Night Hawk

Taking off his hat, he opened the door and stepped into the foyer. There was conversation and laughter coming from the large kitchen down the hall and to his right. His heart twinged. Settling his Stetson on a peg, he halted for a moment, trying to get his strewn emotions collected. No one knew what had happened between him and Kai in the barn. He had to appear as if nothing was wrong. But the truth was that his whole life was in chaos for a thousand reasons. And it wasn’t Kai’s fault. It was entirely his.

* * *

KAI AVOIDED LUNCH with everyone. She had a protein bar she kept in her toolbox, and she kept working out in the barn instead. The day had warmed up, the air fresh with a scent of pine drifting fragrantly through the barn.

As she went to each piece of equipment, she cleaned it up. It was a lot of work, but it made her feel better under the circumstances. Gil was like that dust that had collected on the metal surfaces of the machines. She had never forgotten about him, his kisses, his crying in her arms, as if his entire world had been torn up and would never be the same again. It had turned her grieving heart inside out. She’d never heard a man cry before and it had stripped her emotionally in ways she could never describe, except that it was an agony that tore her up, made her want to hold him, give him safe harbor from his brother dying unexpectedly in combat.

She heard someone walk into the barn around one in the afternoon, and instantly Kai went on alert. Was it Gil? Looking up from where she stood, she saw it was Cat Holt. She wore a black baseball cap, a pale yellow tee with short sleeves and Levi’s.

“Hey,” Cat called, lifting her hand, “we missed you at lunch. Everything okay?”

“Fine,” Kai answered. She washed her hands off in the bucket of clean water and wiped them down on the sides of her jeans. “I know we were supposed to go riding today, but I’m really focused on getting this list of repairs done for Talon. You okay with that?” Kai liked the tall, well-built woman. She was in good shape and Kai knew from Cass that at one time she’d been a firefighter in the Jackson Hole Fire Department until she injured her knee.

“Sure, no problem.” Cat came over and smiled. “Wow, you’re really making all this stuff sparkle and shine. You didn’t have to do that, Kai. You know that, don’t you?”

Shrugging, Kai smiled a little and ran her hand over the hay baler. “Can’t stand to see equipment dirty like this.”

Cat leaned against the baler. “Know what you mean.” She looked around the barn, cooing sounds echoing every now and then. “The Triple H was in the Holt family for a hundred years. Sandy got breast cancer at age forty and, sadly, she had to sell the place to get the money to pay off her medical bills.”

Kai wrinkled her nose and took a break. “That’s horrible.”

“The worst,” Cat agreed softly. “I’ve known Sandy since she first contracted breast cancer. I was working at the fire department then as a paramedic. We became good friends and I’d drop over to that small, awful apartment, which was all she could afford. She loves reading, so I’d read to her, share lunch with her and try to get her to eat.”

Kai felt warmth flow through her heart as she studied Cat. “And you knew her for how long before Talon got home?”

“Five years,” Cat murmured, smiling. “I kinda knew Talon from the photo scrapbook that Sandy showed me. I knew just about everything about their family, the love she had for her two husbands who both died unexpectedly.”

“And Cass told me that her breast cancer had returned.” Kai felt badly for the woman. Cancer scared everyone.

Nodding, Cat said, “It did. Talon had gotten wounded nine months earlier, and so did his dog, Zeke. He was coming home after he got discharged from the hospital, to take care of her.”

“And is Sandy’s cancer gone yet?”

“It is. But she’s got an aggressive kind and I worry.” She nibbled on her lower lip. And then her eyes sparkled. “But I think with Cass coming into her life, it’s helping her to rally.”

Kai smiled a little. “I think they like one another. Don’t you?”

Cat chuckled. “Just a little. Cass is forty-nine and Sandy is the same age. They’re good together. He can get her to eat and has actually helped her gain back some of her lost weight. That’s a miracle in and of itself.”

“I feel love is the greatest healer of all,” Kai said quietly, holding Cat’s worried look. “I mean, I don’t know if there is love between them or not, but loving care makes the difference.” She ought to know. She’d reached out, opened her arms to Gil, who was clearly suffering and in anguish, and helped him. She saw Cat’s face soften and become pensive.

“Love is the greatest of healers. You’re right.” She lifted her chin. “My husband was very wounded in so many ways as a SEAL operator. He came home to a mess with Sandy. She’d given up hope and refused any more treatment to stop the return of her cancer. He was dealing with a lot. I just happened to walk into the picture at that moment.”

