Reunion at Cardwell Ranch (9 page)

T
AYLOR
W
EST
TRIED
his wife’s cell phone number again. It went straight to voice mail—again. Only this time, the message said that her voice mail was full.

He slammed down the phone. Since seeing Jade’s car in Rock Jackson’s barn, he hadn’t been able to sleep—except for the hours he’d drunk so much that he’d passed out.

“Don’t do anything crazy,” fellow artist Hank Ramsey had told him. Taylor hadn’t wanted to tell anyone, but he was going out of his mind, so he’d called Hank for advice.

“Don’t do anything
crazy
?” he’d demanded after hearing Hank’s advice. “Rock has stolen my
wife
! And who knows what else he’s done.” He’d stopped short of telling Hank what else he suspected Rock Jackson of doing. Did he trust either Rock or Hank? Not anymore. Not since he’d seen the painting Laramie Cardwell had in his possession.

“You don’t know for a fact that Jade is with Rock.”

“Her car is parked in his barn,” he’d said between clenched teeth. “And he has a room behind his studio with boarded-up windows and a padlock on the door.

“There could be another explanation than the one you’ve jumped to.”

“What would that be if it was
your
wife?”

“Jade could be storing her car there. Didn’t you say she was planning to go to Ohio to visit her sister for a while?”

“Indiana to visit her mother.” He’d cursed under his breath, sorry he’d called Hank. “I thought that was where she would go. She never said—it doesn’t matter where she went.
Her car is in Rock’s barn.
Even if she flew to Mars, why would she leave her car with him?”

“Probably because she didn’t want to pay the overnight fee at the airport. Gateway isn’t that far from the airport. Rock probably gave her a ride.”

He hadn’t thought that Jade knew Rock that well. True, she’d been to enough cowboy artist conferences that maybe she’d come to know the artists better than he did. He spent most of his time at those things getting to know the bartender rather than listening to the bull the other artists were spouting.

“Also, I’d be careful about making any accusations since you have no proof about anything. You might want to watch the booze, too. The one thing we have to do is stick together.”

Taylor had heard something in the man’s voice. Was he warning him? “
I’m
not the problem.”

“We don’t even know there
is
a problem.”

Hank wasn’t talking about Jade any longer. “You didn’t see the painting,” Taylor’d said, trying to keep the anger and the fear out of his voice.

“I’ll talk to Rock. I’m sure there is nothing to worry about.”

Right
, Taylor thought as he went to unlock his gun cabinet.

Chapter Ten

On the way to Cardwell Ranch to meet Sid and go horseback riding, Laramie’s cell phone rang. It was his brother Austin.

He braced himself as he took the call. “So what did you find out about Sid?” he asked, just wanting to get it over with.

“
Sid?
You’re using her nickname already?” Laramie could practically see his brother shaking his head.

“So did you find something or not?”

Austin sighed. “She appears to be squeaky clean. No arrests, no speeding tickets, nothing. She lives alone, owns a small, older cabin back in the woods outside of Big Sky and drives an older-model SUV.” Not a large dark car. “No debt. Makes a modest living with her artwork.”

Laramie wanted to laugh with relief. “So why don’t you sound happy?”

“Because she’s
too
squeaky clean.”

“There is no satisfying you, Austin,” he joked.

“You still think she’s the woman you saw that night with the painting though, right?”

“I’m not sure.” He knew he was hedging because he was starting to like Sid—and he
could
be wrong about her being the woman. It had been dark and she’d been wearing a ski mask. All he’d seen were her eyes, and there were a lot of women with blue eyes, right? But those lips... Not every woman had those.

“Just be careful. If you need my help...”

Laramie thanked his brother and drove on to Cardwell Ranch, where he and Sid had agreed to meet. Sid hadn’t arrived yet, but his cousin Dana was waiting for him.

“So you’ve already met someone?” As they stood in her warm, ranch kitchen, Dana sounded too happy to hear that it would be a woman going riding with him.

“You’re responsible for marrying off all my brothers, aren’t you?” Laramie joked. “Well, this time you’ve met your match. Marriage is the last thing that is going to happen with this woman.”

“I hope you don’t have to eat your words,” Dana said smiling.

“You’d
better
hope so.”

She suddenly quit smiling. “This isn’t the woman you caught with the painting?”

“That stopped your matchmaking cold,” he said with a laugh.

“You’re going horseback riding with
her
? Does Hud know?”

“We don’t know for sure that it is even her. Also your husband is convinced this whole cat burglar thing is nothing more than a hoax.”

“Well,
I’m
not convinced. What if the woman is dangerous?”

Laramie laughed. “You sound like Austin. Look, if I don’t make it back from the horseback ride, you’ll have your answer.”

“I don’t think that’s funny.”

“Dana, it’s just a horseback ride. If you want to worry...she’s helping me purchase art for my new house.”

