Page 80 of Colton’s Inferno

“I didn’t know that his mom died of an overdose.” Then again, why would she? Still, she felt a pull of kinship toward the mayor. They’d both lost someone to an addiction. “What happened with his mom?”

“Honestly, I don’t know the details. She died before his grandmother, Annie, came to work for us.”

“Annie must’ve been an amazing woman to keep Ted from imploding.”

Aiden sipped his coffee. “Annie was the best. She helped raise us, too. I mean, my mom is wonderful. But she had six kids and a husband who worked seventy hours a week.” He set his cup back onto the table. “Without Annie, we all would have crashed.”

Ted worked his way to the table behind Lucy. He said something to the college students that made them all laugh. Then, he slid into the bench next to Aiden. “Hey, you two,” he said, pulling a fry from Aiden’s plate. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Lucy’s been staying with me since everything that happened at the ranch,” said Aiden.

Ted bit the fry and chewed, nodding. He swallowed. “Any news from the crime lab?”

Aiden shook his head. “Callum’s still waiting on the DNA results. We should hear something any day now, though.”

“I’ll call the lab and put a little pressure on them. It might not help,” he said, grabbing another fry. “But who knows.”

“Thanks,” said Lucy before taking a bite of her sandwich.

“How are you holding up, by the way?” asked Ted.

She chewed and held up one finger.

“Of course I ask you a question when you have food in your mouth.” He laughed. “Bad timing on my part.”

She swallowed and wiped crumbs from her lips. “It’s a struggle,” she said, being honest. Maybe there was more to Ted than just the veneer of success she’d seen before. “With my grandfather in the hospital, I’ve had to hire workers just to bring the cattle from the summer pasture and get ready for winter. That’s used up all the money we made from the fair—thanks for making that call, by the way.” Her dinner sat in her stomach like a rock. “I’m not sure where to go from here.”

Ted leaned forward and lowered his voice. “The offer to buy your ranch still stands. I can see what kind of situation you’re in, and I’m willing to increase my offer by one hundred thousand.”

“One hundred thousand dollars more,” Aiden hissed. “Damn, Ted. Where’d you get that kind of money?”

“Lower your voice, okay?” Ted glanced over his shoulder. Turning back to the table, he continued, “I told you that I made a good investment. It was a start-up that just got sold to some tech billionaire for a ton of cash. I want to do something good with the money, and, well, buying the Five Steers Ranch seems like a win for everyone.”

Lucy shook her head. And yet, she imagined setting down all her burdens. With one word, she would be lighter and freer. “I can’t,” she said. “The Harris family cemetery is on the property.” Her brother. Her grandmother. All her ancestors had been buried on the land.

“I won’t so much as move a headstone,” said Ted. “I can even add a special road so you can come to the graveyard whenever you want.”

It was a generous offer. “I need to talk to my grandfather,” she said. “But that land is our heritage. I’m not sure that he’ll agree.”

“Of course,” said Ted. “I get that.”

The phone in Lucy’s pocket began to shimmy. She pulled it out and looked at the screen.

The caller ID read Grandpa Rusty.

“Sorry,” she said, sliding off the bench. “I need to take this.”

Swiping the call open as she walked across the restaurant, she said, “Give me a second to get outside.” She backed into the door, pushing it open. “Okay, now I can talk. How are you?”

“Been better,” said Rusty.

The food in her gut started to churn. “What’s going on?”

“I just talked to my nurse. They’re sending me to rehab on Thursday. She said it’ll be six weeks, and then, I’ll be released.”

“That sounds like good news to me,” said Lucy. “I mean, there’s still six more weeks before you’ll come home. But you’ll be back at the ranch well before Thanksgiving.”

“There’s a problem, though.”