Christmas Star (Contemporary, Romance) (22 page)

“Damn, damn, damn their careless hides.” Clay drove a stake into the ground to mark the spot, then motioned to Starr that he’d carry the cylinder back up the hill.

He propped it against a granite rock while he put on his shirt. “This must be where the stuff came from. You can see where it was connected to something with this coupling—a hose, maybe. Obviously they took the hose. Why in hell would they leave this?”

“I have no idea. What I wonder is how many more animals will die before this stream runs clean again.”

“Fortunately there are other water sources up here. Bear Trap Creek cuts diagonally through the preserve up around nine thousand feet. On the backside of the mountain, down a little lower, is Deer Creek Springs.”

“We’re at eight thousand something here?”

“Yes. Bighorns generally stay above this level unless the snow drives them down in search of food. We could lose more if that new storm blows in.”

Starr glanced at the sky. The sun was struggling to shine. She noticed, however, that high clouds were moving in. Tahquitz Peak already looked as if it wore a halo. “There’s not much we can do about the weather.”

“No, but something we
can
do is scoop a couple feet of snow across that stream. You said the stuff eventually dissipates. Maybe melting snow will clean it faster.”

Starr stood on tiptoe and landed a kiss in the vicinity of his ear. “Clay, I swear you’re a genius.”

A little embarrassed and a lot pleased, he stood for a moment with his hand to his cheek, watching as she tore down the hill and began shoveling snow like a madwoman. Then giving himself a mental shake, he went to lend a hand.

“Now,” he said when they’d finished and both were panting, “let’s hightail it out of here.”

“Okay. I don’t want this stuff evaporating or something before I can get it tested.” She touched the well-wrapped container.

“We’ll get it tested even if I have to fly it to the lab myself.”

“You’d do that?” Starr asked, sounding surprised.

“Dammit, Starr, what do you think? I’m betting Harrison will, too, when he sees what we’ve got,” he said firmly, grasping the bay’s head as she mounted.

After her last conversation with the senator, Starr had her doubts. She didn’t voice them, however, preferring, instead, to concentrate on the thud of the horses’ hooves as they pulled against the muddy trail.

Taking the lead, Clay was soon lost in his own thoughts—namely, how he was going to talk Starr into sticking around through Christmas. And beyond. If he did have to fly the cylinder to the lab, maybe he’d take the time to buy an engagement ring.

An opal, he thought, to match Starr’s fire. Surrounded by the icy flash of diamonds. Clay knew his mother would be enchanted with both Starr and SeLi. She’d love to sew frilly things for a granddaughter. Even though SeLi wasn’t exactly the frilly type... His dad would just be glad that his younger son had finally found Ms. Right.

Starr enjoyed the first half of the ride. She was glad the senseless killing of sheep was nearing an end. But anxiety cropped up during the second half, when she realized it also meant she might never see Clay again—except as her landlord. And she couldn’t afford to move until that trust fund kicked in.

From the moment the two riders entered the corral they were kept busy fielding questions thrown at them by Harrison and the two excited kids.

Hank Rogers, bless him, rode in from the range about then and took over the care of both muddy horses.

“Hold on a minute, Harris.” Clay placed a staying hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Do you mind if Starr and I clean up and find some decent food before you continue with this inquisition?”

Starr darted him a look of thanks over SeLi’s head. “A shower. I mostly want a shower and clean clothes,” she said, pausing to give SeLi another hug.

“Sure, sure,” Harrison muttered. “I’m sorry to press. But dammit, Clay, what’s all this about a container? I won’t rest until I have the facts.”

“I think you’re a little late with your concern, big bro.” Clay picked up the plastic-wrapped cylinder in one hand and placed the other at Starr’s waist as he began moving the entourage toward the house.

Tension arced between the brothers. “You accusing me of something again, Clay?” Harrison demanded.

Clay stopped. “Like what, Harrison?”

The senator glanced from Clay to Starr, then shrugged eloquently. “I don’t have the faintest idea. By the way, Starr, Stanley Ellsworth called last night. Said he got our number from directory assistance when he heard about the storm. You’d better call him back. He seems to think your being stranded in a snowstorm with my brother is tantamount to hitchhiking across the country with the Marquis de Sade.”

“Mom,” SeLi whined, “why is that yo-yo callin’ you? Don’t he know we’re on vacation?”

