Chapter Two
It was even worse than he’d imagined.... Cauy shook his head as he looked up at the leaden sky through what had once been the roof of the pigsty. He was good with his hands and could repair the outbuildings eventually, but it was going to take him a long while to bring the ranch back to what it had once been.
He picked up some of the wooden planks and stacked them against the door, as if that would make a difference. He’d grab a coffee and take the truck out to check the perimeter fencing. It was a job all ranchers hated, but was also the most important one. Not that he had anything to keep within the boundaries of the property except some old memories. But he had plans for the place, and some money set aside for stock when he needed it, which was why the fence had to work.
The sound of an engine laboring up the hill made Cauy step out into the yard. As far as he knew, no one was expecting him, but that didn’t mean his arrival hadn’t been noticed. Small towns were the same wherever you lived.
The white truck belonged to the sheriff’s department and he relaxed his stance. He’d forgotten how to look friendly, so concentrated on looking like a dependable citizen as the uniformed man got out of the driver’s seat.
“Hey,” Cauy called out. “Can I help you?”
“Good morning.” The guy came toward Cauy. He looked slightly familiar. “I’m Nate Turner, the deputy sheriff. I had a call that lights were seen up here, and came to check it out.”
Morgan Valley was obviously still not a crime hot spot if the sheriff had time to investigate every call he received. Cauy stuck out his hand. “I’m Cauy Lymond. Mark’s son.”
Nate shook his hand. “I thought you looked familiar. Long time since you’ve been around here though, right?”
“Yup, about fourteen years.”
“Where were you based?”
Cauy didn’t normally like answering so many questions, but Nate Turner was the law around these parts.
“Texas. I worked in the oil industry.”
“Yeah?” Nate smiled. “I just came back from a wedding over there. It’s beautiful cattle country.”
Cauy didn’t allow himself to get distracted and focused on the present. “I think we were at school together.”
“Possibly, or it might have been one of my siblings. We’re a big family. Like the Morgans.” Nate looked around at the dilapidated buildings, his expression dubious. “You planning on staying here?”
“I came to take stock of the place. My dad left the ranch directly to me. I’m not sure whether it’s worth saving right now.”
Nate took off his hat and scratched his head. “Yeah . . . it looks like you have a bit to do.” The deputy sheriff was obviously a born diplomat, which probably helped in his job. “I thought the Morgans offered to buy it from your father, but I might be wrong. You should check in with Chase. He’s the one with all the money these days and he’s a great guy.”
“So I hear.” Cauy kept his opinion of the Morgans to himself. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“No problem.” Nate handed Cauy his card. “If you need anything, or have any problems with vandalism, or pot growing on your land let me know.”
“People grow weed out here?” Cauy asked. “And I thought this place was still living in the past.”
“You’d be surprised.” Nate grimaced. “It might feel remote, but we’re not that far from some of the biggest cities in California. We don’t get a lot of violent crime, but it’s definitely on the increase.”
“Good to know.” Cauy nodded. “Thanks for stopping by.”
“You’re welcome.” Nate hesitated. “If you ever fancy having a drink there’s a group of us old-timers who meet up in the Red Dragon Bar every Friday night. You’d be more than welcome to join us.”
“I doubt I’ll have much time to socialize, but thanks for the information.”
He didn’t drink anymore either, but that wasn’t something he shared with just anybody. He’d managed to sound like a regular human being for at least a few minutes. His mom would be proud....
“You’re welcome. Have a great day.” Nate got back into his truck, backed up, and set off down the road again, leaving Cauy to the blessed silence. He watched the truck until it disappeared from view, and wondered who’d ratted him out. His only neighbors were the Morgans. Seeing as they were after his land he wouldn’t be surprised if they were already keeping tabs on it.
He decided to carry on with his plan to inspect the fence line. After that he’d probably be forced to go back to Morgantown for more provisions and gas, which meant two interactions with other people in one day.
“Whoop-dee-whoop,” Cauy murmured as he found his truck keys. “Next thing you know I’ll be hosting a ball.”
* * *
“You sure you want to do this, Rachel?”
Blue Morgan checked the horse’s saddle girth for the fifth time and turned toward her, a frown on his face.
“Yes. I can take a picture of anything that looks broken and text it to you.” Rachel put on her gloves and allowed Blue to boost her up into the saddle. She gathered the reins and looked down into her brother’s worried blue eyes. “Seriously, I’ll be fine. You and Roy have enough to do today dealing with the last of the guests without having to check out those fences.”
He still looked concerned, and she carried on talking.
“I’ve got my phone, my backup phone, and more warm gear than I’d need to climb Everest. It’s a straight ride up to the mine, and if I follow the fence line I can’t get lost.”
“As long as it doesn’t snow. That can turn you around real quick,” Blue countered, and then sighed. “Just call me if there is even the slightest problem, okay?”
