The Rancher & Heart of Stone

by Diana Palmer

  “Oh.” He stood up. “Well.” He glared. “You didn’t mention that earlier.”

  “I didn’t think you thought I was going to sell the ranch today,” Maddie said, and with a bland smile. “That’s all. You wouldn’t want to find out later that you didn’t actually own it...?”

  “No. Of course not.” He made a face. “All right, I’ll be back in, say, two days? Will that give you enough time?”

  “Yes,” Maddie said.

  He picked up his briefcase and looked around the living room. “This house will have to be torn down. But if you want some pictures and stuff, I can let you have it after we wrap up the sale. The furniture’s no loss.” He laughed coldly. “I’ll be in touch. And if your answer is no—well, don’t be surprised if your cattle suddenly come down with unusual diseases. Anthrax always comes to mind... And if federal agencies have to be called in, your operation will be closed down immediately.”

  He left and Maddie had to bite back curses. “The furniture’s no loss,” she muttered. “These are antiques! And anthrax! What kind of horrible person would infect defenseless animals! Maddie went inside, a chill settling in her heart.

  * * *

  “NASTY MAN. YOU can’t let him have our house!” Sadie glared out the window as the developer drove off.

  Maddie leaned back in her chair. “I wish I didn’t,” she said heavily. “But I don’t know what else to do.” She felt sick to her soul at the man’s threats. “Cort is going to marry Odalie, you know.”

  Sadie wanted to argue, but she didn’t know how to. It seemed pretty obvious that if he hadn’t told Maddie he was leaving with Odalie, he had a guilty conscience and was trying to shield her from the truth.

  “Should have just told you, instead of sneaking off together,” Sadie muttered.

  “They didn’t want to hurt me,” Maddie said heavily. “It’s pretty obvious how I feel about Cort, you know.”

  “Still...”

  Maddie looked at the bills lying open on the table. She leaned forward with her face in her hands. Her heart was breaking. At least she might be able to walk eventually. But that still left the problem of how she was going to walk herself out of this financial mess. The ranch was all she had left for collateral.

  Collateral! She turned to Sadie. “We can take out a mortgage, can’t we?” she asked Sadie.

  Sadie frowned. “I don’t know. Best you should call the lawyer and find out.”

  “I’ll do that right now!”

  She did at least have hope that there were options. A few options, at least.

  * * *

  BUT THE LIE she’d told Lawson turned out to be the truth.

  “I’m really sorry, Maddie,” Burt Davies told her. “But your dad did take out a lien on the property when he bought that last seed bull. I’ve been keeping up the payments out of the ranch revenues when I did the bills for you the past few months.”

  “You mean, I can’t sell or even borrow on the ranch.”

  “You could sell,” he admitted. “If you got enough for it that would pay off the lien... But, Maddie, that land’s been in your family for generations. You can’t mean to sell it.”

  She swallowed. “Burt, I’ve got medical bills I can’t begin to pay.”

  “Odalie and Cort are taking care of those,” he reminded her. “Legally, even if not morally, they’re obligated to.”

  “Yes, but, they’re getting married, don’t you see?” she burst out. “I can’t tie them up with my bills.”

  “You can and you will, if I have to go to court for you,” Burt said firmly. “The accident wasn’t your fault.”

  “Yes, it was,” she said in a wan tone. “I ran out in the road to save my stupid rooster, who died anyway. As for guilt, Odalie and Cort have done everything humanly possible for me since the wreck. Nobody could fault them for that.”

  “I know, but...”

  “If I sell the ranch,” she argued gently, “I can pay off all my debts and I won’t owe anyone anything.”

  “That’s bad legal advice. You should never try to act as your own attorney.”

  She laughed. “Yes, I know. Okay, I’ll think about it for a couple of days,” she said.

  “You think about it hard,” he replied. “No sense in letting yourself be forced into a decision you don’t want to make.”

  “All right. Thanks, Burt.”

  She hung up. “Life,” she told the room at large, “is just not fair.”

