Page 53 of Where They Belong

“I’ll stay and move the horse in with Mason,” Wes said quietly. “You need to head back before him. Levi’s in the tack room of the main barn. He’ll fill you in.”

Colt bristled at leaving Mason. But he pushed aside his emotional knee-jerk so he could do the job he was hired for. Wes could protect Mason just as well as Colt. He nodded grudgingly.

“Thanks for taking Mason’s truck back,” he said to Dion.

“No sweat,” Dion replied and headed for the pickup with a wave to Mason.

Colt stepped closer to his brother. “Someone on the ranch is doing this.”

“Looks that way,” Wes agreed and put a hand on his shoulder. With a squeeze, he turned and headed over to Mason.

Colt watched his brother approach Mason, saw the look of confusion on Mason’s face as his gaze darted toward Colt, questioning, and heard Mason ask Wes if everything was okay. He didn’t hear Wes’s answer, but when Mason looked his way again, Colt tipped his head and fought every instinct to turn around and walk back with Mason as he hopped into his truck.

Back at the yard, he found Levi standing near the large barn entrance with both of Mason’s sisters, Angela, Selma, and John. Brett and Thad hadn’t yet returned from their herd checks. The group stood in a semicircle, facing Levi as he talked. There was a bag at his feet that Colt recognized—an on-site investigation kit that they’d brought along in case they needed to collect evidence.

Levi tipped his head at Colt when he approached the gathering after parking his truck, all his senses on high alert.

“What happened?”

“Trina was going to head out for a ride,” Levi explained, “but when she got to the tack room, she found all the saddle cinches and straps had been cut.”

Colt raised his eyebrows. “Allof them?”

“At least no one would’ve had a cinch break while riding,” Trina offered. Her voice was hard, and her expression read angry, but there was a glint of fear in her eyes.

“Was it just this barn,” Colt asked. “or did they get our saddles too?”

“Haven’t checked yet,” Levi replied. “I was helping Dion with Spice Girl when Trina came in.”

Colt squelched an inappropriate grin at Levi calling Spice “Spice Girl.” Just like Mason had when he’d first met the three rescue horses.

“I take it nobody saw anything?” he addressed the small crowd, and everyone shook their head. His gaze lingered on John for a beat, but he looked just as concerned as the rest of them. He turned his attention to his brother. “Did you call Nick and let him know?”

“Yes. He’s out on scene and doesn’t know when he can get out here,” Levi said. “He gave us the go-ahead to start processing the room.”

Colt tipped his hat back and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. They could dust for prints, but nearly everyone on the ranch handled most of those saddles. Their saddles had been fine when he and Mason had ridden up to the lookout point yesterday, so whoever did this had done it in the last twenty-four hours.

“Mason is on his way to the medical barn with one of the mustangs,” he addressed the group. “Let me tell him what’s going on so he can focus on the horse for now.”

Everyone nodded.

“I was asking everyone their whereabouts this morning and what they may have seen or heard,” Levi said, and Colt noticed he had a small notebook in his left hand, pen in the other. “But we can finish up later.”

“Okay.” Colt glanced toward the medical barn. How long would it take Mason to return? “You all go back to what you were doing. Levi, come with me to the tack room. Trina, would you mind checking the saddles in the north barn?”

As the crew dispersed for their respective tasks, Levi picked up the on-site bag and fell into step beside Colt.

“I hate to say it,” Levi started, his voice hushed for Colt’s ears only, “but someone on the ranch is behind all of this.”

“I agree,” Colt said as they entered the barn. “Mason has been adamant that it can’t be anyone here, but I think he’s starting to accept he might have to consider people he thought he could trust.”

“Can’t be easy for him.” Levi frowned. “That man has a kind soul.”

Colt nodded. He couldn’t agree more. Now that he’d finally let go of the anger he’d held on to for so long. He felt so much lighter and, honestly, was shocked by how much all that baggage he’d been needlessly carrying around had weighed.

“Have you touched anything in here yet?” Colt asked when they reached the tack room.

Levi shook his head. “Trina came to me as soon as she discovered the cut cinches. Wes gathered everyone outside, where I kept them while he went to get you.”

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