The Rancher's Housekeeper Read online

  “I need to find her and the baby if it’s possible.”

  He sat forward in his chair. “It’s possible, but you won’t have to go looking.”

  “Why not?”

  “After running her name through the database, I discovered she’d been taken into custody some time ago and is now imprisoned at the women’s facility in Pierre.”

  “What?” Geena’s gaze swerved to Colt in shock.

  “In January of this year eight members of a gang were arrested in Sturges, South Dakota, in a drug bust. She and her boyfriend were among that gang. The charges against her included theft of cash, possession of drugs, operating in a cocaine facility, distributing cocaine inside a school zone to name a few. Because of her prior felonies, she was sentenced to twenty years.”

  “Oh, how awful—” she blurted in pain. “What about the baby?”

  “She delivered a girl born at Mercy Hospital here in Rapid City on November the sixth.”

  “A little girl?”

  “Yes. She was born prematurely and kept in the hospital due to complications of drug addiction.”

  “I was afraid of that.”

  “Two months later Janice was arrested.”

  Geena groaned. “Where’s the baby now?”

  “At a group home here in Rapid City.”

  “So close? But what about visitation? It’s a long way to Pierre from here. Who takes the baby to her?”

  “There’s been no visitation because she signed away her parental rights. When she declared that the father was deceased, she named you as the one remaining relative who might be interested in the baby. But she said that you were in prison and it seemed unlikely you would make a custody claim, since you’d been sentenced to sixty years.”

  The detective sent Colt a look. “In anticipation of our meeting, I ordered DNA testing done on her. As for your brother, the hospital took a sample of his DNA when he was flown to the hospital after his accident. They ran the tests for me and both came out a match, Geena. She’s your niece. I’ve already alerted Mrs. Wharton at social services who’s involved in this case. She now has all the particulars.”

  Geena’s ecstatic squeal filled the whole room. She leaped out of the chair straight into Colt’s arms. He caught her to him while she sobbed for the second time that day. He knew what this news meant to her.

  When she’d recovered, she turned to the detective. “Can I see her?”

  “Of course. I told the person in charge to expect you. The baby is in a facility run by the St. Francis convent as part of their outreach program. I’ve written down the address for you.” He handed it to her.

  “I know where this is.” She lifted star-filled eyes to Colt. “We’re only five miles from there.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  The detective saw them to the door. “Good luck to you, Geena.”

  Tears streamed down her face. “Thank you for being you, for being there at the right time and the right place for me. I’ll never forget you for as long as I live.”

  Colt watched the detective swallow hard. “Days like this make it worth it.”

  He’d taken the words right out of Colt’s mouth. To see Geena this happy on the inside changed her entire countenance. If Colt himself could ever make her this happy…

  They hurried out to the truck and she told him where to drive. It wasn’t long before they reached the grounds of the convent and pulled around to the main doors marked for visitors. Once they went inside, there were arrows pointing the way to the group-home area. Colt grasped her hand while they walked down a hallway to the glassed-in reception room.

  A sister looked up from the desk. “May I help you?”

  “My name is Geena Williams, and this is my friend, Mr. Colt Brannigan.” At least Geena hadn’t called him her employer, but the word friend didn’t cover what he felt for her. “I’m here to see a little girl Lieutenant Crowther told me you have. I just found out she’s my niece.”

  The older woman smiled. “Oh yes. He phoned to tell me you were coming and he has alerted the social worker working on this case. Please sit down.”

  “I understand the baby was sick after she was born.”

  “I’m afraid so. Because she came two months prematurely, her lungs were underdeveloped and the drugs in her system almost took her life. It was a fight for quite a while, but she finally started to do a little better. She’s still not thriving the way the doctor would like to see. For a seven-month-old, she seems closer to five.”

  Geena looked stricken by the news. “Are you saying her mental capacity has been affected, too?”

  “No, no. But she’s taking longer to catch up physically. The doctor said it was normal in these situations. We try to pay as much attention to all the children as we can, but we have a full nursery. Most people wanting to adopt are searching for a healthy newborn.”

  Colt knew Geena couldn’t take any more waiting. “Could we see the baby, Sister?”

  “Of course. I’ll bring her to you.”

  Geena’s complexion had taken on a pallor he didn’t like. “You heard the sister. The baby is fine. She just needs some good old TLC. Sometimes a new colt struggles at first, so you baby it and talk to it, feed it more often and pretty soon it’s prancing around like all the others.”

  A glimmer of a smile appeared. “You’re right. I’m so thankful you’re with me, Colt.” She reached for his hand and clung. His pulse raced because it was one of the few times she’d taken the initiative with him. He’d been waiting for her to act on her own with him. “I couldn’t have done this alone.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t have to.”

  Before long the sister appeared with what did look like a five-month-old infant dressed in clean unisex overalls and a shirt too big for her thin frame. He watched Geena’s eyes clap on her niece.

  “I don’t believe it,” she cried softly when the sister lowered her into Geena’s arms. “Oh, you darling little thing. You’ve got your daddy’s brown hair and blue eyes, but the rest of you is Janice.”

