Born to Be a Cowboy Read online

  “That’s nice.” Finn tried the door. “It’s locked.”

  Jessie looked around, before turning to the fireplace mantel with a smile. “There’s the key.”

  She retrieved it and unlocked the door before turning on the light inside.

  Unlike the rest of the house, the shelves in this room were bare. Boxes and packing materials were stacked in one corner next to an assortment of antique lamps, silverware, and glassware.

  “I thought your aunt wanted to save these things for you.”

  Looking puzzled, Jessie nodded.

  Walking closer, Finn knelt down. “These look like they’re ready to be boxed up and shipped somewhere.”

  She studied the items carefully. “It’s been a year or more since I was in here. But everything had been stored on these shelves.”

  “Why would your aunt sell these things?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. They all meant something to her.”

  Finn glanced beyond the boxes to a pile of broken things. “What’s all this?”

  With a gasp, Jessie knelt and began digging through the items until she held up a smashed camera.

  Tears welled up. “I know Aunt Nola would never do a thing like this. She was so proud of that gift. And I was so thrilled she’d bought it for me.”

  As she got to her feet, her composure crumpled and the tears began to spill over.

  The look of her, so defeated, had Finn gathering her close and pressing his mouth to a tangle of hair at her temple. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, Jessie.”

  “But it’s all so wrong.” Her words, spoken against his throat, had his arms tightening around her.

  She looked up, her face wet with tears. “I can’t help thinking there’s something evil happening here.”

  “If there is, we’ll find out.” Because he wanted to crush her against him, he took a step back and framed her face with his hands. “Why don’t you see if the SD card is still inside?”

  Jessie had to struggle to open the back of the camera, only to find it empty.

  She set aside the smashed camera and stared around at the pile of broken items. “These may be inexpensive, but to my aunt they were family treasures. She never would have allowed this to happen.”

  Finn caught her hand and led her from the room. He locked the door and returned the key to the mantel before leading the way up the stairs and toward the back door.

  He paused. “Want to look at anything else before we leave?”

  Jessie shook her head.

  “Okay then. We’ll…” His voice trailed off as he caught the faintest glint of light above the kitchen door. Moving closer he studied the tiny pinpoint before saying, “Smile. We’re being filmed.”

  She looked up. “A hidden camera?”

  “A security camera. Did your aunt have it installed?”

  Jessie gave a firm shake of her head. “Aunt Nola wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing.”

  “Well, someone did.” He opened the door and waited until she’d stepped out onto the porch before following her.

  Once in the truck Jessie looked slightly dazed. “A camera recording everyone who enters my aunt’s house. Why?”

  “Apparently, someone figures there’s something worth guarding here.”

  “But what? You’ve seen the way we lived. Except for a few old things that belonged to my grandparents that have sentimental value, there’s nothing of real value in there.”

  “What about the ranch itself? Wouldn’t you say it’s worth a great deal of money?”

  “Of course. Especially one as well maintained as this.”

  As Finn drove away, his mind was working overtime. He no longer doubted that Jessie’s aunt was in grave danger. The trouble was, they may already be too late. All indications pointed to someone who had already taken control of everything she’d ever valued.

  Someone who wanted to make certain the plans already set into motion weren’t thwarted by the ranch’s owner, or a certain niece who could make waves.

  Chapter Ten

  Over dinner that evening, Jessie and Finn were uncharacteristically silent while the family replayed the events of their day.

  Ben and Becca had made it to the ranch in time for supper. Archie lay at their feet, contentedly dozing after a run through the fields.

  “I couldn’t believe my mother’s news.” Becca’s voice held a trace of excitement. “She and my dad are planning their first ever cruise.”

  “How lovely.” Mary Pat looked over. “Where are they going?”

  “The Virgin Islands.” Becca and Ben shared a smile. “Mom really hoped to cruise to Greece, but Dad said they’d be away too long. He couldn’t possibly leave the store for more than ten days. So they settled for this, and Dad has asked me to run his ‘empire’ while they’re away.”

  Penny chuckled. “Does he really refer to his hardware store as his empire?”

  Becca nodded. “And he never lets anyone forget that he’s the supreme emperor.”

  That had everyone laughing. Becca’s father, Hank Henderson, was well known around the town of Haller Creek as a man who insisted on having a hand in every aspect of his business. And until Becca had learned to assert herself, Hank had also tried to micromanage his daughter’s life.

  Still, as this first ever vacation for Hank and his wife proved, he was learning how to let go, at least in some small way.

  Ben turned to Mary Pat. “I noticed some boxes in the back of your van. Does this mean you’re getting ready for another road trip?”

  She nodded. “I’ve allowed myself to be lazy long enough. Sometimes I worry that I’ll get so comfortable here I’ll start thinking about retiring. So it’s time to head into the hills and make my rounds.”

  Mac’s smile faltered. “You know how heavy the rains are in spring, especially the closer you get to the foothills of the Bitterroots.”

  Mary Pat merely smiled. “I know. But then, here in Montana, every season offers one challenge or another.” She put a hand on his. “It’s a trip I’ve been making now for more than thirty years. I’ll be careful.”

