B.J. Daniels the Cardwell Ranch Collection

by B. J Daniels

  “Rick, what a surprise.” She hurried to the door, belatedly remembering to limp only the last few steps. She’d managed to hurt herself again in the river—at least that was her story. It would get her out of helping Dana with the dishes and the kids.

  “I had to come after I got your phone call,” he said smoothly. “Are you all right?”

  “It’s just a sprain,” she said, and realized Hud was watching and waiting for an introduction. Before Dee could, Dana joined them.

  “Rick, this is my cousin Dana I told you about and her husband, Hud. Rick...Cameron, a friend of mine from back East.” She gave Rick a warning look. “We were just sitting down to a family dinner. Tell me where you’re staying and I’ll—”

  “We always have room for one more,” Dana said quickly. “Please join us. Any friend of Dee’s is welcome.”

  Rick stepped in, letting the door close behind him as he looked around, amused at her discomfort. “Dee, are you sure you’re all right? I’ve been worried about you.”

  “I’m fine. You really didn’t need to come all this way just to check on me.” She bit the words off, angry with him for showing up here and even angrier that he didn’t take the hint and leave. She hung back with him as Hud and Dana returned to the large family dining room, where everyone else was waiting.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded under her breath so no one else could hear.

  “Is that any way to greet an old friend, Dee?”

  Her mind whirled. How had he found her? Then with a curse, she realized what she’d done. She’d left a change of address so she could get Dee Anna Justice’s mail in care of the ranch. That way she’d know quickly if her cover was blown—as well as collect at least one of Dee Anna’s trust fund checks.

  In retrospect that had been a mistake. She should have known Rick would come looking for her once he realized she’d bailed on him and the apartment. He’d know the real Dee Anna hadn’t gone to a ranch in Montana.

  “You can’t stay,” she whispered. “You’ll mess up everything.”

  He smiled at her. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see you, Dee.”

  “Stop doing that.”

  “I set another place for you, Rick,” Dana called from the dining room doorway. “Come join us and I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

  Dee had indigestion by the time the meal wound down. Dana had introduced Rick, and he’d seemed to be enjoying himself, which made it worse. She couldn’t wait until dinner was over so she could get him out of here. The trick would be getting him out of town.

  Rick could smell a con a mile off. The fact that she was going by Dee Anna Justice had been a dead giveaway. He knew she was up to something. He would want something out of this.

  She couldn’t have been more relieved when dinner was finally over. Fortunately, because of her re-“sprained” ankle, she didn’t have to help with the dishes. Rick helped clear the table. She heard him chatting in the kitchen with Hud and Dana.

  She was going to kill him.

  Finally, Rick said he was leaving and asked Dee if she felt up to walking him out to his rental car. She wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

  “You have to leave,” she told him outside.

  He glanced at the stars sparkling in the velvet canopy overhead and took a deep breath. “This is nice here. A little too hick for me, but the food was good,” he said, finally looking at her. “I’ve missed you. I thought you would have at least left me a note.”

  “What do you want?”

  “You always were good at cutting right to the heart of it. Isn’t it possible I really did miss you?”

  “No.” He hadn’t come here for a reunion. If anything, he’d come to blackmail her.

  “Look,” she said. “I will cut you in, but I need time. I don’t even know what there is here yet.”

  He laughed. “You can call yourself Dee or anything else you like, but remember, I know you. You’ve staked out something here or you would be gone by now. Is it the land? Is it worth something? Or is there family money I’m just not seeing?”

  “There isn’t any hidden wealth,” she said. “I’m just spending a few days here like a tourist while my cousin shows me a good time. She’s picking up my little vacation. That’s it.”

  “You’re such a good liar. Usually. But I don’t get what you could possibly be thinking here. Does Hud have a rich brother I haven’t met yet?”

  “Rick—”

  “You’d better get back into the house,” he said, glancing past her. “You really shouldn’t be on that bad ankle too long.” He chuckled. “Don’t forget to limp or you’re going to be doing dishes with the women in the kitchen the rest of your little vacation.”

  With that, he climbed into his rental car and slammed the door. She slapped the window, trying to get him to roll it down, but he merely made a face at her, started the engine and drove off.

  She stood in the faint moonlight mentally kicking herself. Rick was going to ruin everything.

  * * *

  “ARE YOU FEELING BETTER?” Colt asked, as Hilde came out of his bathroom dressed in the sweatpants and T-shirt he’d given her.

  She nodded. He’d changed into jeans and a T-shirt that molded his muscled body. She’d never seen him in anything but his uniform before. No wonder he was so popular with women.

  He handed her a mug of hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows floating in it. He must have seen her surprise.

  “My mother used to always make me hot chocolate when I had a hard day in school,” Colt said, and grinned shyly. “I thought it might help.”

  She curled her fingers around the mug, soaking in the warmth, and took a sip. She couldn’t help smiling. “It’s perfect.” She was touched at his thoughtfulness. “I don’t believe I thanked you for saving my life earlier.”

  He waved her apology away. “I’m just glad you’re okay. Would you like to sit down?” he asked, motioning to his couch.

