christine feehan - rocky mountian miracle

8/13/2019 Christine Feehan - Rocky Mountian Miracle

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ROCKY

MOUNTAIN

MIRACLE

Christine Feehan

dedication

This book is dedicated to Sheila Clover, a woman I admire very much.

acknowledgments

I have to thank Dr. Lisa Takesue of Main St. Veterinarian Clinic for her unfailin!atience when I asked veterinarian "uestions and, most es!ecially, Tory Can#onetta, a

federally licensed trainer at Destiny $i Cat Sanctuary, a last%sto! haven for e&otic cats.Visit the website at www.destinybicats.com and see the beautiful tiers and other cats'

Tory rescues e&otic cats and kee!s them safe and healthy. She ave me so much

information and o!ened her heart and sanctuary to me for research.

I love to hear from readers. (lease feel free to visit my website,

www.christinefeehan.com and )oin my members%only !rivate e%mail list to receive free


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screen savers, view teasers, and receive new%release announcements of my books.

chater !

Cole Steele could hear the screams comin from the room down the hall. *e knew

those nihtmares intimately, because the demons also visited him every time he closedhis own eyes. *e was a rown man, hard and disci!lined and well able to drink his way

throuh the niht if necessary, but +ase was )ust a youn teenaer. uilt eded his aner

as he made his way throuh the dark to the boy-s room. *e should have done somethin,to s!are his half brother the horrendous leacy of his own !ast.

In truth, he hadn-t been in touch with his father for years. It hadn-t occurred to him

that his father would remarry a much youner woman and !roduce another child, but heshould have considered the !ossibility, not )ust dro!!ed off the face of the earth. Cole

shoved o!en the bedroom door. +ase was already fully awake, his eyes wide with the

terror of his memories. Somethin twisted hard and !ainfully in Cole-s chest.

I-m here, +ase, he announced unnecessarily. *e wasn-t ood at soothin the boy. *e

had been born and bred in rouhness and still had a difficult time bein entle. /orse,+ase barely knew him. *e was askin the teenaer to trust him in s!ite of his re!utation

and the rumors of attem!ted murder flyin freely throuh the town. It was no wonder the

boy rearded him with some sus!icion.

I hate Christmas. Can-t we )ust make it o away0 +ase asked. *e threw back thecovers and !aced across the room, the same edy tension in his teenae body that Cole

had in abundance as a rown man. +ase was tall and anly, like a youn colt, all armsand les, lookin a bit like a scarecrow in flannel !a)amas. *e had Cole-s dark hair, but

his eyes must have been his mother-s, as they were a dee!, rich brown. 1iht now, his

eyes were wide with terror, and he turned away to hide his tremblin.

Cole felt as if he were lookin at himself as a younster, only +ase had !oured himself

into books and Cole had become a hellion. Cole knew what it was like to hide the bruisesand the terror from the rest of the world. *e had rown u! livin in isolation and hidin,

and he still lived that way, but he would be damned if this boy would endure the same.

Did he shoot your do for Christmas0 Cole asked bluntly. That-s what he did forme the last time I wanted to celebrate the holiday like my friends. I haven-t ever wanted a

Christmas since. *e also beat the holy hell out of me, but that was insinificant ne&t to

the do.

+ase faced him slowly. The horror was still all too stark in his eyes. I had a cat.

I-ll bet he said you weren-t touh enouh and that only sissies needed !ets and

Christmas. *e wanted you to touhen u! and be a man. 2ot et attached to anythin.


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+ase nodded, swallowin an obvious lum! in his throat. *e did a lot of thins.

3ou have burn marks0 Scars from cuts0 *e liked to whi! me with a coat haner.4nd when I didn-t cry, he took to usin other thins.

I cried, +ase admitted.

I did too, at first. *e was a mean son of bitch, +ase. I-m lad he-s dead. *e can-t touch

you anymore. I-m not oin to lie to you and tell you the nihtmares o away because Istill have them. /e both lived in hell and he had too much money for anyone to want to

believe us. Cole rubbed his hands throuh his thick black hair. *e was sick, +ase. I ot

out, chaned my name thinkin he-d never find me, and stayed as far from him as I could

!ossibly et. That-s no e&cuse. I should have ke!t tabs on him. Maybe I could have ottenyou away from him.

+ase shook his head. *e never would have let me o.

3ou know what they-re all sayin, don-t you0 They think I had somethin to do with

his death.

+ase nodded, his eyes suddenly wary. I-ve heard. /hy did you come back0

I was named your uardian in his will. It was the first I-d heard of you. I didn-t know

you e&isted until five months ao. I knew he must have done the same thin to you and

your mother that he did to me and mine. I thouht I could !rotect you, at least until you-re

old enouh to live on your own. I fiured I would be a better uardian than anyone elsethe court miht a!!oint or that our father had named if I didn-t acce!t.

Dawn was cree!in in throuh the hue !late%lass window. Cole watched the suncome u!. It was cold, and the round outside was covered with several feet of snow,

turnin the hills into a car!et of s!arklin crystals. 3ou hunry0

4re you cookin0

Cole manaed a la#y shru even thouh he really wanted to smash somethin. It was

always there, that volcano inside him, waitin to eru!t. The thouht of his father, the timeof year, it wasn-t all that difficult to brin rae to the surface. I thouht we-d o into

town and ive them all somethin more to ossi! about.

+ase met Cole-s eyes s"uarely. They say you killed the old man and that you-re

!lannin to kill me ne&t. Si&ty%four million dollars is a lot of money, twice as much as

thirty%two.

They do say that, don-t they0 Cole said. 4nd don-t foret the ranch. It-s worth twice

that easily, maybe more with the oil and as de!osits. I haven-t actually checked into howmuch yet. *is eyes had one ice%cold, a !iercin blue stare that im!aled the boy. /hat

do you say, +ase0 $ecause in the end, you-re the only one that counts as far as I-m

concerned.

+ase was silent a lon time. I say I-m lad you came back. $ut I don-t understand


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why he left us the money and the ranch when he hated us both so much. It doesn-t make

any sense. *e looked around the enormous room, frownin. I kee! e&!ectin him to

show u! in the middle of the niht. I-m afraid to o!en my eyes because I know he-sstandin over the bed, )ust waitin.

/ith that smile. Cole-s voice was rim.

+ase nodded, a small shudder betrayin the fact that he wasn-t as calm as he tried to

seem. /ith that smile. *e looked at Cole. /hat do you do when the nihtmarescome0 *e !unched his fist into his !illow. 5nce. Twice. I hate this time of year.

Cole felt a shar! !ain in his chest and the familiar churnin in his ut. *is own hand

balled into a fist, but he tam!ed down the smolderin aner and hun on to control for theboy-s sake. I drink. I-m your uardian, so I have to say that-s not allowed for you. 4t

least not until you-re a hell of a lot older.

Does it work0

2o, Cole said rimly. *onestly. $ut it ets me throuh the niht. Sometimes I oto the workout room or the barn. I hun a heavy ba in both !laces, and I beat on them

until my hands hurt. 5ther times I take the wildest horse we have and o out into the

mountains. I run the hills, usin the deer trails, anythin to make me so tired I can-t thinkanymore.

2one of that works either, does it0 +ase had tried !hysical activity as well, but he

was findin that talkin "uietly with his half brother was hel!ful. More hel!ful thananythin else he-d tried. 4t least one !erson believed him. 4nd one !erson had one

throuh the same torment. It created a bond in s!ite of the uly rumors that surrounded

his touh, harder%than%nails half brother.

Cole shook his head. 2o, none of it works, but it ets you throuh the niht. 5ne

niht at a time. *e-s dead, +ase, and that-s all that matters.

+ase took a dee! breath. Did you kill him0

2o, but I wish I had. I used to lie awake at niht and !lan how I-d do it. That wasbefore Mom died. Then I )ust wanted to et out. Cole studied the boy-s face. Did you

kill him0 *e concentrated his a#e on the boy. 6very nuance. 6very e&!ression, the way

he breathed. The flick of his eyes. The tremblin of his hands.

+ase shook his head. I was too afraid of him.

Cole let his breath out slowly. *e had stayed alive usin his ability to read others, and

he was fairly certain that +ase was tellin the truth. +ase had been in the house when

someone had shot $rett Steele riht there in his own office. *e wanted to believe that theboy wasn-t involved in $rett Steele-s death. Cole wasn-t certain how he would have

handled it if +ase had admitted he-d done it, and for a man in Cole-s !rofession, that

wasn-t a ood thin.

Cole, did he kill your mother0 7or the first time, +ase sounded like a child rather


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than a fourteen%year%old tryin to be a man. *e sank down onto the bed, his thin

shoulders shakin. I think he killed my mother. They said she was drinkin and drove

off the bride, but she never drank. 2ever. She was afraid to drink. She wanted to knowwhat was ha!!enin all the time. 3ou know what he was like, he-d be nice one minute

and come after you the ne&t.

$rett Steele had been a sadistic man. It was Cole-s belief that he had killed for the

sheer rush of havin the !ower of life and death over anythin, human or animal. *e-d

en)oyed inflictin !ain, and he had tortured his wives and children and every one of hisem!loyees. The ranch was hue, a lon way from hel!, and once he had control over

those livin on his lands, he never relin"uished it. Cole knew he-d been lucky to esca!e.

It-s !ossible. I think the old man was ca!able of !ayin everyone off from coronersto !olice officers. *e had too much money and !ower for anyone to cross him. It would

be easy enouh for a medical e&aminer to look the other way if there was enouh money

in bribes. 4nd if that didn-t work, there were always threats. /e both know the old mandidn-t make idle threats8 he-d carry them out.

+ase met his brother-s stare directly. *e killed your mother, didn-t he0

Maybe. (robably. Cole needed a drink. Let-s o into town and et breakfast.

5kay. +ase !ulled a !air of )eans from the closet. They were neatly hun and

immaculately clean, )ust like everythin else in the room. /ho do you think killed him0

If it wasn-t either of us, someone else had to have done it.

