"Could she have been shot from someone in a helicopter?"

Maia shook her head. "No, she was above the shooter, at least that's the way the angle of the wound appeared to me."

Satisfaction edged his expression. "That's what I thought too. So the event in which the helicopter was flying overhead could have taken place when my father was still alive."

"Well, of course there's no way of knowing for certain, but it's a realistic possibility," Maia said. "I'm lost, Cole. You obviously have an idea where all of this is leading, but I haven't a clue."

He kissed her, a brief hard kiss, his eyes alive with excitement. "That's because you don't think a like a criminal."

"I suppose that's a compliment. You have such a sweet tongue on you."

He showed her he did, kissing her again and making a thorough job of it.

Maia caught his shoulders and pushed him back down to the bed. "Talk. Explain."

"I think my father brought something onto the ranch, most likely something illegal. Some of the ranch hands were probably involved. They would have had to be. Most people didn't know it, but the old man could fly a helicopter. He employed a full-time pilot, but only because he liked to feel superior to everyone and give orders. He thought flying was a menial task."

Maia reached for his hand again. Cole didn't seem to realize how agitated he became when he talked about his father. It wasn't overt, but more a subtle tension rising, building and building until she felt he might explode with the force of a volcano. "I'm not certain I understand."

"Suppose he brought in something worth a fortune, and some of the hands were in on it and expected to get a share. The old man goes out with his pilot and moves it from wherever it was originally stashed."

"You're thinking of a shipment of drugs."

"I always think in terms of drugs or weapons. It's my job. But yes, suppose the old man was running drugs out here. He has a few thousand acres. The ranch backs up to a national forest. Parts of our ranch are on the border. He could bring in drugs, and no one would be the wiser. Or diamonds. Anything. An illegal shipment worth a fortune."

"The horses and packs. The helicopter overhead. Maybe. It's a stretch."

"Not that big a stretch if you knew him. He would revel in working outside the law. He thought he was smarter and more cunning than anyone. I could easily see it. And if some of the hands were in on it and knew he had the shipment and he suddenly announced he was cutting them out, it would be a d.a.m.ned good reason for someone to kill him."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he could. You would have had to know him. He liked the power of it all. Suppose he went with his pilot and moved the shipment somewhere the hands wouldn't know about it, and then he killed the pilot and left him behind with the stash."

Maia shook her head. "It doesn't make sense."

"You said someone was killed. I checked, Maia. The pilot went missing a few weeks before the old man was murdered. He was actually considered a suspect. No one's heard from him. The rumor was, he and the old man had a falling out, and he quit."

"So your father killed the pilot, but why?"

"Because the old man moved his stash, and the pilot knew where, so he had to die. Then he told the ranch hands he was cutting them out of the deal. He knew they couldn't go to the police, and they wouldn't want to lose their jobs, so he felt very safe. But one or more of them decided they didn't want to take orders from him. So they killed him in his office and went out to pick up the stash, only it wasn't there anymore."

"Because he'd moved it before he cut them out of the deal."

"I think that's what's going on, Maia. They didn't care who was named guardian because we didn't know about the stash. They could look around the ranch for it, and we'd never know."

"Until you fired them."

"That's right. I fired them, and I'd be very suspicious if they began hanging around the ranch. Jase told me some maps disappeared from the office. I didn't really give it all that much thought, but it makes sense. They're looking for whatever the old man hid."

"So they wanted you out of here at least long enough to do a thorough search of the ranch. That's why the rumors, to get you to take Jase and leave."

"And that's why the accidents. They knew the storm was coming. Jase was supposed to go into town with me that day, but he decided he wanted to hang out with Al. So they tried to injure him just enough so Al would have to drive him into town, and they could poke around. That didn't work, so they drove Wally into the fence thinking Al would trailer the horse into town. The storm was breaking too fast, and I opted to bring you home with me."

"Why push it? Why didn't they just wait?"

"Maybe they have a buyer, or they're getting anxious. Whatever it is, one of my horses was ridden the day Wally was hurt. I think while Al and Jase were tied up looking after him, Fred took the horse and went looking. That's probably when he shot the mountain lion."

"This is all speculation."

"Yes," Cole admitted. "But Fred was watching us when we went to get the tree yesterday. And I've got this gut feeling. I've never been wrong when I've had that feeling before."

