Rancher's Dream
Page 5
“Quit going on and open the letter!”
Billie Dee took a breath and ripped open the envelope. As she pulled out the letter and unfolded it, she didn’t dare breathe. Not that she wanted to do well for herself. She didn’t want to let Ashley Jo down. Her gaze quickly scanned the words on the page. She could feel Henry holding his breath, as well.
As she looked up, she saw Ashley Jo standing in the doorway. She seemed to have frozen in place.
Billie Dee broke into a smile, her heart rising like a hot-air balloon. “I won.”
Henry and Ashley Jo cheered. Henry picked her up and spun her around as she laughed and cried for him to put her down. The moment he did, she turned to Ashley Jo. “This is all your fault,” she joked.
“Didn’t I tell you?” the young woman said and hugged her. “You’re the best cook ever. So what are you going to do with all that money?”
Billie Dee knew exactly what she wanted to do. “I’m going to hire a private investigator to find my daughter.”
Ashley Jo started. “Your daughter?”
Tears in her eyes, she said, “I was forced to give up my baby twenty-six years ago. Henry just told me that she is at least a little interested in who her birth mother is. I want to find her. I need to find her.” She began to cry. Henry took her hand. “She needs to know that I love her. Have always loved her.”
* * *
THE SUN BEAT down hard. Hawk wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt and looked down the line of fencing they’d strung. His arms ached just enough that he knew he’d never strung this much wire in all his years working the ranch. He felt good, satisfied by the hot, tired feeling—and the day was far from over.
Cyrus tossed him a bottle of water. He took a long drink, tilting back his head and letting the cold liquid run down his throat in large gulps before pouring some over his head. It ran into his eyes, down his neck to his open shirt and over his sun-browned chest before puddling just north of his big silver belt buckle. He wiped his face again with his sleeve.
“You trying to kill yourself?” Cyrus asked as he took in the length of fence his brother had strung.
“I’m fine.” He felt Cyrus’s gaze on him.
“Lillie believe that?” he asked.
He merely grunted. He should have known that his brother had seen Lillie drive up to the ranch house last night. It didn’t take much to know what she was doing there. Their matchmaking sister. He shook his head at just the thought of her.
“You know that if I ever do settle down with some woman, Lillie is going to come after you next,” Hawk said. “She’s relentless. She’ll have you married within weeks after I tie the knot. Mark my words.” He took another drink and swallowed. “Be afraid. Be very afraid.”
His brother ignored his attempt to try to change the subject. “We goin’ to talk about this?” Cyrus asked.
“Nope.”
“Maybe you should take a break.”
“I am taking a break.” He took another swig of the water and then capped the bottle before tossing it back to his brother.
“I meant a break away from the ranch, away from Gilt Edge, hell, maybe even away from Montana for a while.”
“I would never leave Montana, especially in the summer,” Hawk said truthfully. Only a fool would think that there was a better place to be this time of year, he thought as he breathed in the sweet scent of the sun-filled pines.
“There’s that bull we’ve been talking about buying down by Denver,” Cyrus said as if Hawk hadn’t spoken. “Maybe you should go pick it up. You could make a vacation out of it.”
“I don’t need a vacation. You want to buy the bull? It’s fine with me, but you can make the trip to Colorado. I’m staying right here—just like I told Lillie.”
Cyrus groaned. “I don’t get it.”
“It’s not yours to get.”
“If you’re hurting this bad, why in the hell did you let her go?” His brother sounded angry. No one in the family had understood because they didn’t have the facts. And they weren’t going to get them either. Like him, they were just going to have to accept that he and Drey were never happening. They weren’t meant to be. They’d hurt each other too badly all those years ago. There had never been a path back. At least not for him.
“What is wrong with you?” Cyrus demanded, seeming to grow even angrier. “You had every chance to make things right with Drey since she came back to town after she graduated from college. Is it your mule-headed stubbornness? Or are you just plain too full of yourself that you’d rather suffer than be happy with someone who isn’t perfect like you?”
Hawk jerked off his straw cowboy hat and raked back his dark hair. These were fightin’ words. There was a time that the two of them would be going at it in the dirt over a lot less. But he didn’t blame his brother or the rest of his family for being angry with him over Drey. They all loved her. She was damned close to family. They also wanted her to be happy as much as they did Hawk.
No, this was his doin’. He’d put his whole family through this and he wasn’t about to take a punch at his brother, even though he would welcome a fistfight right now with anyone else.
“Do I look like I want to talk about this?” he demanded, holding his ground. “The subject is closed. Drey’s married. End of story.” He slammed his hat back down on his head and grabbed the end of the barbed wire in his gloved hand. “We stringing this wire or not?”
Cyrus cursed under his breath but gave up. At least for the moment.
Hawk felt the bite of the barbed wire through his glove, but it was nothing like the near-lethal blow Drey had delivered all those years ago. He’d never told anyone. Nor, it seemed, had Drey. It was their dark secret. Bringing it to light now would only open those horrible old wounds and Hawk didn’t feel all that strong as it was at this moment.
