By the time they reached Ajo’s warehouse-style grocery store, they’d agreed that it would save time for Val to take the list and do the shopping while Tess visited her lawyer and checked the mail. Tess left her sister at the store’s entrance and drove to the post office, where she picked up a handful of bills and junk mail, then continued on to her lawyer’s place.
Andrea Simonelli, a widow, lived in a former company house that was small but tastefully remodeled with a charming yard landscaped with native plants. Tess had tried to phone her from the ranch but had to settle for leaving a voice mail, explaining what she needed. If the woman wasn’t home, she reasoned, she could always drop the packet through the mail slot in the door.
She was about to ring the bell when the door opened. A petite woman with a youthful face and silver hair stood in the doorway, dressed for travel and wheeling a large suitcase. “I was hoping you’d get here before I had to leave, Tess,” she said. “My son is getting married in Salt Lake City this Tuesday, and I’ve got a plane to catch. I won’t have time to look at your documents until I get back next week, but you’re welcome to leave them. I’ll call you when I’ve finished my review.”
Tess thanked her, left the packet of papers, and went back to her car. She didn’t have a problem with waiting to sign the contract. Brock might. He was not known to be a patient man. But that was his problem. Meanwhile, she’d have time to help Val finish the shopping. Then it would be back to the ranch to set up for the house-burning party.
* * *
Brock hadn’t planned on driving home by way of the Alamo Canyon Ranch—especially since he’d just been there to deliver Quicksand. But the idea that his mysterious enemy could be Tess had struck him like a thunderbolt.
For the rest of the day, he hadn’t been able to think of anything else. His mind warred with the notion that a woman as gentle as Tess would kill an animal just for spite. Such a cruel act didn’t seem like her at all. But then again, how well did he know her? Maybe she had a dark side—a side he’d never seen.
Maybe spending more time with her would either harden his suspicions or put them to rest.
He needed an excuse to return to the Alamo Canyon Ranch. A gift might ease his welcome. Browsing in a high-end specialty store for rodeo supplies, he’d found just the thing. It was something she’d mentioned the day she’d come to his ranch to choose a bull—a bucking dummy in the shape of an actual rider.
Known as a Sticky Ricky, the dummy came with a detachable head and torso and two detachable legs that could grip the sides of a bull. Its plain black body could even be dressed in clothes and a hat. With pads and a stout strap underneath to hold the device in place, it could also be stripped down and used as a regular box dummy.
It was an expensive toy, but worth the money if it served its purpose. He would give it to Tess as a present. If that didn’t buy him some time with her, nothing would.
If she accepted the gift and didn’t send him packing, he would play it from there. He would watch her, listen to her, question her—hell, maybe even put a few moves on her. She might be his partner, but if she was secretly sabotaging him, all the rules were out the window.
* * *
By late in the day, the area around the old house had been cleared of dry grass and weeds, the ground wetted down with a hose attached to the irrigation system. The job had taken a couple of hours, with Tess, Val, Pedro, and Ruben pitching in and Casey helping where he could. He and Val were clearly avoiding each other. Knowing what was at stake, Tess had made no effort to interfere.
The horses and cattle, including the bulls, had been herded to a safe distance. Lexie had volunteered to make sure the dog was safely indoors. The fire wasn’t to be lit until after dark, when the blaze would be at its most spectacular. In the meantime, there’d be time to wash up, rest, and have a light supper. Then the fun would begin, with music, chilled cider, donuts, and the grand spectacle of the burning house. Val had even suggested they throw a few fireworks into the blaze. To Tess’s relief, no fireworks could be found.
Tess stood in the yard, surveying the dilapidated, prefab house from a distance. Taking off her hat, she raked her hair back from her hot face. She was sweaty from pulling weeds and spattered with mud from plying the hose. Val had already gone inside to shower and change. It was time she did the same.
Just then her ears caught the sound of an engine. A black pickup, which she recognized as Brock’s, was coming down the road from the pass. What was he doing back here so soon? Had something gone wrong? Or was he just showing up to complicate her life?
She was a mess, and there’d be no time to freshen up before he arrived. But what did it matter? This was just Brock. It wasn’t as if she was trying to impress him.
By the time the pickup pulled into the yard, Val had come outside, looking fresh and pretty in a mint-green blouse that set off her eyes. Shane and Casey were on the porch, Shane in his wheelchair.
Brock pulled into line with the other parked vehicles, stopped, and climbed out of the cab.
“Weren’t you just here? Did you leave something behind?” Tess hadn’t meant for her greeting to sound sarcastic, but it did.
If Brock had noticed the sharpness, he chose to ignore it. “I drove back to Cave Creek to learn what I could about Cannonball’s death,” he said. “It might have been a wasted trip, but I happened on something that made me think of you, Tess. It might not be your birthday, but I couldn’t resist bringing you a present.”
He opened the shell on the back of the vehicle and lowered the tailgate to reveal a cardboard box about three feet square. Straining under the weight, he lifted it in his arms and set it down at Tess’s feet, within view of the porch.
“Here,” he said, opening his pocketknife and handing it to her. “You do the honors.”
Tess accepted the knife. That Brock Tolman would bring her a gift was the last thing she’d expected. She wasn’t happy with the idea, especially if it meant she might owe him a return favor.
“I don’t know what’s in here,” she said, “but you certainly didn’t need to bring me a present, Brock.”
“I know. Go ahead and open it.”
The box was sealed with tape. Tess took her time working the blade under the cardboard flaps. Val was dancing with anticipation.
“For heaven’s sake, Tess, just rip the blasted thing open! Here, let me help you!” She strode off the porch and began tearing into the box, which was filled with packing peanuts. Val reached deeper. “What on earth . . . ?” She pulled out a black vinyl object in the shape of a human head and torso. Tess stared at it, puzzled.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was some kind of voodoo doll,” she said.