by Tina Leonard
Gage nodded. “That is many times true.”
“I feel comfortable with our relationship.” She looked at him. “I like Cat, and I want us to be friends.”
“Sounds good to me.” He pulled into Dark Diablo and parked, prepared to discuss the matter more, but Chelsea grabbed her purse and hopped out.
“Damn,” he muttered, watching her head to the farmhouse. “Maybe I wasn’t as good as I thought I was.”
Cat came running out, then slowed down, trying not to seem excited to see them. Moira followed, and then Jonas walked out on the porch, looking for his infernal birds, no doubt.
“Look what Mr. Jonas bought me,” Cat said, showing off a new pair of sturdy brown ropers.
“And me, as well,” Moira said, pointing to a red-and-brown pair.
“Wow,” Gage said. “I thought you didn’t want boots, Cat.”
“Mr. Jonas says it’s safer to wear them,” she said importantly. “He says there’s sometimes snakes out here. Not so close to the farmhouse, but out where I might be working with you.” She beamed at her father.
“Those are great,” Chelsea said. “I’m going to have to get some, too.”
Jonas nodded. “Yeah. You should.”
“Thanks, Jonas,” Gage said. “Appreciate you taking Cat for boots.”
“Took it out of your pay, so thank me later,” Jonas said.
“You don’t pay me that much,” Gage pointed out.
He grinned. “I know. It’ll take you a while to work these boots off then.”
“Why don’t you pay my dad?” Cat asked. “He works hard for you.”
Gage stroked his daughter’s hair. “We have a different kind of deal, Cat.”
“Ah.” She looked at him with eyes that said Mom was right.
“Your daddy thinks he might want to buy a piece of this place,” Jonas said easily. “Land is how he wants to be paid. He’ll work a long time for me, but if he’s in a settling mood, there’s plenty of land to go around.”
Chelsea’s gaze flashed to Gage. Cat stared up at her father. He shrugged. “I wouldn’t necessarily call it a settling mood.”
He didn’t want to talk about his plans, and Chelsea looked away, admiring Moira’s boots, and then Cat’s. “Okay, girls, I feel odd woman out. We’re going boot shopping for me later this week.”
“It’s fun,” Cat said, dropping the weird she used to describe everything. “The man who owns the store will give you popcorn and let you ride his mechanical bull.”
Gage wanted badly to tell Chelsea that he’d take her into town to pick out boots, but bit the inside of his lip so he wouldn’t. What the hell was the matter with him?
“We’ll go shopping tomorrow,” Moira said. “It will be fun. Cat and I made a trip to the library, but there’s another book she wants that the library is holding for us.”
“Where are my birds?” Jonas asked, unable to wait any longer to start in on him, Gage figured, considering the fact that the truck was clearly empty of fowl.
“Ms. Smithers is everything you said, Jonas. A bit ornery, a bit of a con woman.” He glanced at Chelsea.
“You don’t have any peacocks?” Cat asked, seeming to notice for the first time that her father had failed in his mission. She glanced at Jonas as if to say Oh, boy. Dad’s gonna be in trouble now.
“She claims she’ll sell them to us in late summer, early fall, after nesting season. They apparently won’t be as pretty,” Chelsea said, “because they’ll be molting. You’ll just have to wait for your precious yard ornaments, Jonas. However, I did take pictures of some birds that you might get, if she doesn’t renege on us, which is very possible. I’ll send the pics to your phone,” Chelsea added, heading into the house.
Jonas stared after her. “What got into her?”
Gage put his arm around Cat, giving her a squeeze. “It turned out to be a longer trip than we thought it would be, Jonas. I think she’s worried about her deadline.”
“Oh. Yeah.” He thought about it for a moment. “Well, I guess you did the best you could.”
Gage dug out his wallet, handing Jonas the leftover money.
“Where’s the rest of it?” he asked.
“We left a deposit for a pair of birds, then you picked up the tab for the overnight stay.”
Jonas smiled. “Did you sleep in the Peacock Cabin?”
Gage looked at his employer. “Chelsea did. I slept in the truck.”
