by Cynthia Eden
No, no, Legacy shouldn’t be there. He should be back in his stables.
“Ava!” Mark shouted.
But she’d already leapt to the side. She hit the ground, hard, but she escaped the dangerous crash of the horse’s hooves as Legacy raced by her.
Mark gave a loud whistle, trying to signal the horse, but Legacy just reared back. The horse cried out—a sound like a high, sharp scream—and he raced toward Davis with a shaking head and rolling eyes.
Something is wrong with him!
“Legacy, no!” Mark yelled, his voice sharp with command.
Davis swore and dodged for cover. Like Ava, he wound up in the dirt. But the horse kept coming for him, stomping, thrashing.
There was no saddle on the animal. No reins. How had he gotten out there? Legacy was Mark’s prized stallion. He should have been safe in the stables.
The horse whirled around and ran toward Ava again.
“No!” Mark was there in front of her. “Legacy.” His voice held only powerful command, no anger, just deadly control. “Legacy, stop.”
The horse wasn’t stopping. He was—
Legacy collapsed. Just fell right there in the dirt.
Ava rushed toward him even as Mark and Davis closed in on the animal. He was sprawled in the dirt, his eyes still wild, his breathing hitching.
Mark put his hand on Legacy’s chest. “His heartbeat is out of control.” He gave a hard shake of his head as he stroked the animal. “Something has happened to him! This isn’t—this isn’t Legacy!”
White foam was forming near the animal’s mouth.
Davis yanked out his phone. She heard him calling, asking to speak to Dr. Myers—she knew Jamie Myers was the veterinarian in the area who took care of the horses at both the McGuire and Montgomery ranches.
“He should be in the stables,” Mark muttered. “Legacy should be secured in the stables!”
But he wasn’t. He was on the ground before them, his whole body convulsing.
Ava fell to her knees beside Mark.
And Legacy’s eyes closed.
* * *
“POISONED?” MARK DEMANDED as fury burned in him. “You’re telling me that my horse was poisoned?”
Jamie Myers exhaled slowly. They’d managed to transport Legacy back to the Montgomery stables, but it sure hadn’t been an easy task. The animal had had repeated spells of rearing and thrashing during the journey back, and Mark had barely managed to keep him controlled.
“I’ll have to do more blood work to know for sure, but yes, he’s exhibiting all of the signs,” Jamie said with certainty. She pushed back a wisp of blond hair that had escaped from the bun at her nape. “His heartbeat is too accelerated, his breathing isn’t stable and these spells he keeps having—”
Spells where the horse tried to break free.
She ran her hand over Legacy’s back. “I’m going to stay with him and figure this thing out.”
Jamie had been taking care of Mark’s horses and the horses at the McGuire ranch for the past year, ever since she’d come into the area, seeming a bit out of place in her fancy clothes but more than ready to get her hands dirty as she worked on the animals.
Jamie had come from the Northeast. She never talked about her family, and from what Mark had been able to tell, she didn’t get too close with many people.
He respected that about her. She was a woman with secrets.
Secrets she didn’t want shared.
“He’ll be okay, Mark,” she promised him. “He’s already getting more stabilized. It’s a good thing you found him when you did. If he’d run into the road when cars were coming out this way...”
Legacy could have died. The stallion had almost run them down.
When it came to the ranch, Mark wasn’t too sentimental about many things, but Legacy mattered. Mark and his mother had bought Legacy. Legacy was theirs.
The horse was the only thing of his mother’s that he had left.
“I’ll check all the horses,” Jamie said. The faintest hint of a New England accent whispered in and out of her voice. “If any of the others are affected, I’ll let you know.”
He nodded. He stared across the stall at Legacy. There was no food in the stall. The place didn’t appear to have been disturbed at all.
The security feed.
If someone had come into the barn to poison Legacy, the feed would have caught it. “I’ll be in the house,” Mark said abruptly, “if you need me.”
Jamie nodded, but her attention was on Legacy, not Mark.
He hurried out of the stall and—
“Is he okay?”
Ava was there. She’d been standing with her back propped against the side of his stables. He looked around, but he didn’t see any sign of Davis.
“Mark?” Ava marched closer to him. “How’s your horse?”
“Poisoned.” He raked a hand through his hair. “At least, that’s what the doc thinks.” And he was about to figure out just who had been given access to his horse. He caught Ava’s hand and hurried toward the main house.
When he stepped onto the porch, Ty rounded the corner of the house. “Boss!” Ty called out. “Boss, I got something you’re gonna need to see!”
Mark glanced over at him.
Ty held up a syringe. “I just found this out back.” His face darkened. “With Legacy acting so wild, I’m betting this is the cause.”
Mark’s jaw was clenched so tightly it hurt as he stared at that syringe. There was a thin, white label wrapped around. The name of whatever drug had been inside it? Hell, that was exactly what they needed! “Take it to Dr. Myers. She’s with Legacy.”
Ty nodded curtly and headed for the stables.
