by June Faver
“Thank you. Thank you so much,” she said. “You don’t know how much this means to me. I’ll be right back.” She hurried inside.
Colt stared after her, wishing he was capable of alleviating her pain. The Hispanic couple stayed by the door, staring out at him.
In a few minutes, Misty returned, giving directions to the couple and telling them that if she didn’t return before morning, Mark should call her cell phone when he woke up.
Colt helped her back into the truck and stowed her backpack on the back seat. He started up the truck again and headed for Amarillo.
* * *
Misty felt totally numb. She knew she should be feeling something, but as she rode along in Colton’s truck, she felt as though someone had flipped a switch and turned her to the off position.
She couldn’t think. She couldn’t react. She couldn’t cry.
Joe was dead. Killed.
All she could remember was that he had told her he was in trouble and she had thought he was grandstanding. The last words he’d said to her reverberated through her head.
“You better find a way to get me that money. My life depends on it.” And then Joe had walked away from her, angry.
Had there been some truth to his words? Had his life really depended on getting his hands on the money from the sale of the horses?
As the truck sliced through the darkness toward Amarillo, Misty felt as if she were wrapped in a cocoon of sorts. Not forced to deal with reality. Not fully alive.
But, all too soon, the flash of city lights jarred her from her trance.
Colton was pulling in at the emergency entrance to the hospital. He found a parking place and guided her from the truck. “Come on, Misty. Let’s find out how your father is doing.”
Once inside, there were a lot of people milling around. It was Saturday night in a fair-sized city, so the ER was busy.
At the information desk, Colton asked about her father, and they were told that Mr. Arnold Dalton was being seen by the doctors.
“Can she go back to see him? His son died tonight in an…accident. I’m sure it would mean a lot to him for his daughter to be with him.”
The clerk said he would let them know if this would be allowed, and he picked up the telephone, punching in a sequence of numbers.
Colt slipped his arm around her.
“Oh, Colt, I don’t know what I would have done without you. I can’t even think what I should be doing.”
“You’ve got to be in shock,” he said. “This has been a lot for you to process.”
Misty nodded, leaning against him. “It has, but I want you to know I appreciate what you’re doing. I’m sure my father will want to thank you for your kindness too.”
He shook his head, rocking her in his arms. “Not necessary.” He looked up, and Misty followed his gaze.
A doctor came out through the automatic doors and strode purposefully toward them. He looped his stethoscope around his neck.
“Are you Miss Dalton?” the doctor asked.
Misty nodded.
“Come this way, please.” He gestured to the doors he had just passed through.
Misty looked at Colton, who hung back as though waiting to be asked. She reached toward him, and he fell into step beside her.
The doctor walked rapidly, and she had to hurry to keep up. They were in a corridor that opened into a large, sterile-smelling room with a number of green-curtained cubicles. He pulled one curtain aside and gestured for them to enter.
Misty’s heart contracted as she saw her father propped up on the narrow bed.
He seemed to have shrunk, and his color was ashen. “Misty,” he croaked, reaching a hand toward her.
She rushed to his side. “Yes, Daddy. I’m here.”
He pushed the oxygen mask aside. “Did you hear?” he asked, his voice thick. “Joe…”
She grabbed his hand and held it to her cheek. “Yes, Daddy. I know.”
“There’s so much to tell you…” His gaze strayed to where Colton was standing.
“It’s okay,” she said. “Colton is my friend.”
Arnold Dalton’s gaze returned to her. “The land…the banker said someone was willing to buy it…before we lose it to foreclosure. I think it might be a large holding company or maybe one of the big local ranchers. They’re always trying to swallow up the small holdings.” He was seized with a racking cough.
A nurse threw open the curtain and replaced the oxygen mask over his face. She adjusted some of the equipment, cast a sorrowful glance at Misty, and left.
“Daddy, hang on,” Misty begged.
