“She’s doing just fine on her own,” Sam commented. “She’s starting to push.” Katherine barely dared to breathe, until finally, the mare grunted one final time, and both men laughed in relief.

  “It’s a colt, Trace, just like you were hoping for,” Sam said loudly.

  Katherine ran her hand along the stall door to guide her, and she moved on shaky legs.

  “May I come in?” she asked.

  Not a second later, Trace was at her side and held her elbow, guiding her into the stall.

  “Stand back just a little for now, until he’s up.”

  The mare nickered softly to her newborn, no doubt encouraging him to get to his feet.

  “Strong little guy, ain’t he?” Sam remarked.

  “Yeah, he’s strong and healthy.” There was no mistaking the smile on Trace’s face when he said the words, nor the pride in his tone. Katherine smiled with him. She actually laughed, happy tears welling up in her eyes, imagining the mother and her newborn.

  Trace extended her arm forward. “Here, Katie, come and touch him. Take some straw and rub him with it so he dries faster.”

  Trace shoved some straw into her palm, and Katherine rubbed the stalks along the tiny horse’s back with slow, circular motions, just as she’d done many years ago when the men allowed her to witness a birth. Moments later, the foal stretched its neck, making loud suckling noises.

  Some warm emotion rushed through her as she worked, and she focused her attention on the foal. The feelings coursing through her had nothing to do with the horse, but everything with the man standing next to her.

  “Yep, nothing wrong with this one,” Sam said matter-of-factly. “Guess I ain’t needed here no more.”

  “No, nothing wrong with this colt at all,” Trace said once Sam left, his quiet voice filled with pride. His palm slid down Katherine’s arm, guiding her hand along the foal’s back as he spoke. Her heart rate accelerated and her mouth went dry. Struggling for breath, her concentration on the task of rubbing the foal dry faltered.

  “Why would there be something wrong with him?” she wondered out loud to try and keep her attention on the horse and not on the electrifying sensations Trace’s touch awoke in her.

  Katherine was accustomed to people guiding her by the hand, including male teachers. She’d never had the kind of reaction to any of them as she did to Trace’s touch. His warm, calloused palm sent shivers of delight through her, and she fought to keep her breathing even. He couldn’t know how his casual guidance affected her.

  “What in the world is going on here?” a loud voice screeched from outside the stall.

  Katherine stiffened. “Damn,” she whispered.

  Next to her, Trace chuckled.

  “I’m guessing they didn’t teach you to swear in New York. Looks like you’ve been found, Katie,” he whispered against her ear.

  Katherine lifted her chin. His challenge couldn’t be any clearer. She turned in the direction of the stall door, and waited.

  “Katherine, what are you doing in that . . . that animal’s pen?” Wilma called in disbelief. “Sally finally told me where you’d gone when I couldn’t find you earlier. If your mother finds out that you’re at the stables again, she’ll be furious with both of us.”

  Katherine stepped toward her friend. “I want to be here, Wilma. There’s no harm in me coming to the barns. I’ve missed the horses, and now that I’m home, why shouldn’t I be allowed to be around them again?”

  “For someone like you, horses are dangerous, Katherine. You know that,” Wilma said, her voice softening. “I understand how much you want to be around them, but you need someone to accompany you and make sure to keep you out of harm’s way.”

  Katherine reached her hand out to her guardian. She couldn’t be angry with Wilma. The woman only had her best interest in mind, and she simply wasn’t accustomed to life on a Montana ranch.

  “I’m perfectly safe, Wilma,” Katherine said with a smile, squeezing her faithful teacher’s hand. “And someone did accompany me.”

  Wilma shifted in front of her and she huffed. A short silence followed. Behind her, the mare nickered softly and a man’s boots shuffled through the straw.

  “Well, I think it’s time you returned to the house. I need to take a few more measurement to make sure my alterations on the dress will be correct.”

  Katherine drew her hand back. She shook her head and raised her chin. “I’m not ready to go back to the house. The alterations can wait.”

