Santa in a Stetson (10 page)

She pulled out her phone and glanced at the caller ID. “Hi, Melanie. Has there been official word yet?”

“No.” In a hushed voice she said, “I'm calling because this gorgeous—and I mean
gorgeous as in the extreme
—guy came over to the desk asking for you. I told him to stroll around and look at the exhibits while I tried to reach you.”

Only one male on Earth fit that description, but he didn't venture outside his mountain kingdom unless it was a dire emergency.

Since Melanie was a twenty-year-old college student working for them part-time and a natural flirt, Kathryn could forgive her for the over-the-top exaggeration. “What's his name?”

“He said to tell you he was from the Circle B, but if you weren't available, he'd be back later.”

Kathryn clutched the phone against her chest, hardly able to breathe. When she could find the words she said, “Tell him to wait for me. I'll be right down.” She clicked off before Melanie could ask questions Kathryn had no intention of answering.

Right now her curiosity was on the verge of exploding, but she didn't have time to ponder his reason for being here. The fact that he knew where to come looking for her meant he'd talked in-depth with his daughter. All Kathryn could do was fly to the bedroom and change out of the work clothes she'd worn to Renaissance House.

Colt had only seen her in pants, so she donned a three-piece Pendleton wool suit in rich plum and slipped on her black dolly-pointed kidskin pumps. She put gold studs in her ears, then ran a brush through her hair. It had a natural wave and hung loose from a side part. A light spray of Fleurs d'Elle mist and she was ready. For
what
exactly she didn't know.

Maybe he'd brought the twins with him. Her pulse raced all the way to the plaza foyer. At the moment the only thing that mattered to her was that he'd either flown or driven to Salt Lake and had sought her out.

Slow down, Kathryn. Walk, don't run to him.

Reflecting back to her mid-teens, she'd always been the one to run from men who wanted a relationship with her. Yet a relationship was the last thing Colton Brenner had on his mind. He hadn't come here to pursue her. Far from it.

Your fantasizing days are over. Remember?

By the time she entered her workplace, she'd come to
her senses and could handle the sight of him standing at the counter, being chatted up by her staff. In his Stetson and black bomber jacket, every eye in the room, male or female, was riveted on him.

Gorgeous in the extreme,
Melanie had said because there were no words, in any language, that came close to truly defining him.

She knew the moment he saw her. His head reared back like a Thoroughbred stallion's. He stepped away from the counter and started his long-legged stride toward her. As she saw him in the flesh once more, an unbidden thrill of excitement went through her.

“Hello, Colt.” She rejoiced that her voice sounded so steady.

“Kathryn,” he murmured. Not Katy. That meant he'd read her full name in the brochure and had chosen to use it.

Taking the initiative, she extended her hand. It got lost in his strong one.

“I hoped we might meet again one day, but didn't expect it to be this soon.” She searched the green gaze focused on her. “Is Allie all right? Matt?”

“That depends on your definition of all right.” His deep voice rumbled through her before he let go. “If you're talking about her physical condition, she's quite well thanks to you. So far, Matt hasn't come down with the flu.” His eyes unexpectedly glinted in amusement, making him irresistible.

Her mouth went dry. “Did you come to Salt Lake alone?”

He nodded. “I flew in a little while ago and took a
taxi here hoping to catch you before you left for the football game with your family.”

“I—I'm not going,” she stammered.

“Why not?”

“I'll show you.” She walked over to the screen with Whitney's picture. “This little girl has been missing for a week. Early this morning, a body was found up one of the canyons. My parents have gone to be with the girl's family while they await word from the police.”

She tried to swallow, but the lump in her throat made it close to impossible. “This is a very hard time for everyone associated with the foundation.”

“I think it must be hardest on you.”

The compassion in his eyes drove her to avert her head. He'd managed to zero in on the troubling thoughts she'd been entertaining earlier. “How long are you planning to be here, Colt?”

