by Sheila Kell
WAKING ALONE IN a strange house sucked, the space beside her already cold. It made it worse that she wasn’t in the room she should’ve been in. Anxious, Kelly hoped she’d get back to her room without being seen. The last thing she wanted was for Mike to find her sneaking around.
Trent had made a breakthrough last night, and joy floated inside her. She’d known his back had been a problem for him, causing him angst. His cutting her out when he’d been injured had hurt her like nothing ever had. But she’d kept her secret from him about how she and Brian were going to marry. Heck, she’d just learned she was pregnant the morning of his incident.
Maybe it’d been best at the time, but she’d have liked to have been there for Trent. The two had cheered each other up so many times before. Well, mostly he’d cheered her up. More than once she’d wanted to tell him that he was her Mr. Right, but she’d always chickened out.
Hopefully, his reserve would show signs of cracking, and she’d have a way into his heart. Yet, there was something still bothering him. Something she feared held him back. Jamie probably knew.
At that unpleasant thought, she flipped the covers off, left the bed and dressed. Peeking out the door, she made sure the hallway was clear before she slipped from Trent’s room to hers.
Finally arriving downstairs after a quick shower and change of clothes, she followed the scent of breakfast to the kitchen. Her heart sank to her stomach when she didn’t find Trent. In lieu of the man she loved, AJ smiled when she entered the big country kitchen with its bright white cabinets and blue countertop. Sitting on a stool, pulled up at the island bar, he said, “Good morning, sleepy head,” then shoved a forkful of pancakes in his mouth.
Going to the cabinet that held glasses, she pulled one down and went to the refrigerator for orange juice. “Where is everyone?” Where is the man who had amazing sex with me last night and left my bed—okay, his bed—without a word? Again she’d pushed him to sex and once again afterward, he’d acted as if it was nothing. God, she could be so stupid. More than anything, she wanted him to fall in love with her, and she was failing miserably at it.
“Trent and Mike went into town.”
She stopped pouring the juice midstream. Trent had left her alone, as in left the house? He promised he would stay by her side through this. She’d figured he’d be outside at the barn again, asking a ton of ranching questions or with Mike in his office, again asking a ton of ranching questions.
Something about this ranch intrigued him more than she’d ever noticed his interest before. That pleased her.
As if reading her mind, AJ added, “Oh, Trent didn’t want to go, but Mike pushed.”
Although they shouldn’t, butterflies fluttered in her stomach at the fact that he hadn’t wanted to leave her alone. “Oh,” she squeaked and finished filling her glass. Moving to the table, she surveyed the spread of breakfast food—pancakes, sausage, and scrambled eggs.
“It’s the best I could do.”
Surprised, she raised her eyebrows at AJ. “You did this?” Not the cook for the cowboys as had been the case since they’d been there?
Sheepishly, he shrugged. “I needed to do something while you slept.”
“Where’s Matt?”
“Sleeping. He had watch last night.”
Right, they were taking turns providing what protection they could. Her mind went on alert. The shooting. Her heart rate accelerated. “What about the men who shot at us?”
AJ shrugged. “The local police are handling it.”
“The local police?” she asked incredulously.
“Yeah, Trent and Mike were going by there, but they didn’t expect to find anything. We don’t have the resources to investigate it and stay close to the house, so we’ll let the police handle that one while we stay here.” She noticed he left off “with you.”
Picking up a plate, she loaded it and sat next to AJ. “Thanks for cooking.”
He smiled brightly. “You’re welcome. I remember Megan was starving in the mornings when she was pregnant—after the morning sickness had passed. Hey, do you want a separate plate for your pancakes so the syrup doesn’t mix?”
She smiled. “No, I think everything in syrup sounds good this morning.”
Shaking his head, AJ laughed. “Pregnant women.”
After taking a few bites of her breakfast, Kelly had convinced herself it was okay to pry. “AJ,” she said hesitantly, “do you know what’s going on with Trent?”
