Page 4 of Where They Belong

With his feed rounds finished and herd checks done, Mason headed back, feeling lighter and once again at peace. Nothing righted his world more than spending time with the wild ones.

As he approached the large courtyard centered between the three barns, garage, and three of the ranch’s six main houses, he spotted Sheriff Nick Chambers’ Interceptor parked in front of the home Mason’s younger sister Trina shared with her husband, Brett. He also worked as a ranch hand.

Trina was flapping a piece of paper in front of Nick as they stood on the veranda. His back was to Mason, but the rigid stance of his body told him the news wasn’t good. They both turned at the sound of Mason’s truck, and Trina gestured toward him. He didn’t have to be any closer to tell that she was pissed about something that likely involved him.

“Shit,” Mason mumbled to Diesel and Marley, who both looked at him curiously with their heads tilted in unison. “What did I do now?”

Trina handed the paper she’d been waving around to Nick, who walked back to his vehicle and placed it in a folder he’d pulled from the passenger side. Then he tipped his head toward Trina, who climbed into the Interceptor and drove with Nick back down the four-hundred-foot drive to the courtyard. Mason parked his truck by the main barn and hopped out. The dogs followed and sat at his side—but only until Nick parked and exited his utility vehicle. Then they took off to greet him.

“Hey, Sheriff,” Mason said. Nick’s approach was stalled by the bouncing dogs. They loved Nick, and who wouldn’t? The man looked like a Nordic god with his towering, muscular frame, square jaw, blond hair, and sharp blue eyes. He had a heart of gold under his no-nonsense exterior to boot. “What brings you by?”

Nick raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything as he petted the dogs. Mason had been friends with him ever since Nick took over the sheriff’s office in the small town of Haven Ridge three years back. They’d hooked up. Once. Before Mason knew Nick was the new town sheriff. But as attractive as Nick was, they’d quickly discovered friendship was as deep a relationship as they were suited for, which was perfectly fine by mutual agreement.

Nick reached into the vehicle and retrieved the now-protected piece of paper Trina had been agitated about. Trina came around to stand beside Nick, her arms crossed under her chest and a frown on her face. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and a few loose strands fanned her cheeks. Mason had thought she’d looked mad at first, but now he could see a hint of fear in her hazel eyes.

“How long has this been going on?” Nick said by way of greeting.

His all-business tone brought Mason to attention. Nick slipped the paper from the folder for Mason to see. When Mason reached for it, Nick pulled it back out of reach with a shake of his head.

“I don’t want the evidence any more contaminated than it already is.”

He held it up so Mason could read the note written in heavy block letters with red ink.

NEXT TIME IT WON’T BE SPRAY PAINT

Underneath the threat was a crude drawing of Mason from the chest up. Flames surrounded him, and there was a knife across his throat dripping blood. The implication was clear. Goose bumps raced over his skin like wildfire.

“Where did you find that?” Mason asked carefully. He slid his gaze to his sister.

“It was stuck to the old wagon.” Trina pointed to a vintage wagon that was now a yard decoration that sat between the medical barn and the ranch hand’s quarters. Worry crossed her suntanned face. “How did someone get here and do that without any of us seeing them? It’s not like anyone can get down the driveway unnoticed, and I’d hate to think it could be anyone on the ranch.”

She was right. He’d been right there earlier, when he’d been loading the truck with hay, and hadn’t seen anything. Of course, he’d been distracted by Jack’s visit. Jack was already gone when he’d left to feed the horses, so it couldn’t have been him. Like Trina said, he wouldn’t have been able to return without someone seeing him.

And Mason flat-out refused to believe anyone working on the ranch would do something like that.

“I’m sure it’s nothing to be worried about. Just someone being a jackass and trying to scare me,” Mason said with feigned nonchalance. The goose bumps had settled, but the uneasy feeling in his gut remained. He sure as hell wasn’t going to let anyone know that though. “Trina certainly didn’t need to call you all the way out here for this, Nick.”

“Wait.” Trina looked between Mason and Nick. She frowned. “Have you not told Nick about anything that’s been going on?”

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Mason defended. He hated that anyone thought he couldn’t take care of himself or his ranch. “Nothing that I can’t handle.”

With a huff and shake of her head, Trina turned to Nick. “This is the first death threat, but there’s been vandalism and harassment for months now.”

“Mason…” Nick sighed and shot him an annoyed look. He put the evidence back in his vehicle and then motioned to the bench in front of the small horse barn as he pulled his notebook from his jacket chest pocket. “Let’s go sit down. You’re going to tell me every single incident, no matter how small or trivial you think it is.”

Mason glared at Trina, who glared right back like they were teens again rather than full-grown adults, and followed Nick.

Trina sat down with them. No doubt to make sure Mason didn’t gloss over anything. Not that she knew everything that had happened. Mason sighed.

The better part of an hour later, Nick flipped his book closed and leaned back as he studied Mason. If Mason didn’t know Nick better, he’d have squirmed in his chair like a criminal that had been caught red-handed. Even so, a wave of discomfort at being scrutinized washed through him.

“Things are escalating,” Nick said, his tone firm. He held a hand up to forestall Mason from arguing when he’d opened his mouth to do just that. “Theyare. I’ve seen patterns like this before, Mason. It’s nothing to shrug off.”

“We’ll be fine, Nick. Whoever is doing this will give up soon. I’m not going to be bullied off my land because of some fool who can’t let go or get their way.”

Mason didn’t care who it was, he was never going to let anyone walk over him or bully him again. He’d lost the love of his life when he was a kid because he’d been afraid to stand up to his dad. He sure as hell wasn’t going to be scared off his own ranch too.

“And what about your sisters?” Nick countered.

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