and the exposure if he was to make the November finals in Las Vegas—with the chance to earn big money.
But that was a worry for another day. Right now Tess had more pressing concerns on her mind.
“I can’t believe this!” Her hand crumpled the letter that Aaron had picked up for her at the post office in Ajo that morning—the letter informing her that the hayfields on the property next to Aaron’s were under new ownership, and the ranch would no longer be able to buy hay at a discounted price.
The letter was from a new property investment company. The owner’s name wasn’t mentioned, but Tess knew who it was. Brock Tolman was doing just what Shane had predicted—he was squeezing the ranch, little by little, slowly backing them into a corner.
“What are you going to do?” Callie asked.
Tess shook her head. The discount on hay—because it didn’t have to be loaded and hauled—had been a boon to the ranch over the years. Hay at the market price would cost twice as much. “For now, we don’t have much choice,” she said. “But my plan is to plant a couple of our pastures in hay. By next summer we should have our own crop.”
Brave talk. Planting hay would involve seed, a watering system, and harvesting equipment to cut and bale the hay, unless they could rent the machines that Aaron used. Maybe it would be cheaper to just bite the bullet and buy the hay.
Damn Brock Tolman to hell!
“Do you think Aaron will still have a job?” Callie asked.
“I don’t see why not,” Tess replied. “Somebody needs to take care of the hayfields, and he’s right there. Maybe the bastards will even give him a raise.”
As if the words could summon him, Aaron appeared around the bend in the road, driving the Kubota. He parked in the yard and came up onto the porch. “I’ll take some of that tea,” he said. “It’s hotter than hell out there.”
Callie refilled her own empty glass with tea. He took it and sank into a chair. “Hear any more from Lexie? When will she be back?”
“I don’t know.” Tess remembered the few brief lines her sister had written.
The MRI showed major damage to Shane’s lower back. Surgery tomorrow will brace the spine, but the spinal nerve is beyond repair. He’s still struggling to accept that he won’t have the use of his legs. I’ll be here as long as he needs me, or until he goes to rehab.
Tess sighed. Lexie’s absence left the ranch seriously shorthanded. But Lexie was in love, and as sorely as her sister was needed here, Tess knew better than to demand that she make a choice.
“So who’s going to take the bull to the PBR?” Aaron asked.
“I don’t know.” Tess knew he was offering, but she remembered Lexie saying how he’d gone off on his own as soon as Whirlwind was unloaded. She needed someone who’d be there full-time for the bull. Ruben was busy with their PRCA contracts, and the boys were too young and inexperienced to go alone.
“Our next PBR event is almost two weeks away,” she said. “It’s in Window Rock. If Lexie isn’t back by then, I’ll take Whirlwind myself.”
Aaron leaned back and propped his feet on an empty chair. His gaze wandered over the bulls in the pasture. “I can’t believe that ornery old bull is just a heap of dirt,” he said. “How did it happen? Did you just find him dead?”
“It happened while you and Lexie were gone. Didn’t I tell you? Somebody poisoned his food.”
“What?” Aaron’s feet swung to the ground as he sat up. “How’d you figure that?”
“From the way he looked. And from the smell. It was rat poison, in a bag of Total Bull that was almost empty. I kept the bag for the police. The inside smells of zinc phosphide—that’s heavy-duty rat poison. The other bulls got food from a fresh bag.”
“Have you called the police?”
“Not yet. I’m hoping to figure out who did it before I call them. Otherwise, they’ll just file a report and forget it.”
“Who the hell would do a thing like that?” Aaron exploded. “Maybe you ought to take a closer look at those boys. Aren’t they the ones who put the food out?”
“Yes, but I can’t imagine it was them. They brought me the bag when I asked, and then they had to dig the grave. It was a miserable job. It took them all day. Why would they bring that