The Rancher Returns (13 page)

Fifteen

“S
o...you're the fast-talking college professor, huh?”

Layla swallowed as she watched the four men standing in front of her. Gavin had introduced them as Flipper, Bane, Coop and Mac. It was Flipper who'd asked the question, the depths of his blue eyes dancing with amusement.

All four were big men. Muscular. Well built. Extremely handsome. Two wore wedding rings and two did not. Gavin had told her that Brisbane Westmoreland and Thurston McRoy were happily married and that Flipper and Coop were happily single.

“I don't know. Am I?” she asked, switching her gaze from them to Gavin, who stood by her side with his arms around her waist. It was as if he was intentionally making a statement regarding the nature of their relationship. If that was the case, then she wished someone would tell her where they stood. All she knew for certain was that they enjoyed spending time together and they shared a bed every night. She definitely didn't have any complaints about that.

Gavin muttered the words, “Smart-ass,” to Flipper, then leaned down and placed a kiss on Layla's lips. He then turned to his friends. “She's more than a professor.”

* * *

He knew his friends were checking out Layla and with good reason. The four men knew about his don't-get-attached policy when it came to women. But it was obvious that with this particular woman, he'd gotten attached. They would be shocked to discover just how attached he was.

Like he'd known they would, his friends had answered his summons for help. No questions asked. But now that they were here and had been briefed on the situation, they were also eyewitnesses to his possessiveness of Layla. They would have questions about that later. Fair enough. He would address them then. He would admit he'd fallen in love. Bane and Mac would understand. Flipper and Coop would suggest Gavin have his head examined.

“Did you get the equipment I asked you to bring?” he asked them.

“Yes. Two of my brothers will be towing the backhoe loader and tractor in this evening,” Flipper said.

“And I've got the rest of the stuff in my truck,” Mac added.

“Good,” Gavin said. Flip had four brothers. All SEALs. And Flip's dad had retired as a SEAL commanding officer. Gavin had thought he'd had it bad living in his father's and grandfather's shadows—until he'd met Flipper. His friend had five legacies to compete with since all the male Holloways before Flip had stellar reputations as SEALs.

“So where are we staying, Viper? The party house?” Coop asked.

Gavin shook his head. “No. Layla's at the party house.”

Flipper chuckled. “So? It's big enough. You don't mind if we crash, do you?” he asked Layla.

Before she could answer, Gavin said, “But I mind.”

All four men laughed. Gavin scowled.

“Easy, Viper, let's not get territorial,” Flipper said, grinning.

But he did feel territorial, Gavin thought. He figured it was all a part of being in love. He still wasn't sure what to do with his feelings. He didn't want to get caught up in a woman like his dad had done. He didn't want to ask her to give up her career to wait out here on the ranch through all his missions. He didn't want a repeat of what had happened with his mom.

Pushing all that aside, he said, “Gramma Mel got back from her trip a few days ago and she prepared rooms for you guys at the main house.”

“Yes!” Bane said, pumping his fist in the air. “We'll get to eat her mouthwatering biscuits for breakfast.”

Gavin shook his head. He had to admit he'd missed these guys.

* * *

“So, are you going to tell Layla how you feel about her, Viper?”

Instead of answering Bane's question Gavin stared into his beer bottle and shook his head. “Won't do any good. She doesn't feel the same way.”

“How do you know?” Mac asked, taking a sip of his own beer. “Women like to hear stuff like that. And often.”

Coop and Flipper, Gavin noticed, were keeping their mouths shut. His admission that he'd fallen in love had shocked them into silence. The five of them were sprawled in the living room of the party house. Layla was at the main house assisting Gramma Mel with dinner. Gavin figured his grandmother would go all out and prepare a feast. She'd been happy to see his friends and they'd been happy to see her. Of course Bane would be getting those biscuits for breakfast in the morning. Mac had put in his order for an apple pie and both Coop and Flipper requested peach cobbler.

