Santa in a Stetson Page 10

  After she’d clicked off, she called the airport and chartered a plane to Las Vegas. A few hours later, she flew in and picked up her precious purchase. The artist hadn’t only caught Colt’s chiseled profile, he’d captured his commanding presence and aura of focused energy requisite of a true champion.

  While there, she made more enquiries about what other memorabilia she might find on Colt. The manager directed her to a poster shop along the Strip where she found four priceless posters of Colt, all the same picture.

  Except for his chaps, he wore black from his Stetson to his boots. He’d been caught in motion on a bull during a championship ride. Poetry in motion, in her opinion. It was a spectacular photo.

  Kathryn bought all four. One for each twin, one for Noreen and Ed, and one for herself. She would hang it on the library wall next to the bookcase that housed her Louis L’Amour collection.

  Almost sick to her stomach with excitement, she flew back to Salt Lake with her secret stash, then drove over to her parents’ home to have dinner. While they ate she told them her plans for the next few days. They ended up talking about Whitney’s family, who were still waiting to hear something definitive from the police.

  Kathryn left their house for the condo feeling guilty that so much pain for the little girl’s parents didn’t squelch the longing inside her to see Colt again.

  After she entered the kitchen, she called Maggie to make final arrangements. Her sister indicated it would be clear weather for flying. They’d be by for her in their car at quarter to six in the morning. “There’s no point in telling you to get a good sleep tonight because I know you won’t,” Maggie teased.

  Since Kathryn knew she wouldn’t, either, she didn’t bother to argue with her sister. Once they said good-night, she pulled a poster from the tube and unfurled it against the fridge door. She used the French bread magnets one of her nieces had given her last Christmas to keep the corners in place.

  Just looking at him sent a thrill through her body.

  With her eyes glued on him, she phoned Donna so they could set up the schedule of volunteers at the foundation while Kathryn was away. Once that was accomplished, she called her psychiatrist and cancelled Monday’s appointment. She would have to phone later to set another date.

  While she was at it, she arranged for a rental car to be waiting for them at the Bozeman airport so Colt wouldn’t see the presents she was bringing. Finally, she punched in his cell phone number, but this time she had to rein in her emotions to keep them from jumping all over the place.

  Don’t let him know what the mere thought of him does to you, Kathryn.

  Swallowing her disappointment because he didn’t pick up, she left a message on his voice mail. “Hi, Colt. I hope all is well with you. I just checked with Maggie. She said it will be good flying weather. One more thing. Jake asked me to let you know he’s already arranged a rental car for us, so we should be at the ranch between eighty-thirty and—”

  “Kathryn? Don’t hang up!” Colt’s deep, live voice arced through her, quickening her body.

  “You sound out of breath.” Would that he was in that condition because of her, but she knew it wasn’t the case.

  “I was riding in on Lightning when my phone rang, but when I pulled it out of my pocket, it slipped from my hands and fell down a snowy embankment. I had to hunt for it.”

  The image his words conjured made her smile. He’d made fast work to recover it before she’d clicked off. Colt wasn’t a champion bull rider for nothing. “I’m glad it wasn’t lost. You might have had to wait until next spring.”

  He made a low sound in his throat. “My last phone drowned when Matt’s lemonade spilled into the cubbyhole of my dashboard.”

  “Uh-oh.” It was her turn to chuckle. “Last summer I was leaning over a castle wall and mine fell into a moat. It’s lying somewhere on the bottom, rusting out with all the swords.”

  A definite laugh rumbled out of him. “Neither of us seems to have had much luck.”

  Kathryn was having too much fun. End it now. “In case yours should short out, I’ll make this fast. Maggie said it’s good flying weather so we’ll be there at eight-thirty, but just to let you know, Jake has arranged for a rental car. He likes to be independent.” Like you.

  “I can relate.”

  Yup. “We should be to the ranch by nine at the latest.”

  “Kathryn?”

