made a serious miscalculation when suspicion fell on Liam,” I said. “You had to know that change of will would have the cops looking right at him if they thought Gil’s death was suspicious.”
“Liam wasn’t supposed to be in town that week,” she said. “He was scheduled for a workshop for butchers in Nebraska or something. He told me about it the week before when I picked up steaks. If I’d known he was still in town when Gil was murdered, I wouldn’t have done it, even if it meant Tiffany got away with it. I screwed up. I should have checked. I almost ruined that boy’s life and that is something I’ll carry around guilt for the rest of my own.”
“At least it ended well,” River said and squeezed Judith’s shoulder. “For Liam anyway. He’s off the hook for the murder and he’ll get inheritance. He’ll be able to move forward with owning the shop sooner rather than later, and he doesn’t know what you did.”
“Yet,” Judith said.
“He doesn’t have to know,” I said.
“But when Carter arrests us, he’ll find out,” Judith said.
“I’m not going to say anything to Carter,” I said. “I don’t agree with what you did but I understand your reasons. And I’m guessing you’ve paid in stress and guilt these past few days.”
“Probably not enough,” Judith said.
“You think that because you’re a good person,” I said. “And your instincts were right about Gil’s death. But your focus has just always been so narrow when it comes to him that you couldn’t see the possibility of anything else.”
She nodded. “I feel bad about that too—the things I said and thought about Tiffany. I mean, I get that she’s not exactly an angel but she was a kid in a horrible situation. And if I’m being honest, Gil took advantage of that.”
“I believe he did,” I said. “I know you cared about him—a lot—but he wasn’t a good person to waste your heart on. I hope in the future, you can find someone worthy of the kind of loyalty you have to give.”
Judith sniffed and then clutched me in a bear hug. “Thank you for figuring it all out. I’m so happy you weren’t hurt. And I’m sorry about the way I did things. In the future, I’ll talk to you and see what can be worked out before I go on with some crazy ideas.”
She released me and I smiled. “And no more trying to scare widows with dead chickens either. That was childish and beneath you.”
“I know,” she said. “I just wanted her to leave town so I never had to see her again. If I had things to do over…well, none of this would have happened.”
“And Brigette would have gotten away with murder,” I said. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t feel bad about the way you went about things, but remember that the end result was best for everyone.”
She nodded and gave River’s shoulder a quick squeeze before she headed off. River watched her walk away and sighed.
I looked at her. “I hope in the future, you find someone worthy of the loyalty you have to give as well.”
River looked at me, surprised, then let out a single laugh. “How did you know?”
“You would have never risked Shadow for anyone unless you cared about them just as much as you do that horse.”
She gave me a sad smile. “I guess we can’t control where the heart wants to go.”
“Does she know?”
River nodded. “It’s never affected our friendship, but I’ve always known that’s where things end.”
“You’re a good friend, River,” I said. “I have a couple of friends just like you and they’re worth their weight in gold. But there are plenty of good people out there. You just have to get out sometimes and find them. Trust me, my existence was similar to yours as far as people went until I came here. And my life is a thousand times better for it.”
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe I should get off the ranch sometime…see if there’s someone else out there like me.”
“Trust me. There’s no one out there like you. But I bet there’s someone who’d love to get to know someone like you.”
She extended her hand and I shook it.
“You’re all right, lady spook.”
I laughed. “You know that’s how I knew you and Judith were friends, right? You both refer to me the same way.”
“You don’t miss anything, do you?”
“I wouldn’t still be alive if I did. Hey, I have a question.”
“Another one?”
“Yeah, if I wanted to learn how to ride a horse…I mean I know the general stuff, but if I wanted to learn how to really ride, is that something you could teach me?”
“You want to take riding lessons? Can I ask why?”
“Because you never know what you might need to use to evade the enemy…or Carter. He really doesn’t like it when I get in the middle of police business.”
Her lips trembled, then she broke into a grin. “You’re telling me you have man problems?”
I sighed. “Men can be difficult.”
“Honey, I could have told you that.” She slung one arm around my shoulders and pulled me toward the stables. “Let’s go find you a horse to ride. I’m thinking a mare.”
“Perfect.”
For notification on new releases and to see other works by Jana, visit her website at janadeleon.com.