“Wait! Did you hear anyone last night?” Mark demanded.
Ty looked back. “I patrolled out here, but I didn’t see a thing. Whoever this guy is...” Ty shook his head. His eyes hardened. “He’s good. And he knows your ranch. He knows how to slip in and out without being seen by anyone.”
But had he managed to avoid the video cameras?
Mark and Ava headed into the ranch house. Ava was quiet beside him as he keyed up the video feed. He fast-forwarded through the footage, watching, looking for any sign of the masked man who’d been on his property before.
You’re just making yourself at home here, aren’t you?
But...there was no one on the tape. No one but Ty, going in for what Mark thought must have been a quick check on the horses.
“No one’s there.” Ava leaned over his chair, and her hair slid over his arm. “He was too smart this time. He must’ve figured out where the cameras were positioned.”
Maybe.
The scent of strawberries hung in the air around him.
“I know how important Legacy is to you,” Ava told him as she rubbed his left shoulder. “I’m sorry this happened.”
Everyone in the area knew how much he valued Legacy. “He tried to hurt me by taking him out.” He looked up at her. “He could have drugged him last night after the accident.”
Ava sucked in a sharp breath. “When you called your men to the scene—”
“It was the same technique he used before. Distract and attack.” The guy must have seized the opportunity. Since he hadn’t been able to take out Mark, rage would have been riding the guy hard. And he’d let that rage out on Legacy.
Ava backed up when Mark stood. “He’s going to be okay,” she said. “Brodie has talked about Dr. Myers plenty of times. He said she knew her animals better than anyone he’d ever seen.”
Yes, she did. They returned to the stables, but before they could enter, the doors swung open and Dr. Myers hurried toward them. Ty was right behind her. She smiled when she saw Mark. “He’s going to be okay!” She had the syringe in a plas
tic bag. “I know what to give him to counteract the effects. Legacy will be fine.”
Some of the heavy tension left Mark’s shoulders.
“If Ty hadn’t found this syringe...” She glanced over at the foreman. “Well, let’s just say I’m very grateful. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to call my office so I can get the right medicine for him.” She took off jogging to her car.
Mark clapped his hand on Ty’s shoulder. “I owe you.”
But Ty shook his head. “No way, man. I’m the one who owes you. And we both know it’s more than I can ever repay.”
Mark’s jaw tightened. He and Ty had become friends in school. Ty’s mother had never seemed to care about her son at all. She’d seemed more interested in drinking her way to the bottom of a bottle and, most nights, Ty and Mark had hung out together. When Mark had come back to town, he’d sought out Ty. The guy had been one step away from living on the streets. He’d given Ty a place to stay and offered him a job.
Ty was one of his oldest friends—and, no, the man didn’t owe him a thing.
“I’m guessing you didn’t see anything on the video,” Ty said, his lips twisting.
Ava stepped forward. “No one was there.”
“I’ll step up the guards tonight,” Ty promised. “You’ll be safe here.”
“I’ll be staying with Ava tonight,” Mark said. That night, and every night until they caught the bastard.
Ty glanced over at Ava. “I sure am glad you’re all right.”
She gave him a weak smile. “Mark was the one who got hurt.”
He’d forgotten about his stitches. They didn’t matter.
Dr. Myers had returned from her car, and she was heading for the stables once more.
“Go on,” Ava told Mark, pushing him forward. “Check on Legacy. I’m going to meet up with Davis.”
Right. Because Davis was still searching the area near the crash.
Mark pulled her close to kiss her hard. “If you need me...”
“You’ll know,” she finished as she gave his arm a quick squeeze. “I’ll call. But don’t worry, I’ll be with Davis.” Then she waved a quick farewell to him and Ty.
As she walked away, Ty gave a soft whistle. “You must be feeling pretty brave to go up against all the McGuires, buddy.”
Ava was worth tangling with her brothers.
“She knows,” Ty began carefully, “about your past?”
His past. Those lost years when he’d slipped from Texas. “No.”
“Aw, man.” Ty gave him a pitying look. “What do you think will happen when she learns the truth?”
He didn’t intend to find out. Maybe there were some things that Ava would be better off not knowing.
* * *
AVA HAD ALMOST reached Davis when her phone rang. Frowning, she lifted it up, but she didn’t recognize the number that appeared on her screen. “Hello?”
“He’s dangerous.” The words were so low she could barely understand them.
“Who is this?” Ava demanded, but...she knew.
It was him. The stalker.
“I’m just trying to protect you from him. Can’t you see? I want to take care of you.”
Her fingers tightened around the phone. “You almost killed Mark last night.”
She heard laughter—low and bitter. “And you think Mark hasn’t killed? You don’t know him. Not really. He’s been lying to you for so long.”
“No.” Ava could see Davis striding toward her. She waved to him, hoping he’d hurry forward.
“Have you asked him about the night your parents died?”
Her heart slammed against her chest. “Were you there when they died? Did you kill them?”
