Santa in a Stetson Read online

  He buried his face in her hair. “I’m afraid.”

  “Of what?”

  “That I’ll wake up and discover this whole day and night have been a dream.”

  She chuckled. “When I get up in the morning and have to hide swollen lips and the rash on my face from your children, you’ll know this was real.”

  He lifted his dark head and examined her. Using his index finger, he trailed it over her bottom lip. His eyes kindled with light. “You’re right. I’ve left my brand on you.”

  “Yup. I’m a marked woman.” Colt’s woman. “See you in the morning.”

  Chapter Nine

  “Here’s your buckle. I understand it was stolen.”

  Colt nodded to the owner before hanging back so his twins could crowd around the counter to look at it. Kathryn stood next to them.

  The dealer handed it to Matt. “Feel that?”

  “Whoa. It weighs a ton.”

  “More like a pound.” The older man smiled at Colt.

  Allie took hold of it. “Is it solid gold?”

  “No. The base is sterling silver made by Montana Silversmiths.”

  “Hey, Dad? Did you hear that?”

  “Montana’s the best.”

  The collector pointed out the features. “See these ribbons, letters and cast figures?” Allie nodded. “They’re made of 24-carat gold. Did you know it took 110 hours to produce this?”

  “You’re kidding!” his daughter cried in wonder.

  “And thousands of hours of practice for your father to win it,” Kathryn pointed out.

  “I’ll make you a deal. I was hoping to sell it for thirty thousand dollars, but since it’s rightly yours, I’ll let you buy it back for twenty thousand dollars.”

  “I appreciate that, but fair is fair.” He pulled out his credit card. “If you don’t charge me the full amount, I won’t buy it.”

  “Very well, but I won’t add on tax.” He swiped the card and Colt signed the slip.

  “The buckle’s yours, Mr. Brenner. Shall I wrap it up in a box?”

  “No!” Allie cried. “Put it on your belt, Dad.”

  “Yeah,” Matt seconded.

  Colt turned to Kathryn. “You think?”

  Her eyes had gone so fiery a blue, they made his water. “Do it.”

  He undid the one from his belt and snapped in the gold buckle.

  Allie grinned. “You look hot, Dad.”

  “You’re the man!” his son exclaimed.

  Kathryn sent him a private smile before she turned to the other man. “Will you give me the name of the collector who sold it to you? That person might have other rodeo memorabilia we’d like to buy.”

  The buckle was stolen property. Colt understood the man’s hesitation, but she had a way of allaying his fears.

  “Just a minute.” He disappeared in the back room of his store.

  While he was gone, Kathryn eyed the twins. “Let’s show off your dad and take him to that ice cream parlor we passed. The sign said the Cornhusker superduper sundae is supposed to serve six. I would imagine you can finish off what we can’t eat,” she teased Matt.

  In the midst of the joviality, the owner came out with a card he handed to Kathryn. He smiled at Colt. “I’m glad you have your buckle back.”

  “So am I. Thank you.”

  “You really have earned it the hard way,” Kathryn said when they left the store. “If I were you, I’d always wear it. With it on your person rather than sitting on the mantel or framed against a wall, someone would have to steal it off you and we know that couldn’t possibly happen. Don’t we, kids?”

  “Yup. Dad would annihilate them.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes.” Allie put her arm through Colt’s.

  The idea of Kathryn trying to wrestle it away from him filled his mind all the way to the ice cream store.

  When they were halfway through their mammoth dessert, Kathryn’s cell phone rang. Since yesterday when she’d surprised him at the pen, he’d been in a different world and resented the slightest interference. They had plans to stay over in Omaha tonight.

  Whatever the news, she paled and got up from the chair, turning her back to them. Colt felt shredded. The twins’ crestfallen expressions said it all.

  He joined her and waited until she’d hung up. “What’s wrong?”

  Her face was a study in pain. “That was Maggie. She said our father slipped on some ice and fell while he was shoveling. Oh, Colt! It knocked him unconscious and he hasn’t come out of it yet. Mother’s freaking out!”

