Chapters (50)
- Also by
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- CHAPTER ONE
- CHAPTER TWO
- CHAPTER THREE
- CHAPTER FOUR
- CHAPTER FIVE
- CHAPTER SIX
- CHAPTER SEVEN
- CHAPTER EIGHT
- CHAPTER NINE
- CHAPTER TEN
- CHAPTER ELEVEN
- CHAPTER TWELVE
- CHAPTER THIRTEEN
- CHAPTER FOURTEEN
- CHAPTER FIFTEEN
- CHAPTER SIXTEEN
- CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
- CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
- CHAPTER NINETEEN
- CHAPTER TWENTY
- CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
- CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
- CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
- CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
- CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
- CHAPTER THIRTY
- CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
- CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
- CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
- CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
- CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
- CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
- CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
- CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
- CHAPTER FORTY
- CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
- CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
- CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
- CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
- CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
- EPILOGUE
- Teaser Chapter
The test results would take a few days. In the meantime, even with the security patrol he’d hired, the hands needed to stay alert. Nineteen thousand acres was a big chunk of land. Fortunately, the cattle had been brought down to the lower pastures for the winter, which meant the patrol was less spread out.
Slate returned with the pickup and trailer. They loaded the sick cows, and Slate drove them back to the ranch. Kade and Wyatt finished building the fence, then drove the remaining cattle north toward another waterhole they hoped would be safe. They didn’t find any sick cows in the area, and the second waterhole was more remote, which made it somewhat safer.
By the time they were finished and on their way home, it was pitch-dark. There was no moon and only a few stars overhead.
Kade’s stomach growled. Supper was long over, but with any luck they’d find something left for them in the kitchen. He thought of Ellie and what he’d had in mind for her tonight. He was hungry, but not just for food. Unfortunately, it was after midnight when he and Wyatt walked tiredly into the ranch house kitchen.
Ellie was nowhere in sight, but a platter of roast chicken and potatoes waited for them in the oven. There was a salad in the fridge and hot rolls in the warming drawer. Kade smiled. A detective who could cook and run a kitchen. Best luck he’d had in some time.
Thinking of why Ellie had come to the Diamond Bar had his smile slipping away. She was there to find a killer. She’d been sidetracked into helping him track down Frank Keller, but there was nothing more either of them could do right now.
In the meantime, tomorrow was Friday. He had promised to take Ellie to the Elkhorn Bar and Grill. She had come to Coffee Springs in search of a murderer. She wanted to meet some of the locals, eliminate them as suspects, if nothing else. He could help with that.
And when he brought her home after the dance, they could continue where they had left off. He’d have Ellie back in his bed, and until this was over, he planned to convince her to stay there.
It was a thought that would get him through a long, worrisome night.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ELLIE WAS GRATEFUL TO HAVE MARIA HELPING AGAIN IN THE KIT chen. The hands ate breakfast and set off for work, while Kade went over the books in his study. When Maria left to take a plate of ham and eggs to Alejandro, Kade returned.
“We’ve got security covered and the hands on the lookout for Keller, but unless someone spots him or the sheriff comes up with something, there’s nothing more we can do right now.”