The dining room had been transformed from a mood of soft, candlelit romance the previous night into a bright, festive party atmosphere, the lights turned up, the table decked out in teal, silver and black, from the tablecloth to place settings to the artistically scattered baubles and candles adorning the center.
From Hannah’s hasty count as she and Brett entered, six members of the family were already present, including a little boy who had to be Brett’s nephew, Seth, Jack and Big J.
“There she is, my new accounting wizard!” Big J’s boisterous voice hushed all other conversations. “Hannah, get on over here so I can gush to my boys about what an asset you’re going to be to our business.”
Brett’s head cocked to the side to send her a look full of warmth and pride as he guided her to Big J and the circle of people around him.
Hannah blushed, of course, a ridiculous reflex to praise, and one she’d tried hard to shake. Clearly, she had some work to do on that front. But even she could admit that Big J was right. She was going to be an asset to their business because it’d taken her about two-point-one seconds in the office to figure out that the ranch’s books were in disarray and that they were bleeding money every quarter due to a lack of tax planning. She had her work cut out for her, but that was fine. Nothing wrong with a little job security—even though the baby in her belly was probably all the job security she needed with the Coltons.
Brett let Big J go on and on about how he’d gotten Hannah up to speed before interrupting him in order to introduce Hannah around. Brett’s brother Ryan, a Tulsa police detective, looked so much like Brett that she did a double take. They boasted a similar muscular yet slim build and shared the same brown hair, cut short, and vibrant green eyes. But where Brett’s eyes sparkled with an unending well of charm, Ryan’s were serious, contemplative.
Daniel, Brett’s half-brother, shared a Colton essence in his facial features, but his hair was nearly as black as Hannah’s and his skin was darker. He was quiet, distant even, and stood apart from the others. It wasn’t until Brett gathered him in a hug and slapped his back that Daniel’s brown eyes warmed.
The mood in the room shifted when they heard the sound of the front door closing.
Big J clapped his hands together and gave a whoop. “Got to be my princess!”
Sure enough, women’s voices sounded, and then a young woman appeared. Hannah was hit with a surprise moment of déjà vu, Greta looked so familiar. And it wasn’t just that Colton essence or her eyes that mirrored Brett’s and the rest of the family. Hannah couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was about her. Behind Greta stood a handsome young man that Hannah assumed was her fiancé.
Big J greeted them at the entrance to the room, beaming, his arms spread wide. “Greta, Mark. Now my night is complete.” He hugged Greta, rocking a little. “I’m so glad you two made it.”
Greta kissed his cheek. “Of course we did, Daddy. Sorry we’re late. We stopped by the hospital to see Mom first. Eric was there. He sends his regrets.”
“Ah, well, he’s a busy man. So much responsibility. Any news on Abra? How did she look today?”
Greta moved farther into the room and hooked her purse over the back of a chair near the center of the table. Mark, whom Hannah assumed was her fiancé, trailed her, quiet, and looking thoroughly out of place. It wasn’t lost on Hannah that Big J didn’t greet his future son-in-law with more than a nod, and save for a handshake from Ryan, nobody else really did, either. Clearly, Greta was the star of the show.
“Eric had some good news. He said that Mom had an increase in brain activity today. That’s a really good sign, he said. He said it increases the odds of her waking up from the coma and not having brain damage.”
Big J raised his hands to heaven. “Thank goodness. We’ll take all the good news we can get.”
Greta’s eyebrows knit together as her eyes scanned the room. “Speaking of good news.” Her gaze landed on Hannah and she strode forward, her hand extended in greeting. “You must be Hannah. I’m Greta. Congratulations on the baby and on snagging Tulsa’s most eligible bachelor.”
Greta slugged Brett in the shoulder, and that’s when it hit Hannah where she’d seen Greta before. The previous afternoon, the woman in the white dress standing in the rain near the ranch office. Except that Greta and Mark had just come into town tonight, so Hannah had to be mistaken. There were a lot of workers at the ranch, so surely some of them would have a slight resemblance to Greta from that distance and in such foul weather. She shook off the thought, though made a note to check the photograph on her phone the first chance she got.
