Big Sky Dynasty

by B. J Daniels

  “What’s going on?” Grayson asked, handing Lantry a drink.

  “I’m married,” Dalton said without preamble.

  “What?” came the chorus from around the room.

  “I got married nine years ago.”

  “You’re married?” Jud asked. “What kind of bull is this?”

  “It’s true. I kept the marriage a secret.”

  “Why would you do that?” Grayson asked.

  Kate had gotten up from where she’d been sitting and walked around to stand next to her husband as if she thought he was going to need her support.

  His father made Dalton a drink and pushed it into his hand. “I think you might need this, son.”

  Dalton took a gulp. It burned all the way down before settling like a ball of fire in his belly. “I just wanted you all to know because…” He hesitated. “She’s in town and she might cause trouble.”

  A groan rose up in the room. Dalton’s attention was on his father. Grayson had paled.

  “I don’t believe it will be about money,” Dalton assured him. “She was rich when I married her.”

  “Sure she was,” his older brother Russell said.

  “I’m sorry. I know I’ve disappointed you,” Dalton said to his father. He would disappoint him a lot more before this was over, he feared.

  “It’s all right, son,” Grayson said. “Is there is anything I can do?”

  “No, but thanks. Lantry is handling the paperwork.”

  “Wait a minute,” his brother Jud said. “For nine years you never said anything about this?”

  “The marriage didn’t last a week. There was an accident on the honeymoon. I thought she was lost at sea.”

  “Oh, Dalton, I’m so sorry,” Kate said.

  He felt like such a jackass accepting sympathy given the part he’d played.

  “This must come as a shock for you,” Kate said. “Did she say where she’s been the last nine years?”

  “I haven’t talked to her yet.”

  Grayson frowned. “She’s your wife. I would think she would contact you when she got to town.”

  “Maybe she wants to see the lay of the land first,” Shane said.

  “Shane’s right. You could have remarried for all she knows,” Kate said.

  Not likely, given how his first marriage had gone.

  “I suspect she’s more interested in finding out what she can get,” Russell said.

  Kate waved that away. “Dalton, maybe you should delay taking any legal action. If there is a chance of saving your marriage, you don’t want to do anything rash.”

  Saving his marriage? Doing anything rash? This conversation had taken on a surreal quality. They were talking about Nicci as if she were rational and sane, a real wife in a real marriage.

  His cell phone vibrated. He checked the caller ID and felt his pulse spike. Speak of the devil.

  Chapter Six

  “Great movie,” Rory said as Georgia and Nicci walked her to her pickup parked at the curb outside the theater. “I shouldn’t have eaten that popcorn and candy and soda. This baby is going to pop out addicted to junk food.”

  Georgia laughed. Next to her Nicci chuckled and checked her watch. “I had fun,” Georgia said, giving Rory a hug. “I’m glad you came in for the movie.”

  “Me, too.” Rory shifted her gaze to Nicci who was fiddling with her cell phone. “Thanks for inviting me.”

  “Sure. Any friend of Georgia’s is a friend of mine,” Nicci said, putting Georgia on guard. Nicci was still angry with her. The walk home was not going to be fun.

  “I have to make a call I completely forgot about,” Nicci said suddenly. “You don’t mind, do you, Georgia?”

  “Not at all.” She hated that she sounded so relieved.

  Rory climbed into her truck and they watched Nicci placing her call as she walked down the street away from them.

  “Okay, she’s acting weird.”

  Georgia laughed. “She thinks I’m holding out on her. She wants to know everything Dalton said when I delivered the divorce papers. I should never have gotten involved.”

  “You didn’t tell her?”

  “No. I don’t want her telling Dalton when she sees him ‘Georgia said you said…’ No,” Georgia said, holding up her hand. “I refuse to be in the middle of this.”

  “Good luck with that.” She reached over to touch one of the silver hoops. “Those really are great earrings. They are so…”

  “Not me,” Georgia said with a laugh.

