“Oh,” Sandy said, “this is delicious, Cass.” She turned and looked up at him as he returned to the table and sat down at her elbow.
“Like it?”
“I love it!” Sandy said, eating it enthusiastically.
There were general mumblings of agreement and happy sounds from everyone else at the table, their mouths full.
Cass chuckled. “Well, you remember you told me that you like peach brandy, Sandy?”
“Yes.”
“I put a little into the bread pudding. Figured it would give it a bit of oomph.”
She radiated with pleasure. “That was so smart of you!” She reached out, gripping his hand next to his plate for a moment. “You’re so thoughtful. And you’re right, it gives the bread pudding a wonderful, zesty taste.”
“Just don’t get drunk on it,” Cass teased, squeezing her fingers gently and then releasing them.
Kai smiled, enjoying the tasty dessert. The look in Sandy’s eyes was clearly filled with love for Cass. Did she realize she was falling for him? Did he? Love was such a fickle thing, she thought as she ate the bread pudding. Sam had loved her and she had loved him. But she’d never seen in Sam’s eyes the appreciation and genuine love that shone in Sandy’s and Cass’s eyes. Frowning, Kai began to wonder what kind of love she had shared with Sam. There were so many kinds she was discovering. She thought she knew what love was. But maybe she didn’t.
It was clear Talon loved Cat and vice versa. It was so obvious and everyone could see it. And now she thought she saw that same emotion shared between Cass and Sandy. If anyone deserved happiness, it was Sandy. And she could see that Talon was not unaware of the relationship that seemed to be blossoming between the two of them. In fact, if she didn’t misread Talon’s expression, he seemed relieved and grateful that his mother had a man in her life once again.
With Cass being here, Sandy was rallying daily, gaining weight and getting stronger. Love did that, Kai realized. She felt so happy to be here with this extended family. It was something she’d missed growing up. And it fed her soul in a way that she was starving to have filled. And here, at the Triple H, she’d found it. Kai never wanted to leave. She knew she was a good mechanic and she was already proving her worth to all of them. In some ways, it felt like a huge, happy family without drama and tension, which is what she and Steve had grown up with.
CHAPTER NINE
ZEKE WAS RIGHT at home with Kai the next morning. It was Saturday and the ranch was buzzing with everyone working.
After bringing out Zeke’s dog bed and the bowl of water, Talon had given her some instructions and then left her with his dog. Further, Zeke had his favorite ball, a green rubber one, and she could throw it for him, much to his delight. When she needed a break, Zeke was a great excuse to get out of the barn and into the morning sunshine for fifteen minutes or so. The dog enjoyed it as much as she did. It was a win-win.
In the distance, she could see Talon and Gil starting to replace the many rotten fence posts in the nearest pasture to the ranch itself. Cass was driving the newly fixed tractor and using the posthole digger on the back to drill down into the dark, rich Wyoming soil to make a deep hole for the new, treated post. The three men were down to T-shirts and jeans, working hard. Kai knew how tough it was to pull out a post. All the rotted wood had to be dug out of it, the hole then redrilled with the drill rig on the back of the tractor. Then, gravel had to be shoveled at least a foot into the hole, known as a French drain, to help the water drain so it didn’t destroy the timber as quickly.
Cat came riding up on a bay gelding, her chaps on, her Stetson in place. “Hey,” she called, pulling her horse up at the entrance to the barn. “How’s Zeke doing?”
Wiping her hands on a damp rag, Kai came out from the back of the barn. She gave Zeke a hand signal to come with her. He instantly leaped to his feet, moving to her side, panting and happy, tail wagging.
“We’re doing fine,” she said, smiling and stopping at the edge of the barn. She patted Zeke’s head. He sat down like the gentleman he was, watching Cat. “What are you up to this morning?”
“Oh, going to the south side of the property. I thought you might like to go with me?” She pointed toward the other barn. “You can ride Cass’s horse, Shorty, if you want? Or are you at a stopping point with that trailer?”
“Actually,” Kai said, “I’m almost done. Could Zeke come with us?”