Maria and Edith chose that moment to walk in, each pushing a tray loaded with platters of food. “Go ahead and take your seats, everyone,” Edith said. “Dinner is served.”
Big J assumed the seat at the head of the table and tucked the silver napkin into his shirt collar. When Maria set a plate of salad in front of him, he picked up a piece of lettuce and let it flutter back to the table. “This isn’t all we get, right? I know you’ve had me on a diet lately, but a man can’t survive on lettuce alone.”
Maria patted his shoulder. “I made your favorite tonight, so be patient and eat your vegetables.”
“I swear, between you, Edith and Abra, it’s like I’ve got three wives henpeckin’ me all the time. I don’t know how them polygamous fellers with all those wives stay sane.”
Brett showed Hannah to a pair of seats across from Greta and next to Daniel, leaning in as he pulled her seat out. “Pops is in rare form tonight. He loves having the whole family around.”
Hannah gave a quiet giggle. She loved how gregarious Big J was.
Edith and Maria served the remainder of the salads and were on their way out when Big J called to them. “Edith, Maria, pour yourself some champagne. I have a couple toasts to make and since you two are part of our family, you might as well stick around.”
Once Maria and Edith had full flutes in hand, Big J held up his. “First, I’d like to make a toast to the Coltons. We’ve had a rough summer so far, but I know in my heart that Abra is going to pull through and be back at this table soon. And what better news for her to wake up to than the discovery that not only is she about to be a grandmother again, but she’ll soon be having a new daughter-in-law, too, if Brett cowboys up and marries—”
Brett squirmed. “Pops, please.”
“Sorry,” he said, though his cat-eating-a-canary grin didn’t look the least bit sorry. “As I was saying, the Colton clan is about to be two more strong. Hannah, welcome to the family. And we can’t wait to meet Baby Colton come this November. Cheers.”
They clinked glasses. Hannah was filled with so much affection for this family, who’d embraced her wholeheartedly. It was everything she’d never had in her life but always wanted. Her eyes clouded with unshed tears of happiness and she leaned a little closer to Brett as she sipped her sparkling cider.
“Don’t put those glasses down yet,” Big J warned. “I have a second toast to make, this one to my lovely daughter, Greta, and her fiancé, Mark. Your engagement party didn’t go as planned, but I know your mother would want you to carry on with the wedding. Nothing is more important in this world than love. And—”
“Actually, Dad, let me stop you there,” Greta said.
Big J snorted and lowered his glass. “Can’t a man toast his family without getting interrupted these days?”
Greta set her hand over Mark’s. “We have a tough announcement to make, something we’ve given a lot of thought. We’ve decided to postpone wedding preparations until Mom is awake and better. She’s been so excited about the wedding and helping me plan it that I can’t imagine forging ahead without her.”
The room was quiet. That had to be so hard, thinking about getting married while her mother lay in a coma. Hannah didn’t blame her one bit, but Big J’s face fell.
“I don’t think that’s what your mother would want,” he said.
“I do,” Greta said gently. “And maybe knowing that I’m waiting for her will inspire her to wake up.”
Brett was the next to speak. “We understand, sis. And I’m sorry for both of you that what’s supposed to be the happiest day of your lives has become anything but.”
Greta threaded her fingers with Mark’s. “It will be the happiest day of our lives, because we’re going to wait until Mom is with us again. All that matters to us now is her waking up and making a full recovery.”
Hannah offered Greta a smile. “She will wake up. I’m sure of it. There’s so much love in this family, how could she not want to rush back into your lives as quickly as possible?”
She felt Brett stiffen. Yes, he’d told her the night before that his mother hadn’t been there for him growing up, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t change. After all, Brett’s near-death experience had opened his eyes to what was important in life. Perhaps her brush with death would do the same.
