"What has you so upset?"
Meagan took a deep breath. "I've kept some important information from you. I wasn't sure until tonight that my suspicions were right."
"Now you are?"
"Yes." Fear clawed at Meagan. "Cole, I want you to promise me something."
Suspicion clouded Cole's eyes. "What?"
"Promise me, once I tell you, you'll hear me out.” Meagan struggled for air. "Promise you won't act rashly."
"I never act rashly."
Meagan would have found humor in that statement at another time. "Promise me, Cole."
His eyes darkened. "I promise."
"I know who stole your cattle."
Cole grabbed her upper arm and half pulled half drug her from the kitchen back to where Stephen and Judd sat at the table. He circled around the table and stood opposite her, arms crossed, legs wide apart. "Meagan has some information on the thefts."
Judd straightened in his chair. "What information? "
Cole shrugged, his expression grim. "It's all I know."
Judd turned to her then. "What do you know, Meagan?"
"I know the man responsible for your cattle thefts."
Judd stiffened. "Who?"
Meagan closed her eyes, wondering if she should have kept silent. It was too late now. She opened them, her gaze locked on Cole. "Tony, my brother."
Judd’s brow rose. "I wasn't aware you had a brother.”
Cole uncrossed his arms and gripped the back of a chair with one hand. "She told me about him a few days ago.”
"Go on,” Judd urged.
Meagan cleared her throat to buy time. She could feel her knees knock together as her legs began to wobble. She worried she might collapse and plopped into the nearest chair. "I'd better start from the beginning."
"Just get to the point, Meagan," Cole ordered from his perch above her.
She pressed her back against the hard wood of the chair and turned her gaze on Cole. "I helped steal your cattle."
Cole sat down. "Maybe you'd better start at the beginning."
Meagan took a deep breath. "Tony,” she glanced at Judd, “my brother,” she clarified for his sake, “showed up about four months ago. He asked Pa for work but Pa turned him down flat. Without Pa knowing, Tony visited me several times after that. All the men around the ranch got to know him, and out of respect for me, I guess, never told my Pa." Meagan shifted her glance from Judd to Cole. "He asked me for help, and I agreed."
Cole's frame stiffened until the buttons on his shirt seemed as if they might pop off from the strain. "What kind of help, Meagan?"
Meagan fidgeted. "Tony told me he'd gotten a job. He had to move some cattle, and the shortest route was across McAllister land. He asked if he could graze the cattle for a few days at the old pastures, the ones to the northeast. I told him he could."
Cole's gaze narrowed on her. A small muscle twitched in his right cheek. "Why didn't you ask permission? That's the required procedure."
Meagan shifted sideways in her chair to face Cole. "I didn't think it necessary. Those pastures weren't in use. I didn't see the harm.”
"Go on," Cole urged.
"When Tony arrived with the first herd about two weeks later, I went to the pastures. He wouldn't let me near the cattle, said he didn’t need any help to do his job and I’d just be in the way."
"Doesn’t seem like you, Meagan, falling for that one." Cole surmised.
"I knew it seemed odd," Meagan defended weakly, knowing Cole was right. "I suspected Tony might be up to something. I guess I didn't want to know what it was." She shrugged. "I never dreamed he was stealing McAllister cattle."
Cole cursed. "How could you have let him use you that way?" He stood and began a slow, methodical pace across the floor.
Meagan clenched her hands together and rested them in her lap. "I told the ranch hands to stay clear of that area." She sprung from the chair, unable to control her agitation another moment. "I knew the men would honor my orders." She pivoted on her heels to face Cole with the final proof. "Tony told me he was working for Cliff Wayland."
Cole grasped her shoulders in his hands. "When did you figure all this out?"
Meagan blanched. "I was suspicious the night you left to chase the rustlers."
Cole's jaw clenched. "That was three days ago."
"I wanted to tell you sooner," Meagan defended, "but things kept coming up." She shrugged out of Cole's grip. "Besides, I wasn't sure until tonight when your pa mentioned Cliff Wayland's name."
"Where is your brother now, Meagan?"
