Page 17 of Deceit & Desire

“I dunno.” Cody shrugged. “I guess I’m just surprised, is all. If I remember correctly, you and your fiancé didn’t exactly part on good terms. More than that, I seem to remember you saying you’d never come back.”

Zoe stood up a little straighter and crossed her arms, staring Cody straight in the eye before she spoke.

“I’m sure this is going to come as a shock to you, Cody, but some of us actually learn how to function like real grownups as we age. My dad is sick, he needs me to help him run the ranch, and my relationship with Roman is—quite frankly—none of your damn business.”

Cody held his hands up in a sign of surrender and took a half-step back. “Easy, girl. I didn’t mean to get your hackles up. I’m just surprised to see you, that’s all.”

Zoe pressed her lips together for a moment, darting a sideways glance at me before she spoke. “I thought it was high time I came home, settled down, and started a family.”

“Well, you just let me know if you want some help with that starting a family part.” Cody grinned and waggled his eyebrows at Zoe, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief as he looked her up and down.

That swaggering motherfucker has no respect for me, or for the ring I put on Zoe’s finger.

I saw red. Before I even knew what I was doing, I had a fistful of his shirt and I was in his face, giving him a hard shake.

“If you like your face arranged the way it is, I’m gonna recommend that you not talk to my fiancée like that again. Do you understand me?”

Cody held up his hands again, shaking with laughter as he enjoyed my anger. “It was just a joke, Roman. Jesus. Take it easy, man.”

“It was disrespectful, and you should know me well enough to know that I’m not just going to allow you to disrespect my woman or the ring I put on her finger.”

Cody rolled his eyes and backed away from me, tugging his wrinkled flannel shirt out of my grip as he put distance between us. “Seriously, man? You need to chill. You know I joke with everybody like this.”

“Come on, baby. I think the vet’s been waiting to speak to us for a while now, but Landon’s visit was so pressing it couldn’t wait.” Zoe slid her arm around my waist, her delicious curves melting into my side as she nestled herself against me.

Taking the cue from her, I let Zoe steer me back over to the paddock where the vet was stroking the buckskin colt’s neck and murmuring to it in low tones.

Cody’s boots crunching on the gravel behind us alerted me that he was following us back to the paddock.

“What was Landon Blackwell doing here so early, anyway?”

Zoe snorted and shook her head, sighing. “David Michaelson accused us of horse theft, which is complete bullshit. We rescued this horse from a Michaelson, Inc. employee who was beating the shit out of it with a bullwhip. And as if that wasn’t enough, Michael Carter is stirring up shit with the sheriff’s department.”

“How so?” Cody frowned, going strangely still.

Zoe shrugged and shook her head. “He has this crazy theory that Missy was murdered, and it seems that Mo Sheridan thought so, too. He apparently held onto some evidence that seems to point to Missy being attacked rather than... well... you know. He gave that evidence to his nephew, Deputy Colby Barton, when he was on his deathbed. Colby and Michael took that evidence to the new sheriff, and he’s re-opened Missy’s case as a murder investigation.”

“Are you serious?” All the color drained out of Cody’s face, and he looked like he wanted to throw up.

Zoe gave a grim nod. “I’m afraid so.”

I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes, looking Cody over from head to toe. “You’re awfully pale all of a sudden, Cody. It’s almost like you don’t want the sheriff looking into Missy’s death. Why is that?”

Cody looked around, his gaze snagging on the vet for a moment before he shook his head and looked back at us. He took a half-step closer to us and lowered his voice. “Just between y’all and me… I worry about Michael and his fixation on Missy’s death. It’s an unhealthy obsession, and it’s only gotten worse over the last ten years.”

“He’s always thought it was my fault Missy died.” Zoe reached up, her trembling hand covering her mouth as all the color drained out of her face. “And he’s had the last decade to stew about it.”

“Don’t you have work to see to, Cody?” I waved him off, turned Zoe to face me, and wrapped my arms around her, stroking her hair and holding her tight. “Don’t you worry about a thing, baby. No matter what happens, I’ve got your back.”

“I know.” Zoe wrapped her arms around me and squeezed tight.

The conviction in her voice put a boulder-sized lump in my throat and I struggled to swallow it. I held her for a moment, just letting her ground herself in my touch before we both turned to face the waiting veterinarian.

“Thank you for your patience, Miss Jackson.”

The vet nodded and continued stroking the colt’s neck as she studied us. “I just wanted to be sure I got to speak with you before I left. I wanted to thank you for rescuing this guy. You did the right thing. Don’t ever let anybody convince you otherwise.”

I offered her a genuine smile and reached out to shake her hand. “My conscience wouldn’t let me leave him there. I appreciate you coming out so early to check on him and take care of his wounds.”

---