by Beth Alvarez
“I saw you got all the ornaments on the tree,” he said, neatly sidestepping the issue.
“As many as I think will fit, anyway. There are a few more boxes, but I don’t want it to look tacky. I like seeing a little bit of the tree.” She poked through the mail on the countertop.
“You didn’t put a topper on, though.”
“I thought you should pick, this year.” She tilted her head, picking up an envelope. It was addressed from the bank, with the words final notice stamped on the front in red. Her stomach flopped.
Emmett laughed. “Finally giving up the ghost, huh? I thought you planned to fight me on it.”
Felicity held up the envelope, her heart in her throat. “What’s this, Daddy?”
His face fell.
She dug a finger under the flap, tearing open the top. Already her chest felt tight, her hands cold and trembling as she pulled the notice out of the envelope. She didn’t have to read the whole thing. She already knew what it said.
“Felicity-” her father started, though he couldn’t get anything else out. The rest of the words escaped as a sigh.
“Foreclosure?” Tears brimmed on her dark eyelashes. “Is this why you wanted the Christmas tree? Because you knew it was going to be our last holiday here?”
“We’ve done everything we can,” Emmett replied levelly. “We’ve worked hard, but this . . . it’s just the way it is sometimes.” He reached for the paper in her hand.
She snatched it away. “You could have told me! I could have done more, could have worked harder, I-”
“I didn’t want you to know until after the holidays. I didn’t want you to look at them as if they were the last.”
“They are the last!” Flinging the letter to the floor, she clenched her hands to fists at her sides. “I had every right to know about this. This is my home too!”
“I was just trying to protect you!” Emmett protested.
Her fists trembled, anger seething until she thought she’d explode. She made herself move, storming across the kitchen. “I don’t need protection any more. I’m not a child!”
“But, Felicity-”
“This is my livelihood as much as it is yours,” she snapped before he could continue. “I work here, Dad. Foreclosure means more than just packing my bags. Try considering that next time you want to treat me like nothing more than Daddy’s little girl!”
Emmett didn’t follow her out, the kitchen silent behind her.
Not caring who heard, she slammed her bedroom door hard enough to rattle the hinges and every picture on the walls. Childish, but she didn’t care.
In an instant, everything had gone topsy-turvy. All their struggles, all her effort to ensure the bed and breakfast kept afloat, and he hadn’t even had the decency to tell her it was failing.
She dropped onto the edge of her bed, staring at the floor, wringing her hands in her lap. The tears stinging her eyes only made her angrier, and she fought them until they subsided.
No, she wouldn’t cry over this. She was hurt, but she was angry, too. All her dreams had been sacrificed for this, her entire life put on the back burner, and it had fallen apart while her family’s business slowly sank.
Forcing herself to think, she channeled her fury into focus. There had to be something her father had overlooked. Her anger was justified, but it wouldn’t change anything. She had to be calm, think about this from new angles. If the letter in the mail was the final notice before the Hilltop House was eligible to be claimed by the bank, it was still theirs—and that meant there was still time to do something about it.
The problem was there just weren’t many opportunities in Holly Hill. She’d exhausted every option for work, from helping Gertie with her shop to the baking she did around the clock for folk in town. She’d cleaned houses and tended gardens, done babysitting and tutored children in the summer months. None of it had been enough, but all they needed was a windfall. Something to help them catch up payments, get a little ahead . . . a few thousand dollars, at most.
She’d already sold everything worth money, save a few pieces of her mother’s jewelry that were more precious to her than the house. They could still empty the attic and scrape together a few pennies, but that wouldn’t be enough. The lack of choices made her grind her teeth and she flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling and wracking her brain.
A soft knock at her bedroom door interrupted her thoughts and a new wave of anger spilled over her. He wouldn’t even give her the time to cool off?
Growling, Felicity sat up and glowered at the door. “Go away.”
A moment passed, then the doorknob turned.
Fuming, she shoved herself to her feet, sucking in a breath to give voice to her anger.
Then the door opened and instead of her father, it was Kade who stepped inside.