“So who do you think is trying to sabotage the dig?” Flipper asked, obviously trying to change the subject to one he and Coop could take part in. Gavin was glad to leave the topic of his love life behind.

“Don't have a clue but I intend to find out,” Gavin said. “I thought it was someone connected to the university, but now I'm not sure.”

“Sounds like someone doesn't want anyone digging in the south pasture, Viper,” Coop said, standing, stretching out his limbs. “You all know I'm a suspicious bastard by nature. I can smell a cover-up a mile away.”

Mac leaned forward in his chair. “You think someone is covering up something?”

“Possibly,” Coop said. He glanced over at Gavin. “Other than Caldwell, how well do you know the men who work for you?”

Gavin shrugged. “Most have worked here for years, some even during my dad's time. There are two new guys we brought on last year.” He recalled both were single, and he specifically remembered that one of them had shared Tammy's bed.

“What if someone knows for certain the loot is buried around here, heard about the dig and doesn't want anyone else to find it before they do?” Flipper suggested.

Gavin nodded. That possibility had crossed his mind, as well. He knew these four men. In addition to helping with the dig, they intended to solve the mystery of who'd removed the marker and burned down the barn. So far, the sheriff hadn't found anything other than those footprints. Gavin had mentioned the prints to his friends. “Um, that gives us something to go on,” Mac said pensively.

“We start digging in the morning,” Gavin said, leaning back in his chair. “Whoever doesn't want us to will either try to stop us or will hope whatever they don't want us to find is kept hidden.”

* * *

Later that night, after making love to Layla, Gavin pulled her tighter into his arms as he tried to bring his breathing under control. She had ridden him again. She was getting too good at it. He was convinced the woman was trying to kill him.

“I like your friends, Gavin.”

He decided not to tell her that they liked her, as well. They had joked with her at dinner and Bane had even told her about his wife, Crystal, who, like Layla, had gotten her PhD at an early age.

“I'm glad you like them.”

Dinner had been a grand affair. Not only had his grandmother cooked enough food for his friends and Layla's students, she'd invited Caldwell and his men to stop by for a plate. Several of their neighbors who'd heard about the fire stopped by to make sure all was well. Gramma Mel had sent them home with boxed dinners.

“Are you worried about the dig tomorrow?” he asked Layla.

She snuggled closer to him. “Sort of. I want to make sure my students stay safe.”

“They will. I'm glad Gramma Mel insisted everyone stay at the main house. She has plenty of room and loves all the company.”

“I'm glad she made the offer. Without the university footing the bill, my students couldn't afford to stay at the hotel any longer. But there's plenty of room here,” she said, smiling.

“No way anyone is staying at the party house but us. This is our special place. I like coming here every night.” No matter how late he worked out on the ranch, he liked coming back here to Layla. Before he parked his truck he would hear her playing her harmonica and the sound would lure him to her. He didn't want to think about how involved they were getting.

Layla lifted her head and looked up at him. “Has your grandmother asked you anything about us?”

He smiled. “She didn't have to. I think it's pretty obvious we have something going on. She's fine with it. We're adults.”

What Gavin decided not to say was that his grandmother hadn't needed to ask anything because he'd told her his true feelings for Layla—and about his doubts that it would go anywhere long-term. Needless to say Gramma Mel hadn't been surprised.

“Besides, she has her hands full with Caldwell now that she's back. They've been apart for a week.”

Layla lifted an arched brow. “Caldwell?”

Gavin smiled. “Yes, Caldwell. Don't tell me you haven't picked up on what's between them.”

Layla shook her head. “No, I hadn't. But you have?”

“Yes, for years. He's a widower and she's a widow. Never understood why they preferred being so discreet. I guess they like their privacy.

“Since the dig starts early in the morning I guess we need to get to sleep,” Gavin said, but he wasn't very convincing, even to his own ears.

“Um, I have other ideas,” she said, moving on top of him again. “I like riding you.”

Gavin grinned. He definitely liked Layla riding him. More than ever, he was convinced the woman was trying to kill him. But he would enjoy every minute until the end.

