Colton Cowboy Hideout (The Coltons of Texas, Book 7) Read online

  Bedlam ensued as more of the Colton family appeared on the scene. Zane, Eldridge’s adopted son and head of security, shouted to be heard above Whitney’s hysterical screams.

  Within minutes all of Whitney and Eldridge’s children and stepchildren were in the room except one. Aaron held on to his wife, Moira, his eyes misted with tears, and Josie cowered against a wall as if attempting to disappear.

  “Everyone out of the room,” Reid Colton yelled above the din. “We need to preserve the evidence.” He attempted to herd everyone back out into the hallway.

  “I just called Sheriff Watkins,” Fowler replied. “He’s on his way. In the meantime, I need to take a look around.”

  “No, you don’t. You need to get out of here like everyone else,” Reid replied tersely.

  “Don’t act like you’re a cop. You just used to be one,” Fowler replied with a raise of his chin. “As I remember, brother, your badge was taken away from you.”

  Reid stared menacingly at Fowler and one of his hands tightened into a fist. “Don’t go there, brother.”

  “You two, don’t even start,” Whitney cried. She started out of the door and then stopped and stared at Josie. “You! You did this. You brought evil into the house. It’s all your fault. You’re the devil!” She covered her eyes and wept as her daughter Piper placed an arm around her shoulders and quickly led her from the room.

  Josie’s hazel eyes were wide and her lower lip began to tremble. Tanner fought the crazy impulse to shelter her with his arm. Instead he motioned for her to follow him out of the bedroom and fought against his worry for the old man he’d looked on like a father.

  “Everyone into the parlor,” Fowler instructed. “Sheriff Watkins will want to question everyone when he and his men get here.”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea for Josie to be in the parlor with Whitney,” Tanner said. “I’ll take her into the dining room and we’ll wait there for the sheriff.”

  Josie gave him a grateful glance. He didn’t wait for permission from anyone, but took her by the arm and led her in the opposite direction from the rest of the people. The last thing needed at the moment was Whitney’s histrionics directed toward Josie.

  As they walked toward the formal dining room Tanner tried to tamp down his fear for Eldridge. What on earth had happened in that bedroom?

  It had been obvious that a struggle had occurred. Had it happened that morning? Sometime in the night? Had the old man been kidnapped? Had he been killed? There hadn’t been a lot of blood to indicate a death, but there had certainly been enough for Tanner to be extremely concerned about Eldridge’s well-being.

  The formal dining room was a large room with a table that nearly stretched from one end to the other. Several large candelabras were positioned on a black-and-gold table runner and held fat, white pillar candles.

  This was where the large family usually gathered to take their evening meal together. Breakfast and lunch were less formal. He gestured Josie into one of the high-backed chairs and then sank down in the chair next to her.

  Josie’s scent wafted toward him, a heady combination of spices mingling with a fresh peach fragrance. He’d experienced a swift kick of physical attraction to her the moment he’d first laid eyes on her. Her long dark hair looked silky, and she might be small and petite, but her body was perfectly proportioned. But at the moment that was the last thing on his mind.

  He reached up and rubbed the center of his forehead, where a headache attempted to take hold. Loud voices could still be heard coming from the parlor, where the family and other staff members were gathered together.

  “Whatever happened in that bedroom, I’m in no way responsible,” Josie said. Her eyes simmered as she held his gaze. He couldn’t help but notice her eyelashes were lush and long.

  “I’m aware of that. I just wish I knew what really did happen.”

  “There were so many people. Are all of them family?”

  He nodded. “Eldridge had two children, Fowler and Alanna, with his first wife, Darla. When Darla died Eldridge married Whitney, who had two children, Zane and Marceline. Eldridge and Whitney had three children together, Thomas, Piper and Reid. Well, actually, Piper was an orphan who they adopted. The only one who wasn’t in the bedroom a few minutes ago was Marceline.”

  “Thank goodness I won’t be here long enough to try to keep them all straight,” Josie replied.

  “They all have very distinct personalities, so once you’ve been around them for a short period of time it’s fairly easy to figure out who is who,” he replied. It was easier to focus on the Colton family dynamics rather than his fear for his boss and mentor.

  The faint shriek of sirens was audible from somewhere outside, and before they halted their cry, Brianna Nugent flew into the dining room.

  Tanner jumped out of his chair at the sight of his young nanny. “Brianna, what are you doing in here? Where are the girls?” A new concern whipped through him. Had something happened to them?

  “Peggy said she’d watch them for a few minutes,” Brianna replied and tugged on the end of the thick blond braid that fell forward over her shoulder. “What’s going on? There’s so much negative energy in the air. It’s totally upsetting my chakra.”

  Tanner drew in a breath and sought some modicum of patience before replying. “Eldridge is missing. I’m sorry about your chakra, but you really need to get back to the girls.”

  “Do you mind if I burn some sage in the nursery to clear away some of the bad energy?”

  Tanner stared at her in disbelief. “You are not to burn anything in the nursery ever,” he replied firmly. “Now, I’d appreciate it if you’d get back to the twins. The negative air in here is far worse than any in the staff wing.” As Brianna whirled back out of the room, Tanner sat once again and released a deep sigh.

  “You have twin daughters?” Josie asked.

  Tanner relaxed a bit. It was impossible to feel too stressed out when he thought about his little girls. “Lily and Leigh—they’re eighteen months old. Brianna is their nanny.”

  “So your wife works outside of the home?”

  “My ex-wife, and she died a little over a year ago.” He fought against the sense of failure that always tried to take hold of him when he thought of Helen.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Josie replied.

  “Thanks.” He leaned forward, tension once again twisting inside of him. “I just hope Brianna doesn’t let her unsettled chakra affect the twins. Kids pick up on grown-ups’ emotions so easily, and the last thing I want is for them to be upset.”

  He also knew with a sinking sensation that Brianna, with her slightly crazy new age mentality, was probably going to have to be replaced. Anyone who thought burning sage in the nursery was okay wasn’t the kind of nanny he wanted for his girls.

  He shoved the thought aside and looked at Josie once again. “What about you? Are you married? Have children?” Although Josie looked far too young for either, he wanted—needed—some conversation to keep his mind busy until the sheriff or somebody else official came in to speak with them.

  “Neither,” she replied.

  “Do you have other family?”

  “Five brothers and a sister, but my mother died when I was three and we had an absent father, so we were all separated and grew up in different foster-care homes.”

  “Foster care can be tough. It must have been especially difficult being separated from your brothers and sister.”

  She stared down at the tabletop and traced an imaginary pattern on the wood with her fingertip. “It was, but you know what they say—when you’re handed lemons make lemonade.”

  She dropped her hand into her lap and looked up at him again. “By the time I was six there were five other foster kids living in the same house as me. I made them my brothers and sisters and tried to take good care of them. What about you? Do you have other family?”

  “It’s just me and my daughters,” he replied.

  Eldridge was missing under myst
erious circumstances. Josie Colton stirred something inside Tanner that hadn’t been stirred in a long time. Then there was the worry that he probably needed to hire a new nanny...again.

  He was almost relieved when Sheriff Troy Watkins appeared in the doorway. “Tanner, I need to ask you both some questions.” The tall, dark-haired lawman pulled a notepad and pen out of his shirt pocket and then looked at Josie, his gray eyes flat and emotionless.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  CHAPTER 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  “Fowler’s the oldest, right?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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