Promise Them (The Callahan Series Book 6) (28 page)

Dani looked at both women with tears in her eyes. “This is a wonderful opportunity. I’d be a fool to turn it down.” She took Nellie’s hand. “I would need help and you’re the best. Will you still work with me?”

Nellie was taken aback. Did she want to work full time? Especially, did she want to work Friday and Saturday nights when she wanted to be with Beau? She enjoyed the work. Enjoyed getting out of the house and being useful. “I wouldn’t mind working the same as I am now. About Friday and Saturday nights, I don’t think so.”

“You can get other help,” Emma insisted. “Every day someone comes in to ask for a job.”

“Zach will make the perfect assistant,” Nellie added. “You can hire another busboy.” Then she turned to Emma. “Will you stay? Will you man the register as you have been?”

“For a while. But I think Dani needs to make this her place. She can hire whoever she wants.”

“I wonder if I’ll still make a profit after hiring several new people.” She thought a minute. “I’ll put a pencil to it tonight and start making lists. I’ll have to have an interesting menu for the two nights I’m open. Something that will bring the customers out at night and make them want to come back. It can’t be too expensive. This is going to take some planning.”

“Then it’s settled,” Emma said, her grin as mischievous as always. “Let’s get back to work. I have to call the carpenter and have him cut that door in and get them lined up to do the work inside the diner.”

“Won’t we have to close to get that done?” Dani asked.

“Nope,” Emma said with confidence. “They can work nights and Sundays. It will be finished by next week.”

“You act as if you knew how this would work out,” Dani accused. “And I haven’t even said yes.”

Emma just hummed, went back inside Molly’s and to her stool.

“Does this mean I don’t have to cook for that party for fifty?” Dani asked.

“What party?”

“But you told me…”

“I was testing you.”

Dani put her hands on her hips and glared at the older woman. “You are
not
to be trusted.”

“What will you call the new diner?” Nellie asked, changing the subject before the two of them got into it.

Dani shrugged. “
If
I do this, I don’t have a clue. Right now, I can’t think. My brain is in shock.”

“Wait until your dad hears about this,” Nellie said. “He’ll be so proud.”

“If the math works in my favor, I’m going to do it.” She chuckled. “I think Dad was convinced both Rey and I were going to mooch off him the rest of our lives. You’re right, he’ll be surprised.” She turned to Nellie. “Will you let me tell him?”

“Of course I will.”

But the news was so exciting Nellie didn’t see how she could keep it to herself.

She looked at her watch. “I have a date with my grandson. I have to run.”

She kept her promise. When Mark came riding up to the homestead with Casey in tow, Nellie was ready to go. Beau wouldn’t be over until much later, and she looked forward to spending time with her oldest grandchild.

She put on her western hat, took the reins, and climbed up on Casey’s back. They started across the pasture at a leisurely pace. “This was a wonderful idea, Mark. I’ve missed riding.”

“We’ve been so busy nobody has time to ride for fun anymore.”

“At least the rustlers seem to have moved on,” she said.

“Thank goodness. Dad had us moving cattle so often I forget where we moved them.”

Nellie laughed. “I know that’s not so. If I know you, you can tell me where every cow and calf on the ranch are at this very minute.”

“I brought a picnic.” He grinned.

“You did? Did your mom pack it for you?”

“Nope. I did it myself.”

“Then I can’t wait,” she said. “Race you to the pond.” Putting her heels into Casey’s side, she raced ahead. Mark was growing up. Each year he did more on the ranch. He loved it. He so reminded her of Donovan and how he had followed his dad around the ranch, learning all the while.

With a whoop and holler, Mark was right behind her.

How wonderful it was to be here with the wind in her face, enjoying her grandson’s company and, she told herself, Beau later. At this moment, life couldn’t be better.

She didn’t have to slow Casey for Mark to overtake her and beat her to the pond. There, they got off their horses and walked around the water’s edge. “Are you enjoying the summer?” she asked.

Mark’s grin split his face. “Sure. Except those rustlers put a kink in Dad’s plans.”

“Which were?”

“He was going to teach me to rope and tie a calf like they do at the rodeo. So far, we haven’t had time.”

“Are you thinking of competing?”

He shrugged. “Just thought it would be fun.”

“Where do you want to have our picnic?”

