Rancher's Dream

by B. J Daniels

  * * *

  YES, WHERE WAS JET? Drey looked toward the wall that hid the elevator. She’d thought that was him coming up after the lights went out. But the elevator was there and no Jet. And her bedroom doors were still closed, a chair in front of them. She shook her head and regretted it. She felt dizzy and disoriented. Something was very wrong with her. “Maybe he left.”

  She looked at the man she’d once promised her heart to forever. Hawk Cahill, her handsome cowboy. The man she thought she could always depend on to be there for her no matter what. And here he was, coming to her rescue. Except it appeared that she didn’t need to be rescued at all. Or did she?

  “Drey, why were you screaming? I think it was more than a bad dream. Tell me I’m wrong.”

  She could feel his gaze on her, worried, searching. Could he see how close she felt to the edge? She tried not to look at him, just wanting him to leave and yet wanting him to stay just a little longer. Her heart was still pounding hard in her chest. She felt...scared and embarrassed. She hadn’t wanted Hawk to know about any of this. She didn’t want him taking satisfaction from her situation, let alone Jet showing up and seeing him here in her bedroom and telling his brother.

  “Answer me. What were you so terrified of when I found you?”

  “I told you. I had a bad dream. That’s all it was,” she said, glancing at the sparkling water bottle sitting on the bedside table. That’s all it could have been since there was no small creature curled in the bottom. She shuddered, though, remembering how real the mouse had looked. Just like the memory of the thumb.

  Hawk leaned toward her and took one of her hands in his two large ones. She felt a tingle all the way down to her toes and when he looked into her eyes like that... She pulled her hand back, reminding herself that she was married to another man.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked, his voice low, intimate. He was still looking at her with concern. If he only knew the half of it. But he did know her, that’s why he looked afraid for her.

  “I’ve been under some strain, I’ll admit, but I’m fine. You really didn’t need to—” She glanced at the glass strewed across the wood floor from the window he’d broken to get to her. So Hawk-like. Woman in distress? Just climb the balconies, break a window and chase away the bad guy.

  Had there been a bad guy in this room? Or had this been just another nightmare? Except she hadn’t been sleeping. So another hallucination?

  He saw her staring at the broken glass on the floor. “I’ll have someone come fix the window, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’ll pay extra so it’s fixed before your husband returns.”

  She nodded as he got to his feet. She wanted to beg him to stay. Something was terribly wrong with her. She could hardly keep her eyes open and yet she’d slept so much. And the dreams...

  He stood over her, holding his Stetson and looking at her as if afraid to leave her here for fear... For fear of what?

  “You know that if you ever need me—”

  “Need you?” Tears burned her eyes and she felt her stomach roil. He couldn’t come here like this. It wasn’t fair. It hurt too much. “Hawk, those days are long gone, aren’t they?” If only he would tell her how wrong she was. If only he would take her in his arms, tell her he loved her, stay with her...

  “I’m worried about you, Drey.”

  “Now you’re worried about me?” She realized she was slurring her words badly. Her brain was shutting down. She could feel it. She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry.

  When she looked at him, his gray eyes were dark with worry and an emotion she knew too well. If he didn’t leave—

  “Drey.” He took a step toward her and stopped as if coming to his senses. “Don’t walk on the broken glass.” He touched the brim of his hat. “You have my number.”

  Oh, she had his number all right.

  He left through the balcony door, the way he’d come in. She watched him leave, too tired to get up from the chair. Her chest ached with sobs she didn’t dare release. Hawk. None of this could be real. Especially the look she’d glimpsed in his eyes. No, this, too, must be a dream. When she woke in the morning, there would be no glass on the floor. No comforter lying on the chair. Hawk Cahill, the cowboy hero to the rescue, would have been only a dream in the middle of her waking nightmare.

  CHAPTER TEN

  SHERIFF FLINT CAHILL had quit working late after marrying Maggie. Before, he’d put off going home to an empty house. Now, though, he couldn’t wait to get home to his wife. And with her expecting...

  But tonight he’d been catching up on paperwork since Maggie was over at her mother’s putting up chokecherry syrup and jam. She’d called earlier to say that she was running late.

  “Not to worry. I have a lot of work to do here. It will give me an excuse to get caught up. Say hello to your mother for me.” He’d disconnected and smiled, glad that after all these years Maggie had been reunited with the mother she’d never known until recently.

  Flint stretched now, thinking he might call it a night. Maggie had promised to call when she was finished with her canning project. He glanced at the clock, half expecting to hear from her at any minute.

  The dispatcher called back on the intercom to say two men were headed back. She’d barely finished before two dark-suited men entered his office.

  He stood, frowning, even before the two pulled out their credentials. FBI. One of them closed his door. The other took a step toward his desk. That this was serious was obvious. He felt his heart begin to pound. It wasn’t every day that FBI agents showed up in his office.

  “Sheriff Flint Cahill?” the one closest to his desk asked.

  He cleared his throat. “What’s this about?”

  “Earlier you made some inquiries about Ethan Baxter?” the agent asked.