He patted her hand. “Honey, I’m done for. I’m sorry I let you and Mark down. I thought Joe would be there to take care of you, but now…”
She swallowed and attempted a bright smile. “We’ll be okay. Don’t you worry about us. Mark and I will be just fine.”
“My sweet girl. Try to sell off the cattle and the equipment fast. Only the land is mortgaged. Get that lawyer feller to help you. Ryan is pretty smart.”
She nodded.
Just then some piece of equipment began to ding, and the nurse returned, followed by the doctor who had brought them here.
“I’m sorry,” the doctor said. “But you two will have to step out.”
Misty leaned over to place a gentle kiss on his cheek. “I love you, Daddy.”
The doctor held the curtain for them to walk through and then closed it abruptly. Another nurse rushed in, and she could hear a flurry of activity going on behind the curtain.
Colton put his arm around her and pulled her against his chest. He leaned against the wall across from the cubicle where her father lay and comforted her by holding her with both arms when she felt she might have fallen to the floor in a heap.
After what seemed like an eternity, the machines went quiet, and activity ceased behind the curtain. One nurse stepped out, glanced at her, and then departed, followed by the second nurse.
Finally, the doctor came from behind the curtain. He looked tired. Looping his stethoscope around his neck, he walked toward the place where she stood with Colton.
“I regret to inform you that your father passed away a few minutes ago. His heart stopped, and since he was terminally ill, he had a ‘do not resuscitate’ order in place. Our hands were tied.”
Tears poured from her eyes. She was shaking. How could this happen? How could she lose her older brother and her father on the same night?
* * *
Colton tried to console her. It was unthinkable that Misty and her younger brother had been dealt a double tragedy.
Now, she would be alone on the Dalton ranch with only the elderly couple and her twelve-year-old brother. Unthinkable.
The doctor escorted them back to the cubicle so Misty could have a moment to say goodbye to her father.
Colton stepped aside, trying to allow her some privacy.
Mr. Dalton looked as though he was sleeping and didn’t appear to have been in distress when he passed, although he must have been.
Misty wept silently, her shoulders bowed and shaking. Her queenly posture was bent to her grief.
An attendant in scrubs, carrying a clipboard, entered the cubicle. “Pardon me, Miss. Have you made arrangements for your father?”
Misty raised her tear-ravaged face to stare at him.
“We’ll take care of that.” Colton stepped forward and offered his phone number. “I’ll call when we have a decision.”
He gathered Misty by the shoulders and led her out through the automatic doors, through the teeming ER waiting room and into the night. Once in the truck, he headed back toward their homes. “I’m going to take you to the Garrett ranch tonight. We can stop and pick up Mark. I don’t want the two of you to be alone.”
“Thank you.” She raised her red-rimmed eyes to meet
his gaze. “I—I don’t know. I think there are some arrangements for my father. The—the hospice service knows.”
He nodded, reaching to take her hand. “Don’t worry. You need some rest. We’ll figure this all out tomorrow.”
When he pulled up to the Dalton house, the sky was growing lighter in the east. He left Misty sitting in the truck and went inside to gather Mark and a couple of changes of clothing. He didn’t tell the boy the reason for the impromptu sleepover, but helped him into the truck beside his sister.
“What’s going on?” Mark asked when he got a look at Misty’s face.
“Oh, Mark. Daddy’s dead…and so is Joe,” she wailed.
Mark looked stunned, as though he had been dealt a hard physical blow. “Dead? You mean, like…dead?”
Colton started the truck and pulled out. “Joe was in an accident, and your father’s heart gave out. I’m sorry.”
Misty curled her arms around her younger brother. She pulled him against her shoulder and leaned her cheek atop his. “I’m so sorry. We have no one else. Just each other now.”
Colton wanted to tell her she was wrong…that he was there for her and for Mark, but he knew he should just keep quiet. This was not the time for his declaration of love.
Mark raised his head, his expression stunned. “Don’t worry. I’ll get a job. I’ll take care of you.”
