Echoes From The Past (Women of Character)

by Grace Brannigan

  "Me and Ruth went into town with Sam. He drove us. We got big red tomatoes and corn. I already had some of the corn. It was so sweet."

  "I hope you saved me some corn for dinner."

  Hannah smiled at him. "Of course, silly."

  Christie darted him a glance, and something there made him pause. She turned back to the fence, intent on the horse she was feeding. She put her foot on the bottom rail and hoisted herself higher. Garrett stared at the slender, fine-boned ankles showing above her ragged sneakers. He frowned and jerked his gaze upward. Those exposed ankles made her seem vulnerable, probably because she was all slim arms and legs anyway. Garrett wondered about her life before she’d landed here. Had it been anything like Judith’s early life? Any information she’d imparted was sketchy at best.

  Buddy nodded his head at Garrett. "Hey Boss. I rode the southern pasture today. Everything checked out just fine and I gave Sam the report."

  "Thanks Buddy."

  Out of the corner of his eye he saw Christie lean too far out and begin to lose her balance. Garrett quickly stepped forward and grabbed her securely on either side of her hips. He steadied her. "Watch yourself."

  Unexpectedly, she leaned against him, and then hopped down from the rail. Garrett stepped back quickly.

  "Garrett." Her voice was cool.

  "How did your first day go?" he asked, resting his hands on his hips.

  "Fine." She shaded her eyes and looked away from him.

  "Any problems I should know about?"

  "No. Sue showed me the ropes. I spent most of the day in the barn, cleaning tack, raking the aisles and mucking the stalls. After work Buddy introduced himself. We got talking and then he showed me where I could feed the horses." She threw his ranch hand a friendly smile. Garrett envied their easy camaraderie.

  "I love watching the foals play," she said. "That’s the day’s highlight."

  Seeing the genuine delight and caring in her face caused an inexplicable twisting in his gut. Garrett reminded himself this was all new to her. She was used to New York and enclosed spaces. A slight breeze swept her dark hair across her eyes. He had the strangest notion to twine its soft texture through his fingers. He dug his hands into his jeans pockets instead.

  "You’re lucky to live in such a beautiful place, Garrett. Sue told me some of the history of these Thoroughbreds. You must be so proud of your success."

  He nodded.

  "Daddy, look at me!" Hannah squealed. She jumped from the fence into his arms. Garrett reacted automatically, catching her as she threw her arms around his neck. He noticed the quick glance she threw Christie’s way, as if checking for her reaction. Garrett swung his daughter around and dropped a kiss on her warm neck.

  He ignored Hannah’s squirming antics and looked at Christie over the top of her head. "Yes, from here my yearlings go on to another trainer at the racetrack."

  "But everything starts here with you. I’ve never seen anything like this place. Buddy kind of showed me around after work."

  "Well," Buddy broke in, "I’ve got to get moving. I promised my dad I’d be home to help him with some chores. I’ll see you folks tomorrow." Buddy tipped his hat to Christie and nodded to Garrett. "Garrett, one more thing. I saw Les Doyle earlier. Did he come up to the house?"

  Garrett looked at him in surprise. "No. When was this?"

  "Oh, I’d say around nine or so. He was out by the main road. I think he was having trouble with his truck but he said he could fix it so I went on."

  "I’ll give Kim a call at home."

  Buddy turned to go.

  "Thanks, Buddy," Christie called after him.

  Garrett watched Buddy turn, walk backwards several steps and give her a thumbs sign up before continuing on his way.

  "He’s a nice kid," she said, looking up at Garrett.

  Garrett raised a brow. "Kid? He’s probably your age."

  "He’s graduating from college this summer, so I’d guess he’s about twenty-two. I’m twenty six." Christie smiled. "That’s light years away."

  Garrett digested that information. "I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to introduce you around, but it was unavoidable."

  "Don’t worry about it. I know how busy you are. Besides Sue I met Ally, Buddy and Emmett, again. Sam took me around and introduced me to a teenager named Joey."

  Garrett looked at her with surprise. "Sam?" His foreman was getting around these days.

