Shadow Mountain

“Who’s that?” she demanded, scowling.

Danny’s little mouth tightened as he scowled back.

“This is Danny Fairchild, Cassie,” Stella answered quickly in a warning tone. “He’s going to be a guest at the lodge and you’ll want to make him feel welcome.”

“What if I don’t like him?”

Oh, no, thought Caroline. This could turn out to be a real nightmare.

“What’s not to like, honey?” her father asked as he motioned Cassie over to his side. “You’ve been complaining about not having anyone to go horseback-riding with you. How about it, son? Would you like to take a ride on one of Cassie’s Shetland ponies?”

As Danny’s scowl instantly faded, Caroline stiffened with sudden irritation. How dare this man make such an offer without knowing whether her son would be safe riding a horse—pony or otherwise.

Danny’s eyes were already sparkling with anticipation as he looked up at her. “Mom…?”

“We’ll see.”

“Spoken like a true mother,” quipped the man in leather trousers before Wes had a chance to say anything. As he stepped forward, he held out a pudgy hand. “Dexter Tate. Wes didn’t warn me that we were going to have feminine company or I would have shaved for the occasion.” He rubbed a growth of dark whiskers on his full cheeks and chin.

“Dexter thinks of himself as a ladies’man and we try to humor him,” Wes said with a chuckle. Dexter took a playful swipe at him and they both laughed like good friends who enjoyed ribbing each other.

Cassie had moved closer to Danny. “You want to go see my ponies?”

“Not now, Cassie,” her father said before Danny could respond. “It’s almost time for dinner.” He turned to Caroline. “I imagine it’s been a long day. Traveling is never easy.”

“Not unless you have a jet plane, helicopter and a slick foreign car,” Dexter quipped and added with pointed emphasis, “Not that Wes ever travels alone.”

“Cut it out, you two,” Stella said quickly, obviously wanting to change the conversation.

A tall, lanky youth with a tanned narrow face and longish unkempt dark hair appeared in the doorway. He was wearing cowboy boots, a Western shirt and low-slung jeans held in place by a leather belt with a huge silver and turquoise buckle.

“Come in, Shane,” Stella said with a wave of her hand.

“Cook says grub’s on. Come and get it,” he said as he ambled in with his hands in his pockets.

“Shane, that’s no way to announce dinner. I want you to meet Mrs. Fairchild. This is my seventeen-year-old son, Shane.”

“Nice to meet you,” Caroline quickly responded. “This is my son, Danny.”

Shane gave a quick bob of his head at the introductions and as if to ward off a lecture from his mother, he told Caroline, “I took your suitcases up to your rooms.”

She quickly thanked him and was rewarded with a fleeting smile that didn’t quite meet his light-brown eyes.

“Shane’s a big help around here,” Wesley said as he put his arm around the adolescent’s shoulders.

Caroline could tell that Shane was pleased with the attention. He ducked his head and shuffled his feet as if a little embarrassed by his uncle’s attention.

“Shane’s only going to spend a year here in Colorado before going to college,” his mother said quickly as if there might have been some heated discussion about it. “His late father would have wanted him to fill his shoes, being responsible and taking care of family business. That means some brain work and study.”

Caroline could tell from Shane’s expression that he’d heard this lecture before. His eyes darkened. The young man’s suddenly stiff posture hinted at an explosive emotion close to the surface.

Wes murmured, “Easy does it.”

There was something threatening and unsettling about Shane Wainwright. Caroline decided then and there to keep Danny as far away from him as she could.

Chapter Three

Caroline was relieved that dinner was a casual affair served in a square room that resembled a café more than a formal dining area. The walls were knotty pine and undressed windows with open shutters overlooked a rocky slope and the lake below. Small maple tables and chairs were scattered around the room with no sign of the traditional long table. She suspected the lodge’s main dining room was closed off when so few people were in residence.

Stella had told Caroline that usually only relatives and close friends made use of the lodge, but Wes invited business associates and acquaintances to be guests a few times during the year.

Wes and Dexter had stayed behind to finish their drinks and the only occupant in the room when Caroline, Stella and the children entered was a woman with graying dark hair and strong Spanish features sitting at one of the tables. Her dress was a bright, exotic print with a matching fringed shawl and a stream of different colored beads hung around her neck. Large silver hoops dangled from her ears.

“Nanny, here’s another kid,” Cassie exclaimed as she bounded over to her. Pointing a finger at Danny, she added with a frown, “I don’t like him much. Does he get to play with all my things?”

The woman slowly set down her cup and rose to her feet. She was tall with a rather regal posture. Caroline guessed her to be in her fifties.

“No, sit down, Felicia,” Stella ordered, but the woman remained standing as Stella drew Caroline forward. “I spoke to you about Mrs. Fairchild and her son being with us for a few weeks. Well, this is Danny. He’s the same age as Cassie.”

Felicia’s dark eyes narrowed and she seemed to stiffen as she looked at Danny. Caroline wondered if she had already decided that the boy’s presence spelled trouble.

“I’m sure having someone for Cassie to play with will be a help,” Stella told her.

Caroline spoke up rather defensively. “Danny’s preschool teachers have found him easy to manage. He plays well with other children. If there’s any problem, I’ll want to know about it.”

“Such beautiful brown eyes, round and clear,” Felicia said, her expression softening as she looked at him.

Cassie shook her finger at Danny in a warning manner. “You have to do as she says.”

Danny stuck his tongue out at the bossy little girl.

To Caroline’s surprise Felicia laughed deeply, her earrings jingling as she nodded. Apparently, Danny’s rejection of Cassie’s bossiness amused her. “He’s a nice boy. You bring him to my rooms. We’ll all play and learn together.”

“Good. That’s settled then,” Stella said, just as Wes and Dexter came into the room.

“Mmm. Smells good,” Dexter said. “I’m hungry as a bear. Grrrr,” he said patting his stomach as he made a play move for Danny. He laughed when Danny backed up and gave him a wide-eyed stare.

“That’s enough, Dex,” Wes said and motioned Caroline and Danny toward a built-in buffet along one wall. “We don’t stand on formality here. We serve ourselves except for drinks.”

“Wait for me at a table, Danny,” Caroline told him. “I’ll bring you a plate.”

The choices were unbelievable and Caroline decided there were enough steaming dishes set out to feed a harvest crew. She had a choice of chicken, roast beef or barbecue pork ribs. There were several vegetable casseroles and potatoes oozing with butter. A platter of fruit was about the only thing that didn’t shriek calories.

Caroline selected a piece of chicken, modest servings of two kinds of vegetables and sliced oranges for both her and Danny. Wes, Dexter and Shane were in line behind her, filling their plates to the fullest.

Stella and Cassie took their plates to the table where Danny was sitting and as Caroline followed, she noticed that Felicia had left. She wondered if it was the nanny’s habit not to eat with the family.

As the two men and Shane sat together at another table, a murmur of conversation and laughter filled the small room. Almost immediately, as if there’d been some kind of signal to the kitchen, a rather plump, redheaded woman in slacks and T-shirt came into the room to serve the drinks.