Kaitlin's Silver Lining (26 page)

Thirty
Two

The newspaper was
tilted at an angle conducive to farsighted difficulties. The words blurred. Her
James was dead. Blurry eyes gazed upward, blinking away tears. She never cried.
Ever.

This was different.
Her lover was gone and with him, all their dreams. His promises for a
successful future faded, buried under a pile of dirt and stone. She wiped at
her eyes.

If James hadn’t been
so greedy, he’d still be alive, but he was a schemer, a man given to grandiose
plans.

She’d loved James
since the moment they met, yet he wanted more from life than just love. The man
had equated being rich to being successful. He’d cooked up the plan to marry
Kaitlin when he’d discovered the value of her land. A quest for riches beyond
their wildest dreams had forced him to plot against the woman. Just because he
felt Sarge Kanatzer owed him for the tragic loss of his parents and brother,
he’d hoped to make Sarge pay through the loss of his beloved daughter. She
laughed. The plan would have worked if Kaitlin hadn’t discovered the letters stashed
away in James’ room.

James said he’d marry
the bitch, watch broken-heartedly while Kaitlin met with an untimely death,
then claim the land for his own. A year later, he would be free to marry again.
Fresh tears ran down her cheeks at the thought.

She blew her nose and
sniffed. If not for the Kanatzers, her James would be alive today.

More specifically,
Kaitlin was to blame for his death.

She rifled through a
drawer, searching for the missive, the one James had shown her. Where was it?
She tore open another drawer and pulled out a stack of papers.

Could she avenge her
lover’s death? She frowned, knowing she would be unable to do such a horrendous
thing. She abhorred violence. She doubted she could pull the trigger, but she
had no compunctions about hiring someone else to do the deed for her. Finding
an assassin willing to kill a woman might pose some difficulty, but she
wouldn’t let such a trivial thing stop her.

It was just an idea,
a whisper of a plan, but the more she thought about it, the more appealing it
became. What James had failed to do for her, she was about to do for herself.
Riches guaranteed power. With a little planning, she could have both.

Her eyes widened as
the plan grew roots. If she thought this through, she might even gain a new
lover in the process. Bryce had turned his attentions to her once. He could be
persuaded to do so again, but Bryce didn’t have a claim on Kaitlin’s land—yet.
He’d have to marry Kaitlin first. A smile tugged at her lips. Let them wed. Afterwards,
poor Kaitlin would get her just rewards.

Giddy with this new
idea, James’ Little Em wiped away the tears. She would look upon his passing as
a blessing, a gold mine of opportunity.

Thirty
Three

Bryce barely had his
foot out of the stirrup and safely on the ground before Charley rushed up to
him, smiling with childish charm. “You were right, Uncle Bryce. Paw Paw Sarge
was glad to see me.”

“Of course, I was
glad. She’s the spittin’ image of her mother. It’s almost like having a second
chance.” Sarge beamed from ear to ear.

“Hi, Charley,” Katy
greeted, handing the reins to one of the hands.

Bryce grinned when
Katy opened her arms and beckoned the child for a hug.

“I missed you,” Katy
said.

Charley flew into her
embrace. “I guess I missed you too, Aunt Katy. I didn’t mind staying with
Maggie, but she was too wrapped up in her new boyfriend to give me much time.
She did teach me how to use your sewing machine, though. That’s the neatest
thing. I made a pillow case.”

“And I’m sure you did
a fine job of it.”

For Bryce, the
exchanged pleasantries helped mask his worry. He’d been so sure he could
wrangle a proposal out of Katy, but as usual, she proved contrary. On the other
hand, he’d hoped this morning had meant as much to her as it had to him. A
heady warmth invaded his emotions. He no longer thought of her as Kaitlin.
After this morning, not only would he call her Katy, but he would also think
about her as Katy.

“When we get back to
Denver, I’ll show you some fancy stitching. In fact, I’ll let you pick out
material and help you make your own dress,” Katy offered.

Charley’s eyes grew
bright with excitement. “Really? Did you hear that? Aunt Katy’s gonna help me
make my own dress. Thanks, Bryce. Thanks for making me come here.”

“You’re welcome.”

Charley turned an
expectant gaze on Sarge. “I brought my sewn piece along. Want to see?”

“Of course I do.”

“Can I fetch it,
Uncle Bryce?” Charley asked and he nodded. The extra items that hadn’t fit in
her bags had been stuffed into his saddlebags.

She scampered into
the house while the adults slowly followed. Her brief absence gave Katy an
opportunity to exchange a few words with Sarge. Her tone was cordial but
somewhat restrained. She still didn’t trust the blossoming relationship between
herself and her father. Bryce understood her reticence. Sarge, gruff with his
answers, seemed pleased nonetheless.

