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  Michael hurried up to them as the firemen got to work, and Piper’s father was as agitated as Roy was inert. “How did this happen? Did anyone see anything?” Michael raked his hands through his graying hair, leaving it chaotically rumpled, and gaped at the fire in dismay. “This can’t be happening. I can’t believe our horrid luck.”

  Piper abandoned her efforts beating the embers, and dropping the blanket, she rushed to her father and took him into her embrace. “Oh, Dad! I’m so sorry.”

  Michael held Piper tightly and, with his face twisted with despair and outrage, groaned, “Who would do such a thing? Why?” He glanced to his foreman, clearly hoping his right-hand man had the answers he didn’t. “Roy? Did you see what happened? Did anyone hear anything?”

  Taking off his hat and dragging in a slow breath, Roy shook his head. “Sorry, no. But judging by the scope and amount of damage, I’d wager it was intentional. Done outta spite, just like the poison in the pond earlier this year.”

  Piper muttered an unladylike curse as she pulled free of her father. “I’m going to talk with the sheriff. Something has to be done to find the person who’s doing this! I can’t believe there isn’t something they can do to find the culprit.”

  Brady fell in step behind her as she stalked toward the sheriff’s vehicle, her body as taut as barbed wire between fence posts. They were met halfway by the uniformed deputy, who had a clipboard out and was making notes about the scene.

  “Who’s the property owner?” the deputy asked.

  “My father. That’s him in the blue shirt.” Piper directed the man’s attention to Michael with a flick of her finger. “But I can speak for the family.”

  The deputy asked for a recap of who’d spotted the fire, who’d been first to arrive on the scene and what, if anything, they could tell him about the cause of the blaze.

  Piper filled the man in, and Brady added his comments when appropriate. When they’d finished giving their statements to the sheriff, Piper and Brady rejoined their families with nothing to do but watch the fire eat the winter supply of food. The deputy interviewed Roy, Dave and her brothers, as well, while Piper’s father, his expression bleak, paced the edge of the field. “It will cost a fortune to buy replacement feed,” Michael McCall said to no one in particular that Brady could determine.

  “This is a setback,” Josh said, catching his father’s arm, “but not an insurmountable one. We’ll figure something out.”

  Brady admired Josh’s optimism and his attempt to bolster his father’s mood in the face of this latest disaster to hit the Double M. Brady was finding it harder to stay positive, knowing that if the Double M folded, he, Roy and Connor would have to find another place to live and work.

  He gave Piper’s brothers a side-glance and could almost hear the wheels turning in Zane’s head—calculating costs, reconfiguring plans and adjusting his aspirations for the adventure ranch. Now, more than ever, the family needed a new revenue stream. But the cost of winter feed would put the brothers even further in the hole.

  An idea prodded him and nudged his blood pressure up a few points. Did he dare suggest such a wild thought? Did he dare not?

  He stepped closer to Piper and, gripping her elbow, he tugged her aside without considering why his instinct was to consult her first. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Now?” She waved her hand toward the burning field.

  “Am I interrupting something?”

  She grunted as if planning a retort but only blew out a shallow breath. “I guess not. What is it?”

  “When Scott died, he left me a decent amount of money from his assets. I used a good bit of it to pay off his bills and the funeral expenses for the two of them, but I banked some, too.”

  Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

  “What do you think Zane and Josh would say to me investing in a share of the adventure ranch, helping them get it up and running?”

  “Being a partner?”

  He nodded. “I know they probably intend it to be a family business, and there are those who say don’t go into business with your friends, but...I know they’re strapped for cash.” He nodded toward the smoldering alfalfa. “This will set your family back even further. I just thought that if I invested—”

  “What about Connor? Shouldn’t Scott’s life insurance be earmarked for his son’s care?”

  Brady nodded. “The life insurance is. And a small trust fund. This is separate.”