  Rory laughed as well. “They really are more me. After Nicci leaves town—”

  “They’re all yours,” Georgia said. “I am so glad you came in for the movie. This was fun.”

  “It was, but I better get home. Devlin will be calling out the National Guard soon.”

  They said their goodbyes and Georgia started down the street toward her shop, hoping she could avoid Nicci tonight and feeling guilty for even the thought. She couldn’t imagine what Nicci must be going through.

  DALTON GLANCED from his cell phone to his family. “If you’ll excuse me. I have to take this.”

  He stepped outside and without preamble said, “I wondered when I’d be hearing from you, Nicci.” His voice had a knife edge to it he couldn’t help. It felt just like the knife edge Nicci had put to his throat nine years ago.

  “That wasn’t nice what you did to my car,” Nicci said in that soft, seductive tone she pulled out when she wanted something. “You surprise me, Dalton.”

  “I doubt that.” Just the sound of her voice turned his stomach.

  She laughed.

  “Let’s get this over with, Nicci. What do you want?”

  The laughter died off. “I thought we should talk.”

  “I thought we were.”

  “I prefer talking face-to-face,” she said.

  “Fine. Where are you? I can leave right now.”

  “So anxious and after all this time…”

  “Let’s not forget, I thought you were dead.”

  “That’s right.” She laughed again and he heard the tinkle of her silver bracelets. That sound transported him back to that night on the sea and for a moment he heard nothing but the rush of his own blood through his veins.

  “Did you hear me?”

  He hadn’t. “What?”

  “I asked what you told Georgia.” She let out an irritated sigh. “I warned her that you would tell her a bunch of lies.”

  So Georgia hadn’t told her about their talk. “Why would I tell her anything? She has nothing to do with this. I just took the nasty little present you made her deliver and sent her on her way.” Did she believe him?

  “You have always been so transparent, Dalton,” Nicci said.

  “Apparently so.”

  “Do you want to meet me or not?”

  Not. “Why even ask? You know the answer or you wouldn’t have called.”

  He could hear the smile in her voice as she said, “Tomorrow then.”

  “What’s wrong with tonight?” His free hand clenched into a fist at the thought of wrapping his hands around her throat.

  “I have plans. I’ll call you in the morning and set up a time and place. Until then…”

  He heard her disconnect and stood for a moment, listening to his pulse coursing through his veins. He’d been so furious with Nicci that he’d almost missed the fact that she was mad as hell.

  But at whom? Him? Or Georgia? Fear burrowed under his skin. Georgia hadn’t confided in Nicci about what he’d said to her when she’d come out to the ranch. Nicci would take that as a betrayal.

  “Oh, hell,” he said, and thought about calling Georgia. And saying what? He’d already warned her about Nicci. She’d made it perfectly clear she didn’t want to hear anymore.

  Well, Georgia was about to find out what happened when she crossed Nicci for the first time.

  “Nicci, right?”

  Dalton turned to find his brother Lantry leaning against one of the porch posts. He hadn’t hea
rd him come out. “Yeah, she wants to meet face-to-face.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  Dalton laughed. Lantry had no idea how bad an idea it was. “How else am I going to find out what she wants and put an end to this?” He felt as if a clock was ticking, as much for Georgia Michaels as it was for himself.

  GEORGIA OPENED the back door of the shop as quietly as possible and slipped in, not bothering to turn on a light. If she was lucky she could get up to her apartment without—

  “You don’t have to sneak,” Nicci said from the darkness.

  Georgia jumped, her hand going to her mouth to keep from crying out. She’d so hoped Nicci was up in her apartment.

  Instead, her renter rose from one of the chairs used for knitting classes and walked toward her from out of the deep shadow of the shop. With a shiver, Georgia realized Nicci had been sitting in the dark waiting for her.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you,” Nicci said, but Georgia doubted that. “It was just so peaceful in here, I didn’t even want to turn on a light.” Her voice softened. “I was starting to worry about you.”

