“When you guys finish, get the hell out of here before the storm gets any worse,” I said in passing as I glanced at my watch, expecting to see Hawk at any time. The snow was really coming down, darkness settling in and for several reasons I remained uneasy.
“You got it, boss. Could be a doozy,” one of them said.
“That’s what I’ve heard.” The thought of getting snowed in with one feisty lady wasn’t too bad. As long as there was wood for the fire and the rest of the bottle of bourbon, I might enjoy getting to know her better.
Every inch of her voluptuous body.
Kissing.
Touching.
Licking.
Feasting.
I heard the sound of another truck and walked toward the entrance, waiting as Hawk jumped out. After hesitating for a solid ten seconds, he stepped just inside, waving toward the others.
“Gonna be raw tonight,” he said casually. “This won’t take long.”
“Any reason you came down to the barn?”
“Well, truth is I didn’t want Bryce to overhear the conversation. She loves a good story and I don’t want the ranch to possibly become front page news.” Although Hawk grinned, he meant the words. Bryce Myers was one tenacious reporter, the kind who refused to give up on a story.
Given his concern, my guess was that there was a real story, one I doubted I would like. “There’s some truth to what I told you.”
“I don’t know for certain how connected the situation with Ms. Brexton is, but after making a few inquiries, I had an interesting phone call from one of the auction houses. It would appear that they were awaiting payment for a lot of prized Angus they’d been holding onto.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“None at all since I just authorized purchase of a different lot the other day. At this point I wouldn’t have the cash available and I’m not putting the ranch up as collateral. When I laughed at the man, a guy who my brother evidently used to do some business with, thinking it was a joke, he sent me the paperwork. Lo and behold, a near duplication of my signature was on the damn forms.”
I waited as three of the ranch hands walked by. “Someone forged your signature.”
“It would appear that way. The gentleman went on to say that you made a phone call to him personally, ensuring him the money would be in his account the next morning. That was two days ago.”
“Like hell I did. What in the fuck is going on?”
“That’s what I want to know. You need to have a heart to heart with the lovely doctor. She’s stumbled into the middle of something. We just might need her help. At minimum we need to hear exactly what she knows.”
“What the hell are you going to do about the steer?” I asked, my hackles raised. Why was it starting to feel like the ranch was being attacked?
“Not entirely certain at this point.”
“There’s an auction almost every week.”
Hawk exhaled. “Not like the one where I supposedly purchased the Angus. A tristate event where some of the highest prices were paid. And trust me, I supposedly paid a pretty penny, half again more than normal and certainly more than what we paid recently. I’m going to see what I can do, but I don’t like being used. If someone is out there impersonating either one of us, I would bet the event is just the beginning.”
“Someone is intent on implicating Big Meadow with fraud.”
“That’s what it would appear.”
I yanked the phone from my back pocket but before I had a chance to make a call, it rang. “Hey, Pops. Can I call you back?”
“Sure, son, but I just wanted to tell you that I sent one of the guys to that address you gave me. He even had the right tires, but that doctor you talked about wasn’t there.”
“Wait, she was in her clinic.”
“He tried that too. It was locked, no lights on.”
What the hell?
“Fuck. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll get back to you and schedule another time.”
“Not a problem,” my father answered, ending the call before I did.
“Is something wrong?” Hawk asked.
“Maybe nothing.” Maybe Danni being Danni. Disobedient. But when her phone rang four times, going to voicemail, my gut told me that there was something wrong. I moved toward the truck, throwing open the door and reaching behind the seat.
“Okay, what is going on?” Hawk watched as I yanked my weapon into the light of the cab, checking the ammunition.