Hazard

  Maggie shook her head. “Most nights she prefers to eat in her room in front of the television. We’ve been making bets among ourselves over whether or not she sleeps in her bed. I’m betting she just sleeps in the chair while the TV plays all night. In fact, I’ve got five dollars riding on the outcome.”

  Erin’s eyes widened. “Does everyone here gamble?”

  Maggie looked from Erin to Chance, before bursting into gales of laughter. “You see? I told you it’s contagious. Before I came here, I never thought about betting on anything. Now I’m getting as bad as the rest of you. I’m even making bets on Agnes.”

  At the look on Erin’s face, Hazard threw back his head and roared. “She’s right. Gambling is a way of life for the Wildes. But don’t worry. You can’t catch it in a single night.”

  “That’s a relief.” Erin was still shaking her head as she followed the others to the table.

  Ace strolled in just as they were taking their places. “I told you I’d make it in five minutes.” He settled his lanky body in the chair.

  “All right,” Chance muttered as they began to pass around platters of prime rib surrounded by fresh spring vegetables. “Let’s hear about McCormick. How did you manage to relieve him of four thousand?”

  “In a minute. Let me enjoy this first.” Ace buttered a biscuit and bit into it, closing his eyes in pleasure. “Mmm. Maggie, nobody can bake biscuits like these. I’ve been thinking about this all the way home from Colorado.”

  She merely grinned.

  He opened his eyes to find his two brothers glaring at him. “Okay. The details. You know how Big John McCormick thinks he’s a genius with a pool cue? Well, the first game, I let him run the table. It wasn’t easy, since I had to make it look like I was really trying while managing a near miss. The guy is so bad, I thought I might have to scratch, just to give him the game. But he squeaked by and took the first one. After that our hero was so blinded by ego, he had himself convinced that I didn’t have a chance. And after I beat him the second game, he went nuts and insisted we do double or nothing. From then on, he never had a shot.” Ace shook his head and helped himself to garlic potatoes. “I sure hope he’s better at running his mining operation than he is at gambling. Because he’s a lousy gambler. And a sore loser. But by the time I let him convince me to buy into his operation, he was smiling again. When I left him, Big John McCormick was one very happy man.”

  Hazard chuckled. “Just another day in the life of Ace Wilde.”

  “You bet.” Ace glanced at Erin, who was picking at her food. “Doc, if you don’t eat more than that, you’ll blow away in a good wind.”

  “I…” She blushed, embarrassed by the fact that she hadn’t understood a single word he’d spoken until now. That whole rambling description might as well have been given in a foreign language. Eight ball. Scratch. Run the table. These were expression that weren’t even in her vocabulary. “I’ve never had much of an appetite.”

  “That’s never been a problem in the Wilde family,” Maggie said with a laugh. “I’ve begun to think they’re human garbage disposals.”

  “We used to be.” Chance closed a hand over Maggie’s. “Now we eat only the best, thanks to you.” He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the palm.

  Seeing the love between them, Erin felt like a voyeur. No wonder they were hoping to build their own home.

  Hazard reached for the platter and helped himself to seconds. Watching, Erin wondered how these three men could eat so much and have such trim, muscled bodies. It was probably metabolism. They engaged in such hard, physical work, they needed all the fuel they could take in.

  “So, Doc, you’re here about all those dead calves. Have you figured out what caused them yet?”

  She shook her head. “My preliminary tests matched your brother’s. No bacterial or viral infection showed up in the serum samples.”

  “So, you think the calves were just too frail to survive?”

  “I don’t know what to think. But I think it’s safe to say they weren’t killed by bacteria or an unknown virus.”

  Maggie circled the table, filling cups with coffee, then passed around a tray filled with fruit tarts. “Did everyone leave room for dessert?”

  Ace tasted his, then rolled his eyes. “If anyone is too full, I’ll be happy to take your dessert off your hands.”

