Wyoming Tough - Diana Palmer [69]
“I’ll make sure we’re all armed,” Mallory told him. “And thanks.”
Harding smiled. “My pleasure.”
MALLORY TOLD HIS BROTHERS what Harding had related, and they went around the house looking for other missing objects. To their shock, they found at least two priceless ceramic vases missing and one irreplaceable solid gold miniature goblet, not to mention an entire silver service that was kept apart from the others in a special cabinet. It was almost never unlocked and the brothers paid it little attention, because it was in an out-of-the-way place in the house.
Mallory called the sheriff’s department and an officer took down the descriptions of the missing items and their value. He promised to have their investigator get in touch with the appropriate authorities in Denver and search for them. Mallory didn’t expect them to be found. But there was always a chance, even if it was a small one.
Gelly had called him collect from the detention center, crying and begging for help. “I’m innocent,” she wailed. “I’m being set up! It’s a lie!”
“Gelly, you had duplicate keys that Bascomb made for you,” he added. “The prosecutor has an eyewitness who saw you sell the jeweled egg to a dealer in Las Vegas. What do you expect me to do?”
“You have to help me!” she exclaimed. “I’ll tell them I’m pregnant! I’ll call the newspapers!”
“Go ahead,” he said easily.
“I mean it!”
“So do I,” he replied. “You’d have to prove it. We both know it’s impossible.”
“Well, I know that. But I can lie,” she shot back. “I know how to lie and make people believe me!”
“You sure do,” he agreed coldly. “You got Morie fired with your lies. Not to mention Harry Rogers, who worked for us and was fired for stealing a drill that he didn’t even take.”
“That silly girl,” Gelly muttered. “I made up all sorts of stories about her, and you believed every one of them!”
“Yes. I did,” he replied grimly.
“Maybe I can’t have you, but you’ll never have her, now!” she exclaimed. “I can’t imagine that she’d really want you. You’re as ugly as an old boot!”
His pride ached at the charge. “Maybe,” he replied coldly. “But I’m rich.”
“Humph!”
“Goodbye, Gelly.”
He hung up and removed the cartridge that had the conversation on it. Even though he hadn’t informed her that she was being recorded, this would serve as evidence that he wasn’t responsible for any pregnancy she might claim in the future. He dropped it in the drawer of the telephone table, replaced it with a new one and then blocked the number she’d called from—the detention center—so that she couldn’t reach him again. Her words stung. He knew he had nothing in the looks department. He turned and went out to work. But his mind wasn’t at all on what he was doing. Which was a shame.
MORIE WAS WALKING AROUND the barn with her father and brother. She hadn’t said two words all morning.
Cort was tall like their father, with jet-black hair and eyes. He was drop-dead gorgeous, Morie thought, even if he was her brother. Now he glanced at her with narrowed eyes. “Don’t be thinking about that damned Wyoming coyote,” he said hotly. “He’s not worth a single thought.”
“Amen,” King Brannt muttered.
“Neither of you know a thing about him,” Morie replied without looking up. “He has good qualities. He was taken in by Gelly Bruner.”
“His brothers weren’t,” King replied.
“Love blinds men,” Morie said with more pain than she realized. “Mallory is in love with Gelly.”
Both men looked down at her.
King, undemonstrative to a fault, nevertheless put his arm around his daughter and hugged her close. “Daryl will make you a good husband,” he told her firmly.
She smiled. “I know.”
“If she doesn’t love him, he won’t,” Cort cut in bluntly.
King glared at his son. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I am on your side. But she’s my sister and I love her,” the younger man added. “It’s not a good idea to jump into a new relationship when you haven’t resolved the old one.”
“I never had a relationship with that awful cattleman,” Morie muttered.
King let her go and searched