Chapter 10
They went to Cooters for dinner. The place was lively even for a Tuesday.
This time, though, her brother and sister-in-law weren't there to harass her about the company she was keeping these days, and neither were Lyle's brothers.
It was an evening where they could just relax and not worry about appearances.
Charlotte was extra quiet, sitting in the corner of the booth like a perfect grown up, not saying a word.
Lyle knew what she was up to. He'd seen the bulge in her shirt when they'd gotten out of the truck.
Both he and Heather knew she was hiding that darned cat behind her back.
So, they'd eaten extra quick lest they get kicked out for smuggling animals in an eating establishment.
"I've still got the business card that Darren gave you," Lyle said as he handed money to the waitress for the bill.
"You mean the one you snatched before he could give it to me?"
He shrugged. "Whatever. I'm going to have Joe dig a little deeper, if you don't mind."
"We might be chasing the wrong rabbit."
"Maybe. But I'd like to be sure. It's starting to worry me--Darren's announcement that he's looking to start a business like yours out of the blue, this new offer on a piece of property no one else has been interested in up until now, and the unlocked door."
"All of that could well be coincidence."
"Maybe. My military senses are standing on edge, though. I don't want to step on your toes, Heather. Do you mind if we dig?"
"Can I stop you?"
His gaze met hers. Serious. "I don't want to go behind your back. I want you to trust me."
She took a breath. "Okay. Have Joe dig as deep as he wants."
He nodded and accepted his change from Cooter, left a tip on the table, then held out a hand for Charlotte, who was busy stuffing Pudge back under her shirt. He wanted to smile, but hid it. He'd seen the moment that Cooter had noticed the cat. He, too, hadn't outed the little girl.
The evening air was still warm as they stepped out onto the sidewalk. Heather couldn’t shake the prickle of nerves over the events of the day, but having Lyle in her corner felt good. At least she wasn't battling this on her own.
She turned to open her car door and froze. From the corner of her eye, she saw a red crew cab truck. Her ex-husband, Bret, had a truck just like that one. Nerves winged out of nowhere, anxiety shooting a wash of adrenaline through her system. Her hands shook and she felt frozen.
Lyle was at her side in an instant. "What's wrong?" He turned her toward him, searched her features. "Heather, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
She gave a nervous laugh, lectured herself to get a grip. "It's nothing. I'm fine."
"You're not one to tell lies, Heather."
"No, I'm not. I'm just jumpy. It's been a trying day. I had a weird moment where I felt like we were being watched. It's silly. I'm just tired."
They both glanced around, looking for anyone or anything out of place. It had been more than a year since she’d seen Bret. Why did the sight of a red truck trigger her like that?
"Do you want to ride home with me? I can get one of the guys to come back and get your Jeep."
"No. I'm fine to drive, Lyle."
"Well, if you're sure. I'll be right behind you."
She nodded. "Thank you for dinner."
He placed his hand on the side of her face, brushed his lips softly against hers. "You're welcome. Thank you for coming with me. And for showing me the house you want."
She was so shocked at the feel of his lips brushing hers, right here on Main Street in front of Cooters, that she hardly comprehended his words. Feeling totally flustered and out of sorts, she snatched open the door of the Jeep and hopped in.
He smiled, waited until she locked the door, then went around and started his truck, pulling out right behind her and keeping no more than a car length between them all the way home.
When Lyle got to the ranch, he followed Heather all the way to her cabin and waited for her to get inside before driving back to the main house.
Together with Charlotte, they brought the puppies outside for a bathroom break, then changed the potty pads in the crate and added food and water to their bowls.
The family who’d filled out an application for Coco had come to pick her up, so they just had Pepper and Sherry left from the litter.
Charlotte had conned him into moving the puppies to her room and Lyle was realizing what a pushover he’d become where this little girl was concerned.
It took a while, but he finally got her settled in bed along with the cat and the dogs.
“Ready for prayers?” He pulled the quilt up, careful not to displace Pudge.
She nodded, folded her small hands over her chest and closed her eyes.
“God bless Uncle Lyle, Uncle Mike, Uncle Joe, Uncle Kenny, Miss Heather and Pudge and all my puppies and the horses and chickens and Tiny the goat. She didn’t really mean to eat all of Uncle Mike’s lettuce patch, so please don’t be mad at her.
” Charlotte opened her eyes and peeked at Lyle.