*e made a lot of enemies. *e destroyed businesses and seduced as many of his

friends- wives as !ossible. 4nd if he killed anyone else, as I sus!ect he must have,

someone could have known and retaliated. *e liked to hurt !eo!le, +ase. It was inevitable

that he would die a violent death.

/ere you sur!rised he left you the money and uardianshi! over me0

3es, at first. $ut later I thouht maybe it made sense. *e wanted us to be like him.

*e had me investiated and found I s!ent time in )ail. I think he believed I was e&actly

like him. 4nd the only other choice of a uardian he had was your uncle, and you knowhow much they des!ised one another.

+ase sihed. 9ncle Mike is )ust as cra#y as Dad was. 4ll he talks about is sin andredem!tion. *e thinks I need to be e&orcised.

Cole swore, a lon strin of curses. That-s a load of cra!, +ase. There-s nothinwron with you. *e needed to move, to ride somethin hard, it didn-t matter what it was.

4 horse, a motorcycle, a woman, anythin at all to take away the knots atherin in his

stomach. Let-s et out of here.

*e turned away from the boy, a cold aner loded in his ut. *e detested Christmas,

detested everythin about it. 2o matter how much he didn-t want the season to start, it

always came. *e woke u! drenched in sweat, vicious lauhter rinin in his ears. *e


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could fiht the demons most of the year, but not when Christmas sons !layed on the

radio and in every store he entered. 2ot when every buildin and street dis!layed

decorations and !eo!le continually wished each other Merry Christmas. *e didn-t wantthat for +ase. *e had to find a way to ive the boy back his life.

Counselin hadn-t hel!ed either of them. /hen no one believed a word you said, orworse, was bouht off, you learned to sto! trustin !eo!le. If Cole never did another

thin riht in his life, he was oin to be the one !erson +ase would know he could

always trust. 4nd he was oin to make certain the boy didn-t turn out the way he had. 5rthe way their father had.

The brothers walked throuh the s!rawlin ranch house. The floors were all leamin

wood, the ceilins o!en%beamed and hih. $rett Steele had demanded the best ofeverythin, and he ot it. Cole couldn-t fault him on his taste.

Cole, +ase asked, why were you in )ail0

Cole didn-t break stride as he hurried throuh the s!acious house. 4t times he wanted

to burn the thin down. There was no warmth in it, and as hard as he-d tried to turn theshow!iece into a home for +ase, it remained cold and barren.

5utdoors it was bitin cold. The frost turned the hills and meadows into a world ofs!arklin crystal, da##lin the eyes, but Cole sim!ly inored it, shovin his sunlasses

onto his face. *e went !ast the hue arae that housed do#ens of cars:all toys $rett

Steele had owned and rarely ever used:to o to his own !icku!.

I shouldn-t have asked you, +ase muttered, slammin the door with unnecessary

force. I hate "uestions.

Cole !aused, the key in the inition. *e lanced at the boy-s flushed face. It isn-t that,+ase. I don-t mind you askin me anythin. I made u! my mind I-d never lie to you about

anythin, and I-m not "uite certain how to e&!lain the )ail time. ive me a minute.

+ase nodded. I don-t mind that you-ve been in )ail, but it worries me because 9ncle

Mike says he-s oin to take you to court and et custody of me. If I lived with him, I-d

s!end all my life on my knees, !rayin for my soul. I-d rather run away.

*e can-t et you away from me, Cole !romised, his voice rim. There was a hard

ede to the set of his mouth. *e turned his !iercin blue a#e directly on his youn halfbrother. The one thin I can !romise is I-ll fiht for you until they kill me, +ase. *e was

im!lacable, the deadly ruthless stam! of determination clear on his face. 2o one is oin

to take you away from me. 3ou ot that0

+ase visibly rela&ed. *e nodded, a short )erky esture as he tried to kee! his emotions

under control. Cole wasn-t certain if that was ood or bad. Maybe the boy needed to cryhis eyes out. Cole never had. *e would never ive his father the satisfaction, even when

the bastard had nearly killed him.

It was a lon way to the nearest town. There had been numerous uards at the ranch


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when his father was alive, su!!osedly for security, but Cole knew better. $rett had

needed his own !rivate world, a realm he could rule with an iron fist. The first thin Cole

had done was to fire all of the ranch hands, the security force, and the housekee!er. If hecould have had them !rosecuted for their !artici!ation in $rett-s sadistic de!ravities, he

would have. +ase needed to feel safe. 4nd Cole needed to feel as if he could !rovide the

riht atmos!here for the boy. They had interviewed the new ranch hands toether, andthey were still lookin for a housekee!er.

3ou, know, +ase, you never !icked out one of the horses to use, Cole said.

+ase leaned forward to fiddle with the radio. The cab was flooded with a country

Christmas tune. +ase hastily went throuh the stations, but all he could find was

Christmas music and he finally ave u! in e&as!eration. I don-t care which one I ride,+ase said, and turned his head to stare out the window at the !assin scenery. *is voice

was deliberately careless.

3ou must have a !reference, Cole !ersisted. I-ve seen you brin the bi bay, Celtic

*ih, a carrot every now and then. The boy had s!ent a little time each day, brushin thehorse and whis!erin to it, but he never rode the bay.

+ase-s e&!ression closed down instantly, his eyes wary. I don-t care about any of

them, he re!eated.

Cole frowned as he sli!!ed a CD into the !layer. 3ou know what the old man was

all about, don-t you, +ase0 *e didn-t want his sons to feel affection or loyalty to anythin

or anyone. 2ot our mothers, not friends, and not animals. *e killed the animals in front ofus to teach us a lesson. *e destroyed our friendshi!s to accom!lish the same thin. *e

ot rid of our mothers to isolate us, to make us wholly de!endent on him. *e didn-t want

you ever to feel emotion, es!ecially affection or love for anythin or anyone else. If he

succeeded in doin that to you, he won. 3ou can-t let him win. Choose a horse and letyourself care for it. /e-ll et a do if you want a do, or another cat 4ny kind of !et you

want, but let yourself feel somethin, and when our father visits you in your nihtmares,tell him to o to hell.

3ou didn-t do that, +ase !ointed out. 3ou don-t have a do. 3ou haven-t had a do

in all the years you-ve been away. 4nd you never ot married. I-ll bet you never livedwith a woman. 3ou have one%niht stands and that-s about it because you won-t let

anyone into your life. It was a shrewd uess.

Cole counted silently to ten. *e was !sychoanaly#in +ase, but he damned well didn-t

want the boy to turn the s!otliht back on him. It-s a hell of a way to live, +ase. 3ou

don-t want to use me as a role model. I know all the thins you shouldn-t do and not manyyou should. $ut cuttin yourself off from every livin thin takes its toll. Don-t let him do

that to you. Start small if you want. +ust choose one of the horses, and we-ll o ridin

toether in the mornins.

+ase was silent, his face averted, but Cole knew he was weihin the matter carefully.

It meant trustin Cole further than !erha!s +ase was willin to o. Cole was a bi

"uestion mark to everyone, +ase es!ecially. Cole couldn-t blame the boy. *e knew what


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he was like. Touh and ruthless with no backu! in him. *is re!utation was that of a

vicious, merciless fihter, a man born and bred in violence. It wasn-t like he knew how to

make all the soft, kind estures that the kid needed, but he could !rotect +ase.

+ust think about it, he said to close the sub)ect. Time was on his side. If he could

ive +ase back his life, he would forive himself for not brinin the old man down as heshould have done years ao. +ase had had his mother, a woman with love and lauhter in

her heart. More than likely $rett had killed her because he couldn-t turn +ase away from

her. +ase-s mother must have left some leacy of love behind.

Cole had no one. *is mother had been )ust the o!!osite of +ase-s. *is mother had had

a child because $rett demanded she have one, but she went back to her model%thin fiure

and cocaine as soon as !ossible, leavin her son in the hands of her brutal husband. In theend, she-d died of an overdose. Cole had always sus!ected his father had had somethin

to do with her death. It was interestin that +ase sus!ected the same thin of his own

mother-s death.

4 few snowflakes drifted down from the sky, addin to the atmos!here of the seasonthey both were tryin so hard to avoid. +ase kicked at the floorboard of the truck, a smallsin of aression, then lanced a!oloetically at Cole.

Maybe we should have o!ted for a workout instead, Cole said.

I-m always hunry, +ase admitted. /e can work out after we eat. /ho came u!

with the idea of Christmas anyway0 It-s a dumb idea, ivin !resents out when it isn-t

your birthday. 4nd it can-t be ood for the environment to cut down all the trees.

Cole stayed silent, lettin the boy talk, rateful +ase was finally comfortable enouh

to talk to him at all.

Mom loved Christmas. She used to sneak me little ifts. She-d hide them in my

room. *e always had s!ies, thouh, and they-d tell him. *e always !unished her, butshe-d do it anyway. I knew she-d be !unished, and she knew it too, but she-d still sneak

me !resents. +ase rolled down the window, lettin the cris!, cold air into the truck. She

san me Christmas sons. 4nd once, when he was away on a tri!, we baked cookies

toether. She loved it. /e both knew the housekee!er would tell him, but at the time, wedidn-t care.

Cole cleared his throat. The idea of tryin to celebrate Christmas made him ill, but thekid wanted it. Maybe even needed it, but had no due that was what his nervous chatter

was all about. Cole ho!ed he could !ull it off. There were no ha!!y memories from his

childhood to offset the thins his father had done.

/e tried to et away from him, but he always found us, +ase continued.

*e-s dead, +ase, Cole re!eated. *e took a dee! breath and took the !lune, feelin

as if he was lea!in off a stee! cliff. If we want to brin a iant tree into his home and

decorate it, we can. There-s not a damn thin he can do about it.


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*e miht have let her o if she hadn-t wanted to take me with her.

