Mei’s jaw dropped. “You think I got whatever I wanted, on some silver platter? Or that my life here was happy?”

Jack hadn’t meant to insult her, but from the mixture of hurt and defensiveness in her eyes, apparently he had. “Sorry.”

She shifted uncomfortably. “Me, too. Coming back here has made me … oversensitive, or something,” she added.

She headed out the door, and without another word, she strode down the hallway with her heels clicking against the floor in a rapid staccato beat.

He watched her go. Five more sessions in her classroom meant five more opportunities to see if he could get past Mei Clayton’s prickly defenses. Did she have a warm heart hidden behind all of that armor?

Rocky Mountain Heirs: When the greatest fortune of all is love. The Nanny’s Homecoming—Linda Goodnight July 2011 The Sheriff’s Runaway Bride—Arlene James August 2011 The Doctor’s Family—Lenora Worth September 2011 The Cowboy’s Lady—Carolyne Aarsen October 2011 The Loner’s Thanksgiving Wish—Roxanne Rustand November 2011 The Prodigal’s Christmas Reunion—Kathryn Springer December 2011

Dear Reader,

I hope you have been enjoying each month of the six-book Love Inspired Rocky Mountain Heirs series, which began in July and will end in December 2011. Five of my favorite authors are a part of this series, and they were all absolutely wonderful to work with!

The Loner’s Thanksgiving Wish is a story that spoke to my heart. It deals with the problems of fitting in and of being different, and the fresh perspective one can have if they return home later, a little older and wiser. It also is the story of two people who were deeply attracted to one another back in high school but who never would have had a chance to be together back then, given their family circumstances. How many of us have wondered about the special gal or guy we knew when we were young?

I love to hear from readers! You can contact me by snail mail at P.O. Box 2550, Cedar Rapids, IA, 52406; through my website at www.roxannerustand.com; or at my blog (the All Creatures Great and Small place) at http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com.

Take care, and God bless!

The Loner’s Thanksgiving Wish

Roxanne Rustand

www.millsandboon.co.uk

“For know that I have plans for you,” declares the

Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.”

—Jeremiah 29:11

With thanks and appreciation

to all of the wonderful authors who were

part of the Rocky Mountain Heirs series.

Chapter One

Mei Clayton veered off the trail near the summit of Belle’s Peak, found the edge of the cliff where she’d often picnicked as a teenager and surveyed the panorama of rugged ranching country below.

To the west, shadowed by the massive, snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains, lay the distant, rustic cowboy town of Clayton, Colorado. Her hometown, named after a great-grandfather she’d never met. The last place she wanted to be.

Especially for an entire, interminable year, though that’s exactly what she had to do, thanks to a stipulation in her grandpa George’s will.

A year—but not one day more.

Mei and each of her five cousins all had to comply, or none would receive a single penny. And though Mei would have preferred to continue teaching in San Francisco, she just couldn’t let the others lose out on the inheritance some of them badly needed.

Delaying her inevitable, awkward arrival, she’d parked along the highway to hike one of the easier trails in this part of the Rockies, just to savor one of the few good memories she’d kept close to her heart during her years away.

Maybe she’d never felt accepted by the Clayton family, but she’d loved every moment that she spent hiking and climbing these rugged peaks.

Yet even up here, she hadn’t found a sense of solitude and peace. The snow-dusted trail offered an easy climb and breathtaking vistas, and she’d already run into several other local hikers taking advantage of the bright sunshine on this first weekend of November.

She’d hoped to do a little climbing and had brought her gear in a backpack. But the snow was deeper at this higher elevation, and she needed to turn back. Get in her car. And face her return to the town she’d so desperately wanted to leave as a teen.

Though it was her impending conversation with her widowed mother that truly had her stomach tying itself in a tight knot. How would Mom react when she heard the news about her son? Lucas had been in a few scrapes when he was a teenager, but nothing like the one he was in now.

