Montana Secrets (4 page)

Lexi shrugged. “He has to 'cause he's Daddy.”

Grace smiled at the simplicity of the child's words, knowing all too well how untrue that statement could be. Earl Korbit wasn't her father and Grace certainly didn't mourn the loss. But the man whose DNA ran through her veins hadn't hung around, either. Daddies didn't always love.

“Well, honey, sometimes cats do strange things and it can't be helped, but your uncle Seth isn't like that. And he does love you even though—”

“Uh-uh.” Lexi's chin came up and a scowl very much resembling her uncle's covered her face. “He don't. He won't play with me now and I think it's 'cause I look like my mommy and Aunt Arie and it makes him sad 'cause she died.”

Grace caught her breath at the tears sparkling in Lexi's dark blue eyes. Lexi thought Seth didn't like her because she resembled Maura and her aunt?

Sisters, she remembered abruptly. Seth had married Maura's half sister. Oh, how it had hurt to hear the news. Sad, jealous and miserable, but happy for him. And then aching for the pain he suffered when
she'd heard Arie had been killed in an accident three years ago.

“Well, if you want my opinion, I think right now you look very much like your daddy and Uncle Seth.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Grace reassured her with a smile. “In fact, I'm quite positive I saw that
exact
look on your uncle's face this morning when I went in to take him to therapy.”

Lexi's shoulders drooped. “But not my hair and eyes?”

Grace tugged on one of Lexi's white-blond curls, so opposite of Jake and Seth's dark hair and coloring. “No, not those but—”

“Uncle Seff's sad.”

A world's worth of hurt and sadness were revealed in the little girl's statement, and Grace sank back onto her heels. Lexi helped herself to her lap, wrapping her arms around her neck and hugging until the child's pointy chin dug into the tender muscles of Grace's shoulder.

“Yes, he is, honey, but I promise it's normal. Wouldn't you be sad if your legs didn't work?

The child nodded. “Grace?”

She rubbed Lexi's back in small circles. “What?”

“Think Aunt Arie's in heaven?”

“Why do you ask?”

Lexi squirmed but kept her face buried in Grace's neck. “I don't know. Just 'cause maybe if she come back then Uncle Seff would be happy again.”

Grace squeezed the child in a gentle hug, ignoring the pain stabbing her heart. If Arie were still alive, no way would Grace have accepted the job as Seth's therapist. Knowing he'd loved someone else was one thing, seeing it another. “Honey, when people die they—they go to heaven. They don't come back. And I think you need to be talking to your mom and dad about this instead of me, don't you?”

Lexi shrugged, her shoulder bumping Grace's chin. “They won't talk 'bout her. Uncle Seff used to take me to the cabin and let me play with her things, but that made Mommy 'n' Daddy fight. Now he can't do that, anyway 'cause his legs is broke.”

“The cabin?” Grace asked, desperate to change the subject. Why would Jake and Maura be angry over Seth helping Lexi remember her aunt? Because it was too painful?

Lexi nodded. “She liked to paint. Me, too. Mommy lets me fingerpaint.”

“That sounds like fun.”

Lexi drew back to look into her eyes, her arms still looped around Grace's neck. “It was Aunt Arie's stu—stu—”

“Studio?” she asked, catching on.

Lexi nodded and her ponytail bobbed. “Yeah.
Uncle Seff and Daddy took all her pictures out of the house. There's one in my room, though, 'cause she made it just for me after she painted my room.”

A flash of white caught Grace's eye just then and she glanced over Lexi's head to see a white kitten scampering out of the way of a much larger white-socked black paw. A large black cat appeared next, hissing angrily before ducking her head back behind a box in the corner where Grace could hear varying tones of young
meows.
The white kitten looked longingly at the area where the mama cat had disappeared.

Lexi sighed. “See? She don't like it.”

No, she didn't, but at least it ended the subject at hand until Grace had a chance to mention Lexi's comments to Maura and Jake. On the other hand, one look at the shaking, pitiful creature proved it needed to be fed, and she hated to think of something happening to the kitten after all the upset in Lexi's young life.

“You know, the kitten looks really hungry. Why don't we take it into the house and get it some milk? Maybe it'll drink it.”

