Page 79 of A Mile of Ocean

Savannah nodded, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief. “Yes, but I still can’t believe it. I won’t believe we actually pulled it off until I watch the replay.”

Trent gazed at the lovely redhead. “Considering how it unfolded, witnessing it once in real time was sufficient for me.”

Suddenly, a loud whooshing sound echoed through the clearing as a flock of birds took flight from the nearby patch of sagebrush. Savannah stumbled back, tripped over a rock, and watched her mobile device go flying.

“You’d better be careful, cowgirl,” Trent teased, offering her his hand and helping her to her feet. “I wouldn’t want you to break anything important.”

He tilted his head, noticing how her red mane glistened in the sunlight, with strands slipping out of their clasp. He spotted clumps of dead grass and twigs caught in her hair, and he started to pick them out, one by one.

Savannah tried to fix her hair before dusting herself off and picking up her mobile phone. “I suppose I became too caught up in the moment. I keep returning to the same thing in my head. I moved here to search for Owen, who turned out to be a murder victim. I had no idea that when I took the job at school and agreed to help with 4-H, it would lead me here to the ranch. I had no idea I’d become entangled in another murder right after everything else had happened.”

Trent draped an arm over Savannah’s shoulder. “But this time, you became crucial in helping us find the killer. I hope you’ll stick around because we aren’t all crazy.”

“You bet I will. Do I still have a summer job helping Tate teach the kids how to ride? Is that still an option?”

“Oh, yeah. That, and much more.” He tilted her chin to meet his mouth and kissed her with all the emotions he felt at that moment. “If you stay, I promise to show you the Callums aren’t all like Duchess.”

“Is that what you want? Do you want me to stay?”

“More than anything.”

“I need to return home eventually. Obviously, I’m not moving in, especially if I want to teach my kids how to ride here.”

“But you don’t need to leave tonight. Stay with me. After weeks of waiting, we can finally have that dinner I promised under the stars, without worrying about anything blowing up.”

“Thanks. But I might forego dinner under the stars and opt for a nice, normal home-cooked dining experience, especially if the food’s hot.”

He laughed. “Deal. I’ll cook for you myself. However, I need to have a serious discussion with my crew right now and inform them about everything that’s happened.”

“Understood. I will upload my video to Eastlyn and meet you at your place around five-thirty. How does that sound?”

“More than I could hope for.”

Changes at theRio Verde Ranch were unavoidable after such a shocking event. While some aspects could be repaired, others would always be a solemn reminder of the past. Trent recognized he needed to lead his crew with a renewed purpose while emphasizing what would stay the same.

He and Tate recognized the need to adapt and move forward, not only for themselves but also for their loyal employees.

After explaining the financial shenanigans and how the money had been drained from the business accounts, Trent and Tate presented a plan for the future.

“We’ll know more tomorrow when we meet with the lawyer,” Trent explained. “Kinsey should have some idea on how to rebound from this.”

“Does that mean we don’t get the ten acres Duchess promised us?” Monty wanted to know.

“You still get what was promised,” Trent assured them. “Ten acres each at Turtle Ridge. But our job right now is to ensure the ranch exists for everyone in the long run. ”

“I can’t believe she wanted to ruin everything we worked so hard for,” Cecil declared. “She stabbed us all in the back. Why? Because the Triple C became more important to her and more successful. Are we merging with that other ranch?”

“We’re not merging with the Triple C,” Tate answered. “Trent and I have no desire to run a cattle empire. And that’s one more reason we need to see the lawyer.”

“We also have a three-million-dollar offer to sell it back to the Bohannons,” Trent added. “But that was twenty-three years ago, and now the beef empire is valued much higher than that. I’m not sure the Bohannons could afford the going rate. I share this information because we have other options for raisingcapital. No one is being booted out of their jobs. There’s no reason to panic. Tate and I will make this work, no matter what. If we need to sell our own cattle to raise money to keep the ranch going, that’s what we’ll do.”

“I’ll even forget about the Painted Hearts Foundation if that’s what it takes to keep us going,” Tate promised. “There should be money in that trust and the trust left to us by our parents if Duchess didn’t steal those too.”

Woody shook his head. “She was always difficult to work for, difficult to please. But I never in a million years thought she would murder Barrett.”

“Do we know how she did it?” Blake asked. “I thought the shot came from some distance away at a northerly angle. Weren’t they sitting on their horses, side by side, when it happened?”

Tate shifted her feet and looked at Blake. “That’s what Duchess wanted us to believe. It was her story to tell. But we later learned from Dolly what happened that Friday night. It seems the two had been arguing off and on all day. Granddad left first in a huff to ride to Turtle Ridge to watch the sunset and maybe give him some time to cool off. We think that’s when Duchess got the idea to kill him. She grabbed her .22 and rode out behind him. When she got to within range, she pulled the trigger. There was never a third-party shooter.”

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