by Sheila Kell
Stepping out on the front porch, Trent inhaled the freezing air, and while his lungs burned at the effort, he wondered at himself for making the call to his brother outside instead of comfy and cozy in Mike’s office or his room. Because Kelly might come to your room before you finish the call.
He shook off the thought, finding it funny how this was the first time he noticed how dark it truly got out here in the middle of nowhere. So unlike the city with its million lights. Here, the lights were like billions of stars, but they didn’t light the area like the city lights. No, they left a blackness that Trent was growing comfortable with. In fact, he found himself growing comfortable with the entire life here. He’d never felt more like he belonged.
With the phone to his ear, he prepared himself for whatever news HIS had for him. Not wanting to piss off Devon since he was working a mission, Trent decided not to bitch about no one being available.
Devon cleared this throat when he answered. “Sorry, I don’t have much to help yet.”
What the fuck? Why had he called that morning if he didn’t have much?
“Since we want the three of you to remain on the ranch, we’re releasing Danny and Steve from here to do the interviews and investigation. We can swing it with the crew we have.”
That would be a great help. “Thanks,” he grumbled. He wanted the men to solve the problem facing him and Kelly, but he didn’t want them to miss catching that bastard Hogan. “Don’t shortchange yourselves, though.”
“Nah,” Devon said gruffly, “we’ll be fine as long as we can keep Brad from telling off the police again.”
Laughing, Trent imagined that scene in his mind. “Maybe you should send him to do the interviews.”
“Believe me, I tried.” A sigh reached Trent’s ears. “He’s even more determined now that Hogan tricked them into getting arrested.”
Trent could understand that emotion. He’d be on the warpath, but he couldn’t get involved in it. There were more important things at hand for him. “What do you have for me?”
“Not much at the moment. That’s why I need boots on the ground there. Well, boots not protecting Kelly. Anyway, Luke—the other son—is living it up in Vegas. It appears that he’s latched onto a wealthy benefactor.”
“Then he shouldn’t want the money here.”
“I don’t know about that. Having someone able to bankroll the death of his brother puts the ranch within his reach. And growing up, he probably knew about the silver mine.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Mike didn’t know about it, and Kelly said she’d never heard about it from Brian growing up.”
“I think he needs to be interviewed at least. Mike isn’t telling you everything about Luke. I think he left for more than one reason, whether Mike knows or not. Luke’s benefactor—the wealthy playboy—is also his lover.”
Trent whistled. “No, he hasn’t alluded to that fact. I’m sure it doesn’t matter in the scheme of things, except to their relationship.” Old-fashioned values ran through Mike’s veins. He’d probably have a problem with his son’s sexual orientation even though Trent couldn’t give a shit one way or the other.
Jesse’s voice came over the phone. “Don’t be naïve. That could’ve been the reason he wrote Luke out of the will, not because Mike feared he’d just sell it. Whether he knows about the mine or not, if he becomes Mike’s only child with no grandchildren on the way, Luke could expect the property to pass to him. All he’d have to do is eliminate his competition, wait for the old man to change his will, then kill off the dad.”
Shaking his head in disbelief, Trent didn’t know what to think. “Do you think he’s really like that?”
“Don’t know,” Jesse answered. “While you two were talking, we got clearance for two of our jailbirds to leave Belize, so Danny and Steve will question him first.”
“Yeah, now,” Devon said, “Kent Oil is buying up land like crazy in Montana and Wyoming. I can only see what they’ve bought, not what properties they’ve made offers on, and it’s odd. It’s almost like they’re just buying with a crapshoot of whether there will be oil there.”
“I wonder if those men who shot at us work for him. Maybe he found out about the silver mine while prospecting.” Trent rubbed a hand over his face. Damn, he needed to shave again. Kelly hadn’t complained yet, but he imagined not having red marks from his scruff would be nice.
