Cardwell Ranch Trespasser - By B. J. Daniels Page 0,23

this through. Getting Hud would be hard enough. But what to do with Dana and the kids? Dana would have to go. So would the kids. She wasn’t interested in having them even come visit on weekends or summers.

She thought of Rick. Maybe he could be helpful after all. She was debating calling him to tell him they should talk, when she looked out and saw with a groan that Hud was saddling five horses.

“I see Hud has saddled a bunch of horses,” she said nonchalantly to her cousin over the screaming of the children. “Did you decide you could go on the ride with us after all?”

Dana smiled but shook her head. “I need to spend some time with my babies.”

“Then Mary and Hank are going?” She was amazed that she finally remembered their names. They were cute kids. If you liked kids.

“No,” Dana said with a laugh. “They’re too young for this ride.”

Just then the front door opened. She turned and was unable to hide her shock as Hilde came in duded out in Western attire. “Hilde?”

“Dee,” the young woman said. She hurried to Dee and took both her hands. “I am so sorry about yesterday. Can you ever forgive me?”

Even if she hadn’t been good at reading people, she would have seen through this apology. But out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Dana was smiling, buying into every word of it. The only gracious thing to do was pretend it was real.

“Hilde, you don’t need to apologize, really. I was so scared for you. I’m just glad you’re all right. It was such a freak accident.”

“Wasn’t it, though?” Hilde agreed. “Thank you for being so understanding. I told Dana I couldn’t wait until I saw you to tell you how sorry I was for thinking you had anything to do with my almost drowning.”

I’ll just bet. “Well, it’s good to see you looking so well today. Thanks for coming by.”

“Hilde’s going on the ride up to the lake with all of you,” Dana said.

It took all her effort not to show how that news really made her feel. Hilde was smiling as if she knew exactly what Dee was feeling right now. Apparently such a close call with death hadn’t taught Hilde anything.

“That’s great,” Dee said. “But I would think you’d want to stay home and rest today after what you’ve been through.”

“That’s what I told her,” Dana said. “But Hilde is tougher than she looks.” She smiled and gave Hilde’s arm a squeeze.

“I’m not so tough,” Hilde said to her friend. “Look at your cousin. She almost drowned yesterday, too, and look how she’s bounced back.” Hilde turned back to her. “Oh, Dee, that bruise on your cheek looks like it hurts. Did I do that?”

“I know you didn’t mean to,” Dana said quickly.

Ha, Dee thought. “So who else is going with us?” she asked just an instant before Hud came in the door with Colt Dawson right behind him and Rick bringing up the tail end. “Is anyone protecting Big Sky?” Dee asked. “It seems the entire force is right here.”

“The other two deputies are holding down the fort,” Colt said. “So don’t worry about the canyon being safe while we’re here with you.”

Dee swore silently as Hud asked if they were ready to go. “I can’t wait,” she said. Rick was more of a dude than she was. She hoped he got saddle sores.

As they all filed out to the saddled horses, she wondered what the trail was like to this Elkhorn Lake. Hopefully it wasn’t too dangerous. She would hate to see anything happen to Hilde. Let alone Rick. Horses were so unpredictable.

Before she mounted her horse, she surreptitiously picked up several nice-sized rocks and stuck them in her pocket.

* * *

COLT MADE SURE that he and Hilde stayed behind the others as they rode away from the ranch. He liked riding next to her. It was a beautiful Montana spring day. The air smelled of new green grass, sunshine and water as they followed the creek up into the mountains. Sun dappled the ground as it fingered through the pine branches.

“So tell me about Hilde Jacobson,” he said, as their horses ambled along. The others had ridden on ahead, but Colt kept them in sight in case anything happened.

“There isn’t much to tell,” she said. Then, as if realizing he really was interested, she added, “I grew up in Chicago. My father was a janitor, my mother worked