  He stared pointedly at Erin, until Hazard gave him a nudge. “Knock it off. Quit trying to intimidate our guest.”

  “Hey, you can’t blame a guy for trying.”

  Erin ducked her head and bit back the smile that played at the corner of her lips. Though she was still feeling out of her element in this rowdy family, she realized she was enjoying herself immensely. These three brothers were unlike any she’d ever met before. Brash. Funny. Irreverent.

  She thought about her own sedate childhood. Her father was a renowned physicist at Harvard. Brilliant and aloof. Her mother was an equally brilliant professor of English. A stern, serious woman who had expected, in fact demanded, that her daughter choose a profession that would do them proud.

  She’d toyed briefly with the idea of studying library science, since she loved books. To the painfully shy, sweet dreamer, fiction was far more palatable than real life. But in the end, it was her natural curiosity that won out. She wanted to know the what and why and how of things. And as she delved deeper into the research, the laboratory became a safe haven. There she didn’t have to deal with people. There, in the sterile environment of the lab, with its charts and graphs and data, she could be alone with her thoughts.

  Alone. It seemed to her that she’d spent her entire life alone, even when she’d been with her parents. Though it was completely unintentional, they had shut her out. They had room only for their work, to the exclusion of all else.

  It occurred to Erin that she had never eaten dinner in the kitchen. In fact, the only time she’d been allowed to enter was when she was home alone, and the housekeeper, Mrs. Kline, would take pity on the lonely little girl. Then Erin would be allowed to sit on a stool and sip tea with sugar, while Mrs. Kline and the cook, Hattie, would gossip about Hattie’s niece, Sara, who was, according to Hattie, marrying too high above her and, therefore, doomed to a life of misery.

  “So, Doc, what’s your next step?”

  Erin pulled herself back from her thoughts of home. “I offered to go with Hazard tomorrow and view the dead calves.”

  “Hey, that’s nice of you.”

  She smiled. “Actually, it’s selfish of me. As a laboratory researcher, I rarely get to work in the field. It should be quite an experience.” She blushed, remembering her reaction in the barn. “I only hope I don’t embarrass myself.”

  Hazard shook his head. “We’re just going to view the carcasses and take a few samples, so that we can run more tests when we get back. I’ll try to spare you as much blood and gore as possible.”

  Ace glanced at Erin’s clothes. “I hope you brought something more suitable than that for your field work.”

  The young woman looked embarrassed. “I was on my way home from a symposium at the university. Except for nightclothes, these are the only things I have with me.”

  Maggie eyed her. “I can loan you some jeans and a sweater. They might be a bit big, but you’ll be a lot more comfortable than you will be wearing that.”

  “You don’t mind?”

  “Not at all.” Maggie patted her hand before retrieving the coffeepot and topping off their cups. “Would anybody like seconds on dessert?”

  Erin watched in amazement as all three brothers helped themselves to more tarts.

  Afterward, when Maggie began to clear the table, Erin stood up to give her a hand.

  “Uh-uh.” Chance took the dishes from her hands. “You and Hazard can go in the great room and listen to more of Ace’s bull—” he caught himself in time “—war stories, while I help my wife with the dishes.”

  “But I’d like to help,” Erin protested.

  “No dice
.” He leaned close. “The truth is, this is the only way we can ever arrange to be alone. You’d be surprised at how cozy and intimate doing dishes can be.”

  Erin laughed as she followed Hazard and Ace from the room. But even before the door closed, she caught sight of Chance drawing Maggie into his arms.

  She felt a little thrill and found herself wondering just how it would feel to have a man so hungry for the touch of her, the taste of her, that he could hardly control himself.

  She had long ago resigned herself to the knowledge that such things were only experienced in fiction novels. In real life, people worked. They led productive lives. And if they were lucky, they found a measure of satisfaction in their jobs and in their relationships. To ask for more was to seek the impossible.

