Читать книгу Wedding at Cardwell Ranch - B.J. Daniels - Страница 11

Chapter Two

“Who’s that singing?” five-year-old Ford Cardwell asked as he and his father followed the sound.

Jackson Cardwell had parked the rental SUV down by his cousin Dana’s ranch house when they’d arrived, but finding no one at home, they’d headed up the hill toward the barn and the van parked in front of it.

“I have no idea, son,” Jackson said, but couldn’t help smiling. The voice was young and sweet, the song beautiful. “It sounds like an angel.”

“It is an angel,” Ford cried and pointed past the barn to the corrals.

The girl was about his son’s age, but while Ford had taken after the Cardwell side of the family with his dark hair and eyes, this child had pale blond hair and huge green eyes.

When she saw them, she smiled, exposing two deep dimples. Both children were adorable, but this little girl was hands down more angelic-looking and—Jackson would bet—acting than Ford.

She wore cowboy boots with a pale green-and-white-polka-dotted, one-piece, short jumpsuit that brought out the emerald-green of her eyes. Jackson saw that the girl was singing to several horses that had come up to the edge of the corral fence.

The girl finished the last of the lyrics before she seemed to notice them and came running over. “If you’re looking for my mother, she’s in the barn working.”

Next to him, Jackson saw that his son had apparently been struck dumb.

“I’m Nat,” the girl announced. “My name is really Natalie, though.” She shifted her gaze to the mute Ford. “Everyone calls me Nat, so you can if you want to.”

“This is my son, Ford.”

Nat eyed Ford for a moment before she stepped forward and took his hand. “Come on, Ford. You’ll probably want to see the rest of the animals. There are chickens and rabbits and several mules along with all the horses. Don’t worry,” she added before Jackson could voice his concern. “We won’t get too close. We’ll just pet them through the corral fence and feed the horses apples. It’s okay. Mrs. Savage showed me how.”

“Don’t go far,” Jackson said as the precocious Nat led his son toward several low-slung buildings. The girl was busy talking as they left. Ford, as far as Jackson could tell, hadn’t uttered a word yet.

As he turned back toward the barn, he saw the logo on the side of the van: Weddings by Allie Knight. The logo looked old as did the van.

The girl had said her mother was working in the barn. That must be where the wedding was going to be held. His brother Tag had mentioned something about his wedding to Lily McCabe being very Western.

“You mean like Texas meets Montana?” Jackson had joked.

“Something like that. Don’t worry. You’ll feel right at home.”

His brother’s wedding wasn’t what had him worried. After talking to Tag for a few moments on the phone, he’d known his brother had fallen head over heels for Lily. He was happy for him.

No, what worried Jackson was nailing down the last of the plans before the wedding for the opening of a Texas Boys Barbecue joint in Big Sky, Montana. He had hoped that all of the brothers would be here by now. Laramie and Austin hadn’t even flown up to see the space Tag had found, let alone signed off on the deal.

From the time the five brothers had opened their first restaurant in an old house in Houston, they’d sworn they would never venture outside of Texas with their barbecue. Even as their business had grown and they’d opened more restaurants and finally started their own franchise, they had stayed in the state where they’d been raised.

Jackson understood why Tag wanted to open one here. But he feared it had nothing to do with business and everything to do with love and not wanting to leave Montana, where they had all been born.

Before the wedding had seemed the perfect time for all of them to get together and finalize the deal. Hayes had come here last month to see if the restaurant was even feasible. Unfortunately, Hayes had gotten sidetracked, so now it was up to the rest of them to make sure Tag was doing the best thing for the business—and before the wedding, which was only four days away.

He hoped all his brothers arrived soon so they could get this over with. They led such busy lives in Texas that they hardly ever saw each other. Tag had said on the phone he was anxious to show him the building he’d found for the new restaurant. Tag and Hayes had already made arrangements to buy the building without the final okay from the other brothers, something else that made Jackson nervous.

Jackson didn’t want this move to cause problems among the five of them. So his mind was miles away as he started to step into the dim darkness inside the barn.

The cool air inside was suddenly filled with a terrified scream. An instant later, a black cat streaked past him and out the barn door.

