The older man smiled widely. “That’s music to my ears. I don’t want to see her hurt.”
“Neither do I.”
“So what if,” Joe shifted in his saddle, “I offer to sell my ranch to you and Whitney?”
A thick board across his head wouldn’t have shocked him any more than what Joe had said. “You want to sell your ranch?”
“Yes.” He scratched his neck. “I’ve been doing this for years and I think I’m ready to retire. I want to do the things I’ve only dreamed about doing before I get too old to do them. Whitney loves it here, and well... if you two want it, then I want to sell it to you.”
“Thank you, sir. I’ll talk to Whitney about it.”
“Of course, you’ll have to convince her that being a rancher is more exciting than being an FBI agent.”
Zack laughed fully. “I’ve almost convinced her of that, already. Her heart isn’t in her job, and she needs to do something she loves.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Joe nodded. Using the reins, he guided his horse around to head back toward the house. “Let’s find us a shooter first so that we can have a normal life. This ranch hasn’t been as active since before you showed up.”
“Actually, Joe,” Zack urged his horse forward to keep up with the other man, “Whitney thinks she might have a suspect.”
Once again, Joe stopped his horse, and so Zack followed his lead.
“She has a suspect? Who?”
“Last night while she was on the veranda, one of your ranchers came to talk to her. I guess she and this guy grew up together. His name isWall.”
“Oh, yes. Wallace.” Joe narrowed his gaze. “Wall is Whitney’s suspect?”
“No, but Wall was telling her about seeing Jim Bob go into the thicket of trees with a rifle earlier yesterday morning. Whitney remembered that Jim Bob had always teased her when she was young and living here.”
Joe frowned. “Yes, Jim had a rocky childhood, I’m afraid.”
“Because... he was your son?” Zack asked skeptically.
Joe’s eyes widened, and his face reddened. “My son? Where did you hear that load of crap?”
“Wall told Whitney that was the reason Jim disliked her.”
Joe shook his head. “For a brief time, I’d thought Jim was my son, but after we had the DNA tests, it was proven that he wasn’t. But that was clear back when he was a baby. The matter was cleared up by the time I married Whitney’s mother.”
Confusion filled Zack’s head. “Then why would Wall tell her that?”
“I don’t know, unless...” Joe pinched the bridge of his nose. “Wallace was always a shy boy when his father worked on the ranch, but I could see the kid had googly eyes for Whitney. My daughter was sweet to everyone, even Wall, but after she and her mother moved away and Wall started working for me, he’d ask about Whitney from time to time. He knew when she had graduated college, and when she joined the FBI. He even knew the first time she was injured doing her job.”
“Was he a stalker?” Just the thought had Zack fisting his hands. “I mean, did he ever go to New York City to watch her?”
Joe stared off into the distance. Gradually, his expression hardened. “Not even a week ago, he left for about three days. I don’t know where he went, but I’ve heard him talk about going to New York City before. Several times, in fact.”
Zack gritted his teeth. “What day did Wallace take off last week?” he said in a strained voice.
“Um, I think it was Monday.” He nodded. “Yes, it was Monday, and he was back at the ranch by Wednesday – the day before you and Whitney came.”
Anger mixed with panic welled up inside of Zack. He had a really bad feeling about all of this. Jim Bob wasn’t a suspect any longer, but Wallace was at the top of Zack’s list. “Joe? Do you know what kind of vehicle he drives?”
“I think he drives a truck – a Ford.”
“What color is it and does it have big tires?”
“Yes, big tires and the truck is white.”
