what?”
“To be served, of course.”
She cracked an egg in the pan and grinned. “And you would’ve waited till hell freezes over.”
Chuckling, he drew her close, his hands familiar and warm as they spread across her denim-draped abdomen. “I suppose I would have.”
“Right!” Dear God, she sounded as breathless as a sultry summer night. “Unless you have something better to do, you can pour the coffee and butter the toast.”
“I do have something better to do.” He kissed her throat and ear. “Something much more important.”
Her chest constricted. “I think it’ll wait.”
“Slave driver,” he grumbled, but unwillingly released her to search in the cupboard for coffee cups.
“Second shelf,” she said, catching his glance. In that one heart-stopping moment, she read the love deep in his eyes.
“Thanks.”
Swallowing a thick lump forming in her throat, she turned back to the bacon sizzling noisily in the skillet.
They were just finishing the meal when Milly walked in, her arms laden with two sacks of groceries. “You found somethin’ to eat, did ya?” she asked, glancing at the table.
“Plenty,” Denver replied.
Tessa helped Milly unload the sacks. “By the way,” Milly said, stacking two loaves of bread in the bread box, “that attorney called yesterday afternoon.”
Denver’s head snapped up. “Ross Anderson?”
Milly nodded. “He said that he was sure they’d found your brother.”
Tessa’s heart nearly stopped. “Colton?”
“Where?” Denver asked.
Milly shrugged. “Said you knew about it.”
Dumbfounded, Tessa stared at Denver. Why hadn’t he mentioned that Colton had been located?
“I knew some private investigator thought he might have found Colton in Northern Ireland. But since I hadn’t heard anything in days, I figured he was wrong.”
“Doesn’t seem that way,” Milly said, glancing from Tessa to Denver and back again. “He said he’d call back tomorrow. He’s in court today.”
“Great,” Denver grumbled, his countenance changing. “Did he say if Colton was returning?”
“Nope. That was it.”
The phone jangled, and Milly answered it, then handed the receiver to Tessa. “Nate Edwards.”
Tessa’s nerves tightened. “Good morning,” she said, forcing a smile into her voice.
“Same to you. I’ve been thinking, and I’ve decided I want the stallion and those two mares—the black and the chestnut.”
“Both?” she repeated.
“If you’re willing to sell.”
She swallowed back the urge to tell him no, that she wanted to keep all three. “I am,” she said, though a pain slashed deep into her heart.
“Good. Now, I know the mares are both with foal, and I’ll buy ’em as such and keep the offspring, but if you’d rather, you can have the foals after they’re weaned. I’ll sell ’em back to you at a fair price.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“I’ll give you fifty thousand for the whole lot. I figure the stallion’s worth twenty-five and the mares in their condition are between twelve and thirteen apiece.”
She couldn’t argue. She’d already decided that she wouldn’t take less than forty; the extra ten thousand was a godsend.
“I’ll give you a couple days to think on it.”
“What was that all about?” Denver asked as Tessa slowly replaced the receiver.
“Nate Edwards has offered to buy Brigadier and the mares. It’s enough money for the down payment on this place.”
“And the rest?”
“The bank will loan the difference, I think,” she said, sitting carefully in the nearest chair. Now that her dream was so close, almost in hand, she was scared.
“And Colton’s been found.” Denver didn’t smile as he stared at her. “It looks, Ms. Kramer, as if you’re on your way to owning a ranch.” The words were said without malice, but there was an empty note in his voice. Denver finished his coffee, placed his dishes in the sink and turned toward the door. “I think I’ll get cleaned up and drive into Helena. Maybe I can catch Ross when he gets out of court.”
“I don’t suppose you’d want company?” Tessa asked boldly.
His eyebrows shot up. “Don’t you have things to do around here?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Mitch and Dad can handle everything. We may as well give them a trial run, don’t you think?” she added, ignoring the quizzical look on Milly’s face.
He grinned and drawled, “That might not be a bad idea. I’ll be ready to go in about twenty minutes.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“And I’ll tell your brother and father they’re in charge,” Milly said.
While Denver showered and changed, Tessa walked outside. The morning air was brisk, the grass still covered with dew. From his paddock, Brigadier whistled softly, tossing his head. Sunlight gilded his red coat as he hoisted his tail high in the air and raced around the fence with long, sweeping strides.
“You know this