* * *

JACKSON RACED INTO the barn not sure what he was going to find. What he found was a blond-haired woman who shared a striking resemblance to the little girl who’d been singing outside by the corrals.

While Nat had been angelic, this woman was as beautiful as any he’d ever seen. Her long, straight, blond hair was the color of sunshine. It rippled down her slim back. Her eyes, a tantalizing emerald-green, were huge with fear in a face that could stop traffic.

She stood against the barn wall, a box of wedding decorations open at her feet. Her eyes widened in even more alarm when she saw him. She threw a hand over her mouth, cutting off the scream.

“Are you all right?” he asked. She didn’t appear to be hurt, just scared. No, not scared, terrified. Had she seen a mouse? Or maybe something larger? In Texas it might have been an armadillo. He wasn’t sure what kind of critters they had this far north, but something had definitely set her off.

“It was nothing,” she said, removing her hand from her mouth. Some of the color slowly returned to her face but he could see that she was still trembling.

“It was something,” he assured her.

She shook her head and ventured a look at the large box of decorations at her feet. The lid had been thrown to the side, some of the decorations spilling onto the floor.

He laughed. “Let me guess. That black cat I just saw hightailing it out of here... I’m betting he came out of that box.”

Her eyes widened further. “You saw it?”

“Raced right past me.” He laughed. “You didn’t think you imagined it, did you?”

“It happened so fast. I couldn’t be sure.”

“Must have given you quite a fright.”

She let out a nervous laugh and tried to smile, exposing deep dimples. He understood now why his son had gone mute. He felt the same way looking at Natalie’s mother. There was an innocence about her, a vulnerability that would make a man feel protective.

Just the thought made him balk. He’d fallen once and wasn’t about to get lured into that trap again. Not that there was any chance of that happening. In a few days he would be on a plane back to Texas with his son.

“You know cats,” he said, just being polite. “They’ll climb into just about anything. They’re attracted by pretty things.” Just like some cowboys. Not him, though.

“Yes,” she said, but didn’t sound convinced as she stepped away from the box. She didn’t look all that steady on her feet. He started to reach out to her, but stopped himself as she found her footing.

He couldn’t help noticing that her eyes were a darker shade of green than her daughter’s. “Just a cat. A black one at that,” he said, wondering why he felt the need to fill the silence. “You aren’t superstitious, are you?”

She shook her head and those emerald eyes brightened. That with the color returning to her cheeks made her even more striking.

This was how he’d fallen for Ford’s mother—a pretty face and what had seemed like a sweet disposition in a woman who’d needed him—and look how that had turned out. No, it took more than a pretty face to turn his head after the beating he’d taken from the last one.

“You must be one of Tag’s brothers,” she said as she wiped her palms on her jeans before extending a hand. Along with jeans, she wore a checked navy shirt, the sleeves rolled up, and cowboy boots. “I’m Allie Taylor, the wedding planner.”

Jackson quickly removed his hat, wondering where he’d left his manners. His mother had raised him better than this. But even as he started to shake her hand, he felt himself hesitate as if he were afraid to touch her.

Ridiculous, he thought as he grasped her small, ice-cold hand in his larger, much warmer one. “Jackson Cardwell. I saw your van outside. But I thought the name on the side—”

“Taylor is my married name.” When his gaze went to her empty ring finger, she quickly added, “I’m a widow.” She pulled back her hand to rub the spot where her wedding band had resided not that long ago. There was a thin, white line indicating that she hadn’t been widowed long. Or she hadn’t taken the band off until recently.

“I believe I met your daughter as my son and I were coming in. Natalie?”

“Yes, my baby girl.” Her dimpled smile told him everything he needed to know about her relationship with her daughter. He knew that smile and suspected he had one much like it when he talked about Ford.

He felt himself relax a little. There was nothing dangerous about this woman. She was a single parent, just like him. Only she’d lost her husband and he wished he could get rid of his ex indefinitely.

“Your daughter took my son to see the horses. I should probably check on him.”

“Don’t worry. Nat has a healthy respect for the horses and knows the rules. Also Warren Fitzpatrick, their hired man, is never far away. He’s Dana’s semi-retired ranch manager. She says he’s a fixture around here and loves the kids. That seems to be his job now, to make sure the kids are safe. Not that there aren’t others on the ranch watching out for them, as well. Sorry, I talk too much when I’m...nervous.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I want this wedding to be perfect.”