  News of that kind would shake anyone, but this was Kathryn’s father, the man she worshipped.

  “She’s chartered a plane. It’s waiting for me at the airport. I have to go.” She looked at him, but he knew she wasn’t seeing him. That terrible foreboding he’d experienced twice in his life crept over him once more. Kathryn had ties she could never give up for him. He sensed in his soul she was slipping away from him. It had been a dream, after all.

  “Of course. Let’s go, kids.”

  The twins heard what she said and hurried out the door with them. Colt braced her arm as they ran toward the rental car.

  KATHRYN FLEW DOWN the hall of North Avenues Hospital to her father’s private room. Fearing the worst, she opened the door to discover all her siblings had assembled, yet she sensed at once there was a festive mood with a lot of talking going on.

  Her mother sat on the far side of the bed with a happy expression on her face. Kathryn’s anxious gaze shot to her father. He was awake!

  “Darling girl! Come over here and let me give you a hug.”

  “Dad!” she cried for joy and hurried to the side of the bed.

  “Kind of reminds me of when you were in the hospital and we all walked in to find our Kathryn lying there with your leg in a cast.”

  “I’ll never forget.” When she felt his arms go around her shoulders, she started to sob and couldn’t stop.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. I just took a little longer to wake up, but the scan says everything’s fine.”

  “Thank heaven. If I’d lost you…”

  He looked at her mother. “No one’s going to lose me yet. Maggie said you were in Omaha with Mr. Brenner and his family.”

  She wiped her eyes. “Yes.” She felt Jake’s gaze on her. “H-he bought back the gold buckle that was stolen from him,” she stammered. “When I left him, he was wearing it.”

  “I’d like to see one of those up close. When are we going to meet him and his twins?”

  The family had done a lot of talking. “He has no reason to come to Salt Lake. Right now Jake’s trying to find his wife for him.” There was no sense hiding anything when they all probably knew everything anyway. She clutched his hand. “What does the doctor say about you?”

  “Provided there are no complications, I’ll be able to go home in the morning.”

  “I’ll stay with you tonight.”

  “There’s no need for that, honey,” her mother spoke. “They’ll bring in a cot for me.”

  Maggie put an arm around Kathryn. “You’re coming home with Jake and me tonight. You haven’t been over in ages. Robbie’s been missing his aunt.”

  As long as her father was going to be all right, Kathryn needed to be alone, but she refrained from telling Maggie in front of everyone.

  She kissed her father once more. “No matter how good you feel, Dad, you look tired. We’d better leave so you can get the rest you need.” The nurse in her had come out.

  Kathryn went around the bed to kiss her mother. “I’ll come to the house tomorrow to help.”

  “Thank you, honey. We’ll love it.”

  The room slowly emptied. Maggie waited for her at the door to the staircase. “Walk down with me so we can talk in private and not be bombarded by reporters wanting to know about Dad.” Kathryn gladly agreed. “If he’d awakened an hour sooner, I wouldn’t have called and ruined your trip.”

  “I’d still rather be here with him until
I know he’s out of the woods. As for Colt, I get the impression he doesn’t take many weekend trips away from the ranch with his children. They had a lot of plans after I left, so the timing was perfect.”

  “Not for you.”

  “Don’t read more into this than there is, Maggie. I went to Omaha in the hope of picking up a lead on Natalie. The collector gave me the name and number of the person who sold the buckle to him, so the trip wasn’t in vain.”

  They paused on the next landing. “What do you mean ‘in vain’?”

  “Maggie…he’s married.”

  “For heaven sake’s, Kathryn. That’s something easily dissolved.”

  “He told me he could’ve had her declared legally dead a long time ago, but the desire wasn’t strong enough to bother. I think he wants to see her again because he’s never been able to let go of her memory.”

