Season of Fear (10 page)

Should she use this moment to announce her intentions to leave? To say she had no need of a horse, that she'd be taking a bus back to the bustle of Chicago?

Of course she couldn't. Robin could no more have walked out on Sara and the Ridleys at that moment than she could have walked out on her own father in his hour of pain.

It was later that evening, after the children had all retired for the night, that Alex tapped softly on Robin's door. With a gray face, he brought the news that she had known would come. The beam had been sawed through—the incident had been planned in a most meticulous way. Only a stroke of fate had prevented a cold-blooded murder.

"I think you should leave here, Robin," said Alex as he stood in the doorway, much more reserved than she had ever seen him. She longed to put her arms around his neck, to stroke his tousled hair. Instead, she stood calmly facing him.

"I'm not one to run away from trouble, I'm not going anywhere," she heard herself telling him, and her heart soared to see relief spread across his face. Leaving now would only point another accusing finger at the man beside her in the eyes of the town.

"There's a part of me that's glad to hear you say that, Robin. It's good to have you here. But I must admit I'm afraid it's too dangerous. I've called the police chief to report this and he's on his way. No matter what gets stirred up about the past, keeping you all safe has to come first. If you stay, we have to take precautions. I'm going to look into that. Meanwhile, please, stay close to the house and take care of yourself."

From the window, a flash of headlights coming down the drive announced the arrival of the police chief. She followed Alex to face him, and to face the Pandora's box that had been opened at Ridley Ranch.

Chief Douglas listened with concentration, his brow furrowed, writing occasionally into his notebook as they related the incidents that had occurred, from the barn, to the brake cable.

"Well, we'll check these things out," the older man said with a scowl. Can't be sure what's related to what, or what is accidental. One thing's for sure, this little lady's arrival in this town has sure stirred things up. And they most probably aren't going to settle down until we get the answers to the death of your late wife, Alex. You know there's some who are never going to accept the accident theory. But talk is just talk. So I'll take this information, and we'll keep our eyes open."

"The last thing I want to do is make the gossip worse for the kid unnecessarily. But I needed you to know. If there's a real danger.." Alex said, face drawn.

"You did the right thing. And I'll keep it quiet as I can, as I check it out. But if this little lady is staying," he motioned to Robin, "You'd best keep a sharp eye out here."

And then he was gone.

Chapter 9

Robin had made the decision to remain at the ranch, at least for a while, but she couldn't shake the apprehension that had been nagging at her about her Cousin Herman and his unexplained absence from the Chicago resort. The young girl at the switchboard patiently gave Robin the same news each day when she placed her calls to Chicago. Herman was out of town, and for some terribly strange reason, no one seemed to know where he was.

Robin tried constantly to calm the knotted lump that had once been her stomach. And life went on at Ridley Ranch.

Sara hobbled around on her cast, initially white, but quickly becoming flamboyantly colorful as Jacob artistically decorated it each evening as they sat around the game room. The twins and young Gregory seemed totally unbothered by the tense atmosphere that Robin felt hovering over the house. But then Alex had not told them about the findings in the barn, and they had lived with shadows for quite some time.

Alex was not around much, in fact, almost not at all. He missed most of the family meals and rarely appeared at the house before it was time to retire each evening. His absence was a kind of relief to Robin, actually. The anxiety she felt when she was in his presence only emphasized the stress she was under with Herman's disappearance and her own involvement in the unexplained accidents at the ranch.

There was no one she could turn to, no one to whom she could pour out the pain and fear in her soul. The very thought of her aloneness reopened the wound in Robin's heart from her father's death. But she valiantly kept a smile on her face as she sat with the children and joined in their light-hearted conversation about horses, the ranch, and, of course, Sara's Mac.

Robin was no closer to the truth about the death of Laura Ridley. But at least there had been no further threats to her own life. Daily, though, she saw that two cowhands were stationed outside the house, one in the front, and one in the back. They were, she had no doubt, a precaution to keep things safe. And deep in her heart, she felt very grateful to Alex for that.

The letter arrived in the morning mail, delivered to the house by the cheerful, suntanned mailman in his jeep with a bright government decal on the side. Robin waved back to him with a smile as he pulled out of the long drive, and then turned her attention to the letter she held in her hand. She was startled for a moment to see that it was addressed to her. Who would be writing to her? As her eye caught the familiar Chicago postmark on the stamp, she felt a surge of relief. News from Herman at last?

But her relief faded to puzzlement as she regarded the return address on the envelope. "Welby, Wordan, and Wells, Attorneys-at-Law." News from a lawyer
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Involuntarily, Robin's hand began to shake as she stood in the open doorway of the Ridley house. She clutched the still unopened letter to her as she swung the heavy door shut and quickly slipped down the long hall to the privacy of her own room. If she was to receive bad news, she had no desire to show her reaction to the family around her.

She shut her bedroom door behind her, and, with shaking and perspiring fingers, struggled with the envelope flap. She unfolded the formal letter and began to read:

Dear Ms. North:

Forgive me for contacting you in this way, but I find myself in a position that requires your immediate attention.