Jonas blinked. Gage could have sworn his friend’s face fell just a bit before he schooled it to its normal expression of wily.
“Too bad,” Jonas said. “You missed a great contraption. The bed rotates under a chandelier thing—”
“I get seasick easily,” Gage said, and walked to his truck. “Anyway, there was no electricity.”
He turned back around to stare at Jonas. “How do you know about the Peacock Cabin, anyway? Did you stay in it?”
He shook his head. “No. But Ms. Smithers tells all about it on her website. Just wondered if you’d gotten to enjoy all the bells and whistles on my dime.”
“Guess not. Come on, Cat, honey. Good night, Moira.”
Gage went off with his daughter, hoping Jonas had bought his tiny fib. There was no point at all in giving the matchmaking Callahans any encouragement.
They were barking up the wrong tree, anyway. He drove past the No Trespassing sign Chelsea had pointed out to him when he’d first come to the ranch, and thought she’d pretty much taken that commandment to heart.
* * *
CHELSEA WAS HAVING a burst of creativity. Words and scenes and dialogue washed over her faster than she could type. Sitting in her cozy room overlooking the side of the ranch, she wrote like a woman finally unbottled.
Bronwyn Sang was coming to life, leaving behind the cardboard shell Cat had mentioned.
Chelsea wrote until dinner, when her mother sent Cat up the stairs to ask if she was going to eat.
“Your mom made Irish stew. Don’t know what that is,” Cat said. “We chopped up what she called praties and stuff.”
“Sounds lovely. You’ll like it.” She stretched, then followed Cat downstairs.
“We’re going to picnic outside,” Moira said. “I had Jonas set up a table before he left, and these torches. The sunsets are gorgeous here, and we shouldn’t miss them.” She lit the tall torches lining the drive. “I love New Mexico. I really do.”
“Your mom doesn’t want to go back to Ireland,” Cat whispered to Chelsea.
Chelsea nodded. She knew her mom’s breathing problems were so much better here. In fact, her mother seemed healthier in general. But if the green card didn’t come through… Just then, Gage walked up to the table, offering her a small smile that Chelsea returned.
Then she looked away. Jonas had tried to set them up. She knew exactly why he’d done it. It was true that matchmaking was second nature to the Callahans, but beyond that, he knew how much healthier Moira was here. He’d met Moira in Ireland when he’d gone there to find his aunt Fiona and uncle Burke, and had remarked to Chelsea on more than one occasion since how great it was to see Moira feeling so well.
She’d gone from a brown wren to a woman who wore pink and a smile.
I’d do anything to keep that smile on her face—anything but try to hook that cowboy. Nice try, Jonas.
“Is Jonas still here?” Chelsea asked.
“He went back to Rancho Diablo.” Moira smiled. “He said he’d return soon to make sure Gage was working hard on his barn.”
“I could get a lot more done if my boss didn’t send me off on tangents,” Gage said.
“Mum, what can I help you with?” Chelsea asked quickly.
“Nothing. Everyone go inside and fill your plates. We have a lot of good food to eat.”
“Are you sure you’re not working too hard?” Chelsea asked her mother softly as she followed her in.
“I feel better than I have in ten years. Don’t worry about me.” Moira helped Cat ladle stew onto her plate. �
�Gage, you’ll find salads and vegetables for your liking, and sugared strawberries for dessert.”
Chelsea felt her face flame. She didn’t dare look at Gage, knowing he was remembering the strawberries they’d eaten together.
It had been so astonishingly perfect being in his arms. Even her writer’s imagination couldn’t have prepared her for the wonder of making love with him.
She would never allow it to happen again.
“Looks wonderful, Moira,” Gage said, giving her mother a hug.
Chelsea went cold inside. It felt almost too cozy, too family, being together like this, and she was reluctant for those feelings to come to her. They were an illusion.
She and the others went outside with their plates and seated themselves, admiring the setting sun, which was fabulous, as predicted. Moira said grace for them and they picked up forks, ready to dig in. A black Range Rover with dark windows pulled up the drive, honking loudly.
“Whoa,” Cat said, “that’s weird.”
Gage put down his fork and got to his feet with a long sigh.