* * *

Hours later, the ringing of his cell phone woke Gavin. He immediately grabbed it when he recognized the ring tone. “Coop?”

“Yeah, Viper, it's me. We couldn't sleep so we thought we'd set a trap.”

Gavin sat up in bed as knots tightened in his stomach. Layla had awakened as well and quickly sat up beside him. Drawing in a deep breath, he asked, “And?”

“And I think you need to get here. I've already called the sheriff. We're here at the shack and we got our man.”

Sixteen

G
avin made it to the shack in record time, but he wasn't surprised to see several vehicles already there, including the sheriff's. Roy must have been in the area.

With Layla walking quickly by his side, he moved toward the shack but stopped when the door opened and his grandmother stepped out. Her crestfallen features and the tears in her eyes made him pause.
What the hell
...?

He looked past her to Caldwell, who had his grandmother's hand tucked securely in his. The older man shook his head sadly. Gavin felt Layla move closer to his side and he placed his hand in hers.

“I'm taking your grandmother to my place,” Caldwell said. “That's where she'll be. You need to go on in now. He's already confessed.”

Gavin frowned.
He who? And why was his grandmother crying
? Tightening his grip on Layla's hand, he entered the shack.

Everyone looked up when he and Layla walked in. Roy and Gavin's four SEAL friends. Was he imagining things or were the five looking at him strangely? A funny feeling settled in his gut. Stepping into the room, he glanced around. “Okay, guys. What's going on? Where is he?”

The group shifted and he saw the man seated in a chair with his hands handcuffed behind his back. Gavin shook his head as if to clear his brain. “Mr. Lott?” he said in shock.

Sherman Lott couldn't even look at him. Gavin shook his head again and looked over at his friends. “There must be some mistake. Mr. Lott has been our neighbor for years. He was a friend of Dad's. He—”

“I was never a friend of your father's!” Lott all but screamed. “Gavin Jr. always got anything he wanted. He was the town's hero in high school. I could never compete. Then he became a SEAL and was a war hero, and I couldn't compete there, either. He got all the girls. After my leg got banged up that time when a horse threw me, the women around here wouldn't give me the time of day.”

Gavin stared at the man who was now glaring back at him with cold and hate-filled eyes. Gavin let go of Layla's hand. Evidently he had misunderstood this man's relationship with his father all these years. “Okay, so there was a rivalry between you and Dad, and he wasn't your friend. What does that have to do with you sabotaging a dig on my property?”

Instead of answering, Lott shifted his gaze from Gavin to Layla. “I removed that marker so you'd forget where you were supposed to dig, but that didn't stop you. I burned that damn barn down and that didn't stop you, either. You were determined to dig anyway.”

“Why didn't you want her to dig, Mr. Lott?” Gavin asked.

The man didn't answer. He looked away as if ignoring the question.

Gavin looked over at his friends. “Would any of you care to explain just what the hell is going on? Why didn't Lott want Layla's team to dig up buried treasure?”

Roy cleared his throat and said in a somber voice, “It wasn't the buried treasure he was concerned with anyone finding, Gavin.”

Gavin frowned. Now he was even more confused. “Then what was it?”

The room quieted and he felt Layla pressing her body closer to his. Then she again placed her hand in his. When no one answered, Lott hollered out, “Your mother! I didn't want you to find your mother's body.”

* * *

Layla felt weak in the knees and wondered how Gavin could still be standing. His friends evidently wondered the same thing as Bane and Coop crossed the room to flank Gavin's other side. Suddenly, she realized they hadn't done so to keep Gavin steady on his feet. They'd moved to intercede if Gavin took a mind to kill Sherman Lott.

“You refused an attorney, Mr. Lott,” Roy said angrily. “Like I told you before, any confession you make will hold up in court.”

Layla saw Flipper hold up his phone, letting everyone know he was recording everything. Gavin moved forward, and she, Bane and Coop fell in step. It was apparent the shock of what Lott had said had worn off.

“What do you mean ‘my mother's body'?” Gavin asked, standing less than five feet from Lott.

