“How are you handling the loss?” Carsten’s voice dropped to a softer level as he kept his arm around Rita and turned her toward the kitchen.
Madison followed at a distance but couldn’t help overhearing their conversation.
“It’s been hard, certainly, but the joy of the Lord is my strength.” Rita blinked several times as she turned on the oven light to check its contents. “I know I was just the hired help, but Andrew was like family to me.” She lowered her voice. “I still miss your father, too, of course. How are you—”
Carsten cleared his throat, interrupting. “Rita, you know better than that. Andrew loved you. You were never just the hired help.”
Rita smiled sadly as she grabbed a flowered mitt and went to pull the fresh bread from the oven. “I guess I do know that.”
Carsten turned his head near Madison’s ear to explain. “Andrew Sanders is the man who passed on recently and left the estate to my family. The legal procedures were completed last week and this has been the first chance I have had to see the ranch since.”
Madison stood silently as the details sunk in. Then she turned, confused, to question Carsten. “But why should I redecorate everything if Rita lives here? Shouldn’t she have a decision in that?”
Carsten smirked and leaned back against the counter.
“Land sakes!” Rita let the oven door slam shut with a bang. She turned, her mitted hands holding a tray of hot bread, and stared at Madison. “How do you suppose I have time to decorate this monstrosity of a house in between all of my baking and cooking and shopping and cleaning? You must be a stranger to ranch life, indeed.” Her wink softened her harsh words as she dropped the tray on the stovetop.
“Now, you hear me!” Rita’s tirade continued, loud and exaggerated and somehow still entirely friendly. “Mr. Sanders was a sweet man but knew absolutely squat about how a home should look. He wanted everything just as bare and simple as it could be. After Judy left him all those years ago, he just let the house go. Didn’t seem to care what it looked like anymore. After that, he spent all his time outside with those animals of his. Guess he figured horses were safer than people.”
Rita picked up each biscuit and dropped the steaming bread into a cloth-covered basket. “Now, I know Mr. Sanders is no longer able to enjoy my good home cookin’, God bless his soul, but I still have a bunch of cowboys to feed. Those horses and cattle still have to be tended to. Someone has to make sure things run smoothly around here. I know that Mitch Hawkins is the foreman and thinks he’s the boss of everything in creation, but I know better. If I didn’t feed those poor men working out there, why, they’d be thinner than a cat’s tail and just as ugly.” Rita paused for a breath.
Madison wasn’t sure if she was supposed to respond, so she glanced at Carsten.
“Rita, I think Ms. Lawrence is in need of some sleep. We’ve had a long flight. Why don’t you show her to her room and we’ll catch up further over lunch.”
“Of course! I’m so sorry, darlin’, I didn’t even think about you having that nasty jetlag. I haven’t flown in years and don’t intend to. This ranch is my home, I have no reason to leave.” Rita rambled on as she grabbed one of Madison’s bags and kept right on going toward the living room staircase.
Although Madison felt certain her ears would start bleeding any given moment with Rita’s constant chatter, she enjoyed the woman’s warmth and attention. Madison had never met anyone like the older dynamo. She felt an instant kinship with this kind woman and hoped they’d be able to get better acquainted during her brief stay at the ranch.
“This will be your room right here.” Rita turned left at the top of the balcony and opened the first door to the right. “You’ll have a nice view.”
Madison stepped inside the room and tried not to grimace. The view was indeed spectacular, but it was the only focal point of the space. The walls were white, the floor bare wood, the bed draped in white sheets with a white quilt folded at the end. No pictures adorned the walls, no curtains decorated the window, no rugs on the floor. The small dresser and nightstand, along with the frame of the bed, were all made of plain wood, not even polished or stained. The entire room looked as if it had been carved out of a giant log and pieced together.
“It’s nice.” Madison turned a grateful smile to Rita and reached to bring her suitcases inside. Instead, she bumped into Carsten, who was already rolling them in.
