He almost smiled. “There are lights. The switches are on the right-hand side as you walk in.”
“I can show you where they are,” Mrs. Bennett promised. “Once a month I go upstairs and give everything a light dust.”
Brett rinsed his coffee mug and left it in the dishwasher. “Do you have any more questions?”
“Not at the moment.”
He pulled on his hat. “If you need anything, call me on my cell phone.”
She nodded and watched him walk into the mudroom. How she was supposed to work with Brett popping in and out of the McConachies’ house was beyond her. He was the type of person she could handle in small doses. Anything more than that left her breathless and needy, and a whole lot of other things she didn’t want to think about.
***
Brett walked into the ranch hands’ house. Originally, it had belonged to one of their neighbors. When they decided to rebuild, Pat had bought it from them and moved it onto his property.
The single-story home was larger than Brett’s. With four bedrooms and a decent kitchen and living area, it was perfect for the eight men who usually lived here. In the winter, they were down to a skeleton staff, so Thomas and Dave had the house to themselves.
Brett banged on the front door. Thomas and Dave had gone into town last night and had probably come home late. Even so, there were cattle to be fed and fences that had to be checked.
When no one answered, he tried the door handle and walked inside. “Is anyone awake?” he yelled.
A thump came from down the hallway.
Thomas stumbled into the living room wearing nothing but a pair of black boxers. He was tall and lanky, and looked like he’d had a rough night.
Thomas and Dave worked on the ranch as part of a youth development program. Thomas was nineteen years old. He’d been in trouble with the police but was working hard to change his life.
“Boss?”
Brett crossed his arms. “What time did you get in last night?”
Thomas grabbed a blanket off the end of the sofa and wrapped it around his shoulders. “About two o’clock. Is Dave awake?”
“Not that I’ve heard, but he won’t be asleep for much longer. The cattle need to be fed.”
Thomas scratched his head. “What’s the time?”
“Seven o’clock.”
“Don’t you ever sleep late?”
“Not if other people are counting on me to do my job. Get dressed and see Mrs. Bennett. I want you in the barn in half an hour.” Brett didn’t wait to see what Thomas did next. After everything he’d been through, he was a good kid and wouldn’t let Brett down. Dave, on the other hand, had problems that were getting harder to resolve.
He banged on Dave’s bedroom door. “It’s time to get out of bed.”
There was no answer.
“Dave?” Brett waited a couple of seconds before opening the door. He wasn’t there.
Thomas walked down the hallway and headed into the bathroom with a pile of clothes.
“Where did Dave go last night?” Brett asked.
“Don’t know. I saw him in town for maybe ten minutes before he took off with some college students.”
“You didn’t drive into town together?”
Thomas shook his head. “You know what he’s like.”
