by Toni Leland
~ ~
Sara skipped into the office and Kellie smiled. “You're just the person I need to see. Help me decide who to ride in the parade.”
“Oh Mommy, I forgot about Dancer.”
Her face crumpled, and Kellie gathered her up, hugging her fiercely, unable to murmur even one reassuring word. Sara finally pushed back and gazed up through brimming eyes.
“You can ride Juicy.”
“That's very sweet of you, honey, but then who would you ride?”
The child's eyes widened and her small mouth formed a perfect “O”.
“I get to be in the parade?” She squealed and launched herself back into Kellie's arms, wriggling like a puppy. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She stepped back and solemnly took her mother's hand. “C'mon, I know the perfect horse for you.”
Kellie chuckled as she was pulled out the door and into the sunshine. “Where are you taking me?”
A dimpled grin sparkled over Sara's shoulder. “You'll see.”
Minutes later, Kellie stood in front of a stall in the mare barn, hearing tenderness threading through Sara's voice.
“Mama, she's so lonely since her baby died. You should ride her in the parade so she'll feel wanted again.”
Kellie gazed at the aged bay horse staring balefully at the two visitors. The mare had a beautiful head, wide chest, firm barrel, and a perfect straight back. Bits of straw hung in her tail, and a damp spot on her hock revealed she'd been lying down not long ago.
“Hey Belle. How's my girl?”
The mare nickered softly and stepped up to nuzzle Kellie's outstretched hand.
“I think you're right, Sara. She certainly deserves a little reward.”
“Daddy!” Sara raced across the aisle. “Are we going riding now?”
Sara's delighted squeals and Frank's laughter bounced off the rafters and, for one instant, Kellie wished things had turned out differently.
Frank straightened up from tickling Sara. “How's Belle doing?”
“She's physically fine, but she is depressed.”
“Then let's get her bred back right away. It sure as hell doesn't make sense to feed her through another open season.”
Kellie gritted her teeth. Frank was always about the money, but this wasn't a good time to challenge him, nor to bring up the idea of offering a reward.
“Listen, Kellie, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. You're probably right to install some security. We have too much at stake here to be careless.”
She recognized the sincerity in his eyes and accepted the truce. “I should have mentioned it to you.”
~ ~
Frank watched his daughter lead her horse out into the sunshine. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, and it struck him how little it took to make her happy. I'll spend more time with her as soon as things settle down. A flashback to that morning sent a sickening roll through his gut. He'd nearly peed himself when that Mexican walked right up to him. I need to get a grip. Maybe the big doings in town will overshadow all the local interest in the news about the horses.
Sara trotted Juicy toward the pasture gate, then reined him around so that he stood parallel to the fence. She leaned down and flipped the latch to let the gate swing open.
Frank let out a low whistle. “Where'd you learn to do that?”
She threw him a proud grin. “Roy taught me.”
Regret tugged at Frank's heart. His little girl was growing up fast, and he was missing most of it.
Their horses ambled through the tall grass in the empty field, and his thoughts shifted to business. By July, he could move his herd of beef cattle to this sector for a couple of months, then down to the feedlot. If beef prices held steady, he'd get a hefty return on his investment.
“Dad! Did you hear me?”
“Sorry, I'm listening.”
“Mom's letting me ride in the parade on Saturday. Is that too cool?”
He grinned. “It's about time. Aren't you almost sixteen?”
Sara giggled hysterically. “No! I'm going on ten!” She sobered. “I don't know why she treats me like such a baby.”
“You're her baby and she'll always look out for you. Don't ever forget that.”
Sara rolled her eyes, and Frank caught a glimpse of the headstrong young woman she'd grow to be. Kellie would definitely have her hands full. Could he be of any help? Considering the fractious relationship they'd been two stepping through for the past couple of years, probably not.
