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I reached out and took her hand. "Whatever you decide, I'll support you," I said. My heart dropped. It almost felt like I was going to throw up.
Casey smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Christian," she said.
"Well, I uh," I scratched my head, "I'm going to get back to the ranch. I'll throw a tarp over and stay up in the bedroom.”
"You don't have to do that," Casey said.
"Ah, it's no problem." I shrugged. "I actually need to talk to the detective, so I'm going to head out." My chest felt full. Like I might cry.
"Okay, man. I'll catch up with you later." Brett gave me a small smile.
I turned and walked out the door and got into my truck. When I drove off, I saw Casey standing at the door and waving bye. I waved back.
Pulling up to the ranch, I spotted Sparky, my loyal companion, waiting for me by the barn. I leaped out of the truck and embraced Sparky tightly.
"Hey there, boy," I greeted him, hugging Sparky close. "I'm so glad to see you."
Sparky responded with enthusiastic tail wags and licked my face. I smiled and rubbed Sparky's ears.
I reached for my phone and dialed the detective's number.
"Hello?" the detective responded.
"Christian here," I informed him. "I'm back at the ranch."
"I have some updates for you," the detective stated. "We have reason to believe we know who started the fire."
"Who?" I inquired, my heart pounding in my chest.
"Mark," the detective revealed.
“I knew it!”
The detective explained. "We have evidence placing him at the gas station an hour before the fire, filling up a gas can and purchasing matches."
"Oh my God," I exclaimed, my stomach churning. "I can't believe he would go so low."
"We'll do everything we can to apprehend him," the detective assured me. "In the meantime, keep an eye out for him."
"I will," I affirmed.
The detective ended the call. I stood there for a moment, my mind reeling.
I ventured to the side of the house and surveyed the scene. The porch was still in a state of disrepair, but progress was going to be made. I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me, but I was determined to restore my ranch to its former glory.
My only hope was that Mark would be brought to justice before he could cause any further harm to himself or others. My phone rings as soon as I put it back into my pocket. It was Clay’s accountant.
“Hey, is this Christian?”
“It is!”
“You have a minute to go over the finances? I’m Marco, Clay’s accountant.”
“Absolutely!” I rushed into the house to gather the paperwork together.
The hardware store was bustling with activity, the air filled with the rhythmic sounds of saws and hammers. I navigated through the aisles, my mind preoccupied with the daunting task of rebuilding the ranch house. A long list of lumber, nails, and other supplies formed in my head, each item meticulously calculated to bring my vision to life.
As I rounded the corner of the lumber aisle, my gaze fell upon Tamara.
