Page 30 of The Rancher's Fake Fiancée

“Really, do you not know who this is? He’s staying right here under your roof.”

Jesse felt a cold chill run down her spine. She took the phone from him and stared at the screen. What had she missed?

“Look at the ring on his little finger.”

How could she have missed it? That ring, the same one with the black stone she had noticed the man fidgeting with while they talked at the dinner table.

“Right under our noses. Father…padre…same as PaPa. Why didn’t we see it?”

Jesse shook her head. “We were concentrating on Philippe…we were after the money man. We weren’t noting a priest so unassuming and quiet in the background. But why would he come out of Mexico? Why chance it?”

Randy was already on his phone dialing their boss.

Jesse could have reached out and touched the man who had been responsible for so much carnage on both sides of the border. Now she could come face-to-face with him again should he arrive back at the house before they had their orders. At least Cole and Emmie and Uncle Joe were safe and far away by now. Somewhere in the moments of impending danger that morning, a clarity had dawned. The past was gone but there was a glimmer of a future. And that involved a cowboy who had snuck in when she wasn’t looking and now the possibility became too important. There was a job still to do and a very dangerous one at that.

“We’re about to give PaPa a welcome back lunch he won’t forget.” Randy closed his phone.

“Let’s get a move on and secure our friends in the house.”

“Then what?” she asked.

“Then you get to host his last meal as a free man. Are you up to it?”

“It will be my greatest pleasure. Is strawberry cheesecake garnished with arsenic a bit much?” At least they could still summon their macabre humor. They were going to need it.

The house was eerily quiet. The sound of the grandfather clock ticking in the hallway seemed as loud as a wrecking ball to Jesse’s brain. She had changed for lunch. A pair of slacks in white and a diaphanous tunic top in brilliant pinks and limes and yellows seemed festive enough. Besides, the tunic had deep slashes for pockets where a weapon could be concealed and a lovely brand-new set of handcuffs was resting in the other. The pair, Madeleine and Philippe, had come down for what they assumed would be a quiet lunch. What they found had been a room filled with agents and big guns. Jesse smiled as she noted the paleness on the made-up face that Madeleine sported and yet suddenly seemed to sport her advancing age. The sound of the cuffs clicking into place on her wrists were a somewhat sweet sound to Jessie’s hearing. Madeleine was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. Jesse understood that both she and her fiancé, Philippe, were offering to give up what they knew for the best deals.

Randy and a dozen others were listening in other rooms and watching and waiting for their guest of honor to show himself. Jesse chose a chair across from his at the table laid with platters of sandwiches and fruit and small desserts for guests that would not be arriving. The sound of the front door opening and then closing kicked her heart into overtime. The moment she had always tried to envision the last three years was coming to its conclusion…one way or another.

The sound of footsteps on the highly polished floor tiles brought him closer. She took a sip of lemonade from the glass in front of her. Then put a smile on her lips.

“Father Hidalgo…it’s so nice to see another face. I was afraid I would be dining alone. Look at all this food.”

The man was dressed not as she had last seen him on the banks of the river, but in his usual priest robes. The cross around his neck was a bit ludicrous now but let him have his last few minutes of charade as he chose. He drew out the chair across from her and gave a large smile.

“This is indeed a feast. But where is everyone else?”

“I asked Cole to check on Emmie who was taking too long in the barn. She just had a new litter of kittens arrive and she may not come to the house for days now.” They both laughed at that comment. “Marcella called Madeleine’s room and she and Philippe will be down soon, but we shouldn’t wait. Please help yourself.”

“This is indeed a pleasure. And it is a nice chance to visit again.” He helped himself to half of a sandwich, then added some cold salad and a sprig of grapes. Jesse did the same. Then she looked concerned at his plate.

“Surely you must want more than that? A hearty meal will give you energy for the rest of your day. Take one of these marvelous desserts and try it.” He did as she suggested and then he enjoyed a few bites.

“What’s your appetite? Or are you one of those females who eat like a bird to keep your figure?”

“Actually, I’m quite full. I ate while I was waiting for you to arrive. I do that when I am especially happy.”

He looked a bit curious at her words. “You already ate?”

“Yes, I knew that we would be busy when you finally arrived for your last meal and all. So, I took the liberty of eating without you. But please do finish yours. My friends are patient and will wait for you to conclude. After all, we do take such good care of our star prisoners here.” She gave her best cat-like smile. The cat had placed her paw on the rat’s neck and was ready to see him squirm.

He stopped eating and sat back in his chair. His gaze narrowed.

“Last meal?”

“Last decent meal I should say? And I think you probably have guessed by now that no one else will be joining us…well, at least not for food. But your cohorts, Philippe and Madeleine, are busy at the moment with a federal judge who came in from golfing just to get the notoriety for his next bid for higher office. And at least four or five dozen law enforcement officers are in the house, around the outside, listening in…you can even wave at some of them. Look up at the statue behind me and wave. It’s been a while coming but I so looked forward to meeting you and doing this.” As she stood up, the doors opened and a dozen or more officers moved in to surround the table. But she did not alter her objective. The second set of brand-new shiny metal cuffs were in her hand and she wasted little time securing them around wrists that would reach beyond his own cartel buddies. Then in the last act, there was that loud final click. And with that, Jesse knew her job was done. All the cold mornings of stakeouts and hot nights and bugs and little decent food and plotting and planning and then having this weasel slip away…was all done.

And now what was there tomorrow? For the first time in many years, she had no idea.

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