B.J. Daniels the Cardwell Ranch Collection

by B. J Daniels

  She tried to relax, telling herself that fate had gotten her here. The timing of the letter was too perfect. But luck had never been on her side, so this made her a little nervous. Not to mention the thought of being trapped on a ranch in the middle of nowhere. She fingered the business card in her pocket. At least she had other options if this didn’t pan out.

  She considered her cousin. Dana, while dressed in jeans, boots and a Western shirt, didn’t look as if she had money, but she drove a nice new vehicle. And was a partner in a sewing shop—as well as owned a ranch. Maybe her prospects were good, Dee thought, as Dana drove across a bridge spanning a blue-green river, then slipped through an opening in the mountains into a narrow canyon. Dee had never liked narrow roads, let alone one through the mountains with a river next to it.

  “That’s the Gallatin River,” Dana said, pointing to the rushing, clear green water. Dana had been giving a running commentary about the area since lunch. Dee had done her best to tune out most of it while nodding and appearing to show interest.

  The canyon narrowed even more, the road winding through towering rock faces on both sides of the river and highway. Dee was getting claustrophobic, but fortunately the land opened a little farther down the road, and she again saw more promising homes and businesses.

  “That’s Big Sky,” Dana said finally, pointing at a cluster of buildings. “And that is Lone Mountain.” A snowcapped peak came into view. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

  Dee agreed, although she felt once she’d seen one mountain, she’d seen them all—and she’d seen more than her fair share today.

  “Is the ranch far?” She was tiring of the tour and the drive and anxious to find out if this had been a complete waste of time. Lance Allen was looking awfully good right now.

  “Almost there,” Dana said, and turned off the highway to cross the river on a narrow bridge.

  The land opened up, and for a moment she had great expectations. Then she saw an old two-story house and groaned inwardly.

  So much for fate and her luck finally changing. She wondered how quickly she would escape. Maybe she would have to use the sick-sister or even the dying-mother excuse, if it came to that.

  Just then a man rode up on a horse. She did a double take and tried to remember the last time she’d seen anyone as handsome as this cowboy astride the horse.

  “That’s Hud, my husband,” Dana said with obvious pride in her voice.

  Hello, Hud Savage, Dee said to herself. Things were beginning to look up considerably.

  Chapter Three

  Deputy Marshal Colt Dawson got the call as he was driving down from Big Sky’s Mountain Village.

  “Black bear problem up Antler Ridge Road,” the dispatcher told him. “The Collins place.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” He swung off Lone Mountain Trail onto Antler Ridge Road and drove along until he saw the massive house set against the side of the mountain. Like many of the large homes around Big Sky, this one was only used for a week or so at Christmas and a month or so in the summer at most.

  George Collins was some computer component magnate who’d become a millionaire by the time he was thirty.

  Colt swung his patrol SUV onto the paved drive that led him through the timber to the circular driveway.

  He’d barely stopped and gotten out before the nanny came running out to tell him that the bear was behind the house on the deck.

  Colt took out his can of pepper spray, attached it to his belt and then unsnapped his shotgun. The maid led the way, before quickly disappearing back into the house.

  The small yearling black bear was just finishing a huge bowl of dog food when Colt came around the corner.

  It saw him and took off, stopping ten yards away in the pines. Colt lifted the shotgun and fired into the air. The bear hightailed it up the mountain and over a rise.

  After replacing the shotgun and bear spray in his vehicle, he went to the front door and knocked. The nanny answered the door and he asked to see Mr. or Mrs. Collins. As she disappeared back into the cool darkness of the house, Colt looked around.

  Living in Big Sky, he was used to extravagance: heated driveways, gold-finished fixtures, massive homes with lots of rock and wood and antlers. The Collins home was much like the others that had sprouted up around Big Sky.

  “Yes?” The woman who appeared was young and pretty except for the frown on her face. “Is there a problem?”

