As she stared out the window, big fat flakes of snow drifted down. And though they melted on the pane, they were already beginning to stick to the ground. She found herself shivering in anticipation of a Wyoming winter. Would she be around long enough to experience it? Or would she face up to her obligation to put aside her own fear in order to see that Eve’s killer was brought to justice? Though she dreaded all thought of facing Ray Collier, she knew it was only a matter of time before she would have to stare down her demons.
She shook her head to chase away such disturbing thoughts. Not yet. She wouldn’t allow herself to think about her uncertain future. Instead, she would think about something pleasant. She smiled. She’d think about the amazing story she’d been told about the circumstances that had brought Wes Wilde to this place so many years ago.
What kind of vision had he possessed that he had understood, before anyone else, just how important this land was? And what sort of man had he been, to have given life to three such fascinating sons?
From what Cody had told her, he was the stuff of legends. A man larger than life, with the ability to see what others overlooked. From what she’d seen so far, his three sons were just like him. Especially the one who owned her heart.
Deep in thought, Maggie almost didn’t notice the sudden movement by the barn. A man, hat low on his head, was peering around as though searching for something. She felt a sudden trickle of fear along her spine. Then, as she watched, the man was joined by Cody, who was holding out a long, thin piece of metal.
She let out a sigh of relief. Hadn’t she overheard Cody telling Hazard this morning that Peterson would be coming by the ranch today to see if he could weld a pump handle?
She chided herself for her nervousness. She was going to have to stop letting her imagination rule her common sense.
So that was Peterson. She watched as he made his way to a nearby truck. He had the long-legged gait of a cowboy. And wore the unmistakable garb of all the ranchers in these parts. Jeans, cowhide jacket and wide-brimmed hat.
She glanced at the clock and decided she’d better get started fixing dinner. The menus for the rest of the week could wait. Right now she’d deal with her own hungry cowboys.
The helicopter skimmed low over the trees. Chance watched its shadow dance unerringly below them. It was snowing harder now. Not enough to hamper flight, but enough to spin a soft white cocoon over the land. It was strange to see sunlight above and snow below.
To the north were darker clouds, bringing in the heavier snow. By morning, they’d be digging out.
When the cell phone rang, he lifted it to his ear.
“Mr. Wilde?” The staccato voice could be heard above the roar of the engines.
“Yeah, Thorpe. What’ve you got for me?”
“I think I can safely say that Simmons was not the one who gave you grief over the changes on the Miller contract.”
Chance felt some of the tension seep from between his shoulders. He’d been hoping for this. He had not wanted to believe that he’d misplaced his trust.
Thorpe’s voice broke through his thoughts. “Do you remember an employee named Burton Caldwell?”
“Yeah. He worked in our accounting department about six years ago. He was caught stealing.”
“There’s no record of his dismissal.”
“I didn’t want to destroy the man’s reputation. He had a wife and four kids. So I offered him a deal. He could stay and make restitution a little at a time until the debt was cleared.”
“Then what happened?”
“The next thing I knew, he was gone. I found out later that he ran off with another woman, leaving his family with a pile of bills. So I just wrote off the debt and never bothered to pursue it. Prosperous is a small town. Having their father branded a thief would stain his kids for a lifetime.”
Thorpe paused. “Well, at least your intentions were honorable. But you may have done yourself more harm than good. Do you know an employee named Iris Arnold?”
Chance frowned. “The name sounds familiar. Is she a new employee in Cheyenne?”
“She is. One of Simmons’s assistants, hired for her computer skills. When I checked her background, I discovered that her maiden name was Caldwell.”
“Burton’s daughter?”
“That’s right. Unfortunately, her mother, hoping to shield her children from the truth, led them to believe that the reason their father ran off was because he’d been about to lose his job. That little lie has caused Iris to carry a grudge, and someone used that anger to get to you. Upon further investigation, I discovered a rather large deposit in her account just a week before she hired on at WildeOil. It would seem that one of your competitors had her in their employ as well. In the short time she worked for you, she was also accepting payment from them. A pretty hefty payment, by the way.”