“SeLi, please. I think it was sweet of Stanley. Friends worry about friends, honey. I’ll call him the first chance I get.”

Clay was glad to hear her use the term
friends.
Although he thought Starr was underestimating old Stanley.

“C’mon, Morgan,” SeLi said with disgust. “If that Christmas star’d just show its face again tonight, we’d take care of Stanley Stupid.”

“SeLi!” Starr was left shouting at the wind. SeLi had grabbed Morgan’s hand and the two were streaking toward the ranch house.

“I’m going to go shower and change in the motor home,” Starr said after a long sigh. “Shall we settle now on transporting the canister?”

Clay nodded. “I’ll lock it in my safe until I can fly it out. You can either write instructions to send with me or go along.”

Harrison looked pensive and rubbed his clean-shaven jaw as Starr said she’d decide while she showered, then thanked Clay for keeping it safe.

Clean and turbaned, Starr took a moment before drying her hair to jot down all the tests she wanted to have run on the fluid in the canister. She wished she could go with Clay, but it wouldn’t be fair to leave SeLi again so soon. If he flew it to Berkeley, by the time she drove home, the lab should have most of the results.

SeLi showed up as Starr finished dressing. The girl regaled her mother with nonstop tales about her sleepover at the McLeods’.

“Morgan’s dad is cool for a pinstripe,” SeLi declared as she bounced on the bed. Then, more seriously, her chin resting in her palm, she said, “He’s not a stud muffin like Morgan’s uncle or nothin’. But he’s a rad dad for a guy that’s heavy sugar.”

Starr paused in the middle of brushing her hair to gape at her daughter. “Sometimes, SeLi, I need an interpreter with you.”

“Whazzat?”

“An interpreter? Someone who explains what you just said in terms your poor mother can understand.”

SeLi grinned. “Gotcha. For nerds and cubes,” she drawled. “I said Morgan’s dad is okay for a suit. For a
rich
suit. You know,
heavy sugar.
His uncle Clay, though, is—”

“Never mind! I think I got the reference to Morgan’s uncle. Could we move on? How’s the schoolwork coming? No tutor today?”

SeLi’s head bobbed. “He’s there, but I get to skip. ‘Cause I missed you so much, Mom.” She threw her scrawny arms around Starr’s waist and buried her face below Starr’s heart.

“I missed you, too, Skeeter.” Starr swallowed the big lump in her throat. “Come on. Walk me over to the house. I need a minute with Morgan’s dad.”

“Mom, do you think they’ll move back to San Francisco?” SeLi slipped her hand into Starr’s as they went outside. “Morgan likes goin’ to school with me and Kevin and Mike.”

“Maybe not, honey. I understand his mother doesn’t enjoy big cities.” She squeezed the child’s hand to soften the blow.

“I don’t like the city, neither. I wanna stay here at the ranch. It’s the greatest.”

Starr slowed her steps. She’d never imagined that SeLi wouldn’t want to go home. “This is a vacation. Vacations are nice, but they always end.”

“But...if we stayed, I wouldn’t have to see Buffy or Heather again.”

“Or Woody or Trader John.” Starr felt guilty using those two old fellows when she intended to wean SeLi from the dock. Sometimes though, mothers had to be creative and resourceful.

The little girl stopped at the door to the ranch house. She was teary-eyed. “I didn’t think ‘bout them. But Woody and Trader John, they got each other. Morgan’s lonesome. Like you were when you were a kid, Mom.”

“Why, I...SeLi, I wasn’t...” Starr trailed off. She
had
been lonely as a child. But how did SeLi know? As she grappled for some explanation, the front door opened. Starr was relieved to see Morgan. And more relieved when the children dashed off hand in hand. Yet the allusion to her unhappy childhood took longer to shake off.

Harrison stepped out of the den and gestured her to enter. Behind him, a fire danced warmly. Starr’s heart skipped a beat when she saw that Clay was present, along with Vanessa.

Just seeing Clay made her heart kick over and speed up. His stance, the way he leaned carelessly against the mantel, was reminiscent of the one in the photo SeLi had
borrowed.

Starr simply couldn’t bring herself to use the term
stolen.
Not when the reason SeLi took them was that she so desperately wanted a family to talk about in class. According to Wanda Manning, a family consisted of two parents and a child. Starr felt a surge of fear. She would do better to concentrate on the current gathering of the clan than to think about her problems with the social worker.

