Chapter 28
The day dragged on, moving painfully slow.
Dillon tried three separate times to saddle a horse so she could ride out and put up the other game cameras.
But every time she even thought about going out on her own, the sound of the bullet ricocheting off the rock near her went through her mind.
On the heels of that were the shots fired into her kitchen.
Dillon shook uncontrollably each time those memories assaulted her. She hated the fear that had nestled comfortably within her. Panic immobilized her. She feared being killed. She feared losing Cal forever. She feared his betrayal. She feared losing everything.
Worse, she found herself looking for Cal, seeking his security and the comfort she’d found in his arms.
Only to remember what had led to her demanding he leave her property—and her life.
Despite her order, she wasn’t sure that he was involved.
Nor could she be sure that he wasn’t. He had a connection to Hank, and everything had started with Cal’s arrival.
It was only natural for her to blame him.
She could’ve demanded to look through his things for the deeds, but who was to say that he hadn’t given them to someone else?
Why hadn’t she looked through his things?
Because she hadn’t wanted to know. For a short while, she had found happiness she’d never thought could be hers.
Even now, she wanted to call Cal because she had felt safe with him.
Yet . . . so much doubt lingered about his loyalty that it prevented her from contacting him.
Dillon had gone over all of this a million times, yet she was no closer to having an answer than when she’d gotten off the phone with Dolly’s attorney, Walter Jessup.
Her call to him had given her a wealth of information, the most important being that the Bar 4 ranch sat atop a blue topaz mine.
When Walter told her that, she had known instantly why Hank wanted her ranch so badly.
Somehow, she’d managed to do her work, though she looked over her shoulder constantly. Everything took twice as long because terror had her in its grip. Emmett and Dusty steered clear of her, and she was thankful. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to ask her where Cal was.
It was much earlier than usual when she finally ended her day.
She’d had all she could handle and sought the comfort of her home.
Dillon went to each window, shutting the blinds and closing the curtains, making sure there wasn’t even the tiniest of cracks to see through.
Then she went upstairs to take a shower.
The moment she entered her room, her gaze went to the bed, the sheets still rumpled from her night with Cal.
Anger—at him for betraying her, at herself for being so stupid as to fall for him—welled up, choking her.
Dillon strode to the bed and yanked the duvet to the floor.
Tears clouded her eyes as she pulled at the sheets while memories flashed in her mind of the tender, amazing night she’d spent in Cal’s arms.
“Ahhhhh!” she screamed as she got the last corner of the sheet off.
She wadded up the material and tossed it toward the door, where it landed with a soft thump. Dillon covered her face with her hands and sank onto the bed. The more she tried to hold back the tears, the faster they came. Finally, she gave in and let the dam break.
She curled on her side, bringing her knees up to her chest as she placed one palm on the mattress, unable to hold back the memories of Cal—or the feelings that had begun to grow for him.
Was she destined to continue giving her heart to the wrong men? Had she done something in a past life to be punished in such a heinous fashion? What was it that made her fall for men who had the potential to destroy her life? Why? Why did it have to be Cal?
Dillon opened her mouth with a silent scream as the tears came faster.
She thought herself a keen businesswoman, but she continued to fail at relationships.
Although, was this one her fault? It had barely even begun.
Besides, he was the one who had betrayed her.
She’d merely managed to find out before he could do more.
And to think . . . she had trusted him completely.
She had even invited him into her home. Her bed!
She sniffed and rolled onto her back to look up at the ceiling. It didn’t matter how magical the night before had been, she had discovered Cal’s true colors. They had been there all along. She was the one who had chosen not to see them. She was the fool.
Dillon wiped at her eyes and parted her lips so she could breathe since her nose was now clogged.
She wiped at her face, then got up from the bed and removed her clothes.
After a quick shower, she drew a bath. She reclined in the water, her mind drifting from one thought to another, like frogs hopping from lily pad to lily pad.
Only when her skin began to wrinkle did she rise from the water.
She toweled off, uncaring that her hair, wet from the shower, was drying without product.
Dillon put on a pair of lounge pants and a tank top and left the room without looking at the unmade bed.
She turned off the lights, figuratively closing the door on Cal and the memories of their night together.
Dillon stood facing the open fridge for ten minutes, trying to find something that sounded good to eat.
She gave up and sat on the sofa, but no matter how many channels she looked through, she couldn’t find anything that held her attention.
She finally gave up and tossed the remote aside, uncaring what was on the television.
She reclined on the couch and stared at the far wall until she heard her alarm the next morning.
She leaned over to the coffee table and turned off the alarm.
Even though she told herself not to look, she checked her texts.
There was nothing from Cal, and that only made her feel worse.
Dillon dropped her head back onto the arm of the sofa.
She had only spent days with Cal. Yet, somehow, he’d made a bigger impact on her life than the years she’d spent with her husband. How was that even possible?
There was no way she could feel more for Cal than she had her ex. It wasn’t feasible. Sure, they might have said it felt as if they had known each other for their entire lives, but that was just a saying. Wasn’t it?
The more she thought about it, the more unsure she was.
From the instant Cal had opened his eyes after she’d cocked the shotgun, until he had driven away the day before, she hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that it had been predestined for him to come into her life when she needed someone the most.
She had trusted him—more than Emmett or anyone.
Dillon no longer believed her instincts were reliable.
How could she after being so wrong about Cal?
All this time, she had believed that he’d saved her from being shot.
Now, she couldn’t help but think that maybe it was all a setup to ingratiate himself to her.
And it had worked.
Had he not pushed her to the side and prevented the bullet from reaching her, she would’ve sent him packing. The fact that he had pulled her to safety had prompted her to hire him. That and the fact that she needed the help.
