Wyoming Strong Read online

  Morie led her into the living room. Mavie, the housekeeper, was hovering.

  “I haven’t gotten to hold him all day,” Mavie complained. “How about I get you and Sara something to eat, and then I’ll take the baby.”

  “That’s a deal.” Morie laughed.

  Mavie brought coffee and cake on an antique silver service, then took the little boy in her arms and left for the child’s room.

  “She’s such a treasure,” Morie told her friend. “I don’t know what we’d do without her.”

  “She seems very nice.” Sara sipped coffee and frowned. Her eyebrows arched. “Latte?” she asked. “Where did you get a latte? Is there a Starbucks nearby?”

  Morie grinned. “It’s a European coffee pod. I get them from Germany. Isn’t it delicious?”

  “It really is. Just like going into a coffee shop.” She sighed and savored the taste.

  “If you’re here, then Gabriel must be overseas,” Morie remarked.

  “Yes. Another dangerous place, I assume,” she agreed. “He can’t live without the adrenaline rushes. I do worry, though.”

  “I know you do.” She put her cup down and studied her friend closely. “Something’s wrong.”

  Sara made a face. “You could always tell, couldn’t you?”

  “We’ve been friends for a long time.” Morie leaned forward. “Come on. Give.”

  Sara bit her lower lip. “I’m...pregnant.”

  Morie, who knew Sara’s whole history, sat with her jaw dropped and her eyes like black saucers. “You’re...”

  “Pregnant,” Sara repeated helpfully.

  Morie fanned herself. “Well, he must be one special man, considering your background.”

  “Yes. He was...very special.” Sara lowered her eyes. “But he didn’t want me. Not for keeps. I saw him in San Antonio. I’d asked if he was going to be at the symphony concert that night. He said yes. I was going to tell him about the baby.” She closed her eyes and shivered. “He was there—with a gorgeous blonde. He was very cool with me, indifferent. He was playing up to his companion for all he was worth. I knew then that it was all over.”

  “I’m so sorry, Sara,” Morie said gently, placing her hand over the other woman’s.

  “I thought... Well, you know, a baby needs two parents, and he didn’t want me. I thought it would be for the best...” She swallowed. “I went to a clinic. Well, I tried to go to a clinic. I just broke down completely. The lady was so sweet. She said I needed to go home and think about it some more. So I did.” She smiled ruefully. “I couldn’t do it. Maybe he doesn’t want a child, but I do,” she said with breathless tenderness as she smoothed her hand over her stomach with a tiny smile. “I want him more than anything in the world.”

  “That man should be keelhauled,” Morie bit out.

  “It’s not his fault, really,” she said. “You have no idea what he’s been through in his life. It was much worse than anything I’ve had to endure. He doesn’t trust people. In his place, I wouldn’t, either. I wanted to love him, but he wouldn’t let me.”

  Morie’s dark eyes narrowed. “You still love him.”

  Sara smiled ruefully. “With all my heart,” she confessed. “You can’t kill love. I’ve tried, believe me.”

  “He may find out,” she said.

  “It’s not likely. He and my brother are friends, but Gabriel doesn’t know. And I can swear him to secrecy. He’ll be angry, though.”

  “No doubt about that.”

  She drew in a breath and sipped more coffee. “So I don’t have to worry about being discovered for a while, anyway. Meanwhile, I’m going to enjoy the peace and quiet up here. I have an obstetrician. I also have a companion,” she added with a grin.

  “A companion?”

  She nodded. “Her name is Amelia Grayson. She’s a sweetheart. She takes care of the house and me. She’s been badly treated by people she’s worked for, but I’m spoiling her. She’s already indispensable. And besides that, she can cook.” She laughed.

  “Truly indispensable,” Morie agreed.

  “Your little boy is precious. I can’t decide if he looks more like you or Mal.”

  “Both of us,” she said, her smile dreamy. “I never imagined I could be so happy.” She shook her head. “I thought my father was going to kill Mal before I’d ever have the chance to marry him.”

  “Nobody who knew you would ever think you’d steal something.”

