Page 61 of Silos and Sabotage

Gage grinned instead of answering.

“See that?” Johnny chortled, pointing at him. “We’re besties now.”

Ella chuckled. “Sorry to break it to you, bull rider, but that spot’s already taken.”

Gage braked in front of a tall black iron gate barring his entrance into Bolander & Sons Ranch. He had to roll down his window and type in a code on the security panel to open it. “Time to put your game faces on.”

They passed by a cluster of ten more silos, much taller than the four going up for sale. A complicated twist of ladders, walkways, and grain chutes were woven up and across them.

Ella caught her breath at the sight of the mansion beyond the silos. She’d stayed in hotels before that were smaller than the home Creston Bolander lived in. It was four stories of elegant sandstone. Lights glowed from nearly every window in the house in the deepening shadows of dusk outside. The front porch was round, with arched openings on three sides and a domed roof. She counted a four-car garage on one side and a six-car garage on the other.

A road forked at the courtyard and fountain in the center of it all, winding around the home to a sprawl of buildings behind it. Some looked like barns. Others looked like storage buildings. There were also two long rows of cabins she could only presume were for the employees.

This is the infamous Bolander compound.

A uniformed servant met them at the front door, offering in a stuffy voice to escort them to the dining hall.

“Lemme guess.” Johnny pretended to stare down his nose at the silver-headed guy. “The butler did it with a candlestick in the ballroom.”

The man didn’t look the least bit amused.

Ella swatted at Johnny’s arm. “This is a ranch. Pretty sure there’s no ballroom here.” She gave the older gentleman an apologetic look.

“Actually, ma’am…” He gestured for them to follow him. While leading them down the hallway, he told them a snooty-sounding story about how the owners of the home had once hosted a glittering party, which was attended by a celebrity she’d never heard of.

Johnny walked directly behind the man, making stabbing, slashing, and shooting movements.

It was all Ella could do to keep it together. She rested a hand on Gage’s arm and hissed, “Whose idea was it to bring him along?”

“I’m looking at her.” He raised her hand to his lips. “And you feel safer already.”

She rolled her eyes at him.

The butler paused at the arched entrance of the dining room to announce their presence. The high-ceilinged room was a statement in modernism, with a long glass table and twelve white leather and chrome chairs. Two gossamer oval pendants the size of whiskey barrels were suspended over them.

Ella’s mother, who’d been talking animatedly to Creston Bolander and another gentleman, hurried their way. “There you are!” Her cheeks were flushed with anger and some other emotion Ella couldn’t quite define. “Oh, honey! You look amazing.” She leaned in to air kiss Ella on both cheeks.

Ella’s grandfather and the other man stood and strolled their way, looking enormously pleased by their presence. “You’re beautiful, my dear.” Instead of shaking Ella’s hand, he tenderly enclosed it in both of his, inclining his head over it. “This is my son, Raleigh.” He let go of her hand to introduce her to the man at his side. “One of your uncles.”

Raleigh Bolander looked like money. He had a head full of professionally tousled sandy hair and a short-clipped beard with a GQ amount of frost edging it. The diamonds on his cufflinks looked real, and his gray herringbone suit was designer-grade. He wore no tie. Despite the thousands of dollars it had taken to dress his tall, slim frame, his most remarkable attribute was his eyes. They were a startling blue, just like Creston Bolander’s.

And my dad’s.

If Ella had accidentally run into Raleigh Bolander on the streets of town, she would’ve instantly known he was a Bolander. What’s more, she would’ve instantly known he was related to her father.

“I’m Ella.” She struggled through inward shadows as she extended her hand to him.

“Hello, Ella. It’s good to finally meet you.” His expression was unreadable. Though his grasp on her fingers was that of a perfect gentleman, the cruel, unshaven face of his younger brother popped into her head.

“Thank you.” She withdrew her hand as quickly as possible, wishing she could forget his brother’s filth and malice.

Though Raleigh’s manners started off impeccably, she watched a layer of ice creep into his gaze as his father finished the introductions. He shook Gage and Johnny’s hands. “Two bodyguards, ‘eh? You don’t think I can protect my own niece while she’s visiting with family?”

The vehemence in his voice surprised Ella. So did his familial claim to her. It wasn’t as if they’d ever met before.

Gage inclined his head politely. “Just friends, sir. We’re off duty.”

Her uncle didn’t apologize. However, he did stand down.

---