Sara opened another gate, and they struck off on a diagonal through a pasture filled with sleek Black Angus. The two dogs immediately started working, circling and dropping back, moving the herd without spooking them. Several of the cattle stood knee deep in a muddy waterhole rimmed in red dirt, and Buck splashed in after them.
Frank chuckled. “They're having a ball-nothing worse than a bored work dog.”
Sara steered her horse around a large pile of cow dung. “Eeeww, why are cows so messy? Why don't you raise horses, like Mom?”
“Can't eat horses. I make money on beef.”
She didn't respond, and he took it as acceptance of his answer. They rode on in companionable silence, skirting the perimeter of the field. The roof of the winter hay barn came into view and his thoughts turned again to his precarious situation.
Sara threw him a mischievous grin. “I'll race ya.”
“No, I have to get back.”
“Aw c'mon, that old barn is really neat. I love climbing around on the hay bales, especially when it's full to the rafters.”
A lead weight plummeted through the pit of his stomach, and the reaction sharpened his tone. “Don't you ever go out there alone! Jesus, what if you got hurt? No one would be around to help!”
Her face paled and her lower lip began to tremble. “You don't have to yell at me.”
He sidled his horse up beside her and patted her knee. “I'm sorry, but I just don't want anything to happen to you. You're my baby too, you know.”
The happy glow had faded from the outing, and Sara rode quietly beside him as they headed back toward the ranch. Frank's adrenaline rush disappeared, his head reeling with all the problems that had suddenly become a way of life. Where was he headed? And who was in control?
“Will you take me to the racetrack with you sometime?”
“Where did you hear about that?”
She gazed at him for a moment. “It's no secret. I've known for a long time. But you never talk about it.” Sarcasm edged her soft voice. “Like you're ever around.”
He shook his head. “The track is no place for a chil-young lady.”
“So tell me something about it. Mom said you lost your shirt-what does that mean?”
He paused, searching for the right response. “I had a fantastic Thoroughbred colt. He was worth a lot of money, but he broke his leg during a race and had to be destroyed.”
A sob bubbled into Sara's voice. “Ohmygod, Daddy! That's so horrible! The poor horse!”
Frank gazed across the wide expanse of land that had held him hostage for so long. He felt isolated from the real world. Everything he'd ever tried to do had turned to shit. A fucked up football career. A short-lived farce of a marriage. A racing business gone bad.
And then he'd dived into the cesspool.
Chapter 4
Kellie closed the breeding ledger and set it aside. Ten of thirteen broodmares were safely foaled out, and she could rest easy for a while. Voices echoed through the barn, and Sara's laughter brought a warm glow into Kellie's heart.
Frank stepped into the office. “One of the guys brought in a couple of mares from the west graze. I think they're okay, but-”
Kellie leaped up. “Oh my God! When is this going to stop?”
“Put your imagination away for a minute. This looks more like a hormonal altercation-they're both in heat.”
“I'll call Hyde.”
“I said they're fine! Give it a rest! What's the matter with you?”
She stared at his hard exp
ression. “A better question is, what's the matter with you?” She grabbed the two snapshots and held them up. “Did you take these? Or leave them on my desk?”
He flicked a glance at them. “Never saw them before. Why?”
“Just wondering. I don't remember them either.” She gazed at him for a moment, wondering whether to pursue it. Their recent clashes made her think better of starting another argument.
The minute he was out of earshot, she dialed Hyde's number.
His strong voice calmed her. “Slow down, Kellie, I'm on my way over.”
Thirty minutes later, he settled into the chair next to her desk. “The mares are fine-they only have a couple of scrapes.” He cocked his head. “But are you okay?”
She nodded, then her shoulders sagged. “What kind of sick person would attack innocent animals?”
Hyde remained silent for a moment, then laced his arms across his chest. A dark fire burned in his eyes.
“Whoever did it has knowledge of the ways of a horse. First, this person knows exactly where to inject to do the most damage. Second, Dancer would never allow someone to touch him who didn't have confidence and authority, and your dogs wouldn't bark at someone they know-the criminal could be right here in your own back yard.”
