by Reece Butler
“Tom! Stella fell and hurt her arm.”
“At home?”
He immediately went to his wife. The room was too small for Katie not to hear everything.
“No, she was at the Seniors Center. The medical assistant doesn’t think it’s broken. They’re driving her to the clinic to make sure.” She pressed her lips together. “It’s not like Stella to get hurt.”
“There’s a lot on her mind, what with the haying. She’s not ready to go back to the Rocking E yet.”
“I forgot about the haying! If she’s hurt, Stella won’t be able to take over from Aggie. We’ll all help, of course, but someone has to be in charge.”
“You could do it.”
“Oh, Tom, no!” Dorothy shook her head. “I’m fine in my own kitchen, but that’s all. We need someone who can work with a bunch of people, get them organized, and give direction. Maybe Marci?”
“That’s for later,” said Tom. “Did someone call the Elliotts?”
“Trey’s on his way. His brother should be at the Mercantile by now, so they’re calling Jeb to pass on the word.” Dorothy squeezed her husband. “This is going to hit him like a Mack truck.”
“He’ll cope, and so will we. Maybe Jane could do the organizing.”
“Jane’s pregnant, and anyway the J Bar C has been doing it for years. Someone else needs to step forward. Maybe Louise Jefferson’s daughter, Frannie? She’s moving back to live with her mother.”
Katie couldn’t help listening. Someone’s mother was injured and needed help, so she would do whatever she could. She owed these people, and always paid her debts. She wiped her mouth with a napkin as she stood.
“Could I help?” They turned to her. “I don’t want to butt in, but…” She looked at Tom. “I’m not asking to be paid, I’m offering help. I know my way around a kitchen, though nothing like you, Miss Dorothy. If you need someone to organize, I have a business degree, though not much practical experience except volunteer activities.”
She’d taken courses in cooking and many other things in the evenings during high school. Anything to avoid being in that oppressive place where most of her family lived. It had never been home to her. Her volunteer activities happened at college. Since she had no social life, she wanted to help those who might appreciate her. It had been the first time in her life that she’d felt wanted or appreciated. She’d liked that feeling and wanted more.
“Thank you,” said Tom.
“Maybe Louise can take care of Stella until Ben and Amy get here tomorrow,” said Dorothy. “Good thing they’d planned to visit this weekend.”
Katie looked away, uncomfortable at the way the older couple held each other. Her family didn’t show emotion, especially affection.
“At least some of the cooking should be done in the Rocking E kitchen,” said Tom. “We understand Stella not wanting to be there, but if someone else is in charge, it could work.”
Dorothy grimaced. “Amy says the kitchen is bachelor clean, but that’s not good enough for me or the other women who’ll be helping.”
“What if Katie cleans it up? We already know she can work hard, and she needs the money.”
“Oh, Tom, that’s perfect!”
They broke apart, both turning to face her.
“You could solve a number of problems,” said Tom. His assessing look had her wanting to take a step back. “Would you be willing to clean a kitchen that hasn’t had a woman living there in years? The boys would enjoy having you cook, if that works out for you. The main thing is to bring the kitchen up to standard. Of course, you’ll be paid. It will be more than enough to get you home.”
“You’ll have your own bedroom, with an en suite bathroom,” added Dorothy. “The boys are gentlemen, so you would be safe.”
“Nothing will happen against your will,” added Tom. His words were soft but there was something in his eyes that suggested more was at stake.
Katie had assumed she was over her attack scare but the thought of a safe bed proved otherwise. She grabbed her elbows, trembling. She needed more than money. She needed a safe place to close her eyes. She kept her head down until she could fake a relaxed expression.
“How could I turn down a real bed, a paying job, and a chance to make a difference?” she replied, keeping it light.
“That’s good enough for me,” said Dorothy. “Tom?”
He kissed her cheek, patting her ample bottom as he turned away. “Before anything is decided, we need to have a little chat. Come into my office…Katie.”
She froze. The genial man was gone, replaced by someone hard-eyed and suspicious. The way he’d said her name suggested he thought it was false. Though she shivered, her face flamed. This was it. What she’d avoided for almost six months was happening, and at the worst possible time. She had no choice but to obey. She tried not to drag her feet as she followed him into his tiny office.
“Shut the door. Sit.”
Katie followed his orders, perching on the edge of the sturdy wooden chair and clasping her hands in her lap. She stared at them, noticing her ragged fingernails and cuticles. If her mother saw her like this she would be grounded for a month, even at her age. Living in the family home meant following the rules, even the unwritten ones. Those were the worst.
Focus!
Katie met his eyes. During the last six months, if something came up, she could just move on. Not this time. She had nothing but the clothes on her back. She was caught in the middle of nowhere in a valley between two very high passes. If Tom threw her out she would get home some way. One thing the last six months had taught her was that she could survive a lot more than she’d thought possible.
Tom leaned back, resting his elbows on the chair’s arms. He matched each fingertip to its mirror image. She felt like a bug caught in his web.