He could tell she was still shaken by the black cat episode. “My brother Tag mentioned that Dana and the kids had almost been killed by some crazy woman. It’s good she has someone she trusts keeping an eye on the children, even with everyone else on the ranch watching out for them. Don’t worry,” he said, looking around the barn. “I’m sure the wedding will be perfect.”

The barn was huge and yet this felt almost too intimate standing here talking to her. “I was just about to get Ford and go down to the house. Dana told me she was baking a huge batch of chocolate chip cookies and to help ourselves. I believe she said there would also be homemade lemonade when we got here.”

Allie smiled and he realized she’d thought it was an invitation. “I really need to get these decorations—”

“Sorry. I’m keeping you from your work.” He took a step back. “Those decorations aren’t going to put themselves up.”

She looked as if she wasn’t so sure of that. The cat had definitely put a scare into her, he thought. She didn’t seem sure of anything right now. Allie looked again at the box of decorations, no doubt imagining the cat flying out of it at her.

Glancing at her watch, she said, “Oh, I didn’t realize it was so late. Nat and I are meeting a friend for lunch. We need to get going.”

Jackson was suddenly aware that he’d been holding his hat since shaking Allie’s hand. He quickly put it back on as they walked out of the barn door into the bright sunshine. “My son is quite taken with your daughter,” he said, again feeling an unusual need to fill the silence.

“How old is he?”

“Ford’s five.”

“Same age as Nat.”

As they emerged into the beautiful late-June day, Jackson saw the two children and waved. As they came running, Nat was chattering away and Ford was hanging on her every word.

“They do seem to have hit it off.” Allie sounded surprised and pleased. “Nat’s had a hard time lately. I’m glad to see her making a new friend.”

Jackson could see that Allie Taylor had been having a hard time, as well. He realized she must have loved her husband very much. He knew he should say something, but for the life of him he couldn’t think of what. He couldn’t even imagine a happy marriage. As a vehicle came roaring up the road, they both turned, the moment lost.

“Hey, bro,” Tanner “Tag” Cardwell called from the rolled down window of his pickup as he swung into the ranch yard. “I see you made it,” he said, getting out to come over and shake his brother’s hand before he pulled Jackson into a hug. Tag glanced over at Ford and Natalie and added with a laugh, “Like father like son. If there’s a pretty female around, you two will find them.”

Jackson shook his head. That had been true when he’d met Ford’s mother. But since the divorce and the custody battle, he’d been too busy single-handedly raising his son to even think about women. That’s why red flags had gone up when he’d met Allie. There was something about her that had pulled at him, something more than her obvious beauty.

“Dana’s right behind me with the kids,” Tag said. “Why don’t I show you and Ford to your cabin, then you can meet everyone.” He pointed up in the pines that covered the mountainside. “Let’s grab your bags. It’s just a short walk.”

Jackson turned to say goodbye to Allie, but she and her daughter had already headed for the old van.

* * *

“COME ON, NAT, we’re meeting Belinda for lunch,” Allie said as the Cardwell men headed for the cabins on the mountain behind the barn. Working here had been a godsend. Nat was having a wonderful time. She loved Dana’s children. Hank was a year older than Nat, with Mary being the same age. Dana’s twin boys, Angus and Brick, were just over a year and her sister Stacy’s daughter, Ella, was a year and a half. Dana had her hands full but Stacy helped out with the younger ones. All of them loved the animals, especially the horses.

True to her word, Dana had made sure Nat had begun her horseback riding lessons. Nat was a natural, Dana had said, and Allie could see it was true.

Their few days here so far had been perfect.

Until the cat, there hadn’t been any other incidents.

Her friend Belinda Andrews was waiting for them at a little Mexican food place near Meadow Village at Big Sky. While other friends had gone by the wayside since she’d married Nick six years ago, Belinda hadn’t let Nick run her off. Allie suspected that, like her, she didn’t have a lot of friends and Nick, while he’d made it clear he didn’t like Belinda, had grudgingly put up with her the times they’d crossed paths.

