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Kieran continued the process until all five kittens had arrived safely. They looked like little alien bodies as they sought their mama. She had two black kittens, two calicos, and one solid orange. Kieran retrieved a box from the barn and made a soft nest with an extra bath towel. He helped Little Mama get cleaned up and moved her and the babies to the box. The sight of them together as a family made him tear up. Finley had told him that nature kicks in and the kittens would seek nourishment. He just made sure they didn’t have far to go before latching on.
He checked the clock and saw that forty-five minutes had passed. If he wanted to search Cash’s office, it was now or never. Kieran forced himself to walk at his normal pace to the ranch house, but he made a beeline for the office once he was safely inside and returned the book. Patsy didn’t bark or come running, so she was either in the kennel training with the other dogs or Cash had taken her to Denver with him. He found the office door unlocked. Kieran wasn’t sure if it was because Cash was too trusting or because he didn’t keep incriminating evidence in his house.
Kieran closed the door behind him and headed straight for the massive wood desk. He started with the large bottom drawer on the right, where there were dozens of hanging files suspended from a rack. Kieran rifled through them, noting they were all ranch related. He stopped on the one marked Brewery and Winery. Cash had written Hooch and Honey with a different pen, so he really had been serious about using the name. Kieran pulled out the file and found a note Cash had written on top. It was a reminder to pay Kieran for naming rights and to call his lawyer to make everything legal.
Guilt stirred in his conscience. Cash intended to keep his word even when he didn’t have to. Who would believe Kieran’s claim? He shoved the file back into its place and kept thumbing through the stash. He barely resisted yelling “Aha!” when he found a folder with his name on it. The file wasn’t the smoking gun Kieran expected it to be. Inside were the typical tax documents employers had for their employees and Cash’s evaluation of Kieran from Arrowhead and why he thought he’d be a good fit for the ranch.
Kieran Sullivan reminds me so much of myself when I was in jail. He thinks it’s him versus the world and has a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas. I suspect his grievances are justified, and I’d really like to help him learn there is a better future for him. He’s incredible with the animals, even if he’s not confident around them yet.
Kieran wanted to believe Cash meant what he’d said, but he couldn’t allow the kind words to sway him. He finished rifling through the files, then searched the other drawers, but he came up empty. He’d found nothing remotely incriminating in the desk and the computer was password protected. Kieran blew out a frustrated breath and turned his attention to the credenza, where he found more useless files and office supplies. He looked around the room for anything that could hide a safe, and Kieran’s eyes landed on a closet.
He crossed the room and opened the door. A row of shirts and jackets hung from a rack, and a collection of hats rested on the shelf above them. He’d accepted his search had yielded nothing until he realized the clothing could hide a safe. He shoved his hands in the middle between a corduroy jacket and a black dress shirt and pushed the clothing to create a gap in the center. The clothes didn’t hide a safe, but there were rows of shelves. And on the center sat an army-green duffle bag with PFC Finnigan Donovan emblazoned across it. There was the proof that Cash was up to no good.
But how had he gotten his hands on the bag? Had he followed them? Used a tracking device to locate them while they’d been fucking in the hotel? Had Kieran’s presence on the ranch been part of a bigger plan? Had he played right into their hands? His chest tightened and trapped the air in his lungs. He was back in his cell the first night, suffocating on panic. The vibrant colors around him started to dull and turn gray. Kieran braced one hand on the doorjamb and the other on his throat. His pulse fluttered beneath his thumb, a reminder that he was still alive. He could breathe. Nothing was restricting his airway but his own brain. He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, pulling it as deep as it would go. The next breath came easier, and the one after that was better still. Each inhale expanded his lungs and loosened the panic. Each exhale cast the anxiety out like exorcised demons.