Shading her eyes, she looked toward the rock formation. “How about there?” She pointed.

“I was hoping we’d go there. Maybe we can take a swim.”

“Maybe.” Since she’d figured they’d end up at the springs, she’d put her old black bathing suit on under her jeans and shirt.

They took off, Mark in the lead. She couldn’t catch him if she wanted to. Snowman was too fast, and Casey too old to keep up.

They slowed when they got to the formation and wound their way through the rocks until they came to the natural springs. “It’s hot enough. Let’s take a swim.” Mark laughed and started peeling off his clothes. He’d grown a foot and a half since Phyl came to the ranch, and he was muscling up nicely. All that ranch work and the punching bags he and Donovan pounded every night were turning Mark into a man.

In his shorts, he gave a whoop and jumped into the cold water.

Sputtering and laughing, he called out, “C’mon, Gran. It’s great.”

“Think I will.”

Soon the two of them were splashing water at each other one minute, swimming the next.

She didn’t know how long they played in the water, but when she got tired, she climbed out and sat on a rock to dry off before putting on her clothes. She had to pry Mark out. He was ready to spend the rest of the day there. “Time to eat,” she enticed after she’d dressed.

“Coming.”

“What do we have here?”

After he dressed, Mark took a jar of peanut butter out first, the bread next, then a couple of cans of soft drink: Mark’s favorite root beer.

“Looks delicious,” she said. “Shall I help?”

“I’ll do it.” It took a minute, but he put her sandwich in a paper towel and handed it to her.

She waited for him to fix his own, then took a bite. “Umm.”

He leaned back against the rock, looked around at the formation. “I wonder how all this got here.”

“Good question.”

They talked for a long time while they ate, discussing one theory after another.

“Maybe God just wanted it here so we could enjoy swimming in the cold water.”

“You could be right.” It began to turn dark. Nellie stood. “I didn’t realize how late it was. We’d better get back or your mom and dad will come looking for us.”

How had she let them stay out so late? She looked at her watch. It wasn’t that late, which meant there was a storm brewing. Here in the rocks you couldn’t tell. “We’d better hurry, Mark.”

He leapt onto Snowman’s back and headed out. Then she heard a motor start up. Loud.

“What in the world?” Before she could climb into the saddle, a voice spoke from the shadows. “Don’t move.”

“What?”

“Don’t move or you’ll get hurt.”

The voice came from the behind a tall rock. Was someone playing games? Should she follow Mark and ignore him?

She took hold of the saddle horn, meaning to pull herself into the saddle when a pair of strong arms pulled her back. “Run, Mark!” she screamed, her heart in her throat as she was pulled to the ground. “Get help!”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Beau spotted horse and rider the minute they burst from the rock formation. Mark on Snowman! In the early darkness, they could have been a streak of lightning. Something was wrong. Beau felt it in his gut.

He turned Taro in their direction and overtook them in less than a minute.

“Help!” Mark cried out when he saw Beau.

“Rein in,” Beau ordered. Mark did as he was told.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, grabbing the reins. When he saw tears streaming from the young man’s eyes, Beau’s gut curled into knots. “Tell me.”

“Gran’s in trouble,” he said, gasping for air. “We had a picnic. We were leaving when we heard a truck motor. Suddenly she screamed and yelled for me to run and get help. I don’t know what happened. But Gran sounded really scared.”

“Get to the ranch. Tell your dad. He’ll know what to do.” Beau cursed the fact that he didn’t have his cell phone with him. He’d been in too big a hurry to see Nell to take it off the charger.

“Are you going to help Gran?”

“You bet I am,” he said tightly as he headed for the rock formation. What he’d find he didn’t know. Whatever it was, he wouldn’t let anything happen to his Nell. He couldn’t live without her.

It was much darker in the formation than out. But he followed their tracks to the spring. “Nell,” he called out softly. She didn’t answer. He didn’t see her. Didn’t see anyone. Casey stood nearby, but where was Nell?

His heart was in his throat as he slid off Taro and followed footprints to where they had their picnic. He lifted his head, listened. Was that a groan? He hurried over to the rocks. Anyone could hide in there and no one would see them. Nell was here somewhere and he was going to find her.

He heard the sound again and turned in that direction. “Nell?” he said, his voice little more than a whisper.

