Читать книгу Diana Palmer Christmas Collection: The Rancher / Christmas Cowboy / A Man of Means / True Blue / Carrera's Bride / Will of Steel / Winter Roses - Diana Palmer - Страница 18

Maddie was on pins and needles Saturday morning. It was worrying enough to know that Cort and Odalie were coming back. She’d have to smile and pretend to be happy for them, even though her heart was breaking.

But also she was going to have to face the developer. She didn’t know what King Brannt had in mind to save her from him. She might have to go through with signing the contracts to ensure that her poor cattle weren’t infected. She hadn’t slept a wink.

She and Sadie had coffee and then Maddie wandered around the house in her wheelchair, making ruts.

“Will you relax?” Sadie said. “I know it’s going to be all right. You have to trust that Mr. Brannt knows what to do.”

“I hope so. My poor cattle!”

“Is that a car?”

Even as she spoke a car drove up in front of the house and stopped. “Mr. Lawson, no doubt. I hope he’s wearing body armor,” she muttered, and she wheeled her chair to the front porch.

But it wasn’t the developer. It was Odalie and Cort. They were grinning from ear to ear as they climbed out of his Jaguar and came to the porch.

Just what I need right now, Maddie thought miserably. But she put on a happy face. “You’re both home again. And I guess you have news?” she added. “I’m so happy for you.”

“For us?” Cort looked at Odalie and back at Maddie blankly. “Why?”

They followed her into the house. She turned the chair around and swallowed. “Well,” she began uneasily.

Odalie knew at once what she thought. She came forward. “No, it’s not like that,” she said quickly. “There was a doll collectors’ convention at the hotel where the cattlemen were meeting. I want you to see this.” She pulled a check out of her purse and handed it to Maddie.

It was a good thing she was sitting down. The check was for five figures. Five high figures. She looked at Odalie blankly.

“The fairy,” she said, smiling. “I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you. It wasn’t my great-grandmother’s picture. It was a collector’s. He wanted a fairy who looked like her to add to his collection, and I said I knew someone who would do the perfect one. So I flew to Denver to take him the one you made from the photograph.” Odalie’s blue eyes were soft. “He cried. He said the old lady was the light of his life… She was the only person in his family who didn’t laugh and disown him when he said he wanted to go into the business of doll collecting. She encouraged him to follow his dream. He’s worth millions now and all because he followed his dream.” She nodded at the check. “He owns a doll boutique in Los Angeles. He ships all over the world. He said he’d pay that—” she indicated the check again “—for every fairy you made for him. And he wants to discuss licensing and branding. He thinks you can make a fortune with these. He said so.”

Maddie couldn’t even find words. The check would pay her medical bills, buy feed and pay taxes. It would save the ranch. She was sobbing and she didn’t even realize it until Odalie took the check back and motioned to Cort.

Cort lifted her out of the wheelchair and cradled her against him. “You’ll blot the ink off the check with those tears, sweetheart.” He chuckled, and kissed them away. “And just for the record, Odalie and I aren’t getting married.”

“You aren’t?” she asked with wet eyes.

“We aren’t.” Odalie giggled. “He’s my friend. I love him. But not like that,” she added softly.

“And she’s my friend,” Cort added. He smiled down at Maddie. “I went a little goofy over her, but, then, I got over it.”

“Gee, thanks,” Odalie said with amused sarcasm.

“You know what I mean.” He laughed. “You’re beautiful and talented.”

“Not as talented as our friend over there.” She indicated Maddie, with a warm smile. “She has magic in her hands.”

“And other places,” Cort mused, looking pointedly at her mouth.

She hid her face against him. He cuddled her close.

“Oh, dear,” Sadie said from the doorway. “Maddie, he’s back! What are you going to tell him?”

“Tell who?” Cort asked. He turned. His face grew hard. “Oh. Him. My dad gave me an earful about him when I got home.”

He put Maddie gently back down into the wheelchair.

“You didn’t encourage him?” he asked her.

She grimaced. “The medical bills and doctor bills and feed bills all came in at once,” she began miserably. “I couldn’t even pay taxes. He offered me a fortune…”

“We’re paying the medical bills,” Odalie told her firmly. “We even said so.”

