by Rita Herron
Disgruntled looks and words echoed through the room, and the two men Ray had seen smoking outside, spoke in a hushed tone to each other.
“I’m offering a ten-thousand-dollar reward for information that leads to the culprit’s arrest,” Brett added.
The men shifted and muttered, charging the atmosphere with tension.
If someone on the ranch knew anything helpful, that reward might tip them into talking.
The men began to disperse, talking low among themselves, and the two smokers inched toward the back door.
Ray gestured toward them. “Brett, do you know who those guys are?”
Brett narrowed his eyes to study them. “No, why?”
“I saw them smoking outside.”
“A lot of the guys smoke,” Brett said.
“I know.” Ray chewed the inside of his cheek. “But they looked nervous.”
“I’ll check the work files and see what I can find on them.”
“Thanks.” Ray added them to the possible list of suspects. But first he had to talk to his father’s mistress.
* * *
SCARLET HAD BEEN anxious about meeting the McCullen brothers, but being with Ray the first time he met Barbara compounded her nerves.
“Did you have the locks installed?” Ray asked as he opened the passenger door to his Range Rover for her.
“Yes. Hopefully the house is more secure now.”
He closed the door and went around to the driver’s side while she fastened her seat belt.
“I called Barbara at work and we’re meeting at her house,” she said. “But I didn’t mention that you’d be with me.”
“Good.”
“Did you find out who set the fire?”
“Not yet.” Ray started the engine and pulled from her driveway. She gave him Barbara’s address and he entered it in his GPS, then drove toward Laramie. “Brett called the ranch hands together and offered a reward for anyone with information.”
“Money usually talks,” Scarlet said under her breath.
“We’ll see.”
Scarlet tried to ease the tension. “I was surprised to hear that he was giving up the rodeo.”
Ray shrugged. “Me, too. But I think he’d had enough of the publicity. Besides, he always had a thing for Willow James, and when he learned they had a child, he wanted to be with them.” He cast her a questioning look. “Did my father talk about Willow and Sam? Did he know Sam was Brett’s?”
Scarlet shifted, uncomfortable with the question. Joe had shared some of his feelings about the distance between his sons, but those had been private, heartfelt confessions. “He didn’t say anything specific about the little boy. But he definitely missed you and Brett and wanted you to come home.”
Ray fell silent and clenched his jaw as he drove, and Scarlet decided not to push the subject. They all had emotional baggage and were grieving. Only time and forgiveness would heal the wounds.
The rest of the ride passed in silence.
Scarlet hadn’t visited Barbara in months and was surprised to see that she’d let the yard get overgrown. The shutters on the house needed painting and the bushes trimming.
Ray parked and turned to her. “Barbara probably hated us, didn’t she? She blamed us for keeping our father from her.”
“Ray, I can’t begin to explain their complicated relationship.”
“Was she prone to violence like her son? Did she ever hit you?”
Scarlet’s face flushed with heat. She was torn between reality and gratitude for what Barbara had given her. Yet at the same time, Barbara’s dysfunctional relationship with Bobby and with Joe had been difficult, especially since she was caught in the middle.
And according to Bobby, an outsider.
“Scarlet?”
“No, she never hit me. She was actually nice to me at first. But as Bobby became more troubled, she had to give allegiance to her real child.” She clutched the door handle. “I became part of the problem, another person who agitated Bobby and took time from Joe that he should have given her son.” She sighed and opened the car door. “When I turned eighteen, I moved out on my own.”
Ray’s eyes darkened with questions. “How did you manage? Did my father help you?”
Was that derision in his voice?
“No, Ray. He offered, but I worked after school and summers waitressing and saved enough money to rent a room in an older house. I landed a scholarship and eventually earned my degree in social work.”
Ray cleared his throat. “I’m sure Dad was proud of you.”
“He was proud of you and your brothers, too, Ray.” Scarlet touched his hand, aware again that her body tingled at the touch.
A sea of emotions clouded Ray’s eyes, but the front door opened and Barbara appeared. Scarlet dropped Ray’s hand, and she and Ray walked up the sidewalk together.
“Hello, Barbara,” Scarlet said. “This is Ray McCullen. He wanted to meet you.”
“Oh, my goodness,” Barbara said with a slightly false ring to her voice. “This is a surprise. Scarlet should have told me you were coming.”
“I know it’s sudden, but I figured it was time we met.” Ray shook her hand.
“Yes, I suppose so,” she said as she released his hand. Then Barbara pulled Scarlet to her for a hug.
Scarlet stiffened, unaccustomed to her affection.
The moment didn’t last long, either. Barbara whispered in her ear so only she could hear, “You’re more devious than I gave you credit for, Scarlet. Now that Joe is dead, you’re cozying up to his son to see what else you can weasel out of the McCullens.”
Pain knifed through Scarlet at Barbara’s accusation. Did Barbara really think she would sleep with Ray for money?
Chapter Ten
Ray didn’t know what to expect from Barbara, but at least she hadn’t shut the door in his face. Scarlet’s earlier comment about Barbara’s fake charm made him instantly wary.