She stroked his cheek, but he continued to gaze at her in bewilderment.
Colton cleared his throat. “I want the two of you to stay at the Garrett ranch until we can get things sorted out.”
He drove home as quickly as he could. They passed the scene where the Dalton truck had lain on its side, but it had apparently been hauled away. Only the place where Joe had ripped through the fence and his tire tracks were evidence to mark the site of his death.
Colton turned in at the big horseshoe-shaped gate, drove the circuitous drive, and pulled up to the Garrett ranch house. Shepherding Misty and Mark inside, he found his father had risen early. Big Jim was making coffee in the kitchen when Colton passed by. Their eyes met briefly, Big Jim’s expression questioning and Colton’s closed-up.
He deposited Misty in a guest room and showed Mark to another. “Get some rest,” he said. “We’ll figure things out when you wake up.”
When he joined his father back in the kitchen, he could see Big Jim looked somewhat irritable. Colt held his hands up as though to ward off the oncoming storm. “Hold on, Dad. These two lost their father tonight as well as their older brother.”
Big Jim’s expression changed to one of concern. “Damnation! What happened?”
Colton shook his head. “I was taking Misty home, and we saw her brother’s truck turned over, and the state troopers were there. I thought he must have had an accident, but the trooper said he’d been shot dead.” He paused to let this sink in.
“Shot? Are you saying he was murdered?” Big Jim’s brows drew together.
“Looks like it. And then when we got to the Dalton place, her father had been taken to Amarillo to the hospital. He was on hospice, and he couldn’t take the news of Joe’s death. Shortly after we reached the hospital, Mr. Dalton passed on.” He blew out a deep breath. “At least she got to tell him goodbye.”
Big Jim reached out a hand and gave Colton’s shoulder a squeeze. “Tough situation, son. I can see why you brought the Dalton kids home with you. Do they have any other family who can take them in?”
“I have no idea. Let them rest, and we’ll try to sort this out later.”
“Speaking of rest…it looks like you could use some.” Big Jim took a sip of his coffee. “Why don’t you go catch some sleep? I’ll wake you when the Dalton kids start stirring.”
Colton stifled a yawn. “Good idea. I have to call the hospital back to let them know what to do with Mr. Dalton’s body. Misty said some kind of arrangements had been made through the hospice service, but it’s too early to call.”
Colton headed to his room, treading as quietly as he could and unbuttoning his shirt as he went. Once inside, he walked out of his clothes and fell across his bed. Sleep overtook him in a matter of seconds.
* * *
Leah Garrett woke up without the alarm. She awakened her daughter, Gracie, and got her started getting dressed for church.
While Gracie pulled on the clothes that had been laid out for her the night before, Leah went to the kitchen and started breakfast. “Good Sunday morning, Mr. G,” she sang out. “Looks like it will be a lovely day.”
“Morning,” he said. “But I don’t think anything much is good about it.”
She gave him a questioning look. “And why not? I was planning on having an excellent morning myself.” She flashed a big grin to try to coax her father-in-law out of his mood.
“We have houseguests,” Big Jim stated flatly, his voice deep and morose.
“Oh? Well, that’s good, I guess. Anyone I know?”
“Some people Colt knows. Their father and brother died last night, so Colton brought them home like a couple of stray puppies.”
She glanced at him to see if he was kidding, and indeed he was not. Someone had died, and someone was here under Big Jim’s roof, and he wasn’t at all happy about it.
Her grandmother, Fern Davis, came into the kitchen. She was dressed for church and placed her handbag on the countertop. “Good morning, folks. What’s this about puppies? I really love puppies.” She hoisted herself onto a stool and looked at Leah expectantly. “I hope there’s a cup of coffee left.”
“Sure is, Gran.” She placed a cup on the counter in front of her grandmother, filled it a little over half full, and nudged the coffee creamer close to her elbow. “I’ll have breakfast ready in a bit. It seems Colton brought some people home last night.”