“It’s not right to ask you,” Maddie said stubbornly.

“That’s okay. You’re not asking. We’re telling.” Odalie said.

“Exactly.” Cort was looking more dangerous by the second as the developer got out of his car with a briefcase. “My dad said you’ve had more cows killed over here, too.”

“Yes.” She was so miserable she could hardly talk.

“Dad found out a lot more than that about him. He was arrested up in Billings, Montana, on charges of intimidation and poisoning in another land deal,” Cort added. “He’s out on bond, but apparently it didn’t teach him a thing.”

“Well, he threatened to plant anthrax in my herd and have the feds come out and destroy them,” she said sadly. “He says if I don’t sell to him, he’ll do it. I think he will.”

“He might have,” Cort said mysteriously. “Good thing my dad has a real suspicious nature and watches a lot of spy films.”

“Excuse me?” Maddie inquired.

He grinned. “Wait and see, honey.” He bent and kissed the tip of her nose.

Odalie laughed softly. “One fried developer, coming right up,” she teased, and it was obvious that she wasn’t jealous of Maddie at all.

There was a tap at the door and the developer walked right in. He was so intent on his contracts that he must not have noticed the other car in the driveway. “Miss Lane, I’ve brought the paper…work—” He stopped dead when he saw her companions.

“You can take your paperwork and shove it,” Cort said pleasantly. He tilted his Stetson over one eye and put both hands on his narrow hips. “Or you can argue. Personally, I’d love it if you argued.”

“She said she wanted to sell,” the developer shot back. But he didn’t move a step closer.

“She changed her mind,” Cort replied.

“You changed it for her,” the developer snarled. “Well, she can just change it right back. Things happen sometimes when people don’t make the right decisions.”

“You mean diseases can be planted in cattle?” Odalie asked sweetly.

The older man gave her a wary look. “What do you mean?”

“Maddie told us how you threatened her,” Cort said evenly.

Lawson hesitated. “You can’t prove that.”

Cort smiled. “I don’t have to.” He pulled out a DVD in a plastic sleeve and held it up. “You’re very trusting, Lawson. I mean, you knew there was surveillance equipment all over the ranch, but you didn’t guess the house and porch were wired as well?”

Lawson looked a lot less confident. “You’re bluffing.”

Cort didn’t look like he was bluffing. “My dad has a call in to the district attorney up in Billings, Montana. I believe you’re facing indictment there for the destruction of a purebred herd of Herefords because of suspected anthrax?”

“They can’t prove that!”

“I’m afraid they can,” Cort replied. “There are two witnesses, one of whom used to work with you,” he added easily. “He’s willing to testify to save his butt.” He held up the DVD. “This may not be admissible in court, but it will certainly help to encourage charges against you here for the loss of Miss Lane’s purebred stock.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” the developer said harshly.

“I would dare,” Cort replied.

The developer gripped his briefcase tighter. “On second thought,” he said, looking around with disdain, “I’ve decided I don’t want this property. It’s not good enough for the sort of development I have in mind, and the location is terrible for business. Sorry,” he spat at Maddie. “I guess you’ll have to manage some other way to pay your medical bills.”

“Speaking of medical bills,” Cort said angrily, and stepped forward.

“Now, Cort,” Maddie exclaimed.

The developer turned and almost ran out of the house to his car. He fumbled to start it and managed to get it in gear just before Cort got to him. He sped out the driveway, fishtailing all the way.

Cort was almost bent over double laughing when he went back into the house. He stopped when three wide-eyed females gaped at him worriedly.

“Oh, I wasn’t going to kill him,” he said, still laughing. “But I didn’t mind letting him think I might. What do you want to bet that he’s out of town by tonight and can’t be reached by telephone?”

“I wouldn’t bet against that,” Odalie agreed.

“Me, neither,” Sadie said.

“Dad said that Lawson’s in more trouble than he can manage up in Billings already. I don’t expect he’ll wait around for more charges to be filed here.”

“Are you going to turn that DVD over to the district attorney?” she asked, nodding toward the jacketed disc.

He glanced at her. “And give up my best performance of ‘Recuerdos de la Alhambra?’ he exclaimed. “I’ll never get this good a recording again!”

