Sipping her coffee, Katie burned her tongue. Frowning, she absorbed Joe’s reasonable explanation. “You’re right, we’re all in a battle called life. And friends are indispensable.”
“And you’re looking pretty embattled right now. The least I can do is listen, Katie. Now—” and Joe gave her a slight smile “—I can’t guarantee I’ll have any answers for you on how to fix it, but I have a broad set of shoulders and a pair of good ears. And I’d like to be your friend, Katie.”
His voice, deep and low with sincerity, made all of Katie’s arguments go away. It was Joe’s eyes, burning with tenderness, that gave her the courage to speak. Taking a deep breath, she launched into the whole story, from beginning to end. Her hands were damp and she hugged the mug because it was warm in comparison to the cold, desolate feeling inside her. After hearing the story, Katie was sure Joe would quit. Who would want to work with someone who had so much baggage?
Joe listened without interruption. When Katie finished, she took a gulp of coffee, as if to fortify herself. Reading her gaze, he could see she was frightened and unsure of how he was going to react. His mouth was dry, his heart pounding because his biggest question had been answered. Keeping his tone nonjudgmental, he asked, “This is the first time you knew where your mother lived?”
Katie nodded. “Yes. I didn’t know Iris had hired Norah to try and find her.” Voice softening, Katie added, “Iris loves me. She always has. And in some ways, I guess I’m like a granddaughter to her. Iris knew how important it was for me to find my mother. And she knew the state wasn’t going to give me the information.” Katie rubbed her brow. “I think because her adopted son, Rudd, had gone through the same terrible questions not knowing answers about his own background, she was able to understand what I was going through on a daily basis.”
“It must be hard,” Joe said, “always to wonder who your mom and dad were.” There were tears in her eyes. Sitting a little straighter, Katie gave him a slight nod. Her hands were moving the mug around and around in a circle.
“The questions are always there,” Katie said. “You wonder why they abandoned you. Was I not wanted?” She gave him a flustered look. “Joe, I often thought I must have been such an ugly baby that Janet gave me up.”
“I hope that kind of thinking changed when the PI’s report was given to you.” Now he knew what the file on her desk had been all about. And why Katie had taken it with her after the picture had fallen out yesterday morning. It was Norah’s report on Janet Bergstrom.
“Sort of,” Katie hedged. “I hope Janet will return my call. Oh, God.” She looked up to the top of the ceiling, her voice wobbly, “I pray she calls me back, Joe.”
Reaching out, he stilled her restless hands for a moment. “Listen to me, Katie. You’re a beautiful young woman with a heart of gold. There isn’t anyone who isn’t touched by your kindness and care. Look at the raptors and how they respond to you.” His fingers tightened momentarily on her damp hand. “Iris and Donna love you.” He almost said, And I care so damn much for you my heart aches, but he didn’t dare. Katie was too focused on finding Janet. She had enough to deal with.
Joe’s hand was dry and warm across hers. Her heart beat wildly in her chest. Katie melted over his deep voice. But she was unsure of what was going on between them. All she could do was stare at him. “You’re right. My head knows that, Joe, but my heart doesn’t. All my life I’ve tried to be ruled by my head.” Pressing her fingers against her heart, she said, “But in the end, Joe, my feelings run me. I could never stop thinking about who my mom was.”
Joe forced himself to release her hand. “And I’m sure it stunned you to hear she’d been in prison.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I was so ashamed, Joe. I felt so horrible knowing my mother was a drug addict and a gunrunner. And I don’t know who my father was.” She gulped. “I—I had other ideas about who she was.”
“That’s understandable,” Joe soothed. He ached to pull Katie into his arms. Right now, she was stripped bare, grappling with some devastating news. But the woman had steel in her spine. Katie’s shoulders were not stooped and she wasn’t hanging her head. Instead, she sat straight, her chin slightly jutted out, as if finding some hidden strength deep within her to survive this experience.
“I hardly slept last night, Joe. I knew I had to call her. And I was never so scared as this morning when I did.”
