Trace saddled Gambler, all the while insisting that Summer loved Colt. And if he wasn’t such an idiot, he’d admit he loved her, too. “I’m glad they taught my generation to communicate,” Tracey muttered, swinging into the saddle.
Colt thought about what Tracey had said the whole time he scoured the windswept canyons for cattle. He did love her, dammit. But he thought communication was a two-way street. Trust definitely was. He supposed he could clear up her doubts once Gabe made his pitch. Too bad he thought that love meant you believed in the person you loved. And that you stood by him or her through good times and bad.
COLT COMPLETED THE JOB he promised Summer he’d do—get her steers to market.
“You’re really going to be a jerk about this, aren’t you?” Tracey demanded later, watching Colt load his pickup in the frigid afternoon.
Colt remained unmoved by pleas from Audrey and haranguing from both Tracey and Virgil. The old couple didn’t understand what was going on. And Colt threatened Tracey within an inch of his life if he filled them in.
“Gabe will arrange to ship my horses back to Mossberger. So long, Trace. Take care of Summer and the boy.” It was the last thing he said as he shook his hand loose from Tracey’s grip, climbed in his pickup and drove off minutes ahead of a wicked blowing snowstorm.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
FOR TWO DAYS AND NIGHTS, Summer paid scant attention to anything but the reports on Rory’s progress. She took her meals in his room, and asked the nursing staff to turn away all visitors, except Frank, who came by only once. He started in immediately, hammering at her for not taking better care of Rory.
Not wanting to argue, she went to the cafeteria for coffee. Perhaps they could do some father-son bonding, she thought. But according to Rory, his dad talked the entire time about the house he and Jill were going to have built. And apparently Frank didn’t like the fact that Rory had said he didn’t want to move off the Forked Lightning.
Summer continued to run Frank’s accusations through her head. On one level, he was right. She had been so involved with the cattle, she’d put getting them to market ahead of Rory’s complaints that he was cold and miserable. In sending a mere child home alone during a thickening storm, she’d left her son vulnerable to…to who knew what grave possibilities? Which made Frank correct once again and led to the inevitable conclusion: she was incapable of running the Forked Lightning by herself, and being a good mother at the same time.
Dr. Madison entered Rory’s hospital room wearing a smile. “Good news, Summer. The films we took last night show that the swelling of Rory’s brain tissue has subsided. The linear fracture in his skull is fading, too. See.” He held the X ray up to the light for Summer to inspect. “There.” He drew her attention to a faint white line. “I believe he’ll be fine. I’m releasing him today.”
“Yippee!” Rory clapped and began kicking off his bedcovers.
Summer’s mind had been slow to digest the doctor’s news. In fact, she’d been so wrapped up in making a firm decision to sell the ranch to Edwards, as Frank was hounding her to do, that she merely gazed blankly from the doctor to her excited son.
“I may not be doing you any favors,” Dr. Madison continued. “Turning you out to drive home in another snowstorm. Do you have transportation, by the way? There’s a good foot of snow piled up since this latest storm sneaked in last night.”
“It’s snowing?” Summer finally grasped the gist of the conversation. She stepped to the narrow window and pulled the heavy drape aside. Instantly, cold seeped in. She wiped away condensation and saw flakes sticking to the sill, even making patterns on the glass.
“No building snowmen,” Madison informed his young patient. “School’s closed today. Probably tomorrow, too, is my guess. Use this vacation windfall to lie around and fully recover, young man.”
Letting the curtain drop, Summer rubbed at a chill settling over her face and arms. “I’ll need to find someone to drive us home. The man who brought us in is no longer available.”
“See, you shouldn’t’ve sent Colt away,” Rory fretted. “I like him, and he likes me. I know Colt didn’t send the bad man.”
“Rory, you don’t know,” Summer admonished.
He hugged the stuffed replica of Lancelot that Colt had given him. “Yes, I do.”
“Speaking of that incident,” Dr. Madison broke in. “Dane Morse stopped in here to read my record of this young man’s story. He’d like you to contact him after you get home. He needs to talk to Rory, and he said it’s important not to let too much time slip by.”
“Did the sheriff ask my daddy about the bad man?” Rory slid off the high bed with the doctor’s assistance.