  Not all. There was enough of Geena’s beautiful mouth and chin thrown in the mix to tug at Colt’s heart. The baby’s lower lip quivered and she started to cry.

  “Have I frightened you? I’m so sorry. I’m your Aunt Geena and I love you to death.”

  Colt knew that.

  She put the baby against her shoulder and rocked her until she calmed down a little. “Sister? What’s her name?”

  “We have no idea, but we’ve called her Lori.”

  “That was my mother’s name! How did she come by it?”

  “I’m told that when the baby was taken to the hospital, this was wrapped in the blanket.” She handed her a tiny gold charm with the name Lori inscribed.

  “This is my charm, the one my grandmother gave to me to remember my mother!” She showed it to Colt. “Todd must have found it among my things.”

  Colt nodded. “Janice may have sold off everything else, but she had enough of a conscience to save this when she gave up her baby and mentioned you.”

  Tearing up like crazy, Geena got to her feet and started walking around the room while she cuddled her niece. “Lori is the perfect name for you, my little darling. Lori Louise Williams.” She turned a beaming face to Colt. “Louise was my grandmother’s name. The one who raised me.”

  By now Colt had joined them. He kissed Lori’s nose. “She’s a real beauty, just like her aunt.” He pressed a kiss to the side of Geena’s neck so she wouldn’t forget all about him. Her answering quiver meant she was still aware of him.

  “Sister? Would it be possible to keep her for the weekend?” The pleading in Geena’s voice was too much for Colt. “We’ll be staying at a hotel tonight. I want to get to know my niece.”

  “You don’t live here?”

 
“No,” Colt asserted. “Geena makes her permanent home with my family as housekeeper on the Floral

  Valley Ranch outside Sundance. It’s just over the South Dakota/Wyoming border less than two hours from here.

  “Since Geena is Lori’s only living relative and plans to adopt her, she’d like to take her home immediately so the bonding can begin. We have our own doctors in Sundance and the ranch is already equipped with a nursery. Is there any reason why we can’t take her with us right now?”

  A big smile lit up the sister’s face. “None at all. When the detective called, I told him I hoped this would be the result. If you’ll drive over to social services now, you can make formal arrangements for the adoption with Mrs. Wharton. Then you can come back and pick up the baby.”

  “We’ll do it!” He turned to Geena. She looked as if she’d gone into shock. The good kind. “After we meet with Mrs. Wharton, we’ll check out of the hotel and run by a store to buy a car seat and carrycot for Lori. The rest we’ll figure out when we stop for dinner in Sundance with our new little bundle.” He kissed her mouth.

  “Colt—” He could see the gratitude brimming over in her eyes. But he also heard the worry in her voice. This was one time he didn’t want to listen to all the reasons she couldn’t let him do this for her.

  * * *

  In three weeks Lori was blossoming. Now that

  Travis and Lindsey had moved back to their house, Lori had inherited the crib. She loved the pink hearts and reached for them and the figures hanging from the Mother Goose mobile Colt had bought.

  Geena was delighted to see her little body had started to fill out. She wiggled and smiled all the time, especially when Colt was around. He was supposed to be the hard-working head of the ranch, but Geena swore he spent more time with her and Lori in her bedroom than anywhere else.

  She would never forget what he’d told her about nurturing a sickly colt. Hands down he made the perfect father. Whether it was feeding Lori her bottle, holding her over his shoulder when she threw up, diapering her, walking her at night when she cried, he was right there to help. Clearly there were two women in Geena’s bedroom who worshipped the ground he walked on.

  When the next Wednesday rolled around, he took over feeding Lori while Geena prepared breakfast for the family. After everyone had eaten and disappeared, he got up and put the baby over his shoulder to get out any burps.

  “Geena? I’m flying to Casper on business in a few minutes. I won’t be back before Friday. I’ll be bringing Hank home with me.”

  “I’m sure you can’t wait for his help again.”

  “That goes without saying.” He looked tired. That was because he did everyone else’s work plus his own. It was too much. “Mandy’s going to be happy, too. You know you can call me any time, and Travis is here for you day or night.”

  She’d been loading the dishwasher. It was a good thing her back was turned to him because she was afraid to look at him right then. He’d done more for her than any human being could be expected to do, but there was just one thing wrong with this picture.

  He’s not your husband, Geena, and he never will be.

  “I know,” she said without turning around. “Be sure to fly safely.”

  “I plan to take extra care. Lori’s going to miss me, aren’t you, sweetheart?”

  “Of course she will. You’ve spoiled her.”

  “She shouldn’t be so beautiful. That’s because she takes after you. It’s a good thing she’s too young for me to worry about boys flocking around her,” he said before leaving the kitchen.

  Geena couldn’t take his banter any longer, not when he wasn’t the marrying kind. The time had come to carry out her plan. She’d been thinking about it since the day they’d brought Lori home, but it had never seemed the right time to leave his employ until now. The only way she could consider doing it was because Lori had given her the one reason to go on living without Colt.