“As long as it takes to talk to you, but obviously this isn't a good time.”

To leave his children, she had to assume he wanted something specific from her.

“While we're in waiting mode, this is probably the best time. Have you eaten yet?”

“I had breakfast with the kids before I left.”

“That was several hours ago. Come to my condo and I'll feed you while you tell me what's on your mind. It's just across the lobby in the tower. If I'm needed, one of the girls at the desk will phone me.”

He studied her for a moment. “I don't believe you have a selfish bone in your body.”

“That's because you don't know me.”

They dodged a crowd of people shopping for Christ
mas and took the elevator to the penthouse. During the short ride, the warmth from his powerful body seeped into hers. She could smell the scent of the soap he'd used in the shower. Her awareness of him was so potent, it unnerved her.

When the door opened and she stepped into the foyer, she breathed more easily. “If you'll give me your coat, I'll hang it in the closet.”

Colt shrugged out of his jacket, then removed his hat and put it on the hall table.

She walked him through the elegant living room with its more traditional décor. “I'm sure you'd like to freshen up. Go down that hall. The guest bathroom is the first door on your left. When you want to find me, I'll be in the kitchen. It's beyond the dining room you can see from here.”

“Thank you. I'll try not to get lost,” he said in a wry tone.

Kathryn had cooked for Steve several times, but early on she'd realized her feelings for him tended to be sisterly. She'd never known the kind of excitement Colt engendered simply by being in the same room with him.

After washing her hands, she got busy frying bacon for the club sandwiches. He'd probably like soup and a salad, too. When he walked in and lounged against the wall looking fantastic in a white polo and jeans, she almost cut her finger while she was slicing the tomatoes.

“What can I do to help?”

She finished tossing the salad. “If you'll take the
plates into the dining room, I'll bring the coffee.” Kathryn discovered she had an appetite after all.

“The view's incredible from up here,” he said once they'd sat down at the table to eat. “Quite a change from Skwars Farm, Wisconsin.” On that note, he devoured three quarters of his sandwich in one go while she ate her soup.

“Allie must have an excellent memory to recall that detail.”

He eyed her over the rim of his coffee cup. “After being mesmerized by your extraordinary story, she wasn't bound to forget such an unusual name. The food's delicious, by the way.”

“Thank you.”

“I remember when you were found.”

Reminding her of that day changed the tone of their conversation. “Even up on your mountain?”

Colt finished off the last of his sandwich. “News like that has long legs.”

“I remember that day, too,” she teased in order not to break down. There were two kinds of
found.
Whitney's unknown fate haunted her.

“It was a stunning development, the kind no one could believe. I'll be honest and tell you that since Allie showed me the brochure, I've been incredulous she would have ended up being the recipient of Kathryn McFarland's exceptional kindness. What are the odds of that happening?”

“Probably as great as the odds of your lovely daughter getting on a bus to come to Salt Lake one dark winter night without your knowledge.”

His gaze sobered as it wandered over her features.
“What prompted you to take the time out from your heavy workload to accompany Allie all the way to Montana? If you performed that kind of service for everyone who needed help, there'd be nothing left of you.”

Once again, Colt had asked a question that hit at the core of her growing distress. “I could say that your daughter is an exceptional girl and a real charmer. Both descriptions are true. But now that you've prompted me to think about it, I have to admit I was driven by an underlying anger.”

He stopped munching on his salad. “Anger?”

Without realizing it, she'd crushed the paper napkin in her fist. “I have a lot of it inside me, Colt. When I first saw Allie lying there and went through her clothes looking for clues, I could see she came from a wonderful home. Everything about her screamed excellent health. She was well cared for.”

Kathryn warmed to her subject. “It was obvious she'd been given every advantage in life. Once she spoke to me, she displayed good manners. In fact, she was so different from most of the troubled teens who end up at Renaissance House, I wanted to shake her for causing the most wonderful father in the world in her opinion so much grief. I knew you had to be in hell.”

