Colton Cowboy Hideout

“Josie Colton, I understand you arrived at the ranch just before Eldr—Mr. Colton was found missing. Where were you last night?”

“I was at my apartment in Granite Gulch. I got up early this morning to drive in,” Josie replied. “If they have security cameras around the area, then I’m sure they’ll show you precisely when I arrived here.”

“And you’re one of Mr. Colton’s cousins?” Troy asked.

“We’re third cousins. I’ve never even met him. I just spoke to him on the phone last night. He agreed to let me come here and search for an old watch that belongs to my father.”

Troy turned to look at Tanner. “And what about you, Tanner? Where were you in the hours before Eldridge was found missing?”

“I spent the night in the barn. We had a horse that foaled and I didn’t leave the barn until this morning when I came into the house to speak with Whitney. She introduced me to Josie and here we are. Several of the ranch hands were in and out of the barn all night,” Tanner explained. “They can tell you I was in the barn until this morning.”

“I only planned on being here today,” Josie said.

“Your plans have now changed,” Troy replied flatly. “I don’t want you leaving here until we’ve conducted a more thorough investigation.”

He turned back to look at Tanner. “Whitney told me to tell you to find accommodations for Ms. Colton in the staff wing and to see that she has whatever she needs.”

Tanner stifled a sigh. As if he didn’t already have enough chaos in his brain, he’d now been given a babysitting duty for a very hot young woman whose lower lip trembled slightly. Her eyes had darkened with what suspiciously looked like secrets.

Chapter 2

It was like watching a mystery movie where Josie didn’t know the actors and definitely couldn’t get a grasp on the plot. Eldridge was missing, Whitney thought she was the devil incarnate and the only oddly comforting element in the craziness was the tall, rather stoic man beside her whom she’d met only an hour or so ago.

Evil. You came from evil and that blood runs through your veins. She mentally shook her head to dispel the inner voice that haunted her more often than she wanted to admit.

She’d been grateful that the sheriff hadn’t asked any questions about her father. Her first impulse now was to jump in her car and get out of here as fast as possible, but with the sheriff’s admonition not to leave the property ringing in her ears, that wasn’t an option.

Even though she’d never met Eldridge she was concerned for his safety, but she couldn’t believe she was now under some sort of house arrest until further notice.

“Come on. I’ll show you to the staff quarters,” Tanner said. “Besides, I’m eager to check in on my daughters.”

She followed him out of the dining room and into a labyrinth of hallways that led farther away from the family’s living space.

“The left wing is where Fowler and Alanna live,” he explained as they walked. “In the main house Eldridge and Whitney have the first-floor suite and everyone else has suites on the second floor. This right wing is for some of the staff.”

“None of the children are married?” she asked.

“As far as I know, none of them are even close except maybe Fowler. He’s had a girlfriend forever, but so far they aren’t even engaged yet.”

“Fowler’s the oldest, right?”

Tanner nodded. “He’s the president of Colton Incorporated and a genius at business wheeling and dealing.”

Josie frowned. From what small interaction she’d seen between all of them, Fowler had appeared to be a bit of a pompous jerk.

“Feel free to check on your daughters before you show me to a room,” Josie said as they turned down another long hallway.

He flashed her a grateful smile over his muscled shoulder. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

No, thank you. Oh, she could definitely get used to his beautiful smiles. But, of course, she hoped she wouldn’t be here long enough to get used to anything. Hopefully she’d find the watch and then the sheriff would allow her to go home before the end of the day.

They continued down several more hallways before he stopped in front of a door. “This is my suite,” he said and then opened the door to allow her into a small but inviting living room with a kitchenette area.

The room was decorated in warm earth tones and the brown sofa held not only a couple of yellow throw pillows, but also a plastic baby doll and a little bedraggled stuffed dog. Two high chairs sat side by side on the small square of tiled area just in front of a window next to the refrigerator.

The sound of crying babies drifted out from another room. Josie followed him through the living room, past what was obviously the master bedroom, and another closed door and then into a smaller room where Brianna stood with one twin in her arms and the other one clinging to her legs. The young nanny looked frantic.