At the sound of voices and the merry jingle of bear bells, she stopped at one side of the trail to let a pair of hikers pass.

One of them continued on, but the girl pulled to a stop. “Mei?”

Mei looked up in surprise at the pretty teenager standing in front of her in a puffy pink down jacket and jeans. “Jasmine?”

Her cousin Arabella’s ward tucked a long strand of silky brown hair behind her ear, her eyes sparkling. “What are you doing back in Colorado so soon? We didn’t expect you until Christmas.”

Warmed by the girl’s obvious happiness, Mei felt some of her tension ease. “I … had a change of plans.”

“Well, I think it’s great you’re here. Arabella has been looking forward to you living in town again, and now you’ll be here in time for the wedding!”

“Whose?” Mei recalled her mother’s last email—a rare event in any case—that had mentioned the latest romance involving Jasmine’s foster mother, and smiled. “Arabella and Dr. Turner? Already?”

A flash of confusion crossed the girl’s face. “Mine. You didn’t hear about it?

“Yours?” Mei asked faintly.

Jasmine had lived with Arabella for a couple years and had graduated from high school this past spring. Maybe she was of legal age, but …

“We’re getting married on Christmas Eve.” Jasmine’s smile widened as her hiking partner turned back to join her. “You remember Cade, right?”

“Cade Clayton?” A flood of memories rushed through Mei as she stared up at the handsome young man in a denim jacket and jeans looping an arm protectively around Jasmine’s shoulders.

Oh, she remembered Cade, all right. Years ago, his mother had married Mei’s infamous uncle Charley.

Memories flooded back from the day when Mei was getting her hair trimmed at the Hair Today beauty salon and Cade’s mother happened to be sitting in the next chair.

Lorelei freely admitted she’d picked the wrong branch of the family tree and definitely the wrong man.

She’d claimed the only good thing that came out of her marriage was little Cade … but she was sure glad that at least her older son Jack was no blood kin to the Claytons.

Mei had been all ears because, at the time, she’d been in the throes of a long and futile high school crush on Jack—one of the more embarrassing points in her life.

Even after ten years she felt a blush warm her cheeks. He’d been way out of her league. She’d known it from the start, but the humiliating whispers among her classmates about her foolish crush had been even more painful. Her cousin Vincent had been the worst—no surprise there. His relentless taunts had felt like jabs of a knife to her heart, and she was still sure that he’d been the one to start the cruel gossip in the first place.

Cade had just been a little guy when Mei and Jack were in high school, and she hadn’t seen him since. Now built like a football player, only his tawny hair and warm brown eyes were familiar.

He gave a low, self-conscious laugh. “I guess the last time you saw me I was starting grade school.”

Mei laughed. “If that.”

“Weren’t you in high school with my brother?” “Um … yes.”

When a few drops of sleet hit Jasmine’s cheek, she batted them away with her fluffy white mittens. “Maybe we’d all better get moving. Cade and I want to make it up to the first waterfall, and then we’re heading back to town.”

Mei eyed the slate-gray clouds crawling over the mountain peaks. “Are you sure? Maybe you’d better start down with me.”

“Nah—just a few minutes more.” Jasmine patted the pocket of her light jacket. “I want to take some pictures up there. I hear it’s like a wintry fairyland, with those shimmering icicles covering the trees from the spray of the falls. It might be good as a background for the cover of our wedding programs.”

“W-wedding programs?” Mei felt her jaw drop. So the girl was really serious about this.

Jasmine’s smile turned radiant. “Won’t it be pretty?”

Mei belatedly remembered to snap her mouth shut. “It … it certainly will.”

What were these two thinking? And why hadn’t the adults in their lives tried to steer them away from such a huge commitment right out of high school?

Cade grinned, obviously reading her expression. “We got the same reaction from everyone else at first, too. But we’re certain, and we’re ready. And we’re already planning to go on to college, believe me.”