“It’s possible,” Jesse said. “Although as a business professional, I can’t imagine he’d go onto someone’s land without seeking permission.”
“Can’t trust every employee you have to follow the rules though.” Trent sighed at the thought of trying to check out every employee who worked for Kent Oil. It wasn’t a large operation, but still, that took more time, meaning Kelly would remain in danger. Someone wanted her and the baby dead. Trent had no doubt of that, even though the shooting may have been a crime of opportunity.
He could almost hear Jesse’s neck snap up and a glare come through the phone. “I’d damn well best be able to.”
The laugh bubbled out before he could stop it. “Of course you can trust me.”
“Don’t you go and do some stupid shit, Trent McKenzie,” Jesse demanded.
“I’m sure he won’t,” Devon said to pacify his brother.
“Don’t worry.” Trent didn’t want to think about how Devon had come to his defense so quickly. “Tell me about the other guy—Brightmore.”
“Ah,” Devon said, “Reggie Brightmore. I don’t have much on him at all. He’s a spoiled rich kid who owns a bit of property here and there, but I haven’t figured out a rhyme or reason to it. Yet. As to why he’d want the ranch there, I don’t know.”
“Maybe he found out about the silver mine.” Trent knew he was grasping at straws, but his gut told him this revolved around the silver in that cave because even though the ranch was prosperous, it wasn’t enough to kill for. Unless maybe you thought it was your birthright, but it had been snatched away.
“Possible. You’d have to find out what all he did while there. It’s also possible, he just wants a playground to call his. He has an almost endless pot of money coming from his billionaire father, so making more doesn’t seem like what he’d want. But we’ll check him also.”
Shoving his freezing hand into his pants pocket, Trent said, “I’m convinced the silver is the link. Whoever shot at us were there checking it out for themselves or someone else.”
“Unfortunately,” Jesse said, “there could be someone else who just discovered it by accident. It could be completely separate.”
“Fuck!” He wanted to throw the phone in frustration. With the exception that he’d have help interviewing their suspects, which was at least something, they’d gotten nowhere.
“I’ll keep digging into Kent Oil and Brightmore while the boys interview the other son. They’ll report directly to you.”
They wrapped up the call, and Trent put his phone in his pocket and leaned against the porch railings, looking out as far as he could see. That damn silver. Mike didn’t want to bring anyone in to look at it, and Trent couldn’t push him to see the extent of this treasure on his land. Amazing the boys never discovered it growing up. Then again, Luke came to mind, maybe one of them had.
Nodding when he saw Matt walking the perimeter, his worry eased a bit. The men hadn’t left him alone to solve this. To protect Kelly. But this was taking too damn long. He wanted her safe.
He slammed his open palm down in frustration, turned and went back into the house and sought out Kelly. She and Mike were in the family room, or den as Mike called it, watching a comedy on TV. Without thought, he leaned down and kissed her briefly on the lips before sitting beside her. When he took her hand, he noticed her rigid posture. She tried to pull her hand from his, but he refused. He figured she was trying to hide from Mike.
Leaning close to her, he whispered in her ear, “It’s okay. He knows you’re mine.” And she was.
When that didn’t seem to relax her, he could only squeeze
her hand, hoping to impart his calm to her.
“Is everything okay?” Mike asked, not looking away from the TV screen.
“Nothing helpful except some men will do the interviews for us.”
This time, Mike turned to him. “Will they interview Luke?”
Trent took a moment to consider how to answer. He didn’t want to hurt the man’s feelings but decided to opt for honesty. He nodded. “Yes.”
“You have them tell him to get his ass back here. He and I need to talk.”
That was all Trent wanted—a potential suspect under the same roof with almost unlimited access to his Kelly. “Will do,” he said, unsure if he’d actually follow through.
“I’M NOT SURE I’m ready for this,” Kelly said as they pulled into her parents’ driveway. The sprawling, two-story home still had snow on its roof. Growing up with so many brothers and a sister, Kelly had always appreciated the size of the house. Early on, her father, a cattle man, had done well for himself. They’d never been wealthy, but she couldn’t remember ever doing without.