Chance’s eyes narrowed. Under his breath he mut tered, “The sins of the father…” Aloud he said, “So. Somebody wanted to see our company take a fall?”
“That’s what it looks like.”
“You’ll fax me the supporting evidence? I want names. Dates. Cancelled checks. And anything you can dig up in this woman’s background to prove our case.”
“Yes, sir. It’s on its way. I’ll fax you what I have so far.”
“Good. This will earn you a bonus, Mr. Thorpe.”
“That’s much appreciated. Now about the Margaret Mary Trainor case.”
Chance tensed, listening in silence as he strained to hear every word over the sound of the helicopter’s engines.
As Thorpe’s voice droned on, he gave a sigh of relief. At last. This was what he’d been hoping for. “Thanks, Thorpe. Fax that report as well. I appreciate your thoroughness. There’ll be an additional bonus in this for you. A very substantial one. Now, contact the Chicago authorities. Let them know that Ms. Trainor is alive and well, and will be making a statement to them as soon as possible.”
He clicked off the phone and sat back with an air of satisfaction. The mirrored sunglasses hid his eyes, narrowed in thought.
On a whim he picked up the phone and punched in some numbers. When he heard his youngest brother’s voice on the other end he shouted, “Ace? Where are you?”
“Aspen. Just finishing up lunch.”
“When will you be heading back?”
He strained to hear the answer. Between the copter engines, and the voices in the Aspen restaurant, the words were being distorted.
“When?”
“Tonight, I hope. I got the contract I was hoping for. And I’ve had enough of this place. I just want to get back home to a certain pretty lady’s good cooking. Now, what are you calling about? I know you didn’t want to ask me about the weather on the slopes.”
“I just heard from Thorpe. He has what we need to nail Ray Collier.”
He had to hold the phone away from his ear when Ace let out a yelp of pleasure. It brought a smile to his lips. “Yeah. My sentiments exactly. I think I’ll phone Hazard with the news.” He paused. Listened to the question. “No. I’ll wait until I get home to tell her. I want to see her face.”
He disconnected, then dialed another series of numbers. When he heard Cody’s drawl, he shouted, “Hey, Cody. Give me Hazard.”
“Sorry, Chance. He’s not here. He drove into Prosperous. He’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“Who’s with Maggie?”
“She’s alone, but she’s fine. I was just in the house half an hour ago, right after Peterson left. The last I saw of her, she was starting dinner.”
“Okay. Stick close until I get there. Tell her I’ll be home by six. And tell her I’m bringing something she’s going to love.”
“I’ll give her the message.” Cody’s voice was abruptly cut off as Chance disconnected.
He couldn’t wait to see her face when he told her they had enough to nail the bastard who’d killed her sister.
He leaned back, idly drumming his fingers on the cell phone. He was sorely tempted to call her now, just to hea
r her voice. But she’d know there was something up. He’d spoil the surprise. Instead, he shoved the phone into his pocket and turned to stare out the window. He could wait a while longer.
Life was good, he thought with a smile. And it was about to get much better.
Maggie was feeling inspired. She chopped shallots and sautéed them until tender, then stirred in some dry red wine and a little dark red port, all the while humming along with the Temptations on the radio.
She set the steaks on a broiler rack and placed it on the counter, then returned her attention to the sauce. She added some beef broth and dried rosemary and brought the whole thing to a boil. All that was left to do was to stir vigorously for ten or twelve minutes, until it reached the right consistency. Then she’d be ready to broil the steaks the minute Chance and Hazard got home.
If she were adding this to a restaurant menu, she’d call it a man’s meal. Hearty. Robust. The thought had her grinning. It certainly suited the Wilde brothers. Those were words she’d use to describe all three cowboys.