Excited barking came from inside the house, followed by toenails clicking on the hardwood floors.Fuck.Patsy was in the house, and she’d picked up on his scent. Even worse, Patsy wasn’t alone. Heavy footsteps joined her clicking toenails, and the sounds grew closer as they drew near. There was only one way in and out of the office because the big windows behind the desk were decorative etched glass that didn’t open. His only choice was to duck into the closet and hope whoever was with Patsy wouldn’t think to look in Cash’s office. How would Kieran explain his presence in the office to Cash or anyone else? He pushed the clothes back into place as quietly as he could and pressed his back against the shelves. His legs and shoes would be visible to anyone who opened the door, and he felt ridiculous. His heart pounded in his chest as Patsy barked loudly outside the office door until it swung open. Patsy headed straight for the closet, barking louder than ever before.
“What is it, girl?” Finley asked.
Kieran swallowed a groan.Damn it!Anyone but him. Patsy barked louder, and he could tell by the clicking that she was prancing or turning in circles.
“No way,” Finley said. “I’ve seen this in movies. I’m not opening the closet door.” Patsy persisted and Finley sighed. “I better live to regret this.” The closet door swung open and Kieran knew by his startled gasp that Finley saw his denim-clad legs and boots sticking out from beneath the clothes. Patsy barked excitedly as if it were a game and she’d found the treasure. Her barking must’ve clued Finley in that the man in the closet wasn’t a threat, or maybe he recognized the legs and boots because Finley jerked the hanging clothes aside and glared at him.
Kieran held his hands up in the air. “It’s not what it looks like.”
Finley narrowed his green eyes. “Funny, that was going to be my line about the lunch you witnessed. Now that I’ve found you hiding in Cash’s office closet, I’m changing my comment towhat the actual fuck?”
“I can explain.”
Finley crossed his arms over his chest. “Then do it now.”
“You won’t like it,” Kieran replied.
That was a given.Finley wasn’t sure if he should roll his eyes at the absurdity of the statement or sag with relief because the person hiding in Cash’s closet wasn’t an ax-wielding maniac. Then again, his life might not be in physical danger, but his heart was barely hanging on. “What could be worse than the silent treatment you’ve been giving me all week?”
Kieran flinched, and Finley thought he saw regret flashing in his dark eyes before the guilt returned. “I’ll explain everything back at my cabin. You can meet the kittens.”
Finley took that news harder than finding Kieran in a space where he didn’t belong while acting cagey as hell. They’d spent a lot of time talking to and about Little Mama over the past few weeks. Kieran had asked dozens of questions about what to expect during her delivery, and it hurt to be cut out of the process. Finley swallowed down his disappointment and said, “When did they arrive?”
“After I got back from Last Chance Creek.” Kieran stepped out of the closet and reached for Finley. He must’ve thought better of it because he dropped his hands. “But before we go, I need to show you something.”
Kieran stepped to the side and revealed a row of shelves in the closet. Was there a safe behind it he was trying to break into? Finley squelched the snort bubbling inside him as he dismissed that theory. He was embarrassed he’d even flirted with the notion. Then Finley’s gaze landed on his duffel bag. He’d lost all hope of seeing his grandpa’s camera equipment again. Finley stepped forward to retrieve it, but Kieran held out a hand.
“We can’t take it with us,” Kieran said softly.
Finley felt like he’d landed in an episode of theTwilight Zone, or maybe he was still dreaming. A warm hand wrapped around his forearm, and he met Kieran’s dark gaze. The sympathy caught Finley off guard, injecting more confusion into an already muddled situation. “Why can’t I take back what belongs to me?”
“Because Cash will know the bag is gone, and it won’t take him long to figure out who took it.”
Finley looked from the bag to Kieran. “I at least want to make sure all the equipment is still there.”
Kieran held his gaze for several moments, then nodded and dropped his hand. Finley stepped into the closet and unzipped the bag. Everything was there except for the memory card. Someone had removed it from the camera. The lighting in the small space was poor, so Finley felt around in the bag to see if the small card had fallen to the bottom, but it was just gone.
Finley rezipped the bag and spun to face Kieran. “What the hell is going on?”
“Let’s head to my place.”
Finley didn’t want to wait five seconds for answers, let alone ten or fifteen minutes. He reached for his phone in his back pocket. He’d just call Cash and get an explanation. There had to be a good one.
