Chapter 12
Bella toldherself she was spending more time at Sagebrush Ranch because she wanted to observe the others who worked with Grant. It made sense to see him every day when it wasn’t just him that was in danger.
They didn’t know anything about the person who was trying to frame him. And someone who was willing to break the law in order to get rid of him was definitely dangerous. How far would they go to ensure they met their goal?
It wasn’t just Grant’s safety at stake, either. This was about keeping Nick safe as well. As Nick’s father, Grant should understand that.
This concept had been the one source of contention between them. Bella wanted Grant to take Nick and move off the property until she knew who was responsible for everything that was happening. But he refused, claiming he wasn’t going to let anyone win. But more importantly, Nick needed the stability of keeping the home he’d grown accustomed to.
Bella couldn’t deny that fact. The kid had lost his mother and the life he’d always known. Now all Grant could do was make sure he didn’t lose anything else.
She drove her car onto the property and pulled it to a stop in front of the RV. It had only been a week and still they hadn’t figured out anything new. The lab in Billings had misplaced Grant’s blood samples. The techs assured her that they would be found, but they’d been training a few interns, and they suspected the samples had been stored in the wrong container.
For now, all Bella could do was ask Eli to update her if he noticed anything out of the ordinary.
Nick darted from the RV, landing on the grass at the foot of the steps. His head swiveled around and a broad smile filled his face. Immediately, he sprinted toward her car and tapped on the window.
She couldn’t help but smile back. Bella rolled down her window and leaned her arm where she could get closer to him. “Hey, sport. What’s going on? I thought we were going to play board games like yesterday.”
Nick jumped up and down. “Dad said Eli wants the hay field cut so in a few days they can bale it.”
Bella glanced up at Nick as Grant headed their way. “Is that so,” she said as she brought her eyes back to Nick. “And you get to help?”
The boy nodded excitedly. “Dad said I might even be able to drive.”
Her sharp eyes focused on Grant accusatorially, to which he held up both hands with a laugh. “I never said he could drive. I said he could sit on my lap and hold the wheel with me.”
“Like that’s any better!” She shook her head. “He’s six. You can’t just?—”
“It’s a tractor. It’s not like it’s a racecar. He’ll be fine. Now, if you’d like to come with us and sit in the passenger seat, you’re welcome to.”
She lifted her chin with defiance. He probably didn’t think she’d accept. But she wasn’t going to let him take a kid out on a tractor without supervision—especially if people were sabotaging him. “I think I will.”
He lifted his brows but didn’t look as surprised as she’d thought he might. If anything, he seemed pleased that she was going to tag along.
It was probably because he wanted to ensure his son had more supervision in case anything went wrong. She couldn’t blame him. If Nick had been there when Grant had passed out a couple days ago, it would have been more traumatic than it already had been.
“Yay! Do you have boots?” Nick jumped back into the conversation.
“I have my work boots.” She motioned for him to scoot back so she could push the door open. She stepped out. “I know they’re not the best, but they’re gonna have to do. I’m guessing we need to get started before we lose the light.” She glanced once more at Grant.
With each passing day, it was getting harder to draw a line in the sand. She had found he was a great deal more responsible than she’d initially given him credit for. On top of that, he absolutely adored his son, and it showed. The kid was adjusting a great deal better than anyone would have expected.
Grant’s gaze delved into hers, causing a strange tingling feeling to sweep through her body. It didn’t last long enough for her to analyze it, however, so all she could do was look away and pretend it hadn’t happened. In all likelihood, it hadn’t.
She could still feel his gaze on her, the expectation causing a wave of goosebumps to appear on her arms. No, it wasn’t his staring that caused that. There was a slight coolness in the air that created these kinds of reactions in her body.
When she couldn’t stand it any longer, she lifted her gaze, unsurprised to find that he wasn’t the least bit unnerved by her attention. “We’ll take my truck.”
It was the only thing Grant said before he turned and strode toward a new vehicle.
Bella had taken a few steps to follow him, Nick hanging on her arm, but then she stopped in her tracks and stared at the truck. This one was different than the last. Come to think of it, the last one was still in evidence. They hadn’t released it yet because they wanted to get as many prints from it as they could.
“Rental?” she asked.
“Nope! My dad got it today. Do you like it?” Nick tugged her forward. “It looks just like my favorite toy truck.”
The vehicle was a cherry-red Toyota. It had a large extended cab with four doors. It shined much like she would have thought a toy right out of the box would.
“I’m sure we can get you the truck back from the station by the end of next week. You didn’t have to go out and get a new one.”
Grant pulled open the back door and Nick climbed in.
Bella half-expected Grant to chuckle and tell her Nick was wrong, that the vehicle was indeed a rental and he had no intention of keeping it. That was why she was floored when he stared at her dead in the face and said:
“Don’t worry about it. That truck was always meant to be temporary. I’d gotten it when I arrived in Rocky Ridge. Since I had an excuse to replace it, I took the opportunity.”