  “That sounds sick. Colt Brenner doesn’t strike me as a sick man. I think he meant exactly what he said. It would take an exceptional woman for him to get interested in marriage again enough to do something about his marital status. Whether Natalie is located or not, if that special woman comes along, you can bet he’ll make sure he’s single a second time.”

  Kathryn hurried down the next flight of stairs. Her sister was faster and blocked her from further movement.

  “Stop looking at me like that, Maggie. I’m not that special woman.”

  “There’s something you need to know.”

  When her sister got that look in her eye, Kathryn felt the hairs lift on the back of her neck. “What?”

  “This is classified. Jake would kill me if he knew I told you,” she admitted.

  “That’s the last thing you have to worry about. My brother-in-law’s so in love with you it’s sickening.” She walked around Maggie and started down the last set of stairs to the parking level.

  “What if I told you Colt told Jake he was going to start proceedings?”

  Kathryn almost tripped on the steps and had to grab hold of the railing.

  “I thought that might give you something to think about, considering he could still put it off until or if she’s found,” Maggie said in a tone of satisfaction.

  When they opened the door to the underground garage, Jake was waiting for them. They walked her to her Jeep and helped her in. “We’ll see you at home.”

  “Actually I’m going to the condo. But thanks for the offer, you two. I have a lot of foundation business to catch up on. If I do it tonight, then I’ll have time to spend with Mom and Dad tomorrow. Good night.”

  On the way home she checked her voice mail. Her heart raced when she saw that Colt had left a message.

  I phoned Jake a little while ago. He told me your father gained consciousness with no complications and could be going home as early as tomorrow. I can only imagine your joy. If you have a minute tomorrow, call me and give me an update. The twins are very anxious to hear from you.

  Colt, Colt. Was it true what Maggie said? She was terrified to believe it, but more terrified not to.

  With the phone still in her hand, she realized Donna had also left her a message.

  I received a call from Allie Brenner through the foundation hotline. She says it’s urgent she get in touch with you. I knew you’d want to know.

  Kathryn had just parked in the plaza garage. She briefly closed her eyes. She’d always been completely honest with Colt and honored his wishes, but she couldn’t ignore his daughter’s plea. Without hesitation, she phoned Donna.

  “Hi. I just listened to your message. Did Allie leave her cell phone number?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then will you text her with my number so she can call me direct?” Where Colt was concerned, the need to keep everything aboveboard was paramount.

  “Of course. I’ll do it right now. I heard about your father on the news. They said he’s gained consciousness. Is he going to be all right?”

  “Yes, thank heaven. He’ll go home tomorrow.”

  “That’s wonderful news. Talk to you later.”

  Kathryn hung up and dashed inside the tower. As she walked out of the elevator into her condo, the phone rang. She checked the caller ID and clicked on.

  “Hi, Allie.”

  “I know I’m not supposed to call you, but I couldn’t help it,” she began before she started to cry.

  “It’s all right, darling. I’m glad you phoned.”

  She heard sniffing. “You are?”

  “Of course.”

  “Dad said your father was going to be okay.”

  “Yes. It’s the best news.”

  “I know you love your father the way I love mine. If anything happened to Dad, I’d want to die.”

  “Nothing’s going to happen to either of our dads, Allie. Mine still has years of living to do yet, and yours is going to see you and Matt grow up, go to college, get married, have children and be a grandpa to them. As Matt says, he’s such a dude he’ll be showing your sons how to bull ride.”

  Allie’s laughter between the tears was music to her ears.

  “What was that frontier museum at the hotel like?”

  “I don’t know. We’re back home. Dad didn’t want to stay in Omaha. None of us did without you.” Those words melted Kathryn’s heart. “Uh-oh. I’ve got to go.”

  That meant Colt had walked in on his daughter. Kathryn hung up the phone and removed her coat, reliving the moment when Maggie had called to tell her about their father.

  One day they would lose their dad, yet she had the conviction she’d be able to handle it. But when she boarded the plane taking her to Salt Lake and looked back at Colt, a paralyzing chill went through because she knew it would be a different story if he went out of her life.

