Gage and Sheriff Riggins walk over. Bullet lifts his head, alert, but I run my hand over his head and neck gently, until he settles again.
“Sloane, this is Sheriff Riggins,” Gage says. “He has a few questions.”
I nod, knowing it’s all formality.
“Well, you must be that pretty lady from Daisy’s,” the sheriff says, tipping his hat.
Heat creeps up my cheeks. I may have stopped back a few times, okay, every morning, after my first visit. The coffee is delicious, and Gage still doesn’t keep creamer in the fridge.
He clears his throat. “Anyway, as Gage stated, I got a couple of questions for you.”
I nod.
“Gage states you were with him all day. Can you confirm this?” He asks, and I glance over at Gage for a moment, but then I have to remind myself that this is customary. Checking everyone’s whereabouts and if we’re all semi-connected in some fashion is the best way to get to the root of the issue.
“Yes, sir. We went to Buckley to file a report with the Water and Irrigation Board, then headed back here andspent a few hours on the south side of the property away from the ranch until sunset,” I explain as he writes it down, nodding to himself.
“And this report, does it have anything to do with that filing I got from the land assessor the other day?” He asks, making me grateful that Sheriff Riggins received it already and has already begun to look into it.
“It does.”
“She found illegal piping trailing from our property well to that construction site over yonder,” Gage says to the sheriff, pointing in the direction of the condo site. Sheriff Riggins shakes his head, scoffing.
“Those dang Horizon folk are nothing but trouble. I told the county it was a bad idea to do business with them, but they don’t listen,” he says, writing down the information in his book.
“So, Horizon's the likely source? I ask, and he looks up, nodding.
“They’re the only ones with the means and motive right now,” he says, pointing his pen at Gage. “You know, they approached your Uncle Sam with a considerable offer,” he says as Gage stands there, curious. I guess this is the first time he’s hearing about this.
“All the other land has been bought up around Hollis,” I confirm, and Gage shoots me a look—another thing hedidn’t know, but something I learned months ago when we were still biting each other’s faces off like rabid dogs. I just failed to mention this piece because the piping issue took priority.
Sheriff Riggins nods. “I’ll bet anything they got something to do with all this mess,” he says, waving his pen around the ranch. “When Samuel said take a hike—well, you know how big city folk are. They get told no, they don’t accept that lying down.”
I try not to take that personally because he isn’t wrong. We don’t accept no, but he’s obviously referring to them using other means to get their point across.
“You got all you need?” Gage asks.
Sheriff Riggins flips through his notes, then nods. “I believe I do.” He looks between us. “I’ll look into this Horizon Group and see what I can find.”
He shakes Gage’s hand, tips his hat to me, then heads back toward his cruiser.
Gage turns to find the others, leaving me on the steps alone with my thoughts. The Horizon Group business card feels heavy in my wallet, like I’m carrying something poisonous. By all accounts, dealing with them is like shaking hands with the devil.
Still, based on how things are unfolding with Gage, I may not need to go that far with them. He’s trying—genuinely trying—but it’s too soon to trust the shift completely. People can backslide. I know that better than most.
I grab tools from the bed of Gage’s truck and head into the barn. Spare boards lean against the wall, stacked there by someone for later.
I kneel at the broken door and start prying away the damaged wood, working slowly and methodically, measuring each pull before committing to it.
Boots scuff behind me.
Gage drops down beside me with a quiet huff. “Did I ever tell you you’re good with your hands?”
I chuckle. “No. But I’ve never been one to wait around for a man to do the work for me.”
He smirks and reaches up to hold the board steady while I hammer. “I noticed.”
The door comes together quickly. Aside from the latch—which will need a trip to the hardware store tomorrow—it’s solid enough. We stand and inspect it together. Gage shakes his head, clearly impressed.
