Chapter Thirteen
“N ice move, little Miss Perfect.” The words were a growl and came from behind her as Jessie saddled her horse for a morning ride.
She usually enjoyed the solitude of the beginning of another day as the sun streaked through the sky and the world began to awaken.
But she wasn’t the only one up and about.
She turned to find Madeleine standing a few feet in the distance.
She was not happy judging by the furious glint in those heartless dark eyes.
“Isn’t it a bit early for you to be losing some beauty sleep?
” Why should she pull punches with no one else around to see or hear?
The woman was just as unpleasant as her first impression…
more so in fact. “You have a problem with me so just get it out as I have a nice ride planned and time is wasting right now.”
“You undermined my authority with my daughter. You need to realize that the tables will soon be reversed, and she will be leaving this disgusting Hell hole of a place and living with civilized people and having manners and class. And Cole and you, if you are still interesting enough to hold his attention, will be left out in the cold.”
“Do you think it will be that easy to take Cole to court and have reversed the fact that he was granted sole custody over an absent mother devoid of any nurturing attributes or basic love and empathy for her own child? You will find yourself to be the one without recourse.”
“You know nothing of me or my life. But I am marrying a man with infinite funds and more power in his control than some poor cowboy with very little in comparison.”
“What exactly does Philippe do to earn his fortune that you keep harping about? Does he own a business? What kind and where? These are things that a judge will be finding out about.”
Madeleine laughed. It wasn’t a pleasant sound.
“Pity the poor judge who finds himself going up against Philippe and his friends. They never lose when they want something. They always get what they want in the end and pity those who stand in their way. If you want to hang on to your poor loverboy, you would do well to convince him it is healthier in the long run to see things our way. But be assured, I will leave here with my daughter and Cole Connors will be ruined. So, you have an enjoyable ride.” She turned on her heel and then hesitated.
Throwing a final glance over her shoulder, she gave a chilling postscript.
“Do be careful out there. All sorts of dangers can be found when you least expect them.”
*
“Have you seen Jesse this morning?” Cole was filling his coffee cup once more, buying some time to see Jesse before he left the house.
Emmie shook her head. “Maybe she already left on her ride? She has her cell; did you call her?”
“I did but no answer.”
“Then she probably forgot to switch it on. Sometimes she does that if she is really into her ride. Are we going to Uncle Joe’s?”
“Yes, I’m dropping you off on my way to the feed store and my meeting at the bank.
” He had almost said attorney, but did not want to give Emmie any concern about what that business might be.
“Uncle Joe will bring you home before dinner. You two should get in some good fishing time.” He grinned at his daughter who was dressed in her favorite good luck fishing overalls and a blue and white checked shirt beneath them.
Her sneakers were well worn from many miles along the riverbank.
It was a good thing Madeleine was probably still in bed and did not see the state of her daughter’s clothing choice. “Let’s move on.”
Rowdy rode into the stable yard just as Cole and Emmie were about to depart. Cole exited the vehicle and met up with him just outside the corral.
“Morning there, boss. How goes things?” Rowdy was in character.
“Just checking to see if you might have seen Jesse this morning as you were out doing whatever you normally do that I probably don’t need to know about.” That brought a grin from the cowhand.
“Well, you might be right about that. But I did happen to see your fiancée along the way. She was headed along the Crescent Ridge line and then planned to meander back along the river. Is there a problem?”
“No, I just didn’t see her before she left, and her phone isn’t on. But since you saw her all is well then. Just checking.”
“Don’t worry too much about Jessie,” Rowdy said, his attention on tightening the cinch strap on his horse. “She’s smart and she’s one of the best at her job. Besides, there are always eyes on the watch that you never see. You and your family are always a concern.”
“I appreciate that but there’s a lot of land out there and she doesn’t know most of it. But I will trust you guys have each other’s backs. But I’ll still worry. It goes with the job I have. Tough habit to break.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Because she deserves someone like that.” He turned away from the horse long enough to give a quick wink at Cole. Then he was back in the saddle again. “Best go earn my keep.” He left the corral.
Twenty minutes later Cole was dropping Emmie off. He gave a wave to his uncle waiting on the porch with two fishing poles in hand. “Have fun today,” he tossed in Emmie’s direction as she scrambled out of the truck with a huge grin and wave in his direction.
“I will and we’ll bring home dinner this evening.”
Cole nodded and had to smile. It was a good thing Marcella was making a roast for backup…just in case the fish outsmarted the humans.
*
Jesse looked at her watch and then checked the sun already rising in what would be another hot one if present indications were correct.
She couldn’t get the conversation earlier that morning with Madeleine to stay in the back of her mind.
It kept pushing into the forefront. There was something there.
That was why she wanted to push her buttons and anger her because she was the type that her mouth could get her into trouble without much provocation.
Jesse could read people, and she was a fairly easy one.
There was something going on, she could feel it.
She coaxed the sides of her horse to move into the tree line to find better shade as they made their way to a path along and above the meandering Destiny River.
She knew that it began with the springs on the Lockwood Ranch.
The ranch where her sister met her husband, and they now resided.
She had managed to avoid contact with her but not so much with her brother who lived in Destiny’s River and was the town sheriff.
But all was well so far in keeping her siblings separate from the job at hand.
As she rode, she had to admit that her sister had found a beautiful spot when she stepped off the bus a few years ago and decided to settle in the country town.
It was the kind of place that felt like a hometown should feel.
Maybe one day she might find such a place in the area and not be separated from her family again.
But that was the future, and the present was at hand and needed her undivided attention.
She heard a splash from down below her. Could it be Uncle Joe and Emmie enjoying their fishing day?
Cole had been wise to get Emmie out of the house and give some respite from Madeleine and her nefarious band of followers.
She urged her horse downward and would get a closer look at the pair before moving on.
But she pulled the reins to a hard stop.
It wasn’t the pair she expected to see. She slid from the saddle as easy as she could and moved the animal back up the path to a more secluded spot, hoping he would stay intent on the green grass in the shaded spot and be quiet.
Then she bent down and ended up crawling closer to the outcropping a few feet away and where she might have a better view.
What she saw through the binoculars she had carried in her saddlebag was interesting.
There was a canoe and an unknown man gently rowing into the shoreline…
careful to not make a lot of noise. There was a fishing pole in the boat, but he wasn’t using it.
Then from the shadows came a man sans shirt with his back to Jesse.
He stood in ankle-deep water waiting to grab the front of the canoe.
Neither of them spoke and she doubted she could hear them if they did.
It might be nothing but again, this stretch of river ran for a couple of miles along Cole’s ranch.
Perhaps ranch hands with time off? She doubted that.
As she zoomed into the canoe, she noticed that the man didn’t look dressed for a fishing trip.
There was something about him that didn’t seem to fit.
The one with his back to her caught her attention and she noted the massive tattoo on his back.
It looked familiar but…then her breath caught in her throat.
Could it happen like this? She took a steadying breath and gazed through the lenses once more.
A large ornate cross was centered on his back in black but drops of bright red blood dripped from it and ran down to the tip which looked like a sword almost. She had seen it drawn on numerous occasions and even saw a very grainy photo of it once, but it was even more dramatic in living color.
The person who wore it was the mastermind behind the cartel whose moneyman they sought in centering on Philippe.
Little did she and her bosses realize the biggest catch was among them close enough to reach out and touch. But what was the game their guests were playing now? El PaPa rarely came out of deep Mexico, only his associates did that for him.
Then another thought froze her. Emmie. Emmie was too close to the worst possible danger.
Somewhere along this same bank was the little girl she had promised to protect.