“I hope we didn’t keep you waiting,” Allie said as she and Nat met Belinda on the patio. “You didn’t have any trouble getting off work for the wedding shoot?” Belinda worked for a local photographer, but freelanced weddings. It was how they’d met back when Allie had her own wedding planning business.

Belinda grinned. “All set for the Tag Cardwell and Lily McCabe wedding. I took Dana up on her offer. I’m moving into one of the guest cabins later today!”

Allie wasn’t all that surprised. Dana had offered her a cabin, as well, while she was preparing everything for the wedding. But since she lived just down the highway a few miles, Allie thought it best to remain at home for Nat’s sake. Her daughter had had enough changes in her life recently.

“You really are excited about this,” Allie said, noticing how nice Belinda looked. Her friend was dressed in a crop top and cut-off jeans, her skin tanned. Her dark hair was piled haphazardly up on her head, silver dangly earrings tinkled from her earlobes and, while she looked makeup free, Allie could tell she wasn’t.

Belinda looked enchanting, a trick Allie wished she could pull off, she thought. On the way here, she’d pulled her hair up in a ponytail and even though she’d showered this morning, she’d forgone makeup. Nick was always suspicious when she wore it when he wasn’t around so she’d gotten out of the habit.

Inside the café, Nat asked if she could play in the nearby area for kids and Allie said she could as long as she didn’t argue about coming back to eat when her meal came.

“You look...pale,” Belinda said, studying her after they were seated outside on the patio under an umbrella so they could see Nat. “You haven’t had anymore of those...incidents, have you?”

Allie almost laughed at that. “I just need to get more sun,” she said and picked up her menu to hide behind.

“I know you too well,” Belinda said, dragging down the menu so she could look into her eyes. “What’s happened now?”

“A black cat jumped out of one of my decoration boxes and scared me just before I came over here. And guess what? Someone else saw it.” So there, she wanted to say, I don’t need my head examined.

Belinda nodded, studying her. “A black cat?”

“Yes, a black cat and I didn’t imagine it. One of the Cardwell brothers saw it, as well.” She couldn’t even voice how much of a relief that had been.

“That’s all that’s happened?”

“That’s it.” She had to look down at the menu to pull off the lie and was just glad when Belinda didn’t question her further. She hadn’t told anyone about the shredded dresses from her closet or the new clothes she’d taken back. The sales associate hadn’t remembered her, but said the afternoon when the clothing was purchased had been a busy one. None of the other sales associates remembered her, but agreed they’d been too busy to say for sure. She’d ended up keeping two of the outfits to wear while working the rehearsal dinner and the wedding.

“I already moved some of my things into the cabin,” Belinda said.

Allie couldn’t help being surprised. “Already? Why didn’t you stop by the barn and say hello?” Allie had suggested Belinda as the wedding photographer and felt responsible and anxious since this was her first wedding in five years.

“You were busy,” her friend said. “We can’t keep each other from our jobs, right?”

“Right.” She loved that Belinda understood that. In truth, Allie had been hesitant to suggest her friend. She didn’t want to have to worry about Belinda, not with everything else that she had going on in her life right now. While her friend was a great photographer, sometimes she got sidetracked if a handsome man was around. But when she’d broached the subject with the bride-to-be, Lily had been delighted that it was one other thing she didn’t have to worry about.

Dana had been kind enough to offer Belinda a cabin on the ranch for the five-day affair. “It will make it easier for you to get great shots if you’re staying up here and experiencing all the wedding festivities,” Dana had said. “And any friend of Allie’s is a friend of ours.”

She and Belinda had been friends since grade school. Lately they hadn’t been as close, probably Allie’s fault. Belinda was in between men right now, and much wilder, freer and more outspoken than Allie had ever been. But Belinda didn’t have a five-year-old daughter, either.

“You have no idea what this means to me,” Belinda said now. “I’ve been dying to photograph a Western wedding for my portfolio.”

“Your portfolio?”

Belinda looked embarrassed as if she’d let the cat out of the bag, so to speak. “I’m thinking about opening my own studio.”

“That’s great.” Allie was happy for her friend, although she’d wondered if Belinda had come into some money because it wouldn’t be cheap and as far as she knew Belinda lived from paycheck to paycheck like everyone else she knew.