  She shaded her eyes and looked up at him. "Yes. I really like Sam. He tells it like it is." She smiled. "You know exactly where you stand with him, don’t you? There’s no deception."

  "Always have," he acknowledged, wondering at her choice of words. "I’ve known Sam since he worked for my dad doing odd chores. It doesn’t sound like you missed anyone. What else did you and Buddy do?" he asked casually. He saw her surprised expression and he wondered if there’d been an edge in his voice.

  "Is there a rule against the help socializing?" she asked coolly.

  Hannah pulled the hat off his head and put it on her own. Garrett welcomed the slight breeze that cooled his head. "No." He made his voice neutral, knowing it wasn’t his business if Buddy and Christie spent time together.

  Hannah squirmed restlessly. "Let me down, Daddy. Ally is bringing the puppies out. I want to see them."

  Garrett put Hannah on her feet. "You’re getting kind of big for me to carry you anyway," he said, retrieving his hat. "We’re going to eat soon," he warned. "Don’t be long."

  "Okay. I’ll be real quick."

  "Famous last words," he muttered, smiling. Garrett saw Ally carry the cardboard box with the puppies from the barn and place it on the grass beside the barn. His daughter ran over to Ally and dropped to the ground. She fussed over each puppy as she lifted them out of the box.

  Christie looked at him and when he met her glance. "Hannah adores you. But of course you know that." Her words seemed measured.

  He studied her curiously. "It works both ways."

  "Hannah mentioned you and her mom used to go to rodeos." Her voice seemed overly casual.

  "That part of my life is over."

  "That must have been an exciting time, the hustle of rodeo life, one town after the other."

  He stared at her. Something didn’t feel right. "I’d rather not dwell on the past." Judith had had a penchant for wheedling the truth out of him, and she hadn’t been averse to using that knowledge against him. He wondered how Christie would react if he told her that about Judith. Maybe she’d be the same way.

  "If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get cleaned up." He didn’t want to talk about personal stuff. Judith had taught him that lesson. When he took a step back, Christie moved to stand in front of him.

  "Garrett, you lied to me." Christie’s words stopped him dead. Her gaze rested on Hannah. She turned her head, eyes laser sharp on him. "You let me believe you’re Hannah’s father. Hannah told me about her mother marrying you."

  He stepped closer to her again, his entire body now filled with angry tension. "I adopted her," he said in a low voice. "Make no mistake, I am her father. And any court will say the same. My God! If you’re thinking of interfering --"

  Christie drew a harsh breath and there was pain in her eyes. "You think I’d take her from you?"

  "You can’t."

  "I wouldn’t!"

  He stared at her grimly. "It remains to be seen why you’re even here."

  "You don’t trust me at all." Her shoulders seemed to slump. "Or maybe it’s just women you can’t trust. No wonder you won’t talk about anything personal."

  "It’s not your business. Leave it."

  "My God!" she exclaimed softly, studying his face. "What did my sister do to you?"

  The note of wonder and soft sympathy in her voice caught him off guard. "You don’t know what you’re talking about."

  Her dark eyes seemed to hold a wealth of knowing. "Judith and I are from the same background. I don’t know what happened to her after she left at fifteen, but I know about he
r life before she left. There wasn’t much room for normalcy."

  Garrett wanted to know what it was she meant. But then he actually felt afraid. Maybe he didn’t want to know. Judith was gone, everything they’d had was dead and buried. Did he want to dig up old demons?

  "Daddy!" Hannah called. "Come and play with the puppies." She ran over to them and pulled on Garrett’s hand. "Come on. They’re so cute Daddy. Don’t you think?"

  "Everything little is cute," he said dryly. "Then they get big and chew my boots and track mud." He squatted down by Hannah. "I’m going to get cleaned up sweetheart. Why don’t you show Christie the puppies?"

  Hannah threw Christie a look of invitation, obviously happy to show them to anyone. She then ran back toward the puppies. Christie gave him one last glance he couldn't interpret, then followed Hannah to kneel in the grass and lift one of the puppies.

