Katie rubbed her chin. “Iris, that’s what happened. My mother was...well...really cranky. It’s as if I couldn’t do anything right. She was angry all the time. I couldn’t figure it out...until now.”
“It’s a tough place to be,” Iris said. “I have a good friend who is a drug counselor, Pamela Brookings. She helped me enormously through all the years of dealing with Zach and his addiction. Maybe you’d like to talk with her sometime? She’s got information you can take home and study.”
“Sure, I’d like to meet her.” Katie made a face. “This is just so upsetting to me. I had this dream...” Katie shrugged. “Now I know my mother is still using.”
Iris patted her hand. “We’ll get through this together, Katie. Don’t forget, you have us. You know that?”
Nodding, Katie managed a partial smile and squeezed Iris’s hand. “I do. With Donna gone now—I miss her terribly—I really rely on you. And I’m so grateful, Iris.” She brightened a bit. “You’re like the grandmother I wanted. I hope you don’t mind me seeing you that way?”
Iris chuckled. “Of course not. You deserve a nice grandma like me.”
Some of her depression lifted as Iris gazed at her with pure love. Katie absorbed her warmth, starved for it. “So.” She sighed. “This wasn’t what I imagined, Iris.” Katie tapped her head and gave her a wry look. “I’ve decided I live in an idealistic world. I’m not so good with reality, I’m discovering. The truth is...well...tough.”
“Don’t ever lose your idealism or ability to see people’s goodness, Katie. That’s a gift and I don’t ever want you to throw it away, okay? Because, as hard as reality is, and it’s harsh, we still have to hold on for hopes and dreams of a better day.”
“I understand, Iris. It’s just that...well, I’m really wrestling with who my mother is versus what I fantasized her to be.”
“It’s normal to do that,” Iris said. “When Trevor and I adopted Rudd, our adopted son had expectations, too. It took us a good year or two to work through his projections and dreams. You’re going to go through the same thing. And we’re here to support you, Katie. You don’t have to do this alone.”
“I’m so relieved to know that. And Joe is becoming a good friend, too. He has such depth. But sometimes, when we talk, he becomes like an iceberg.”
“What do you mean?”
“So much about him remains unseen. I see the tip above the water, but I sense so much of him is hidden or cloaked.” Shrugging, Katie gave an embarrassed laugh and said, “I get these intuitions about people, like I do with the raptors. And Joe, although he’s wonderful and knowledgeable, he’s hiding something.”
“I think he’s a great friend to you, Katie. He’s pragmatic and realistic.”
“Yes, the opposite of me.” She managed a grin.
Iris laughed. “Opposites attract! It’s not a bad thing. The other partner often offsets and supports us. I know when Trevor was alive, I really relied on him. He had a different set of eyes and ears on the world. I could go to him with anything and he’d allow me to see things in a new perspective. It always helped me. We made this ranch the richest in the valley because we were different, we had different perspectives, but we also folded them together to create a dream come true.”
“That’s so romantic!” Katie sighed. “And you know, Joe is sort of like that with me. He sees the world very differently than I do, yet, we seem to magically overlap here and there. Is that how it was between you and Trevor?”
“Yep. Now, with Timothy in my life, he’s not like my Trevor, but he still brings a unique take on the world. I find it not only exciting but helpful and it gives me direction.”
“It’s wonderful that Timothy came here for a week at your dude ranch and you two fell in love.” Katie clasped her hands to her heart. “See, Iris? Idealism, a romantic outlook on life does have a place in our world. It doesn’t always have to be cold, hard reality. I like a choice!”
Iris rose and smoothed her slacks. “There’s room for both, Katie.” She looked at her watch. “I’ll come and pick you up at one and we’ll go shopping. You have invited Joe to the dance, haven’t you?”
“I haven’t, but I will.” She felt lifted by Iris’s visit. “Thanks for all your help.” She hugged Iris. “I couldn’t wish for a better grandma than you!”
* * *
TWENTY MINUTES LATER, Joe arrived with the injured red-tailed hawk in the travel case. For the next half hour, Katie and he were busy getting the young hawk acclimated to the small mew designed especially for injured birds.
“Hey,” Joe said, closing the mew, “I don’t know about you, but I’d like a cup of coffee. You must have made a new pot.” He walked with Katie toward the office area.
“Yes, I did.” Her heart beat a little harder. “Joe, I want to ask you something, but you don’t have to say yes if you don’t want to.”
He nodded as they walked into the offices. “Okay, what’s up?”
Katie sat down at her desk and watched Joe pour himself a mug of coffee. “Iris was just over here. There’s a summer dance at the armory in town. She wants me and you to go.” She held up her hands as he turned around. “Now, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to. Iris is inviting all her family and us, her cosmic family.” She smiled. As he stood with cup in hand, he looked excruciatingly handsome. This morning Joe wore a dark blue long-sleeved shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, some well-worn jeans and work boots. She enjoyed drowning in his green eyes. Their color reminded her of the dark forest covering the slopes of the Tetons.
