Sleigh Bells In Crimson. Michelle Major

in the retail community. Lucy’s burgeoning career had been ruined, but she wouldn’t have changed her actions even to salvage her relationship with Peter.

      Her role had always been protecting her mother. If she could eke out a bit of happiness or contentment during the times when Maureen was settled, so be it. Otherwise, she was constantly on call, ready to catch Maureen after her many inevitable falls.

      Lucy had vowed that the fiasco with Peter would be the last time, but here she was, freezing her butt off in the high mountains of Colorado, the glass eyes of a stuffed caribou gazing down on her as she packed the rest of her mother’s things.

      “Talk to him,” she said softly when she had the suitcase zipped up tight. “Garrett seems like a good man and he clearly adores you. Maybe—”

      “Not until after the wedding.”

      “Has Bobby signed the divorce papers?”

      Maureen bit her bottom lip. “He will. He promised.”

      “Mom, he’s a snake.”

      Maureen stood and walked into the bathroom connected to the bedroom. Lucy heard the sound of drawers opening, then water running from a faucet. When her mother reappeared, a fresh coat of lipstick brightened her smile and she was pinching her cheeks to bring the color back into them. “Help me with Caden.” Her voice had returned to its normal raspy, girlish tone, somewhere between Marilyn Monroe and Betty Boop.

      “Why didn’t you mention him to me before I got here?” Lucy asked, even though she knew the answer. “You made it sound like Garrett’s only son had died.”

      “His older son, Tyson, was killed in a rock climbing accident two years ago. Apparently Caden had been estranged from them both before that.”

      “Why?”

      “An argument over a ‘no-good woman’ is all Garrett would say about it. I think he was ready to sell the ranch before that, but now that Caden’s running things, he feels like he has to stay out here.”

      “Maybe he wants to stay,” Lucy offered.

      Maureen shook her head. “He’s tired and this was the house he shared with his first wife. She died twenty years ago, and nothing has changed in all that time.” She glanced up at the mounted animal head and shuddered. “He needs a break.”

      “With you?”

      “I love him.”

      It was difficult for Lucy to believe her mother could truly love anyone except herself. But there was no sense in arguing about it now.

      “Promise me you’ll tell Garrett everything before the wedding, Mom. You can’t get married until Bobby signs the divorce papers.”

      Her mom made a face. “Bobby’s my past, sweetie. Garrett is my future.”

      “You can’t have a future until he knows. If your love is real, it will survive the truth.”

      Maureen blinked. For a moment, her eyes lost their guarded quality, and Lucy could see so much hope and vulnerability in them. Her breath caught.

      “Do you think so?” Maureen whispered.

      “There’s only one way to find out.”

      “You’re my best thing, Lucy.” Maureen stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Lucy’s shoulders. “It’s the two of us against the world.”

      Lucy sighed. “The two of us.”

       Chapter Three

      “She’s using you.” Caden lifted his father’s duffel bag into the back of Garrett’s hulking silver truck.

      “Have a little faith,” Garrett said, clapping a big hand on Caden’s shoulder.

      “I don’t want to see you hurt again.” Caden shook his head. “After Tyson—”

      “I’m better now.” Garrett’s blue eyes clouded but he kept his gaze firmly on Caden. “You don’t have to worry about me anymore, son.”

      Son.

      That word was like a knife slicing across Caden’s gut. Garrett and Tyson had rescued him from the foster-care system and given him the family he’d always craved. But he’d been an angry and stupid kid, constantly pushing boundaries and testing his adoptive father’s love because he never truly believed he deserved the happiness he found on the ranch.

      He slammed the truck’s tailgate shut. “I watched Tyson self-destruct because of a woman and have to live with my part in that. I pulled you back from the brink after his death, and I’m not going to lose you to someone like Maureen Renner.” He sucked in a breath when emotion clogged his throat. Then he whispered, “I can’t lose you, too.”

      “You’re not losing me.” Garrett reassured him in the same gentle tone he’d used when comforting Caden after the nightmares he’d woken from for several months after he’d come to live at Sharpe Ranch. Caden hadn’t been willing to let his new father nearer than the foot of the bed at that point. So Garrett had sat on the edge of the sagging twin mattress and talked—telling stories about his childhood or his blissful marriage to Tyson’s mother—until Caden had been able to fall back asleep.

      Garrett’s deep voice had been a lifeline in the dark all those years ago. Now Caden had to squint against the bright morning sun, even though a wide-brimmed Stetson shaded his eyes. It was a perfect Colorado day, with the expansive sky already deep blue. Although the temperature still hovered in the high teens, the sun seemed to warm everything, and the cattle were grazing contentedly on grass and hay in the far pasture.

      Caden’s heart remained frosty. He’d seen firsthand how much damage a scheming woman could do to a gentle man, and Garrett was one of the kindest souls he’d ever known.

      “Think of it as gaining a family,” Garrett continued as he hit the remote start on the key fob he held. The diesel engine of the truck roared to life, muffling Caden’s disbelieving snort.

      “I don’t need a family,” Caden muttered, and although his father didn’t argue with him, they both knew it was a lie. As was true of many kids with tumultuous early lives, Caden craved security and stability like a junkie craved his next fix.

      “Tell that to your barn full of rescues,” was Garrett’s only response. The man never tired of teasing Caden over his penchant for attracting stray animals.

      “I’m going to look into her past,” Caden said, ignoring the flash of anger in his father’s eyes.

      “I don’t give a damn about her past. She makes me happy, Caden. You should try a bit of happiness on for size. You’d be surprised what a comfortable fit it becomes.”

      “I’m happy,” Caden lied again.

      Garrett stepped closer until the toes of their boots touched. At six feet, he’d seemed such an imposing figure the first time Caden had visited the ranch. Now Caden was at least three inches taller than him, but Garrett still remained a force to be reckoned with. “You deserve to be happy.”

      Caden tried to hold his father’s gaze but turned away after a moment. How could Garrett say that, let alone believe it, when Caden was the reason Tyson was gone?

      “Take care of Maureen’s girl while we’re away.”

      Caden swung back, grateful to have a reason to let his temper fly. “She doesn’t belong on the ranch, and she sure as hell doesn’t need access to your finances.”

      “I met with her this morning. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. I’ve lost track of the business side of things recently. That’s the part Tyson handled and—” The old man pursed his lips and ran a hand through his thick crop of silver hair. “Anyway, it’s good to have fresh eyes reviewing things.”