  Bemused, Garrett stared at Christie and his daughter, both of them sitting on the grass with eight puppies climbing over them as they laughed with delight. Hannah actually smiled at Christie. Judith, despite living on a farm, had never bothered with any of the animals and he knew darned well she’d never pick up a puppy and kiss the top of its head as Christie was doing.

  Judith and Christie looked as different as night and day. His wife had been high maintenance, and in the beginning he’d been proud of it. Somewhere during the time of their marriage she’d accused him of changing, and he knew she’d been right. A woman who needed a lot of attention hadn’t meshed well with the long, demanding hours he’d put in to keep the ranch going.

  Garrett hoped Christie would work out for the short time she’d be here. Even Hannah seemed to be warming up to her. It would be easier if his daughter decided to be agreeable. One less fight. Garrett still didn’t know if he could trust Christie’s motives, but for the time being he’d continue to keep a close eye on her.

  Chapter Five

  Garrett entered the kitchen late the next afternoon. He had spent most of the day working on the horse exercise walker that had decided to quit. Usually he liked tinkering, but he didn’t have the patience for it today. It seemed that every time he turned around he encountered Christie, and for some reason it was disrupting his concentration. He’d finally decided that what he needed first and foremost was a cold beer. As he walked toward the house, he noted his brother Randy’s truck parked in the driveway and he wondered how long he’d been here. Randy usually came looking for him. Apparently not today.

  As soon as he stepped into the kitchen the smell of baking cookies made his mouth water. Ruth was making his favorite chocolate chip cookies. The screen door bumped against him as he stopped to draw in a deep, appreciative breath. He heard Hannah’s giggles followed by the low murmur of his brother’s voice.

  He dropped his hat on the hook right next to Randy’s dark Stetson. Hannah sat on Randy’s lap at the table, armed with a spatula as she removed cookies from a cookie sheet.

  Garrett moved toward the refrigerator.

  "Hey, Garrett," Randy said.

  "Randy, I thought you’d be out keeping the city crime-free today. What brings you to this part of the county?"

  Randy smiled. "I do get days off from the Sheriff’s department. Hannah called to give me heck for not showing up last night, so I had to make it up to her. In the meantime, I’m renewing my acquaintance with Christie."

  Garrett gripped the handle of the refrigerator door. "You’d think you were old friends already," he said dryly, watching his brother closely. Randy’s light blond hair and usually immaculate appearance looked a bit the worse for wear. His hair stood partially on end and his black designer T-shirt had been spattered with bits of cookie dough. Garrett allowed himself a smile. Today Randy looked more like the brother he’d grown up with, always ready to have fun, not the sheriff deputy who’d made himself scarce around the farm of late while putting in a load of overtime.

  "’Course. I’m going to make sure I stop over this way more often," Randy added, grinning.

  "Did you come to see Ally?" he asked bluntly.

  Randy cocked a brow. "Maybe."

  Garrett looked away from his brother and stared at the beer in the refrigerator, debating if he should have cookies instead.

  The dryness in his throat won out. He grabbed a can of beer, turned to Randy and held it up. "Randy?"

  His brother shook his head. "I’m having lemonade." He indicated a tall glass of pink lemonade in front of him.

  Garrett toasted him with the beer and took a gulp, then leaned against the counter and crossed his boots. He saw flakes of mud just under his boots. He’d better clean that up or Ruth would tell him about it. He looked around. "Where’s Ruth?"

  "She’s not here," Christie said, surprising him as she walked out of the pantry carrying a large bag of flour.

  She wore a dark red T-shirt and blue jeans that were liberally dusted with flour. A large wet spot ran across the front of her shirt. Garrett moved forward and took the flour from her to set it on the counter. His glance dropped to her shirt and the way it clung to her full breasts. He looked at his brother and frowned. By the direction of Randy’s glance, his brother hadn’t missed the wet spot either and was enjoying every minute of his time here.

  "Thanks," Christie said.

  Remembering the dirt he’d left on the floor, Garrett reached over the counter and grabbed several paper towels. Running them under the water faucet, he then squeezed them out. "Does Ruth know you’re in here using the kitchen?" he asked curiously, picking up the bits of dried mud with the paper towel.

