Page 45 of Cruel Expectations

She began to talk about the odd things happening on the ranch. It began with trespassers and one of her horses being killed and ended with a man taking her hostage and threatening her life.

“Oh my god! Meadow! Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” She didn’t know how her sister continued to drive as if she hadn’t just shared a real-life horror story.

“You weren’t around. And I figured you had enough to process when I told you about Daddy having the heart attack.”

Ivy’s chest burned. Thinking about how close she’d come to losing her sister made her want to burst into ugly tears. But she held back.

“So who is behind it all?” she asked once the thick lump dissolved enough to speak.

“We don’t know. But Dude was at the ranch that night, supposedly watching over me. He went missing, and we hoped he’d just run off.”

“You’re saying he was murdered? Oh god, that’s so much worse!”

“We’re still trying to find all the pieces to the puzzle.”

“But you have the camera footage.”

Her sister gaped at her. “You know about the cameras?”

“I saw the bill on Daddy’s desk.” She didn’t tell her that it was unpaid. Seeing that it was probably important to protect the animals on the ranch, Ivy had quickly renewed the service before it expired.

Since she hadn’t yet gotten to the bottom line of what amount of money Daddy had in the ranch accounts, she’d paid for the service out of her own funds. Now she was glad she did. If it protected them, it was worth every penny.

“Did Colton set up the surveillance system?”

Meadow shook her head. “Daddy did months ago. Some of the neighbors’ cattle was going missing, and we thought it was a good idea.”

“That means he’s got the footage on his phone from that night.”

She nodded. “The cameras download to his laptop too. We already checked.”[MOU1]

“Has any of this been turned over to the police?”

“Yes, of course. They’re at the ranch as we speak, investigating Dude’s death.”

She shuddered at the memory of that body surfacing among the reeds while she and Hunter sat feet away, each of them trying to find a spot of peace.

“And Hunter is here to help secure the ranch.”

At that, a shiver ran through Ivy. So the big SEAL hadn’t traded his helmet for a Stetson after all. He was still on guard duty, keeping them all safe and secure.

All of his protective actions—at Badlands, and the way he shielded her from seeing the body and distracted her with his kisses—took on a new level of meaning.

She scrubbed her hands over her face. “I can’t believe this is real.”

They pulled into the hospital, and Meadow found a parking spot. After she put the truck in park, she looked at Ivy, her big eyes imploring.

“Don’t breathe a word of this to Daddy.”

“I won’t upset him.”

But the entire walk to the elevator, and the ride up to the third floor too, she thought about getting her hands on his phone and seeing that camera footage.

She mentally shook her head at the insanity of what Meadow just told her. Her sister attacked. A man dead.

What enemy did the Graceys have? No one seemed to know.

Bypassing the signs that led to the intensive care unit was a relief. The fact that their father had been moved to a regular room was a good sign of his progress.

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