Chapter 7
Chapter
Seven
Despite Lana’s protests, Sly ordered more chips. He waited to discuss the lawsuit until Dani set a fresh plate on the table and left.
“I first met Tim Carpenter seven years ago, not long after the state reimbursed me for the small ranch I owned. They needed the property to put in a new freeway, and I needed a new ranch. Lucky for me, the Martinson place came on the market. It was bigger than the one I gave up, with a lot of potential. The Martinsons were about to go into foreclosure and asked a fair price, so I bought it.”
“Then you’ve always been a rancher?”
Sly shook his head. “I never made a conscious decision to make it a career. When I was in college, I needed a job and found work at a ranch. It’s in my blood now, though, and I feel I was born to do it.
After I bought the Martinson place, I learned that your cousin had figured on cutting a deal and buying the land dirt cheap.
He wasn’t happy that I offered the asking price. ”
“I remember hearing him talk about that at a Fourth of July family barbecue,” Lana said.
Unable to imagine a worse man to spend a holiday with, Sly made a face. “That must’ve been a real fun get-together.”
“Cousin Tim isn’t the nicest guy, but at holiday gatherings he’s usually in a pretty decent mood.
” Pausing, she munched a chip. She seemed to really like them.
“I enjoy hanging out with family,” she went on.
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have dinner at my parents’ house every Sunday.
My sister and her husband and kids go, too.
Sometimes my mom gets on my nerves—well, okay, a lot of the time—but the kids make it fun. ”
Sly wondered what it was like to be part of a family that got together for dinner once a week and attended big family barbecues.
He had a few memories of his parents grilling, and friends and neighbors coming over for a meal.
His family had lived in a pretty little house with a nice yard in a neighborhood filled with families just like theirs.
“The day I moved to Pettit Ranch, I made a point of going over to the Lazy C and meeting Tim,” he said.
“He was never what I’d call friendly, but we nodded when we saw each other.
Then three months ago, I lost three cattle.
Over the next few days, several more got sick, and two of my pregnant heifers miscarried.
A cow will usually bear four to five calves over her lifetime, but those two will never be able to conceive again.
” The loss of ten calves meant a bundle of lost revenue.
“That’s terrible.” Lana grimaced. “My mom ran into Cousin Tim a few weeks ago and he mentioned you’d lost some cattle, but he didn’t share the details.”
“It sucks, all right. My crew and I had no idea about the poison at first. We tested for all the usual diseases, but the results were negative. The vet couldn’t figure out what was wrong. He ordered autopsies. They showed that my animals had been poisoned.”
Sly had entered Big Mama’s a hungry man. His burger was delicious, but suddenly he couldn’t eat another bite.
Lana wasn’t going after the chips anymore, either. Her face had paled and she looked shocked. “I’ve never heard of anything like that before. It’s horrific.”
Sly agreed. He’d spent more than a few sleepless nights wondering what kind of person would poison an animal and fearing that even more might sicken and die.
The feeling of powerlessness had settled in his chest like a dark weight, just as it had after his father had passed, leaving him and his siblings alone.
“What makes you believe my cousin did it?” Lana asked.
“Long story short, there’s a private service road along the north side of my ranch that runs between my land and Tim’s.
The only people with access to it are me and my crew, and Tim and his.
Remember that freakish warm weather in January that melted all the snow?
By sheer chance, my foreman was driving a truck of feed down that road and happened to notice a piece of a bag label and a small pile of white powder just inside the fence of one of our pastures.
We weren’t sure what it was and sent a sample of the powder to a lab. It turned out to be arsenic.”
Every time Sly thought about that, a slow burn started in his blood. His fingers curled into fists.
Lana stared at his hands with wide eyes. “I have no idea what to say.”
With effort, he forced his hands to relax. “Yeah, it’s kind of a conversation stopper. Accidents happen, and at first, I kept an open mind. You hit a bump, or drive over a pothole, and things can fall off a flatbed without the driver realizing. By some fluke, it could’ve landed inside the fence.
