Protecting The Colton Bride

by Elle James

  Since the first day she’d come to work with Daniel, she’d known he was special. The man was quiet and dedicated. He loved horses as much as she did. His Cherokee ancestry didn’t hurt, either. He was tall and handsome. That dark, dark hair and even darker brown eyes made her crazy with longing. Maybe she should leave. Staying at the Lucky C and falling in love with Daniel would only set her up for a whole lot of pain.

  The irony of it all was that all problems would have been solved if he’d professed a secret love for her and asked her to marry him. She’d have the man of her most sensual dreams and meet the stipulation of her grandmother’s will. She’d inherit her grandmother’s sizable financial holdings upon her marriage. That money would be enough to purchase the horses from her father and she’d never be subject to his threats again. Her life would be her own to live the way she saw fit.

  Megan drew in a long, steadying breath and let it out on a sigh. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. She held out no hope for another solution to her situation. But two more days with Daniel were better than nothing.

  She sat behind the desk and thumbed through her contacts to find the number for the vet lab in Tulsa and called. When she reached one of the lab techs, she explained she was calling for the Lucky C Ranch.

  “Oh, we’re so glad you called. We had a lull in samples, so we were able to get right on the one you left last night. I’m surprised that horse is still standing. The sample you left us indicated she was poisoned.” The tech gave her the scientific name of the poison, which Megan wrote on a pad.

  “It affects the animal’s nervous system, making her jumpy and overstimulated.”

  “How would a horse get hold of something like that?”

  “It’s not like it grows around here. Either it was present in the food she was fed, something brought it into her environment or someone gave it to her.”

  Megan’s gut clenched at the final option. They fed all the breeding horses the same feed, and Halo was the only one to show any symptoms.

  “Okay, I’ll let the boss know. Thank you for the information.” Megan hung up and stared at the phone for exactly two seconds. Then she pushed to her feet and ran out to the stalls.

  “What’s wrong?” Daniel had just finished mucking Rider’s stall and stood the rake against the wall.

  “The vet lab said Halo was poisoned.”

  “What?” He hurried to Halo’s stall with Megan.

  The mare stood with her head sagging, her breathing labored.

  “She seemed fine early this morning when I checked on her.” Daniel entered the stall and ran his hands over her neck, checked her eyes and looked down her throat. “Call the vet.”

  Megan ran back to the office and dialed the veterinarian who serviced the animals on the Lucky C. He was there within twenty minutes, and they spent the rest of the afternoon working to save Halo.

  Megan and Daniel cleaned her stall thoroughly, took samples from her trough and searched the barn for anything contaminated that she could have come in contact with. Nothing stood out.

  After the vet left with strict instructions on how to take care of the very sick horse, Megan stood by Daniel. “What now?”

  “We wait and see how she does by morning. We’ve done all we can do.”

  Megan stared at Daniel’s worried face. Neither one of them had eaten lunch, and the work they’d done all afternoon had depleted Megan’s personal store of energy. It had to have taken a toll on Daniel’s. “It’s nearly supper time. Why don’t we grab a bite to eat?”

  Daniel shook his head. “I have deli meat and bread at the cabin. Help yourself. I’m staying with Halo.”

  Knowing Daniel needed to fuel his system for what appeared to be an all-nighter, Megan left him in the barn and hiked over to his cabin. It wasn’t the first time she’d gone to the cabin to make sandwiches. The man didn’t take care of himself. As his assistant, she’d helped him set up a robust database to track horses, feed, lineage, exercise and all the other nuances of running a breeding facility. She’d also learned what kind of sandwiches he preferred and made sure he ate.

  She entered the cabin through the front door and headed for the small kitchen. Having little in the way of decorations, the cabin reflected the male occupant through the dark leather furniture and large television screen for the occasional football game he liked to watch. The furnishings were spare and serviceable.

