some errands, some shopping. Why?" Her face was burning, too, at his impertinent questions about her behavior. Why was he interrogating her?
"And she talked to Mrs. Manchester about Mother," said Gregory, innocently filling in the details.
"You what?" This time Alex roared. Robin could see the veins in his neck throbbing as he stood staring at her in disbelief. She was speechless.
"Children, go to your rooms," he commanded.
They silently left the dining room together. Gregory in confusion, Sara unhappy, and Jacob with a gloating look upon his handsome young face.
"And, now." Alex asked, his voice barely in control, "What on earth were you doing talking to Mrs. Manchester about my wife?"
Robin had a fleeting memory of his strong arm around her in the storm, his gentle, caring touch. It was certainly gone now.
"I merely wanted to hear what she had to say about the whole thing. I can't help it, Alex, but someone has got to go back to that day and find out the truth. For the children. For you."
"Very touching. Miss North, but in bad taste, nevertheless. There is no way to prove whether it happened the way the inquest said or not."
"It didn't happen the way the inquest said, and I think you know it. It wasn't an accident."
And Robin saw his face change with her words, like a shield being pulled away, and she had a glimpse of the torment of a miserable human being, a soul that had borne more than its share of life's pain.
"But I don't think it was you who killed her," she added softly.
"Robin," he pleaded, "please, just stay out of this. There is no way to come up with an answer."
She could sense that he had believed her words. Alex had known that his wife had been murdered. He lived with the painful knowledge of it. But if he himself wasn't the one who had lowered the rock on the woman's head, then why was he so opposed to discovering who did it? There was only one possible explanation. He must be protecting someone, shielding someone. But who? Someone from the ranch? Or even Jacob? Or Sara? They had been only eleven at the time, but certainly physically able to commit the act. Suddenly, Robin's stomach felt leaden. Just who would be accused if the innocence of the man before her was proven? She felt very mixed up.
"Robin, you've got to listen to me." He put his large hands on her shoulders and held her firmly. His eyes were dark and unwavering. "Robin, someone may have known that you were going around stirring up trouble about this affair. Someone may not have liked you sticking your nose into the past.
"The incident with the jeep today may not have been an accident. I had the men bring it back to the ranch and they've just finished giving it a thorough going over. There was a reason you couldn't stop out there on the prairie. There was a slice in the brake cable. While there's a chance it occurred naturally with contact with a sharp rock on the prairie, there's also a good chance that someone quite deliberately cut the brake cable.
As hard as it is to believe, someone might have had the nerve to try such a thing, even in broad daylight, in town. You couldn't have stopped that vehicle no matter what. Even if you hadn't tried to avoid the animal on the road, you still wouldn't have made it home. You'd never have been able to make the turnoff into the ranch, and we'd probably have had to scrape you off one of the poles on the side of the road. If that's the case, someone was trying to kill you."
There was a knot deep in the pit of Robin's stomach that night as she got ready to retire. The events of the day, topped with the mind-boggling facts that Alex had presented her with at the dinner table, had kept her mind in a whirl. She lay her head on the soft pillow and vainly tried to succumb to sleep, attempting to relax her taut body to give it the rest she knew it needed.
But the sleep wouldn't come. Over and over her mind went over every detail of her brief stay at the Ridley Ranch. In the placid state that she had
"And she talked to Mrs. Manchester about Mother," said Gregory, innocently filling in the details.
"You what?" This time Alex roared. Robin could see the veins in his neck throbbing as he stood staring at her in disbelief. She was speechless.
"Children, go to your rooms," he commanded.
They silently left the dining room together. Gregory in confusion, Sara unhappy, and Jacob with a gloating look upon his handsome young face.
"And, now." Alex asked, his voice barely in control, "What on earth were you doing talking to Mrs. Manchester about my wife?"
Robin had a fleeting memory of his strong arm around her in the storm, his gentle, caring touch. It was certainly gone now.
"I merely wanted to hear what she had to say about the whole thing. I can't help it, Alex, but someone has got to go back to that day and find out the truth. For the children. For you."
"Very touching. Miss North, but in bad taste, nevertheless. There is no way to prove whether it happened the way the inquest said or not."
"It didn't happen the way the inquest said, and I think you know it. It wasn't an accident."
And Robin saw his face change with her words, like a shield being pulled away, and she had a glimpse of the torment of a miserable human being, a soul that had borne more than its share of life's pain.
"But I don't think it was you who killed her," she added softly.
"Robin," he pleaded, "please, just stay out of this. There is no way to come up with an answer."
She could sense that he had believed her words. Alex had known that his wife had been murdered. He lived with the painful knowledge of it. But if he himself wasn't the one who had lowered the rock on the woman's head, then why was he so opposed to discovering who did it? There was only one possible explanation. He must be protecting someone, shielding someone. But who? Someone from the ranch? Or even Jacob? Or Sara? They had been only eleven at the time, but certainly physically able to commit the act. Suddenly, Robin's stomach felt leaden. Just who would be accused if the innocence of the man before her was proven? She felt very mixed up.
"Robin, you've got to listen to me." He put his large hands on her shoulders and held her firmly. His eyes were dark and unwavering. "Robin, someone may have known that you were going around stirring up trouble about this affair. Someone may not have liked you sticking your nose into the past.
"The incident with the jeep today may not have been an accident. I had the men bring it back to the ranch and they've just finished giving it a thorough going over. There was a reason you couldn't stop out there on the prairie. There was a slice in the brake cable. While there's a chance it occurred naturally with contact with a sharp rock on the prairie, there's also a good chance that someone quite deliberately cut the brake cable.
As hard as it is to believe, someone might have had the nerve to try such a thing, even in broad daylight, in town. You couldn't have stopped that vehicle no matter what. Even if you hadn't tried to avoid the animal on the road, you still wouldn't have made it home. You'd never have been able to make the turnoff into the ranch, and we'd probably have had to scrape you off one of the poles on the side of the road. If that's the case, someone was trying to kill you."
There was a knot deep in the pit of Robin's stomach that night as she got ready to retire. The events of the day, topped with the mind-boggling facts that Alex had presented her with at the dinner table, had kept her mind in a whirl. She lay her head on the soft pillow and vainly tried to succumb to sleep, attempting to relax her taut body to give it the rest she knew it needed.
But the sleep wouldn't come. Over and over her mind went over every detail of her brief stay at the Ridley Ranch. In the placid state that she had
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