The Danger Within

by Valerie Hansen

  “No problem. Hector and Norberto are handling it.”

  “Really? I thought I saw Hector when I first arrived.”

  Michael’s amiable expression faded. “Where?”

  Being shorter, Layla had to dodge and stretch to try to catch a second glimpse of the man in question. “Over that way. By the potted fern. I don’t know how much you pay your employees but I doubt it’s enough to spring for very many parties like this. I shudder to think what a ticket costs.”

  “Plenty,” Michael muttered.

  She winced. “Oops. Never mind. The guy just turned around. He doesn’t look a bit like Hector from this angle.”

  Michael visibly relaxed. “I should have known. A ranch foreman would never come to a place like this, even if he could afford the price of admission.”

  Disappointed, Layla released Michael’s arm. “I didn’t think you were such a snob.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Yes, you are. I suppose you look down on me, too.”

  “Don’t be silly.”

  She repented enough to offer, “Never mind. Forget it. I need to take my own advice and be less critical, too.”

  “It’s not critical to make an accurate observation,” he said. “You have to agree he’d feel out of place.”

  “Like I do, you mean?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “I know. Sorry. I wish I looked more elegant, though, like that woman over there. Who is she? I’ve never seen anyone quite like her.”

  “That’s Dahlia Sainsbury. There is no one like her—at least, not around here. She runs the Impressionist Museum over on Fourth.”

  “Who’s the man she’s talking to?” Layla sensed Michael’s tension, saw his jaw clench.

  “Alessandro.” The name was barely audible.

  She picked up on his cautionary tone. “Who’s Alessandro?”

  “Alessandro Donato. A shirttail relative of mine.”

  “Another relative? So, what else is new?” Layla teased, hoping to lift his spirits. “I gather you don’t care for the man.”

  “Not much. It bothers me every time I see him turning on all that continental charm. Jake and some of the others seem to get along with him well enough. Apparently, I’m averse to bowing and hand kissing.”

  “Whew! That’s a relief.” There was mischief in Layla’s twinkling blue gaze.

  Michael chuckled. “I’m glad you agree.” He offered his arm again and placed his warm hand over hers when she obliged. “Shall we go in to dinner, Dr. Dixon?”

  “I’d be delighted, Mr. Vance.” She stifled a grin and the result was a lopsided smile filled with humor. “I’ll trade you my meat course for some of your veggies. Holly tells me the menu is prime rib.”

  “Deal,” Michael said. “Every carrot and pea is yours. I can see we’re perfect for each other.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far. But if we’re going to hang out all evening to get even with your mother and sister, the least we can do is cater to each other’s quirks.”

  “Eating real food is not a quirk,” he countered. “It’s a necessity for survival. Why do you think humans have canine teeth?”

  “To bite into rutabagas,” Layla joked. “Let’s go stake our claim to two places side by side before they’re all taken and I wind up wasting a good piece of meat.”

  “I thought you didn’t think there was such a thing.”

  “That was merely a figure of speech,” she said, tugging on his arm. “Come on. I’d rather sit over by the picture window, away from the main crowd, if you don’t mind.”

  “Gladly. Too bad we didn’t ride down from Cripple Creek together. If we had, we could sneak out early and go home to some peace and quiet.”

  “I wish I had ridden with you.” Her grip tightened. “Parts of SR 67 are really treacherous.”

  Shepherding her between the red leather-upholstered chairs and elaborately set dining tables he said, “I warned you about that road. Did you have problems?”

  “None that were caused by the highway. Some idiot almost ran me into a ditch. I thought I was a goner, for sure.” She felt his arm muscles tighten beneath her grasp. “Hey, don’t worry. I’m fine.”

  “You might not have been.” Turning, he took both her hands in his. “Did you get a look at the vehicle? Can you identify it?”

  “No. It was dark. Everything happened too fast.”

  “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  “You’re not suggesting it was something sinister, are you?”

  “I don’t know. We seem to be running into more than our share of accidents lately. At least my family does. Since you work for me, I can’t help wondering if that means you’re included.”

