by LENA DIAZ,
“No.” His voice was a husky rasp. He cleared his throat.
She blinked, the passion clouding her eyes beginning to fade, as well. “No?”
He closed his eyes, drew another deep breath, then looked at her again. “I’m sorry. This isn’t right. You’re vulnerable right now and not thinking straight, and I...”
“You... What?” She studied him for a moment, then scrambled off his lap and plopped down on the seat beside him. “You don’t want me?”
He laughed harshly and waved toward his lap. “I think the answer to that is obvious.” He scrubbed his face and grasped the steering wheel as if it were an anchor and it could save him from being tossed out to sea. “I want you more than... Hell, I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone. But it’s a hundred different ways of wrong.”
“Why?”
She didn’t sound angry or hurt now. She sounded curious, like she was thinking through a problem. How could she act like her world hadn’t tilted when his had turned completely upside down and inside out. Was that the experiment she’d mentioned? Had she wanted to toy with him and see what happened? The passion that had boiled through him moments ago shifted. Frustration, hurt and anger warred inside him. His hands clenched around the steering wheel.
“Did you get what you wanted?”
She blinked. “What?”
“You said you were conducting an experiment. What was the point? See if I was a jerk who’d take advantage of a woman when she was vulnerable? Well, you got your answer. I’m scum.”
“What? No, no, no, no. Colby, I just needed to know if those kisses in the mountain were just about keeping warm, or whether you feel the same—” she licked her lips, her gaze dropping to his mouth “—heat, that I do, every time I look at you.”
Her tongue darted out to wet her lips again and his traitorous body jerked in response. Lust flared through him again. He swore.
She shoved her hair back from her face. “You’ve got deep roots in Destiny, don’t you? I don’t guess you’d ever want to move away.”
He let out a deep breath. He was tired, so tired. His head still hurt from all the knocks he’d taken. That was the only explanation for him thinking, for even a second, that Piper had been playing with him. She wasn’t the mean, vindictive type. And he was taking his own frustrations out on her.
“No,” he said, in a much calmer tone this time. “I wouldn’t.” Disappointment ripped through him as the truth of her words sank in, and what that meant for their future together. Or lack of one. “And you’ve got deep roots in that ranch of yours. I don’t see you wanting to give up your family legacy to live in Destiny.”
“No. I wouldn’t.”
They stared at each other a full minute, neither of them blinking as a world of emotion and thoughts swirled between them. Neither of them needed to say anything. They’d just said it all. They desired each other like crazy, and yet there was no way for them to be together. They had completely different goals, and neither of them was willing to give that up.
He should have stayed in Mountain City with Dillon and Blake.
She clicked her seat belt and turned to look out the window. “Take me home please.”
He stared at her, wanting to heal the hurt that pulsed between them like a living thing. But what could he say? They’d known each other for a few days. This...whatever it was...between them wasn’t enough to give up everything either of them had ever wanted, enough to completely change their lives.
There was no healing, no magic thing he could say to make it better. The best he could do now was get her home and settled so she could go on with her life and forget him.
But how the hell was he ever going to forget her?
Chapter Fifteen
The five-hour drive from the Johnson County sheriff’s office to Piper’s ranch an hour outside Lexington would have been agonizingly awkward after that disastrous “experiment” with Colby, except that Piper had been exhausted and slept through most of it. When they finally drove under the “Caraway Ranch” archway and headed up the long gravel road to her house, she almost wept with relief.
Until she saw what was waiting for her. Then she wanted to weep for an entirely different reason.
Colby slowed the truck. “This can’t be good. I wonder why the sheriff’s at your house.”
“The usual, I imagine. Another disaster of some kind that he’s looking into. Probably the same disaster that explains the moat in the left-side yard and the plumber’s truck. They charge a fortune by the hour, don’t they? I wonder if I have to pay for his drive time on top of any repairs. If so, I’m out two hours of labor costs just for the drive from town and back.”
As soon as he parked the truck and trailer behind the police cruiser, she reached for the door handle. But Colby stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
“Piper, I make a decent chunk of money from my farm on top of my salary. I’ve got a healthy nest egg in the bank. I could give you—”
“No.” She winced. “Sorry, but I don’t want to take your money or anyone else’s. I’ll figure something out. Thanks for the offer. I do appreciate it.”
She reached for the handle again, then stared in stunned amazement as the front door of her home opened and three people stepped out, one of them in handcuffs.
“Who’s the girl being arrested? Do you know her?”
“I thought I did. Apparently, I don’t know her that well at all if she’s been arrested. Her name is Arlene Garza. She’s a ranch hand I hired a couple of months ago.”
The deputy put the girl in the back seat, then shut the door.
“And the guy with the deputy?” Colby asked.
“Billy Abbott. My ranch manager. Come on, I’ll introduce you and see what’s going on.”
They both hopped out of the truck and met the others beside the patrol car.
“Piper, it’s so good to see you.” Billy pulled her into a tight hug.
“Can’t. Breathe,” she teased.
