Page 19 of Smokescreen

“Are you sure Reid’s okay?” she asked, reminding herself to keep her cover.

“He’s fine. Reid would never ask his people to do anything he himself wouldn’t do.”

That attribute made Olive like the man even more.

As she stared at the barn, Cooper beside her, she realized that since the sun had dipped below the mountain range to the west, the temperature had probably dropped twenty degrees. She shivered and rubbed her arms.

Cooper took off his camel-colored Wrangler jacket and draped it over her shoulders. “You’ll get used to the cold after a while. Use this in the meantime.”

She pulled it closer, noting the scent of cattle and horses, and murmured thanks.

But Olive couldn’t let herself relax until she saw Reid and Trick with her own eyes. What was going on in there? Was the fire out, or was it spreading? She couldn’t let her client die!

Finally, a group of four men emerged. Their faces were covered with soot, and their clothes appeared damp.

But she saw no injuries otherwise.

She darted toward Reid, knowing she needed to make this believable. She stopped in front of him and reached for his chest. “Are you okay? I was so worried.”

“I’m fine, sweetie. But that was close.”

She glanced over Reid’s shoulder and saw Trick. The two of them exchanged a glance that said a million words.

There was definitely more to this.

She turned back to Reid. “What happened?”

“One of my guys was welding part of the wall that was damaged a couple of weeks ago. One of the sparks hit some hay and started the fire. It spread faster than he thought it would, and he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to contain it.”

“I’m glad you guys got to it when you did.”

“Me too,” Reid said. “I happened to be close, and we had both fire extinguishers and water hoses nearby.”

“That’s good.”

“Don’t you worry about this,” Reid told her. “I’ve got it covered. You just go inside and take it easy. It’s just another day of ranch life for us here.”

She inwardly balked at his words. She didn’t like sitting on the sidelines—though she knew she had to keep her cover, so she would.

She also wasn’t so sure this was just another day of ranch life. Everyday ranch life shouldn’t involve so many mishaps.

“Trick,” Reid called. “Will you walk Olive back to the house? I’m going to make sure things are cleaned up here.”

Trick tipped his hat at Reid. “Of course.”

Olive gave Cooper his coat back, and then Trick took her elbow as if he feared she might pass out. He escorted her away from the group.

“What happened?” she whispered once they were far enough away. “Was that fire really an accident?”

“I’m not sure. I need to ask more questions and listen to the scuttlebutt in the bunkhouse.”

“Let me know what you find out.”

“Anything new with you?” He slowed his steps as they approached the house.

“Reid’s former stepsister showed up here today. Lucy Bondurant. She apparently had some legal papers drawn up that makes it look like she should inherit part of this estate.”

Trick grimaced. “That sounds messy.”

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