“We have to hurry off right now,” Jasmine added apologetically. “But maybe you can come over to Arabella’s sometime to hear all the details.”

“I’ll do that, I promise.” Mei managed a weak wave as the two of them started back on the path.

What they decided to do was hardly her business, after all. Neither of them were a relative of hers. And it’s not like my own choices brought me happiness, either, she thought as she took a deep breath and surveyed her surroundings.

Even with the darkening clouds, it was a perfect day. And how could it not be when she was surrounded by God’s perfect glory in every towering mountain peak, in every call of a Pine Grosbeak and its mate from the top of the Engelmann spruce towering overhead?

Quiet joy started to bubble up inside her as she made her way down the path. Adopted from China as a baby, she’d always felt like an outsider in both her extended family and this small ranching community where no one else looked like her. With a stern father and a cool, distant mother, there hadn’t been much warmth and connection with her immediate family, either, except with her younger brother, Lucas.

But she’d been gone a long time. She was grown up now; stronger and more mature. And she now realized that she was as much at fault as anyone if she hadn’t been well accepted as a child. Painfully shy and withdrawn, maybe she’d seemed standoffish.

Perhaps this move back home wouldn’t be so bad, after all. Maybe it would even bring an opportunity for her to truly connect with her mother and extended family, and finally feel accepted as one of the Claytons—something she’d longed for all her life.

Mei was startled out of her daydream by a bloodcurdling scream that tore through the air, followed by the deafening sound of boulders crashing down a slope. The crack of trees splintering. And then a deathly silence fell.

Jasmine? Mei spun on her heel, terror grabbing her by the throat as she raced in the direction of the scream and pulled to a stunned halt.

A few dozen yards up the trail, a raw, gaping crater at least ten feet across had been gouged out of the edge of a cliff where there’d been a trail just minutes before. Cade and Jasmine were nowhere to be seen. Had they dashed past the crumbling ground in time?

She grabbed a sturdy pine branch and looked over the edge. Please, Lord, let them both be safe. “Jasmine! Cade!”

No one answered.

There was barely a haze of snow on the floor of the ravine below, and a cloud of dust still boiled upward, obliterating the view of the bottom.

Wherever it was.

“Wow,” a woman exclaimed. “If we’d come down the trail a few seconds earlier we would’ve been caught in that landslide.”

Her heart hammering against her ribs, Mei tore her gaze from the bottom of the ravine and stared at the two women who had materialized on the other side of the trail.

Mei closed her eyes for a brief moment and said another silent prayer. “There were two hikers here a minute ago—a teenage girl and her boyfriend. Did they pass you?”

The women exchanged glances, then shook their heads, their eyes widening with horror as they moved closer to the edge.

Mei waved them back. “The rest of this area could be unstable. Stay over by those trees.”

The taller woman paled. “It sounded like thunder when the cliff gave way.”

A wave of dread curled through Mei as she scanned the bottom of the ravine.

Falling boulders had carved deep, raw gouges in the steep walls of the ravine. Even now, smaller rocks were shifting and falling. From somewhere far below came the sound of pebbles skittering down the cliff.

A massive boulder big as a car broke free, vibrating the ground beneath her feet as it bounced down the rocky wall and catapulted in slow motion out into the dust-filled emptiness. The distant explosion of shattering rock at the bottom shook the earth.

“Cade! Jasmine!” Mei shouted their names over and over, straining to hear a response. Please, God, let them be safe. They’re just so young. They could well have been in the path of that last boulder, though if they’d survived their fall, it would be amazing.

Jerking off her backpack, Mei checked the reception bars on her cell phone. No Service flashed on the screen, dashing her hopes. There was no time to run for help. She needed to get to the bottom of that ravine without delay.

She looked up at the ghost-white faces of the other two women. “There’s an emergency phone in the shelter at the base of the trail. Tell the ranger to call for help. We need a rescue team with climbing gear—be sure to tell them that. And we’ll need an ambulance, too.”

