by Sheryl Lynn
A server approached, and he ordered a cup of coffee.
Daniella Falconetti entered the lobby. Tristan sank lower on the seat and pulled his hat as far as possible over his face but so he’d still be able to see. She wore lavender walking shorts, a long-sleeved shirt and a matching broadbrimmed hat. Her hiking boots were deep purple.
“Mr. Cayle?”
The soft voice coming over his shoulder made him jump. He swiveled on the club chair. Relieved by the sight of Elise Duke, he glanced at Daniella, who had her back to him now, headed for the stairs. He stood, pulled off his hat and invited her to sit. As she smoothed her skirt and settled daintily on a chair, he couldn’t help a glance at her shapely legs. Despite middle age and four grown children, she was, a beautiful lady.
“Megan told me what happened at the hot springs. Are you all right?”
His usual luck, he reckoned. Take a stroll with a girl and nearly end up getting killed. “I’m okay. How about Megan? She banged up her knees right fair.” “Nothing keeps her down for long.” She tsked. “I’m afraid our resort isn’t making a very good impression on you.”
“Life happens, ma’am.”
“Yes,” she said slowly. “It does.”
Despite her gentle demeanor, intuition told him this slender lady was the true head of the family. “Are you needing words with me, ma’am?”
“If I may be blunt, I’m curious about your relationship with my daughter.”
Inwardly, he cringed. The Colonel’s imperious manner had put Tristan’s back up, but Elise made him feel like a clumsy schoolboy. “What has she told you, ma’am?”
“I learned about you only this morning. She claims you are a widower.”
“That’s right.” Figuring she had a right to know, he filled her in on his history and family tree. When he told her how all his family lived in the same county within hailing distance, she appeared to approve.
“And do you still compete in the rodeo?”
“No, ma’am. Finally outgrew it.”
“Bull riding is a dangerous sport.” She seemed to approve of him not competing, too.
“I’m right fond of Megan, ma’am, and I’m not toying with her affections, if that’s your fear.”
“I’m not so much fearful as surprised. It isn’t like Megan to keep secrets. She’s usually quite open.”
“I didn’t know she kept me a secret. Everyone around Powder knows all about her.”
“What does your family think of this…long-distance relationship?”
He pulled his chin, smiling to himself. “Truth, ma’am? They think I’ve done lost my mind.” He lifted his shoulders. “Maybe I have. But talking to her is like talking to my best friend.” His entire face tingled in remembrance of her kisses. Kissing her made him feel more alive than he had in years—but he kept that tidbit to himself. “Life is hard on the ranch, and I’ve been straight with her about it. I’m not a rich man, but I’m settled. Know my own mind. Responsible.”
Elise’s smile lit her entire face. Tristan suspected much of Megan’s sunny personality came straight from this source. “Please, I am not trying to interrogate you, Tristan. May I call you Tristan?”
“My pleasure, ma’am.”
“I’m not certain what to make of this.” She glanced at the desk where her youngest daughter worked. “Each of my daughters is her own woman. They have their own lives. Megan has never shown much interest in…settling down. And then you appear. I’m at a loss, uncertain if I should be pleased or upset.”
“I can’t help you there, ma’am.”
The server arrived with the coffee, and Elise sat patiently until the woman left them alone.
“I apologize for making you uncomfortable.”
“I’m not uncomfortable, ma’am,” he lied. He tried to remember when he’d been courting Tina. That had been a long time ago, but he supposed her parents hadn’t been thrilled about a man pursuing their daughter, either. If he had a daughter, he doubted if he’d be overly impressed with any young men sniffing about.
“I’m not certain how to say this without sounding like a busybody.” She frowned contemplatively. “I may as well just say it. Megan has never dated anyone seriously.”
“Never?” He was stunned.
“Not that I know of. She’s always been focused on whatever she was doing. Her athletics, her schooling, even working at the resort. She throws herself completely into her job. I suppose her head has never been turned. I knew it would happen someday, but not like this.”