Layla thought she actually saw regret fill Mr. Lott's eyes when he said, “I didn't mean to kill her. Honest. It was an accident.”

Gavin drew in a breath so deep, it seemed the room rattled from the effect. She felt it. She thought everybody in the room felt it. “You killed my mother?” he asked in an incredulous voice. “But how? She left here.”

The man shook his head. “No, she didn't. She never left. I came across her one day with a flat tire. Said she'd planned on going away for a while but changed her mind and turned around before even making it to town. She missed you and your dad too much to go anywhere. She was on her way back home. Had made it to the main road to the Silver Spurs when her tire went flat. I offered to help. She was pretty. She smelled good. I thought she was too good for your dad. He didn't deserve her. What man would leave a young wife who looked like her all alone to go play soldier?”

The man paused. “I told her as much. I must have made her nervous by what I said. By the way I was looking at her and all. And then I don't know what happened but I tried to touch her. She slapped me and I got mad. I slapped her back. I admit to hitting her several more times. She managed to get away and she ran from me. That made me angry. I ran after her and she fell and hit her head.”

“And you didn't go get help?” Gavin asked in a voice that was as hard as steel.

“No!” Lott snapped. “Too late. Blood was everywhere. I knew she was dead. Besides, had she lived she would have told everyone what I tried to do. So I dug a hole and buried her.”

Layla could almost see steam coming out of Gavin's ears. He was breathing deeply. The hand holding hers tightened in fury.

“What about the car?” Roy asked. Maybe the sheriff figured the best thing to do was keep the conversation going. Otherwise the deathly silence might put crazy ideas into Gavin's head. Like crossing the room and breaking Sherman Lott's neck with his bare hands.

“I drove the car into my lake,” Lott said.

“You bastard!” Gavin roared. He would have moved closer but Bane and Coop blocked him. “You buried my mother in a hole not knowing if she was alive or dead? And then you drove her car into the lake?”

Lott had the nerve to glare at Gavin. “Why do you think I wouldn't let anyone swim or fish in my lake? Why I kept it off-limits to you or anyone? Especially to you. I knew how well you could swim and figured one day you might dive too far down and see the car.”

Layla saw fierce rage on Gavin's face and she felt it in his entire body. The thought of him being
that
enraged scared her. She glanced over at Bane and Coop. They looked just as enraged as Gavin.

Coop then said in a menacingly calm voice, speaking directly to Gavin but not taking his eyes off Lott. “Now you know why he tried keeping anyone from digging in the south pasture, Viper. Let Roy take him in.”

“No!” Gavin roared. “That bastard killed my mother.”

“We know,” Bane said in a chilling tone, giving Lott one hell of a lethal stare. “We all heard. And although we want to get a damn machete and chop his ass into little pieces, we won't. Let the law take care of him, Viper. In the end he's going to get exactly what he deserves.”

The room got quiet and all eyes shifted to Gavin. Even Lott looked petrified upon seeing the deadly glint in Gavin's eyes. There was no doubt in Layla's mind that everyone in that room remembered that, when he needed to be, Gavin Blake could become a killing machine.

Then suddenly Gavin pulled his hand free of hers, shoved both of his hands into the pockets of his jeans and began slowly backing up, not taking his eyes off Lott. It was as if he was trying to pull himself together. As if he knew that staying in that room with Lott one more second meant he would lose control and do the man bodily harm. Gavin kept backing up until his back touched the door. He turned to open it and then stopped. He paused before turning back around.

Layla held her breath, not knowing what Gavin intended to do next. From the tension in the room, she knew his SEAL friends were poised, anticipating his next move. Then his gaze shifted from Lott to her. She saw both pain and anger in his features and her heart hurt for him. The man she loved. She wanted to think he needed her, but would he shut her out of the emotions he was feeling?

The room was deathly still as he continued to stare at her. Then he moved forward...toward her. When he stood right in front of her, he took her hand in his again. Then, without saying a single word, he led her out the door.