Chapter 6
The first thingBella noticed was how clean the RV was on the inside. The high-end finishing touches made the place look like it belonged at the site of a movie shoot rather than on a camping trip.
Luxury had a new definition, and it was right here in front of her. On one side across from a seating area was a large flat-screen television. A beautiful painting hung over the bed down at the end, and while the seating area was small, it looked incredibly comfortable. From her vantage point, it appeared there was another bed over the top of the large one.
One thing she hadn’t expected was to see a small desk. She let her fingertips trace the edge of the coloring book that sat beside a reading workbook. It was possible she had been mistaken about Grant. He was trying his best. He might not have been on top of things when they’d been in the square, but it looked like he was on top of things when it came to Nick’s home life.
“Hey! What are you doing here?” Nick’s small face poked out over the edge of where his bed was located. He grinned as he swung his legs around and let them dangle over the edge.
“Officer Whitfield and I are going to have a little chat. How about you go inside the house and find your grandma?” Grant’s deep voice came right behind her ear, setting off a round of chills.
Nick frowned. “But?—”
“Sorry, buddy. This is grown-up stuff. I’m sure Grandma would love some help in the kitchen.” Grant moved past Bella and reached for his son. “It won’t take long, and then we can go to the park like I promised.”
The boy glanced toward Bella and then back to his father. “Could Officer Whitfield come too?”
Bella laughed. “I’m sorry, Nick. I’m on the clock right now. Maybe another time.”
His eyes grew wider than humanly possible. “Really?”
She froze as if she’d suddenly realized she was on stage and the world was watching. Her eyes drifted to Grant. She didn’t have kids. She didn’t interact with them on a regular basis. But that wasn’t any excuse to forget that they could be very literal.
Grant wasn’t any help. The corners of his mouth twitching upward, he shrugged and looked away.
Bella dropped down, getting eye-to-eye with the kid. “How about I let your dad know when I’m available and we can set something up. I can’t promise anything right now, but we’ll see what we can do in the future.”
Nick beamed. “Yay!” He hurried past his father and out of the RV. Grant watched him through the window and Bella tried to compose herself.
When Grant turned to her with a chuckle, she pointed an accusatory finger at him “You weren’t any help!”
He stumbled back a step, laughing. “What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything.”
“That’s the point! You’re supposed to step in and tell your son that it wouldn’t be a good idea to spend time with me.”
“And make me the bad guy?” Grant shook his head. “No, thank you. Do you know how hard I’ve worked to make sure he likes me? It’s harder than you think to get a kid to get comfortable when he doesn”t know you.”
Her jaw tightened. She knew exactly how hard it was because that was how she’d felt about her own deadbeat dad. What did Grant expect? Children were like ducks. They imprinted on their parents and the adult figures in their lives from a young age.
Grant cleared his throat. “Besides, I didn’t think it was such a bad idea.”
Her brows lifted on their own accord. He wasn’t suggesting that he wanted to spend more time with her, was he? That wouldn’t make sense. She had been nothing but judgmental. He was likely only wanting to piggy-back off the adoration Nick had for her.
Just like that, the playful banter came to an end. The air around them turned colder, more awkward. She wasn’t here to flirt with a guy who definitely needed help with his parenting skills. She was here to make sure the vandalism came to an end.
Bella gestured toward the kitchen table. “How about we take a seat.”
He didn’t move right away, and she stared at him expectantly. He finally jumped and motioned to the small kitchen counter. “I’ll get us some coffee. Want some?”
“Sure.”
“How do you like it?”
“Black is fine.”
He gave her a double-take. “Woman after my own heart.”
Bella didn’t know why that off-handed comment set off a chain reaction of warmth through her body. She’d always been made fun of for her tastes in coffee—except with Megan. They were two peas in a pod, having both come from the city.
She took a seat, pulled out her notebook, and flipped to a new page. “So, we need to figure out who might want to frame you.”
“Frame me? I thought you said it was just someone who didn’t like me and wanted me fired.”
Bella gave him a pointed look. “If the outcome is that people start suspecting you, then I’d say it’s safe to assume they want more than to just get you fired. If the authorities get involved, then you could lose a lot more than your job.” She let her words sink in as he took a seat across from her.
Grant didn’t drink his coffee. He spun the cup between his hands and stared at the contents instead. “So, you think someone dislikes me enough they want me gone and suffering.”
“Do you know anyone who would hate you that much?”
He shook his head. “I can’t think of a single person.”
She nibbled on the end of her pen. “You didn’t grow up here, did you? I know you came from Nashville, but did you have any connection to the area at all?”
Again, he shook his head. “I mean, during the short time we were married, Dee and I would visit her mother here. But we lived in the city. She hated it, which is why she moved back here to be closer to her mom. That’s why I’m here. Nick needed his grandma.”
Bella frowned. “Okay, well, that rules out someone from your past. What about since you’ve arrived. Have you fought with anyone? Is there any bad blood between you and the folks who work here?”