He let her go, his face turning red. “Sorry. I’m just so glad you’re okay.” He looked toward the trailer and his face lit with a grin. “Thank goodness you found Gladiator. But, oh, wow, I’m so sorry I screwed up. That bill of sale looked legit and you weren’t answering your phone and I wasn’t sure what to do and—”
“Hold it, stop. Stop. We’ve already gone over that. It’s in the past, okay? Now, what’s going on here? Why is Arlene in handcuffs?”
The young girl was crying in the back seat. Even through the car’s rear window, Piper could see her shoulders shaking. Beside the car, Colby was in deep conversation with the deputy.
“Well?” Piper asked. “What’s going on? And why is my yard flooded?”
Billy’s hands fisted beside him. “We’ve had a few more pieces of equipment go missing, and one of the saddles was found soaking in a trough. It’s completely ruined. I was so frustrated I went into town and bought one of those game cameras, the kind hunters use that only snap pictures when someone moves.”
Piper was still reeling from the news about the saddle being ruined, then she realized what he’d said about the camera. All she could see were dollar signs as she tried to imagine how much something like that had cost her. She had no idea.
“When I came up from the stables a few hours ago, I found the yard the way you see it now, only worse. Water was gushing from a broken water spigot on the other side of the house. I had to turn off the water to the whole house to get it off. The valve at the spigot was broken. Thankfully, the plumber was able to fix it pretty quick. But I asked him to check the rest of the plumbing out to make sure no one sabotaged anything else.”
“Sabotage. So it was Arlene? You’re sure?”
“She admitted it. And even if she hadn’t, I’ve got proof.” He waved toward one of the trees about fifty yards from the front of the house. “I put the ca
mera there after the saddle incident. And I checked the SD card inside it after I got the water turned off. There are some perfect shots of Arlene taking a baseball bat to that spigot. I called the sheriff right after I called the plumber.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand why she would do something like that. She seemed like such a sweet girl. What does she have to gain?”
Colby and the deputy stopped in front of them.
The deputy shook her hand. “Miss Caraway, I’m Deputy Hollenbeck. So far Miss Garza isn’t talking. But based on what Detective Vale told me about the Palmer guy, I’m betting she’s working with him and is the person behind all the vandalism you’ve been experiencing.”
“Wait. You’re saying she’s behind everything that’s happened? And that Palmer put her up to it?”
Hollenbeck nodded.
Colby shrugged. “We don’t know all the facts yet. She’s only admitted to busting the spigot but wouldn’t say why. You said you hired a security guy a few months ago, too?”
“Ken Taylor. He’s a friend of the sheriff. No way is he involved. I trust him completely.”
“Did you trust Arlene completely?”
She frowned.
The door to the house opened and an older man in blue coveralls stepped out writing on what looked like an invoice book. Great.
Colby shot her a sympathetic look and moved back to give her some privacy. Her face flushed with heat. His pity over her financial situation was the last thing that she wanted from him.
As the deputy pulled away in the patrol car, she turned to Billy. “Would you mind getting Gladiator settled into the stables for me?”
“Of course. By the way, I restocked your groceries and even went to Bradford’s. Got your favorite—brisket. Wasn’t sure what your, um, friend would want, so I got a full rack of baby back ribs with all the fixings. Everything’s in the fridge.”
“Thanks. I really appreciate it. My mouth’s already watering over the brisket.” She smiled and tossed him the keys, then waved Colby over to join them.
“Billy, meet my friend,” she teased, “Detective Colby Vale. Colby, this is Billy Abbott, my right-hand man around here.”
Billy flushed at the compliment and shook Colby’s hand. “Piper said on the phone that you’re from Tennessee. I wouldn’t think a detective from Tennessee would have jurisdiction here in Kentucky.”
“I drove Piper here as a courtesy and I’m assisting local law enforcement with the investigation. Don’t worry. I’m not breaking any laws,” he said drily.
Piper didn’t think Billy’s face could get redder if he’d been out in the sun all summer without sunscreen.
Billy awkwardly cleared his throat and waved toward the trailer. “Well, thank you for everything you did to save my boss, and our prize horse.”
Colby narrowed his eyes, clearly studying Billy as if he thought he might turn into an ax murderer any second. “I can’t take the credit. There was a lot of luck involved. And one of the bad guys ended up bringing Gladiator back for us.”
“Oh. Well, to hear Piper tell it, you saved her life a gazillion times and if it weren’t for you she’d have never made it. You have my gratitude.”
“Will that be cash or credit?” a voice called out.
They all turned toward the plumber, who held up the invoice for Piper. She groaned when she saw the number of zeroes.
“Credit,” she grumbled. “If I have any left. Let’s go back inside.” She stepped to the house and held the door open. “Colby? You coming?”
He looked back at Billy, who was getting in the truck. “I think I’ll catch a ride to the stables if you don’t mind. I’d like to meet that security guy of yours.”
Billy paused at the driver’s door, his face going pale at the idea of having Colby as a passenger.
“Is Ken at the stables right now?” she asked.
“As far as I know, he is.”
“Great. Let’s go.” Colby hopped into the passenger seat and shut the door.
“Go on.” Piper waved at Billy. “I’ll head up there in the golf cart as soon as I can.”
He nodded unenthusiastically and got into the truck.
