Page 29 of A Mile of Ocean

“Two, maybe three years. Ever since those two guys left within weeks of each other.”

“Exactly.” Trent had barely slept, but when he texted Theo and Colt that he needed to talk, he shoved off Tate’s porch and met them in front of the burned-out shed.

“Do you have any ex-employees with a bone to pick with you?” Theo asked.

“Jeez. Is this place bugged? I was just about to offer up two names as a source for your main suspect. We had eight ranch hands at the beginning of 2023. Two disgruntled guys walked away within two months of each other. Porter Hays and Jesse Jessop. They came to us at the end of summer and stayed less than six months. They both had attitude problems, couldn’t work with any of our guys.”

Colt took notes. “Did they know each other before they started working here?”

“Could be. Woody reported they had issues about slacking off, lying, and starting fights. He was about to fire them whenJessop quit. We were in the middle of the breeding season, so we kept Porter around, but then a few weeks later, he left in his truck and never even came back for his last paycheck.”

“We’ll check both names out,” Theo vowed.

“The only problem with that theory is that these guys wouldn’t wait two years to come back and murder Barrett. They could barely shoot a .22, let alone pull off the kind of shot it took to kill him.”

“Maybe their aim improved over two years,” Colt suggested. “I’ve seen people hold a grudge for decades before deciding to get revenge for some slight that occurred years earlier.”

“Really? Well, these two guys were definitely heading for trouble. But we didn’t actually fire either one of them. They left on their own. So technically, there’s no motive.”

“Good point,” Theo reasoned. “But they’ll need checking out to determine if they were around Friday night. Have you decided whether or not to keep Hawk onboard?”

“I don’t see the point. We’ll manage our security from now on ourselves.”

“I understand how you feel,” Colt said. “But Hawk wants to stick around for Slade. They all do. They lost a man in this fight. Now, it’s personal for them.”

A tired Trent let out a sigh. “He said that?”

“He did.”

“I understand how the people you work with are like family. And we could use every able-bodied person who wants to stick it out. I’ll talk to Hawk. How’s Dolly?”

“Turns out she fainted,” Colt reported. “When she was able to tell the paramedics what happened, she said she hit her head on the doorframe in the dark and conked out.”

“Did she see the guy who shoved Slade down the stairs?”

“Nope. She ran into the sunroom because she thought she heard someone walking around the house. The last thing sheremembers is Slade cutting off the lights and telling her to stay put while he checked out the noise.”

“We just can’t catch a break with this guy,” Trent muttered. “Where’s Hawk?”

“He’s sticking close to the medical examiner. Hawk still has to notify Slade’s wife about what happened.”

After lots weredrawn, the ranch hands left the meeting and went to work, each taking up their assigned roles without complaint.

Left alone, Tate moved through her home, ensuring all the windows and doors were secured while her grandmother got ready to spend the night in her guest room.

Outside, the night was eerily quiet, the usual sounds of the ranch muted by the heavy tension in the air. Every shadow seemed to hold potential danger, and every creak inside sounded like a warning.

As the hours ticked by, the entire group remained alert. They paired up into teams on horseback. Trent and Tate took the eastern border, patrolling the perimeter, while Woody and Monty stood watch on the southern tip. Blake and Brock guarded the main house and the western front while Cecil teamed up with Lincoln to watch the northern boundary. That left Hawk, Drum, and Toby to shore up the middle section where Painted Heart was the most vulnerable.

Their radios crackled intermittently with updates, each one reassuring that all was clear. But the unease lingered, a constant reminder of the threat they faced.

When dawn finally broke, it was a relief. The golden light chased away the shadows and brought with it a semblance of hope. The team gathered again, tired but resolute, ready to face whatever came next.

Chapter Eight

Monday morning, Savannah woke up with a renewed purpose. She had always been passionate about teaching, but this last week of school felt different. It was more personal. Her thoughts were still tangled with emotions about Trent, but she tried to push them aside. After all, she had a job to do and children depending on her. She dressed quickly, eager to start the last week of school with the prospect of a summer job at the ranch.

As she packed her lunch, her mind wandered back to the previous day spent with Trent. His guarded demeanor and the way his eyes softened when he spoke about the ranch had left an impression on her. Despite his stoic mask, there was something undeniably compelling about him—something that made her want to know more. Was it his vulnerability? Or perhaps his quiet demeanor and how he carried the bulk of the ranch on his shoulders intrigued her the most. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she suspected it was his dedication to his family and staff, a fierce work ethic, and a deep connection to the land. She admired that about him, even if he didn’t always see it himself.

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