“I hope you’ll be comfortable here. I can’t wait to see what you do with this place. It needs a womanly touch, and I’m definitely not the woman for that job!” Rita smiled then breezed out of the room.
Standing in the bedroom beside Carsten, Madison ignored the funny quiver in her stomach. She took a step closer to the window, and the view immediately distracted her—however briefly—from his presence.
“Wow,” she breathed. The morning sun lit up the pastures below like golden dew. Rolling hills and plains stretched on for miles, until finally hitting the base of the mountains. She didn’t see a single fence marking property lines, and she wondered exactly how many acres Carsten now owned.
“They’re working the horses out that way.” Carsten joined her at the window and pointed toward the barn. Several men wearing cowboy hats were on horseback inside the corral swinging lassos.
Madison’s eyes drank in the sight. She had been in the city far too long. The sight of green grass and animals was already doing wonders for her spirit. She closed her eyes briefly. Thanks, Lord. I guess you knew what you were doing after all.
“I bet they’d let you ride if you asked nicely.”
Madison opened her eyes and balked. “I like to watch from a distance. Animals taller than my knee make me nervous up close.”
Carsten grinned and shook his head. “I’ll make a country girl out of you yet.”
Madison smiled back at him and lifted her chin. “I wouldn’t bet on it.”
“We’ll have to wait and see.” He chucked her lightly on the chin with his fist.
Madison’s face warmed at his touch and she kept her eyes trained on the pastures below. She knew that if she turned to meet his gaze, she would want to kiss him. He might not even want your kiss. That was so long ago…But the memory of that enchanted night held her captive.
“I’ll leave so you can rest. Rita will have lunch ready around noon. If you’re awake in time, come eat with us.” Carsten turned to go and Madison followed him with her gaze.
“I won’t turn down a good home cooked meal.” Madison grinned and tried to ignore the feelings that rose in her heart.
Carsten paused in the doorway and studied her for a minute. “Then sleep well, mein engel.”
8
Carsten sat perched on a barstool, resting his elbows on the counter in Rita’s kitchen just as he had all those summers ago. This time, his feet touched the floor.
“I know what you need.” Rita shot him a knowing look and inched the cookie jar closer. Carsten grinned and helped himself, pulling out a handful of sugar cookies.
“Some things never change.” Rita poured him a glass of milk.
“I should be too old for cookies and milk.” He punctuated his response by shoving half a cookie into his mouth. “But it’s one of those days,” he mumbled around the treat.
“You never were a drinking man, were you?” Rita’s question was more like a statement. “I guess some vices are worse than others. This one might make you chubby, but at least you’ll keep your head on your shoulders.” She poked a finger against his flat stomach and laughed.
Carsten shook his head. “Rita, how did I make it through so many years without seeing you?” The woman had been his rock during the time after his father passed away. She’d sent letters and care packages for weeks after the funeral, even called to check on him in the months following. No one else had made the same effort.
Rita waved off his comment with a flick of her hand. She grabbed a dishtowel and began swiping at a pretend mark on the already spotless counter.
“It’s been at least ten years.” Carsten took a swig of milk. He stared into space as he mentally turned back pages on the calendar of his life. His last visit to the Running R had been when he was about to turn seventeen. He remembered that visit well. It was the last time he had ever gone fishing with his father. He missed those carefree summers. He always felt privileged that his dad had chosen to bring him on visits to the United States to see Andrew. His mother had never wanted to come, and Carsten realized now in hindsight that his mom knew how important that father-son time was to each of them. He felt a surge of gratitude, followed by a twinge of remorse. But this was not the time to think about the past.
“Rita, I don’t know if I told you the whole story about Madison.” Carsten spoke softly. He darted a glance over his shoulder to make sure the kitchen door was shut and turned his gaze to the woman he trusted more than any other.