  In the kitchen, his refrigerator held five bottles of beer, a couple bottles of water, one moldy orange, a few bottles of condiments, a jug of soured milk and a package of deli meat. Megan gave the meat a smell test. Thankfully it passed.

  After throwing together two sandwiches, she grabbed the bottled water and hurried back to the barn, not wanting to be away from Daniel and Halo any longer than necessary.

  Daniel was where she’d left him and Halo lay on the ground beside him.

  Her heart went out to the horse. “She doesn’t look good.”

  “The vet said tonight would be the big test.”

  Megan held out the sandwich she’d wrapped in a paper towel. “Eat. You’re no good to anyone if you pass out from hunger.”

  “I don’t pass out,” he mumbled, refusing to take the sandwich. “I’m going to wash my hands first.”

  “I’ll be here.” Megan sank to the ground beside Halo, unfolded the napkin around her sandwich and took a bite. She had no real interest in eating when such a beautiful creature was lying sick because of some toxin with a source they had yet to locate.

  Over her shoulder, she heard the jingle of the phone ringing in the office. She struggled to stand but settled back on her bottom when Daniel’s deep tone said, “Hello. Yes, this is Daniel Colton. Mr. Kennedy, I’m glad you called.”

  Megan stiffened. From the sound of it, Daniel was talking to the owner of Kennedy Farms. Excitement had her leaning toward the office, straining to hear the conversation. This was the call Daniel had been hoping for. Marshall Kennedy didn’t bother to talk to breeders unless he already had a good opinion of their programs.

  Rider whinnied from his stall. Angel, Halo’s mother, answered, the noise drowning out whatever Daniel was saying.

  The office door swung closed, shutting out the sound of the horses and cutting off any eavesdropping Megan hoped to accomplish.

  Not that it mattered. She’d soon be on her way back to California to live the life her father and mother deemed appropriate for a debutante. All interest in the sandwich she’d prepared disappeared and she laid it on the napkin beside her.

  Sleek, the black barn cat, trotted over to her side and sniffed at the discarded food.

  “Go ahead. You can have it. You’ll need your strength here more than I will.” It appeared the cat would outlast Megan’s stay at the Lucky C.

  Chapter 4

  “I’ve heard a lot about the Lucky C Ranch lately,” Marshall Kennedy’s voice boomed in his ear.

  Daniel held the phone in a tight grip. This call might mean the difference between a good program and an excellent breeding program that could gain international attention. “Thank you, sir,” Daniel said. “I’ve selected from only the best lineage.”

  “I assume that’s why you’re looking at purchasing semen from Striker’s Royal Advantage.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ve done my research, and I believe a foal from Striker and Big J’s Lucky Coin will be the most sought-after registered quarter horse in the country.”

  “I’m impressed with Big J’s Lucky line, but I don’t sell to just any farm that comes along with enough money to pay for stud service.”

  “I understand, Mr. Kennedy.”

  “I want to know my horses are being bred and cared for by a fine, upstanding family. Good family is just as important, if not more so, than money. From what I’ve learned about the Coltons, there are a few skeletons in the closets
. You being one of them.”

  Daniel bit down on his tongue to keep from telling Kennedy that people couldn’t always choose their lineage like people could choose a horse’s bloodline. “I’m as much a part of the Colton family as any of my siblings, and I’m just as proud of my Cherokee blood.” Realizing he was coming across too strong, Daniel drew in a calming breath and continued. “If my heritage will be a sticking point in this deal, perhaps this conversation is over.”

  “Whoa, young man. I didn’t say your bloodline was at fault.”

  “Then what is it you need from me to convince you the horses produced from your lines will be well cared for?”

  “I want you to convince me the Coltons are the right family to invest in. I’m speaking at the annual Symposium on Equine Reproduction a week from now in Reno, Nevada. I want you to attend that symposium. I’ll be there with members of my family. If at that time I feel that the Coltons are worth the risk, we can discuss the details of the sale. Are you still interested?”

