“No problem.” Shea finally looked at him with a small smile, and he didn’t doubt she was glad he was leaving.
The ride to Kalispell was a straight shot, and soon enough he’d put on clean jeans and a fresh shirt, and was reading over his files as he went through a quick room service breakfast.
Now that he’d met Annie, the material he’d gathered had taken on new shades of meaning. From her days in high school to her equestrian victories on horses that belonged to other people, he could see so much of the woman he’d spent time with. The data on her family didn’t suggest anything unsavory, but he still felt that was where George should focus. Because God knew, families could be tricky.
He finished reading every document in his extensive files, knowing he should have left already. But he needed to do this now, before he saw her again.
His gut was telling him there was something big missing in the picture of Leanna Warner and her disappearance. The idea that someone behind the scenes had forced her to run had taken hold in him, and he was ninety-nine percent certain he was reading that correctly.
All the things that made no sense about her—how hard she was working, why she kept herself distant and alone, even her failure to ensure Christian looked guilty to the feds—came together if she’d been coerced.
Annie Sheridan was hiding, all right, but not from justice. He’d wager a hell of a lot on that hunch. Christian had to know more. Maybe something he didn’t even realize was important.
If he wasn’t afraid Christian would tell their mother, he’d call Christian right away. But his brother was still too angry to be trusted. Or maybe that was Tucker. Lord knew he didn’t blame Christian, but his brother was filled with a very old rage. Tucker wasn’t stupid, he knew Christian had been playing Irene, using guilt to get money, then ignoring her until he needed more. But he’d chosen to stay out of it for his mother’s sake.
Better to wait, to see what came of George’s investigation.
Tucker put his iPad in his briefcase, along with an emergency set of clothes, just in case, and headed down to his rental. It wasn’t right the way he was itching to see Annie again. But there didn’t seem to be a damn thing he could do about it.
THE INSTANT ANNIE WOKE UP, she knew something was wrong. The light. There was light coming in from the window, and she’d set her alarm…had she set her alarm?
With a hammering heart she looked at the clock. Ten. Ten in the morning, and God, Glory and the new foal. The morning feed. She jumped out of bed and almost screamed as all the aches and pains from yesterday hit her like a sledgehammer. Wincing and cussing all the way through throwing clothes on, she barely looked at what she’d hauled out of the dresser. Limping downstairs, she washed up so fast she probably skipped half her face.
Forget coffee. She hurried to the stable, trying to get her heart to slow down and her brain to speed up. She caught her hip on the edge of the door as she swung herself inside and it was a lucky thing because she would have fallen at the sight in front of her.
Tucker Brennan stood at the entry to Glory’s stall, his head turned, his brow furrowed and a single finger over his lips. “Quiet, he’s eating.”
“He’s…?”
“The little guy,” Tucker whispered. “He’s been having some trouble this morning, but he’s finally latched on tight.”
“How long have you been here?”
“About half an hour.”
“The feed. I have to—”
“Levi and Kathy are out there somewhere, said to tell you not to worry. They’ve got you covered.”
She’d known the couple would come today, but they typically didn’t arrive until long after the early-morning rounds. “I overslept.”
“So I gathered.”
“I never do. This is literally the second time it’s happened, and the first was because of a power outage, but then I bought a battery-run clock.”
His smile was warmer than it should have been. They were strangers, maybe would-be business associates, and that smile was meant for a friend. Something they could never be. “It was a long day yesterday. Come on over here and take a look.”
She crossed the short distance to the side of the stall and made sure she didn’t stand too close to Tucker. Especially after she’d found her stride slowing as she ran an appraising gaze down the back of his body. He had on jeans and a blue Oxford shirt. Sharp, clean and sexy as hell, and she hadn’t even bothered to brush her hair. Great. Bedhead was one of her better looks.
Then she saw the dark brown foal with his skinny, knobby legs splayed so he could get up under his mom. Glory was munching away, calm as you please. “Oh, that is a sight.”
“There might be another one tonight,” he said. “Cocoa’s on her way.”
“It’s a factory in here,” she said. “Something big must have happened eleven months ago to the day for two so close together.”
“Statistical probability, but I know what you mean. We see groupings a lot. Pheromones, I imagine, in the herd.”
She nodded, liking this. Just talking. It was easier when she wasn’t looking at him. “I need to do my rounds, catch up with Levi and Kathy. You can come along if you like, or stay. After, I’m going in to make coffee. I hope you’ll join me at the cabin.”
“I’ll come with you now,” he said.
He didn’t follow her into the other stalls as she checked on the rest of the brood, but he accompanied her to the barn, where the chickens ignored them but only because the goats wanted all the attention.
Pinocchio, it turned out, was doing fine, and deeply unconcerned about his battle scars. Kathy, who’d sadly lost her own land due to hard times, started out smiling at Annie, but that changed in a flash to something far harsher.
Kathy’s hand went to her hip. “I hope you’re hurting like Hades, young lady.”
“Gee, thanks. Yes, I am.”
Kathy’s big hair barely moved as she nodded. “Serves you right for getting in that mess with Pinocchio. You should’ve let him work himself into a frenzy until he passed out. Then you could have cut him free, and not got yourself in trouble.”
Oh, God. Annie knew everyone meant well but she did not want to hear the same thing for a month. “He also could have died.”
The older woman sighed. “There are always risks. Pinocchio might’ve died, and that would have been sad, but if you got sidelined…”
“Point taken. I’ll do better next time.”
“Levi finally got that part in for the feed truck. Should be working by this afternoon.”
Annie grinned at the news. “Fantastic.”
“Now might be a good time for you and Mr….Um, sorry, my short-term memory’s shot, don’t take it personal.”
“It’s Tucker,” he supplied.
Kathy smiled. “You and Mr. Tucker should take a ride out. Show him the field.”
Annie and Tucker exchanged glances and laughed.
“What?” Kathy frowned at them.
“Nothing, really.” Annie cleared her throat. “Tucker is his first name.” It was weird for her, sharing a private joke with someone. No, not someone…with him. “We will get a ride in, but first we have to go over the books.” She squeezed Kathy’s shoulder, then moved over to give one of the baby goats some attention.