Her words made him feel like a lowlife worm. He’d never realized Megan was that inexperienced. “If you’re asking me not to run over her feelings, ma’am, then know that’s not my intention. I wouldn’t hurt her for the world.”
“I appreciate your saying so, Tristan.” She gave no clue as to whether she believed him.
Megan arrived, looking none the worse for her dunking. She’d changed into a pair of jeans, hiking boots and a dark blue T-shirt sporting the Elk River logo. The jeans showed off well her trim figure and long legs. Her thick brown hair fell in straight, silky sheets to her shoulders. The sight of her, all scrubbed and shiny, made his heart lurch.
“Hi, Mom.” Megan placed a hand on Tristan’s shoulder. “Where’s the Colonel? I have to tell him about the rock slide.”
Elise looked around. “You might try the garage. I think he mentioned the old jeep to young William.”
Megan indicated his coffee cup with a nod. “Do you want to wait here for me?”
“I’ll tag along.” If the Colonel had a garage full of mechanical projects, then Elise may have spoken the truth in saying he may never reclaim his son.
As Elise had predicted, William and the Colonel were in the private garage. William leaned over the engine compartment of a rusty, olive green jeep while the Colonel sat behind the wheel. A pang of jealousy arced through Tristan’s midsection, but he shoved it down as unseemly. That he didn’t share his son’s love of machinery didn’t give him a right to keep him away from those who did.
“Hey, Dad! Check it out. It’s from World War II and it’s got the original tires and everything.”
Tristan made interested noises, but it looked like a boxy, rusty hunk of junk to him. It didn’t even have a roof.
“Sir,” Megan said. “I need a word with you. We had a rock slide at the hot springs.”
Leaving the teenager to his love affair with the antique vehicle, Megan, her father and Tristan moved to the garage doorway. Megan explained what had happened and Tristan admired her professionalism. Now that the fear had faded, he could appreciate how well she’d handled herself at the springs. She hadn’t panicked. Even cold, shaken and looking like a wet chicken, she’d found the humor in the situation. It was easy to imagine her on the ranch, wading in to help doctor a sick animal or repair a leaky roof in a downpour.
The Colonel turned his attention on Tristan. “Have you any injuries to report, Mr. Cayle?”
“No, sir, I’m right as rain.”
“A rock fell on you, Dad?” Wiping his greasy hands on a rag, William joined them. He smiled, but his brow twisted in worry. “What happened?”
“No biggie, except for the boulder in my soaking pool. We better check out the rocks along the trail, though. If they’re unstable, we have to close off the area.”
“Agreed.” The Colonel checked his watch. “We’ll go now.”
Hiking back to the hot springs was easier wearing his everyday boots, but Tristan noticed he was the only one breathing hard. William, as unused to the altitude as his father, managed to talk nonstop to the Colonel.
At the steep trail through the rocks toward the springs, William bounded ahead like a mountain goat. Fearing another rock slide, Tristan ordered his son to halt. “Stay down here. It isn’t safe.”
William watched Megan climb the stair-stepped trail. “She gets to go up.”
“It’s her job.”
“She’s just a girl.”
“She’s a grown-up woma
n, and she’s responsible for the safety of guests. Don’t argue with me.”
Slouching, the boy jammed his hands in his pants pockets. He kicked pinecones. His mood didn’t last long, and soon he began telling Tristan about the Colonel’s firearms collection, which included a Colt .45 a general had carried during campaigns in World War II. Along with collecting military memorabilia, the Colonel also played golf.
“You want to learn how to play golf?” Tristan asked. Rock climbing he understood, sort of, but when had William developed a yen for a city-boy game like golf?
“I always wanted to learn, Dad. It’s a great game. It’s all about geometry and control. The Colonel has a driving range set up. He says he’ll show me how to swing.” He lifted adoring eyes toward the hilltop where Megan and her father inspected the rocks. “For an old guy, he’s really cool.”