“Rory, hon.” Summer helped him remove the hospital pajamas and handed him his own pants and shirt. “Daddy and I may not see eye to eye on some things, but he was as baffled as I am about this stranger. I’m sure he has no idea who that man is, or what really happened that day.”
“Not daddy, but maybe his friend…Jill knows.”
Summer was bent over, pulling Rory’s jeans up over his hips. The belt buckle Colt had given him had caught on his briefs. A spasm shook her hand, then it went still. She straightened. “What about Jill, Rory?”
“I forgot before. I just ’membered. At the cabin, after the man threw me on the bed and said shut up, he thought I went to sleep. He phoned somebody, sittin’ right on the end of the bed. I was so scared, ’cause a woman on the phone screamed at him. Daddy’s friend…Jill.”
Summer picked Rory up and sat with him in the chair. He’d righted his jeans by himself. Her fingers shook the whole time she tugged on his socks. She didn’t say anything until she handed him his boots. “Rory…a person has to be really careful about wrongfully accusing someone in a situation as serous as this one. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Rory nodded, his eyes solemn. “Mama, you accused Colt, but him and Lancelot found me. You said.”
Summer swallowed with difficulty, feeling very shaken and somewhat guilty. “I have reason to think Coltrane might be involved, Rory. Mr. Eubanks at the Mercantile saw Colt meet a strange man in the park. Are you sure it was a woman on the phone?”
Rory nodded.
“Sweetie, when we found you, you didn’t even know me—or Coltrane. And…to think you knew it was Jill Gardner talking…well, how is it you even know her voice?”
“When you were at the granary and Daddy picked me up from school, he took me to Jill’s. She hollered ’cause I walked on her white carpet. She said I had dirty boots. And she said I couldn’t sit on any of her old furniture, either. She yelled real loud. It was so her on the phone. I know.”
Taken aback by Rory’s certainty, Summer aimed a helpless shrug at the doctor.
“I suggest phoning Dane now,” Dr. Madison said matter-of-factly. “I’m sure he’d want to hear this latest bit of information so he can at least investigate. And who better to give you a lift home than the sheriff? His four-wheel-drive vehicle shouldn’t have any difficulty traveling the road to your ranch. In fact, if you have no objection, I’ll stop by my office and phone him while you go check Rory out.”
“Thank you.” Summer reached over to shake his hand. “And thank you for taking such good care of Rory. Needless to say, I hope nothing like this ever happens again.”
“I understand. It’s lucky for parents that children are so resilient. If you or I received a knock on the head like that, it’s doubtful we’d have recovered as well in twice the time. But when you have a boy on a ranch, you need to be prepared for anything.”
Summer nodded, increasingly sure that she’d made a terrible mistake. If Rory had correctly identified Frank’s current live-in as the instigator of his kidnapping, then Summer had sent Coltrane away for a sin he’d never committed. And if that was true, she owed him a huge apology. Whether he’d accept it was another story. Maybe she should begin by telling him how many men had let her down—her dad, Frank, her wranglers. Maybe then Colt would understand why
she found blind trust so difficult.
Here she was, getting her hopes up because she already missed him. And she had to consider that maybe there wasn’t any validity to Rory’s claim. After all, he was only seven. Plus, Rory had been floating in and out of consciousness when they found him. He could’ve imagined anything. As Colt had been the first to point out.
The sheriff strode into the hospital lobby, brushing snow off his jacket and hat as Summer turned toward him, tucking Rory’s discharge papers into her pocket. She’d showered last night in an empty patient room that one of Rory’s nurses had let her use. Her lack of clean clothing, however, left her feeling less than fresh for a new challenge.
She hadn’t wanted to ask Virgil or Audrey to drive into town just to bring her clean clothing. In light of the second storm, she was very glad she’d resisted.
Seeing Dane stamping his snowy boots reminded Summer that she’d left probably a third of her cows out on the range to fend for themselves. Once again, doubts assailed her as to whether or not she could successfully juggle ranching with motherhood.
