Love and Fury: The Coltrane Saga, Book 4 (23 page)

He laughed at himself and recalled a conversation he’d had with his father when he was about seven years old. He and Travis had taken a cow to be bred by a bull owned by a neighboring rancher, and Colt had innocently asked how come the two animals would, without the least bit of coaxing, do something that looked so awfully uncomfortable. The expression on his father’s face had made Colt feel foolish, without knowing exactly why.

Travis then proceeded to explain to him that while animals coupled for the purpose of creating offspring, the act gave them pleasure, and that was why they needed no prodding. Nature gave them the urge, he had said, the desire, so that, eventually, a baby would be born.

“Humans,” his father gently explained, “sometimes do it only because it feels good, but mostly they do it because they love each other. It’s the way a man and woman express their feelings for each other.”

Colt thought that over. Then he bluntly asked, “Did you ever do it with Mommy just because it felt good?”

His father’s eyes twinkled and his mouth twitched. “Yes, son, I have, and when you grow up and get married, you’ll do it lots of times with your wife when you don’t care whether you’re making babies or not. You’ll do it merely because you love her, and that is one of the ways to express that love, by the joining of your bodies.”

Colt nodded, straining to understand but feeling that it was a lot to grasp all at once. Then he thought of something else as he gazed toward the bull and the cow.
They
aren’t married.”

His father nodded solemnly. “No, son, they’re not.”

He had gone on to tell Colt that while it was not always wrong, he would feel better if he never used women casually the way some men did. “Remember, son, you are a man, a human being, not an animal. You may have the same instincts as an animal when it comes to sex, but try to have feelings. Try never to let a woman feel that she is being used.”

Colt had recalled his father’s words the first time he coupled with a girl. He was just two weeks short of his eleventh birthday, and the girl was fourteen. The other boys at school had talked about her. They said that she would “do it”. Mindy Hughley was her name, and one afternoon Colt walked her down by the creek behind the school building to see if she would. He didn’t know exactly what to do—but she did. She showed him everything. He liked it, liked it a lot. It led to his falling in love with her, and she broke his heart because she never let him do it again. There was an older boy, Ben Wilshaw, and Mindy started doing it with him all the time, or so everyone said. She never played with the other boys down by the creek after school once she paired off with Ben. That was probably just as well, because a few months later, they suddenly got married, and another few months after that, Mindy had a daughter, and she was just past fifteen.

There were other girls through the years. Colt never found himself wanting for romance. This bothered his mother, who was afraid the same thing might happen to him that had happened to Ben Wilshaw, that Colt would have to get married. She never said as much to him, but she talked to his father, and his father talked to him. What his mother did say to him, though, was that he was growing up to be just as handsome and attractive to women as his father, and he should watch out, lest some girl whisk him into an early marriage. She did not mention “having to marry”, but he knew what she was talking about.

He rode to the mine that way, awash in memories, and he began to realize that he missed his parents.

When he reached the silver mine, he sought out the foreman, Syd Gillis, and they went over the records, Colt knowing all the while that it was unnecessary. Syd had been in charge of the mine for longer than Colt could remember. Travis trusted Syd, and that was good enough for Colt.

The mine, he was aware, did not produce the quantity of ore it had in the years past, but there was still enough being brought out to make the operation profitable, despite the declining price of silver. When the time came, as it inevitably would, when the mine would not be worth keeping open, it would be shut down, as so many other silver mines had been. Till then, Syd would run it, and Colt would check the books periodically and not worry about it.

He shared a lunch of fried bacon and stewed beans with Syd, and a pot of coffee, then headed home.

Along the way, he met a few of the wranglers who rode the range. These men lived in line shacks, coming in but once a month to receive their pay and have a few nights of revelry in town before returning to their isolated work. Travis Coltrane had always been a fair and honest man to work for, and he’d paid well, so there wasn’t as great a turnover as there usually was with other ranchers. Colt intended to follow his father’s tradition.

