“So your father killed the pilot, but why?”
“Because the old man moved his stash, and the pilot knew where, so he had to die. Then he told the ranch hands he was cutting them out of the deal. He knew they couldn’t go to the police, and they wouldn’t want to lose their jobs, so he felt very safe. But one or more of them decided they didn’t want to take orders from him. So they killed him in his office and went out to pick up the stash, only it wasn’t there anymore.”
“Because he’d moved it before he cut them out of the deal.”
“I think that’s what’s going on, Maia. They didn’t care who was named guardian because we didn’t know about the stash. They could look around the ranch for it, and we’d never know.”
“Until you fired them.”
“That’s right. I fired them, and I’d be very suspicious if they began hanging around the ranch. Jase told me some maps disappeared from the office. I didn’t really give it all that much thought, but it makes sense. They’re looking for whatever the old man hid.”
“So they wanted you out of here at least long enough to do a thorough search of the ranch. That’s why the rumors, to get you to take Jase and leave.”
“And that’s why the accidents. They knew the storm was coming. Jase was supposed to go into town with me that day, but he decided he wanted to hang out with Al. So they tried to injure him just enough so Al would have to drive him into town, and they could poke around. That didn’t work, so they drove Wally into the fence thinking Al would trailer the horse into town. The storm was breaking too fast, and I opted to bring you home with me.”
“Why push it? Why didn’t they just wait?”
“Maybe they have a buyer, or they’re getting anxious. Whatever it is, one of my horses was ridden the day Wally was hurt. I think while Al and Jase were tied up looking after him, Fred took the horse and went looking. That’s probably when he shot the mountain lion.”
“This is all speculation.”
“Yes,” Cole admitted. “But Fred was watching us when we went to get the tree yesterday. And I’ve got this gut feeling. I’ve never been wrong when I’ve had that feeling before.”
“So why the ice on the walkway?”
“To get us out of here. If you or Jase or even I were injured, we’d have go into town to the hospital, and they’d be able to search without interruption.”
“In a blizzard?”
“Four separate storms, Maia. It wasn’t supposed to be this bad. And if we were trapped on the other side, the road wouldn’t be cleared, and we’d have a hard time getting home.”
“So how do you prove it?”
“I’m working on it.” He reached out to cup her breasts again, thumbs caressing her nipples into hard peaks. “I’ll think better in the morning. Right now, I want to spend the rest of the night getting to know every inch of your body intimately.”
She felt her body respond immediately. “Sounds like a good plan to me.”
chapter
12
“TOMORROW’S CHRISTMAS EVE, Cole, and I haven’t had a nightmare since we ran into Maia in the restaurant.” Jase shoveled scrambled eggs onto his plate and scooped up bacon to go along with it. “If the doc is a vegetarian, why is she all gung ho to cook us a turkey?”
“You’ll have to ask her that.”
“Have you had nightmares since we met Maia?”
Cole nodded. “Yeah. But they don’t last long.”
Jase paused in his frantic eating to look up at his brother. “If the tree really bothers you, Cole, I’ll help you take it down. The doc will understand.”
“No, the tree stays up. I can get through the night, Jase. I like the tree.”
“I do too,” the boy said, relieved. “I kind of like the whole Christmas thing. The doc makes it feel different. I’m not sure why, but she makes everything so fun.”
“On Christmases past, I always felt an outsider looking in,” Cole said.
Jase blinked and swallowed quickly. “That’s it! That’s how I always felt. Sometimes you’re smart, Cole.”
“Thanks, Jase.” A trace of humor showed in Cole’s eyes.
“You’re welcome.” Jase leaned his chin into his palm as he thoughtfully chewed a mouthful of food. “I’ve been giving a lot of thought to this, Cole. I think we should keep her. We need to keep the doc.”
Cole’s mouth twitched in an odd approximation of a smile. “Keep her? As in lock her up? I don’t know that she’d be too happy with that, Jase.”
Jase flashed an exasperated frown. “Do I have to spell it out for you? You need a wife. You really do. And I need a mom, and the doc is perfect for us, so ask her to marry you.”
“You’ve been thinking about this for all of what? Five minutes? What exactly are we offering her, Jase?”