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  They ran up the front steps and arrived only half-soaked. Rafe rang the doorbell. A pleasant musical chime sounded. They waited. Shivering, water droplets running down her neck, Rhianna shifted from foot to foot, unsure whether or not she hoped someone would open the door.

  “Looks like no one’s home.”

  Rhianna nodded, her mouth too dry to speak.

  When Rafe reached into his pocket, pulled out a key and inserted it into the lock, her jaw dropped in amazement. “Where did you—”

  “Hal gave it to me.” Rafe shot her a cocky grin, and she wanted to hit him for making her think they were going to have to break in through a window.

  “W-why did he give it to you? When?” She almost stuttered in her relief. If Hal had given Rafe a key, no one could arrest them. Their being here was legal.

  His grin warmed her. “After your kidnapping, when Hal and Janet bought my first foal, I mentioned the FBI might need access to the property again to search for clues in the guest apartment. Hal gave me a set of keys and asked me to lock up when the law enforcement officers had finished.”

  “That doesn’t sound like the action of a guilty man,” Rhianna commented, wondering why she still couldn’t settle the nerves in her stomach.

  Rafe opened the door and then led her inside. “Hal is one of the most brilliant men I’ve met. However, I never understood what he sees in Janet.”

  “Why? She seems harmless.” Rhianna walked over the slate-covered floor of the foyer and stared at the magnificent nude painting of Janet Stone that hung in the front hallway.

  “Hal had her painted on their honeymoon.”

  In the painting, Janet stood with her fists planted on her hips, a secretive smile on her face, her long blond hair blowing in the wind. Her skin glowed with a radiance that gave her an almost angelic appearance. “She’s gorgeous.”

  Rafe ignored the nude. “She’s an airhead. I’ve never understood how a man with Hal’s intelligence could remain interested in her all these years.”

  “Maybe he’s interested in her…other attributes.”

  “I guess.” Rafe wandered to the left hallway, and Rhianna followed, somehow pleased by the conversation. Right now, she was an attractive woman. But beauty wasn’t what she wished to base a relationship on. She’d always known Rafe valued her opinion, and it was nice to know physical beauty wasn’t high on his list of priorities. She’d never wanted to be one of those woman who had to diet or color her hair or have a weekly pedicure to keep her man’s attentions. And Rafe seemed content with their relationship—maybe too content. He sure didn’t seem in a hurry to set a wedding date.

  As the storm outside subsided, Rhianna told herself that she’d promised to be patient. But waiting was so difficult. With all the uncertainty around them, she wanted to know that whatever happened, she, Rafe and Allison would be together as a family.

  Rafe led her into a dim office. She expected him to flip on the lights, but instead he drew back drapes to reveal a spectacular view of a mountain waterfall. Despite the rain, deer gathered around a salt lick and birds flitted from branch to branch among the huge evergreens that clung to the rocky riverbank.

  Rhianna stared out the window. “Wow!”

  Rafe thumbed through papers on the big desk, while Rhianna turned from the window and wandered about the room, reluctant to touch anything. Oil paintings hung on the wall, some with signatures that even she recognized. “I’m surprised the Stones don’t have a burglar alarm.”

  “Those are copies,” Rafe told her. “Not even Hal can afford the originals.”

  She wandered past a bar made of cherry and smoked mirrors to a smaller desk. Janet’s? Hal and Janet’s framed wedding picture rested next to an elegant crystal bottle of perfume, a purple feathered pen and personalized lavender stationery. Tucked neatly on the corner of the desk was a list of stocks, buy and sell orders, dated on the same line.

  “Rafe?”

  “Umm?”

  “Is this Janet’s desk?”

  “Probably. She likes to putter while Hal works.”

  “Well, she was doing a lot more than puttering. These buy and sell orders are for millions of dollars in stock.”

  Rafe didn’t look up from his investigation of a boxful of papers. “Janet had no interest in cattle.”

  “Not that kind of stock. I’m talking Dow Jones Industrials and mutual funds.”