Maddie’s eyes brightened. “You were bluffing!”

“For all I was worth.” He chuckled.

“Cort, you’re wonderful!”

He pursed his lips. “Am I, now?”

“We could take a vote,” Odalie suggested. “You’ve got mine.”

“And mine!” Sadie agreed. “Oh, Maddie, you’ll have a way to make a living now,” she exclaimed, indicating the little fairy. “You won’t have to sell our ranch!”

“No, but we still have the problem of running it,” Maddie said heavily. “If I’m going to be spending my life sculpting, and thanks to you two, I probably will—” she grinned “—who’s going to manage the ranch?”

“I think we can work something out about that,” Cort told her, and his dark eyes were flashing with amusement. “We’ll talk about it later.”

“Okay,” she said. “Maybe Ben could manage it?”

Cort nodded. “He’s a good man, with a good business head. We’ll see.”

We’ll see? She stared at him as if she’d never seen him before. It was an odd statement. But before she could question it, Sadie went into the kitchen.

“Who wants chocolate pound cake?” she asked.

Three hands went up, and all discussion about the ranch went away.

Maddie wanted to know all about the doll collector. He was a man in his fifties, very distinguished and he had a collection that was famous all over the world.

“There are magazines devoted to collectors,” Odalie said excitedly. “They showcased his collection last year. I met him when we were at the Met last year during opera season. We spoke and he said that he loved small, very intricate work. When I saw your sculptures, I remembered him. I looked him up on his website and phoned him. He said he was always looking for new talent, but he wanted to see what you could do. So I asked him for a photo of someone he’d like made into a sculpture and he faxed me the one I gave you.”

“I will never be able to repay you for this,” Maddie said fervently.

“Maddie, you already have, over and over,” Odalie said softly. “Most especially with that little fairy statue that looks just like me.” She shook her head. “I’ve never owned anything so beautiful.”

“Thanks.”

“Besides, you’re my best friend,” Odalie said with a gamine grin. “I have to take care of you.”

Maddie felt all warm inside. “I’ll take care of you, if you ever need me to,” she promised.

Odalie flushed. “Thanks.”

“This is great cake,” Cort murmured. “Can you cook?” he asked Maddie.

“Yes, but not so much right now.” She indicated the wheelchair with a grimace.

“Give it time,” he said gently. He smiled, and his whole face grew radiant as he looked at her. “You’ll be out of that thing before you know it.”

“You think so?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yes, I do.”

She smiled. He smiled back. Odalie smiled into her cake and pretended not to notice that they couldn’t take their eyes off each other.

Odalie said her goodbyes and gave Maddie the collector’s telephone number so that she could thank him personally for giving her fairy a good home. But Cort lingered.

He bent over the wheelchair, his hands on the arms, and looked into Maddie’s eyes. “Later we’ll talk about going behind my back to do business with a crook.”

“I was scared. And not just that he might poison my cattle. There were so many bills!”

He brushed his mouth over her lips. “I told you I’d take care of all those bills.”

“But they all came due, and you’ve done so much… I couldn’t ask…”

He was kissing her. It made talking hard.

She reached up with cold, nervous hands and framed his face in them. She looked into his eyes and saw secrets revealed there. Her breath caught. “It isn’t Odalie,” she stammered. “It’s me.”

He nodded. And he didn’t smile. “It was always you. I just didn’t know it until there was a good chance that I was going to lose you.” He smiled tightly then. “Couldn’t do that. Couldn’t live, if you didn’t.”

She bit her lip, fighting tears.

He kissed them away. “I don’t have a life without you,” he whispered at her nose. “So we have to make plans.”

“When?” she asked, bursting with happiness.

“When you’re out of that wheelchair,” he said. He gave her a wicked smile. “Because when we start talking, things are apt to get, well, physical.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

She laughed.

He laughed.

He kissed her affectionately and stood back up. “I’ll drive Odalie home. I’ll call you later. And I’ll see you tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after. And the day after that…”

“And the day after that?” she prompted.

“Don’t get pushy,” he teased.

He threw up a hand and went out to the car. This time, when he drove off with Odalie, Maddie didn’t go through pangs of jealousy. The look in his eyes had been as sweet as a promise.