Greta dabbed her eyes with her napkin. “Thank you, Hannah. And that’s enough sadness for tonight. I want to hear more about you and Brett. How did you two meet? Dad didn’t say over the phone. I didn’t even know you were dating someone, bro.”
Brett rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, about that. I take the full blame for—”
“We met at Avid, a nightclub in downtown Tulsa,” Hannah said, cutting him off and sparing him from trying to dance around her reputation, as he’d seemed poised to do. “I’d just graduated from college and wanted to blow off steam and celebrate getting my degree. I wasn’t looking for anything more than a single night of fun and neither was Brett, so it was good that we found each other there. I know that’s not a pretty story, or sweet, but it’s real. As Big J said in his toast, you’re our baby’s family, so we have nothing to hide.”
A chill settled over the table. Brett’s backbone was ramrod straight. His hand tapped the hilt of his steak knife against the table as his narrowed gaze roved over each person there, as though daring them to say something disrespectful. They didn’t, but then again, they didn’t have to. The unmistakable disappointment in their expressions as they returned Brett’s stare got their message across loud and clear.
Hannah held her head high and kept a smile painted on her face. She was so dang tired of being judged that she’d lost all her tolerance for it. True, all the disappointment tonight was wholly directed at Brett, but even still, watching Brett’s family regard him with that same negativity that she’d suffered at the hands of her parents and their church friends—albeit to a much lesser degree—made her spitting mad. She and Brett hadn’t done anything wrong. Searching for a human connection in this crazy, harsh world, even a temporary one, was not a sin. Sex between two consenting adults was not a sin.
She covered Brett’s hand with hers, stilling the knife tapping. “This baby is going to be the happiest mistake ever. I have no regrets.” And, feeling as brazen and strong as a mother bear, she looked every one of Brett’s family members in the eye, smiling her challenge to them to be happy right along with her.
Brett gave her a sidelong glance. She wouldn’t have thought it possible, but his backbone grew even taller. His chest even puffed a little, if she wasn’t mistaken. “Neither do I,” he said with a tinge of wonderment, as though he was arriving at that conclusion as he said the words.
Tracy’s smile broadened. “As Brett reminded us a couple days ago, every baby is a blessing. We’re so excited for you two.”
“Then one more toast,” Big J said. “If you’ll keep your traps shut without interrupting me, I’ll keep it short.” He raised his flute. “To happy mistakes.”
Brett’s posture relaxed. He brought Hannah’s hand to his lips and kissed it, then took up his glass in his other hand. “To happy mistakes and new beginnings.”
* * *
The clomp of footsteps mounting the stairs that led up to the office told Hannah that her evening with Brett was over, which was a shame. They’d been poring over a draft of the horse-breeding proposal for hours, and Hannah had enjoyed every moment of it.
She and Brett worked great as a team, bouncing ideas off each other and molding his vision for the ranch into a fleshed-out business proposal. There was no way his dad and Jack could look at the projected figures that she and Brett had come up with, as well as the concrete business plan they’d articulated, and tell him no. She was sure of it.
When the door opened, they looked up from where they were sitting on either side of the desk, even though they both knew full well who would be standing there. Sure enough, Daniel tipped his hat in greeting to Hannah, then turned his attention to Brett. “Ready? I got the horses saddled.”
Hannah tapped her pen, frustrated. “I wish you two didn’t have to ride patrol tonight. The ranch has been quiet for the entire week I’ve been here.”
Brett stood and replaced his hat on his head. “Maybe that’s because the patrol is working.”
Hannah followed them to the door. “Stay safe, okay?”
“No worries there. Like you said, the ranch has been quiet.”
Sleekie, the black barn cat who’d taken a shine to her, appeared almost instantly, demanding to be petted with a series of loud meows. Hannah knelt to stroke her.
“Even still,” she called to Brett and Daniel as they walked away. “Daniel, look out for him.”
