on.”
“No problem. What’s up? Something new with Cam?”
“No. My folks are already workin’ on gettin’ Cam transferred to the VA hospital in Cheyenne.”
“How’s he doin’? Have you talked to him?”
Colt frowned. “No. He ain’t talkin’ to nobody. Anyway, the good news is Macie had the baby about an hour ago. A boy named Parker. They’re both fine.”
“And you drove all the way out here to tell me that?”
“Yeah. No. Hell.” He paused. “The other reason I’m here is ’cause you left before I got to talk to you about something else.” Alone was heavily implied.
Dammit, she didn’t want to talk to Colt. She wanted to talk to Trevor and Edgard.
Trevor frowned. “Will this take long? ’Cause Chassie’s exhausted.”
“Not to mention she’s injured and she needs to get some rest,” Edgard said.
“Won’t take long at all.”
“We’ll be back in about ten minutes, baby.” The men headed to the machine shed.
“Trevor’s real protective of you, ain’t he?” Colt said.
“Yeah.”
“So’s Edgard.”
She squirmed, not sure how much she should reveal.
“That’s good, Chass. Real good. You’re lucky you’ve got two good men watchin’
out for you. You deserve it. Don’t ever let nobody tell you otherwise.”
Chassie’s stomach pitched in a mixture of fear, exhaustion and emotional turmoil.
“Colt, why are you here? What’s really goin’ on?”
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Colt took off his hat, crumpled it in his hands and looked over Chassie’s left shoulder. “Last night when we were talkin’ in Ma’s sittin’ room, something you said started to bug me.” Colt ran his fingers through his hair before he settled his cap back on his head.
“It’s been eatin’ me up all damn day, that’s why I followed you out here. The only excuse I can give you for forgettin’ is that…well, I was a drunk. There’s a whole helluva lot I don’t remember.” Colt reached in his inside jacket pocket and shoved an envelope at her. “Here.”
“What is this?”
“Open it and I’ll explain.” Colt jammed his hands in his front pockets and rocked back on his heels.
Chassie loosened the flap, reaching inside the envelope for a piece of paper. She pulled it out, gaping at it before she glanced up at her cousin in complete shock. “What the hell? This is a check for twenty-five thousand dollars!”
“I know. It’s ah…yours.”
“Mine? What? It can’t be.”
“It is. The money belonged to Dag. Over the years he, ah, sent me some of his rodeo winnings too.”
Skeptical, Chassie said, “Oh really?”
“Uh-huh.” Colt focused on the upper bedroom window above the porch—anywhere besides her face. “See, Dag and I were gonna…start a bar when he retired from the circuit. He knew if he kept the money with him or in his bank account where he could access it, it’d be gone in a New York minute. So he mailed it to me and I deposited it for him.”
“And you just remembered this?”
“Only when you mentioned the bank account Uncle Harland didn’t know nothin’
about, I realized I probably was supposed to’ve been puttin’ the money in there. Instead I deposited it in my own account.” Restless, Colt shifted his stance and studied the tips of 286
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his boots. “An honest oversight and one I’m sincerely sorry about. So since Dag is dead, I figure the money is yours now.”
“Bullshit.”
Colt finally looked at her. “Excuse me?”
Chassie whapped him in the chest with the envelope. “Is it a coincidence this just happens to be the exact amount of money we need to guarantee a bank loan for Gus’s land? And isn’t it another coincidence you just happened to remember my brother—who never had two nickels to rub together—gave you exactly the same amount of money to squirrel away for him?”
At least Colt had the decency to look sheepish.
Pride caused Chassie to snap, “I don’t want charity. Especially not from the McKays.” She stuffed the check in his outside coat pocket and spun on her heel, humiliation vibrating in every fiber of her body.
Lightning fast, Colt stepped in front of her. “Hey, now, wait a darn minute and listen to me.”
“No way. I am so pissed off at you right now, Colt McKay, it isn’t even funny.”
“Hear me out. Please.”
Chassie glanced up at him. The last time she’d seen him so distressed was after he’d heard Dag died. Pain and regret and…tears? shimmered in Colt’s bright blue eyes.