“’Lo, Summer. Rory.” The sheriff doffed his Stetson. He included the nurse pushing Rory’s wheelchair in his hearty smile. “I pulled the Blazer as close under the portico as I could get without scraping paint off the building. I left the motor running so the interior will be warm for you.”
“I appreciate your giving us a lift, Dane. I had no idea it was even snowing until Dr. Madison told us when he came to discharge Rory.”
“We’ll give Rory the whole back seat. The front has air bags. You just never know, in this kind of weather, when your vehicle might get hit or end up in a ditch.”
Summer helped Rory into the back seat as Dane suggested and buckled him in. She let the nurse hurry inside again before she broached the subject of Rory’s disclosure. “Did Dr. Madison fill you in on a new development in Rory’s case?”
“He hinted at something. Said if I drove you home I might get a lead.”
“Yes. I won’t color Rory’s version by relaying it secondhand. Ask him to tell you what he remembered a while ago.”
Dane did, ferreting out the full story before they reached the outskirts of town. He asked pointed questions, obviously trying to shake Rory’s account. The child remained firm in his belief that it had been Jill Gardner speaking to the stranger.
“I’ve gotta admit, Summer, you could knock me over with a feather. Ms. Gardner has a reputation for being a hard charger when it comes to real estate, but I’d never have figured she’d step outside the law to effect a deal.” Unhooking the mike on his two-way radio, Dane asked his office to run Jill’s name through the system. “Buzz me back at Summer’s house if you get anything and you can’t raise me on the radio. Oh, and tell Steve Banner-man to wait around. I’ll probably want him to pick Ms. Gardner up for questioning.”
“If she is involved,” Summer asked, “how’s it possible that Frank had no idea? I swear, Dane, he was shocked. And Frank isn’t that good an actor.”
“He fooled you all those years, didn’t he?” Morse shot back.
Summer’s breath caught. “True, but I wasn’t looking for lies then. Besides, I had Dad to worry about, and I carried the full burden of the ranch. I’m not so gullible now, at least where Frank’s concerned.” She gave a helpless shrug. “He was furious with me for letting Rory head home alone. So I hardly think he’d do anything to hurt Rory.”
“Rumor has it Frank’s planning to ask for full custody.”
“Yes. But I think his reason for doing that is to try and get me to sell sooner. This other, I don’t know… Like I said, I can’t fathom Frank being part of any scheme to kidnap his own son.” Summer glanced back to see Rory’s reaction and was relieved to see he’d drifted off to sleep.
Dane’s assistant rang back. “No prior convictions on Jill Gardner. But in ’96, in Aspen, she was mixed up in a land-fraud suit. Her business partner did time. His name is Max Weston, and it appears he was released a couple of weeks ago. Is it possible they’ve hooked up again? If Mrs. Marsh has a fax at the ranch, I’ll forward a copy of Weston’s mug shot and rap sheet.”
Summer supplied her fax number. Her heart squeezed as she listened to Dane’s assistant. Why, oh why, had she lit into Coltrane on such flimsy, circumstantial evidence? But Phil Eubanks had been so convincing….
Gazing out the side window at the dancing, swirling snowflakes, Summer wondered why Colt hadn’t protested her incorrect assumption more strenuously. Why he hadn’t come to his own defense. If someone she cared about claimed she’d been party to something she’d no part of, she’d shout down the sky until he or she recognized her innocence.
She didn’t have long to puzzle the whys and wherefores. As Dane left the highway to cross beneath the Forked Lightning arch, he set his Blazer’s wheels into similar wide, fresh tire tracks.
“Who do you suppose made those?” Summer’s eyes narrowed. “If Virgil’s out driving in this muck, I’ll string him up by his ears. His eyesight’s going. For his safety, I only let him drive the tractor.”
“Probably one of your wranglers has been out and about.”
“I fired them, Dane. Actually I fired Coltrane. Since Tracey Jackson’s his friend, I expect they both hit the road.”
“Oh? When did you do all that?”
“The day we found Rory. Coltrane and I had a…disagreement. I’m afraid I lost my temper.”
“Hmm. Yesterday morning, I was looking around the cabin where Rory turned up. I saw Jackson driving steers with your brand out of the gorge, headed toward the rail yard. At least that’s where he said he was going.”