“Miss Caraway? The bill?” the plumber reminded her.
“My office is to the right.” She led the way into the house.
By the time she’d dealt with the plumber and a few minor emergencies that some other ranch hands brought her way, Colby and Billy had been gone for close to an hour. Surprised that Colby hadn’t returned, she hopped onto the golf cart she kept parked beside the house—thankfully on the side that hadn’t flooded—and headed toward the stables.
She pulled up just as Billy was loading one of the Thoroughbred stallions into the trailer that Gladiator had been in earlier.
“Billy? What’s going on?”
He closed the back door of the trailer, securing the horse inside. “With the Arlene situation and the plumber here, I haven’t had a chance to update you about ranch business. The bank came out while you were gone and gave us an ultimatum—pay the missed mortgage payments, plus interest and fees, immediately, or they would begin the foreclosure process. They threatened to get an injunction that would close down the ranch and take all the horses as assets until everything was settled.”
She pressed her hand to her chest. “Good grief. I know we’re behind, but that seems drastic. When does it have to be paid?”
“A week ago.”
She blinked. “What? Then, wait, I don’t understand.” She looked toward the stables. “Oh, no. Are all the other horses—”
He held up a hand to stop her. “Relax. The mortgage is current. No one took any of the horses. Thanks to this guy.” He waved toward the trailer. “My pimping skills have come in handy. Romeo here has two breeding appointments, both paid in advance.”
“In advance? Two? Wow, way to go.” She gave him a high five, then hugged him. “You’re awesome. Thank you so much.”
He gave her a funny look. “Don’t act so surprised. I was running this ranch for years before you came back. I do know a thing or two about breeding.”
She frowned. Had she offended him? “I didn’t mean to—”
“I’ve gotta go before our clients demand their money back. I’ll be gone for a couple of weeks. All the details are in the logbook in your office.” He hopped into the driver’s seat.
Piper ran to his window and tapped on it.
He rolled it down, his brows arching in question.
“Colby—Detective Vale, where is he?”
He pointed past the stables to the only house close to her property, about a hundred yards away, past the line of white three-rail fencing that surrounded her land.
“He’s at Mr. Wilkerson’s. Said he wanted to talk to him. I told Vale that the sheriff already interviewed Wilkerson after he came home a couple of days ago. But Vale headed over there anyway.”
“How did the sheriff know that Mr. Wilkerson was back?”
“I called O’Leary the second I saw our neighbor out in his yard.”
“Thanks. I probably don’t say it often enough, but I really appreciate everything you do for me.”
He gave her an embarrassed nod, never one for being comfortable with praise.
She stepped back and waited until the truck and trailer were safely on the road in front of the ranch. Then she drew a deep breath and headed toward her neighbor’s house.
* * *
“YOU’RE SURE YOU don’t recognize this man?” Colby scooted forward on the couch and fanned out his copies of the police artist sketches on the coffee table. He smoothed the lines in one of them from having been folded up in his pocket. It was the picture of Palmer. He picked it up and held it out toward the older man.
Wilkerson didn’t even look at it. “I’ve already spoken to the sheriff about this.”
<
br /> “Yes, sir. But Sheriff O’Leary didn’t have these when you spoke to him a few days ago.”
“Drawings that you’ve already shown me. I don’t know anyone named Palmer and I had nothing to do with whatever nonsense is going on next door with that big black horse.”
A knock sounded on the glass door off the back of the house. Piper stood there, waving at them.
Wilkerson let out a heavy sigh and laboriously pushed himself to his feet. “I’ve had more nosy visitors in the last week than I’ve had all year. Makes a man want to pack up and move.”
Colby rolled his eyes behind the man and followed him to the door.
Wilkerson offered Piper the same frown he’d been gifting Colby with for the past ten minutes.
“Miss Caraway, if you’re here for your detective fellow, you’re welcome to him. He was just leaving. Goodbye, Detective.”
“Thank you for your time.” Colby reluctantly stepped outside.
The door slammed closed and Wilkerson drew the curtains.
Piper blinked. “Wow. What did you do to him?”
“Asked him a few questions. I think he’s hiding something.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.” He stepped past her and headed across the gently rolling hill toward the fence he’d hopped earlier.
Piper fell in step beside him. “I’m sure he told you that he had nothing to do with the fake bill of sale. Billy told me a few minutes ago that the sheriff already spoke to Wilkerson about what happened.”
He stopped at the fence and rested his arm across the top rail. “Your manager’s close to your age isn’t he? I think you said he was just out of high school when he started working at your ranch.”
She frowned. “Billy? Yeah, he’s about five years older than me. Why?”
“Billy Boy has a major crush on you.”
Her face flushed a light pink. “I know that. It makes things...awkward sometimes since the feeling definitely isn’t mutual.” She waved her hand. “That’s not relevant. Why did you talk to Mr. Wilkerson without me?”
Part of him wanted to warn her that she should set Billy straight, make sure he knew there was no future for him with Piper. But since he wasn’t sure his dislike of the guy was because of some sixth sense about his character, or whether he was just plain jealous, he decided to keep his mouth shut about Billy. Instead, he answered her question.