“Who is it?” Chelsea asked.
A tiny blonde with outrageously long and beautiful straight hair jumped out of the vehicle, stalking over to them on high red heels. She wore a black, expensively cut skirt and jacket.
“Hi, Gage,” she said. “You didn’t return my calls, so I came to find you.”
She smiled at Moira, nodded at Chelsea, then settled curious china-blue eyes on Cat. “So this is my only niece! Hi, Cat.”
“Who are you?” the teen demanded, in her typical no-nonsense way.
“This is Kendall,” Gage said, “my corporate-minded sister.”
Chapter Nine
“Why are you here, Kendall?” Gage asked, after introducing his sister to everyone. He saw Kendall checking Chelsea out and knew her ever-present radar was already in high gear. Kendall hadn’t liked Leslie, had called her a fortune hunter. But that was Kendall—protector of the family fortunes.
No freeloaders, no opportunists allowed. As far as Kendall was concerned, Leslie had merely been after a man with money.
Chelsea went and got an extra folding chair for his sister, and Moira filled a plate with food for her. Kendall settled in without complaint, almost happily.
But Gage knew she had come for a reason.
“I told you. I’m here to meet my niece. You, my dear, are our family’s only extended relation.” Kendall smiled at Cat. “The rest of us haven’t gotten married yet. Only Gage was marriage-minded.”
Gage flashed his sister an annoyed glance. “Did Xav send you?”
“No.” Kendall thanked Moira and tasted the salads with something of a frozen expression on her face. “Cat isn’t vegetarian?” she asked, watching her niece wolf down the Irish stew.
“Leslie wasn’t,” he reminded his sister. “It’s a choice, Kendall, not a holy grail.”
“Healthier,” Kendall commented. “Never mind that right now. Gage, you need to bring Cat to the house. She should meet Xav.”
“Why?” Gage asked. “Couldn’t your twin drop in unannounced with you?”
“Not tonight, unfortunately. He’s in Paris, overseeing a possible business merger. But let’s not talk about boring things. I want to hear all about my darling niece.”
Cat gave her aunt a curious look. Chelsea shifted, forking up some salad, appearing uncomfortable. Despite her pink outfit, Moira seemed less than her usual sparkly self. Gage resented his sister’s intrusion into their peaceful dinner.
Hell, it couldn’t have gotten more awkward between him and Chelsea even if his sister hadn’t appeared. He leaned back, keeping his eye on his daughter. If things got too wacky with Kendall, he’d just excuse himself and head into town with Cat.
Although abandoning Chelsea and Moira to the uneven branches of his family tree didn’t seem quite fair. He settled in for the long haul, until Kendall got her fill of playing Aunt Sunshine.
“We need you back in Hell’s Colony, Gage,” she said. She smiled at her niece. “Bring Cat, of course.”
Cat looked at her father, uncharacteristically silent.
“You’ll like our home, Cat,” Kendall declared.
“It’s not my home,” Gage said, annoyed.
“Of course it is your home,” Kendall said. “The four of us own it. Don’t be difficult, Gage.”
“You have a home, Dad?” Cat asked. “I thought you were an itin—”
“Cat,” he said, “don’t listen to everything your aunt Kendall says.”
“You know,” Chelsea said, “I need to do some writing. This was delicious, Mum, and Kendall, it was so nice to meet you. I’m sorry to eat and run, but as Gage can tell you, I’m terribly behind in my work.”
“See you later,” Cat said.
Gage nodded, his gaze following Chelsea. “Good night.”
“I’ll join my daughter,” Moira said. “Kendall, if you’re staying the night, you may have my room, certainly. It’s nice and big, and you’d be comfortable.”
Kendall smiled at Moira, then swept her gaze over the small farmhouse. “I’m actually staying at a little hotel in Santa Fe. I didn’t know if I’d find Gage, or the conditions he’d be living in. But thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Good night.”
Moira and Chelsea left, taking their dishes with them.
“You really have to come home, Gage,” Kendall said, once the coast was clear.
“Because?”
Kendall leaned back, her gaze moving to Cat. “For one thing, there are papers you’re going to have to sign concerning the Paris merger. Second, it’s important for Cat to know where her father is from, don’t you think? And she needs to meet her uncle Xav.”