Clay had changed into a black turtleneck and close-fitting black jeans. His hair glinted in the firelight, and his mustache was neatly trimmed. His slow smile when he looked up and saw her made her heart turn over.

Oh, God, SeLi’s not the only one who wants this man to stay in our lives.

Starr forced her limbs to move. All three McLeods had begun to stare at her oddly. She blushed, hoping they couldn’t read what had gone through her mind. She realized the senator had been talking. Oh, Lord, what was he saying?

“...so you see, Starr, testing the canister is a moot point. Mere hours ago Calexco filed a lease on a thousand acres up there. It’s all nice and legal.”

Starr suddenly had trouble breathing. “With whom? Filing doesn’t mean squat. You can’t believe the Land Bureau will approve the lease when they hear about the sheep—when they know about the Drixathyon.”

Harrison smiled and spread his palms. “It’s out of our hands, Starr. Now it’s between the Federal Bureau of Land Management and Calexco. By tomorrow every newspaper in California will carry news of a promising oil strike. Considering the ailing economy, I rather think public pressure will be in Calexco’s favor.”

Starr shook her head. She looked to Clay, but found him studying his brother, his own face impassive. Turning again to the senator, she said, “If they sanction use of Drixathyon on that reserve, they’ll be signing a death warrant for hundreds of bighorns. You can’t let that happen. Do something, Senator!”

Harrison slipped an arm around Vanessa’s slender waist. “I intend to. New Year’s Day I’m taking my wife and son on a long-overdue vacation.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “As I said before, you and SeLi are welcome to stay and share our Christmas.” He patted his wife’s hand and she snuggled against his shoulder.

The feeling of betrayal made Starr less cautious. “How can you ignore what Calexco has done? It’s murder.”

Harrison’s lips tightened. “You disappoint me, Starr. I thought you were a realist. It appears you’re more your mother’s daughter than I’d imagined. Patrice was always one for drama.”

“
You’re
disappointed in
me?
“ Starr’s jaw dropped. Again her eyes sought Clay, who had straightened away from the mantel. His lake blue eyes were decidedly cool.

“Harris, you know I intend to take the contents of the canister in to be tested,” he said. “Ask your friends at Calexco to hold off going public until we see the results.”

“Now, Clay, don’t concern yourself with politics at this late date. And you don’t have time to fly to San Francisco. You have to go to L.A. tomorrow to meet Mom and Dad’s flight. This...disagreement between us will only upset them.”

“I rather think they’ve heard us squabble before,” Clay said dryly.

“But Vanessa’s dad’s coming tomorrow, too. On the train. Thurgood isn’t well. He has a bad heart.”

“I didn’t know.” Clay shot his sister-in-law a sympathetic glance.

Harrison turned back to Starr. “If you and SeLi decide to stay, I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you not to start one of these arguments.”

Starr waited for Clay to say something more, but he only frowned and shoved his hands into his back pockets.

“Not only will SeLi and I not be staying,” Starr informed the room at large, “but
I’m
taking the cylinder back for testing. After that, I’ll be blowing the whistle on Calexco.” Spinning away, she marched toward the door.

Harrison stepped in front of her, blocking her path. “Aren’t you forgetting who hired you for this job? Even if that doesn’t cut any ice with you, don’t forget who came through for you when you needed help with SeLi’s adoption.”

Clay moved away from the fireplace. He grabbed Harrison’s arm. “That sounds like blackmail, big brother. It also sounds like you’re protecting Calexco. Are they holding something over your head?”

Starr felt faint. Of course Clay meant SeLi’s parentage. Why couldn’t he let it drop? Surprisingly, though, the outrage didn’t come from Harrison, but rather from his wife. It was the delicate-looking Vanessa McLeod who stepped between the brothers with her dainty hands clenched.

“Barclay McLeod,” she fumed, “how dare you take the side of a stranger against your own flesh and blood! If you have no consideration for your brother, at least think about Morgan. Think about me.”

Starr saw the woman’s huge violet eyes fill with tears. Her own stomach knotted. Starr waited for Clay to see through the woman’s act. When he begged Vanessa not to cry, Starr knew who’d won. Sick at heart, she hefted the wrapped canister, stepped around the senator and left the room in search of SeLi.

She didn’t hear Clay take on his brother. “Have you any idea how close Starr came to dying after she drank the water from that stream? If my horse hadn’t stumbled over her on the trail, I wouldn’t have found her at all. What then, brother?”