Page 70 of Tempting Fate
“Hey, Cody, you can just call me Drew.”
“Okay.”
When they got to the top of Emily’s driveway, two big dogs came out to greet them. Cody opened the door and shooed them away. In the beginning, when they’d first brought Harper to the ranch, she’d been cautious of the animals. Now, she got out of the car, scratched one of the dog’s heads, and ran up the front porch stairs.
“I’ll be right back,” she called.
“Thanks for the ride.” Cody took off after her, his backpack flapping up and down.
A few seconds later Clay came out and waved. “You want to come in, have a cup of coffee or a soda? Emily ran to the store.”
Drew got out of the car. He didn’t want to be antisocial, but he was anxious to spend what was left of the day with Harper. “Thanks for the invite, but I’m fine.” He gazed up at the clear blue sky. “Beautiful day.”
“Yep, we’ve been enjoying mild weather for a change.” Clay came down from the porch and joined Drew on the driveway. “Thanks for bringing Cody home.”
“My pleasure.” Other than the kids, they didn’t have a lot to talk about. Drew didn’t know anything about ranching or livestock, and he assumed Clay wasn’t all that interested in Internet law. “Emily told me about the possibility of a motorcycle park going in near the ranch. If you’re looking for an attorney, I might be able to recommend someone.”
Clay nodded. “I appreciate it. Flynn Barlow, another neighbor who will be affected, is a lawyer, and I think he’s talking to someone about representing us. In the meantime, we’re appealing to the city, hoping they’ll block it.”
From everything Drew had heard from Emily, Clay McCreedy held a lot of influence in Nugget. His family was one of the original founders, and his cattle ranch was one of the largest in Northern California. Drew’s money was on Clay and his neighbors coming out on top.
Harper came out. She’d changed out of her school clothes into exercise pants, a sweater, and sneakers and was toting a small suitcase.
“Honey, you already have stuff at my house.” Harper was a bit of clotheshorse, changing outfits a few times a day. Her closet at the Sierra Heights house was just about full.
“I know, but I don’t have anything at your house to wear skating.”
Clay smothered a smile and ruffled Harper’s hair. “You have a good time.”
“Tell Cody we’ll pick him up at ten,” Drew said, and loaded Harper’s case in the trunk.
When they hit the main road he said, “I talked to your mom today, and we both agreed you could take care of Raylene’s horse.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. But only if you keep up your schoolwork and don’t let it interfere with your after-school programs.”
“I will and it won’t, I promise. Can we go to the barn and see Gunner? Please?”
“Sure. But let’s stop home first, drop off your stuff and get a snack. What do you think of having dinner out?”
“Can we go to the Bun Boy?”
“Great minds think alike.” He draped his arm around Harper’s shoulder. “Kristy’ll be jealous.”
But when they got home her BMW was parked in the driveway. Something told him her surprise visit wasn’t going to be good.
Chapter 18
“Do you know how crazy this is?” Gabe wanted to throttle Raylene until she came to her senses. “Let the police handle this.”
“It’s my land, and I’m not letting anyone get my gold.” She filled her thermos with coffee.
“Is there another one?” He started searching through Annie’s cupboards for a second thermos. It looked like he was doing surveillance tonight. “And we’re taking my SUV; it’s more comfortable.”
“Who said anything about you going?”
He stopped rummaging through the cabinets and threw her some shade. “Don’t be one of those people.”
