Hero's Return

“Did you get my message?” her mother demanded.

“No, what was it?”

“I’ve spoken with your father. He feels the same way I do. He said he would fly back from DC if he had to, but he’d prefer that you stop what you’re doing.”

She realized she could thank Peter for this. The next time she saw him... “I’m not doing anything more than what I always do, Mother.” She pushed back the curtain at the hotel window and realized that from here she could see the cut in the trees where the Cahill ranch house must be—not that far at all from the creek. How convenient.

“We both know why you’re in Gilt Edge and it isn’t your interest in some story about bones found in a creek near there.”

“You might be surprised by who or what I’m interested in.”

Reproving silence filled the line. “I don’t wish to talk about your personal life, if that’s what you’re referring to with that remark. Peter is just as upset as your father and I. You need to stop this.”

“Actually, what I’m doing is getting ready to go on a date.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. How could you possibly be going on a date? You and Peter—”

“Are not serious. I’ve told you that numerous times.”

“Well, maybe you aren’t serious, but Peter is. You’re making a mistake. Peter is perfect for you.”

“No, he’s perfect for what you and Father want for me. Tonight I’m going out with a cowboy. His name is Tucker Cahill.”

“Cahill?” Her mother sounded breathless.

“Yes. He and I already share a special bond. We met today at the creek where the bones were found. I asked him to take me out to dinner.”

Mamie would be horror-stricken if she’d known that Kate had lost control out at the creek—especially since there’d been a witness. And not just any witness. Tucker Cahill. With the Cahill Ranch so close, Kate shouldn’t have been surprised to see the cowboy there, especially now that she had confirmed that they had something in common.

Tucker Cahill had known Madeline. From his expression earlier, he’d known her well. That thought turned her stomach. He’d chased her down to find out what she knew. And now she was having dinner with him tonight to find out what he knew. Talk about strange bed partners, so to speak.

Even stranger was who had brought them together.

“You need to come to your senses,” her mother was saying.

“Oh, I have. I told you I would never let this go. Tucker doesn’t know it, but he’s going to help me.”

Her mother sniffed angrily. “You have no idea what you’re doing.”

“On the contrary. I’m good at what I do, Mother, so I have a pretty good idea of what I’m doing.”

The next words were delivered like a dagger of ice. “You know what I mean.”

“I have to get ready for my date.”

“I’m calling your father and Peter,” her mother threatened.

“Daddy won’t come home. Not for this. He will want to stay as far away as he can from anything...ugly. I’m afraid you’re on your own since there is nothing you can say to stop me. As for Peter, you really are wasting your time. He has nothing to say that I want to hear.” She disconnected, surprised how angry she was. Or how close she was to tears again.

Clearly she wasn’t as strong as she’d thought. But she was as determined as she’d been every day for the past nineteen years. She wasn’t going to let anyone stop her. Not even Tucker Cahill.

* * *

TUCKER HAD JUST reached his pickup when his cell phone rang.

“Where are you?” Flint asked. “I just tried the ranch. Cyrus said they hadn’t seen you.”

He could hear the fear in his brother’s voice. Flint had thought he might have left town again without a word. “Sorry, I got waylaid. I’m on my way there now.”

“How about a change of plans? I just talked to Maggie. She’s up for all of us going to the Stagecoach Saloon tonight and celebrating your return.”

“Oh, that sounds great but I can’t tonight. I have a date.”

“A date? Tucker, you just got back to town.”

“I know,” he said with a laugh. “I’m as surprised as you are. If you saw her, you’d be even more surprised.”

“Who is this woman?”

“Kate Rothschild.”

“Rothschild? Of the Montana Rothschilds?”

“Apparently so.”

“What is she doing in Gilt Edge?”

He couldn’t tell his brother what he’d witnessed. Not until he knew more. “Just passing through, I think.”

“And you just happened to cross her path?” Flint asked.

“Yep, must be fate.” Even as he said it, he wondered if it wasn’t true. They would never have met if he hadn’t seen her at the creek today. He would have never known her connection to Madeline. Not that he did yet, but he would by tonight.

“Fate, huh?”

“You have such a suspicious mind.”

Flint laughed. “I’ve been told that. It goes with the job. Look, I’m happy for you, but I was hoping we could get together your first night home. The rest of the family is anxious to see you.”

“I know. They’ll also want answers about where I’ve been, what I’ve been doing and why I left,” Tucker said. “I’m not sure I’m up to an interrogation tonight. It’s been kind of a rough day and a relief at the same time.”

“I know. It was a lot to take in.” His brother seemed to hesitate. “We might have an ID on the remains from the creek. They could belong to a woman named Madeline Dunn from Clawson Creek. She would have been twenty-two.”

Tucker took in that information for a moment. “Madeline Dunn.”

“I’m not going to try to find the next of kin until we get the DNA results.”

“Dunn, huh,” Tucker said. He finally had a name. After all these years of wondering who Madeline really was...