Ava asked me to come by the ranch offices today to discuss the new developments. I text Anton.
Me
I’m heading to the ranch offices in twenty.
Anton
I’ll be back from the airport soon, too. See you there, honey.
This time, I know he means honey in a whole different way.
I dress in record time. It’s freezing outside, there’s a winter bite in the air, but I barely feel it as I hurry down the porch steps and cut across the gravel path toward the offices.
My mind spins faster than my feet. Today feels pivotal—for the case and for everything else, too.
I press my palm to my belly.We’re so lucky, baby girl.
As I walk through the ranch, I wonder if I’ll ever stop marveling at what the Mendez brothers have built here. It’s not only a charming place but a beautiful concept, andbeing a part of it, being welcome here on this family’s land, behind their gate, in their own sanctuary, is a privilege and a joy. They all have homes here, bar Gabriel, who seems to have given his to Anton and happily lives with Lara in a little apartment above the bookstore for now.
I’m not surprised, I suppose. Lara always said life was too short to clean, so I never saw her settling anywhere with too much square footage, and Gabriel seems like a man with one simple need.My best friend.
The six gorgeous Spanish-style houses here are more than just places to live. They’re a place to breathe. There are acres and acres of rolling hills, pastures filled with shiny thoroughbreds. There’s something so secure, sacred, special about the way the hills frame this place, the amount of love and blood and sweat and maybe even Mendez tears that went into creating this ranch.
They’re self-made men, and I respect that. I’ve always romanticized the idea of grit.
And then it hits me…it’s a wonderful place to raise a child.
For some reason, now that I know our baby is a girl, it’s easier to visualize her in the flesh, as a child running around these pastures. Riding a horse. Building a fort with her talented dad. Climbing trees. Things I never did as a kid.
I never saw myself living outside of a city, but now, because of her, I can.
Each step deeper into small-town territory has me convinced I want the safety it offers. It’s comforting to know every nook and cranny of the place you live in.
Which makes me think of the case again…
If Zoe was murdered, why didn’t anyone notice something suspicious in town around the time of Zoe’s accident? There must be a dozen Nosy Nancys that would have reported details Ingram could have followed up on.
I rub my hands together and walk faster through the brisk air.
I need fewer questions and more answers today.
I walk up the stairs to get to the GhostEye offices and push through the door.
Ava and Enzo look up from their monitors the moment I enter. Enzo offers a nod and a thin-lipped smile, but his eyebrows are so deeply furrowed over those cute glasses of his, he’s clearly in the middle of something.
Ava’s red hair is piled into a messy bun, her honey-colored eyes much more alert than I feel this morning.
“Sorry we blew up your phone,” she says.
“No, I’m sorry I missed the calls.”
I was up late, under threat of being spanked with a wooden spoon.
“Do you want tea?” she asks.
I nod, rubbing my chilled hands together. “I’ll get it.”
Ava is back to typing. “I’m pulling up the details for us to discuss. We found a lot. I wish Rio were here today…”