He nodded, although he imagined that silly goat had intended just that. And the goat’s biggest problem was Mike’s wrath rather than the Almighty’s.
“And God bless Mommy and Daddy in heaven,” Charlotte finished.
Lyle’s heart skipped a beat and he swallowed against the sting at the back of his throat.
Every time he heard these prayers, which was nightly, he felt a deep punch of sadness for what they had all lost. He wanted to howl with the pain.
With Charlotte’s pain. But, of course he couldn’t. He had to be the strong one.
“Night, Uncle Lyle,” she said in a sleepy voice.
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Night, Squirt.”
He shut the door behind him, then made his way back down to the kitchen.
Joe had his computer open at the kitchen table.
“How’d it go at Dolly’s?” he asked.
“Good. Dolly’s getting frailer. The Leukemia is advancing, I think.”
“That’s too bad.”
“I need to make time to get Charlotte over there more often.”
“That’s not going to be easy. Once school starts it’ll feel like a whole lot less hours in the day to fit in visiting.”
“I know. But we’ll make it happen. Listen, I need a favor.”
“Shoot.”
“Remember that Darren character I told you about?”
“Yeah. The one who’s threatening to go into competition with Heather if she doesn’t partner up?”
“Yes.” Lyle fished the business card out of his pocket. “This is the company he works for. Can you see what you can find out about both him and the business?”
“What’s up?”
“A company put an offer on the property Heather’s trying to buy.
It’s a ten-acre parcel just outside of town.
Nice house and grounds. She’s got her heart set on it.
The place is in probate and she’s the only one who’s shown any interest. Now, out of the blue, someone’s come in and raised the stakes by seventy-five grand. ”
“Does she have the money to match that?”
“I don’t think so. She’s set aside money for renovations—and the place needs quite a bit of updating. So, if she has to pony up more to buy the place, something else will have to give.”
“We can spot her the funds.”
“I offered. She’s stubborn.”
Joe nodded, already tapping keys on his computer.
It was a while before Joe finally looked up from his laptop screen, his expression grim. Light from the kitchen's overhead fixture cast shadows across his face as he rubbed his tired eyes.
"Well?" Lyle asked, setting a fresh cup of coffee in front of his brother. It wasn't unusual for Joe to practically disappear into the deep recesses of his computer when he went into concentration and discovery mode.
"BMG Industries, the company on Richards' card, is a shell corporation. It's registered in Dallas, but there's not much else to go on. The address leads to a P.O. Box."
"That's not suspicious at all," Lyle muttered sarcastically.
"No, it's not." Joe took a sip of coffee. "But here's where it gets interesting. I dug into Richards himself. He's got quite a history of hostile business takeovers. Mostly small operations that he basically steamrolls into selling."
"And now he's after Heather's business?"
"Looks that way. The pattern is always the same. He finds successful small businesses, usually ones that are looking to expand, and then applies pressure. Sometimes it's through competition, sometimes through real estate manipulation."
Lyle's jaw clenched. "Son of a—"
"There's more," Joe interrupted, turning his laptop so Lyle could see the screen. "Take a look at this."
Lyle leaned forward, scanning the article Joe had pulled up. His blood ran cold. "He's been sued three times for fraudulent business practices?"
"All settled out of court with non-disclosure agreements. But yeah, he's not exactly running a clean operation."
"What about the company that put in the bid on Heather's property?"
Joe clicked through a few more screens. "Haven't traced that connection yet, but I'm working on it. My gut says it's all related though."
Lyle paced the kitchen, his mind racing. "We need to warn her."
"Already thinking ahead of you," Joe said, reaching for his phone. "I've got a buddy in the DA's office in Dallas. I'll see what else we can dig up on Richards. Meanwhile, you might want to keep a close eye on Heather. This guy doesn't seem like the type to take no for an answer."
"Yeah." Lyle's voice was tight with concern. "I got that impression myself."
Just then, the sound of small feet padding down the hallway caught their attention. Charlotte appeared in the doorway, clutching Pudge to her chest, her eyes wide with fear.
"Uncle Lyle? I heard a noise outside my window."
Lyle was at her side in an instant, kneeling down to her level. "What kind of noise, sweetheart?"
"Like someone walking. And Pepper started growling."
Joe was already moving, his military training kicking in as he headed toward the front door. Lyle scooped Charlotte up, cat and all.
"It's probably just the wind," he said soothingly, though his entire body was on high alert. "But we’ll go check it out anyway."