* * *
THE ELEVATOR. Why hadn’t Drey thought of that? Hadn’t Ethan said he was having problems with some of the remote-control devices in the house? What if he’d gotten on the elevator and—
She watched Jet step to the wall next to the elevator. He hesitated a moment before he pushed the button and stepped back. She could hear a whirring sound deep in the bowels of the house as the car began to climb. Ethan had said it was a state-of-the-art elevator. She recalled him mentioning that he’d been forced to get someone out of Germany to design it. The glass car had to balance perfectly as it rose. He’d wanted everything to appear to cling to the side of the mountain—and he didn’t want the elevator to be obtrusive. That’s why it wasn’t seen from behind the wall panels when it wasn’t in use.
“Just like the house,” he’d said of the design.
That had made no sense to her since all that glass lit at night had looked like an airport landing strip. Even in the daylight with the sun glaring off the mountainside of glass, there was no way the house wasn’t obtrusive. Not that she would have argued the point with Ethan, who was clearly proud of his design.
She could hear the elevator approach and looked toward the wood panel that hid it. The elevator stopped. The panel began to slide open. Drey held her breath. She expected to see Ethan lying on the elevator floor. Dead. He was too young for a heart attack. And she couldn’t imagine what inside the elevator could have killed him. Maybe an electric short. And since it had been only the two of them in the house alone last night...
Empty.
She let out her breath as a wave of relief washed over her. No dead Ethan. No Ethan at all.
Jet shrugged. “Well, it was a thought,” he said as he came over to where she was about to fry the eggs. “Need any help?”
“No, I have it.” He was too close in this massive stainless steel–coated kitchen. “You can find some plates and silverware.”
“Sure,” he said.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him tr
y one cabinet, then another, before he found the plates. So why did she still feel as if he was only pretending not to know where anything was?
Why don’t I trust him? He hadn’t given her any reason. So why was she leery of him? If there was anyone she should be doubtful about right now, it was her husband, she thought with an inward shudder since she still hadn’t heard from him.
That thought didn’t sit well as Drey cracked two eggs into the skillet. Jet found the silverware on his third attempt. “Voilà,” he cried. “Are these solid gold? They feel like it.”
She listened to him humming to himself as he set the small table in the sunroom off the kitchen. Then she heard him over by the bar, no doubt making himself a drink. He’d definitely made himself at home, she thought uncharitably. She couldn’t help being out of sorts. Her husband had abandoned her on their wedding night and was now missing. His brother—at least according to Jet anyway—had shown up out of the blue. And now she was in a huge, strange house all alone with a complete stranger.
Don’t be silly, she told herself. She’d seen Jet’s driver’s license; he knew how to get through the gate to drive up to the house. Obviously he was who he said he was. She had no reason to be so suspicious, let alone...uneasy.
When the eggs were done along with the ham, she took the breakfast sandwiches over to the small table where Jet had placed the dishes and silverware. He seemed to be studying the underside of one of the plates as if trying to determine its value as she put the food on the table and sat down.
“Here.” Jet handed her a drink. She saw that his beer bottle was empty. He’d certainly put that away quickly enough.
“I don’t drink alcohol,” she said and pushed the drink away. “Thank you anyway.”
“There’s no alcohol in it. Ethan told me that you don’t partake. This is my no-alcohol specialty, lots of fruit juice.” Before she would argue, he added, “You look like you are going to jump out of your skin. Not that I blame you. This house gives me the creeps, too. It’s so damned...big. All this glass and marble. And what’s with all the white?” He shuddered. “On top of that, Ethan has done one of his disappearing acts. This is nothing new for him. Some business meeting must have come up. But you can trust me, so stop looking so suspicious like you think I might try to poison you.” He chuckled and held up his hands as if to say he had nothing up his sleeve.
She knew he was right about her state of mind, but she wasn’t sure he had nothing to hide. But he was right about one thing. What she needed was to feel better and not be so jumpy. Maybe some food would help. Unfortunately, she had no appetite. She picked up the sandwich, forcing herself to take a bite.
Across the table from her, Jet was devouring his sandwich, chasing bites with a slug of his drink. She took another small bite, her stomach roiling. Why had she bothered to cook it? She was too upset to eat a thing. Jet had said this was one of Ethan’s disappearing acts. So he did this a lot? If Jet worked for the same family company, he would know. But she and Ethan had gotten married only yesterday. Why wouldn’t he have left a note or texted her or called once he got to his meeting? She tried to call him numerous times, only to have the call go straight to voice mail.
She said as much to Jet.
He shrugged. “He’s Ethan. He doesn’t think about other people. I can tell you’re worried, but he’s fine. He could show up at any moment with flowers, a bottle of expensive wine and a humble apology.”
Wasn’t that what she’d thought herself? Because he’d done it before. And he was always sorry. And he always forgot she didn’t drink wine. Still this time felt different. She picked up the drink Jet had made, took a sniff and then a sip.
Her body seemed to be vibrating, her head throbbing and her stomach still upset from last night. Not that she thought fruit juice was the answer as she took another sip. But right now, anything that could relieve some of her tension and take her mind off Ethan and being here alone with his brother in this house...
