Shadow Mountain

As they sat down, Wes poured her coffee from a table carafe and offered Danny a carton of chocolate milk.

“I like chocolate best,” Danny said with a happy grin.

“I thought you might,” he said smiling as he poured it into a glass for him. He was a damn cute kid. Not as outgoing as Cassie, but he’d bet Danny was just as sure of himself in his own way. “Did you sleep well?” he asked Caroline as if the dark circles under her eyes weren’t answer enough.

“So-so. I guess I had a few things on my mind.”

As she sipped her coffee and looked at him over the rim of her cup, a feeling he hadn’t experienced for a long time stirred within him. Her features were totally feminine and her full breasts and rounded hips invited the caressing touch of a man’s hands. Her lips were moist and pink from the warmth of the hot coffee and he couldn’t help but imagine what they would feel like pressed against his. As he felt desire begin to stir, he looked away quickly and gave his attention to his cinnamon toast.

“Lovely view,” she said, looking out the window.

“This early in the morning the sun just brushes the tops of the trees,” he told her. “The mountains look as if they’ve been painted against the sky. As far as I’m concerned, the Colorado Rockies have the kind of beauty that makes life worthwhile. I hope you can relax, Caroline, and enjoy yourself a little while you’re here.”

“Stella said you wouldn’t be staying.”

Wes couldn’t tell from her tone whether it made the slightest difference to her one way or the other. He was used to women who welcomed his company and for some strange reason he wanted her to be one of them.

“I’ve changed my plans a bit—because of Dexter. I guess I’ll have to keep him company for a few days at least.”

The excuse was a lie. Dexter often spent time at the lodge or Wes’s Texas ranch when Wes wasn’t around. His old friend had been trying to make time with Stella for quite a while—without much luck. If Stella favored anyone it was Tim Henderson, the manager-caretaker of the property. Tim was a little older than Stella, quiet-spoken and didn’t jump when she threw her weight around. Their relationship hadn’t changed much through the years and Wes really didn’t know if they had a private, intimate relationship going or not.

“I hope Dex and I won’t be in your way,” Wes added, blatantly fishing for an assurance his presence would be welcome.

“I’m not sure how extensive Stella’s plans are,” she replied evenly.

“You may have trouble putting a leash on Stella’s wild ideas,” he warned.

“That isn’t my job. I’ve been hired to follow her wishes as best I can. My commitment is to please Stella and offer suggestions, but not implement my own ideas.”

“Then heaven help us both,” he said lightly. He was impressed with the firm way she set him straight. He liked that.

“More coffee?” he asked as he filled her cup.

Danny piped up. “Where’s that girl?”

“You mean Cassie?”

Danny bobbed his head. “Yeah, her.”

“She usually has breakfast and sometimes lunch with her nanny upstairs. They have a nice little kitchen apartment all their own. Maybe you’d like to join them sometime?”

Danny’s expression clearly expressed his lack of enthusiasm for such a happening. “I don’t like girls.”

Wes chuckled at the child’s display of disgust. Danny was all boy. Watching a son like that grow up would be a joy. Wes’s heart tightened just a bit. He loved his daughter, but he couldn’t help wishing he also had his own son to raise.

“Girls are a pest sometimes,” he agreed solemnly. “It’s too bad you’re not interested though. Cassie has a playroom filled with all kinds of fun things. And then there’re the ponies.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” his mother said quickly. “Danny’s never been around horses.”

“Maybe this is a good time to give him that opportunity. One of my staff, Tim Henderson, is very good with youngsters. He rides with Cassie almost every day.” Wes could tell she wasn’t sold on the idea. “What about you? Have you done any horseback riding?”

Her laughter surprised him. “I’ve ridden bareback, saddled up my own mount and even mucked out a stable or two.” She told him that her parents had been farm people.

“Well, I guess I’d better brush up on my own performance before asking you to go riding with me.”

“We could all go,” Danny popped up in a firm little voice.

Wes was beginning to like this kid more and more. “Good idea. How about this afternoon?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Stella—” Caroline started to protest.

“Let’s say four o’clock. She should be through with you by then.”

“Please, Mama, please,” Danny begged.