"So why the ice on the walkway?"

"To get us out of here. If you or Jase or even I were injured, we'd have go into town to the hospital, and they'd be able to search without interruption."

"In a blizzard?"

"Four separate storms, Maia. It wasn't supposed to be this bad. And if we were trapped on the other side, the road wouldn't be cleared, and we'd have a hard time getting home."

"So how do you prove it?"

"I'm working on it." He reached out to cup her b.r.e.a.s.t.s again, thumbs caressing her nipples into hard peaks. "I'll think better in the morning. Right now, I want to spend the rest of the night getting to know every inch of your body intimately."

She felt her body respond immediately. "Sounds like a good plan to me."

chapter 12.

"Tomorrow's Christmas Eve, Cole, and I haven't had a nightmare since we ran into Maia in the restaurant." Jase shoveled scrambled eggs onto his plate and scooped up bacon to go along with it. "If the doc is a vegetarian, why is she all gung ho to cook us a turkey?"

"You'll have to ask her that."

"Have you had nightmares since we met Maia?"

Cole nodded. "Yeah. But they don't last long."

Jase paused in his frantic eating to look up at his brother. "If the tree really bothers you, Cole, I'll help you take it down. The doc will understand."

"No, the tree stays up. I can get through the night, Jase. I like the tree."

"I do too," the boy said, relieved. "I kind of like the whole Christmas thing. The doc makes it feel different I'm not sure why, but she makes everything so fun."

"On Christmases past, I always felt an outsider looking in," Cole said.

Jase bunked and swallowed quickly. "That's it! That's how I always felt Sometimes you're smart, Cole."

"Thanks, Jase." A trace of humor showed in Cole's eyes.

"You're welcome." Jase leaned his chin into his palm as he thoughtfully chewed a mouthful of food. "I've been giving a lot of thought to this, Cole. I think we should keep her. We need to keep the doc."

Cole's mouth twitched in an odd approximation of a smile. "Keep her? As in lock her up? I don't know that she'd be too happy with that, Jase."

Jase flashed an exasperated frown. "Do I have to spell it out for you? You need a wife. You really do.

And I need a mom, and the doc is perfect for us, so ask her to marry you."

"You've been thinking about this for all of what? Five minutes? What exactly are we offering her, Jase?"

"Money. We've got lots of money. She likes the house, and she really likes kissing you, so maybe you should step up that part of it. I think she'll go for it."

Cole shook his head. "You need to do a little more thinking, Jase. You know we can't just buy her.

Maia isn't like that. And I don't have all that much to offer her, but I'm working on it."

Jase's face brightened. "You are? I really want her to stay with us, Cole. She makes us feel like we belong."

"We do belong. Whether or not I can get her to stay, we're always going to be family."

"Good morning!" Maia entered the kitchen, her smile wide as she took in the sight of the two brothers eating breakfast. "You're up before me this morning."

Cole was not going to allow her to get away with putting distance between them. He'd made it d.a.m.n clear last night he was making love to her, not having s.e.x. And this wasn't going to be a one-night stand.

Jase might have had the right idea. He needed to step things up.

Cole snagged her around the waist and pulled her into his arms, settling his mouth over hers firmly.

Staking a claim as blatantly as he could. His hand curved around the nape of her neck, held her still while his teeth tugged at her lower lip and his tongue teased at the seam until she opened for him. Her body softened, seemed to melt right into his as he kissed her thoroughly. At once he pulled her tight against him, losing himself in her heat, in the rising tide of intense desire she brought with her.

Jase cleared his throat. "See? I told you she likes kissing you. Are you two going to be doing that all the time, because it's okay with me if you are, just not in the kitchen."

"Yes," Cole said decisively.

"No," Maia a.s.sured at the same time. They exchanged a long look. She laughed and rubbed Cole's jaw.

"You're looking all serious and stubborn this morning, Steele. I was planning on making gingerbread for a gingerbread house and using the gumdrops in the cupboard for trees. No one can be serious when we bake for Christmas."

"Hey! Those aremy gumdrops! I made Cole buy them for me, and I'm not giving them up."

"We need them for the gingerbread house. It's part of decorating for Christmas," Maia explained patiently. "We have to use whatever is available and gumdrops work."

Jase held up his hand. "We're not going toeat the gingerbread?"