“Will do, Big Brother.”
She grinned down at him. As a retired marine he hated things happening out of his control. If she’d known him growing up she figured she would never have had a boyfriend because he would’ve scared them all away.
He returned her smile. “Yeah, I know I’m a mite overprotective. It drives Jenna nuts. I’m working on it.”
Rachel blew him a kiss as he untied her sweet-tempered horse, Petunia—named by Roy—and stepped back.
“I’ll be careful, BB. I promise.”
She headed out into the weak winter sunshine and followed the ranch road upward toward higher ground. She could’ve gone by the creek, but the water was freezing and picking her way through the boulders while worrying about falling off would not have made her journey very pleasant. It was nice to be out of the house in the crisp, clear air.
Roy thought someone had been tampering with the fence surrounding the abandoned silver mine so Rachel had volunteered to go and check it out. The fence had only recently been put in so there was no reason to suppose it had simply fallen into disrepair. Chase was terrified that someone would get into the old mine and end up dead, which Rachel knew wasn’t exactly unheard of.
She was dying to take a closer look at the mine works herself, and had added her hard hat and safety gear to her saddlebags when Blue wasn’t looking. Chase had already asked her advice about the structure and safety of the place so she wasn’t trespassing or anything. She had a map of where the family thought the shafts were located, and of each branch of tunnels, but no one was really sure what was down there.
Chase said it was too dangerous and was checking into new technology that could go down the shafts, and allow him to take a look without human involvement. Although Rachel knew he was right, she still wanted to see the place for herself. It was part of the town’s history. Most of the families who settled in Morgantown had been involved in the mine at some point, and local interest in the place was high. Which was probably why people constantly tried to break in....
Determined not to get lost, she obediently followed the fence line up to the high plateau where the mine buildings had once stood. There wasn’t much to see anymore in the barren landscape. The original pioneers had stripped out the forest, losing the topsoil and creating their very own California dust bowl in the process.
From what she could see so far, the new fence looked fine, but there was at least another half a mile of it to examine on the far side of the mine.
When she reached the boarded-up entrance with its huge DANGER DO NOT ENTER signs she couldn’t resist stopping and dismounting. The door was still padlocked and appeared in good shape. Rachel closed her eyes and tried to imagine what the place had looked like a hundred years ago. She’d have to ask January if there were any old photos.
She walked around to the left side where the foundations of a building remained and stopped. There was an almighty crack in the ground, which she was fairly certain hadn’t been there when she’d visited in the spring. It was about two feet across at its widest and stayed that way as far as she could see it. The valley did have the occasional earthquake so it was possible the shake had unsettled things down below.
“This is not good,” Rachel murmured as she followed the zigzagging line toward the boundary fence she was supposed to be checking. The crack was narrowing rapidly. “I guess this might be why the fence is down.”
She considered going back for her horse, but it wasn’t raining, and she wasn’t planning on going farther than the fence. She’d take some pictures, text Blue, and leave it at that. Keeping her gaze on the fracture she walked through the thin grass toward the wire encircling the area of the mine. The crack was definitely getting smaller, but it was still worrying.
“Ah. There it is.”
One of the fence posts had collapsed sideways into the fault, pulling the coils of wire down with it. Rachel dug out her cell phone and took a few quick pictures, stepping over the fence to where the fault line continued off into the next field.
“Hey!”
Rachel almost dropped her phone as a shadow fell over her. She clutched it to her chest and glared at the idiot who had shouted at her.
“Who the hell are you?” Rachel gasped.
The unknown cowboy raised an eyebrow. “You’re trespassing.”
Rachel glanced down at her booted feet. “I’m about a yard over the boundary line, and I’m obviously checking out the damaged fence.”
“You’re still on my land.”
Rachel took a step back and elaborately climbed over the downed wire. “Happy now?”
“Yeah.”
She still couldn’t see much of his face under the brim of his brown cowboy hat and upturned collar. Not that she wanted to as he obviously had the major grouchies.
“Tell the Morgans to fix this fence, okay?”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Why do you think I’m here?” She hoped he got the silent dumbass she’d added to her question. “It will be fixed as soon as someone can get up here and do it.”
“You didn’t come prepared?”
Rachel considered his question, which she supposed was a valid one, but still made her feel inadequate. “I don’t know how to fix a fence.”
He snorted and half turned away from her.
She pointed at his pickup, which was parked reasonably close. “I suppose you’ve got all the right tools in your truck?”
“Yeah, sure I do. But I don’t work for the Morgans, and I can’t afford the time to do it for free.”
“Wow. That’s very neighborly of you.” Rachel was getting cross now. “I’ll tell Roy not to bother with the rest of the boundary with your land that we’ve been ‘fixing’ for you for the last two years.”
“I didn’t ask anyone to do that.”
“No, but you didn’t have to, did you?” Rachel gave him her sweetest smile. “We just did it because we’re nice. Have a lovely day, won’t you?”
