Jennifer Ryan knows how to hook the reader in and in AT
WOLF RANCH Ryan does waste any time. The story is about
murder, deceit and love. Quite a wonderful combination of
elements that make AT WOLF RANCH an instant winner in my
book. The storyline is constructed like a carefully
planned pyramid. AT WOLF RANCH starts at the pinnacle and
with each page the pyramid gets wider and more complex.
Jennifer Ryan showcases her ability to capture the
reader's interest and holds on for dear life.
AT WOLF RANCH centers on greed, avarice and ultimately
murder in the Wolf family which is a wealthy conglomerate
of businesses. Ella and Lela are twin sisters and it was
their father that built this successful corporation. From
the success of Wolf Enterprises he was able to provide
numerous luxuries to his beloved wife and daughters.
There is always a price to pay for success. The Wolf
family has been generous to its people and family but
greed is an inherent disease and someone has it in
spades.
AT WOLF RANCH opens with a bang -- literally. Ella is
listening to her twin sister Lela on the phone. She can't
really understand the dynamics of what is going on but
Ella realizes that her sister is in some danger. Lela is
deep in an argument with their Uncle Philip. Just as Ella
arrives outside her uncle's office she witnesses the
unspeakable horror of watching her uncle shoot Lela --
cold blooded murder. And while she stands in the shadows
her uncle speaks of his plans for Ella.
In shock and heartbroken Ella knows only that she has to
get away and fast. The only place she can think of
running to is the family ranch in Montana. Lela had just
returned from the ranch and Ella hopes she can figure out
what Lela discovered there that would have precipitated
the argument between Lela and Uncle Phillip.
Ella knows her life depends on hiding and at the same
time finding a way to get the authorities to charge her
uncle with her twin's murder.
Uncle Phillip is turning out to be quite a piece of work
and the more time Ella has to dig the more dirt is
surfacing.
The one fortunate turn in the events was Gabe Bowden.
From their very first encounter Gabe has been her savior.
Gabe met with Lela during her brief visit to the ranch
but the only help he can give Ella is support and
friendship. That friendship builds over the time Ella
finds herself with Gabe and with their natural attraction
could certainly develop into something more. But Gabe
know Ella is there for the short haul. Hopefully the two
of them will be able to find out what sparked Lela to
confront her uncle. Once the mystery is solved than the
two of them will return to their normal lives.
But the mystery is beginning to become much more than
either one ever expected. Ella is in danger. Gabe will do
anything to keep her safe. But her uncle has deep pockets
and a large force behind him. Ella and Gabe with their
limited resources have to use anything they can to sift
through what is becoming a mountain of deceit. We can
only imagine what will be discovered after all the layers
are sifted through.
AT WOLF RANCH is a masterpiece of a mystery with a
powerful ending. The drama and tension builds page by
page drawing you into a maze of corruption and greed that
has the reader hungry for what will be uncovered next.
Nothing is what it seems. That is the beauty of this well
constructed story. Jennifer Ryan has just moved up my
list of must read authors with AT WOLF RANCH.
Everything's bigger in Big Sky country, including the
hearts
of the Montana Men
After years on the rodeo circuit, Gabe Bowden wants
nothing
more than land of his own and a woman who will claim his
heart for more than one night. When he has the chance to
buy
the enormous Wolf Ranch spread, he snaps up the
incredible
deal. Everything is set, until Gabe rescues a woman on
the
deserted, snowy road leading to the property, and the
half-frozen beauty changes everything.
Ella Wolf rushes to her family's abandoned Montana ranch
after her twin sister is murdered. She knows she's
next…unless she can uncover a secret hidden somewhere at
Wolf Ranch. The last thing Ella expects is to be rescued
by
a rugged rancher with his own agenda. A man who almost
makes
her forget how dangerous love can be…
As an unlikely partnership sparks into something so much
more, and a killer closes in, can Ella and Gabe learn to
trust one another before it's too late?
Excerpt
Chapter One
Three long days without a word. No call. Not even a text.
Ella stared at her phone, willing it to ring. She tapped
her finger on the screen and stifled the urge to call
Lela for the hundredth time that morning.
The coffee shop buzzed with activity. People headed off
to work with their lattes and scones. She sipped at her
caramel macchiato, reading over the newest projections
for the cosmetics line debuting in March on her laptop.
The numbers looked promising.
Ella jumped when her phone vibrated on the table. She
snatched it up and read the caller ID.
“Finally.” She swiped the screen to accept the call.
“Lela—”
“Where have you been?” Uncle Phillip’s demand surprised
her.