During my many conversations with your cousin, Mr. Herman Robinson of Chicago, I was assured that he would immediately contact you to set the details of my business before you and direct you to get in touch with my firm.

However, due to the lapse of time and your lack of response, I have taken the liberty of calling the Robinson Resort. Since I found that Mr. Robinson could not be reached, I inquired as to your whereabouts so that I could contact you myself.

To reiterate the details: As I acted as your father's personal lawyer, his last will and testament names you as his sole heir, as you already know.

In addition to inheriting the house and personal bank account, about which we notified you at the time of your father's death, it has come to our attention that your father made some private investments prior to his last illness, which were unknown to us at that time.

These investments have multiplied rapidly and are worth a sum of approximately $400,000. There are legal matters concerning this which demand your attention.

We are awaiting your word to begin the final closing of the estate. Please contact us as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Robert Wells, Attorney at Law

Robin dropped to the edge of her bed to catch her breath. She had to think, she had to calm the whirlwind in her head, the confusion that overwhelmed her.

Such a large estate! Was it possible? She was rich, undeniably rich. But what about Herman? As the letter before her implied, he had known the details of her father's will and all about her surprise inheritance. But why, why hadn't he told her? Why hadn't he even hinted that such things were in the wind? The knot in her stomach began to tighten.

Herman had disappeared. Had he kept the news from her deliberately? What could he possibly gain by doing that?

But then Robin remembered his smiling kindness in the weeks that followed her father's death. He had efficiently handled all of the legal details, made the necessary contacts with the lawyers, made the arrangements for her own travel to Montana. And he implied there were further details to handle. He had been a devoted and loving cousin. But why hadn't he told her? He must have had his reasons. The next question was—where was he now?

The time had come for Robin to lay her cards down on the table, to finally go to Alex with the truth about the background that she had hidden for so long. She had a huge lump in her throat as she slipped the letter into the pocket of her jeans and left the security of her room to search for him.

She was filled with dread at the thought of seeing Alex's concerned face torn to the rage that she had glimpsed in the past, when he heard of her initial deception. But she had to face up to her lies, admit her references were untrue, admit that Herman Robinson was far more than an impartial employer in her past. Indeed, he was the closest relative she had on earth.

And it was Herman that mattered at the moment. Stable, easygoing Herman, who had worked like a dog to build up the reputation of his beloved resort. Herman, who had disappeared without a trace at the height of the tourist season. Something was wrong, and the advent of her incredible news from the family lawyer only multiplied her fears. She spent no time trying to piece together the thoughts that rambled through her head; she could only respond to the apprehension that was overwhelming her.

She reached the office wing at the back of the house and softly stepped down the long hallway toward the office door. The wing was deserted. Robin passed the office and opened the sliding glass door that opened to the sunshine outside.

Ahead she could see the stable and barns looming large and weatherworn. Where would she find Alex?

A glimpse into the stable showed her it was almost empty, and she kept her eyes from wandering to the newly repaired beam that stretched high above the stall. Only Devil snorted happily to see her, but she didn't stop long enough to cross the floor to stroke him.

Robin reached the nearest barn and found the inside dark and cool. At first she feared that again she had missed Alex. But as she was preparing to go, a slight strain of voices reached her ears. She climbed a flight of rough wooden stairs, following the sound and hoping to find her employer on the upstairs loft.

But he wasn't there. Instead, she found herself walking almost directly into Mac and Duke, who were having a heated discussion that ceased abruptly as she came into view.

Mac beat a hasty retreat and passed close to Robin as he stomped down the stairs to the ground level below, giving only a slight grunt to acknowledge her presence.

Robin faced Duke Filbert alone.

"Well, pretty housekeeper, what have we here?"

"I'm looking for Alex."

"Seems to me you're always looking for Mr. Alex, little filly. If he's so hard to keep track of, why don't you try looking for me for a while?"

He had closed the small distance that had stood between them, and now he reached out and touched her arm.

The touch of his fingers felt like fire to her skin, and she pulled back instinctively.

He just laughed. "You'll get tired of chasing after Mr. Big. Take my word. Women always do." A strange darkness seemed to creep into his eyes.

Robin suddenly yearned for the strong sunshine outside.

She clambered down the stairs and into the hot daylight. There was something haunting and fearful about the man she had just left in the loft. She seemed to always be leaving him at a hurried pace. She suppressed the shiver that traveled up her spine. What had his words meant? What did he know about women who tired of Alex Ridley? There was a vibrant, physical aura around Duke, a man who was sure of his effect on women. Could he have been the man that Mrs. Manchester spoke about, the man in whom Laura Ridley had been interested at the time of her death?

But Robin had no time to reflect on that. For as she neared the house once more, Alex came around the corner toward her, a happy, relaxed look on his face.

"Robin," he called, waving his arm. "I've some good news."

And I've some bad news, she thought grimly, her hand going to the pocket that held her letter. How she hated to confess her lies to him now, just when he was beginning to accept her, just when he was smiling so radiantly at her. Her heart felt like lead.