“The driver’s license you showed me earlier was sufficient to spend a few hours under my eye. However, if you’re going to be left alone in the home of a dear friend, I will know the truth.”
Her heart pounded even harder. She’d been told it was foolproof.
“My license—”
“Is a very expensive forgery. It would fool most people. Not me.”
She hadn’t thought his eyes could get harder. She was wrong.
“Who are you, and why are you carrying very expensive false ID?”
* * * *
Tom kept perfectly still, letting the tension rise. Both he and Dorothy were good judges of character. His wife had over forty years of experience dealing with the public. His natural instincts had been honed by years of Special Forces training. It, and knowing Dorothy waited for him, had kept him alive during the worst days of his life. If Katie lied someone would drive her to Dillon with a recommendation that she was a good waitress, and leave her there. He liked Katie, if that was her name, and hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
Stella’s injury would affect the entire valley. Since Sam was chosen to organize the haying, the Rocking E was responsible for the food. Stella had reluctantly agreed, for Sam’s sake. They all knew she hadn’t returned to the Rocking E ranch since she walked away from it so many years ago. She saw her sons often, but refused to go back to the place that had once been her home.
The solution to everything might be the woman in front of him. Katie was young and had the energy Stella lacked. He’d watched her harmless flirting with the old men, letting them feel young and handsome again. She spoke as if well educated, which was explained by the business degree. Even more importantly, she saw things that needed doing and did them without asking. Though she’d been more than hungry, she’d taken dainty bites of her egg and toast. She’d flashed angry eyes and a quick fist at Sam, and damn if the man hadn’t responded.
It was about time Sam woke up. He’d shown more life this morning than during the last decade. That in itself was a reason to keep the young woman around. He thought back, realizing no one had spoken Sam’s last name. Katie had no idea the Rocking E ranch belonged to Sam and Trey Ellio
tt. No wonder Dorothy was in favor of Katie helping out. His wife had paired off Sam and Katie within ten minutes of seeing the two of them go head-to-head. Once Trey saw Katie he’d be sunk as well.
Katie didn’t act like she knew she was pretty, so maybe she hadn’t been appreciated before. She certainly would be here. The lack of eligible females within a hundred miles was part of the reason there were five pairs of ranchers looking for wives, and more bachelors in town. Katie was a hardworking, intelligent, lovely young woman with a wide smile and a hearty laugh. She also stood up for herself, which meant she’d get along well with Lila Frost and the other women.
“Talk or walk,” he said.
“My full name is Katherine Hildegard Winterbourne. I prefer Katie.”
Her voice shook, along with her body. She hid it well, but he knew what to watch for. Any trace of the wild fireball was gone. Katie had depth, which intrigued him.
“My grandmother is the CEO of the Winterbourne Fine Furniture company in Salem, Oregon. She took over at twenty-five, when my grandfather died. Pretty much everyone in my family works there. My grandmother sent me on a six-month assignment. I was to see what life was like for the rest of America, as in the people who can’t afford our company’s furniture. I’m to come up with a business plan for a product that could be made between orders, to better balance the production schedule. Something that wasn’t so expensive.”
“Are you close to your grandmother?”
Katie faltered. “Yes,” she admitted. “Though we try to hide it since I’m nobody and shouldn’t have access to the person in charge. The others would get jealous and…it would not be good.” She whispered the last few words.
A woman who’d been in charge of a male-dominated business had his admiration. It was a good idea to send her granddaughter to discover what life was really like. It made him want to meet the old woman.
He typed the information into his computer. He had access to databases beyond most police departments, though would only check the basics for now. Her Oregon drivers’ license, as Katie Winter, had given her date of birth and an address. He discovered she not only had an MBA, she’d graduated with top marks. She’d also received commendations for volunteer work. Lots of people helped in animal shelters, but not too many worked with disabled veterans, helping them find a way through the tangle of forms required to get the benefits they needed. That alone would have moved her to the top of his hiring list. She would fit in their town, all right.
“Why the false name?”
“I was to do this totally on my own, not using the family name or resources.” She grimaced. “It also meant if I did something embarrassing it would not reflect back on the company. Uncle Walter insisted on that.”
“Was it likely that you’d embarrass them?”
Her blush was quick and bright. “I don’t fit in with my family. This red hair”—she twirled her finger in the curls at her neck—“had me labeled a rebel at birth. You tend to behave the way you are treated.”
She said it bitterly. There was a story here, far more than a simple, though very unusual, internship. Katie had a touch of stubbornness, which, when properly applied, he called having a backbone. Weak managers saw it as a threat.
He pulled up the Winterbourne Furniture Company webpage. Front and center was a family photo. The tiny, white-haired female CEO sat on a grand chair, surrounded by five men, their wives, and grown children. Katie’s grandmother had the look of someone who had battled for years and had come out on top. She wore her purple dress proudly, as well as a scarf with swirls of bright yellow, green, and pink. He’d have to get something like that for Dorothy.