Why did Uncle Phillip have Lela's phone?
Ella opened her mouth to answer her uncle's question, but
he spoke first.
“I oversee the estate. You answer to me.”
“Twisting the truth again, Uncle. Ella and I sign off on
everything,” Lela said, her tone unusually sharp. “You’re
just a watchdog, there to ensure we adhere to the terms
of the will. You have no real power, but you’ll do
anything to steal it away, won’t you?”
What? Ella had never heard her sister talk to their uncle
in such a disrespectful and spiteful way, or anyone for
that matter. Why did her sister call and not say anything
to her? Maybe she'd pocket dialed?
“Lela, it's me. What is going on?” Ella got no response.
Uncle Phillip continued to speak over her.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, my dear.”
Uncle Phillip’s soft voice belied the steel in his words.
“Don’t make me ask again. Be a good girl and tell me
where you’ve been?”
This time, her sister answered, but didn’t explain a damn
thing. “Uncovering your dirty secret. I know what you
did,” her sister accused.
Secrets?
Butterflies in Ella's stomach fluttered like a flock of
birds taking flight. The uneasy feeling she’d carried
with her these last days intensified.
Ella gathered up her laptop and notebook, stuffing them
into her oversized tote. She dumped the dregs of her
coffee in the trash on her way out the door. The
apartment was only a block up from her favorite café she
had breakfast at every Tuesday when the house staff had
the day off. She kept the phone to her ear and headed
home to find out what the hell was going on.
“You won’t get away with this,” Lela’s voice raised in
pitch. It took a lot to rile her sister. Whatever Uncle
Phillip had done touched a nerve.
“Whatever you think you know doesn’t amount to anything
without proof.” Her uncle used that chilling, yet utterly
calm voice.
Ella picked up her pace, sensing the escalation of the
situation into something more than just an argument about
company business. She pulled her bag close to her side
under her arm and ran for her building, knocking elbows
and shoulders with other pedestrians. No time to
apologize, she ignored their outraged remarks.
“Oh, I have the proof.”
Proof of what?
“You’re lying.” Uncle Phillip let out a nervous laugh.
“You wish.”
Ella past her building's doorman and ran for the
elevator, pushing the button three times, frantic for the
doors to open.
“Where is it? Show me.”
Come on. Come on. The elevator doors finally opened and
she rushed inside and pressed the button for the
penthouse. Ella prayed she didn't lose the cell signal
and drop the call. She only ever got one bar in the
elevators.
“You think I’d be fool enough to bring it here. To you?
I’ll see you in jail before this day is over.”
“I’ll see you in a grave first.”
The ice in her uncle’s tone frosted Ella’s heart. The
evil laced there erased all trace of the man she knew. He
meant those ominous words.
Lela gasped and let out a startled shriek. Ella didn't
want to believe her uncle actually struck Lela, but
that’s what it sounded like.
“What. Did. You. Find?”
“Everything,” Lela sputtered.
What? What are you talking about?
“If you’re lying to me—”
“Let me go. It’s over. There’s nothing you can do. I can
prove you did it.”
Did what?
“Don’t look at him,” Uncle Phillip snapped.
Him? Who else is there?
“Please, do some—”
“He’s not here to help you, you stupid girl. He works for
me. Everyone works for me. You should have left well
enough alone.”
Lela shrieked again. Ella's heart dropped into her
stomach.
“This is your final chance. Tell me where it is and I’ll
make this quick. Refuse and I'll take my time. You'll
know the meaning of the word pain when I'm done with
you.”
Touch her and I will make you pay.
“Go to hell.”
“Where is it, you little bitch?”
“You will pay for what you’ve done. I’ll never cave.”
“Tell me what I want to know, and maybe, I’ll show you
mercy.”
“You won’t...get...away...with this,” Lela stammered,
something choking off her words. “The truth will...roll
out. Come out.”
Something about the way she said it the first time struck
Ella, but her mind couldn’t process anything right now.
She slammed her palm against the elevator doors, wishing
the damn thing would hurry up.
Please, Lela, get out of there.
“Last chance. Where did you hide it?”
The intensity in his voice sent a shiver up Ella's spine.
The elevator doors finally opened. She ran down the hall
to her door, shoved it open, and nearly tripped over
Lela's suitcase. Where had she been?
“If you won't help me, I'll find someone who will.”
Who is she talking to?
“Uncle Phillip, please. Put the gun down.”
“Where. Is. It?”
“I'll never tell you where I hid it.”
