by Rita Herron
Oh, good grief. Presents. She’d been so busy worrying about their safety that she hadn’t done any shopping. She had nothing to give her daughter. Not a toy or surprise. Nothing.
She couldn’t very well go into town and shop either, not and leave her five-year-old alone.
Maybe she could find something in the attic to make CeCe a gift. A new doll or stuffed toy. She’d be disappointed not to find a kitten under the tree, but Kaylie would explain that a kitten would come later.
When they were settled and safe again.
CeCe drew a tree by the kitten and colored balls as decorations, then added a yellow star at the top. “There. Now let’s find a real tree.”
“Honey, I need to look around in the attic first. Maybe when we take that ride later, we can ask Mitch to show us a good spot to cut down one.”
“Yippee!” CeCe shouted. “I can’t wait to ride Horseshoe.”
Emotions welled in Kaylie’s throat as they climbed the steps to the attic, and she flipped on the light. The trunk she’d pulled the fabric scraps from had been a treasure trove. A second trunk sat beside it, and she and CeCe opened it and rummaged through the contents.
“Look, Mommy.” CeCe pulled a toy pony from a box. “He looks like Horseshoe.”
Kaylie smiled as CeCe began bouncing the toy across the floor as if it was galloping in the pasture. Beneath a box of costume jewelry, she found an old worn quilt, a nine patch made with squares of horses appliqued on each square. CeCe might like some of the jewelry, but she had no right to take anything from this house, so she put the box back in place.
“Look, CeCe, isn’t this quilt beautiful?” Kaylie unfolded it, admiring the delicate handmade stitches. “I wonder who made it.”
CeCe ran over to trace her finger over the outline of a black stallion. “Can we put it on my bed?”
Kaylie hesitated. What would the owner of the ranch think if he knew she’d been plundering through his belongings? If he saw what she’d done in his house?
He wouldn’t, she silently vowed. He’d hired Mitch to paint the inside to fix it up to sell. She’d pack up all the things she’d used before she and CeCe left.
“I guess that would be all right,” Kaylie said. “But I’m going to wash it first. It’s been packed up for a while.” She’d hand wash it to preserve the handwork.
She spied other fabric in the bottom of the trunk as well and decided she could make new doll clothes for CeCe’s doll and fashion a baby carriage and blanket from the scraps.
Satisfied, she carried the quilt down the steps while CeCe took the pony to her room. Kaylie hand washed the quilt and put it in the dryer on low, then found CeCe lying on her belly in the bedroom playing.
“Look, Mommy,” CeCe said. “My friend showed me the toys under the bed.”
“Your friend?”
CeCe nodded. “I told you about him. Todd. He loves the ponies best.”
Kaylie worried her bottom lip with her teeth, wondering if she should comment on CeCe’s imaginary friend but decided to play along with her for now.
So she simply smiled as CeCe arranged the small toy ponies around the stable, then added the farm animals and horses, setting them around as if they were grazing in the pasture.
The owner of the ranch must have had children. Why had he left the toys behind?
MITCH STEWED OVER THE SITUATION WITH KAT—NO, KAYLIE —and her daughter as he drove back to the ranch.
He had done more research on the Whittakers and discovered that Kaylie did indeed work as a real estate agent and her daughter’s name was CeCe.
But she’d omitted the part about being wanted for questioning as a suspect in her husband’s murder.
She had also been in protective custody under an officer named Arnold Pinter, but he’d been found shot to death the night she disappeared.
One report suggested that she’d killed the man because she felt like Buckham’s attorney was going to clear him and prove that she murdered her husband.
But the other scenario, which sounded more reasonable after having met her, was that Buckham or someone working for him had found the safe house, had shot Kaylie’s guard, so she’d fled to save herself and CeCe.
By the time he reached the ranch, he was ready to confront her.
But when he saw Kaylie and CeCe decorating Christmas cookies, his heart tugged, and he put the questions on hold.
He’d wait until they were alone to discuss the situation. No sense upsetting the sweet little girl. Besides, Christmas music played in the background, and CeCe was humming Here Comes Santa Claus as she spread icing on the cookies.