A chill of trepidation sent butterflies to her stomach. She spun back to face Cole, making no effort to mask her fear. "What are you going to do?"
"Talk to him."
"Then what?"
"Then," Cole shrugged, his eyes hard. "We'll see."
It was all she could expect from him. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin to lock gazes with him. "What are you going to do with me?"
A shadow of doubt crossed Cole's face before he masked it. "I don't hold you to blame."
She studied his expression for several seconds, unable to read his thoughts. She averted her gaze from Cole to Stephen. “What about you, Stephen?”
Stephen captured her in a comforting embrace. "You'd never steal our cattle, Meagan." He backed away and offered a smile. "I'm sorry you got stuck in the middle of this mess."
Meagan blinked back tears. Stephen was a true friend.
"You've done good work for us, Meagan." Judd moved in closer. "I think it only fair, however, that you know we plan to press charges against your brother."
Defeat and sorrow weighed heavy in Meagan's heart. "I expected no less."
"Where is Tony living, Meagan?"
Meagan searched Cole's face for a sign of what he was feeling, but his expression gave little away. "In Meeker, at an Inn there."
Cole's gaze traveled to his pa. "You coming with us?"
Judd shook his head. "My feet are itching to go," he confessed, “but I just got back home. Your ma needs me here.” His eyes bore the wisdom and experience of a man who’d been through too much as he added, “besides, I think you and Stephen should handle this one."
Cole nodded to Judd then turned and strode from the room without so much as a glance her way. Meagan rushed past Judd in a whirl of skirts and flew on silent feet to catch up to Cole. "I'm going with you," she declared as soon as she got within hearing distance of him.
Cole didn't pause or turn to face her. "I know."
Meagan stopped dead in her tracks. She'd anticipated an argument.
Cole tossed a glance over his shoulder. "We leave at first light. Be ready, or we'll leave without you."
Meagan watched Cole disappear into his room before making her way to hers. Tomorrow they'd catch a thief. Tomorrow her brother would be behind bars. Tomorrow she'd be free to tell Cole she was in love with him. Tomorrow seemed a long way off. Meagan tossed and turned, but sleep evaded her for most of the night.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Meagan showed up at the stables just as the sun peeked over the horizon. Angel was saddled and ready to go. She mounted her horse and offered a quick nod to Cole when he cast a brief glance her way.
Cole took the lead. Meagan followed second and Stephen, the rear. They rode well into the morning without a single word exchanged between them. Meagan knew Cole was upset with her. He might not hold her to blame for the cattle thefts, but his actions spoke volumes about his displeasure with her involvement. She couldn't blame him. After all, the McAllister ranch had suffered heavy losses, and Cole's entire future had been on the line.
Meagan searched for words that might appease him. None came to mind. She urged Angel to a trot and rode up beside Cole. He didn't acknowledge her approach. She took advantage of his aloofness to study his profile.
His face was tense, his expression grim. He hadn't shaved that morning, and Meagan itched to run her palm across the thick black stubble on his cheek. She squirmed in he
r saddle as she imagined tracing the square line of his jaw with her finger, then make a winding trail down his neck, across his collarbone. She could almost feel the warmth of his skin beneath her fingers as she moved lower and tangled her fingers in the thick, soft hair that peeked from the open collar of his shirt.
"It's not that easy, Meagan."
Cole's deep, strained voice brought Meagan's attention away from his body. She focused on his troubled gaze. "What?"
"I see your eyes on me. I see the invitation there."
He ran his hand along his thigh. Meagan found herself drawn to the motion.
"Damn, it Meagan, don't do that. I can't stand it."
"What can't you stand, Cole?" she challenged. "Me, Cole? Is it me you can't stand?"
He remained stiff, his gaze straight ahead. He didn't speak.
"Answer me, Cole."
"I don't know."
His words were a mere whisper that drifted away in the morning breeze, but they hit their mark in a wave of agony that cut like a knife through her middle. Cole had stated last night that he didn't hold her to blame, but today was a different day. Meagan couldn't stay here, with a man who despised her existence. She dug her spurs into Angel.