  She glanced to her brothers, whose heads were together, clearly discussing contingency plans and debating who could have sabotaged them...again. “I think that’s for them to say. Why ask me?”

  “Because I value your opinion and have for a long time.”

  Her eyes softened. “Oh. Well...I’m flattered, of course, but...” She shifted her weight from one foot to another.

  “Besides, you know your brothers better than I do, and I want to be sure before I ask them that my offer, should I make it, won’t be taken the wrong way.”

  Her throat worked as she swallowed hard and lifted a bold gaze to his. “To be honest, I have been debating a similar offer to them. I’ve stashed away a little nest egg and thought I’d offer it to them as seed money.”

  A cloud of smoke drifted to them and, coughing on the dense smog, he guided her even farther from the fire. “I think they’ll be stoked to know you want even a little part of the venture. To keep it in the family.”

  Her head tilted in query. “Is this what you wanted to talk about earlier, before we saw the smoke?”

  He pressed his mouth in a grim line. “No.” Shooting a glance toward the crowd assembled to watch the firemen work, he added, “That business will keep for a while.”

  Her shoulders drooped as she faced the charred crop. “Yeah. We have bigger problems to think about at the moment.”

  He didn’t bother to tell her there was nothing more important than the business he had to discuss with her. His business was so important that he wanted to wait until he had her undivided attention. Instead, seeing her distress over the fire, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave the knotted tendons a squeeze of support. Instead of relaxing, Piper tensed further and gave him a startled, even dismayed look. He shook his head as he sighed his frustration. “Jeez, Piper, you don’t have to look at me like I’m something you have to scrape off your shoe.”

  Her eyes widened. “I’m not!”

  “You did.” He shoved both hands in his back pockets. “And you tensed up when all I was trying to do was show you some support.”

  “I—I’m sorry. I’m just...stressed.” She glanced away, turning her attention to the firemen dousing the field. “I didn’t mean to seem—”

  “Bull.”

  She whipped her head around, blinking at him and frowning. “Pardon?”

  “You’ve been tensing and shrinking away from me as if I had leprosy ever since you arrived.” He shot her a wry grin. “Do you really find me that repulsive now?”

  For several seconds she held his gaze, which he considered a victory in itself, before dropping her gaze to her boots and muttering softly, “Quite the opposite.”

  He held his tongue, waiting to see if she’d elaborate. But the moment was lost when her brothers strode up to them, both stiff-backed and tight-jawed.

  “Dad says you two are the ones who first spotted the fire,” Zane started. “Did you...?”

  “Are you sure you didn’t see anything that would tell us who did this, how it happened?” Josh picked up when his brother gritted his teeth in frustration.

  “No.” Brady shook his head to echo his answer. “Sorry.”

  “We were up on the ridge at the bench Dad built, talking,” Piper said. “We smelled the smoke before we saw it rising from the field. We got here as fast as we could, but it was already too widespread to do anything effective to stop it.”

  “T
hank God you saw it when you did. If it had spread to the pastures...” Zane sighed heavily and kicked at the dirt in disgust.

  “I don’t think the crop’s going to be a total loss,” Brady said, trying to offer some encouragement to his friends. “You all have survived worse than this. I know it sucks, but the McCalls I know can bounce back. I mean, your plan for the adventure ranch is proof of your resilience.”

  Zane and Josh looked at each other in that way they did that said they were sharing a private thought before Zane said, “This fire may be a sign that our plan is a pipe dream. Rather than funnel more money into new operations, we might be taking new loans to keep the ranch afloat.”

  Piper grabbed Zane’s arm and rubbed his back. “Don’t say that! Your plan is a good one. Don’t abandon it now, or the punk who did this wins!” She waved a hand toward the fire.

  Brady scrubbed a hand on his chin and angled his body to face the brothers. “This may not be the right time to mention it, but—”

  “I have money saved up,” Piper cut in, “money I want you to use to start the adventure ranch. It’s not a lot, but it’s a start.”