“Look, Mr. Mitch, I made trees and a stocking and a star,” CeCe said. “And we made teddy bears and ornament cookies, too!”
“I see.” He couldn’t resist. He wiped a dollop of icing from her cheek and licked his finger. “Yum.”
CeCe giggled and shook the sprinkles over the ornament cookies. “I made Santa a card today to tell him about the kitty cat I want.”
“You want a kitten?”
“Yep, an orange one,” CeCe said. “Kitties like to live on ranches, don’t they?”
“Yes, they do,” Mitch said, his gut tightening. Did Kaylie really plan on staying?
She had to realize that her lies would be revealed sooner or later, that the owner would eventually show up.
How would she react when she learned he was that owner?
“Does Santa have kitty cats at the North Pole?” CeCe asked.
Kaylie’s gaze met his, a small smile curving her mouth. She had icing on her nose and fingers, too, and white powdered sugar dotted her shirt. The two of them looked adorable and so vulnerable that he immediately dismissed the idea that Kaylie could have shot her husband or been involved in anything illegal.
Foolish to judge her based on emotions, but the little girl’s holiday spirit was contagious.
“I think Santa has kitties for special little girls,” Mitch said.
“I’m special,” CeCe said as she placed two raisins on the bear cookies for eyes. “My mommy says so. And my daddy said so, too.”
“I’m sure he thought you were very special,” Mitch said, wishing he knew more about the man who’d married Kaylie.
And about his killer.
Maybe he should talk to Buckham’s lawyer and find out exactly what evidence she had that would exonerate Buckham from the crime.
And if Buckham hadn’t killed Joe Whittaker, who had?
KAYLIE HAD NO IDEA WHAT SHE WAS GOING to do about the kitten.
Or about Mitch.
He was starting to get under her skin in a serious way. The fact that he was so kind and gentle with CeCe only intensified the draw she felt toward him.
She stood by the horse pen, and watched as he showed CeCe how to mount Horseshoe. “He’s the tamest horse I’ve ever worked with,” Mitch said.
“He does seems like he’s good with kids,” Kaylie said.
That pained look darkened his eyes for a second, then he gave a short nod. “He is.” He turned back to CeCe. “Like I told you before, sweet pea, animals sense when people like them. You have to be kind to him, but also show him you’re in control.”
He showed her how to use the reins to guide Horseshoe, and how to nudge him gently with her feet as she gave him commands. “When you want him to slow down or stop, pull back on the reins so he feels pressure against his neck and say, ‘whoa.’”
CeCe giggled and patted the horse’s neck. “I luvs you, Horseshoe.”
Kaylie’s heart swelled with love at the smile on her daughter’s face. The past few months had been hell, but she was thankful for the brief reprieve they’d enjoyed these last few days.
CeCe would have her Christmas and Santa if it was the last thing she ever did.
Then she’d find someone to help them out of this mess and protect them from Larry Buckham.
Running was no way for her child to live.
“Let’s practice around the stable first,” Mitch sai
d. “Then maybe we’ll saddle a horse for your mother and ride out to the pond.”
“Can we pick a Christmas tree?” CeCe asked.
Kaylie held her breath, hoping Mitch would agree. If not, she and CeCe would go hiking and find one themselves.
“Sure,” Mitch said. “You can pick it out, CeCe.”
Her daughter beamed with joy at the idea. The temperature had fallen near freezing the night before, but had risen to the fifties now. The wind tossed Kaylie’s hair around her face, and she tied it back with a scarf as Mitch led Horseshoe around the inside of the pen.
Her daughter was a natural and, within minutes, had taken charge of the animal. Mitch was right—Horseshoe was gentle and followed CeCe’s commands as if he’d lived with a child on his back.
“Do you know how to ride, Kat?”
“Yes,” she said. “I worked on a horse farm during the summers during high school.”
“Good. I’ll saddle horses for us so we can ride out to the pond.”
She nodded, opened the gate and stepped into the pen, then walked over and petted Horseshoe.
“You’re doing great up there, CeCe.”
