As she watched Dylan perform a guitar solo that had the house on its feet, she couldn’t help but see the similarities to Rogue, and even though they were strong–she still thought Rogue was better looking, sexier. There was just something about her Lone Wolf that made her blood race.
The clinking of a glass brought Kit from her trance. Lucia stood beside her. “May I join you?” She placed two big glasses of iced tea down on the table.
“Thank you. Please do.” Kit sat back down, hearing the band announce they were taking a break.
“Rogue looks much like his brother, no?”
“No, I mean, yes, he does.” Kit answered, a little on the flustered side. “I was noticing that myself. Although, there are differences too.”
“When I first came, and I began looking for him, I was a bit confused. Finally, I saw the different eye colors and Rogue just carries himself differently.”
Kit laughed. “Yes, he swaggers, doesn’t he?”
Lucia laughed also. “Yes, he does.”
Their eyes met and their laughter faded. “I hurt you, didn’t I?” Lucia asked Kit.
At first Kit didn’t know what to say. Since Rogue had shared with her some of what Lucia had told Elijah, she understood her side of things more. Still, she couldn’t help the truth slipping out. “Yes, we’d just married, you see. It was a shock.”
Lucia nodded. “I understand. Of course I never would have come had I known the truth.” She bit her lower lip, considering her words. “I was caught up in the possibility of a new life. This stranger pretending to be your husband manipulated me. I worked myself up to think I was in love with him, but you can’t be in love with someone who doesn’t exist.”
“That’s true,” Kit admitted. “I guess knowing who is real or what is real is a universal problem.” Leaning forward, she touched Lucia on the arm. “I know about your life, your sister and the danger you are in. Know this, I do not blame you at all. You were seeking safety, and this person used your fear to accomplish some unknown goal.”
Lucia waved a hand in the air. “I built this whole thing up in my mind–how it would be, what kind of life we would have.” She snapped her fingers. “Dust. None of it was real. Truthfully, a man like I thought my savior was probably doesn’t exist or…”
Kit could tell she wanted to say something. A distinct red hue was coloring her cheeks. She also knew Lucia had been spending time with Elijah. “Have you met someone recently who is causing you to change your mind?” She asked her question in a knowing, teasing manner.
Lucia gave an exasperated noise and placed a hand over each cheek, as if hiding her embarrassment. “Oh my, I shouldn’t even entertain these thoughts. Elijah Bowman is just being nice to me.” She looked wistful. “But he is closer to being the man of my dreams than the pretender ever could be.” Jumping a bit, she put a hand on Kit’s arm. “I wasn’t insulting your husband.”
“Of course, he was never involved. The faker just used his name. None of this was Rogue.” Kit knew that, she believed it. “What about Elijah? Do you like him?”
Lucia took a big drink of her tea as if to cool off. “It doesn’t matter whether I do or not. As soon as the notary is located and the marriage is negated, I will have to leave the country.”
“Zane is a smart lawyer. He might find a loophole.” She winked at Lucia. “I think Elijah likes you a lot.”
Blushing, Lucia leaned over and whispered. “He is hot.”
Kit laughed. “Well, since I’m in love with Rogue, it’s not proper for me to notice.” Leaning forward, she whispered. “But I’m not blind, he’s a very handsome man.” She grabbed her tea and lifted it for a toast. “I think you should go for it.”
Lucia lifted her glass less enthusiastically. “I can’t do it. It wouldn’t be fair. He would always suspect that I was with him because I needed to be, just to stay in the country. And I don’t want that. So, no matter what I feel. I can’t let him know.”
Kit pursed her lips. “That’s unfortunate.” She considered things, mulling over the facts. “There has to be some way.”
“Excuse me.” A shrill feminine voice interrupted their talk. “Do either one of you know Rogue Walker? I’ve been looking for him. The bartender said you might know his whereabouts.”
Kit and Lucia looked at the tall willowy blonde, then at one another.
“Let me guess. You met him online?” Kit asked.
“Yea, he asked me to meet him here for a date.”