“No,” he said almost too quickly. A far-off look appeared in his eyes. “Well, nothing serious.” His forehead creased and he tilted his head. “I’ve had a few disagreements over how to do things, but nothing major.” His eyes cut to meet hers. “They don’t like getting advice from a city boy like me.”
She bit back a smile. He was hardly a boy. The way he described it made it sound like he was fresh out of college rather than the mature father of a six-year-old. “Tell me more about that.”
He shrugged as he threw himself back against the cushion. “I’ve made some newbie mistakes, that’s all. You know, like breaking a couple tools or damaging some of the larger pieces of equipment. Honestly, I thought we’d worked everything out since that happened.”
Her brows lifted with surprise. “Sounds like you don’t know what you’re doing.”
Grant huffed. “I know what I’m doing. I’ve been here for two months and I’m a fast learner. You don’t get where I am today without having a talent for picking up stuff like that. I might not have been an experienced ranch hand when I got here, but I think I pull my weight well enough now.”
“Why not get a job in town? Help me understand why you chose this sort of work.” Bella had her pen poised as she waited for him to say something to brag about his abilities.
“It wasn’t the job I came for.” Grant leaned forward and jabbed his finger into the table. “I’m here to give Nick a taste of country life so he can connect with the people who loved his mother. She grew up here and she’d always talked about starting a family and moving here.”
“Why didn’t you?”
He threw up his hands in the air with exasperation. “I was running a business. I couldn’t afford to drop everything to move here.”
Bella studied him. His answer was honest, she could see it in his eyes. It meant so much for him to be able to come here and take care of his child. “So, you showed up here with no experience to speak of and Eli… just hired you?”
“It didn’t make sense to me, either. He’s a great boss. I can tell why he’s been so successful. Everyone likes him. He’s the real deal.”
“What about how the others feel about you? Do you suppose they might be jealous that you got the job and everything that came with it? Maybe they think you’ve been given an easy ride?”
This time, Grant placed both hands on the table. His defenses had shot sky-high.
“It’s not easy. The work here is hard, and I’ve earned the right to stay. The guys around here are great. They’ve welcomed me like I’m family. They’re like uncles to Nick. This place might be filled to the brim with people, but I can’t see a single one of them being so vindictive to want me out. That’d mean taking Nick away from his grandmother, too.” His voice was low and heavy. There was almost a desperation to it, as if he needed her to believe it.
In the quiet of the RV after his little speech, there was an intimacy that drew her to him. She would have never been able to find the words to describe it—like there was something inside him speaking to the very same thing inside her. It was a connection that both thrilled and terrified her. She blinked away the thought and stared hard at her notes.
“Grandmother… Nick’s… Grandmother…” she stuttered. “Charlotte. Do you think it’s possible that she would want you gone?”
“Absolutely not. She loves Nick. Seeing as I’m his father, if I leave, then so does Nick. Does she harbor resentment toward me over my failed relationship with her daughter? Maybe. I hadn’t seen or spoken to her daughter since we signed the papers ending our marriage. Either way, I haven’t felt anything but support from her since I got here. She’s always offering guidance and the like when I feel stuck. She’s been the one to give me the most advice when I’ve had to vent about something.”
At least Grant’s story felt honest. Throughout his rambling, he was giving more evidence of his flaws than of his strengths. Men who wanted to present themselves as completely innocent had a tendency of focusing on everything they did right for a community.
Bella nibbled on her lower lip. If the people he worked with were supportive and Nick’s grandmother was off the table, then who else was there? Was this all a great big coincidence? Could there be several people who were up to no good? Or was it just the guys horsing around?
Her gut told her no.
“So?” he asked. “Are we any closer to finding out who could have done it?”
Bella’s eyes darted to meet his. “Unless there’s a jealous boyfriend or someone who wasn’t happy about you coming to town, I’m back to square one. Maybe one of the cowboys who works here was in love with Dee.”
“But she’s gone now. Why would they care?”
She shrugged. “Jealousy. You had a relationship. You were married at one time. This could be their way of coping.” She pursed her lips together thoughtfully. “Tell me about your past with Dee—for instance, when you visited Rocky Ridge, was there anyone she talked about? Anyone she introduced you to? It could be someone from your past.”
His complexion paled and he tore his eyes from her. “I don’t see how that’s relevant. I told you everything that I could think of. It’s not like someone from seven years ago would even know that I’m here. People move on. If there was someone, they had seven years to ask her out—if they couldn’t get up the nerve, that’s on them.” Grant got to his feet. “If that’s all, I did promise my son that we’d go to the park. I don’t know about you, but I like to keep my promises.”
His brusque end to their conversation was like a slap in the face. She got to her feet a little disoriented. “Thanks for meeting with me,” she muttered. “I’ll be in touch.”
Grant wasn’t being as open as she’d thought he was. Was it possible he had skeletons in his past that he wanted to keep buried?