Will we be able to get it out of there? she asked Mandy.
Easy. Mandy hoisted it in the air, over the clutter and outside. There she pumped up the flat tires at the compressor.
Katrina was more than a bit in awe of her older sister. I cant believe you did all that.
All what?
Pumped up the tires. You actually know how to run a compressor.
You actually know how to stand up in toe shoes. So, whats the plan? How far do you want to ride?
Katrina shrugged. Fifteen, twenty miles. Then shed limber up, work on her arms a bit, and see how her ankle was holding up.
Im going up to Calebs later, said Mandy.
Thats nice.
Mandy glanced at her watch. If you wait until afternoon to leave and take the river trail, I can meet you at the Terrells and drive you home after dinner.
Katrina hesitated. She wasnt wild about spending more time with Reed. The man made her jumpy and self-conscious. But Mandy was the closest thing she had to a buffer against her other siblings. If Mandy wasnt around, she feared her brothers would try to railroad her into something uncomfortable, like riding a horse.
Sure, she found herself saying. Ill meet you up at Terrells.
Two
Reed couldnt seem to get his fathers voice out of his head. As he had when Wilton Terrell was alive, he got up every morning focused on an ambitious list of jobs around the ranch. Then he worked as hard as he could until the end of the day. And if something went wrong, if he made a mistake, did less than one hundred percent, hed reflexively brace himself for Wiltons anger.
Obviously he knew hed never have to deal with his fathers anger again, but his emotions were taking a while to catch up. He couldnt say he was sorry the obstinate old man had died, though he was beginning to recognize what a powerful impact Wilton had had on his life.
His brother Caleb told him it was crazy to keep up the breakneck pace. Caleb was searching for a full-time ranch manager to add to the foreman and ranch hands that helped with the day-to-day work. But Reed couldnt switch gears that easily.
Now, he returned the cleaning supplies to the tack room, hung up his saddle and emptied the combs and brushes hed used on his horse, replacing them in their respective drawers and closing the cabinet before shutting off the light and exiting the room.
The sun was hitting the horizon in an orange ball, decorated by pink clouds above the snowy peaks of the distant Rockies. He crossed the wide driveway turnaround, heading for the house. A truck pulled up, and he caught sight of the Jacobs ranch logo on the door. Before he could stop it, a hitch of excitement shot through him. But then he saw that only Mandy was inside the cab. No Katrina.
He lengthened his stride, coming up to the drivers door and pulling it open for her. Hey, Mandy.
She smiled a greeting as she slid out of the cab, reaching back inside for a baking tin sitting in the center of the bench seat.
Brownies, she offered, waving it in front of his nose.
Sounds great. Calebs probably inside.
With Katrina?
Reed felt another small shot of adrenaline. Katrinas here?
I sure hope so. Mom left her a box of things to sort through in the attic, then she was coming up here.
Ive been in the barn for a while. He might have missed Katrinas arrival. Then again, he didnt see another Jacobs pickup anywhere, so perhaps Mandy was mistaken.
Hmm. Mandys gaze searched the yard.
What?
She rode up here on a bike.
You mean a horse?
Mandy gave an eye-roll as she started for the front door. Yeah, because I usually mix those two things up.
Reed automatically fell into step and lifted the tin from her hands. Katrina rides a motorcycle? He simply couldnt picture it.
A bicycle. She wanted to get some exercise.
Okay. Weird, but okay. They mounted the stairs, and Reed pushed the door open, waiting for Mandy to go inside.
I dont see how they could possibly make it any more complicated, Caleb was saying into the phone as he paced from the living room into the entry hall. He lifted his chin in a greeting to them both. I dont think Danielle wants to fly all the way down to Brazil. He paused. In person? Really? He braced his hand against the end of the archway and gave a disgusted shake of his head.
Mandy moved down the hall to the kitchen, glanced inside, then came back.
Katrina here? she stage-whispered to Caleb.
He narrowed his eyes in confusion.
Is Katrina here? she repeated.
He gave her a shrug of incomprehension. Tell her to take the jet, he said into the phone. Were going to have to give that woman a huge bonus.
Mandy turned to Reed, her forehead wrinkling in worry. She was going to ride up the river trail. She should have been here by now.
On it, said Reed, moving immediately back to the door and heading outside.
Katrina was probably stuck somewhere along the trail. Or maybe shed grown tired and was resting. There was a slim chance she gotten herself into real trouble. But the river trail was well-marked and relatively smooth and safe. The odds were definitely on the side of a delay rather than a catastrophe.