She stomped back the way she’d come. What a rude, ignorant slob! She had been about to apologize, but his grumpy attitude hadn’t exactly encouraged her. She supposed she should be glad that he hadn’t pulled a gun and shot her like in the good old days. As far as she knew, the ranch next door to the Morgans was not only empty, but up for sale, so who was the guy who’d claimed the land as his own? She hadn’t been at Morgan Ranch long enough to know everything going on, so she’d check in with Ruth, who was totally up on all the local gossip.
She sent a text to BB with the photos attached and warned him to be careful around the mine. After managing to mount the patient Petunia without a block or a boost, she put her phone away and made sure of her bearings before setting off back the way she’d come. Behind her, she heard the distant sound of a truck, and assumed it was the cowboy going off to make someone else’s day miserable.
The fence line wasn’t going to be a problem. The real issue was what was going on below the surface. The cracks carried through into the next ranch, and the mine workings probably did as well. She tried to imagine telling Cowboy Grumpy Ass that if he wasn’t careful his precious land might disappear beneath his feet.
Mind you, being there when that happened and watching him disappear in a cloud of dust did have some appeal.... Rachel grinned and clicked to her horse. She’d tell Chase about the condition of the mine when he came back and let him decide what he wanted to do next.
* * *
“Some dude told you to get off their land?” Blue repeated Rachel’s statement, his blue eyes narrowed, his fingers flexing as if he was looking for a handy weapon. “Who the hell was it?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask him.” Rachel sipped her iced tea. She was sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by Morgans who were all finishing up dinner. “He wasn’t exactly being pleasant about it.”
BB half rose from his seat. “Well, we’ll see about that—”
“Sit.” Ruth hauled him down by the elbow. “Let Rachel finish the story.”
BB did as his grandma said, but he obviously wasn’t happy.
His daughter Maria shushed him with a reproving glance. “Be quiet, Dad. I want to hear what happened next.”
BB sighed and folded his arms across his chest. “Go on, then, I’m all ears.”
“What did he look like?” Billy asked Rachel, his expression troubled.
“It was hard to tell. He was all bundled up in a big coat, and his hat shaded his face.” Rachel considered the image in her head. “He definitely wasn’t old, and his accent wasn’t from around here.” He’d had a slow drawl that reminded her of Texas.
“I wonder if it’s one of the Lymond boys?” Billy turned to Ruth. “There were two of them, right? Cauy and Jackson.”
Ruth nodded. “That’s right. They had a little sister called Amy. Amy moved to Florida with Anita when she left Mark, and the older boy went earlier when he was a teenager.”
“I thought Mark Lymond put the place up for sale?” BB asked. “Chase was all set to buy it, but his lawyer said no thanks.”
“Mark Lymond never liked us,” Billy reminisced. “He was always complaining about something. Sounds like his son is just the same.”
“Remember when Mark called out Jenna in front of the whole town?” Blue said. “He was afraid of a female vet doctoring his livestock, and tried to make out she wasn’t properly qualified.”
BB scowled at his father. He obviously wasn’t prepared to let the matter go, and knowing how protective he was of Jenna, Rachel wasn’t surprised. In fact, considering Blue’s military career it was amazing that Mark Lymond had survived speaking ill of BB’s fiancée at all....
“If the poor boy is stuck up there all by himself, no wonder he’s miserable.” Ruth put her mug down on the table. “Jean Turner goes over there every month to check the house is still standing, and she said it’s a bit of a dump. We’ll have to go and welcome him home.”
“Welcome him?” BB raised his eyebrows. “He was rude to Rachel, and his father sucked ass. I’m more inclined to go over there and tell him to keep a civil tongue in his head or he’ll have me to reckon with.”
“Which is why you’re not invited,” Ruth said firmly. She looked at Rachel. “How about you and I go up there this afternoon and give him a proper welcome home?”
“If you really think it’s a good idea.” Rachel made a face. “I’m not sure he’ll want to see me on his land again, but I definitely don’t want you going up there by yourself.”
“Which is why I should come with you,” BB interrupted again. “I’ll make sure he behaves himself.”
“I’ll come,” Billy said quietly. “I haven’t got anything to do this afternoon. If it is one of Mark’s sons, he might remember me.”
“Great.” Ruth stood up. “Now let me see what I have in the freezer. . . .” She disappeared off into the pantry still talking to herself.
BB leaned in toward Rachel and lowered his voice. “If he steps out of line, you let me know, okay?”
“Will do.” Rachel nodded. “But I think Ruth and Billy will handle it.”
She also rose to her feet and started clearing the plates. Going to see the grumpiest cowboy in the valley wasn’t her idea of a fun afternoon. Knowing Ruth and her low tolerance for bad manners, she suspected that if he stepped out of line he might not enjoy the encounter much either.