  Layla sought to allay his fears. “Forget it. I never stay in one place long enough to get into serious trouble. Besides, who would want to harm an innocent cow mumbler?” She saw a flash of unreadable emotion in his expression before he masked it with a complacent smile.

  “Right.” Michael pulled out a chair for her before turning to scan the room. “Uh-oh,” he said aside. “Brace yourself. Here come the Vances and the Montgomerys. A whole herd of them.”

  “Is that bad?”

  Michael chuckled. “When this night is over, you can tell me.”

  Chapter Six

  Conversation at the dinner table was pleasant, if confusing. Layla did her best to follow what was being said, though she was often at a loss. It was perplexing enough having so many different goblets and forks to choose from without also having to keep up a sparkling repartee.

  The married couple seated directly across from her, Adam and Kate Montgomery, were proudly celebrating the recent birth of their son, Sean Patrick. Adam was the older brother of Holly’s husband, Jake, which made them all kin to Michael. Big surprise there, Layla mused.

  “So, you’re a nurse and Adam’s a doctor. Where did you two meet?” she asked Kate. “At work?”

  The slightly older woman’s amber eyes sparkled. “In a manner of speaking.” Kate gave her husband a fond glance and touched his hand. “I didn’t know I was in love with the guy until somebody shot him and I thought I might lose him.”

  Layla nearly dropped her fork. “Shot him? In Colorado Springs?”

  “No, no. In the Venezuelan jungle. We were part of a team working with an international volunteer group of medical personnel. A drug-smuggling ring wanted us out of the way, only we didn’t know it at the time. It’s a long story.”

  Wide-eyed, Layla looked to Michael. “Don’t your family and friends do anything the easy way?”

  He grinned. “Nope.”

  “Hey,” Kate said, “I didn’t mean to scare you. Everything turned out fine. The FBI and CIA broke up the South American connection, a drug cartel called La Mano Oscura, and Maxwell Vance took care of their Diablo crime syndicate connection back here in the States. All’s well that ends well, right?”

  Michael’s smile faded. “Yeah. Except for what happened to Max.”

  “Surely that doesn’t have any connection to Venezuela,” Adam interjected. “Peter assured us that all that nasty business was finished long ago.”

  Again puzzled, Layla tried to remember if she’d heard Peter’s name in the past few hours. “Um, did I meet him?”

  “No,” Michael replied. “He and Emily decided to stay home after their little boy, Manuel, got the sniffles.”

  “Speaking of little boys,” Kate said. “We can’t stay too long. There’s nothing crabbier than a hungry baby.”

  “Or his mother,” Adam joked. “Kate takes motherhood very seriously. I almost couldn’t get her to come out tonight. To listen to her, you’d think one bottle of formula would ruin Sean Patrick for good.”

  “It might.” His wife gave him a playful whack on the arm. “Besides, if I ever expect to get my figure back, I need to stop stuffing myself.” She pushed her gilt-edged plate away and leaned back in the comfortable chair.

  Layla approved of Kate’s priorities. Any woman who
was more concerned about getting home to feed her baby than she was with lingering over elegant cuisine was to be admired.

  White-coated waiters had already begun to clear the main course and serve dessert when, two tables away, a tall man with light brown hair and a proud smile stood and tapped his knife against a crystal goblet. A wave of silence radiated like rings of water spreading out from a stone plunked into a still pool. All attention focused on him.

  “That’s Brendan Montgomery,” Michael whispered aside to Layla. “He’s Fiona’s son.”

  “The lady who brought us together?”

  Michael nodded. “The same. Brendan used to be a Colorado Springs cop. He’s with the FBI now.”

  “That seems to be the career of choice around here.”

  “It does, doesn’t it?” Michael smiled. “Thankfully, I escaped catching the law-enforcement bug. Guess I got my ranching interest from my grandfather, although he was involved in other projects, too.”

  “Like building the hospital. I know. Holly told me.”