“Here,” she cried out.

He ran around the tall rock and saw her lying on the ground, her hands tied. “What happened?”

“Be careful,” she said as he pulled her to a sitting position and untied her hands. “Someone grabbed me, then tied me up and threw me to the ground.”

Bile rose in his throat. Someone had hurt Nell. He’d kill the bastard. “Who?” He looked around and saw someone standing in the shadows a few feet away. “What do you want?”

“You,ˮ came the answer.

Nell whispered, “Do you have a gun?”

He shook his head. He had nothing to defend them with. How careless. He’d come in here to save Nell without thinking. He raised his voice. “If you want me why didn’t you approach me elsewhere? Why now? You couldn’t know I’d be here.”

“Of course I didn’t.” The voice was a sneer. “But Ms. Callahan heard the diesel and is smart enough to investigate. She’d find the truck and trailer—put two and two together, and I’d be busted.” He paused. “You showing up is a bonus, otherwise…” his voice threatened. “No telling what I’d do.”

“Why?” Beau asked. If he stalled long enough Mark would bring help.

The figure stepped out from the shadows and into what little light there was left. “Jimmy? What the hell?”

Jimmy snickered. “Had you fooled, didn’t I?’

Beau saw the gun immediately. Was the guy crazy? “Why are you doing this?”

“Of course you’ve forgotten, but I’ll remind you,” Jimmy sneered. “I was a toddler when you killed my dad. But my mom told me all about you. She hated you, you know.”

Beau gasped. “You have me mixed up with someone else. I never killed anyone in my life.”

“Jack Dorsey? Remember him?”

Yes. He remembered Jack very well. Actually, he’d never forgotten the man. “I didn’t kill your dad. He died in an accident.”

“So you said. It was a lie. But my mom knew.”

“The authorities agreed. I think your dad was depressed and wanted to die. He was in bad financial shape. I was going to make an offer to buy him out.”

Behind him, he heard Nell scratching around. He didn’t dare look to see what she was doing.

This was the first time Beau had spoken of Jack Dorsey in many years. “That was the reason for the fishing trip. Your dad used to love to fish. I thought a good catch might raise his spirits.”

“You killed him, then bought his company for a song.”

“That’s not what happened, Jimmy. Your dad took off his life jacket, dived into water that had to be a hundred-feet deep, and disappeared. He didn’t say a word. Just jumped.”

“Because of you!” Jimmy yelled.

Beau shook his head. “There were four of us on that boat, Jimmy. Any one of them will tell you the same story. I didn’t talk business with your dad that day. I was planning to approach him later with an offer for his company.”

Jimmy came closer, his eyes glittering with hatred, his hands shaking. “Let Nell go. She has nothing to do with this.”

“She knows. I can’t let her go.”

“Knows what?”

“He’s the leader of the rustlers, Beau. Those nights I saw him, he must have been checking on his men. A while ago, I heard their truck start up. I’ll bet they were going to rob you again.”

“Mark will bring help,” Beau said with a confidence he didn’t feel. “You won’t get away.”

“Mark may bring help, but by then you’ll both be dead, and I’ll be gone.”

“They’ll find you.”

Jimmy shrugged. “They’ll never think to look for me. I’m just the dumb help, remember?”

They heard the truck move out. Jimmy took a two-way radio from his pocket and pressed the talk button. “Get out as fast as possible. You read?”

The radio crackled. A voice answered. “We’re out of here.”

Jimmy grinned. “See how easy that was?”

“Jimmy, you have this all wrong. Let me tell you what really happened.”

“You’ll lie. Just like you lied to the authorities over twenty years ago.”

“I didn’t lie. Neither did the men who were with me. Why would we? I was set to buy the company.” Beau gave a sardonic laugh. “I paid more for it than I intended after your father’s death.”

“You’re lying again.”

“No. It’s the truth. I saw
you
, Jimmy. I looked into your future. So I doubled my price. Your dad’s death cost me a bundle. It sure as hell didn’t help me.” Not since he’d almost lost everything with that misguided decision.

“Mom told me the truth.”

“Was she bitter over your dad’s loss?” Nell asked. “She must have hated Beau if she blamed him for everything.”

“Ask her,” Beau charged. “She’ll tell you. I bought the company from
her.
”