Colton Christmas Rescue

by Beth Cornelison

  “Translation?” Slade asked her.

  Amanda shrugged. “Beats me. But she loves that thing. It’s her new favorite toy.”

  He glanced up, his face sobering as if he just remembered they had company, and he cleared his throat. “Tom, would you mind watching Cheyenne for a while? I’d like to discuss some important matters with Amanda, and I thought we could take a ride out and check fences while we talk.”

  Stewie made a taunting, “Ooo,” while George chuckled, “Uh-oh. You’re in trouble. Boss wants to talk to you.”

  Amanda flipped her hair over her shoulder and gave George a playfully haughty look. “He’s not my boss. But I am yours, and I don’t currently see a lot of work happening out here.”

  George gave her a wink and a thumbs-up.

  Jared poked at George with another hoot of laughter, and the hands scattered to finish their chores.

  Tom took Cheyenne from Amanda, tweaking the baby’s chin. “Princess and I will head over to the petting barn, then, and meet you inside later.”

  “Thanks, Tom.” Amanda gave Cheyenne a quick kiss on the cheek then headed into Prince William’s stall to saddle him for her ride with Slade. When she finished, she took an old straw-colored cowboy hat from a hook where she kept it for sun protection when she rode the pastures. Slade had his horse, which he’d had delivered the weekend before, ready to go by the time she led PW out to the corral.

  She thought about putting her hair up in a ponytail, but when she remembered Slade saying he thought her hair looked sexy down, a tingle of pleasure raced through her, and she left it loose to blow in the chilly breeze.

  As she approached, Slade sent a circumspect glance around the ranch yard, then cupped her cheek and gave her a warm kiss. “Morning, beautiful.”

  She smiled up at him, feeling every bit as cheerful as the bright yellow sun streaming down on the rolling Wyoming landscape. “Morning, stud. What did you want to talk about?”

  He hitched his head toward the pasture. “Let’s ride.”

  They swung up onto their horses and headed out into the north pasture. As they rode, Amanda tipped her head back and savored the warmth of the sunshine on the cold morning. “It’s such a beautiful day. I’m glad you suggested we take a ride.”

  “This is about business, not pleasure.”

  She turned to face him and chuckled. “That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the sunshine. Lighten up, sourpuss.”

  “I—” He snapped his mouth closed and shook his head as he gave her a half grin. “Sourpuss?”

  She shrugged and lifted her chin matter-of-factly. “Well, you don’t smile nearly enough. I know things around the ranch are tense. But even with someone gunning for me, I know to be thankful for my blessings.”

  He arched an eyebrow inviting her to continue.

  “My daughter is feeling better and is safe with Tom, I have the best horse on the ranch and the sun is out.” She watched Slade’s ease in the saddle, enjoying the way he looked in his faded jeans, black Stetson and sexy confidence. She added him to her list of blessings. She didn’t know where their relationship was headed, but she had no doubt he was a man of integrity and kindness—despite the often-gruff face he showed the world.

  He glowered at her now. “Best horse on the ranch?”

  She smiled smugly and patted Prince William’s neck. “Absolutely. Right, PW?”

  “Maybe before Zeus arrived. But this fella is champion stock. Top-notch.” Beneath the brim of his Stetson, a teasing light flickered in Slade’s blue eyes, and a grin ghosted over his lips.

  “Is that a challenge?”

  His lips tugged sideways, his eyes bright. “Maybe. What are you thinking?”

  “A race. To the fence at the top of that rise.” She pointed to a far hill.

  He glanced the direction she pointed, then back to her. “All ri—”

  “Go!” She kicked Prince William to a run, laughing as she left Slade behind.

  “Hey!” His shout rang over the rolling fields.

  As she raced across the frozen ground, she looked back over her shoulder and found him gaining on her. She goaded PW to run faster, and he ate up the ground, enjoying the speed as much as she did.