  “So, Doc.” Ace had seen the slight flush on her cheeks, and recognized what had caused it. For some strange reason it amused him to see someone so prim, so proper, that even the sight of two people in love could be cause for embarrassment. “How about an after-dinner drink?” He lifted a bottle of aged brandy from a glass shelf and removed the stopper.

  “All right. Just a little.”

  He poured three snifters, and passed them around.

  As she lifted the glass to her lips he asked, “Where are you from originally?”

  “Boston.”

  “Boston. Did you go to Haavaad?” He drew out the accent, knowing it would bring a smile to her lips.

  “As a matter of fact, I did.”

  “How did a Harvard grad end up in Wyoming?”

  She looked down at the glass in her hands. “It was as far as I could get from Boston.”

  As she sipped her brandy Hazard stared at her with a look of astonishment. Why would a woman leave the comfort of home and family and all that was familiar, to take a job on the other side of the country? Granted, it was a very good job. And the pay would probably afford her a comfortable life-style. But she would be completely alone. No family. No friends.

  He tried to imagine what his life would be like without his two rough-and-tumble brothers, who filled his days with such laughter, along with a great deal of irritation. How dull life would be if all he had to look forward to each day were rounds of endless chores. It was his family that nourished his soul and spurred him on to greater achievements. It was the sharp barb of his brother’s taunts, or the pat on the back at the end of a particularly tiring day, that helped him to face another day, to leap the next hurdle.

  But Dr. Erin Ryan was alone. By choice. Odd. But then, she was an odd little creature.

  Not his business, he reminded himself as he set aside his brandy to add another log to the fire.

  “This is a wonderful room. I can just imagine it filled to overflowing with people. Has that ever happened?”

  “A few times a year. Thanksgiving. Christmas. New Year’s Eve. We invite all the wranglers and their families to help us celebrate most holidays. And every year it used to be filled for our father’s birthday.” Hazard and Ace exchanged smiles. “Dad loved his birthday. Every year he used to throw himself one heck of a party. We’d have a barbecue, and everybody in Prosperous was invited. The women brought pot luck, and there was dancing in the barn.”

  “And fireworks,” Ace said with a laugh. “Our old man loved fireworks. The noisier the better.”

  “I’ll bet you didn’t call him your old man to his face.” Erin tasted her brandy.

  “Sure we did.” Hazard saw her look of surprise. “That isn’t meant as a term of disrespect. Our old man was the best father in the world. He knew it. And so did we.”

  Erin walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows and stared out at the countryside cloaked in shadow. In the distance the mountain peaks were touched with lavender. In her mind she was picturing her father. She had never called him by any affectionate nickname. It was always the formal father. “Everything seems so different here.”

  “Different?” Hazard watched her. “How?”

  She shrugged. “People are so much more casual. About their feelings. About their families.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with casual. Whether I say I had a terrific old man, or I loved my father, the meaning is the same. No more. No less.”

  “If you say so.” She kept her back to him, staring into the gathering darkness. “Everything’s so big out here.”

  “That’s because we aren’t hemmed in by buildings.” Hazard walked up to stand beside her. “You can look out and see something besides brick walls and parking lots.” His voice lowered. “Do you miss Boston?”

  She shook her head. “No. At least not the way I thought I would. The pace seems slower here. Maybe it’s because I’m not distracted by friends or family. But it’s more than that. There seems to be a connection with nature here, that’s not possible in the city. But especially a city like Boston. Everyone there is so…intense.”

  She handed him the half-finished snifter of brandy and felt the quick little rush of heat when their fingers touched. “If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to turn in now.”

  “Yeah. I’ll bet you’ve put in a pretty full day. You mentioned a symposium.”

  “At the university. I was on a panel. I’m…not very good at public speaking, so such things tend to drain me.”

  As she started away she paused, turned. “What time would you like to go see the calves? I wouldn’t want to hold you up.”

  “You can take your time in the morning. I have chores to see to before we can head on up to the herd. After morning chores, Maggie usually sends me off with a good breakfast.”