“None of my men had transported arsenic in their trucks. I decided to ask Tim about it. Hell, he might have had a legitimate reason for buying the stuff. I tried to talk to him twice, but he refused to even discuss the matter. He got downright belligerent, even aimed a gun at me. I figured bringing in someone else might encourage him to help clear up a few questions. So, I hired an attorney.”
Sly shook his head. “Fat lot of good that did. Tim was just as stubborn and closemouthed with him. He’s been so ornery and nasty that I can’t help but think he deliberately put that arsenic on my land.”
Lana frowned. “But why would he do it?”
Sly had given that a lot of thought. “I wish to hell I knew. To get back at me for buying the ranch? Or maybe because I’m turning a profit and he isn’t.”
“My cousin can be a real jerk, but I can’t imagine him doing something like that.”
“I’m sorry it had to be your cousin,” Sly said, and he genuinely was.
Lana looked every bit as unsettled. “My family sticks together through thick and thin. Once, when my mother’s cousin Millie lost her job at a farm supply store due to cutbacks, the entire family bombarded the owner with calls and letters, asking that he reinstate her.
He didn’t have the resources to rehire her or any of the other people he laid off.
Our family took out an ad in the paper, asking people in Prosperity to please patronize that store to increase business and help the laid-off employees get their jobs back.
The ad generated a ton of new business, and eventually the owner was able to rehire cousin Millie and several other former employees. ”
Sly couldn’t imagine having a family so tight. He envied Lana. “That’s impressive.”
She nodded. “What are you asking for in the lawsuit?”
“An apology and a reimbursement for what the poisoning cost me—thirty thousand dollars.”
“That’s a lot of money.”
“Raising cattle is expensive. The feed, the vaccines and vitamins, the costs of maintaining all that fencing. Plus losing the unborn calves, as well as the future calves of the cows who died and the two who are now sterile—it adds up. The tests and autopsies alone cost me a small fortune. That money was earmarked for a new drainage system.” Sly sipped his coffee, which had grown cold. “That’s my story.”
Lana dipped her head and smoothed her napkin, causing her hair to swing forward and hiding her expression. She was easy to read when he could see her face, and he wished she’d look up or say something more, so he’d have a clue what she was thinking.
Though he was sure it wasn’t good. He cleared his throat. “I should get back to the ranch, and you have things to do.”
He left Dani a big tip and walked out with Lana.
As she moved toward her car, he touched her arm.
“I haven’t given you Dani’s number. I’m sure she’ll want yours, too.
” Between the lawsuit and the baby, she wanted to adopt, exploring their attraction seemed impossible.
But Sly lost himself in her beautiful eyes. “So would I,” he added.
Lana hesitated, her expression regretful. “I want you to call me, Sly, but even if you do have a legitimate reason for suing my cousin, you aren’t sure that he did it. I have to support my family. Goodbye.”
She walked away.
Lana woke up Sunday morning thinking about Sly. After their conversation yesterday at Big Mama’s, she liked him more than ever. But she was also convinced they shouldn’t see each other again.
As she sipped her morning coffee and read the Sunday paper, sleeting rain battered the windows. The weather was supposed to clear by noon, but the dark gloom suited her mood. This was a perfect day to stay home and work on the nursery. Because Sophie had to choose her.
If she didn’t... Lana refused to let herself go down that path.
A few hours later, she stood in the nursery and admired the freshly painted walls. The soft yellow color made the formerly chocolate-brown room appear bigger and cheerier. It would look even better when she painted the children’s mural next weekend.
After changing out of her paint clothes, she headed downstairs, flopped on the sofa and phoned Kate. “How was your blind date last night?” she asked when her friend picked up.
“As bad as I predicted. Henry had slippery hands and bad breath. He took me bowling, which I don’t mind, but on a first date? That’s the last time I let my mother set me up with anyone, ever. How was brunch with Sophie?”
“That didn’t go so well, either.” Lana filled her in. “Then Sly showed up.”
“Oh?” Kate sounded intrigued.
“As it turns out, his sister is Big Mama’s adopted daughter. Dani’s great. You’d like her.”