“Sure,” Cat said, running her fingers gently down her chestnut horse’s neck. “Come on, it will do you good to get out. Zeke, too.”
In no time, Kai had Shorty, who was a very tall sixteen-hand-high sorrel gelding, saddled. Zeke was beside himself, trotting along at her side, ears up and alert. Kai could see the look in the dog’s eyes. He was happy. Given that Zeke was a dog used to a lot of heavy exercise, Kai knew he was glad to get out and stretch his legs. Talon would sometimes take him with him but not often. The work around the ranch wasn’t always suited to a dog like Zeke.
The morning was clear and brisk, and the horses were prancing a little, anxious to stretch their legs, too. She and Cat rode side by side beyond the green barn and onto a trail between two fenced pastures. The land was rolling, heavy with rich green grass cattle would go crazy over. Yet, they had no cattle on the land yet. If they didn’t get all the fences and posts fixed, cattle would easily push through them and run away.
Kai enjoyed the sway of Shorty beneath her. Zeke moved ahead, lunging and jumping playfully through the grass, snapping his jaws at the long strands. Soon, his entire chest was dripping wet from the dew clinging to the blades. He was one happy dog.
“So,” Cat said, giving her a smile, “are you liking being here with us?”
“I am. I was thinking the other night at the dinner table that it felt so good. I didn’t have that kind of experience at my dad’s ranch, so this is really special for me.”
Cat nodded. “I missed the closeness, the warmth we have in our home, too,” she admitted. “And Sandy is where she needs to be. Losing this ranch to pay her medical bills, I think, did her more harm than good. I think losing this place broke her in a way cancer never would have.”
Grimly, Kai said, “It shouldn’t come to this, Cat. A person shouldn’t have to sell their house, their soul, to pay those damned medical bills. It’s just wrong.”
“Don’t get me started. I was here and met Sandy before she sold the ranch. I saw what it did to her.”
“Good thing Cass is here now, though,” Kai said. She saw Cat nod and smile.
“I was telling Talon last night when we were in bed that I think they’re falling in love.”
“I saw it, too,” Kai said, sighing. “It’s wonderful to see two people fall in love with one another.”
Cat led them past the fences and down a sloping hill where the grass was knee-high. “I think Sandy’s afraid.”
“What do you mean?” Kai saw a fence down below them. It had to be the end of their ranch’s property.
“Sandy married Gardner when she was eighteen. At twenty, she had Talon. And then he died of a sudden heart attack when Talon was ten. Sandy then met Brad Holt and they fell in love two years later. He was a wonderful stepfather to Talon.” She frowned. “And then he died when Sandy was thirty-six, in a car accident. A year later, Sandy contracted breast cancer. I honestly believe the shock, loss and grief just hit her so hard.”
“To be able to love twice in your life is really lucky,” Kai said. “And I’ve seen a lot of people get ill a year or two after some horrible event occurs in their life.”
“I’m a paramedic and I know I’m supposed to be objective about medicine, but our hearts and our emotions dictate how healthy we are or not.”
“And then Sandy had to sell the ranch?”
Cat nodded, pulling her horse to a halt near the fence line. “Yes. And then I saw her really go downhill. She lost hope because she lost the family ranch. It was such a tough time for her. There’s about fifty people, all women, in Jackson Hole,
who gathered around Sandy to help her through all her stresses.”
“You were one of them.”
Cat smiled a little. “Yes. I used to go over to her apartment, when I got lunch from the fire department, and read to her. Her eyes were really bad at the time due to the chemo, and she loved reading but couldn’t. I took up that duty and I spent a lot of quality time with her.”
“It’s easy to see you two get along,” Kai said. Zeke came up and sat down in front of her, his eyes dancing with light and joy. Kai gave him the signal to guard them. Instantly, Zeke leaped up and made a huge semicircle where they were standing, taking in half of the hill above them. Kai smiled, knowing the dog was happy to be doing what he did best.
Cat craned her neck, looking down the fence line. “I’ve always loved Sandy. I just didn’t know that someday, I’d meet her son and fall in love with him. And now she’s my motherin-law. I love how life turns out, sometimes.”