“You could have brought the papers,” Gage pointed out. “Courier them.”
“We have to be together. All of us.”
“Shaman?”
“We’re planning the signatory for his next leave. Which happens to be over the Fourth of July weekend.”
Gage shook his head. “Listen, Kendall, I’d rather you just buy me out. I have no interest in The Family, Inc.”
“It’s Gil Phillips, Inc. And you do have interest. No one’s going to buy you out, Gage. You’re part of the family whether you like it or not.”
“It’s all right, Dad,” Cat said. “Can’t we just fly out there so you can sign the papers, and come back?”
“We’re invited to the Rancho Diablo picnic that weekend,” Gage said, “and I want you to go to it.” How could he explain to Cat that she was his family, and he intended to do everything he could for her? There was no reason to expose her to The Family, Inc. She belonged at a fun picnic with people who had good hearts and would really care about her.
“Really, Gage,” Kendall said. “A picnic is hardly important. Shaman’s leave is far more pressing, as is this buyout.”
“I thought you said it was a merger.”
“All right,” Kendall said. “It’s a buyout.”
“The smoke begins to clear,” Gage said. “It’s never quite as simple as you make things sound, Kendall. Who are we screwing this time?”
“No one. It’s an honest buyout of a distressed company.”
He shook his head. “And you need me to sign off on the deal. That’s the real urgency of getting me home.” Leaning back in his chair, he shook his head. “Cat and I are going to a family picnic.”
“Gage, Cat would have just as much fun in Hell’s Colony as some county picnic. And I could take her to a real salon,” Kendall said, glancing at her niece’s piercings with some concern. “Would you like to get your hair done, Cat?”
“No,” she said. “Thank you. I think I’ll go to the picnic. There’ll probably be scorpions and snakes, but I got new boots yesterday so it’ll be okay.”
Kendall shuddered. “Too rustic for me.”
“I need to check on my birds,” Cat said. “Good night, Aunt Kendall.” She gave her father a kiss on the cheek and carried her plate inside.
“Awkward little girl,” Kendall observed. “I remember that stage. Leslie said she and her daughter were having some issues. Gage, I think it would be best if you brought her home, let me spend some time with her.”
Gage got up. “Kendall, it’s not going to happen. I’m never bringing Cat back to that mausoleum you call home. Forget about it. If you need me to sign papers, I’ll fly out to do it.”
“I’m going to butt in here, and I know you’ll tell me to mind my own business as you always do, but from looking at your daughter, I’d say she’s not the world’s happiest kid. Leslie was never the most stable person, as you know.” Kendall gazed at him. “I think you should sue for custody. The courts would look favorably on you since Leslie withheld knowledge of your child from you for so many years.”
Gage sighed. “Kendall, every situation in life doesn’t require a litigious call to arms. I’m pretty sure it would upset the hell out of Cat to have her father haul her mother into court.” He shook his head. “Cat and I are just finding our way right now.”
Kendall’s gaze flicked toward the house. “What’s the deal with the Irish lady?”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
His sister shrugged delicately. “Just wondering. She seemed to look at you a lot. I noticed you couldn’t keep your eyes off her. I just wondered if there’s anything going on there.” She looked at her brother. “I want you to be happy, Gage. You haven’t been in a long time.”
He sure as hell hadn’t noticed Chelsea looking at him like he was some kind of hot god—although he could conceive that he’d probably been staring at her like a hungry lion. He glanced at his kid sister, remembering that once upon a time they’d been close. Before The Family, Inc., had taken over their lives, like a spreading, sucking growth. “There’s nothing going on. But I’ve just gotten back from Colorado, and I’m beat. Let me walk you to your car.”
“You’ll think about bringing Cat with you?” Kendall asked as they walked together to her Range Rover.
“No,” Gage said. “Good night, sis.”
“Reconsider. She’s family. She deserves to know.” She kissed his cheek, got in her car and drove off.
Gage turned around, seeing the light on in Chelsea’s window. He thought he saw her shadow as she sat there, no doubt typing at her desk.