Lone Calder Star (35 page)

He pushed through the door and was instantly greeted by the cranky cries of a baby refusing to be comforted by his mother. There was a stir of movement on his right as Dallas sprang out of a chair and took a quick step toward him, then checked her headlong rush for something slower.

Empty showed no such hesitation, moving quickly to Quint's side.

"I thought you were never coming out of there," he declared. " I never knew it could take so long to sew up a cut. To be honest, I'd just about decided that they'd arrested you and whisked you out some other door."

"I'm free to go, though I imagine there'll be an inquest of some sort." The response was directed to Empty, but it was Dallas who had his attention.

There was a new lividness to the bruise on her cheek and the marks on her neck. Boone had done that to her, and Quint felt some of that old rage. He sensed it must have shown in his expression when he saw that hers took on a look of quick reserve and uncertainty. It reminded him of all the things that had been left unsaid.

"They had a doctor examine you, didn't they?" Quint asked, needing to rid himself of that concern.

"Yes." She managed a short nod. Then a tension crept into her expression. "Quint, this is all my fault-with Boone, I mean. If I hadn't-"

He wouldn't let her finish. "None of us can be sure of that. One way or another it took a lot of courage to do what you did. I'm sorry I didn't see it right away. In the long run, it doesn't really matter why you went along with Boone; it only matters why you stopped."

Her lips parted in an unsteady smile as Dallas let out the breath she'd been holding and took a step closer. "Do you really mean that?"

"You damned well better believe I do," Quint declared with fervor.

The quick shining light that leaped into her eyes drew a low, exultant laugh from him as he reached with his good arm and pulled her against him. There were no words to describe the powerful emotion that filled him, and Quint much preferred to show her.

The sun was at its zenith, stripping the ranch buildings of their shadow and giving a summer warmth to the December day. Dallas hummed to herself as she crossed the ranch yard, bound for the house.

Page 127

There was a radiant look to her face that rivaled the Texas sun. Not even the purpling bruises on her cheek and neck were visible, concealed by an adept application of makeup.

As she reached the porch steps, she caught the distinctive sound of a vehicle traveling up the ranch lane. Pausing, Dallas turned and cast a curious glance its way, but the blue sedan that rolled into view wasn't one that she recalled seeing before. At first she assumed it was a health inspector coming to check on the quarantined herd, but the car carried no government identification, either on its tags or its doors.

When it came toward the house, Dallas walked out to meet it. The sun's glare on the windshield blocked her view of the driver, but she had a clear look at a large box in the rear seat, filled with wrapped gifts.

The door on the driver's-side swung open and a smartly dressed woman stepped out, slender and petite with raven-dark

hair. A smile spread across her face when she saw Dallas. Without hesitation, she came to meet her, quick to extend a hand in greeting.

"You must be Dallas. We spoke a couple times on the phone .I'm Cat Echohawk, Quint's mother."

Dallas stared at the woman's startlingly green eyes for a stunned moment. Other than the black color of their hair, there was little resemblance between mother and son.

Recovering from her initial surprise, she grasped the womans, outstretched hand. "Mrs.

Echohawk," she murmured. "I didn't know you were coming. Quint must have forgotten to mention it."

"That's because he didn't know. I decided to surprise him. And please call me Cat."

"Welcome to the Cee Bar, Cat." Dallas struggled to sound natoral, but she felt oddly flustered and nervous.

"The old place hasn't changed much," Cat remarked, her glance making an idle sweep of her surroundings.

"Of course, you've been here before," Dallas remembered. "I'd forgotten. Would you like to come in? I was just going to fix some lunch."

"Is Quint inside?"

"He's in the barn, repairing a bridle strap. Would you like me to-" Dallas broke off the offer when she saw Quint emerging from the building. "There he is now."

Clearly recognizing his mother at once, Quint broke into a jogging trot, a laughing smile of welcome on his face. He greeted her with a hug that was mostly one-armed.

"What are you doing here?" he declared, drawing back to look at her.

"It was obvious you weren't coming home for Christmas. So I didn't have any choice but to fly down here." A hand reached up to cup the side of his face. "I've missed you, you know."

"I know." His simple reply conveyed a depth of understanding that reminded Dallas that it hadn't been that many months since he'd lost his father. Then the smile was back, and he was turning to include her. "Have you met Dallas yet?"

His mother nodded. "We introduced ourselves."

"I hope you're going to he able to stay for a few days," Quint told her.

" That's the plan," she admitted.

"Good. That'll give you a chance to get acquainted with your future daughter-in-law." Smiling with a kind of pride, he curved an arm around Dallas's shoulder and drew her to his side, uniting them before his mother. He didn't seem the least bit concerned that his announcement was a total surprise to his mother.

" My-you-" Cat stammered briefly, then laughed, the happy sound dispelling all the tension that gripped Dallas. "What a christmas present this is! Have you set the date yet?"

"There hasn't been time, but it will be soon," Quint assured her.

"Quint," she began on a note of excitement, "our old house at the Circle Six is sitting there empty. It will be the perfect place for the two of you to live."

Page 128

"Don't get your heart set on that, Mom," Quint cautioned.

"Why not?" Cat frowned in bewilderment. "It would be ideal. Where else would you live?"

"Maybe right here," he told her. "I plan on talking to Jessy about taking over the operation of the Cee Bar on a permanent basis."

"Are you serious?" she murmured in disbelief.

"I am." He lifted his gaze to the Texas hills, drawn by the wide sweep of them. "This is Calder land, Mom. It's time a Calder lived on it again."

A single star,

A Texas brand,

There is no doubt

He's on Calder land.

Page 129