  Layla couldn’t help contrasting her companion’s background with her own. The man might seem down-to-earth but his roots were far from commonplace. She was as different from Michael Vance as Smokey was from a prize show dog. Breeding was obviously everything to the close-knit people in this room. And her unconventional family was not one they’d ever approve of.

  She saw Brendan hold out his hand to the slim, auburn-haired woman seated beside him and urge her to stand. With a grin, Brendan said, “Most of you know Chloe Tanner from her work at the hospital, especially on behalf of uncle Max.” He paused till the murmurs died down. “I was assigned to protect Chloe and her kids, never dreaming the Lord might have more than a short assignment in mind for me.”

  Layla saw the other woman’s cheeks warm and couldn’t help smiling in anticipation.

  “So,” Brendan went on, “we’d like you all to be the first to know. I’ve asked Chloe to be my wife and she’s accepted, with Kyle and Madison’s blessings.”

  A collective cheer and surge of applause went up from the joy-filled room. Quinn Montgomery, one of the men Layla had been introduced to earlier, rose and raised his glass in a toast. “Leave it to Brendan,” Quinn boomed. “He not only gets a wonderful wife, he becomes the instant father of two great kids. Here’s to my lazy little brother.” His grin stretched from ear to ear. “Mom’s liable to go broke buying toys!”

  One table removed from Quinn, Travis Vance spoke up. “That’s right. Tricia and I got our Sofia the hard way. Why should we let Brendan cut corners and jump ahead of us without calling him on it?”

  That brought more laughter. Layla joined in the merriment. She knew it was wrong to covet anyone else’s happiness, yet she couldn’t help being a bit envious of the family moment she was witnessing. That was the crux of her problem, she realized. She was on the outside, looking in, while the others were active participants. They belonged. She never had, even as a child. If she hadn’t made the decision to step forward and become a part of God’s family at the age of twelve, she didn’t know how she’d have coped with being uprooted and placed in a strange community at such an impressionable age.

  Was she still searching for the home she felt she’d lost? she wondered. It was a distinct possibility.

  Sobering, Layla glanced across at another table where Holly and Jake sat, holding hands and looking at each other with evident affection. Holly’s eyes were misty as her husband leaned closer to whisper to her privately. There was so much love in the room, so much joy, Layla’s heart wrenched.

  She felt, rather than saw, Michael’s hand cover hers. When he asked, “Are you okay?” she could only nod.

  Marilyn caught up to Layla and Michael as they were leaving. “I see you two found each other,” she said with a grin. “How nice.” A woman beside her also smiled. Marilyn drew her forward. “Layla, I’d like you to meet Colleen Montgomery, Jake and Adam’s sister. She’s a reporter at the paper where I work.”

  Layla politely shook the blue-eyed woman’s hand, noting that they were the same height. “Pleased to meet you.”

  “My pleasure. My parents are here, too,” Colleen said. “Frank and Liza. Did you meet them?”

  Shaking her head, Layla chuckled softly. “Beats me. I might have. I’ve met so many Vances and Montgomerys tonight I may never straighten them all out.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m one of them and I sometimes get confused,” Colleen quipped.

  “I wish they were all blond, like you,” Layla told her. “I thought I could tell them apart that way until I met Adam. The gray at his temples makes his dark hair look very distinguished, though.”

  While Michael stepped aside to speak to Marilyn, Layla stayed with Colleen and perused the crowd leaving the hotel. “Speaking of differences, look at that man coming this way. Michael says he’s part of the clan, too.”

  “Yes and no. His aunt Lidia married into the Vance family when Max was in Italy, so you can’t really count Alessandro. Isn’t he gorgeous?” Colleen lowered her voice. “I’d like to find out a whole lot more about him than he’s willing to let on.”

  “Sounds more personal than professional.”

  Colleen’s hands fluttered nervously. “Shush. Here he comes.” She smiled and began to blush, much to Layla’s amusement.

  “Hello, Alessandro,” Colleen cooed.

  “Cara mia.”

