by Rita Herron
She shook her head. “I searched the house, but there was nobody inside. Nothing was disturbed or taken. I figured the police would just think I left the door unlocked, and that the wind blew it open.”
Ray made a low sound in his throat. “So you had a break-in, then you thought someone was following you this morning?”
“Yes. The sedan stayed behind me for a while. I turned into a gas station to see if it followed, then the car went on.”
“You know anyone who drives a car like that?”
She sipped her coffee. “No, not that I can think of.”
“What about Pullman?”
“I don’t know what he drives.”
“But he’s dangerous?”
She nodded and sipped her coffee. “He was furious that I put his daughter into foster care. But I had no choice.”
“You said he threatened you?”
“He did,” Scarlet said. “I told him the court would require him to attend counseling if he wanted to be reunited with her. His wife’s parents are supposed to be flying in soon and are asking for custody.”
Ray glanced into the fire, then back at her and her arm where the bruise had turned a dark purple. “When did you see Bobby?”
“He came by last night.” Scarlet relayed their conversation in her head. “I told him about our talk. He was furious that Joe included me in the will.”
“Then he grabbed you?”
“Yes,” she said, determined not to reveal how much Bobby frightened her. “But I informed him that Joe also included him, and that appeased him slightly.”
“So he left peacefully?”
“Not exactly. I pulled my gun on him and ordered him to leave. Bobby doesn’t like to be shown up, especially by a woman.”
“So he could have come back and broken in to scare you? And he could have followed you and cut your brake lines?”
“I guess it’s possible.”
Ray cleared his throat then sat down beside her. When his hand touched her arm again, that same ripple of awareness shot through her.
“My brother Brett started building stables for the horses where he plans to expand the ranch operations.”
She frowned, confused.
“Someone set fire to them last night, Scarlet.”
Scarlet’s pulse clamored as the implications of his statement set in. Bobby had been upset with her and left in a rage. And he hated the McCullens.
Had he set fire to the barns to get back at Ray and his brothers?
* * *
RAY STUDIED SCARLET, disturbed by the feelings she aroused. He should have been suspicious of her. But his father had included her in his will and had cared for her.
He was beginning to understand the reason. She helped needy children and fought for what was right.
He didn’t think she was capable of hurting anyone or causing damage to someone’s property, especially with a fire. He saw no signs of ashtrays or cigarettes in her house either, and didn’t peg her as a smoker.
Bobby, on the other hand, might not feel he was receiving enough compensation for being Joe’s son.
He hated to admit it, but Bobby had reason to hate him and his brothers.
Scarlet hugged the blanket to her with a sigh.
Ray fought the urge to pull her in his arms. “I can see the wheels turning in your head, Scarlet. What are you thinking?”
Scarlet traced a finger around the rim of her coffee mug. “I don’t know what to think,” she said, her voice soft. Pained. “I hate to think that Lloyd Pullman would try to kill me. And I hate even more to think that Bobby set that fire at the ranch. But I know Bobby.” She rubbed her wrist in a self-conscious gesture.
Ray arched a brow. “You think he’s capable?”
Scarlet leaned her head back against the sofa, making Ray feel guilty. She probably had a killer of a headache and needed to lie down. “I’m sorry, if you need to rest, I’ll go.”
She shook her head. “No, we might as well talk about the situation. If Bobby is responsible for that fire or my accident, it’s best we face it.”
Her directness made his respect for her grow. Dammit, he didn’t want to like her, but he did. No wonder his father had...helped her.
“Bobby smokes, and he likes fire. He used to burn trash in the backyard all the time. A couple of times when we were teenagers some of my things went missing. I saw him set them on fire outside in a garbage can.”
Ray hissed between his teeth. “Go on.”
“I was ten when Joe first introduced me to Barbara. Bobby was fourteen. He had just hit puberty and was brooding and sullen.”
Ray had been angry himself at that age. Angry because his father had cheated on his mother. And because his mother was gone. Killed by a drunk driver. But he hadn’t set fire to things.
“Were my father and Barbara still involved then?”
Her eyes flickered with uncertainty. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”
“My mother was dead by then, Scarlet. I’m surprised he didn’t marry Barbara after that.”
“I think the guilt ate at him,” Scarlet said. “Joe once told me your mother was the only woman he ever loved.”
Emotions crowded Ray’s chest, but he cleared his throat, determined not to let them show. Anger had been his best friend for so long that he didn’t know what he’d do without it. It kept him strong.
“Then why did he keep seeing Barbara?”
Scarlet shrugged. “Barbara was in love with Joe,” Scarlet said. “She could be charming and hard to resist. I think she met Joe in a weak moment, maybe when he and your mother were having some trouble, and he slept with her. When she gave birth to Bobby, he felt tied to her.”
“But he kept coming back,” Ray said, his voice hard.
“I can’t explain, Ray. I don’t understand myself. There was something there. Joe cared about Barbara. After all, she had his child. And he couldn’t just desert her.”