  “Yes?” she answered too breathlessly and could have kicked herself.

  “I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “Since Maggie and Jake literally found me, I tell them that all the time. It’s a habit I can’t break.”

  “I’m talking about you and what you did for Allie—what you and your family are prepared to do now to help find her mother.”

  If ever a person was thankful, it was this man, but Kathryn feared she’d never wring anything but gratitude from him.

  “This is what we like to do, so enough said. Good night. See you in the morning.”

  “WHAT’S THIS?” Colt walked in the dining room and discovered Matt already seated at the table. That was a first on a school morning. There were only three places set. “Where are Noreen and Ed?”

  “Since she’s fixing a special birthday dinner for you tonight, we gave them the morning off to sleep in. I set the table and Allie’s fixing your breakfast. We’re going to do presents tonight.”

  On cue his daughter came through the door carrying two plates. “French toast and sausage coming up!” After she put his food in front of him, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Happy thirty-sixth, Dad.”

  A frown marred his features. “Did you have to remind me?” Then Colt grabbed her and gave her a bear hug. She laughed before coming through a second time, bringing her own plate and a mug of coffee for him. They settled down to eat.

  Matt’s brown eyes studied him. “You look nice, Dad.”

  “Meaning I usually don’t?” he teased.

  “Stop fishing for compliments,” Allie scolded him. “You’ve got on a new shirt.”

  “It’s the one your aunt Sherry gave me last Christmas.”

  “You look like a dude.”

  “Thanks, Matt. If I’d known I’d get a reaction like this, I’d have worn it before now.”

  “Black’s your best color,” his daughter informed him.

  “Is that so?” He ate the last piece of toast.

  “It makes your eyes look greener. They’re really green this morning, like you’re excited or something.”

  Nothing got past Allie. He downed the rest of his coffee. “That’s because it’s my birthday.”

  Matt scowled. “You’ve always said you wished we’d skip yours.”

  “Did I say that?”

  “Yes!” they both answered in unison, exchanging a private glance Colt couldn’t help but notice.

  “Well, I take it all back. I’ve loved my surprise breakfast. It was delicious. Thank you both.”

  “You’re welcome,” Allie muttered, still staring at him with a puzzled expression.

  His son nodded. “There’ll be more surprises tonight.”

  Colt averted his eyes. His children didn’t know the half of it. “Much as I hate to break this up, it’s time to get you two down to the bus.”

  “I have to do the dishes first,” Matt announced. He jumped up and started clearing the table.

  “You stay put, Dad,” Allie cautioned before helping her brother.

  Together they made short work of it. In a few minutes they joined him in the truck. Colt headed down to the ranch entrance, relieved Kathryn wouldn’t be arriving in a snowstorm.

  After he pulled to a stop, he got out to give them both an extra hug. “Thanks for breakfast. Love you guys.”

  “Love you, too. Don’t forget. We’re coming straight home after school.”

  Allie nodded. “And don’t go out on the range today because we’re having your birthday dinner early!”

  There was no fear of that. For once something
else would be consuming Colt’s time right here at home. “I can’t wait.”

  He watched them get on the bus. Since he’d promised the twins he’d look into finding someone who could try to locate Natalie, he was confident his daughter wouldn’t be pulling another disappearance act.

  After waving to the bus driver, he checked his watch. Seven-forty-five. Kathryn would be in the air by now. Colt started back. By the time he and Ed had nailed down today’s work schedule for the hands, his guests would be arriving. Until then, the idea was to stay busy.

  That wasn’t a problem in the physical sense. At any given moment, there were tasks needing to be done on the ranch. It was his thoughts that made him restless, the same restlessness he used to get before trying out a new bull shipped up from Mexico.

  No matter how prepared he was, some of its moves weren’t what he’d anticipated. Kathryn had already knocked the wind out of him several times. The trick was to go the full eight seconds and avoid it administering him the coup de grâce.