  When he reached for Colleen’s hand and brought it languidly to his lips, Layla made sure hers were tucked safely behind her. She would have retreated to Michael’s side if she hadn’t been worried about making a social faux pas that would embarrass everyone.

  “And who is your beautiful companion?” Alessandro asked with a voice as smooth as warm caramel on a summer day.

  “This is Layla Dixon. She works for Michael on the Double V.”

  “Ah, surely not,” he said.

  To Layla’s relief he’d continued to hold Colleen’s hand rather than reach for hers.

  “What do you do, lovely lady?” He winked at Layla. “Or is it gauche of me to ask?”

  Layla squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I’m a veterinarian, and a good one, in case you were wondering that, too.”

  Alessandro gave a slight bow. “Forgive me, Doctor. I meant no offense.” He again caressed the backs of Colleen’s fingers with his lips, said, “Until we meet again,” and strode away as if he owned the hotel and everything in it.

  Layla blinked. “Wow.”

  Sighing, Colleen gave a dreamy nod. “Tell me about it. One look from that guy can toast the socks right off my feet. Whatever you do, don’t tell my mother. She’s already driving me crazy about being single, especially now that my brothers have settled down. If she had her way, she’d have me committed to a new blind date every weekend.”

  “My mom’s the opposite,” Layla said. “She couldn’t care less what I do or don’t do. My dad, either. Which reminds me. I ought to give them a call one of these days, tell them where I am.”

  Colleen’s eyes widened. “They don’t know?”

  “No. I’ve been on my own for a long time. They never complain as long as I check in once in a while.”

  “Whew! I don’t know which is worse, feeling like I have my folks in my pocket every second or being isolated, like you are.”

  “I travel with a dog. I’m never lonesome.”

  “Don’t you miss talking to people?”

  At that moment, Michael stepped back into their conversation with a smile. “Layla doesn’t miss a thing. She talks to animals. You should have seen her with that heifer I bought at the fair last year. She mumbled in that cow’s ear and it acted like she was giving it a Lamaze lesson.”

  Layla shot him a quirky smile. “It worked, didn’t it?”

  “It certainly did.” He placed his hand gently at her elbow as he said, “We have a long drive home. We’d better be going.”

  Marilyn immediately brightened. “You rode together? I thought—”


  “No, Mom. We drove separately,” Michael said. “But I’m going to follow Dr. Dixon so I can look out for her.”

  Colleen and Marilyn asked, “Why?” in unison.

  “It’s dark and the roads may be icy,” Michael answered. He gave Layla a silent signal with his eyes to hold her peace. “It’s best to be careful, don’t you think?”

  “Absolutely.” Layla smiled at the women. “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Vance. And nice meeting you, Colleen.”

  Michael spoke earnestly. “I saw you two talking to Alessandro just now. Watch yourselves around him.”

  Layla could see that Colleen wasn’t pleased to be receiving such personal advice, particularly from Michael, so she took the initiative before the other woman could speak up.

  “Let’s go grab my vest before the line out there gets any longer.” With her back to Michael, she waggled her eyebrows at Colleen. “Good luck with everything.”

  Michael followed Layla to the coat-check room and handed in their claim checks.

  “You’re not really going to follow me home, are you?” she asked.

  “I certainly am.”

  As soon as her vest arrived, she snatched it before he could offer to help her put it on. “If I’d thought for one minute you’d overreact like this, I’d never have mentioned the reckless driver.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t need a babysitter. I’m all grown up. I can take care of myself.”

  “Glad to hear it. What’s your point?”

  She paused at the door and faced him, hands fisted on her hips. “What’s my point? I just told you. I don’t need your help.”

  “Okay,” he drawled, “then let’s say I need yours. I’d hate to see you get killed before I was through picking your brain. You are the only one who’s made any headway figuring out the cause of my losses.”

  “I hadn’t looked at it quite that way.”

  “Well, start,” he said flatly. “If I was concerned about Norberto or Imelda, or even Hector, I’d do the same thing for them. When I hired you, you became my responsibility.”

  “Just like one of your cattle.”