HER CALLAHAN FAMILY MAN

by Tina Leonard

  She went out the door, and Jace and his brothers looked at each other.

  “Wow,” Tighe said, “little sister’s got a burr under her saddle.”

  “It’s gotten to her,” Falcon said. “This job could get to anyone. We’re losing, and she knows it. It’s eating at her. It sucks to feel helpless.”

  “Damn it,” Jace muttered. “We can’t let Wolf get us down. There’s too much at stake.” He stood and addressed the room. “It’s been months since we’ve seen the Diablos. We knew Wolf’s intent was to get to them—that was why they were tunneling from Loco Diablo to here. First, to get to us from a different vantage point, and second, to take out the spirit of Rancho Diablo. The Diablos, the heart and soul of the place. Wolf knows only too well that his father’s spirit—Running Bear’s spirit—is in the mustangs. Without them, Grandfather will be weakened. Rancho Diablo will be seriously weakened, as well.” And we’ll be lost.

  “We’ll be lost,” Dante said, echoing his thoughts, and Jace knew his brothers saw the situation the same way he did.

  “And this bone-digging toy,” Jace said, going over to study what his sister had commandeered, “tells me that we’re not the only ones aware that there may be hidden caves under Rancho Diablo. Tunnels.”

  “Depositories,” Sloan said.

  “Spirits,” Galen added.

  “We knew that the smugglers had dug under Loco Diablo, and we knew they hadn’t quite reached here, nor the canyons. Not then,” Jace said. “But I never thought about hidden caves, or buried treasure here. Except for what’s in the basement.”

  They all looked at him.

  “It’s secret,” Galen said. “It’s the Callahan buried silver treasure.”

  “But,” Jace said, “Wolf wouldn’t be sending men over here with treasure-hunting devices if he didn’t think there was silver and something much more important buried somewhere under Rancho Diablo.”

  “Like what?” Falcon demanded.

  He wasn’t certain. Prickles ran over his arms, though he was warm enough in his winter clothes. He thought about the cozy house in Colorado, and the sense he’d had that there were spirits there that he recognized, happy memories he’d once known. Remembered well, deep in his heart.

  “Wolf’s too close,” he said. “He knows something we don’t know. And it has to do with the tunnels under Loco Diablo.”

  “Sister Wind Ranch,” Ash said, sailing back into the room. “When are you lunkheads ever going to figure out that land has a feminine spirit?”

  They all stared at her. She wore black from head to toe, combat fatigue style. Heavy boots, a black jacket.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Jace demanded. “You look like you’re about to go grave-robbing.”

  “I am. And you’re coming with me. But first,” Ash said, zipping up her jacket, “we’re going to go ask your wife where her uncle hid the information we need.”

  Chapter Ten

  Sawyer didn’t like being on bed rest, but she couldn’t really complain because she felt so much better. The cramps were gone and the babies seemed settled. The nurse would be out early tomorrow morning to check on her. She’d had Jace place her recliner next to the window so she could keep an eye on Rancho Diablo.

  And Jace, of course.

  She missed the daily jolt of adrenaline that came with working at Rancho Diablo. There was always something happening, and not being part of the action was hard. On the other hand, in a couple of months she’d have two beautiful babies.

  “I can lie very still for sixty days,” she told herself, picking up her binoculars. She looked through them toward Rancho Diablo, watching a truck go down the long drive toward the main road.

  It turned up the road that led to Storm’s house. Sawyer peered more closely, not altogether surprised to see Ash and Jace get out and head toward the porch. The doorbell rang.

  “Come in! It’s unlocked!”

  Her big husband walked in, wearing a glare—his normal expression these days.

  “Why is the front door unlocked?” he demanded.

  Ash looked at her sympathetically.

  “Because I can’t get out of this chair, and Uncle Storm and Lu went into town to fetch some groceries.” Sawyer frowned at Jace. “I can’t get up to answer the door, obviously.”

  “You shouldn’t be having any visitors, and the front door should be locked. Every window and every door of this house should be locked.”

