by R. C. Ryan
“The two horses,” Casey interrupted, snapping his fingers and pointing at Jonah. “And you didn’t bother to tell us that you were seeing someone?”
“It was none of your business. Besides, it was too soon. We just spent the morning riding, and then she went to work. Again, we hadn’t exchanged last names yet. It wasn’t until she came another day…”
Casey turned to the others. “They’ve been seeing each other for who knows how long, and he keeps it all a big, dark secret.”
Jonah ignored the interruption as though it never happened. “… and we were hiking the hills when a storm blew in. We headed back to my cabin, and while I was getting firewood, she came across one of my books and saw my name and picture and put it all together. She told me her uncle had warned her not to go near the Merrick ranch, and she had no idea that I was one of ‘them.’”
He made air quotes to emphasize his words.
Bo had remained silent throughout Jonah’s narrative. Now his voice was low with emotion. “Once you realized who she was, you had to know this new ‘friendship’”—he made the same air quotes—“couldn’t continue.”
Jonah nodded. “We both agreed about that. She knew there was some sort of feud between her uncle Des and our family. She left my cabin and that was the end of things until I realized I wanted to see her again. I went to her place in town last night to tell her that I could accept her friendship if she could accept mine.”
Bo’s eyes narrowed. “Despite knowing how I’d feel?”
Jonah put a hand on his father’s arm. “Even knowing how you’d feel, Pop. Annie’s a good person. We enjoyed each other’s company those few days we spent together, and I’m not willing to walk away because of her name.”
“And so you brought her to our home and put us in the awkward position of either accepting her or asking her to leave.”
“It wasn’t that simple. She’s in trouble.”
The attention of every Merrick sharpened at that word.
“I knew it. What kind of trouble?” Ham demanded.
“I’m not at liberty to say until Annie has had a chance to speak with Noble Crain.”
Egan shared a look with the others. “This woman is in trouble with the law?”
“I didn’t say that. But she needs to be the one to say what her trouble is, and it may take some time for her to trust us enough to share something so private. For now, I want you to know that I was worried about her safety last night, which is why I brought her here without warning.”
Ham glanced at the others before saying, “You haven’t been yourself lately, boy, and your brothers thought you were having trouble with the book. But I figured it might be something—someone—else.”
“You called it, Ham.” Casey shot his great-grandfather an admiring smile. “You said it sounded like trouble with a woman.”
“Most of the really important things in this world are about a man and a woman, boy.”
“Right now,” Jonah said firmly, “Annie is a friend”—he emphasized the word—“of mine who’s in trouble, and I intend to be here for her. All I want is for her to be safe.”
Bo dropped an arm around his son’s shoulders. “Any friend of yours is a friend of ours as well. And since Annie matters to you, son, she matters to us, too.”
“Even though she’s Des Dempsey’s niece?”
“I guess I’ll just have to overlook that for the time being.”
“Thanks, Pop.”
The conversation clearly over, the three older men turned and headed toward the door of the barn.
Brand was grinning. “And here I figured with all these extra hands we’d have the chores done in half the time.”
He and Casey chose pitchforks from an assortment of tools hanging along the wall and joined Jonah in cleaning the stalls.
“Let’s get going,” Casey urged. “Billy’s making steak and cheese omelets for breakfast this morning, and I’m already starving.”
Chapter Eleven
Annie heard the chorus of voices long before she entered the kitchen.
Once there, she found herself smiling in spite of her nerves. The room was perfumed with the most wonderful fragrances, from gooey cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven to freshly ground coffee beans, to sizzling steak under the broiler. “Good morning.”
“Annie dear.” Meg, seated between Egan and Hammond, hurried over to take her hand. “How did you sleep?”
“Like a baby. Thank you for that sumptuous guest suite.”
“I’m glad you were comfortable.”
As they talked, the others began slowly drifting into the room.
Brand and Avery were all smiles. Casey, hair still damp from showering after his morning chores, had his arm around Kirby’s waist. The two were laughing together at something he’d told her. Their aunt Liz, wearing faded jeans and a denim shirt, smiled shyly before helping herself to coffee. Chet, his sleeves rolled to the elbows, his face and arms still slick from the mudroom sink, strolled in and greeted everyone before picking up a mug of coffee and speaking softly to Liz.
Jonah walked up beside Annie. “We have orange juice, milk, coffee, and tea. What’s your pleasure?”
She glanced at the tray of drinks on the counter. “I’ll have some orange juice.”
Jonah handed her a frosty glass.
After her first sip, she looked up in surprise. “Is this freshly squeezed?”
Jonah was smiling. “According to Billy, anything other than freshly squeezed isn’t worth the time or money.”
The cook nodded. “And that’s the truth.”
Annie took another sip before saying, “I haven’t tasted orange juice this good in years.”
Billy was beaming as Annie turned to Jonah. “I took your advice and phoned the police chief.”
Jonah saw the way his family had come to attention. “What time do you need to get to town?”
“I told him what you said about meeting here this morning.” She looked around at his family. “I hope that’s all right with all of you.”