  “Yes, well, Gelly Bruner was very convincing. She never wanted Mal, but he was wealthy and she wanted to be.” She laughed. “If you could have seen her face when she and Mal showed up at the production sale! She looked as if she’d tried to swallow a watermelon whole!”

  “I imagine Mal looked pretty much the same,” Sara said drily.

  “Yes, he did. I didn’t know that Dad had invited Mal to the sale. Not until he walked in with Gelly and my father made a beeline for Uncle Danny when he greeted them. Then Uncle Danny motioned me over with Darryl— You remember Darryl?”

  “I do, indeed. He’s a very nice-looking man.”

  “Very sweet, too, but I didn’t really want to marry him. I was hurting from Mal’s rejection, feeling sorry for myself, or I’d never have agreed to be engaged to him.”

  “He’ll find someone one day.”

  “Someone who deserves him, I hope.”

  “How’s your brother?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Who knows? He’s having chicken problems.”

  Sara blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “His next-door neighbor has a rooster. The rooster hates Cort. It actually comes onto the ranch to attack him. The last I heard, it had run through several cowboys, one of whom landed in a very unmentionably smelly substance. And then it chased Cort clean up onto the porch. He tried to shoot it and missed...”

  Sara was laughing uproariously. “A rooster?”

  “A rooster. He’s complained to the owner, but she loves the stupid animal, and she won’t get rid of it.”

  “Who is the owner?”

  “A sweet young woman who’s trying to run a small ranch all by herself, with a little help from her great-aunt. I think she’s sweet on Cort, but that rooster is making an enemy of him. Besides,” she said sadly, “there’s Odalie Everett.”

  “Heather’s daughter,” Sara said as she nodded, recalling the beautiful young woman with the voice of an angel.

  “She wants to sing grand opera. Cort wants to marry her, but she’s full of herself and thirsting for a career in music. He just mourns constantly. Right now she’s in Italy training with a voice teacher.”

  “Poor Cort.”

  “He was sweet on you once,” Morie said, tongue in cheek.

  She laughed. “Only for one day, until he realized that I don’t date.”

  “At the time, I thought you’d never have a normal life,” Morie told her gently. She smiled quizzically. “You look...I don’t know...different. You don’t have that haunted look I remember.”

  “It’s the baby,” Sara replied. “I’ve never been so happy. Or so miserable.” She looked down into her cup. “If he could have loved me, I’d never have wanted anything more from life.”

  Morie sighed. “Men. You really can’t live without them, but they can be one big headache.”

  “I noticed.” She glanced at her watch. “Goodness, I have to go. Amelia’s making crepes for supper.”

  “She can make crepes?”

  “She’s a marvelous cook,” Sara said.

  “Coming from you, that’s high praise,” Morie replied, because she knew that her friend was a gourmet chef.

  “I’m hungry. I never have much appetite when I have to go to the doctor.”

  “What did the doctor say?”

  Sara smiled. “That I’m doing well, the baby’s doing well and I have to go and see a cardiologist,” she added heavily.

  “A cardiologist?”

  “I have a heart defect,” Sara said, smiling. “It’s just a small one, and he says it won’t
impact delivery, but he wants to keep an eye on it just the same. He said it’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Thank goodness!”

  Sara hugged her. “You’re a nice woman. I’m sorry I haven’t visited until now, but things have been pretty hectic. I’ve been living in San Antonio for the longest time. It takes some getting used to, being up here again.”

  “You’ll love it when you get acclimated. Spring here is unbelievable!”

  “Better than Texas?” Sara teased.

  “Different,” her friend replied, smiling. “But beautiful.”

  Morie walked her out to the car, looking around at the towering lodgepole pines swaying in the breeze.

  “Aren’t they magnificent?” she asked. “We don’t have trees like this in Texas.”

  “No, we don’t. And they are magnificent.”

  “Come back when you can stay longer,” Morie coaxed. “I’ll let you play with the baby.”

  “That’s an incentive!” Sara laughed. “I’ll need lessons. I don’t even know how to do diapers or make formula...”