  “Well, it is your house,” she replied, “so I guess you can make the rules.” She shrugged at Jace.

  “I’m not telling you what to do, babe. I’m worried about you. You know it’s not safe. Unlocked doors aren’t a good idea,” he said patiently.

  She hated it when he was patient with her, especially when she knew she was being cranky. “Hi, Ash.”

  “Hi, Sawyer.” Ash sat down next to her. “What can I do to help?”

  Sawyer sighed. “Explain to Jace that pregnant doesn’t mean helpless.”

  Ash smiled, glanced at her brother. “Let’s not try to explain things that are beyond his comprehension.”

  “Hey,” Jace said. “I get it. I just don’t like it.”

  Sawyer nodded. “I figured that out. So, why am I getting a family visit?”

  He leaned against the wall, and she let her gaze run over him, studying him in his worn jeans, scuffed boots, black thermal shirt and sheepskin jacket. Looking at him never failed to get her heart beating faster.

  “Sawyer,” Ash said, and Sawyer turned at the strangely patient tone in her sister-in-law’s voice. “Did Storm give you some information about Sister Wind Ranch? That land he sold to us?”

  Sawyer looked at Jace, who shrugged.

  “Uncle Storm didn’t say much about it, except that he wished he hadn’t bought it. He was happy to get it off his hands. Said it was far too large a spread for him, and that he wished he’d never allowed Wolf to talk him into buying it.”

  “Why did Wolf want your uncle to buy the land we call Loco Diablo?” Jace asked.

  “Wolf told my uncle that if your family bought the land, you’d basically own the county. Your power would exponentially multiply. Like a conglomerate, or a Mafia family. Wolf said he felt like he was being pushed out of the family business, which he had every right to be in, and would be in except that his father, Running Bear, didn’t like him.”

  “So he wanted Storm to be a counterweight?” Jace asked. “Spread the power around?”

  She nodded. “And Wolf offered my uncle protection if he bought it. All the bad things that were happening wouldn’t happen here, to his land. Uncle didn’t really know what that meant, but he said it wasn’t his place to get involved in family issues. He didn’t know who the bad guys were, who the good guys were. So he agreed to purchase the land from the elderly gentleman who owned it. He got a great price on the deal.”

  “Why would the former owner do that?” Ash demanded. “Why sell for a low price when he could have sold to any developer for more? Or to us?”

  “Because your uncle Wolf told the old man he’d make his life a misery if he didn’t do the deal just the way he wanted him to,” Sawyer said, her gaze on Jace.

  “Why didn’t you tell me this before now?” he asked.

  “I’m a bodyguard, not a business manager.” Sawyer frowned. “Besides, Wolf is your uncle. I figured you already knew.”

  “Why did you come to work for us?” Jace knelt down next to her chair, put his hand on her stomach. The babies kicked as if they knew their father was holding them.

  “I already told you. My uncle wasn’t certain what was going on.” Sawyer looked into Jace’s eyes, wishing they didn’t have to talk about this again. It brought up all the sore spots in their marriage, the lack of trust, the strained feelings. “He wanted me to find o
ut what I could.”

  “He should have known,” Ash said. “He’d done business with Fiona.”

  “Horse trading is a different thing, and that was many years ago. He had no great knowledge of the Chacon Callahans. Besides, Wolf was telling some pretty crazy stories about you.” Sawyer shook her head. “It didn’t take me long to figure out he was evil. And at that point, I knew I would do everything I could to help you.”

  Jace studied her, his eyes searching hers.

  “I believe you,” he said.

  “Thank you.” It meant so much to her.

  “I think my uncle must have given your uncle something,” Jace said. “Wolf was trying to protect his smuggling operation, and he was using your uncle to divert us by buying Loco Diablo. So when Storm bought the land, he had to have gotten something from Wolf for doing so.”

  Sawyer’s eyes widened with surprise and dismay. “Are you suggesting my uncle accepted a bribe to do it? Beyond Wolf’s promise to put his men to protecting my uncle’s spread from the trouble that was occurring between you and your uncle?”