Rita stopped her cleaning and took the stool next to him. “You told me yesterday that you were going to bring Ms. Lawrence here for her own safety. Some men are after her, and her father wanted her out of harm’s way until the matter could be resolved.”
“That’s right.” Carsten ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. “But Madison doesn’t know that. As I told you before, she thinks she’s here simply on a decorating project. She’s aware there is something going on, but has no idea of what. Her apartment was ransacked and she was followed yesterday, but she has yet to fully grasp the severity of the situation.”
Rita nodded slowly. “I see.”
“It gets worse.” Carsten let out a breath. “She doesn’t know her father hired me to protect her. She thinks I just showed up at the right place in the right time. In fact, she called me. I think she believes this entire incident is one big coincidence.”
“But you really do want the ranch decorated,” Rita argued.
“That was my original intent, yes And while there is definitely work for her to do while she is here, it’s also now part of the ruse. Her father heard of the ransacking from the police immediately after it happened. He has deep connections and equally deep pockets. He called me at Angel Enterprises, said he knew Dad from years ago. He named an obscene amount of money that would be mine if I convinced Madison to travel to Montana with me and keep her safe for a few weeks. He suggested she stay until things settle down in New York. The only catch is that Mr. Lawrence doesn’t want Madison to know he hired me. He knows how Madison would react.”
“It sounds as if she’s the independent type. I’m surprised you got her here at all.” Rita drummed her nails on the counter top. “But why would he lie to his own daughter?”
“I’m not sure.” Carsten frowned. “But I do know that there will be trouble if she finds out. He hinted at that much. I have a feeling that Madison’s relationship with her father isn’t ideal.”
Rita narrowed her eyes. “So who is after her, and why?”
“That’s another question I can’t answer.”
“There seem to be several of those.”
“I wish there weren’t. I do know that I’d die before I’d let anything happen to Madison.”
Rita’s eyebrows shot up. Carsten realized too late that he had said too much.
“That sure is a passionate statement considering how you’ve only known the woman for a few days.”
Carsten ducked his head and knew he better confess all. “There’s more to the story.” He traced a pattern in the Formica with his thumbnail.
Rita waited silently.
“I’ve met Madison before, several years ago in Germany.”
Rita’s mouth dropped in surprise.
“I was out for a walk one night when this…this angel appeared before me in the courtyard. She was a vision. It was long ago; she must have been about eighteen at the time. I just know that when I saw her, I couldn’t breathe.”
Even now, six years later, his heartbeat doubled in rhythm at the memory. “I had to see her again. Even as all the years passed by, her face haunted my dreams. I ran a search and discovered she was an interior designer with a business based in New York. So, I took the easy way out and let her believe that I desperately needed her decorating services.”
“So you’re telling me that you met this woman in Germany and now all these years later you’re being hired to protect her? Does her father know you’ve met her before?” Rita’s eyes were opened wide.
Carsten shook his head. “That part was strictly a coincidence. He contacted my firm, asking for a favor. I agreed to take the job. Mr. Lawrence thinks the reason that I was already in the U.S. when he called me was strictly because of my wanting to visit the ranch after the inheritance. He has no idea that I was in New York and had already contacted Madison when he called.”
“Hmm. Now that is something. Seems to me like God’s hand was in that crazy set-up.” Rita sat up straighter on her stool and shook her head. “You’re in for quite a ride, my boy. I thought you’d have enough trouble dealing with a city girl here on this ranch for a month or so. I never once imagined that you’d already be in love with her.”
“Liebe?” Carsten coughed. He shook his head quickly. “I barely know her. I can’t be in love. She’s just…different than other women.” To put it mildly. Madison, while beautiful outwardly, carried something inside her that he’d immediately noticed that fateful night.
And had yet to forget.
Rita pursed her lips. “Mmhhmm.”
“No, Rita.” Carsten eased off the stool and began wiping up his cookie crumbs. “I don’t need you putting any ideas in my head.” He dusted his hands off over the sink.