  * * *

  THE NEXT DAY, Ben came walking in with a sad expression. “Got bad news,” he said.

  “What now?” Maddie asked with a faint smile.

  “Lost two more purebred cows. They wandered off.”

  “All right, that’s more than coincidence,” she muttered. She moved to the phone, picked it up and called King Brannt.

  “How many cows does that make?” King asked, aghast.

  “Four, in the past few weeks,” she said. “Something’s not right.”

  “I agree. I’ll get our computer expert to check those recordings and see if he can find anything.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Brannt.”

  He hesitated. “How are things over there?”

  She hesitated, too. “Just fine,” she lied. “Fine.”

  “Cort’s coming home day after tomorrow,” he added.

  “I hope he and Odalie have had a good time,” she said, and tried not to sound as hurt as she felt. “They’ve both been very kind to me. I owe them a lot.”

  “Maddie,” he began slowly, “about that trip they took—”

  “They’re my friends,” she interrupted. “I want them to be happy. Look I have to go, okay? But if you find out anything about my cows, can you call me?”

  “Sure.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Brannt.”

  She hung up. She didn’t think she’d ever felt so miserable in her whole young life. She loved Cort. But he was never going to be hers. She realized now that he’d been pretending, to keep her spirits up so that she wouldn’t despair. But he’d always loved Odalie, and she’d always known it. She couldn’t expect him to give up everything he loved just to placate an injured woman, out of guilt. She wasn’t going to let him do it.

  And Odalie might have been her enemy once, but that was certainly no longer the case. Odalie had become a friend. She couldn’t have hard feelings toward her....

  Oh, what a bunch of bull, she told herself angrily. Of course she had hard feelings. She loved Cort. She wanted him! But he loved Odalie and that was never going to change. How would it feel, to let a man hang around just because he felt guilty that you’d been hurt? Knowing every day that he was smiling and pretending to care, when he really wanted that beautiful golden girl, Odalie Everett, and always would?

  No. That would cheat all three of them. She had to let him go. He belonged to Odalie, and Maddie had always known it. She was going to sell the ranch to that terrible developer and make herself homeless out of pride, because she didn’t want her friends to sacrifice any more than they already had for her.

  That developer, could he have been responsible for her lost cows? But why would he hurt the livestock when he was hoping to buy the ranch? No. It made no sense. None at all.

  * * *

  LATER, WITH HER door closed, she cried herself to sleep. She couldn’t stop thinking about Cort, about how tender he’d been to her, how kind. Surely he hadn’t been able to pretend the passion she felt in his long, hard, insistent kisses? Could men pretend to want a woman?

  She wished she knew. She wanted to believe that his hints at a shared future had been honest and real. But she didn’t dare trust her instincts. Not when Cort had taken Odalie with him to Denver and hidden it from Maddie.

  He hadn’t wanted her to know. That meant he knew it would hurt her feelings and he couldn’t bear to do it, not after all she’d been through.

  She wiped her eyes. Crying wasn’t going to solve anything. After all, what did she have to be sad about? There was a good chance that she w
ould be able to walk normally again, when she was through recuperating. She’d still have Great-Aunt Sadie, and the developer said that he’d let her have her odds and ends out of the house.

  The developer. She hated him. He was willing to set her up, to let her whole herd of cattle be destroyed, her breeding stock, just to get his hands on the ranch. She could tell someone, Mr. Brannt, maybe. But it would be her word against Lawson’s. She had so much to lose. What if he could actually infect her cattle? Better to let her cattle be sold at auction to someone than risk having them destroyed. She couldn’t bear to step on a spider, much less watch her prize cattle, her father’s prize cattle, be exterminated.

  No, she really didn’t have a choice. She was going to lose the ranch one way or another, to the developer or to bill collectors.

  She got up and went to the kitchen to make coffee. It was two in the morning, but it didn’t matter. She was never going to sleep anyway.

