“Thanks for inviting me to lunch.Now that Lacy is helping Ava and me, I can take some me time, and they can too.It’s working out great.”
“That’s wonderful.I’m glad to enjoy lunch with you.”
They ended up ordering a pizza with red sauce, extra cheese, black olives, pepperoni, dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and bell peppers.Just the way he liked it, and he was glad she liked the same things as he did.They both asked for Italian lemonade.
“What made you come to Yuma Town?”he asked as they received their drinks.
Their pizza arrived, and they began eating slices.
“I was working a case.The woman had murdered her husband and fled before we could take her into custody.She told the police it was a case of suicide.By the time the autopsy came back a month later, proving it was murder, Willamina Caruso had fled the state.We split forces, and I ended up tracking her down to the outskirts of Yuma Town.I enlisted the local sheriff’s department, and we soon had her in custody.Deputy Sheriff Stryker Hill took her in his patrol car, and I led the way back to Orlando, Florida.
“But once I had seen that cougars ran Yuma Town, I vowed to return there once I retired.”
Frank nodded.“I’ve been thinking about Lacy, and if she truly has found a home here, I want to settle here too.”
“It’s a great place to be.You’ll love it here.”
“Yeah.She’s all I have in this world, and I can’t imagine living anywhere else.If she and Rory end up mating and have children, I want to be there for the great-grandchildren.”
Florence smiled.“I can see you bouncing the kids on your knees.”
“Yeah.I love kids.”
“Me too.We’ll have dinner at my house tonight.Do you want to go for a cougar run after that?”
“Yeah, I haven’t done that in a long time,” he said.
“You’re all right with it?”She sounded worried, like she realized after losing his mate on a cougar run, he might be reluctant to do it.
“I would love to.It’s in our nature to run as cougars.I haven’t run with anyone in a good long while.”
“I haven’t either.We’ll have a great time.”
“We will.”
Then they finished their pizza, and he drove her back to the shop.He expected to meet Rory having lunch with Lacy, but he wasn’t.Since he was a ranch hand, he would have a lot of work to do, and he would have to live out in the country.Frank guessed he would meet Rory later when he picked up Lacy from Florence’s house.
“Thanks for lunch.”Florence gave Frank a peck on the cheek.But then she handed him her keys.“Go ahead and settle in.There’s no sense in you having to try to figure out what to do with yourself until I arrive home.”
He smiled.“Thanks.”But he had every intention of taking a drive out to Hal’s horse ranch and checking out Rory.He couldn’t help but want to meet him one-on-one, to ensure he was good for her after this business with Timothy.
He drove to Florence’s house and dropped off his bags in the guest room that wasn’t occupied, then called Dan for directions to Hal’s horse ranch.
Dan gave him the address and told him how to get out there, and Frank thanked him, then drove off.When he finally reached the ranch, he was impressed.Everything was covered in snow: a beautiful ranch house, another one about three acres away, a bunkhouse, several barns, all decorated with Christmas lights and Christmas wreaths.He thought how cheerful the place looked.
A man soon greeted him, his hand outstretched.“I’m Ted, the foreman at the ranch.And you are?”
“Frank, Lacy’s grandfather.I learned she was dating Rory.”
Ted smiled.“You want to meet him?He’s a great guy.All the ranch hands are.Rory is taking care of the horses in the barn, if you want to meet him in there.”
“Sure, thanks.”Frank stalked off to the barn and entered it to find a dark-haired, young man brushing down one of the horses.
Rory glanced at him, smiled, and offered his hand to shake Frank’s.He had a firm handshake and a welcoming approach.
“I’m Frank, Lacy’s grandfather.”
Rory laughed.He sounded perfectly amused.“She told me you were an awesome FBI agent.”