  She glanced around his cabin. It was simply but comfortably furnished. He’d made a fire in the small fireplace. This time of year it cooled down quickly in the canyon.

  The fire crackled invitingly as she took a seat at one end of the couch, curling her feet under her. She’d finally quit shaking. Now she just felt scared. Scared that she was right about Dee. Even more scared that she wasn’t. Had she wrongly accused the woman?

  Colt seemed to relax as he joined her at the opposite end of the couch. “Why don’t you tell me about Dee?”

  She hesitated, upset with herself for the scene she’d made earlier. It was so unlike her. No wonder Dana had looked so shocked. She shouldn’t have confronted Dee in front of everyone, but she’d been so upset, so scared. She’d almost drowned. If Colt hadn’t pulled her out when he had...

  “You can tell me how you really feel,” he said quietly.

  She took a breath. “I don’t know anymore.”

  “Sure you do,” he said and smiled. “Follow your instincts. I have a feeling your instincts are pretty good.”

  Hilde laughed. “After seeing that hysterical woman on the river a while ago?”

  “Almost drowning does that to a person.”

  She studied him for a moment. He was way too handsome, but he was also very nice. He’d saved her life and now he was willing to listen to her side of it. “What if my instincts are wrong?”

  “You know they aren’t.”

  Did she? She took another sip of the hot chocolate. It did help. Bracing herself, she said, “There’s something...off about Dee.”

  He nodded, urging her to continue.

  “I admit I was worried when Dana told me that she’d asked a cousin she’d never met to come visit. She’s paying for all Dee’s expenses. That seemed odd to me. But according to Dana, Dee recently quit her job. Add to th
at, no one knows how long she plans to stay.”

  “So you thought right away she might be taking advantage of your friend.”

  Hilde nodded. “After we picked her up at the airport, Dana was telling her all about this area. I noticed that she didn’t seem interested. It wasn’t until we reached the ranch and she met Hud that Dee perked up.”

  He nodded but said nothing.

  “I know this all sounds so...small and petty.”

  “Tell me about the day at the falls.”

  She finished the hot chocolate and put her mug on the table next to her elbow, noticing the bestseller lying open, his place marked halfway through the book. It was one she’d been wanting to read, and she was momentarily distracted to know that Colt was a reader.

  “I didn’t want to go on the hike, but Dana insisted. I was probably rude. I asked how long Dee planned to stay. Shortly after that I was standing at the edge of the falls. Dana had gone over to the picnic spot to look for her camera, and all of a sudden I felt a hand on my back and a hard shove. Then Dee grabbed me and warned me to be careful, that it was dangerous around here.”

  “You believed it was a threat.”

  “I did.”

  “But you didn’t say anything to Dana.”

  “I was too shocked and—”

  “You talked yourself out of believing it.”

  She nodded. “Also, Dana was enjoying her cousin so much, I didn’t have the heart to tell her.”

  “You feared she wouldn’t believe you.”

  Hilde let out a laugh. “With good reason. She didn’t believe that Dee tried to drown me today.”

  “But you do.”

  She swallowed, then slowly nodded. “She wasn’t trying to save me. I know you find that hard to believe because I tried to fight you off moments later, when you were only trying to save me.”

  “Why do you think she pushed you at the falls and yet saved you, then today tried to drown you and maybe really did try to save you?”

  “I don’t know. It makes one of us seem crazy, doesn’t it?”

  He smiled. “What is it you think she wants? Dana and Hud don’t have a lot money. She can’t possibly think she can get her hands on the ranch. She’s going to wear out her welcome within a week or so.”

  “That’s just it, I don’t know. I just can’t get over the feeling that she wants something from Dana. But the more I think about it, the more I feel I must be wrong. What if I’m overreacting? Maybe she was trying to save me in the river today.”

  “Maybe she didn’t push you at the falls?”

  She looked away. “Dana thinks I’m jealous.” She turned to meet his gaze. “Maybe I am.” She got to her feet. “I should go home.”

  Colt rose, too. “What are you going to do?”

  “Stay away from Dee,” she said with a laugh. “Like you said, she’ll wear out her welcome and leave.”

  “Hud called while you were changing clothes. He’s taking Dee up to Elkhorn Lake on a horseback ride tomorrow. Dana’s idea. I think we should go.”

  “What? And give her another chance at me?”

  He grinned. “That’s what I thought. You don’t think you imagined any of this. Dee’s dangerous, isn’t she?”

  “Yes. But you’re the only person who believes me. Dee always comes away looking like a hero.”

  “Almost as if she planned it that way. If you really think Hud and Dana are in danger, then I think we need to keep an eye on Dee. Meanwhile, I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

  Hilde couldn’t help but feel a small thrill at the last part. She liked the idea of Colt keeping an eye on her. She told herself not to make anything of it.

  “The last thing I want to do is go on a long horseback ride with Dee Anna Justice. What makes you so sure she won’t try to kill me again?”

  “I can’t promise that. But it will look more than a little odd if you meet with yet another accident. I have a plan. But you probably won’t like it.”

  She didn’t, but she was so thankful that Colt believed her, she would have gone along with anything he asked.

