Gift-Wrapped Family

“Caleb, this land, er, ranch you speak of Harlan owning. Where is it?”

“Riverbend Ranch is outside Buffalo Gap, about thirty-five miles from here.” Caleb’s innocent gaze turned cunning. “Do you know of it?”

He’d seen her reaction to that name, so there was no point in pretending. Mia rose, walked to her big battered desk and removed a thin file. She held it out.

“What’s this?” he asked, taking it from her.

“It’s about Harlan’s estate, according to Trent, Harlan’s partner and also my lawyer.” She sat down, lifted her cup and took a refreshing drink. “Go ahead and look. Riverbend is a lawsuit my husband was handling, if I understand those papers correctly.”

His eyes searched hers. Mia held it until—there went her stomach again, clenching and whirling as if some flu bug had hold of it. A minute earlier she’d felt perfectly fine, but now she closed her eyes and waited for her stomach to settle.

“Are you all right?” Caleb’s eyes bored into hers.

“A little flu. I hope you don’t catch it.” Mia sat perfectly still, hands in her lap. When he didn’t move she said, “Please read it. I’ll wait.”

She watched him, amazed by the speed with which he scanned the documents she’d taken hours to peruse. Less than two minutes later he looked up, his mouth stretched tight in a grim line.

“You see? There’s nothing about a ranch or money,” she said, her voice dropping at the stern look on his face. “I’m not lying.”

“This is all Trent gave you? Nothing more?”

Mia shook her head.

“Did you sign anything recently?” Caleb voice was tight and sharp.

“Of course. There were a number of papers Trent needed me to sign to deal with my husband’s estate.” She shivered, intensely disliking this inquisition but not sure how to stop it.

Caleb had said he was a lawyer and she was sure he was a good one, though she’d never heard of this adoption agency, Family Ties. But as a lawyer he would know how to get people to say things—she should be on guard. He might actually be from some collection company.

“Do you have copies of what you signed?” Caleb demanded.

“No. Trent said he’d copy them at the office and bring them back. He hasn’t yet returned with them.” Something in the frost of his silver-steel eyes made her shiver. “Is—is anything wrong?” she asked hesitantly, and reared back when he nodded.

“Yes. I think quite a lot is wrong.” Caleb closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. “Mia, this will be hard to hear, but you must listen because it’s the truth. I’ve been investigating your husband’s affairs, for Lily’s sake. Nothing I’ve found indicates he was hard up for money or that he or Trent had taken on a new client in months.”

“But that can’t be.” She struggled to sort it out and looked at him. She saw nothing but honesty in his expression. Could it be true? “Then, what were he and Reba doing on all these trips?”

“That’s what we need to discover.” Caleb glanced at his ringing phone, read the message and frowned. When he lifted his gaze to hers, the icy anger made her shiver. “Did you know your lawyer filed documents this morning seeking to take over all your affairs because he says you are incompetent?”

“What?” Mia couldn’t believe Trent would do such a thing.

“We need to act fast to protect you. Call Trent,” Caleb ordered. “Ask him to come here. Beg if that will get him here immediately.”

“Why?” She was afraid to trust Caleb, to trust anyone, yet there was something in Caleb’s hard, cold eyes that reassured her he would not be part of any wrongdoing.

She didn’t truly trust him, but if he was right about Trent, who else could she turn to for help? She picked up the phone and pressed in her lawyer’s number.

“Trent, it’s Mia. Can you c-come here? P-please? It’s urgent.” She listened to his gruff excuses but said nothing. Finally he agreed. “Th-thank you.” She hung up.

“Well?” Caleb Grant’s silver eyes probed hers.

“H-he’ll be here in half an hour. But I have no idea what I’ll say to him. What do I do?” Even asking the question scared Mia.

“I’ll speak for you.” Caleb’s fierce glare faded slightly. “I know it hurts and you don’t want to think about it right now, but Harlan Granger was not the man you thought he was and neither is his partner. Something’s been going on, something more than an affair. I intend to find out what. Okay?”