  Remembering her perils from another trip, Sam couldn’t help saying, “I hope you’ve packed plenty of kitty litter in case you get stuck in the mud.”

  With a laugh Mary Pat nodded. “It was the first item on my list.”

  “That’s good. We wouldn’t want you trapped out there in snow or mud.” He looked across the table at Otis and Roscoe. “Speaking of mud, I’m heading up to the hills tomorrow to help with the calving. Spring rains always bring new life. Want to go along?”

  Roscoe grinned. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

  Otis joined in. “Once those calves start coming, you’ll need all the hands you can get.”

  Sam turned to his wife. “We may be up there awhile. Think you can rustle up enough food to keep us from starvation?”

  Penny laughed. “I’m already on it.” In an aside she added, “I wouldn’t want my poor cowboy to starve.”

  He leaned close to press a kiss to her cheek. “That’s my girl. I knew I could count on you, Money.”

  Since the day Penny had come into his life, he’d been a changed man. And the others around the table couldn’t help smiling at the love that flowed between roughneck Sam and his sweet bride.

  Long after Ben and Becca had called their good-byes, and the rest of the household had settled in for the night, Finn sat in front of the fireplace with Mac and Zachariah, heads bent close, filling them in on what he and Jessie had found at her aunt’s home.

  “She said the items in the basement storage room had belonged to her grandparents. Her aunt had kept them all these years so Jessie could take her time going through them and decide which of them she’d like to keep as family keepsakes. And now they’re ready to be boxed and wrapped for shipping. Does that sound like something a woman would do after a hasty marriage?”

  Mac chose his words carefully. “It sounds as though someone intends to clean house.”
/>   “Or clean up. There’s a huge market for antiques. But there’s more.” Finn couldn’t keep the thread of anger from his tone. “Jessie said her aunt would have never bought a security camera. She never even locked her doors. And now somebody feels the need to record every visitor that walks through the door.”

  “It sounds like someone wants to be in control.”

  “Exactly. What I wouldn’t give to examine the recording from that security camera.”

  Zachariah’s tone was stern. “I’ll remind you, Finnian, that you’re a lawyer, not a private investigator. If you were to be caught doing something like that in a private citizen’s home, it could cost you your license to practice law.”

  Finn nodded gravely. “I get it.”

  “But,” Zachariah added, “you may want to mention it to Basil. A man with his talents could no doubt transfer that security footage to your computer without leaving a trace of evidence.”

  Finn and Mac shared matching looks of surprise.

  Finn had to bite down hard on the grin that tugged at his lips. “Why, you wily old fox. Who’d have ever guessed that such a paragon of virtue hid such a villainous heart?”

  “Hardly villainous, Finnian. A man of the law does what he must for his client.” Zachariah’s blackbird eyes twinkled. “Especially if the client is a beautiful orphan standing alone in a raging storm.”

  Mac threw back his head and roared. “Are you writing a novel now, Zachariah?”

  “Merely stating the facts, Mackenzie, my friend. Our Finnian has a duty to do everything in his power to see that the lovely Jessica not only endures, but wins out over evil.”

  Finn pounced on that phrase. “So, you believe, as I do, that she’s caught up in something sinister?”

  “I do. But the authorities cannot act unless they are given incontrovertible evidence that a crime has been committed. So far, all you have are the words of your client and your own suspicion. Now, in order for Jessica to see justice, you must uncover compelling facts that prove your theory.”

  Finn stood and offered a handshake. “Thanks, Zachariah. I’ll call Basil first thing in the morning.”

  “You may want to phone him now. Judging by the speed with which this mystery man is working, there’s no time to waste.”

  Finn nodded his agreement.

  After saying good night to both men, Finn made his way up the stairs to his room and pressed the number for his private investigator. After giving him all the latest information, Finn hung up and stood staring out the window at the distant hills, wrapped in shadows.

  That was how he saw Jessie’s story. A mystery wrapped in layers of shadows.

  Long after he’d slid into bed, his mind continued circling everything he’d uncovered so far.

  Zachariah was right. This cowboy who’d taken over Nola’s ranch was leaving little to chance. And he appeared to be a man in a hurry.

  The clock was ticking. And now that he and Jessie were on that security footage, the mystery man would be feeling even more pressure to finish whatever evil he’d begun. And to eliminate anyone he saw as a threat to his plans.

  Finn knew in his heart that unless he could persuade the authorities that a crime had been committed, it could be too late to save Jessie’s aunt.

  If it wasn’t already.

  Finn woke up early and went out in the barn to muck stalls. He’d found through the years that he did his best thinking while doing mundane ranch chores. The hard, physical activity helped to sharpen his mind and keep him focused.

  Sam stepped into the barn and stopped in his tracks. “Whoa. I didn’t expect to find my brilliant brother the lawyer getting his hands dirty.”

  “Not to mention my boots,” Finn said with a grin.

  “Yeah. In order to clean stalls you have to step in a lot of…” Sam paused, laughing. “Got something on your mind, bro?”

  “Too much. I thought this would help.” Finn forked another load of straw and dung into a wagon.

  “Anything you care to share?”

