Cardwell Ranch Trespasser - By B. J. Daniels Page 0,59
back into the SUV. He tried Hud again. His call went straight to voice mail. Cussing under his breath, he headed for the interstate.
His thoughts were with Hilde. What Camilla’s aunt had told him had him scared.
“Even when she was a little girl, if another child had a toy she wanted, she’d take it from her,” Thelma Peters had said. “If that child got hurt in the process, Camilla was all the more happy for it. I remember one time scolding her for that behavior. She must have been four or five at the time. She and her family had come for a visit. Her father was often out of work. I’ll never forget the way she turned to look at me. I remember my heart lurching in my chest. I was actually frightened.”
Thelma had taken a moment, as if the memory had been too strong, before she continued. “That child looked at me and said, ‘She should have given the toy to me when I told her to. If she got hurt, it’s her own fault. Next time, she’ll give it to me when I ask for it.’”
“What about her mother and father? They must have seen this kind of behavior and tried to do something about it.”
Thelma had shook her head sadly. “I mentioned what I’d seen to my sister. Cynthia wasn’t a strong woman. She said to me, ‘Leave her be. Camilla’s just a child.’ Herbert? He smacked her around, then would hold her on his lap and pet her like she was a dog.” The aunt had wrinkled her mouth in disgust. “That child worked him. Cynthia was too weak to stand up to her husband or her daughter.”
“And Richard?”
“He idolized his sister, did whatever she wanted. The two were inseparable. I’m not surprised they were together in Montana when he died.”
“There’s a chance she killed him,” he’d told her.
Thelma’s hand had gone to her heart. “It is as if something is missing in her DNA. A caring gene. Camilla has no compassion for anyone but herself. I always wondered what she would do with Richard when she got tired of him.”
“If she was responsible, why did she want her parents dead?”
Thelma had looked away. “I have my suspicions, ones I’ve never voiced to anyone.”
“You think Herbert was abusing her?”
Her face had filled with shame. “I tried to talk to my sister. I even called Social Services. Herbert swore it wasn’t true. So did Camilla.”
“You think your sister knew and just turned a blind eye.”
“That’s why Camilla killed them both,” Thelma had said. “I saw that girl right after the police called and told me about the fire and that my sister and brother-in-law were dead. Richard? He’s crying his eyes out. Camilla? Cool as a cucumber. She waltzes into the house and asks me what I have to eat, that she’s starving. She sat there eating, smiling to herself. I tried to tell myself that we all grieve in our own way. But it was enough to turn my blood to ice.”
* * *
AS THE SUN sank lower behind the adjacent mountains, Dee and Hud reached a spot where aspens grew thick and green.
They reined in and climbed off their horses to walk to the edge of the mountain. This view was even more spectacular than the one she’d seen on the four-wheeler ride into the mountains.
“It’s so peaceful here,” Dee said, as she breathed in the evening. The air was scented with pine and the smell of spring. She hugged herself against the cool breeze that whispered through the trees. Shadows had puddled under them.
Unconsciously, she stepped closer to Hud as she thought of the bears and mountain lions that lived in these mountains. Hud seemed so unafraid of anything. She loved his quiet strength and wondered what her life would have been like if she’d had a father like him. Or even a brother like him.
As she glanced at him, she told herself that life had given her another chance to have such a man to protect her.
“Hud.” Just saying his name sent a shiver through her.
He looked over at her expectantly as if he thought she was about to say something.
She didn’t think. At that moment, she felt as if she would die if she didn’t kiss him. No matter what happened, it was all she told herself she would ever want.
The kiss took him by such surprise that he didn’t react at first. She felt his warm lips on hers as