by Jane Godman
“Sometimes we did. Other times the sibling rivalry kicked in. No one could get to me like her, but no one could get to her like me. And, in a way, the fact that she could drive me to distraction meant that she knew me better than anyone. We understood each other, and although she had her problems, we were there for each other.” She bowed her head, letting the tears fall. “I never grudged looking out for her, and I always wanted her to know that I’d be at her side in a second if she needed me.”
“I think you just rehearsed your speech for her funeral.” Spencer slid an arm around her shoulders.
She stepped forward, placing the bunch of flowers she’d brought with her on the mound of earth. “I’m so proud of you, Eliza.”
Turning her face into Spencer’s chest, she began to sob. His arms tightened around her and they remained locked together for a long time. Eventually, Katrina drew a tissue out of her pocket and dried her eyes.
“I’m ready to go.”
“Are you sure? We can stay as long as you like,” Spencer said.
“No. I know I can come back anytime. When the time comes, I’ll arrange to have her buried in the cemetery next to my mom and grandparents.” She looked around for the dogs. “Maybe we should avoid the yoga group and the fertilizer on the way back?”
He grinned. “And expecting Dobby to behave around the picnickers on two occasions is just tempting fate.”
“Let’s use the old Western Boulevard gates.”
“I knew I was getting involved with a rebel.” As they walked, he shot her a sidelong glance. “About getting involved... Is today bad timing? We said we’d talk some more once you were sure my head was mended.”
She laughed. “I’m satisfied that your head is in working order.”
“Good.”
When he didn’t say anything else, she looked at him in bemusement. They reached the gates and called the dogs over. Spencer wrinkled his nose.
“Seriously, Boris. When you decided to stage a rebellion, did it have to be a stinky one?” He groaned as a thought struck him. “We still have to get fertilizer boy here home in the car.”
“Deep breath in, hold it, exhale through the mouth,” Katrina advised. “I’ve traveled with a lot of smelly dogs.”
By the time they’d gotten home, bathed Boris, fed all three dogs and eaten dinner, it was late. Katrina was ready to curl up in front of the TV, but when she reached for the remote, Spencer halted her with a hand on her arm. “I want to talk to you, remember?”
The look in his eyes was so intense it made her throat constrict. “Okay.”
“I’ve thought of a dozen different ways to say this and none of them sound right, so I’m just going to talk and see where it takes me.” He took her hands in both of his. “I was in a dark place when we met. I’d been there for a long time. Then you came along, and you showed me that I didn’t have to be scared. It took me a while to admit it, but you had me completely almost from the moment I saw you. I love you, Katrina. I need your hand in my hand, your lips on mine, your body next to me at night—” He broke off as his voice started to shake.
“Spencer, it’s okay. I get it. I didn’t know I was lonely until I found you to make my life complete,” Katrina said. “I thought I could hide behind my fears and pretend I didn’t need another person at my side but when I’m with you, I feel at peace. I’ve learned to trust you, but loving you came naturally.”
“And I know that love requires risk, but I’m happy to take chances if that means I have you next to me from now on.” He kissed her. “I thought it might be too soon, but we’ve been through so much together, I know we can face anything. Will you marry me, Katrina?”
She caught her breath, stunned at the sheer rightness of the unexpected question. “Yes, Spencer. I would love to marry you.”
“Even though you said you were glad you’re not a Colton?” His smile was teasing.
“For you, I’ll live with it.”
He crushed her to his chest in a tight embrace. “And you know what one of the best things is? I get part ownership of two cute dogs.”
She rested her head against his chest with a groan. “And I get a share in a stinky one.”
* * *
The following morning, Spencer was planning to go to the AAG ranch to interview Micheline Anderson about Kenyon Latimer. It signaled the start of his phased return to duty.
He was still undecided about the role the AAG and its leader had played in Eliza’s death and the threats against Katrina, but he felt the matter required further investigation.
Just as he was about to leave the house, his cell phone buzzed. He frowned as he saw the name on the display. Holden St. Clair was his former army buddy who was now an FBI agent. Spencer couldn’t remember the last time they’d spoken.
“Holden? It’s been a while.”
“Yeah. You know how it is. I’ve been meaning to call you, but things have been busy. I’ve been working on the beauty-pageant killings,” Holden said.
“I’ve been hearing about that. It sounds nasty.”
“Yes. Two contestants have been killed in the past month in two Arizona counties. The Ms. Mustang Valley Pageant is the only one taking place in July and I have a bad feeling about it. The killer may be in town, or on his way there, waiting to strike. That’s the reason I’m calling. I’ll be in Mustang Valley working undercover at the pageant next month.”
Spencer frowned. A killer at a beauty pageant? It was the last thing the town needed with everything else that was going on. “You can count on me and my team to be available if you need us.”
He ended the call to Holden and headed out to his car. Katrina had returned to work that day and they planned to go shopping for a ring on the following weekend. Everything in their personal life was perfect.