The two hikers stood frozen for a split second, staring at the place where there’d once been a trail.

“Go!”

Jarred into action, they gave the rockslide wide berth and raced away down the trail.

Mei dumped the contents of her backpack on the ground. First aid kit. High-energy bars. Several water bottles. Leather gloves. The bright orange coils of her favorite old Mammut climbing rope and a handful of carabiners in a Ziploc bag.

She’d done a lot of climbing up here as a teenager, and she’d continued the sport in the mountain ranges in the Southwest. Her climbing gear had been the first thing she’d packed for her move back to Colorado.

Now, she looked heavenward and murmured a quiet “thanks” for the impulse to stop and hike this particular trail on her way home.

But was her rope even long enough?

She didn’t have enough length to rappel down with a belay device to control her descent, so it would have to be a far more dangerous drop—hand over hand down a single length of rope anchored near the top of the cliff.

Swirls of dust still eddied at the bottom of the ravine. Where were Cade and Jasmine … beneath that boulder, or under the landslide that had sucked them off the trail?

She tied one end of her rope to a stout pine trunk and threw the coils over the edge, then shouldered her backpack. From somewhere far below came a faint cry for help.

Mei’s heart leaped with joy. At least one of them was alive and conscious—and that meant there was hope for both. Thank you, God! She donned her leather gloves, then lowered herself over the edge and started down. Another faint cry for help echoed through the ravine.

“I’m coming,” Mei shouted. Her heart pounding against her ribs, she slowly lowered herself hand over hand. “Hang on.”

“Mei—over here,” Jasmine yelled. “Hurry. C-Cade’s hurt.”

And there she was, on a long, narrow ledge hidden from view from the cliff above by a clump of vegetation.

At the last five feet of her rope, Mei clung to the rough, rocky wall and sparse vegetation to descend the final fifteen or twenty feet.

“I’m so glad you’re here with me,” Jasmine cried.

“And I’m glad to be here.” The teenager was scraped and battered from her fall, with deep red bruises that would turn black by tomorrow. But she was alert and coherent, praise the Lord. Her face white as chalk, she held Cade’s head cradled in her lap, holding a blood-soaked athletic sock against his temple. He wasn’t moving. “Has Cade been awake at all?”

“N-no.” Tears spilled down Jasmine’s grimy cheeks as she watched Mei shrug off her backpack and pull out an emergency first aid kit. “I was afraid nobody would c-come. A-and it would g-get dark, and c-cold, and Cade w-wouldn’t have a chance.”

“Take a slow, deep breath, honey. I’ve already sent for help. A rescue team is going to get both of you out of here in no time.”

Any rescue attempt wasn’t going to be easy, though. It was more than a hundred feet to the top, with no trails in sight for a rescue team with a stretcher. The ravine was too deep and narrow, with multiple overhanging ledges, to bring in a helicopter.

Even if a copter dropped a basket, the slightest wind up top could send the litter swinging wildly against the narrow vertical rock walls on either side.

The best chance would be to hike out following the creek bed—if it led to easier access within a reasonable distance and not a dead end.

Mei closed her eyes briefly, bringing her last CPR and first aid training session into sharp focus. She knelt at the boy’s side and timed his erratic respirations. She checked his pulse—weak but steady.

“He’s breathing,” Jasmine whispered brokenly. “I keep feeling for his pulse. He fell so hard. H-he was trying to save me from falling when the ground buckled. I got caught in some bushes that slowed my fall, but C-Cade …”

Mei eyed the sock pressed against the boy’s temple, then searched through her first aid kit for a roll of bandaging. “Smart thinking, Jasmine. I don’t want to risk disturbing the clotting of that wound, so we’ll leave that cloth there and overwrap it with this gauze to keep the pressure steady.”

She looked up and gave the girl an encouraging smile as she wound the bandage around Cade’s head several times and pressed the end of the bandage in place. “This material sticks to itself, so it should hold well. But I’m going to ask you to sit still and not jostle his head, okay?”

