Babe in the Woods. Caroline Burnes

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      Babe in the Woods

      Caroline Burnes

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      CAROLINE BURNES

      continues her life as doorman and can opener for her six cats and three dogs. E. A. Poe, the prototype cat for her Fear Familiar series, rules as king of the ranch, followed by his lieutenants, Miss Vesta, Gumbo, Chester, Maggie the Cat and Ash. The dogs, though a more lowly life form, are tolerated as foot soldiers by the cats. They are Sweetie Pie, Maybelline and Corky.

      To the staff of TLC, who treat their human patients with as much tenderness as their four-legged ones. And to Corky—irreplaceable.

      CONTENTS

      CHAPTER ONE

      CHAPTER TWO

      CHAPTER THREE

      CHAPTER FOUR

      CHAPTER FIVE

      CHAPTER SIX

      CHAPTER SEVEN

      CHAPTER EIGHT

      CHAPTER NINE

      CHAPTER TEN

      CHAPTER ELEVEN

      CHAPTER TWELVE

      CHAPTER THIRTEEN

      CHAPTER FOURTEEN

      CHAPTER FIFTEEN

      CHAPTER SIXTEEN

      CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

      CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

      CHAPTER ONE

      REBECCA BARRETT leaned into the whipping black mane of the stallion and gave him more rein. His pace increased, his huge hooves pounding as he raced through the dense green of an unfamiliar stretch of forest. She glanced behind her, her blood racing and her imagination running as wild as the horse. She couldn’t see them, but she could hear the hooves pounding after her. The men rode spectacular horses, but none were a match for hers. Yet they were gaining on her—the forces of evil. She alone could deliver the single message that would save the world, and her only route to safety was to ride so fast they couldn’t catch her.

      A small tree had fallen over the middle of the woodland road. Rebecca suspected an ambush. Lifting out of the saddle only an inch, she felt the powerful muscles bunch beneath her, and then the horse curve under her as he sailed over the tree.

      The exhilaration was almost more than she could stand. Diable was the finest horse she’d ever ridden, and she’d had more than her share of top-dollar rides. As a teenager in Tennessee, she’d been on the A Circuit. But this wasn’t a horse for the show ring. This was a horse for adventure. This was Lightning, Fury, Trigger, Silver and the Black Stallion all rolled into one.

      It was still spring in Mississippi, but the temperature was in the eighties and after a few more miles, she let Diable settle into a ground-covering trot. The exciting ride had been a terrific fantasy, but the only thing chasing her was new job duties. She had a million things to do, but one of the things she’d promised Aurelia and Marcus McNeese was that she’d exercise Diable, Cogar and Mariah. Who could ever imagine she’d find the job of her dreams that also included three wonderful horses? Fate had certainly smiled down on her when she’d applied to Blackthorn to oversee the renovation of the estate and the work on excavating an old Indian burial mound that looked as though it might become the richest source of information yet discovered into the lives of the Mound Builders.

      As she and the horse drew closer to the burial mound, she slowed her pace. By the time she walked Diable from the mound to his barn, he’d be thoroughly cooled. She grinned at the thought of the barn—a magnificent structure, with an apartment for Joey Reynolds. The barn had been the first thing Marcus and Aurelia McNeese had built in their dream of making Blackthorn their home. The caretaker’s cottage was where Rebecca called home while she worked at the estate. The newlyweds had big plans, and they’d hired Rebecca to make sure their plans were properly implemented while they took a long honeymoon in Europe. Rebecca had been left in charge of building, excavation and all other aspects of Blackthorn, including keeping an eye on Joey.

      Rebecca reflected that the apartment for Joey was one of the biggest acts of kindness she’d ever heard of. And she’d never seen anyone love a place more than Joey loved Blackthorn. She could see him right now, weeding what had once been a formal garden. His back was soaked with sweat and the smile on his face seemed permanent. By the end of the summer, he’d have the garden back, blooming with lush beauty. Joey had a green thumb and infinite patience. He’d also put in a small vegetable patch that seemed to grow four inches every night. Rebecca teased him that he’d gotten the seeds from a magician and soon a beanstalk would be up in the clouds.

      As enjoyable as Joey was, other aspects of the job were drawbacks, and the primary one was walking right toward her. “Get down off the horse. I want to talk to you.”

      Rebecca had long grown accustomed to Brett Gibson’s imperious manner. She’d intended to dismount, so she did.

      “I hope you’ve explained to that simpleton that he can’t just start digging up the ground and planting things wherever he’d like,” Brett said, using a glove to wipe the sweat from his eyes. “He’s started a compost heap. He’s wheeling barrows full of horse manure from the barn. I want him stopped right now.”

      Rebecca glanced over to the area Brett had indicated and saw that Joey, was, indeed, making a compost heap and not all that far from the burial mound. In her opinion, it was located far enough from where Brett was excavating the mound that it wouldn’t bother him. It shouldn’t, but it did. But what really troubled Brett was the fact that she and Joey were on Blackthorn soil at all.

      “Joey talked over all his plans with Marcus and Aurelia before they left for Spain. I’m sure he wouldn’t do anything they hadn’t given approval for.” She saw the anger flare in Brett’s eyes. He hated the fact that she was his superior on this job. At times, it seemed he hated her. “And please don’t call Joey a simpleton or any other names. He’s a kind and gentle man and something like that would really hurt him.”

      “I didn’t come here to baby-sit ‘kind and gentle’ people. I came here to do what may prove to be the most important excavation in this region.”

      “I understand the importance of your work, Brett. I’m trained in your field, though I chose the business side of it. But Joey’s work is just as important to him as yours is to you.”

      “A garden isn’t of any significance to anyone.”

      She could see the deep anger in Brett’s gray eyes. He was red in the face and a vein was pulsing at his temple. A bit more of that in the hot sun and he’d have a stroke.

      “Why don’t you get a glass of water and take a break in the shade?”

      “Don’t patronize me,” Brett said. His fingers closed on her arm as she started to turn away, but when he saw the look in her blue eyes, he released his grip. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to grab you.”

      “I don’t want anything untoward to happen while the McNeeses are away,” Rebecca said. “We both know they left me in charge of everything that goes on at Blackthorn—including the new construction and the archaeological dig. I know you don’t like it, but there it is. And I’m telling you to get a glass of water and find some shade.”

      She didn’t wait for an argument. She led Diable away from Brett and the mound and toward the narrow trail that looped back to the stables. Her blue eyes were flashing with anger, but her breathing was calm and regular. Brett really aggravated her. He was a jackass. If Marcus and Aurelia had any idea of how he behaved toward Joey, they’d fire him.

      Rebecca knew she could track them down in Spain, but she had no