Charley found them in
the dining room, the pillowcase clutched in one hand and a familiar newspaper
tucked under the other arm. Bryce shook his head, not yet wanting Katy to be
privy to the contents.

“I brung my
pillowcase, but I also brung those articles Bryce wanted you to see, Grandpa.”

“Charley, let’s not
bother him with those now. Maybe later. Now we’re all trying to jabber some and
enjoy each other’s company.”

“But you said...”

“Charley,” he said,
the warning tone meant to make her mind.

Katy smiled. “Come
now, Bryce. It must be important for Charley to think about bringing them to
our attention.” She held out her hand and Charley obliged, placing the articles
tentatively in her palm.

Bryce stared at a
chipped cup perched on the top shelf of the china cabinet. Perhaps, this would
be for the best. Once Katy read the horrible gossip, she’d see reason.

Regardless, he didn’t
want to pull rank, didn’t want to force her hand, but he felt sure Sarge would
think differently. Bryce could weather the scandal, but the current situation
wasn’t fair to her father. The negative gossip would rip the old man apart. Oh,
Sarge tried to dominate and control, but Bryce had seen the vulnerability the
rancher tried to hide. He’d outlasted his youth, and the years wore on him.

The paper rustled as
Katy scanned the contents. The silence stretched on for what seemed like
forever. Bryce shifted his weight and groaned at the pain in his right foot.
Charley busied herself showing Sarge her handiwork, but Sarge’s attention
drifted often to Katy and the expressionless mask she wore.

“So,” Sarge began.
“You find out anything important in that paper, Katy?”

“Come on, Charley,”
Bryce said. “I think there’s a new litter of kittens in the barn. We can go
check them out while Katy and her father talk.”

Katy snapped her head
back and speared him with an intense glare. “I think you best stay. Charley can
find the barn by herself.”

He tugged at his
mustache. “Why?”

“I think you know
why.”

He gave her a baleful
eye. “I think I’d rather go with Charley.”

“Never would have
taken you for skittish,” she commented wryly.

“Not skittish, just
wise enough to avoid fireworks when possible.” He turned to Charley. “Run along
and check out those kittens. Bangles is probably close by, and he can help you
find them.”

“I know.” Charley
threw her hands in the air. “That’s my cue to get lost so the grownups can
talk. It’s a good thing I like kittens.”

Sarge laughed. “That
child has spunk. Thanks for bringing her to meet me, Bryce. I’m beholden to you
for taking her in and providing for her.”

“My pleasure. As
difficult as she can be at times, she’s a true treasure.”

“So, what’s in those
columns that has Katy so riled?” Sarge asked when Charley had left.

“I’m not riled. No.”
She crushed the papers in her hands and shook her head. “I’m more hurt than
riled. How could this have happened?”

“I never thought to
hurt you, Katy.” Bryce said. “I only wanted to protect you. Guess I never
thought anyone would take note of our actions so far from Denver. Sidney
Manard, editor and owner of the
Denver Express
, had you followed. It
seems you’re somewhat of a celebrity in Denver, and he wanted a story.”

She held her
expressions carefully schooled as she skimmed the malicious gossip. When she
finished, her arm dropped to her side, the paper firmly gripped between stiff
fingers. “Well, this doesn’t mean anything. People will either believe the
paper or me. And the only ones that truly matter are my friends, and if they’re
my friends, they’ll side with me.”

“Spoken like the
almighty Kaitlin Kanatzer, leader of women.”

She narrowed her
eyes. “I don’t recall you using sarcasm to make a point.”

“I learned that trick
from you.” With a deep sigh of resignation, Bryce gently steered Katy toward a
chair at the dining room table. “Let’s sit. This is goin’ to be a long
discussion.”

Sarge planted himself
at the head of the table. “Well?”

“Hand him the paper,
Katy.”

She clutched them to
her breast. “No. He’ll only be infuriated. It’s not good for his heart.”

“Kaitlin Marie, you
do as he says. I won’t be denied in my own home.” Sarge held out his hand,
demanding she relinquish the papers.

She slapped both newspapers
in his hand and huffed. “Enjoy, but don’t even think to pull rank on me and
demand something I’m not yet willing to give.”

Though Bryce had
expected her obstinate refusal concerning the obvious solution, her sharp words
still hurt. He hardened his heart. “Gossip aside, I think we need to delve
deeper into your problems. Those articles didn’t write themselves. Someone
wanted to damage your reputation, and they’ve done a dang fine job of it.”

At this, Sarge lifted
his eyes briefly before reading more. His facial features contorted into a
grimace.

Katy gave Bryce a
mutinous glare. “I’ve told you all you need to know.”

He ignored her
outburst. “Let’s start with James Latham. Your dead fiancé.”

