Read Online No One Needs to Know by Debbi Rawlins - Free Book Online

to something bigger. He had some theories about the account number and the license in the coffee can. It had to be an exit strategy, but why hadn’t she used it yet? Was access to the stolen money contingent on some future date? Was someone else holding the key? Another kind of partner, perhaps?
    He needed to find time tonight to send the pictures to George, get him working on making connections, putting the pieces together. In the meantime, he had to keep his wits about him and look beyond his physical attraction. He’d run across some smooth operators before, but Annie was in her own league. She confused him. He couldn’t nail down her motives or predict her next move. He felt as if he was missing one vital piece of information that would unravel all the mysteries.
    Levi and Kathy shook his hand and made sure he knew where the birthing kit was. He watched them meet Annie halfway to their truck. Huh. He’d expected Kathy to touch Annie. A hug maybe, or at least a friendly hand on her shoulder. But they kept to their own personal spaces, and said their goodbyes with nods.
    When Annie returned to the stable, the first thing she did was hand him a couple of pills and a bottle of water. “Ibuprofen.”
    “Thanks.”
    With a nod, she went to check on Glory, but from outside her stall. Tucker followed until he was close enough to smell a hint of liniment, which he didn’t mind at all. He supposed it had a lot to do with his own history. The scents of a ranch were home to him, including the one that overshadowed the sweet peaches that lay beneath....
    At the thought a bolt a lust shot through him, making him reel. It was crazy. Maybe he was too tired to be sticking around when everyone else was gone. He’d like to think he was made of stronger stuff, but his reactions were off. Just to get some distance, he went to check on the other pregnant mare.
    The two empty birthing stalls still had shavings instead of pure straw. He walked deeper into the stable, really looking at the other horses. A sturdy-looking mustang had a bandage over one eye. Then there was a buckskin Appaloosa who seemed unaffected by the human comings and goings, but had some bandages on her flank. She reminded Tucker of a horse he’d ridden for five years, a great palomino who’d been so good-looking, no woman for miles could resist her.
    “You can’t see it from here, but Pretty Girl was quite a mess when she arrived,” Annie said, indicating the Appaloosa. She’d come close, and Tucker kept his gaze on the mare. “She’d tangled with some barbed wire, and it took a lot to patch her up.”
    “You do it well.”
    “Nothing like on-the-job training. I put another pot of coffee on while I was at the cabin. I’m going to make us a couple of thermoses. How do you like yours?”
    “Black is fine. If you tell me where things are, I could do that for you.”
    “That’s okay. I think we have a wait. I’ll be back in plenty of time.” Annie started walking, but stopped before she stepped outside. “You promise you’ve done this before?”
    “I swear.” He put his hand up, and she sighed.
    When she had rounded the path out of his sight, he let himself breathe again as he got out his cell to speed-dial George. Tucker updated him on the attached photographs, what he’d found under the bed, and then asked him to look for evidence that Annie might have been working with someone else. Maybe someone who was pulling her strings.
    “You think she was coerced?” George asked, not sounding as surprised as Tucker might’ve expected.
    “I don’t know. I’m trying to look at every angle. Some things don’t make sense about her. I’d rather we kept an open mind. If she’s not the only one behind the embezzlement, I want to know. You find anything else since we talked?”
    “No. That account number might just be the answer we’re looking for.”
    “It might,” Tucker said. “I’ll call you when I can.”
    After he put his cell away, he found a