Their eyes met in silent understanding. To her chagrin, her lids began to prickle as emotion swamped her. “At her age I would have given anything on Earth to know my parents and swore that if I were ever united with them, I'd never leave their sight.

“I'd been told that my great-aunt Marie Buric had brought me to Skwars Farm because her grandson and his wife had abandoned me. After she died, her daughter
Olga took care of me until she died. From then on I was passed around the farming families. For years I prayed my parents would come and get me. I had no idea I'd been kidnapped by strangers and my real parents were looking for me. To have a home, an identity—you can't imagine what it's like not to have those things. But getting back to your question, I suppose a part of me felt compelled to see Allie home safely and
make
her realize how blessed she was to belong to you.”

Colt's hand covered her fist clutching the napkin. “Thank God for you, Kathryn.” His heartfelt touch filled her with warmth.

“Thank my remarkable parents.” She put her other hand on top of his for a moment and squeezed gently before easing both away. “Their money started the foundation. They gave me this beautiful penthouse, paid my tuition so I could become a nurse. Without the patient advocacy program they set up, I would never have been called in on Allie's case. I'll never be able to repay them for giving me my life.” Her voice shook as she spoke.

He sat forward, studying her with eyes so alive and green that she couldn't tear her own gaze away. “Don't you know that being united with their beautiful daughter was all the payment they could ever want? You're not a parent, but I am. Last Friday night when I couldn't find Allie, I had a brief taste of their terror. I never want to go through that again.”

“No,” she whispered.

“Your honesty has given me deeper insight into my daughter's soul. The powerful emotions that drove you all those years are driving my daughter. Though Matt's not vocal about it, both children need answers about the
mother who abandoned them. What worries me is that without them, Allie's going to be stunted in ways I don't want to think about.”

Kathryn stared at him. “You can't provide the answers?”

“After I got home from taking you to the airport, I sat down with the twins and told them as much truth as I felt they could handle. It's something I should have done years ago. My grandmother warned me that if I didn't explain things as soon as they could understand, there'd be repercussions.”

A shadow darkened his eyes. “Considering Allie's behavior, my grandmother was a prophetess. Too late after the fact, the children now know their mother hated the ranch, hated being under my grandparents' thumb and hated me most of all for taking her away from the money and glitter of big-city life. Unfortunately that explanation isn't enough for Allie. She still wants to find her mother.”

“Is that an impossibility?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. The twins were in the hospital a month. She never went in to hold or feed them. When I finally brought them home, she took off for long periods. After they'd been home a week, she went out one day and never returned. I knew she'd planned to leave me, so I can't say I was surprised.”

Kathryn groaned. “Allie told me that prior to your marriage Natalie had been raised by her aunt and uncle in Salt Lake. Would she have gone there?”

Colt's eyes turned to flint. “No. During one of our fights, she admitted that her aunt and uncle were a tale of fiction. There was no Beehive Motel, but by that time
I'd figured as much because she never wanted to travel to Salt Lake to see them. It all came out that she'd lived in one foster home after another until she got a job in Las Vegas, where we met.”

“Oh, Colt…”

“That's what you get for marrying a woman after only knowing her two weeks.”

Two weeks?
A stab of pain went through her. Colt had to have been besotted.

“Perhaps now you can understand why early on I maintained the story that she'd grown up in Salt Lake. I couldn't bring myself to tell the children their father's immaturity and poor lack of judgment had doomed them to a motherless existence. When you phoned me, I was horrified to think Allie had gone there on a wild-goose chase.”

“It's only natural you wanted to protect them.”

“Don't try to make it better, Kathryn, because you can't. I take full responsibility for being too drunk on the rodeo life to pay attention to what was really important until it was too late. The thing that alarms me now is that even though the twins know most of the truth, Allie's still wondering if Natalie might have been the object of foul play. In her mind, that would explain why she never came home that day.”