Kade set his napkin down next to his empty dessert bowl. “I think it’s too soon to let down our guard. There’s a chance Keller was hired by someone and that someone might have killed him to keep him from talking. If that’s the case, Frank was just a tool for whoever wants to make trouble for me and the ranch.”

“Any idea who it might be?” Wyatt asked.

“I’m working on it. If any of you have ideas, I’d like to hear them.”

No one spoke.

“Looks like I’ve still got a job.” Trace Elliot, Delaney’s right-hand man, was a former army ranger, good-looking, with wavy brown hair and intense blue eyes.

Amusement touched Kade’s lips. “I’m sorry to say you’re right.” The men chuckled. “We’re going to need your help till this is over. Eventually it will be—one way or another.”

“Tomorrow’s Sunday,” Riley said, his white plaster cast angled beneath the table. “Maybe we should stick around instead of taking the day off.”

Kade shook his head. “We aren’t letting this bastard win. You all work hard. You deserve time off. Whatever’s going on, we’ll figure it out.” The men looked relieved. “In the meantime, I need you all to stay alert. More than that, I need you to stay safe. We’re all family here. Your safety is the most important thing.”

Kade slid back his chair and shoved to his feet. “Great job, Maria. I know the men enjoyed it as much as I did.” He looked at the group around the table. “Enjoy your evening.”

As he strode out of the kitchen and headed down the hall, the hands began to disperse. Some of them would head back to the bunkhouse, others would drive into Coffee Springs or down to Eagle to enjoy a night out before their day off.

“Tomorrow I move back into my grandmother’s house,” Maria said as she and Ellie put the last of the dishes into one of two dishwashers. “I’d rather stay with Alejandro, but he doesn’t need me anymore.” She looked at Ellie. “I wish he wanted me to stay a little longer.” Her lips trembled. “I wish he loved me, but he doesn’t.”

Ellie wiped her hands on a dish towel. “Did Alejandro tell you that?”

Maria shook her head. “He wouldn’t want to hurt me.”

“Maybe you should talk to him, tell him the way you feel, ask him what he feels for you.”

Maria sadly shook her head. “I don’t have that kind of courage.” Untying her apron, she hung it on a peg on the wall, grabbed her coat, and walked out the back door.