  “Yes, sir,” Daniel said, not really understanding how meeting Kennedy at a symposium would change the man’s mind if he’d already made his decision. “I’ll be there.”

  “Good.” Marshall Kennedy ended the call, leaving Daniel no closer to knowing whether he’d get the semen he wanted to take his breeding program to the next level. With one of his mares down and no guarantee she’d pull through, and his assistant likely quitting, he wondered if it was too soon to take this step. He’d be gambling a great deal of Colton money on a dream. Not all of the Colton brothers were in agreement on taking this project forward. Big J liked a family consensus before funding was released.

  The bright spot in the mess of the past few days was that Kennedy hadn’t said no. He hadn’t said yes. But there still was hope.

  He stepped out of the office and returned to the stall, where Megan sat in the dying light beside Halo, stroking the animal’s neck. The horse didn’t look any better, and Daniel wasn’t sure she’d live to see the sunrise.

  Too many strange things had happened on the ranch in the past few months. The main house had been robbed and his father’s wife, Abra, had been attacked and left in a coma. Now someone had tried to kill one of his prize mares.

  Daniel wasn’t ready to give up on Halo, yet. And he still had to come up with a solution to Megan’s problem or he’d lose her, too.

  Megan smiled over her shoulder at him. “I kept Sleek from eating your sandwich.”

  The barn cat sat beside Megan, licking its paws. The stray had been an asset to the ranch and kept the mouse population down.

  The sun had dipped below the horizon while Daniel talked on the phone with Kennedy. With his world tilted on its axis, Daniel wasn’t sure what the next day would bring or how to keep everything he’d worked for from falling apart.

  “You can go home. I’ll stay with Halo,” he said to Megan.

  She shook her head. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather stay. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I feel like it’s my fault Halo’s in the shape she’s in.”

  “Unless you purposely poisoned her, I don’t see how it could be your fault.”

  “I should have realized something was terribly wrong with her and dealt with her immediately.” She scratched behind the horse’s ear. “Then you wouldn’t be as sick as you are now, would you, baby?” Her tone was soothing, and Halo’s ears twitched.

  “We wouldn’t have known anything sooner,” Daniel said. “The lab had to make that determination. It wasn’t until this morning that she went downhill.”

  “Still, I was the last one to ride her.”

  “Stop.” Daniel held up a hand. “We’ll both stay with her.”

  She gave him a crooked smile. “Thanks. I’d like that.”

  He left her in the stall and went about the task of feeding the other animals. When he returned to the stall, he carried several clean horse blankets and a section of hay. He spread out the hay on the ground.

  Megan took one of the blankets from him, laid it over the hay and sat on one side of it, patting the spot next to her. “Sit and eat your supper.”

  Daniel sat and took the sandwich from Megan. When their hands touched, a spark of electricity shot up his arm, reminding him of that kiss and the subsequent dreams that had plagued his sleep the night before. At least if he stayed awake all night with Halo, he wouldn’t be dreaming of lying naked with Megan.

  “Was that Marshall Kennedy on the phone?” Megan gave him a half smile. “Sorry, I overheard a little.”

  Daniel chewed on a bite of deli meat, mentally going over his conversation with Kennedy. Megan had been with him when he’d researched the studs and breeders. She knew as well as he did what they needed at the Lucky C to make it a world-class operation, and she deserved to know the outcome of that conversation, even if she did quit in two days’ time. “Yes.”

  “Well?” She leaned forward on her knees, her green eyes bright in the soft glow from the overhead lighting. “Is he going to deal with us or not?”

  Daniel shook his head. “Jury’s still out.”

  “Then why bother calling you?” She sat back, her excitement replaced by a frown. “Either he’s going to sell to you or he’s not.”

  “It’s like I told Brett and Jack. The man has a thing about family. He looks at the lineage of the horses, but he’s concerned about the family raising those horses.”