Daniel glanced at her over his shoulder as they walked toward the two saddled horses near the stable. “Always.” And for a man of few words as he seemed to be, that was as much promise as she could hope for.
She remained at the office door, letting out an appreciative hum as she watched Brett swing into the saddle. “That is one fine specimen of a man, Sleekie.”
But all Sleekie did was wind around Hannah’s legs, purring.
Hannah scooped the cat up and stood, her attention on Brett and Daniel as they cantered along a dirt road headed west, into the setting sun. Despite having to bid Brett goodbye and her worry about him staying safe, evenings were her favorite time on the ranch. After near-daily afternoon rainstorms, the world seemed to hush in reverence to the setting sun amid the lingering storm clouds. The prairie glowed warm with oranges and purples and deep, dark greens. The ranch itself turned peaceful and sleepy. Even the cows and other livestock seemed to understand the coming of night.
After Brett and Daniel disappeared from view, she lingered on the front steps of the office, absentmindedly petting Sleekie and watching the sunset over the piece of land she was growing attached to. The moment the sun dipped below the horizon, she closed her eyes and said a prayer for Brett, for their baby, and to thank God for providing such a good life for her. She hadn’t understood why He’d taken her life on such a difficult path, but she was starting to see the plan for her at the Lucky C with the Coltons and she definitely approved.
When Sleekie started to squirm, she set the cat down and returned to the office. Flipping all the lights on, she got back to business. After setting aside Brett’s horse-breeding proposal, she opened the spreadsheet for the Lucky C. The numbers weren’t adding up the way she would’ve hoped. Every month for the past year, the ranch’s account was coming up short by several thousand dollars.
The errors were probably a result of Big J’s haphazard style, compounded by his occasional forgetfulness Brett had mentioned to her on the sly. Whatever the cause, the result was the same. She had her work cut out for her. Tonight’s plan involved cross-checking deposit receipts with the hand-printed ledgers and the computerized spreadsheets that Big J had created, then inputting the real numbers in the brand-new spreadsheet that she’d created earlier that week.
Sleekie leaped onto the desk and sat herself down right on top of the open ledger.
Hannah scratched her behind the ears before moving her to the side. “Well, Sleekie, since you don’t have fingers, how about you cross your paws that I’m right about these shortages being typos? Otherwise that means someone’s stealing money from the Coltons and we can’t have that, can we? Not after everything they’ve been through.”
The mere thought of someone stealing money from the Coltons made Hannah spitting mad. She really hoped she was able to find the nearly twenty thousand dollars that looked to be missing.
Sleekie gave a meow, then tipped on her side and got down to her own business of giving herself a bath, unconcerned with the missing money.
Not ten minutes later, Hannah cursed under her breath and shot to her feet, angry and shocked at what she’d found. She picked up the check stub that she’d cross-referenced with a bank statement and gave the two a second look. In her hands she held the first clue about what had happened to the money. “Sleekie, it’s not a typo.”
Footsteps sounded, coming up the steps. Sleekie dived off the desk, but Hannah didn’t have time to do more than wedge the check and the bank statement into the open ledger she’d been working with and flip it closed before the door opened.
Rafe seemed as surprised to see her as she was to see him.
“Oh,” he said, backing up a step. He removed his hat and pressed it to his chest. “Evening, Miz Grayson. I didn’t expect you to be here so late.”
“Then what are you doing here?” Too late, she realized how rude that had come out. “Sorry. You startled me and that came out wrong. I mean, how can I help you tonight?”
He moved farther into the room. “My apologies for giving you a start. I saw the light and thought it’d been left on accidentally. Thought I’d do my part for the environment and the Coltons’ electric bill and come turn it off.”
He propped one hip on her desk, his broad grin revealing a row of straight white teeth. “But come to find out, it’s just purdy little Hannah making herself useful.”
It struck her then that she’d once teased Brett that he was as slippery as a snake-oil salesman. She hadn’t met Rafe Sinclair yet. With one eye on him, she reached a hand to the keyboard. One hit of a button and the computer monitor went into sleep mode.