CeCe formed a little pout with her mouth. “I wish he was mine.”
Kaylie wished that, too. Unfortunately wishes didn’t always come true.
MITCH KEPT HIS EYES PEELED FOR TROUBLE AS THEY RODE across his pasture. It was too chilly to wade in the edge of the creek, but he taught CeCe how to skip rocks at the pond, his heart hammering as he remembered how excited Todd had been when they’d done the same thing.
God, he wished his son was here now.
In spite of the constant ache in his chest, he couldn’t help but smile at the pure pleasure on the little girl’s face.
Her mother’s smile as she relaxed was breathtaking as well.
Dragging his gaze from her, Mitch helped CeCe mount Horseshoe again, and the three of them rode across the pasture toward the woods.
“The ranchland is so beautiful,” Kaylie said as they slowed the horses by a wooded section. “I wonder why the owner is selling.”
Because the ranch held all his dreams and those died when he buried his boy.
Instead of admitting the heartfelt truth, his throat closed with emotions, making it impossible to speak, so he simply shrugged.
“Are we gettin’ a tree now?” CeCe asked, drawing him back to the task at hand.
Mitch slid down from his bay. “Sure. I bet we’ll find the perfect one in the woods.”
Kaylie dismounted while he helped CeCe from the saddle. They left the horses to graze, and Mitch grabbed his handsaw and led the way.
CeCe ran from tree to tree, pointing out the tallest and biggest ones she could find.
“Sweet pea, we’d have to cut a hole in the ceiling for that one,” Mitch said with a wink.
Kaylie walked over to a six-foot pine. “How about this one. The needles should hold the ornaments we made, CeCe.”
CeCe danced around the tree singing Santa Claus Is Coming to Town while Mitch sawed the tree down. He dragged it back to the pond where they’d left the horses, then tied it to his saddlebag while CeCe gathered pinecones to make more decorations.
By the time they rode back, the sun was setting. Kaylie helped him unsaddle and brush the horses while CeCe combed Horseshoe’s mane. Mitch stowed the animals in the barn while Kaylie walked CeCe to the house to start dinner.
By the time he dragged the tree into the den by the fireplace, the scent of fried chicken wafted from the kitchen. His stomach growled, the memory of his grandmother frying chicken in her cast iron pan making him itch to join Kaylie and CeCe.
But he stepped to the kitchen door to say goodnight and leave them to decorate the tree.
CeCe raced over and grabbed his hand. “Come on, Mr. Mitch, Mommy has dinner all ready!”
The child’s exuberance made him wish he could change the fact that her daddy was dead. “You enjoy it. I’ll see you two later.”
“No way.” Kaylie brushed her hands on her jeans and motioned for him to grab a plate. “This is my way of thanking you for the riding lesson and for helping us with the tree.”
Mitch’s gaze met hers, his emotions churning. She looked more rested than she had when she’d arrived, not frightened as she had after the accident, and her cheeks were pink from the cold.
His mouth watered for the food, but also for a taste of her ripe lips.
Good God. He was crazy. He could not keep flirting with danger when the damn woman was mired deep in horse dung with the law.
He had to keep his eyes peeled in case Buckham showed up at the ranch.
If he tried to hurt Kaylie or CeCe, he’d kill the bastard himself.
GOD DAMMIT, THE STUPID BITCH WAS STAYING AT A RANCH owned by a fucking Texas Ranger.
He couldn’t believe his shitty luck.
Worse, the cowboy obviously had his dick in a knot over her. He’d been following her around all day like a lovesick dog, playing with the kid, cutting down a sappy Christmas tree. And now they were inside eating dinner, all cozy like they were a family, when the bitch should be dead.
She’d made everyone think he’d killed those families. Stupid woman. She had no idea what her husband had been up to.
No idea what he’d had going on the side.
In the end, Joe Whittaker had gotten what he deserved.
Even though he’d wrapped his lawyer around his finger and his boss had paid her to clear him of those family murders, she still hadn’t promised he’d be free of the charges against Whittaker.
Not with the man’s wife’s teary testimony.
The very reason Kaylie had to die.