  “Don’t be silly, Katherine. Let me take you back. Your mother will be worried, too.”

  “I’m sorry, Wilma, but I’m not going back yet.” Katherine straightened. Trace had been right. Wilma’s good intentions were holding her back. If she gave in to her guardian’s demands now, she’d never truly find her independence.

  Wilma sucked in a loud breath.

  “I’ll make sure she gets back to the house in one piece,” Trace said from behind her.

  “I need a word with you, Mr. Hawley,” Wilma blustered.

  “If it’s something you want to say in front of Katie, say it. If not, it’ll have to wait. I have a newborn foal to tend to at the moment. You’re welcome to stay.”

  “Please tell my mother I’ll be back before supper,” Katherine said firmly.

  Wilma inhaled sharply. “Katherine, not only is it unwise for you to be here due to your handicap, but you’re also without a chaperone.”

  Behind her, Trace laughed. “Katie’s virtue is safe with me, Mrs. Rodgers. You don’t have to worry about that.”

  Katherine’s heart sank inexplicably. Trace’s words should have made her feel secure, but they also stung. Just as she’d suspected, he had no interest in her as a woman. Her silly notions that he might harbor some feelings for her were just that . . . a young girl’s silly dreams.

  “Very well,” Wilma hissed. “If that’s what you want, Katherine, I’ll be waiting for you at the house.”

  Guilt nagged her. Wilma sounded disappointed. Surely, though, she’d come to understand that this was where she needed to be.

  Directing her voice at Trace, Wilma added sternly, “I’m holding you responsible for her safety.”

  “Accepted,” Trace said and without waiting, nudged Katherine in the arm. She glanced up in his direction. He seemed to wait until Wilma was out of earshot before he spoke again.

  “That wasn’t so hard, now, was it?” He laughed quietly. “Next time, just pretend you’re talking to me when someone tells you that you can’t, or shouldn’t, do something. You never had a problem telling me to mind my own business.”

  Trace tugged on her hand, moving her back into the horse’s stall. Katherine followed without hesitation. She reached her free hand out to touch the foal, her mind whirling.

  “I seem to recall quite the opposite,” Katherine said, turning her head toward him. “You were the one who always told me to keep my nose out of your business.”

  “That’s because you were a pesky little girl back then. Having my own sister wanting to look out for me was one thing, but your constant badgering and spying was more than a man could take at the time.”

  Trace laughed. The smile on Katherine’s face faltered. He’d just referred to her as a little sister. She sucked in a deep breath. There was no sense dwelling on what could never be, but she could at least enjoy the easy bantering with him. She hadn’t felt this carefree in a long time, not since her life had changed so drastically all those years ago.

  “As I remember, you needed a lot of pestering. You were always in trouble for one thing or another, the way the men talked about you. Luke even told me once that you’d been in jail for causing trouble in town.”

  Trace dropped his hand from hers. Katherine bit her lip, wishing she could take her words back. She’d apparently struck a nerve.

  “Yeah, I got in a lot of trouble. Your father’s the one who always bailed me out.” His tone had gone serious. He cleared his throat before he spoke again. “Maybe we should give the mare some time alone to bond with her foal. They seem to be doing all right.” He moved away from her.

  Katherine’s heart sank at Trace’s abrupt coldness.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up something that’s in the past.” She reached out her hand to him. Trace took it, and gave a light squeeze. He led her from the horse’s stall into the barn aisle.

  “I don’t want to rehash the past either, Katie.” Trace’s tone had gone normal again, but the smile in his voice was no longer there. “Your father’s death changed me for the better. I was angry for a long time. I even left the ranch for a time and struck out on my own, but I never forgot how much he believed in me.” He paused and stepped closer. Taking her other hand in his, he added in a low tone, “I think I’m finally realizing something he once told me.”

  His breath blew warm against her cheek, and Katherine swallowed nervously. Her pulse pounded at her temples. Never before had she wanted to look into someone’s eyes as much as she wanted to see Trace now. She’d relied on understanding people through touch, rather than by visual cues. She couldn’t read Trace. The feelings he brought to life in her, just by his simple touches, clouded her mind, and she was reading things into his actions that couldn’t possibly be true. His behavior and actions were all rather confusing.