Judging from Scarlet’s pained expression, the woman must have said something hurtful when they’d hugged.
Scarlet straightened and pulled away from Barbara, her look chilly. “Ray and I just met,” she said flatly.
Barbara invited them in and offered coffee, but they both declined. While he and Scarlet followed the woman to her den, he studied her, searching for whatever had drawn his father to her.
Barbara was probably in her late forties, attractive with wavy brown hair. Her voice dripped with honey, as if she was from the Deep South.
Her house was modest with simple furnishings, although she definitely liked frills and had decorated with yellow, orange and bright green, versus the earthy tones of the ranch. Of course, his father had lived with three sons, so the feminine touch had been missing in their home for years.
This house was in a neighborhood as well, no sprawling ranch with stables or barns or livestock, although he had noticed a gardening shed in the back. Had Barbara been content here or had she wanted a big place like Horseshoe Creek?
“I wondered when we would meet,” Barbara said. “I expected that your father would introduce us at some point, but I guess he never felt comfortable doing that.” Resentment laced her voice. “You’re the youngest, right?”
Ray nodded.
“You knew about me?”
“Yes. When I was young, I saw the two of you together.”
Barbara tapped a cigarette from a pack on the table and rolled it between her fingers. Ray remembered the cigarette butt they’d found at the fire. Was this one the same brand?
“I never meant to hurt your family and neither did your father. But he was going through a tough time back then and...well, I’m not going to make excuses. It...we just happened. I fell in love with Joe.”
She held the cigarette up and
looked at it for a moment, then tossed it on the table. “I’m trying to quit.”
“How’s that working?” Scarlet asked.
“Easier to give up than it was to give up Joe.”
Ray waited, hoping she’d elaborate. But as he scanned the room, he saw a photograph of his father with Barbara, Bobby and Scarlet on the mantel, and betrayal burned his gut. It was sobering to see the truth—that his father had two different families and that he loved both of them.
But in loving them, he’d hurt everyone involved.
“Joe loved your mother, Ray,” Barbara said, drawing him back to the conversation. “Funny, but I even admired him for that loyalty. I guess that’s why I hung in there. I kept thinking that one day he’d love me enough to bring me home to Horseshoe Creek. That he’d be that loyal to me.”
“If he’d been that loyal, he wouldn’t have cheated,” Ray said.
Barbara’s look softened. “It’s more complicated than that, Ray.”
“I thought you weren’t going to make excuses.” He couldn’t help the bitterness in his voice.
And despite Barbara’s declaration of love, his father hadn’t brought her back to the ranch or made her his wife. She must have resented that.
Barbara toyed with her bangs, pushing them aside. “I’m not. Joe knew he’d disappointed you when you found out about the affair. He never forgave himself for that.”
Yet he hadn’t totally given up Barbara, either.
“His guilt is the reason he couldn’t bear to bring me and my son to the ranch.”
That made sense. “That’s one reason I’m here. About your son.”
She angled her head, her eyes probing him. “You know about Bobby?”
Ray nodded. “Yes, Scarlet told me.”
Disapproval glinted in her eyes as she looked at Scarlet. “I suppose you explained how you came to live with me.”
“Yes,” Scarlet said. “I told him about Joe volunteering at the children’s home.”
“He was devoted to that place,” Barbara said, a note of fondness in her voice. “Apparently, when he was growing up, his best friend was in foster care. When he learned about the home near Pistol Whip, he dropped by to see what it was like. Then he decided to help make it a better place.” She twined her hands together. “He got attached to Scarlet and brought her home.”
“But your son wasn’t too happy about that, was he?” Ray asked.
Barbara’s smile faded. “He was an adolescent. Bobby needed more of Joe, not to share him...”
The sentence trailed off, and Ray filled in the blanks. He didn’t want to share him with someone who wasn’t even a McCullen.
Ray cleared his throat. “I’d like to meet Bobby.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I figured we should introduce ourselves before the reading of the will.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What’s really going on, Ray? Scarlet? I know you’re not here to suggest we all get together and be one happy family.”
No, that wasn’t in the plans, Ray thought. But if he explained about the fire, she’d know he suspected her son of arson and she’d warn him.
Then Bobby might run.
* * *
THE FRONT DOOR swung open, and Bobby loped in. Scarlet tensed, and Barbara jumped up to greet him.
“Son, I wasn’t expecting you this early,” Barbara said, her voice shaky. “Dinner won’t be ready for a while.”
Bobby’s gaze raked over Scarlet then Ray, a sardonic look in his eyes. “I didn’t know you’d invited her.” He gestured toward Ray. “And you included one of my brothers. Now that’s the real shocker.”
Scarlet rubbed the tender spot on her thigh where he’d burned her with the cigarette. “Hello, Bobby.”
Ray stood and extended his hand. “This is obviously awkward for both of us, Bobby, but I figured it’s time we met.”
“Yeah, about damn time.” Bobby stared at Ray’s proffered hand, but didn’t accept the invitation to shake. “Now what is it you really want?”