  She heard a sound out in the yard. She wished she kept a dog. She’d had one, but it had died not long after her father did. There was nothing to alert her to an

  intruder’s presence anymore. She turned out the lights and motored to the window, hoping the sound of the wheelchair wouldn’t be heard outside.

  She saw something shadowy near the barn. That was where the surveillance equipment was set up.

  She turned on all the outside lights, opened the door and yelled, “Who’s out there?!” The best defense was offense, she told herself.

  There was startled movement, a dark blur going out behind the barn. Without a second thought, she got her cell phone and called the sheriff.

  * * *

  THE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT came, and so did King Brannt. He climbed out of his ranch pickup with another man about two steps behind the tall deputy.

  Maddie rolled onto the porch. She’d been afraid to go outside until help arrived. She was no match, even with two good legs, for someone bent upon mischief.

  “Miss Lane?” the deputy asked.

  “Yes, sir,” she said. “Someone was out here. I turned on the outside lights and yelled. Whoever it was ran.”

  The deputy’s lips made a thin line.

  “Yes, I know,” she said heavily. “Stupid thing to do, opening the door. But I didn’t go outside, and the screen was latched.”

  He didn’t mention that any intruder could have gone through that latched screen like it was tissue paper.

  “Miss Lane’s had some threats,” King commented. “This is Blair, my computer expert. We set up surveillance cameras on the ranch at cross fences to see if we could head off trouble.” He smiled. “Looks like we might have succeeded.”

  “Have you noticed anything suspicious?” the deputy asked.

  She grimaced. “Well, I’ve had a couple of cows found dead. Predators,” she said, averting her eyes.

  “Anyone prowling around the house, any break-ins?” he persisted.

  “No, sir.”

  The deputy turned to King. “Mr. Brannt, I’d like to see what those cameras of yours picked up, if anything.”

  “Sure. Come on, Blair.” He turned to Maddie. “You should go back inside, honey,” he said gently. “Just in case.”

  “Okay.” She went very quickly. She didn’t want any of the men to ask her more questions. She was afraid of what Lawson might do if he was backed into a corner. She didn’t want the government to come over and shut her cattle operation down, even if it meant giving away the ranch.

  * * *

  LATER, THE DEPUTY came inside, asked more questions and had her write out a report for him in her own words. He took that, and statements from King and Blair and told Maddie to call if she heard anything else.

  “Did you find anything?” she asked worriedly.

  “No,” the deputy said. “But my guess is that someone meant to disable that surveillance equipment.”

  “Mine, too,” King replied. “Which is why I’ve just sent several of my cowboys out to ride fence lines and watch for anything suspicious.”

  “That’s very nice of you,” she commented.

  He shrugged. “We’re neighbors and I like your breeding bulls,” he told her.

  “Well, thanks, just the same.”

  “If you think of anything else that would help us, please get in touch with me,” the deputy said, handing her a card.

  “I’ll do that,” she promised. “And thanks again.”

  King didn’t leave when the deputy did. Sadie was making coffee in the kitchen, her face lined with worry.

  “It will be all right,” she assured the older woman.

  “No, it won’t,” Sadie muttered. She glanced at Maddie. “You should tell him the truth. He’s the one person who could help you!”

  “Sadie!” Maddie groaned.

  King pulled Blair aside, spoke to him in whispers, and sent him off. He moved into the kitchen, straddled a chair at the table and perched his Stetson on a free chair.

  “Okay,” he said. “No witnesses. Let’s have it.”

  Maddie went pale.

  King laughed softly. “I’m not an ogre. If you want my word that I won’t tell anyone what you say, you have it.”

  Maddie bit her lower lip. “That developer,” she said after a minute. “He said that he could bring in a federal agency and prove that my cattle had anthrax.”

  “Only if he put it there to begin with,” King said, his dark eyes flashing with anger.

  “That’s what I think he means to do,” she said. “I don’t know what to do. The bills are just burying me...”

  He held up a hand. “Cort and Odalie are taking care of those,” he said.