Angel reared back. Meagan felt her hands slip from the reins and reached through thin air in an effort to maintain her balance. She ended up in a crumpled heap against the bare dirt of the prairie. Mere seconds passed before Cole knelt beside her.
He touched her hair with the gentlest of caresses. "Meagan, are you okay?"
Anguish forced guttural sobs from deep within her. Meagan could no more stop them than she could convince Cole of her innocence when she was fully aware of her guilt.
Stephen rode up. "Cole, what the hell happened?"
"Leave us be, Stephen."
"Meagan could be hurt," Stephen protested.
"I'll take care of her."
Meagan listened, but felt no inclination to reassure Stephen, or Cole, of her good health. Her entire body was numb with pain. Her hip ached where she'd landed. She didn't care. She heard Stephen ride off, but didn't look up or try to stop him.
Silence filled the air. Dust invaded her nostrils as she breathed. She had no idea if Cole was still beside her until she saw the toe of his boot. He sat on the ground beside her.
"Are you hurt, Meagan?"
Meagan felt his hands on her body and jerked into a sitting position. She curled her legs beneath her. "I'm fine." Cole made no further effort to touch her.
"I thought I understood last night. I thought if I avoided my doubts, they'd go away, but hell, Meagan, I can't avoid them. You helped your brother steal our cattle. You knew about Tony's guilt days ago, yet chose to keep it from me."
It was all true. Meagan didn't need to look at Cole to understand his doubts, or pain. His words were strained, his voice accusing.
"You claim you wanted proof, but Meagan, it all comes down to the fact that you didn't believe in me enough to tell me what you knew. You chose not to trust me."
Meagan forced her limp limbs to move beneath her and stood up. Cole did the same. "I didn't choose, Cole." Meagan felt as if all blood had been drained from her body. "I didn't make a choice. I guess that was the worst mistake of all."
When he didn't respond, Meagan turned and walked to Angel, who shied away in fear. She coerced Angel back to her side with a few gentle words and strokes. If only Cole could be as easy to convince, she thought. Meagan mounted Angel and looked down to find Cole by her side. He stroked Angel's neck, and for the first time, Angel allowed his touch without protest.
"Will you do something for me Meagan?"
"I'll do whatever I can to help make this right," Meagan promised without a flicker of hesitation.
"If Tony contacts you, will you tell me?"
"If I hear from Tony, see him or have the slightest suspicion where he might be, I promise you'll be the first one I tell."
A tentative smile touched Cole's lips. "Good."
Hope flared like a beacon of light to a sinking ship within Meagan. "Cole, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
"I know."
Meagan wanted to say more, to make everything right, but words escaped her. She waited for Cole to mount Lucifer, then positioned herself behind him. In a matter of minutes they caught up with Stephen. They rode in silence the remainder of the journey and reached Meeker near sunset.
Cole slowed. Meagan rode up beside him.
"Where's the Inn?" he asked her.
"It's over there." She nodded towards the building, too exhausted to point. She couldn't recall ever being as drained of energy as she was at this moment.
Cole brought Lucifer to a halt in front of a light blue house with a small front porch. Near the door was a square pink sign with the words 'Mrs. Grapple's Inn'. Cole turned his head. "This it?"
Meagan nodded, surprised to feel a bit of her energy returning as she realized what was about to happen. Soon, they’d face Tony. Soon, she’d find out why her brother had used her with so little consideration of the trouble she might get in to. Soon, she could move on with her life with nothing more to hide. Soon couldn’t come soon enough for her.
Cole dismounted. "Stephen, tie up the horses. Meagan, come with me."
Meagan slipped from Angel's back and walked beside Cole up the porch steps. She knocked on the door. An elderly woman with gray hair styled in a severe bun answered.
Her hazel eyes smiled through round, wire rimmed spectacles. "Meagan, come in."
Meagan walked past the woman into the house. She'd met her only once before, and was surprised to be remembered. She made a half turn and glanced past the woman to Cole. "Mrs. Grapple, this is Cole McAllister."