“I know Dani from when I eat there. She’s a sweetheart. I even remember she had a brother but didn’t realize he was Sly. Now there’s a guy I’d want someone to fix me up with—if you hadn’t snagged him first.”
“Snagged him? You’re funny. And now...” Lana blew out a heavy breath.
“That’s some sigh. Tell me what happened.”
“If you’ll just be patient, I will.”
“Okay, okay. Start from the beginning.”
“Sophie was getting restless, but as soon as Sly sat down with us, she totally changed.” One smile and she’d been as smitten as Lana. “He pretty much snowed her.”
“Well, yeah. He’s a gorgeous man. But get out! Sly sat at your table?”
“It was a booth, and he only joined us because all the other tables were taken.”
“Really,” Kate said, in a tone that reminded Lana of a cooing dove. “And how did that go?”
“Pretty well. After Sophie left, we—”
“Sophie left? I thought she liked Sly.”
“She did but had to get home.”
“So, she left and you and Sly stayed. In a nice, cozy booth. This is starting to head in the right direction. Go on.”
Lana rolled her eyes. “We talked. I explained why I treated Sophie to breakfast. I also learned some interesting things about him.” She filled in her friend about his childhood and the lawsuit.
“You two sure made up for lost time in the talking department. I’ll bet he finally asked for your number, huh?”
“He did, but I didn’t give it to him.”
“Are you nuts? Why the heck not?”
“Did you not listen to what I said? He’s suing my cousin and I’m getting ready to adopt a baby. I can’t get involved with him.”
“That’s just plain crazy. The adoption isn’t for months yet, and you can’t just stay home, twiddling your thumbs. As for your cousin, you can hardly stand him. The one time I met him, I didn’t care much for him, either. If Tim did the crime, he should pay.”
Lana sighed. “No one can be sure he poisoned those cows, Kate. Refusing to answer Sly’s questions doesn’t make him guilty.”
“But he pointed a gun at Sly.”
“Yes, but it doesn’t prove anything. And don’t forget my parents. I want to be able to bring whoever I’m dating to their house for Sunday dinner. If he happens to be suing a member of our family, it just won’t work.”
“I’ve met Sly, remember?” Kate said. “Besides being drop-dead gorgeous with a killer smile, he oozes charm. Lawsuit or not, once your parents meet him, they’re bound to love him.”
“I wish it were that easy. Even if Sly charmed them to death, on principle alone they won’t accept him.”
“It’ll be months before you’re at the point where you want Sly to meet your parents—maybe long after the lawsuit gets settled,” Kate said. “Heck, you two may never even get that far. But you owe it to yourself to find out.”
Lana had to agree. “When you put it that way... Now I wish I had given him my number.” She could picture her friend’s big smile.
“Why don’t you call him?” Kate suggested. “Maybe his number’s online—after all, he’s a rancher and might want people to contact him.”
“Maybe, but I’m not going to do that.”
“Then just show up at Big Mama’s next Saturday. He’ll probably be back. If that doesn’t work, ask his sister for his number.”
None of Kate’s suggestions appealed to Lana. Besides, today she had other things on her mind. She checked her watch. “Sophie’s meeting with that couple right now—the Andersons—but I refuse to let it bother me.”
“That’s the spirit.”
“They’re a married couple and I’m a single woman,” Lana said, anxious despite her bravado. “Sophie said that didn’t matter to her, but what if it does? What if she chooses them?”
“You’ll drive yourself crazy worrying about that, Lana, so don’t. It’s obvious to me that you’re interested in Sly. He seems interested in you, too, so why not encourage him? I’m not saying you should ask him out, but a phone call can’t hurt.”
“If I could say for sure that my cousin actually poisoned those cattle, I probably would call Sly. But I can’t. My parents would flip out.”
Kate let out a frustrated breath. “I don’t understand you. You’re thirty-two years old. What do you care if they’re upset?”
“You’re not as close to your mom and dad as I am to mine,” Lana explained. “When they’re unhappy with me, they make my life miserable. Look at how they’re responding to my wanting to adopt.”
“Well, then, you’d better forget all about Sly Pettit.”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”