  “Yes, but they’ve done too much already, I’m not a charity case!” she burst out.

  “It was an accident that they caused, Maddie,” he said gently.

  “I caused it, by running into the road,” she said miserably.

  “Accidents are things that don’t happen on purpose,” he said with a faint grin. “Now, listen, whatever trouble you’re in, that developer has no right to make threats to do harm to your cattle.”

  “It would be my word against his,” she sighed.

  “I’d take your word against anyone else’s, in a heartbeat,” he replied. “You let me handle this. I know how to deal with people like Lawson. “

  “He’s really vindictive.”

  “He won’t get a chance to be vindictive. I promise.” He got up. “I won’t stay for coffee, Sadie, I’ve got a lot of phone calls to make.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Brannt,” Maddie said gently. “Thanks a lot.”

  He put a hand on her shoulder. “We take care of our own,” he said. “Cort will be back day after tomorrow.”

  “So will that developer,” she said worriedly. So many complications, she was thinking. Poor Cort, he’d feel even more guilty.

  “He won’t stay long,” King drawled, and he grinned. “Cort will make sure of that, believe me.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  MADDIE WAS ON pins and needles Saturday morning. It was worrying enough to know that Cort and Odalie were coming back. She’d have to smile and pretend to be happy for them, even though her heart was breaking.

  But also she was going to have to face the developer. She didn’t know what King Brannt had in mind to save her from him. She might have to go through with signing the contracts to ensure that her poor cattle weren’t infected. She hadn’t slept a wink.

  She and Sadie had coffee and then Maddie wandered around the house in her wheelchair, making ruts.

  “Will you relax?” Sadie said. “I know it’s going to be all right. You have to trust that Mr. Brannt knows what to do.”

  “I hope so. My poor cattle!”

  “Is that a car?”

  Even as she spoke a car drove up in front of the house and stopped. “Mr. Lawson, no doubt. I hope he’s wearing body armor,” she muttered, and she wheeled her chair to the front porch.

  But it wasn’t the developer. It was Odalie and Cort. They were grinn
ing from ear to ear as they climbed out of his Jaguar and came to the porch.

  Just what I need right now, Maddie thought miserably. But she put on a happy face. “You’re both home again. And I guess you have news?” she added. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “For us?” Cort looked at Odalie and back at Maddie blankly. “Why?”

  They followed her into the house. She turned the chair around and swallowed. “Well,” she began uneasily.

  Odalie knew at once what she thought. She came forward. “No, it’s not like that,” she said quickly. “There was a doll collectors’ convention at the hotel where the cattlemen were meeting. I want you to see this.” She pulled a check out of her purse and handed it to Maddie.

  It was a good thing she was sitting down. The check was for five figures. Five high figures. She looked at Odalie blankly.

  “The fairy,” she said, smiling. “I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you. It wasn’t my great-grandmother’s picture. It was a collector’s. He wanted a fairy who looked like her to add to his collection, and I said I knew someone who would do the perfect one. So I flew to Denver to take him the one you made from the photograph.” Odalie’s blue eyes were soft. “He cried. He said the old lady was the light of his life... She was the only person in his family who didn’t laugh and disown him when he said he wanted to go into the business of doll collecting. She encouraged him to follow his dream. He’s worth millions now and all because he followed his dream.” She nodded at the check. “He owns a doll boutique in Los Angeles. He ships all over the world. He said he’d pay that—” she indicated the check again “—for every fairy you made for him. And he wants to discuss licensing and branding. He thinks you can make a fortune with these. He said so.”

  Maddie couldn’t even find words. The check would pay her medical bills, buy feed and pay taxes. It would save the ranch. She was sobbing and she didn’t even realize it until Odalie took the check back and motioned to Cort.

  Cort lifted her out of the wheelchair and cradled her against him. “You’ll blot the ink off the check with those tears, sweetheart.” He chuckled, and kissed them away. “And just for the record, Odalie and I aren’t getting married.”