“Sure, I’d like to go,” he murmured, sipping the coffee and taking a seat on the chair next to her desk. Joe darkly reminded himself she could have invited Shep instead. Maybe Katie wanted him along because he was safe. A friend instead of a lover. He knew she was uncomfortable about starting another relationship, even with Shep, whom she’d known for a long time.
“Really?”
“Why not? I’m assuming you and I will go as friends?” Joe liked the idea of holding Katie as they danced. He shouldn’t, but he did. Seeing her cheeks go pink over his question and remembering their kiss made Joe happy.
“I’d love to have you as my dance partner. I loved to dance in high school but since then, I’ve done very little. I might step on your toes.”
Joe laughed. “That makes two of us, Katie. I’ve been in the Marine Corps, fighting overseas. We didn’t have any dance floors over in Afghanistan.”
“Good, then we can forgive one another.” She nodded with relief. “Iris is going to pick me up at one and we’re going shopping for dresses for the dance.”
Seeing the joy in her eyes, Joe felt warmth flow through his heart. “Uh-oh...women shopping,” he teased.
She liked the way his mouth curved and found herself wanting to kiss Joe again. “Hey,” she joked, “I have one skirt in my closet! One! Just goes to show you how often I go out.”
“Then, you and Iris should make a day of it, enjoy yourselves and come back with something you can hardly wait to wear for the dance.”
“It will be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to it,” Katie said. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Janet would want to go. Her instincts said no, but she wanted to include her mother in the social fabric of Jackson Hole. Did she dare make the call?
* * *
JANET HAD JUST GOTTEN BACK to her apartment when her throwaway cell phone rang. The only one who would know her number was Xavier and her drug soldiers who ran her courier business in Cheyenne.
“Janet here,” she answered, unlocking the apartment and stepping inside.
“Xavier here.”
Brows raising, Janet threw the keys on a small desk near the door and pushed the door closed with her heel. “Xavier! What a nice surprise! Are you checking up on my progress?” She dropped her huge purse on the kitchen
counter and kicked off the heels she hated to wear.
“Yes and no. We’ve gotten word of Garcia moving around the town. He is our enemy, Janet, but you know that.”
Scowling, Janet lit a cigarette and sat down on the dark brown couch. “Yes, of course I know. What’s happening?”
“We know Garcia was trying to bring in bales of marijuana by float plane. That got axed by the FBI. I’ve been waiting for him to make a chessboard move and start up again.”
Janet knew Xavier was a chess fanatic. He was one of the best players in Guatemala. And he saw everything he did in his life through chess. Janet hated the game because it was too complicated. “And he has?”
“Yes. My spy in the town saw a lot of activity around Ace Trucking. It’s owned by a man named Curt Downing. We’ve known for some time this gringo was working with Garcia. My man works for a mechanic shop nearby. Downing’s manager sends his trucks over to this business for repair. The other day, he saw a new driver for Ace Trucking. The man is Mexican and our guy knew the dialect he was speaking. It looks like Garcia might work directly with Ace Trucking.”
Sighing, Janet puffed on the cigarette and flicked the ashes into a nearby ashtray. “Okay, so what?”
“If Garcia is positioning his men as drivers for Ace Trucking, that means Downing has agreed to work with him.”
“But you said Downing has been moving drugs for years.”
“On his own. Now, it looks as if he’s hooking up with Garcia.”
“Why don’t you fly up here and make him a better deal then?” Janet knew cartels were always manipulating people and businesses to carry their drugs into North America. She certainly was not at the level to speak on behalf of Xavier or his cartel. He’d have to do it himself.
“Because we don’t know if we can trust Downing. And here’s where you come into play. You’re opening a courier service. I want you to take Downing to lunch and see if he’s interested in handling some of your more regional packages.”
“What? Tell him we’re running drugs and guns?”
“No, no.”
Janet heard the frustration in Xavier’s tone. Sometimes, he treated her like a child and she resented it. “What then?”
“See if he’s interested in working with you, business to business. The legit side, not anything illegal. That way, you can get an in to his trucking company. He’s not going to know you work for me. You’re a white woman born in the U.S.A.” He chuckled.
“So, I’m to be an undercover mole?”
“Exactly. We know your business has about twenty-five percent regional packages and you have to go through established national couriers to deliver them. Let’s get Downing to agree to handle them instead.”
“What if he wants some irrational sum of money to move them, Xavier?”
“You know how to dicker. You’re a good horse trader. You can’t give Downing everything. But we must get him connected with us. Neither Garcia nor he will know you’re my eyes and ears. Get Downing to like you.”
“Sleep with him?”
“No. And you can’t be on drugs when you take him to lunch. He’ll know it, Janet, and we can’t afford to have Downing realize you’re a drug addict.”
“I understand.” Janet knew if she didn’t follow Xavier’s direction, he’d not only cut her off from drugs, but he’d pull out of her business. She’d be destitute. “Be a buddy to him.”
“Exactly. And listen, when the regional packages have to be shipped from your business to his truck, you are to drive them over. I do not want my man, Eduardo, who is clearly from South America, being spotted at his terminal. If Garcia is planting men at Ace, they’ll recognize him and get suspicious. You keep my man in the rear. Let your daughter run the front desk. That way, if Downing comes over, he’ll see her and no one from Central America. Got it?”