  “Right now, she’s won,” he said. “You need to throw her off balance and stay close to Dana. There’s only one way to do that.”

  * * *

  “HE’S A BOYFRIEND, isn’t he?” Dana said excitedly when Dee returned to the house after walking Rick out. Hud had apparently gone up to bed. Everyone else had left as she was coming back into the house.

  “No, he’s...” She saw the sympathy in Dana’s expression. Her “cousin” was waiting for some heartbreaking love story. How could she disappoint her with so much at stake?

  “Your ex, isn’t he.” Her cousin drew her over to the couch and patted the cushion, indicating she should sit and spill all. Dee was thankful she had only Dana to deal with now. Dana saw what she wanted to and clearly loved finding a cousin she’d never known she had. Hilde wouldn’t have been fooled by her relationship with Rick.

  “I can tell he still cares about you,” Dana was saying. “He followed you all the way to Montana to make sure you were all right.”

  Maybe it would be better for everyone to think Rick was a boyfriend, then when she broke up with him and sent him packing, it would play well with the family. It could buy her more time here. She wouldn’t want to go back East right away after such a traumatic breakup.

  “That’s why you quit your job,” Dana said. “Did you work with him?”

  Why not give her what she wanted and then some? “He was my boss.”

  “Oh, those kinds of things are so...sticky.”

  “I knew better, but he was unrelenting.”

  “I can see that in him. To fly all the way out here.”

  “I should never have called him and told him where I was. But I knew he’d worry and I certainly shouldn’t have mentioned that I sprained my ankle.”

  “You couldn’t know that he’d follow you,” Dana said. “He seems nice, though. Is there no chance for the two of you?”

  No chance in hell. “He’s married,” she lied.

  Dana looked worried. “Children?”

  Dee shook her head. “He and his wife are separated. He’s always wanted children, but his wife didn’t. She says she doesn’t like kids.”

  Her cousin looked shocked. “Oh, how awful for him.”

  “Yes. I feel sorry for him, but he needs to try to work things out with his wife.”

  Dana agreed.

  Dee realized she was painting too sympathetic a picture of Rick. “He’s been so despondent since I broke it off and...” She lowered her voice. “He’s been taking...pills. I’m worried sick he might do something...crazy, between the depression and the drugs. Still I shouldn’t have called him to check on him.” Like she would have ever called him, but she was grateful that Rick was quick on his feet when it came to lying.

  “You did the right thing. Just imagine how you would have felt if you hadn’t called and something had happened to him.”

  “Hmm,” she said. “You’re right. But maybe I should go back home. I hate bringing my problems to your door.”

  “Don’t be silly.” Dana reached out and squeezed her hand. “That’s what family is for.”

  She’d always wondered what family was for. A part of her felt sorry for Dana. The woman was so caring. It must be exhausting.

  “You’re tired and you’ve had such an emotional day,” her cousin said, glancing at her watch. The fact that Dana still wore a watch and didn’t always carry a cell phone told Dee how far from civilization she now was.

  “I hope Hilde is all right.” She watched Dana’s expression out of the corner of her eye, trying to calculate whether or not Dana would call her friend to patch things up or not.

  “It’s just a good thing Colt was there,” Da
na said. “He’ll take care of her. I’ll give her a call later to make sure.”

  “I feel badly about what she said.”

  “Don’t let it bother you. She was just talking crazy because she was scared. Still, it wasn’t like the Hilde I know at all.”

  She could tell Dana was worried about her friend. “Almost drowning would do that to anyone. I just don’t want to come between the two of you.”

  “You won’t. I shouldn’t have insisted Hilde come on the raft trip. It really isn’t her thing. And anyone would have panicked if they’d been trapped under the raft like that.”

  “It was just such a freak accident,” she agreed.

  “I’m sure Hilde realized that, once she had a chance to calm down. I wouldn’t be surprised if she shows up tomorrow to apologize.”

  Don’t hold your breath on that one. “I hate to even ask what you have planned for tomorrow,” Dee said with a small laugh. She hoped Dana would come up with something away from the ranch with Hud and as far away as possible from Big Sky and Hilde and Rick. “You really are showing me such a great time. How will I ever be able to repay you?”

  “It’s my pleasure. I thought you’d like to ride up to Elkhorn Lake.”

  “So you’ll be able to go?” she asked.

  “No, I have to stay here. Hud is going to take you by horseback, if you’re up to it. The lake is beautiful and the trip is really wonderful.”

  Oh, yes. She couldn’t wait.

  “I think his deputy Colt is going along.”

  Dee swore silently. Colt? The man who’d saved Hilde.

  “It sounds like fun,” she said, although it had sounded much more fun when it was just going to be her and Hud. “I just wish you could go. Maybe next time?”

  Dana nodded. “You must come back every year.”

  Or never leave. “Oh, I would love that.”

  “Well, sleep tight and don’t worry about Rick.”

  Easy for Dana to say.

  Chapter Six

  The next morning, Dee got up early and borrowed Dana’s pickup to drive into Meadow Village. She still didn’t get the town of Big Sky. Everything was so spread out, but it was all close enough that it didn’t take her long to find Rick’s rental car parked in front of an older motor court motel.