“He’s not here right now, but I can give him a message in bed tonight.” She stood up, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “You see, Rogue Walker is my husband and the man you’ve been talking to is a phony.”
“Go girl.” Lucia cheered her on. “Maybe we should start a club.”
CHAPTER SIX
D. Walker Mineral was not a place that Kit had frequented before becoming involved with Rogue. She had known it was in town, she’d passed by it, but she’d never gone in before the other day and she hadn’t stayed long then. Now, opening the door, knowing she had a right to be here made all the difference.
“Kit!” A woman’s voice hailed her and she turned her head to see a familiar face. “Abby! How are you?”
“I’m good.” She took Kit’s hand, almost in a gesture of comfort. “The question is, how are you?”
“Couldn’t be better, we’re still on our honeymoon.” Her smile was friendly but contained an edge of warning ice. “Is Rogue in?”
“Why certainly, go on in.” Abby pointed the way. “I’m sure you need no introduction.”
Kit made her escape and slipped into Rogue’s office without knocking. “Whew!”
“Hey!” Her handsome husband appeared overjoyed to see her. He rose and came, gathered her into his arms and kissed her soundly. “How was your time with Lucia?” She stepped back and gave him an odd look, it made Rogue a bit nervous. “What?”
“Lucia was nice. I hope she stays in town or hooks up with Elijah. I like her.” Then she crossed her arms over her breasts. “But something else happened…another of your women showed up!”
Rogue’s eyes bugged. “Another one?” He could tell she was angry, but thank God she wasn’t angry at him. “What did she say?”
“She was looking for you, said Rogue Walker had told her meet him at the saloon–for a date!” Even though she knew he wasn’t to blame, it still made her angry. “People are talking, Rogue.” She gestured toward the outer office. “Even your employees know!”
“Dammit! I’m sorry.” He put his arms around her again. “I’d make all of this go away if I could.” He was so tired of this shit. “I spent most of the afternoon answering questions about checks I didn’t write and talked to a judge about getting some loans cancelled.”
“Did it all go well?” Kit asked hopefully.
Rogue led her to a chair. “Sit, let me pour you a cup of coffee.” He wished he could tell her it had, but the truth was it was a pain in the ass. “Bankers don’t like to end up holding the bag. They want their money, no matter the circumstances. Our best bet is to catch this idiot and stop him.”
“Any leads?” She asked hopefully, reaching over to the arm of his chair to cover his hand which was resting on the edge.
“Well, Presley called and Zane’s friend confirmed that Lucia was on the up and up, which we knew.” He rubbed his five o’clock shadow. “The IP address is going to be a little harder. They started tracing these emails and the server has it bouncing from here to South America to China to Russia, every which a way.”
“So, we don’t have any way of tracing him.” She looked disappointed. “And in the meantime, he keeps jerking us around like puppets on a string.”
“Not yet, we don’t, but we will. I have faith in Zane’s team. They know their stuff.” He leaned over to give her a kiss. “What did you tell the woman who showed up at the saloon?”
He didn’t ask how she looked and for that, she gave him an extra kiss. “I told her to go back where she came from.
Rogue Walker was taken and the idiot she’d been dealing with was some gorilla in prison or something.”
“You did? Good girl.”
“Lucia said we should start a club.” Rogue frowned when she said this. Letting out a long breath, she settled down. “After my initial outburst, I was actually nice. We talked for a while and then she went on her way…unfulfilled.”
Rogue laughed. “At least you didn’t give the people watching a catfight. Imagine the talk if you’d done that.”
Kit smiled. “Actually, when she first walked up, I had to hold onto the chair.”
Suddenly, Rogue whirled around. “Hey, let’s get out of town. I need to go on a trip for D. Walker and you can go with me. Out of sight, out of mind, maybe.”
Brightening, Kit agreed. “Please, let’s do. Where are we going and when?”
“I was going to put it off till next week, but there’s no reason to–go pack and bag and we’ll leave when you’re ready. This will be a two-legged journey, we’re headed over to Colorado and then down to Texas, near my ranch. While we’re there we’ll check on Mother and pick up a small horse to bring home.”