  “Yes,” Jace said simply. “I’m saying Storm had to have been given something of value to do what he did.”

  “Like what?” Sawyer demanded. “I assure you Uncle Storm’s goal was getting distance from the lot of you and whatever was going on with your uncle.”

  Jace glanced at Ash, who seemed to understand his question. “Financial assistance,” Ash murmured.

  “I don’t think my uncle needs money,” Sawyer snapped.

  Jace moved his hand to hers. “Maybe to buy Loco Diablo, he did. There were surveyors who would have needed to be bought off, plus palms to be crossed with silver at the state level, so they would look the other way at such a big land deal. Deeds to change hands. It all happened very quickly, and would have required funding.”

  Sawyer felt herself getting angry with Jace, and disgusted. She couldn’t understand how the man could live with so much conceit. “You really think you’re the only people in New Mexico who can run a spread? My uncle has always owned land. Cattle, horses, whatever. He didn’t need a bribe.”

  “Not a bribe so much as assistance. Maybe a sort of silent partnership. An angel investor,” Jace said. “You can’t think of anything of value your uncle recently acquired?”

  She was almost too mad to think. She glared at him, then at Ash, who was watching her without emotion. These people were supposed to be her family! “The only thing my uncle has gotten lately is a town house in Diablo and a new wife. He sold his ranch to you, and the land you call Loco Diablo. What else do you want from him? You got everything he had,” she said bitterly. “All because of the feud between you and your uncle.”

  “I found someone near the canyons with a metal detector, a very sophisticated setup,” Ash said. “He was looking for something.”

  Sawyer sighed. “Okay, I’ll bite. What was he looking for?”

  “He said he was looking for a graveyard,” Ash said. “A graveyard that was rumored to have treasure beyond imagination. I told him that was nonsense, and sent him and his two buddies on their way, of course.”

  “What has that got to do with my uncle?”

  Jace stood, crossed to a window, looked out toward Rancho Diablo before turning to face her again. Sawyer’s heart skipped a beat.

  “You think my uncle knows where this graveyard is,” Sawyer said. “You think Wolf told him to help him find it, and agreed to split treasure with him if he could help him get Rancho Diablo away from the Callahans. You think that’s why his gang is always trespassing. And,” she said, realization dawning, “that Uncle Storm sent me to work for you to find out anything I could. And of course, I romanced you as part of the grand plan.”

  “Not so fast,” Jace said. “We’re just asking if there’s anything Wolf ever gave your uncle. It’s a hunch, nothing more.”

  “I got suspicious when the man with the equipment mentioned your uncle,” Ash said. “He seemed to know Storm and Wolf pretty well, for an out-of-towner. This made me curious, so I looked the man up. Turns out he’s no small-time treasure hobbyist. He’s a well-known treasure seeker with a military background. In other words, he’s a kind of bounty hunter. He specializes in buried treasure, and dead bodies instead of live ones.”

  Sawyer sucked in a breath. “You’re absolutely crazy if you think my uncle sent that man to scout your property.”

  “He didn’t,” Jace said. “Wolf sent him. But you’ve admitted yourself that—”

  “My uncle asked me to hire on at Rancho Diablo to find out what I could about your feud.” Sawyer nodded. “Yes, he did. I’ve admitted that. But he never once mentioned anything to me about a hidden graveyard or buried treasure.” She was more hurt than she could have ever imagined. Looking at Jace was too heartbreaking. Not only did he not trust her, but he thought she was part of a plot to steal his family’s wealth. Sawyer put her head back against the recliner and closed her eyes. “I’m tired,” she said, so drained she could barely keep her eyes open anymore. “Please leave.”

  Jace walked over, touched her hand. She snatched it away, not opening her eyes.

  After a moment, she heard the front door open.

  “I’ll be back to check on you later,” Jace said, but she didn’t answer. The door closed, and she wiped her eyes, thankful no tears had fallen while he was around to witness them. She wouldn’t let him see how much he’d hurt her. What a ridiculous thing to ask. Of course her uncle hadn’t taken a bribe from Wolf! All he’d wanted was to stay out of the fracas between Wolf and the Callahans. He’d wanted protection for his land.

