“Me, too,” Timmy said.
Seb reached out and put his hand on Timmy’s shoulder. “If you have any questions, I’d be glad to talk. Okay?”
“Sure.” Timmy nodded. “Hey, mom? Can I go out on the porch and watch for squirrels?”
“Yeah.” She brushed back a tear as Timmy took off like a rocket out the door.
Seb waited the beat of one second before turning to face Tacy. “That went well,” he said.
She shot him a rueful smile. “You’re kidding, right?” Timmy’s reaction had been so offhanded, almost blasé, compared to what she had been expecting.
“Yeah. I thought he’d say more. He probably needs time to get used to the idea. I assume you told him that I would have done a better job of being a dad if I had known.”
She was disappointed that he needed to ask. “Of course.”
“I guess that’s it, then. Now I suppose you’ll want to call your grandfather and give him the news. Better for him to find out from you than to hear it through the grapevine.”
Seb was right. There was no good reason to continue to delay. She picked up her phone and walked into the bedroom. Her hand shook as she punched in the number. Her grandfather answered on the first ring.
“Grandfather. How did it go at the doctor’s today?”
“My numbers are good, so I won’t complain.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Listen. Um. While you were gone, I...um stopped by the house to pick something up and ran into Lois. I thought she was going with you to Bismarck.”
“So did I. But apparently, there was some sort of crisis at the flower stop.”
Oddly coincidental, but what could she say? “Okay. I was also calling for another reason. There’s something I wanted to tell you when you dropped me off early this morning, but we were both so exhausted that I decided to wait for another day.” Say it. Don’t dance around it. Say it, and it will be over, just like that. “Seb and I got married when I was eighteen.”
“What?”
“Seb Hunt and I got married when I turned eighteen.”
“You got married to one of the Hunts? How is that possible?”
A flush of warmth rose in her cheeks. “Seb was there for me when my mom left. He was a friend first, but, over time, he became something more.”
Her grandfather blew a long breath through his nose. “And no one knew about this? What about the Hunts? Were they aware of this secret? It’s all so hard to understand. Did this marriage take place before or after you moved to Colorado?”
“Before. I know it was an impulsive thing to do. But we loved each other and wanted to be together. But then I had the accident. And Seb’s leave ran out, and he had to get back to his base in Texas.”
She took a deep breath. She had gotten through the first part. Now she needed to tell him the rest.
“You mean that boy left you when you were in the hospital? Disgraceful!”
Disgraceful seemed like too harsh a word to describe Seb’s behavior, given his duty to the military, but her grandfather’s reaction wasn’t far off the mark from how she’d felt at the time. “Once we were separated, we...couldn’t seem to find our way back to each other,” she said as diplomatically as she could. “So, we thought that the best thing for both of us would be to end things quietly and move on.”
Her grandfather’s sigh was loud and exasperated. “That’s why you and Keith left, isn’t it? To get you away from Sebastian Hunt? I should have known. It all comes back to the Hunts.”
“Well, whether you like it or not, you’re going to have to get used to dealing with the Hunts. Because when I woke up in the hospital after the accident, I found out I was pregnant. Seb and I have a little boy. His name is Timmy, and he’s nine. Seb didn’t know about Timmy either. None of the Hunts did. My dad and I didn’t mean to hurt anyone by hiding the truth, but since I’ve been back, I realized it was a mistake.”
There was a long silence. Ten seconds passed, and she began to wonder. Had her grandfather hung up, or was he still on the line, listening?
He cleared his throat and reestablished the connection. “When can I meet my great-grandson?” he said.
* * *
Seb couldn’t hear much of Tacy’s conversation with her grandfather through the bedroom door. And try as he might, it was impossible to predict Carl Tolbert’s reaction to the news that he had a nine-year-old great-grandson he had never met. There was already so much bad blood between their two families. Would Timmy’s presence make things better or worse?
It was hard to say. He remembered the list he had made that morning of tasks he hoped to accomplish before the end of the day. He unfolded the piece of paper and glanced down at the items printed on the page.
1. Make a list of pros and cons concerning the job offer in DC.
2. Help replace the sprinkler.
3. Talk to GG.
A couple of weeks earlier, before Tacy arrived on the scene, he had been thinking that a change of scenery might be a good idea. He loved the ranch, but a new job would bring all sorts of interesting challenges and give him the opportunity to hone the skills he had acquired in the military. But the more he thought about it, the less he was sure that a move to DC would be a good thing—for him or for Timmy.
“What do you think, Cody?” He reached down to pet the six-month-old springer spaniel tangled around his legs. “Should I turn down the job or take it?”
Cody thumped his tail twice.
Was that a yes or a no?
Maybe he needed to punt on the decision, at least for the moment. He glanced down to the last two items on the list. Before he spoke to Gunnar Graff, he wanted to get his father’s advice about the best way to approach the attorney. Which meant heading out to the north field to help fix the sprinkler.
He called Steven and asked him to keep an eye on Tacy and Timmy. “On my way, bro,” Steven said. He hung up the phone as Tacy came out of the bedroom, her eyes leaking tears.