  “You’re lucky to have her. Good night, Hazard.” She turned away. “I’ll see you in the morning.” She looked beyond him to call, “Good night, Ace.”

  “’Night, Doc.”

  As she walked away, she could feel Hazard’s gaze burning into her back. It took all her willpower to keep from turning as she made her way to the guest room. When the door was closed, she took in a deep breath, wondering what had ever possessed her to stay here, when all her instincts had been shouting at her to leave and go back to her safe existence in the lab.

  Because, she reminded herself, she would never pass this way again. It was imperative, Professor Wingate had once said, to seize the moment. This might be her only opportunity to see how a real ranch operates. Once the year ended and she returned to Boston, she would always have these memories to take out and sift through.

  But there was, in fact, another, deeper reason—one she didn’t want to probe too deeply. Still, as she undressed and climbed between the covers, she was forced to admit it to herself in the silence of the room.

  She’d been reluctant to leave Hazard Wilde without the answers she’d come seeking. Not just because she enjoyed the challenge. But because he seemed unlike any man she’d ever known. It wasn’t just the fact that he was handsome and muscled from ranch chores. Though those could have been reason enough. She was, after all, a woman. She enjoyed a good-looking hunk as much as any woman. But she sensed that there was more to Hazard Wilde than that. She’d seen a goodness, a decency, that touched a chord deep inside her.

  As sleep overtook her, she was smiling. And wondering if she would feel that same thrill the next time he touched her.

  Just a room away, Hazard was doing some heavy thinking of his own.

  He’d decided to post guards around the herd, just in case there really was some predator attacking the calves. He’d ordered Peterson to have several of the wranglers patrol the perimeter of the herd until morning, with Cody heading up the first team and Russ Thurman taking the midnight-to-dawn group.

  To add to the precautions, he’d ordered samples taken of the water at the creek that ran through Peterson’s range, and samples of all food and water the herd came in contact with.

  He just hoped Dr. Erin Ryan would find something conclusive in tomorrow’s tests. His hands paused on the buttons of his shirt. Turning toward the window, he stared out into the darkness, wondering what it was about that odd little wom
an that tugged at him so. All his life he’d been attracted to women like himself. Women born to the soil, who were equally at home in the saddle or driving a four-wheel-drive truck. So what was it about this prim, shy, bookish woman that appealed to him?

  He didn’t know. And didn’t want to waste time trying to figure it out. Right now what mattered most was that she was his best hope of finding an answer to this puzzle. And the fact was he needed answers quickly, before the entire herd was lost.

  Chapter 4

  Hazard stepped into the kitchen and, out of habit, breathed deeply. The air was perfumed with cinnamon and apple, telling him that Maggie was baking one of her wonderful coffee cakes for breakfast.

  He poured himself a cup of coffee and wrapped his hands around the mug before draining it in several long swallows. Then he made his way to his room.

  Just before he reached his door, he caught sight of Erin standing in the guest bedroom, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

  For a moment he didn’t recognize her. The hair was the same. That neat little knot at the back of her head. And the round glasses, perched on her nose. But she was wearing skinny jeans and a turtleneck. On her feet were a pair of sturdy boots.

  She looked, at first glance, about sixteen.

  Maggie could be seen perched on the edge of her bed, watching her. From where he stood, Hazard could hear every word.

  “I just feel so…strange wearing a pair of jeans.”

  “Strange?” Maggie’s brow arched. “You mean you’ve never worn jeans before?”

  “No.”

  “Are you saying never?”

  “That’s right.”

  “But…” Maggie studiously closed her mouth, knowing she must look as astounded as she felt. “How did you get through life without ever wearing a pair of denims? What did you wear to school, Erin?”

  “Uniforms. I went to a private girls’ school. We wore navy-plaid jumpers with starched white blouses. The skirts had to be long enough to cover our knees.”

  “You’re kidding.” Maggie looked at her closely. “You aren’t, are you?”