Wes could tell Danny’s mother was hard put to deny his eager expression. “We ought to take advantage of the nice weather. October can be unpredictable, especially in the high country.”

“All right, if Stella doesn’t object.”

“Good,” Wes stood up and ruffled Danny’s hair. “See you then, cowboy.”

CAROLINE AND Danny were just finishing their breakfast when Trudie Benson came in from the kitchen. She wiped her hands on an apron large enough to cover her rounded middle and asked, “Everything all right?”

“Great,” Caroline assured her. “Thank you.”

“No need for thanks. Hank and I are happy just to see people enjoying the food.”

“Where is everybody?”

“The hired help eat early and the rest eat late. You’re kinda in the middle. Felicia and Cassie are having breakfast upstairs.”

“Could you tell me where their rooms are? I need to check with the nanny about looking after Danny while I work.” Caroline ignored Danny’s audible groan.

“Top of the stairs, turn to the right. Knock on the double doors at the end of the hall.”

Caroline thanked her and they left Trudie busily checking the buffet and coffeepots.

Danny hung back and grumbled all the way up the stairs.

“It’s going to be fun,” Caroline assured him. “Like daycare and preschool…only better. Just the two of you to play with all the toys.”

“Girls’ stuff,” he muttered.

“Did you notice her cowboy boots and hat? And she has her own ponies.” She smiled to herself as his frown disappeared.

“I guess she’s okay.”

“You’ll have your own special teacher, too. Felicia seems very nice. And this afternoon we’ll go horseback riding—if you behave yourself.” She wasn’t above a little bit of bribery when the situation invited it.

She found Felicia’s apartment on the second floor at the opposite end from their rooms. She knocked on the double doors. It opened slowly and Cassie peeked out. Her round eyes instantly fixed on Danny. “What do you want?”

“May we come in?” Caroline asked politely, ignoring the two children glaring at each other.

“We’ve already had breakfast,” Cassie declared with obvious satisfaction as she opened the door wider. “You can’t be sleepyheads and eat with us.”

“We already ate,” Danny declared triumphantly.

The apartment’s sitting room was quite spacious and light with the morning sun pouring through windows along one wall. Draperies, furniture throws and fringed gaudy lamps were various shades of red and purple. Artificial flowers were displayed on small tables covered with silk cloths and Caroline could smell an invading scent of potpourri coming from a cut-glass bowl.

Cassie pranced ahead of them into an adjoining room which was obviously the playroom of a very rich little girl. Even Danny’s eyes widened as he looked around at the games, toys, paints, clay and inviting electronic gadgets he’d only seen in toy stores.

Cassie knocked on one of the doors at the far side of the room and called out loudly, “That boy’s here.”

The bedroom door opened almost immediately and Felicia glided into the room wearing a long multicolored robe that swept the floor. Her salt-and-pepper hair was held back by a braided band and fell freely halfway down her back. If Felicia was embarrassed by her lessthan-formal appearance, there was no evidence of it.

“I hope we’re not too early,” Caroline quickly apologized.

“Not at all,” she said smiling and in a formal tone, she said, “Good morning, Danny.”

To Caroline’s surprise, Danny responded with a preschool ritual. “Good morning, Miss…Miss…” He fumbled for the right name.

“Felicia. Fe…lis…e…a,” she pronounced phonetically. When he repeated it, she nodded. “Very good.”

Danny beamed. Caroline began to relax.

“Cassie, why don’t you set up the race track for you and Danny? And let him have his choice of cars?” she prompted.

The car-racing game must have been a rare treat because Cassie’s frown instantly changed in to a wide smile. Caroline blessed Felicia for recognizing a pivotal moment and handling it so beautifully. The two children happily busied themselves setting up the track and positioning their choice of cars.

“Would you join me in a second cup of coffee while the children get acquainted a bit?” Felicia asked Caroline.

“Yes, thank you.” She doubted that Stella would be looking for her this early.

Felicia motioned toward the kitchenette. A small round table and chairs were in an alcove off the main room. Caroline didn’t see any dishes in the sink or on the table.

“You must have breakfast early,” she commented as Felicia brought cups and a coffeepot from an apartment-sized stove over to the table.