Cole heard the tears in the boy-s voice, but the kid didn-t shed them. Silently hecursed, wishin for ins!iration, for all the riht thins to say. 3our mother was an

e&traordinary woman, +ase, and there aren-t that many in the world. She cared about you,

not the money or the !restie of bein Mrs. $rett Steele. She fouht for you, and she triedto ive you a life in s!ite of the old man. I wish I-d had the chance to meet her.

+ase didn-t re!ly, but closed his eyes, restin his head back aainst the seat. *e couldstill remember the sound of his mother-s voice. The way she smelled. *er smile. *e

rubbed his head. Mostly he remembered the sound of her screams when his father

!unished her.

I-ll think about the Christmas thin, Cole. I kind of like the idea of decoratin the

house when he always forbade it.

Cole didn-t re!ly. It had been a very lon few weeks, but the Christmas season was

almost over. 4 cou!le more weeks, and he would have made it throuh another

December. If doin the Christmas thin could ive the kid back his life, Cole would finda way to et throuh it.

The town was fairly bi and offered a variety of late%niht and early%mornin dinin.Cole chose a diner he was familiar with and !arked the truck in the !arkin lot. To his

dismay, it was already filled with cars. 9nfoldin his lare frame, he slid from the truck,

waitin for +ase to et out.

3ou forot your )acket, he said.

2o, I didn-t. I hate the thin, +ase said.

Cole didn-t bother to ask him why. *e already knew the answer and vowed to buy the

kid a whole new wardrobe immediately. *e !ushed o!en the door to the diner, ste!!inback to allow +ase to enter first. +ase took two ste!s into the entryway and sto!!ed

abru!tly behind the hih wall of fake ivy. They-re talkin about you, Cole, he

whis!ered. Let-s et out of here.

The voices were loud enouh to carry across the small restaurant. Cole stood still, his

hand on the boy-s shoulder to steady him. +ase would have to learn to live with ossi!,

)ust as he-d learned to survive the nihtmare he-d been born into.

3ou-re wron, 1andy. Cole Steele murdered his father, and he-s oin to murder that

boy. *e wants the money. *e never came around here to see that boy until his daddydied.

*e was in )ail, +im, he couldn-t very well o visitin his relatives, a second malevoice !ointed out with a lauh.

Cole reconi#ed 1andy Smythe from the local ariculture store. $efore he could

decide whether to et +ase out of there or show the boy )ust how hy!ocritical the localstoreowners could be, a third voice chimed in.


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3ou are so full of it, +im $eley, a female voice interru!ted the arument between

the two men. 3ou come in here every mornin rousin about Cole Steele. *e was

cleared as a sus!ect a lon time ao and iven uardianshi! of his half brother, as heshould have been. 3ou-re anry because your bar buddies lost their cushy )obs, so you-re

hel!in to s!read the malicious ossi! they started. The entire lot of you sound like a

bunch of sour old biddies.

The woman never raised her voice. In fact, it was soft and low and harmonious. Cole

felt the tone strummin inside of him, vibratin and s!readin heat. There was somethinmaical in the voice, more maical than the fact that she was stickin u! for him. *is

finers tihtened involuntarily on +ase-s shoulder. It was the first time he could ever

remember anyone stickin u! for him.

*e was in )ail, Maia, +im $eley reiterated, his voice almost !lacatin.

So were a lot of !eo!le who didn-t belon there, +im. 4nd a lot !eo!le who shouldhave been in )ail never were. That doesn-t mean anythin. 3ou-re )ealous of the man-s

money and the fact that he has the re!utation of bein able to et )ust about any womanhe wants, and you can-t.

4 roar of lauhter went u!. Cole e&!ected $eley to et anry with the woman, but

sur!risinly, he didn-t. 4w, Maia, don-t o ettin all mad at me. 3ou aren-t oin to doanythin, are you0 3ou wouldn-t !ut a he& on my; on me, would you0

The lauhter rose and this time the woman )oined in. The sound of her voice was like

music. Cole had never had such a reaction to any woman, and he hadn-t even seen her.

3ou )ust never know about me, now do you, +im0 She teased, obviously not anry

with the man. It-s Christmas, the best time of the year. Do you think you could sto!

s!readin rumors and )ust wait for the facts0 ive the man a chance. 3ou all want hismoney. 3ou all aree the town needs him, yet you-re so "uick to condemn him. Isn-t that

the littlest bit hy!ocritical0

Cole was shocked that the woman could wield so much !ower, drivin her !oint

home without ever raisin her voice. 4nd stranely, they were all listenin to her. /ho

was she, and why were these usually rouh men hanin on her every word, tryin to!lease her0 *e found himself very curious about a total straner:a woman at that.

5kay, okay, +im said. I surrender, Maia. I-ll never mention Cole Steele aain if thatwill make you ha!!y. +ust don-t et mad at me.

Maia lauhed aain. The carefree sound teased all of Cole-s senses, made him veryaware of his body and its needs. I-ll see you all later. I have work to do.

Cole felt his body tense. She was comin around the ivy to the entrance. Cole-s breathcauht in his throat. She was on the shorter side, but curvy, fillin out her )eans nicely. 4

sweater molded her breasts into a tem!tin invitation. She had a wealth of dark, very

straiht hair, as shiny as a raven-s win, !ulled into a careless !onytail. *er face was

e&otic, the bone structure delicate, remindin him of a !i&ie.


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She swun her head back, her wide smile fadin as she saw them standin there. She

sto!!ed short, raisin her eyes to Cole-s. *e actually hunched a little, feelin the im!act

in his belly. Little hammers bean to tri! in his head, and his body reacted with an urentand very elemental demand. 4 man could drown in her eyes, et lost, or )ust !lain lose

every demon he had. *er eyes were lare, heavily lashed, and some color other than blue,

tur"uoise maybe, a mi&ture of blue and reen that was vivid and alive and so darnedbeautiful he ached inside )ust lookin at her.

+ase nuded him in the ribs.

Cole reacted immediately. Sorry, ma-am. $ut he didn-t move. I-m Cole Steele. This

is my brother, +ase.

+ase )erked under his hand, reactin to bein acknowleded as a brother.

The woman nodded at Cole and flashed a smile at +ase as she ste!!ed around them to!ush o!en the door.

*oly cow, +ase murmured. Did you see that smile0 *e lanced u! at Cole. 3eah,you saw it all riht.

/as I starin0 Cole asked.

3ou looked like you miht have her for breakfast, +ase answered. 3ou can look

really intimidatin, Cole. Scary.

Cole almost followed the woman, but at the boy-s comment he turned back. 4m I

scary to you, +ase0

The boy shrued. Sometimes. I-m ettin used to you. I-ve never seen you smile.

6ver.

Cole raised his eyebrow. I can-t remember actually smilin. Maybe I-ll have to

!ractice. 3ou can work with me.

Don-t you smile at women0

I don-t have to.

chater "

Cole Steele was back again. The bar was )ammed, bodies welded toether as they

moved to the rhythmic beat of the music Maia 4rmstron !rovided on the drums. Theband was hot toniht, she could feel the music !oundin inside of her e&actly the way it

needed to be to kee! the house rockin. She tried not to see him, tried not to notice his

body stretched out in a chair in a se&y, la#y s!rawl. The music was usually all that

mattered, all she thouht about when she !layed. She could lose herself in the !rimal


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beats, the familiar feel of her hands on the sticks, whirlin them in her finers and findin

that !erfect !ocket of sound.

Music took her far away from the terrible thins she saw every day. The thins that

ke!t her on the move, town after town, knowin she could never really settle anywhere.

Music was her solace. Cole Steele chaned all that. /hat was he doin there0 *ad healready one throuh all the women in the more u!scale bars in town0

*e was stinkin rich and so sinfully sensual he should be locked u!. *e wasn-t )ustthe local bad boy8 he was a hard, danerous man, one that wielded absolute !ower. *e

knew it too. It was in the arroance stam!ed into his very bones. *e sat there watchin

her throuh hooded eyes, intent, focused, his hand absently strokin the lon neck of his

beer bottle. *e looked sosexualto her. It wasn-t a charade, he was really that way, hisbody hard and hot and; Maia roaned inwardly. She was notfallin for a bad boy. She

had too much sense and too much self%res!ect. 4nd he had far too much money and

drama for her even to consider such a folly.

She wasn-t oin to look at him, wasn-t oin to let him et to her. 4 man like ColeSteele left finer!rints on a woman, took away her soul, and never returned it to her.5nce he left burn marks:and he would:they would never fade. She refused to allow

her a#e to stray his way, althouh she could feel the weiht of his heavy, broodin stare.

Instead, she !icked a table near the front and flashed a hih%wattae smile at the nearestman, wantin to focus anywhere but on the dark devil watchin her.

Cole shifted his les into a more comfortable !osition in an attem!t to ease the

relentless ache in his body. *is finers tihtened around the neck of the beer bottle,nearly crushin it. Maia didn-t need to be smilin at any other man in the room, not when

she should be smilin at him. She didn-t want the others, wasn-t interested in them, but he

could see her heihtened awareness of him. She wasn-t ade!t at hidin it.

Cole knew he was oin to have to chane his stratey com!letely. *e miht even

have to eat his words and actually learn to smile at a woman. *e-d wasted nine nihtscomin down to the 6l Dorado Saloon after hearin that Maia 4rmstron, the travelin

veterinarian, often sat in )ammin on the drums in the evenin. *e was either losin his

touch or his mind. There were a do#en women who-d made it !lain they were willin to

o to bed with him, so why was he so damned fi&ated on the one who refused to ive into him0 /ith a series of storms comin, most likely brinin severe bli##ard conditions,

this was oin to be his last chance to !ersuade her for a lon while.