She heard the door open and continued to stir.
With her back to it she called, “Hey, Cody. You’re early. But that’s okay. There’s some cheese dip on the counter behind me. And a basket of sesame sticks I baked earlier. Sorry I can’t stop right now. I don’t want to burn this sauce. Just help yourself.”
“Well, golly gee whiz, thanks, little sis.”
At the sound of that familiar sarcastic tone, Maggie dropped the spoon with a clatter and turned to find herself staring at the man who had been haunting her dreams ever since she’d fled Chicago. Only this wasn’t a dream. It was her worst nightmare.
Ray Collier was tall, well over six feet, and layered with muscles from years of compulsive weight training. It had always been a source of pride to Ray that he was considered one of the most physically fit officers on the force. It was a well-known fact among his fellow officers that he had a taste for violence—the tougher the better. He was always at his best when he was compelled to use brute force against a lawbreaker who was foolish enough to challenge him.
Despite his violent nature, he had a deceptively boyish face and a lopsided grin that endeared him to women. It’s what had initially won Eve over.
Eve. The pain came, sharp and swift and deep.
Maggie’s heart forgot to beat as she stared at Ray’s hand. In it was a small, deadly gun.
“Ray. How did you…?”
“How did I find you? Hey, you haven’t made it easy. I had half the Chicago police force looking for you.” He grinned. “But you made a fatal error, little sis. You had some wiseguy checking out the D.A.’s files. What he didn’t know was that most of those legal eagles are on my side. I’m the law, remember?”
He threw back his head and laughed. “You look about as happy to see me as that old geezer out in the barn.”
“Cody.” She felt her heart stop. “Did you…hurt him?”
“Naw. I kissed him.” He couldn’t help laughing at his own joke. “The old fool grabbed up a pitchfork and came at me. I was tempted to shoot him, but I was afraid the sound would send you running for cover. And we wouldn’t want that, would we, little sis? You’ve been running long enough. So I just hit him over the head hard enough that he’ll never wake up.”
“He’s…” she licked her lips, “…dead?”
“Unless he’s got a head made out of concrete.”
She started to sink to her knees. “No. Oh, no. Not Cody. He didn’t deserve this.”
Collier waved the hand holding the gun. “Shut up. Stop your whining. You’ll be next if you don’t do exactly as you’re told.”
She looked about wildly and began to back away. She knew instinctively that it didn’t matter if she stayed or ran. Either way, Ray Collier wasn’t about to let her live. He’d come here for one reason. To keep her from telling what she knew. And there was only one way to be certain of that.
In desperation she turned and ran.
“Why you little…”
Ignoring Ray’s savage oath, she struggled to reach the door. Before she could grasp the knob, she was caught by a bruising blow to the back of the head. She dropped to her knees as a shower of stars seemed to dance through her line of vision.
He stood over her. “You just keep on making things worse, don’t you?”
Before she could clear her head, she was yanked roughly to her feet. At the same moment she felt the tip of the pistol jammed against her ribs.
“You and I are going for a ride, little sis.”
She blinked, trying desperately to clear away the dizziness. “Where are you taking me?”
He wrapped a beefy arm around her throat and hauled her backward. “That’s enough questions. Just shut your mouth and do as you’re told.”
She reached up to claw at the offending arm, but her strength was no match for his. He merely tightened his grasp, cutting off her breath. She struggled against a wave of blackness as he dragged her out the door and down the back steps to where a truck stood idling.
He opened the driver’s door and shoved her roughly inside, then climbed in beside her. Then he reached into his back pocket and removed a pair of handcuffs.
“Just in case you’re thinking about getting away,” he muttered as he fastened one to her left wrist, and the other to his right.
He slammed the door shut and, juggling the pistol, put the truck into gear. The wheels spewed gravel as they left the ranch house far behind.