“At least she didn’t hang up on you.”
“I know...I’m trying to see the positive side of our conversation.”
“Do you think Janet will call back?”
Shrugging, Katie said in an anguished tone, “I don’t know, Joe. I hope with every cell in my body, she does. But then, I wonder what’s next? Will she meet me? Or will she tell me she wants nothing to do with me?”
Joe set his cup on the desk. He rose and held out his hand to her. “Come here, Katie. I need to hold you for just a moment. You can’t go through this alone. I’m here for you....”
Without thinking, Katie stood and stepped into his arms. She was exhausted by events, craving the support Joe was offering her. She didn’t see hungry desire in his eyes as he made the offer. No, he was sympathetic, caring, and her heart had screamed at her to take him up on his offer. In his embrace, her head nestling against his jaw and shoulder, his arms encircling her, a tremulous sigh broke from her parted lips. She could smell the scent of fresh pine lingering on his dark blue cotton shirt. Instinctively, Katie inhaled his male scent and felt her nerves calm. His arms were strong and she could hear the slow, thudding beat of his heart beneath her ear. And most of all, Katie felt all the fear and anxiety dissolve as he held her against him. Whether Joe knew it or not, Katie realized that for the first time in her life she felt safe.
CHAPTER EIGHT
JANET DRUMMED HER FINGERS on the office desk. “I don’t know what to do, Xavier.” He’d just arrived a half hour earlier from Casper. It was dark, nearly 9:00 p.m., and he looked weary. Janet didn’t hold back anything about the unexpected phone call from her daughter. She searched his darkening features as he sat down in front of her desk and tugged at his black mustache, a sign he was in thought.
“I’m sure it was a surprise,” Xavier agreed. He slouched in the chair. “You said you drove over to the Elk Horn Ranch to see her twice before this? That she’s working and living on the ranch in Jackson Hole?”
“Yes, I managed to track her down through the state agency. It wasn’t really hard to do since I’d given her my last name.” Janet inhaled the smoke from the cigarette. Xavier didn’t do drugs and refused to allow her to smoke marijuana in his presence. Her nerves were jangled and her fingers shook as she tapped the ashes into the green ashtray.
Shrugging, he tiredly wiped his watering eyes. “That’s how she got to you.” He thought it had been stupid of Janet to give her daughter her last name. But this might be a good thing. Hand dropping from his eyes, he stared across the desk at Janet. Her dyed-blond hair was piled up on her head. When she wasn’t drugged up to her eyeballs, she actually looked quite the American businesswoman. She wore a dark blue pantsuit and a tasteful white silk T-shirt along with some gold earrings and a slender gold necklace he’d gifted her with a long time ago. One thing about Janet: she was loyal to him. She was someone he could count on when others in his organization were always suspect. He smiled a little. “This could be a windfall, mi corazón.”
“How?” Janet frowned. She puffed on the cigarette, wishing it was a joint. She’d been high on weed all day until Xavier had arrived at her office. Now, her raw nerves were screaming and a cigarette certainly did not do the trick.
Sitting up, Xavier smiled. “You’re going to set up a new business in that town. Wouldn’t it be fortuitous to reacquaint yourself with your daughter? Did she say how long she’d lived in Jackson Hole?”
“No, and I didn’t ask, either.”
Nodding, Xavier said, “If your daughter is a well-liked and known quantity in Jackson Hole, this could work well for you, Janet.”
Janet quirked her eyebrows. “I don’t see how.” And yet, deep down, she wanted to see Katie. How had life shaped her daughter without her being around to screw it up? Was Katie into drugs, too? After all, she had druggie parents, although Janet felt she kept her addiction under tight control.
“If your estranged daughter is well thought of by the local people, especially the police department, then she can provide good cover for you. Once you find the right building space to lease, we’ll be moving drugs and guns through it. And if you connect with her, become her mother once more, the police are going to be a lot less likely to suspect you.”
“Hmm, hadn’t looked at it from that angle,” Janet grudgingly admitted. She sat back in her chair and felt relief. Xavier always knew what to do. “She could provide cover if she’s not in trouble with the law.”