Coffee cup to his lips, he halted the progress. “What do you mean?” He took a sip and set his cup down.
“What’s eating at him? I mean, I know his back and letting people see it has been bothering him, but there’s more.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Waving her fork with pieces of pancake on it, she almost growled. “Don’t play that male bullshit with me. I know you two were always close, so you wouldn’t just let him be like he is without knowing or interfering. So what’s eating at him?”
AJ heaved a heavy sigh. “Did he tell you about Jamie?”
Son of a bitch. Had he lied about being in love with the woman? Just her freaking luck. But why would he lie? To spare her heart?
A sickening feeling leveled itself in her stomach, turning the food over and making her nauseous. She wouldn’t give up. She’d still fight for his heart, even if it was only part of one to begin with. “Yes, he told me a little about her.”
“Well, what he didn’t know is that she kept in touch with us while the two of them went gallivanting around the countryside.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. Not wanting to believe her ears, she asked, “You spied on him?”
AJ winced. “We just made sure he was okay.”
“Put it how you want, you had that woman spy on him and report back to you when he must not have wanted you to know where or how he was.” She took a deep breath, and continued, “Which would’ve sucked, but still, AJ.”
“Look, I found out a man I respected was my brother. Then he almost died. Before he could fully recover, he left without a word. Sure we’d do anything we could to keep up with his progress.”
Who was she kidding? If she could’ve planted someone to watch over Trent, she’d have done the same thing. “Did you have her do it?”
“No. That’s where it got interesting. After they’d been on the road for a while, she contacted us. Thought we’d be worried and wanted to let us know he was okay.”
“But, he wasn’t okay. Was he?”
He shook his head. “No. He has several things happening with him. It was a lot all at one time.”
Needing to know what burdens Trent carried, she pushed, “And? They are?”
Picking up his cup, he sipped more coffee. “I’m not sure it’s my place to tell you, Kelly.”
A heavy discomfort settled in her chest. It wasn’t his place, but she’d take it however she could get it. “He showed me his back. That’s one thing. You said there were several. What else?”
“I won’t tell you everything, Kelly, but this one should be obvious: He needs to settle things with our father.”
She wanted to rage at his not sharing whatever laid most heavy on Trent’s mind because she knew this wasn’t it. Something almost too heavy to bear rested in his heart.
Settling things with his father could happen after they finished what was happening now because she wouldn’t even recommend he go to D.C. and speak with Senator Hamilton now.
Fist clenched around her heart, she asked, “AJ, was he… in love with Jamie?”
He scrutinized her face before shaking his head. “Not as far as I know.”
Relief soared through her. He hadn’t lied. Once she cleansed his heart of whatever held it captive, she could win it, and they’d be a family. Resting her hand on her belly, while Ashley wasn’t his, she knew he’d love her with everything he had.
LOOKING OVER THE area of the shooting, Mike confirmed to Trent that someone had been digging around. When it app
eared to be localized near the cave Kelly had told him about, Trent went exploring, and it hadn’t taken long for him to notice a shiny pebble on the ground. Holding it up in front of the flashlight, he shook his head, then scanned the walls.
Trent exited the cave to a waiting Mike and handed the man his find. “Did you know you have silver in here?” He gestured to where he’d been searching.
“Silver?” Mike looked at the small nugget of silver in his palm. “No.”
“Depending on how much is in there, that makes your land worth a shitload more than it already is. That’d make someone want it pretty bad.”
The man staggered back a bit, no doubt realizing someone might’ve killed his son for the wealth. “Please God,” he whispered, “don’t let it be Luke.”
Not able to assure the man it wasn’t, since Mike had told him Luke was all about the money, Trent tried another tact. “Let’s keep the silver quiet for now. Let our men do their thing. We’ll solve this, and then you can decide what to do about this.”
Shoving the nugget in his pocket, Mike nodded. “We need to get some groceries for the house.”
