Page 2 of Christmas Ransom

But just seeing him and hearing that he remembered the two of them together way back when had her heart floating. Her brain meanwhile was digging in its heels, arguing that picking up where the two of them had left off would be a huge mistake that she would regret.

She’d had a crush on Davy Colt from as far back as she could remember. When he’d finally asked her out in high school, she’d felt as if she had filled with helium. Her feet hadn’t touched the ground for weeks.

Her mother hadn’t been as thrilled. “I’ve heard stories about those Colt boys,” she’d said, but Carla had assured her that Davy wasn’t like that. She’d believed in her heart that Davy was The One. She’d imagined them married with kids. She’d pictured a perfect happy-ever-after—until he’d told her that he wasn’t going to college with her at Montana State University, even though he had a rodeo scholarship to attend. He was joining the rodeo circuit instead.

The romantic bubble had exploded with a loudpop. He’d rodeoed throughout high school, but she’d never imagined he planned to make it his occupation. Except she should have. Look at the rest of his family, all the way back to his great-grandfather who’d been a Hollywood Western movie star back in the 1940s and ’50s. Ridin’ and ropin’ was in his blood, and being on the road following the rodeo circuit was the life all the Colt brothers had chosen as if it were their destiny as well as their legacy.

Carla, on the other hand, had been raised by a single mother who had barely finished high school. Because of that, Rosemary Richmond was determined Carla would get an education so she had options. Her mother hadn’t wanted Carla to end up like her, in a low-paying job living from paycheck to paycheck. Rosemary had said from the time Carla could remember that her only daughter was going to college. Her mother had worked so hard to make that happen.

Carla had had no choice. While it had broken her heart, she’d ended the relationship with Davy and headed for college, where she’d majored in business and finance and graduated with honors. She’d had her pick of jobs.

But when her mother had gotten sick, Carla had taken a job at the local bank in Lonesome to help take care of her. And after she’d died from the cancer, the rest was history. She’d stayed in Lonesome, seeing Davy from time to time—but only in passing. She’d always wondered if she’d made a mistake choosing a career over the cowboy she’d loved. Still loved, if she was being honest.

That’s why it had been such a shock when he’d come into the bank to see her. Was it possible he still felt the same way she did about him?

After he’d left, she’d sat at her desk fighting emotions until she’d grabbed her things and hurried to meet her friend. All the time, she’d kept reminding herself that Davy was only home for the holidays. His life was far from Lonesome. Who knew when he’d be back? She had to quit pining away for the rodeo cowboy.

Now as she looked around her desk, she realized that the file she’d thought she left there yesterday afternoon was nowhere to be seen. She took her key and unlocked the file drawer and was flipping through it when she saw that shehadput the file away. But she had no memory of doing it. Her mind had been a million miles away—just like it was now. No, not quite a million miles. More like the distance from the bank to the Colt Brothers Investigation building down the street.

Davy Colt would be staying there in the apartment over the business, at least for a few days. Then he’d be riding in Texas after the holidays and who knew where after that, since she tried not to keep track of the rodeo circuit schedule anymore.

Her brain and heart were still at war since his visit yesterday. She told herself he would be busy with family. She might not even see him again before the holiday was over. She figured that, after yesterday, maybe he’d changed his mind about whatever thought had prompted him to stop by her office.

She picked up the mistletoe on the corner of her desk, but couldn’t force herself to throw it away. She put it back down. Maybe he’d stop by work tomorrow or the next day. If he came in looking for her, she was sure that the other loan officer, Amelia Curtis, or one of the tellers would let him know that she’d be working right up through Christmas Eve, in case Davy wanted to stop back by.

Even as she wanted desperately to see him again, she knew how dangerous that could be. Davy was serious about only one thing—rodeo—and spending time with him would only lead to another heartbreak.

As she started to reach for her things to leave, someone in the lobby screamed and then the whole place broke out in what sounded like panicked alarm. Carla looked up. Standing in her doorway was a masked man in a Santa suit holding a semiautomatic rifle. The Santa mask—complete with big white beard and red hat—covered his entire head. The only thing visible was the shine of his dark eyes through two small holes and the ugly slash at his mouth as he rushed toward her.

Chapter Three

The plan had come to him in the darkest, most desperate hours of night. He hadn’t been able to sleep in the weeks since going to the bank for the loan and realizing that there would be no Christmas miracle. No Hail Mary pass. No one to bail him out. And if he didn’t do something soon, Jesse was going to leave him.

As he lay awake, he kept replaying the day he’d gone to the bank for the loan with so much hope, misplaced or not. Before he’d left that afternoon, his girlfriend, Jesse, had told him how handsome he looked in his borrowed button-down shirt and new jeans. It had made him smile despite how scared he’d been to ask a bank for money.

But like Jesse had said, what did he have to lose? A lot, he’d discovered, because when he’d returned home empty-handed, Jesse had run out onto the porch. She’d been wearing a new dress for the celebratory dinner they had planned. She’d looked so happy, so hopeful.

“Did you get the loan?” Her expression drooped as she must have seen the answer written all over his face. His shoulders slumped as she let out a choked sob and turned away as if she didn’t want him to see her cry.

He’d rushed up the steps and taken her in his arms, holding her as if she was all that was keeping him rooted to earth.

“They’re going to kill us!” she said between sobs. “Look what happened the last time they came for a payment.” She felt stiff in his arms. When she pulled back to look at him, he saw her disappointment in him like poison in her eyes. She pushed him, then balled her hands into fists and pounded against his chest until he pulled her to him so tightly that she finally slumped in his arms and sobbed.

“I bet you didn’t even go to the bank and ask,” she cried.

“I did. I talked to Carla Richmond, the executive loan officer.” Jesse had stopped crying and was listening, but he had no more to say. He wasn’t about to tell her that he’d thrown the forms away without even filling them out. He shook his head. “Don’t worry. They won’t kill us. I’ll take care of it.”

He could feel the distance growing between them in the quaking of her body. She’d trusted him and look what a mess he’d made of it. They hadn’t been together long. He still couldn’t believe that a woman who looked like her had given him a second glance.

They’d met at a bar in another town. The next morning, in the light of day, he’d figured that would be the end of it. But when he’d asked her if she wanted to come home with him, she had. She’d only balked a little when he told her he lived in Lonesome. It had been her idea to move out of the trailer he was renting and into a house. She’d gotten a job right away. He’d really believed that Lady Luck was finally on his side.

That day after he’d been turned down at the bank, he’d held Jesse until she quit crying and he’d felt all the fight go out of her. His shirt had been wet with her tears. He’d wanted to be this woman’s hero from the moment he’d met her and brought her back to Lonesome four months ago. He’d told himself he still could. He would think of something. He couldn’t lose her.

“I need to go to work,” she’d whispered, pulling back to look down in what could only be disgust at the new dress she’d bought.

“Call in sick,” he’d said, afraid to let her go. All he had thought about was curling up naked in their bed, holding each other until they fell asleep.

Her job paid the rent and kept the lights on. His new temporary one would keep them fed and buy gas for their vehicles. With luck, they would have enough money at the end of the week to hold off the loan shark. Between the two of them they were slowly going broke because of the foolish mistakes he’d made. Worse, she was right. The last time the men had come for the money, they’d almost killed him and had threatened her. The next time they came would be worse.

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