Page 71 of If the Boot Fits

“It wasn’t a love affair. It was more of a . . . breeding opportunity.” Samantha hung her head, hiding her eyes from him for a moment before lifting her chin again. “She loved my father, but she was obsessed with giving him a son. Almost as if she believed her life would have no meaning if she failed to produce a viable heir.”

He heard the hurt in her voice, the recognition that she hadn’t been enough. It must have shredded her heart to read of her mother’s dissatisfaction. Her disloyalty. How could that woman not comprehend that she already had one of the most amazing humans on the face of the planet as a daughter and heir? Clasping Samantha’s hand, he brought it to his lips, praying she would understand that for him, she’d always be enough.

“Mother took up with one of the men at the ranch, but she never named him in her journal. It’s possible he’s moved on and doesn’t work for the Three Cedars any longer, but when the sheriff asked who stood to gain, things suddenly started making sense.” Samantha shifted on the stool and squeezed his hand tightly. “Whoever fathered Clint would have a claim to the ranch through his son. A claim that would be twice as large if Clint didn’t have a sibling around to inherit her share.”

Asher’s mind took a dark turn. “In order to inherit, though, he’d have to do away with your father, too.”

Moisture glistened in Samantha’s eyes. She pressed her lips together and nodded. When she spoke, her voice quivered slightly. “I’m guessing he’s been biding his time, waiting for Clint to reach his legal majority. When I came home from Boston, and Daddy started trying to find me a cattleman husband, this man must’ve worried that Daddy would deed over part of the Three Cedars to whoever I married, and he decided he couldn’t let that happen.”

It was a better theory than anything else they had.

“So how do we flush him out?”

The sound of distant hoofbeats drew Samantha’s attention to the road. Sheriff Jeter would be there soon. She turned back to him, an urgency in her manner.

“Clint has a crescent-shaped birthmark on his chest, right below his collarbone. Mama’s journal said the man who fathered him has the same marking. You and the sheriff need to make the ranch hands take off their shirts. See who has that mark. It wouldn’t be proper for me to be there, so I’ll be in the house, running interference with Clint and my father. I’ll try to keep them away from the bunkhouse. I realize that my father will probably have to be told eventually, but I want to spare Clint. He’s so young. There’s no telling what kind of impact the truth will have on him.”

To find out that the man you always believed to be your father wasn’t, and the man who was had tried to kill your sister on multiple occasions? Yeah. That could mess with a kid’s head.

Asher had no idea how he was going to convince a bunch of cowpokes to shed their shirts, but maybe if they got there early enough, they could catch the men before they dressed for the day. Hired hands used to bunking together weren’t particularly shy, but they could be pigheaded if they thought they were being accused of something.

“I’ll find a way to search the men,” he said as he pushed to his feet. He held out a hand to Samantha. “Let’s get you mounted. The sheriff will be here any moment.”

She rose and moved to Bruno’s left side, her hand reaching for the saddle horn. Before Asher could bend over to give her a leg up, she abandoned the saddle and wrapped both arms around his waist.

“Thank you, Asher. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you to lean on.”

He closed his arms around her slender form and rubbed her back. “Lean away, darlin’. I’m not going anywhere.” He relaxed his hold, knowing they didn’t have much time, but when her face tilted back and her eyes found his, the words he’d been holding back, for reasons he couldn’t recall at the moment, came tumbling forth. “I love you, Samantha. And I promise to do whatever it takes to keep you and Clint safe.”

She didn’t say the words back, but she did grab his neck and plant a kiss on his mouth that sent his pulse galloping out of the corral. She pulled away and reached for Bruno before he recovered from the surprise enough to fully engage in the experience, but it left him grinning nonetheless. It wasn’t exactly a pledge of undying devotion, but it was close enough to qualify as reciprocation. At least for now.

“You ready, Ellis?” The sheriff’s voice echoed across the quiet yard.

“Yes, sir.” Asher locked his fingers together and offered them as a stepstool.

Samantha gave him her foot, and he boosted her into the saddle. He handed her the reins, then gathered the lantern from the hook on the lean-to’s support post.

Coming alongside her, he secured her foot in the stirrup, more as an excuse to touch her than to check her position. “You feel all right up there?”

She nodded. “I can do this, Ash.”

He clapped a hand over her shoe and smiled at her. “I know you can.” He clicked his tongue to get Bruno’s attention, then started walking toward the street, trusting his horse to follow. “Come on, then. Let’s go for a ride.”

After Asher mounted, the threesome picked their way through the sleeping town before the road carried them out into the countryside. Asher let the sheriff take the lead, preferring to hang back and stay close to Samantha. They kept their horses to a steady walk until the predawn sky began to lighten. When Jeter urged his mount into a trot, Asher watched to make sure Samantha made the transition. She hung on to the saddle horn when Bruno picked up the pace, but other than that, she handled the change well. He prayed everything else they were about to experience would go as smoothly.

When the house and outbuildings of the Three Cedars came into view, the sheriff reined in his mount and waited for Asher and Samantha to pull abreast of him.

“All right, Miss Dearing, what am I supposed to be lookin’ for?”

“I gave Mr. Ellis instructions on how to search the men in the bunkhouse. He can assist you while I notify my family about the fire.”

Jeter scowled. “I don’t much cotton to being kept in the dark, young lady. If you want my help, you best be tellin’ me what we’re huntin’ for.”

“Easy, Sheriff.” Asher nudged his mount forward a step to place himself squarely between Samantha and the lawman. “No need to badger. I’ll tell you everything you need to know once Miss Dearing is safely in the house.”

The two men glared at each other for a moment before Jeter grunted in reluctant assent.

“Best tell your daddy I’m here making inquiries.” The sheriff leaned sideways in the saddle to meet Samantha’s gaze around the barrier of Asher’s head and shoulders. “He needs to know that I’m conducting an investigation on his property and amongst his men.”