Despite their tears, the twins were beautiful, each with blond curls and big blue eyes. One was clad in pink shorts and a pink-flowered top and the other was dressed all in purple.

The room was obviously not only a place for the twins to sleep, but also where they played. A large wooden box rested between the two cribs and was filled with toys, and a miniature table and chairs in bright primary colors was set against one wall.

“What’s going on?” Tanner asked. The little girl in Brianna’s arms reached out to him and he took her from the nanny.

Josie didn’t hesitate. She leaned down and plucked the other twin from Brianna’s legs. “Hi, baby,” she said with a big smile. “Are you Lily or Leigh?”

The beautiful blond-haired girl stopped crying and eyed Josie soberly, and then her rosebud lips curled up into a responding smile.

“You have Lily,” Tanner said. “Lily wears purple and Leigh wears pink to make it easy for people to tell them apart.” He patted Leigh’s back as she sniffled a final little hiccuping sob. “How long have they been crying?” He looked at Brianna.

“Just for a couple of minutes,” she replied and her pointed chin thrust upward defensively. “It’s time for them to go down for their morning nap and they always get a bit crabby around now.”

As if to support Brianna’s claim, Lily yawned and snuggled closer against Josie’s chest. Josie’s heart squeezed with a sharp surge of unexpected emotion.

There had never been much softness in Josie’s life, but her head was now filled with the scent of sweet baby and Lily’s little body warmed not just the front of her blouse, but radiated through the cotton material to heat her heart in a way she’d never felt before.

Tanner gazed at Lily and Josie for a long moment. “If you don’t mind, I’ll just get them settled down in their cribs before we take off.”

“I don’t mind at all,” Josie replied. “Take all the time you need.”

Brianna sat on a tiny chair at a miniature table as Tanner carried Leigh to one of the cribs.

Josie followed his lead and took Lily to the other crib and placed her on the mattress on her tummy. She rubbed Lily’s back and Lily scrubbed at her eyes with a balled fist.

Within minutes both girls were sound asleep and Tanner gestured for Brianna and Josie to follow him out of the nursery and back into the living room.

“Has there been any word about Eldridge?” Brianna asked. Her hand worried the end of her braid with sparkling blue-painted fingernails.

Tanner frowned. “No, nothing, but hopefully the sheriff will have some answers for everyone soon. I’ll check in later this afternoon.” With a nod to Brianna, he then gestured for Josie to follow him out of the suite.

“I’m fairly sure the room next door to mine is empty,” he said. He raked a hand through his hair and appeared distracted.

“Before you show me a room, why don’t we see if I can dig up the watch? Hopefully by that time the mystery of Eldridge’s disappearance will be solved and the sheriff will let me leave and go home,” Josie replied.

She had a feeling the last thing Tanner Grange needed was to babysit her. It had been obvious he was concerned about Eldridge and the additional worry over a nanny who wanted to burn sage in a children’s nursery. He had enough on his plate without her.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “We could get you settled in here before taking off for that tree.”

She shook her head. “Maybe I won’t have to get settled in here at all.”

“All right, then.” He looked slightly relieved.

“I just hate that you have to take the time to show me to that tree.”

“It’s not a problem. In fact, the distraction will be good for me,” he assured her.

Minutes later they were outside in the hot July sun and heading for a black king-cab pickup truck parked by one of the many barns on the property.

“This is some spread,” Josie said as she hurried her steps to keep up with his long strides. As far as the eye could see were pastures and outbuildings.

“It is,” he agreed. “Someday I’d like to have a ranch of my own, although certainly nothing on this scale. It’s my dream to have a place of my own to work, a place my girls can really call home.” They reached the truck. “Why don’t you go ahead and get in and I’ll just grab a shovel from the barn.”

As he disappeared into the building, Josie climbed into the passenger seat. The truck interior smelled like Tanner, a heady combination of clean male and woodsy-scented cologne.

When he came back out of the barn, a black cowboy hat covered his head and he carried a shovel. Once again she couldn’t help but notice his attractiveness. Nothing better than a man in tight jeans and a cowboy hat, she thought.