The waitress came and took their orders. A light breeze stirred the new leaves on the nearby trees. The smell of summer mixed with that of corn tortillas, the most wonderful smell of all, Allie thought. They sipped Mexican Cokes, munched on chips and salsa to the sound of Latin music playing in the background and Allie felt herself begin to relax.

“I wasn’t going to bring this up,” Belinda said, “but you know that psychic that I’ve seen off and on?”

Allie fought not to roll her eyes.

“I know you say you don’t believe in this stuff, but she said something interesting when I mentioned you.”

“You told her about me?” Allie hadn’t meant for her voice to rise so high. Her daughter looked over. She smiled at Nat and quickly changed her tone. “I really don’t want you talking to anyone about me, let alone a...” She tried to come up with a word other than charlatan.

Belinda leaned forward, unfazed. “She thinks what’s happening to you is because of guilt. Simply put, you feel guilty and it is manifesting itself into these...incidents.”

Allie stared at her. Leave it to Belinda to get right to the heart of it.

Her friend lowered her voice as if afraid Nat might be listening. “It makes sense, if you think about it. Nick didn’t know you were—” she glanced at Nat “—leaving him and going to file for custody of you-know-who, but you did know your plan. Then he goes and gets himself...” She grimaced in place of the word killed. “Something like that has to mess with your mind.”

“Yes, losing your husband does mess with your mind no matter what kind of marriage you had.” Fortunately, the waitress brought their food. Allie called Nat up to the table and, for a few moments, they ate in silence.

“The thing is...” Belinda said between bites.

“Can’t we just enjoy our meal?” Allie pleaded.

Her friend waved that suggestion away, but didn’t say more until they had finished and Nat had gone back to the play area.

“The psychic thinks there is more to it,” Belinda said. “What if Nick knew about your...plan?”

“What are you saying?”

“Come on. You’ve been over Nick for a long time. His death wouldn’t make you crazy—”

“I’m not crazy,” she protested weakly.

“But what if he did know or at least suspected? Come on, Allie. We both know it was so not like Nick to go hunting up into the mountains alone, knowing that the grizzlies were eating everything they could get their paws on before hibernation.” She didn’t seem to notice Allie wince. “Didn’t the ranger say Nick had food in his backpack?”

“He didn’t take food to attract a bear, if that’s what you’re saying. He planned to stay a few days so of course he had food in his backpack.”

“I’m not trying to upset you. But if he went up there to end it all, that was his choice. You can’t go crazy because you feel guilty.”

Her stomach turned at the thought of the backpack she’d been asked to identify. It had been shredded by the grizzly’s claws. She’d been horrified to think of what the bear had done to Nick. She would never forget the officer who’d brought her the news.

“From what we’ve been able to assess at the scene, your husband was attacked by a grizzly and given the tracks and other signs—”

“Signs?”

“Blood, ma’am.”

She’d had to sit down. “You’re telling me he’s...dead?”

“It certainly looks that way,” the ranger said. Four days later, the search for Nick Taylor was called off because a winter storm had come in and it was believed that there was little chance he could have survived such an attack without immediate medical attention.

“Nick wouldn’t,” she managed to say now. In her heart of hearts, the man she knew so well, the man she’d been married to for more than six years, wouldn’t purposely go into the woods with a plan to be killed by a grizzly.

But Nick had always been unpredictable. Moody and often depressed, too. The construction business hadn’t been doing well even before Nick’s death. What would he have done if he’d known she was leaving him and taking his daughter? Hadn’t she been suspicious when Nick told her of his plan to go hunting alone? She’d actually thought he might be having an affair and wanted to spend a few days with his mistress. She’d actually hoped that was the case.

“You’re going by yourself?” she’d asked. Nick couldn’t even watch football by himself.

“I know things haven’t been great with us lately,” he’d said. That alone had surprised her. She really thought Nick hadn’t noticed or cared. “I think a few days apart is just what we both need. I can tell you aren’t happy. I promise you there will be changes when I get back and maybe I’ll even come home with a nice buck.” He’d cupped her face in his hands. “I don’t think you know what you mean to me, but I promise to show you when I get back.” He’d kissed her then, softly, sweetly, and for a moment, she’d wondered if Nick could change.