“Here you go, Miz Fern.” Big Jim offered the sugar bowl. “You may know the family…Dalton?”
Fern stirred her coffee thoughtfully. “Well, ’course I know old Arnold Dalton. Knew his wife too.” She took a sip of coffee and set it back on the counter. “You say some Daltons is here?”
Big Jim nodded. “The two youngest Daltons are with us.” His voice was grim.
“That girl is a real beauty, but the older boy is a piece of work.”
“Gran! Don’t say things like that.” Leah frowned.
Fern turned to her granddaughter, a question on her face.
Leah folded her arms over her chest and leaned her hip against the counter. “Big Jim was just telling me that these young people sustained a tragedy last night.”
Big Jim gripped his mug with both hands. “Yes, it seems that Arnold passed away last night. He was on hospice, according to Colton.”
Fern looked stricken. “Oh, that’s too bad. Oh my…those poor children.”
“And the older son was killed on the highway.” Big Jim’s mouth thinned to a grim line as he regarded his coffee.
“And so Colton brought the two younger ones here?” Fern’s brows rose as she peered at him through her glasses.
“Yes, ma’am. They’re here.”
“Well, that’s mighty sweet of Colton. He’s got a good heart.”
Big Jim huffed out a sigh. “Yes, I suppose he does.”
Fern’s mouth formed an O as though something had dawned on her. “I can always go back to my little house if you need my room.”
Big Jim raised his big paw to stave off her offer. “Don’t even think of it. We have plenty of rooms here. My wife insisted we have enough for all our family to come visit.” A sad look settled on his face.
Leah considered what she might be able to do to ease the situation and decided a good, hot breakfast would be her contribution. She laid strips of bacon on baking pans and set them in the oven to bake nice and slow.
She returned to Gracie’s room and helped her with her hair and then brought her to the kitchen, where she made eggs an
d toast to serve with the bacon. She fed Gracie, Gran, Big Jim, Beau, and herself, but it didn’t look as though anyone else was going to emerge right away.
Colton and his guests were sleeping in.
Leah helped Gracie wash her face and hands and then returned to the kitchen in time to hear Big Jim and Beau discussing the two Daltons who were sleeping under their roof.
“I can’t believe Joe’s dead,” Beau said. “We saw him at the Eagles Hall on Friday night. He was being as big a horse’s ass as ever.” He shook his head. “And now he’s dead?”
“Murdered,” Big Jim pronounced. “And Colt brought the two Dalton kids here.”
“It’s a bad business,” Beau said. “I hope Colt doesn’t get too attached. The girl is gorgeous, but the whole family is bad news.”
Leah went to collect the dishes she and Gracie had used. “I don’t know these folks, but it seems that fate has dealt them a pretty rotten hand. It wasn’t too long ago I was having a run of bad luck.” She turned her attention to Big Jim. “I seem to have come under your roof like a whipped puppy myself…and yet…” She paused, sucking in a breath before going on. “You have survived my company this long.” She fixed a dazzling smile on her face and looked from father to son.
“Oh, that was different,” Big Jim hastened to say.
“Yeah, we thought Tyler was long gone.” Beau spread his hands. “We were just glad he stuck around for you ’cause he sure was hell-bent on leaving the ranch.”
Leah leaned back against the counter and folded her arms across her chest. “Let me get this straight. Ty bringing me home was okay, but Colt bringing his girlfriend home isn’t?”
“Umm…” Big Jim seemed to be stuck on that one.
“Well, yes and no,” Beau started and then ran out of steam.
“You gentlemen just think about this for a while. We’ll have to go to the late church service today. Gracie and Gran are ready. I’m going to finish getting dressed and see what I can do to help these poor unfortunates who have been placed under our care.” She gave a penetrating gaze to both men. “I’m not judging here, but you might want to think about your Christian charity before you get to the church.”