  “You might consider breast-feeding,” Morie replied. “It gives the baby a head start. And it’s much better than formula.”

  “I’ll research that,” Sara said.

  “You and the internet,” Morie said, shaking her head. “Still playing that video game every night?”

  “Almost every night,” Sara agreed. She smiled. “I have a friend. He’s in the same faction I am. We sort of hold each other together. He’s damaged, too,” she said with a sad smile. “I don’t know who he is, but he says he’s in law enforcement. He’s very kind. I don’t really have anybody to talk to.”

  “You do. Right here,” Morie said, indicating herself.

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ll call you in a week or two and we’ll go out to eat.”

  “I’d like that.” She opened the door and climbed in under the steering wheel. “Thanks for being a good listener.”

  “That’s what friends are for. You call me if you need me. I don’t care what time it is.”

  “I will. Thanks again.”

  “Drive safely,” Morie said.

  Sara smiled, turned on the ignition and pulled away.

  Grayson was waiting at the front door when she got home.

  “Finally!” she said. “I was getting worried.”

  “You could have called me.” Sara laughed.

  “On what?” Grayson held up a cell phone. It was Sara’s. She’d forgotten to take it with her.

  “Ah, well, how nice that I wasn’t kidnapped by marauding terrorists on the way home,” she said with a grin.

  Grayson grinned back. “It’s nice to see you smile for a change,” she remarked.

  Sara drew in a breath as she put up her jacket and purse. “I haven’t had a lot to smile about,” she confessed. “But I’m getting better.”

  She turned. Grayson did look worried.

  “I’m really getting better,” Sara emphasized.

  “Okay, then. I’ve got crepes almost ready. I made meringues for dessert, too.”

  “My favorite!”

  Grayson laughed. “I noticed.”

  Sara followed her into the kitchen. She was still a little queasy, but she didn’t dare let on. Grayson didn’t know that she was pregnant. The other woman was deeply religious, and she might find Sara’s condition offensive. She might quit. Better to let explanations ride for a time, Sara decided. Grayson was a treasure.

  They’d just finished supper when someone knocked at the front door.

  Grayson immediately got between Sara and the door. She looked out the peephole and drew back as if she’d seen a snake.

  “Who is it?” Sara asked.

  Grayson opened the door without speaking.

  A tall man with pale gray eyes moved into view. He smiled at Sara.

  “Ty!” she exclaimed. She knew him because he’d helped the defense attorney gather information to clear the police officer who’d shot her stepfather. She’d liked him. He and Gabe had become friends. Later, Morie had told her about Ty helping to track an escaped criminal who had taken Mallory prisoner, when Morie had searched for him. “What are you doing up here?”

  “I’m on a case,” he said. “Amazing how much business we’re doing in Wyoming lately, and I work out of Houston.”

  “Come in! Have you eaten? Amelia made crepes. I think there are two left...”

  Ty spotted the blonde woman standing beside Sara as the door opened all the way. His smile vanished. He gave Amelia a long, quiet look.

  “Hello, Grayson,” he said.

  She nodded slowly. “Harding.”

  Sara frowned. “You two know each other?”

  “Slightly,” Grayson said tautly. “Very slightly.”

  Ty took longer to adjust to the unexpected encounter. He lifted his chin. “It’s been a long time.”

  Sara was puzzled at the tension. “He lives in Houston, and you’re from San Antonio, aren’t you?” she asked Grayson.

  “I grew up in Comanche Wells,” Grayson said in a dull tone. “He spent summers there with his grandparents.”

  “We were in high school at the time,” Ty agreed. He studied Grayson quietly. “It was a long time ago.”

  Grayson nodded. She didn’t meet his eyes.

  “Have you seen Currier?” he asked.

  She went very stiff. “No. He’s in Africa.”

  Ty grimaced. “He wouldn’t let it go, would he? It wasn’t your fault.”

  “It was my fault,” she returned, moving away.

  “Come have coffee at least,” Sara coaxed, fascinated with what she was learning about her new companion without a word being spoken.

