Honey Kisses (Romance on the Ranch Series #2) (9 page)

"Goodness. That's quite an age
difference."

The woman grinned. "By the way, my name is
Mary and this is Martha." She nodded toward the baby.

"Hi, I'm Ann."

"So Ann, if you're hankerin' to have a
baby, you look plenty young enough. I saw a program on TV where women in their
fifties was still havin' babies."

Ann was saved from having to answer when the bus
honked and pulled under the awning. The noise startled Martha and she started
crying. Mary turned all her attention to comforting her child.

Ann waited inside the terminal until she saw
Molly being assisted from the bus by the driver. She rushed outside and called,
"Granny!"

Molly saw her and waved. Ann hurried to hug her
sweet grandmother. "Granny, you look wonderful. You've changed your hair
color."

"That's right, sweetie. No more of that blue
stuff for me. I've decided blondes have more fun. Do you think Newt will like
it?"

"I don't see how he couldn't. You've
changed your makeup, too."

"I went to one of those parties where the
gal gives you a makeover hoping to sell you a butt load of stuff. She did such
a good job on me, I bought a butt load and made her a good sales
commission."

The driver unloaded Molly's suitcase and Ann
lifted it. "I'm parked over here." Molly hoisted the strap of her
oversized purse across her shoulder and followed her.

After Ann got Molly's suitcase crammed in the hatchback
and Molly in the front seat, she started to close the passenger door, but Molly
stopped her. Ann looked down into her old, but still pretty face. Molly patted
her hand. "Thanks for having me. I'm as excited as a school girl. Haven't
felt like this since I was sixty and had a fling with that RV salesman. He
wasn't much to look at but he was sure good at…well, never mind, dear. He don't
hold a candle to Newt, though. I got a date tonight with my cowboy. He's takin'
me to a place called Sizzling Sicily for dinner. I can't wait to hear more of
his stories about the Old West. He makes me feel like I'm right there amongst
the gunslingers and saloon gals." She winked at Ann. "If all goes
well after I spring my surprise about us having an affair, I'll be home late.
I'll call and let you know."

"Uh, okay, Granny." Ann closed the
door. Molly was one of a kind.

When Ann pulled off the highway and through the
gates of Triple T, Molly asked, "How's that handsome cowboy you work
for?"

"Oh, Jackson is fine. He works very hard to
keep his ranch running smooth. I love taking care of the main house and it allows
him to do what he does best—raise cattle and horses."

"Ann, I hope you realize the man has it bad
for you. It was as plain as the nose on my face at Julie and Jacob's wedding.
When the two of you danced, I had to fan myself from the heat being generated."

"Wh-at? No, Granny, I don't think so.
Besides, I'm ten years older than him."

"What's that got to do with anything? I'm
several years older than Newt. Being older just makes us yummier to men. You
know, it's the seasoning that gives the flavor. Personally, I'm fond of chili
pepper."

Ann shook her head and chuckled. "Granny,
you are so funny." She turned onto the dirt road leading to her cottage
and followed it until it forked at the river. Turning right, she pulled in
front of her little home a few minutes later.

"Goodness, this is lovely," Molly
exclaimed.

"I knew you'd love it." Before Ann
opened her door, she laid her hand over Molly's blue veined one. "I'm so
glad you're here."

Molly placed her hand over Ann's. "Me too, Granddaughter."

Newt picked Molly up at seven looking dapper and
slicked down. When he entered the house and removed his Stetson, Ann wanted to
laugh out loud when she saw his thick grey hair gelled to perfection. She
invited him to the kitchen for a glass of iced tea so Molly could enter
fashionably late.

Ann did a double-take when her grandmother stepped
into the room. She looked like a cowgirl in her maroon crushed velvet western
skirt and matching embroidered blouse with white fringe across the bodice. Pretty
white suede boots made the outfit perfect. Her blond hair, strategically
mussed, set off her lovely cheekbones accented with new makeup.