Professionally, there were still so many loose ends. They were no closer to discovering who had shot Payne Colton, or who had hired Harley Watts to send the email to the Colton Oil board members. And one of Spencer’s biggest concerns was the way the AAG appeared to be involved whenever there was a problem. But was that true, or was he just seeing trouble where there wasn’t any?
When he arrived at the AAG Center, he was immediately enveloped in the calm atmosphere. Micheline Anderson was a talented lady who knew how to use her skills to create a haven for people to feel wanted. The fact that she had turned this skill into a successful business was to her credit.
When Spencer entered the lobby, Leigh Dennings was waiting for him with her pretty smile already pinned in place. “Micheline is in her office.”
She escorted him to a room at the rear of the reception desk. Holding the door wide, she indicated for him to step inside. Micheline was seated behind a large antique desk and she looked up with a smile as he entered.
“Sergeant Colton, how nice to see you again.” The bright expression faltered a little. “Although I wish the circumstances were different.”
“So do I.” When she gestured toward a chair on the opposite side of the desk, he sat down. “Eliza Perry, who stayed here at your center, and whom I was assured had left to go elsewhere, was murdered by a member of your group.”
Micheline shuddered. “A terrible tragedy.”
“I’d like to ask you some questions about her time here and the possible involvement of members of your group,” Spencer said. “You may wish to have a lawyer present.”
She opened her eyes very wide. “Why would I do that? We have nothing to hide.”
“In that case, can you explain how you and your fellow group members got it so wrong?” Spencer asked. “I was told that a number of people remembered Eliza moving on. Leigh even said she remembered Eliza telling her she could take her dog with her to the place she was going. That can’t have happened. Eliza had made no plans to leave.”
Micheline spread her hands in a helpless gesture. “I have no explanation
. All I can offer is a suggestion that because we have so many people passing through the center, we confused this poor woman with someone else.”
“Yet there’s the issue of her distinctive dog,” Spencer said. “It’s hard to get Eliza mixed up with someone else when she always had Dobby with her.”
“There’s also the fact that Kenyon spread the story around that she’d left,” Micheline continued in her smooth tone. “The two of them were friendly, so there was no reason to disbelieve him.”
“You’re telling me now that they were friends, yet when I visited last time, I asked if there was anyone she was close to and no one could remember.” Spencer didn’t bother trying to keep the frustration out of his voice.
“But of course. Now we know what happened, it’s all come back to us.”
She was too tricky. Spencer decided to try tripping her up with a direct question. “Did you know about Kenyon Latimer’s drug problems?”
“Oh, goodness, no.” Micheline appeared genuinely horrified. “He joined us in April, just after the earthquake and around the same time as poor Eliza. He’s been living here ever since and has really kept a low profile. I had no reason to believe there were any issues until your colleagues told me what had happened. I’ve never been more shocked or saddened.”
“Latimer threatened Eliza’s sister when she tried to find out what had happened to her. It’s possible he had help, even that the help could have come from someone within the AAG. Do you know anything about that?” Spencer asked.
“Absolutely not. I would never condone such behavior from our members.”
“Do you know the sculptor Helen Jackson?”
Micheline appeared bewildered by the abrupt change of subject. “I can’t say—”
“A little while ago, she confronted a group of your members who were handing out leaflets on Mustang Boulevard. She was angry that her son had paid a thousand dollars for a seminar that she felt was a waste of money. When her complaints attracted attention, Randall and Bart escorted her to her car.” Spencer watched Micheline’s face as he spoke. She seemed mildly interested in what he was saying. “Soon after that, Helen unexpectedly changed her mind and said she’d been mistaken. She didn’t have any problems with the AAG, after all.”
“That’s nice to know.” Micheline flashed him a smile.
“The thing is, when Helen was shouting about how crooked your organization is, Leigh was overheard speaking to you on her cell phone. Apparently, you told her it was bad publicity and she should shut it down.”
“Oh, goodness, I don’t remember that. Well, if this lady you’ve mentioned isn’t happy, I’d be glad to talk to her.” She frowned. “But...I think you said she is happy now. So I’m not sure what the problem is?”
“Another troubling aspect of this case is that an actress named Cordelia Mellor was hired to pretend to be an AAG member who knew Eliza. In the guise of a young woman called Christie Foster, she tried to fool Katrina Perry into believing she had information about what had happened to Eliza but that she was scared to pass it on. It seems that Cordelia was hired by someone who kept her hidden here at the AAG ranch.”
“Well, that can only have been Kenyon, can’t it?”
“Can it?” Spencer asked.
Micheline opened her eyes very wide. “Why, whoever else could it have been?”
“That seems to be the unanswered question,” Spencer said as he got to his feet.
There didn’t seem to be any more to say. Although she was slippery, her distress at Eliza’s death and the guilt of an AAG member appeared to be real. As he left the ranch, Spencer couldn’t help wondering if there was more to Micheline than met the eye. She’d said no one from the group had helped Latimer cover up what had happened to Eliza.
