Two
Michael didn’t have time to fix the leak in the upstairs bathroom, but if he didn’t do it, no one else would. He searched the plumbing aisle of the hardware store for the right fitting.
“Mike!” Huck Blackwood ran up to him and held out a fist. “What are you doing here?”
Michael bumped the waiting knuckles and grinned down at the ten-year-old wearing a cowboy hat, which probably hid the stubborn cowlick the kid’d had since he was born. “I didn’t tell ya? I quit being a cop to become a plumber.”
Huck narrowed his eyes. “Are you kidding me?”
“Yeah, you got me.” Looking up, he found Huck’s mom a few steps away, her long dark hair pulled back in a braid.
Sierra Blackwood—nope, Sierra Wallace now. And by the looks of the maternity shirt declaring “a little buckaroo on board,” Huck was about to become a big brother. Still, she walked up to him with the grace and confidence of a woman who could wrangle a wild horse or her full-of-mischief son with a firm but tender hand.
It wasn’t a hardship anymore to run into Sierra. At one point, it would’ve been an awkward reminder of the torch he’d carried for her. After he’d moved back to Renegade, she’d been a brightness and warmth that had kept him going in one of the darkest times of his life. But even when they’d been together, part of him had known she was still in love with Rowan “Hammer” Wallace. He couldn’t compete with that. And though it emphasized a certain emptiness in his life now, he could honestly say he was happy for Sierra and Huck.
Rowan was a lucky guy.
“What are you guys up to today?” Michael asked Huck.
“Mom needs to order some stuff to fix the fences. But she said I can look at the new model horses. Can I go by myself?” Huck looked at her with big eyes and stuck his bottom lip out a bit for good measure. As if he needed to resort to such tactics.
She chuckled and tapped the brim of his hat. “Go ahead. I’ll find you in a few minutes.”
“Bye, Mike!” Huck ran off toward the small section of toys.
Sierra turned her smile on to him. “Still trying to solve all the world’s problems, Mike Martinelli?”
“Not the whole world.” She always did see more than he wanted her too. “Just here to fix a leaky shower head.”
She slowly nodded. “So still not much progress on your mom’s case.” It wasn’t a question.
He worked hard to keep his grin in place. “You should join the police force. You’d make a great detective.”
She laughed. “I’ve got plenty to keep me busy at the ranch. And home.” She placed a hand on her swollen belly. “I’ll leave the safety and justice of Renegade to you and the rest of the RPD.” She paused, a warm kindness sparking in her eyes. “You’re good at what you do, Mike.”
Just not good enough.
Not that it would stop him from investigating his mother’s murder any time soon. Still, it would be nice to find a new lead. To understand why his mother had been in the seedy part of Southwold. To know where the cash found with her body had really come from.
No matter what everyone else thought, just because drug supplier Sean Fletcher’s fingerprints were all over the envelope didn’t mean Martina Martinelli had taken a bribe.
If she had, they wouldn’t have had a reason to kill her.
Whoever “they” were.
And now even Donner was gone without a trace.
“You should come out to the ranch sometime, Mike.” Sierra’s voice cut through his musings. “Bring your brothers and sisters and we can go for a ride. Well, I might not be the one to take you out, but Huck would absolutely love to lead a trail ride and show you the changes out at the ranch.”
“That’s a sweet offer, but there’s no way you’ll want my whole family out all at once. It can’t be good for the horses.”
“My horses can handle anything. I train them for all kinds of riders. And maybe the horses would be good for you. You look like you could use some fresh air and relaxation.”
The concern was touching—typical of Sierra, who’d never believed the rumors about his mother either—but there was no way he had time for something like that. Still, he didn’t want to seem rude. “I’ll think about it.”
Sierra pursed her lips. “Trying to write me off?”
“Of course not?—”