Jealousy nipped him again. He’d hoped someday William’s heart would change and he’d show true interest in raising stock and inheriting the ranch. With each passing day Tristan doubted it more.
He turned his attention to Megan. She hopped experimentally atop a rock formation. In their long correspondence and telephone conversations, she’d milked him for information about the ranch, drinking in his words like a honeybee after nectar. She’d wanted to know everything about cattle, fencing, branding, stock shows, the price of beef and horse breeding. He’d met plenty of city girls who dreamed of ranch living, but they hungered for a movieranch: pretty horses and cowboy hats and romantic sunsets on the plains. That he’d never detected a hint of romantic silliness had led him to hope Megan could make a fitting mate for him. She said she wanted a big family and a decent, stable place to raise children.
With her serious expression and cautious way she tested the rocks, she appeared grown-up and responsible.
“I think it’s safe,” she called. “Come on up and look at this, Tristan.”
Needing no other invitation, William raced up the trail. He skidded to a stop and made an awestruck noise. Tristan knew he’d sighted the hot springs below.
“Can I go down, Dad?” William shuffled toward the springs.
Tristan looked to Megan and she nodded. “Reckon. But heed the warning signs. Those small pools are hot.”
William ran down the trail.
“This is where it came from,” Megan said. She crouched and ran her hands over the rocks.
The formation consisted of worn, rounded boulders embedded in a base of sandstone. The coloration on the underlying stone clearly marked where the fallen boulder had been.
Tristan fingered gravel and sand. The shelflike formation had sheared away as if cut by a blade. “Looks rotten.”
“It is, sort of. But the rest of the rocks are solid. Nothing else moves.”
“I remember hearing a big crack.” Tristan slid a hand over the sheared rock face. “Must have been this part breaking. Like you said, gravity got the best of it.”
The Colonel nodded agreement. “It appears stable, but we’ll close off the springs, anyway, until an inspection by an expert can be done.” He headed down to the springs.
“Tristan,” she said quietly. “Do you think someone followed us earlier?”
“I don’t think so. Why?” Her solemn expression put his hackles up, and so did the cautious way she watched her father study the boulder in the water. “What are you getting at?”
“Keep your voice down.” She picked up a splinter of wood and showed it to him. “I think somebody reached the hilltop and hid behind these rocks to watch us. Then pressed up against the rock and noticed it was shaky. Wasn’t it Archimedes who said, give me a big enough lever and I can move the world?”
He noticed several splinters and chunks of wood littering the rock at her feet. All of them were at the high side of where the fallen boulder had been. “Who?”
“Daniella Falconetti is really mad at you.”
He formed a mental picture of the tall blonde in her flashy purple suit. Imagining her hiking in purple high heels, then using those manicured hands to lever a boulder with a stick caused a smile.
“It isn’t funny.” She pushed upright and dusted her hands as she looked around. Fallen branches from the surrounding pines and firs littered the ground.
“Nobody’s trying to kill me, Megan.” He recalled Daniella entering the lobby in her walking clothes. Frowning, he held up his hands to help her off the rock formation. She put her hands on his shoulders and hopped lightly to the trail.
“I don’t trust that woman. I can see by her face she’s evil and mean. Crazy, too. And everybody heard her threaten to kill you.” She raked a finger across her throat and hissed in emphasis.
Daniella had entered the rear of the lobby from the same direction as this forest. He scowled, knowing the notion was insane, but he couldn’t shake it loose. “Your sister told her the con artist is locked up. She knows I’m not the man who stole her money.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Chapter Seven
“I want to talk to you, Meg,” Janine said, entering the bedroom. She closed the door behind her.
Megan hastily tugged the sleep shirt over her head. “Haven’t you ever heard of knocking? Get out of here.” She flopped onto her bed and drew her legs beneath her. After yesterday’s nonstop disasters, today had been a dream come true.
