Beth Cornelison - Rancher's Deadly Reunion

“Can I get you something to eat, honey?” her mother asked. “Or maybe a glass of lemonade? Dinner’s not for another hour, and I’m sure you must be famished.”

“Actually, Brady, Connor and I had ice cream on the way home from the airport. But lemonade sounds great. The airplane air really dried me out.” She grabbed her throat and stuck out her tongue as if dying of thirst.

Giving a mrrp of protest when she stopped petting him, Zeke climbed on the suitcase and rolled over to show the long, silky hair of his belly. Piper couldn’t resist plowing her fingers into the thick, super-soft fur and giving Zeke a belly rub. “Good boy, Zeke. I missed you, too. I bet these mean ole boys ignore you, don’t they?”

Their mother smiled as she said, “Zeke lets us know when he wants attention. Believe me!” Turning to leave, her mother crooked a finger, motioning to Zane and Josh. “Let’s go, boys. Back in a minute with your lemonade.”

Zane lifted a wave as he turned for the door. “Later, then.”

“No, don’t go. I don’t need quiet to unpack,” Piper said, stopping him with a hand on his arm. “In fact, I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to. What’s the gossip in town?”

“Gossip? How the hell should I know?” Zane said. “We don’t keep up with all that he-said-she-said, who’s-doing-who crap.”

Piper pulled a face. “You know what I mean. What’s happening around here? How’s the ranch?”

Zane and Josh exchanged worrisome looks.

Josh rubbed a hand on his scruffy chin. “Honestly, not so good.”

“What?” she said, sitting heavily on the edge of her bed. Zeke nipped at her wrist, demanding more pats, and she stroked the cat’s head while focusing on her brothers. “What’s wrong?”

“Man, don’t dump it on her now,” Zane said. “She just got here.”

“Dump what on me?” She divided a wide-eyed glance between her brothers, her pulse kicking into high gear. “Tell me, ’cause my imagination is going to fill in the blank with the worst possible scenarios if you leave me hanging.”

“We’re planning a family meeting after dinner.” Zane put a placating hand on her shoulder. “We’ll tell you then.”

She shrugged Zane’s hand off and shifted toward Josh. “Tell me, Josh. Give me the bullet points at least.”

Josh shoved his hands in his pockets and sent Zane a defiant look. “She has a right to know.”

Zane only sighed.

“What!” She was ready to clobber them both if someone didn’t end her suspense.

“We’re in pretty bad financial straits. We’ve had a couple turns of bad luck, had some investments go sour and...” Josh took off his hat and raked fingers through his shaggy black hair. “Thing is, we need to find a new income source or we could go under.”

Piper let her jaw drop and her shoulders sag in shock. She narrowed a hard stare on Josh, then cut a querying glance to Zane for confirmation. “ Go under ? As in lose the ranch? Have to sell?”

Zane raised a hand. “It’s not time to panic yet.” He shot Josh a dark glare. “Tactful, man. Way to go.”

“No point in sugarcoating it.” Josh beat his hand against his Stetson and leaned back against the wall. “The truth is the truth. We’ve had a series of bad years, topped off by accidents and hard luck, and it’s taken a toll.”

Acid burned her gut and backed up in her throat. In all the years she’d been in Boston, she’d never considered the possibility that someday the ranch wouldn’t be here, that her childhood home and her family’s way of life could disappear. “Wh-what kind of accidents?”

Josh crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, this summer we lost a lot of cattle when one of the ponds in the west pasture got tainted with pesticides.”

She furrowed her brow, perplexed. “How did that happen? We don’t use pesticides in the pastures.”

“Vandalism, most likely,” Zane said.

“Vandalism!” She goggled at Zane. “Did you find out who did it? Were they charged?”

“We may never know.” Josh’s face was dark with disgust. “Not like there were security cameras out there to catch the perp. No cans left around with fingerprints. No reports of the same happening to other farmers.”

“What about tire tracks or footprints or...or...”

Zane was shaking his head. “Nada. The ground was too hard thanks to the dry spell in July.”

“That’s horrible! How many head did we lose?”

The tap of footsteps heralded their mother’s return before she appeared in Piper’s doorway with a glass in her hand. “Here you go, sweetheart. I—” Melissa McCall stopped short, sending a frown to her sons. “I told you two to skedaddle and let her unpack.” Her scowl softened when she looked from her sons to Piper and back again. “Good grief. What’s wrong? Why the long faces?”

“They were telling me about the financial troubles the ranch has had. And the poisoning of the west-pasture pond.”

Their mother pinched her mouth tight in irritation. “Why are you two burdening her with this? She’s only been home five minutes!”

“Don’t blame them, Mom. I asked. A better question might be why didn’t anyone tell me about the trouble the ranch has been having sooner?” She pinned an accusing look on her mother, then shared the glare with her brothers.

“Oh, honey, I didn’t want to worry you when there was nothing you could do about any of it. The ranch business is—”

“Still my business,” she interrupted.

“Is it?” Zane asked. The bitter edge in his voice surprised her. “Your absence over the last few years would say otherwise. I don’t remember you being here while we were sweating through vaccinations and branding or losing sleep over how to make the books balance.”

“Zane!” Their mother stepped into her bedroom and set her glass of lemonade down on her dresser with a thump. “That’s enough!”

He rolled a palm up, his jaw remaining set. “I’m just saying...she chose to move away and not be a part of the nitty gritty of running the ranch. Family is supposed to come first, and it bothers me to know she can turn her back on us so easily.”

“Bro,” Josh said in a hushed tone, “chill.”

Piper raised a hand to Josh. “No, that’s okay.”

“It’s not okay, Piper. I’m sorry he was so rude to you,” Melissa said.

She shook her head again. “No, I’m a big girl. If that’s how he feels...” She shifted on the bed to face Zane, tucking a foot under her. “Nothing about leaving my family for Boston was easy, Zane. My staying away has nothing to do with my love of the ranch or my family. It’s...complicated. But the last time I checked, I’m still a McCall. I’m still one-third heir to the ranch...eventually.” She cut a wry grin to her mother. “No rush, Mom. Just saying.” Then to Zane, “Just because I chose to accept a scholarship and pursue a career in Boston doesn’t mean I don’t care about the ranch. Especially if the future of the ranch itself is at stake. This ranch is in my blood, same as yours. Don’t shut me out.”

Zane rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “Here’s the thing, Piper. And don’t take this the wrong way because, well...you know I love you, right? I’d do anything for you.”

She hummed her disagreement and twitched a corner of her mouth at him. “Except clean the bathroom, as I recall.”

Zane matched her teasing grin. “Okay, there are exceptions, but...when it counts, I’d die for you.”

Josh clapped a hand to his heart, his expression melodramatic. “Same here, sister. In a heartbeat.”

She tossed a throw pillow at Josh. With a withering glance to Zane, she said, “I’m touched. Why do I hear a but coming?”