When he arrived back at the house, the sun was just beginning to drop below the western range of mountains, and the sky was ablaze with lavender and pink. He took his horse to the stable, where Branch was waiting, an anxious look on his face. “Mason got here a little while ago. He told one of the stableboys to rub his horse down and put him in a stall, ’cause he’s staying for supper.”

Colt turned his horse over to Branch and headed for the house. Gavin Mason would not, as a matter of fact, be staying for supper.

As soon as Colt walked into the study, Gavin sprang to his feet, holding out his hand cordially. “Welcome home,” he cried. “I feel as though I already know you.”

Colt shook his hand, his eyes flicking over Mason. He was nattily dressed in brown leather coat, stiff white shirt, red velvet string tie, gold suede trousers, and knee-high brown leather boots. He presented a fine appearance, Colt noted, but his eyes were snake eyes, suspicious, narrow, mean.

Colt sat down behind his desk. Seeing that Gavin had already helped himself to a drink, he poured one for himself without offering to freshen Mason’s. After a long sip, he set the glass down and said tartly, “What do you want here?”

Gavin floundered momentarily. “Well…nothing, really. Not for myself, I mean.” He took a deep breath.
 
“Actually, I wanted to introduce myself. I’m Dani’s stepbrother. No doubt she’s mentioned me.”

Colt smiled slightly. “Stepbrother? You call yourself her stepbrother, Mr. Mason, yet Alaina Barbeau never legally adopted my sister, so…”

Gavin laughed nervously. “Actually, she never legally adopted me, either. My parents died, and Alaina was a close friend of the family, so she took me in.”

“Then you’re not related to Dani,” Colt said flatly. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his legs and folded his arms across his chest. “So, tell me. What is your purpose here, and—I repeat—what do you want?”

Gavin blinked. “Why are you so hostile to me, sir?”

“Why did you come with Dani?” Colt repeated. “Why are you here?”

Gavin ordered himself to remain calm. His temper was rising. “She needed a traveling companion. A young lady does not travel alone, especially this distance.” He smiled, showing Colt that he forgave his rudeness.

“You’ve been interfering with things here, Mason.” Colt’s voice cracked like a whip. “Traveling with Dani to look after her is one thing. Butting in where you have no right is something else.”

Gavin feigned confusion. “You have the advantage, sir. I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Colt leaned forward suddenly, his feet hitting the floor with a thud. He looked at Gavin coldly. “You tried to take over while I was away, Mason. You tried to fire
my
foreman and put a new employee, a
drifter,
in charge of
my
ranch. Just what the hell did you think you were doing? Who the hell do you think you are?”

Gavin gestured helplessly. He was on fire with the urge to rage, but he dared not…not now. It was not the time. Forcing his voice to be obsequious and coaxing, he said, “I’m sorry about all that. My intentions were misunderstood; I see that now. You weren’t here, and Dani knows nothing about running a ranch, so I tried to help.”

“Your ‘help’ is not wanted,” Colt stated flatly. “Any decisions made in my absence are made by Branch Pope, not by anyone else. Certainly not by you.”

Gavin folded his hands together to keep them from shaking. “I apologize if I caused anyone any distress. I will also apologize to Mr. Pope, if you wish.”

Colt dismissed him with a wave of his hand. “I don’t care about your apologies. I want you to leave, Mason. This is Dani’s home, but not yours. If I’m being rude, so be it. You haven’t earned my hospitality.”

“Now, just wait a minute,” Gavin snapped. “I’m not leaving as long as Dani remains here. If you find that an imposition, that is regrettable, but that’s the way it is.”

“Dani can stay as long as she likes, but if you insist on hanging around, Mason, hang around Silver Butte. You are not welcome here.”

“Let’s not bicker,” Gavin beseeched him. “I’d like us to be friends. I’m not asking you for anything. But I care about Dani very much, and I want to be close to her, see that she’s all right. Your attitude will make things unpleasant for us all. Can’t we work something out? I’ve told you that I apologize for any offense I may have committed, and I’m willing to do anything I can to make amends.”