Meg was quick to say, “Noble is always welcome here. And this is the perfect excuse for him to enjoy Billy’s fine breakfast.”
The cook was smiling his approval.
“What about work?” Jonah asked.
“I called my uncle to say I’d be delayed. He told me to take the day off. But I think, after I meet with Chief Crain, I should talk with Uncle Des and let him know as much as I can about…all of this.”
Jonah nodded. “I think that’s wise.”
Billy glanced out the window. “The chief is just pulling in.”
“I’m betting he broke every speeding record between Devil’s Door and here,” Brand muttered.
“That’s not a problem for him.” Casey was chuckling. “Who’s going to ticket the chief of police for speeding?”
At a loud rap on the back door, Jonah stepped away from the family. Moments later he returned with the police chief trailing behind him.
Noble Crain was tall and muscled, and his uniform, as always, was spotlessly clean and pressed. His dark hair showed a dusting of gray at the temples and was cut military short.
“’Morning, folks.” He whipped off his hat and smiled at everyone, saving his warmest smile for Meg. “Miss Meg, you’re looking fine this morning.”
“Thank you, Noble. I’m so glad you’re able to join us for breakfast.”
“I wouldn’t miss the chance.” He smiled his thanks as Billy handed him a steaming mug of coffee. “Two creams, two sugars. Just the way I like it,” he muttered after taking a big sip. “You never forget.”
He turned to the pretty woman standing beside Jonah. “Miss Dempsey?”
“Please call me Annie. It’s lovely to meet you, Chief Crain.”
“I heard you were working at the bank.” He shot a glance at the Merrick men before saying, “You’re Des Dempsey’s niece?”
“That’s right. Before coming here, my home was California. The San Francisco area.”
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“Devil’s Door is a long way from there.”
Just then, Billy announced that breakfast was ready, and they gathered around the big table. As soon as they were seated, they began passing platters of grilled steaks, thick slices of fried potatoes with grilled onions, and cheesy omelets, as well as a basket of sourdough toast and another of warm cinnamon buns.
As they ate, the conversation centered on the weather, which had been mild, with rain falling nearly every evening for the past week or more, turning the countryside a deep, emerald green.
Noble cut into his steak and nearly sighed in pleasure as he tasted it. “The folks in town are saying they’ve seen more wildflowers sprouting on the hills this year than they’ve seen in years.”
Chet nodded. “The range grass is higher than it’s been in years, too.” He glanced at the others. “If the weather continues like this, we’ll have the healthiest herd ever.”
“And the healthiest profits,” Bo said with a contented smile.
Hammond, seated at the head of the table, arched a brow. “I thought I taught you better, boy. You never count your money until it’s in your own hand.”
Bo nodded. “That’s what you taught me, Ham.” He glanced around. “What you taught all of us.”
Ham sat back. “So we’ll forget our profit-and-loss sheets for now and just hope the weather continues the way it’s started.”
Billy circled the table filling cups with coffee. When he paused beside Annie’s chair, he said softly, “You didn’t like the omelet?”
“It’s the best I’ve ever tasted.” She looked at her half-finished meal. “But I just couldn’t eat all this.”
Billy grinned at the others. “Ham has a saying for that.”
Before Billy could recite it, Ham looked over. “Your eyes were bigger than your stomach, girl.”
That had everyone grinning, including Annie.
“I’ll remember that in the future, Ham.” She sent him a smile as she noted those around her not only cleaning their plates, but also taking seconds.
Of course, she reminded herself, these ranchers had already done more chores in a morning than most men would do in a week.
But it wasn’t a lack of hunger that had her unable to enjoy all this wonderful food. Nerves were churning inside her at the thought of what she would have to reveal to the police chief as soon as this meal ended. As a man of the law, she couldn’t expect Noble Crain to accept her word as easily as Jonah had. And there was Jonah’s family. She was struggling with whether or not to invite them to hear what she had to say. She had the right to ask for privacy, of course. But she had already accepted this family’s hospitality. How much easier it would be to let them sit in on her interview with Noble Crain, so neither she nor Jonah would have to recite this horror a second time.
Or was she courting disaster by inviting all of them into her private hell?
Noble drained his third cup of coffee and sat back. “Billy, it’s a good thing I don’t get here very often. If I had the chance to eat like this every day, I’d need to order my uniforms three sizes bigger.”
While the others shared a laugh, he looked around. “I don’t know how you all manage to stay so fit.”
Brand patted his flat stomach. “Try mucking stalls and hauling a hundred-pound manure cart outside before breakfast and you’ll get an idea of why we require so much fuel.”
Noble nodded. “The one thing I’ve learned is that ranching’s not for the fainthearted.”
Billy was smiling as he circled the table with a wheeled trolley, loading dishes and handing around extra plates of cinnamon rolls.
Seeing that the family intended to linger awhile, Chief Crain turned to Annie. “Maybe you and I could go in another room and have that talk.”
She felt Jonah’s hand close over hers beneath the table and welcomed that small act of comfort. Whatever doubt she had dissolved.