Knowing how small the horse was, she didn’t imagine he would ride in a trailer. “I call shot-gun!”
“I don’t know,” Rogue pretended to muse. “That’s Jester’s spot. We’ll have to flip a coin.”
* * *
“I’m feeling a little woozy.” Kit admitted. “I’d say this was morning sickness, but it’s almost noon.”
Rogue stopped to look at her, cupping her cheek. “I don’t think it’s limited to a particular time. Do you want to lie down?”
“No, there’s too much to see.” She gave him a brave smile, not wanting to put a hitch in his plans. “This place is beautiful.”
“I agree. I didn’t know what to expect when Howard offered us his ‘little cabin’, when he asked us to come to Colorado, but it wasn’t this. I think this is Howard’s second home, his main one is in Arizona.” They both looked up at the European styled ski lodge. “He did say we’d be alone here.”
“I like that.” Kit let out a long breath, determined to feel better. Here she was in a snow-laden wonderland with a sexy man. It was no time to be sick.
“You know it might be the elevation, that affects some people like seasickness, and if it is, the feeling will pass soon.”
“Yea, it’s a bit hillier here than back home. Nothing a Kansas girl is used to.” Kit gazed out at the gorgeous snow-capped Rocky Mountains. They could see the peaks making up Breckenridge Ski Resort from where they stood.
“I’ve always said the state of Colorado would be bigger than Texas if it was flattened and stretched out. Come on, let’s get in, and get you something to drink. You can rest if you need to, then we’ll start taking care of business.”
Rogue didn’t let on, but he was fairly fascinated with the area. “I haven’t spent much time in Colorado, but I’ve always loved the mountains.” As they walked into the luxurious connected three car garage, he stepped ahead and opened the door into the interior. “You can ski right up to the back door of this place.”
“I can’t ski.” Kit said flatly.
“Oh, you’ve just never tried. Anyone who can ride a horse like you can, can ride anything.” He winked at her. “I ought to know.”
“Don’t do that, unless you want me to jump your bones.” She bantered, determined to have a good time, despite the small bout of nausea.
“Oh, you won’t have to jump me. I have plans for you tonight. Something you won’t soon forget, I hope.”
His teasing was better than a dose of medicine. “I look forward to it.”
“Honey, we have a whole life together to look forward to.” Together they entered, both impressed. The interior was decorated in a rustic European motif. There were three levels, the lower which led out into a glass enclosed garden. Next to it was a media room with a 100-inch screen and surround sound. There was also an exercise room, pool table, fireplace, steam room, and a wine room with an adjoining pub.
“My gracious, I’ve never seen anything so luxurious.” Kit marveled.
“And this is just the bottom floor. Let’s see what’s upstairs.” He carried the luggage, searching for their bedroom. The next floor was the main level, featuring three fireplaces, a massive great room with wet bar, a gourmet kitchen, sitting room and a deck with a private hot tub and outdoor kitchen.
“Every room has an amazing view.” Kit observed with awe. “I used to think if I didn’t live in Kansas, I’d like to live on the beach. I think I’ve changed my mind.”
“There’s no need for you to choose. We can go anywhere you want to. The world’s our oyster.” He led the way, opening one door after another, finding a dining room, a sitting room and a breakfast bar, even a laundry room. “This is like Let’s Make A Deal, you never know what will be behind the door.” He opened another one. “Ah, here it is.” He stepped back. “Paradise awaits, madam.”
Kit stepped into a fairytale bedroom with a massive bed, a sitting room, wet bar and incredible mountain views. Equally impressive was the attached bathroom, which offered a huge shower, hot tub and a steam room. “I love it. I can’t wait to make love with you here.”
“Here and other places.” After placing their luggage down, he grabbed her, spun her around and kissed her passionately. “But first, I have a meeting. We’ll get something to eat while we’re out.” As he set her down, he froze. “Are you feeling better? I just whirled you around like a top.”
Touched by his concern, she sagged into his arms. “You always make me feel better.”
“Good.” After that tender exchange, they retraced their steps to head out.