“Ava, I only want to take care—”
“Did you kill them?” Ava screamed.
Davis ran toward her.
“Mark is lying.” His voice was still so low. “He’s going to hurt you. Don’t trust him.”
Davis was just steps away from her.
“Ask Mark. Get him to tell you...what your father said before he died.”
What?
“My father was dead when Mark got to him.” She knew because Mark had told her... I’m so sorry, Ava. There was nothing I could do. He was gone.
“Liar, liar,” that voice mocked. “You’ll see soon enough. You put your trust in the wrong man.”
The line went dead.
Ava stared at Davis, stricken. No, no, that creep on the phone was the one lying to her. Not Mark.
“Ava?” Davis touched her arm. “What did he say?”
“Dad was dead.”
His brow furrowed.
“By the time Mark got to him, Dad was dead, wasn’t he?”
Mark had said—and Davis—
Davis looked away from her.
She grabbed his shirtfront. “Dad was dead!”
“He only lived a few moments, Ava.” The words were soft, sad. “He didn’t have a chance of surviving.”
And it felt as if she’d just been shot in the chest. “No. Mark said...you—you both said that he was dead. That nothing could be done!”
His fingers curled around hers. “I read the medical reports. There was nothing that Mark could do. Dad had lost too much blood. His wounds were too bad. But, yes...” Now his voice turned hoarse. “He was alive, just for a few minutes. Mark told me—”
“But no one told me!” No one but that freak on the phone. The man who was tormenting her.
“We didn’t want to hurt you, Ava! That’s why we held back. We didn’t want you to know...” His voice trailed away into silence.
Too late. She knew exactly what he’d been about to say. “You didn’t want me to know that when I left him, Dad was still alive.”
Run.
Her whole body felt numb right then. “What did he say to Mark?”
Davis frowned at her.
“Before he died, what did Dad say to Mark?”
But Davis shook his head. “Nothing, Ava. Mark never told me about anything our father said to him.”
Was it another lie? Or the truth? She’d trusted her brothers—and Mark—blindly for all of these years. But they’d been holding back on her.
She turned away from Davis, but he caught her shoulder. “Ava, you were so close to breaking back then...”
Everyone always thought she was so fragile.
“We were just trying to protect you.”
Ava glanced at him. “I’ve never lied to you.”
Pain flashed on his face.
“How many lies have you told me?”
He didn’t answer, and that very silence terrified her.
“What else are you keeping from me? What else is Mark holding back?” Mark, the man she’d thought of as her white knight. Now he, too, seemed surrounded by secrets.
“Mark’s past is his own to share.” Davis swallowed. She saw the quick dip of his Adam’s apple. “And anything I’ve done, it’s all been for you.”
Was that supposed to make it right?
“Let me go, Davis.”
His hand lifted.
“I need some space.”
“Ava...” A warning edge entered his voice.
She stiffened her spine. “Despite what you think, I’m not close to breaking apart. And I don’t have a death wish. I just want to be by myself for a few hours. Is that so wrong?” She needed to get away, to stop feeling watched. “I’m going to the museum.” Because she actually did have a job waiting for her. Ava’s boss had called earlier and told her that they were setting up a new exhibit. More hands were needed. Kristin had said that if Ava was available to come in early, her help would be appreciated.
A couple of hours at the museum—yes, that wo
uld be just what she needed. Work, to take her mind off the insanity around her.
“If anything happens...if you need me...”
Ava looked back at him. “I need you to figure out who just called me.” She tossed her phone to him. He caught it easily. “And I want to find out how he knew our father lived until Mark arrived. He said...he said that Dad spoke to Mark.”
Davis stared down at her phone. “Mark never mentioned anything—”
“Yes, well, as you said, people lie.” Her breath heaved out. “And I think it’s long past time that we started sharing the truth.”
He pulled out his phone. “Take mine. Just in case—”
“In case a crazy stalker tries to ruin my life again?” She took the phone from him. “Got it.”
Then she turned and walked away. Davis didn’t seem to get just how much his words had hurt her. She was tired of being in the dark. Tired of her brothers thinking she couldn’t handle the danger that had haunted her family for years.
She wasn’t going to break. She wasn’t going to shatter into a million pieces.
No matter what happened, she’d survive.
One way or another...
Chapter Eight
“That looks amazing!” Kristin Lang said as she headed into the museum’s main gallery. Her red hair was in a long braid down her back, and the large hoop earrings she wore swayed with her movements. “You’ve grouped them perfectly! Those colors—the lighting—fantastic!”
Ava dusted off her hands on her jeans as she glanced over at the museum’s director. Kristin was only a few years older than Ava, and she seemed to be bursting with energy. A wide smile lit Kristin’s face as her gaze traveled around the display.
Ava had been working with the docents there for the past three hours. They’d arranged, then rearranged the artwork until everything was perfect.
“Hiring you was the smartest move I’ve made in months,” Kristin said, with a decisive nod.