  The thunder of galloping hooves caught up to her, and Slade gave her a cocky look as he pulled even with her. Her competitive drive flared. She leaned low over Prince William’s neck, urging him to go faster. As they neared the agreed finish line, she pulled ahead and flew past the fence line, ahead of Slade by a half a length.

  She gave a victory whoop as she reined PW and rode up to Slade, glowing from adrenaline, her win and the temporary release from the tension on the ranch. “Good race.”

  He narrowed his eyes, but a genuine grin spread his mouth. “You cheated.”

  She feigned affront. “Did not!”

  He half grunted, half laughed.

  “So...where’s my prize?” She pushed her hat back and tilted her head.

  “Prize?” He guided his horse alongside hers. “What prize?”

  “How about a kiss?” She reached for the front of his ranch coat and tugged him closer.

  He slid a hand into her hair and cradled the base of her skull as he leaned toward her. “Kissing you would make me the winner.”

  “Oh, smooth, cowboy,” she teased as he caught her lips with his. His mouth was warm, and his kiss made her forget races, sunny pastures and the troubles waiting back at the ranch.

  After thoroughly muddling her mind with his skillful lips and gentle caress, he leaned back and looked deep into her eyes. For a change, his blue eyes were clear and happy and reflected the sunlight like a sparkling lake. He tugged lightly on a wisp of her hair and flashed a crooked smile. “You still cheated.”

  A laugh burst from her, and she nodded. “Okay, a little.”

  His eyes widened, along with his grin. When he smiled, Slade Kent was hands down the sexiest man alive. “A little? How do you cheat a little? Is that like being a little pregnant or a little dead?”

  Amanda brushed a hand along the stubble on his chin, remembering the sensual scrape of his day-old beard when they’d made love last night. She sighed contentedly. “No, it’s like being a lot happy.”

  His dark eyebrows shot up. “Happy?”

  She swatted playfully at him. “Don’t look so surprised.”

  His horse shifted his hooves, moving Slade a few inches farther away from her, but it was the fading light in his expression that made her feel he was pulling back.

  Amanda leaned farther toward him, grabbing the lapel of his coat and smacking another kiss on his mouth. “You make me happy, Slade Kent. I like being with you.”

  He moved her hand from his coat and gave her fingers a brief kiss before dropping her hand and flashing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I like you, too.” He straightened and cast an awkward glance around the pasture before returning his gaze to her. “But what do you say we talk about what I brought you out here to discuss?”

  Amanda felt sucker-punched. I like you, too? What kind of halfhearted, lukewarm sentiment was that? His kiss certainly said his feelings were deeper than I like you. Why had he withdrawn like that?

  She straightened in her saddle and tried not to let her disappointment show. “And what did you bring me out here to discuss?”

  “Motives.”

  “Pardon?”

  He motioned toward the long barbed-wire fence marking the end of the grazing pasture. “Let’s check fence while we talk.”

  He flicked his reins and headed down the fence line, leaving her to follow. When she caught up to him, he said, “The police aren’t getting anywhere tracking down the person who shot at you, and I’ve hit a dead end on my father’s case, so I thought we could brainstorm, look at things from a different angle.”

&n
bsp; The joy that had filled her earlier evaporated, leaving a hollowness inside her. “As in who has a motive to attack me?”

  “More specifically, who has motive to kidnap Cheyenne? You were attacked because the suspect was trying to take Cheyenne. All the attacks this summer and fall have centered around people who were protecting Cheyenne or investigating some aspect of Cole’s kidnapping or the crimes this summer.”

  “We already know Cole’s aunt, Desiree Beal, kidnapped him. That was confirmed months ago. And we know Faye Frick brought Dylan, who it turns out is Cole, here when he was one year old.”

  He gave her a long skeptical look. “Maybe. But what if there’s more to the story you don’t know.”

  She studied the stern set of his jaw, and an uneasy prickle chased up her spine. What did he know? “Does this have to do with what Scottie Breen told you?”

  He sent her an unreadable look. “I didn’t say that. I just want to consider every angle.”