“I’m such a damn fool,” she murmured and squeezed her eyes shut.
A man never would’ve fallen for that. But send in a good-looking cowboy with a charming smile and eyes that looked through to her soul, and Dillon had all but handed him her ranch on a silver platter.
The more Dillon thought about it, the angrier she became. After everything Dolly had sacrificed to keep the ranch. After all she had sacrificed. Dillon couldn’t believe she had come so close to losing it all because of a man.
Dillon rolled to a sitting position and shoved her hair out of her face.
She pushed to her feet and trudged up the stairs for clothes.
Her eyes stung from the tears and lack of sleep.
She made the mistake of rubbing them, which only made them burn worse.
Every blink was like sandpaper. She dug through her medicine cabinet and found an old bottle of eye drops.
Dillon tilted her head back and squeezed a couple of beads into each eye.
Then she stood there with her eyes closed, letting the medicine take effect.
When she next opened her eyes, they felt marginally better.
She blew out a breath, puffing her cheeks as she put a glob of toothpaste on her brush and cleaned her teeth.
Once that chore was finished, she removed her clothes and dressed for the day.
She raked her fingers through her hair and French braided it to get it off her neck.
As she walked out of the bedroom, her eyes skated to the bed. An image of her and Cal waking up the previous morning, laughing and talking, popped into her mind. She shoved it aside and hurried out of the room in a bid to outrun the memories.
The thought of food turned her stomach, but Dillon knew herself well enough to know that she needed some kind of sustenance to get through her day.
She opted for some toast with peach jam.
It took her longer than she wanted to get the toast down, and she used a large cup of English breakfast tea to help.
When she was finished, she dusted off her hands, put on her hat, and released a long breath. “This is my ranch. I can walk out there and do my job. I’m not afraid of anyone.”
She repeated the mantra three more times. However, her hand still shook when she opened the door and walked out. She spotted Dusty near the barn. He nodded to her. Dillon returned the gesture and headed his way to start her day. She would not allow fear to control her again.
Every step was a small victory, but she knew she would have to overcome much more.
“Mornin’, boss,” Dusty said.
She forced a smile. “Good morning.”
“Do you know where Emmett is?”
“I’ve not seen him this morning.” Dillon checked her cell phone and saw a text from him. “He said he’s on the east side of the property checking the fence.”
Dusty frowned. “Without me?”
“Guess he figured he could do it alone.”
Dusty shrugged and then grinned. “Guess I’m all yours today.”
“You know the drill,” Dillon said as she began letting the horses out of their stalls for the day.
The hours crawled by, once again. The routine helped.
She continued looking around, expecting to see someone with a gun aimed at her.
She thought she heard Cal’s voice a few times, only to remember that he wasn’t there—and why.
Her anger and heartache grew each time. Her aunt had always warned her not to become a bitter person, but Dillon wasn’t sure she could get past all of this. It was too personal.
She was in the middle of working with one of the foals when she heard a vehicle door close. Her head snapped up as her heart raced. She hurried to the fence to crane her neck and see the garage. That’s when she spotted Chet Thompson’s Ford truck. A moment later, the ranger came into view.
“Howdy,” he said with a smile.
Dillon waved as her heartbeat returned to normal. “Give me a sec.” She took several deep breaths and finished up with the foal before leaving the paddock to walk to Chet. “Please tell me you have some news.”
“Searching Ivy Ridge will take time.”
“Time Hank could have already used to move Legacy off his land and to somewhere else.”
Chet stared at her for a moment. “I know you’re anxious.”
“I’m pissed,” she stated, her hands on her hips. “He stole my horse, and he’s doing everything he can to keep Legacy from me.”
“I’m doing the best I can.”
She glanced away. It wasn’t Chet’s fault that she was so furious, and she needed to remember that so she didn’t take it out on him. “Anything new?”
“Not really. You claim it was Hank, and he claims you’re setting him up and that you actually have the stallion.”
Dillon held the ranger’s gaze and said emphatically, “I would never do that.”
“My gut says you’re right, but I have to do my due diligence. That means I investigate every lead.”
“I understand,” she said and lowered her chin to her chest to kick the dirt at her feet. “You were right about Cal.”
“Which part?”
She lifted her head to meet his shrewd eyes. “That I shouldn’t trust him.”
“What happened?”
“Someone stole the deed to my property out of my office, including the rights to the minerals on the land.”
Chet nodded slowly. “It’s all in your name, and I’m sure you have copies elsewhere.”
“I do.”
“Then whoever took it can’t do anything with it.”
She snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. “The point is, he took it. I trusted him. It was all a setup. He’s been working with Hank Stephens the entire time to get onto my property and get close to me.
It worked. Until I found the papers missing.
Then there were the burrs beneath my saddle blanket yesterday. ”
“Where you hurt?”
Dillon shook her head. “I told Cal to use that saddle because it fit him better.”
“Some might say you put the burrs there to harm Cal.”
She narrowed her gaze at the ranger. “Whose side are you own?”
“The law’s. I’m merely stating a fact.”
“I didn’t.”
“But you can see how it could look.”
She nodded woodenly. “But I didn’t.”
“What evidence do you have that Cal took the papers?”
“He was in the house.”
Chet glanced at the building. “How long have the papers been missing?”
“I’m not sure,” she answered reluctantly.
“In other words, you have no idea when they were taken.”
“It was Cal. Can’t you see that?” she demanded. “The shootings didn’t start until he arrived. My horse was stolen the night he came. And now the deeds are gone.”
Chet raised his brows. “It certainly doesn’t look good, but it’s all circumstantial.”
“It was enough for me to send him packing. You might want to look deeper into Cal Bennett. If that’s even his real name.”