Disarming the Rancher Read online

  “You didn’t mention anything after the bomb threat. Why did you keep this to yourself?” she asked.

  “The man is cracking under pressure, possibly in a personal bind, but strapping a bomb underneath the stage?” He shook his head. “There was no way he would do anything to hurt us. Anything happens to the band and he’s out of a job.”

  His logic was solid but she still didn’t like keeping secrets from each other.

  “I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Randy, I really do. It means a lot that you would want to protect me,” she started.

  He nodded and she knew he came from a place of caring. No question there.

  “Maybe the pressure has been getting to all of us,” she admitted.

  “You won’t get any arguments from me there.” He cracked another smile meant to ease the tension of the situation.

  “This career feels like a runaway train sometimes, doesn’t it?” she asked, realizing she wasn’t the only one who felt this way despite her efforts to protect everyone else.

  “I don’t feel right complaining. Most folks would kill to be in our shoes,” he admitted.

  “True.” She never lost sight of how hard they’d worked to get where they were or how far they’d come since those early days. “I know how grateful we are.”

  Randy nodded.

  “We’re also human and haven’t taken a break in a very long time,” she pointed out.

  “Doesn’t feel like we should, feels like we’re letting people down,” he said on a sharp sigh.

  She pinched her arm. “Flesh and blood, just like everybody else.”

  “Superman.” He flexed his arm and wiggled his eyebrows.

  They both laughed.

  “Your wife and kids don’t see nearly enough of you,” Raleigh said.

  “It’s been easy for them to meet up with me since we’ve mostly played Texas venues. Now that the kids are getting older, they’ll start school and I’ll see a whole lot less of them.” Randy frowned.

  “Seems like we should figure out a way to change that. And we should probably talk to the others to see if anyone else has been holding back on information about Wade,” she said.

  “I’d like that a lot,” Randy said. “Tim knows what I do. He has picked up on the change in Wade’s general disposition.”

  “At least we’ll be able to talk to Wade in person. Before he gets here, though, I want to get a sense of what the others are thinking. Especially now that we know he didn’t handle payroll.” She’d believed her grandmother’s property had been the main ball dropped. “I’m concerned about the money. We should be making more, not less. Do you think there’s a chance we’re in financial trouble?”

  He shrugged. “I sure hope not.”

  She walked back to the house with Randy, thinking she needed to do more than open the financial document. She needed to call the bank.

  “Let me make a few phone calls before we meet with the others. Do you mind telling them we should get together in an hour?” she asked, her hand on the knob of the backdoor.

  “I’ll handle it,” Randy said. He put his hand on her shoulder. “Be careful with Kenny.”

  “He’s a grown man. He can handle rej—”

  “No, I mean be careful around him,” he said. “I can’t put my finger on it, but something has changed in him lately. He doesn’t seem the same to me and he’s riding Jake a little too hard. The kid is gonna blow one of these days and I’d hate to see the two of them get into it.”

  “Kenny has definitely had a hard time hearing the word, no. I can personally vouch for him crossing the line one too many times.” She took note of the assessment. Randy was right. Something was off about Kenny this time. She figured the divorce was weighing heavy on him. In the time they’d been together forever ago, he always talked about marriage as being sacred. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

  “We take care of each other, right?” he asked.

  “That’s what family does,” she agreed.

  And part of that meant she made sure the business ran smoothly. She opened the door and walked into the kitchen.

  Brax sat at the Marshall’s desk. He needed a scratch sheet so he could run some numbers and was better with a pen and pad than an electronic device any day of the week. There were a couple of folders on top of the oversized, hand-carved oak desk. Nothing that seemed too important.

  He pulled out a drawer and a file folder with his name on it caught his eye.

  Only him? Why wasn’t there a file on any of his brothers or cousins for that matter?

  This was the Marshall’s personal space so it felt wrong to invade it but the question started eating away at Brax…why did he have a folder in his grandfather’s desk?

  Curiosity had him drawn toward the file. He drummed his fingers on the desk, debating whether or not he’d be breaking any confidence by taking a peek. The contents of the file were clearly about him. Didn’t he have a right to know?

  Normally, he wouldn’t go rooting around in someone else’s belongings, alive or dead. There was no honor there. But then wouldn’t the file be under lock and key if it held information the Marshall didn’t want people to find?

  Anyone could stumble across it here.

  Now that the Marshall was gone, it seemed like Brax had a right to the contents. What if there was a medical condition he needed to know about? The Marshall would never leave a piece of the ranch to him and not divide it up among his brothers and cousins, so no threat of a surprise component in his will.

  Was there a loophole he needed to know about?

  And then he thought about how antsy his mother had been lately. Did her actions have anything to do with the file?

  “Hey.” Raleigh’s voice cut into his mental debate. She stood at the doorway.

  “Before you come inside, let me ask a question.” He put a hand up, palm out.

  “Okay.” She cocked her head to one side.

  “If you saw a file with your name on it in someone else’s desk, would you take it out and look at it?” he asked.