Confusion and irritation warred within her and she started to object, but he raised a finger to his lips, easing the door closed behind him.
Her heart beat faster, her stomach twisting itself in knots. What did he think he was doing?
“I wasn’t tryin’ to listen in,” he murmured, lingering beside the door, giving her space. He looked at the floor, his chin tucked in defensively. “It’s hard not to hear when you’re yelling like that, though.”
Felicity swallowed. “This place is my life.” Her voice sounded much calmer than she felt.
“I know. It’s easy to see it means a lot to you.” Kade shifted, hesitating.
She found herself looking at his feet. He was still dressed, still wearing his black cowboy hat, but he’d taken off his boots and stood in front of her in his socks. Frowning, her irritation gave way to puzzlement. Had he taken his boots off to sneak down to see her, or had her outburst interrupted him as he started to wind down?
“I heard a little bit, think I got the gist of things. I ain’t gonna press you for details right now, Filly, I just got one question.”
Her mouth went dry. “And that is?”
He met her gaze, a cool intensity in his hazel eyes. “What are you willing to do to keep this house?”
Felicity stared at him in disbelief, an icy chill rolling down her spine and creeping into her limbs. That sounded a lot like a proposition, and if it wasn’t, she didn’t know how it could mean anything good. She licked her lips, trying to find her voice. All of a sudden, she wasn’t so sure how nice a man he was. But he’d asked her a question, and she owed him an answer. What was she willing to do?
“Anything,” she whispered, and the single word felt like surrender.
Kade nodded slowly. “Come out to the ranch tonight. I’ll talk to McCullough, get a horse so you can ride with me. We got some talkin’ to do, and we ain’t gonna do it here.” He took a step backwards, reaching for the doorknob.
Instead of relief, she felt sick to her stomach. Her heart beat so hard she could hear it.
“And, Filly?” He paused, looking her over before giving her an earnest look.
“Yes?” The knots in her middle pulled themselves tighter.
“Wear boots.”
EIGHT
* * *
THE LOOK ON her face had been enough to make Kade regret asking. He knew the question sounded bad the moment it left his mouth, but by then it was too late to do anything about it. He’d seen the doubt and uncertainty, the discomfort and resignation. He’d seen the shift of her feelings, and it made him think he’d made a mistake. Involving her was a mistake, of course, but he couldn’t help that now. Acting on impulse, he’d already made the decision.
Just one more reminder of why he tried not to get involved with locals when he worked.
Kade didn’t think of himself as altruistic. On the whole, his very existence was self-serving, and he was all right with that. But there were some things that always got him by the heartstrings, like lonely puppies or suffering children. Felicity just happened to be one of those things. It was only human, if one of the small, lingering aspects.
They hadn’t crosse
d paths again after he’d poked in to talk to her. Her bedroom door normally stood open a crack through the day, but it was closed in the evening when he’d headed out, and the kitchen had been empty for the first time since he’d set foot in the Hilltop House. When he headed for the ranch and readied his horse to saddle up for the night, he half expected he’d be riding alone.
Hell, he half expected Sam Foster to show up in his dusty police SUV and take him aside for questioning.
He hadn’t meant his question to sound that bad, but that was what he got for acting before he’d thought things all the way through.
Even so, Felicity had a lot to offer. Kade knew he was spinning his wheels, going nowhere on his own. He had nothing to go on this time, and until he had an idea, he wasn’t ready to abandon the herd in favor of chasing clues. Oh, he’d tried to drum up his own leads; he’d made small talk at gas stations and combed old newspapers for information on previous thefts. He’d tried to weasel more information out of Grant, too, but the man had seemed unsettled by the idea of talking about the crimes and local superstitions.
This situation was just unusual, and nothing he did would change that. Under normal circumstances, he’d have finished and been gone by now.
And been away from Filly, too. Kade grimaced as that thought ran through his head. Leaving sooner certainly would have made things easier, but he hadn’t taken this job because he thought it’d be easy. It was all about the money.