  The worst part was how much she loved Jace. She was madly in love with him, had been for a long time. But he would never see her that way. There would always be seeds of distrust between them.

  The only things holding her and Jace together now were these babies. She placed both hands around her stomach with a touch of sadness.

  Babies who would grow up with a father and a mother who didn’t love each other, didn’t even trust each other.

  Sawyer opened her eyes, gazed out toward Rancho Diablo, her heart breaking. Dusk stole over the ranch as the sun retreated, layering the seven-chimneyed house in the distance with a fairy-tale glow. How many times had she looked out on that castlelike structure, wishing she could be part of a family like the Callahans? And then when she’d gotten the job there, how fortunate she’d felt to finally be part of that world! She’d never awakened without feeling a shiver of joy that she was at Rancho Diablo, trusted with Callahan children and lives, part of an extraordinary world that was envied by everyone.

  And then somehow, miraculously, a Callahan man had seemed to fall in love with her.

  But the fairy tale hadn’t exactly turned out the way she’d dreamed.

  * * *

  “I BELIEVE HER,” Jace said to Ash as they returned to Rancho Diablo.

  “I do, too.” His sister shook her head. “I’m missing a huge piece of the puzzle somehow. Storm has to know something. He must know what Wolf’s true purpose is.”

  “Or maybe not,” Jace said, struck by a sudden thought about the two men who’d followed them out to Vegas, the knife in the cake, and the two men with the treasure hunter. “Maybe Uncle Wolf sent that man with the metal detector to hunt for what he thinks is here, not what he’s got. Maybe Wolf used Storm and never intended to share any treasure with him.”

  “Something made Storm jump and buy that land, and it wasn’t the sudden desire to own twenty thousand additional acres, not at his age. Come on, Jace, what was Storm going to do with that much land? He’s got a small spread and a house, some livestock. He’s done well in horse trading and breeding, but he’s hardly a mover and shaker.”

  “True.” Jace ruminated on the strange turn of events, all the while trying to keep his mind off his delicate, pregn
ant wife, who by now was deeply unhappy with him and had every right to be. “My wife’s not with me.”

  “You’re going to have to fix that. I don’t think she preferred your Sherlock Holmes approach. It was kind of meat-headed.”

  Jace glanced at his sister. “Thank you for your support. Especially since it was your idea.”

  “Indeed,” Ash said. “However, I can’t do everything for you. Your approach should have been more groveling. More loverlike. Sweetheart,” she said, her voice cooing, as she showed her brother how to speak to a lady, “can you think of anything my mean ol’ uncle might have held over your honest and courageous uncle’s head? Like a map, or a plat, of—”

  “I get it,” Jace said, interrupting her soliloquy. “I’ll have to figure out a way to dig myself out of trouble.” It wouldn’t be easy. Sawyer had every right to think he was the world’s biggest rat.

  He hated feeling like a rat when he wanted to be a conquering hero. “Damn,” he muttered, “I’m ready for Wolf and his men to fall off a cliff and disappear.”

  “The problem is, Wolf’s got the cartel breathing down his neck, I’m sure of it. They want revenge on our parents, and the Callahan parents—and Wolf wants Rancho Diablo and all its treasure.”

  Of which there was a lot. Running Bear and Jeremiah Callahan, and even Jace’s own father and mother, Carlos and Julia, had been astute and frugal, with a vision that had built this ranch. They’d breathed Rancho Diablo to life, put their hearts and souls into every inch. With Fiona’s, Burke’s and Running Bear’s competent overseeing, Rancho Diablo was a fine example of a successful working ranch. Join Loco Diablo to Rancho Diablo and Dark Diablo, and there was no question why Wolf would be envious.

  “I wonder what happened between Running Bear and his son to get them crosswise with each other,” Jace murmured. He vowed to have the best relationship he possibly could with his son and daughter. In fact, he couldn’t wait to hold them in his arms.

  He couldn’t wait to hold Sawyer, either, but that probably wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.