  “You shouldn’t have. I thought you’d already gone up,” Georgia managed to say. She had desperately wished that was the case, but hoped it hadn’t come out in her tone. Nicci was angry enough at her already without making things worse.

  “I was waiting for you. If I hadn’t had to make that darned call…I thought we could have a glass of wine and talk about the movie.”

  “It’s late and I have to work early in the morning,” Georgia said, sensing that turning Nicci down wasn’t her best move. But she had to put some distance between her and her renter. And she knew what would happen. Nicci would get back on the topic of Dalton and Georgia’s conversation with him.

  “The truth is I wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have asked you to take those papers out to Dalton.” Nicci held up a hand to stop Georgia from speaking although Georgia hadn’t opened her mouth. “Then when you came back I gave you the third degree. I’m sorry. You’re my friend and I’ve put you in a terrible position.”

  “It’s all right. It’s over. Let’s just forget it.” Georgia turned toward the stairs, wanting only to escape.

  “I’m glad you feel that way. Rory seemed to enjoy the movie,” Nicci said as she followed Georgia up the stairs. “So you two have known each other since Mrs. Michaels adopted you?”

  Georgia had forgotten she’d told Nicci about that. It wasn’t something most people in Whitehorse knew. She regretted confiding in Nicci now, feeling as if her renter was trying to use it to either get closer or hold something over her.

  She swatted the thought away, realizing she had let what Dalton told her change her attitude toward Nicci. Just as she had let what Nicci said about Dalton influence her feelings about him. This had to stop.

  “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t say anything about what you told me,” Nicci said, as if sensing her uneasiness. “We’re friends. You can tell me anything.”

  Georgia groaned inwardly, afraid of what was coming.

  “I saw the bouquet of flowers in your apartment earlier. Pretty.” Nicci was right behind her as they neared the top of the stairs. “Dalton brought them to you, didn’t he? Roses were always my favorite. You didn’t mention that he’d come by, but I saw him this morning from my apartment window.”

  “I didn’t want to upset you,” Georgia said, feeling the hair rise on the back of her neck. Nicci was only a breath behind her.

  “You like him.”

  An icy cold ran up her spine.

  “It’s all right. You don’t have to deny it,” Nicci said quickly. “That’s why you didn’t want to tell me what he told you about me. You want to believe him.”

  “Nicci—” She’d reached the top of the stairs and now turned, feeling better facing the woman than having her behind her. “I just don’t want to be put in the middle of this again. This has nothing to do with me.”

  Nicci’s face seemed to crumble. Tears welled in her eyes. She bit her lip as if to hold them back. The effort was lost. “I saw his pickup on the street tonight. I heard him coming after me. It was so dark, I fell. Look.” She shoved back the sleeve of her shirt to reveal scraped skin on her elbow, then pulled up the hem of her capri pants to reveal another scrape on one knee.

  “I’m so sorry,” Georgia said, feeling herself weaken.

  Nicci nodded and wiped at her tears. “I’m the one who’s sorry for the way I’ve been acting. I’m scared. I hate this whole divorce thing. I’m terrible at it.” She smiled through her tears. “Forgiven?”

  “Of course.” Georgia accepted Nicci’s hug and they walked down the hall to stop in front of their apartment doors. Georgia opened her door, then hesitated, feeling guilty. Nicci had been through so much tonight. She felt as if she was abandoning her.

  Nicci seemed to be waiting, too. She looked as if in another minute she would invite Georgia in for a glass of wine and some girl talk.

  “Good night.” Georgia stepped into her apartment, closing the door behind her, waiting until she heard Nicci do the same before she locked it and let out the breath she’d been holding.

  LATE THE NEXT MORNING, Nicci hadn’t called. Dalton had known she would make him wait. Hell, she might not call at all. He was already sick of her games. Why had she looked him up after all these years anyway?

  His brothers and probably his father thought she wanted his money. Was it possible she’d gone through the fortune her father had left her and was now here to blackmail him?