Kai studied Cat, the silence ebbing gently between them. “But you fell in love with Talon?”

“I did, but I didn’t want to. I’d screwed up my life, too. I didn’t want to involve Talon in it.”

“I think life is messy at best,” Kai muttered distastefully.

Laughing a little, Cat nodded. “No argument there. The good news is that we’re starting to get a workable foundation under us to bring the Triple H back into great shape.”

“Gil said the ranch went into a state of disrepair for nine years.”

‘Yeah. Easterners bought it, one after another playing cowboy, and they knew nothing at all,” she said grimly, wrapping her arms around her chest. “I can’t tell you how many times Sandy cried over the guilt of having to sell their family ranch for her medical bills. It was a horrible, stressful burden on her.”

“Guilt is a bitch,” Kai agreed, just as grim. “But she’s better now? Coming back home?”

“Yes. The doctors cleared her a month ago, proclaimed her free of cancer. Again.” Cat shook her head. “I just keep praying it stays away this time.”

“Don’t you think that the shock of having to sell her ranch brought it back a second time?”

Giving her a searching look, Cat said, “Funny, I always thought the same thing. I mean, I never talked to Sandy or Talon about it.”

“But you’re a paramedic. You see how shock devastates a person on every level.”

“Yes, it does. You’re pretty sharp and observant, Kai.”

Grinning a little, she wiped her hands on a rag. “I see patterns in people’s lives. I look for cause and effect.”

“Hmm, well, that’s not a bad way to approach it. Sandy was always weighted down by the loss of their ranch. I saw her at least three times a week and she always talked about it. Cried over it. She couldn’t let it go.”

“How did you get the ranch back?”

“Miss Gus, over at the Bar H, which is next door to our ranch, bought it back for Sandy. She’s eighty-five years old and a matriarch here in the valley. Gus is tough, no-nonsense, but that old woman has a heart of gold. All she wanted in return for buying the ranch back for Sandy was a twenty-year lease on two hundred of the five hundred acres we have on this ranch.”

“Wow,” Kai murmured, “that’s incredible. She must be very rich, then?” Because Kai had seen other ranches for sale in the valley in the local newspaper and they were going for millions of dollars.

Cat nodded. “Yes, she is. I hope you get to meet her soon. She’s a love. Feisty. Tough but fair. She worked hard for every penny she has. Gus usually drops over to see Sandy at least once a week.” With a grin, Cat added, “And she’s always snooping around to see what else we’ve done to get the ranch online.”

“Well, it’s sort of her investment, right?”

Chuckling, Cat eased to her feet. “Right. She and Sandy had been ranch neighbors ever since Gus came here from across the state. So when Sandy got ill, lost her ranch, Gus decided to try to get it back for her. And, eventually, she did.” Opening her hands, Cat gestured around the barn. “So here we are. We’re putting our money to good use, thanks to Cass. He’s a brilliant math guy and he also works with Griff McPherson, who is married to Val, Gus’s niece. Griff has an MBA from Harvard and sometimes he and Cass get together to go over the business plan for our ranch. We’re really lucky to have both of them.”

“Well,” Kai said gently, “I think Sandy is lucky to have Cass.”

“Oh, Cass loves being Sandy’s keeper. Talon and I both feel that sooner or later, love is going to blossom between them.”

“It looks like it has already.”

Shrugging, Cat said, “Sandy’s fallen in love twice, Kai. And each time, she married that man. And then, she lost him. Gardner died when Talon was ten. And then she met Bradley Holt, and he died unexpectedly in a car accident. I don’t know if she has enough of her heart left to fall in love again. She hasn’t said anything to me, but I can see it in her eyes. She’s afraid to fall in love a third time.”

“Because she’s afraid she’d lose Cass like the other two men?”

“Bingo,” Cat said. “Cass knows her history. I pulled him aside when he first came and gave him the lowdown. He’s just naturally a caregiver besides being a brainy dude. Never mind he was Special Forces. The guy rocks in my book and I love him like a big, hairy, fuzzy brother.” She grinned. “Cass grows on everyone.”

Kai smiled. “I liked him from the moment I met him.” She crossed her fingers and held them up. “Let’s hope Sandy gets through her fear of loss and lets Cass into her heart. I feel if she does, she won’t have any more bouts with cancer. Love heals.”