The last time she’d experienced this kind of strong magnetic tug toward a man had been when she was sixteen years old and had fallen head over heels in love with Michael Evans. Her heart squeezed tight as old memories of her first and only love washed over her.

She and Michael had been achingly young and full of silly dreams—dreams that had been unable to last under the harshness of her reality.

Her thoughts returned to the here and now and the man who had instantly sparked something inside of her. Tanner Grange had a tough road ahead of him as a single parent. How tragic that he’d lost his ex-wife so young, leaving him as the sole parent to those two beautiful girls.

The shovel clanged noisily as he placed it in the pickup bed and then he got in behind the wheel.

“Your daughters are darling,” she said as he started the engine and took off.

“Thanks. They’re my entire life.” He frowned. “And finding a good nanny for them has been almost impossible. Brianna is the fourth one I’ve hired in the past six months or so.”

“What was wrong with the first three?” Josie asked curiously. She was eager to talk about anything but the fact that there were still several official vehicles parked at the house, indicating that the investigation was ongoing.

“The first woman was too impatient. She snapped at the girls constantly. The second lost one of the twins at the petting zoo we have here on the property, and the one before Brianna thought it was perfectly okay to strap the girls into the chairs at their little table with belts whenever they misbehaved.” His jaw tensed. “I know the girls can be a handful, but no way will I tolerate that kind of discipline.”

Josie was horrified that anyone would think it was okay to tie up a child anywhere. “That’s appalling, but Brianna seems nice enough.”

His muscles relaxed a bit. “She’s kind to the girls, although I think she gets overwhelmed easily and her chakra is constantly getting out of joint, so there’s no telling how long she’ll hang around.” He shot her a quick glance. “You seem like you’re good with children.”

A small laugh escaped her. “Other than when I was mothering the little ones in foster care, I’ve never had an opportunity to be around any before today.”

“Then I guess that makes you a natural,” he replied.

Josie stared out the passenger window and considered his words. Was she a natural with children? She had no idea what she was good at or where she was going. Until a month ago she hadn’t believed she had any kind of a future at all.

At the moment her future held only the need to find the watch and take it back to Granite Gulch so she and her siblings could take it to her father in prison.

She only hoped Eldridge Colton didn’t wind up murdered. She’d had more than enough of murder and mayhem to last the rest of her life.

She glanced at Tanner once again. His attention was directed out the window, but a pulse had begun working in his jaw again. She fought against a crazy impulse to lean over and stroke away the knot of tension. “You’re worried about Eldridge,” she ventured.

He flashed another gaze at her from his amazing blue eyes. “I am. He’s a character, and he definitely has enough kids of his own, along with Whitney’s kids that he adopted, but he’s always treated me as a sort of adopted son.

“I lost my parents in a car accident when I was twenty-two and Eldridge hired me on here and helped fill that void. I was honored when he made me foreman four years ago. I wasn’t sure I was ready to take on the responsibility, but he assured me that I was the man he wanted for the job. I care about him deeply.” His masculine voice cracked.

“I hope he’s found safe and sound,” she replied, although she already feared the worst for Eldridge. There was no question that there had been a struggle and there had been blood. Definitely not a good thing.

“There seemed to be a lot of tension between everyone,” she said, breaking the silence that had momentarily risen up between them. “For a minute I thought two of the men were going to have a fistfight.”

“Fowler and Reid,” he replied. “They don’t get along very well. I guess family dynamics can be complicated.”

Nobody knew that better than Josie. Her family dynamics had been strange for almost all of her life.

She focused her attention out the window once again as the truck rumbled over rough terrain. They’d left the smoother pasture behind and were headed toward a heavily wooded area.

A burst of anxiety filled her. The last thing she wanted or needed was to become embroiled in a kidnapping or a murder. She’d believed that all evil was finally behind her and she’d never have to think about anyone’s murder again. She just hoped by the time she dug up the watch, the mystery at the mansion would be solved and she could go back to Granite Gulch and figure out who she really was and what she wanted from life.