  “Absolutely. I’d want to know if I was in some kind of trouble or had something wrong with me that no one was telling me about. There are half a dozen reasons to look and the biggest one is that it has my name on it. Even in grade school they taught us to label everything that belongs to us.” She bit down on her lip and shifted her weight to one side. “Of course, you could just go to the person directly and ask.”

  “No, I can’t.” He dropped his gaze to the opened drawer.

  She must’ve gotten the hint because she mouthed, ‘Oh.’ “Well, then, since you’re asking me, I think you have a right to know what’s in there,” she said.

  “Rifling through the Marshall’s personal files goes against my beliefs,” he stated.

  “It doesn’t go against mine.” She walked over and crouched down next to the drawer. She pinched it between her finger and thumb as she skimmed the others. “You do realize there’s no oth—”

  “Yes, I do,” he cut in.

  “Do you want me to take a look?” She caught his gaze and held it. Those sparkly emerald eyes of hers seemed to see right through him.

  He covered her hand with his, ignoring the familiar pulse that came with contact.

  “My mom has been acting different lately. She said something was going to come to light and that she needed to talk to me about it first,” he said. “My mind has been spinning about possibilities ever since.”

  “It doesn’t sound like her to keep secrets.” She caught his gaze and held onto it.

  “My thought exactly.” And was half the reason he couldn’t seem to let it go. “She’s been conflicted over it. Whatever ‘it’ is.”

  “Look at that file and you might save her the trouble of telling you,” she said.

  “I’d be breaking a code of trust,” he stated, glancing down at the drawer.

  “Normally, I would agree with you. However, did you go looking for it on purpose?” she asked.

  “No. I was trying to find a pad of paper because I saw something on your financials that bugged me and you weren’t here to ask,” he admitted.

  Her eyebrow shot up again the minute he mentioned her financials.

  “You came across it by accident. It has your name on it. The Marshall isn’t here to ask and you found it in his desk.” She shrugged and put her hands in the air. “Seems like fair game to me.”

  “I’m going to table this now that you’re back.” He closed the drawer, knowing full well it was going to gnaw at him from the inside out until he knew what was inside.

  She stood up and leaned a hip against the oak. Lucky oak.

  “What did you see on my account?” One of her eyebrows shot up.

  “Wade admitted to letting your grandmother’s property slip through the cracks, right?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she confirmed.

  He pulled up the spreadsheet and then pointed to line item after line item of charges coded, Lone Star Pass House, and Lone Star Pass Property.

  “Wade was flat-out stealing from me?” She blew out a frustrated-sounding breath.

  “It would seem so,” he said. “It’s tens of thousands of dollars over the past two years when you add it all up.”

  “The spreadsheet shows positive cash flow if I’m reading this right.” She folded her arms over her chest. “I wonder what’s up with payroll?”

  “It would be best to double-check the balance with your bank,” he suggested.

  “I was thinking the same thing.” She fished out her cell phone and made the call.

  As he listened, his fingers itched to open the drawer and pull out the file. Was it really snooping if it had his name on it?

  Again, the thought of rummaging through someone else’s desk hit him in a ba
d place. He was protective of his own personal space and the Marshall deserved the same respect no matter how much Brax wanted to open the file.

  Raleigh ended the call with a sigh of what sounded like relief.

  “The good news is that the band isn’t broke. I’ve arranged for payroll to be pushed through direct deposits today.” She smiled and those eyes sparkled.

  “That is the first good news out of this entire situation,” he agreed.

  “The balance on that sheet doesn’t match the one I was just told by a long shot. I need an accountant to go through the books with a fine-toothed comb. Takeover for Wade on a permanent basis,” she said.

  “You might want to lock him out your accounts for the time being,” Brax suggested.

  “Right. Good point. How do I do that without going in to the bank?” she asked.

  “Call them back and put a freeze on the account after payroll is deducted,” he said. “They could take a couple of days to sort through the books. An accountant would need time, but Manny should have a good suggestion there.”

  She got back on the phone and made the call.

  “That was easy enough, after jumping through half a dozen hoops to verify my identity again,” she said. “I should have thought to do it when I was on the phone a minute ago.”

  “It’s done now. That’s the important thing,” he said.

  She filled him in on her conversation with Randy.

  “They were right to be suspicious of him,” Brax said.

  “I need to tell the guys payroll should hit their accounts tomorrow.” She pushed off the desk and walked around it before stopping at the door. “You coming? I’m pretty sure I owe you a cup of coffee for this one.”

  He held a finger up and then fired off a text to get Manny working on hiring an accountant.

  “If you’re buying, I’ll take an extra-large cup,” he teased.

  Her smile was lighter now and he was proud of the fact he’d helped ease some of her burden. Her band might be like family, but she was definitely the one everyone looked to for leadership.

  “That’s a deal,” she quipped.

  He joined her in the hallway and walked beside her. She reached for his hand this time and the jolt of electricity no longer caught him off guard.

  His mother stood in the kitchen at the table, talking animatedly. The Italian in her came out full force as she talked with her hands. She seemed to be entertaining the troops as Adam and Prudence joined them.

  “She’s right in her element,” Adam said as he stopped next to Brax.