"Nice looking boy."
Meagan forced a smile for the woman's benefit. "Mrs. Grapple, is Tony here?"
She waddled across the room. "Tony left yesterday." She frowned. "Didn't he tell you?"
"No, but I haven't been home for a while," Meagan explained.
"That boy comes and goes." Mrs. Grapple shook her head, her chubby face wiggled like jelly. "He's a temperamental child."
Cole removed his hat. "Do you know where Tony went?"
She adjusted her spectacles. "Tony doesn't talk much. Just shows up, eats, sleeps and leaves."
Meagan headed for the door. "We won't take up any more of your time."
"Oh, no bother. An old lady needs company now and then."
Meagan opened the door and exited first. Cole reluctantly followed, finding Stephen where they left him, still typing up the horses.
"Tony wasn't there," Cole filled him in.
"Are we waiting for him?"
Cole shook his head. "No use. He left town yesterday."
Stephen removed his hat and ran long fingers through his hair. "Rotten timing."
Meagan didn't miss the quick glance Cole shot her way.
He shrugged. "Guess so."
Part of her was relieved that Tony hadn't been at the Inn, another part disappointed that it wasn't over. Turmoil warred within her. To honor Cole, and the McAllister family, she had to turn Tony in. Yet, no matter how rotten Tony had treated her, he was still her brother, her mother's son.
Cole walked up beside her. "Let's go."
Meagan followed in silence. Her entire body was stiff and sore. She needed to rest, but dared not ask. She tied herself into the saddle. Angel followed Lucifer with the devotion of a mare in love. Meagan fell in and out of sleep. She trusted Cole and Angel to get her home in one piece.
Cole's mind raged with doubts. It seemed a bit too convenient for Tony to leave town just before Meagan confessed her suspicions. Cole knew Meagan was exhausted, but he rode on. Tony was out there, God knows where, and his cattle were vulnerable. He couldn't trust anyone until Tony was behind bars where the thieving scoundrel belonged.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Meagan soaked in a tub of warm, scented water as she contemplated the recent events. Cole had returned from a visit to Cliff Wayland's ranch
late last night, and the news wasn't good. Cliff Wayland had vanished, and not a single ranch hand was able to give Cole any information on where he might be.
Meagan ran a bar of soap along her arms, then raised her legs from the water and did the same to them. She held her nose and dipped under the water to rinse. She stood, stepped from the tub and wrapped a plush white towel around her wet body.
Cole didn't trust her intentions. He tried to act as though nothing had changed, but Meagan couldn't miss the doubtful glances or pained expressions that crossed his face when he thought she wasn't looking. He suspected her involvement with her brother and Cliff Wayland went further than she'd admitted, and Meagan couldn't fault his suspicions. If only Tony hadn't disappeared.
Meagan tugged the towel from her body and patted her hair dry. She dressed in haste and made her way down the hall. She flipped her fingers through still damp hair and proceeded into the front parlor. She was halfway in before she spotted Cole, who sat less than six inches from an attractive woman with dark brown hair, cut short to curl around her face. The woman's full lips pouted an invitation Cole's way.
Heat rose to Meagan's cheeks. She backed behind a large oak post several feet from where the pair sat and peeked around the post to study Cole's expression. He appeared relaxed and content.
Resentment churned within Meagan as she noticed Cole's gaze linger on the woman's bosom, which rose in rounded mounds above the low cut of her dress. Meagan recalled Cole's reaction to her the day she'd worn a similar dress. He'd demanded she change into attire that was proper for a lady.
Did that mean... could this woman be... Meagan's thoughts took her to places she barely understood. If this woman was ... that ... then Cole wouldn't have her in his home. He wouldn't keep company with her at all, would he?
"I'm excited about the dance. I think you'll like the dress I've chosen."
The woman's voice was husky, sensual. Meagan stiffened. Cole had invited this woman to a dance?
"I'm looking for a seamstress. Do you know any?"
Cole's face paled. "There's a few in town." He shifted sideways and faced the woman square on. "Listen, Gloria,"
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