Rustler's Heart (A Kinnison Legacy Novel) (8 page)

“I’d keep a close eye on her. Those people can get caught up in some strange things. Covens, sacrifices, even violence, so I’ve heard. And now with Aimee and the baby, well….” She took another drink. “I’m guessing that you’ll all sleep a little easier after she’s gone.”

Rein listened, grateful for the whiskey gliding down his parched throat. East coast conservative upbringing aside, Caroline had gotten on his last nerve. “Yeah, well.” He slammed the glass on the table and pinned Caroline with a steady look. “I don’t think there’s much to be concerned about. She’s a good kid.”

Caroline tipped her head and raised one perfect brow. “She doesn’t exactly look like any kid I know. How old do you suppose she is, anyway?”

Why the sudden interest in Liberty tonight?
Hell, she was barely out of her teens, but possessed the body of a full-grown woman. “Um, you know, I’m not really sure and frankly, why do you care?” He tipped his head and looked at her. “So what do you say? A dance for old-time’s sake?” He didn’t wait for her response, but grabbed the drink and her hand, dragging her to the dance floor. He wanted…no he needed to talk about something other than Liberty. The fact that she appeared in his mind too often these days made him uncomfortable.

“Well,” she spoke in a flustered, southern-belle voice. “I guess we’ll dance.” From the open doors, he saw the last dredges of the sunset casting long shadows across the mountains.

“Penny for your thoughts.” Caroline’s voice jarred him from his reverie.

He searched her beautiful eyes, asking himself how he never seen past her façade. “I’m just thinking how damn lucky I am to live here.”

The realization that he’d put her ideas about the ranch not being worth much in her place, panned across her face.

“I never said it wasn’t beautiful, Rein.” He heard the note of tension in her voice.

He offered a congenial smile. “No, you didn’t. But it still isn’t beautiful
enough
for you, is it?”

“Rein, I—”

He shook his head and took a step back. “It’s okay, Caroline. I understand you needed more, but I’m okay with how things turned out. I wouldn’t have wanted you to stay where you weren’t content.” By the look on her face, he guessed that she might not be content anywhere, no matter how beautiful. Not until she could be content in her own skin. The realization created a stark contrast in his mind between her and Liberty. Despite their differences, he should have defended Liberty against her barbed comments. Had it been Dalton she’d spoken ill of, he’d never tolerated it. Liberty was kin to the two men that had treated him as a blood brother from the time he came to live with them after the car accident that claimed his parents, leaving him an orphan. His Uncle Jed had taken him in without hesitation. How could he not at least show the same consideration for this young girl? He had the sudden urgent need to make things right with her.

Her expression appeared puzzled. “Are you implying I’m not content?”

Rein shrugged. “That’s something only you can answer, Caroline.” He carefully motioned to Dalton to relieve him on the dance floor. His brother shook his head. He didn’t like Caroline any more than the rest of his family did. Rein gave him a look that would kill and Dalton relented with a scowl.

“May I cut in?” He shot Rein a dark look before Caroline saw the exchange.

“Hey, Dalton.” He acted surprised. “Caroline, you remember my brother, Dalton?” He stepped away from Caroline and offered his spot to his less than thrilled brother. Dalton stepped around him, leaning close in Rein’s earshot. “You owe me,” he whispered. And then, with a bright smile, held his arms out to Caroline.

“Hey Caroline, welcome back to the backwoods. You had any of Betty’s possum pie?”

Rein hid a smile. He’d owe him…big time. Dalton’s tolerance of Caroline’s attitude was far less than his and for a brief moment, he felt guilty leaving her at his mercy. But it didn’t last long.

“Listen, if you two will excuse me. I need to check on something.” Rein looked at Caroline. “If I don’t get the chance to see you off, have a safe flight, and tell Hank I’ll be in touch.” He patted his brother on the shoulder. Caroline’s mouth was still gaped open when he left.

Stepping out of the barn, he noticed small clusters of guests enjoying the beautiful spring evening, but he saw no sign of Liberty. Was it wise to try to find her, or should he leave well enough alone? What were the odds she’d heard a word that Caroline said? Then again, Caroline’s voice seemed to have turned heads of several folks standing nearby. He looked up and saw Betty walking down the lane from the main house. She carried a fresh pie in each hand. “Need any help?” He looked over her shoulder and wondered if Liberty might be close behind.

