"Meanwhile," the sheriff continued, "I want you all to stay vigilant. Document everything. And don't hesitate to call if anything else happens."
As the sheriff's car disappeared down the driveway, Lyle turned to Heather. "Let's get your things moved to the main house."
She nodded, grateful for the practical task to focus on. "The dogs?—"
"We've got room in the barn," Mike interrupted. "There's that empty storage room we can convert. It's temperature controlled and close to the house."
"It’ll work for a temporary kennel," Kenny agreed.
Charlotte tugged at Heather's sleeve. "Can I help?"
"Of course you can, sweetheart."
For the next few hours, they worked as a team to relocate Heather and her dogs. The men carried crates and supplies while Heather, Charlotte and Lori handled the animals, making sure each one was comfortable in their new space.
By mid-afternoon, Frank and Lori headed back home with stern warnings to keep them in the loop. Between all of them, they had transformed the storage room into a cozy kennel area, complete with beds, toys, and even a small play space. The dogs seemed to adapt quickly, especially with Charlotte's enthusiastic attention.
"This might actually work better for training," Heather mused, watching as Holly supervised the puppies' playtime. Charlotte had retrieved Pepper and Sherry from the house, not wanting them to feel left out. "There’s actually more space here, and the ranch guests might enjoy seeing the dogs in action."
"See?" Lyle said, coming up behind her and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Sometimes accepting help leads to unexpected benefits."
She leaned back against him, allowing herself to draw strength from his presence. His body felt strong and masculine, awakening feelings inside her that had been dormant for a very long time.
Lyle Watkins made her yearn.
"I'm starting to figure that out," she said, reveling in the warmth of his body pressed against her back coupled with the sweet smell of hay surrounding them and the low of cows in the distance.
"Good," he murmured, his lips brushing her temple. "Because I've got a lot more help to offer, if you'll let me."
Before she could respond, Joe appeared in the doorway. "Got something," he said, his expression intense. "You both need to see this."
They followed Joe back to the main house, where his laptop displayed several documents. "We found a connection between Richards and your ex-husband," he said without preamble.
Heather felt her blood run cold. "What?"
"They worked for the same company about five years ago. Different departments, but definitely crossed paths. And get this—Richards' company has been buying up properties all around Houston, including some that Bret McGowen was involved with through his engineering firm."
"So they're working together?" Lyle asked, his arm tightening around Heather.
"It sure looks that way. And there's more." Joe clicked through several screens. "Remember those lawsuits against Richards? Two of them involved women who had previously been married to business associates of his. In both cases, the women alleged harassment and intimidation after their divorces."
"A pattern," Heather whispered.
"Exactly. And now it seems they might both be after you. Richards for your business, and Bret..."
"For revenge," she finished, her voice hollow. “Bret is a sore loser and being forced into a divorce settlement made him angry. I thought once the divorce was final, it would be over. I just don’t understand why now? Why wait so long? And why would he hire someone to intimidate me?” She hated the vulnerability that had crept into her voice but couldn’t suppress it. "What do we do?"
"We fight back," Lyle said simply. "It’s not a crime to outbid someone on a real estate purchase, but destruction of property and stalking are illegal.”
“I’ve got a military buddy in the FBI,” Joe said. “We’ll see if we can exert a little pressure and get Richards to back off. Your ex seems to be hiding in the shadows. Even though everything points to him as the mastermind, we don’t have anything to pin on him. But you can be sure we’ll look hard—and make sure he knows we’re on to him.”
"And make it clear that you're not alone,” Lyle added. “I’m sorry to say, Firefly, but your ex strikes me as somewhat of a coward. And we can be a little scary when warranted."
Heather looked between the brothers, then out the window where she could see Mike and Kenny discussing something with grim expressions, while Charlotte played with the dogs nearby. This makeshift family that had formed around her was more than she'd ever expected to find after fleeing her marriage. After vowing to never again give up an inch of control to anyone.
"Okay," she said finally, squaring her shoulders. "Let's fight back."
12