  “What did you realize?” she whispered, her pulse beating fiercely in her ears.

  “There you are,” a cheerful voice called from somewhere in the barn before Trace could answer. He groaned audibly and took a step back.

  “Sally,” he grumbled. “Good of you to come and join us.” There was a definite hint of irritation in his voice.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Trace cursed silently. He faced his sister, who sauntered toward him with a surprised look in her eyes. Her steps slowed and her calculated gaze darted to Katie before finally settling on him. She cocked her head to the side, and a quizzical frown formed on her forehead.

  “Wilma told me you were at the barn.” Sally spoke slowly, her eyes glued to him. “I saw Luke on my way down here. He told me that your favorite mare was giving birth.”

  Trace raked his fingers through his hair. “Gave birth,” he corrected.

  He should be thanking his sister for the interruption. Sally’s appearance couldn’t have come at a better time. He’d almost said something to Katie that he had no business sharing with her. He’d even thought of kissing her. What the hell had come over him in the last few days? Heck, in the last few hours?

  His intent today had been to get her away from her handler’s and mother’s clutches for a few hours and remind her who she really was, nothing more. If she was going to inherit this ranch someday, she needed to connect with it again, regardless of her handicap.

  Seeing Katie again after all these years and learning of her blindness had made him more determined to honor the vow he’d made to her father. Trace gritted his teeth. He hadn’t counted on being attracted to her.

  The urge to laugh out loud hit him. Attracted was putting it mildly. He’d never felt this kind of intense draw to a woman before.

  “Maybe I’d best get back to the house.”

  Trace glanced at Katie when she spoke. Having her leave was the last thing he wanted, but maybe it was for the best. He’d spent years building a reputable reputation for himself after his trouble-making younger days. Showing an interest in Katherine Montgomery beyond a business relationship would only get the busy-bodies wagging their tongues about him again.

  “I’ll walk you back,” Trace offered.

  Katherine shook her head. “No, I can manage on my own. You should stay here with the foal. Besides, you’re the one who told me I should do things for myself.”

  Her quick smile jolted his insides. Damn! She’d grown into a pretty woman, and if the last few hours were any indication, she still had her spunky character, just as he’d suspected. She’d had no problem standing up to Wilma Rodgers, and she’d certainly had no trouble bantering with him. All she’d needed was a nudge in the right direction.

  You’re doing the right thing, Hawley. Get her back on track to who she is so she can stand up for herself and make her own choices. You’ll be fulfilling your promise to John.

  Katie turned on her heels and headed directly for the barn door.

  “Maybe I should walk back to the house with her,” Sally said, casting indecisive glances from him to Katie. Trace grabbed his sister’s arm when she was about to follow her friend.

  “She’s more than capable of finding her own way back. Let her go.” He gave Sally a meaningful nod, which only earned him a penetrating stare.

  Sally watched Katie disappear around the barn door, then she turned on him.

  “What are you doing, Trace?” She fisted her hands at her hips.

  Trace’s forehead wrinkled. “What does it look like I’m doing?” He headed for the mare’s stall when soft rustling came from within. Satisfied that mother and foal were doing well, he faced his sister again.

  “You’ve never given Katie the time of day. In the ten years she’s been gone, you haven’t asked about her once. Now, you’re suddenly taking an interest?” Sally hissed under her breath and glanced over her shoulder.

  Trace clenched his jaw. He reached for his sister’s elbow, and led her to his office at the end of the barn. He lit the lantern on his desk.

  “Ten years ago, I was a wet-nosed kid who didn’t take anything seriously other than having a good time,” he said slowly. He didn’t avoid his sister’s stare.

  “You always took the horses seriously,” Sally argued.

  Trace scoffed. “Not as much as I should have. John would still be alive otherwise.”

