was that Nora Statler might have had something to do with it. She’s been pressuring me and Uncle Justin to sell our ranch for a while now, and she was pretty rude about it the last time we saw her. Then the first poisoning happened shortly after that.”
“I thought about that, too.” Boone nodded. “Doesn’t really seem like her style, though. Unless she got someone else to do her dirty work.”
“That would be awfully risky in a small town like Bliss,” Cade said. “Everyone knows everyone else’s business around town already. Could you imagine if word got out that Nora was poisoning animals at the biggest ranches in the county? She’d be ruined.”
Derek had frowned at the first mention of Nora’s name, and that frown had only deepened with Cade and Boone’s assessment of the situation.
“I hate to add fuel to the fire,” Derek said. “Especially when that person isn’t here to defend their reputation.” He paused, looking like he really was reluctant to bring it up. “But I did have dinner with Nora a couple of weeks ago…”
I felt my eyes go wide. “Really? You asked her out on a date? I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you and Nora had anything going on.”
The last thing I wanted was to offend Derek by talking about a woman he was interested in, but… Nora Statler? Really? I was genuinely curious as to what he could possibly see in her. Then again, she was always a lot nicer with the men in town than the women, so it wasn’t truly shocking that a man who had been single for as long as Derek might fall for her fake charms.
Derek grunted and gave me a wry grin. “Trust me, it’s nothing like that. She actually was the one who asked me out for dinner, and I honestly had never even thought about Nora in a romantic way, but… I figured what the hell, you know?”
I nodded, too intrigued to interrupt. Cade and Boone were also as silent as church mice. They were probably just as surprised as I had been about the thought of Derek and Nora together.
“Well, to make a long story short,” Derek continued, “I realized it wasn’t a normal date pretty quickly. She kept asking me questions about the ranch—not just the kinds of things that come up in polite conversation, but personal details about the business operations and the finances. It really kind of took me by surprise at first.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” Cade said, wide-eyed. “That doesn’t sound like my idea of a fun date at all.”
I tried not to smile. I didn’t want to seem insensitive to Derek’s terrible date with the wicked witch of Montana, but it was hard to imagine that he and Cade were related at all. Granted, they were pretty distant cousins, but I was pretty sure Cade barely even talked business with Boone, let alone as first date material.
“Well, the more we talked, the more I realized she wasn’t interested in me at all,” Derek said with a sigh. “She finally admitted she wanted to buy this ranch, and she kept pushing even after the first couple of times I politely told her that the Double W ranch isn’t for sale and won’t be anytime soon.”
I started to feel the same bubbling, boiling wave of anger that I’d felt the last time I was face to face with Nora. I'd really thought my tolerance for her was as low as it could get before all of this, but hearing how she’d tried to manipulate Derek’s feelings just to try to get some kind of deal on his ranch? That was just gross, and I felt bad for Derek that he’d had to go through all of that.
“I honestly was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt over the poisonings and the arson before,” I said. “But now? I feel like she really might be capable of anything. I think her greed for my land—and yours, too, apparently—has pushed her over the edge. I think she’s gone crazy.”
Derek inhaled and slowly exhaled a deep breath. “I just don’t know,” he said, finally. “I wouldn’t want to think anyone was capable of doing those things, but… someone is obviously not just capable but completely willing.”
“We need to be sure to give the sheriff all of this information when he gets here,” Boone said. “We might not have any actual proof yet, but it’s sounding more and more like Nora Statler needs to be right at the top of the sheriff’s list of suspects.”
I couldn’t have agreed more.
And if Nora really was behind the poisoning?
Yeah, she’d be hoping to get arrested by the time I was done with her.
Sheriff Prescott gave me a stern look. “I wish you and your uncle would have told us about the poisonings before now, Janessa. It would have been nice to be able to compare any evidence from
your ranch to what happened here.”
“I know.” I nodded, wishing for once that Uncle Justin was around to take some of the heat. But I probably deserved this lecture. I’d been the one insisting that it was my ranch and my turn to make the decisions. “And I’m sorry. We honestly thought it might have been some teenagers out causing trouble at first. If I would have known it was going to keep happening, we definitely would have called you.”