On the ride to town, they had a cordial conversation. Then Mike confused Trent with his words. “I guess you’ll have to stick around and teach Ashley all she needs to learn.”
Shock ignited his system. “Me?”
“Sure. I can size someone up really quick. Aren’t you going to take care of Kelly and that little one? I mean, why else would you be here? Sure you say protection, but I see how you look at her and she looks at you. Plus, I’d hate to think I would be handing over management to someone who wasn’t staying.”
This seemed to be a totally inappropriate conversation to have with Mike, considering who the man was to Kelly and the baby. And turning over ranch management… Trent knew nothing of ranching except what he’d learned since they’d been there, and it wasn’t a whole hell of a lot. Not to mention, they’d just met. The man had lost his damn mind. This had gone too far. “Whoa. Wait a minute. First, Kelly and I aren’t an item. She loved your son. She won’t jump ship like that just because you want it.”
The man scoffed. “It’s you,” was all he said in response.
Of course Trent couldn’t leave it at that. There had to be something he’d missed. Had he truly allowed his emotions to show for the world to see? He couldn’t have that. Not in this stranger’s house. “Why me? You don’t even know me?”
“Because Kelly is a good judge of character, and it’s obvious she loves you.”
Another person to tell him that. Christ, he’d been the only one not to realize. “Still, that’s Brian’s daughter she’s carrying.”
“Yep, and he’d want her happy and his little girl taken care of. You strike me as the man who could do that. Plus, it’s plain as day you love her too.”
But Kelly hadn’t agreed to marry him. Sleep with him, yes. Marry him, no. And even if she did, he didn’t see her staying away from her big city and her career. “But wanting me to manage this for you, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard since I can barely stay in a saddle as it is.”
A sharp pain lanced through his system. Les had taught him to ride as best he could. He’d taken the men on trail rides when they’d visit the Hamilton home in Mississippi.
Les. How could Trent forget so easily?
Being with Kelly did that, but it didn’t seem completely right that he should forget. It was downright wrong for him to allow it to slip his mind as he had while thinking he could have a fulfilling life with Kelly. Bile formed in his gut. What kind of friend had he become where he’d allowed his own selfishness to override his loyalty to a friend… even a deceased one?
Laughing, Mike recaptured his attention and assured him, “You’ll learn. I’ve got a few more good years before my maker takes me. I’ll teach you everything you need to learn so you can teach my grandbaby because I know she’ll want to run this ranch when she grows up.”
Not seeing the humor in the situation, Trent crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in the seat. “I’m pretty sure Kelly will have something to say about this, and I don’t want to be within earshot when she says it. The woman scares the crap out of me with those pregnancy hormones.” Except for the ones that brought her back to his bed last night. Those he’d keep in a heartbeat.
“Wait until it’s your flesh and blood baby in her belly.”
That didn’t sound nearly as scary as he thought it would.
Before he could respond, Mike parked in front of a place called The General Store. The same one he’d entered with Kelly when they’d arrived in Reed Point. Its old-timey wood façade meshed with the adjoining buildings, so the town appeared to be from times gone by. This town, and its historic look and feel, called to him. Maybe Mike was right, and he could live here. Maybe it was where he belonged. Lord knew that even growing up with the Hamiltons, he’d always been the outsider who didn’t belong in their world.
He shook his head to put the interesting conversation aside. All the good that came out of it was he realized that he didn’t have to hide his feelings for Kelly from Mike.
That lightened his heart and soul. Having to suppress how he felt about Kelly outside of the bedroom wouldn’t let her know how he really felt. And that was? his mind screamed. If he knew exactly what it was supposed to feel like, he just might be in love with her. He wanted to be with her night and day, body and soul, and being parted from her was misery, even for the short trip like now. Might would be a good term to describe where he expected he was with that “in love” thing she wanted.
“Nate,” Mike said to a big, beefy man standing behind a wood counter in the store wearing, of all things, an apron, “meet Trent McKenzie. You’re gonna see a whole lot of this boy, so be nice to him.”
