UlteriorMotives by Chandra Ryan Read Free Book Online

been so
easy to forget the entire ranch depended on her while he lavished attention on
her. He made her feel young and carefree again. And, as much as she hated
admitting it, she really enjoyed being young and carefree.
    She waited for Jasper to leave the room before dressing.
And, as soon as she’d brushed her hair and teeth, she went to find her guest in
the front room. “Good morning, Sheriff.” Her cheeks heated with embarrassment.
The sheriff had been a good friend to her parents. He’d always been like an
uncle. No one wanted their uncle to know they were having sex.
    “Good afternoon, Kat,” he corrected with a chuckle.
    She tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. “Oh yeah.
Good afternoon.”
    “I see you and your fella are getting along.”
    Her cheeks burned now. If only the ground would open up and
swallow her. But since that was unlikely to happen, she decided a change of
subject would be the best tactic. “Yes, um, have you had a chance to check out
the barn?”
    All sign of teasing disappeared and his expression turned
serious at the mention of the barn. “My men have been going over the scene for
the past hour. We’ve got a couple things to show you.”
    “That doesn’t sound good,” she said under her breath. She’d
officially lost all her afterglow. She followed him out to the barn, her
stomach cramping nervously the whole way. Once in the barn, he led her back to
stall fifteen. The stench of soot and ash combined with other scents she’d
rather not identify to hang heavily in the air and remind her of everything
she’d nearly lost.
    “This is the seat of the fire. It’s where the fire was set.”
He pointed to an area that looked no more or less singed than anywhere else to
her.
    “Set?”
    “Yep.” He dug a small jar of bright-purple liquid out of his
pocket. “This wasn’t an accident. This is just a field test but purple means an
accelerant is present. Looks like someone sprinkled it on the hay. Once I send
it off to the lab, we’ll know the exact chemical used but, for now, this is
good enough to call it arson.”
    “Why would they do this?” She didn’t believe in coincidences.
This had to be tied to the attempt to take her ranch from her. But to what end?
To hide behind paperwork and bureaucracy was safe. Setting a barn on fire,
though, would leave behind evidence. It didn’t make sense unless they were
desperate, and they hadn’t had enough time to get desperate.
    The sheriff cleared his throat and glanced around the barn
before answering. “Maybe not everyone is happy with the new man about the
house.”
    She looked up from the scorched ground to study him. “I’m
not the type to inspire this level of jealousy.” She gestured to the damage
around her.
    He lowered his voice before he said, “Are you so sure? We
both know that one of your men thought you were going to marry him. Losing a
potential wife is bad enough out here, but to have the ranch he thought of as
his own ripped out of his hands and given to a stranger? Sounds like motive to
me.”
    She didn’t need to ask the sheriff whom he was referring to.
Mark had spent months bellyaching to anyone who would listen after she’d turned
down his lackluster proposal. Her father had wanted her settled if anything
happened to him and her mom and he’d spent years filling Mark’s head with
ideas. By the time her father did die, Mark believed everything on the ranch
should be his—including Kat. But still, she couldn’t believe he would rather
burn it to the ground than see another person have it. And she couldn’t imagine
him working with the person who filed the complaint against her. He would lose
everything if she lost the ranch. “He didn’t like my decision and he made no
secret of it, but he loves this land. He wouldn’t destroy it. Not even out of
spite.”
    “Maybe he’s not lookin’ to destroy it. Without a barn and
with a couple head of cattle missing, I’d reckon this ranch could be