CHAPTER TEN
MITCH DEVOURED THE HOME COOKED MEAL, THEN BUILT A fire in the fireplace to ward off the chill while Kaylie cleaned up the dishes.
CeCe had chattered nonstop during dinner about decorating the Christmas tree, so he dug out the tree stand from the attic along with a string of lights and set it up in front of the window.
“It’s beautiful!” CeCe shouted as the white lights blinked on and off.
Kaylie stood in the doorway, her eyes sparkling with appreciation as if it had been a long time since anyone had done something nice for her.
Now he understood the reason.
“It is gorgeous and it smells so good,” Kaylie said. “I’ve always preferred a real tree.”
“Me, too.” Mitch swallowed back emotions her words stirred. “It needs some decorations.”
“We made some!” CeCe said, bouncing up and down on her little pink sneakers.
Kaylie played a Christmas CD while CeCe led him to a box in the corner holding homemade ornaments crafted from Styrofoam and Christmas cards they’d strung with ribbon. The box reminded him of his grandmother and her crafts.
CeCe carefully removed a snowman ornament and hung it on the tree, singing along with the Christmas music in the background. Mitch folded his arms and watched mother and daughter hang the decorations, his memories of Todd so vivid that he felt as if his son was there.
“We need a star on top,” CeCe said when the box had been emptied and the limbs hung heavy with the ornaments.
“I saw one upstairs when I was moving boxes from the storage room.” Mitch left the room and retrieved the star he’d packed away after Todd’s death. His hand shook as he carried it back down the steps and placed it at the top of the tree.
CeCe squealed with delight. “Now we just need presents!”
Worry flashed on Kaylie’s face, and Mitch grimaced. Obviously Kaylie hadn’t bought gifts for her daughter.
Dammit. Every kid ought to have something under the tree on Christmas morning.
“What do you want Santa to bring you?” Mitch asked CeCe.
“I told you—an orange kitty,” CeCe exclaimed in a voice that asked how he could possibly forget. “And a new cowboy hat and pink cowboy boots so I can be a cowboy like you.”
Her comment tore at him. He didn’t want to care about Ka
ylie or her daughter, but it was impossible not to let CeCe’s childhood excitement affect him.
Kaylie rubbed CeCe’s back. “Okay, kiddo, it’s been a busy day, but it’s time for bed now.”
CeCe poked her lips into a pout. “But I wants Mr. Mitch to see the horsie upstairs.”
Mitch frowned, but CeCe latched onto his hand and dragged him toward the stairs. Kaylie followed, reminding her daughter that it was bedtime.
Then CeCe pulled him into the room where she was sleeping.
His son’s room.
Surprise twisted his gut at the sight of the quilt his grandmother had made for him. It now covered Todd’s bed.
All of Todd’s toy animals and ponies were lined up on the floor as if CeCe had been playing rodeo just like Todd used to do.
He had packed those away for a reason.
“Where did you get those?”
“The boy who lives here showed ’em to me,” CeCe said. “They was under the bed.”
“What boy?” Mitch asked, his tone tinged with a harshness that he hadn’t meant to reveal.
CeCe picked up the horse and made a whinnying sound. “Todd. He said I could play with them.”
What the hell was she talking about? Todd was dead and gone . . .
And he hadn’t told Kaylie or CeCe about him.
“You shouldn’t have gotten them out.” Mitch couldn’t breathe. He had to get out of the room.
Away from this woman and child who’d taken over his house and his life. Away from the memories and pain and the little girl who’d spoken his son’s name as if she knew him.
KAYLIE TWISTED HER HANDS TOGETHER AS MITCH STOMPED from the room. Why was he angry at CeCe for playing with the toys?
Her daughter burst into tears, then grabbed her rag doll and clutched it to her. “I’m sorry, Mommy. I didn’t mean to make Mr. Mitch mad.”
Kaylie pulled her daughter into her arms. “Shh, it’s all right, sweetie. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I thoughts Mr. Mitch would like the ponies. Todd said he gave them to him.”
Kaylie frowned and massaged CeCe’s back. “What?”