  “Then it should be a slam dunk. The Coltons are well respected as ranchers not only in Oklahoma but also across the United States.”

  “Ranching cattle. But we’re new at horse breeding and not as well proven. That’s not what he’s concerned about, though. He wants to know his horses are going to a good family.”

  “Again, the Coltons are well respected. What could he be concerned about?”

  “He’s specifically worried about me. He called me a skeleton in the Colton closet. From what I’ve learned, the Kennedys are socially elite and proud of their status.”

  “Sounds like my parents. They would hate to have me mess up their standing by marrying beneath me.” Megan shivered. “I’ve met too many of their social picks.” She snorted. “No thanks. Do you think that’s what’s holding the Kennedys back?”

  Daniel nodded. “I’m the stick in the man’s craw. The bastard son of a Colton, and a Cherokee to boot.”

  Megan’s face reddened and her eyes flashed. “Is he refusing to sell to you because you’re half-Cherokee?”

  “He didn’t say that, but I’m betting he’s not comfortable selling to the bastard son. I don’t have the social status of a Kennedy.”

  “Daniel, you’re just as much a Colton as any of your siblings.”

  “Not according to my stepmother.”

  “Abra is a bitter old woman who doesn’t even like her own children. She’s more interested in social status than love and family.” Megan clapped a hand over her mouth and then sat back. “Sorry. I couldn’t stop myself. I’ve seen how she treats you and your brothers and wanted to tell her what I thought about that. How can a woman dislike her own children?”

  “It doesn’t matter, and it doesn’t bother me anymore.” Not since he’d moved out of the main house. He didn’t come into contact with Abra Colton as often and it suited him just fine.

  “The point is, Kennedy can’t hold an accident of birth against you. You’re a good man. You’re good with horses and have a great eye for quality. If he could only see that, he’d sell to you with no further questions asked.”

  “Well, that’s just it. He’ll get the chance. I meet with him face-to-face in exactly one and a half weeks.”

  “What?” Once again Megan sat forward. “When? Where? I’d love to be a fly on the wall at that meeting.”

  He wished Megan could be at his side. She’d be a great asset because of her knowledge of horse b
reeding from the Triple Diamond and her pedigree from an impressive family tree with a long line of Talbots raising only the best Talbots and horses. Kennedy would fall in love with Megan’s charm and capabilities just like he had.

  She assured him, “Kennedy will see what a great program we have started here at the Lucky C.” Her lips twisted. “I mean, the program you’ve started.”

  “I couldn’t have even tempted the man without your help putting the data together to send to him. Why don’t you come with me?” Then he remembered Megan was leaving the Lucky C to go home to California.

  Megan sighed. “Unless I’m willing to let my horses be sold, I can’t. I’m headed to California in the next week.”

  “Damn. I wish you didn’t have to go.” Daniel leaned forward and checked on Halo, racking his brain for a solution to both their problems. The horse lifted her head and stared at him with her big brown eyes as if to say she wished he could fix her problem, as well.

  “You’ll do fine,” Megan said, leaning back against the wall. “The most important thing right now is to get Halo back on her feet.”

  “You’re right.” Daniel settled back against the wall beside Megan.

  She closed her eyes, stifling a yawn behind her hand. “I don’t know about you, but I didn’t sleep worth a darn last night. My dad’s threat and my ride on a sick horse weren’t conducive to pleasant dreams.” She yawned again and laughed. “Sorry. I’m supposed to stay awake all night with Halo. I won’t be of much use if I fall asleep.”

  “Come here.” Daniel slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “Lean on me. I’ll stay awake and let you know if there’s any sign of change.”

  Megan snuggled up against him. “I thought you didn’t mix business with pleasure?”

  “You said it yourself. You quit.” What could it hurt to hold her? It might give him a chance to come up with a plan to rescue her horses from being sold off, or find a way to impress Marshall Kennedy with his family when he wasn’t even part of the official Colton line.