  “You called about a bear on your back deck,” he reminded her.

  “Yes, but I heard you shoot it.”

  “I didn’t shoot it. I scared it off. We don’t shoot them, but we may have to if you keep feeding them. You need to make sure you don’t leave dog food on the deck. Or birdseed in your feeders. Or garbage where the bears can get to it.” Montana residents were warned of this—but to little avail. “You can be fined if you continue to disregard these safety measures.”

  The woman bristled. “I’ll tell my housekeeper to feed the dog inside. But you can’t be serious about the birdseed.”

  “It’s the bears that are serious about birdseed,” Colt said. “They’ll tear down your feeders to get to it and keep coming back as long as there is something to eat.”

  “Fine. I’ll tell my husband.”

  He tipped his Stetson and left, annoyed that people often moved to Montana for the scenery and wildlife. But they wanted both at a distance so they didn’t have to deal with it.

  As he drove back toward Meadow Village, the lower part of Big Sky, he thought about what Hud had said about a raft trip down the river. No way would Hilde go. Would she?

  * * *

  HILDE HAD BEEN watching Dee Anna Justice on the ride from the airport to Cardwell Ranch and fighting a nagging feeling.

  What was it about the woman that was bothering her? She couldn’t put her finger on it even now that she was back in the sewing shop—her favorite place to be.

  “So what is she like?” Ronnie asked. The thirtysomething Veronica “Ronnie” Tate was an employee and a friend. Hilde loved that she could always depend on Ronnie to hold down the fort while she was away from the shop.

  “Dee Anna Justice? It’s eerie. She looks like Dana. But she doesn’t act like her.”

  Ronnie seemed to be waiting for Hilde to continue.

  Hilde weighed her words. Dana was her best friend. She didn’t want to talk about Dana’s cousin behind Dana’s back.

  “More subdued than Dana, but then who isn’t? She’s from New York City and all this is new to her.”

  Ronnie laughed. “Okay, what is wrong with her? I can tell you don’t like her.”

  “No, that’s not true. I don’t know her.”

  “But?”

  What was bothering her about the woman? Something. “I just hope she doesn’t take advantage of Dana’s hospitality, that’s all.” Dana had flown her out here and was paying all her expenses, and Dee was letting her. That seemed wrong.

  Ronnie was still waiting.

  “I don’t want her to be a hardship. Dana is stretched thin as it is with four kids, two still in diapers.”

  “How long is she staying?” Ronnie asked.

  “That’s just it—Dana doesn’t know.” Hilde had always thought visitors were like fish: three days and it was time for them to go. But then again, she enjoyed being alone to read or sew or just look out the window and daydream. Dana was more social, even though she’d deny it.

  “I’m sure Dana will show her a good time,” Ronnie said.

  “I’m sure she will since she has already drafted me to help.”

  After Ronnie left, she was still wondering what it was about Dee Anna Justice that bothered her. She started to lock up for the day when she recalled Dee’s reaction to Hud as he’d ridden up on his horse.

  Dee had suddenly come ali
ve—after showing little interest in Montana, the canyon or the ranch before that moment.

  * * *

  DEE MOVED RESTLESSLY around the living room of the old ranch house this morning, running her finger along the horns of some kind of dead animal hanging on the wall. Hud had told her, but she’d forgotten what kind.

  Last night, while Dana had seen to the kids, Hud had shown her around the ranch. Dee hadn’t been impressed with the corrals, barn, outbuildings or even the view. But Hud, who was drop-dead gorgeous and so wonderfully manly, was very impressive. She’d never met a real live cowboy before. It made him all the more interesting because he was also the marshal.

  When the tour of the ranch ended, Hud had excused himself and she’d been forced to stay up late talking with her “cousin.” Dana had shared stories of growing up here on the ranch.