If Felicity could help point him in the right direction, then she’d more than deserve her cut.
Pulling the saddle’s girth a little tighter, Kade grunted when the buckle didn’t quite reach the well-worn hole in the strap. “Dex, quit holdin’ your breath, you big oaf.”
The tall bay swiveled his head around to look at his companion, one ear pinned back.
Kade nudged the horse’s ribs with his fist. “I mean it!”
Whuffing, Dex shifted and flicked his tail. The girth slid tighter, and Kade buckled it and slapped the horse’s shoulder.
“Big baby. I don’t wanna ride tonight, either, but we ain’t gettin’ a break until we get this job done.” Slinging his bag over the saddle, he switched the halter for a bridle and tugged the reins. The horse resisted and he pulled harder, leading him out of the barn.
The cattle were close enough to be seen from the gravel drive tonight. Or, the flashlight James shone around the herd was visible. The long winter nights were pleasant in some ways, but it still always felt odd for the sky to be dark at five.
Kade pulled his horse to the fence, glancing up as a rider left the herd and loped back toward the house.
Charlie waved as he drew close and Kade raised a hand in response.
“What’s up?” He stifled the worry something had happened to the herd. The cattle looked calm enough.
“Ah, Jim’s horse came up lame. Stepped in a gopher hole or something and took a stumble in the field. Took him all afternoon to work his way back here.” Charlie swung down off his horse and dropped the reins, opening the gate before leading the animal through. “Hold her for me?”
Kade nodded, taking the horse’s reins as the other cowboy passed. “Nothin’ bad?”
Charlie shook his head. “Nothing a few days off won’t cure, I don’t think. Think we’re gonna wrap it, then take a little break. If he’s still favoring that leg the same way tomorrow, we’ll have someone out to take a look at him.”
“Let me know if you need a hand,” Kade said, looking up at Charlie’s horse.
The other cowboys used their own horses most of the time; each of them had been given permanent stable space in McCullough’s barn. The rancher had plenty of his own horses though, and a smaller paddock for them to wander, separate from the cattle. Easier that way, Kade supposed. They never had to go far to catch a horse, and the cattle always knew a horse among them was working.
He knew he was biased, but Dex seemed to be better stock than the rest. McCullough favored old-fashioned cow ponies, a mix of mustangs and Morgans that were sturdy and dependable, but made Kade’s long-legged Quarter Horse look like a giant by comparison. Rico had said he thought Dex was wasted as a stock horse, attractively shaped and tall has he was, but the gelding was good as a working animal. Not to mention that a gelded horse was all but useless for show, unable to carry on a line, and he’d come to Kade that way.
He didn’t mind. He’d come to Dex broken, too.
Charlie returned with a halter and lead in one hand and a pressure wrap for James’ horse in the other.
Kade turned to offer the reins back to him when they heard tires on the rocks, and they both turned to look at the shabby car that parked in front of the house.
“Looks like you ain’t riding alone tonight after all, Colton,” Charlie said with a chuckle.
Felicity slid out of driver’s side and rounded the car, opening the passenger door to get her coat.
Kade’s stomach dropped to his knees. “Lord have mercy on me.”
He’d never imagined what hid under her skirts and sweaters could be so shapely. She slung her red coat around her shoulders before he could get a good look at her upper half, but leaning forward like she did to get her hat and gloves out of the car, there was no hiding the way her trim waist flared out into round hips. Her jeans were snug, showing off her curvy legs, and he had to close his eyes to fight the heat of desire that rose inside him.
Charlie gave a low whistle, then shot Kade a knowing look. “You better watch it.”
When he reopened them, Kade still couldn’t tear his eyes away. “What for?”
“You do her wrong and Rico will have you black and blue before the sun comes up. And that’s if Grant don’t get to you first.” Charlie slapped his shoulder, taking back his horse’s reins.
“Wasn’t planning on it,” Kade murmured.
“Let me ride these out to James and I’ll let her borrow my horse. She’s pretty mild, won’t give her no trouble.” Charlie waved to Felicity, leading his horse past the gate and into the pasture.