“I’m scared, Mei.” Jasmine’s voice quavered.

“Head wounds always bleed a lot, so he might be just fine otherwise. But he could have a bad concussion, and if he has got any spinal injuries we don’t want to take a chance.”

Jasmine nodded, her lower lip trembling and her eyes filling with fear. “M-maybe I hurt him already, just trying to make him comfortable.”

Maybe, but it was done. And trying to keep Cade stable while managing a hysterical girl wouldn’t do either of them any good.

“You’ve done your best—and if you hadn’t thought so fast, he could’ve lost a lot more blood.”

Mei began a careful head-to-toe exam, gently palpating the unconscious boy for obvious fractures and searching for other wounds. The ugly dark bruising and swelling of his right ankle didn’t look good. His jacket and sweatshirt were torn, revealing multiple lacerations and bruising on his ribs and shoulders.

Using sterile four-by-four gauze squares and the roll of bandaging material, Mei wrapped his wounds.

Jasmine kept her gaze fixed on his face. “I love you so much, Cade,” she choked out. “You have to be okay because you and I are going to grow old together. You can’t leave me now. You just can’t.”

Mei lifted his eyelids, checking for even pupil reactions. Was the right one more sluggish? Hard to tell, in these shadows, and she wished she had a flashlight. But if the pupils were uneven, what could she do? The first aid kit was the extent of what she had to work with.

And what worried her the most was his lack of responsiveness. A head injury could easily be fatal. Even now, his brain could be swelling.

And his spine …

Mei said a long, silent prayer as the minutes ticked by, then kept up a steady patter of small talk to distract Jasmine.

A half hour passed.

Then another.

Blood still seeped through the makeshift bandages. Noticing it was worse at Cade’s temple, Mei added another layer of bandaging, then applied gentle pressure.

Shouts of excitement erupted from the top of the cliff.

“They’re almost here!” a woman shouted. “Three county rescue guys!”

Jasmine closed her eyes and sighed with obvious relief. “Thank you, God. I’ve been praying this whole time for help to get here.” Her gaze shot up the sides of the ravine. “But how—what can they do?”

“This is their job, honey,” Mei said with more confidence than she felt. “They do this sort of thing all the time.”

In minutes, one man in sunglasses, a dark jacket and a COUNTY SEARCH & RESCUE–emblazoned backpack quickly rappelled down into the ravine, while the other two rescuers stayed at the top and watched, presumably awaiting directions.

Relief and gratitude welled up in Mei’s chest until she was barely able to speak. “Thank you, thank you,” she finally managed, fighting back the sting of tears in her eyes as the first man reached them. “I’m so glad—”

Her next words froze in her throat when she realized just who he was … and, with the next heartbeat, recognized the tragic irony of him being the first one on the scene.

Although he was all too familiar to Mei now that he’d removed his shades and black ball cap, he didn’t even glance her way because his attention was riveted on Cade.

He was all business, pure professional skill, as he hunkered down next to the injured boy. Working rapidly, he opened up his duffel bag and withdrew a stethoscope and portable blood pressure cuff, donned vinyl gloves, then began a careful exam.

But she’d seen his split second of hesitation.

The shock in his eyes.

And the way he’d blanched before throwing himself into EMT mode. Of all the people in the world to answer this call, Jack McCord had shown up. And Cade was his half brother.

Chapter Two

From the moment he reached the ledge, Jack riveted his attention on the still form of his brother.

Jasmine looked up at him. “I c-can’t believe you’re here,” she whispered, her voice laced with panic. “Can you help him? Please—” “Just hold his head steady. Don’t move. And be quiet, honey.”

Shoving aside his own whirlwind of emotions, Jack pulled on his vinyl gloves and forced himself into professional mode. He swiftly checked Cade’s vitals, relaying the data to the emergency room staff at the small local hospital through the cell phone headset on his ear.