  Sally huffed loudly. “I thought you’d stopped blaming yourself for John Montgomery’s death. Whether you’d have been there that day or not, you couldn’t have prevented his horse from slipping and falling on him.”

  Trace fisted one hand at his side, and raked his fingers through his hair. “Dammit, Sally!” he nearly shouted. “If I’d have done what he told me and left Missoula with him when he said it was time to go, his accident wouldn’t have happened. Because of me, he had to deal with three additional horses to the one he was riding. If I had been with him, things would have played out differently.”

  He turned away from his sister, staring at the dark wall. The events of that day replayed in his mind as if it had happened yesterday. He’d gone off into town with a couple of the wranglers from the ranch where John had purchased three new broodmares, telling his boss he’d be back before it was time to leave. John had told him he was heading back to the Red Cliff soon, and had instructed him to stay put. Trace had ignored him.

  Ever since overhearing a conversation between John and his father several months prior that had involved him and John’s pesky little daughter, Trace’s rebellious streak had grown. Anger that the two men were plotting behind his back had eaten away at him. What right did they have to plan his future?

  He’d been too young and ornery at the time to realize that John had always had his best interest in mind. His defiance had only gotten worse in response to what he’d found out that day, and he’d refused to let anyone tell him what to do. He’d always respected his boss, and no matter what kind of trouble he’d gotten into, John Montgomery had come along to bail him out. John had tried to talk to him and explain the situation, but Trace had refused to listen.

  When John had asked him to go along to Missoula to pick up several new broodmares, Trace had gone begrudgingly. After they’d had that argument, Trace had stormed off with some of the other young wranglers. When he’d returned from town, John had already left. By the time Trace had caught up to him, his boss lay dying in the middle of the dirt road, his horse off to the side with a fractured leg. Apparently, something had spooked one of the mares, and the rest of the horses had panicked as well.

  Trace had leapt from his horse and dropped to his boss’ side. “I’m gonna ride for help, John, just hang on.” Trace’s voice had trembled, his pulse pounding at his temples.

  John had reached his hand up, his eyes glazed over with pain. Trace had leaned over him to hear his whispered words, “I’ve always believed in you, son, that’s what you overheard when I was talking to your pa. I know you need to make your own way in life and be your own man. I’ve never meant to keep you from that.”

  “I’m sorry, John.” Tears had filled Trace’s young eyes, his voice cracking. “I should have listened to you earlier. This is all my fault.”

  John had gripped him by the arm, an almost urgent look in his eyes. “I would never force you to do something you don’t want to do, but please, make me one promise.”

  “Anything,” Trace had said hastily, swiping at his eyes.

  “Look after her, Trace. Look after Katie. I know my wife won’t have her best interest at heart when . . . the time comes. Whatever you decide, just . . . make sure she’s happy.”

  John Montgomery’s voice had faltered. He’d inhaled a shallow breath and moaned. No doctor could have saved him. A slow smile had come over the older man. His grip loosened. “Give her . . . Goldfinder’s last foal, and . . . look out for her . . .” His eyes had stared into nothing, and his arm dropped away.

  Trace had sat in the dirt, crying like he’d never cried before. He’d stared skyward, anger making his body tremble.

  “I promise you’ll have that Derby winner someday, John,” he’d croaked, placing his hand over his employer’s heart. “And . . . I promise I’ll look out for Katie.”

  “Trace?”

  Sally’s hand on his arm brought his head around to her. She smiled at him tentatively.

  “I know some ignorant folks blamed you because you were a trouble-maker back then,” she said quietly. “But everyone respects you now. You’ve done great things here at the Red Cliff, especially after Pa died.” She laughed softly. “This place would have gone to ruin without you. Chantal is well aware of that.”

  Trace ran a hand over his face. He forced a weak smile. Hadn’t he left his guilt behind years ago? Now that Katie was back, it had resurfaced. It had been easy to forget the promise he’d made to a dying man while Katie was gone, but now, the responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders. And, it was worse because he had feelings for John’s daughter. Real feelings, not because an idea had been planted in his juvenile head by men he admired.

 

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