  “But you think all of it, from Cole’s kidnapping and your father’s murder, right through the attempts to kidnap Cheyenne, are all connected?”

  “Certainly seems possible. But we’re brainstorming, okay. Let’s not dismiss any theories, no matter how unlikely it sounds.”

  She gnawed her bottom lip and huffed her frustration. “Believe me, I’ve done nothing for months now but brainstorm wild theories about who could be responsible. I just can’t wrap my brain around the idea that a member of my family or someone on the ranch staff could be trying to kidnap Cheyenne.”

  “That’s the first theory I want to challenge.”

  She jerked a startled gaze toward him. “What?”

  “We’ve assumed, with good reason, that the mastermind behind the attacks is living on the ranch, connected to the ranch in some way. What if they aren’t?”

  Amanda blinked and opened her mouth mutely.

  “Can you think of anyone, anyone who could have a grudge against you or want to kidnap Cheyenne for monetary or other personal gain?”

  The obvious answer stuck in her chest like a knife blade. “David,” she rasped.

  Slade sent her a dark frown. “Who?”

  “David Gill. Cheyenne’s father.”

  His brow creased. “Tell me about him.”

  “I met him at a veterinary conference a couple years ago, and we kept up a long-distance relationship for several months. We’d meet up in different cities, wherever he was traveling for business or on the weekend several times a month.”

  “What business?”

  “Veterinary equipment sales.”

  Slade nodded. “Okay. Go on.”

  “When I learned I was pregnant, I told him, and...he freaked. He wanted nothing to do with a baby. Turns out he was married.” She glanced at Slade, and he returned a frown.

  “Married?”

  “To a prominent Boston socialite. He was terrified she’d find out and his reputation, his marriage, his gravy train would be ruined.” She scoffed. “He signed away his rights to Cheyenne and Cheyenne’s inheritance as fast as he could, in exchange for me staying out of his life.”

  A muscle in Slade’s tense jaw worked as he stared down the fence line. “He disowned his kid. Just like that.” He muttered an unflattering epithet under his breath.

  Slade’s disgust with David made her feel a little better, and she flashed him an appreciative smile. “I honestly think he’s the last person who’d want to kidnap Cheyenne. He has too much to lose.”

  Slade tipped his head to the side in assent. “What about Hilda Zimmerman?”

  Amanda almost choked as she goggled at him. “Hilda? Hilda is the kindest, sweetest, most motherly woman I know!”

  “And yet by talking to her, I learn she has no children of her own, a fact she mourns deeply.”

  “She always called me and my sisters the children she never had. She doted on us as we grew up. She’d never hurt us.”

  “Are you sure? What if she decided she wanted to take Cheyenne and disappear to raise her as her own, much like Faye Frick did with Cole?”

  “I... She wouldn’t—” Amanda fumbled, aghast.

  Slade raised a hand. “Brainstorming, remember? We can’t dismiss anything if we’re going to catch this person.”

  She chuckled without mirth. “Fine. While we’re at it, let’s accuse Mathilda or my sisters or Tom.”

  “Could your sisters have a reason to want Cheyenne gone?”

  She nailed him with an angry glare. “My sisters love Cheyenne. Besides, Cath is about to have her own baby and Gabby is going to adopt Avery. Why would they want to kidnap Cheyenne?”

  “To get rid of a second-generation heir that would cut into their own inheritance?”

  She glared at him. “Don’t even go there. My sisters aren’t mercenary like that.”

  “Okay, then what about Mathilda or Fiona?”

  She rolled her eyes and groaned. “Fiona has only worked for us a few years, so that rules out your theory about the attacks this summer being connected to your dad or Desiree Beal kidnapping Cole.”

  “And Mathilda?”

  “Is the most loyal employee we have. You’ve seen how protective she is of us and her fellow staff members.”

  “She seems kinda stiff and high-strung to me.”

  Amanda shrugged. “Her views on employee-family interaction may be a bit outdated, but she’s got a good heart. She’s been with us longer than anyone other than maybe the Blacks, and she has true affection for our family. Just because she’s type A and likes to keep the house running smoothly doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a softer side.” She shook her head. “It’s not Mathilda.”