She-d noticed him all riht. *e-d made it abundantly clear he was interested. *e-d

manaed half a do#en conversations with her. She was always !olite, but she ke!t adistance firmly between them. *e ta!!ed his finer on the small round table as hewatched her. /hy was he so fascinated by her0 *er smile could liht u! the entire room,

and her lauh was contaious. *e shouldn-t have noticed, but it was nearly im!ossible not

to. 6s!ecially when she was turnin that smile on another man.

*e dreamt of her. 6ver since he-d seen her in the diner the nihtmares that always

!laued him durin the Christmas season had been re!laced with hihly erotic dreams of


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her. 6ven +ase was beinnin to tease him about her, knowin Cole only left the ranch in

the evenins to see her. Cole absently stroked the neck of the beer bottle, wishin it were

her skin beneath his finers. *e-d made u! his mind he was oin to have to bearessive with her toniht. Subtle wasn-t workin at all. *e-d had !lenty of time to study

her. It was his business to read !eo!le. Maia 4rmstron was no !ushover with men, but

she detested !ublic scenes. She wouldn-t fiht it if he didn-t !ush beyond her limit.

4 woman leaned close, blockin his vision, deliberately bendin over him to ive

him a better view of her am!le cleavae. *e stared u! at her with hard eyes and a distinctscowl. 3ou-re blockin the view.

The woman flushed, but slid into the chair at his table. 3ou like this band0

*e lanced at her. 5nce. 4 curt dismissal. *e stared at her until she ot u! and

stom!ed away. *is rude behavior would only add to his carefully cultivated re!utation of

bein a com!lete bastard. /hat did it matter0 *is re!utation had been blackened a lontime ao. Maybe he really had become a com!lete bastard, but the truth was, he rarely

found anythin he wanted, and he wasn-t oin to tolerate anyone-s interferin with hisettin it. *is a#e returned to the woman !layin the drums.

Maia 4rmstron intriued him. It was as sim!le as that. *e-d investiated her, of

course. *e investiated anyone and everyone who touched his life, or +ase-s. She was thenew veterinarian and !layed in a band in the evenins. She never took a !ermanent

!osition in any town, but traveled, often fillin in for other vets. She had taken the !lace

of the local elderly vet who, because of failin health, had been forced to ive u! his

!ractice before he could find someone to buy him out. 4lready, she was !o!ular and verywell thouht of by everyone who had worked with her.

There were rumors about her. Some said she !ossessed maic. The ma)ority said

mysterious thins ha!!ened when she was around animals. She manaed to save theho!eless and was fast earnin a re!utation with the ranchers for bein able to handle the

wildest stock. The rumor !ersisted that she was able to cast s!ells, on both animals andmen, and Cole was beinnin to think there miht be some truth to it. *e was obsessed

with her.

*e took a lon, slow !ull of his beer, never takin his a#e from her. The band wasfinishin their set. *e knew their music now, knew Maia-s habits. *e also knew she was

very aware of his re!utation, both as a lady-s man and as a danerous felon. She didn-t

like ossi!, !robably because so many !eo!le ossi!ed about her, and he was fairlycertain she wouldn-t make a scene when he made his move on her. *e calculated the

odds, )ust like he calculated everythin in his life.

The drum built to a crashin crescendo, and Maia set her sticks aside and swe!t back

stray tendrils of hair that had esca!ed from her intricate braid. *er skin was dam!,

lowin, her smile satisfied. She-d liked the way the music sounded, and it showed in here&!ression. Maia was never closed off to the world the way he was, and Cole found even

that intriuin. *e had !ositioned himself !erfectly, makin it im!ossible for her to et to

the bar without walkin !ast his table.


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Cole cauht her wrist as she swe!t by him, !retendin, as she did each niht, not to

notice him. *e shifted in his chair so that she was suddenly weded between his

outstretched les, im!risonin her. *ave a drink with me.

Maia could hear her own heart thunderin in her ears. 9! close he was over!owerin.

*e looked all male, his blue eyes dark with a desire he didn-t try to hide from her. In fact,he wore his sensuality easily, with com!lete confidence, a devil in blue )eans and sin in

his heated a#e. She knew the rumors. She knew what the town sus!ected Cole of doin.

Murder. *e-d been in )ail. There was a tattoo on his u!!er arm, which he-d obviouslyotten in )ail and didn-t bother to try to hide. *is body was hard and fit8 but sometimes,

when he didn-t think anyone was watchin, she saw somethin sad and traic in his

unuarded e&!ression. 4nd that was truly danerous.

The last thin she wanted to do was to add to the rumors flyin around him. She

couldn-t imaine how difficult it was to be the favorite sub)ect of the town-s most

malicious ossi!s. *e couldn-t !ossibly have done a third of the evil deeds attributed tohim. Maia !atted his dark head, a deliberate show of camaraderie for the !atrons in the

bar. 4t the same time, she wanted to let him know, very !olitely, that she wasn-t !layinhis ame. She leaned close to him, !ut her li!s aainst his ear. The lady sittin on thebarstool to your riht is devourin you with her eyes. 3ou have an easy score riht there

to take care of any urent; er; needs you may have.

Cole felt her warm breath aainst his ear, the whis!er of her li!s aainst his skin.

/hen she leaned into him he inhaled the scent of her. (eaches and rain could be very

into&icatin. *is finers around her wrist ke!t her connected to him. I want you to have

a drink with me. *is voice was huskier than he intended, and her close !ro&imity hadmore of an effect on him than he-d antici!ated. *is heart !ounded, and he could feel his

blood surin hotly throuh his veins.

Maia sucked in her breath shar!ly. Cole Steele was used to ivin orders, used to

havin them obeyed, and he certainly knew his effect on women. *is voice was almost

mesmeri#in. She could feel the hard column of his thihs !ressin aainst her les, ashis thumb stroked over her bare skin where he held her arm.

Maia tued a little on her wrist, not makin it obvious to the curious onlookers. I

don-t think that-s a ood idea. She smiled to take the stin out of her refusal.

3ou never told me your name.

3ou know my name. Mentally she kicked herself. She was enain with him

when it was the last thin she should be doin. *ow in the world did the man manae to

be so !otent0 *e was the most sensual man she-d ever encountered. *er hormones werealready in overdrive, )ust as they-d been for the last few days. 4nd, of course, it had to be

for the resident bad boy.

/hat is it oin to hurt to sit at my table and have a beer with me0

$ecause that isn-t what you want from me. Let o. She stood waitin, lookin down

into his brilliant eyes. Cold eyes. 6yes that had seen thins no one should ever witness.


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Maia sihed, tryin des!erately not to see those thins, not to see or feel or react to the

!ain swirlin so dee! in their vivid blue de!ths. (lease.

Cole removed his hand instantly. Maia made herself walk when she wanted to run.

*er heart was beatin too fast. *e was frihtenin in his intensity, and she was very

susce!tible to the man he hid behind his remote mask. She knew a hurt creature when shesaw one. Man or animal, her entire bein reacted to them. Cole Steele was one of those

creatures, and he was )ust too darned danerous for her to et involved with.

Sounded reat toniht, 6d Loan, the bartender said in reetin. *e !ushed a

frosted lass toward her and leaned close, lowerin his voice.


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Maia !atted his hand. It hadn-t been Loretta who fell a!art when the little +ack 1ussell

terrier had darted out in front of a car. $i 6d had been sobbin so hard he couldn-t s!eak

when he and Loretta had brouht the do to her.

She turned away and immediately felt the im!act of Cole Steele-s !iercin a#e. It

should have made her cold, but she felt heat s!readin danerously to every !art of herbody. She braced herself to et !ast him a second time. The )ukebo& was !layin, and a

few cou!les were swayin on the dance floor to a sultry love son. It miht be more

!rudent to cut across the dance floor, but doin so would brand her a coward in her owneyes. 5r maybe she was feelin reckless.

*e stood u!, a lithe, male movement of race and sheer !ower, blockin her !ath.

Cole towered over her. /ith his wide shoulders and muscular body, he made her feelintensely feminine. *is hands found her wrists, his ri! firm, but not hurtin her as he

drew her arms around his neck, fittin her body tihtly aainst his hard, masculine frame.

*is arms caed hers, his thihs !ressin aainst her until she was forced to walkbackward to the dance floor. Immediately she was enulfed in flames, a wrenchin desire

s!readin throuh her body and makin her weak with need. *is heavy erection was!ressed tihtly, unashamedly, aainst her stomach, s!readin flames over her skin.

She said nothin. She refused to cause a scene by fihtin him !ublicly, and in any

case, she-d definitely wanted this. She wasn-t a child who lied to herself. She-ddeliberately chosen to walk !ast him to ive him another o!!ortunity to claim her. She

closed her eyes and drifted with him on a tide of se&ual awareness, on arousal, on heat

and flames and lust all mi&ed toether. It was a uni"ue e&!erience for her. Maia felt her

body meltin into his.

Cole bent his head to the invitation of her bare neck. /ith her hair braided, it left her

vulnerable to the brush of his mouth aainst her !ulse. She fit !erfectly in his arms, as ifshe-d been made for him. *e felt the urent demands of his body, but more than that,

there was an unfamiliar lonin that rose and loded dee! where he knew he wasn-t oin

to be able to remove it easily. Maia 4rmstron left her brand on him, and he hadn-t evenmade love to her. 5r maybe he was8 he-d never actually made love to a woman before,

and maybe that was what he was doin.

She stole his breath. Took his animal huner and turned it into somethin altoetherdifferent. Cole-s arms tihtened around Maia, urin her body even closer to his, wantin

to im!rint her into his bones. *e had come to her to rid himself of demons for a niht or

two, but with her body fittin into his, somethin was softenin inside of him, and for thefirst time since his childhood, Cole was terrified. *e wanted to let her o and walk away,

to be safe in his isolated world8 but he couldn-t let o of her warmth or the !romise ofmaic in the curves of her body !ressed so tihtly to him.

Cole became aware that the last notes of the son were fadin away. *e was

com!letely confident when it came to women. *e was a hihly sensual man and knewhow to make a woman need him. It always came easy to him. I want to o home with

you, he said shamelessly.