Chance felt the familiar rush of affection as the helicopter passed over the roof of the Double W. No matter how often he left or how far his travels took him, he loved coming home. And now that Maggie had become a part of his life, the homecoming was even sweeter.
As soon as Brady Warren had landed the craft, Chance was out the door and sprinting across the field toward the ranch house.
He couldn’t wait to see Maggie’s face when he gave her the news.
By the time he hit the front door he had removed his suit jacket and was loosening his tie. He strode quickly through the front room and paused in the doorway of the kitchen. The high, sweet notes of Otis Redding sitting on the dock of the bay had him smiling as he peered around expectantly. Anticipation hummed through him.
“Maggie?”
He paused. The acrid odor of something burning assaulted his nostrils. He crossed to the stove and turned off the burner, shoving the scorched pan to one side.
He felt a prickly feeling along his scalp. It wasn’t like Maggie to allow any distraction to get in the way of her cooking. She wasn’t the type to just forget something on the stove and walk away. Unless…
His voice took on a note of urgency. “Maggie?”
His pulse started pounding in his temples as he raced across the kitchen to her suite of rooms. The bed had been carefully made. Nothing was out of place.
His heart was racing as, minutes later, he flew out the back door and headed toward the barn.
Inside he found Cody, dazed and moaning, struggling to lift his head from a pool of blood.
With a string of oaths, Chance gathered the old man into his arms and helped him to a sitting position. “Did you see who did this?”
“Big guy. Driving a truck. Packs a hell of a punch. Feels like he slugged me with a couple tons of stone.” Cody shook his head, struggling to clear it. “He had a pistol. All I had was a pitchfork, Chance. Don’t know why he didn’t shoot me.”
“I do.” The realization came to him instantly. “He didn’t want to warn Maggie he was coming.”
“Is it…?”
“It’s Collier.”
Seeing Chance’s face, Cody knew instantly. “Does he have Maggie?”
Chance nodded as he lifted the old cowboy in his arms and headed toward the house.
Inside he laid him gently on the sofa and phoned for a medevac team from the hospital in Cheyenne. When he turned, Agnes was just walking in after delivering supper to the cowboys at the bunkhouse.
Seeing Cody she clapped a
hand over her mouth to stifle the cry that escaped her lips. Her eyes were wide with concern as she whispered, “What in heaven’s name has happened here?”
Chance dropped an arm around her shoulders. “I don’t have time, but Cody will tell you everything.”
He knelt beside the old man. “I have to go after Collier. Are you going to be all right here with Agnes until the medical team gets here?”
“Yeah.” Cody caught his arm as he started to scramble to his feet. “You’ve got to stop him. You know what he plans to do to her.”
Chance’s tone was grim. “I know.”
“You’ve got to get her back, son.”
“I will.” Chance spun away. “You can count on it.”
Chapter 14
Maggie watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as their truck careened across a field and plunged into the woods. “Where are we going?”
“Someplace where we can be alone. We’ve got some unfinished business to take care of, little sis.”
She gritted her teeth at that hated nickname. He’d begun calling her that when he’d first married Eve. The more she’d railed against it, the more Ray seemed to enjoy using it. It had been one more indication of his cutting brand of humor.
Thinking back, she couldn’t recall a single time when he’d called her by name. Nor could she remember a single pleasant conversation between them. In the five years he’d been her brother-in-law, the only thing they had had in common was Eve. Dear, sweet Eve, who had loved them both. And had begged them to find a way to get along. It had been Eve who had talked them into going into business together, hoping the venture would bring them closer.
“Tell me why, Ray? Why are you doing this?”
“You’re a loose end. And you know how I hate them.”
“So you’re going to eliminate me? Just like that?”
“Yep. Now you’re getting it.” He snapped his fingers. “Just like that. I like things neat and tidy.” He grinned at her. “I’ll bet you thought you’d messed things up for me.” The truck shot out of the woods and Ray was forced to pull his attention back to driving as they roared up a steep incline.
Chance Page 17