“Dawn is the best time to greet the world. Vibrations are at their highest then. All shadows of the night flee before the healing rays of the sun, you know,” she said as she sat down opposite Caroline. “Of course, Cassie wakes up several hours later.”

Caroline took a sip of coffee before responding to her unusual remarks. “I can imagine how a person could lose oneself in the grandeur of the surroundings. You must love being here.”

“I’m always ready to go back to sunbaked earth, clear skies and warm nights. Texas is home.”

“Have you lived there all your life?”

She nodded. “My parents worked on Wes’s grandfather’s ranch when they first came over the border. I grew up there. Sadly, Wes lost both of his parents while he was still in college but when he got married, he asked me to come and work for him.”

Caroline wanted to know how she had liked Wes’s wife, but she refrained from asking. Gossiping with the nanny wasn’t exactly the wisest thing to do.

“I really appreciate your looking after Danny.”

Felicia’s forehead was suddenly creased with thoughtful lines. She didn’t answer as she stirred her coffee.

She doesn’t want to do it. Now what?

“Danny really isn’t as difficult to handle as he might appear,” Caroline quickly assured Felicia. “He has a lot of interests and he wouldn’t demand a lot of time if he has something to do.”

Felicia set down her spoon and sighed deeply. “It isn’t that. He’s a fine little boy, I can tell that.”

“Then what?”

“Nothing,” she said but her eyes betrayed her words. There was a haunted look about them.

Caroline was suddenly uneasy. She’d leave the lodge in a minute if she felt it wasn’t safe leaving Danny in this woman’s care.

“If there’s something that might affect my son, I need to know it now. Tell me.”

Felicia took another sip of her coffee, carefully holding the cup steady with both hands. Then, slowly, she set it down and took a deep breath.

“I’ll let no harm come to your boy, I promise.”

Whatever reservation Felicia had had in her own mind seemed to be resolved. In the weighted silence, they could hear the children squealing in the other room. Danny was cheering and Cassie was laughing deeply.

“It will be good for them to be playmates,” Felicia said as she reached across and patted Caroline’s hand. “You do your work and I will take good care of your son, I promise. I have taken care of Cassie since she was born. They trust me and so should you.” Her dark eyes hardened. “You pay no attention to what anyone says. Today is not yesterday.”

Caroline wasn’t sure what Felicia meant by that cryptic remark, but she knew that she wouldn’t rest easy until she found out.

Chapter Four

Caroline left Danny sitting on the floor, watching as a red racer careened around a track. He barely gave his mother a quick glance as she said, “I’m leaving now, Danny. You stay here with Cassie and Felicia.”

“Okay.” His face was flushed and his eyes bright. “I’m ahead of Cassie two laps.”

“You’re going to miss a curve going that fast,” Cassie retorted as if she’d learned that lesson the hard way. “Wait and see! Then I’ll catch up.”

“No, you won’t.”

Felicia gave Caroline a reassuring smile as she eased down in a nearby chair and picked up her sewing basket.

“I’ll be back before lunch,” Caroline said. Everything seemed to be under control. She couldn’t find any rational reason for a lingering apprehension. Quit being an overprotective mother, she told herself, but the lecture didn’t do much good. She wished they’d never left home.

Her chest tightened. What home?

After leaving Felicia’s apartment, she walked the length of the hall to her rooms and spent a few minutes making up the beds and putting things away. Because of her limited finances, she’d shopped for only enough clothes for about a week. One of her first challenges would be to find the laundry room.

After glancing at her watch, she decided she’d go downstairs and see if Stella was ready to give her the tour of the lodge that she’d promised and tell her what rooms she wanted redone.

The eating room was empty except for Trudie Benson who was clearing off the buffet. When Caroline asked about Stella, she nodded. “She had breakfast and I think she left to talk to Tim Henderson. He’s the year-round manager-caretaker, you know.”

Caroline remembered that Wes has mentioned Tim before.

“Well, you’ll probably find them in his office. It’s just down the hall at the back of the house. It has an outside entrance so Tim can come and go without having to traipse through the whole house. He spends half his time outside checking the property and overseeing the two stablemen.

“Maybe I shouldn’t bother them.”

Trudie waved away the objection with her chubby hand. “Tim doesn’t stand on ceremony. Besides, if Stella isn’t there, he’ll probably know where she is.”