  Zane and Josh shifted their attention to Piper, their faces reflecting their surprise and intrigue with her proposal. Brady bit the inside of his cheek, trying to squash his irritation with her stepping on his figurative toes. Her offer didn’t mean he couldn’t add his to the mix. In fact, a four-way partnership could be even more enticing to the brothers. More resources meant more opportunity for success.

  “If you’re going to do this adventure ranch thing, why not let me help fund it? I want to be a partner with you.”

  Josh brightened. “Does this mean you’re accepting the job as our financial officer?”

  “I—”

  Zane gripped Piper by the arms, smiling broadly. “Say yes. You know you want to.”

  She raised both hands and laughed awkwardly. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! I’m talking about helping underwrite the start-up expenses. I haven’t decided anything about the job yet.”

  Her brothers’ expressions dimmed, and Zane’s shoulders drooped as he lowered his hands to his sides. “Come on, Piper...”

  “My money may not prevent you from having to get a loan, but if I can help keep you two from going too far into debt, then the money is yours.”

  Josh pulled a lopsided, half-hearted grin. “Thanks. That’s nice of you.”

  Brady squared his feet and rubbed his damp palms on his jeans. “I want to invest in the adventure ranch, too. I was just telling Piper, I have money from Scott—”

  “Brady, no,” Zane said, and Josh shook his head. “We can’t ask you to do that.”

  The immediate refusal stung, reviving past days of living in the shadow of the ranch owner’s children. “You didn’t ask. I’m offering freely. Because I believe the idea is a good one.”

  Piper didn’t say anything, but she gave him a poignant look before turning away.

  “I have an interest in seeing the Double M succeed. And I believe the adventure ranch could be just the way to turn things around,” Brady argued, as much to Piper as her brothers.

  “But that money—” Josh began.

  “Is mine to invest where I think best. Connor has been provided for. Have no fear there.”

  His assurance that none of Connor’s trust fund was at stake seemed to reassure Zane and Josh.

  “And while it’s not a fortune,” Brady continued, seeing the tide turn in his favor, “the idea is that if we combine our assets, all of us partners in the venture, it’s more likely that the adventure ranch will work. You don’t have to take on mountains of debt.”

  “Make you a partner, huh?” Zane mused, his brow furrowed in thought. He twisted his mouth and canted his head slightly as he considered the suggestion.

  “I’m willing to put more than just my money into the adventure ranch. I’ll put in my time and energy, sweat equity, as well. No salary needed. If I’m a partner, I’d expect to receive a commensurate percentage of the profit.”

  Josh scratched his chin and stared out at the burning alfalfa. “It’s an interesting idea. I’d just assumed Zane and I were taking this on by ourselves.”

  “But it makes a hell of a lot of sense to turn this into a partnership,” Zane added, looking from his brother to Piper. “If you’re sure you want to give up your nest egg—”

  “I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t sure.”

  Zane stuck his hand out to Piper. “Then you have a deal. We’d love to have you as a partner.”

  Piper’s face lit with relief and joy as she shook first Zane’s, then Josh’s hands. Tugging her closer, Josh embraced his sister and gave her a peck on the top of her head. “Thanks, Pipsqueak. You don’t know what it means for us to have your support.”

  Brady took a step back from the siblings as they cemented and celebrated another bond that bound them, leaving him on the outside looking in. Disappointment gnawed at his gut as he eased back another step, ready to head back to the stable.

  Then Zane turned to him and said, “Hey, cowboy, you’re not withdrawing your offer already, are you? Come here!” He stuck his hand out. “Put it there, partner!”

  Brady blinked. “You’re sure?”

  “Positive.”

  Brady accepted Zane’s handshake, and immediately Zane used the grip to reel him closer.

