Page 20 of Distress Signal

That wasn’t including the dairy cows, either.

Like I said—I had a full barn, and a lot of shit to get done still.

“You’re welcome,” Aria said, pulling me from my thoughts. She flicked her wrist to check her watch and added, “But if we don’t hurry the fuck up, we’re going to be late for dinner, and Mama will kill us.”

“Shit,” West hissed, not bothering to wait for us as he dug his heels into Rogue’s sides and took off at a gallop. Aria and I shared a look and took off after him. I gave Zigzag her head, and she kept up easily.

When we pulled the horses to a stop in front of the barn, the three of us quickly dismounted and handed them off to some of my ranch hands, who would be responsible for untacking, grooming, and cooling them down before bedding them down for the night.

My sister, brother, and I headed for my office and the small bathroom attached, where we washed up and brushed as much dust off our clothing as possible before heading for the house.

Mama stood on the porch, arms crossed over her chest, foot tapping.

“Barely made it.”

“Sorry,” I muttered. “We took Zigzag out and lost track of time.”

“How’s she doing?” Mama asked, softening. She had that same bleeding heart for animals as the rest of us did.

“Amazing,” Aria breathed. “She kept right up with the boys, kept her head when Rogue needled her. I reckon she’s ready for a rider.”

Aria looked to me, waiting for confirmation, and I gave her a nod. “I want to get her owner out here to socialize with her first. You know, grooming, trotting around the pen, feeding. Easy stuff before we try to get her on for a ride.”

Mama nodded. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. Now, if y’all don’t mind, I slaved all day over this meal, so get your butts inside and start bringing stuff to the table.”

We murmured a chorus of “yes ma’am” before clearing the rest of the steps.

Before we could even open the door, a vehicle slid to a stop on the gravel drive. We all turned to watch Lane get out from behind the wheel, but I noticed he didn’t turn the engine off.

And he was driving his department SUV, which was odd considering he wasn’t on shift tonight.

“Where the fuck have y’all been?” he asked, eyes darting between me and West. “I’ve been calling for over an hour.”

“We were out on a ride,” Aria responded before West or I could.

“What’s going on?” West asked.

“The sister of that vic is here to do an ID, so I have to miss dinner.” He glanced apologetically at Mama, who merely nodded. Police business, of course, waited for no one.

“What vic?” Mama asked.

Lane tried to wave her off, but West said, “We found a dead girl out in the woods yesterday. Looks like murder.”

“Murder?” Aria gasped. “What the fuck?”

“Aria,” Mama scolded, though absently. Then she sighed, glancing between us three boys. “I suppose if it’s important…”

I frowned. “What does that have to do with us?”

“Need you both to come give your statements.”

“Now?” My stomach grumbled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten in hours.

Lane nodded, shifting on his feet like he was anxious to get back to town.

“West and I will come by when we get home,” I said to Mama, bending to press a kiss to her cheek, a farewell gesture West repeated on her other side. Lane climbed the stairs and pulled her into a hug, apologizing again for ruining dinner.

“It’s fine,” Mama said to him, shooing us. “Trey and Crew will be here.”