Chapter Eleven

“I just need to check on some horses.” Aiden frowned once they were in the parking lot. “One of our best got out last night. They got him back, but I just want to make sure he’s all right.”

“How the devil did that happen?” Frank didn’t look happy.

“That’s what I wanna know,” Aiden said. “I checked the fencing and the gate. There was no way it escaped on its own.”

“I’ll follow you,” Frank told him with a grimace as he climbed into his own truck.

It didn’t take long to reach the field where the horse had made its escape, and both men pulled over on the dirt track nearby.

“How far did it get?”

“Somewhere over there.” Aiden pointed to a tree-lined field on the south side of the Fielding Ranch.

“Parry land?”

“Yup. Strange coincidence or what?” Aiden shook his head incredulously.

“Or what, I’d say.” Frank scowled. “The question is… Why?”

They looked across the field where the thoroughbreds were grazing quietly.

“They seem happy enough,” Frank remarked.

“Hey, boss.” Jeremy walked toward them while they made their way over. “That horse was fine last night, not a scratch on him.”

Aiden nodded. Ben had reported that much back to him after the vet had left last night, but it was good to see for himself. “Any clue as to how it got out?”

The young guy shook his head when they strolled over to the gate. “Beats me.”

Aiden shivered as they stood by the fence, watching the horses feeding peacefully in the field. The ground was hard and the air was cold, but it was a clear, autumn day.

“It could only have gotten out through this gate,” Frank announced, strolling over to the latch.

“But who lets a horse like that loose without stealing it?” Aiden narrowed his eyes. He knew it was the only solution as to the missing horse, but it didn’t add up.

Frank slowly stooped down and picked something up from the compacted mud. It looked like a tiny piece of paper that was wedged in the soil and caught against a blade of grass. He stood up, holding it up for them to see. It had writing on it.

“XS—extra small?” Jeremy frowned. “Looks like part of a label off something. My girlfriend wears that size.”

Frank pursed his lips. “Could be.” He rolled the paper between his finger and thumb as he pondered. It was black with gold letters and a band of gold above them. It may have had a gold band underneath the writing, too, but it was torn at a wonky angle and just a sliver of color was left. The old man carefully slipped it into his wallet.

Aiden felt a thud in his gut. “You think someone tried to take it, but it ran away?”

“If that was the case, it didn’t get far,” Frank mused. “Should have been easy enough to catch.”

They scouted the area for any more clues, but it seemed fruitless.

“We’re real careful about litter and stuff,” Jeremy assured them as they kicked up the dirt in their quest.

“That’s good,” Frank told him with a smile. “That means this piece has to be recent. We’ll take my car back.”

Aiden’s mind whirled as they fastened the gate again and sauntered back toward the cars. One of the hands could return Aiden’s truck later. His cell hummed and showed a message from Maggie, telling him that the café was quite busy as a few of the regulars had stopped by, and that she was fine. She also told him not to worry.

Aiden felt a little easier. It was awful to think of Maggie all on her own, especially with that violent fucker on the loose. “I wish she’d let us call the sheriff,” he said, half to himself as they climbed into Frank’s pick-up.

“Me, too. But I can see why she won’t. Domestic abuse is hard to prove, and, if she didn’t report him when they were together, she’s got even less of a case now. Besides, I reckon this gives us the upper hand.” Frank was frowning.

“Well, I’d just like to get my hands on him.” Aiden was fuming at the idea of the fucker getting away with it.

“You’ll do nothing.” Frank spoke firmly as he drove off. “For now, you need to carry on as if nothing’s happened. You hardly know Maggie as far as Rossington’s concerned, and that’s what he needs to believe. Your sister just asked a local gal to come over and help out at your soiree. We don’t want him knowing any more than that.”

“He even told her to stay away from me.” Aiden huffed angrily.

“And that’s exactly what she’s gonna do.” Frank seemed to have it all worked out, and Aiden wished he had the old guy’s patience. “You can’t be seen anywhere near her. Understand?”

“But what about that crummy apartment of hers? She’s not safe there. D’you reckon he knows where she lives?” He felt sick in the pit of his stomach.

Frank put up a hand in a calming gesture. “We’ll find out soon enough,” he assured him.

They got out of the car by the ranch house.

“Ben’s here.” Aiden frowned, looking over at his brother’s blue pick-up.

“I need to make a quick call.” Frank was checking his cell. “I’ll catch up with you inside.”

Aiden waved a hand in acknowledgment and headed onto the porch. The smell of fresh bread welcomed him when he found his sister in the kitchen.