  While waiting for Nicci’s call, Dalton went online and ran a search under the name Nicci Angeles and waited as the cursor blinked.

  He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of this before, except that he’d still been trying to come to grips with the idea of Nicci being alive.

  Today he was thinking a little clearer. Thanks to the Internet, he should be able to find out what Nicci had been up to over the past nine years.

  The first reference to Nicci Angeles was an announcement of her birth.

  A daughter, Nicci Barron Angeles, was born to real estate magnet Nicholas Barron Angeles and wife, socialite and former actress Roslyn Wells Angeles Saturday, their first. Both daughter and mother are said to be doing well. Nicci is now the sole heir-apparent to the vast Angeles fortune.

  Over the years there were a variety of other mentions of Nicholas Barron Angeles, his wife and daughter only in passing at exclusive parties covered by the press.

  One article about Nicholas and the fortune he had amassed included several photographs of Nicci on the Angeles Estate outside of New York. One on a tennis court. She wore that look he now recognized when she knew the camera was on her.

  A second photograph was of Nicci and her mother. Nicci’s gaze was wary as she looked at her mother. Roslyn appeared half drunk and belligerent, the tension between mother and daughter apparent even in a blurry black-and-white on newsprint.

  He skimmed through the other instances Nicci’s name was mentioned and stopped on the article about her mother’s suicide.

  That would have been right after daddy dearest deserted both mother and daughter. Nicci would have been seventeen. A year later, her father would be killed in an automobile crash in the Hamptons. The only passenger in the car, a woman slightly older than Nicci and believed to be the rich man’s lover, had survived the crash.

  News of Nicci’s inheritance of her father’s fortune was almost lost in the scandal that followed. Dalton realized that he’d met Nicci not long after she’d become one of the richest young women in the world. She had no family and no friends, unless you counted Ambrose. He wondered where she’d picked up Ambrose or if she’d somehow inherited him from her father.

  For an instant, Dalton felt sorry for the poor little rich girl. His sympathy passed though at the memory of the night on the boat when she’d tried to kill him.

  He continued his search but there were no
more mentions of Nicci Angeles. It was almost as if she really had died that night at sea.

  NICCI WAS her old self the next morning, insisting on helping Georgia unpack the new boxes Jim Benson delivered. It was the last thing Georgia wanted, but she also didn’t want to be at odds with her renter.

  Fortunately Nicci hadn’t mentioned Dalton or what had happened yesterday all morning. Georgia was hoping they were past that.

  Jim was clearly taken with Nicci and hung around longer than usual. “You like sailing?” he asked her, sounding shy as he pointed to the silver sailboat necklace around her neck.

  “I love sailing. My father taught me. How about you?” Nicci asked.

  “I’ve never tried sailing,” Jim admitted. “But I’ve always wanted to.”

  Georgia doubted that. If Nicci had been interested in skydiving, Jim Benson would have been ready to jump right then.

  “There are some great sailing schools,” Nicci was saying. “The ones in Seattle aren’t that far from here. The Puget Sound School of Sailing is excellent. I highly recommend it.”

  “You know, I just might go out there on my vacation and take a lesson,” Jim said with more enthusiasm than Georgia had ever seen in him.

  “Good for you,” Nicci said.

  “Fort Peck Reservoir is only an hour from here,” Jim said, warming to the subject. “Has more shoreline than the state of California and gets its fair share of wind.”

  “You can often pick up a used sailboat for not much money,” Nicci said. “It’s very enjoyable. Lots of peace and quiet out on the water.”

  “Sounds like just what I need. Thanks for the advice.”

  “You should go out with him. He likes you,” Nicci said after Jim left. “I could arrange it.”

  “No, thanks.” She didn’t want Nicci arranging anything. “I’m too busy to date.”

  “Then you should get unbusy,” Nicci said. “You know what they say about all work and no play.”

  “I’ve always been dull so it wouldn’t change a thing,” Georgia said as she prepared for her knitting class.