Ella ran across the living room. Her gaze locked on her
uncle's outstretched arm, the gun in his hand level with
her sister's chest. Her father's blood red ruby pinky
ring winked in the morning light streaming through the
windows.
“Tell me,” her uncle yelled.
“Never.”
“Then you're of no use to me anymore.”
The crack of the gunshot stopped Ella in her tracks. Her
sister's eyes went wide when the bullet plowed into her
chest. Blood blossomed over her cream colored sheath
dress, like some gruesome poppy. Lela wilted in slow
motion into a heap on the floor. Her legs kicked in a
quick jerk, and she never moved again.
Ella stood frozen, rooted to the spot just outside the
library doors, her gaze fastened on her sister's lifeless
green eyes.
“Damnit, we needed her alive.” A man she couldn’t see
said from inside the room. It took her a second to place
the voice. Detective Robbins.
What is he doing here? Why didn't he help?
Self preservation kicked in and she scurried to the side
of the door. Hands shaking, her stomach in knots, a
whirlwind of thoughts circled her mind, but nothing
explained why her uncle killed her beautiful sister. It
couldn't be, she denied the stark reality. She leaned
over and spied through the crack in the open door.
Uncle Phillip kneeled next to Lela and touched his finger
to her bloody neck. “If I’d had more time, I could have
gotten her to talk.”
“You mean if you hadn't lost your temper.”
Ella’s heart broke into a billion sharp pieces that
slashed her soul to shreds. Her other half — gone. The
emptiness engulfed her. She covered her mouth with both
hands to hold back the scream of pain rising up her
aching throat. Her eyes filled with tears and Lela’s
face, the same one Ella saw in the mirror each morning,
swam in front of her.
Uncle Phillip stood, tugged at one shirt cuff and then
the other to straighten his crisp white shirt. Her
father’s ruby cuff links sparked with a glint of light
from the overhead chandelier. He ran a hand over his more
gray than dark brown hair, smoothing it back. Composed
again, he turned to the door. Her breath hitched and
stopped. She thought he saw her. His next words startled
her even more.
“The stupid girl doesn’t know when to quit.” He pulled a
handkerchief from his gray slack’s pocket and wiped his
sweaty face, devoid of wrinkles thanks to his many trips
to the dermatologist for Botox injections.
“You’re lucky she called me.”
“Did she tell you what she found?”
“No. She asked me to meet her here. Her confidence in
whatever she had on you convinced me to take her
seriously. If she actually had something and shared it
with anyone, you’ll go down for everything.”
“Don’t think you won’t fall with me,” her uncle
threatened.
The detective moved forward, blocking her view of her
uncle, and stared down at Lela. “What do you want to do
with the body?”
Lela was a body. Bile rose in Ella's throat.
Her uncle clinked open a crystal decanter at the bar
across the room, pouring himself a drink of the expensive
bourbon he preferred. She prayed he choked on it.
“Give me a minute to think.” The ice in his voice melted
and turned less definitive and more hesitant.
“We need to find that evidence. If it falls into the
wrong hands—”
“Shut up.” Her uncle sounded as out of control as she
felt. Her insides in chaos, not a single thought of what
to do taking shape in her mind.
“We need to retrace her steps over the last few days.
Find out where she went. Who she saw. We’d have the state
attorney and FBI banging down the door if she gave the
evidence to anyone. She hid it somewhere. We need to find
out where and get it.”
“Easier said than done. She was smart.”
“Not smart enough to pull this off. She contacted you
without ever considering your association with me. She
was naive.” He toed Lela’s still body with his Italian
leather shoe.
“Our business arrangement has been mutually beneficial,
but if you think I’ll be your patsy, you’re wrong. So,
think, damnit, where would she hide the evidence?”
“I don’t fucking know.” Her uncle slammed the empty glass
down on the desk. “But Ella might.”
“Do you think Lela told her what she uncovered?”
Detective Robbins asked.
“No. Ella asked me and the staff several times if Lela
came home or called. I’m almost certain Lela worked this
out on her own and left her recalcitrant sister out of
it.”
“Almost certain isn’t good enough. Why the hell didn’t
you cover your tracks better?”
“I did.”
“If you did, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
Ella needed to call the police and have them arrest these
two for killing her sweet, gentle sister. But the police
were standing right there, helping destroy her life.
The room was silent for a moment, and Ella was certain
they’d hear her ragged breathing. She jumped when her
uncle spoke again.