“You’re wrong about Nick,” she said now to Belinda. “If he was going to end it, he would have chosen the least painful way to do it. Not one—” she looked at Nat, who was swinging nearby, humming to herself and seemingly oblivious to their conversation “—that chose him. He had a gun with him he could have used.”

“Maybe he didn’t get the chance, but you’re probably right,” Belinda said and grabbed the check. “Let me get this. I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just that you need to get a handle on whatever’s been going on with you for you-know-who’s sake.” She cut her eyes to Nat, who headed toward them as they stood to leave.

“You’re right about the guilt, though,” Allie said, giving her friend that. She’d known as she’d watched Nick leave that day to go up into the mountains that nothing could change him enough to make her stay. She was going to ask him for a divorce when he came back.

Belinda changed the subject. “I saw your brother-in-law, Drew, earlier on the ranch.”

Allie nodded. “He mentioned he was working up there. His construction company built the guest cabins.”

“I’d forgotten that.” Belinda frowned. “I was talking to Lily about photos at the rehearsal dinner. Did you know that Sarah is one of her bridesmaids?”

“My sister-in-law worked with Lily one season at her brother James’s Canyon Bar.” Allie had the impression that Lily didn’t have a lot of female friends. Most of the math professors she knew were male, apparently. “I think James feels sorry for Sarah and you know Lily, she is so sweet.”

“I have to hand it to Sarah, putting up with her mother day in and day out,” Belinda said.

Allie didn’t want to think about it. Along with fewer incidents the past few days, she’d also been blessed with no visits from her mother-in-law and Sarah.

“Sarah’s a saint, especially—” Belinda lowered her voice “—the way Mildred treats her. She is constantly bugging her about her weight and how she is never going to get a husband... It’s awful.”

Allie agreed.

“I don’t understand why she doesn’t leave.”

“Where would she go and what would she do?” Allie said. “Sarah was in college when Mildred broke her leg. She quit to come home and take care of her mother. Mildred has milked it ever since. It used to annoy Nick, Sarah living in the guesthouse. He thought Sarah was taking advantage of his mother.”

“Ha, it’s the other way around. Sarah is on twenty-four-hour call. She told me that her mother got her out of bed at 2:00 a.m. one time to heat her some milk because she couldn’t sleep. I would have put a pillow over the old nag’s face.”

Allie laughed and changed the subject. “You look especially nice today,” she commented, realizing that her friend had seemed happier lately. It dawned on her why. “There’s someone new in your life.”

Belinda shrugged. She didn’t like to talk about the men she dated because she thought it would jinx things for her. Not talking about them didn’t seem to work, either, though. Belinda was so superstitious. Why else would she see a psychic to find out her future?

“This is going to be so much fun, the two of us working together again. Don’t worry. I won’t get in your way.” Belinda took her hand. “I’m sorry I upset you. Sometimes I don’t have the brains God gave a rock.”

She didn’t think that was the way the expression went, but said nothing. Belinda could be so...annoying and yet so sweet. Allie didn’t know what she would have done without her the past few years. Belinda had been the only person she would talk freely to about Nick and the trouble between them.

“I’m just worried about you, honey,” Belinda said, squeezing her hand. “I really think you should see someone—”

“I don’t need a shrink.”

“Not a shrink. Someone more...spiritual who can help you make sense of the things that you say keep happening.”

“Things do keep happening,” she snapped. “I’m not making them up.”

“So talk to this woman,” Belinda said just as adamantly. She pressed a business card into Allie’s hand.

She glanced at it and groaned. “Your psychic friend?”

“She might be the only person who can help you,” Belinda said cryptically. She gripped Allie’s hand tighter. “She says she can get you in touch with Nick so you can get past this.”

Allie stared at her for a moment before laughing out loud. “You have got to be kidding. What does she use? A Ouija board?”

“Don’t laugh. This woman can tell you things that will make the hair on your head stand straight up.”

That’s all I need, she thought, reminded of Jackson Cardwell asking her if she was superstitious.

“Call her,” Belinda said, closing Allie’s fingers around the woman’s business card. “You need closure, Allie. This woman can give it to you. She’s expecting your call.”

“I’ve been expecting your call, as well,” said a sharp, older voice.

They both turned to see Mildred and her daughter. From the looks on their faces, they’d been standing there for some time.