“You took your time.” Ben was sitting at the large table, watching Josie lift a tray of whole grain rolls from the oven.

Aiden grimaced as he took a seat opposite his brother. “That fuckwad hit her.”

Ben’s eyes widened. “Fuck! So that’s where he got to.”

“Oh my God, is she okay?” Josie looked upset as she removed her oven gloves.

“She said she is. She’s at work.” Aiden’s teeth were gritted. “Said there’s a few of the regulars in who’ll keep an eye on things.”

“Well, that’s good.” Josie placed an arm around Aiden’s shoulder, and he relished her warmth.

He managed a smile up at her. “You okay, sis?”

She nodded. “Just fine.”

“Well now, that’s interesting.” Frank appeared in the doorway, and Josie went to the counter to fetch more cups. “Turns out the burglary was documented, if you can call it that.”

Aiden looked up. “You managed to track it down?”

“Well, a couple of buddies in the attorney’s office did, with a little help from our friendly neighborhood sheriff.” He grinned. “Cam Taylor was the guy who filed it. No way of telling who did the job, though. He reckons the only fingerprints at the scene were Rossington’s and Maggie’s, which didn’t prove anything.”

“Or rather it did.” Aiden snorted as he took a swig of the coffee Josie had just poured out. “That guy’s either stupid or sly. We just need to figure out which.”

“Sounds like another guy I know.” Ben groaned. He glanced up at Frank. “Rossington didn’t make it home last night. Lorraine reckons he was out on another bender.”

Aiden felt the lump in his stomach grow even larger. “That’s what she thinks.”

“I don’t think she’s quite as dumb as she seems,” Ben replied. “When I saw her today, she was like a totally different woman. I reckon she acts differently when he’s around.”

“So you’ve been to see her?” Frank asked, surprised.

“Yeah. I thought I should do the neighborly thing and confess that one of our horses got loose on their land,” Ben said. “I was half-expecting Rossington to hit the roof, but he wasn’t there. Lorraine and I had tea in their conservatory. Did you know Martha’s got dementia, by the way?”

“I didn’t know.” Josie seemed shocked. “They always keep to themselves, so I don’t know much about them. I should have made more of an effort.”

“Come on, sis. We don’t go nosing about in other people’s business. That’s all.” Ben leaned forward and put a hand over hers.

Josie looked ready to cry. “I’m glad you went there today,” she told him, giving him a weak smile.

“So am I. That Lorraine Parry sure is something else. And I wouldn’t worry about not knowing about her mom. Lorraine wasn’t told, either. Came back for her Dad’s funeral to find Martha in that state. Seems the family hadn’t wanted to worry her while she’d been living abroad.” He shook his head. “Their own daughter.”

“That must have been awful.” Josie sniffed.

“Especially being next of kin,” Frank interjected. “That’ll be why the ranch has passed straight to her instead of Martha. Her mom won’t be considered of sound mind, poor thing.”

“Lorraine’s determined to look after her, though,” Ben said. “Sounds like Rossington mentioned putting her in a home, but Lorraine wouldn’t hear of it. The guy went mental. She really thought he was going to hit her.”

“Like he did to Maggie, you mean?” Aiden’s thoughts were never far from the blonde beauty, but today he couldn’t get her out of his head. The sight of her bruised face was almost unbearable, and he felt so guilty for not being with her now. He knew Frank was right, though. They had to bide their time instead of playing straight into Rossington’s hands.

“She’s managed to get some good help for Martha and has even had the house adapted a little to make it a bit easier for her to get around. She helped Martha organize all her things to make them more accessible and she tidied out a whole lot of stuff that had been piling up in the house. She’s real pleased with the results. Martha seems a lot happier, too,” Ben went on as they drank their coffee.

“Well, that’s good to know.” Josie seemed a little relieved. “I should go around and see if there’s anything I can do. Perhaps I could help with the wedding preparations?”

Ben snickered. “I wouldn’t hurry on that score, sis. Lorraine’s not in any rush to walk up the aisle with that dumbass.”

Josie stared at him. “Really? I mean, I know they didn’t seem all that close the other night, but I thought that was just because they were in company. You think she might not marry him?”

“Time will tell on that one.” Ben chuckled. “Right now, I think Lorraine’s more concerned with finding out what Rossington’s real intentions are.”

“He seemed pretty keen on selling off that patch of land,” Aiden remarked. “You think he’s faking it?”