  She’d taken the housekeeping job not knowing what the future would hold. But the reality of the baby had changed everything. Geena had already signed the necessary papers and was waiting for the adoption to go through. Even if Colt were to tell her he’d like her to stay on indefinitely as the housekeeper, he hadn’t expected her to bring a baby under his roof. No, no.

  Once he’d left the house, she picked up the carrycot and took Lori to her bedroom. She had just enough time to pack up and write him a letter before Alice arrived to clean. But Geena had another job for Alice to do as soon as she got there.

  * * *

  “Where’s the fire, bro?”

  Colt made a grunting sound. “I’ve been gone two days.” Once they left the airfield, he drove the truck faster.

  “If there were something wrong, Mac would have phoned,” Hank reasoned. “I thought you said everything was fine when you talked to Geena last night.”

  “That’s what she said, but I’m not so sure.”

  “You think Mom’s sick? Or Lori, and she’s not telling you?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell going to find out.” Geena had said all the right things during his two conversations with her. And yet something had been missing and he didn’t like the vibes he was getting.

  When they reached the ranch house, Colt levered himself from the cab and rushed inside the house. He headed straight for his mother’s room with Hank trailing. They found her and Ina out on the veranda. All seemed well.

  After he kissed her and had a small chat with Ina, Colt walked through the house to find Geena. The first red flag went up when he saw Alice going up the stairs. This wasn’t her day to work.

  “Hi, Alice.”

  She turned around. “Hey, Colt.”

  “What are you doing here today?”

  “Helping out.”

  Her non-answer made him totally suspicious and he headed straight for Geena’s bedroom. When he walked in, he realized it had been vacated. Everything looked exactly as it had before Geena had arrived on the scene. No remnants of the baby or Geena. Nothing…

  Sick to the core of his being, his eyes darted to the dresser where he saw an envelope propped next to some keys. Hardly able to breathe, he took the steps necessary to reach for it, then sank down on the side of the bed. When he opened the envelope and withdrew the letter, a wad of money fell out. The sight of it produced pain more excruciating than the horns of any rogue steer that had ever gored him.

  Dear Colt—

  How do I begin to thank you for all you’ve done for me? I had a talk with Alice a few weeks ago. She said you were a great man born with the soul of a Lakota. Your life is in harmony with the earth and all things living, giving you balance.

  I agree with her. Everyone comes to you because you’re wise and generous, and so good it makes me cry. It’s been my privilege to know you. As we said in the beginning, the contract was temporary. But things got out of balance when I found Lori and she was able to come home with me. You told the sister I had a permanent home with you, but it wasn’t true. That wasn’t part of the contract, so I’ve moved on.

  Alice said she would fill in as housekeeper until you can find a permanent one. I hope you won’t be upset with me for that. She loves you and she’s wonderful. Best of all, she knows how to take care of your home and your family better than anyone else.

  The money is payment for the two months’ salary you’ve given me along with all the extras. I was no housekeeper and didn’t earn a dime of it. You took me in out of the kindness of your heart. You let me play house and cook. You clothed and fed me in my hour of need. All of it brought me joy beyond description.

  I wish you great joy in the future. Above all people, you deserve it.

  God bless you, dearest Colt.

  Geena.

  Colt crushed the letter in his hand before he flew from the room out of breath. “Al
ice?”

  He checked his movements when he saw her standing at the other end of the hall. “Yes, Colt?”

  “Where is she?”

  “The last time I saw her was in Sundance at the used-car dealership,” she answered, calm as the summer day outside.

  Geena had sworn Alice to secrecy.

  His pain escalated because he knew Alice would never lie to him. “Do you think she went to Rapid City?”

  She stared at him for a full minute. “I would not look for her in South Dakota. Perhaps Lindsey knows the truth.”

  Her Lakota soul had spoken to his, sending him a sign. He covered the distance between them and kissed her forehead before he set out to talk to his sister-in-law.

  * * *

  After being gone several hours on Saturday morning, Geena pulled up in front of her room at the Sleepy Time Motel in Laramie. It catered to families by providing rooms with a kitchenette and a crib, all the comforts of home for her and Lori.

  She pulled the baby from the new car seat of her used Toyota and put her in the fold-up stroller she’d bought in Sundance with her own money. After grabbing the sack of ready-made formula from the front seat, she hurried inside the room to put Lori down for a nap with her bottle.

  Geena had bought a newspaper and planned to look for live-in housekeeper jobs here. If there was no response in a few days, she’d head south to Fort

  Collins, Colorado. So far she’d found out nobody wanted a housekeeper with a baby.

  Thanks to Alice, who’d driven her and Lori to the used-car dealership in Sundance on Wednesday, she’d been able to buy a second-hand car. She’d only brought their luggage and the carrycot with her. After thanking Alice profusely and waving her off, she was able to drive to the bank and withdraw some of her money. The rest she left in the account until she reached her final destination and had it transferred to a new bank.

  Back at the ranch she’d left the keys on the dresser along with an envelope containing a letter to Colt and $7,000.00 in cash to repay him for everything. Alice had agreed to take over as temporary housekeeper until Colt found a new one. With that resolved, she’d set out to establish her new life with Lori away from the