CHAPTER FIVE

ON MONDAY, KAI had driven into Jackson Hole to the John Deere store to pick up the items she’d need to repair the Triple H’s tractor. They’d had their 9:00 a.m. meeting and Gil had given her permission to go into town and get the items she needed. As she walked in, she saw a number of shiny new green-and-yellow tractors.

Seeing a sign that said Repair, she headed across the waxed white tiled floor toward the opened window. As she did, she spotted a man in a white cowboy shirt and dark brown slacks talking with a John Deere salesman on the floor. He had looked up as she entered, his dark brown eyes assessing her intently for a moment. Kai felt the power around the man, a sense of control and of his importance. He was dressed like a rancher, not a businessman, but she spotted a gold Rolex watch on his thick wrist peeking out from beneath the white cuff of his shirtsleeve.

If she hadn’t been so focused on getting parts for the tractor, she might have taken another look. He was a good-looking man, wearing a brown Stetson on hair of similar color. She liked that he stood tall and straight. Why she was even vaguely interested in him made her snort softly to herself. She had enough problems with Gil Hanford shadowing her life at the ranch right now. Still, she felt the stranger’s gaze linger on her as she stopped at the open window.

Kai knew Talon wanted her to get replacement parts for the tractor but if she could get, for instance, a rebuilt carburetor for the tractor instead of buying a new one, that would save them money. Talon was up on equipment and that shouldn’t have surprised her. Talon went over each item she’d found that needed to be replaced. He’d given her the name of Joe Hoskins, who repaired tractors for John Deere in the town. The balding man of sixty came to the window and smiled at her.

“What can I do for you, missy?” He placed his long, gnarled, darkly tanned hands on the opened door that served as a Dutch door to the repair department.

Kai smiled and introduced herself. “Joe? Do you have any of these items that are rebuilt and not new? I’m the mechanic for the Triple H and money is tight.” She liked his dancing hazel eyes and his quirky smile. The man, when he smiled, had two front teeth missing.

Joe studied the list. “Hmm, well, I can get half of this list on rebuilt. That’s a mighty old tractor, missy.” He looked into his repair room, which was filled with long rows of equipment on each shelf.

Kai grimaced. “I know it’s old. Do you have any parts here for it?” Kai knew from studying the tractors online that they were evolving remarkably from their forebears into electronic and computerized whizzes. The engines had changed and their old model was most likely a dinosaur to Joe.

“Well,” he murmured, “I don’t think so...but lemme go look...”

Kai stood at the window, her mind running over where else she could find the parts she needed.

“Got a little problem with your tractor?” a male voice inquired from behind her.

Turning, Kai looked up. It was the cowboy who had been talking to the salesman on the floor earlier. She smiled a little. “Just got an old tractor that needs some parts,” she explained. When he smiled, his whole face changed.

“I’m Chuck Harper,” he said, offering his hand to her. “I own Ace Trucking at the west end of town.”

Kai took his hand. It was the hand of a man who worked. She felt the calluses as she slid her hand into his. “Kai Tiernan. Nice to meet you.”

Chuck released her hand and looked toward Joe. “My trucking company has a very large state-of-the-art mechanical and repair shop. I heard Joe say your tractor was pretty old. Chances are he won’t have the parts you’re looking for.” He studied her with curiosity. “Are you working for someone around here? It’s kind of odd to see a woman with an equipment list in her hand instead of a grocery list.”

She felt his interest in her as a woman, mentally rejecting it. Harper was either in his late thirties or early forties. He was deeply tanned, his face long, with crow’s-feet at the corner of both his eyes. There was alertness in them. This man didn’t miss much. “I was just hired by the Triple H. They needed a mechanic.”

“Oh, yeah,” he murmured. “That ranch is broken.”

“Well,” she said, “it’s coming back. The Holts are putting their love into it, breathing new life into it.” She saw him smile a little and she could feel his interest growing in her. Man-to-woman interest. Glancing down, she saw no wedding ring on his finger, but that meant nothing nowadays. If he owned a trucking company, chances were he was fairly well-off moneywise and was married. Probably had a couple of kids, to boot. She was not interested.

“You’re a dreamer,” he teased, his teeth even and white as he smiled down at her.

“No, I’m a realist. The people I work for are like me. We know hard work will bring the Triple H back to her feet.”