“My grandfather’s really angry that I waited so long to tell him about Timmy. Not that I blame him. Oh, Seb. I really mucked this whole thing up. I just wish I could do it all over and start with the truth.”
He did, too. That’s what they needed, a trip back in time so he and Tacy could forgo their decision to climb Shepherd’s Peak and head straight for his base in Texas. He’d be right there with her when they found out about the pregnancy, and if their baby was a girl or a boy. And he’d be with her in the delivery room when Timmy was born.
The bunkhouse door slammed with a loud clatter. Steven. Seb waited for him to get settled and then fired up his truck and headed to the north field.
He might as well have been crossing a desert with the waves of heat shimmering across the fields. Once his truck thumped over the cattle guard that separated the road from the grassland, he rolled down the window and inhaled the scent of dry hay baking in the scorching sun. The irrigation system didn’t work well even in the best of times. But the high temperatures of the past month had quadrupled the demand for water, so it was hardly surprising when problems with the sprinkler system occurred.
He spotted his father’s SUV on the side of the road. He pulled in behind it and walked across the field to join him.
“I came to help.” he said.
“Thanks,” his dad said. “I’ll show you the problem.”
It took them a half hour to find the crack in the central pivot point of the piping. After that, the rest was easy.
His dad clapped a hand on his back. “I’m off to check out a problem at the south gate. You want to come along and take a look?”
“I wish I could. But I’m thinking of driving into town to talk to Gunnar Graff about an issue that might affect the sale of the Tolbert ranch.”
“Two words. Be careful. I’ve seen him in court when the gloves come off. Behind that polished demeanor, the man
has the instincts of a street fighter.”
Seb waited for his dad to drive off before he pulled out his phone to call the law firm of Graff and Klein to ask for an appointment. The receptionist asked if he could he make it into the office by five, which gave him just enough time to change his shirt and drive into town.
He arrived minutes before his appointment. A blonde receptionist stood by the front desk, twirling a set of car keys, clearly ready to leave for the day. He followed her directions to the first office at the end of the hall.
Gunnar looked up from his computer and waved him in. “I’m just finishing up. Grab a seat, and I’ll be with you in a minute.”
Seb folded himself into one of the chairs in front of the desk and took out his phone. It looked like his pal from the FBI had left him another message. He was about to pull it up when Gunnar closed his laptop and leaned across his desk. “So, young man. What can I do for you today?”
“I don’t want to waste too much of your time, so I’ll cut to the chase. I’d like to talk to you about the Tolbert ranch.”
“Right. You were there the other night when your brother made that scene at the dining room table. He’s obviously passionate about saving bulls. But I’m still operating on the assumption that the sale will proceed as expected. I don’t really know how it has anything to do with you. It is Carl’s business, and no one else’s.”
“Are you sure?” He narrowed his eyes.
Gunnar drummed his fingers on his desk and returned his stare. A few seconds ticked by. “It seems like there is something you want to say. Let’s pass on the theatrics. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
Trust Gunnar to not fall for any intimidation act. His father’s words played across his mind. The instincts of a street fighter. Well, two could play at the game. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the document that Tacy had found earlier in the day. He laid it on Gunnar’s desk, smoothing out the wrinkles. “Do you recognize this? You should, considering it is your name at the bottom as notary.”
The surge of satisfaction he had expected was short-lived. Gunnar was poker-faced as he picked up the piece of paper, scanned it and set it down on the desk.
“Sure, I remember. I’m curious as to how it fell into your hands. Carl Tolbert isn’t one for sharing information, especially with a Hunt. I am not certain why you’re showing it to me.”
Anger welled inside his chest, but he held on to his temper. He crossed his arms. “Well, according to this deed, Tacy Tolbert has an ownership interest in the property.”
“Are you accusing me of trying to deny my goddaughter her inheritance?” Gunnar spoke in a flippant tone, but Seb noticed the vein pulsing in his neck. So, he had struck a nerve. Good. Gunnar glared at him, and he glared right back. “If so, your accusation is moot.” Gunnar slid the paper across the desk. “Not that it is any of your business, but Carl asked me to draft this deed about a year after Keith left for Colorado. He wanted to make a good faith effort by offering him more of a say in the ranch, hoping to entice him back to North Dakota. As his lawyer, I recommended that we send the original document to be recorded so that it had full legal effect, but Carl wanted to put the ball into Keith’s hands. As you can see, this is a copy. And it was not recorded. Keith saw it as a hollow gesture, meant to guilt him into returning to North Dakota. He claimed to have burned the document right after he received it.”
Gunnar shrugged. “So that was that. With the original destroyed, no conveyance took place. I honestly doubt Carl was all that surprised. Much as I, personally, would like for Tacy to be a part of the sale transaction, the fact of the matter is that she has no legal standing. The ranch belongs to Carl, in full. Now,” Gunnar stood up. “I don’t appreciate you coming in here and accusing me of acting in any underhanded way. I didn’t need to share any of this information, but Tacy is my best friend’s daughter. I’ve told you all of this in confidence so we can put this whole matter to rest. But I don’t wish to discuss my clients or their business with you ever again.”