Trudie’s instructions seemed simple enough, but Caroline soon discovered that the hall didn’t continue in a straight line but made several abrupt turns. She passed a couple of narrow stairways rising to the floor above. She hugged herself against a penetrating chill in the dank, shadowy hall. The only sound was her own steps vibrating on the planked floor.

When the silence was broken by a floating echo of Stella’s laughter, Caroline let out a breath of relief. Quickening her steps, she reached a door that opened into a low-ceilinged room with one window and an outside door. The furnishings were meager: a desk, a couple of straight-back chairs and some gray metal file cabinets.

A muscular man of about forty, with a weathered face and sandy hair was half sitting on the corner of the old desk and smiling at Stella who stood close by.

Both turned quickly in Caroline’s direction when she appeared in the doorway. From their startled expressions she couldn’t tell whether she’d interrupted something personal or they were just surprised to see her.

Stella waved her in. “Come and meet Tim Henderson. He’s the boss around here.”

“Hardly,” he objected with an easy smile.

“I told you about her, Caroline Fairchild. She’s the decorator who’s going to help me put a little class in this place. And about time, too,” Stella added as if she’d fought more than one battle on this subject.

“Welcome to Shadow Mountain,” he said, shaking her hand. From his slight Western drawl, Caroline assumed he was another Texan. “Reckon you gals are going to be pretty busy, all right.”

“You better believe it. Maybe we’ll start here.” Stella gave him a teasing smile as she glanced around the packed office.

“Not on your life, honey.”

“Oh, you men. Wes has already warned us to leave his suite and the gun room alone. You’ll be sorry when you see how beautiful the rest of the lodge turns out.” She turned to Caroline. “I’ll show you the lodge and we can decide where we’ll start first.”

Tim walked with them to the hall door. “I hope you can keep a rein on this gal. She can be a handful sometimes.”

Caroline wondered if he was speaking from experience.

As they walked down the hall, Stella explained, “We have our own generator, water supply and telephone service via Telluride. Cell phones are useless here. And no house mail delivery. We order groceries from Telluride or go after them ourselves.”

As they toured the main floor, Caroline was thoroughly frustrated with Stella’s ambivalence about making any decisions about basic changes she wanted. They could end up with a hodgepodge of fabrics, colors and furnishings that completely lacked harmony and balance.

Caroline was ready to call a halt to the unorganized approach and suggested they spend the afternoon going over some basic plans.

“Oh, I can’t,” Stella said. “You’re on your own for the rest of the day. We’ll get together again tomorrow morning and go over some ideas.”

Caroline swallowed back a protest. A myriad of initial decisions had to be made before they could proceed. Spending only half days working out the details could extend the project almost indefinitely.

Caroline would have made an issue of the matter if she hadn’t already agreed to spend the late afternoon with Wes and the children.

“I’ll show you the workroom and you can get set up there,” Stella said as if she sensed Caroline’s impatience. “I’ve made a collection of magazines, books and articles that offer some good suggestions. You could look them over and see what you think.”

“That might be a place to start,” Caroline agreed.

When Stella showed her the workroom and Caroline saw the pile of material stacked on a long work table, she silently groaned. It would take more than one day to go through that collection.

“I set up my laptop and printer.” Stella motioned to a small table. “I thought that would be an easy way for you to make some notes. Anything else?” she asked.

“No, that’s fine,” Caroline lied. The woman hadn’t given her any clues about what she had in mind nor any specific changes she wished to make in any of the rooms. Caroline was thoroughly frustrated. If Stella had already decided on some definite ideas, this would be the time to share them, but she left Caroline alone in the workroom without another word.

As Caroline sifted though a pile of books and a dozen magazines, all new, she didn’t see any signs that Stella had gone through them. Usually clients marked specific ideas that they liked or turned down pages for easy reference.

Caroline leaned back in her chair, suddenly overwhelmed by the project ahead. How could she hope to please Stella when she didn’t have a clue how to begin to shape her nebulous ideas?

When she left the workroom and returned to Felicia’s apartment, Danny and Cassie were happily playing with clay. If her son had missed her, there was no outward sign of it.

