“No, there’s no oil. The land borders the main road that travels down the middle of town. That same road, which starts at the tip of my property line, is also an inlet onto Interstate 35. As a tourist attraction, that’s perfect placement. We’re about ninety minutes from Austin in one direction, and three hours from the border of Mexico in the other. My presumption is Eli saw the earning potential. It’s that, or he simply can’t stand to lose to a woman. Knowing him, it’s probably a little of both.”
“Is there anyone else you can think of? I know you said you pay Seneca and Brooklyn well. What about day laborers? Do you have them? If you do, any problems with them?”
She shook her head. “It isn’t a ranch in the traditional sense. We don’t have livestock so that cuts down on a significant need for ranch staff. We hire out the landscaping and turn the grass shavings into straw for the stables. Seneca, Brooklyn, and I take turns caring for the horses and their habitat. As we get closer to opening, I’ll hire hospitality staff, but other than the construction crew coming to build more structures for us, there really isn’t a need for many day laborers.”
“Okay, so let’s go back to you and your past. You were a lawyer in New York. Leave any disgruntled clients behind?” Considering the tongue-lashing she’d just given him, it wasn’t hard to imagine that mouth of hers got her into more trouble with someone else.
She shook her head before sharing a weak smile with him. “Most of the time, I worked my magic and the world never knew their favorite celebrity was in legal trouble at all. If it went as far as court, I got them off with a slap on the wrist. My clients were very happy with my services.”
She took another deep breath, her shoulders lifting slightly as if the weight of his line of questioning was physically wearing her down.
“The only person who stands to gain anything by me leaving my place is Eli. He’s more than capable of stooping to strong-arm tactics to get me to leave.”
Jackson finished up his notes. “Have you told Seneca and Brooklyn about the investigation yet?”
“I haven’t had time to tell them anything. Between being seen at the hospital and leaving at first light to travel to your headquarters, I haven’t had time to talk to either of them.”
He pointed a finger in her direction. “That’s good. Here’s how it’s going to work. Colton, Storm, and I are going to arrive on the ranch tomorrow posing as ranch hands.”
Her brows pinched as his meaning became clear. “You mean you want this to be an undercover investigation? I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because combined, Seneca and Brooklyn have spent more than a decade in state prison. I think they can spot law enforcement before I could.”
She was probably right. But it didn’t change the fact that they needed this operation to be concealed.
“So tell them we’re both ranch hands and extra security. Tell them we’re all ex-military if they clue in to something more going on.” It was a reasonable explanation, and it was the truth. They’d each served in the military before becoming Rangers. Hopefully, it would be enough to throw anyone being too nosy off the scent of their true reason for being on the ranch.
Colton shook his head as he spoke. “We’re completely screwing the chain of usual command by coming in there without the invitation of local law enforcement. Things can get really ugly between us and them if we go in there without their knowledge.”
“But Sheriff Hastings doesn’t want the case.”
“He may not want it”—Jackson picked up where Colton had left off—“but having the Rangers come in and make him look bad probably isn’t on his list of things to do either. Locals can be very territorial. It’s a hassle we don’t need.”
Storm gave her a compassionate glance before adding, “Not to mention, your people will probably be more cooperative if they aren’t aware there’s an active investigation going on.”
She shook her head and folded her arms. “I don’t like this, Jackson. I’d be lying to my people. Keeping their trust is important to me. This isn’t what I imagined when my uncle brought you in.”
“You may not like it, but it’s the only way I’m willing to go in. I don’t have enough men to manage this case as is. I’m not going to add the extra pressure of walking into a potentially hostile situation with ex-convicts and the local law. It’s a potential risk for my people I’m not willing to take. I do it my way, or we walk.”
The heavy sound of the breath she blew out clued him in that she still wasn’t thrilled with his mandate. She extended her hand, and when he took it in his own, she offered him a firm shake.
“Okay, we’ll do it your way. How will this work?”
