Ranch Rivalry by Gray Gardner

Author:Gray Gardner [Gardner, Gray]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Chick-Lit, Women's Fiction, Man-Woman Relationships, Love Stories, Cowboys, Western, Romance
Publisher: Blushing Books Publications
Published: 2015-08-31T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

“And you’re sure you didn’t move anything around?”

Case wrung her hands in front of her and chewed on her lip as she stood in her foyer. After Nelson, the Sherriff’s Deputy, had picked her up on the side of the road and driven her home, he immediately called everyone in. Now her beautiful house was filled with cops from Oakwood and the county, dusting for prints, checking door and window frames, taking flash pictures, making calls on the house phone and handheld radios, basically totally taking over the place.

“Um,” she squeaked, clearing her throat and looking back up at Nelson’s brown eyes and buzz cut. “I… the door was open so I probably touched it just to push it further, and then the phone in the kitchen… and the screen door in the kitchen. Maybe a light switch? But I didn’t touch anything else, I swear.”

“It’s alright, Sweetheart,” Nelson nodded, making a note of where they’d find her fingerprints on his notepad.

“Everyone looks nervous,” she quietly commented as someone with an official looking tackle box brushed by, barking in his radio.

“Nothing to be nervous about,” Nelson reassured her, looking around with a worried face. “Let’s go outside.”

Case followed him to her large front porch, people running up and down the steps to the line of black and white cars and trucks in her circle driveway. A breeze blew through, causing the ceiling fans to turn lazily overhead. She wondered if her family would ever sit out here again with cocktails to watch the horses gallop in the pasture.

“Well, look who’s all grown up,” Sherriff Franks smiled, walking up to the porch and reaching out his hand as he took his Stetson off.

“Sherriff,” Case grinned, firmly shaking his hand, then sighing as she looked back through the tall windows to her dining room. “Anything you can tell me?”

“You were right. Someone’s been in here looking for something, and there isn’t a trace of Jackson. But don’t worry, we’ve got experts coming to help out for the next few days.”

“Experts?” Case asked, frowning as the late afternoon sun glared off of every shiny surface around them. “How many days? Can I stay here?”

“Well, Darlin’, you aren’t really supposed to touch anything.”

“But what about my clothes? I need clothes!” she protested, grabbing a handful of the green cotton dress. She couldn’t wear this awful stuff one second longer than she absolutely had to. Surely, he understood that.

“This is a crime scene now,” he nodded, looking over at Nelson. “Why don’t you go back into town and get something cold to drink. We’ll take care of everything here.”

Case glanced back one last time at her house, then nodded up at the Sherriff. “May I call you in the morning to see if you’ve made any progress?”

“You can call me as much as you’d like,” he winked, placing his hand on her shoulder as they slowly walked towards the steps leading down to the driveway. “Go on back to Tizzy’s. Should I call Joel—”

“No!” she interrupted, turning and staring intensely up at him.

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