Stunned by the simplicity of truth, Kellie stared at her friend. In the panic and emotion of the past two days, she'd wracked her brain trying to think of any outsider who might have it in for her. The thoughts had dead-ended with the more likely idea that these were random acts by a crazy person. Now, Hyde's assessment opened up a new and frightening array of suspects. Someone in her barn. Including Frank, which could explain his strange behavior lately.
After Hyde left, she dialed Ed's number, tapping her foot against the chair leg while she waited. How naive could she be? Frank would never admit to knowing about the mystery snapshots if they were part of a plan. She closed her eyes. He couldn't possibly be involved. If he was, she didn't think she could stand it.
Ed's rich voice curled intimately against her ear, but she pushed away the heady distraction. “I just talked to Hyde and he-what?” She hung up, then hurried out of the barn as Ed climbed out of a plain dark brown vehicle.
He grinned. “Now, where were we?”
His intense gaze sent a double thump through her chest. She took a deep breath and began to reiterate Hyde's observations.
While she talked, Ed nodded slowly, his features hardening in the shadow of his hat. “Unfortunately, he's probably right. We've questioned all your employees, but I've also asked for lie detector tests.” He pursed his lips. “I'll talk to Frank later this afternoon.”
“I can't believe Frank would do this. We've had our problems, but he's not cruel.”
Ed considered her for a moment. “Jealousy is a powerful emotion.” He gestured toward the building. “Can we go inside? I need to get some more information from you.”
Kellie's thoughts reeled as they walked toward the office. The jealousy comment had rung with conviction. Had he ever been jealous of her? She searched the memories. If he had, she'd never known about it. So in love and consumed with each other, they'd been oblivious to anyone else. She glanced at him as he pulled a chair up next to the desk, and warmth radiated beneath her shirt. The almost forgotten physical reaction to his presence startled her.
He opened his notebook and thumbed through the pages, his easy manner bringing on another flood of memories. The two of them, laughing and breathless, racing their horses across the fields. The senior prom, and how he'd been all thumbs trying to pin the gardenia corsage on her strapless gown. Heavy necking in the warm hay nest they'd carved out in the winter hay barn. A stir moved through her belly, and she struggled to quell the pain building in her heart.
He looked up. “Think hard-who might have a grudge against you?”
“I fired a stall cleaner last month-her name's Tina Brown and she's a local. She was furious the day she left.”
“Did you notice anything out of the ordinary after she'd gone?
“No, but a new employee just informed me about finding a cigarette butt by the office door. We don't allow-”
“What did she do with it? Could be evidence.”
“Manure pile. I doubt you could even find it now.”
He made several notations, then looked up. “Anyone else here at the ranch?”
She shook her head. “The land developers weren't too happy when I put the kibosh on their plans to buy part of the estate.”
“They'd be insane to jeopardize their business with something like this, but I'll put it on the list.”
“Pete Dayton thought an angry exhibitor might want to cause me some grief. I filed a formal complaint against her last year, and she was suspended for three months.”
“How is ol' Pete? I hear he's raising Thoroughbreds down around Lawton.”
“Seems to be doing fine...he's put on a lot of weight since the accident.”
Ed shook his head. “Damned rodeo games. I used to nearly go crazy when you-” A muscle in his jaw rippled and he quickly looked down at his notebook.
Kellie's thoughts reeled. The quick side trip into the past had clearly jolted him. She gazed at the silver glints scattered through his short brown hair, remembering its silky texture beneath her fingers. Longing washed over her. Would it be possible to close the door on the past and start over? Was the decision even hers to make?
Ed cleared his throat and his gray eyes darkened. “What about Cliff and Clarke? I understand you all had a falling out over this property.”
Her heart thumped hard, and she stared at him for a full minute, unable to respond. Her own flesh and blood couldn't possibly do such a horrendous thing.
Ed's tone softened. “When was the last time you saw your brothers?”