It wasn’t until he paused, his own door open, that she realized her mouth was hanging like a broken door on one hinge.
Grant chuckled. “Everything okay?”
She closed her mouth with effort. “Yeah, of course. Why?”
“You look a little… surprised.”
“That’s because I am.”
“Because I got a new truck?”
“Because you didn’t request to have your old one back.”
“I told you—” Grant started, but she didn’t give him a chance to finish his thought.
“It’s your money. You can do what you want with it. I just didn’t realize that people do that sort of thing.” She opened her door and slipped into the passenger seat without looking at him. The more she learned about him, the more she realized she didn’t know anything about him at all.
Grant started his truck and they drove along a dirt road for a good five minutes before it dawned on Bella that something wasn’t right. She turned to face him.
“Don’t we need a tractor or something? You can’t cut the hay with your new shiny toy.”
Nick piped up from the back seat. “Eli already brought it there. He said there are three fields that need to be worked on out there but today we only have to do one.”
Bella bit back a smile, her eyes meeting Grant’s again.
He jerked his chin toward the back seat. “What he said.”
She laughed. “Nick, you’re quite the character, but I’m sure lots of people say that.”
“Lots of people say I’m smart.”
“That too.” She laughed again.
“And that I talk too much.”
This time, Grant joined in on the laughter. “That’s because you do, kiddo. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, though.”
“My teacher says maybe I should become a teacher like her one day, because when she was six, she talked a lot, too.”
It was strange, being in this truck with the two of them like this. Bella couldn’t figure out what it was, but there was something different. Maybe it was the light electrical current she felt in the air. Maybe it was the soothing comfort of being with people who could make her smile.
Or maybe it was simply the fact that she so thoroughly enjoyed herself whenever she was in their company.
The last one was more than likely the culprit. Boy, she needed to rein it in if she wanted to remain professional. She was the one pushing to find out who was causing problems for Grant out at the ranch. She couldn’t let her growing affection for this family get in the way of doing her job.
And yet as she glanced at the cowboy out of the corner of her eye, she couldn’t deny that it felt nice being here—like she’d always belonged.
Another shiver rolled down her back and she squirmed in her seat to release it. Now was not the time to get sentimental. Luckily, they arrived at the field and Nick jumped from the vehicle to go racing toward the tractor that sat at the edge, ready to be put to work.
Grant got out of the truck and Bella hurried around the back to stand in front of him before he could go climb into the large piece of machinery. He stopped suddenly and stared down at her. His soulful eyes met and locked with hers.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
Dang it, even his whispers were incredibly enticing.
“I wanted to ask you something about the day…” She shot a look in Nick’s direction. “Well, you know.”
“Okay,” he drawled. “Spit it out.”
She nodded. “Eli said that assignments are usually picked out the night before.”
“That’s right,” Grant said, “so?”
“So… who would have been privy to that kind of information? Do you know if there are cowboys who resent you enough to sneak into the boss’s house and make plans to get you fired?”
“Hey Bella! Come look at this!” Nick shouted from the tractor.
“I told you everything I know, Bella. And it’s been pretty quiet lately. I think whoever did it realizes they could have hurt me. Even if they wanted me fired, I don’t think they actually want me to end up in a grave somewhere.”
“Bella! There’s a lever!”
“Maybe, maybe not. You’re one snip away from not being able to use your brakes in that brand-spanking-new truck.”
Bella glanced toward Nick, who was now waving his hands wildly. She took a step in his direction, but Grant grasped at her elbow and pulled her closer to him, his voice dropping.
“Do you really think they’d be capable of sabotaging my truck?”
“I don’t know what they’re capable of,” she said. “I just know we can’t expect them to suddenly become good people. They could be anyone or do anything around here. Heck, it could be someone from town who doesn’t like that you’re an outsider. Getting you fired would be the easiest way to get you to leave.”
“Wait a minute. So you’re telling me we could be back to square one? It might not be someone on the ranch?”
Bella shrugged. “I can’t rule anything out until I know what was in your blood specifically.”
“Dad! Bella! Come on!”
She chuckled, though it was hard to do so with Grant’s hand still holding hers. “It would appear your son has lost his patience with us. Kids his age are notorious for that, you know.”
Bella considered pulling away from him, but a small voice inside told her to let him be the first one to break the contact.
At least the smile that filled his face was a good sign. He was finding his son just as amusing as she was. Maybe they had a lot more in common than she’d given them credit for.
Grant dropped his hold on her and moved toward the tractor. “What did I say, bud? You can’t climb up there without a grown up.” He tossed a look at her over his shoulder. “Ask Deputy Bella. She’ll tell you. Only people who know how to drive can do that.”
“I bet I could drive,” Nick argued.
“I’m sure you could… right into that tree over there.” Grant ruffled Nick’s hair, leaving Bella to watch from a distance, her heart growing even fonder of the cute duo. Who cared if it wasn’t wise? She was going to spend time with whomever she liked.