But apparently sixteen-year-old Sarah Anderson had indeed burned her uncle’s ranch to the ground and stood there and watched it go up in flames until the police arrived and arrested her at the scene. She didn’t deny doing it. In fact, she’d confessed to the crime to the responding officer.

The only explanation in the police report for why she’d done it was because she was angry her uncle had sold their horses.

The reason on the surface didn’t warrant her retaliation.

He didn’t know what to make of the information.

He thought of a thousand scenarios that would set her off and make her rage at her uncle and burn the place down. None of them was as benign as the sale of some horses.

He didn’t think she had a quick-trigger temper. He’d never seen her even raise her voice with the boys. Margaret hadn’t mentioned any fights she knew about between Sarah and Sean. She hadn’t called to tell him Sarah had done anything disturbing during her visit.

So what really happened? What provoked that kind of rage?

It ate away at him and consumed his thoughts.

Everyone knew the boss was in a bad mood and they avoided him. So it was surprising when Jerry sought him out in the barn and stood in the doorway. Luke had let several of the horses, including Ace, out into the pasture while he cleaned a few of the stalls. He’d been working out some of his frustrations since before dawn, same as he’d been working himself to death the last couple days.

“Luke, you better come out to the pasture.” Jerry stood back, giving Luke space, but he had a look in his eye that worried Luke.

“What’s going on? Is Ace all right?”

“He’s fine. Agitated, because the men got too close to his prize.”

Luke’s eyebrow shot up. “What?”

“Come take a look.”

Frustrated, he pushed the pitchfork handle against the stall wall. “Just tell me what’s going on.”

“You have to see it to believe it. None of us can get close enough, but I think Ace will let you.”

“That damn horse is going to be the death of me. Can’t he behave?”

They made their way out to the pasture. Luke counted three men with seven horses, Ace among them, all standing around something in the field.

“What’s that on the ground inside the circle of horses, and why won’t they let the men get close to it?”

“You’ll see. It’s the strangest thing. I couldn’t get past any of them animals. They’ve turned into guard dogs.”

Luke’s worry rose the closer he got to the horses. He was finally getting a clear picture of what the horses were doing. Seven horses surrounded a body on the ground. Luke’s heart pounded; he was sure the horses had trampled someone. They wouldn’t allow anyone near whoever had been hurt or killed. Luke quickened his pace until he was right in front of Ace, trying to get past him. The huge animal wouldn’t budge. Ace shifted and blocked Luke again, but he caught a glimpse of the woman.