“Okay.” Lexi stood and walked over to the ball of fluff. The kitten crouched down but didn't run, and Jake's daughter scooped up the animal and cradled it against her chest with a murmur. Obviously, the kitten knew when it had a good thing, because
it stuck out an impossibly pink tongue and licked Lexi's chin as though in thanks.

“That tickles,” the child said with a giggle.

Grace laughed as well, hoping Lexi wouldn't notice how strained the sound appeared. “Come on, let's go see if she'll eat.” She got to her feet and brushed the dirt from her knees, straightening to see Lexi's answering smile waver.

Uneasy, Grace turned and found a man leaning against a wall behind them, watching them, and from the looks of it he'd been there for a while. She stiffened, angry with herself because her instincts were usually better. But she'd been so rattled by Lexi's conversation, it was no wonder she hadn't realized they had an audience. An audience that looked vaguely familiar.

“Hello,” she said, and waited for the man, one of the ranch hands she'd seen earlier with Jake, to speak.

“Ma'am.”

The man was older than her by a good twenty or thirty years, in his late forties, early fifties, with deeply tanned skin and sun-bleached hair. His work clothes were worn and faded from washing. His hat, dusty and stained with sweat, was in his hand. The man pushed himself away from the doorjamb and Grace's heart picked up its pace at the close confines since he blocked the only exit.

“Heard Seth got a new therapist,” he murmured, smiling as his eyes trailed over her lazily. “You're Earl Korbit's daughter, aren't you?”

Her skin crawled at the connection, but she nodded, swallowing. People knew her as Earl's daughter, but correcting them would only cause more speculation. She let it be.

“Her name's Grace,” Lexi provided.

“Roy Bernard,” he said, ignoring Lexi entirely as he looked Grace up and down again. “I think we've met a time or two. Been to your house to pick your dad up for work.”

Grace didn't comment, wondering why she was shocked to run into one of Earl's friends. He'd liked to drink, to party, and had had numerous hunting buddies come and go through the years. Bernard must have been one of them.

She'd steered clear of them all anytime Earl and his cronies were at the house. Tried not to draw attention to herself. At least Earl had watched out for her that way and made sure none of his friends bothered her.

“We came to see the kittens.”

“Yeah? Well, they've missed you.” Absently, the ranch hand reached out and ruffled Lexi's hair.

Grace shifted, uncomfortable with the man's stare. Her instincts might have failed her earlier, but they were going crazy now. And even though the
ranch hand hadn't done a single thing wrong, something wasn't right. Her mind raced, and all the emotions behind her tormented thoughts made it nearly impossible to breathe.

Grace lifted a sweat-dampened hand and rubbed her temple as it began to throb. “Lexi, we need to go. Mr. Bernard has things to do and that kitten needs to be fed.”

“No, ma'am—that is, I enjoyed watching the two of you play. Pretty scene.”

Heat flared in his eyes. Lust.

Her imagination.

Bernard hesitated, then stepped slightly to one side. “You girls go ahead. I've gotta get a new halter.” He indicated the corner of the tack room with one hand.

“Come on, Grace.”

Grace walked toward the door, trying her best to ignore the ranch hand. Chalking her reaction up to fatigue, she exited the tack room behind Lexi, her shoulder brushing against Bernard's chest as she slipped through the opening. A shiver slithered down her spine, overriding all the excuses in her head.

“Bye, Lexi,” Bernard said suddenly. “You come back and see me again, okay? And make sure you bring Grace. I'd like to be her friend, too.”

Lexi turned and gave the man an innocent grin. “Okay! Bye, Roy. See ya later!”

Bernard nodded at Grace, an odd smile on his face that made her want to break out into a run.

“Come on, Grace, hurry!”

She picked up her pace and followed Lexi along the stalls. The look in Roy Bernard's eyes stayed with her, though, and she blamed being back in North Star and Bernard's claim to knowing her stepfather.

“Think Uncle Seff'll be mad? Daddy says it's his house and we just live there.”

Grace latched onto the change in subject, gratefully shifting her thoughts away from the darkness of her mind. “We'll have to see, won't we?”