“Yeah, I got it. Still, Xavier, Eduardo can’t hide. The dude has to have a place to live and he’ll be seen around town.”
“Yes, that’s fine. I don’t want my man to be seen at your business. Downing could put it together and get suspicious. I want him to think you’re a legit business. And your daughter working there only adds to the strength of the story we want him to believe.”
Sighing, Janet said, “I don’t know about my daughter. Katie’s not very...realistic, I guess you’d say.”
“So what? She knows computers, right?”
“Sure, every kid is weaned on them.”
“And she’s going to work for you?”
“Part-time.”
“Then you must run the front desk when Katie’s not available.”
Janet groaned. “Okay, I can do it. When do you want me to set up a lunch date with Downing?”
“As soon as possible. The sooner you can get inside his terminal the sooner you can see how many drivers are from Central America.”
“Okay, I’ll call him tomorrow,” she promised.
“Excellent, Janet. I miss you already. I’m sending some of those Brazil nuts covered with chocolate you love so much. They should arrive by the end of the week. I love you, mi corazón.”
Brightening, Janet felt her heart expand with joy. “I love you, too, Xavier. I miss you so much. I wish...I wish we could see one another more than twice a year.”
“I know, I know. But we must be grateful for those two times, eh?”
“I guess so, Xavier,” Janet muttered.
“Okay, be a good girl, trash this phone. I’ll destroy this one.”
Glumly, Janet hung up. She dropped the cell phone on the couch and rubbed her face. The makeup was itching and she wanted to wash it off. Getting up, she moved toward the bathroom to have a shower. Xavier sounded worried. The last thing she wanted was to get caught in a war between two cartels. People died when that happened. And in a town this size, only one cartel would win. As she pushed open the bathroom door, her thoughts went back to her daughter. Katie was a huge disappointment to her, but she was still her kid. The last thing Janet wanted was to have her blood spilled in a cartel war.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
JOE PARKED HIS TRUCK near the armory. Stars sparkled like white sugar sprinkled across the dark heavens. Country music drifted out the open doors of the large building. As he climbed out of his truck he saw that the place was packed with vehicles. A large crowd congregated near the doors. Farther away, in a smoking area, stood those with cigars, pipes and cigarettes.
His heart raced in anticipation. He stopped and smoothed his clothing. This was the West and nobody wore standard business suits. He’d gone to a men’s clothing store in town to buy a dark brown Western suit. And of course, he needed a Stetson. His ostrich-hide cowboy boots were polished to perfection.
As he walked slowly toward the door, Joe wondered if Katie and Iris and her family were already inside. He ached to kiss Katie once more. He tried to erase his torrid dream from the night before. It had been so real, he’d awakened near dawn, drenched in sweat. His heart felt as if it would leap out of his chest. Where did FBI agent and man begin and end? The question hung front and center in him as he wove between the parked SUVs and trucks and continued toward the armory.
As he looked around, he noticed a big Dodge Ram truck with enough chrome on it to be called a bling-mobile. Slowing his pace, he realized that the driver must be Curt Downing. The man drove into a no-parking zone and parked. Joe shook his head. The guy was arrogant and thought he owned the town because he was a millionaire. Joe watched Downing climb out of his truck and settle a gray Stetson on his head. It matched his light gray suit. He’d come alone. Downing was known to hang out with a number of women, but none had joined him tonight. Why? Joe had never met Downing and this would give him an opportunity to study him a little more closely. Iris Mason had told him the summer shindig brought out the rich, the famous and the poor alike.
The air was coolish, a slight breeze coming off the hills above the narrow valley. Joe was glad to step inside. The country music was loud and the dance floor crowded with couples. Standing off to one side of the doors, Joe looked around. Someone had decorated the ceiling with colorful crepe paper, battery-operated lanterns hanging among them along with sprigs of silk flowers. Chatting and laughter mingled with the fast music. A caller was singing out the changes in a square dance. Joe saw women in sleek, fashionable dresses that must have cost plenty. Some women wore plain skirts and blouses or more conservative pantsuits. The bling of expensive jewelry, bracelets and rings flashed and glittered with every movement. The men were dressed in their finest Western duds. Every set of boots gleamed. Tapping his toe in time with the music, Joe roused himself and gazed at the hundred or so round tables set along the walls of the armory.
He spotted Downing with a group of what appeared to be businessmen, although he knew none of them. Downing was in the center and appeared to be telling a joke. The men laughed in unison. Such was power and money, Joe thought, as he skirted them, looking for Iris Mason and her family.
The music stopped and the crowd on the dance floor hooted, yelled and clapped. Joe spotted Iris in a pretty blue skirt and a white blouse with a blue bolero jacket. The color brought out the silver in her hair. Iris was in the arms of Timothy, her new husband, a professor who had retired from Harvard University.
Iris and Timothy cut across the crowded dance floor to the opposite side of the building. Moving among smiling couples, they halted at a large round table set with white linen. A bouquet of summer flowers in a red vase echoed the theme of the dance.
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