  Flint thought about the phone call he’d made after Hawk had asked him to do some checking on Drey’s new husband. One phone call and two FBI agents show up interested? His heart began to pound even harder. He’d opened a can of worms, he thought as he sat back down at his desk. “I did.”

  “We need to know why you made that inquiry,” the agent said.

  The sheriff nodded. “How about you tell me why that would interest the FBI enough to send the two of you to Gilt Edge?”

  * * *

  GIGI HAD MANAGED to get through the day, but by the time she’d closed the restaurant she was exhausted. All day she’d been unable not to think about what AJ had told her. Her best friend had always been impulsive but this was beyond the pale. AJ had actually tracked down Gigi’s birth mother?

  She’d thought about calling her back and demanding to know what she’d been thinking. But she knew. Her friend thought she was helping.

  Groaning, she poured herself a glass of wine and walked over to the wall of windows that looked out on downtown Houston. She loved this view of her city. That was how she thought of it. Born and raised here, she’d grown up as Texan as a woman could get. Minus the accent, thanks to that finishing school she and AJ had been forced to attend.

  She chuckled at the memory of the two of them. They had gotten into so much trouble. If it hadn’t been for their prominent parents... Just the thought of her own parents brought tears to her eyes. She took a sip of her wine. It had been almost a year since their deaths and yet she still wanted to pick up the phone daily to talk to them. They’d left an incredible hole in her heart.

  And AJ thought she could fill that with some birth mother who’d given her away moments after she was born? Gigi scoffed at the idea. She had no interest in meeting the woman no matter what AJ said. How could her friend even know that she’d found the right person?

  Oh, she didn’t! Grabbing her phone, she called AJ back. All these months, she’d thought her friend was in Europe taking care of some business for her father’s company. So where was she really?


  “Gigi—”

  “Tell me you didn’t steal my DNA.”

  “If you would just listen for a moment—”

  “I don’t believe this.” She fumed as she walked over to the loft kitchen and refilled her wineglass. “I could have you arrested.”

  “It’s a good thing you’re a better cook than you are a lawyer,” AJ said with a laugh.

  She felt herself begin to calm down. Maybe it was the wine. Or maybe her friend’s voice. She missed AJ. “So you’re not in Europe, too busy to take phone calls.”

  “I’m in Montana.”

  “Montana?” This was worse than she’d thought. “If you tell me that my birth mother is a cowgirl—”

  “She’s a cook. One of the best. I’ve been taking cooking lessons from her.”

  Gigi had to laugh even though it hurt. AJ had been hanging out all this time with this...woman? “You are a hopeless cook.”

  “I’m actually not doing that badly. At least according to Billie Dee.”

  Billie Dee. That was her name? It was more than she’d ever wanted to know. “I still don’t want to meet her,” she said.

  “Okay.”

  Her friend had given in too easily. “What does okay mean?”

  “Just what I said. You don’t need to meet her. But I’m staying here for a while. I like it in Montana.”

  “You can’t be serious. What does your father have to say about this?”

  “I might have fibbed about where I was and what I was doing.”

  Gigi had to smile. This was indeed her friend AJ. No wonder the two of them had gotten into so much trouble in school. “So what are you doing?”

  “I’m a bartender at the Stagecoach Saloon in Gilt Edge, Montana.”

  She let out a snort and almost spewed wine all over the floor. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I’m actually having fun.”

  “You’re a high-priced lawyer.”

  “Only because I had to be something. You know how my father is. But I have to tell you, being a bartender is a lot less stressful. How is the restaurant business down your way?”

  “Busy. Stressful. I envy you your job.”

  “They might be hiring here, if you’re interested,” AJ joked.

  “I’m not coming up there.”

  “Okay.”

  “You’re impossible. You’re sure this woman is my mother?”

  “Your DNA was a perfect match.”

  “Great. And she’s a cook?”

  “She just won a contest with her Texas chili recipe.”

  “She’s from Texas?” Gigi asked in surprise.

  “Born and raised.”

  “So what is she doing in Montana?”

  “You’d have to ask her that yourself. Gigi, you’re going to love her. I promise. I’m half in love with her.”

  She sighed, dead on her feet. Not even wine was going to revive her tonight. “I have to go. Opening early for a special brunch.”

  “It’s been so good to hear your voice. I would have called sooner but—”

  “But then I would have known what you were up to.”

  “I miss you, Gigi.”

  She sighed again. “I miss you, too.” As she disconnected, she looked again at the view. Montana? She could wring AJ’s neck. Worse, now it seemed she had a private investigator trying to find her.

  * * *

  HAWK CLIMBED DOWN, swinging from one balcony to the next just as he had earlier. Except this time he mentally kicked himself the entire way. What had he been thinking rushing into that house like that? He knew damned well what he’d been thinking. That Drey was alone. Alone with all the lights out and screaming. Drey in trouble. Drey needing him.

  So he’d scaled the balconies to hers, broken a window and burst in to save her. It had made perfect sense at the time.

  Except that he had no business watching her house, watching her. No business butting into her life. She was married. She wasn’t his responsibility and hadn’t been for years. What the hell was wrong with him?