His cousin looked aghast. “You be careful, Laramie Cardwell. I’ve been through enough with your brothers. I don’t need you getting into trouble.”

Outside, the ranch wrangler had saddled two horses. Laramie told his cousin he was more than capable of saddling his own horses, but Dana had insisted he come inside and visit with her while he waited for his “date” to arrive. Sid had said she needed to run some errands and would prefer to meet him at the ranch.

As a blue SUV pulled into the yard, he went out to greet her. Not surprisingly, Dana followed on his heels.

“Sid, this is my cousin Dana Cardwell Savage. Dana, Obsidian ‘Sid’ Forester.”

Sid held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said. “Thank you for offering the use of your horses. I’m looking forward to it.”

“You ride?” Dana asked.

“I grew up on a ranch and rode every day for years.”

Laramie noticed that Dana seemed to soften toward the woman, ranch woman to ranch woman. “Then I am especially glad you’re going to get to ride today,” his cousin said. She turned to Laramie. “How far were you planning to ride?”

“Not far,” he said. “We’ll be back in a couple hours.”

The wrangler handed each of them their reins. Laramie watched Sid swing up into the saddle. Clearly she was comfortable on a horse. He followed suit and they headed along a trail that followed the river. Fresh snow rose in the air around them as they rode.

The day was crisp and cold. Ice crystals hung in the air and the promise of snow rode on the breeze. But it felt good to be back in the saddle. Laramie had ridden often on his brother Jackson’s place. He’d missed it since Jackson had sold his ranch in Texas and moved to Montana.

“Your cousin seems nice,” Sid said as they rode.

“Dana? She’s amazing. She’s also responsible for getting us all to Montana.”

Sid cut her eyes at him. “She seemed a little worried about you.”

“She’s overprotective when it comes to family. But I could tell she liked you. Wait until you get to know her. She’s great.”

* * *

W
AIT
UNTIL
YOU
get to know her.
He made it sound as if they would be spending a lot of time together. Sid said nothing as they rode through snow-laden pines. Water rushed under the thick aquamarine-colored ice on the Gallatin River beside them. The air smelled of snow. She could see that it was already snowing on the top of Lone Mountain across the narrow river valley.

Was she wrong about Laramie’s suspicions? Maybe he really was attracted to her and wanted nothing more than a date.

“I was surprised to hear you’d grown up on a ranch,” he said.

“Why is that?”

“You don’t like cowboy art.”

She chuckled. “You think they go hand in hand?”

“I guess not.”

“What about you? Where did you learn to ride?”

“We had relatives with horses when we were young. Then my brother Jackson bought a small ranch. I used to ride there almost every day. I’ve missed it. I’ve missed my brothers since they’ve all moved to Montana. Even my mother is here now.”

“You’re so lucky to have such a large, close family.”

He looked over at her. “You don’t?”

She shook her head. “My mother died when I was three. My father passed away some years ago. He taught me—” she hated the tremor she heard in her voice “—to ride.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss. It sounds like you were close.”

Sid just nodded, afraid to speak for fear she would cry. It surprised her, all this emotion. Let alone the fact that she had opened up to Laramie—the last person she should be letting her guard down with.

“You don’t have any siblings?” he asked.

“An older sister who travels a lot.”

“You must get lonely,” he said glancing over at her.

Catching a whiff of Laramie’s fresh-from-the-shower scent, she felt a longing wash over her. But it was more than a desire to be in this man’s arms. It was a need to trust someone other than herself. For just an instant, she wanted to tell him everything. What a weight that would be off her shoulders to confide in someone. To confide in this strong cowboy.

As if sensing the way she was feeling, Laramie reined in next to her. It happened so fast that she didn’t have time to react. He reached over and she felt his thumb on her cheek. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized she’d been crying as he smoothed away a tear.

His gaze locked with hers as he leaned into her, his mouth finding hers. She tasted the saltiness of her tears and the cold scent of the winter day on his lips. Her own lips parted as she leaned into the kiss. He cupped her face, the kiss sweet and soft, then more demanding. She felt heat run like hot water through her veins, warming her to the toes of her boots.

As if realizing what he was doing, he pulled back suddenly. “Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.”

She swallowed, desperately wanting to grab the collar of his winter coat and pull him into another kiss. His mouth, warm against hers, had kindled a flame in her like nothing she’d ever felt. She ached to lose herself in this man, which was so not like her that it terrified her. She was always careful. But at this moment, she wanted to throw caution to the wind and let her heart have what it wanted.

“I’m not sorry,” she heard herself say, although she knew she should be. Did she have to remind herself how dangerous it was to get too close to Laramie Cardwell, of all men?

It was the second time they’d kissed, she realized with a start. Was that why he’d kissed her? If so, then did he now know she was his cat burglar?

Now what? she wondered as they rode back toward the ranch house. Was he setting her up for a fall? After that kiss, she feared she had a lot more to worry about than the painting.

