Page 35 of Christmas Ransom

With a groan, he realized that he’d set all of this in motion the night he’d gotten involved in that poker game. Once he was in so deep, he’d thought for sure that he could dig his way out with just one more game—double or nothing. He hadn’t realized who he was playing against. What had started as a friendly poker game had gotten ugly fast. If Leon hadn’t offered to bail him out...

Jud shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He couldn’t go back and change any of that. That’s why he had to end this.

He grabbed his coat. Jesse would go to Carla’s house and then the Colt Brothers Investigation office. She didn’t know that she wouldn’t find Carla at either of those places. Jud wouldn’t have either if he hadn’t seen Bella Worthington Colt in the grocery store parking lot. He’d overheard the conversation she’d been having with another woman as she’d unloaded her shopping cart into the back of her SUV.

All of the family were coming to her house tonight for Christmas Eve.

Jud started his pickup, his mind clearer than it had been in days. He thought about the day he’d walked into the bank to get a loan. Now he knew that it always had to end this way.

Chapter Eighteen

Carla had been quiet on the drive out to the Worthington Ranch. Davy was glad that she didn’t feel the need for small talk. He wasn’t sure he could have handled that. But he hated the awkward silence that had filled the cab of the pickup the entire drive. He didn’t like leaving things this way between them. What had made him think he could spend this much time together and not get involved again? Being around her and not being able to touch her was pure hell.

He’d come so close to kissing her. He blamed the falling snow and cold for the memory. She’d called it their winter kiss. Like he could ever forget it. Or her.

She had no idea how many times after he’d first left her that he’d thought about quitting the rodeo circuit, coming back to Lonesome and proposing. He’d wanted her that badly. He still did.

It wasn’t like he couldn’t find a job. He’d recently been offered a position promoting rodeo statewide. Except he wasn’t ready to quit the circuit. It was in his blood. Just another year or two, he kept telling himself. But then what? He had some ideas, one in particular he’d been thinking about more since coming home and seeing Carla.

What was a couple more years rodeoing? Like Carla would still be single and waiting for him? He was surprised that some smart man hadn’t already snatched her up.

As he pulled in front of the Worthington Ranch lodge, he was relieved that the drive was over. He’d had too much time to think about the almost kiss and his future.Love shouldn’t hurt. It shouldn’t demand giving up your dreams, he told himself as he got out and went around to open Carla’s door.

He told himself that they’d chosen their completely different paths years ago. There was no going back, even as he felt his heart ache at the sight of her. Look what his stubborn determination had gotten him, he thought as he saw her avoid his gaze as they headed inside. She couldn’t even stand to look at him.

The moment they’d hung up their coats and walked into the main room, James pulled him aside. “Have you heard?” Clearly, he hadn’t. “It was just on the news. A man was arrested at the local convenience store trying to buy beer with a twenty-dollar bill from the bank robbery.”

Davy couldn’t help but get his hopes up. This might be it. The killer might already be behind bars. Then he and Carla would go their separate ways. Isn’t that what they both wanted? “What’s his name?”

“Fletch. He’s a caretaker for that big ranch outside of town that was bought up by that corporation,” James said.

Fletch? His disappointment must have shown. “So do they think he had something to do with the robbery?”

James shook his head. “Apparently not. He had an airtight alibi for the day of the robbery, and he’s already been released. But the bills are surfacing, Davy. You might be right about the man still being in Lonesome.”

Davy groaned as he looked across the room where Carla was visiting with Bella. As James said, if the bills were circulating locally, there was a good chance that the robber hadn’t left town. Hadn’t his gut told him that Carla was still in danger?

As if sensing him looking at her, she glanced in his direction. She looked so pretty, her cheeks a little flushed from coming in out of the cold into the warm ranch house.

“Please don’t say anything tonight about this to Carla,” he said.

“She’s going to hear about it,” James said. “Might be better if it came from you. If the bills are turning up...” James sighed. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a drink.”

Forty-five minutes and several drinks later, Bella announced that everyone should start heading into the dining room. Davy knew James was right. It would probably be better coming from him. But what he would give if they could just have this one night, he thought as he made a beeline for Carla.

EVERYONEBEGANTOmove toward the entrance to the dining room. Bella had invited family and friends, so the huge table inside would be full. Carla had tried to lose herself in the party atmosphere. Everyone was dressed up, tiny Christmas lights twinkled from the log rafters and holiday music formed a background for the laughter and chatter.

She’d wanted to enjoy herself tonight. To let her hair down, so to speak. She needed this. But earlier she’d seen James pull Davy aside. From their expressions it wasn’t good news. She’d wanted to go to him and find out what had happened, but Bella had approached her. By the time that conversation ended, Davy had disappeared.

That’s why she was startled when he suddenly reappeared beside her. Ahead of her, the crowd was milling toward the dining room. He touched her arm and indicated that he wanted to talk to her. She felt her heart drop. Hadn’t they said enough earlier? Or maybe he wanted to tell her what he and James had been discussing. Either way, she feared it was bad news.

Not tonight, she wanted to say. Not tonight in this beautiful home on Christmas Eve. But she also knew that whatever it was, she needed to hear it. Could she even pretend for one night that there wasn’t a killer after her?

She turned toward him as the others disappeared into the dining room. “I saw you talking to James. I know something’s happened.”

“That’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

“Davy, we can’t keep going over the same old grou—”

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