“It’s not what I’m putting in your head, dear boy. It’s what God has already put in your heart.”
Rita’s words lingered in Carsten’s mind throughout the rest of the morning, as he lay tossing and turning on the bed in the downstairs guestroom. Was she right? Did he love Madison already? He barely knew her, yet he could not deny the strong attraction that pulsed through his veins every time he saw the woman, or thought about her. Had God put them together? That was ridiculous. God had better things to do than worry about Carsten Erlichman’s love life.
And Carsten had better things to do than worry about love. Like keep Madison alive—which would be a lot easier to do if he knew who was after her, and why.
Turning over on his side, Carsten punched his pillow and tried to get comfortable. Yet the word love kept playing over and over in his thoughts.
Tired of fighting it, Carsten rolled onto his back, crossed his arms under his head, and stared at the ceiling. He knew that somewhere up on the second floor, the most beautiful woman he had ever met slept peacefully, completely naïve to both her perilous situation and his feelings.
He wondered grimly which of the two was the most dangerous.
9
Madison woke to the sound of a cowbell. Thinking she imagined it, she rolled over and tried to drift back to sleep. The few hours of rest she’d had, had definitely not been enough to catch her up from the midnight flight.
Clang clang CLANG!
Madison jerked and realized with a start that the cowbell was real. Feeling like an Army recruit, Madison leapt out of bed and frantically tried to remember where she was and why there was such a commotion.
The view out her window reminded her of her whereabouts and calmed her nerves. She turned to fix her hair and realized that there wasn’t one mirror in the entire room. Maybe she should focus on decorating her temporary bedroom before she got to work on the rest of the house.
Clang CLANG!
Madison winced. She thought lunch had been optional. Apparently, Rita was ready for her and Carsten to join her. Her stomach rumbled, and she realized she was hungry after all.
Deciding to forget about her rumpled appearance, Madison hurried downstairs before Rita could ring the bell again.
She entered the kitchen just in time to see Carsten, hair mussed from sleep, trying to wrestle the torturous instrument from Rita.
Laughin
g, the older woman surrendered the bell. “I had to call in the men from the stables. Plus, you city folks need a taste of country-life.” Rita straightened her blouse and ignored Carsten’s triumphant look as he placed the bell on top of the refrigerator where she wouldn’t be able to reach it again.
“Lunch is on.” Rita nodded toward the door and ushered them into the dining room.
“Rita, you made all of my favorites! You remembered.” Carsten shot an appreciative glance over the table laden with food.
Madison’s gaze roved over the numerous items, mentally comparing the calorie contents of her typical lunchtime salad with the gigantic bowls full of peas, beans, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and juicy fried chicken strips.
“And don’t forget the biscuits.” Rita placed a steaming basket of homemade bread on the center of the table next to the gallon-sized tub of butter.
Madison gulped. She would surely turn into a pig before she returned to New York City. She was trying to figure out how to bow out of the heavy meal graciously when Carsten pulled out a chair and ushered her into it.
“This looks great, Rita,” Madison said, pasting a smile to her lips. How would she eat a tub of butter without having it stick to her thighs? No way came to mind, so she mentally shrugged and decided that if she was going to gain weight, she might as well enjoy herself along the way. She began to load her plate.
Suddenly, the dining room filled with a herd of a dozen cowboys. Madison stared in shock as the men jockeyed for position around the table and began removing their hats. One particularly tall man noticed Madison with surprise, and nudged the guy beside him, who also turned to stare. “Well hello, there lil’ darlin’.
Several of the men then sent curious glances in her direction.
Madison nodded at him in response, and then ducked her head to study the beans on her plate. I guess that nap didn’t mess up my hair very badly after all.
“And who might you be?” The tall man spoke again, pulling out the chair opposite Madison and studying her with a dark, overly interested gaze.
Midnight Angel Page 5