The Horseman's Son by Delores Fossen

about without adding her to his list.
    Dylan handed Adam a toy dog. “Curtis Reese filed the custody motion this morning.”
    Collena had been expecting him to say that, but it still hit her hard. It took her a moment to gather her breath. “And what about Rodney Harmon? I don’t suppose the police have found him?”
    “Not yet. But I hired a couple of P.I.s to look for him, as well.”
    That was a start, and she had to remind herself that Dylan had an excellent security system at the ranch. No, it hadn’t prevented that troubling call, but it would probably stop an intruder from breaking in. After all, he’d detected her with ease when she was by the birthing stables. Now that they knew Rodney Harmon was on the loose, Dylan had no doubt beefed up security even more.
    Plus, he’d slept outside her door.
    Collena didn’t want to be touched by that.
    But she was.
    “There’s nothing new on your car,” he continued. He divided his attention between Adam and her. “The fire chief is still thinking it was an electrical problem, but he’s going to continue to investigate.”
    Collena hoped it was an electrical fire that hadn’t been spurred by human’s means. It was far better than the alternative, but considering that phone call, the car and the call could have been attempts to run her out of town.
    “Did anyone on the staff know about the newspaper left outside my door?” she asked.
    “Everyone denied putting it there.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Obviously, someone is lying.”
    Obviously. “If the newspaper was only meant to unnerve me, I can live with that.” Collena stopped and tried to decide the best way to continue. But Dylan had no trouble picking up on where this conversation was going.
    “You think this has something to do with the deaths of my sister and fiancée. And the other attacks,” he added.
    She drew back her shoulders. “What other attacks?”
    Dylan shrugged, but there was nothing casual about the gesture. “I figured you’d come across that in the background check.”
    “I didn’t.” And Collena braced herself for the worst. Thankfully, Adam helped soften the impact. The little boy’s laughter broke the tension building inside Collena.
    “It started when I was seventeen. My high school girlfriend was assaulted. Someone clubbed her when she was getting into her car one night. She wasn’t able to get a look at her attacker because the assault happened from behind.”
    Oh, mercy. Collena could only hold her breath while Dylan continued.
    “Then, when I was in college, a woman I dated was also beaten.”
    “I take it the only thing these women, your fiancée and your sister, had in common was…you?” she asked.
    “Yes. And I know what you’re thinking—did someone I know commit these crimes.”
    “You mean, Deputy Burke?” She didn’t wait for him to confirm that. “He certainly seems capable of doing something malicious. I don’t know about murder though.”
    Dylan lifted his shoulder. “Maybe the fires weren’t meant to kill them.”
    She considered that. She also considered something else. “What if it was someone else connected to you, someone who works for you?”
    He stayed quiet a moment. “I had to consider that, but then I dismissed it. The only people who were around for all the incidents were Millie, Ruth and Hank, the handyman.”
    Collena tried not to make the tone of her next question sound confrontational. “Both Millie and Ruth are under care of a therapist. Maybe one of them is, uh, well, a little unbalanced.”
    Dylan looked neither surprised, nor upset with the suggestion. “Anything is possible. But I just don’t see it. Ruth’s been a great nanny, and Millie practically runs the household. If either of them is a sociopath with killer tendencies, it hasn’t shown up in any behavior or any incident here at the ranch.”
    “Maybe because you’ve stopped dating and therefore you’ve stopped giving one of them a reason to do