  Dee had made up a sad childhood of being raised by nannies, attending boarding schools and hardly ever seeing either of her wealthy parents. The stories had evoked the kind of sympathy she’d hoped to get from Dana. By the time they’d gone to bed, Dana had been apologizing for not knowing about Dee and saving her from that lonely childhood.

  “Ready?”

  Dee turned to smile at Hud. He had offered to teach her to ride a horse this morning. Her first instinct had been to decline. She’d never been on a horse in her life and she really didn’t want to now. But she loved the idea of Hud teaching her anything.

  “Ready,” she said past the lump in her throat.

  Hud must have seen her reluctance. “I’m going to put you on one of the kids’ horses. Very gentle. There is nothing to worry about.”

  “If you say so,” she said with a laugh. “Let’s do it.”

  Hud led the way outside. He had two horses tied up to the porch railing. She felt as if she was in Dodge City. This was all so...Western.

  “Just grab the saddle horn and put your foot in my hands and I’ll help you up,” Hud said. She did as he instructed, wobbled a little and fell back. He caught her, just as she knew he would. The man was as strong as he looked.

  “Let’s try that again,” he said with a laugh. Behind them, she heard Dana come out on the porch with the two oldest of their children. Dee had forgotten their names.

  “Is she going to ride my horse, Mommy?” the little girl asked.

  “Yes, Mary, she needs a nice horse since she has never ridden before,” Dana answered.

  “Really?” The kid sounded shocked that anyone could reach Dee’s age and have never ridden a horse.

  This time Dee let Hud lift her up and onto the horse. She gripped the saddle horn as the horse seemed to shiver and stomp its feet. “I don’t think it likes me,” she said.

  “Star likes everyone,” the girl said.

  Dee was glad when they rode away from the house. She’d always found children annoying. It was beyond her why anyone would want four of them.

  Once she got used to the horse’s movement, she began to relax. The day was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky. A cool breeze blew through the pine trees, bringing with it a scent like none she’d ever smelled before.

  “So this is what fresh air smells like,” she joked.

  “A little different from New York City?”

  She laughed at that. “It’s so...quiet.”

  “You’ll get used to it. Did you have trouble getting to sleep last night? People often complain it’s too quiet to sleep.”

  She hadn’t been able to sleep last night, but she doubted it was from the quiet. Dana had put her in a large bedroom upstairs at the front of the house. When she’d tested the bed, she found it to be like lying down on a cloud. It was covered with what appeared to be a handmade patchwork quilt, the mattress on a white iron frame that forced her to actually climb up to get into it.

  The sheets had smelled like sunshine and were soft. There was no reason she shouldn’t have drifted right off to sleep. Except for one.

  She found herself reviewing the day in small snapshots, weighing each thing that happened, evaluating how she’d done as Dee Anna Justice. She was much more critical of herself than anyone else could possibly be. But she’d learned the hard way that any little slipup could give her away.

  “Dana tells me you grew up back East?” Hud asked, clearly just making conversation as their horses walked down a narrow dirt road side by side.

  The real Dee Anna Justice had never been exactly forthcoming about her life growing up. But she’d always gotten the feeling that something had happened, some secret that made Dee Anna not want to talk about her life.

  She’d found that amusing, since she would put her childhood secrets up against the real Dee Anna Justice’s any day—and win hands down, she was sure.

  “It wasn’t like this,” Dee said now in answer to his question. Then she quickly asked, “Did you grow up here? I get the feeling that you and Dana have always known each other.”

  “My father was the marshal,” Hud said. “I grew up just down the road from here. Dana and I go way back.” Something in his tone told her that there had been some problem before they’d gotten together. Another woman? Or another man?

  Dee made a mental note to see what she could find out from the sister, Stacy. She’d only seen her for a few minutes, but Dee could tell at once that Stacy and Dana were nothing alike. And while the two seemed close, she got the feeling there was some sort of old friction there.

  She’d spent her life reading people to survive. Some people were literally an open book. If they didn’t tell you their life story, you could pretty well guess it.