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Maia !ulled out of his arms, refusin the stark huner and dark intensity that drew

other women to him so easily. She flashed her !owerful smile, the one he felt all the way

down to his stone%cold heart.

(heromones are nasty little devils, aren-t they0 Maia asked. They strike at the most

ino!!ortune times.

*e couldn-t let her o. *e saw it in her eyes that she was )ust oin to turn and walk

away from him. Then come to the ranch with me. /as that really bad boy Cole Steeleactin des!erate0 /hat the hell was wron with him0 *e should o straiht to the woman

at the end of the bar who was devourin him with her eyes and walk out with her. It

would serve Maia riht. *e knew she wanted him. She couldn-t hide her reaction to him.

3ou-re afraid of me, he taunted her.

Do I look stu!id to you0 She ste!!ed back cautiously, makin certain she couldwalk without tremblin. 4ny woman with half a brain would be afraid of you. 3ou have

trouble stam!ed on your forehead and !ackaed not so subtly there in the front.

2ice of you to notice, since you-re the one causin the trouble. *e made it a

challene.

2ice to know I can, she re!lied, in no way !erturbed by the accusation. o away,

Mr. Steele. 3ou-re way out of my leaue.

The )ukebo& music shifted into another moody, sensual son, and Cole reached out to!ull her back into his arms. /hat !uts me out of your leaue0

She tilted her head to look u! at him, which was a ma)or mistake. *is eyes were sucha dee! blue, almost metallic, and he looked at her with dark desire. /ith huner. /ith

!ossession and determination. There was a ruthless ede to his mouth and a need in the

de!ths of his a#e she couldn-t avoid. *er breath left her luns in a rush. 6verythin.Money. 6&!erience. Life. I don-t want to et sined, let alone burned. 3ou come with far

too hih a !rice ta.

*is eyes were locked on hers, and she couldn-t break away, held ca!tive in s!ite ofher resolve. It was the fleetin lim!se of the hurt animal, the shadows of !ain and

betrayal he hid behind his cool, icy demeanor that ke!t her from walkin off the dance

floor. She sli!!ed her arms around his neck and allowed her body to sink into the heat ofhis.

*is chin rubbed the to! of her head. 4ll this time I was thinkin you were the onewith the hih !rice ta.

3ou !robably think all women come with !rice tas, she muttered aainst his chest.She turned her head to lay her ear over his heart.

Don-t they0 he asked. 9sually it isn-t all that difficult, but you, lady, !resent a

!roblem.


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Maia listened to the steady rhythm of his heart. I refuse to be a !roblem for you.

3ou-re the one insistin on dancin with me. I told you no.

I didn-t hear you say no.

1eally0 She smiled aainst his shirt. I could have sworn the entire room heard me.

I thouht I was very em!hatic about it.

2o, you definitely didn-t say no.

/ell, I should have. My uard must have been down. She lauhed softly, and the

sound !layed riht throuh his body.

3ou-re danerous.

7unny. That-s what everyone says about you, Maia said.

Cole bent his head once more to the tem!tation of her bare neck. She was warm satin.

*e tasted her, teased her earlobe with his teeth. $efore she could !rotest his action helifted his head to distract her. /hy did you stick u! for me in the diner the other day0

he asked. 6veryone believes I killed the old man. /hy don-t you0

Maia shivered, tried to !ull her suddenly scattered defenses back around her. *is

mouth had sent small flames lickin over her skin. 3ou were cleared as a sus!ect. It-s all

they talk about sometimes, and it ets annoyin. 3ou were a thousand miles away when

your father was murdered, but they want to believe you did it. She burrowed closer tothe warmth of his heart without reali#in she was doin it. 3ou inherited all that money

and the ranch after you left home and turned your back on your father. 4nd then you

dared to fire everyone. It-s human nature I uess. They want you to be uilty. 4nd it ivesthem someone to talk about.

I still miht have had it done, he !ointed out. *is hands traced the contours of herback, slid down to her waist and over her hi!s.

It was wron of them. I felt bad for the boy. /hat is he0 4bout fourteen, fifteen0 *e

)ust lost his father, and they want to s!read ossi! about his uardian. It-s malicious, andit makes me anry.

*e-s fourteen, and he hated the old man. Cole heard the contem!tuous words comeout of his mouth. *e never revealed anythin !rivate to anyone, least of all a com!lete

straner or a woman he had se& with. /hat the hell had otten into him0

They weren-t even dancin anymore, )ust holdin one another and swayin, theirbodies movin in a !erfect rhythm. *is arms tihtened around her, and he drew her hi!s

closer to him. The rest of the room seemed to have fallen away, leavin them wra!!ed ina world of two. Maia looked u! at his face. Somethin fluttered in her stomach. *is head

bean to descend toward hers, inch by slow inch. She could see lines etched into his face,

the shadow on his )aw, his lon eyelashes and the intent in his hunry eyes.

Don-t you dare.


19/137

I have to.

I said no. Very decisively. Maia !ulled her head back to kee! his li!s from touchinhers. She-d be lost if he kissed her with his sinful mouth. She was takin no chances.

3ou are a such a coward. 3ou-re runnin.

Like a rabbit, she confirmed.

3ou haven-t asked me why I was in )ail. Is that the reason you won-t take me home

with you0

*is hands were makin slow circles alon her s!ine. *is erection was !ressed tihtlyaainst her stomach. She ached in !laces she didn-t know could ache. I haven-t asked

why because it isn-t my business, she said, breathin a sih of relief when the son

ended. I have to !lay.

Cole let her sli! out of his arms because if he held her any loner, he was oin to

throw her over his shoulder and take her out of there to any !lace he could have her tohimself for a lon, lon time. *e manaed to make it back to his seat without breakin

anythin. *e took a lon !ull on the beer. It was warm and did nothin to cool the fire

racin throuh his veins.

Cole watched her throuh half%closed eyes, already stakin his claim on her, makin

certain the other men in the bar knew she beloned to him. 2o woman had ever otten to

him before. She seemed lost in her music, unaware of him when he was burnin for her.

*is cell !hone bee!ed, and, scowlin, he lanced down to identify the caller. /hat

is it, +ase0 Cole demanded, his eyes on Maia. If she smiled one more time at thelunkhead in the front row, he was oin to have to smash his beer bottle riht over the

man-s head.

7or a moment there was silence, then a harsh, tearin sob. I trusted you. 3ou knew I

cared about him. 3ou knew Celtic *ih mattered to me.

Cole went still. /hat are you talkin about, +ase0 Calm down and tell me what-soin on.

The bay. *e-s all torn u!. /hat-d you do to him0

I didn-t do a damned thin to him, Cole bit the words out in aner before he could

sto! them. I-ll have the vet there in an hour. It was over an hour-s drive to the ranch, but

he could shave off minutes. *e couldn-t blame +ase for accusin him. The kid had beentauht not to trust anyone, but it still hurt. Much worse than that, Cole couldn-t hel! his

own sus!icions. *e-d investiated the kid-s !ast, lookin for red flas, cruelty to animals,anythin that miht indicate the old man had !assed on his sick enes, but he-d found

nothin. Still, the doubt cre!t in.

*e-s in too much !ain, +ase said. *e-ll have to be !ut down. I can-t do it. I tried, butI can-t do it. *e was sobbin o!enly. *e went throuh a fence and he-s really torn u!.


20/137

There-s wood stickin in his chest and stomach, s!linters buried in his belly and les.

Some of the cuts are down to the bone. I can-t !ut him down, Cole.

Listen to me, +ase. I-ll be there in an hour with the vet. et 4l and the other hands to

hel! you. Take Celtic *ih to the bi barn where all the e"ui!ment is. The vet will need

liht to work on him, and that-s the most sterile environment we have. Tell 4l to kee! thathorse alive.

$ut, Cole, now +ase sounded like a youn child seekin reassurance, he-ssufferin.

I didn-t do this, +ase. I wasn-t even there.

I found your work love in the snow by the fence. +ase sounded a!oloetic. I don-t

know what I was thinkin. I knew you went to town.

I-ll be there in an hour, Cole re!eated. et 4l and stick close to him until I fiure

out what-s oin on.

Maia watched Cole-s face as he talked on the !hone. *e ave very little away with his

e&!ression, but somethin was wron. She saw the way his hand tihtened around the

neck of the beer bottle. *e-d been absently strokin it, almost seductively, and now heri!!ed it as if he wanted to throttle somethin. Cole abru!tly broke the connection and

shoved the cell !hone into his !ocket, stood u! and looked directly at her.

4t once her heart bean to accelerate, !oundin in her chest. *is a#e was cold, hard,and very direct. *e bean to walk toward her with lon strides, a ruthless stam! on his

features and !ur!ose in every ste!. 7or the first time, she faltered in her !layin, losin

the rhythm that was so much a !art of her. The band round to a halt. There was a sudden

silence in the bar.

Come on. I need you out at the ranch. Let-s o. Cole-s voice brooked no arument.

Maia studied his harsh e&!ression. *e reached out and cauht her arm, nearly !ullin

her off her stool. I said now.

4 murmur of !rotest went around the room. It didn-t deter Cole in the least. *e

crowded closer to her.

Maia lanced around the bar, a "uick a!!raisal of the situation, then her a#e was

back on his face. Im!lacable resolve. *e didn-t care that others miht come to her rescue.

*e was !erfectly !re!ared to fiht, and worse, he miht win.

*is finers tihtened around her arm. 3ou don-t want me to carry you out, he

warned.

3ou don-t want me to sla! your face either, Maia said, her a#e flickin coolly over

his face. Let-s o.


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chater #

Don-t ever do that aain, Maia warned. She !aused )ust outside of the bar to take a

dee!, calmin breath of the niht air. I know somethin u!set you, and believe me, that-s

the only reason I-m out here with you riht now. I am not the kind of woman you canorder around.

