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“Take them inside the lodge,” Wyatt said. “The last I knew, Beth and Abbie were preparing food and drinks for everyone.”
“All right.” She turned toward the back door of the kitchen, stopping when she spotted Logan with Jake beside him. A low groan escaped when Logan smiled at her.
The groan didn’t come from her not being happy to see him. Not at all. The reaction came from how her body responded to him. Sam didn’t like the way her stomach fluttered or the tightness in her chest whenever he was close. She wanted the automatic response to stop, go back to the way things were before they decided to discourage Miguel by pretending they were engaged. What a mistake that was turning out to be.
He nodded at her without speaking, his attention focused on Jake and what he had to tell Wyatt. The serious expression on both of their faces kept her in place.
Lowering his voice, Jake spoke to Wyatt, Aiden, and the fire captain. Anson stood next to his son. Logan stayed close to Jake, listening. When finished, everyone except Aiden, who made a phone call, and Anson, walked in separate directions.
Curious, she followed Logan. “Hey. Wait up.”
He stopped and turned to face her. “Yeah?”
“What’s going on?”
Glancing over his shoulder, he lowered his voice. “Barrel told Jake he saw someone near the barn not long before the fire started.”
“And?”
“He’s real sure the person was a woman.”
Sam sat with the guests inside the lodge, snacking on crackers, cheese, spinach and artichoke dip, sliced vegetables, and sandwiches. Most picked at the food. The weary firefighters ate with vigor while swallowing large amounts of water between bites. The sandwiches disappeared within minutes of their arrival.
Sam didn’t eat at all, choosing to sip on a glass of iced tea. The details Logan shared didn’t sit well with her.
Barrel’s description of the arsonist matched Laurel Maddox. Even though he hadn’t seen her face, the height, slender body, and blonde hair worn in a ponytail pointed to her. The fact she’d been in town, and a guest at the ranch for the first fire, supported what he saw.
Sam refused to believe the woman she’d come to think of as a friend could be responsible for both fires. Her reasoning was an arsonist would take time to hide their identity. The blonde ponytail, not hidden within a hoodie or hat, was an example.
She’d told Aiden the same before he left to talk with Laurel. It didn’t seem to make any difference to the deputy or anyone else. Barrel’s statement carried more significance than Sam’s doubts.
“How are you doing?” Logan pulled a chair close and sat down.
“All right. Any word from Aiden?”
Logan shook his head. “He’d be notifying the sheriff if he suspected Laurel. Sheriff Dugan might contact Wyatt.” He shrugged.
“It’s not her,” Sam said.
“I don’t know much about her,” Logan said.
“She’s a widow who put a lot of money into a new business. Why would anyone do that if they were planning to burn down the largest ranch in the area?”
“Who knows what goes on in someone else’s mind? Miguel is a good example.”
Sam looked at him, her brows drawing together. “How so?”
“Why would he track you down after all this time to try for a second chance?”
“I’ve thought about that a lot.” She leaned toward him. “Miguel never worked this hard to do anything. He’s basically lazy. Something else is going on, I just don’t know what.”
“There sure are a lot of strange things going on around here, Sam.”
“Our engagement being one of them.”
He barked out a laugh, though the look on his face seemed to convey something else.
Logan drove back home later that afternoon, his mind reeling from what he wouldn’t allow himself to accept. He knew his clouded brain was mistaken, sending him incorrect signals. There was no chance he wanted the counterfeit engagement to Sam to be…what? Real?