Putting Mike’s truck into Park beside her father’s well-worn truck, Trent reached over and took her hand before she shoved it back into a glove. “Yes, you are. I’m here with you, Kelly.” Leaning over, he kissed her briefly on the lips.
She jumped back and squeaked, and he laughed. Her parents couldn’t see that.
“Okay, I’ll back off while we’re here. You can tell them that you belong to me in your own time.”
She belonged to him? Since when? Sure he’d begun to show his attraction for her outside the bedroom, which had surprised the hell out of her and made her uncomfortable around Mike, but he still wasn’t in love with her.
Donning their gloves and hats, they exited the truck and trudged to the front door, Kelly’s feet feeling as if she dragged stone blocks behind her. What would her family say? Her heart hurt knowing she’d disappoint them. Her mother had instilled virtue as such an important thing.
At the blue front door, Trent raised his fist to knock, but the door sprung open, and her father snatched her up into his arms and held her tight. “My Kelly.”
His Brut aftershave gave her a sense of warmth and homecoming. She’d always felt safe in her father’s embrace. He let her go, and she found herself engulfed in her mother’s arms and heard the sniffling that could only be from tears.
“Kelly,” her mother whispered.
Behind her, she heard her father greet Trent as he entered and the door closed. Her mother still held her. Pulling back, she kissed her mother’s damp cheek. “Hi, Momma.”
Neither of her parents had made a negative comment about her pregnancy, and they both had to have felt it when they held her.
“Honey,” her father said to her mother, “this is Trent McKenzie. He’s with our Kelly.”
“I’m Barbara.” She held out her hand to Trent while Kelly used her knuckles to wipe away a few tears she hadn’t realized had escaped her own eyes.
Gripping her mother’s hand, Trent said, “Nice to meet you, Barbara.”
“Come on in. I just put on a pot of coffee to beat the cold. Now, Kelly, I’m sure you aren’t drinking caffeine, so what can I get for you?”
That was it? That was all that would be said about her being pregnant? She knew they would’ve already found out, but still. “Um, orange juice if you have it.”
“Take your coats off and get comfortable. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
Shedding their outerwear and placing it on the pegs by the door, Kelly worried over what she’d say.
“Relax,” Trent whispered to her, “I told you, they love you.”
Being in his arms topped the list of what she’d rather be doing right now, but since that couldn’t happen, she took his soothing words to heart. Oh, she still fretted, but she’d let things progress as they did.
Kelly led Trent into the family room, and they sat beside each other on the couch, her father already occupying his LazyBoy recliner. She estimated it to be nearly twenty years old unless they’d replaced it on the sly over the years. No one sat in it, except her father. He never told anyone they couldn’t, but it’d been a respect thing for him to have that one luxury to himself.
“Kelly, baby, we’re glad you’re home. You could’ve stayed here, you know,” her father, Frank Williams said.
“I know, Daddy, but, well….” She took a moment to collect her words. “I thought since Brian had died, Mike might like to be near me since I’m carrying his granddaughter.”
“It’s a girl?” he asked, not questioning anything else.
Un-freakin’-believable. She’d worried like crazy, yet truly received no angst from her father. Maybe it’d come from her mother. She had been the one to push the need to remain a virgin.
Resting her hand on her stomach, she smiled. “Yes. Ashley.”
“And her middle name?” Barbara asked, entering the room carrying a small tray with a coffee carafe, mugs, and a glass of juice.
“Lynn.”
Kelly’s mother stopped in her tracks. “My middle name,” she said softly.
Nodding, Kelly smiled tentatively. “Yes.”
Getting herself together, Barbara set the tray down on the cherry wood coffee table and served everyone.
Beverages in hand, the conversation stilted until Barbara said, “I’m sorry to hear about Brian.”