Cole looked down at her, at the smolderin aner he saw in her eyes. It was snowin

lare flakes, fallin softly and mutely between them. *e reached out, his finers curlinaround the na!e of her neck, and !ulled her toward him, his mouth takin !ossession of

hers before she could !rotest.

She e&!ected his kiss to be as wild and dominatin as he was, but it was )ust the

o!!osite. *is mouth was incredibly entle on hers, soft but firm, a whis!er of fire, his li!s

brushin at hers with a disarmin tenderness. *e lifted his head, his blue eyes nearly

da##lin her.

Cole could feel his heart thuddin hard, too hard. There was a curious meltin

sensation in the reion of his stomach, and his body reacted instantly to the close!ro&imity of hers. *e knew immediately he had made a bi mistake. Maia 4rmstron

was no ordinary woman, and he was oin to et burned if he didn-t reain some control,

and fast. *is finers massaed the na!e of her neck, brushin caresses in her soft hair. *ewas renowned for his control, yet she seemed to turn him inside out. *is careful defenses

didn-t work with her.

Maia manaed to !ull away from him. If this emerency is some sham to et me toyour ranch for more of that; She lared at him and wi!ed her mouth with the back of

her hand, des!erate to remove his taste. *is kiss had felt like a brand, makin fire race

from his li!s and tonue to her belly, lower still, so that she-d felt her body o li"uid withdesire for him.And he'd barely touched her.

Thatwas an a!oloy. 4nd sto! tryin to wi!e it off. *e cauht her wrist, !ullinher hand away from her mouth, satisfaction mi&in with somethin else in his eyes,

somethin that could have been alarm. *e led her across the !arkin lot. I-m used to

ivin orders and ettin thins done. /e have to et to the ranch immediately andtellin you to come seemed like the fastest way to accom!lish that.

Maia bit down hard on her lower li!. She should have sto!!ed him, sla!!ed him, done

anythin besides !artici!ate. She touched her mouth. It was still burnin. She-d definitely

!artici!ated. /here was her !ride0 *er outrae0 The man was more danerous to herthan she-d reali#ed. /ith an effort, Maia found her voice aain. 3ou miht want to ive

me the !articulars. She sounded a little husky. /hat ty!e of animal, and what-s thein)ury0

4 horse. +ase-s favorite horse Celtic *ih, althouh he won-t admit it. 9nfortunately,there-s a bli##ard comin, a bad series of storms that could han you u! for days. I can-t

trailer the horse out durin the storm, so I-ll need you to come with me now. I can only

!romise that if it-s at all !ossible, I-ll have the roads cleared for you to return.


22/137

Maia lanced u!ward at the ra!idly fallin snow. I thouht the storm wasn-t

su!!osed to hit for several hours.

It-s early. /e-ve ot to move fast to stay ahead of it.

I-ll need my ri. I can follow you out, Maia said, switchin directions, the

!rofessional takin over. I have the drus and everythin I need in the sterile !acks. Ihave to call the service and let them know and et Dr. Stacy to take over while I-m one.

*e-s able to work on an emerency basis. If we-re lucky, we-ll beat the storm.

I-ll drive. /e kee! the road to the ranch !lowed, but it can et rouh in s!ots, Cole

said, easily kee!in !ace with her. 4nd there-s no way to !low durin a bli##ard. +ase

said the bay went throuh a fence and that it has multi!le in)uries, ashes down to thebone and s!linters of wood embedded in it. *e said he thouht the horse was sufferin

and should be !ut down, but he couldn-t do it.

4nd you want me to save the horse even if it can-t ever be ridden aain0 Many

ranchers !ut down a horse that was no loner a workin animal.

4bsolutely. /hatever it takes, as lon as the horse isn-t sufferin, Cole said. /e-ve

ot a bi ranch. *e can live out his days there.

Maia nodded. 5kay then. 4nd maybe we-ll be lucky, and it won-t be as bad as it

looks. *orses can sustain heavy in)uries, and if you kee! them from ettin an infection,

can come back "uite sound. She lanced back toward his truck, white from the fall of

snow. I-m used to drivin in the snow. 3ou don-t want to leave your truck here.

I have !lenty of vehicles at the ranch, includin a helico!ter. 4nd no one-s oin to

touch my truck. *is a#e met hers s"uarely.

Maia couldn-t !revent the small shiver that went down her s!ine. Cole was riht.

Maia knew most of the towns!eo!le feared him. There was always that danerous edeto him he couldn-t hide, and he didn-t bother to try. 1econi#in there was little use in

aruin, she !ulled out her cell !hone and made the call to her service. The snow fell into

her hair and down the neckline of her shirt while she ave the necessary instructions.

4s she !ushed the small !hone back into her !ocket, she reached for the driver-s door

)ust as Cole did. Maia !ulled her hand back to avoid contact. My ri, she said.

$ut I-m drivin. I know the road, and the storm is comin in far faster than we

thouht. It-ll be safer with me drivin because I know every rut and curve in that road.

Cole swe!t the snow from her hair, shelterin her with his body from the worst of theflurries. /e don-t have much time. ive me the keys.

Maia !aused, her hand ri!!in the keys. /hy were you in )ail0 She didn-t want itto matter, but it did. She wasn-t about to become another victim because she was too

stu!id even to ask.

Cole yanked o!en the door on the driver-s side, swift im!atience crossin his face.2ot ra!e, if that-s what you think. I don-t abuse women. *e slid behind the wheel and


23/137

slammed the door with unnecessary force.

5h, really0 She hurried around the vehicle to slide in beside him, handin him thekeys. 4ll those !oor women you take to bed must feel !retty abused when you never call

them aain. The moment she closed the door she felt tra!!ed. *e was !otent u! close,

intensely male. *is shoulders were wide, and his chest thick and well muscled. She couldsmell the faint scent of his aftershave. 4nd his kiss linered on her li!s.

*is a#e dwelt on her face for a lon moment as he turned the enine on.Immediately /hite Christmas blared out of the s!eakers, fillin the Toyota Land

Cruiser with music. Cole winced and turned it off.

/e need to et one thin straiht riht now, Maia, he said. /hen I take a womanto bed, she neverfeels abused. 4nd I detest Christmas music.

That-s two thins, she !ointed out, furious at herself because she was tantali#ed bythe very thouht of oin to bed with him. *e was far too arroant and sure of himself

for her likin.And he was a bad boy. Trouble. The kind of man a smart woman stayed

away from. 4nd I love Christmas music.

3ou would.

/hat does that mean0 *e-d draed her off before she could rab her )acket, and

the tem!erature had di!!ed shar!ly leavin her cold and shiverin. Maia switched the

heater to full !ower and rubbed her arms for warmth.

It means you-re one of those sa!!y women who et all ooey around little kids and

animals and you love the holidays. 3ou !robably ive the arbaeman a !resent. /ith

somethin close to im!atience, Cole tossed her his )acket. (ut it on until it ets warm in

here. 4nd you do, don-t you0

There-s absolutely nothin wron with ivin the arbaeman a !resent. *e workshard. She took the )acket only because she was free#in, /hy0 she asked.

/hy what0 *e ke!t his eyes on the road, !ickin u! s!eed and headin out of town,

!ushin the s!eed limit as well as the marin of safety.

/hy do you detest Christmas music0 Maia watched him closely. *is e&!ression

didn-t chane, but the tension in the Land Cruiser went u! a notch.

Doesn-t everyone detest Christmas music0 he countered.

2o, most !eo!le love it. It-s a ha!!y time of year.

Is it0 *is voice was rim. Maybe to you. To me, it-s a damned nihtmare.

I take it you don-t buy ifts for your lady friends, she teased.

*e lanced at her then, his a#e ice%cold as it moved deliberately over her body. Imiht be willin to come u! with a ift or two for you if that-s what it takes.


24/137

Maia locked her finers toether to kee! from smackin him and turned her face

away to stare out the window at the white world around her. If not for the in)ured horse

and the thouht of the boy waitin for them, she would have told Cole Steele to o tohell, !ushed him out of her truck and driven back to town.

Cole felt the silence cut between them like a knife. *e !referred "uiet. *e was neveruncomfortable with it. 3et with Maia, he found himself wantin to reach out to her, to

bride the a! he was creatin between them. *e was fihtin for the life he was familiar

with, the one he knew and could survive in. *e didn-t trust thins like lauhter andwarmth, had never thouht about havin them for himself until he-d !ulled her into his

arms and held her aainst his body. *is body had demanded hers, and that should have

been enouh. 2o%entanlements se& was all he ever wanted, yet he didn-t think it would

be enouh with Maia. She touched him in ways that were une&!ected, intriuin, andfrihtenin all at the same time.

*e turned off the main hihway onto the !rivate road that led to the ranch. The snowwas heavier than he-d counted on, but he knew every twist and turn. The snow!low had

cleared the road before he left for town, but already, the surface was covered with a thickwhite blanket. *e !eered out at the snowflakes burstin at the windshield. Maia suddenlytensed and !ulled back, makin herself smaller in the seat, throwin u! a hand to shield

her face. 4 hue owl nearly slammed into the window, wins outstretched and fla!!in,

head back, talons e&tended as if oin in for the kill. It had come at them swiftly andsilently, an a!!arition swoo!in out of the blindin snow.

The wicked talons reached straiht toward Cole-s eyes with only the lass se!aratin

them. $eside him, Maia as!ed. *e swerved, nearly losin traction, a strin of curseseru!tin from him until he felt the tires ri! and hold. The owl )ust cleared the to! of the

vehicle, and Cole breathed a sih of relief. The bird had been so close he had been able to

see individual feathers on its body.

Maia huddled inside Cole-s )acket, closin her eyes, tryin to calm her !oundin

heart. The owl had shrieked a warnin to her, risked its life to caution her to o back. Shelanced at Cole-s face, the lines etched dee!ly there. The owl had flooded her mind with

"uick, flashin imaes of violence. It ha!!ened so fast, Maia hadn-t otten a clear

lim!se of the animal-s !ro)ection. 5nly the ominous warnin. She took a dee! breath

and let it out slowly, tryin to sort out what the bird was strivin to communicate.Darkness. *orses movin. Men. 7lashes of lihts that could have been rifle fire. 2one of

it made sense.