  “WHAT BEAUTIFUL country!” Maggie exclaimed from the front seat of the rental car. Jake had just turned onto the curving road leading up to the ranch. “Look at these walls of pines. They’re breathtaking!”

  Maggie echoed Kathryn’s thoughts, but the feeling of homecoming was so intense she gripped the armrest tighter, unable to say a word.

  Jake looked over his shoulder at her. “Are you all right, Kathryn? You’re so quiet.”

  “I’m just remembering the first time I came here. The clouds hung heavy and hid the trees farther up the mountain. With the sun out this morning, you can see everything.”

  They eventually reached the vale where the ranch became visible. “Incredible,” Jake murmured.

  “It looks like a Christmas card,” Maggie cried softly.

  With all of the above, Kathryn concurred. Only this was one card you could drive into and find the ruler of this isolated kingdom at home. Her heart thudded too hard to be natural or healthy.

  “Jake? Pull up around the side of the ranch house next to Colt’s truck. We’ll go in the back door. And one more thing. Leave the trunk popped. I’ll take my suitcase in now. Later, when he’s not looking, I’ll come out to get the presents I brought.”

  He grinned. “Your wish is my command.”

  Kathryn let out a guilty sigh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound bossy.”

  “Not bossy. Nervous,” Maggie said, sending her a secret smile.

  Nervous didn’t begin to cover what Kathryn was feeling. Every now and then she thought about her life back in Wisconsin and shuddered to think that if Maggie and Jake hadn’t found her, she would never have met Colton Brenner. She scrambled out the backseat of the car and hurried to retrieve her bag from the trunk.

  It was a good thing she’d moved fast because Colt had come out of the house, a tall dark figure in a black shirt and jeans bearing down on them with those powerful legs. Just in time she’d lowered the trunk lid so it looked closed, but wasn’t.

  “Welcome to the Circle B.” He shook Jake’s and Maggie’s hands before wresting Kathryn’s suitcase from her. Their eyes met. The green of his irises matched the color of the pines.

  “Hello, Colt,” Somehow she’d managed to keep her voice from shaking. At the first sight of him, it was always an event that rearranged the atoms in her body. “It’s nice to be back.” Heavens, he looked so wonderful, she was in danger of falling straight into him.

  “The children won’t believe it when they get home from school and find you here.”

  “They didn’t know we were coming?”

  He smiled, making him irresistible. “If I’d told them, there would have been a war to get them to go to school and I would have lost.”

  She laughed. “I’m looking forward to seeing them, too.”

  “Let’s get you inside so you can freshen up.” Colt led them through the back entrance, where they removed their parkas. He turned to Jake. “If you want to use the guest bathroom down here, the women are welcome to go up to Kathryn’s room.”

  He carried her suitcase upstairs and put it inside the guest-room door. His gaze locked with Kathryn’s. “When you come down, Jake and I will be in the family room.”

  “We’ll be there in a minute.”

  As soon as he left and shut the door, Maggie’s brows lifted. “Kathryn’s room? Sounds like you’re already part of the family.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous!”

  “I’m only stating the obvious,” she said before closing the bathroom door.

  Taking advantage of the time, Kathryn zipped over to Allie’s room and used her bathroom before rejoining her sister. “You’ve got the wrong idea about Colt,” she said without preamble. “He’s not interested in me personally. The complicated man has led an uncomplicated life for years and that’s not going to change.”

  Maggie put her hands on Kathryn’s shoulders. “Listen to me, little sister. It already has changed or he wouldn’t have come to Salt Lake to see you. He has money. He could hire an army of people to look for his ex-wife. Why didn’t he?”

  “Because Allie asked me for help. And because a miracle happened to our family and she believes I’ll be able to perform one for hers. I can tell you right now that after what Allie pulled, Colt’s vulnerability over his children is so great, he’d do anything for them.”

  “That goes without saying, but why are you fighting me on this?”

  “I’m not!”