Seb pushed himself up from his chair. Anger and frustration burned in his chest. He had come here prepared to get the better of Gunnar Graff, and now he was being sent away, chastened, discouraged and humiliated.
But most of all, he was worried. If Gunnar was right and the deed had been destroyed, then they were back at square one when it came to finding a motive for the attacks on Tacy. And with no idea who was after her or why, there was no way to tell when the would-be killer would strike again.
TWELVE
Tacy was physically exhausted and ready for bed. Dinner at the Hunts’ had been followed by a rousing game of Sorry and a trip to the stables to groom the horses. By the time they trudged back to the bunkhouse and Timmy was tucked in tight, she was looking forward to curling up under a blanket and calling it a night. Morning would bring its own set of challenges.
She and Timmy were going to meet her grandfather at Dot’s for breakfast. The three of them would have some time together, but her grandfather was sure to have questions she’d prefer not to answer in front of Timmy. After an hour, Seb would pick up Timmy, giving her and her grandfather some time alone.
Was it any wonder that she had woken up anxious and upset? She was still fretting when she pulled into the lot behind Dot’s.
Timmy must have realized that she was stalling. “What are we waiting for, Mom? Why don’t we go into the restaurant? I’m starving.”
She turned sideways to look at him. “You remember how it felt last year at the championship, when you were up at bat in the last inning, with two men on and the chance to win the game?”
Timmy nodded. “That was a lot of pressure.”
“That’s right. You knew what you had to do, but also that it was going to be really hard. That’s how I feel now. I didn’t let anyone in Chimney Bluff know when you were born. Last night, when I told my grandfather about you, I realized that my decision had caused an ache in his heart that might never go away. And now I’m stuck, not knowing how I can fix that.”
Timmy reached forward and patted her shoulder. “I’ll help you, Mom. Maybe I can talk about my baseball team. Do you think your grandfather would like to hear about some of our games?”
From the mouth of babes. “I’m sure he would. Hey. We better get inside before they run out of pancakes. Now, that would really be a disaster of epic proportions.”
Her grandfather’s eyes pegged hers before they even made it into the restaurant. Timmy must have noticed, too, because he reached over and took her hand as she raised her palm to wave.
“Is that him?” Timmy asked. “He looks like grandpa Keith, but older and with a lot more hair. Don’t worry, Mom. You’ll hit a home run. It’ll be okay.”
Timmy was right. For the most part, anyway.
“Nice to meet you, young man,” Her grandfather stood up and held out his right hand. With a solemn face, Timmy extended out his own arm. Tacy blinked back the unexpected tears that had formed in her eyes, watching her little boy shake hands with her grandfather.
The three of them took their seats, and an awkward silence fell between them.
“Timmy learned to ride horses at camp.” Tacy scrambled to find a way to jumpstart the conversation.
“Is that so,” her grandfather replied.
“Yep. I’d always wanted to learn how to ride, and Grampa Keith promised to teach me. But then he got sick, so he couldn’t. He did take me camping so I already know how canoe and fish. The best part about camp was swimming. There was a tire swing in the river. Can you believe it? Have you ever seen a swing over water before?”
Her grandfather blinked. “I can’t say that I have.”
“We also got to see lots of animals at camp. There were the horses, of course. But we also saw deer, and my friend Michael claimed he saw a moose. I really like animals. Especially dogs. They’re my favorite.” Timmy turned toward her. “Mom, did yo
u have a dog growing up?”
Tacy shook her head and opened her mouth to reply no, but her grandfather interrupted her.
“No. No pet dogs, at least. But we always had one or two border collies around the property.”
“Really? Cool!”
And so it went, Timmy’s artless chatter putting all of them at ease. Her grandfather was clearly delighted by his great-grandson, peppering him with questions about school and camp and life in Colorado. Timmy’s natural exuberance was the perfect foil to her grandfather’s gruffness. The two of them might have talked for hours if her grandfather hadn’t suddenly pushed himself up from the booth and reached over to shake Timmy’s hand.
“It’s been very nice to meet you, young man, but I’m afraid I have to head back to the ranch to deal with a problem with one of our mares.”
Tacy snuck a glance at the clock on the wall over the counter. It was only ten thirty.
“Can’t you stay a bit longer, Grandfather?” she asked.
“I’m sorry, my dear. I can’t. I had already arranged for the vet to meet me at the stables.”
“Will I see you at the church picnic?”
“No. Lois and I have other plans.”
She drew her grandfather into a tight hug. “Another time, then.”
“I’m glad I got to meet Timmy.”
She was, too.
She took a moment to text Seb about the change in the plan. Breakfast ended earlier than expected. Headed back to the bunkhouse. See you soon.
On the way to the car, disappointment gave way to relief. Her grandfather seemed to have forgiven her. And he had been genuinely pleased to meet and talk to Timmy.
As she turned her key in the ignition, the brake light on the dashboard flashed red. That was odd. And annoying. It hadn’t been on during her drive into town.
It was probably just a glitch in the electrical system. Wasn’t there a gas station at the bottom of the hill, half a block away? She’d stop there and ask one of the mechanics to check it out.
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