That-s never ha!!ened to me before, Cole said. Maybe it was confused by the

storm. 5wls see and hear so well, I imaine accidents would rarely ha!!en.

*e was in huntin mode.

*er voice was so low, Cole barely heard her. *e flicked a "uick lance her way. Shelooked !ale, her eyes clouded with fear.

I-m a ood driver, Maia. I-ll et us there.


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She didn-t answer. Cole sihed. She was doin him a favor, comin out to the ranch

in the middle of what was ra!idly becomin a mean bli##ard. *e should have been more

!olite. She-d !robably worked all day, and she had a lon, cold niht ahead of her, tryinto save the horse for +ase.

I shouldn-t have said that about buyin you. Cole lanced at her. It was always soeasy with women. *e looked at them, they fell into his arms. They had se&, they went

home, and he didn-t think about them aain. That was how it was su!!osed to work, but

Maia seemed to blow his carefully constructed barricades all to hell.

7or a moment he thouht she wouldn-t res!ond. She didn-t turn her head to look at

him, but stared out the window at the flurry of snowflakes. /hy did you0

3ou et under my skin, and I don-t like it, he answered truthfully. I-ve never met a

woman like you.

3ou-ve met a million women like me. It-s )ust that none of them ever stood u! to you

before. *er voice was low and half%muffled by his thick )acket, but it found its way into

his body, !ast his skin and muscle to his very bones.

She turned back toward him, and his breath left his luns in a rush. *e wasn-t used to

anyone havin that kind of effect on him, and it shook his usual calm. *e ke!t hise&!ression carefully blank, his warnin system shriekin at him that he was in trouble.

3ou-re an interestin woman. 4nyone else would have )um!ed on the fact that I

admitted you et to me, but not you. 3ou have to be different.

It wouldn-t serve any !ur!ose to discuss it. I-m not oin to slee! with you. I don-t do

one%niht stands. I-m not at all into casual se&. She manaed a small smile. $ut I-ll

admit you-re a terrible tem!tation.

*e lanced at her, felt the wheels slide in a !articularly heavy drift of snow, catch,

and !ro!el them forward. She flun out her hand to rab the dashboard, but she didn-t tellhim to slow down.

I always et what I want, Maia. *e said it with com!lete confidence. *e didn-t

know if it was her cool refusal, the warmth in her small smile, or the stark intensity of hisdesire for her, but he was determined she wouldn-t elude him. 6ven when he knew he was

riskin more than he should.

/ell, want somethin else. I don-t have a lot of enery to !ut into fihtin with you.

3ou-re the kind of man who normally sets my teeth on ede.

4nd that would be why0

3ou-re arroant, bossy, too rich for your own ood. Se&y as hell, but you know it, soyou don-t even bother to be !olite. There are a lot of willin women out there, Steele, o

after one of them. I told you, straiht u!, I-m not a one%niht%stand kind of woman. That

should be enouh for you.

It should be, shouldn-t it0 *is a#e slid sideways toward her for a brief moment.


26/137

*er hands were twisted toether to kee! them from tremblin. The vehicle slid several

times, but he ke!t it on the road. I-m a ood driver, Maia, he reiterated. 1ela&. I won-t

let anythin ha!!en to you.

She tensed aain, !ushin back into the seat and bracin one hand on the dashboard.

*e ta!!ed the brakes, slowin the Land Cruiser )ust as several deer lea!t in front of them.The snow nearly coated them, ivin them a hostly a!!earance, eyes shinin, tails

flickin in alarm. Cole swerved aain, barely missin the hih embankment. The deer

were one as silently as they a!!eared. Maia-s breath was audible in the close confines ofthe car.

I don-t know what the hell is oin on toniht. 9sually the deer are bedded down and

under cover durin a storm.

Maia huddled inside the )acket. The imaes were more vivid this time, but still

)umbled. 7ists !oundin into flesh. $lood on the rass. 5n the rocks. *er mouth was toodry to s!eak. She could feel a bead of sweat tricklin down the valley between her

breasts, but she shivered with cold; with fear.

Cole slowed the Land Cruiser, an&iety cree!in into him. Maia, are you all riht0

*e couldn-t really take his eyes from the road, )ust small lances at her, but she was

definitely frihtened. I know it looks bad out here, but I know the road. This is a oodri. The drifts are so hih on the embankments, we can-t !ossibly et lost, even with the

road covered. 3ou must be used to animals rushin out in front of the truck with all the

drivin you do. /hat he wanted to do was sto! the truck and !ull her into his arms.

Maia felt suffocated by the snowy white world enclosin them. Maybe we should

turn around. The !anic in her voice made her wince.

/e-re closer to the ranch than to town. I can-t leave +ase out there alone, not with awounded horse. I ho!e he listened to me and ot 4l to hel! him. $y now, the ranch hands

will have one home to avoid ettin cauht in this bli##ard. *e reached out to comforther, but she shrank away from him, and he ri!!ed the steerin wheel, anry at himself

for the esture. Is that what you really want0 To turn around0

Maia made an effort to !ull herself toether. /hat could she say in her defense0 Thatanimals were warnin her away from the ranch0 *e-d have her thrown in a !added cell.

2o, of course not. I take it that this horse is very s!ecial to +ase.

*e won-t admit it, but yes, Cole answered. If it-s at all !ossible, save the horse for

him. The cost doesn-t matter. 4nd if you could make +ase a !art of it in some way, maybe

have him assist you in treatin the bay and carin for it afterward, that would be reat.

There was somethin elusive there. Maia heard it, but couldn-t ras! it. *ave you

always been close to +ase0

/e met when I was iven uardianshi! over him. /e had different mothers, and I

didn-t know he e&isted until I was contacted by the !rivate investiators the lawyers hired

to find me.


27/137

*ow could you not know you had a brother0

Cole shrued. I checked out of that life a lon time ao. /hen the lawyers told meabout +ase, I was shocked. *e frowned. The snow-s really comin down. I left +ase out

there with 4l, my foreman, to watch over him.

/eren-t you afraid you-d et cauht in town0

I knew the storm was comin, but I thouht I had a cou!le of more hours before itreally hit. I-d never allow +ase to s!end the niht alone there, so one way or another, I

would have otten back to the ranch.

Maia heard the note of honesty, of absolute determination in his voice, and shebelieved him. Cole was such a dece!tive mi&ture. *e-d come to the bar huntin for se&.

*e made no a!oloies for it and cared little what others thouht of him. *e e&uded

com!lete confidence, even a coldness, yet there were terrible shadows in his eyes. 4ndthere was +ase. *e barely knew the teenaer, yet he looked out for him with a fierce

!rotectiveness she would never have credited him with havin. She believed Cole would

have tried to walk back to the ranch rather than leave the boy alone with )ust the foreman.Thins didn-t add u!.

Do you have children of your own0 she asked.

/hat do you think0

I think you-d never let anyone et that close to you. 3ou must have been terrifiedwhen you were named uardian to this boy. /hy did you say you-d do it0

/hat is it they all say0 So I can murder him and et all the money instead of sharinit with a kid.

3ou don-t even chane e&!ression when you hand out your nonsense. Don-t worry,Steele, I don-t want to know your dee! dark secrets.

3ou think I have secrets0 I thouht my life was an o!en book. *aven-t the ossi!s

iven you the scoo! on me0 The snow was nearly blindin him as he maneuvered theroad. 4t the rate it was comin down, he wasn-t certain they would make it to the ranch

before the road became im!assable. 6ven if he could call 4l to brin out the snow!low,

he wasn-t all that certain it would do any ood. They were no loner in front of the stormbut in the thick of it.

Don-t you have secrets0 Doesn-t everyone0 Maia wanted to kee! talkin. She wouldhave chosen to sit it out rather than continue drivin. It was becomin difficult to see

more than a foot in front of the truck.

6ven you, Doc0 Do you have secrets as well0 3ou-re always lauhin and seem so

carefree, yet you move from !lace to !lace, no home, nothin !ermanent in your life. 2o

boyfriend who-ll et u!set when you move on.

/ho said I don-t have a boyfriend0 4nd I usually fill in for the same vets, so I make


28/137

a lot of friends alon the way.

3ou don-t have a boyfriend, or you wouldn-t have let me et away with !uttin myhands on you while we were dancin. 3ou aren-t that kind of woman.

Shocked, she turned toward him, but he was starin out the window into the drivin

snow. 4 com!liment. /ho would have thouht0 Maia burrowed dee!er into his )acket.The inside of the car was warm enouh, but his )acket ave her a sense of security. She

could smell his scent, masculine and outdoorsy, the s!ice of his aftershave. *e drove withthe same confidence he did everythin, and it hel!ed ease her an&iety a bit, but they

seemed to be enfolded in a white, silent world. She wished he-d !lay music )ust to kee!

her nerves from )anlin. She had nothin else to han on to but their conversation. 4nd

he wasn-t comfortable with makin small talk.

/hy don-t you have your own !ractice0 Cole asked, flickin a "uick lance her

way.

Maia stiffened. *er eyes held a wariness that hadn-t been there before.

Maia, it was an idle "uestion to kee! the conversation oin. 3ou don-t have to

answer. I detest !eo!le !ryin into my !rivate life.

*e heard her swift, indrawn breath, and saw her turn toward the !assener%side

window. Cole was ready instantly for trouble, !eerin throuh the windshield to try to see

what miht be comin at him beyond the heavy shroud of snow. *e s!otted dark sha!es

runnin alonside them, sli!!in in and out of his field of vision. /hat the hell is that0

/olves.