Breathing—shallow but steady.

Pulse—regular.

Blood pressure—a hundred over sixty-eight. Skin—cool and dry.

Pupils—uneven, the right more sluggish than the left. Unresponsive.

Slight signs of shock, with a possibility of internal injuries and a head injury.

But thank you, Lord. Cade appears stable. Jack quickly checked him for bleeding and found he’d already been capably bandaged, then he searched for obvious fractures. Finally, rocking back on his heels, he listened to the E.R. doctor, disconnected and called his team members waiting at the top of the cliff.

He pulled a reflective foil blanket from his backpack and tucked it around Cade, then gently rested his hand against his brother’s cheek. “Cade—can you hear me?”

No response.

A heavy fist clamped down on Jack’s heart as his thoughts raced through a litany of fears for his only brother. Internal injuries could be hemorrhaging unseen. He could have sustained a serious brain injury or damage to the spinal cord. He’d fallen more than an hour ago. If he wasn’t responding right now, what were the chances of an extended coma … or death? Lord, please take care of him. Please keep him safe in Your hands—let his injuries be minor, and please, please help him heal. “How is he, Jack?” Jasmine’s voice shook. “I’m so scared for him.”

Whatever his own fears, inciting panic at this point wouldn’t do anyone any good. He considered his answer carefully. “I don’t see any significant external wounds. At least, he isn’t bleeding through any of the bandages so far. And I haven’t found obvious fractures. Of course, Cade isn’t awake to tell us where he hurts most, and I’m not a doctor. I also don’t have a radiologist’s X-ray report in front of me. We’ll have answers soon, though.”

Desperate hope flared to life in Jasmine’s eyes. “So that’s good?”

“Yes, it is. And his heartbeat, color and breathing are surprisingly steady given what he’s just been through.” Trying to stay positive in light of the very serious possibilities made it hard to meet her earnest gaze.

“Then why doesn’t he wake up?” Tears trickled down her dirt-smudged cheeks.

“Maybe he just has a concussion and will be coming around soon.”

“What if it isn’t that? What if …” Her voice trailed off.

Jack sighed heavily and glanced toward the other woman, who had stepped away when he arrived and now stood at the far edge of the ledge with her head bowed, her long black hair veiling the side of her face. “I don’t have the answers. But we’ll have him out of here in no time, and the E.R. will be ready for him. They’ll figure everything out.”

She sniffled and backhanded the tears from her face. “I just can’t believe this happened, and it’s all my fault. If I had agreed to go back to the car instead of insisting on going up the trail …”

“But it isn’t your fault. A terrible coincidence, maybe, being at the wrong place at that very moment. But you couldn’t have predicted it would happen.” He studied her closely. “What about you? Looks like you need to be checked over, too.”

She lifted a cautious hand to her face. “Just a few bumps and scrapes. Maybe a little sprain of my wrist. It’s Cade who needs your attention. Not me.”

“You’ll still need to be seen in the E.R.” Her color had improved and she appeared to be calmer since he’d first arrived. He moved next to her, noting that her skin was warm and dry as he took her pulse and blood pressure. Both normal.

He gently bandaged a laceration on her arm, then examined her swollen wrist and wrapped it with a splint and a firm, supportive bandage.

“I’d guess that the doctor will want an X-ray of your wrist at the very least, and you might need some sutures.”

He slowly straightened and pulled off his gloves, then donned a clean pair as he returned to Cade and knelt at his side. He looked over his shoulder at the other woman. “And what about you, ma’am?”

She still stood facing away from him, her arms wrapped around her slender waist, but now she turned slowly toward him with a tentative expression. “Hi, Jack.”

He felt his jaw drop and his heart lurch against his ribs. If he’d discovered the Queen of England standing in front of him, he couldn’t have been more surprised. Just seeing her slammed him back to his tongue-tied teenage years.