“Oh no, he wants us to buy the field, all right. Seems he’s pretty keen to sell a lot more than just that small area, though. Lorraine says he’s been looking into selling off the entire spread, though he’s got no idea she’s found out about it.”

Frank smirked as he got up to go. “Something tells me that girl’s a whole lot smarter than we gave her credit for,” he remarked. “Wouldn’t surprise me if she’s actually got her own agenda.”

* * * *

Maggie took one last glance in the hallway mirror before leaving home the next morning. It had taken a ton of makeup to cover the bruise on her face, which was almost black now, but she had done her best.

As she stepped out of the building and into the street, she felt a thud of dread in her stomach. That feeling that she was being watched hadn’t left her all night, and she was convinced she wasn’t alone as she strutted toward the busier streets.

“Morning, Aiden.” She was relieved when her cell went off and she heard his cheerful voice.

“Are you okay? Where are you?” He sounded worried.

“Yeah. I’m almost on High Street.” She instinctively looked behind her. She couldn’t be sure whether there was someone there, standing in the doorway of one of the derelict houses.

“Maggie?” She wasn’t certain how many times Aiden had called her name, but the urgency in his voice suggested this wasn’t the first.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, just…” She quickened her step and breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the main street.

“Maggie? What is it? Are you okay, darlin’?” Aiden was frantic.

“Yeah, yeah… Honestly, I’m fine. I just thought for a minute that—”

“Is someone following you?”

“I’m not sure. I’m on High Street now anyhow. I haven’t got far to go, and there are a few people around here, so I think it’s okay.” She tried to keep the tremble out of her voice in her efforts to reassure him.

“I can be there in twenty minutes, Maggie. I’ll—”

“No, really, it’s fine. You know what Frank said. It’s best to try to act normal for a while, let the dust settle.” She was almost running down the street and the café was just around the next bend. “I’m here now.”

“Are you sure?”

She could already hear the quiet purr of Aiden’s engine and guessed he was true to his word.

“Yes, I’m certain.” She put the key in the lock and felt herself relax a little. The familiar smell of coffee and yeast filled her senses, and she quickly got to work. “I’m here. I’m at work,” she told him, trying not to pant over the phone.

“Okay. You just call me if you need me, darlin’.” Aiden had obviously cut the engine, and she heard him open his car door. “I’ll have my cell with me the whole time. Make sure you do, too.”

“I will.” She smiled, touched at his concern. He really did seem to care for her, and she felt a warm glow in her stomach that eased the lump which had settled there.

It was actually quite busy, and she was glad to be kept on her toes. She knew she’d be exhausted by tonight, though. It had sure been an eventful couple of days.

“Morning.” Frank arrived toward lunchtime and plunked himself at the counter in front of her.

“Hi there.” She smiled at him, remembering his advice about pretending not to know him. “What can I get you?”

“Is that donuts I can smell?” He smiled, looking toward the kitchen area.

“Sure is.” She grinned. Frank was a kind man, and she wondered whether he hadn’t just popped in to check up on her. Although Aiden wouldn’t be coming himself in case Robert heard about it, she wouldn’t have put it past him to have called Frank and asked him to stop by.

She placed a fresh donut and a cup of coffee in front of him.

Frank pulled out his wallet.

“Oh, no, it’s on the house,” she assured him in a whisper.

“No, no. I don’t want you getting into trouble on my behalf,” the old guy insisted, pulling out some cash. “Besides, if you’re going to keep your job around here, you need to prove to your boss that it’s a viable business. Aiden told me,” he murmured conspiratorially, clearly noticing her surprised expression.

Something dropped onto the counter along with his money, and Maggie frowned at it. “What’s that?”

Frank looked down in surprise and picked up the scrap of rubbish.

“Is it yours?” She felt that sick feeling return to her stomach as she stared at the piece of paper.

“Nope. Do you know what it is?” He stared at her curiously and offered it to her.

She didn’t need to touch it to know exactly what it was.

“It’s from a cigar band.” A vision of a particularly bad row flashed in front of her eyes. “Ever heard of Louixs?”

Frank looked stunned. “They’ve got to be about the most expensive smokes in the world. Who in hell uses them around here?”

“I’ll give you one guess.” Robert had insisted on smoking the best, even when they’d been up to their eyes in debt. Apparently it was the preferred house cigar of the Beverly Hills Cigar Club, and he figured if it was good enough for them, it was good enough for him. Not that he was, or ever had been, a member of the Beverly Hills Cigar Club, mind you. They would never have let him in!