Justice at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels Read Free Book Online Page B

friends—and enemies.”
    He smiled. “What makes you think I have enemies?”
    She smiled in answer as she smeared huckleberry jam on a piece of her toast.
    He watched her eat for a few moments. He liked a woman who ate well and said as much.
    “Does that line work on women?” she asked.
    He laughed. “Every time.”
    They finished their breakfast in the quiet of the upper mountain. She was right about it being peaceful up here. He liked it. But once winter came, all that would change. The parking lots would be packed, all the lifts would be running as well as the gondola. The mountain would be dotted with skiers and boarders, the restaurants and resorts full. He recalled the sounds of people, the clank of machinery, the array of bright-colored skiwear like a rainbow across Lone Mountain.
    Tanner had loved it when Big Sky took on its winter wonderland persona. He’d loved to ski, had started at the age of three like a lot of the kids who grew up in the shadow of Lone Mountain.
    With a start, Jordan found himself looking high up on the peak, remembering one of the last days he and Tanner had skied the winter of their senior year. Tanner had always been gutsy, but that day he’d talked Alex and him into going into an out-of-bounds area.
    They hadn’t gone far when Tanner had gone off a cornice. The cornice had collapsed, causing a small avalanche that had almost killed him.
    “Hey, man. You have a death wish?” Alex had asked Tanner when they’d skied down to find him half-buried in the snow.
    Tanner had laughed it off. “Takes more than that to kill me.”
    * * *
    “ I THOUGHT YOU’D BE HAPPIER down here,” Hud said as he opened the curtains in the sunroom. “You can leave the door open so you can see everything that is going on.”
    Dana shot him a look. Seeing everything that was going on was his not-so-subtle way of saying he wanted her to keep an eye on her sister.
    They’d all gathered around her bed after breakfast. Stacy hadn’t made any attempt to leave. Just the opposite, she seemed to be finding more things she wanted to do before she and Ella packed for the rest of their trip.
    “Is there any chance you could stay another day or so?” Dana asked her now as Stacy picked up her breakfast tray to take to the kitchen.
    Her sister stopped and looked up in surprise. Her face softened as if she was touched by Dana’s offer. “I’d love to. I can cook and help with the kids. Hud has this murder investigation—”
    “My deputy marshal is handling all of that,” Hud interrupted, shooting Dana a what-could-you-be-thinking? look. “Plus the crime techs are down from Missoula. I am more than capable of taking care of Dana and the kids and—”
    Dana had been holding Ella since finishing her breakfast. She quickly interrupted him. “Stacy, that would be great if you can. I know Hud won’t mind the help and I love having you and Ella here.”
    Her husband sent her a withering look. She ignored it and looked instead into Ella’s adorable face.
    “Is Auntie Stacy going to stay, Mommy?” Mary asked excitedly.
    “Yes, for a few more days. Would you like that?” Both children cheered.
    “Auntie Stacy is going to show us how to make clay,” Hank said. “You have to put it in the oven and then paint it.”
    Stacy shrugged when Dana looked at her. “I found a recipe on the internet. I thought they’d like that.”
    “That was very thoughtful,” she said and shot her husband a see?-everything-is-fine look. “I know Hud will want to check in with the murder investigation, and there are animals to feed.”
    He tried to stare her down, but Dana had grown up with three siblings. Having to fight for what she wanted had made her a strong, determined woman.
    “Fine,” Hud said as he left the room. “Stacy, if you need me, Dana has my number. I have animals to feed.”
    “He’ll check in with Liza,” Dana said. “He can pretend otherwise, but he won’t be able to stay away from this