They exchanged small talk for a while then Fiona said to Samantha, “I have to ask a question that’s been bothering me. Do you think Tillie would set fire to the bunkhouse to scare me away?”
Samantha took her time replying, sipping her wine. None of the three of them spoke while they waited. Jake had to admire Fiona. She had the gumption to ask the tough questions. She could be the dispassionate observer and investigator.
Finally, Sammie said, “Tillie is all bark. She makes threats, says awful things, but I don’t think she’d carry out the threats.” She paused. “Howie is another story. He is sometimes so far gone on alcohol he gets violent, and then remembers nothing the next day. Tillie has the bruises to prove it. I think he could do something like that in a drunken rage. But I’m not sure he would have the smarts to pull off such a slick deal as the fire. Opal said it happened fast. Howie is not fast when he’s drunk.”
Fiona said, “I had to ask. I don’t mean to cast blame, but I’m determined to find out who’s behind this. I’m looking under all the rocks.”
Jake smiled. “She’s a pretty good detective so you better watch out.”
Sammie said, “I’m glad someone is using a scientific approach. Frankly, I’d say Tillie and Howie are right up there at the top of the suspect list. She’s my own sister, but I’m tired of trying to cover for her. That’s another reason I decided to drive down here and see what was going on for myself.”
Fiona filled up the glasses again, and they launched into a serious who-done-it discussion.
About midnight Jake stepped out onto the back patio. One of the dogs was barking in the distance, and he wanted to investigate. The girls were still going strong. Olympia had come back about an hour ago and was regaling them with stories of fabulous ranches for sale, some for millions of dollars. She had also brought a new friend along, a man she introduced as Paul, who she had found somewhere in town.
He headed for the corral and the hay shed and the sound of the barking dog. The way was lit by starlight and a half moon. Glory was supposed to be on watch tonight. Jake needed to turn in pretty soon since there’d be another long cattle drive in the morning, except it was already morning.
All was still and silent except for the lone barking of the dog. The wind had died down. Jake circled the corral, and the smell of the horses drifted by. They had only two horses in training, since they were cutting back on the horse operation. They used fewer these days now that ATVs could go just about any place a horse could go, and they were much less temperamental. He liked horses but he liked bulls better, and he loved the bull operation. He used to bull ride in the rodeos in his younger days. The last rodeo he had gone to with his buddies was back east last year and that was when he had met the amazing Ms. Marlowe. His life had not been the same since. He had spent the year pining for her. Now she was back, and he was lusting after her. He shook his head. He had a bad case, and he knew it, and he hoped it wouldn’t be his ruination. Half the time he couldn’t think straight when she was around.
The dog seemed to be at the hay shed beyond the corral. It was a pretty night, and it felt good to stretch his legs. The barking kept on, and he followed the sound. He spotted the white outline of one of the Pyrenees standing in the corner of the hay shed where there was a stack of old hay. The barking settled into low growls, and the dog turned his massive head toward Jake.
Jake broke into a trot and pulled out a LED flash light from his second best vest since his favorite was now burned tatters. The dog pranced back and forth. It was Earl the sniffer, ever on the scent of things. Jake hoped it was just a rabbit having a little feed on old alfalfa.
But it wasn’t. His flashlight caught sight of an overturned can of gasoline on the ground in front of Earl. He flashed the light around the shed.
“Where’d he go, boy?”
Earl growled. He wished he could understand dog growls better.
He flashed the light to the top of the hay bales but saw nothing. He walked around the back of the shed and flashed the light into the brush. Nothing. Whoever it was hadn’t had a chance to set a match to the gasoline before he took off.
Twelve
Fiona cleaned up the kitchen while Opal went off to find Sammie a place to lay her head. Olympia had retreated with Paul and a nightcap to the TV room to watch Hallmark re-runs of her novels. Fiona worried her way along the kitchen counters, wiping them down and collecting glasses for the dishwasher. In her opinion Opal was overdoing it. She had another treatment in the morning, but it was already morning. Opal wasn’t getting enough sleep. She wouldn’t slow down, and she had a truckload of worries of her own. Fiona chided herself. She wasn’t Opal’s mother. She should stop worrying.
Sammie was a sweetheart. Amazingly different from her sister. Fiona had no siblings and had always found sisters in her friends. Olympia was a prime example. She could be over the top sometimes, but Fiona loved her like a sister. They had met when Fiona had redesigned Olympia’s sprawling house in McLean, Virginia. In the years since they had shared many adventures, but this one might make number one on the list.
What had happened to Jake? Another person to worry about. He had gone off to see why the dog was barking. She turned off the kitchen lights and went out on the back patio to see if she could see him. Maybe he had gone to bed.
The stars overhead were incredible. There were millions, billions of them. She arched her back looking at the display. Points of light like a bristling pin cushion covered the heavens. What a place this was. She never saw the stars in the city. Why would anyone ever want to leave here? Why would she want to leave? Because she needed to work and there wasn’t much here. She could always take Jake up on his offer though he might not get this beautiful ranch and then what. Would she want to stay up on her little knoll looking down on Tillie’s house? She realized then that overlooking Jake’s house had been part of the attraction of having the place on the knoll.
A horse out in the pasture whinnied. Another answered. Was that the sound of a horse’s hooves on the gravel lane? Had one of them gotten loose? She hurried around the side of the house and in the light of the stars she saw a man coming in the lane on horseback. At this time of night? She waited, watching, unsure what to do. Then she realized it was Jake on his pinto and behind him trotted one of the big white dogs. He pulled up beside her and dismounted. He was riding bareback with nothing more than a rope on the horse. The big white dog stood by, sniffing the breeze.
“What are you doing?” Fiona asked.
“I’m investigating why someone wanted to set fire to our hay shed. The dog was barking over a spilled can of gasoline.”
“Oh, no,” said Fiona. “Was there fire?”
Jake shook his head. “No. Whoever it was didn’t have time to strike the match. I’ve been riding around trying to find tracks or a rig or horses or an ATV. I’ve found nothing. I’m beginning to think this is an inside job. I haven’t been able to find Glory, and the other dog is missing.”
“This is awful,” Fiona said. She went to Jake and put her arm around his waist. “I’m so sorry. This is terrible. Do you think Glory tried to set the fire and ran off? Maybe someone paid him to do it. He doesn’t seem the type that would think that up by himself.”
“I don’t know. Most of these guys really need a job. If someone is paying him, it’s worth more than a job here. I’m on my way to the new bunkhouse to see who is there. I’ll have a serious talk with the three of them, that is, if Glory is still here.”
“What do you know about Glory and his background?”
“He’s a good worker. He came recommended from another rancher who had hired him as temporary labor. He’s been with us since the beginning of the year. It’s hard to get good background on some of these guys. They drift from ranch to ranch, coming and going for a variety of reasons. They range all over the region from California to Nevada to Idaho.” He ran a hand around his face. “I don’t know what to think.”