  Glancing over at the cowboy beside her, she knew he was honorable, loyal and trustworthy. She considered what it would take to corrupt a man like that.

  * * *

  HILDE PUT THE Open sign in her shop window. As she did, she glanced at the deli across the street. She’d gotten used to seeing Deputy Marshal Colt Dawson sitting in that front window and was a little surprised to find someone else sitting there this morning.

  It surprised her also that she was disappointed.

  She shook it off, chastising herself.

  “Colt has a crush on you,” Dana had said a few days before. “Hud says he hasn’t dated a single woman since he asked you out and you turned him down.”

  “I’m sure he’ll snap out of it soon,” Hilde had said. Colt Dawson could have any woman he wanted—and had. The man was too handsome for his own good. He’d gotten his straight, thick black hair from his father, who was Native American, and his startling blue eyes from his Irish mother. On top of that, he was tall, broad-shouldered with slim hips and long legs, and he had this grin that...

  Hilde shook herself again, shocked that she’d let her thoughts go down that particular trail. It was flattering that Colt had asked her out, but she was his age, and he hadn’t dated a woman his own age since he’d come to Big Sky, let alone one who was looking for something more than a good time.

  As she started to turn away from the front window of her store, she saw the man at the deli’s front table get up and leave. Colt Dawson quickly took his place, his blue-eyed gaze coming up suddenly as if he knew she would be standing there.

  Hilde quickly stepped back, but she couldn’t help smiling as she hurried to the counter at the back of the store.

  A moment later the bell jangled as someone came in the front door. Her heart took off like a shot as she turned, half expecting to see Colt.

  “Just need some black thread,” said one of her older patrons. “It’s amazing how hard it is to keep black thread in the house.”

  Hilde hurried to help the woman. When she looked out the window again, the front table at the deli was empty, Colt long gone.

  “Why didn’t you go out with him?” Dana had asked her. “What would it have hurt?”

  She hadn’t had an answer at that mome
nt. But she did now. A man like Colt Dawson was capable of breaking her heart.

  * * *

  DEE HATED IT when the horseback ride ended, even though she could definitely feel her muscles rebelling. She’d insisted on helping as Hud unsaddled the horses and put them in the corral. Helping might have been inaccurate. She’d stood around, asked questions without listening to the answers and studied the man, considering.

  Back at the house, Dana announced that Hud was going to take care of the kids while she and her cousin went for a hike and picnic at the falls. That is, if Dee wasn’t too tired.

  She would much rather have taken a nap than go on a hike since she hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, but she couldn’t disappoint Dana, especially in front of Hud. So she’d helped pack the lunch to the pickup and the two of them had driven out of the ranch and toward what Dana called Lone Mountain.

  “So this is the town of Big Sky?” Dee asked a few minutes later. “I thought it would be bigger.”

  “It’s spread out. There is the upper mountain where the ski lifts are, and the lower mountain where the golf course is. Plus a bunch of houses you can’t see from the road,” Dana told her. “We’ll have to take the gondola to Lone Mountain, if you’re here long enough. I think you’ll like that—the view is nice. And tomorrow I’ve set up a rafting trip for the three of us.”

  “Oh, Hud is going?” Dee asked.

  “No, he’s taking care of the kids. Hilde is going with us. In fact, she’s joining us for the picnic today.” She turned onto a narrow road that went past a cluster of houses and businesses before climbing up through the pines. “Yep, there’s Hilde’s SUV already parked at the trailhead. Hilde is so punctual.” Dana laughed. “It’s amazing we’re best friends since we are opposites on so many things.”

  Hilde. The best friend. Dee recalled yesterday feeling Hilde watching her a little too closely. Dana was so trusting, so open. Hilde was more reserved and definitely not trusting, Dee thought. Dana parked next to Hilde’s SUV, and Dee glimpsed the woman behind the wheel, her brown eyes so watchful.

  * * *