“You need to find out if she has a criminal record. Just go to one of the many sites on the internet, pay your money and get an illegal activities report on her.”
“I’d done some research on her, Xavier. From what I can tell, Katie’s a raptor rehabilitator who lives with the Mason family. You aren’t aware of them, but they have the largest, richest and most successful ranch in that valley. Iris Mason is a well-respected woman in Jackson Hole. I don’t think Katie would be invited to live on her ranch, much less live in the main family house, if she had a prison record.”
“True,” Xavier said. “I like the way this is shaping up. Katie could be vital cover for you. If Iris is held in high esteem, Katie likely will be, too. You are known by the friends you travel with.” He grinned a little. Janet seemed pensive and he knew she was feeling her way through the process. “I like the idea of you returning her call. Meet with your daughter as soon as I leave. You have to go over to Jackson Hole anyway to lease space for your next courier service.”
“I’m worried about the Mexican cartel that’s trying to move into the town, Xavier. I don’t want any gunfights to break out. You know if they do, the cops will be down on me in a heartbeat. I can’t erase my prison record or the fact I work for you.”
“The FBI and ATF can’t prove you’ve worked for me since you got out of prison. I’ve taken great precautions not to be identified when I am in this country. Don’t you think if they suspected anything, they’d have busted you by now?”
“Yeah, I know you’re right.” Janet stubbed out the butt in the ashtray. She wanted a hit of grass so badly her hands shook. “The Mexican cartel has me worried. There’s an unwritten rule among cartels that if one lays claim to an area, the rest of them respect it and move on.”
Shrugging, Xavier smiled. “I’m from Guatemala. I think differently.” He saw the worry in her blue eyes. “That’s why you’re going to have a legitimate storefront. No one will suspect what is going on. We’ll use the packages to transport drugs and guns just like we do here. You’ve been in business a long time here in Cheyenne and law enforcement has left you alone. What we’re doing here and how we’re doing it is working, Janet. We’ll employ the same tools the same way over in Jackson Hole. You’ll keep a low profile. It will be another layer of protection because you’ll have your daughter working for you.”
Janet said, “I hadn’t thought about her working for me, but it’s a good idea.”
“How do you feel about meeting her?”
Janet lit another cigarette, the white smoke encircling her head. “I guess I’ve been wanting to meet her for a while, Xavier.”
Standing, Xavier reached across the desk and patted her hand. “It’s understandable. Return the call to Katie after I leave.”
Janet nodded and squeezed his hand. Xavier’s nails were manicured. So handsome, he always wore impeccable business suits that probably costs thousands of dollars. She released his hand and asked, “What if she doesn’t like me, Xavier? What else can I do?”
“I don’t know of any child who doesn’t want to reconnect with its mother, do you?”
“I wouldn’t know.” She managed a pained half smile. Janet felt extreme anxiety over calling Katie. Yet, her stupid, foolish heart had wanted this meeting.
“It’s time,” Xavier said softly. “Things will go fine, mi corazón.”
“Maybe it’s menopause,” Janet mused. “I feel driven to meet her. Before this, I never cared. Now, the last year, it’s all changed. I feel like a prisoner to my hormones.”
Laughing, he held out his hand. “Come, let’s drive to my hotel and have dinner, shall we? It’s our last night together before I leave for Idaho and Montana.”
* * *
“WHAT MAKES YOU THINK Katie Bergstrom isn’t a viable part of the Los Lobos?” Roger Hager demanded.
Joe paced the living room. It was early on Saturday morning and he was checking in with his FBI boss. Today, he didn’t have to go to work, although he wanted to. Being around Katie always lifted his spirit. “It’s a gut call,” he said. “Nothing more than that at this point. I’m going to visit a woman here in town who is the go-to person for the town. Gwen Garner is the mother of sheriff’s deputy Cade Garner. She’s considered a reliable person who knows the town’s gossip. I’m hoping she can give me a different angle on Katie.”