  “Janet? Who would have thought she knew about such things? And why does she hide her intelligence?” Rafe approached and frowned at the papers Rhianna handed him. “She bought and sold commodities, too—gold, pork bellies, corn. And she wasn’t doing well.” He pointed to a notation. “Look at these margin calls. She paid off these debts soon after we paid the ransom.”

  Rhianna could hear the incredulous note in Rafe’s voice. Clearly he had trouble believing that Janet Stone could be so intensely involved in the buying and selling of stocks and commodities. She’d fooled Rhianna, too. As Rhianna looked at the margin calls, she wondered whether Janet had a gambling problem and, if so, whether her husband knew about it. “You think she could have paid the margin calls with the ransom money?”

  RAFE CONSIDERED RHIANNA’S question as they drove into Highview. The storm had cleared and left behind a fog and humidity that forced him to turn on the car air-conditioning. “Margin calls are paid by check or bank wire. Janet would have had to launder the cash before she could put the bills in the bank—and Dad says the FBI has found no sign of the marked cash entering into circulation.”

  Rhianna sat back in the car and closed her eyes. “So now what?”

  She’d kept her tone neutral, but Rafe knew how badly she wanted to go home, take Allison in her arms and relax for a few hours. He wished he could give her the time she yearned for. But if they didn’t figure out within the next twenty-four hours who had kidnapped Rhianna and taken the ransom money, the Suttons would lose the ranch.

  Rafe sensed they might be closing in on the culprit. He didn’t know why he felt that way, especially when he was no closer to figuring out who his enemy was. But the feeling within him was strong. If he just kept chipping away at the suspects and their stories, the culprit was bound to make a mistake. And Rafe intended to be there when it happened.

  But his efforts were taking their toll on Rhianna. He knew she felt guilty over what had happened. No matter what he said, he couldn’t seem to lighten her mood. Not even telling her he loved her removed the worry from her eyes. Just as Rafe sensed that they were closing in on the kidnapper, he sensed Rhianna slipping away from him again. She might sit right next to him in the vehicle, accompany him as he questioned and searched, but she’d once again lost her enthusiasm and had become discouraged.

  Seeing her hurt made him hurt. But he didn’t know what to do. As long as the Suttons owned the land, Rafe would fight to keep it. But the harder he battled, the guiltier Rhianna seemed to feel, and he had no idea how to break the depressing cycle.

  “Judge Stuart keeps an office in Highview. I thought we’d do a little exploring.”

  Rhianna opened her eyes. “I thought the judge lived in Denver.”

  “He does now. But he grew up in Highview and keeps a small office here. His spread lies just east of our ranch.”

  “Are he and the senator friends or rivals?” Rhianna asked, and Rafe could see her trying to fix the relationship in her mind. It was what he admired about Rhianna. She wanted the truth. She wouldn’t settle for less, and she had a special ability to see below the surface, to delve into the complexities of life.

  “I don’t know if friend is the right word. Highview is a small town. There aren’t that many men my father’s age who share the same economic status. Powerful men tend to play cards and golf together, run against one another at election time, compete for the same women—”

  “Were there other women besides Karen?” Rhianna turned to him with questions in her eyes.

  “As far as I know, Karen Stuart was the only one.”

  “W
ere there any hard feelings?” Rhianna asked.

  Rafe shrugged. “Since the judge got Karen, I don’t see how he could have held that against my father.”

  Rhianna mulled that over while Rafe pulled onto the highway. “The judge could hate your father for defeating him in the senate race.”

  “Years ago, he also ran against my father for governor and lost. He didn’t come unhinged then, so why would he act crazy now? I don’t think the political race was especially bitter, and the judge certainly has enough money. I don’t think he’s our kidnapper.”

  “Unless money isn’t his motive,” Rhianna reminded him. “Maybe he wants the ranch.”

  “There’s another possibility, too,” Rafe said reluctantly. The gray clouds opened once more and released a pelting rain, and he flipped on his windshield wipers.

  “What?”