  At Sam’s invitation, Finn told him about the latest visit to Jessie’s family ranch, and his suspicions about the danger he believed her aunt to be facing.

  Sam leaned on the handle of his pitchfork. “Don’t you think it’s time to ask the police for help?”

  “Jessie went to the police in Arvid first to ask their help. They checked out the ranch and said they found no sign of foul play. They reminded her that her aunt is of sound mind, and if she wants to throw her life away on some smooth-talking cowboy, their hands are tied.”

  Sam nodded. “I guess Ben would be forced to say the same thing. Lawmen have to play by the rules.”

  “Exactly. That’s why I called my private investigator last night and asked him to do a couple of things the law can’t do.”

  Sam’s eyes widened. “Are you saying my play-by-the-rules brother asked an employee to break those rules?”

  Finn was grinning. “I assume you approve?”

  “Hell yes.” Sam slapped his brother’s shoulder so hard, Finn nearly dropped his pitchfork. “Way to go, bro.”

  When the chores were finished, the two brothers marched toward the house with matching smiles.

  Inside, the wonderful smells in the kitchen had them salivating. After washing up in the mudroom, they accepted mugs of steaming coffee before sitting down to a breakfast of steak, eggs, and potatoes fried with green pepper and onions. They passed around a basket of toast and another of cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven.

  Sam leaned toward his wife. “Now this is what I call breakfast.”

  Penny ran a hand over the rough stubble on his chin. “I can’t let my man go up into the hills without a reminder of what he’s leaving.”

  He looked across the table at Mac. “See what a smart woman I married?”

  “Smart and talented.” Mac nodded toward the wrapped containers that lined the countertops. “I think Penny’s sending along enough food for an army.”

  Otis spoke for all of them. “There can’t be too much food for an army of wranglers who’ll be dealing with ornery cows and newborn calves for the next few weeks.”

  “Don’t I know it?” Penny looked around the table. “It may be springtime, but up in those hills, the weather is so unpredictable, I expect you could be dealing with snow squalls or freezing rain. I’ll head up to the highlands by the end of the week with a fresh supply of food.”

  Mary Pat chewed her lip. “I wish I could stick around and lend you a hand.”

  Jessie, who’d been silent until now, spoke up. “I’d be happy to help, Penny.”

  “Thanks, Jessie.” Penny’s smile bloomed. “I just hope I don’t work you so hard you regret the offer.”

  Jessica exchanged a look with Finn before saying, “I think hard work is just what I need right now. I’m grateful for anything that will be a distraction.”

  Chapter Eleven

  At the sound of his office door opening, Finn looked up from his computer to see his investigator walking in.

  “Hey, Basil.” Finn stood and reached across his desk to offer a handshake. His palm was engulfed in a beefy hand strong enough to crush steel.

  “Finn. Figured I’d stop by with a report on everything I have so far.”

  “Good.” Finn indicated a chair across from his desk.

  “After your call last night I decided to pay a visit to your client’s ranch.”

  “In the middle of the night?”

  Basil grinned. “Sometimes nighttime’s the best time. The place was in darkness. Nobody around. I was careful to avoid being caught on camera, but I managed to find out quite a bit.”

  He dug a portable computer drive from his shirt pocket. “Here’s everything captured on the security camera since it’s been installed. Pretty boring stuff, except for the fact that both you and your client are on it, front and center during your recent visit.”

  “Yeah.” Finn frowned. “By the time I noticed the camera, I figured it was too late to do anything
about it. If our guy was watching in real time, he already knew he’d had visitors.”

  Basil tapped the device before handing it over. “I also photographed each box of family treasures, and found address labels ready to be applied once the boxes are sealed for shipment. They’ll be heading to a collector in Connecticut with a shady reputation. I’ve already alerted the authorities there, who’ll be more than happy to have a reason to pick him up once these boxes are delivered.”

  “And the name of our cowboy?”

  Basil shrugged. “Still a mystery. No return address labels. And that raises the question. Since he’s got all this down to a fine art, I have to believe he’s done it before. A number of times. And yet, Wayne Stone, or Rogers Sutter, or whoever he is, doesn’t exist in any of the files I’ve checked.”

  “So, he uses a different alias each time. Still, someone ought to be able to recognize him.”

  “Unless he drastically alters his appearance. Or he pays off a lot of people to keep his secret.”

  “Nobody has that much money.”

  Basil scratched his chin. “I don’t know, Finn. You sell enough ranches, along with all the furniture, treasures, and livestock, you could amass quite a bank account.” He stood and reached across the desk for another handshake. “I’ve still got several sources I want to check out. I’ll stay on it and get back to you if I hear anything at all.”

  “Thanks, Basil.”

  When the investigator was gone, Finn watched out the window as he drove away. Then, inserting the drive into his computer, he skimmed through hours of film showing only a man who appeared to be in his late sixties, wearing denims and boots and a plaid shirt, coming and going through the door. It was the same man pictured with Jessie’s Aunt Nola. There seemed to be nothing furtive or nervous about his behavior. He appeared to be a man completely at ease as he entered and exited in a loose, easy gait.

  As if he had all the time in the world to go through someone else’s home, examining and cataloging the items a family had accumulated over a lifetime.