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Warren’s face twisted in uncertainty. “The investors don’t have a deal without Victor, right? Why would they threaten him?”

“Maybe they’re counting on Keith being easier to manipulate.” I swallowed a lump of fear.

He met my gaze, searching for something. “You think so?”

I nodded. “He was pushed around his whole life by Victor.”

“I’ll look into it.” He gave me a bemused smile. “Thank you for saving my neck out there.”

“I’m just trying not to read into how quickly they bought it,” I said.

“No one thinks ill of you like that,” he said firmly. “Believe me.”

I shrugged. “Gramps never cared about what people thought of him. Maybe I’m finally understanding that.” I waved the matter away. “I’ll get the animals fed, and then we can take the kids to the hospital to see Eddie.”

He went quiet and stepped closer. “About our discussion last night.” He held up a hand to stop any interruption. “No, let me finish. I just wanted to be clear that I won’t press the matter further. I want Phantom to remain here, and if keeping our relationship purely professional is what it takes, I understand.”

A rush of emotion threatened to choke me. It would be easier if he wasn’t so good-natured about it all. If he would just get mad at me and storm off, and I’d realize that we never were meant to be.

He’d respect the lines I’d drawn. The nature of our relationship. Professional only.

Would I have the strength to do so?

“I will make sure everything is well secured before I leave for Philly in a few weeks,” he said somberly. “I’ll turn over Phantom’s care completely to you.”

That was what I wanted. Wasn’t it?

Warren

JULY 31

The next couple of weeks were a flurry, and each moment that passed drove my heart a little deeper into the ground.

I’d hold to my promise to Eva. If this was the only way I could stay connected to her, so be it. Maybe one day things would change. The only thing that mattered was the safety of every person and creature at Birkstrom.

Day by day, the population was growing. Eva had a handful of new clients, some of the biggest patrons in the Pacific Northwest. I watched from a distance, helping with the final touches in the cabins, as she’d interact with the clients in the barns and arena. She was beautiful as she worked with each new horse, negotiated training contracts, and worked with Bennett to assist with some of the training tasks.

Four days after Eddie was shot, he returned to the largest of the newly finished cabins. Violet helped move the last of their items from the barn apartment, and all four of them settled into their new home.

I’d gone back to the hotel after the night Eddie was shot, knowing the gaps we’d had in our patrols were fixed.

Eva paid me for all the supplies we’d kept track of. I didn’t want to insult her by refusing, but I just wished I could have gifted her that. She also let me know she could take over the salaries for Bennett and Eddie.

I nodded, covered up my disappointment. I was happy for her. She was able to relieve the looming debt and take on the staff that would keep this farm going. I’d continue to pay the rest of the salaries for as long as I wanted her farm fully guarded.

Was the threat gone now that Victor had passed? We hadn’t seen a trace of the black sedans or a whisper of his associates in town. Were they gone or lying low after Victor’s murder?

Eva seemed confident that the danger had passed. We hadn’t seen the sheriff at all since that early morning visit. He’d called in each of my men and asked them questions, as well as Violet. Violet launched her own campaign against the sheriff for his failure to take Eddie’s shooting seriously, and she rallied everyone in town to her cause. Betty called Lowe daily for updates and demanded his resignation.

I knew it wasn’t the end of things. Reid was digging into Keith’s whereabouts and who might have killed the elder Merrick.

Kenneth had called me a dozen times, and I hadn’t been able to avoid him. I assured him that I’d be there by early August.

Now more than two weeks had passed since the shooting, and I had a mere two days until I left. I found any and every excuse to stay in the barn as late as Eva did.

She spent hours working with each of her new horses, but the bulk of her day was with Phantom in the arena as he practiced his perfect pose for the judges, trotted alongside her, and moved without her even making a visible command. It was like poetry in motion, the two of them together.

“Hey, Captain?” Junior approached me, pointing to the gates, where a small sedan sat. “There’s someone here from The New York Times. He said he wants to talk to you about your Senate run. Should I let him in?”