He strode back across the driveway, hopping onto an ATV that was parked next to the barn. He turned the key and the machine roared to life beneath him. He glanced at the sky, judging he had at least an hour before dark. It should be plenty of time, but he wasnt going to waste any of it.
He drove about four miles down the trail before he spotted her. The bike was tipped at the edge of the trail, and Katrina was crouched over it, looking small and forlorn in the midst of an aspen grove. She stood as he approached, and her shoulders relaxed as she obviously recognized that it was him. He saw the chain was off the bike, and her small hands were black with oil.
Hed give her an A for effort, but a failing grade for actual accomplishment. He knew six-year-olds who could reattach a bicycle chain. He brought the ATV to a stop and killed the engine as he dismounted.
Looks like youve got a problem, he opened, struggling not to smile at her rather adorable helplessness.
She gestured to the bike. I came around the corner, hit a bump, and the chain fell off.
His smile broke through as he checked out her blackened hands. Any luck putting it back on?
Are you mocking me?
He moved on to inspect the broken-down bicycle. Im making small talk, Katrina. Quit being so sensitive.
Im not being-
Youve got a chip a mile wide on those skinny little shoulders.
Im not an auto mechanic, she harrumphed.
And Im not a ballerina.
She didnt seem to have a response to that.
Theres no point in getting my hands dirty fixing it here, he noted, lifting the bike by the frame and carrying it to the ATV. Unless youre set on riding it the rest of the way.
In the dark?
I wouldnt recommend it. He balanced the bike on the wide front rack, uncoiling a bungee cord to fasten it down. But its up to you.
No, she responded tartly. I dont want to ride a bike the rest of the way.
You okay? he asked belatedly, wrapping the cord around the bike frame and hooking the end to the rack. She didnt appear hurt, but he supposed that should have been the first question out of his mouth. That was a miss.
Im fine, she huffed.
He glanced up, taking a more detailed look at her. You didnt fall or anything?
She shook her head. The chain came off. She held up her hands. I stopped and I tried to put it back on.
I can see that.
I didnt just sit down and wait for a knight in shining armor.
Thats a relief. Because you got me instead.
She blinked sheepishly, seeming to remember her own manners. Thank you, she offered.
He couldnt help but grin at her discomfort. That wasnt what I was fishing for. But youre welcome. The sight of her looking so vulnerable in the vastness of the landscape tightened his chest. Anytime.
I guess these things come in threes.
Threes? He glanced around, wondering if hed missed something.
I had that ballet shoe come apart on me, she offered ruefully, glancing at her ankle. And I almost took a tumble over some cables near the stage because they were partially hidden by a curtain.
He sure didnt like that mental picture. But he kept his tone easy. You do seem to be accident-prone.
Ironic. She sighed. Because this time I was purposely attempting to stay out of trouble.
Admirable, he acknowledged.
Mandy wanted me to go horseback riding, she continued. And my brothers wouldnt let me say no, and I knew Id just slow the whole process down. And I thought She gestured to the disabled bike. Bike-riding is one of my favorite exercises.
Surely she didnt ride a bike in the bumper-to-bumper traffic of New York City. Through Central Park? he hoped.
In my gym, she admitted. A stationary bike.
He wanted to tease her about that. But the truth was, he was glad to hear it. Better to be inside a building than fighting for road space with delivery vans, buses and taxis.
I can set this one up as a stationary for you, he found himself offering. In the barn. On a stand. It wouldnt be high-tech, but I can add a little resistance, and youll stay safe and sound. Even as the words poured out of this mouth, he asked himself what the hell he thought he was doing? He had a million more pressing jobs that needed his attention.
She moved toward the ATV. Wouldnt my brothers have a laugh at that.
He watched her grow close, transfixed by her beautiful face, the depths of her eyes, the motion of her deep pink mouth.
We can keep it our secret, he offered.
She hesitated, watching him closely. Id jog, but I cant because of my ankle. And I have to do something. She drew a deep sigh. I spent all day yesterday sitting on airplanes. I was going to warm up on this ride, and then get in some stretching. But now, my muscles are cold.
Youre cold?
Too cold to stretch.
He quickly unbuttoned his shirt.
What are you-
He stepped in and draped it over her shoulders. Put it on, he said gruffly. It was going to get even colder once they got up to speed on the trail and the wind hit them.
I dont need- Her gaze caught and held on his bare chest. She blinked twice, then looked away, wordlessly slipping her arms into the sleeves. They hung about six inches past her fingertips, so she rolled them up to a thick band around her forearms.
She fastened the shirt buttons, and her cute black tights and pink T-shirt disappeared beneath the voluminous cotton.
She glanced down at herself. Lovely.
He cocked his head to one side. I think its the spring tent collection from Dior.