“Mei? What on earth …”

Mei Clayton had always been pretty. Her delicate features and dark eyes had made her seem as exotic and untouchable as one of his mother’s porcelain figurines. But now, ten years after high school, she was no longer just pretty—she was beautiful. “I was hiking and had intended to do some climbing farther up the mountain.” She dropped her gaze to Cade’s still form. “I’m so glad I was close by with my climbing gear. When Jasmine and Cade fell, I did what I could.”

He’d seen her rope dangling down the face of the cliff, and didn’t even want to imagine such a fragile woman making that dangerous descent—especially because it was at least ten feet too short. One false move and she might have fallen to her death. “You are one brave woman. And you did a fine job with the first aid, too.”

“I just wish I’d had more rope for the trip down.”

He cleared his throat, still feeling a little stunned at running into her in such an unlikely place. “I’d heard that all of you had to be home by Christmas. What brings you back home so soon?”

Her expression clouded. “My brother is missing somewhere in the Everglades. I wanted to be here with my mom while we wait for news.”

“I’m sorry. I haven’t seen Lucas since I left for college, but I remember that he was always a capable guy … and very independent.”

“One of the reasons he and my parents didn’t see eye to eye. I hear he hasn’t even been back here since graduating from high school. Still, he managed to put himself through veterinary school, so I just know he’s going to be a success. If.” Her voice trailed off.

“Lucas is a resourceful guy.” Jack rechecked Cade’s blood pressure and pulse, then examined his bandages for any seepage. “I’ll bet your worries will be unfounded when he suddenly turns up one of these days.”

“I sure hope so.” She bit her lower lip, as if debating about saying more about her brother. “How long until Cade gets to the hospital?”

“The other two guys on the rescue team are looking for a good route for bringing him up. The EMTs and an ambulance are on the way. Maybe an hour?”

“Oh, that long,” she breathed. She rested a hand on Jasmine’s shoulder. “I guess we’d all better be praying then.”

Jasmine nodded. “Believe me, I already have.”

Jack held Cade’s hand as the ambulance bounced and swayed down the rugged mountain road toward town and listened to the steady beep of a monitor mounted on the wall. “He looks stable, right?”

Sue, the EMT who had chosen to ride in back, was sitting on the bench next to Jack. She glanced up at the screen and nodded. “From what I see, I think he’s doing well, all things considered. He’s one very lucky boy.”

“I just wish he would wake up.” Jack gave his brother’s hand a squeeze. “I haven’t seen him this quiet since he was a newborn—and that wasn’t for a very long stretch at a time.”

“I’m sure the docs at the hospital will be doing MRIs and X-rays to make sure he—” She peered at Cade’s face. “I think I saw his eyelids flicker. Cade, can you hear me?”

A moment later Cade’s eyelids fluttered, then opened halfway.

“You’re in an ambulance. You had quite a fall, cowboy.” Jack brushed a wayward lock of hair from Cade’s forehead, willing him to say something. Anything. When he didn’t, anxiety snaked through Jack’s stomach and began tying it into a tight knot.

The EMT leaned over so she could look directly into Cade’s eyes. “What’s your name?”

His brow furrowed, as if he were calling up a distant memory, before he finally silently moved his lips to form his name.

“Do you know where you are? What town you live in?”

He stared blankly at her.

“Do you know what day it is?”

Again, a blank look.

The EMT sat back on the bench. “The doctors will be checking him for a concussion. But it’s a really good sign that he’s waking up and that he’s at least oriented to his name.”

A good sign, maybe, but Jack longed to hear Cade’s voice. To hear him crack a joke—or even renew their old argument about Cade’s decision to marry so young. Anything that would show he hadn’t suffered a serious head injury.

“I’m here with you and I’m not leaving,” Jack reassured him. “We’ll make sure the docs fix you up good as new.”

But Cade didn’t answer, and Jack’s heart grew heavier with each passing mile.

Chapter Three

At the small community hospital, Mei sat with Jasmine in one of the exam rooms and listened to the bustle of activity several rooms away.