Kade swallowed, starting across the drive to meet her. “Wasn’t sure you would come,” he called.
Felicity shrugged, tugging on a stocking cap. Her silky brown hair hung over her shoulder in a braid, simple and utilitarian, but charming as well. “I figured I might as listen to what you had to say. I’m not promising I’ll agree to anything, though.”
“Wouldn’t expect you to.” Kade let his eyes slide over her, grimacing when his hat tipped in front of his face. Dex’s hot breath on the back of his neck made him growl and he shoved the horse’s head away.
Felicity giggled. “This your horse?”
“Unfortunately.” The big bay lipped at his ear and Kade pushed him away again. “This is Dex.”
“He’s pretty.” She paced around them, admiring the horse. “Did you name him?”
“Nah. His papered name is Dexter’s Duty or something stupid like that. I think Dex works better.” He stroked his mount’s nose, inspecting Felicity again as she walked past. She’d followed his instructions to wear boots.
“Is there a horse for me, or am I going to have to share and walk back when I’m done?” She tucked her hands into her coat pockets, rocking on her toes.
“Charlie’s gonna let you use his mare. He’ll be back in a minute.” Sliding his arm through the reins, he pulled on a pair of gloves and wriggled his fingers to settle them. “I’m guessing you don’t ride much.”
The look on her face was defensive and irritated at the same time. “What makes you say that?”
“Seam’s on the wrong side of your jeans. Couple hours in the saddle and you’ll be chafing bad.” He saw Charlie riding back from the corner of his eye. Good. It was already past time for him to relieve James with the herd.
Felicity’s cheeks turned a little redder than the cold warranted. “I know how to ride. I grew up out here. You just worry about the cattle.”
He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Evening, Felicity,” Charli
e said as he rode back to the gate. “Colton foisting work off on ya, is he?”
“Is that what you heard?” She laughed, but it didn’t sound genuine.
“Nah, just that you got some business to discuss.” Charlie grinned, dismounting. “He’s kind of the secretive type, didn’t tell us much else.”
“That’s ’cause it’s none of your beeswax.” Kade opened the gate, ushering Felicity through. He tilted his head as she passed him, watching her perfect backside. Then he caught himself and shook his head to dislodge the image. This was business, he reminded himself, struggling not to stare. But oh, how good she looked.
“Well, in any case,” Charlie muttered. “This here’s Milly. She’s nice and tame, won’t give you no fits. She’ll be good to ride all night if you need her, or you can come get me in the bunkhouse over there if you need help putting her up when you’re done.”
“Thank you, Charlie,” Felicity said. “I think I can manage.”
Kade pushed the gate until it was almost closed, leaving just enough space for Charlie to squeeze through. “I think we got it now, Chuck. You go ahead and call it a night.”
Charlie nodded. “Need a leg up, Felicity?”
She took the reins from him, fitting her foot into the left stirrup and hoisting herself into the saddle.
Laughing, he lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender, making his way toward the gate. “Watch out, Colton. She’s more feisty than she looks.”
Kade snorted. “Thought you said she was tame.”
“Wasn’t talking about the horse,” Charlie said.
Felicity gave him a sly sideways smile before she turned the mare, clicking her tongue and starting toward the herd.
Kade smirked to himself as he mounted up and headed after her. He had a feeling Charlie was right.
* * *
They were too close to the house to talk comfortably, Kade said. He rounded the cattle back out toward the range with practiced ease, his movements on horseback so fluid that he and his horse looked like one being. Part of the charm of cowboys, Felicity supposed.
Gradually, the lights outside the house and barn grew so faint she could only just tell where they were. A bit on the small side, Milly alternated between a walk and a trot to keep up with the herd, though they gave Kade and Dex space to work. As Charlie said, the mare was placid and easygoing, unconcerned even when a rabbit spooked out of the grass ahead of them. Felicity was grateful. Though she had ridden a lot in her teenage years, she was out of practice, and getting pitched off horseback wasn’t an experience she was eager to repeat.