* * *

Tanner had a hundred worries on his mind, but in the relatively small confines of the pickup cab his main focus was now on the woman seated next to him.

Something about Josie Colton reminded him that he wasn’t just a single father of twin daughters, but he was also a healthy man who had felt alone long before his wife, Helen, had walked out on him.

He cast a quick glance at Josie. The sleeveless blue button-up blouse she wore enhanced the rich darkness of her thick hair and showcased a trim waist and the thrust of her breasts. Although she was short, her legs appeared long and shapely beneath the bottom of the jean shorts she wore.

His fingers tingled with the desire to curl into the silky strands of her long hair. He wondered if her hazel eyes would turn more green or blue or gold when in the midst of a passionate encounter.

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. What was wrong with him? What in the heck was he thinking? He was in his midthirties and she looked barely legal. Besides, she was here to dig up an old watch and then she’d be on her way. Apparently the trauma of the morning had his brain firing nonsense in his head.

He was grateful when they reached the area where the truck could no longer travel over the heavily wooded landscape. “We’ll have to go on foot from here,” he said. He shut off the engine and unfastened his seat belt while she did the same.

“Is it far?” she asked.

“About a five-minute walk,” he replied. At least out here the air smelled of trees and nature instead of spices and peaches and Josie.

He frowned down at her pink-polished toenails that peeked out of flimsy-looking gold-trimmed white sandals. “Are you going to be able to walk okay in those?”

She flashed him a cheeky grin. “Women can walk in any footwear, including four-inch heels when necessary. Just lead the way.”

He grabbed the shovel from the pickup bed and then, with her trailing just behind him, he forged ahead into the thick woods.

Other than the faint trickle of the brook that ran through this area and an occasional rustle of a rabbit or another small animal racing to find cover, a pleasant quietness reigned. It was especially pleasant after the utter chaos in the house.

He was grateful Josie didn’t feel the need to fill the relative silence with meaningless chatter. He needed some time to clear his head and calm his racing thoughts.

Sheriff Troy Watkins certainly didn’t have to go far to look for suspects in Eldridge’s case. All he had to do was look at the family and he’d find plenty of people who had motive to want to do harm to the old man.

Would a ransom call come in? Would a note be received demanding money for the return of Eldridge? Had a business rival gone over the deep end and sought revenge? Hopefully Troy would be able to figure it out quickly and get Eldridge home safe and sound.

He glanced over his shoulder and stopped in his tracks as he realized Josie had fallen slightly behind. “Sorry,” she said with a smile. “My legs aren’t as long as yours.”

“No problem,” he replied and tried to ignore how her beautiful smile warmed something in his stomach that hadn’t been warmed for a very long time. “It’s not too far now.” She stepped up beside him and once again he was taunted by her inviting scent.

“This watch must really be important to your father for you to go to all this trouble,” he said. Here in the shade provided by the trees overhead, her eyes gleamed gold-green.

“He wants to be buried with it and my siblings thought it was important to try to get it for him.”

“Are your siblings all younger than you?” he asked.

“No, I’m the youngest.” Her gaze shot ahead, as if eager to get the job done.

And why wouldn’t she be in a hurry? He was sure the last thing she wanted to do was spend any more time in his company. She probably thought he was an old fogy. Hell, he was an old fogy who wanted only peace and stability for his daughters.

He had no desire to hang out in a bar or go dancing at the latest hot spot. He’d rather play on the floor with his daughters than do much of anything else.

They moved ahead and the small stream appeared next to them, babbling musically over the small rocks in its path. Josie threw a glance over her shoulder and then stumbled over an exposed tree root.

He reached out and grabbed her firmly by the upper arm to steady her. Sensory overload instantly threatened to dizzy his head. Beneath the grasp of his hand her skin was warm and soft. A strand of her hair flew across his cheek, a tease of silkiness that caused tightness in his gut.

Once she was stable, he dropped his grip on her and took a step back. “Thanks,” she said, her voice slightly husky.