Bobby strode toward the bar table by the fireplace and poured himself a drink. He didn’t bother to offer Ray one, but leaned against the bar, animosity radiating from him. “You wanted to meet the illegitimate black sheep of the family?”
“I wanted to meet you, yes. I didn’t know about you until Scarlet told me.”
“Yeah, you can always depend on Scarlet to insert herself in the middle of family business.”
His resentment rang through loud and clear, but Ray refused to indulge Bobby’s self-pity. They were not going to make friends here, so he chose to be direct. “Where were you last night, Bobby?”
A muscle ticked in Bobby’s jaw. “Why do you wanna know?”
“Did you go to Horseshoe Creek after you left my house, Bobby?” Scarlet asked.
Bobby tossed back his drink, but before he could speak, Barbara cleared her throat. “Bobby was with me.”
Bobby jerked his head toward Barbara, then a grin curved his mouth. “That’s right.” He crossed the room and slung his arm around his mother’s shoulders. “Mom and I had dinner and watched a movie, didn’t we?”
“Yes,” Barbara said with a tight smile. “I cooked Bobby’s favorite chicken-fried steak.”
Scarlet doubted that. Bobby had never stayed home with his mother when she lived with them. He was always out on the prowl.
Bobby rubbed his belly. “Dad always loved Mom’s home cooking. She makes the best huckleberry pie in Wyoming.”
Scarlet wanted to slap her brother for being so rude. He was intentionally trying to hurt Ray.
“Now, Ray,” Bobby said as he took a menacing step toward Ray. “I have stuff to do. You got something you came here to say, say it.”
Ray gestured toward the door. “Why don’t we talk outside for a minute?”
Barbara looked panicked, so Scarlet tried to play mediator. “It’s okay, Barbara. Ray just wants to discuss Joe’s will.”
Barbara’s eyes flickered with surprise. “I see. He came here to try to buy us out of our share.”
So she had received notification from the lawyer.
“That’s not true,” Ray said.
Barbara fidgeted. “Whether you and your brothers like it or not, Bobby was Joe’s son,” she said. “He lost out all his life. He deserves what Joe left him and you aren’t going to deprive him of one damn cent.”
* * *
“THAT’S NOT MY INTENTION,” Ray said, although Bobby and Barbara were definitely a complication in his life.
Bobby squeezed his mother’s arm. “Let me handle this, Mom.”
Ray stepped outside with Bobby, braced for a confrontation. Storm clouds rolled in, darkening the sky, matching his mood.
Any man who hit or threatened a woman was a bully and a coward. McCullen men had been taught to respect and protect women, as well as those smaller and weaker than them, especially from people like this scumbag.
He’s your half brother. Joe’s other son, his flesh and blood.
It didn’t matter.
Or did it? Could Bobby be redeemed?
“Scarlet told me that the three of you are named in the will,” Ray began.
“Mom was right. You came to pay me off so I won’t show up and burst your family’s happy little bubble.”
Ray ground his teeth. “My family doesn’t live in a bubble. We’ve had our share of problems, but we don’t take our frustrations out on women.”
Bobby’s nostrils flared. “You don’t know what it’s like to be the kid your daddy hid.”
“Is that the reason you set fire to our barns?”
Bobby’s lip curled into a sneer. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“That’s right. You were here last night with yo
ur mother, weren’t you?”
“You’re damn right. Besides,” Bobby said in a sinister voice, “if I’m named in the will, why would I go making trouble before the reading? I’m not stupid. I want to know if my father finally did right by me.”
He had a point. Unless Bobby had some idea what had been left to him and he was ticked off about not getting more.
Ray squared his shoulders. “You’d better be telling the truth, because if I find out you set that fire, you’re going to jail. And you’ll never see a penny of that inheritance.”
Bobby jerked him by the collar. “Listen to me, McCullen, your daddy screwed me over as a kid. He’d better not screw me over now that he’s dead. And if you try to stop me from getting what’s mine, you’ll be sorry.”
Ray met his gaze with a warning one, then he gripped Bobby’s hand and peeled his fingers away. “Touch me again and you’ll be sorry.” He gestured toward the house where he could see Scarlet through the window. “About Scarlet—”
“My relationship with her is none of your business.”
Ray gave him a menacing look. “I’m making it my business. Touch Scarlet again, and I’ll kill you.”
* * *
“WELL, I TAKE it that didn’t go too well,” Scarlet said as they drove away.
Ray clenched the steering wheel. “Bobby is a coward and a bully. If he hurts you or threatens you again, let me know.”
Scarlet’s heart fluttered. “Ray, you don’t have to go to war for me. I can handle Bobby.”
He gave her a dark look, emotions glittering in his eyes. “He may be blood related to our family, but he’s not a McCullen. My daddy taught us never to hurt a woman or child.”
“Joe tried to teach him that, too,” Scarlet said. “And Bobby pretended like he followed the rules. Until Joe wasn’t around.”
“Like I said, he’s a coward.”
Her cell phone buzzed as he drove toward her house, and she checked the caller ID. It was a text from Hugh asking her to dinner. She’d turned him down so many times she thought he’d get the message. She quickly texted back that she was busy.
“Who is that?” Ray asked.