  “Yes, you are. What aren’t you telling me?”

  For once Maggie had made her cross. “He’s grateful to me.”

  “Of course he is.”

  “But that’s all!”

  Maggie let go of her. “You’re afraid of something. Tell me what it is.”

  She lowered her head. “I don’t know exactly.”

  “I think you do.”

  “All right, then.” She lifted her chin. “If you must know, I don’t want to be like Steve.”

  Her sister blinked. “What do you mean?”

  “He hung around you for years hoping for any crumbs you would throw his way. But you never noticed him or any man until Jake came along and rocked your world.” She swallowed hard. “I’m not like Steve. I’d rather die first,” she whispered.

  “Your situation is entirely different from mine. As for Colt Brenner, he’s thrown you more than a crumb,” her sister insisted.

  “Wrong. Let me ask you a question. Who suggested I stay on a few days to do some of Jake’s legwork here? Colt or Jake?”

  “Jake.”

  “Don’t you see? He didn’t leave Colt a choice.”

  “I have a feeling he’s secretly pleased the way things are turning out.”

  “No. He’s been single sixteen years for a reason.”

  Maggie’s expression sobered. “If you really believe that, then check into a motel in Bozeman after you drop us off at the airport and get busy running down evidence for Jake. You know I’ll do my part. Once the objective has been accomplished and Colt doesn’t need your services any longer, walk away from him and see what happens.”

  Nothing will happen. But no one gave sounder advice than Maggie. Get the job done you’ve been asked you to do, then get out!

  On a gush of love for her sister, Kathryn hugged her hard. “You’re brilliant! I’m ready to go downstairs and dig in.”

  “Good.” With their arms around each other, they left the bedroom.

  Kathryn knew the way to the family room, but the second she entered it, her heart rate went into hyperdrive at the sight of the two attractive males talking in deep concentration in front of the fire.

  She felt a fresh stab of pain because she could sense Colt was anxious to catch up to his ex-wife. Natalie Brenner had to have been unforgettable for him to have married her within two weeks of meeting her and then go all these years without marrying again.

  Chapter Seven

  At noon, Jake closed the notebook he’d brought to keep a record. His steel-blue gaze shot to C
olt’s. “We’ve accomplished as much as we can for the moment.”

  Colt glanced at his watch. Two and a half hours of discussing strategies with these remarkable people had flown by. Once during their session around the dining-room table, Kathryn had excused herself for a few minutes. Except for Noreen who’d supplied food and coffee, they’d worked undisturbed.

  “To tell you how grateful I am for your time and help wouldn’t begin to cover how I feel.”

  Maggie smiled. Both women were so gorgeous, Colt could only marvel. “We’ll all hope it doesn’t take as long as it did to find my baby sister.”

  Kathryn got up from the table. “Twenty-six years will put Allie and Matt at forty-one.” She’d done the math. “We can do better, right? I’ll drop you at the airport so I can have a car.” She looked at her family without including Colt.

  If it was intentional, he didn’t like it. “My Xterra’s at your disposal while you’re here, Kathryn.”

  She glanced at him. “I appreciate that, but I understand Noreen uses it to shop and pick up the kids from the school bus. Your routine shouldn’t be interrupted because of me. I’ll be scouting around talking to people on my own timetable.”

  “That’s settled, then,” Jake broke in. “I understand Noreen is over at her house. Please tell her how much we enjoyed the food.”

  “I’ll be happy to.”

  “Shall we go, darling?” Jake rose to his feet to help his wife.

  Colt followed the three of them through the house to the back entrance, where Kathryn put on her parka too fast for him to be of use. He decided it was a habit she’d developed over all the years she’d been forced to look out for herself.

  “You live in paradise and have an absolutely beautiful home!” Maggie exclaimed on the way to the car. “This valley opens up like a stairway to heaven.”

  “Kathryn thinks it should be called the Cloud Bottom Ranch.”