“We were getting married, Momma. I swear it.”
Her mother set her coffee on the table beside her plaid armchair. “First, don’t swear. Second, it doesn’t matter if you were or not.”
“But— But, you said I shouldn’t… you know, until I was married. And I did.” She placed her face in her hands as the tears flowed. Her heart ached. “I’m so sorry, Momma.” She’d failed her family. The people who had been there for her entire life. The only people who’d truly loved her. And she’d thrown that trust out the window. She hadn’t been the good girl her mother had taught her to be.
A weight lifted from beside her and new movement settled on each side of her. Arms wrapped around her shoulders from each side.
“Kelly, baby,” her father said from where Trent had been seated, “you didn’t do anything wrong.”
She shook her head and refused to face her parents because she instinctively knew her mother had to be on the other side. It was how they’d consoled her when she’d thought her heart was broken after her first failed test in high school, when she couldn’t figure out how to drive a stick shift, and when Brian wouldn’t move to Baltimore with her.
“Shh, sweetie,” her mother said. “It’s okay.”
Kelly imagined she might’ve cried for her own stupidity in thinking anything other than that her parents would love her no matter what. But whether it was that or hormones, she had a tough time stopping the tears. Yet all through it, her parents held her, one on each side.
Once she’d controlled herself enough to lift her head, she blew her nose on the tissue that had been placed in her hand by her mother.
“Sweetie,” her mother said over her shoulders, “why don’t you show Trent around.”
“Uh, sure.” Frank stood. “Come on, Trent, let’s get those coats back on. Let me show you my ranch. At least what’s close.” He chuckled. Leaning down, he kissed Kelly on the forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Daddy.”
After the men had departed, Barbara stood and claimed her cup of coffee before sitting back down by her daughter. “So, have you thought about what you plan to do?”
Combining a slow shrug and a shake of her head, Kelly waffled. “I don’t know.” Then stronger, she said, “I haven’t decided. I have my job in Baltimore that I can go back to. But Mike offered to let me stay there. He’s made Ashley his heir and wants to see her grow up there.”
“Damn Luke for breaking his father’s heart. Well, you know you can always stay here. We’ve got plenty of room now that all of you have moved out.”
“Thank you, Momma. I’ll let you know when I
figure it out.”
“Now, what are you going to do about that hunk of a man that came here with you?”
Eyes wide, she half laughed. “Momma.” Never had she heard her mother call a man a hunk.
“Don’t act all coy with me. I saw how he worried for you when you were bawling your eyes out. I figure he must mean something to you if you were willing to allow him to see you like that.”
“But Brian—”
“Pish posh. I know you were never in love with Brian. Otherwise you’d never have moved away from here to begin with or at least, you wouldn’t have waited so long to get back with him.”
Kelly bit her lip. Should she? Her mother had already surprised her. Maybe she would again. She blurted out, “I’m in love with him.”
“And he’s in love with you.”
“No. That’s the problem. He’s not.”
“Are you sure about that?”
WITH A STETSON on his head, Trent mounted the brown gelding named Rocky that Mike had provided for him and sent his thanks to Les for teaching him how to do it. He’d expected a nearly lame mare to tote his greenhorn ass around, but with Mike working as a horse breeder, no such thing existed on the ranch. So, he’d bundled up and trusted AJ to look after Kelly while she slept, and Mike took him wherever it was he’d planned, hoping it wasn’t the two miles to the cave. His ass might not be able to handle that all at once.
With Kelly lying down to rest again, he’d worried since she did it so often, but Mike had waved it off as a pregnancy thing. Even though Mike wasn’t a doctor, Trent accepted that, but it didn’t stop his concern.
They cantered past two of the men working with the horses. He saw them long enough to see one sit a horse and get his ass thrown over the front of it. A small pang of panic set in. Patting the horse he rode, he muttered, “Nice horsey.”