“What good will that
do?”

Sarge lifted his
head, his gaze hard and unrelenting. “Answer the man. This isn’t up for debate
anymore.”

When she didn’t
answer right away, Bryce gave her a prompt. “James wanted somethin’ from you.
He came to visit you in Denver shortly after you moved there. He wanted to
convince you to go through with the weddin’. You and he had words. What did you
fight about?”

“I would think that’s
quite obvious.” She straightened her spine, sitting on the edge of the seat,
stiff and reserved. “He wanted me to marry him. I told him no. What more do you
want me to say?”

“Why? Why would he
want to marry you after all that had happened? He waited six months before
tracking you down. A man in love doesn’t wait six months.”

“He never loved me.
How could he?” She clasped her hands in front of her and looked away. “He had
his Little Em on the side.”

“Little Em?”

She stared at the
ceiling and swallowed. “His mistress.”

“How did you find
out?”

“James was living in
the one-room cabin near the barn until we married. He’d been working long
hours, trying to get our first herd ready for market. I...I wanted to help him
as much as I could, so I thought to tidy his room.”

“And you found
evidence to suggest...”

“A liaison? Oh yes. I
found a stack of letters all signed with a little ‘m.’ When I confronted him,
he laughed. He thought it funny I referred to the mystery woman as Little Em,
but he never would tell me her real identity. He just shrugged his shoulders
and denied my allegations. He made up some story that I bought because I wanted
so much to believe I was wrong.”

“So what made you
change your mind?” Bryce understood her pain, knowing what it cost to open up,
but her recitation of the events could lead them to the truth.

“I’ve already told
you more than I wanted to. Why are you doing this?” Her lips pressed together
in a thin line. “What good would it do to dredge up old heartache?” She shifted
her gaze to her father, obviously looking for his support. “Sarge? This whole
discussion is pointless.”

Sarge searched
Bryce’s face before answering. “Humor the man. I think he may be onto
something.”

“Fine.” She rolled
her eyes and dropped her gaze to her hands. “Bangles found out about Little Em
and confronted James when I happened to overhear. James admitted loving Little
Em. When Bangles asked him why he wasn’t marrying her instead, he replied, and
I quote—‘Kaitlin will make me rich. She has more to offer than my Em’.”

“The heartless
scoundrel,” Sarge said beneath his breath.

“I would never have
agreed to James’ suit in the first place, but he was so charming, so
persuasive. He’d become an integral part of the ranch. His assistance proved
invaluable. I needed his expertise when it came to matters involving the ranch.
I was already estranged from Sarge, and I couldn’t, wouldn’t ask my father for
help. Marriage seemed like the right thing at the time.”

“So when you saw him
again, what did he say?”

“He accused me of
using him. He said he had just as much time and energy invested into the land
as I did. We fought. He...he slapped me hard enough to make me fall to the
floor, said I was too manly for his tastes. If not for Bangles’ timely arrival
and his strong suggestion that James vacate the premises, I might have suffered
more bruises than just the one.” She twisted her hands, and Bryce could see
what her admission cost her. “Afterwards, he tried to claim rights to my land.”

“It all goes back to
the land,” Sarge murmured.

“It’s not worth
anything to anyone but me. It’s my land.”

“Have you ever had it
assayed?” Bryce thought differently. Colorado was rich with minerals. He
suspected Latham of finding more than grass on her property. “After all, we’re
not far from the richest gold mine in Colorado.”

“James had a man come
out.” She shook her head. “The assayer didn’t find anything.”

“Did you talk to the
assayer, or did James tell you that’s what the man said?”

Sarge swore under his
breath. “That skunk.”

Kaitlin’s eyes
widened. “You don’t think...No, it can’t be.”

“I’m grasping at
straws here, but it seems likely. We won’t be able to confirm these suspicions
until winter clears, but I’m willing to bet your piece of paradise might be
worth a heck of a lot more than you thought.”

“But why kill me? If
I die, the land would go to Sarge as my only surviving relative.”

Bryce contemplated
James’ motives. Speculatively, he replied, “Sarge has no use for this
particular tract. I imagine James hoped to persuade him into selling it. What I
don’t understand is why James didn’t try to persuade you into selling.”

Katy laughed, a
bitter sound of self-derision. “He did. He came to see me a month before those
hate letters began.”

“Why didn’t you tell
me? Or at the very least, why didn’t you tell Dan Cochran?”

“I never told anyone.
Not even Maggie.”

“Ah Katy.” Sarge pushed
the paper aside and touched her hand.

Katy bristled,
yanking her hand from his. “Don’t you dare pity me. I kept this to myself so I
wouldn’t burden others with my troubles. This was my fight and no one else’s.”