"No, I'm going to make a really cute house and decorate it with frosting and whatever else I can find."

He shook his head. "She's crazy, Cole. You can't bake bread and not expect us to eat it. You're going too far, Doc. I can do without the cute house, but the stomach demands food and baked goods."

"You aren't getting into the spirit of the season, Jase," Maia pointed out.

"Yeah, and I'm not going to either if you deny me food." He stuffed more toast into his mouth. "And stay away from my gumdrops."

"Don't talk with your mouth full."

Cole poured Maia tea from the teapot he had steeping under a small towel. "Before you start baking gingerbread for houses, would you mind going out to the stable and checking out the horses. See if any of them pa.s.s on any memories to you."

Her heart gave a curious flutter. He'd made her tea the exact way she liked it, even adding a small amount of milk. "What are you planning?" She set the teacup on the counter, a slight frown on her face.

There was anxiety in her turquoise eyes. Cole caught her hand, holding it against his side. "It's no big deal if you can't find out any more details," he a.s.sured her. "I'm going to shake things up a little regardless and see what happens. I checked, and we've got a short window of opportunity. The weather should clear for Christmas Eve."

"I don't like the sound of that" Maia said. "Opportunity for what? And what are you shaking up?" She tightened her fingers around his. "You aren't going to do anything crazy, are you?"

She looked so afraid for him he bent down to brush the top of her head with a kiss. It was an amazing feeling to have someone worry about him. "I just want you to see if you can give us a little dearer picture, that's all."

"Clearer picture of what?" Jase asked, his eyes bright with curiosity.

Maia expected Cole to hedge, but he didn't He let go of Maia, to sit across the table from the boy. She picked up her tea and followed.

"I'm beginning to think all these accidents, with the horse, with you, Maia and the ice, even the old man's murder, are all connected. We promised one another we'd be honest. You're not a baby, and I don't intend to hide anything from you. I may be completely off base, but if I'm not, we have a problem on our hands."

Jase went very still. "You think it's Al?"

Cole drummed his fingers on the tabletop. "I don't know about Al. I hope not. He pulled you away from the fence that was giving way, and he's done a good job with the crew and given his best to the ranch."

"He's helped me a lot," Jase said, his voice tight. "No one ever took the time to work with me. I've learned about the horses and cattle, the hay, even repairing fences. He always answers my questions, and he never makes me feel stupid."

"I like the man too, Jase," Cole said. "I honestly don't know one way or the other, but if I'm right about all this, I don't think he could be in on it. If I'm right, his brother-in-law is the perp, and he tried to get you and Al off the ranch."

"I never liked Fred." Jase ducked his head. "I was sometimes afraid it was you, Cole." He confessed it in a soft rush of words. "I'm sorry. I tried not ever to think it, but I can't seem to trust anyone very much."

Cole's smile held no humor. "If anyone can understand, Jase, it's definitely me. I was having the same problem worrying about you. We'll make it through this and whatever else is thrown at us. Together.

Maia's right. We can make our own traditions and become a family right here. We've come a long way just by taking back the house."

Jase nodded. "That's true. And it looks great. The doc threw a bunch of pillows on all the furniture in the living room, and it looks completely different. With the tree and Mom's quilt, I feel like the house is really ours."

Maia set her teacup on the table and stood up. "I'm glad you like it, Jase. I'd better get to work if you want me to check the horses in the stable too. I'll see to Wally first, check the horses, then feed the mountain lion. I don't want her scent on me when I'm around the horses."

"I didn't think about that," Jase said.

"You've always got to remember what you're doing around exotics, Jase. You can never become complacent. You can't ever turn your back on them. People have no business owning them and trying to turn them into pets. I've heard of a tiger being kept in an apartment building. It was rescued, but then what do you do with it? Zoos have little funding, and the rescue sanctuaries are full. It leaves euthanasia as the only choice. It makes me angry."

Her gaze met Cole's piercing blue eyes, and she shrugged. "I told you I have a bad temper. Anything to do with the mistreatment of animals brings out the worst in me. It takes so much to run the rescue sanctuaries, and half the time they don't have the funding they need to feed and shelter and provide veterinarian care for exotics."

"Why is it so much, Doc?" Jase asked. "You'd think people would pay to see the animals, and that would provide the money for their care."