Summer whirled in astonishment. “Oh, well maybe he didn’t leave with Coltrane.”
“Or maybe he was rustling your steers. If I’d known you fired him, I’d have asked a lot more questions,” Dane said, pulling up to park alongside a sleek black Lexus SUV.
Frowning, Summer gazed at the unfamiliar vehicle. “Coltrane’s pickup’s gone. I don’t know anybody in the valley who owns a Lexus, do you?”
Dane shook his head.
“Well… If you’ll help me carry Rory inside, I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” Summer’s heart sank. She was afraid it’d be the developer—Ed Adams.
They burst through the front door, shedding coats and shaking off snow as they went. Summer saw Virgil and Audrey seated on the living room couch. They were conversing affably with a handsome stranger, who rose the minute the door opened. Lancelot bounded up, jumping and barking a greeting.
Summer shushed him, then bent to hold his head between her cold hands. “Go back by the fire, boy. Rory’s not ready to play quite yet.”
Virgil was slow getting to his feet. “Summer. Howdy-do. I phoned the hospital to see if you’d have a minute to chat with this fellow, Gabe Poston.” The old man jerked his head toward the stranger. “A nurse said you’d checked out and Dane was driving you home. Is everything all right? I mean, Trace would’ve come for you.”
“Trace?” Summer mouthed her wrangler’s name even though her eyes never left the man standing between Audrey and Virgil, calmly taking her measure.
“I didn’t see Coltrane’s pickup. I assumed…” Flushing, she cleared her throat. “Didn’t they both take off?”
“Only Colt,” Virgil said. He scratched his forehead in seeming confusion. “Gabe here is a friend of Colt’s. A co-worker, I guess you could say. Mr. Poston has a business matter to discuss with you, Summer. Shall Audrey and I take Rory upstairs? How’s our boy doing, anyway?”
“Better.” Summer turned her head and smiled softly at her still-sleeping son. He sagged in Dane Morse’s beefy arms. “I’ll show Dane to Rory’s room. You three go ahead and finish your coffee. The sheriff and I have to stop at my office to pick up a fax that should have come for him. We’ll grab mugs and join you after that. Right now, I’m confused about several things. Maybe if we all sit and talk, some of them will get sorted out.”
Virgil nodded. He motioned for Gabe
to take his seat again.
Audrey sprang up. “You two come straight back from your office, Summer. I’ll bring mugs. The coffeepot’s on the warmer here.” She lowered her voice as she tiptoed past Dane and Rory. “Thank the good Lord our boy is okay. Virgil and I’ve been near sick with worry. And none of us understands why you fired Colt. That man’s done more to help out around here than anyone since your grandpa Ben passed on. Rest his soul.”
Summer gave a guilty start. “I may have acted hastily,” she murmured. “But it’s nothing we need to discuss in front of guests.” Brushing past Audrey, she beckoned Dane Morse to follow her.
He carried Rory into his room and left as soon as he’d deposited the boy carefully on his bed.
Summer paused long enough to pull off Rory’s jacket and boots, and cover him with a light blanket. She tucked his new stuffed toy under his arm before she slipped out. And she would have shut the door, except that Lancelot nosed his way inside.
“Okay, boy,” she whispered, watching the dog leap onto the foot of Rory’s bed and make several revolutions before he flopped down. “I’ll bet you’re glad he’s back. I know he’ll be delighted to wake up and see the real you.”
Still smiling, she ran downstairs to collect Dane’s fax, and to see what the man who claimed to be a friend of Colt’s wanted from her. Although she had a sick suspicion she already knew. Maybe she hadn’t been wrong about Coltrane Quinn, after all. She’d die all over again if it turned out he’d sent an emissary to dicker for the ranch.
The man, Gabe, got to his feet the moment Summer entered the room.
She returned his firm handshake. “Please,” she said, “do be seated. Dane, there’s room for your mug on the table next to Virgil’s. I’ll put mine here by Audrey’s.” Summer settled in a chair before glancing expectantly at their uninvited guest.
Gabe cleared his throat. “I’m not sure you want an audience for what I’m about to say, Mrs. Marsh.”
Wide Open Spaces (Harlequin Super Romance) Page 24