  “Hey, bring it in.” Zane slapped him on the back with a one-armed hug. “Josh, get her in here.” And the next thing Brady knew, the brothers had sandwiched him and Piper against each other as they embraced, clapped shoulders, ruffled hair and laughed in celebration of the new partnership.

  Their celebration was interrupted by an angry-sounding shout from Michael. All four of them turned in time to see Roy forcefully restraining Michael, who shouted at the lead sheriff deputy and aimed an accusing finger at the officer. The senior McCall was red in the face, fighting Roy’s hold, while the deputy stood in a defensive position, one hand on his utility belt, clearly preparing to subdue Michael by force.

  Chapter 5

  “What the hell...” Zane grumbled as he sprinted back toward their father.

  Piper’s gut twisted, and she followed Josh and Brady as they, too, rushed to intercede in the confrontation.

  Zane bodily blocked his father from approaching the deputy, while Josh and Brady aided Roy in dragging Michael away.

  “You better get off my land!” Michael hollered at the deputy. “I’ll report you! I’m no cheat!”

  “Cool down, Dad. This isn’t helping,” Josh said over their father’s shouts. “Please, don’t make things worse.”

  Piper wedged her way into the fray and got in her father’s field of vision. She caught his face between her hands, forcing him to look at her. “Stop, Dad. Look at me. What happened? What’s wrong?”

  “That...that punk all but accused me of setting the fire as part of an insurance scam.” Her father’s nostrils flared as he glared over her shoulder and sucked in ragged breaths. “Said he knew the ranch was struggling and that we’d filed a complaint about the poison in our pond earlier this year.”

  “Both of which are true,” she pointed out.

  Her father’s gaze darted back to her. “It’s the way he said it. Like I was staging all these disasters so I could collect on the insurance and bail the ranch out.” He gritted his teeth, and a muscle in his tight jaw twitched angrily.

  Piper swallowed hard. She’d only seen her father this upset a handful of times in her life. Once when Josh was fifteen and had cut school to go to a strip bar in Denver on a dare. Another time, when the family was out to dinner and they’d witnessed a man slapping a woman in the parking lot. Their dad had set the man straight about how to treat a lady, then spent the rest of the dinner lecturing Zane and Josh about showing women respect. Once when he’d argued about something with their mother, the topic of which
Piper wasn’t privy to. And most recently, when the Broncos had blown a huge lead in a game he’d bet money on.

  “Dad, cool it. He’s just doing his job,” Josh said.

  “By implying I’m a thief and a fraud?” Michael pointed at the officer again. “Innocent until proven guilty! I didn’t do this!”

  “Dad, think about your blood pressure. Settle down, okay?” Josh pleaded.

  Piper blinked. His blood pressure?

  Roy put a hand on her father’s shoulder, and in his characteristic calm and even tone, he said, “Michael, nobody that knows you would ever suspect you of fraud. Don’t let your stress and disappointment over the fire distort your perspective.”

  Michael glanced to Roy, then back at the deputy and exhaled harshly. “He needs to spend less time worrying about my insurance and more time looking for the bastard who did this.”

  Roy nodded sympathetically. “You’re right. Now, what do you say I drive you back to the house? Okay?”

  Her father squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose for several seconds before raising a weary gaze to his foreman and nodding. “Yeah. Okay.”

  Roy cast a backward glance to the deputy. “Okay?”

  The officer nodded once, granting his permission for the men to leave the scene.

  Piper moved closer to Zane. “What’s up with Dad’s blood pressure?”

  Zane looked at her as if she were stupid for a moment, then his expression cleared, and he blinked. “You don’t know? His doctor put him on medicine for high blood pressure earlier this year. The stress with ranch finances hasn’t done him any favors, but hypertension also runs in his side of the family.”

  “I remember. It contributed to Grandpa’s death.” Piper wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a sudden chill, despite the nearby flames. She angled her head and narrowed her gaze on her brother. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

  Zane shrugged. “I don’t know. When’s the last time you inquired about Mom or Dad’s health?”