Her sons, dressed in near-identical dark business suits, had various bland expressions, none of them welcoming. The daughters-in-law looked like well-groomed sharks. As for the grown children, they looked like clones of their parents. He had to read the names to find Katie. She was stuck in the back, off to one side. Her hair was long, straight, and brown. She looked bored and out of place, her flame extinguished. He would never have connected the snarling or flirting girl he saw this morning with this pale imitation.
“Did you live up to your hair?” he asked.
Dorothy had dyed her hair mouse-brown for years, hiding her head of flames until he insisted otherwise. She’d gone gray early, though their time in London proved she was still wild. There was certainly a fire in the furnace even though the snow on the roof was thick.
“I tried, but I was never like them.” Katie lifted her chin, showing a touch of the spirit he’d seen earlier. “Having been free for six months, I’m not sure I wish to fit in anymore.”
He couldn’t see Katie embarrassing anyone unless they were stuck up and narrow-minded. However, children were judged by their family. No matter how good a child was at something, if the family didn’t think it had value, it didn’t count.
“Tell me about it,” he said, leaning back.
She puffed up her cheeks then blew out the air.
“My family think well of themselves and look down on anyone different. My uncles and older male cousins are pompous and arrogant. The oldest, my Uncle Walter, wants to bring the company back to the way it was when Grandpa died. Uncle Walter was twelve at the time. From a psychological point of view that’s when his world crashed, and he thinks he can reinvent that life. So he stops my grandmother from making many changes.”
Tom nodded, encouraging her to keep going.
“The men think because I’m younger, smaller, and female, that I’m a lesser being. My aunts, none of whom work for the company, constantly fight with each other in a passive-aggressive way that I hate. I’ve never been one to play those games. I rarely say anything.” A pink tinge appeared on her cheeks and ears. “When I do get mad enough to speak up, I’m not good at filtering my words.”
Anyone he respected would go crazy living in that type of atmosphere.
“In other words, you’re honest. It must have felt good to tell Sam off.” Her blush deepened, though she didn’t reply. “We prefer honesty, though a bit of tact is appreciated. We care about each other, though we have our moments like any family.”
She screwed up her face. “I suppose I owe Sam an apology for insulting him.”
She had remorse, which was good, though not necessary in this circumstance. He liked what he saw of her. Even more, he liked what happened to Sam when she was around. He couldn’t wait to see the young woman’s face when she realized she’d be living with Sam and his younger brother. Trey had recently put his wild, playboy days behind him, though Tom doubted the young man could resist Katie’s appeal.
“Sam insulted you, and got what was coming to him. No apology required. Welcome to Climax, Katie Winterbourne. Have fun on the ranch and most of all, enjoy being yourself.”
Now her chin really started quivering. Her eyes glistened. “You’re not throwing me out?”
“Why would I? When I asked for the truth, you gave it straight up. Before you go, is there any information you can give me about the guy who stole your pack, or the one who attacked you?”
To his surprise, she gave a clear description of the cowboy who’d taken her pack from the bus. She not only had a physical description of the driver, she described the truck, where it had been parked in Lima, and added the license plate. If he was an operative dropped into a new area he would want to have her on his side.
“Don’t expect anything to come from the theft,” he said to her, “but Sheriff Gibson should be able to track down your attacker.”
She fidgeted, frowning. “I could write a statement.”
He took that to mean she would not be willing to hang around and participate in a trial. “That would be helpful. Best get back to work.”
“Thank you, sir.”
She quietly shut the door behind her. Tom added a few notes to the file he’d started on her. He’d give Josh Gibson the info on the thief and would-be rapist. The sheriff might know of something under the radar that could be triggered b
y Katie’s info. Tom would ask one of his agents to do a more exhaustive search, both on Katie and on the two men who’d affected her journey home. His men were experts at finding links between seemingly unconnected items. He’d include a few photos of Katie. Many of his men had physical and emotional side-effects from age and war that affected their having the type of active relationship he shared with Dorothy. Knowing they were helping a young woman with flashing eyes and a pert smile would brighten their day.
Everything happened for a reason, though it was rare to know why. Katie was safe, though shaken up. And thanks to her, Sam was shaken up as well.
Tom had seen the gleam in his wife’s eye when she saw the two of them together. Dorothy already had Katie hitched to the Elliott brothers. His wife was a born romantic, and an optimist.
Tom shut down the screen and signed out. Maybe Dorothy would get another wedding this summer.
Chapter Four
Trey pulled nose first into a spot near the entrance of the Roadhouse and jammed on the anchors. The truck stopped inches from the boardwalk. He hopped out, slammed the door, and strode into the restaurant. A short redhead with a magnificent rack grabbed his attention. His day suddenly got far better. He grinned, hoping she thought he admired her face rather than what was under the stretched pink T-shirt. From the way she glared back, she was pissed. It was not the type of reaction he was used to. Instead of turning him off, it revved him up. He hadn’t had a female challenge him in too long. He winked at the furious pixie as he walked forward, sweeping his eyes over her again.
“Now ain’t you a sight for sore eyes.”
She smiled sweetly up at him, though her expression suggested he was something she wanted to scrape off the bottom of her boot. “Keep those eyes to yourself or I’ll poke my fingers in them.”