  Too bad he couldn’t shake the feeling that Drey was in trouble. Like there was anything he could do about that. But damned if he hadn’t wanted to leave her up there. Not that he could stay with her in that big bedroom of hers.

  He dropped to the ground, just wanting off this property as soon as he could get back over the fence. Maybe he should call Lillie, though. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Drey shouldn’t be alone. Then again, she wasn’t alone. Her husband’s brother was here somewhere, right?

  The moon peeked out of the clouds that had darkened the night earlier. Overhead, the sky filled with sparkling stars. Another beautiful Montana summer night and what was he doing? He cursed under his breath.

  She’d heard from her husband. He was in Mexico City on business. And that fear he’d seen in her eyes? Just a bad dream. He slowed as he crossed a stretch of grass beneath her balcony. That terror he’d seen... It had felt like more than a bad dream. The way she was trembling, that look in her brown eyes, the fact that she’d been drinking—or had taken something...

  The starlight shone on a glass bottle lying in the grass. He’d almost stepped on it. Looking back up at the balconies, he realized it must have been dropped from one of the floors. Had he expected to see Drey on the balcony? If so, he would have been disappointed.

  But he did see movement on the dark balcony beneath hers, as if someone had been watching him and had now stepped back so as not to be seen.

  Her husband’s brother, Jet? But if Jet had been in the house, wouldn’t he have heard Drey scream? Wouldn’t he have reached her long before Hawk himself had been able to get to her? Maybe he had been gone, just as Drey had speculated.

  Either way, it was none of his business. Cursing again, he reminded himself that Drey was a married woman, having started over with another man in her life. He was the last person she had wanted to see tonight. Or any other night.

  As he started to leave, he remembered the bottle on the ground. He’d been taught since he was a boy that you just didn’t litter. He reached down and picked it up. It was the brand of sparkling water that had been on Drey’s nightstand. He frowned, thinking it wasn’t like her to throw the bottle off the balcony. At least when she was sober.

  That’s when he saw that there was something at the bottom of the bottle.

  Gingerly, he held it up to the starlight. A small dead mouse was curled against the clear glass at the bottom.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  DREY WOKE CURLED in a chair, head aching and confused. What was she doing here? She pushed off the comforter and started toward the bathroom. Her head felt foggy, but pieces of a dream seemed to float around her.

  She glanced toward the balcony. There was glass all over the floor from where the window had been broken. She stopped in midstep. It hadn’t been a dream. Hawk Cahill had really burst into her bedroom to save her.

  Groaning, she wanted to cover her head with the comforter and lose herself in sleep again. Her cowboy hero. The one she’d fallen in love with so many years ago. She’d given him her heart and the bastard had kept it and for the life of her, she hadn’t been able to get it back.

  Watching her step, she continued to the bathroom, hating that moment of honesty. Even admitting it to herself felt like a betrayal. She loved Ethan. Just not the way she’d loved Hawk most of her life. But she hadn’t expected to. Hawk had been her first love. Everyone knew how intense first love could be.

  So it hadn’t been a dream. She used the toilet and then opened the medicine cabinet for aspirin for her headache. Shaking two into her hand, she suddenly stopped. These didn’t look like the usual aspirin she took. She thought about how out of it she’d been last night and, taking the two aspirin with her, walked into the bedroom.

  She stopped to look around the room, pieces of
memory floating in and out. Hawk had said he’d heard her scream and come to her rescue only to find out that she didn’t need rescuing. Or did she? she wondered as she glanced at the bottle of sparkling water sitting on her bedside table.

  Even now, as she looked at the bottle, she couldn’t help remembering what she’d thought she’d seen last night. A tiny mouse curled in the bottom. She had to have imagined it. That feeling she’d had last night, that something was terribly wrong with her felt even stronger this morning. She’d never imagined things before. She’d never felt like she had last night. Or even this morning.

  With a start, she realized that wasn’t true. There’d been a time... She shuddered at the memory and looked again at the two aspirin in her hand. Carefully, she set them down on the bedside table.

  Heading for the shower, she told herself now that Ethan was safe, the hallucinations would stop. But what about the premonitions? She turned the tap and stood under the hot spray. She hadn’t been herself for a while now. She’d made a lot of excuses for her strange behavior and the feeling that she was losing her mind. What if there was more to it? There had to be more to it.

  Showered, dressed and with the two aspirin from the bottle in her bathroom medicine cabinet in her jeans pocket, she headed downstairs.

  “You’re still here,” she said as she walked into the kitchen to find Jet making coffee. He started as if he hadn’t been expecting to see her yet this morning. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “I thought I’d make coffee before I left as a thank-you for your hospitality,” Jet said, finishing what he was doing before turning to her. He poured her a cup of coffee and handed it to her, then poured one for himself. “So how are you this morning?”

  She looked down at the coffee as they took seats at the table. “Great,” she lied as she cradled the cup in her hands for the warmth but didn’t take a sip. She saw that it was a beautiful Montana summer day outside but she always felt cold in this house, as if there was a draft.

  “Ethan suggested a hotel I might like,” Jet was saying.