* * *

R
OCK
J
ACKSON
OPENED
one eye to see the time on the clock beside the bed. He’d forgotten for a moment where he was. Then he remembered. He was hiding out in a friend’s condo in Bozeman and he wasn’t alone. He groaned pleasantly, surprised that he’d slept this late. Even more surprised that he could be this happy.

Rolling over, he looked into Jade West’s young, beautiful face. He couldn’t believe she was in his bed. The hours they’d spent making love since she’d shown up at his door were a blur.

The moment he’d laid eyes on her the first time at an Old West Artists Conference, he’d been smitten. The worst part that first time was realizing that she was that old fart Taylor West’s trophy wife. He’d said then that the marriage wouldn’t last.

And he’d been right. But he never thought he had a chance with her. He was more than surprised when she’d shown up at his door and had fallen into his arms. The satisfaction that gave him was shameful, but he still enjoyed every moment of it. Jade was
his
.

Her lashes fluttered and a moment later her green eyes opened. She smiled, making him laugh with delight.

“What?” she asked as she rolled over onto her back. She had the best rack he’d ever seen and this morning she was displaying it for the world.

“I’m just happy.” Happier than he had ever been. With two bad marriages and an imminent divorce, he’d had his share of heartbreak. Jade was his compensation for those hard times. It didn’t hurt, either, that he’d stolen that smug SOB Taylor West’s wife.

“I need to call Taylor.”

Her words burst that moment of pure joy. Like a soap bubble, it popped right before his eyes. “Is that necessary?”

She turned onto her side to look at him again. “I need to
tell
him.”

“You could let me do that.”

Jade shook her head, her delightful lower lip protruding as she said, “I have to do it myself. It’s the right thing to do. I don’t want him thinking I’m coming back.”

She was young, Rock thought. Barely legal to buy alcohol in Montana. What did she know about these things? “He isn’t going to be happy. I’m sure he’ll beg you to come back. Or threaten to kill us both.”

“He wouldn’t do that.”

Rock wasn’t so sure about that. Taylor could be a loose cannon when he was drinking—which was most of the time. Worse, there was bad blood between them and had been for years.

“You don’t have to do it
right
now, do you?” he asked as he pulled her to him.

She purred in his arms and he felt his happiness level rise again. He had what he wanted. Well, almost. He was tired of feeling second rate because of Taylor West. Now that he had Jade, he told himself that nothing could stop him from getting what he deserved. He had Taylor’s wife. Soon, she would have Taylor’s money.

Life was perfect. Almost. After a quick shower, he checked his emails and found the message from Taylor about the painting.

* * *

D
ANA
HAD
A
pot of chili and a pan of warm-from-the-oven corn bread ready for lunch when Laramie and Sid returned from their ride.

“You can’t say no, Sid,” Dana insisted as they handed over their reins to the wrangler. She stood on the porch wearing an apron, her hands on her hips. “Hud doesn’t think he can make it home for lunch, the kids are with their aunt Stacy. I desperately need adult conversation.”

Laramie glanced at Sid. She looked torn. He’d felt so close to her on their ride, but then he’d felt her pull away again as they’d neared the ranch house. Now she looked as if she wanted to run—and yet was tempted to stay. He might have wondered what she had to fear if he hadn’t already known.

“Chili and corn bread,” he said. “Did I mention that my cousin is a great cook?”

“I would love to,” she said to him, “but I can’t. Thank you so much. It sounds wonderful,” she called to Dana on the porch. “But I have to go. Thank you again for the horseback ride. It was lovely.”

Laramie watched her head for her SUV. The kiss had confirmed what he already knew. Obsidian “Sid” Forester was his cat burglar. There was no doubt now. “Maybe I’ll see you later?” he called after her, wondering what would happen next. He knew what he wanted to happen.

She smiled and nodded. “Maybe.”

“Well?” Dana demanded once the two of them were seated, chili and corn bread in front of them.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” he said honestly.

“You don’t have to tell me anything. The look on your face says it all,” Dana said with a grin. “The woman has gotten to you.”

He wanted to deny it but didn’t bother. “She told me she lost her father some years ago. I can tell that she is still hurting over that. Apparently, he was all the family she had other than an older sister who travels all the time.”

“Oh, that’s awful,” Dana said, sounding close to tears. She knew what it was like to lose someone she loved. She’d lost her mother, Mary, a few years ago and then, because of a dispute over the ranch, nearly lost her sister and brothers. “I wish she’d stayed for lunch. You should invite her to the masquerade ball.”

“I already mentioned it to her.”

“And?” Dana asked hopefully.

“She wasn’t interested.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” He could tell that Sid’s refusal had surprised her as much as it had him. “Well,
you
have to come. Don’t even try to get out of it,” Dana said. “We’re all going, including all of your brothers. Everyone wears a costume and doesn’t remove their masks until the stroke of midnight. It’s the biggest event in the canyon.”