“Talon clearly loves you so much. I see it in his eyes when he looks at you,” Kai said.
Cat turned in the saddle and studied her. “Do you see the way Gil stares at you?”
Swallowing, Kai gave her a startled look. “What are you talking about?”
“Gil really likes you.” Cat dismounted and grinned over at her. “What? You missed it?”
Kai dismounted and held the reins of her horse and followed Cat long the fence line. At every post, Cat would push and pull on it to see if it was stable or rotting. About every third post was rotten and needed to be replaced. “I never saw it,” she admitted, feeling a little panic.
“Talon saw it and so did Cass. They asked me if there was something special going on between the two of you.” Cat pushed up the brim of her hat, bending down and studying the five strands of rusted barbed wire, tugging at one strand with her gloved hand. It broke instantly and dropped to the ground. Cat cursed softly and straightened.
Kai hesitated. She had no one to talk to and Cat was very easy to relate with. She was someone Kai trusted. “It’s not that simple,” she said, and she told Cat the whole story as they slowly walked the fence line for nearly half a mile. By the time the fence headed upward, back toward the ranch, Kai was feeling drained by sharing so much. She saw Cat listening closely, but she said little, just absorbing her words. Finally, they turned and headed up the hill, testing each post as they went.
“God,” Cat said after Kai finished, “that had to be a huge shock to you when Gil left.”
“It was. I had no clue what happened.”
“Talon was a SEAL and he did a lot of undercover work like that, too. Not for years at a time, like Gil did. He said because of the type of missions he was on, it could last weeks, even months. And he couldn’t email Sandy and let her know anything he was up to. It about killed him. He hated being out of touch with her when she was going through that first round of chemo and radiation for her breast cancer.”
“I can’t even imagine what Sandy went through. I’m sure she needed to hear from Talon,” Kai said, walking through the long, tangled green grass. The horses would lean down, grab a bite and keep on walking. “With Gil and I? It about killed me when I never heard from him again. I thought the worst. I didn’t know he’d been unexpectedly ordered undercover.”
Cat gave her a sympathetic look. “Maybe both of you were suffering so much that you and Gil needed one another. You’d lost Sam. He’d lost Rob.”
“I thought about that,” Kai admitted. “It’s still so confusing to me. I mean, I’m not the kind of woman who just lets a man walk into her life like Gil did and then take me to bed. And it wasn’t for one night. It was five days.”
“Sometimes,” Cat said, halting and studying Kai, “humans need one another. It isn’t right or wrong. But when we’re lonely and we’re hurting, human connection is what helps heal us. Helps us move forward.”
“Gil was devastated losing Rob,” Kai admitted. “I never met Rob. But from time to time when Gil was with Sam, he’d proudly talk about his younger brother. It was clear he loved him a lot.”
Cat put her hand on Kai’s shoulder, looking deep into her eyes. “Do you think Gil loves you?”
Stunned, Kai stared up at the woman. “What? I mean…no, of course not! I was married to Sam. Gil was his best friend. And he was always respectful around me. He never… I mean… Gil never said anything—nor did he show me that kind of interest, Cat.”
Quirking her lips, Cat said, “You met Gil when you met Sam, right?”
“Yes.”
“Is it possible Gil fell in love with you at the same time, but he never said anything about it because you and Sam fell in love?”
Kai chewed on her lower lip, staring down at the grass for a moment. “I—I don’t know, Cat. I honestly never thought about it in that way.”
Cat rubbed her shoulder. “Then why would Gil come to you when he needed someone so badly? He could have tied one on and gotten drunk. He could have had any woman he wanted at Bagram. Why did he come specifically to you?”
Helplessly, Kai whispered, “I don’t know. I don’t have an answer, Cat.”
“Did you like Gil?”
“Well, sure. He was Sam’s best friend and they were thick as thieves. They were like brothers.”