  “No signs of stress today,” Brax agreed. Losing the Marshall had thrown everyone off balance, including their mother. He was starting to realize there was more to her stress and the pull toward the file became stronger.

  She spun around as Raleigh handed Brax a cup of coffee. He thanked her and took the offering. The first sip was always the best.

  “I didn’t see you in the playroom,” Mom walked over and wrapped her sons in a hug.

  “I’ve been helping Raleigh on the computer in the Marshall’s office,” Brax said. The minute he spoke he felt his mother’s body stiffen.

  “I’m so proud of that girl, I could burst.” She relaxed and put on a breezy smile.

  Raleigh walked over to the table, no doubt sharing the news payroll had been made. She pulled up a barstool, sat down, and explained the financial situation.

  Mom took Angel as soon as Prudence was finished burping the baby.

  “I’ll take her back to the playroom while the grownups talk.” Mom was in hog heaven with a granddaughter. Her face lit up every time her gaze landed on that little girl. Angel was going to be one spoiled kiddo.

  Brax talked with his brother while Raleigh conducted her meeting. Prudence headed upstairs to take a nap.

  “Still no sleep?” Brax asked his brother.

  “Kids feed all the time when they’re on a bottle,” Adam said. Brax had never seen his brother happier, or more tired, which said a lot considering calving season.

  Mom came bouncing through the room, baby on one arm, diaper bag on the other. “I’m taking her outside before it gets too hot. I have my cell if you need me.”

  Adam practically beamed. Brax knew his older brother better than anyone, and he never would have pegged Adam for fatherhood material. Boy, was he being proven wrong. Babies must hold a special power—power he had no intention of finding out for himself.

  “I’m going to check on my new bride.” Adam wiggled his eyebrows.

  “Too much information, bro.” Brax refilled his coffee cup before heading back to the office. He reclaimed the Marshall’s chair and grabbed onto the drawer handle.

  Figuring he might as well go all in since he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it, he opened the drawer.

  The file was gone.

  14

  Raleigh noticed the minute Brax left the room. The air changed and she missed his presence. She reminded herself not to get too attached. Except that he was everything that was good about being home.

  And that was precisely the danger. He made her want to stick around.

  It didn’t help matters she’d written three songs in the loft with him last night. Being with him reminded her of so many little things she loved. The smell of hay. A horse’s nicker. An endless summer sky.

  “How much did Wade take?” Willie asked.

  “I’m hiring an accountant to figure out the books. They’re a mess and nothing matches up but I already froze our accounts after payroll, and we’ll get a professional on the job who can sort through it all. Give us a better picture of where we stand,” she said. “Honestly, I’m tickled we’re not broke. We do have a good amount of money in the bank. I have no idea what’s supposed to go out or come in, but we’ll get a handle on it.”

  “Thank heaven for small miracles,” Tim said, whilst Randy nodded.

  “I feel like I should have been on top of what was going on with Wade. I apologize for letting you all down,” she said.

  The rebuttals were immediate.

  “You did no such thing,” Randy said to a chorus of similar statements.

  “Thank you guys for saying it, but I do feel personally responsible,” she argued.

  “We’re in this together. Any one of us could have questioned Wade or asked to see the books. It’s been a little too easy to let you do everything,” Willie piped in. “That needs to change. We’re grown adults and we should be pitching in more.”

  Kenny was the only one who sat in silence, arms folded over his chest, chin down. Was he still wallowing in self-pity? She remembered Randy’s warning. Kenny had been quick to defend Wade. The two couldn’t be in league…could they?

  There was only one way to find out.

  “Kenny, you’ve been quiet. Is there anything you want to add to the conversation? Your opinion is just as important as everyone’s.” She hoped she wasn’t pouring it on too thick.

  “I’m just a drummer,” he said. “That’s all I care about and all I want to do.”

  Kenny made a dramatic show of slapping his palm on the table as he stood before walking out the back door.

  “Why does he have a stick up his—”

  Tim cut Randy off by clearing his throat. Randy glanced around the room like he just realized they were in mixed company.

  “He’s been off ever since the divorce,” Raleigh mentioned and quickly added, “not that I’m making an excuse for his behavior. I’m just looking for an explanation.”

  “Someone needs to remind him of his manners.” Willie was normally the quiet one of the group, so his comment drew a couple of eyebrows. The low rumble to his voice said he was fed up with Kenny.

  “I’ll have a talk with him,” Raleigh offered.

  “Mind if I take a stab at it first?” Buck asked. “I used to have a temper until I learned to get it under control.”

  “You?” they all said in unison. All heads turned toward Buck.

  “One of my old bosses took me under his wing after letting me know my options,” he said with a grin.

  “I’d sure like to know what those were,” Willie piped in.

  “Get it under control or get off his crew and take my reputation with me.” Buck smiled at the memory. “I told him to take his job and shove it.”

  The group laughed, breaking up some of the tension.

  “But he was right and my reputation for being a pain in the backside always showed up ahead of me. I had to stuff my pride in my back pocket and go back to him to beg for my old job,” he continued. “He hired me back and put me to work right alongside him. I kept my mouth closed and watched how he handled people. Learned a lot from that man.”