Maybe that was true. But the AAG did like to keep its secrets, and the group was not comfortable with adverse publicity. Would he ever know for sure if Latimer had been the one threatening Katrina, or if Randall and Bart had decided to get heavy on behalf of their boss? Or could it have been a combination of both? He guessed the answer to his own question was easy. Unless Latimer had proof, and was prepared to use it, he’d never know for sure.
And there was still Payne Colton’s shooter to be caught...
Before he drove away, he checked his cell. There was just one message and it was from Katrina. He smiled as he read it.
What do you want for dinner tonight? And do you want to eat it fast?
* * *
Don’t miss previous installments in the
Coltons of Mustang Valley miniseries:
In Colton’s Custody by Dana Nussio
Colton First Responder by Linda O. Johnston
Colton Family Bodyguard by Jennifer Morey
Colton’s Lethal Reunion by Tara Taylor Quinn
Colton Baby Conspiracy by Marie Ferrarella
And be sure to read the next two
volumes in the series:
Colton’s Deadly Disguise by Geri Krotow
Colton Cowboy Jeopardy by Regan Black
Both available in April 2020!
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Ranger’s Reunion Threat by Lara Lacombe.
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The Ranger’s Reunion Threat
by Lara Lacombe
Chapter 1
Her horse scented the blood before she did.
It was a gorgeous spring day, the sun high in the sky and the air warm and smelling of grass. Isabel Cruz was riding along the fence line, out on a routine patrol. Her family’s cattle ranch shared a border with Big Bend National Park, and it was important to regularly check the fences to ensure none of their cattle escaped into the park. With calving season about to start, this was the kind of routine chore that would move to the bottom of the list once things got really busy. As the ranch’s resident veterinarian, she relished this mundane job, knowing her free time would soon disappear. When a calving went well, there wasn’t much for her to do. But when things went wrong, she was up to her armpits in work.
Literally.
One minute, she was enjoying the sun on her back and the steady, loping gait of the horse under her. Then, without warning, her mount shied, rearing back and jerking violently to the left.
Isabel’s legs tightened on the saddle as she shifted her weight to keep her seat. “Whoa, Miel,” she said, keeping her voice calm to avoid further spooking the animal. “It’s all right.”
The mare was clearly distressed, her nostrils flaring and her eyes wide as she danced in place, inching backward as much as she was able. Isabel eased her grip on the reins, allowing the animal to move away from whatever it was that had bothered her.
Miel settled down after traveling a few feet. Knowing better than to urge her forward again, Isabel dismounted and looped the reins around one of the support posts of the fence. Then she set off on foot, heading back for the troubling spot.
She saw the fence first. A section of the barbed wire barrier was missing, creating a wide gap. Isabel swore softly as she studied the situation. This wasn’t the kind of breakdown caused by exposure to wind and weather; someone had cut through the panel, making no effort to hide their sabotage.
Probably hikers, she thought sourly. Even though there were No Trespassing signs posted at regular intervals along the fence that marked the border with the park, it wasn’t uncommon for backpackers to steal onto the ranch for a quick drink and dip in one of the many watering holes on the property. This particular spot was frequently tampered with as one such small pond was clearly visible from the nearby trail. Most people took their chances scaling the barbed wire,
but this culprit had removed a three-foot stretch to gain entrance to the ranch property. The gap was wide enough for cattle to easily pass into the park, which created another set of problems...
Isabel reached for her walkie-talkie. She had a few supplies in her saddlebags—enough to make a quick repair. But the whole panel needed to be replaced, something that required more material than she had on hand. And they’d need to find out if any animals had crossed into Big Bend. If the park rangers found Cruz cattle inside the park, they’d round them up and sell them at auction. The ranch would likely be fined, as well. It was an outcome the ranch could ill afford right now.
Just as she brought the device to her lips, the wind changed direction. The breeze fluttered over her, carrying the unmistakable stench of death. Ah, she thought. So that’s the problem.
Behind her, Miel let out a distressed whinny. “You’re okay, my sweet,” Isabel called out. The mare was a good-natured animal, but she was still learning how to be a cattle horse and adjusting to all the sights, sounds and smells that that entailed. Most of the working horses on the ranch were unfazed by death, but a few still reacted strongly to the scent of blood. It seemed Miel was one of them.
Isabel walked through the grass and low scrub, searching for the source of the stench. The herd lost a cow or two every season, thanks to the efforts of local predators like mountain lions. The heavily pregnant cows were brought closer to the barn so they could be watched for signs of impending labor, but it was possible one of the other animals had taken lame and been unable to outrun a big cat.
A heavy buzzing filled the air, growing louder as she walked. Getting closer, she thought grimly. Flies and other insects wasted no time when there was a meal to be had. All part of the circle of life...
At the edge of a small declivity, she saw them. Her heart sank as she counted; three cows down. That in itself was unusual—a mountain lion could take down one cow on a good day, but three? Unheard of.