She smoothed her hands out flat on the table in front of her. “I mentioned before that Aunt Jo needed help with the ranch. It wasn’t merely physical labor she needed. The ranch’s finances were in trouble. I inherited the ranch from my mother five years ago. I wasn’t really in the best frame of mind after losing my mom, so I let Aunt Jo handle everything where the ranch was concerned. In her worry over my grief, she failed to inform me the taxes were in arrears. She tried to handle it all on her own, but she couldn’t. We were in danger of losing everything.
“Eli Bennett offered to buy the ranch, and when she refused to sell, because she couldn’t actually sell it without my knowledge, he used his influence to get his cronies in the local government to deny her extensions on the back taxes. When I finally discovered what was going on, I came down here, paid the taxes, and took the ranch off the auction block.”
Jackson continued to write things down on his notepad. “Why does Bennett want your spread bad enough to make you and your ranch his special project? Is there oil on the land?”
“No, there’s no oil. The land borders the main road that travels down the middle of town. That same road, which starts at the tip of my property line, is also an inlet onto Interstate 35. As a tourist attraction, that’s perfect placement. We’re about ninety minutes from Austin in one direction, and three hours from the border of Mexico in the other. My presumption is Eli saw the earning potential. It’s that, or he simply can’t stand to lose to a woman. Knowing him, it’s probably a little of both.”
“Is there anyone else you can think of? I know you said you pay Seneca and Brooklyn well. What about day laborers? Do you have them? If you do, any problems with them?”
She shook her head. “It isn’t a ranch in the traditional sense. We don’t have livestock so that cuts down on a significant need for ranch staff. We hire out the landscaping and turn the grass shavings into straw for the stables. Seneca, Brooklyn, and I take turns caring for the horses and their habitat. As we get closer to opening, I’ll hire hospitality staff, but other than the construction crew coming to build more structures for us, there really isn’t a need for many day laborers.”
“Okay, so let’s go back to you and your past. You were a lawyer in New York. Leave any disgruntled clients behind?” Considering the tongue-lashing she’d just given him, it wasn’t hard to imagine that mouth of hers got her into more trouble with someone else.
She shook her head before sharing a weak smile with him. “Most of the time, I worked my magic and the world never knew their favorite celebrity was in legal trouble at all. If it went as far as court, I got them off with a slap on the wrist. My clients were very happy with my services.”
She took another deep breath, her shoulders lifting slightly as if the weight of his line of questioning was physically wearing her down.
“The only person who stands to gain anything by me leaving my place is Eli. He’s more than capable of stooping to strong-arm tactics to get me to leave.”
Jackson finished up his notes. “Have you told Seneca and Brooklyn about the investigation yet?”
“I haven’t had time to tell them anything. Between being seen at the hospital and leaving at first light to travel to your headquarters, I haven’t had time to talk to either of them.”
He pointed a finger in her direction. “That’s good. Here’s how it’s going to work. Colton, Storm, and I are going to arrive on the ranch tomorrow posing as ranch hands.”
Her brows pinched as his meaning became clear. “You mean you want this to be an undercover investigation? I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because combined, Seneca and Brooklyn have spent more than a decade in state prison. I think they can spot law enforcement before I could.”
She was probably right. But it didn’t change the fact that they needed this operation to be concealed.
“So tell them we’re both ranch hands and extra security. Tell them we’re all ex-military if they clue in to something more going on.” It was a reasonable explanation, and it was the truth. They’d each served in the military before becoming Rangers. Hopefully, it would be enough to throw anyone being too nosy off the scent of their true reason for being on the ranch.
Colton shook his head as he spoke. “We’re completely screwing the chain of usual command by coming in there without the invitation of local law enforcement. Things can get really ugly between us and them if we go in there without their knowledge.”
“But Sheriff Hastings doesn’t want the case.”
“He may not want it”—Jackson picked up where Colton had left off—“but having the Rangers come in and make him look bad probably isn’t on his list of things to do either. Locals can be very territorial. It’s a hassle we don’t need.”
Storm gave her a compassionate glance before adding, “Not to mention, your people will probably be more cooperative if they aren’t aware there’s an active investigation going on.”
She shook her head and folded her arms. “I don’t like this, Jackson. I’d be lying to my people. Keeping their trust is important to me. This isn’t what I imagined when my uncle brought you in.”
“You may not like it, but it’s the only way I’m willing to go in. I don’t have enough men to manage this case as is. I’m not going to add the extra pressure of walking into a potentially hostile situation with ex-convicts and the local law. It’s a potential risk formypeople I’m not willing to take. I do it my way, or we walk.”
The heavy sound of the breath she blew out clued him in that she still wasn’t thrilled with his mandate. She extended her hand, and when he took it in his own, she offered him a firm shake.
“Okay, we’ll do it your way. How will this work?”
“Colton, Storm, and I will arrive tomorrow morning. While we handle things covertly on your ranch, Jennings and Gleason will handle the official, visible parts of the investigation. They’ll run down leads, do background checks, question suspects, get warrants if necessary.”
“All right.” She stood, smoothing her hands over her pants before shoving them in her pockets. “I need to get back to the ranch to set things up for your arrival and prepare Seneca and Brooklyn.”
“Gleason and Jennings are waiting downstairs for you. Storm and Colton will walk you down and help you with the cart. Thank you again for the rolls and the coffee.”
She stood there, obviously troubled about their conversation but somehow resolute. Her strength was a visible thing. But the burden of it and how she bore that load on her rigid shoulders made his need to help her more profound.