“About six months ago...I can't believe they'd stoop so low over a piece of land.”
“Families do more damage to each other than a stranger could ever dream up-land hunger didn't end in 1889.”
Cliff's recent phone call surfaced in Kellie's thoughts. Clearly, the property dispute still simmered on a back burner.
Ed studied his notes for a minute, then looked up. “Let's talk about Frank.”
“You're serious, aren't you?”
A veiled flicker passed through his eyes, and she recognized the unmistakable animosity. The meaning of his jealousy remark crystallized. Did a spark of love still burn in his heart? Did she have the nerve to find out?
He stood up. “We have to question everyone. Meanwhile, I'll have a couple of my deputies come out and search the surrounding area. The person who did this might have been careless and left something behind.”
“Oh wait a minute.” Kellie pulled the bottle cap from a cup of paperclips. “I found this in the corral. Do you think it's important?”
“Everything's important. It could carry fingerprints or DNA.”
He pulled out a small plastic bag and she dropped the cap into it, intrigued that the trail to the culprit might start with ordinary litter.
He peered at the cap. “Huh, light beer. Only about a million of these around.” He wrote something on the label, then tucked the evidence bag into his shirt pocket. Kellie watched him, wondering again if they could leave the past behind them.
Boots scuffed on concrete and Frank stepped into the office, then stopped abruptly. Kellie shivered in the chill that suddenly pervaded the warm room. A scowl darkened his face as he stepped over to the desk to pick up a file folder.
“I'm headed for Tulsa.”
Ed turned to Kellie. “Let me know about the reward.” He strode from the office, leaving a heavy silence in his wake.
Frank crossed his arms. “This is gettin' real old.”
She didn't blink. “Yes, it is.”
~ ~
About a quarter mile down the road from Rocking S, Ed backed his vehicle into the overgrown driveway of a shabby farm, then sat back and stared out the windshield at the far horizon. The soft browns and pale greens f
ormed a watercolor memory, and regret settled into his heart. This land was his home and he'd been away too long. For what? Foolish pride. His dreams had sequestered themselves into a hidden part of him, never daring to surface over the years. But the few minutes with Kellie had taken him right back to where he'd started. Crazy about her. How could all the pain and slights disappear with just a glance? And what a mess the whole thing was turning into. Four months ago, the plum undercover assignment with the Drug Enforcement Agency task force had seemed a dream come true, giving him a chance to be near her, maybe see if anything had changed. How the hell could he tell with all the shit going down? Maybe when this was over...
The white cell phone vibrated against his chest and he turned his attention to business. “You get an ID on those pictures I sent? Is it who I think it is?”
“Yup, Jesus Hermano-contractor to the cartel. Good work, Agent Campbell.”
“What I don't understand is what he'd be doing in a place like Guthrie.”
“That's what you're going to find out. Keep me posted.”
A black Hummer roared past, and Ed reached for the ignition. “Roger that.”
Pulling onto the road a minute later, he settled back in the seat to see exactly where Mr. Franklin Frazier was headed in such a hurry. At the crossroads, the Hummer turned south on Route 35 and Ed scowled.
“Tulsa, my ass.”
~ ~
“Un-fucking-believable.”
Frank glared through the windshield as he sped down the highway toward Edmond. Kellie's arrogant independent attitude was beginning to piss him off. And every time he turned around, Ed Campbell was there, pretending to be professionally involved. Hah. The only thing he's interested in is crawling back into Kellie's good graces. Lotsa luck, chump. The Ice Queen melts for no one.
Frank shook off the disturbing thoughts and concentrated on the serious consequences of the events at the ranch. In the space of a few days, Rocking S had taken center stage in the news, and the attention would only intensify with the offer of a reward. If Kellie wouldn't keep him in the loop, maybe it was time to take things into his own hands.
The Edmond city sign appeared and he grinned, relaxing his grip on the wheel. Right now, I'm gonna get something else into my hands.