“Good.”
Joe halted in front of the window which looked eastward. He’d drawn up the venetian blinds and saw that the lawn was green and trim. The bushes were low so the valley surrounding them could be seen and appreciated. “Okay, I’ll call if I hear anything new from Gwen.” Joe ended the call and slipped the cell phone into his pocket. The sun was barely touching the horizon. Inhaling, he could smell coffee drifting down the hall from the kitchen.
He grabbed his socks and boots, sat down on the bed and pulled them on. Moving to the closet, Joe chose a blue chambray shirt. Today, he’d be working with his dad and learning the landscaping business. His afternoon, however, was free and he’d visit Gwen Garner at that time.
After combing his short brown hair, Joe looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He couldn’t shake the guilt he felt over remaining incognito to Katie. He had learned in Afghanistan to trust his gut. When he’d followed it without question, it had always kept him safe. When he’d ignored it, he had gotten into trouble. The morning his Humvee had hit an IED on the side of a dirt road leading into a village, his gut had warned him to take another route. He hadn’t. Mouth thinning over those memories, Joe placed the comb on the black granite countertop. His gut was telling him Katie was innocent.
Opening the door, he walked down the long hall toward the kitchen. The coffee smelled great. And he was happy to be near his parents, even though once this mission ended he’d be sent elsewhere. Joe had learned to appreciate the small everyday things of life. A chance to be with his parents at this stage of his life was a gift.
* * *
“JOE, NICE TO SEE YOU,” Gwen Garner called as she saw him walk to the counter of her quilting store. “How are you?”
Gwen was at one of the large cutting tables. She had just folded up fabric for a waiting customer. “Hi, Mrs. Garner.”
Gwen handed the material to the woman and thanked her. She moved around the counter and went to greet Joe, who was standing at the counter. “Now, you know better, Joe. Just call me Gwen. What brings you here? Does your mother want something?”
Smiling a little, Joe looked down at the gray-haired woman who was always spunky and warm. Gwen reminded him of a nurturing mother. He felt her care radiating toward him. “Actually, no. But do you have a minute? I have something I need to talk with you about.”
“Sure.” Gwen slipped her hand around his arm and led him to a quiet corner in the busy store. “Come this way...”
Once in the corner, Gwen released his arm. Automatically, she made sure each bolt
of fabric sat correctly on the shelves, straight and neat-looking. “Who do you want to know about?” She looked up at him and smiled.
Joe pushed his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “How did you know?”
“Oh,” Gwen said with a chuckle as she moved down the row of colorful batik fabrics, “men don’t usually come in here wanting quilt material.” And then she raised her gray brows. “But we do have some gentlemen who are wonderful quilters.” Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “Somehow, I don’t think you’re one of them, are you? As a kid, you were into football, Joe. I remember.”
Joe dipped his head, a sheepish grin spreading across his mouth. “You’re right, Gwen. I was into football, not sewing.” He saw her bend over, her fingers flying across the different bolts of fabric, straightening them here and there.
“I want to know about Katie Bergstrom.” He saw Gwen straighten and a twinkle come to her eyes. What was her reaction all about?
“Ahhh... I hear you’re enjoying your new job at her raptor facility?”
Uncomfortable, Joe gave her a limp smile. “You knew I work there?”
“Well, it’s no secret. Iris Mason was in here yesterday. She was praising you to the rafters.” Gwen smiled. “Are you happy out there, Joe?”
Suddenly, the tables were turned on him, he realized. Gwen Garner was very good at pulling information out of everyone, including him. She should have been an interviewer for the FBI. Moving a bit nervously, Joe said, “Yes, I like falconry.”
“Well, you know, if someone had asked me what Joe Gannon would do in life, falconry wouldn’t have come up. Oh, with your athletic background, the Marine Corps was the perfect career for you.” Gwen’s eyes narrowed as she held his gaze. “But falconry? You’re not a hunter like your dad. And you weren’t much of a hiker growing up. Though I know you enjoyed skiing and were very good at it.”
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