Ann watched Newt gulp and Granny giggle. She
noticed Newt had borrowed Sarah's beautiful Lexus SUV that Sage had bought her
for Christmas. After they left, Ann fell back on her bed laughing so hard she
had tears in her eyes. Molly and Newt—"Wanna be Cowgirl" and "Died
in the Wool Cowboy"—hot item of the year!

Late that night, Ann got a phone call from
Molly. In a hushed tone her granny said, "Newt and me are sneaking into
his room. Don't wait up. Gotta go, love." The line went dead. Ann looked
at her cell phone and grinned. Granny was serious about having an affair with
Newt.

Before sunrise, Ann heard a vehicle pull in
front of the cottage. Peeking out her window, she saw Newt's old truck. He
helped Molly out and then stepped close. Their dark shapes merged into one. Ann
felt like a voyeur and stepped away from the curtain. After a few minutes,
Molly entered the cottage and called, "I'm home, dear! I saw you at the
window! I'm sleeping late!"

Ann finished grinding fresh coffee and filling
the basket. She poured water in the holding tank and started the brew. She
wanted to make a good impression on Jackson's friend, Alligator. He'd called
Jackson a few days after Molly left and said he was coming for a week's visit.
His hopper plane had flown into Cortez/Montezuma Airport late the previous
night so she hadn't been at the house when he'd arrived.

Ann reached into the cupboard to gather pancake
mix and syrup to begin preparations for the man-sized breakfast she was going
to serve Jackson and his friend. She had her head in the refrigerator when she
heard the kitchen door open. Pulling out a carton of eggs, she turned around
with a smile that turned into a little gasp. Alligator was
huge.
He
looked like he should be playing defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys.

Jackson said, "Annie, I'd like you to meet
Al Kosky, alias Alligator. Al, this is Annie Hackstetter. She runs the
household and I'd be lost without her."

Ann set the carton of eggs on the counter and
extended her hand to Alligator. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Mr.
Kosky." She couldn't help but notice a strange look pass across his face
when he shook her hand. She wondered if her lipstick was smeared and casually
rubbed a finger around her lips.

"My pleasure," he replied, his New
York accent unmistakable. "But please call me Al or Alligator."

"You must call me Ann…" she glanced at
Jackson, "…or Annie."

Jackson slapped Alligator on the back. Come on,
I'll show you around. How long til you think breakfast will be ready,
Annie?"

"About a half hour."

"Do you need me to do anything?"

"Nope, I've got it under control. You'll
have the breakfast of champions when you return." She smiled at Jackson
and his friend and felt that weird vibe again."

* * *

Jackson proudly took Alligator on a tour of the
house and the terrace. Lastly, he showed him his office.

Al said, "I never realized how great this place
is because Tommy still owned it the last time I was here. You were living in the
cottage. Is that where Annie lives?"

Even though Alligator tried to sound casual,
Jackson wondered what his friend was getting at.

"Yeah, that's one of the perks of her
job."

"So, how long has she worked for you?"

"A couple months. Why?"

"No reason."

"Okay, Alligator, something's up. You gonna
spill the beans."

"There's nothing up. I just think you're
sweet on her and I want to make sure she's not a gold-digger."

"Annie, a gold-digger?" he laughed.
"If it weren't so ludicrous, I'd punch you in the mouth for even
suggesting it. And, for your information, she's strictly my house manager,
nothing more."

Alligator lifted an eyebrow, but didn't reply.

* * *

Ann did everything in her power to make
Alligator's visit enjoyable. For a week she endured his questions that on the
surface seemed casual, but appeared to be fishing for information.

She had no idea what was going on with the man
and often saw Jackson giving him an irritated look. When Jackson drove him to catch
his hopper flight the Saturday after he'd arrived, she breathed a sigh of
relief. The man had her walking on eggshells.