Shrugging a little, Chuck said, “In my book, that’s dreaming. But hey, I wish you all luck. Here comes Joe...”

Turning, Kai saw the older gentleman come back with her list.

“Sorry to tell you, Kai, but none of these things are carried by our company anymore.”

Feeling down, Kai said, “Well, do you know of a parts dealer around here?”

“Naw, the only thing you can do is maybe call the John Deere dealer in Idaho Falls, Idaho. It’s the nearest large city to us,” and Joe pointed northward. “It’s a three-hour drive one way.” He reached down and pulled a business card from a tray. “Here’s their number. They might have something, but that tractor of the Holts is really out-of-date.”

“I know it is,” Kai said, taking the card and tucking it into her pants pocket, “but it’s still a good, hardworking machine. It has a lot of years left in it.”

Joe gave her a slight smile. “They make Deeres to last forever.”

“You know,” Chuck said, moving closer to her, “I have a complete repair facility. Do you know how to rebuild a motor? A carburetor?”

“I do. Why?”

“Well,” Chuck said, “I’d be happy to take you over there to check out our repair shop. If you bring in what you need repaired, I have the tools, the machinery and other items you need to do it. Now, I wouldn’t charge you anything but a fair hourly rate to use my equipment. If you needed spare parts, my man, José, could probably find the things you need in our spare parts department. Why don’t you come over with me? Check it out? Might save you the loss of a day having to drive to Idaho Falls and back.”

The idea was tempting. Kai said, “Let me call Talon Holt. I need his permission. Could you give me an idea of costs?” She liked that Harper was willing to help her, but it wasn’t lost on Kai that he liked her, either. Right now, as bruised as her heart and ego were from the blowout with Gil, it was nice to be appreciated by a man. Especially someone like Harper, who appeared to be kind and thoughtful.

Chuck took a piece of paper from Joe and scribbled down the rates and handed it to her. “I’ll wait by the door,” he said. “Let me know what Holt says.”

“Thanks,” Kai murmured, pulling out her cell phone.

* * *

GIL WAS COMING down the porch steps from the main ranch house near four in the afternoon when he saw Kai drive in. She parked her truck with the rest and climbed out. He saw her wrestle with a large cardboard box that was obviously heavy. He met her halfway.

“Let me take that for you,” he said gruffly, reaching out for it.

Kai scowled. “I got it.” She glared up at him.

Gently, Gil eased his hands around it. “Let me help you, Kai.”

Her heart twisted and Kai didn’t want him touching her, so she released the box to him. Why was she still so drawn to him? Why? It frustrated the hell out of her. “They’re parts. I need to take them to the green barn.”

“Okay,” Gil said, turning and beginning the walk around the ranch house. “Were you able to get the John Deere parts you needed?”

Kai fell into step with him, keeping plenty of room between them. “No. But I met a really nice guy, Chuck Harper.” Instantly, she saw Gil’s face go hard, and his gaze snapped to hers. He halted abruptly, staring down at her.

“Harper?” he snarled.

Shaken, Kai said, “Well...yes. Why?” She saw blackness in Gil’s eyes and it bothered the hell out of her. “I called Talon Holt about this hours ago,” she began defensively, her chin jutting out. “He gave me permission to use Ace Trucking’s repair facility to make the parts I needed for the tractor. Why?”

Gil compressed his lips, staring at her. “Stay away from the bastard. You hear me?”

The snarl in his voice tore through her. Confused, she muttered, “What are you talking about? The guy was nice. He offered me his facility so I could make the parts I needed for the tractor. Talon approved the payment and I wrote him a check afterward. Why are you looking at me like that?” Her heart rate ramped up and she could feel the sudden tension gathering around Gil. He was acting as if he was about ready to go into a firefight. She’d seen and felt that same kind of energy around Sam anytime he was threatened. Why the hell was Gil threatened by Chuck Harper? Or was he angry at her? Jealous? Either way, Kai felt her stomach knot. Her hands curved against her Levi’s as she stared him down.

Cursing softly, Gil said, “Let’s get these parts to the barn. I’ll fill you in there.”

Kai almost had to run to keep up with his long, swift stride. In no time, Gil had placed the cardboard box on the table where she had her toolbox. He turned, pushing up his Stetson.

“Harper is a bastard,” he growled at her. “Did Talon know who you were dealing with?”