It was the truth, but I wasn’t sure if it would be enough to get me back into the sheriff’s good graces. Sheriff Prescott and his deputy, Cole, knew my family well—just like they knew every other big land owner in the county—so I was a little embarrassed that I’d done something foolish enough to earn a lecture from them.
Not that I thought they were going to arrest me or anything, but I represented a long, proud line of Thoresons, and I wanted to always make sure I stayed on the right side of the law.
“The important thing is that you know now, though, right?” Cade asked, placing a protective hand on my back as he came to stand next to me.
“We think there must be some sort of connection, Sheriff,” Boone added, taking his place on my other side. “And now that we’ve heard Derek’s side of the story, too, it seems like there might be an obvious suspect.”
The sheriff held up both hands and shook his head. “I’m not in the business of speculation and hearsay. Cole and I have taken statements from all of you, and we’ll follow up with the leads you’ve given us, but it’s important that we operate on facts, especially since we’re just now getting started on the investigation.”
He gave me a pointed look, and I had the good sense to look down at the ground in contrition. I wasn’t going to let my temper or my pride get the best of me today. Besides, he was right. I should have gotten the police involved from the beginning.
It was just hard to even consider needing anyone else’s help when I had Cade and Boone. They’d made it their business to take care of me, and I was perfectly happy with that arrangement.
“We’re certainly not trying to slander anyone’s good name around here, Sheriff,” Derek said, also looking stern and serious and very matter-of-fact. “But the evidence we have right now does seem to point in one particular direction.”
“And we’ll be sure to check that direction—and any other direction we need to check—after we’ve had a look out at the Thoresons' ranch.” The sheriff tipped his wide-brimmed cowboy hat in my direction. “Janessa, I’d like to come take a look at your stables and all the animals that have been poisoned first thing tomorrow, if I could.”
“Of course,” I said, nodding. “Uncle Justin can tell you everything he’s seen as well, and we can even try to get Logan Hensley to come back out and talk to you since he’s the one who treated the animals.”
“That would be helpful,” Sheriff Prescott said. “We need to move this investigation along as quickly as possible so we can hopefully prevent anyone else’s livestock or property being targeted.”
“Thank you for your time, Sheriff,” Derek said before turning his attention to me and the guys. “And I’m glad the three of you came over today. I hate that this has happened to us, but I can honestly say I feel a little better already knowing that we’re all in this together now.”
“Absolutely,” Boone said. “Just let us know if you need anything, Derek.”
“And we’ll keep you posted if we find out anything else,” Cade added.
“Likewise.” Derek nodded. He paused, then his lips twitched up into a small grin as he looked back over at me. “Seems like you’re in good hands here, Janessa. Just make sure you remind them who’s in charge from time to time.”
“As if I’d let them forget it.” I laughed as Cade and Boone both turned to give me matching surprised looks. “But you’re right. I’m definitely in good hands. I think I’ll keep them around for a while.”
We said our goodbyes to Derek and then piled back into Cade’s truck.
“You know,” I said, looking at Cade as I settled into the crook of Boone’s arm. “Earlier I was thinking to myself that I couldn’t really see much resemblance between you and Derek.”
Cade grinned. “Yeah, a lot of people are surprised to hear we’re cousins.”
“You both seem to be complete opposites at first glance,” I continued. “But I think I just caught a glimpse of the Winslow gene.”
“Oh?” Cade quirked an eyebrow as I felt Boone’s low laugh rumble through his chest. God, being alone with these two men was a constant test of my self-control. “And what gene would that be?”
“The two of you might approach the world a little differently,” I said. “But you’re both good guys, and you do the right thing. And I saw a look in his eyes tonight that I’ve seen in yours before. I’d hate to be the person who gets on your bad side.”
Cade shook his head and gave me another of those wide, easy smiles. “You’ll never have to worry about that, beautiful. We’re all on the same side here, and that’s exactly where we’re going to stay.”
“Good,” I said, closing my eyes as Boone held me tight next to him. “That’s exactly where I want to be.”