“Since Jonah already knows my story, maybe it would be easier if you and I talked here, in front of the others.” She looked around until her gaze settled on Meg. “After your kind hospitality, I don’t want any of you to think I’m keeping secrets.”
“If that’s what you’d like.” Chief Crain took a small notebook and pen from his pocket before giving her his complete attention.
“Yesterday I was at the little apartment above the hair salon that I rent from Julie Franklyn, when I heard a knock on my door. I thought it was Julie or one of her sons, but it was a man—a stranger. Before I could close the door, he pushed his way inside and told me he was delivering a message from Arlen Lender. He said that Arlen wanted me to know that I couldn’t hide from him.”
“Who is Arlen Lender and why would you hide from him?”
“Like my uncle Des, I work in banking, in the financial sector in San Francisco. Arlen was a man I had been seeing for some time, until I discovered a huge sum of money that had been deposited in a bank account opened in my name without my knowledge.”
Noble held up a hand. “How much money are we talking about?”
“A million dollars.”
Annie heard several sounds of surprise issued from the family around the table.
She kept her gaze averted, unwilling to meet their eyes. “When I told Arlen what I’d discovered and that I intended to report this to the bank and the authorities, he told me that would be a mistake.”
“Did he say why?”
“He said that I would be arrested for accepting stolen money and would spend the better part of my life in prison.”
“Did he reveal where the money came from? Did he identify anyone who was actually involved in the theft?”
“He didn’t. But I have to believe that he was involved in some way and deliberately chose me to take the fall.”
“Why would he set you up?”
“He didn’t say, but I believe it’s because I’m an insider in banking. Like Uncle Des, my parents made their money in banking and encouraged me to follow their lead. I suspect this was all part of some grand plan.”
Noble pursed his lips. “Does your uncle know about this?”
“Not all of it. But now that you know, my next stop will be the bank in Devil’s Door. I’m hoping you’ll go there with me.”
The chief nodded. “Now, about Arlen Lender. How did you meet him?”
“I was introduced to him at a dinner for the president of the bank where I worked as a private investment banker. After meeting me, he requested that I handle his finances. The bank president was thrilled. He said word was that Arlen would be bringing not only a great deal of money to us, but other wealthy investors as well.”
“Did you have any reason to suspect Arlen of anything illegal?”
“Not a hint.”
“What about the bank president? Do you think he and Arlen were connected in some way?”
“I have no idea. But I seriously doubt that. He seems to be an honest, honorable man. But then, so did Arlen, before all this came to light.”
“You said you believe you were targeted. Do you think it was deliberate, because of your family’s connections, or do you think you just happened to be a convenient mark?”
She shook her head. “Again, I don’t know.” She took a deep breath. “Just telling you all this, I realize how much I don’t know. But I do know this. The man who came to my apartment last night left me terrified.”
“Did he threaten you?”
“Only with insinuation. I didn’t see a weapon. He didn’t raise his fists. But I was absolutely terrified, not only by how he’d forced his way into my place, but also by the impression I got that he would absolutely do whatever Arlen told him to do.”
“Were you afraid of Arlen Lender?”
“Not at first. He was handsome, charming, and seemingly well connected. But once he warned me not to go to the authorities, I was terrified.”
“Of him?”
“Yes. As he was threatening me with prison time, I had a growing sense that he was evil. I’m ashamed to
admit that I ran. I left town that night, even though I had no idea what I would do or where I would go. But I knew I couldn’t stay there another day. Not while he was setting me up for something sinister.”
Throughout her entire narrative, the Merrick family had been silent and watchful. Even Billy, who had been collecting dishes for the dishwasher, had paused behind the kitchen counter, keeping a respectful silence.
Noble Crain closed his notebook. “I’ll need to report all of this to the state police. They have the resources to do a thorough investigation of this Arlen Lender and learn who his associates might be. They’ll also be able to find out if there is a bank theft of a million dollars that hasn’t been resolved.”
He stood, and Annie got to her feet to face him.
“I suggest you phone your uncle and arrange a meeting at his bank today. Let me know the time and I’ll be there.”
“Thank you, Chief Crain.”
He offered a handshake. “I wish I could tell you we’ll have this sorted out in no time, but that will be up to the state police. And if this turns out to be something more, we could be including federal authorities in this as well.”
Annie nodded. “Thank you for whatever help you can give me. It’s nice to know I’m not alone.”
“Speaking of alone…” Noble turned to the Merrick family. “Of all the places to spend the night, how did you happen to end up here?”
“I know what you’re thinking.” Annie managed a tight smile. “Jonah and I met by accident and formed a friendship before learning each other’s last name. But once we introduced ourselves, we realized any friendship would be difficult, if not impossible.”
Chief Crain turned to Jonah. “And yet, here you are, together.”
Jonah nodded. “I’d already concluded that our families’ feud needn’t be carried into another generation. But just as I arrived at Annie’s place last night to tell her this, the stranger stormed out of her apartment. When I heard that he’d threatened her, I invited her to spend the night here.”
Annie turned to include the others. “Where I’ve been warmly welcomed and felt completely safe. I’ll never be able to thank you all enough, especially since you had no idea that I was involved in something so unsavory.”
