Page 10 of Sweet Beginnings

“Ma’am. I’ve, uh, well, I’ve been thinking lately something around here was off. It’s why I was checking the herds in the far pastures. I don’t mean to overstep my place, but I think you’ve got more trouble on your hands than just an unhappy crew moving on to greener pastures.”

Even more than twenty-four hours later, what she was about to say was the part Alice hadn’t wanted to believe. Had prayed she’d been wrong about, and wanted desperately to will away. “Seems our trusted foreman’s been cooking the books.”

Shock, surprise, and concern took over each of the siblings faces.

Carson was the first to speak. “How bad?”

Alice swallowed hard, still asking herself how could she have let this happen. “All the male calves that were going to give us the cash infusion to help ride through the hard times are gone.”

“What do you mean gone?” Preston had inched closer to the bed.

“You name it. Everything from stillborns to pneumonia. Even lost a few with their mamas in that last flash flood.” Or at least that’s what she’d been told with this crazy feast or famine Texas weather.

Shock still reflected in her eyes, Jill grabbed hold of the brass footboard. “Really?”

Alice hated the pained look on her children’s faces as much as she hated how she’d failed them. “That’s what Ray led me to believe. According to the records, not one of the live births has made it to market.”

“I sense abutcoming.” Preston moved in next to Jill.

“Got a call from Sean Farraday, one of Charlie’s ranching buddies in West Texas. Long story short, there was an oddity in this year’s sale of calves, so rather than wait for Ray to call him back, he reached out to me.”

“So therearecalves to sell?” A relieved grin slid across Rachel’s face.

“Ray’s been selling off cattle and recording it as animal loss. I’ve had more stolen and dead cattle this year than made any sense. Until now. Most of the wood and supplies your dad bought for the new calving barn are gone too. Probably sold. So even if we wanted to finish that project…” her words trailed off.

“Oh, crud.” Preston raked his fingers through his hair. “Are you sure? That it’s Ray?”

She nodded. “I called the sheriff yesterday morning. He was across the county, told me not to talk to Ray, to stay put until he could get here.”

“So Ray’s in jail?”

“Afraid not.” The whole thing had been insane. Her sister Vicki had hurried over as soon as Alice called with the bad news, determined to keep her company until the sheriff arrived while their other sister Liz stayed in town to mind the shop. Sitting side by side at the kitchen table, when Alice finally finished updating her sister on all the ugly details she’d learned, her eyes wide like a startled screeching owl, Vicki snapped her mouth shut and then sighed. Together they’d waited, doing a miserable job at reining in their imaginations. When someone rapped on the back door, the pair had almost jumped out of their skins, unsure if it was the sheriff or the thieving foreman.

The only calm one in the room had been Brady. On the floor, positioned the same as every day, her son’s German Shepherd was in the perfect spot to lunge at any unwelcome intruder. One brow slightly raised, the dog barely lifted his gaze to the door, but refrained from moving another muscle. If the visitor passed muster with the best friend her son’s military buddies had ever loved, then she could turn off her spooked alarm. Through the glass door, she recognized a ranch hand who’d been hired on a few months previously, though at the time she couldn’t remember his name. Hiring and firing had been another thing she probably shouldn’t have let Ray handle.

Now in her bedroom, Carson had moved to stand beside his brother. The kids probably didn’t realize it but they were closing ranks, coming together to deal with whatever situation life threw at them. “If Ray’s not in jail, then where is he?”

Wouldn’t she like to know. Apparently, Ray and all her ranch hands, except Clint, had not only colluded to rob her blind, they’d taken off before the sheriff could be brought in, leaving her with an unholy mess.Oh, Charlie. What are we going to do?

One by one, the next generation of Sweets walked out of their mother’s room in single file.

“I want to see the books.” Already marching down the hall, Carson clenched and unclenched his hands. “Then I have a few questions for this Clint guy. Starting with, where the hell was he when Mom was falling off a horse?”

It wasn’t really a question, but it was exactly what Preston was thinking. He needed to see the ranch records. All of them.

Funny how no one needed to say a word, but they all proceeded directly to the study.

“I think this calls for a drink.” Rachel crossed the room and opening the small fridge, pulled out a bottle of white wine. “Who’s joining me?”

“Make mine a bourbon.” Carson settled in by the computer.

A few feet behind him, Jillian followed her brother into the room. “I can’t believe all of this is happening at once.”

“I’d better call Dad and give him an update.” Sarah’s eyes widened. “I mean on her condition, not the, uhm, other things.”

Preston settled himself behind his brother. Impatient, he nudged Carson aside. “You may be the king of flipping property, but spreadsheets are my domain.”

Carson stood and waved at the screen. “It’s all yours, brother.”

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