Given his mood, Seth probably wouldn't even notice the kitten. Unless she told him. Which, she mused with a spark of devilry, might well get him riled up enough to care about the events going on around him if only for an afternoon.

“If he is mad, I'll tell him it was my idea, okay? I'll take full responsibility so you won't get in trouble.”

Lexi nodded, but the expression she wore said all too clearly she was worried about the outcome. “He'll pro'bly yell,” she offered timidly.

“Yup.”

“Maybe throw somethin', too.”

“Maybe.”

Lexi peeked up at her but kept walking, making
no offer to leave the kitten outside and bring the milk to it. “He don' scare you when he yells?”

“Nope. People yell for a lot of reasons, but the trick to keeping your feelings from getting hurt is to ignore anything bad they say or do.”

“Like when Bobby Lawson pokes me in the back at Sunday school?”

“Just like that,” she agreed.

“I can't wait to show Uncle Seff!”

Grace smiled weakly. Maybe the cat would eat slowly. She'd need the time to think of the perfect way to inform Seth he now had a house pet.

 

S
ETH WAS ASLEEP IN HIS
wheelchair when he heard the scrape of a key in the lock. He jerked up as the door swung wide, and blinked as Grace walked in with a file tucked under one arm, a loaded tray skillfully balanced in her other hand.

“Ouch. That can't have been a comfortable nap. Guess I'll have to remember not to leave the room from now on until our sessions are
completely
over.”

He grunted in response, watching as she replaced the old tray with the new, then held the manila folder to her chest as if it were a shield. A muscle at the corner of her too-full lips ticked.

“Something wrong?”

“No,” she said quickly, licking her lips and wav
ing a slightly trembling hand in the air. “But Lexi's coming in to see you, and…she's bringing a friend.”

“I already told you I don't want to—” He cursed. “What'd you say?”

Grace nodded. “She can't wait for you to meet him.”

“Him?”

An audacious glint appeared in her eyes as her chin lifted. “Since you were hiding in here, I told Lexi she could bring the kitten in from the barn.” She smiled, drawing his interest and irritating him to no end. “Hope you don't mind.”

Not mind an indoor pet that would have to be house-trained, fed and cared-for?

“Did you ask Jake and Maura since they'll be the ones looking after it?”

A nonchalant shrug was his answer. “They were both occupied.”

She couldn't be that obtuse. A kitten with claws and odor and hair and she didn't ask? “You took everyone being
busy
as a sign to give Lexi permission to upset the household?” He would have said yes—he could never refuse Lexi anything—but the fact Grace had allowed Lexi to do something so drastic without getting permission from him or anyone else—

“It's only a kitten.” She tilted her head to the side. “And you were locked in here hiding.”

“I was not
hiding!
”

“How could I ask? If you want a say in the matters concerning your household,” she taunted, her gaze narrowing on his, “I suggest making yourself available in the future.”

“You knew exactly where I was.”

“But you didn't want to be bothered.”

“That doesn't give you the right—”

“Uncle Seff! Uncle Seff, look!” Lexi ran through his open bedroom door with a white kitten clutched to her chest in a stranglehold the animal surprisingly tolerated. “Uncle Seff, see? This is Blacky.”

“Blacky?”

“Don't you see his black nose?” Lexi demanded as she pointed to the area in question.

The tiny black spot on the kitten's face was so minuscule it would likely turn pink within a day.

“He likes milk an' the mama cat won't feed 'im an' he's scared in the barn by hisself an' can I keep 'im? Please? Mommy an' Grace said I had to ask you.”

“Lexi, honey, your uncle has decided—”

“You can keep him.” Seth shot a quelling look in Grace's direction. He'd been had. She'd deliberately made him think the kitten was a done deal just to rile him, and he didn't like it. He didn't like it at all. Jaw locked, Seth frowned at Grace.

“Yay!” Lexi jumped up and down in excitement. “I can keep 'im, I can keep 'im!”

Seth winced as the kitten's head and body bobbed up and down in Lexi's jiggling arms. He bit back a gruff laugh. “Take it easy or you'll strangle him, Lex.”

She stopped jumping. “I've gotta go tell Mommy you said I can keep 'im!”