“Time to go downstairs for lunch,” she told him.

“I don’t like that stuffy old dining room,” Cassie said, wrinkling up her pert nose.

“Me, neither,” Danny echoed.

“Why don’t I fix the children something here?” Felicia offered.

“Yay,” they said, almost in unison.

Caroline laughed. “All right. I’ll be back after lunch to get you for your nap, Danny.”

When he groaned, she reminded him that they were going horseback-riding later in the afternoon.

“Oh, I forgot.”

“I don’t want you to fall asleep on Cassie’s pony.”

“Blackie will keep him awake,” Cassie promised with a grin.

On the way downstairs, Caroline realized she would much rather have stayed and had lunch with the kids. When she reached the dining room, she was even more regretful.

Dexter was the only one there. He was wearing burgundy leather pants and a plaid shirt that only emphasized his beefy build and pot belly.

“Hi there, pretty lady,” he greeted her as she came in, immediately rising to his feet. He stayed at her elbow while she selected soup and salad from the buffet and then ushered her over to the table where he was sitting.

“Where’s Wes?” she asked pointedly as he guided her chair to the table.

“Oh, he’s holed up in his suite, working. The price of being rich, I guess. He has to keep on top of things no matter where he goes. No rest for the weary—or the rich,” he added, grinning. “Wes has probably talked to a dozen big shots this morning, keeping the wheels of commerce moving, you know.” His tone was tinged with something that might have been jealousy.

“It’s too bad he can’t relax when he’s here,” Caroline said, already impatient with the man’s boorish manner.

“Oh, I think he does. This lodge has really been a godsend. It’s one of the blessings his grandfather left the family. I doubt that Wes or his father would have built it. When his parents died Wes inherited all the family property and fortune held in escrow for the oldest living male Wainwright.” Dexter gave Caroline a knowing wink. “Wes is quite a catch for any gal who plays her cards right.”

Caroline forced herself to say lightly, “I imagine there are plenty of downsides. How many times has he been married?”

“Just once. He married a Texas beauty queen, Pamela Labesky. Wow, that gal could send any man’s desire into orbit just looking at her. She was something else and once Pamela set her silver tiara for Wes, he didn’t have a chance. Ruined him for any other woman, that’s for sure.” Dexter looked thoughtful as he speared a link sausage and popped it in his mouth. “Too bad Pamela only enjoyed her good fortune and Wainwright prestige for a few years. You know about the plane crash?”

“Only that Stella said she lost her husband in one.”

“The same crash. Wes would have been with them if something hadn’t come up at the last minute to keep him in Houston. Stella and Shane were already at the lodge. Wes pilots his own plane, you know. Anyway, Delvin and Pamela decided not to wait for him and they hired a pilot to fly them to Colorado. Bad decision. There’s a dangerous downdraft when landing in these mountains. The pilot miscalculated.”

“How awful.”

“Wes took it pretty hard. The tragedy was tough on him, that’s for sure.”

“How long ago was that?’

“Cassie was only a few months old when the plane crashed. And then there was—” He broke off as Shane came into the room.

Apparently Dexter preferred gossiping when no one else was around. He quickly changed the subject and asked Caroline how the redecorating was going.

She made a non-committal answer then purposefully gave her full attention to her lunch.

Shane made no attempt to join them and slumped down at a window table by himself. He had the standoffish air of an adolescent and the common belligerency that went along with it. Caroline finished her lunch as quickly as possible and wasn’t pleased when Dexter left the dining room with her.

“Why don’t you let me show you around the place?” he offered, trying to take her arm. “You haven’t been down to the stables yet, have you?”

“The children and I are going riding with Wes this afternoon,” she told him quickly. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“I bet you are,” he said with a slight smirk. “All the women enjoy Wes’s company.”

She refrained from making a caustic reply about his own apparent lack of charm in that area. Being trapped under the same roof with him was going to test her endurance for repulsive men. If Wes left the lodge, she hoped to heaven he took Dexter Tate with him.

AFTER A LONG NAP, Caroline and Danny made their way down to the social room to meet Wes. She’d changed into jeans and the bright sweater she’d worn the night before. Danny wore a pair of new overalls and a denim jacket. She was glad she’d invested in boots for both of them.