“Yep. It’s just me, trying to get these books figured out.” She tried out a smile, but she had trouble making it happen. She’d seen the man nearly every day since arriving at the ranch, and so far he hadn’t been guilty of anything except misogyny, but still, Rafe made her uncomfortable. He didn’t seem to understand the concept of personal space and his gazes at her lingered a little too long and were a little too studious.
He picked up the ledger she’d closed. “I’ve got a good mind for numbers and I’d be happy to help you. In fact, I can see it now, the two of us working together, me helping you make heads and tails of this complicated business so you can get back to your evening and relax, maybe sneak some of Maria’s strawberry jam, like you do.”
Since when had he seen her eating jam? She only did that in her suite. Then again, she was so addicted to the stuff that there was a chance she’d had a spoonful at breakfast on the porch without remembering it. “That’s sweet of you to offer to help, but I’ve got a good handle on my job.” She eased her hands around the ledger and gave a tug, but Rafe’s grip held firm.
“Doesn’t mean you couldn’t use a man’s help.”
Oh, brother. “Sorry to break it to you, but that’s exactly what that diploma on the wall behind me means.”
His attention slid past her to the wall. She took his momentary distraction as an opportunity and tugged on the ledger again, harder this time. He released it with a low chuckle.
“So it does, Miz Hannah.”
She didn’t want to remain in Rafe’s company for a second longer. Men who felt entitled to come on to women no matter how uncomfortable they became and who paid no mind to personal boundaries made her skin crawl. There’d been men like that in the Congregation of the Second Coming, men like that at her college campus library, and there would always be men like that the world over. But that didn’t mean she had to suffer in their company.
She slipped around the side of the desk, affording him a wide berth, strode to the door and opened it. “I’m afraid I have to ask you to leave so I can keep working. Thank you for understanding.”
After a long pause, he stood and replaced his hat on his head. “Forgive me for interrupting your work. Have a safe night, Miz Hannah.” When he reached the door, he gave the handle a jiggle. “And be sure to lock this door behind me so the bogeyman can’t get in.”
What a slimeball, shrouding his threats in disingenuous charm and implications, giving her no concrete grievances to share with Brett, should she choose, except for the way he creeped her out.
She certainly did lock the door behind her and pulled the curtains closed, but she couldn’t concentrate on her work anymore. Rafe had gotten in her head. She locked the ledgers, bank statements and other evidence into the desk’s largest drawer. On a gut instinct, she backed up the ranch’s accounting files to a portable drive and pocketed it. Then she added a password to the computer’s launch page before logging out—a version of her due date using random capital letters—just in case.
The whole time, she couldn’t shake the sensation that someone was watching her. Of course, that was just her imagination being ridiculous, because the curtains were closed.
“Must be that bogeyman Rafe mentioned. Huh, Sleekie?” But the comment she’d meant as sarcastic, as a means to point out how silly she was being getting so freaked out, hovered in the stillness.
She hadn’t seen Sleekie since Rafe’s visit, so the smart cat must have hightailed it out of the room. To make sure she didn’t accidentally lock the cat in overnight, she checked every nook and cranny of the office, under chairs and tables and behind the curtains.
She had one hand on the doorknob when she thought twice about leaving the ledgers and other possible evidence behind. Yes, she’d locked them up, but her gut was talking again and this time it was telling her to take it all with her back to her room for safekeeping.
After stuffing the loose papers and files into a manila envelope, she stepped outside, locked the office and set off across the grounds to the Big House. She still couldn’t shake the notion that there were eyes on her, and her pulse pounded faster with every step she took. Thankfully, she was spared from walking in total darkness by floodlights gracing the eaves of the stables, the feed shed and just about every other building on the grounds. Her path was lit and out in the open and just about as safe as could be. There were no bogeymen, no ghosts, and no one was going to get her on this short walk home in the middle of the Coltons’ property.