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Except I no longer agree. I meant it when I told Callie I needed a friend in the office. I need help to do this, because Mom is otherwise occupied, and I have to make sure the office runs smoothly without her, which means I won’t have as much time as I need to deal with…other things. Dale was right that Mom’s absence gives me opportunity, but after my first morning, I’ve also realized it gives me responsibilities that I wouldn’t otherwise have.
I gaze into Callie’s lovely amber eyes. Concern reflects back at me. Friendship.
Questions.
Questions she has the right to demand answers to, especially if I’m going to drag her into this.
“I need to find out who shot my father,” I say.
She widens her eyes. “Of course. Anything I can do to help. Count me in.”
“It wasn’t an accident, Callie.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod. “Pretty darned sure. He was on our property. He was over on the northern quadrant of the beef ranch, not a place where he usually goes, which means someone was watching him.”
“Do you have any fencing around the perimeter of your property?”
“Yes and no. We let our cattle graze pretty much everywhere because our property is so vast. That said, we do have perimeter fencing, but it’s only four feet in height.”
“Any barbed wire or anything?”
I shake my head. “No. That might harm the cattle.”
“It wouldn’t harm the cattle if it were higher.”
“True. I guess we’ve just never felt the need before, you know? Besides, our property is all accessible via county roads.” I sigh. “Maybe it’s time to protect ourselves better, but that’s not even the issue at this point. The deed has been done.”
“Any news on your dad?”
“Yeah. I just talked to Mom before I came here. She called, and that’s when I realized I was late for our lunch. Sorry again about that. He’s doing well. He’ll be in the hospital for another day or two, and then he’ll have home care for a week or so after that.”
“Your mom will probably want to stay with him.”
“Yeah. She already said as much, which means I’m the acting city attorney for at least a week, probably more.”
“Not a bad thing.”
She doesn’t know how right—and wrong—she is. “I have a chance to do some research. Find some answers. I need to take advantage of that, Callie, but I also need to do all my mother’s work at the same time, which is where you come in.”
She nods. “I understand.”
I hope I haven’t made a huge mistake. The last thing I want is to put Callie in an untoward position, but I need help with this. Dale is busy with his wines, and I don’t want to involve anyone else yet. Callie is here. In my office. With a background in criminal justice and an eagerness to learn the ropes.
She’s perfect to assist me on this stuff.
I don’t approach this lightly. In fact, I’ve been considering it all morning, going back and forth in my head.
I believe she’s trustworthy.
I believe it because…I love her.
I fucking love her.
All morning long, as I tried like hell to find some valid reason to shut down Murphy’s for a few days, my mind kept returning to Callie and the thought of asking her to help me.
That’s when I knew.
I love her.
I’m in love with her.
I wouldn’t have considered asking for her help if I didn’t love and trust her. I believe she trusts me. Does she love me? I don’t know yet. I’ll find out soon.
I need her love. More than I ever thought I could need anything. At the moment, though, what I need is her trust.
Plus, I’ll pay her, and I know she can use the money.
“How does sixty bucks an hour sound?” I ask.
Her eyes nearly pop out of her head. “Sixty bucks an hour?”
“Yeah. It’s standard in the industry for research and assisting an attorney.”
“It sounds amazing, Donny, but what about my actual job?”
“What’s my mom paying you?”
“Not sixty bucks an hour.”
“You’ll still do your work. Trust me. Alyssa will run out of things for you to do. When she does, you come to me.”
She swallows. “Okay. I feel kind of funny about this.”
I sigh. “Believe me, Callie. So do I.”
“Then why…?”
“Because my father was shot. My father could have been killed. And there are things going on that I need to be aware of if I’m going to protect my family.”
She nods then. “Okay. I get it. I’d do anything to protect my family too. It’s why… Well, it’s why I won’t be going to law school. My family needs the money.”
“Which is exactly why I know I can trust you, Callie.” I cup her cheek. “Thank you.”
“I haven’t done anything yet.”
I smile and press my lips to hers lightly. “You’ve done more than you know.”
Back at the office, I continue to research the Murphy property. Unfortunately, the Murphys have done yearly upkeep to keep everything to code, they’re up to date on all their taxes, and they’ve passed every health inspection with flying colors.
