Under Threat by B.J. Daniels (reading the story of the .TXT) 📕

“Thank you so much!” Mary called after her, smiling as she watched the young woman run back across the street to the coffee shop.

Hud found Chet Jensen in the barn at his father’s place just down the canyon a few miles. The tall skinny cowboy was shoveling manure from the stalls. He heard him gag, and suspected the man was hungover even before he saw his face.

“Rough night?” he asked, startling the cowboy.

Chet jumped, looking sicker from the scare. “You can’t just walk up on someone like that,” he snapped.

“I need to talk to you,” Hud said. “About Christy Shores.”

“I figured.” Chet leaned his pitchfork against the side of the stall. “I could use some fresh air.” With that he stumbled out of the barn and into the morning sunshine.

Hud followed him to a spot behind the ranch house where a half dozen lawn chairs sat around a firepit. Chet dropped into one of the chairs. Hud took one opposite him, and pulled out his notebook and pen.

“You heard about the fight.”

He nodded. “What was that about?”

“Christy.” Chet scowled across at him. “You wouldn’t be here unless you already knew that. Let’s cut to the chase. I had nothing to do with her getting run over.”

“Who did?”

He shrugged. “Not a clue. Beth Anne heard that a motor-home driver must have clipped her.”

Hud shook his head. “I’m guessing it was someone local with a grudge. How long have you been involved with her?”

“It wasn’t like that. I brought her back here a couple of times after we met a few weeks ago. I liked her.”

“But?”

“But she liked Grady who was always throwing his money around, playing the big shot. I tried to warn her about him.” He shook his head, then leaned over to take it in his hands.

“Are you saying you think Grady Birch might be responsible?”

“Beats me.” Lifting his head, he said, “After we got thrown out of Charley’s, I came home and went to bed.”

“Did you see Grady leave?”

He nodded. “That doesn’t mean he didn’t come back.”

“The same could be said about you.”

Chet wagged his head. “Beth Anne was home. My sister knows I didn’t leave. She was up until dawn making cookies for some special event she’s throwing down at the flower shop. I couldn’t have left without her seeing me.”

“Christy have any enemies that you knew about?” he asked.

“I didn’t think she’d been in town long enough to make enemies.”

“But she’d been in town long enough to have the two of you fighting over her,” he pointed out.

Chet met his gaze. “Grady and I would have been fighting over any woman we both thought the other wanted. It wasn’t really even about her, you know what I mean?”

He did, he thought as he closed his notebook and got to his feet. “If you think of anyone who might have wanted her dead, call me.”

Chapter 8

Mary was just starting across the street the next morning to get her coffee when the delivery van from the local flower shop pulled up in front of her building. It had been three days since she’d seen Chase. Both men had finally gotten the message and given her space. Not that the space had helped much except that she’d gotten a lot of work done.

She groaned as she saw Beth Anne Jensen climb out of the flower shop van. “I have something for you,” the buxom blonde called cheerily.

Mary couldn’t remember the last time anyone had sent her flowers. Reluctantly, she went back across the street since she could already taste her ultimate caramel frappaccino. Also, the last person she wanted to see this morning was Beth Anne. The blonde had her head stuck in the back of the van as she approached.

As her former classmate came out, she shoved cellophone wrapped vase with a red rose in it at her. “I’m sure you’ve already heard. Chase is back.”

“I know. He came by the ranch a couple of days ago.” That took some of the glee out of Beth Anne’s expression.

“He’s gone to work for my daddy.”

Mary tried not to groan at the old news or the woman’s use of “daddy” at her age. Of course, Chase had gone to work for Sherman Jensen. The Jensen Ranch was just down the road from the Cardwell spread. No wonder Chase had said he would be seeing her soon. The Jensens would be rounding up their cattle from summer range—just like everyone on Cardwell Ranch.

“Chase looks like being gone didn’t hurt him none,” the blonde said.

She didn’t want to talk about Chase with this woman. She hadn’t forgotten catching Chase and Beth Anne liplocked before he left. Mary didn’t know if she was supposed to tip the owner of the flower store or not. But if it would get Beth Anne to leave... She pulled out a five and shoved it at her. “Thanks,” she said, and started to turn away.

“That’s not all,” the blonde said as she pocketed the five and handed her a wrapped bouquet of daisies in a white vase. “Appears you’ve got more than one admirer.” Beth Anne raised a brow.

Mary assumed that the woman knew who had sent both sets of flowers—and had probably read the notes inside the small envelopes attached to each. But then again seeing the distinct handwriting of two men on the outside of the envelopes, maybe Beth Anne was as in the dark as Mary herself. The thought improved her day.

“Have a nice day,” she sang out to Beth Anne as she headed for her office. Opening the door, she took the flowers inside, anxious to see whom they were from. She didn’t want to get her hopes up. They both could be from one of the ranchers she worked for as a thank-you for the work she’d done for them.

She set down the vases on the edge of her desk and pulled out the first small envelope. Opening it, she read: “I