“Detective, let me tell you a story.” Uncle Phillip’s
voice was eerily calm. “Our studious, prim, Lela earned
her master’s degree and worked as an executive at the
company to satisfy the terms of the will and earn her
place at Wolf Enterprises. Sadly, her Princess Party Girl
twin sister barely made an effort, working in the
mailroom and every other odd job at the company. While it
satisfies the general terms of the will, Lela's carried
the weight and shouldered all the responsibility for the
business.
“Lela finally had enough and confronted her sister right
here in this room. Ella, party girl that she is, had been
out all night and was high, not at all in her right mind.
The fight escalated. Ella knows I keep a gun in my desk
drawer. She grabbed it and shot Lela. She panicked, but
somehow had the wherewithal to try to cover it up, making
it look like a robbery gone wrong. With Lela gone, she
will inherit the company and other Wolf assets.
“It’s heartbreaking, isn’t it? Such a pity. Lela had such
a promising future. I couldn’t be more heartbroken.
“Set the scene, Detective, and then find Ella. Take her
to a hotel. Not a dump, but not extravagant either. She's
hiding out. Make the place look like she's been on a
bender, drinking, doing drugs. The pain and grief send
Ella over the edge and she ODs. No one will question it.
Use your contacts in the police department and morgue to
prove what happened...make the evidence show Ella
murdered Lela.
“This is more than I signed on for,” Detective Robbins
said.
“Don’t think you’re so indispensable. There are plenty of
others on my payroll in this town, higher up the food
chain than you, that would do my bidding without
blinking.”
“I’ll get it done. I’ll need to use some of those
contacts to pull this shit off.”
“You know who to use to make this clean. I want all the
evidence, reports, and public perception to corroborate
the scenario I’ve outlined.”
Uncle Phillip kneeled by Lela and used his handkerchief
to remove her diamond stud earrings. The ones their
mother always wore. He unclasped Lela’s bloody necklace
with the pendant of a heart made out of roses that
matched hers. Ella reached up and wrapped her trembling
fingers around the one against her chest and sighed.
Lela’s ring came next. Ella gave her the emerald
encircled with diamonds for their twenty-first birthday.
The night they shared a quiet dinner in an exclusive
uptown restaurant and planned their future and fulfilling
their parents' wishes and dreams for them.
She took a step forward to snatch the ring and everything
else her uncle took from them back. She wanted to claw
his eyes out and see him in a grave. Not her sister. Not
Lela.
“What are you going to do with that?” The detective
indicated the handful of gold and gems.
“Don’t worry about it. Do your job. The one I pay you
extremely well to do.”
Her uncle went to the bar, grabbed a towel, and wiped
down the gun. He wrapped it in the towel and handed it to
the detective. “The household staff knows I keep this gun
in the top drawer of my desk. Unlocked. Easy enough for
Ella to take it and use it on her sister. Plant it, along
with the drugs and alcohol at the hotel room. Make sure
the report shows Ella's prints are on the gun and it is a
ballistic match to the bullet in her. Tomorrow morning
the staff will arrive for work and discover the body.
You've got until then to find Ella and kill her.”
Ella had wasted enough time. She needed to get away.
Fast.
Her gaze fell on her dead sister. Her soul pleaded with
Lela to wake up and make this all just a bad dream. But
Lela remained motionless on the floor.
Ella backed away from the door, turned, rushed back to
the foyer, and grabbed her sister’s suitcase, coat,
purse, her own tote, and walked out the door, closing it
with a quiet snick of the latch. Maybe she'd find a clue
in her sister's things.
She took the elevator down and walked through the lobby
and out the door in a daze. The doorman took the coat
draped over her arm. “Let me help you with that, Miss
Wolf.”
She mechanically stuffed her arms in the sleeves of
Lela's favorite cobalt blue coat. Her sister's scent
brought tears to her eyes. She blinked to keep them at
bay. The doorman hailed her a cab and she tossed her
stuff in the backseat and slid in.
“Where to?”
Ella couldn’t think past the fear and grief eating away
at her insides. She didn’t know where to go or who to
turn to that she could definitely say wasn’t in her
uncle’s pocket. Detective Robbins would check with all
her friends. She couldn’t risk going to one of them and
putting them in danger.
Her gaze fell on her sister’s suitcase and the baggage
tag still on the handle. She didn’t know the BZN airport
code. The purse lay on her lap, her fingers clutching it
in a death grip. She made herself relax and unzip the
bag. She found the airline ticket voucher inside.
Bozeman.
Why did you go to Montana?
They hadn’t been back to the family ranch since her
father died in a plane crash when they were fourteen.
“Where are we off to?” The driver asked again, pulling
her out of her dark thoughts. A plan started to form.
“Airport.” She barely choked out the word.
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