“Thanks, honey. I’m getting these to send home with Hank. You know how he likes my cherry pie.”

“Yep, he loves them.” He cast a quick look over her shoulder again. “You haven’t seen Liberty around, have you?”

“Now that’s funny. Wyatt just asked me the same thing.”

Rein turned his focus on her then. “And?”

“Oh, I’d sent her to check on the buffet table to see if we needed more lemonade. She mentioned that you were in a very animated conversation with a lovely woman.”

“Caroline Richardson.”

Betty’s jovial expression sobered. “Oh, I heard she was here. Liberty seemed a trifle upset.”

Shit
. She’d heard the scathing comments. He knew it in his gut. Rein released a heavy sigh. “I’m afraid Caroline said some things, and it sounds like Liberty might have overheard her.”
And I did little to defend her
. “Did you see where she went?”

Betty tipped her head toward the main house. “Last I knew, she was up at the house, helping Wyatt put together some concoction to help Aimee’s queasiness.”

“Thanks, Betty.”

“You’re welcome.” She started on down the lane and stopped. “Rein?”

He rolled his eyes, not figuring she’d let him off that easy. Betty had her opinions and often would share them, like it or not. “That Caroline.”

“Yes, what about her, Betty?”

“Is she still full of herself, like I remember? Not that she ever set foot out here very often. Never really fit in, as I recall.”

“Point taken, Betty.”

“And one more thing.”

“Uh huh.”

“I think you should stop being so hard on Liberty. She’s a good girl deep down under all that stuff she hides behind.”

“Maybe she’s not hiding at all, Betty. Maybe that’s just who she is.” Rein marveled at his comment, defending this woman against the very thoughts he’d been fighting for the past week.

Betty’s smile shimmered like a Cheshire cat in the shadows. “Well now, that’s a switch. I take it you didn’t completely agree with Caroline’s assessment?”

He was treading on shaky ground. Caroline had hurt him, and he’d survived it. But, he hadn’t realized how cruel she could be to others until tonight. While Liberty’s lifestyle choices were not his, Caroline had no right to speak as she had. “She doesn’t always think before she speaks. It appears all her European travels haven’t changed her much. She’s still a snob. I just never realized how very different she and Hank are in their personalities.”

Betty tipped her head. “Sounds like you care more than just a passing interest in how Liberty feels.”

Rein shook his head, exasperated by the notion that everyone seemed bent on throwing him together with this young woman. “I just want to make sure she knows that Caroline can be insensitive and everyone knows it. Besides, Betty. She’s just a kid.” God knows he’d been trying to convince himself of that fact even as he fantasized what she might be wearing under that form-fitting dress.

“Not in that dress, she isn’t.” Betty laughed as though reading his mind. “Good luck with that.” She continued on, her laughter taunting him as he headed to the main house.

He ran into Wyatt coming out the front door. He had one of the thermos bottles they normally took on cattle drives in his hand

“Hey.” Wyatt stomped across the porch in his polished boots.

“Hey” Rein paused, his hand on the railing.

“Aimee felt queasy. She had Liberty mix up this stuff that she swears is a wonder drink for morning sickness. Seems as though Aimee has these bouts of sickness both day and night. Doc says its normal, but it bothers the hell out of me.”

“It’s been a long week. Doc also told her not to overdo, and if I know Aimee, she didn’t listen. It’ll get better once you guys get away for a few days alone.”

Wyatt tromped down the steps. He slapped Rein on the shoulder. “Thanks. I’m looking forward to this wedding stuff being over and getting on with our life.”

“Yeah, listen, is Liberty still inside?”

Wyatt stopped in his tracks and looked at Rein. “She said she’d be down in a few minutes. Now that I think about it, she seemed a little, I don’t know…upset about something. She didn’t appear to want to discuss it with me.”

“Yeah.” Rein looked at the ground.

“You know something about this?”

Wyatt took a step back toward him and rested his foot on the bottom step.

Rein scratched the back of his neck. “Maybe. I think she might have overheard some of the conversation between me and Caroline.”

“Hank’s sister? The snooty one who wanted you to go to Europe? The one we all thought you were going to marry?”