But he couldn’t bring her into his family, either. He’d kept them separate, a secret from Maddox and Brett.
God, Ray dreaded telling them. Had hoped he’d at least understand the problem more when he did.
“Did Barbara pressure Dad to marry her?”
Scarlet massaged her temple. “Maybe before I came along. As I grew older, I realized that she took me in to please Joe. That she thought he might marry her if she did.”
“But then he didn’t marry her,” Ray said. “Did she resent you for that?”
Scarlet closed her eyes on a sigh. “Some, I think. Honestly, I’d been shuffled through so many foster homes before I wound up in the group home that I was simply glad to have a home without an abusive man in it.”
Ray gripped his coffee cup so hard he thought he might break it. He didn’t know if he wanted to hear the rest of her story, at least not that part.
“But then Bobby turned out to be just as bad.”
He sat up straighter. “What do you mean?”
“He used to taunt me when no one was around. Play mean tricks on me. Put snakes in my bed. Lock me in the closet.” She hesitated. “His animosity escalated when he started drinking, and he got rough.”
He sucked in a breath. “How rough?”
“He knocked me around a few times, but usually the bruises weren’t visible.”
“What about Barbara? Didn’t she do anything?”
Scarlet made a sarcastic sound in her throat. “She didn’t know. As far as she was concerned, Bobby hung the moon. He was like a chameleon—he could put on an act when she was around that made him look like a saint.”
Ray gripped his hands by his sides. Damn, he was beginning to detest his half brother.
“Did my father spend time with Bobby?”
“He tried
,” Scarlet said. “But Bobby was difficult. He was always getting in trouble, and he was belligerent with Joe.”
So he and Bobby had both given his father hell.
“Did he get in trouble with the law?”
Scarlet nodded. “I think Joe paid someone to seal his juvenile record.”
“What was he arrested for?”
“Vandalism, carrying a weapon to school, breaking and entering, DUI.”
“Good grief,” Ray muttered.
She fiddled with her hair. “I think he pulled a knife on a guy in a bar one night, too.”
Ray contemplated all she’d said. “You said Bobby smokes and that he likes to burn things?”
She touched her leg and absentmindedly rubbed the top of her thigh, drawing his attention there. And making him wonder what had happened.
“Yes.”
Had he burned her with a cigarette?
His mind took a leap. “Scarlet?”
Scarlet looked up at him, her face pale. “The vandalism charge—he and some of his buddies set fire to an old warehouse just to watch it burn.”
Chapter Nine
If Ray had any doubt about the validity of Scarlet’s story and the fact that Joe had cared for her, the photograph in the frame on the mantel alleviated it. In the picture, Joe stood beside a knobby-kneed teenage girl with pigtails and freckles. She sat in the saddle of a beautiful palomino, her eyes lit with joy while his father looked...softer than he’d ever seen him.
Another photograph showed his father, Scarlet and a brunette woman he assumed to be Barbara around a table holding a birthday cake with Scarlet’s name on it. Scarlet looked to be about sixteen and was blowing out the candles, while the skinny, tall boy next to her glared at her. The boy had to be Bobby.
Ray tried to see a resemblance between Joe and Bobby, but didn’t.
“I think it’s time I met Bobby.” Ray stood and glanced around the small living room. “Do you feel safe here?”
Scarlet pushed a strand of that silky hair from her forehead. “Yes. I have my gun.” She reached for her purse and retrieved her cell phone. “I’m going to call about getting new locks installed, too.”
“Good idea. Where does Bobby live?”
Scarlet winced as she shifted on the sofa. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in months. He just showed up out of the blue.”
“Would Barbara know?”
Scarlet nodded. “Probably. But if you’re going to talk to her, let’s go together. She can be a charmer, but I can usually tell when she’s lying.”
Ray considered her suggestion. “Confronting Barbara might be dangerous, especially if she’s aware her son is causing trouble.”
“If she knows, she’ll protect him,” Scarlet said. “That’s why I want to go. I need to see her reaction when she hears about my accident and the fire.”
Ray’s phone buzzed, and he checked the number. Brett. “It’s my brother. Let me take this.”
He punched Connect then walked over to the window and studied the woods behind Scarlet’s house.
“I’ve talked with the insurance company and the arson investigator is taking care of his end of the deal,” Brett said. “The deputy said Jebediah Holcutt has been out of town for two weeks on a buying trip. So he’s not our guy.” Brett sighed. “I also asked the foreman to have the ranch hands meet me in the dining hall.”
“What time?”
“Half an hour.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Someone attacks Horseshoe Creek, the McCullen men have to stick together.”
Brett agreed, and Ray hung up and turned back to Scarlet. “Get those locks changed while I meet with my brother and the ranch hands. Then I’ll come back and we’ll pay Barbara a visit.”
It was high time he met his father’s mistress. He wanted to know if she had her own agenda before he dropped the bombshell about her and Bobby in his brothers’ laps.
