Love and Honor: The Coltrane Saga, Book 7 (23 page)

“She thinks I’m Travis…” Colt continued miserably. “She said to me, ‘Travis, please take me with you, because I don’t want to go on living here without you.’” A tear slid from the corner of his eye and rolled slowly down his cheek. Then he looked down at Jade. An invisible hand seemed to pass over his face, changing his expression of grief to one of anger. His eyes narrowed as, through clenched teeth, he asked, “Do you want to talk about Bryan Stevens?”

Jade stood and walked to the window. She stared out unseeingly and held. her hands together to keep them from shaking. “I…I don’t know what to say. It’s such a shock to realize that he’s alive, and married to Lita Tulane—the father of the girl Travis is in love with.”

“That,” Colt growled, his fists clenched, “will end immediately! I won’t have my son bringing a member of that bastard’s family into mine!”

Jade stifled a sigh of relief. She would be spared having to explain the real reason for her own opposition to the match. “You know we agreed never to tell Travis or Kit the details of that horrible time. They’ve never heard about Bryan Stevens, and Travis is not going to understand why we feel as we do about Valerie.”

“Well, this is one time he’s going to have to obey without questions.” Colt went and put his arms around her. “Stevens is not going to bother you. I swear it.”

Jade could not shake her terror. “To think that he’s alive, after all these years! I don’t understand how he could have survived.”

“That isn’t important, Jade. Forget about it. Forget him.”

‘‘I can’t…”

“You’ve got to, dammit!” Colt spun her around roughly, his fingers digging into her shoulders. He glared at her with burning eyes. “I can understand your shock, Jade, but why do you have to dwell on it? Bryan Stevens has nothing to do with us or our lives. If he’s living in New York, so be it. We’ll make sure our paths don’t cross, and if they do, I’ll let him know that he’d better leave us alone. There’s just no reason for you to stay so upset about this. I need you. The whole family needs you. Now please, get hold of yourself.”

Jade closed her eyes and breathed a silent prayer for strength. She knew that she would have to bear alone the unspeakable horror of having her worst fears come true. Taking a deep, ragged breath, she forced herself to look up at Colt. “You’re right,” she whispered. “I’m being foolish. He might as well be dead, because he has no place in our world. It’s time I came back to ours…where I’m needed.”

“Kit, wake up!”

Startled to realize that she had fallen asleep during her night’s vigil, Kit opened bleary eyes to find Marilee shaking her awake. “What is it? What’s wrong?” she asked, quickly checking on Kitty and sighing with relief that she was still alive.

“It’s him,” Marilee whispered, her face glowing with excitement.

Kit shook her head. “Him? Who are you talking about?”

“Kurt Tanner. He’s downstairs—asking for you!” And in that moment, despite the sadness that pervaded her world, Kit felt a rush of inexpressible joy.

Chapter Twenty-Two

He was waiting in the parlor. Kit had quickly changed into a silk dressing robe, but there was no time to put any finishing touches on her appearance. She entered the parlor, the mellow morning sunshine spilling through the long, cathedral windows, and was immediately struck by how handsome he looked despite the ruggedness of his dress—leather coat, denim trousers, scuffed boots. His hair was tousled, and her fingers ached to brush back the dark curls that tumbled onto his forehead. He was watching her intently as she approached. Suddenly, impulsively, she rushed across the room to fling herself into his strong arms.

Holding her tightly against his chest, he touched his lips to her forehead. “I hope I’m not intruding, but I had to come. It took some doing, but I managed to find out where you and your family were staying. I wanted see how your grandmother is…and how you are,” he added tenderly. Kit drew back to smile at him gratefully, then took his hand and led him to a settee in front of the crackling fire.

Kurt listened quietly as she told him about Kitty. When she’d finished with the doctor’s gloomy prognosis, he said, “I’ll do anything I can. I’ve got to leave for New York today, and Spain next week, but if there’s anything I can do, just tell me.”

Kit thanked him with her eyes. Then she said, “If she makes it, she’ll need a lot of rest before she can travel, so I don’t know when I’ll get back to New York, much less to Spain.”

