idea in front of Noelle.
There were damn few details to consider, Trip realized as he chewed on a piece of crusty bread he dipped into his stew. Everything was so vague. There was nothing he could pin down, nothing he was sure about except that Gina was missing and Faith had been chased. Period.
He turned to Faith and found her staring at the big black window behind the sink, as though afraid it was about to shatter and let in a thousand demons. He had to know more about David Lee. And he wanted to know what had made her abandon their original plan and drive out to the ranch.
George finally spoke up. “Hal Avery is threatening to quit.”
Trip put down his fork. “He’s got a background in agriculture. We need him.”
“I know. Plus, if he goes, so will his brother, Paul.”
“Paul. Tall guy, red hair, good with pneumonia and scours?” Trip asked.
“Yep. The boy knows his way around animals.”
“Well, we need him, too. What does Hal want?”
“More money,” George replied.
“Give it to him.”
“If we give him a raise, then Paul will want one and then Duke and all the rest.”
Trip sighed. It didn’t matter that running a ranch had never been his idea of a dream job, he was in charge now, like it or not. “Is Duke still off the sauce?”
“Dry as a puddle in late August, far as I can tell. He’s a damn good mechanic.”
“Then if everyone is willing to settle for a modest increase, go for it,” Trip said.
“How much?”
“Modest,” Trip snapped. He took a deep breath and added, “You figure it out, okay?”
George patted his pocket, apparently feeling for the reassuring outline of his pipe, and grumbled, “Okay, yeah, sure. You get around to writing the checks for those invoices yet?”
“Later,” Trip grumbled as he pushed his plate away. Thinking of Neil Roberts, he added, “George, I want you around when we talk with the sheriff.”
“Yeah, okay. Listen, how about the auction on Saturday? They’ve got a Hereford bull listed. We could use new breeding stock. Do you want me to go, or do you want to do it?”
“You do it,” Trip said. Turning to the housekeeper he added, “Mrs. Murphy, your dinner was delicious as usual.”
She fluttered a little as she picked up his plate.
“You want I should take care of Buttercup tonight?” George asked.
“The sheriff isn’t due for awhile, I’ll do it myself,” Trip said. He got up and went to the back door. As he pulled on a coat and his hat, he looked at Faith. It was clear she’d given up trying to eat and was now just trying to stay ahead of the mess Colin was making as he banged his spoon against her plate. “Miss Bishop, would you mind coming with me out to the horse barn so we can talk a little before the sheriff gets here?”
Her gaze darted to the window, but she stood abruptly. “Of course I’ll come.”
She handed Colin to Mrs. Murphy, then leaned down and whispered something in Noelle’s ear that brought a smile to the little girl’s lips.
Trip tossed her a heavy work coat off a hook by the back door and she shrugged it on. It swamped her, but she gamely zipped it to her chin. The expression on her face as she preceded him through the door was that of a woman facing something she was terrified of.
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