  “Your stalker in Denver may have had nothing to do with the kidnapper,” he murmured. “It could have been two completely different people. And the kidnapper might not be someone we know, but a stranger, a professional who took you simply to collect the ransom.”

  “But you don’t think that, do you?” Rhianna pressed, and he realized how well she knew him. Sometimes when he looked into those wide eyes of hers, he would swear she could read his mind. If only she could—then she would see how much he wanted them to have a future together, how much he wanted them to be a real family…how much he wanted to understand and banish his misgivings about marriage.

  Fog condensed on the windshield and Rafe turned on the defroster. “My family has had an unusual number of problems in the last few years. Suppose someone behind the scenes is manipulating people to do my family harm?”

  Rhianna jerked and her eyes widened even further. “Is that what you think?”

  “It’s just a possibility….”

  “That’s why you don’t want to get married, isn’t it?” She nailed him with the truth, her voice sharp, but understanding dawned in her eyes. “You think that if you marry me something bad will happen?”

  “Don’t make it sound so far-fetched. My eldest brother was murdered—”

  “And his killer caught.”

  “Cam’s first wife was murdered—”

  “And I was kidnapped. But I’m not a Sutton. Since we aren’t married, your theory makes no sense.”

  “But you were carrying my child. We were connected. And apparently someone figured out that connection.”

  As she mulled over his theory, her tone reflected her sadness. “It’s never going to be over. You’re never going to feel that we’re safe. It’s not fair that someone has taken control of our lives. I hate this helpless feeling. I hate living in dread of the next bad thing.”

  Rafe pulled the car over onto the shoulder, turned off the engine and drew Rhianna against his chest. “We’re going to catch whoever is behind our problems.”

  Rhianna jerked away from him, fury and melancholy battling in her expression. “And what if we don’t solve the problem? What if we never figure out what happened? You aren’t going to marry me, are you?”

  With every fiber of his being, Rafe wanted to give her the answer she wanted to hear. But he couldn’t. How could he marry her when he was irrationally convinced that doing so would put her life in jeopardy?

  Rhianna took out a tissue and angrily blew her nose. “I think your theory is a crock of sour milk. Our baby will be talking soon, asking questions. And when she doesn’t have married parents, what are you going to tell her?”

  “I can’t put your life in danger,” Rafe told her miserably, fully aware that she expected more from him than he could give. He wrapped his fingers around the steering wheel and tried to think of a way out. Once again, he came up empty.

  Rhianna’s eyes flashed her anger. “You aren’t putting my life in danger.”

  “Really?”

  “Maybe some nutcase out there is. And maybe not. He might be gone forever. Or he might run us off the road as we go around the next bend.”

  “And your point?”

  “We can’t let something uncontrollable ruin our lives. Rafe, suppose we never figure this out? Then what?”

  Rafe started the car. “We’re wasting time.”

  “Wasting time?” Rhianna’s scorn came out in a soft hiss of irritation. He thought he heard her mumble something about stubborn men who made decisions for women instead of with them, but he didn’t ask her to speak up.

  Again he’d said the wrong thing. Rafe had only one answer. Only one way to make things right. He had to figure out who was behind the kidnapping. Then and only then could he finalize things between himself and Rhianna.

  A half hour later, as Rhianna remained abnormally quiet, Rafe talked his way into Judge Stuart’s office by telling his secretary he’d made a last minute appointment with the judge and they’d arrived early. It wasn’t difficult to pull off the lie since he’d known his secretary for years.

  Rhianna seemed to have lost all interest in helping him. If she’d been cold before, she was freezing him out now. She didn’t look around curiously, but slumped in a chair and ignored him.

  Fine. He could search the place himself.

  Rafe opened and closed several drawers of Judge Stuart’s desk without finding anything unusual. He checked a calendar for appointments, and a Rolodex, but found nothing incriminating. Turning to the file cabinets, he flipped through several drawers until he found one full of bank statements.

  Rhianna finally came over to peer at the papers. “What are you looking at?”