*e didn-t dare take his eyes off the road to look at her. Cole concentrated on drivin,

alert for the moment the wolves would run out in front of the Land Cruiser. *e didn-t

doubt it was wolves. +ase and he owned several thousand acres, and their ranch backedu! to the national forest where wolves had been relocated.

The wolves have always stayed away from my ranch and well back into the forest.

/hat-s brinin them out0 *e lanced at her. Somehow she knew. 3ou-ve known theanimals were there each time before we saw them, before they )um!ed out in front of us.

*ow could I0

*e didn-t listen to the words so much as her voice. It was strained and tremblin. She

was lyin to him. She knew, but he couldn-t fiure out how. I don-t know, but youreacted, bracin yourself.

I must have seen them.

4 mournful howl rose, sendin a shiver down Maia-s s!ine. 4 second, then a third

wolf )oined in. 4 chorus followed them, lon, drawn%out notes of warnin. She bit down

on her knuckles to kee! her teeth from chatterin.


29/137

/hat are they doin0 Cole asked. /hy are they runnin alonside the truck in

huntin mode0 4nd the owl, it was comin in as if huntin, head back, talons e&tended,

comin riht at me. 6ven to him, it sounded com!letely ridiculous. *ad he not beentra!!ed in the middle of a snowstorm, he wouldn-t have ever said such a bi#arre thin, yet

it felt riht, not strane.

I have a certain affinity with animals, Maia admitted. She sent u! a silent !rayer

that he wouldn-t ask what it meant. She didn-t know what it meant. Sto!' Don-t hit it.

She flun out her hand to brace herself on the dashboard as he fouht the Land Cruiser toa halt without even seein what was in the road.

$efore he could sto! her, Maia was out of the vehicle, drain a ba with her,

disa!!earin into the swirlin white flakes. Cole slammed his fist aainst the steerinwheel, !ulled a un from where it was holstered in concealment on his calf, and checked

the load before he shoved o!en his own door.

The snow swirled around him immediately, enulfin him in a white, silent world and

as fast shifted with the wind to allow him lim!ses of the animals and Maia. *e heard thechuffin of the wolves as they surrounded the vehicle. Maia crooned to somethin in thedistance. *e bean to move toward her, watchin the wild creatures warily. Immediately

the chuffin turned to warnin rowls. *e fro#e, tryin to !eer throuh the heavy fall of

snow. The wind blasted throuh the canyon, and he saw her crouched over somethin onthe round.

Maia0 I didn-t hit it, did I0

2o, it was in)ured earlier. I-ll )ust be a minute. et back in the Cruiser. The wolves

are ettin aitated.

I-ll stay here and watch your back.

She hissed her dis!leasure. 4ctually hissed. *e heard it. I can-t !rotect you while I-mworkin. et in the car and wait for me. It was a definite order.

The wind blew a blanket of snow between them aain, and when it lifted, he could

see the darker sha!es slinkin around them. *e stayed where he was, afraid of disturbinthe !recarious balance Maia seemed to have. The ne&t blast of chillin wind revealed her

straihtenin and backin away from the sha!e on the round, clutchin her ba in her

hand. She walked "uickly toward the Cruiser as the wolf )um!ed to its feet, shook itself,and hurried off.

The moment he slid in beside her, her a#e went to the un in his hand. ood rief. Ithouht you couldn-t carry a un once you-d been in )ail.

1anchers need uns. *e shoved it back into his le holster and lared at her. Thene&t time you decide to take a stroll with a bunch of wolves in a bli##ard, let me know

ahead of time. *e wanted to shake her althouh she was already shiverin

uncontrollably and covered in white and that instantly made him feel !rotective of her.


30/137

I-ll do that. She didn-t sound as touh as she would have liked with her teeth

chatterin. Is that heater !uttin out any heat0

3es, you should warm u! aain in a minute. *e was cautious as he bean

maneuverin alon the road, alert for any more animals. 4re you oin to e&!lain what

)ust ha!!ened0

Maia !ushed the alarmin warnins out of her mind and shook her head. I don-t

think there is an e&!lanation. Do you want to tell me how you et away with carryin aun0

I hide it.

I-m not buyin that. 3ou wouldn-t risk losin +ase over it. 3ou-re not even on !arole

are you0 Is all the ossi! untrue0 *ave you ever been in !rison0

*e sihed. Maia, I have a )ob. I-m ood at what I do, and I-m ood because I don-t

answer "uestions. Most !eo!le I )ust tell to o to hell, or look at them and they shut u!.

/hy don-t you believe what everyone else wants to believe and make it easy on me0

She leaned back aainst the seat, for the first time rela&in. $ecause it-s all made u!,

and I !refer to hear the real story. /hat kind of )ob do you have0

6&as!erated, he lared at her. It isn-t oin to ha!!en.

She thouht it was !roress that he didn-t tell her to o to hell.

chater $

I-m oin to !ull your ri into the barn. 3ou-ll need all your e"ui!ment, riht0 Coleasked.

Maia nodded as she climbed into the backseat.


31/137

She tossed her shirt aside and !ulled her loose to! over her head, showin the minimum

amount of skin. 4nd I-ll bet no one has ever accused you of bein a saint. She whistled

as Cole honked the horn in front of a lare buildin. 2ice setu!.

The doors swun o!en to allow him to drive inside. The barn was hue and very

clean, obviously used as a hos!ital for the animals on the ranch when needed.

+ase Steele waited an&iously as they !arked the Cruiser in the hue barn. Maia saw

his face, !uffy and swollen from sheddin tears he thouht no one would see. The boywas unable to hide his relief as Cole unfolded his lare frame from the Land Cruiser. It-s

bad, Cole, he reeted.

Let the vet take a look, +ase, Cole advised. 7or one moment he thouht abouthuin the kid, but he couldn-t "uite find a way to do it. Instead, he handed the teenaer

one of the !acks. /e-ll need your hel!.

I would have !ut the horse down, Mr. Steele, 4l $enton said, but the boy refused

to let me.

/ere you able to tell how this ha!!ened0 Cole asked, choosin his words carefully.

4l scowled. Someone had to have run him into the fence, Mr. Steele. *is rum! had acou!le of welts on it.

/ho was around0

4ll the hands were already one when +ase called me.

Cole let his breath out slowly. 4l hadn-t been with +ase. That didn-t sit well with him.Doubt tickled at his brain, even thouh he didn-t want to think the boy could have done

such a thin. It made him feel like a monster even to entertain such a notion. *e tickedsus!ects off in his mind. 4l, the ranch hands, +ase. The ranch hands were workin awayfrom the main house and shouldn-t have been there. *e shook his head to rid himself of

the !ersistent doubt about his youner brother. If he was lucky, it was a leitimate

accident. Maia was already walkin briskly toward the horse, and he trailed after her,

rateful for the distraction.

The wounds are down to the bone, Mr. Steele. The horse isn-t oin to be any ood

for work, 4l said.

Maia flashed a brief smile in the foreman-s eneral direction Let-s not draw any hasty

conclusions. I haven-t had a chance to assess the damae yet. She lanced at +ase. 3oudid reat ettin him in out of the snow and !uttin him in the stocks so he can-t move.

4l hel!ed me, +ase said. *e-s been "uiet. *e !atted the horse-s neck, his handtremblin. *e didn-t ive us any trouble at all.

/hat-s his name0

*is official name is Celtic *ih, but I call him /ally. *is a#e shifted toward Cole,


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then away.

Let me see what I can do for him. Maia !ut her hand on the horse-s neck as shemoved around to look into its eyes. *er stomach somersaulted. Imaes crowded in fast

and uly. $rutal, mean memories of an animal watchin hel!lessly as a boy was beaten

and taunted and cruelly !unished for none&istent crimes. The imaes were harsh and)umbled toether. The animal-s sorrow and !ain, both !hysical and emotional, beat at her.

She saw throuh the horse-s eyes, memories of youn +ase hidin re!eatedly in hisstall, only to be draed out aain and aain while the animal could do nothin to hel!

him. She felt the familiar lurchin in her stomach, the sweat beadin on her body and the

strane di##iness that always accom!anied revelations the animals !assed to her. It was

her reatest ift, and a terrible curse. She could do nothin to hel! the children andanimals she saw comin throuh her !ractice. She could only remain silent, )ust as the

animal was forced to do, and move on, move away.

Maia0 Cole-s hand went to her back to steady her. (ut your head down.

She ke!t her hands firmly aainst the horse, forcin herself to see what the animalwas willin to share. Somethin stinin his rum!. The shadow of a bi man in the snow,

raisin his arm and slammin it down with !ur!ose. 1e!eated lashins across the hind

les and rum! until the horse ran without thouht into the fence in a des!erate effort toesca!e the terrible blows. Too bi to be 4l or +ase. /ide enouh shoulders to be Cole,

but the horse dis!layed no nervousness near him.

Maia. Cole ri!!ed her hard. 3ou-re as white as a sheet. She was sweatin too,and her a#e was filled with a kind of horror. It had nothin to do with the a!in

wounds or the blood. *e knew it was somethin else, somethin entirely different.

Maia shook her head, lettin o of the horse-s neck and ste!!in back. I-m all riht.She couldn-t look at him. Couldn-t look at +ase. /ho had done such thins to the boy0

/ho had kicked him0 $roken bones0


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know this isn-t the best time, but 7red, my wife-s brother, came by aain lookin to et

his )ob back. *e-s a ood hand, Mr. Steele. *e-s ot a cou!le of kids. It-s not like there-s a

lot of work this time of year.

+ase whi!!ed his head around, his face still and white. The horse suddenly moved,

reactin to the boy-s sudden tension. The movement flooded the animal with !ain, but thebay rubbed its head aainst +ase in an attem!t to comfort him. The esture immediately

brouht the teenaer-s attention back to the animal.

Cole-s finers, on Maia-s back, !ressed dee!er into her skin. There was heat there, a

touch of aner. I told you no, 4l. 2o one who worked for $rett Steele will everwork for

me or f

christine feehan - rocky mountian miracle

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