“Colton, Storm, and I will arrive tomorrow morning. While we handle things covertly on your ranch, Jennings and Gleason will handle the official, visible parts of the investigation. They’ll run down leads, do background checks, question suspects, get warrants if necessary.”
“All right.” She stood, smoothing her hands over her pants before shoving them in her pockets. “I need to get back to the ranch to set things up for your arrival and prepare Seneca and Brooklyn.”
“Gleason and Jennings are waiting downstairs for you. Storm and Colton will walk you down and help you with the cart. Thank you again for the rolls and the coffee.”
She stood there, obviously troubled about their conversation but somehow resolute. Her strength was a visible thing. But the burden of it and how she bore that load on her rigid shoulders made his need to help her more profound.
His men walked out first, taking the cart with them, and she walked toward his door to follow them. She stopped, turned to look at Jackson once more, and then disappeared down the hall.
When he could no longer see her, he closed his door and leaned against it, looking up at the ceiling. “Please let this be over quickly,” he whispered. It was a prayer, because something told him that Aja Everett was more of a threat than any imagined foe he could face.
* * *
“Ranger Gleason, would you mind taking the next exit? I need to stop off to the pharmacy before we return to the ranch.” She’d ignored her doctor’s order last night to take Tylenol every eight hours to stave off the aches associated with her fall during the blast and resulting fire. After sitting in a car for ninety minutes each way and dealing with Ranger Jackson Dean, she needed either a painkiller or a good stiff drink.
How can someone be that fine and infuriating at the same time?
Ranger Gleason pulled over, then Ranger Jennings got out and opened the door for her. She thanked him for the hand he offered her as she stepped out of the big vehicle. He let her walk far enough ahead of him that she couldn’t feel him breathing down her neck. But no matter how much distance he put between them, she’d never shake the discomfort of having someone watch her every move. Even when it was for her own protection.
She’d made it to the outer pharmacy doors when a blur of blond hair rushed past her, nearly knocking her down. She felt herself falling when a set of hands wrapped around her arms and kept her steady.
“I’m sorry. You all right, Ms. Aja?”
Aja blinked twice to get her bearings before staring into familiar blue eyes.
“Taylor Sullivan?” Out of the corner of her eye, Aja saw the Ranger approaching them. She gave a small shake of her head, and he stopped in his tracks. She returned her attention to the young man helping her steady herself. “Where are you headed in such a rush? You nearly knocked me down.”
The young man stepped to the side of the entrance to keep from blocking the door, and Aja followed him. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
She cocked her eyebrow. “What did I tell you about that ‘ma’am’ stuff? I’m not old enough to be anybody’s ma’am. Ms. Aja, Ms. Everett, or even plain old Aja will do fine.”
His tanned face turned bright s
carlet, and his cheeks lifted into an embarrassed grin that tugged at the soft spot reserved for him in Aja’s heart. He’d been born the summer she’d finished law school. She’d come down to visit with her family and discovered the Sullivans had a beautiful new baby boy. In a town as small as Fresh Springs, every new birth was a town-wide celebration, and Taylor’s had been no different.
She’d spent her entire summer helping out the Sullivans and babysitting Taylor whenever the new parents needed a break. They thought she was helping them. For her, it was about snuggling with that happy infant and taking advantage of all that wonderful baby scent she got to inhale whenever she was near him. Although her work in New York kept her away for most of the year, whenever she made it back to Fresh Springs, she always made time for the sweet cherub who followed her around like an energetic puppy. Now, that tiny baby was a tall, cornfed sixteen-year-old who towered over her, and Aja was suddenly feeling all of her thirty-nine years.
He’s going to be a beauty of a man when he finally matures into adulthood. How is that possible? Where has the time gone?
“I’m real sorry, Ms. Aja. Trying to mind my manners, is all.”
He had the same crooked grin from the day he was born, and for the second time today, she ached for a simpler time.
“Well, you can stand there and be sorry, or you can come on and hug my neck. I’ve missed you, boy.”