He was silent for a moment, then he voiced the concern that had been bothering him. “What about Pegasus? You can’t leave him in a stable indefinitely, Kit. A horse like that needs open land, where he can run. You’ll ruin him by keeping him confined without exercise.”

Kit was stung by the edge to his voice. “He’s taken for a ride every day,” she said defensively.

Kurt knew that, just as he knew everything about the stable where she’d boarded the Hispano he still considered his property. He’d made it his business to find out. Knowingly risking Kit’s anger, he said, “I’ll take him back to Spain with me. You’ve got enough to worry about here.”

“No,” she said as she slowly pulled from his embrace.

He did not want to argue, but he felt compelled to speak his mind. “I can’t let that horse suffer simply because you’re so stubborn, Kit. We both know that the only reason you brought him all the way over here was because you were afraid I’d claim him.”

“Isn’t that what you’re trying to do now?” Kit was worn out to the point of exhaustion. “You seem to forget that he’s my horse, and his welfare is my concern. Not yours!”

“Oh, Kit,” he groaned, getting up suddenly. Standing before the fireplace, he looked down at her reproachfully. “Why does it always have to be this way? Especially now? I didn’t come over here to argue with you.”

“Then why are you?” she coldly challenged him.

“I’m just thinking of the horse’s welfare. Besides, you know that he’s rightfully mine. You tricked me into a wager that was nothing but a joke, and made me look like a fool. That doesn’t even matter, though. The truth is, you’ve just got no business with an expensive animal like that. Do you have any idea what he’s worth? Did you even look at the bill of sale? Ten thousand dollars!”

Kit stood, fighting to hold her temper in check. “You signed the bill of sale over to me,” she reminded him curtly. “How dare you say I’ve got no business keeping him? Who are you to judge? I know plenty about horses, and—”

Kurt growled.

“I signed him over to you in the heat of the moment, and you know it. He’s never been your horse, and he never will be!”

Furious, Kit cried, “Then why did you pretend he was? What were you trying to prove?”

“Prove?” he echoed mockingly. “What was I trying to prove? Think about it, Kit. Be honest and admit that you were attracted to me the same as I was to you, only fighting over the horse kept getting in the way.”

Kit was astonished. “Do you mean that you only signed that bill of sale to…to patronize me?”

“Exactly.” He smiled confidently. “I was willing to do anything to make you realize that you wanted me.” He pulled her roughly against him and kissed her passionately.

“Why can’t you at least be honest with yourself?” he whispered.

For a moment, she could only stare up at him in shocked silence, stunned by his audacity. Then she could stand it no longer. She reached back, preparing to swing at him, but he caught both her wrists and pinned them behind her back, rendering her helpless.

“You bastard!” she raged. “You’ll never have me, and you’ll never have that horse! Now get out of here—”

Suddenly the parlor doors banged open loudly, and Kit turned her head to see her father storm into the room. “What the hell is going on here?” he roared. Then he saw the way Kurt was holding her, and, with a muttered curse, he headed straight for him with mayhem in his eyes.

Kurt released her at once. “I’m sorry, Mr. Coltrane. We had a slight misunderstanding.”

Kit rubbed her wrists, stifling her fury with difficulty. The last thing she wanted was for her father to get involved. “We had a disagreement,” she explained. “It’s nothing serious. I’m sorry I lost my temper.”

“Well, you picked a fine time! Your grandmother is upstairs on her deathbed, and you can be heard all over the house screaming like a trollop. And you, Tanner…” He directed his fury at him. “Do you make a habit of manhandling women?”

“Only when they’re trying to slap me,” Kurt informed him coolly.

“Somebody had better tell me what’s going on here, and be quick about it,” Colt said menacingly, looking from one to the other.

Kit shrugged nervously. “I told you. We had a little argument. I lost my temper, that’s all. I’m sorry.”

“Do I have to remind you that we are guests in the Buchers’ home, and you’re disgracing our family by acting like this?”

“It’s about the horse,” Kurt said wearily.

Kit glared at him. “I’ll handle this.”