  “I found the horse your attacker escaped on near the Blacks’ cabin. What about them?”

  Amanda took a slow breath, battling down the frustration that made her edgy. This whole conversation felt like an exercise in futility to her. But Slade was trying to help, trying to protect Cheyenne, trying to connect the dots to his own father’s killer. And he was a WBI agent. He wouldn’t be pursuing this line of questioning if he didn’t think it would be helpful.

  “The Blacks keep to themselves for the most part. They are old, hard of hearing and getting frail. If they kidnapped Cheyenne, where would they hide her? They’ve never lived anywhere but that small cabin for as long as I’ve been alive.” Amanda pulled the lapels of her coat together at the throat when a cold breeze buffeted her. “It’s completely illogical that they have anything to do with what’s been happening. Why would they want to kidnap Cheyenne?”

  “Same reason any of the others would. Money. Face it, Amanda. Your family is loaded. Greed is a powerful motivation.”

  “Well, if greed is behind all this, then put my dad’s ex-wife and her kids at the top of the list. Trip is as smarmy as they come, and although I can’t prove it, I think he sells drugs. He could be in debt to a dealer.”

  Slade lifted an eyebrow in interest. “Go on.”

  “Darla is a master manipulator. She was while she was married to my dad, and she’s still got some unexplained hold over him. She has to. That’s the only reason my sisters and I can come up with to explain why he lets her live in the guest wing. And Catherine has confirmed that there is a woman connected to everything, possibly as the mastermind. Did I tell you Chief Drucker confessed to covering up crimes to protect someone he was in love with? Darla definitely fits that bill. She’s a user, and I wouldn’t put it past her to have been stringing Drucker along.”

  “And the daughter? Tawny?”

  Amanda rolled her eyes. “Spoiled, lazy, self-centered...frankly, I might rule her out simply because masterminding everything that’s happened and getting away with it takes more intelligence and initiative than Tawny has. Darla is cunning and heartless enough to have people helping her. But Tawny is...” Sh
e let her grunt of disgust finish her sentence.

  Slade nodded and steered his horse around a rough patch of ground. “I’ll keep them on my radar, then. What about the hands?”

  “Certainly any of them would be physically capable of the attacks. Duke Johnson, a former hand, was working for the mastermind this summer. But whether any of the current hands could be involved...” She shrugged. “You’ve worked with them. What do you think?”

  “I think they’re all too smart to show their hand if they are behind this or helping someone.”

  Amanda shifted in her saddle to face Slade more fully. “The thing that bothers me...if this is about greed, then why now? My family has always had money. Why would someone try to extort money from us now?”

  “Plenty of reasons. A baby is easy to kidnap. They don’t scream for help or resist. The first attempt to take Cheyenne was not long after Cheyenne was born.”

  Amanda chewed her bottom lip and digested that fact.

  “Second, Jethro is dying. Maybe whoever is doing this thinks their best chance to get at his money is while he’s on his deathbed. Maybe the point is to torture Jethro by attacking his family and his wealth when he’s vulnerable.”

  “Some kind of revenge?” She frowned as she mulled the idea.

  “It’s happened before. Worth considering. And don’t forget—all of this could date back as far as when Cole disappeared.”

  Amanda dropped her shoulders and growled. “Jeez! This is giving me a headache.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, fighting the throb growing behind her eyes, when a thought came back to her. “Do you think the organized crime faction Breen mentioned could be behind all this? Could Vinny Rizono and his crime buddies be making it look like an inside job to throw the cops off their trail?”

  Slade twisted his mouth skeptically. “Unlikely, but I won’t rule them out. From what I’ve learned, the attacks earlier and the attack on you aren’t the work of a pro. I’d say a lot of luck and a minimum of skill, perhaps an inside knowledge of the ranch operations and layout, are the only reasons the person behind this has not been caught.”

  “Luck?”