Page 44 of Rancher's Strength

“You might not want to be here too late at night. This building’s old and doesn’t look safe—faulty wiring and such. I’d also hate to see anything happen to the lovely woman who lives here.” His eyes scanned the old building, and a cold chill ran through my body.

“Are you threatening me? Because I will have you know I’ve faced down far more powerful men than you and survived. Plus, I don’t really think my friends will take too kindly to that threat.” Taking a step toward him, I crossed my arms over my chest. “They aren’t the kind of men that take threats to a woman lightly.” My voice was low, menacing, and much more forceful than I felt right at the moment.

“No, of course I wouldn’t threaten you.” He held his hands up and backed away from me. Before he said another word, he turned and left the office. Glancing out the window, I grabbed the keys off the desk and left the office.

“Well, look at you.” A woman’s voice chimed from behind me. I turned and smiled at Mrs. Patterson, my twelfth-grade history teacher. “I heard you were back in town. I’m sorry to hearabout your friends.” Her eyes grew misty as she reached out to hug me.

“Thank you. It’s really good to be back.”

“I hear you and Ryder moved into your parents’ old place,” she said when she let me go, and we continued to walk down the street together. “I’m so glad it has a family in it again. That big old house used to be the envy of the county. Oh, I know everyone thinks the Miller mansion is the goal, but that wraparound porch and the view from your place made many hearts pitter-patter over the years.”

I couldn’t help but smile. I’d always known the house I grew up in had been the talk of the county. When my great-grandfather built it, nobody around had a house that large, and it had been his intention to fill it with kids. But my great-grandmother died in childbirth with their second baby, and he didn’t remarry or have any more children. When my grandfather and grandmother married, they decided on only two children, and it seemed that had been passed on to my parents.

“Yeah, we figured it would be the easiest place to raise Ruby and Sawyer. It’s close enough to the ranch for Ryder to be home for supper, even when he’s busy, and has enough room for the kids to be content.”

“Well, it’s a beautiful spot to raise a family.” She beamed. “If you need anything, you let me know. I need to duck into the pharmacy.” She pointed to the building we’d stopped at.

“I will thank you. It was wonderful to see you.”

“Don’t be a stranger. You are always welcome to take your mom’s place in the book club.” She grinned as I nodded, while she pushed the door to the store open.

The book club was a cover for late-night gossip sessions with some of the local women in the community. Lydia and I used to be jealous of Mom’s nights out, and it might be fun to catch upwith all the ladies. With a quick glance at my watch, I needed to get to the county building before they closed for lunch.

The heavy wooden door creaked as I opened it, and I was immediately hit by the familiar musty smell of the building. Marble floors stretched before me, and my heels clicked as I walked into the rotunda. Looking up into the stained-glass dome, I couldn’t help but smile. I used to sneak away from Dad’s office and lie in the middle of the floor staring up at the beautiful colors, and the floral details that circled around the top of the dome.

“Alexandra Saffort, you’re too old to be lying on the floor, so don’t even think about it,” an older woman’s voice said from my left, and I couldn’t stop the smile that crossed my face.

“I’m pretty sure people wouldn’t just step over me anymore.” I laughed.

“They’d call the Sheriff and tell him you’d lost your mind.” Her voice was light and teasing, but she probably wasn’t wrong. “What can I do for you?”

“Mrs. Kell, I need one of the big land location maps of the county for my office.” The woman turned and walked into the large office behind her. Half of the building was the county office, and the other half was the local library. That was the real reason I’d spent so much time here as a child. I probably read every book on the shelves. Some weren’t approved by my mother, and I had to hide them, but I still managed to get through them.

“You’re the second person asking for one today. I can go months without someone needing one of those maps. Especially since most of it just says Flying Diamond 5 on it.” She shook her head and opened the big filing cabinet behind the counter. “I’m sure glad you decided to come home and practice law. It will be nice not having to drive to the city for everything.” She flipped through the files and pulled out a large piece of paper.

“Who else was in here asking for one?”

“Oh, that husband of Violet Powers. Well, I guess she’s not a Powers anymore, but why split hairs. That man gives me the creeps.” She shook her head, placed the paper in front of me, and rolled up the map. “I just can’t imagine why they want to hang around here. She has nothing to do with Nash’s girls, and she hates Fred, which baffles me. She’s the one who left—if anyone deserves to be hated, it’s her. And that husband walks around town like he’s king ding-a-ling. I’d like to run him over with my car one of these days.” She shook her head and wrapped the elastic around the tube.

“He doesn’t seem to be very well liked, that’s for sure.”

“That’s the understatement of the year. We all think he was behind the abduction of Griff’s stepson.” She leaned over the counter and made a beckoning motion with her finger. “He was behind Griff’s barn burning down too. Almost lost that man.” Her words were whispered, but they were also matter-of-fact.

Ryder hadn’t said much about Griff’s troubles, but I’d pieced enough together to know the barn was new and that Griff had significant scarring on part of his arm, neck, and the side of his face.

“How much do I owe you?” I questioned as I pulled my dry wallet out.

“For you, nothing. You’ve brightened an old woman’s day. But if I find you lying on that floor, I’ll make you pay fifty dollars.”

“I promise I won’t take up my regular position today. Thank you.” I smiled at the woman, and she waved as I headed out the door.

“So, Desmond Tucker, what are you up to?” I asked myself as I headed back to the office. Unlocking the door, I peered inside before I committed to going in. I would need to have Ryder set up security tomorrow.

“Are you all right?” a man’s voice asked from behind me. I jumped ten feet in the air as I screamed, dropping the map. It made a hollow ping-pong sound as it bounced off the floor. I turned around and was relieved to see Fred Powers.

“Are you trying to kill me, Fred?” I yelled as I put my hand over my pounding heart.

“No, not today. I brought you lunch.” He held up a paper bag with Steam’n Sugar’s logo on it. “Saw Tucker over here and wanted to make sure you were okay.” His eyes were locked on me, and I was pretty sure there was no way I could brush off the fact that I was jumpy.

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