Trent, who’d thought he had big hands, watched his get swallowed in Nate’s.
“Heard about you and your friends. You came in with Kelly.”
Heard? This wasn’t the man who’d met them. How fast did news travel in this town? “Yes.”
“Anything I can do for you?”
Trent almost shook his head but stopped. “Nate, do you have any more pickled bologna?” He wanted to wipe the words off his tongue. How could she eat that? Something that foul—he guessed that by name only since he’d never been stupid enough to try it—had to be bad for the baby.
“I did, but according to my dad, Kelly bought the last jar.”
Trent figured that meant Marvin was Nate’s dad. He stored that away knowing he’d best learn the families if he’d have any hope of a successful life here. Wow. Was he really considering it? If Kelly wanted it for Ashley….
Shaking off those thoughts, he returned to the task at hand. “Would you find a way to order a case of it? I’ll pay for the entire thing.”
“A case? What the hell would you want that much of that junk for?”
Trent had a feeling the man knew he wanted it for Kelly, but Nate wanted him to say it for some reason. So, he laid it out. “I know the stuff is shit, but my woman has a serious craving for it, and I don’t want to be driving into Billings every time she wants some. I’ve got three more months to go.” He might’ve taken off with Mike this morning—nearly against his will, but he’d be damned if he’d drive over to Billings to get her something to eat. Especially something like pickled bologna. His stomach turned over.
“Your woman, huh? I thought she was Brian’s?”
His eyes sprang wide. Had he really just said that in public? Realizing that he’d never said Kelly, his expression had given him away. At Mike’s he’d planned to let everyone know she was his, but the town to know? Too late. His slip of the tongue would be the gossip of the day. He and Kelly had to meet with her parents before they found out she was pregnant by one man and another had claimed her.
Mike slapped him on the back, and he almost stumbled forward. “Way to go.”
Unable to tell if that had been a rebuff or congratulations, Trent nodded and moved
into the store to help complete their list, so he could go home. Crap. Damn Mike and making him think of the place as home. Even if Kelly agreed to marry him, he didn’t think she’d want to stay.
Then again, with her family here, maybe she would.
He needed to slap himself. They had lives and jobs in Baltimore. This trip had been to protect Kelly. Although, they might’ve brought her right into trouble. A sudden need to be back to her, be by her side, flooded him.
His phone rang, and a foreboding settled over him. “Yeah.”
“It’s Devon. I’ve got some information for you.”
“Can it wait about half an hour so I can get back to the ranch?”
“You left her?”
“AJ and Matt are with her,” he said defensively. He’d not wanted to leave her, but Mike had been so insistent, and someone needed to go with him, according to him anyway. After the conversation they’d had, Trent realized Mike wouldn’t have settled for anyone else to ride with him.
“Although I want to, I’m not going to give you shit about it. As for the information, sure, it can wait a few minutes.”
He caught himself before he ended the call. “Oh, Devon.”
“Yeah.”
Peering around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, he walked toward an empty corner of the store and dropped his voice before continuing, “Near where those guys shot at us, we found silver in one of Mike’s caves. I’m not sure how much there is.”
Devon whistled. “Call me back when you’re with the boys.”
Ending the call, Trent wished he’d asked Devon if he’d found out who might be behind it all. Then maybe his mind would rest on the trip.
“Come here and get yourself a cowboy hat,” Mike called.
Cowboy hat. Les. Les and his cowboy hat. Dammit, there he went again imagining a life when he shouldn’t have one to begin with. Jamie assured him he could get through this when the time came but was he just grasping at straws?
WHEN TRENT HAD assembled AJ and Matt, they’d called only to find Devon and the team unavailable. Trent wanted to kick himself for putting off the information when Devon had called, but he knew if it had been urgent, his brother would’ve pushed. So he puttered around the ranch, grinding his teeth, waiting for that chance to speak with Devon or Jesse.