And tonight? I really didn’t care whose side we were on as long as I was with my guys.
They were everything I wanted and all I needed—and God, I didn’t even want to think about the day they’d have to go back home.
Chapter 14
Janessa
God, it had been an impossibly long day. It felt like years had passed since Uncle Justin, Cade, Boone, and I had been sitting around the breakfast table this morning.
And now?
I’d never been happier to see my comfortable bed or to pull the warm covers up around my ears. Yeah, I was definitely going to be asleep within minutes.
I closed my eyes and then immediately cracked one open again as my phone started ringing on the bedside table next to me.
No.
Nope.
Not tonight.
I didn’t know who would be calling me at eleven at night, and I didn’t care. I reached over and swiped to ignore the call without even looking. Whoever it was would just have to wait until tomorrow.
It couldn’t have been ten seconds before the phone started ringing again. I ground my teeth together and inhaled through my nose, completely ready to ignore the call again.
But unfortunately, my sleep-deprived brain was a little more alert this time—alert enough to make me wonder if the call might be about something important.
What if it was Derek? Or the sheriff? What if they’d caught the person behind the poisonings?
I slowly exhaled the breath I’d been holding in and reached for the phone, swiping to answer and bringing it up to my ear as I tried to muster a polite tone. “Hello?”
“Janessa?”
My eyes snapped open at the voice. It had been forever since I’d heard that voice, but I would have known it anywhere.
“Daisy Lynn! Girl, I thought you were—” And then I stopped because I suddenly realized why she was calling. “Oh, my God, please don’t tell me you’re in town.”
“Um, yeah? That’s why I’m calling…” She sounded confused and maybe a little annoyed. “Becca and I got to the bus station about thirty minutes ago. Where are you? Are you on your way to pick us up?”
And that was why she had every right to be annoyed. Because no, I wasn’t on my way. I was in bed. I’d forgotten that my two best friends were coming to visit. How could I have let this happen?
Well… I hadn’t forgotten they were coming, exactly. I’d just… sort of forgotten that they were coming today. In my own admittedly weak defense, I still wasn’t sure what day it was. They’d all been just been running together in a crazy blur lately.
“I just got back to the ranch,” I said, which was sort of true. We hadn’t been back that long, anyway. “There was a bunch of drama that I’ll have to tell you about later. But stay right there. I’m on my way right now, okay?”
I hea
rd a sigh on the other end of the line, but the hint of annoyance in her voice was gone and replaced by weariness when she answered me again. “Okay. We’ll be waiting. I can’t wait to see you!”
“Can’t wait to see both of you!” I answered, smiling in spite of the fact that I was a terrible friend. “I’ll be there soon.”
I hung up the phone and threw on some jeans, then grabbed a light jacket to wear over the extra-large t-shirt I’d worn to bed. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and winced as I looked into the mirror above my dresser. I definitely wouldn’t be winning any beauty awards between here and the bus station, but whatever. The only people who were going to see me were Becca and Daisy Lynn, and honestly? They’d seen me looking much worse than this over the course of the year we’d lived together at school.
Grabbing my car keys and my purse, I stepped out into the hallway, carefully closing my bedroom door behind me and tip-toeing down the stairs so I wouldn’t make too much noise. It had been a long day for all of us, and the last thing I wanted to do was to wake up the whole house because I’d been a bad friend who couldn’t remember what day of the week it was.
I made it all the way down the stairs and to the front door without making too much noise—just the usual creaky floorboards, but there wasn’t really anything I could do about that. I turned the doorknob and stepped out onto the front porch, blinking against the darkness as I fumbled to close the door behind me.
I had one foot on the porch step that led down to the front yard when I heard the voice behind me.
“Janessa, wait.” The voice stopped me in my tracks and made me nearly swallow my tongue as I opened my mouth to scream. “Where are you going?”
Thank God I’d been too scared for any noise to come out because it was just Boone. I could barely see his large, shadowy form as it moved across the porch, but of course I recognized his deep voice once my brain got past the initial terror that someone else was out here with me.