  “Bank statements for last month.” He handed Rhianna a stack of envelopes. “See if there were any unusually large deposits made after we paid the ransom.”

  Rhianna let out a long sigh but took the folder to the desk and starting thumbing through the contents. She searched diligently, and he could have sworn she was relieved to have something to do. Obviously she didn’t like the arguments between them any more than he did. And she needed to help.

  Always ready to pitch in, always ready to offer suggestions, Rhianna was a woman he admired, respected and loved. So why was it so damn difficult to get along?

  Exasperated, Rafe tried another file drawer but found nothing except trial notes and memos. Unwilling to leave without something to show for his efforts, he opened the last drawer. A file marked Sutton immediately caught his attention. He drew out a thick stack of papers.

  Rhianna refiled the bank statements. “Nothing here. Find anything?”

  Rafe shook his head. “These are a duplicate set of real estate documents outlining the terms of the loan payments. Dad has another copy in his office.”

  Suddenly several papers slipped loose. Rafe picked them up, scanning quickly, ready to put them back in order. But one letter, a handwritten note from Judge Stuart to his attorney, outlining the terms of the agreement that he wanted the lawyer to draw up, drew Rafe’s attention.

  Suddenly Rafe noted the date and his hopes skyrocketed. “This is just what we needed.” As he double-checked the date, his hand began to shake with anger and satisfaction. “We’ve got him.”

  “Who?” Rhianna looked from the closed door of the office back to Rafe, reminding him the secretary could come in at any time.

  “Judge Stuart.” Rafe spied a copy machine in the corner and flicked on the warm-up button. “In this letter, the judge instructs his attorney to draw up a document between the Suttons and himself.”

  “So?” Rhianna tossed her hair over her shoulder with impatience.

  Rafe couldn’t keep his whispered voice from rising with excitement. “The letter is dated two days before you were kidnapped.”

  Rhianna’s expression changed from a puzzled frown to enlightenment. “If the judge knew your family would need a loan before anyone kidnapped me, then the man is a crook.”

  “Exactly.” With immense satisfaction, Rafe placed the paper on the copy machine and pressed the start button. “This paper should provide enough evidence for the sheriff to obtain a search warr
ant.”

  “Search warrant?”

  “To look on Stuart’s premises for the ransom money or the stolen Rovells. He must have stashed the cash and the art away someplace safe, and that’s why none of the marked bills have shown up.”

  Elation thundered through Rafe. They had finally figured out who was behind their problems. The hardest part was over. Now that law enforcement officials would know where to look, it should be a simple matter of time until they nailed the judge.

  A FEW HOURS LATER, Rafe and Rhianna sat facing Sheriff Demory and the senator over Rafe’s dining table. Rhianna fed Allison a bottle, and despite her weariness, Rafe thought she looked beautiful. With an end to their difficulties finally in sight, he expected hope to shimmer in Rhianna’s eyes, but instead he saw a lingering sadness. Would she ever forget what she’d been through? Or was she thinking of their uncertain future? When she caught him looking at her, she lifted her chin, squared her shoulders and gave him a dignified nod that made him want to fight all the harder for their cause.

  The sheriff shook his head over the paper Rafe had handed him. “This isn’t enough to obtain a warrant.”

  Rhianna’s head jerked up, her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t jostle the baby. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, there are two problems.” The sheriff scratched his head. “First, a year or two back, I deputized Rafe so he could legally help track down a criminal.”

  Rhianna’s brows drew together in puzzlement. “I don’t understand.”

  “Rafe’s snooping, the way he obtained this evidence, means it can’t be used in a court of law. Any evidence obtained illegally is inadmissible in court.”

  Rafe shook his head. “But that deputy thing was temporary.”

  “And even if we got past that little technicality—” the sheriff held up his hand to stop Rafe from talking “—I already called and spoke to Judge Stuart.”

  “He had a good excuse, I suppose?” Rhianna muttered.

  The sheriff leaned forward and patted Rhianna’s hand. “Stuart claims he simply wrote the wrong date on the note.”