Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
W aking up earlier than Reilly wasn't difficult. He clearly wasn’t on ranch time. After feeding the animals, she rode to town. She would arrive just as the bank opened. Maybe it was crazy getting the trailer before the land.
Scatterbrained, she was definitely scatterbrained. She tucked the check into her purse and walked to the grocery store, Daily Provisions. They sold much more than groceries. But all she wanted right now was a newspaper.
Betty Wilkins approached her from behind as she was paying for the paper.
“We'll be thrilled once the new clinic is done. With so much land, we’ll be able to have a barn for horses. Do you know when it’ll be finished? West paid us for the next four weeks.” A smile graced Betty's face. “It’s a good thing, right?”
Betty always had such a positive attitude toward life.
“It’s a good thing.” Lynne offered a quick smile then made a hasty exit. She knew exactly where West planned to build his new clinic. On her grandfather’s land. He’d heaped insult upon insult on her. Was he aware of the pain it caused? Probably. But he showed no concern.
Brushing away a tear, she hopped on her bike. The quickest route to the McKeegans led across her grandpa's property. Unwilling to do that, she chose the longer path.
The heartache grew stronger with each passing minute. What bull was Stewart McKeegan accusing her of killing? She’d thought he didn’t want her on his property due to the way she and Reilly had broken up. Somehow, Stewart had placed the blame on her. He held grudges, but she doubted he'd fabricate a story about her and a bull.
Reaching the driveway was such a relief. She could restrain herself no more. Removing her helmet was all she could do before collapsing. There were hurts and then there were heart-wrenching, deep hurts.
She managed to get off the bike and grab the newspaper. Going into the house wasn’t an option. Reilly couldn’t see her like this. She’d rather ride out of town than see pity in his eyes.
She went into an empty stall, sat in the corner, and wept. One good cry and she’d figure out a solution, she promised herself. She erupted in a torrent of sobs. One good long cry. Then she’d be fine.
She’d lost everything she once possessed. She’d have to call and cancel the purchase of the trailer. Her sparse belongings would be boxed and sent to her new home upon her arrival. She could take enough in her backpack to get her by until then.
“Lynne?”
If only the earth could swallow her. Her face was most likely red and swollen. She hastily dried her eyes, using her sleeve.
“I’m in here.”
As the stall door opened, his worried expression nearly caused her to cry again.
“I’m just reading the paper,” she told him. Her attempt at cheer failed; she knew he wasn't deceived.
He hesitated a moment, then sat down next to her.
“I’ll take a section, if you don’t mind. I bet reading in here is peaceful.” He held out his hand, and she handed him the sports section.
He leaned back against the stall wall and opened the paper. He pretended to read it.
“Must be a bad day for news,” he mentioned, trying to sound casual.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her stiffen. He turned the page and stared at the paper some more.
“Do you want to share the news with me?” Sounding sweet was not his forte. He much preferred questioning witnesses on the stand. Straight forward, to the point, aggressive even.
She was silent for so long, he thought she wasn’t going to answer.
“Things just aren’t— I don’t know. I found out a few things in town I didn’t know, is all.” She avoided making eye contact with him.
“Sometimes going into town isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I mean, you might get gussied up and expect a fun time, but it isn’t fun.” Where was he going with this?
“I wasn’t expecting a fun time.” She stared at the paper again.
“How can I help?”
With a sigh, she folded the paper and placed it beside her. Her eyes were so puffy from crying.
“West bought my grandfather’s land. He plans to build a clinic there. I’m so stupid. I thought he sold the practice, but he didn’t. He lied to me. He's taken every single thing that was ever important to me. I went to the clinic daily, completely unaware of what was happening. I’m a good vet, Reilly. I really am. I wasn’t even on this ranch when the bull died. It’s just been one thing after another, and I’m sorry I’m a crying mess.”
He slid closer beside her, wrapped an arm around her, drawing her into a hug. He’d rather be talking to—no yelling at—West, but Lynne needed him. A jolt shot through his heart. The last time she’d been in his arms was little more than three years ago. She’d left him and then blocked him. It had cut deep.
“Lynne, you can take your time moving out. You don’t need added stress now.”
Pulling away, she gazed into his eyes. “I bought a place, but I need help.”
Bought a place? He schooled his features into a neutral expression. “What can I do?”
“I bought a trailer, and, well, I don’t have anywhere to put it.” Quickly, she glanced away.
“There’s more. What is it?”
“I need someone to move the trailer before Sunday onto land I don’t have. I don’t know what I was thinking. Well, actually, I thought if I did everything one step at a time?—”
“You? Not plan ahead? I mean every little detail.”
She winced. “I’m not like that anymore. My life isn’t like that. Being a vet has changed me. I had to learn to roll with changes. I do admit this move has been done in a panic. I mean, I needed a place to live and there isn’t anything in town. I figured I could rent land, but the seller of the trailer wants the money today.”
“Were you even planning to stay in Tyrone?”
“No, that’s why I bought the paper. I need to find land to rent. If I didn’t see anything in the paper, I was going to ask to use your computer.”
“I have plenty of land, and you can be near your zoo—” His lips kicked up into a lopsided smile. “I mean animals. I'll arrange for the trailer’s transport here, and I’ll call a couple of people to get you hooked up with electricity and water. Nothing permanent, of course. It’ll give you plenty of time to figure out what you want to do.”
She awkwardly hugged him, and he gently kissed the top of her head.
“I need to wash my face and then go pay for the trailer. I’ll be back this afternoon.” She stood and brushed hay off her jeans. Turning, she faced him. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” In an instant, she was gone.
He pondered her situation and the rumors surrounding her. A dead bull? He didn’t remember seeing anything on the ranch financial statements about a dead bull. There were livestock losses all the time, but a prized bull would be accounted for in the financials. He frowned. He needed to talk to his brother, Stewart. None of this made sense. Stewart didn’t want Lynne on the ranch because of how she broke things off. He was just being the protective brother.
There were some missing pieces of information.