  "Well, I did ask permission," Christie said dryly, opening the flour bag.

  Garrett noticed two sugar dusted jellyrolls sitting on the counter behind Christie and his sweet tooth kicked into gear. When he looked up he realized Christie was staring fixedly at his can of beer. Deliberately, he lifted the can and took a deep swallow. It felt good going down.

  He wiped his sleeve across the corner of his mouth and studied her carefully. "The way you’re staring makes me wonder if you want one. You’re not working, take one if you want."

  She shook her head quickly, her glance sliding away from him. "I don’t drink."

  "You don’t know what you’re missing on a day like today." He took another swallow. When he looked at her again she had turned away but Garrett thought her shoulders looked rigid. He finished the beer, moved to the sink to rinse the can and then threw it in the recycle trash bin on the open pantry door. Leaning against the counter, he watched Christie mix ingredients. "I needed that to clear the dust I’ve been eating all day."

  "Well, if you’d like something really scrumptious," Christie said lightly, "try some chocolate jelly roll. The cookies are almost ready too."

  "Daddy, I made your favorite," Hannah said cheerfully, holding a cookie in the palm of her hand.

  "I see that." He pretended to smack his lips. "So Christie knows how to bake cookies."

  "Ruth had to leave," Hannah said. She transferred the cookie to a plate and looked at Christie. "Ruth’s cookies are better than anybody’s in the whole world. Nobody can make them as good."

  "Actually, one of my great loves is baking," Christie supplied, opening the oven door to slide a cookie sheet inside. "My sister’s favorite was chocolate chip too."

  Garrett went perfectly still.

  "You have a sister?" Hannah asked, stuffing a cookie in her mouth, eyes wide on Christie. Garrett stared at Christie, trying to catch her eye but she didn’t look up at him.

  "I used to." She turned away, her voice muffled as she faced the sink.

  Garrett looked at Randy, who in turn was looking at him. Garrett took a step toward Christie.

  "Her name was Ellen," Christie said. "She died." She paused with her wet hands suspended over the sink and Garrett stood there stupidly, feeling shock clear to his boots. Ellen? The sister who was so like Judith? Christie hadn’t told him she’d died too. Christ.

  Christie fumbled for a dry cloth. Garrett reached into a drawer,
pulled out a dishtowel and handed it to her.

  Briefly, her glance met his. "Thanks."

  "I’m sorry," he said quietly. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

  "She died not too long ago," she said tersely.

  Damn. Two sisters? He swallowed, imagining her pain. No wonder she hadn’t wanted to talk about it.

  She nodded jerkily and he wanted to offer something, maybe an apology for his earlier gruffness with her.

  The sadness in her eyes affected him, as much as he didn’t want it to. He could imagine the pain she tried to mask.

  Randy cleared his throat, drawing Garrett’s attention away from Christie. "Garrett, I wondered if I could borrow your motorcycle? I've got the truck."

  Garrett gave him a look of disbelief. "You want to haul my Harley in that junker of yours outside? For what you make as a cop, you should be able to afford something that doesn’t belch when you drive it."

  "If I break down I can always ride the Harley home," Randy said smugly. He turned to Christie, an invitation in his smile. "Have you ever ridden a motorcycle, Christie? Maybe you’d like to go for a spin with me."

  Garrett stiffened, well aware Randy’s idea of a spin wasn’t limited to a motorcycle ride. He liked women and women liked him. Garrett stared at his brother. "I don’t think that’s a good idea."

  Christie stepped around Garrett and gave his brother a broad smile. "Actually, that sounds like fun."

  "I’ll have to catch you when we both have time off," Randy said, giving her a wink. "I can show you all the ins and outs of riding."

  "Next thing I know, you’ll be charging for lessons on my motorcycle," Garrett said with a hint of irritation.

  Randy gave him a narrowed-eyed look, rose to his feet and placed Hannah in the seat he had just vacated. "I guess I should quit while I’m ahead. I don’t know anyone else who’d loan out a Harley. It’s time for me to go." He dropped a kiss on Hannah’s head and turned toward the door. "See you later, Squirt. Christie."