Page 32 of The Cowboy’s Reckoning

She started to shake her head again, then stopped. Closed her eyes. She wasn’t quite managing the stoic thing, so she changed the subject.

“I have to send my clients’ horses home to their owners. Can you imagine what would happen to my income, to my reputation, if one of the horses got killed on my watch?”

Jordan shot a quick look at Hayes and Trev; he knew they’d agree. “Bring them to the Tree Fork. Work them there.”

Her forehead furrowed. “How would I explain that to my clients?”

“Tell them the truth. A cow got shot and you’ve decided to move all your training to a different facility until the deputy gets to the bottom of things. It was probably an accident, but you won’t take chances with their horses.”

She squeezed her forehead with one hand. “That’s not going to help my reputation.”

Jordan had a strong idea that that was the goal of whoever was behind this. Vandalism hadn’t worked. And as the owner of the property, this was very much his business, no matter what the lease stated.

The rendering truck rumbled in. A man jumped out, and judging from the conversation, he was the deputy’s close friend. Jordan turned back to Lil, whose gaze was locked on the truck.

“I’m heading to the Tree Fork to get the trailer. I’ll have my brothers stay until I get back. We can move the horses tomorrow.”

“I’ll put them in the barn for the night. Just to be on the safe side.” She once again hugged her arms around herself. “Too bad I can’t fit all the cows in there, too.”

*

“Tell me this wasn’t the night from hell,” Meg muttered as the truck pulled away with thousands of dollars’ worth of lost breeding income inside. The money they would not see in the form of future calves was not something Lil wanted to think about.

And the horses. They were in the barn, but she was not looking forward to the calls she had to make in the morning.

Then there was Jordan. She’d been surprised first by his embrace, and then by how she hadn’t wanted to let go of the man. For the first time in a long time, she’d felt like someone other than her sisters had her back. She wasn’t sure what to do with that feeling, so she circled back to the matter at hand as they headed up the walkway toward the house.

“Someone is trying to drive us off this place,” she said, taking a seat on the front step.

Meg sat beside her. They’d offered his brothers beer and/or coffee, but they’d declined, choosing instead to wait near the barn for their brother to return, giving the sisters space to deal with the crazy events of the evening while no doubt mulling over theories of their own. The vet was long gone, but the deputy had stayed, saying he was okay unless a call came in. It made Lil feel better having law enforcement there.

Was someone watching the ranch? Enjoying all this? The thought made her shudder.

“This makes Shane look like small potatoes,” Meg muttered.

“Fucking Shane,” they murmured together before leaning into one another.

“You’re sure he’s in Alaska?” Lil asked.

“Yes, but we can call his work again tomorrow. Kind of funny that we stalk him to make sure he’s not stalking me.” Meg pushed herself upright and brought her forearms to rest on her thighs, lightly clasping her hands. “Why did this happen after Jordan backed out of the deal? I mean, what’s the motivation?”

“Are you asking if he backed out for real?”

Meg nodded.

Lil bit her lip as she considered an unwelcome possibility. “He was open with the deputy about it. Gave up the broker’s name. Of course, he and the broker could have something cooked up between them, but … I don’t believe that’s the case.”

There was a steadiness about Jordan. An intrinsic honesty that she’d sensed from their first meeting. If the guy was hatching plots, he was damned good at coming off as the good guy. And why would he be on his way back to stand guard? Why not let her and Meg freak themselves out until they gave up? That would be the quickest way to the objective if he wanted them to leave.

“I have to agree,” Meg said. “He doesn’t give off a sneaky vibe, but I thought I’d throw it out there.”

The deputy finally headed up the walk, leaving the Matthews brothers waiting by his SUV.

“Jordan is going to stay here tonight?”

“He is.”

“Glad to hear it. I’ll bring my counterpart up to speed before I go off shift in the morning. Meanwhile, call dispatch if you have any issues.”