“Speak for yourself, Doc,” Jase protested. “He doesn’t do a thing for me.”
“Come on, you two,” Cole said. “I’m letting you clean out the stalls while I feed the horses just for that, Jase,” he added.
Jase put his hand on his back and began groaning loudly as he followed them along the covered walkway to the stable.
Cole and Jase fed and watered the horses while Maia wandered around the stable, taking her time, trying to get a feel of the place. It was a beautiful structure, well lit and functional. The horse stalls were roomy, and each led to the wide ring in the center of the building where the horses could be exercised and worked in any kind of weather. Like everything else, the builders had spared no expense, and the setup was as good as it could get.
Maia leaned against the gate of a stall and talked softly to the occupant, waiting for the horse to come to her. She loved horses, loved the way they moved and the way they pressed their velvet noses into her palm when she murmured to them. They were always responsive. Most of the horses had memories of packing bundles along a mountain pathway to one of the larger buildings on the ranch. Two had memories of a young boy being beaten. The horse in the corner stall had vivid memories of being ridden hard, quartering the ground back and forth up in a mountainous area. A shudder ran through the horse when it recalled the sight of a mountain lion perched on a branch a distance away, the rifle burst, and the cat leaping to the ground and disappearing into heavy foliage.
“Are you picking up anything?” Cole asked curiously.
Maia nodded. “But I’m not certain what you’re looking for.”
“Landmarks, something I can use to identify the area they were in, rock formations, the type of trees, a mountainous area versus a valley or a meadow. We have a couple of thousand acres, and if we include the state and federal lands, we’re looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“I’ll try again, but I can’t direct them. I’m sort of a receiver.” She felt she was failing him. The information was obviously important.
Cole’s hand curled around the nape of her neck, his thumb sliding along her jaw. “Whatever you give me is more than I had to start with.”
“Give me a little more time with this one.” She indicated the horse in the corner stall.
Cole watched as she brushed the animal and spoke softly to it, spending another fifteen minutes lavishing attention on it. He waited to ask her about the images until after she had fed the mountain lion and checked it over thoroughly. She was mostly worried about infection. The cat stared at Cole and Jase the entire time, and they kept a good distance away at Maia’s insistence, but behind her back, Cole had a weapon out and ready if the animal made one wrong move toward Maia.
“I’m telling her,” Jase whispered, a grin on his face.
Cole shrugged. “She can learn to live with it,” he said, his jaw set in a stubborn line. “Someone has to look out for her.”
Maia stroked a hand through the cat’s fur before leaving it to rest, backing out of the shed. “The two of you look as if you’re up to some deep dark conspiracy.” The truth was, the lines etched so deep in Cole’s face were softening, and every once in a while a faint smile would appear. There were times he actually appeared at peace. Even Jase seemed more relaxed and laughed often.
Her heart gave a funny little lurch. She felt a part of them, as if they were all connected in some strange way. As if she belonged. Maia had to look away, tears burning in her eyes. It was ridiculous to be so involved so fast. She could only put it down to the intensity of the Steele brothers’ needs. The thought of leaving them was breaking her heart, so she just couldn’t think about it. She would have Christmas with them, and that would have to be enough.
“Whatever you’re thinking about, stop,” Cole instructed, his arm curving around her waist to draw her beneath his shoulder. “You looked so sad.” He put his other arm around Jase’s shoulders, pulling him closer as well. “I want you to help Maia inside with her baking. I’m expecting you to look after her, Jase.”
Maia glanced up at his face quickly. He was moving them both back toward the house at a brisk pace. A small spurt of fear burst through her. “What are you going to be doing?”
“Just looking around a little more. I need for you to tell me if you have any other details for me.” He reached past her to open the door to the mudroom.
Maia waited until they were back in the kitchen and she had control of her frantically beating heart. He wasn’t going to go looking around a little; he was going to bait a trap for a killer. She feared he was the bait.
“You’re shaking your head.” His tone was very gentle. “Does that mean you don’t have anything for me?”
“No, it means I don’t want you to do this. Go to the police.”
“I am the police.”