Ann loaded groceries into her car at Biggie Bag-n-Save
Big Mart. She had just set the last sack in the backseat when a car pulled into
the parking space beside her. The expensive black Mercedes with super dark tinted
windows made her uneasy. She reached to shut the back door on her car's
driver's side and heard a window on the sleek car roll down.

"Hello, Mrs. Hackstetter."

She whirled around.

The greeting had been spoken by a pockmarked, silver-haired
man in the backseat wearing glasses as dark as the tinted windows. Ann could
see her reflection in the lenses. She was so stunned she just stared at him like
a simpleton before gasping, "How do you know my name?" She reached
for her door handle, ready to jump in her car and make a hasty retreat.

"I'm not going to harm you. I just want to
talk to you."

Ann glanced toward the entrance to the market
wishing she'd parked closer. "I don't know you. What could you want to
talk to me about?" Icy foreboding traveled up her spine.

"Your dead husband."

She gasped. "Wh-why?"

"He died owing me money."

"I-I can't help you. I don't have any
money."

"Maybe you don't, but you know some
very
rich people. I've had you under surveillance."

"I don't know anyone." She edged closer
to her door.

"Before you make a hasty exit, I suggest
you consider the welfare of your son and new daughter-in-law."

A trembling began in Ann's body and fear froze
her to the spot.

The man in the black business suit and dark
glasses continued, "Your husband borrowed 25 G's from me, and when I don't
get paid back on time, the amount doubles. Since he defaulted—death doesn't
count—looks like you owe me 50 G's. It took awhile to catch up with you, but
rest assured, I'm not leaving until I get my money."

Ann tasted bile at the back of her throat.

"Now, Mrs. Hackstetter, just to make sure
you follow through and pay me back, I'm gonna show you a picture of what will
happen to Jacob and Julie if you don't have my money in one week." The
horrid man lifted a photo.

Ann's stomach wretched and she grabbed her mouth
to keep from throwing up. The man slowly lowered the picture. A slight smile
creased his face. "I thought that would get your attention. Now, listen
close. I'm going to hand you a piece of paper with a bank account number. If
the money isn't transferred into that account by…" he looked at his watch,
"…two o'clock in exactly one week, be prepared to experience some very
unhappy events as far as your loved ones are concerned. And if you go to the
police, I
will
know, because I have eyes everywhere. A peep out of you
and what you saw in that picture will look like child's play. And being out of
town won't save them." He lifted a gloved hand holding a folded slip of
paper.

When Ann didn't move, he said menacingly,
"Take it, Mrs. Hackstetter."

Concentrating all of her willpower on making her
hand move, she slowly reached toward the open window. The wicked man's hand
darted out and shoved the paper into hers. His final words before the window
ascended were, "It's been a pleasure doing business with you. After I
receive the money, you'll receive a text message that says, 'paid in full'.
That's your receipt. I am not a pleasant man, but I do keep my word. You will
never hear from me again after your husband's debt is paid."

The Mercedes smoothly pulled from its spot and exited
the parking lot. Ann stared blankly at the paper and then mentally talked
herself into her car.
Open door…get in car…close door.
Like an
automaton, she stuck the paper in her purse, put the key in the ignition,
started her car, and drove back to her cottage. When she pulled in front of her
home, she couldn't remember driving there. It was if she had been transported directly
after talking to the bad man.
You're in shock.

Inhaling gulping breaths, she raced from her car
to her tiny front porch. After multiple tries, she finally got her key in the
lock. As soon as she stepped inside her cottage she fell to the floor and
sobbed. For the next hour she could do nothing but cry.
Jerry, what have you
done?

Eventually, she dragged herself into a seated
position and leaned against the door.
Think, Ann. Think.
Slowly, her
mind returned to reality. Should she go to the police? If she told Jackson or
Sage, would they make her go to the police?
A peep out of you and what you
saw in that picture will look liked child's play. I have eyes everywhere—
the
words echoed over and over.