He gave her a curt nod and once again they walked on. “There it is.” He pointed ahead to an ancient oak that rose up majestically next to the stream. The trunk was huge and marred by a series of old carvings dug deep within the wood.

Tension wafted from Josie. “It’s just like my father described—the tree, the carvings and the creek.”

“Did he tell you what the carvings meant?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m not even sure he’s the one who made them.”

“Then let’s see if we can dig up an old watch,” he replied.

They hadn’t quite reached the front of the tree when a man stepped out from behind it, a gun in his hand.

Josie released a sharp yelp of surprise and Tanner tightened his grip on the shovel. What in the hell was going on? Did this man have something to do with whatever had happened to Eldridge?

“Josie Colton,” he said, his thin lips twisting into a sneer. “I knew if I tailed you long enough you’d lead me to the watch. I’ve been watching you for days.”

“Who are you?” Josie asked.

“That’s for me to know and you not to find out,” he replied. “Now, about that watch...”

“What watch?” she replied. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her voice held a tremor that belied her calm demeanor.

Tanner didn’t move a muscle although his brain fired off in a dozen different directions. The man had called her by name, so this obviously had nothing to do with Eldridge.

Why would a man with a gun know about a watch wanted for sentimental reasons? What hadn’t Josie told him? Was it possible to unarm the man without anyone getting hurt?

“Don’t play dumb with me, girly.” The man raised a hand to sweep a lank of oily dark hair out of his eyes. “Your daddy spent years in prison bragging about how he was going to be buried with that cheap watch and then nobody would ever find the map to all the money from those old bank heists.” He took a step toward them. “Now, tell me where that watch is. I want that map.”

Adrenaline pumped through Tanner. He certainly didn’t know anything about old bank robberies, but a sick danger snapped in the air.

A look of deadly menace radiated outward from the gunman’s dark, beady eyes. The gun was steady in his hands and Tanner’s chest constricted.

He tightened his grip on the shovel, calculated the distance between himself and the gunman’s arm and then he swung. The end of the shovel connected. The gun fell from the man’s grasp, but not before he fired off a shot.

The woods exploded with sound—the boom of the gun, a flutter of bird wings overhead as they flew out of the treetops and Josie’s scream of unmistakable pain.

Chapter 3

Pain seared through Josie’s upper arm. She grasped it and warm blood seeped through her fingers. At the same time the man picked up his gun from the ground and then turned and ran, quickly disappearing into the thicket.

Tanner dropped the shovel and his hat fell off his head as he raced to her side. Josie’s brain fogged with shock and the stinging agony of her injury.

“Here, take this.” Tanner quickly pulled his T-shirt over his head, exposing lean muscle and taut abs. He thrust the shirt into her hand. “Press it against your wound. We need to get back to the truck and get you some medical help.” His urgent tone cleared some of the fog from Josie’s head.

Help. Yes, she needed help, although some of the excruciating sting had already started to abate. Still, she’d been shot. She’d been shot! The thought momentarily weakened her knees.

Tanner bent down and grabbed the shovel and his hat. Then with narrowed eyes he scanned the area. “Let’s get out of here,” he said urgently.

As they headed back to the truck Tanner remained vigilant, looking both behind them and around the trees surrounding them even though his shovel would be of little use against another flying bullet.

They didn’t speak and Josie heard nothing to indicate they were being tracked, but then she hadn’t heard anything before the man had leaped out from behind the oak tree.

The back of her throat threatened to close off and tremors filled her as a chill gripped her very soul. Jeez, she’d been shot. The creepy-crawly feeling she’d had for the last couple of weeks of somebody following her hadn’t just been her imagination. There had been somebody following her...watching her.

Who was the man? Where had he come from? Apparently he’d followed her all the way from Granite Gulch and she hadn’t even known it.

She stumbled across the ground, inwardly screaming. Once again her father was responsible for chaos and danger...a danger she’d brought here to Tanner.

What if he’d been shot? What if he’d been killed? His daughters would have probably wound up in foster care, and the foster-care system had been responsible for Josie needing to go into the witness protection program for so many years.