by June Faver
“I’m not an expert,” Leah said, “but that looks like a pretty good-sized herd.” She pointed out the window. “And there seem to be a lot of calves. That’s good, isn’t it?”
Misty shrugged. “I think they thrived on neglect. Joe sure wasn’t paying much attention the past few years, and my dad was so sick he couldn’t get out to deal with them. Paco did the best he could, but he’s pretty old for all the responsibility.”
“Well, we can take some of the load off him.” Colton was certain he could turn the place around, and he wanted Misty to have confidence that he could do so.
“I love the faces of the baby calves,” Leah said. “They’re so sweet.”
Misty nodded. “They are.” Her voice sounded a little ragged. “It’s really easy to fall in love with those big brown eyes. I fell in love with a newborn Hereford calf when I was a young girl.”
“That sounds lovely,” Leah said. “I wasn’t raised on a farm, but that’s the kind of childhood I envision for Gracie and any future children Tyler and I may have.” She looked at Misty, and her brows drew together. “What’s wrong, Misty?”
“It’s nothing really…but something happened that made me stop falling in love with baby calves. It wasn’t a big deal…” She gnawed her lower lip. “I just don’t like to think about the eventual outcome for our beef cattle. Steak…hamburger…”
Leah sighed. “I can understand that. If I pondered the origin of the protein on my plate, I would probably be a vegetarian. I guess I better never check out any baby pigs, ’cause I really love my bacon.”
“Well, you’re a rancher now.” Colton gave Misty’s hand a squeeze. “Farming and ranching are essential businesses. My dad instilled that fact in all his sons when we were really little. It’s our job to produce food for all Americans. Dad considers this his sacred duty.”
“I know, you’re right. I’ll try to get my head on straight.” She heaved a sigh.
Colton drove back to the Dalton house and parked between the house and the outbuildings. He wanted to check on the structures to make sure they were sound, and he wanted to see if there was anything worthwhile stored inside.
Misty and Leah fell into step beside him as he went to check out the machinery. There was a decent-size tractor with various attachments to serve multiple needs. It looked as though the equipment had been kept in reasonably good condition. Good for Paco.
There was an open shed with a small store of baled hay, but they would need more to last through until spring. He would need to see what could be baled, and perhaps another grain crop could be planted and harvested for winterfeed.
One of the doors to the barn stood ajar. He opened them both wide and stepped inside. There was a nasty smell that worked his gag reflex. Something rotting. A single bare lightbulb with a pull cord hung in the middle. There were small tools arranged along one wall above a workbench. More hay was stacked against the back wall.
A ladder led to the second story, and Colton decided to check it out. As he climbed, the stench grew worse. He recognized the smell of decomposing flesh, thinking perhaps an animal had come up here to die.
Stepping out on the upper decking, he turned to give Misty his hand and then Leah. “I didn’t figure you two would venture up here.”
“Well, you were wrong,” Misty said. “We’re partners, remember?”
“What is that disgusting smell?” Leah put her hand over her nose. “Ugh!”
“Something’s dead,” Colton said. “Could be a possum or a raccoon. Be careful.”
He opened a door at the front that could be used to load hay into the top of the barn. Using a conveyor belt made it easy. With a little more light, he saw there was nothing useful stored up there.
Misty let out a little yelp, and Leah gasped.
Colton turned to see both were staring wide-eyed at a dimly lit section of the loft.
Misty was pointing. “Who is that?”
Colton followed her gaze and saw a body slumped against the partition. He swallowed hard. Colton recognized the man as Fred Hamilton. There was a pitchfork stabbed through his gut, impaling him against the wall.
* * *
Colton called 911 and herded the women into the house. He paced outside, trying to piece together the fragments of the puzzle. The last time he’d seen the banker, he’d thought Hamilton was being evasive. Then Hamilton had left the bank abruptly to avoid dealing with Colton when he returned to reconcile the past due loan. Something shady was definitely going on. Now Hamilton was dead.
The sheriff himself came out to the Dalton ranch along with two of his deputies and an ambulance. The EMTs spent very little time in the barn and departed without removing Fred Hamilton from the hayloft.
The next vehicle to arrive was a van from the county medical examiner’s office. The ME and one of his assistants climbed out and went to work. The men wore coveralls and donned gloves and masks to examine the remains of Fred Hamilton.
The sheriff questioned Colton as well as Misty and Leah. Then he questioned Paco and Rosa, who said they hadn’t seen or heard anything out of the ordinary but that neither had ventured into the barn.
Misty looked so sad, it tore at Colton’s heart. She had seen way too much death for one so young.
He sat at the Dalton kitchen table with Misty and Leah. They were drinking iced tea but not saying much.
Colton figured this was not a good time to talk to Paco about the ranch, the herd, or the crops, so he nursed his tea and waited.
In due time, the sheriff returned to tell them the body was being removed and that the medical examiner would make an official ruling but was calling it a homicide for the time being.
Colton nodded tersely. “I didn’t think a man would trespass on someone’s property, climb into the hayloft, and stab himself with a pitchfork.”
