Page 89 of The Cowgirl's Secret Love
Finn wordlessly reached a hand across the table toward Zach.
Zach ignored it. Instead, he rounded the table then pulled Finn to vertical to give him a bro hug and a back pounding. “Me too, buddy. Me too.”
As far as conversations went,chatting with her dad went smoother than expected. He caught her up on a few of the goings-on at Whiskey Creek, including a shocking second of praise regarding her past work with some of their herd. That part was nice, and the part where she heard some of the family gossip.
But then he began bellyaching about his oldest brother, Uncle Mike, giving more and more responsibility and decision-making over to the next generation…
That’s the point where Karen reached herenough.
“Hey, Dad. It’s been great, but I was just finishing lunch, and I’ve got an appointment in fifteen minutes. Let me know the next time you plan to be in Heart Falls. Finn and I will take you out for dinner.”
Her dad grumbled for a moment then latched on to the topic change. “That reminds me. I tried to get hold of Richard Marlette the other day. The phone number I’ve got for him is out of service. Ask Finn for some new contact info, will you?”
“Sure. I’ll send it to you. Gotta run. Love you.”
The last bit of the conversation made her brain stumble for a moment. It only took a second to shove her phone back in her pocket and return to the kitchen, scooping up Dandelion to use him as her own personal touchstone. Stroking the little creature’s soft fur eased the tension while she leaned back against the door, eyes closed, searching for peace.
The truth was she did love her dad. She just didn’tlikehim very much, not right now.
And that was okay.
Unexpected sounds caught her attention. The loudest noise was Dandelion purring against her chest. Karen opened her eyes, suddenly aware the kitchen was unoccupied. Finn and Zach were nowhere to be seen.
Shouts echoed from the front of the house, and she carefully put the kitten down before hurrying to the front door.
Smoke billowed from the roof of one of the newly constructed cabins. She jammed her feet into her boots and headed out at a full-out run.
The work crew poured into the yard from various places around the ranch. Karen caught up with Finn as he swung forward on his crutches at an alarming rate.
“I hope you don’t think you’re going in there,” she informed him briskly.
He gave her a quick glance before pulling to a stop. A sheepish expression slid over his face. “Of course not.”
She wrapped her arm around his biceps to make sure. “Someone call the fire department?”
“Might not need them.” Two or three men had hoses out and were soaking both the corner of the burning building and the nearest cabins. Smoke billowed up thicker, a greyish tinge forming like thunderstorm clouds.
Meanwhile, Zach stepped from the cabin. He raised a fire extinguisher in the air as he shouted reassurances. “It’s okay. It’s out.”
He made his way over to where Finn and Karen waited. Karen had never seen Zach look so serious as when he stepped in close, speaking softly. “Are the security cameras up and running yet?”
Finn stilled. “Some. Why?”
Zach glanced over his shoulder before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a partially burned chunk of cardboard. About two inches high, the unburned section had a familiar image on it.
“That’s a fire starter box. Was someone already lighting the woodstove?” Karen asked.
“Doubtful, considering the stove wasn’t hooked up. That’s the only reason we spotted this before everything inside the cabin went up in flames—the smoke escaped through the partially open chimney.” Zach’s expression grew darker. “The fire started under a worktable. I found the piece of box and the remains of way too big a pile of sawdust.”
“You’re saying it’s arson.” Finn stared hard at his friend.
“It’s possible it was an accident. If someone swept up a lit cigarette butt with the sawdust, it would’ve smoldered for a while before catching fire.” Zach glanced at Karen then back at Finn. “Want to call the cops?”
“Check the security footage first,” Finn said.
Karen shook inside at the idea somebody had deliberately lit a fire in a brand-new construction. “Catching somebody red-handed on the security tape would be great, but why wouldn’t we call the police right away?”
Zach wrinkled his nose. “We want to keep moving forward,” he reminded her. “Arson investigations can take a while, which means shutting down construction for an unknown period of time.”