Kurt shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I think your father’s got a right to know what provoked all this.” He turned to Colt. “The Hispano she brought from Spain is mine.”

Colt frowned. “She told me that she won him in a race.”

“She did, but at the time, she didn’t know the horse had been stolen from me by the man who made the wager.”

Colt stiffened with indignation. “Well, I can sympathize with your position, Mr. Tanner, if what you say is true. You should have come to me, however, not my daughter—and not now. So I’ll ask you to leave us. If you’ll contact me when we return to New York, we can discuss it then.” He walked to the doors to indicate that the matter was closed.

Kurt did not move. “I’m not going anywhere until you hear me out, because I’ll be damned if I’m going to be considered an insensitive clod who’d pick a time like this to claim a horse. The truth is, I care about your daughter, and I came here to let her know that. The horse has always been a sore subject with us, though, and I guess all the tension made us say some things we shouldn’t have. Isn’t that true, Kit?” He looked at her intently.

Kit raised her chin defiantly. If he had not taunted her, made a mockery of the way she’d begun to feel about him, she would have stood by him. Now, however, she was angrier than she could ever remember being in her whole life, and she wasn’t about to agree with him on anything.

“All right,” he said quietly, ominously, when her silence continued. “You leave me no choice.”

For an instant Kit was actually frightened, for his fury was palpable. Instinctively she moved farther away from him.

“I didn’t come here to claim the horse tonight. Kit has known for months that the horse was stolen from me, but she wouldn’t give him back. I kept hoping we could work things out. Then she made a wager of her own, and got me to agree that if she had the guts to play matador, she could keep him. I agreed, thinking she was bluffing. I never thought she’d do it, and I sure as hell had no way of knowing she’d been climbing in bullpens for years. In case you didn’t know, your daughter is quite an accomplished bullfighter,” he added with a wry grin.

Colt looked at Kit. “Is this true, Kit? Did he come to you after that race and tell you the horse had been stolen from him?”

Kit nodded mutely. Then she snapped at Kurt, “Are you satisfied? You agreed that the horse was mine, and now you’re reneging on our deal. You’re a scoundrel, and I hate you!”

To her surprise, Kurt shook his head and laughed. “No, you don’t, Kit. You’re just a spoiled brat, used to having your own way. Deep inside you care, and you know it.”

“That’s enough, Tanner!” Colt roared. “Get out! Now! Claim your damn horse in New York at the stable where Kit’s got him boarded, and then get the hell out of our lives!”

Horrified, Kit cried, “You can’t do that! It isn’t fair!”

“Maybe not, but it’s fair punishment for your tricking him into a wager you know you could win. I’m disappointed in you, Kit. Your mother is right,” he added tersely. “Maybe we should send you to Europe with Marilee for more schooling. I think you do need to learn how to act like a lady!”

Kit turned on Kurt, hot, angry tears streaming down her cheeks. “I hope you’re happy, damn you!”

“I didn’t want it to be this way,” Kurt said, shaking his head miserably.

Their eyes met and held—hers reflecting venomous hatred, his mirroring disappointment and regret.

Kit feared that he had not finished yet, that he’d even tell Colt about her buying the ranch. Her father would make sure she never returned to Spain! Dear God, that was the dream she clung to now, for it was the only one she had that wasn’t being destroyed. “Won’t you just go now?” she begged him “You’ve done enough damage for one day, don’t you think?”

Kurt knew what she was thinking. He wished he could assure her that he did not want to hurt her, but he knew she would not listen to anything he had to say. He went to the door, and looked Colt straight in the eye, not intimidated by the man’s furious expression. “I don’t even want the horse. Let her have it.”

“Claim the goddamn horse,” Colt growled. “Or so help me, I’ll have him destroyed. My family wants no part of ill-gotten gains.”

Seeing that he meant it, Kurt nodded, and walked out.

Kit started to leave the room, but Colt blocked her way. “You should be ashamed of yourself! I should have listened to your mother years ago when she said we needed to get you out of that environment—riding with vaqueros, fighting bulls!” he said contemptuously. “What else have you done that I don’t know about?”