“Highly unlikely,” the sheriff agreed. “We’ll wait for the ruling, but in the meantime, we’re treating Hamilton’s death as a murder.”
Colton nodded. “Why would Fred Hamilton be out here, Sheriff? That’s what I can’t understand.”
The sheriff raised an eyebrow. “And who the hell ran a pitchfork through him?”
Misty cringed at the sheriff’s words. She sat between Colton and Leah, her hands gripped together on the table.
Colton covered her hands with one of his. He was so glad Mark had not been with them. For certain, he didn’t need to be exposed to a scene like this.
The memory of Hamilton’s swollen and discolored corpse, rotting in the barn, would live with him forever.
The sheriff departed, and Colton rose from the table. “Let’s go home. We’ve done all we can do here today.”
Misty’s lips trembled. “This is my home.” Her voice wavered. “And I was planning on moving back here with my little brother.”
Colton frowned down at her. “Well, I don’t think that’s such a good idea at the moment. Someone else has been murdered here. Someone who had a connection to the ranch.”
She pressed her lips together and nodded.
Colton put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Misty, I’m sure you don’t want to put Mark in danger, do you?”
She looked as though the breath had been knocked from her lungs. “No, of course not.”
“Then let me take you back to the Garrett ranch until the sheriff sorts this all out.”
Leah slipped an arm around her as well. “Come on, honey. Let’s go. It’s too big a risk for you to stay here.”
Misty’s eyes teared up. “I—I need to sort through my daddy’s things…and Joe’s things. The church ladies can give them to people who need them.”
“That’s a great idea,” Leah said. “Tomorrow, after church, I’ll drive out with you and help you go through their belongings. We can bring some boxes and do it up right.”
Colton thought a lo
t of his sister-in-law, but at the moment, he held her in even higher esteem. Her words seemed to be calming Misty and helping her to cope with yet another tragedy.
Misty turned to Colton. “Do you think Rosa and Paco will be okay here?”
“Is there a weapon in the house?” Colton asked.
Misty nodded. “Yes, several. There are rifles and shotguns. I think Joe had a handgun.”
Colton called Paco over and told him to make sure the weapons were loaded and not to open the door to strangers. He said they would return the next day after church to reassess the situation.
When Colton had both Misty and Leah in the truck, he turned around, casting one last glance at the barn, with its doors still standing open. It looked ominous, as though it harbored a dark secret. He climbed into the driver’s seat and started the truck, anxious to put some distance between his small party and the vivid image carved in his memory of Fred Hamilton impaled in the barn.
When they reached the Garrett ranch he found that the others had returned home before them.
Colton pulled his dad and Beau aside to have a private conversation with them.
“What’s going on?” Beau asked.
Colton shepherded them into the office and shut the door firmly behind them. “What do you know about Fred Hamilton, the banker?” he asked his father.
Big Jim shrugged. “I dunno. Kind of a pompous ass. Full of himself. Why do you ask?”
“Because he’s dead,” Colton said. “I took Misty and Leah for a drive out to the Dalton ranch, and we found his body in the barn.”
Beau took a wide stance, his hands fisted on his hips. “What the hell?”
“That’s what I say.” Colton shook his head. “I have no idea what happened to him, but the sheriff is calling it a homicide.”
Beau turned away, taking a few paces and then spinning around abruptly. “You stay away from that place, Colt. It’s got bad juju going on. That makes three deaths associated with the Dalton ranch.”
“Aw, come on,” Colton said. “Misty’s father was terminally ill.”
Big Jim stopped him by laying his big hand on Colton’s shoulder. “But there have been two murders. Beau’s right. You should stay far away.”
“I told Misty and Leah I would take them back after church. She wants to go through her father’s and Joe’s personal belongings and give them away to the needy.”
Big Jim expelled a breath. “I can understand that it has to be done, but it can wait until these crimes have been solved. No sense in you getting involved.”
Beau flicked a glance at Colton and then looked away.
“I am involved, Dad. I think you know how I feel about Misty. I told her I would help her, and I will.”
A muscle in Big Jim’s jaw twitched. “Well, if you’re going, we’re all going. After church, we’ll have lunch and then go to the Dalton ranch. There’s strength in numbers, and I don’t think anyone’s going to mess with all of us.”
Colton felt strangely relieved. “Thanks, Dad. I’m sure Misty will appreciate it too.” He knew having his father and brother in tow greatly increased the chances of someone letting it slip that he had paid up the Dalton loan, but just having his family behind him felt pretty damned good.
* * *
The next day, Misty was feeling a little better. Somehow, the Garretts came together like a wall around her and her little brother. When they all trooped into the church, she felt as though she had been accepted.
Although she had not been attending church for the previous several years, due first to spending two years away at college in Norman, Oklahoma, and then to the ensuing years of caring for her father, she realized how much she had missed it. Sitting next to Colton, with his arm draped on the back of the pew, gave her a new sense of belonging.
Her little brother looked happy too. Between Colton and Big Jim, Mark was surrounded by excellent male role models. Even Beau seemed to be coming around.
She listened to the pastor’s sermon. Somehow it seemed the message was aimed directly at her. It was about rejoicing in the things you had been given and not envying your neighbor who might have more in the way of worldly goods.