Colt stared at him silently. The man was a liar. He was pretending conciliation when he wanted to murder Colt. Why was he insisting on remaining? What did Gavin Mason really want?

Gavin got up and reached across the desk to extend his hand once more. “Come on. Let’s be friends. That’s all I want…that, and a chance to visit Dani sometimes, to be sure she’s doing all right.”

Colt did not take his hand. He waited, and finally Gavin withdrew the hand. “What if Dani decides to remain here permanently?” Colt said. “What will you do then?”

Gavin laughed nervously. “Oh, I’d go back to France, of course, but I don’t expect she’ll do that. Dani has always been headstrong, of course, thanks to Alaina spoiling her terribly, and right now she thinks she wants to live on a ranch. It’s so different from the life she’s had in France. She’ll get over it, though. Dam never stays interested in anything for very long.

“But,” he rushed to emphasize, “as long as she does remain, I want to be close by.”

Colt stood up. “Silver Butte isn’t far. Dani can ride in when she wants to see you. Later, maybe I’ll see that you’re invited out here for dinner. Maybe. For the present, I repeat—you are not welcome here.”

Colt walked to the door and opened it pointedly. “Good evening to you, Mason.”

“I find you rude and insolent, sir,” Gavin told him, and Colt nodded his understanding.

Gavin brushed by him. “I’m going to say good night to Dani,” he said, “unless that, too, is forbidden?”

“Make it brief,” Colt said, and Gavin strode from the room.

Gavin took the stairs two at a time and burst into Briana’s room. She glanced up, alarmed, and he lashed out, “That arrogant son of a bitch won’t get away with this!”

In the back of Gavin’s mind was something he’d never told Briana, wasn’t planning ever to tell anyone. He had to beat Colt, had to triumph over the Coltrane family. Colt’s father had killed Gavin’s father. Gavin
had
to avenge Stewart Mason’s death,
had
to see the Coltranes ruined.

He began to pace up and down the room. “I’m going to enjoy the day when he gets his comeuppance,” he muttered. “I’ll love every minute of it.”

Briana shook her head. There was no reason for any of this. The financial statements had been examined. The documents that would give her the whole of Dani’s fortune were waiting to be signed. So why was Gavin wanting them to stay here with all this unpleasantness?

“Let’s leave, Gavin,” she cried. “I don’t want to stay any—”

He whirled around. “Shhh! Just listen to me. I told you that when the time came, I’d tell you my plan.”

Briana put her hands over her ears. She didn’t want to know any more. She wanted only to leave.

Gavin grabbed her wrists and held them in front of her. “Your brother is not doing well,” he informed her. “I waited till now to tell you, because I knew I would need your absolute obedience.” He paused, waiting for the news to sink in. “I have received a letter from his doctors. If the operation does not take place soon, Charles will die.” He paused again, then went on. “Oh, I know they predicted that there was time, that the spine wasn’t going to be crushed for a year or so, but they say now that it’s become an emergency. He must be operated on at once.”

Briana stared at him, numb. They had visited Charles before leaving France, and she’d seen for herself that Gavin had kept his word. Charles had been moved to a good hospital. He was receiving the best care available in Paris, and the doctors planned to operate as soon as they felt Charles was strong enough for surgery.

She glared up at him accusingly. “You told them to operate as soon as they felt it was safe. You promised they’d already been paid.”

He smiled an evil grimace. “I haven’t paid them because I haven’t told you all you must do to fulfill your part of the bargain.”

Briana could hardly breathe. “Tell me what you demand of me, you bastard.”

He laughed triumphantly. “A letter to the hospital authorizing Charles’s operation has been written, along with a letter to my Paris bank, releasing funds which I have placed on deposit there. These will be mailed as soon as you…”

“Go on,” she cried, nearly hysterical.

“As soon as you seduce Coltrane.”