  COLT SAT DOWN at the side of Allie’s bed. She’d hidden herself beneath the covers. “I thought I heard you talking to someone. Isn’t it rather late for you to be on the phone with friends?”

  In a minute she pushed back the quilt and sat up. “I phoned the foundation hotline and left a message for Katy. She called me back. Are you mad at me?”

  “No,” he said. “Thank you for being honest.”

  “I know you said her dad was getting better, but I just had to talk to her for a minute.”

  “I understand.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “I love her.”

  He could hardly swallow. “I’m aware of that.”

  She drew her knees up to her chest. “Dad? You know that promise you made to find our mom?”

  “How could I forget?”

  “While you were on the phone with Ed, Matt and I talked about it and we’ve decided we don’t want you to look for her.”

  Colt hadn’t seen that one coming. “Why not?”

  “B-because,” she stammered, “if she’d been like Katy, she wouldn’t have left. I also know you don’t want to see her again.”

  Nope. Natalie had been dead to him since the moment she’d told him she wanted to abort their children.

  “Even if you find her, she won’t want to see us, otherwise she would have come years ago. We don’t want her to come if it isn’t her own idea.”

  His children were growing up so fast, it took his breath away.

  She bowed her head. “You know when I was in the hospital?”

  “Yes?”

  “Katy took care of me the way Mrs. Wagner takes care of Jen when she’s sick, only Katy’s different and clever and smarter and a lot more exciting and so kind she makes me cry. Oh, Dad, I—I feel so ashamed.” Her voice caught.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Allie unexpectedly threw her arms around his neck and sobbed. Her words came out in spurts. “All those years she didn’t have a mother or a father to love her, but Matt and I have always had you. You’re the most wonderful father in the whole world.”

  Colt could hear Kathryn’s voice as she’d imitated those exact words of Allie’s to him over the phone.

  “Will you forgive me for putting you through so much pa
in?”

  He hugged her close. “Allie sweetheart, we’ve been through this before. There’s nothing to forgive.”

  “Yes, there is. Because of me, you hired Katy’s brother-in-law and it has put him and her sister out. Please call him and tell him to stop looking for her. To be honest, I’m afraid he might find her and it will all have been for nothing because Matt and I never want to see her or know her. Matt never really did, but he went along with me.”

  Well, well…nothing could be any plainer than that.

  He kissed the top of her head before letting her go. “I’ll call him tonight to let him know.”

  “Thanks.” She wiped the moisture off her face with the sheet.

  Colt got up from the bed. He paused at the door to look back at her. “You want to know something?”

  “What?”

  “If you hadn’t gone to Salt Lake and met Kathryn, I wouldn’t be wearing my gold buckle. How happy do you think that makes me?”

  A smile broke out on her face. “Pretty happy.”

  “Yup. Good night, honey.”

  He stopped by Matt’s room. His son was on the computer looking up bull-riding trivia. “As far as I can tell, no one’s ever had better scores than you, Dad.”

  “Keep looking. You’ll find them.” He put a hand on his shoulder. “I was just speaking with your sister. She asked me to call off the search for your mother.”

  Matt looked up at him. “Yeah. Is that okay with you?”

  “It was always okay with me.”

  He smiled. “That’s what I thought.”

  “Then we’re good?” Colt asked.

  “Yeah.” They high-fived each other. “Dad?” Matt called out as he started to leave the room.

  Pausing mid-stride, Colt turned to him. “What is it?”

  “It was fun flying to Omaha with Katy. She’s awesome.”

  Awesome didn’t begin to cover it.

  BESIDES WORRYING about her father, Kathryn spent a restless night waiting for morning to come so she could phone Colt. Her abrupt departure from them in Omaha, coupled with Allie’s brief call last night, had left her hanging. She’d hoped to make contact before she had to leave for the Grand America Hotel this morning to give a talk.