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Lainey glanced at Brody as his truck growled down the ribbon of asphalt in the darkness. His face was shadowed in the cab of the truck, and the moon was a weak crescent in the sky, providing only faint light. What was he thinking?
She had no idea. She’d never been able to read him. When he came to her office, even though the hum of awareness always sparked between them, Brody had been all business. No flirting, like some of her customers. No insinuations or smarmy leering.
She’d always appreciated that he’d treated her like a capable business associate.
Today, she’d seen another side of him. She’d learned Brody was a restful man. No drama. No scenes. Just quiet confidence. And a willingness to help her that she found both comforting and a little daunting.
That willingness was unnerving. Sparks had flared between them from the beginning, always humming beneath the surface, even though neither of them addressed it. Acted on it. If it had been one-sided, she would have ignored it.
But it was far from one-sided.
Thank God she’d always kept her business life strictly separated from her personal life. Ron hadn’t realized she was infatuated with Brody. Never knew she looked forward to his appointments like a high-school kid looked forward to a group project with her crush.
They flashed past the compound, and she remembered what Brody’d said about a woman interested in the property. “Tell me about the woman who was hanging around the compound.”
He shot her a quick look, then focused on the road again. “I wouldn’t say she was hanging around. Her car had skidded off the road, she didn’t have service on her cell phone, and she’d walked up to the compound, hoping to ask someone to call her a tow.” He thought back to their interaction. “From what she’d said, I suspect she’d either been fired or quit her job. Said she didn’t want a boss. And she said the compound had sparked some ideas.”
“Was she young? Old?” She wasn’t jealous. Just curious about a woman who might have set the compound on fire.
From the amused look Brody shot her, he wasn’t buying it. “Young. Early to mid-thirties. Attractive. Tall. Dark red hair. Wary of a man stopping to help her, which is just smart.” He shrugged. “She seemed… interesting.”
Had Brody been interested in her?
Before she had time to neurose over the question, the dark shapes of the trees lining the road thinned suddenly, and a wide expanse of open range came into view. The mountains behind the pasture loomed tall in the darkness, a tiny sliver of snow visible on the top of the largest peak. After a few minutes, Brody slowed the truck and turned off the highway. Pressed a transponder on his sun visor, and a gate rolled smoothly open. The truck bumped across the cattle guard, then Brody pressed the transponder and the gate closed behind them.
Fence posts flashed passed, some with taller poles lashed to them. She wondered what they were for.
As if reading her mind, Brody said, “The gate is the first line of defense.” He glanced at her, then back at the road. “I have motion sensors along the road, cameras on those poles, and an app on my phone that will alert me if someone’s on the driveway.”
Lainey stared out her window, watching the poles flashing past at regular intervals. “That’s a lot of security for a ranch, isn’t it?”
Beside her, Brody sighed. “Yes and no. It may seem like a lot, but I’ve had a few problems. Rustlers a couple of times. And a vindictive ex-wife.”
Shocked, she swung around in her seat to study him. “I didn’t know you’d been married.” How had she not known that about him?
“I met her in Spokane at a conference. The marriage ended five years ago. Before you moved to Helena,” he said. “Turned out she hated ranch life. She missed the bright lights and big cities. I suggested she find a job in Helena, or do some volunteer work, but she wasn’t interested.”
He sighed. “Sherry had me served with divorce papers and moved out. Found a take-no-prisoners lawyer who demanded half of my property in the settlement.” Brody snorted. “We’d been married less than two years, and she’d signed a pre-nup. I doubt she read it, but she got what she brought into the marriage.
“She’s in Seattle now. I know, because I hired someone to send me regular reports on her whereabouts. But every once in a while, some odd thing happens. A fence goes down and cattle get out of a field and wander away. A barn door is left open during a rainstorm, and hay is ruined. Animals get sick.” He glanced at her. “Rustlers show up.”
“Wow,” Lainey said. “If she’s behind those ‘accidents’, especially from Seattle, that’s really spiteful.”
“Apparently I didn’t know her as well as I thought I did,” Brody said. “And for the right amount of money, you can hire someone to do your dirty work. But since the security system has been operating, I haven’t had any problems.”
“I’m sorry,” Lainey said. She wanted to reach for his hand, but curled her fingers into her palm instead. “Guess we’ve both had crappy marriages.”
“Yeah,” Brody said. He glanced at her as he pulled the truck to the door of a massive log house. “We’ll both know what to look for next time around.”
Without waiting for her to answer, he swung out of the truck. By the time she stopped staring at him, shocked and wondering if he’d meant what it sounded like he’d meant, he was opening her door to help her out. Then he raised the cover on the truck bed and took out her suitcases. “C’mon,” he said. “I’ll show you to your room.”
Lainey swallowed and leaned against the truck, suddenly exhausted. Her adrenaline had drained away on the drive from town, and her legs felt like wet noodles. But when Brody opened the front door and held it, waiting for her, she took a deep breath and staggered inside.
A light burned in a large room to her right. There was a massive fireplace and a couple of leather couches, plus two comfortable-looking dark armchairs with a small table between them. Bookshelves lined the far wall. On the other side of the entrance was a dining room, with a kitchen behind it.
Brody started up the stairs, and she followed, clutching the railing. He opened a door at the far end of the hall and ushered her in. “This is the guest room. It has its own bathroom, so I figured you’d prefer it. My room is across the hall. If you don’t like this one, you’re welcome to either of the others, but they share a bathroom.” He smiled. “Not that I’m expecting a horde of guests. But this is the nicest room.” He set her suitcase and briefcase beside the desk.