God, had she. After seeing him every day for a full summer, rekindling their connection that started the day Earl Sullivan let her hold him for the first time, it was strange not having him waiting in her kitchen for one of Aunt Jo’s hearty meals. The truth was in the two days he’d been gone, it nearly broke her heart that Earl refused to let Taylor come back to the ranch. Sure, with all hell breaking lose on Restoration, she understood. But that didn’t mean it felt good.
Taylor leaned down wrapping himself around her, swaying from side to side the way they always did when they greeted each other. He let her take her fill and when he felt her pull away, he stepped back, like the polite little gentleman she’d always knew he’d be.
“Where you going in such a rush?”
“Pete’s Hardware,” he answered. “My shift starts in thirty minutes. Trying to always be on time like you told me.”
Aja’s smile grew. Her baby really was becoming a man. “Well, since you were rushing to get to work, I guess I can’t be mad at our little collision then, can I?”
The young man bit his lip and tried to keep from meeting her eyes. “Just trying to do my part. Dad says a man’s got to pull his weight.”
“Your dad’s a real good person, Taylor. Don’t ever forget that.”
Taylor smiled again and ran a nervous hand through his wheat-colored locks as he spoke. “He said the same thing about you when he heard what happened at the ranch. Might not be worth much, but he was really sorry he had to quit work on you and leave you without a contractor and crew.”
Aja understood Taylor’s hesitance to relay his father’s remorse for her situation. “I don’t blame him.” She cleared her throat to try to keep the sadness from settling in her voice. Who could blame a man for trying to protect his people the same as she was trying to protect hers?
A slight movement in her peripheral vision brought her attention back to the Ranger waiting on her at the edge of the sidewalk.
“I’d better let you get on your way.”
Taylor dipped his head before pulling the door open for her so she could step inside the pharmacy. “I’m glad you didn’t get hurt, Ms. Aja. I know someone destroyed your barn and all, but I’m really happy nothing happened to you in the middle of that craziness.”
Aja’s heart swelled slightly. This teenager had lasered in on the important detail that Aja was letting her anger make her forget—she was alive and it could’ve been so much worse.
“Thank you, Taylor. Please tell your dad I said hi when you see him next.”
An enthusiastic smile and the brightness in his eyes revealed that slight bit of boyhood still left in him. She wished she could be that carefree and hopeful again. But too much had happened between sixteen and thirty-nine to make her ignore the fear that she was on the wrong end of an hourglass with only a few grains of sand remaining until her time was up.
Chapter 6
The sound of familiar female voices and footsteps on the back porch pulled Aja’s attention from her coffee cup to the back door. She’d been dreading this moment since she woke up. Now that it was here, she wasn’t feeling any better about it.
The door opened and Brooklyn, followed by Seneca, walked into the kitchen and stood on the opposite side of the counter from Aja.
“As I live and breathe, Sen. It appears Aja Everett really hasn’t been a figment of our imaginations.” Brooklyn crossed her arms and lifted her brow. “Wouldn’t know it, though, considering we ain’t heard nothing from her since the barn exploded, like, two days ago?” She gave Aja a wink. “No big, though. Not like we were supposed to give a damn about her well-being anyway.”
Aja shook her head and smiled. Sure, she could get upset at the more than slightly disrespectful tone coloring Brooklyn’s words, but it didn’t really make sense to. First, Brooklyn was right. Aja’s presence had been extremely scarce on the ranch. Yeah, she’d had to visit the hospital and then the Rangers’ headquarters all the way in Austin, but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t have called or texted to keep them from worrying. Second, Brooklyn was like the bold, sometimes cynical town she was named after; she was going to let you know what was on her mind whether you wanted to hear it or not. Third, Aja’s guilt over the lie she was about tell wouldn’t let her chastise her employee for her impertinence.