She could feel Jet watching her. She took another sip. It was a bit odd, but it wasn’t bad. She had no idea what his specialty drink was, but within seconds she began to relax. Jet was right. She hadn’t been poisoned and maybe the fruity drink did help. Or was it just thinking that maybe she could trust Jet since she didn’t taste any alcohol.
He grinned over at her. “What did I tell you?”
She had to smile. “You were right. It tastes good, refreshing.”
“I’m sorry Ethan didn’t tell you I was coming. If my being here is a problem...” Jet was studying her.
She wanted to say that it was. While she didn’t want to be alone in this house, she didn’t want to share it with Jet. “So you’re...staying?”
“If you don’t mind. Just until Ethan returns, which will hopefully be this afternoon. Don’t worry. As soon as he gets back, I’ll clear out. I won’t interrupt your honeymoon.”
No, Ethan had done that.
“In the meantime, I promise to stay out of your way. I believe there is a lower floor, a parking garage of sorts, with staff quarters. If he isn’t back by tonight, I’ll just bunk down there. You won’t even know I’m in the house.”
If Ethan wasn’t back by tonight? She took another sip of the drink, telling herself that of course he would be back. But what if he wasn’t? She could just imagine what Ethan would say when he returned to find his brother staying in the staff quarters.
“You should stay in one of the guest rooms,” she said, knowing she had no choice but to extend the invitation. The house was huge. Jet was right; they wouldn’t even have to see each other. And Jet was family, even though Ethan had never mentioned his existence to her—or told her that he might be stopping by after the wedding.
Jet chuckled. “I’d feel better below on the ground level. This house makes me feel like it’s a spaceship that could take off at any moment.”
She laughed since she could see what he meant.
“Don’t worry, I’ll let my brother know I insisted on staying down there. It isn’t like the rooms are in the dungeon. They’re a hell of a lot nicer than a motel. Trust me, Ethan wouldn’t want me using the guest towels anyway. I believe he said the staff have their own kitchen. Thanks for breakfast, though. It really hit the spot. I’m sure the staff Ethan hired will be showing up soon. Ethan wouldn’t want you cooking and cleaning. Not his new bride.”
This time, she didn’t imagine the way he said new. “Was there an old bride?” Drey asked, hearing the same thing in Jet’s voice that she’d heard earlier, the first time he’d mentioned Ethan’s new wife.
Jet grinned. “Sorry, not my story to tell.”
“Ethan was married before?” she asked in surprise.
Jet met her gaze as he rose to refill their drinks. “There is a lot he didn’t tell you, apparently. I’m sure he’ll fill you in when he returns.”
If he returns. That thought did nothing to help matters as she listened to Jet return to the bar.
“That drink help a little?” he asked from behind her. “You looked like your blood sugar was a little low.”
She had to admit that it had. She was surprised that she’d finished it. She felt as if she was stepping off a high wire, the tension in her body starting to ebb away. Maybe there wasn’t anything to worry about. Ethan was just being...Ethan. At least according to his brother.
She didn’t feel strung quite so tightly now. But while the food and juice had helped, she now felt closer to tears than she had all day. Jet being kind to her made her predicament only worse. Her husband had abandoned her on their wedding night. Who did that without leaving a word?
Drey took another bite of her sandwich. Jet seemed to think that his brother was an inconsiderate jerk. But what if Ethan was in trouble? Maybe she should have called the sheriff the moment she found Ethan gone. What if she was losing valuable hours needed to save him? She said as much to Jet, who laughed.
She’d heard that Colt McCloud, a cowboy she’d gone to school with, had started a helicopter service right outside of town. Colt had been an army helicopter pilot. So maybe what Jet was saying could be true.
It appeared that Jet knew Ethan better than she did. He knew that the penthouse had been sold. Maybe it was true that old saying about the wife being the last to know. She knew the saying referred to extramarital affairs. Now, there was a thought. Had Ethan left her on her wedding night to be with another woman?
Jet slid her second drink across the table to her. “So you have no idea where your brother could be?” she asked as she took another bite of her sandwich.
“Where Ethan might have gone? Not a clue.” He sat down. He’d gotten himself a toothpick. It now stuck out of the side of his mouth. He’d finished his breakfast and now leaned back in his chair, looking more like he belonged here than she did.
“Seriously, are you sure we shouldn’t call the sheriff?”
“Seems a little early for that, don’t you think?” he said around the toothpick. “You know my brother. He’d be mortified. Are you sure he didn’t leave a note or a text where he’s gone and you just missed it? I’m sure it’s business related since he eats and sleeps making money.”
She checked her phone, not for the first time. Nothing. She saw no reason to try to call again since she’d left a half dozen messages. “I didn’t see a note. I’ll check again. Maybe I just overlooked it.”
“Maybe. Ethan can be forgetful, but it could also be that he knew I would show up so he wouldn’t have to worry about you being alone. You have nothing to be sorry about. This is all on my brother.”