  Ty hesitated. Amelia looked tortured. “I’d better go. I just wanted to say hello and see how Gabriel was. I haven’t heard from him.”

  “He’s doing very well,” Sara said, “as far as I know. They’re involved in some sort of secret project, probably classified, in a country near Saudi Arabia.”

  “When you hear from him, ask him to call me, would you?” Ty said. “I’ve had an offer. I think he might be interested, too.”

  “Aren’t you still working for Dane Lassiter’s private detective agency in Houston?” Sara asked.

  “Yes, but I’m looking at a change,” he said.

  Sara smiled. “And that’s all I’m getting out of you, yes?”

  He chuckled. “That’s it.”

  “Well, it was good to see you just the same.”

  He smiled. “Good to see you, too, Sara.”

  “I’ll have Gabe call you,” she promised.

  “Thanks.” He glanced past her at Amelia’s straight back. “I’ll see you, Grayson.”

  She didn’t reply. She just nodded.

  Sara closed the door and went to her. “You know him,” she said.

  Amelia nodded, eyes downcast. “We were friends once,” she said.

  “Just friends?”

  Amelia closed up like a sensitive plant. Her smile looked forced. “Only archaeologists should dig up the past,” she said. “How about a meringue?”

  Sara gave up. “Okay. I’d love one.”

  Amelia led the way back into the kitchen. Sara was having a hard time getting her breath. Amelia turned, frowning. “You’re huffing like a steam engine.”

  Sara laughed. “I guess I am.” She hesitated, remembering. “I went by to see Morie Kirk on the way home. We were friends when she lived in Texas. We had lattes,” she added. “I don’t drink caffeine much anymore. I guess that’s what did it.”

  “No more coffee,” Amelia fussed.

  Sara laughed. “Okay. No more coffee. I have a slight heart defect,” she confessed. “I’m not supposed to drink anything caffeinated. But the coffee was so good!” she added with a sigh.

  “I like lattes, too,” Amelia confessed with a laugh. “But you should probably leave it alone.”

  “I do agree.”

  That night, before
she tried to sleep, Sara’s mind again went over the encounter with Wolf at the symphony concert, at his indifference to Sara, his intense interest in his blonde companion. It was like a knife straight through her. They’d been so close, just for a brief time at his ranch, after the trauma that had opened the floodgates of the past for each of them.

  She’d loved him. She’d thought they had a real future together.

  Then she’d seen him with his companion. She’d planned to tell him that night about the baby. She’d planned more than just that. But fate had thrown a spanner into the works. What had begun in breathless anticipation had ended in heartache.

  Now here she was, pregnant with a child he’d never know. He was going around with other women and apparently no regrets whatsoever about Sara. It hurt more than anything else had in her whole life, even more than her tragic past.

  The worst of it was that she still loved him. How she could love a two-timing, heartless rat like him was one terrible puzzle. She should hate him. She’d tried to hate him. But he haunted her, even in memory.

  She gave a thought to Grayson’s odd behavior with their visitor, Ty Harding. There was something there. She knew there was. She wondered what. Maybe someday, if she ever got her own life straightened out, she could do something to help poor Grayson. She had a feeling that Amelia had her own tragedy to deal with.

  She turned out the light and tried to sleep. But it was almost daylight before she finally did.

  * * *

  SARA WAS FIXING a salad when the phone rang. She reached for it, certain that it would be the nurse giving her news of the cardiologist or Michelle with news about her job. It was neither.

  “Sara?” Eb Scott said solemnly. “Is that you?”

  She sat down hard, shaking. She remembered the nightmare she’d had, almost as if her mind had been connected to Wofford Patterson’s in some strange manner. “It’s Wolf. Something’s happened to Wolf!”

  He could hear the terror in her voice. “Slow down, it’s okay. He’s been shot, yes. We’ve airlifted him back to a hospital in Houston. He’s very bad, but he’s calling for you...”

  “I’ll be on the next plane out of here!”

  “Get a limo to the airport,” he said firmly. “I’ll have a plane waiting for you, to take you straight to Houston. Someone will meet you in the lobby at Sheridan with a sign. Go with him.”