Instead, Aja raised her hands in mock surrender and smiled. “I know I’ve been absent and unreachable since the explosion. But I’ve been terribly busy taking some necessary measures to both stop these dangerous pranks someone keeps playing on us and keep us on track with the overhaul of this ranch.”
When she wasn’t more forthcoming, Seneca was right on cue with her usual talent for breaking the tension in a room. She waved her hand as if she were ushering in an opportunity for Aja to respond. “Like?”
“Like solidifying start dates with the new construction company and hiring some new ranch hands.”
Aja grabbed her coffee cup and kept her eyes on its contents. Standing in a courtroom, leading strangers to contemplate her version of the truth was easy. Standing in front of people she cared about, knowingly lying to them wasn’t something Aja thought she could do with a straight face.
“Ranch hands?” Brooklyn asked “We suddenly get a shipment of livestock I didn’t know anything about?”
“No, but even with the ranch as a resort, I was always going to need to hire more staff. The vandalism upped my timetable. They’ll be working as ranch hands but each of them will be taking on security duties as well.”
“Security?” Seneca repeated. “Damn, I guess things are getting worse if you’re bringing in rent-a-cops.”
“They’re not rental police officers. They’re ranch hands. They each have a military background and understand keeping vandals off the property will be part of their duties.”
Aja waited to see their reactions. Seneca was usually a bit more easygoing than Brooklyn. But honestly, Aja didn’t think either of them would be happy about this new situation.
“You know what, Boss,” Brooklyn began. “I think it’s about time you got security on the ranch. Seneca and I have been talking about that since we found out the scaffolding was cut.”
“Yeah,” Seneca added. “We definitely are on board with that. We wanna be safe, but we also don’t want the law to have any excuses to come up here giving us grief. If someone gets hurt, Sheriff Hastings is coming straight for us.”
Aja cringed at the mention of the sheriff’s name and the recognizable concern passing between Brooklyn and Seneca
. They shouldn’t have to fear him for the simple fact that they’d done time. She was about to state that when the front doorbell rang. “That’ll be them. Stick around for a minute so we can discuss living quarters and general ranch stuff.”
She excused herself and headed for the front door, hoping the ladies stayed in the kitchen. Her nerves were making her stomach jittery, and she needed the brief moments alone before she had to let Jackson and his men into her world.
She plastered on her professional smile and opened the door, greeting first Colton, then Storm, and finally Jackson as they filed into the foyer.
They made an impressive human wall standing next to one another, blocking the view of the hall that led to the kitchen. Each of them tall, bulky, and imposing with all their focus on her.
“Morning, gentleman. You’re right on time. The ladies and I were discussing your arrival. Please follow me.” Storm stepped to the side and made an opening for her to walk through. She led them into the kitchen and stopped once she reached the eat-in counter that sat in the middle of the room.
“Seneca and Brooklyn,” Aja began. “This is Jackson, Colton, and Storm.” She cleared her throat as she turned slightly to look at the three men standing behind her. “Jackson is our new foreman, and Colton and Storm are ranch hands.”
There was silence as the two women assessed the men and then shared a knowing look between them. The pause was nearing that awkward stage when Seneca turned away from Brooklyn and extended her hand to Jackson. “Welcome to Restoration Ranch, where everyone gets a second chance. I’m Seneca, and this is Brooklyn.”
Seneca released Jackson’s hand and shook Colton’s and Storm’s. Everyone in the room waited for Brooklyn to offer her hand, but she kept to her post at the counter, giving a two-fingered wave to them instead.
“You day laborers or permanent?” Brooklyn said.
Jackson chuckled at Brooklyn’s directness, and it eased the tension in the quiet room, bringing a friendly smile to Aja’s own face. If Brooklyn weren’t an ex-convict he was investigating, Aja could see Jackson and Brooklyn possibly being friends. They were both surly as hell and mistrustful of anyone they didn’t know. And Brooklyn was playing right to type by getting straight to the point, abandoning the niceties of polite society to get the information she wanted.
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