Struck by the ferocity of his words and the way his body had tensed, Kai muttered, “Yes, I told him. Why the hell are you acting like this, Gil? I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Dammit, I’m not angry at you, Kai.” He took a swipe at his jaw, looking out the barn door as if he was trying to put the right words together. “Where did you meet Harper?”

Scowling, she told him. The look in Gil’s eyes was glittering and she could feel his sudden, almost overwhelming protectiveness cascading around her. She remembered that sense of safety and protection in his arms. He was an operator, and he protected his own. Just as Sam had once protected her. In as few words as possible, she told Gil where she’d met Harper and their subsequent conversation.

“He’s not to be trusted. I don’t care how damned nice he was to you, Kai.”

She stared at him, mouth dropping open. “What is this, Gil? I just saved this ranch a lot of money by arranging to use his facilities to fix that tractor.” She saw him scowl, his game face in place. Kai hated that unreadable expression. She had hated it on Sam, too. Black ops men were screwed up so damned badly in her opinion precisely because they sat on their emotions to do their jobs. And Gil was looking like that right now.

“Harper is a bastard in the finest sense of the word,” he gritted out.

She snorted. “I know a bastard when I see one, Gil.”

The muscles in his jaw ticked. “You’re new to this area, Kai. You don’t know the lay of the land yet. If you don’t trust my assessment of Harper, just go to Gwen Garner at the quilt shop in town. She’ll give you a fair readout on him.”

A little unnerved because she saw something in Gil’s eyes that set her on warning. Was he jealous of Harper? That couldn’t be! Searching his eyes, there was worry in them. For her? Why? Gil didn’t even like her! She was a burr under his saddle by being here. So what was his angle at getting all huffy, protective and upset that Harper had done something decent for the ranch? “When I get time,” she said, turning and walking out of the barn. Let him stew in his own juices. Kai was confused by the raw care burning in his eyes for a second in the barn. There was no way Gil cared for her. No way in hell!

As she quickly walked down the gravel slope, Kai couldn’t contain her emotions. She knew that look in Gil’s eyes. She’d seen it the night before he left her and walked away. The sense of protection had surrounded her as she lay in his arms and he had gently moved several tendrils of her damp hair away from her brow. Kai hadn’t known she could fall so hard for anyone as she did Gil. It had never happened before or after him.

One kiss!

Just that one haunting, searing kiss as his mouth took hers with desperation had turned her world upside down and her life inside out. Her knees had weakened and he’d literally swept her into his arms, holding her tightly against him, ravishing her mouth, his other hand holding the back of her head as he plundered her lips, her heart and her soul. It was as if a lifetime of need and hunger had been built into his one life-changing kiss with her. Kai got in that instant how much he had desired her over the years and, even more poignant, how much he needed her right then. The feeling that washed over her was if he didn’t kiss her right now, he’d die. It was that intense. That soul-rocking. Without thinking, Kai touched her lips with her fingertips, that branding kiss always with her. No man had ever kissed her like Gil Hanford had.

Anguish rose in Kai, tearing at her heart, turning it into bloody ribbons that made her want to gasp because the hurt, the fact that he’d left her, was still too much for her to deal with. She slowed her walk, wrapped in the misery and rejection by him. Kai thought she’d suffered when Sam died. But, in truth, what Gil had done to her was far worse. His kiss had been like a telepathic transmission to every possible level of herself. As he had taken her into his arms, capturing her against his tall, strong body, the scent of sweat and dust stinging her nostrils, she’d felt a man in such utter distress and sheer need of her alone. And her heart had opened fully to him, trusting him with herself. She had given. And he had taken.

End of story.

It hurt to breathe for a moment as Kai pushed herself to walk toward the ranch house. It was almost dinnertime. She needed to take a shower and change into some clean clothes beforehand. Unable to shake off that shield that surrounded her, Gil’s protectiveness, she made a noise in her throat, disgusted with herself. How her stupid, blind heart could react to his look of concern for her made her angry and confused.

* * *

GIL TRIED TO ignore that Kai wore a pale pink blouse and loose white trousers to dinner. Her hair had been recently washed, the gold strands gleaming among the burgundy beneath the light above the table. He heard people talking, some laughing, but none of it really registered. His heart ached so damned bad he didn’t know what to do to stop it. Maybe kiss her. Yeah, he wanted to kiss the hell out of Kai.