* * *
SCARLET CALLED A locksmith as soon as Ray left, then the mechanic who’d helped The Family Farm find an inexpensive van to transport the children to activities. He also fixed up used cars and sold them, and agreed to drop off a rental car for her.
Then she phoned Faye to explain what had happened while she waited for the locksmith to arrive.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Faye asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. Just let the kids know I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Faye agreed and she ended the call and phoned Hugh. He’d already left a message on her cell. “I’m really okay,” she assured him. “Did you meet the Fullers?”
“Yes, and they finished the paperwork. I sent it on through, so hopefully things will progress quickly.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Hugh. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Ahh, I feel the same way, Scarlet. You know I’d do anything for you.”
Scarlet hesitated before responding. Lately she’d sensed Hugh had a crush on her and didn’t want to lead him on. But she didn’t feel that spark when she looked at him.
Not like she felt with Ray.
But she couldn’t allow herself to be attracted to Joe’s son. For heaven’s sake, if she acted as if she wanted a romantic relationship with him, he’d probably think she was after a bigger share of Horseshoe Creek.
The doorbell dinged, and she stood, grateful for the intrusion. “Thanks, Hugh. I have to go. I called a locksmith. He’s here now.”
“Okay. Do you want me to come by and stay with you later? I can bring dinner.”
“I appreciate it, Hugh, but I’m going to visit Barbara.”
“All right. But call me if you need me.”
She thanked him, disconnected and rushed to answer the door.
A chuffy balding man in a gray uniform bearing the logo of the security company stood on the stoop with a clipboard. “Miss Lovett?”
“Yes.” She motioned for him to come in.
“What exactly do you want done here?”
“I need dead bolts on all the doors along with a top lock on the French doors off the patio.”
“Are you interested in a security system?”
“I would like one, but this is a rental house.” Maybe she would ask the owner to install one. Although he’d probably up the rent and she could barely cover her bills on her salary now.
She stepped into the kitchen while he retrieved tools and supplies from his work van. While he worked on the locks, she punched Barbara’s number. She worked at a hair salon in Laramie named Sassy’s, but she’d always hoped that Joe would marry her and she could quit.
Barbara finally answered on the fifth ring. “Hello.”
“It’s Scarlet, Barbara. I need to see you.”
A long-winded, exasperated sigh. “What about?”
“Joe and his will.”
Tension stretched between them for a full second before Barbara finally replied. “Fine. Meet me at the house in a couple of hours.”
“I will.” Scarlet said goodbye without mentioning that she would be bringing Joe’s son with her.
She wanted to see Barbara’s gut reaction when Ray showed up on her doorstep.
* * *
BRETT WAS ALREADY inside the dining hall when Ray arrived. He parked outside, noting two ranch hands smoking beside the back porch. His suspicious nature kicked in, but he reminded himself that it wasn’t uncommon for cowboys in Wyoming to either smoke or chew tobacco.
They would have to wait until the lab analyzed DNA on the cigarette butt found at the fire to determine who had dropped it in the barn.
The low rumbling of voices echoed through the front door as he entered. The place smelled like barbecue and cherry pie. Judgi
ng from the empty plates in front of the workers at the long wooden table, dinner must have been pretty damn good.
Ray had yet to meet everyone, and heads turned as he walked past the table to join Brett.
Brett clanged a big metal spoon against one of the pots to get the men’s attention.
“I appreciate you all showing up,” Brett said.
Clyde Hammerstone, the head foreman waved his hand in the air. “We’re missing five guys. They’re moving the herd from the east pasture to the south today.”
Brett nodded. “I’ll talk to them when they get back. But I wanted to tell you all what happened last night.”
“You had a fire, didn’t you?” a young guy in a cowboy hat and red shirt asked. “I heard the siren and saw smoke.”
Brett explained about losing the barn and the damage to the other one. “If we hadn’t arrived when we did, we might have lost the horses.”
Concerned murmurs rumbled through the room.
“What caused it?” another ranch hand asked.
“That’s the problem,” Brett said. “We found a cigarette butt in the barn and smelled gasoline.”
The two men Ray had seen smoking stepped inside the side door, but hung back. One was big and hairy with a scar over his right eye. The other man was thinner and walked with a limp.
Clyde coughed, a shocked look in his eyes. “You think someone set that fire on purpose?”
The young man in the hat and red shirt shot up from his seat. “Is that why you called us together? You think one of us did it?”
Brett and Ray exchanged a worried look, and Ray stepped up to speak. “I’m Ray, the youngest of Joe’s sons. We’re not accusing you of anything. Our father hired people he could trust and handpicked each one of you.”
“Damn right he did,” Clyde stammered.
“We respected your daddy,” an older man with a salt-and-pepper beard said. “I worked for him fifteen years. I’d never do anything to dishonor him.”
Ray cleared his throat. “That’s the reason we called you here. We want your help. If you’ve seen anyone or anything suspicious around the ranch lately, let us know.”
“Could be a strange vehicle or someone sneaking around,” Brett interjected. “Or maybe you know someone who wants to sabotage this horse operation.”