Well, we Daltons don’t have much, but I’m very grateful for what we have. She glanced at Breckenridge T. Ryan, sitting a few rows in front of them with his wife, the town doctor. Misty was very thankful to be working for him and for having an ATM card in her purse and some money in the bank.
Her friendship with Leah and Sara Beth gave her the female companionship she had always needed as the lone woman in her male-dominated family.
Most of all, she was gratified to have been taken into the Garrett household at the time when she and Mark were so vulnerable.
And then there was Colton. She lifted her chin to gaze up at him. Colton was the very best thing she could imagine happening to her. She was in love with him, and whether he loved her or not wasn’t important. What was important was that he had become the best friend she could ever imagine. Whatever the future had in store, she would guard that friendship and not let anything destroy it, even if it meant she kept her mouth shut about her feelings for him.
She knew he liked her, but was it love or just his kindness and friendship? They certainly had passion between them. Colton was so hot he smoldered. Surely if he loved her he would tell her. Wasn’t that the way it was supposed to happen? Or maybe it just seemed that way in the movies?
After the church services, the Garrett entourage stopped at Tiny’s Diner for lunch.
Big Jim explained to Misty, in detail, how Tiny served the very best chicken-fried steak in all of Texas and insisted she try it. They were all served a small dinner salad first, followed by an immense platter featuring a chicken-fried steak as big as a baseball glove. There were also mashed potatoes and a side of seasoned green beans.
Misty sucked in a breath. It was more food than she could eat, but she had to smile when she saw Mark digging in. Big Jim was watching Mark too and had an amused grin on his face. She figured he was thinking about his three sons at the same age.
She picked up her knife and fork, attacking the food with relish. “This is really delicious, Big Jim.”
He smiled benevolently. Maybe he was warming up to her a little; at least she hoped so.
After the meal, they climbed into the two trucks and caravanned out to the Dalton ranch. As they approached, her stomach grew more and more tense. Big Jim had Leah and Gracie with him. Beau and Mark rode in the seat behind Colton. The conversation was sparse on the way to the ranch.
When they turned off the interstate onto the road to the ranch, the food she had eaten seemed to be twisting in her gut. The Dalton ranch had been such a happy place during her own childhood. Losing her mother had been the turning point. After that, a cloud of sadness and misfortune seemed to have settled over the property. Everything was lost in a downward spiral. Her father…Joe…
What would it take to turn it all around?
Colton pulled in behind his dad and parked.
When they had all piled out, Leah gestured to the back of Big Jim’s truck. “I brought a few boxes to put the clothes and other things in.”
Colton hefted the boxes out, and Leah grabbed some before heading into the house.
“Do you need some help with the sorting?” Colton asked.
“I’m sure Leah and I can get it done. We have Rosa to help too. Why don’t you see if Paco needs anything? I still have a little money on my bank card.”
Colton grinned at her as she took the rest of the boxes into the house.
Chapter 12
“So, where was the body?” Beau asked.
Colton heaved a sigh. “In the barn.” He pointed to the structure. “Hamilton was up in the hayloft. Someone had speared him through the middle with a pitchfork.” He felt Big Jim’s and Beau’s eyes on him. “Yeah, it was horrible.
And he had been there several days, so he was plenty ripe.”
“Ugh! I hate that smell.” Big Jim made a face.
The three Garretts took off on a slow stroll around the area.
“That’s a good John Deere tractor,” Big Jim commented. “And the rest of the equipment is in decent shape. I wonder why they couldn’t make a go of it.”
Colton heaved a sigh. “Probably because her dad became a drunk after her mom died…and he was terminally ill.” He shrugged. “And her brother Joe was a dumbass.”
Beau nodded in agreement. “That he was. Joe sort of took a wrong turn somewhere along the way. He was never really interested in ranching. Spent most of his time partying with his friends.” He looked thoughtful for a minute. “He always ran with Eddie Simmons and that bunch. Remember Eddie’s cousin, Nate Blair? There were five of them who ran together before Nate disappeared.”
“Yeah, I remember,” Colton said. “Wonder what happened to Nate? Never saw him again after that summer he went missing.”
Beau shook his head. “That’s when Joe and the others really went off course.”
“Shame,” Big Jim commented. “This is a nice little ranch. How many head of cattle?”
Colton told him.
“Nice herd. With some tending, this place could shape right up. Maybe I should think about buying it from the Dalton kids. I’d hate to see them lose everything.”
It’s now or never. “Too late, Dad.” Colton hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and took a wide stance.
“What? It’s already been foreclosed on?” Big Jim turned to face him.
“No, Dad. I invested in this ranch. I’m a legal partner with Misty and her brother.”
Big Jim’s eyes narrowed for a moment. Then he gave a slight nod. “Good business decision. Just see that you turn this place around. It’s a good acquisition.”
Colton shook his head. “I didn’t acquire it. I bought into it. I went to the bank with Breck Ryan and paid the loan up to date. And I have a legal partnership agreement with Misty.” He shrugged. “Now, all I have to do is figure out how to make it productive again.”