No “wives” had hassled Tristan. William had spent most of the day with the Colonel, leaving her and Tristan alone to take a long walk and share a romantic picnic lunch. They’d talked and held hands and he’d kissed her again. Even dinner with her parents had been nice with everyone on their best behavior, making pleasant conversation. The only time Tristan mentioned age was when he said, “You make me feel like a boy,” and Megan took that as a compliment.
She had a big day planned for tomorrow, too. She wanted to savor the day and get some sleep, not listen to her busybody sister nagging at her.
“Do you honestly think I’ll let you get away with slandering a guest?”
Megan lifted her eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”
“Daniella Falconetti told me you were talking to her employees about her. You think she has something to do with the rock slide.”
“She did threaten to kill him.”
“You can’t go around accusing her of a crime!”
“That’s pretty funny coming from you. And considering I’m the one who almost got turned into a hamburger patty, I think I have a right to ask a few questions.” She beckoned with her fingertips, urging Janine closer. “She lied, you know: She said she was alone in her room, resting. But Tristan saw her come into the lodge, and some other people saw her at the trailhead. Why lie if she has nothing to hide?”
“For one thing, she doesn’t owe you the time of day. For another, if I see you anywhere near Daniella or her employees, you won’t have to quit. I’ll fire you.”
“Ooh, I’m so scared.”
Janine rested both hands on the footboard and hung her head so her hair fell in a glossy curtain over her face. Her shoulders rose and fell with her breathing. “What do you really know about—your friend?”
“I know a lot more than you do about Daniella Falconetti. I also know he doesn’t make death threats. Now, get out of my room. Do I need to start locking my door?”
“Oh, grow up! This is serious. Daniella makes her living studying faces. She should know who he is.”
Megan scooped a pillow onto her lap. “I’m sorry Tristan looks like that creep, but it’s a coincidence. You’re the one getting Daniella all worked up. How grown-up is that?”
Janine’s eyes flashed and she clenched her fists. She opened her mouth, closed it, drew in a deep breath and lowered her head. After a beat, she said, “I want you to listen very carefully to me. Please?”
Megan looked away. Other than physically throwing Janine out, she had no choice except to listen.
“Bradley Carter is a very clever man. He spent his entire adult life ripping off women. He eluded state and federal
authorities for over twenty years.”
“Even if Carter got loose, why would he come here?”
“Revenge.” Janine nodded slowly, emphatically, her eyes dark with foreboding. “Ross is the reason Carter got caught.”
“Uh-huh. I’m sure that’s exactly what a very clever man would do after breaking out of prison. Come back to the same place where he got caught before.” She smacked her forehead with the heel of her hand. “Silly me.”
“The man is an expert at switching identities, changing his appearance, fooling people. And don’t forget, most of the money he stole is still missing, hidden in foreign accounts and under different names. He’s rich enough to pull off the scam to beat all scams—”
“Oh, please! The sheriff would know if he escaped.”
“Not if he switched identities with another prisoner. Or if somebody made a mistake. Things like that do happen. Criminals get released because of clerical errors all the time.”
“Sure they do, Janine. Every day.” Janine had always been hardheaded, but Megan had never seen her so worked up over anything. “I have an idea. Why don’t you take a little trip to California? See Carter for yourself. Gosh, you taking a vacation would do us all some good.”
“You’re being unreasonable!”
“I think you can’t stand seeing me happy. Me getting married and moving away where you can’t boss me around just makes you crazy. You’re jealous because I have a boyfriend and you don’t.”
Janine threw her hands in the air. “Unbelievable! I’m trying to protect you.”
“You’re trying to ruin my life! I’m warning you. You better stay away from Tristan. And you better tell Daniella Falconetti to leave him alone, too. If I find one bit of proof she pushed that rock, I’m going after her.”
“You are so stupid!” Shoulders rigid, fists white-knuckled, Janine stalked to the door.
Megan threw the pillow. It smacked the door with a flump. Janine gasped and whirled around. Megan snatched up a stuffed rabbit and readied her aim.
Janine jerked open the door. “And if I find one shred of proof that man is Bradley Carter, he’s the one who’ll be sorry.”