“Talon has told me quite a bit about the brotherhood that black ops guys have. I don’t think Gil would ever let you know how he felt toward you, because of his love and respect for Sam. He’d never encroach on Sam’s territory with you. These guys have a very strong honor code of ethics among themselves. If an operator has a girlfriend or wife, the rest of them respect that relationship and they don’t hit on that woman. Instead, they support her as a friend. And it remains a friendship at all times.”
Rubbing her brow, Kai said, “Yes, all that’s true.” She searched Cat’s face, holding her blue gaze. “Do you know if Gil had a significant other when you knew him in Bagram?”
Shrugging, Kai said, “No. Sam said he was a loner, that Gil one time told him that when the right woman came along for him, he’d know it. I mean, yeah, those guys had their pick of women for a night in bed. You know how they fall over themselves when they know the guy is black ops. The danger. The risk.”
Chuckling, Cat said, “Yeah, Talon told me about the women who would swarm the SEALs at local bars in Coronado. That they wanted to bed them to brag that they’d done it.”
Wrinkling her nose, Kai said, “That’s not something I’d do. You wouldn’t, either.”
“No,” Cat agreed with a slight smile. “Do you know if Gil was engaged or had someone special back home?”
“I have no idea.”
“But he came to you when the chips were down, Kai.”
“I was available. I was at Bagram, and so was he. I was convenient. Only I didn’t figure all this out until afterward.”
“I’ve only known Gil for three months, but he doesn’t seem like that kind of man to me, Kai. He’s got honor, his word is his bond and he’s responsible.”
Sadness and conflict moved through Kai. “Do you know if he’s going with someone here in Jackson Hole?”
Cat walked slowly up the hill, testing the posts. “Not that I know of. Talon has never mentioned it to me. Gil is at the ranch most of the time unless he’s forced into driving to town for stuff we need here at the ranch.”
Zeke trotted over when Kai called him. He was panting, his pink tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. She pulled the green ball out of her coat pocket and he instantly focused on it. Kai threw it for him and the Belgian Malinois took off like a shot, bounding through the grass, charging after it. The dog snapped it up, lay down and started avidly chewing on it between his paws.
Cat came over and watched Zeke for a moment and then turned her focus to Kai. “Given all that’s happened between you, I can’t imagine how tough it is for you to handle this situation, Kai. I mean, what are the odds of the two of you ever meeting up again?”
“I know,” Kai muttered, shaking her head. “I’m still ge
tting used to it.”
“You didn’t look uncomfortable at the dinner table.”
“I hid it.”
“Gil did, too, because I sure didn’t have a clue. Neither did Talon.”
“Good, because I love having dinner with all of you and I’m going to live my life even if Gil is here. I’ll get along with him and I’ll respect him because he’s the foreman.”
Cat started walking the fence line again. Kai walked with her horse, who was eagerly grabbing and munching grass by the mouthful. “You’re a professional,” Cat said, complimenting her. “And, hey,” she said hopefully, “maybe you two will bury the hatchet and over time actually get to like one another again.”
Kai nodded but said nothing. Zeke came running toward her with the green ball in his mouth. She ordered him to sit down and to give her the ball. Zeke did. She put the ball away and then ordered him to guard them. The dog then made a huge circle around them and remained alert. Cat had warned her that while riding fence line, moose and grizzly would often plow through it in search of food. The moose loved traversing from the forest service land, cutting through the ranch to get to Long Lake, which was part of the Bar H ranch. Kai was glad that Zeke was out there taking care of them.
*
“HOW ARE YOU and Zeke getting along?” Gil asked, coming into the barn. The noontime sun was overhead, the temperature in the low eighties.
Kai looked up from working on the horse trailer. Her heart sped up. She hadn’t expected to see Gil today, thinking he was with Talon and Cass pulling rotten posts along the fence line once again. She was kneeling down by a tire she’d just put on. “Oh…fine.” He stood tall, his face relaxed, but she could see the interest in his eyes. For her? Cat’s discussion with her yesterday had shaken her up. Kai hadn’t slept well. Motioning to the corner where Zeke lay on his bed, she added, “I think he’s happy out here.”
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