“One in the same. Hank brought her. She wanted to see me.”

Wyatt raised his dark brows. “Is she still pretty?”

“Yeah, and just as snooty. Guess maybe I didn’t see that before.”

Wyatt chuckled. “You had your head in the clouds, maybe up your butt, as I recall. You were oblivious to damn near everything except her. I always got the impression that she put herself a bit higher than the rest of us. Strange, Hank’s never acted that way.”

Rein nodded. “That’s just it. I think it’s all an act. The woman doesn’t seem to be comfortable unless she’s tearing down someone else. I think I might have dodged a bullet on that one.” Rein gave his brother a guilty look. “I left her down there with Dalton.”

“Oh shit. You didn’t.” Wyatt face broke into a wide smile. “I don’t know which I’d find more interesting to watch, Dal with Miss Caroline, or you trying to appease Liberty’s anger.”

“Angry, you think she’s angry?” God help him if there was a lick of truth to what Caroline said.

Wyatt offered him an ornery grin. “You may want to make sure she’s put away the knife from cutting cucumbers, before you speak to her.”

Glad for a few moments to collect herself, Liberty hadn’t anticipated how hearing a complete stranger pronounce such vicious judgments about her would cut so deeply. Added to the fact her comments had garnered the stares of several guests nearby as well. Thankfully, she snuck out the back door, and hurried to the main house without encountering any guests. It infuriated her that her thoughts about the gorgeous woman fawning all over Rein were just as distasteful.

The woman was a fake from her clothing, to her laugh, appearing to be better than everyone around her. Mostly, it killed her to think she would be the type to capture Rein’s attention. Little Miss Perfect—too perfect, to Liberty’s way of thinking. The kind of woman that only has to “want” something and it’s given to her on a silver platter. And it appeared she wanted Rein. Her thoughtless manner, her hurtful words, had bruised her ego, but far worse, far more devastating a blow was Rein’s toss-away response—

“She’s a good kid.”

She leaned her head on the back of the couch and released a sigh. What kind of futile game was she playing here? Did she really think that someone like Rein Mackenzie could be the least bit interested in her? They were polar opposite—he the proverbial representation of all things good and right, while she came from a life in Sin City and had a seriously blurred definition of what constituted as
good
.

She heard the front door open and assumed Wyatt had returned to pick up something more for Aimee’s nausea. She’d been happy to help him earlier. Glad he’d trusted her. At least she had that. A swelling of pride bubbled inside her. He was a good man, and so too, Dalton. Which gave her hope that she too, would find her purpose—if not here, then somewhere. With her family’s support, she could overcome most anything.

“The ginger should help the nausea,” she called out as she padded barefoot to the front door to meet him. To her surprise, Rein emerged from the foyer. She came to an abrupt stop. The minimal light made it difficult to capture his expression. He was the last person she expected to see. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Wyatt said you were here.” He reached up, unfastened his top button and loosened his bolero tie. Unaffected apparently by her icy stare, he sidestepped her and sat down on one of the couches. Releasing a deep sigh, he leaned back and closed his eyes. She had no interest in being alone with him, which of course, was a complete lie. Under different circumstances, she’d have liked nothing better. But things weren’t that way between them, and the sooner she accepted that, the less frustrated she’d be. “Wedding too much for you?” She bent down to pick up her shoes that she’d left near where he chose to park himself. Their gazes clashed as she straightened to leave.

“It got a little warm down there. Thought I’d come up and check on the house.” He leaned forward, cleared his throat and clasped his hands over his knees.

“Well, I’m leaving anyway. I was just on my way down to see if Betty needs my help.” Her shoes dangled in one hand. She turned on her heel to leave and felt his hand on her arm.

“Stay.” He looked up at her. “I—uh, wanted to talk to you.” His expression slid into a half-embarrassed grimace. “You’re not carrying any knives, are you?”

Liberty eyed him. Was he serious? Did he actually believe the crap that Caroline dished out about her? That alone fascinated her, despite the fact that she felt another of his fatherly lectures coming on. She stood her ground, albeit reluctantly. “What have I done wrong now, Dad?”

“I wish you wouldn’t call me that.”

“Then maybe you should stop treating me like I’m twelve.”