Free Heart of Texas Volume One by Debbie Macomber Page B

stealing.” He spit out the last word. Even saying it left a bad taste in his mouth.
    Frank’s eyebrows lifted. “Why didn’t Earl press charges?”
    â€œI asked him that myself.” The other rancher would have saved Grady a great deal of trouble if he had. “Apparently it was one man’s word against another’s and no way to prove who was telling the truth and who wasn’t. Earl fired them both.”
    â€œI see,” Frank murmured. “Seems to me that if Smith had something to hide, he wouldn’t have mentioned working on the Triple C.”
    Grady sighed and wondered why no one else viewed the situation with the same concern he did. “I’m asking you to do a background check on Smith,” he said and realized he was expecting a great deal of their friendship. Frank had every right to turn him down, but Grady hoped he wouldn’t.
    The sheriff frowned and his chair creaked noisily as he leaned back and considered Grady’s request. “I understand you’re worried about Savannah and I can’t say I blame you. Your sister is one of the most kindhearted people I know, and if this saddle bum hurts her, he’ll have me and half the town to deal with.”
    â€œYou’ll do it, then?” Grady said with relief.
    â€œI’ll check him out,” Frank said reluctantly.
    The two exchanged handshakes and Grady left. On his way out of town, he decided to stop off at the post office and talk to Caroline. If he couldn’t get through to his sister, maybe her best friend could. Reversing direction, he headed down Maple, then sat in the parking lot, debating the wisdom of his decision. In the past year or so he’d begun to notice Caroline Daniels. She was younger than Savannah, and while they’d been friends for several years, he’d always thought of her as a kid. For some time now it’d become difficult to view Caroline as anything but an attractive woman.
    However, Caroline was also opinionated and headstrong. More often than not, her views clashed with his own, and as a result they argued frequently. Another problem existed, as well.
    Maggie.
    Grady enjoyed the five-year-old, but for reasons he didn’t understand, the little girl was terrified of him. Savannah baby-sat her on Monday nights while Caroline did volunteer work, and it had reached the point that Grady stayed out of sight rather than intimidate the little girl.
    Things being what they were, it was a risk to ask for Caroline’s help, but one he was willing to take. More than anything, asking Caroline to join forces with him proved how desperate he’d grown to get Savannah to see reason.
    Thankfully Caroline was alone when he approached the front counter.
    â€œHello, Grady,” she said, glancing up from the mail she was sorting.
    â€œHave you had lunch yet?” he asked.
    Her eyes widened—but she was no more surprised by his invitation than he was himself.
    â€œIt’s three-thirty.”
    â€œCoffee, then,” he suggested gruffly, feeling gauche for not looking at the time. No wonder his stomach growled; he’d missed lunch entirely. Which also went to show how desperate he’d become.
    â€œI don’t suppose it’d hurt if I took a few minutes off,” she said and set the mail aside.
    Definitely curious, Caroline invited him behind the counter. She located a clean mug for him in the back room and filled his cup and her own. “What’s on your mind?” she asked.
    â€œSavannah.” Grady couldn’t see any need to beat around the bush. “I’m worried about her and that drifter.”
    â€œHe has a name,” Caroline said, stirring a spoonful of sugar into her coffee.
    â€œSure. Smith. ”
    â€œLaredo Smith.”
    â€œAll right, Laredo Smith,” he said impatiently. Grady didn’t know what it was about Caroline that attracted and irritated him at the same time. Lately he found