A picture of Harlan and Reba together, laughing and loving, sharing a child, while she sat alone, would not leave Mia’s mind. Her husband had always been cool, distant and businesslike. He’d promised her mother he’d care for her. Surely he couldn’t, wouldn’t have turned to another... Suddenly her stomach heaved and Mia could think of nothing but escape.

“Excuse me.” She hurried to the bathroom, where she was violently sick.

Oh, Lord, I feel so bad. And something is terribly wrong. Please help me.

She’d barely had a chance to regain her breath when he rapped on the door.

“I’m all right,” she called, irritated by her weak voice. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

“We need to hurry.” Caleb’s voice left little room for argument. In fact, he was leaning against the hall table impatiently tapping his foot when she emerged. Feeling disheveled and weaker than she’d ever been, Mia walked slowly to the sunroom and sat down. She reached out to take her cup, but Caleb ordered, “Don’t touch that.”

Mia flinched and drew her hand away. “Why?”

“I believe there’s something in your tea that makes you sick.” His tone was harsh.

“Caleb, that’s ridiculous,” she burst out. Maybe he was wrong about Harlan... “Trent would never—”

“I’m pretty sure he’s done it before,” he said, certainty in his voice. “You’ve been drinking the stuff for days and you’ve felt ill about that long, right?”

“Yes. But—” Mia stared at her cup as frightening scenarios played through her mind.

“That tea should be tested. The police will be here shortly.” Caleb’s lips tightened. “They can do that. I’ve also ordered an ambulance.”

She felt herself sway and grabbed the table. “Why?”

“To check you out and take blood samples that will discern if something’s off in your system.” Caleb leaned forward and covered her hand with his. His touch sent ripples of awareness up her arm. “Mia, you won’t like what I’m about to say.”

“Is it worse than you saying Harlan was having an affair? That he had—a child with his secretary?” She had to force the words out. When Caleb nodded she saw pity on his face. She did not want his pity, so she straightened her spine. “Go ahead, say it.”

“I believe that Harlan, along with Trent, was running some kind of scheme to secrete money. After Harlan died in the car accident, I believe Trent saw a way to get that money for himself.” Caleb frowned. “I think Riverbend Ranch is the reason, though I haven’t yet made all the connections. In order to get the ranch, Trent needs you out of the way.”

Mia sat in stupefied silence as Caleb explained about the ranch her husband had supposedly bought. He spoke of a petition for divorce Harlan had supposedly filed the day he died and listed a money trail Caleb claimed he was still uncovering.

Dazed and ill, horrified to imagine the man she’d married was capable of such betrayal, Mia tuned out the pain and hurt that threatened to overwhelm her. How could it be possible? How could God have betrayed her trust? She’d believed for so long that He was there, protecting her, comforting her in her lonely marriage. Now it felt as though He’d played a horrible trick, just as Caleb claimed Harlan and Trent had. It was too much to deal with.

Her brain numb, she sat silent as Caleb told the same story to the police when they arrived. They waited in the kitchen when she let Trent inside. Mia could see guilt build in Trent’s eyes as Caleb pummeled him with questions. She couldn’t bear to believe that this friend, one of the few she had and the only one she’d truly trusted since Harlan’s death, had deliberately set out to hurt her.

While Trent scrambled for a defense, Mia held her whirling emotions at bay. For now she’d be strong. But in her heart of hearts she knew she believed Caleb’s accusations. So deep was her feeling of betrayal, she couldn’t even manage a silent plea to God for help. He’d let this happen. How could she trust Him again?

A detective arrived, showed Trent a warrant for his arrest and after a few questions told the officers to take her lawyer to the station. The detective seemed to know Caleb and the two whispered together before Caleb introduced her to Detective Ed Gray.

“Our police station has been investigating Harlan Granger for several months via a request from the IRS who are tracking what they believe is unreported income,” the detective told Mia. “This new information about your lawyer adds to our investigation. For that reason I hope you’ll allow these paramedics to take a sample of your blood. Then I’ll need to ask you some questions.”