“This is amazing, thank you.” As they left, she took the house in. Sprawling flagstone and wood floors were on every level. “I think the floors are warmed.”
“Yea, radiant heat. Neat, huh?”
“Yea,” Kit laughed. “Where we live we need cooled floors. Do they make those?”
“Yes, they do. Sometimes they do cooled ceilings by installing aluminum panels above and running chilled water over them. Not very cost efficient. But radiant heating is more common. Did you know that it’s been done for centuries? The Romans channel hot air under their homes to keep their floors comfortable.”
Kit was impressed. “You’re so smart.”
“Hey,” Rogue pointed below his belt. “I’m more than just a pretty face.”
“Oh, you’re incorrigible.” Kit grabbed his arm and they went on their way.
When they arrived at the locale Rogue had come to investigate, Kit went with him into the courthouse. “I need to check out some property titles on a few tracts of land. If we decide to pursue it, I’ll need to know who I’m dealing with. Sometimes the owners may live half a world away.”
The courthouse was a large stone structure, one of the older buildings in the area. As they stepped in, the temperature seemed to drop ten degrees. Kit shivered and Rogue noticed. He slipped off his jacket and handed it to her, draping it over her shoulders, leaving him in only his long sleeved shirt and ever-present vest. “I’ve found these old buildings built mostly from concrete share this characteristic. You’ll find every person in this building probably has a space heater at their feet.”
Kit snuggled into his coat, loving that it smelled like him while he charmed the clerk who filled his arms with files. She escorted them into a small meeting room, showed him a laptop and an ancient microfiche machine. “Maybe you’ll find everything you need, handsome.”
Knowing what he was doing and what he was looking for, Rogue went to work while Kit settled happily beside him. Since what he was doing didn’t require a great deal of concentration, he began to talk. “Over the past ten years, America has changed. We’ve gone from a country that imported huge amounts of oil and gas to a country that took the initiative and discovered we are sitting on humongous pools of oil and gas, right under our own soil. And the great thing is that the wealth genera
ted from these discoveries isn’t going into the pockets of Arab sheiks but to everyday investors, land owners or speculators.”
“Like you.” She said with a satisfied smile.
“Well, yes.” He nodded, his eyes still on the papers. “Some people think the oil boom is temporary, a flash in the pan. But there are new discoveries being made all the time. We’ve uncovered some major finds and there’s more to come, I’m sure. This year, our country will surpass Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world’s leading crude oil producer. Texas has been one of the main sources, as well as Louisiana, North Dakota and Oklahoma.” He winked at her. “We think Colorado may be next.”
“And that’s why we’re here.”
“Right, there’ve been some operations here, but nothing like we’re expecting. And the good thing is that there are many who profit. Support and field services, water pumping, well maintenance, everybody down to restaurants and hotels. When the drill rigs are spinning, companies are hiring–the economy benefits. Good days ahead in unexpected places. The Bakken Shale field in North Dakota, and the Eagle Ford in Texas, where we’re going day after tomorrow, those two just popped up out of nowhere. Even the Permian Basin where I grew up and worked as a wildcatter is experiencing a resurgence.”
“So, you were given a tip about this area?”
“From Howard, yes. There’s been some research done, but I have an eye. My body just seems to react to oil under the ground, like a human dowsing rod.” He shrugged his shoulder. “Maybe I’m psychic when it comes to this. The field we’re looking at today is an area called the Wattenberg field.”
Kit looked over her shoulder hearing something in the hall. Several women and one man were peeping at them through the plate of half glass in the door. “I think we have company.”
Rogue glanced up. “Oh, yeah. It’s always the same. People are curious and some will pick up on what we’re doing. I knew one real estate and insurance broker back in Texas who honed in on the fact that speculators were checking out his area around Three Rivers. He started buying up property for all types of oil field services - from pumping stations, man-camps where the men working the rigs can have affordable extended stay, to putting in a washateria. He got in on the ground floor of a few wells, ones that seemed high-risk, like I did. And he made a fortune. Now he and his family are set for life.”
Kit & Rogue (The Sons of Dusty Walker) Page 12