“We should hear something soon, honey,” she murmured, holding the girl’s trembling hand. “Don’t worry. So far the news has all been good, right? The doc doesn’t think you have any fractures or internal injuries. You’ll be out of here in a little while.”

During the past several hours, a nurse had been in to clean Jasmine’s scrapes and take a health history. Later, a doctor with Angela Kerber, M.D., embroidered on her lab coat provided an exam and several sutures to close a laceration. Results of the X-rays and the CT of Jasmine’s abdomen were due back anytime.

But Jasmine’s attention had been riveted on Cade since the accident, and she’d barely paid attention to the doctor’s words about her own condition.

“I don’t care about me. Cade is the one who fell the hardest. When are they going to tell me about him?” Clad in a thin exam gown and wrapped in a white cotton blanket, Jasmine sat at the edge of her gurney and shuddered. “Maybe … they’re afraid to let me know.”

“But he’s fully awake and talking now. So that’s a great sign. And we’re both praying for him, right? And I’m sure his brother is also.”

Jasmine glanced at the big white clock on the wall. “Arabella left for Denver this afternoon with her girls to see Jonathan. I just wish she could be here, too.”

“When will she be back?”

“N-not ‘til late this evening.” A tear slid down Jasmine’s cheek. “Wh-what if he doesn’t m-make it?”

Footsteps stopped just outside, and the curtain rustled. Jack cleared his throat. “All right if I come in?”

“Absolutely.” Her gaze lowered, Mei slipped out of her chair and made room for him to reach the side of Jasmine’s gurney.

Even without meeting his eyes, she was all too aware of his strong, muscular build—toned and refined and even more powerful than the boy she’d admired back in high school. He’d matured to a good six feet, with an aura of easy confidence that surrounded him. Did all of the local gals still hang on his every word, and bask in his trademark smile? That charming, sidelong grin had sure melted hearts back in high school.

She could personally attest to that.

“Thought I’d better come in and check on you two ladies,” he said, his voice low and warm. He bent down a little to meet Jasmine’s gaze straight on. “Cade is worried about you, so I told him I’d see how you’re holding up in here. Looks to me like you’re in fine shape. Any good news yet?”

Jasmine grabbed on to his arm with both hands. “I’m okay, but the nurses won’t tell me anything about Cade, and they wont let me go to him, either. Is it bad?”

“We’re still waiting for the results of his CT scans and X-rays. But so far, so good. He doesn’t seem to have any fractures, anyway.” He searched her face, and gently tucked a long strand of her hair behind her ear. “He cares a great deal about you, but you already know that.”

“Thank you, Jack. Please tell him that I’m fine. I just wish I could get out of this room and go to him.”

“I’m heading back to him right now. I’ll let him know.” Jack glanced over his shoulder at Mei and winked. “Keeping Jasmine here all this time must’ve been a challenge.”

A light, witty response would’ve been perfect.

Or a thoughtful expression of concern.

But now, feeling as awkward as she’d been back in high school, Mei could only summon a small shrug in return, and memories assailed her as she watched Jack leave the room.

“You two have known each other a long time, haven’t you?” Jasmine asked, giving Mei a curious look. “Like, did you two ever date?”

Surprised, Mei laughed. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

“He’s handsome. You’re pretty. You’re both nice and about the same age.”

Oh, the simple logic of youth—imagining that anything in the world was possible if only one wished for it. “No, we never did.”

Jasmine fidgeted on the gurney. “So tell me all about things back then. When Cade’s mother came to town and all.”

“Haven’t you and Cade talked about all of that already?”

Jasmine made a face. “His version. But guys skip all the good stuff.” “Good stuff?”

“The details.” She shot yet another impatient glance at the clock. “And the way things are going, we could be here forever.”

“So you’re bored and need a distraction. Okay … very well.” Mei pulled a chair closer to Jasmine and sat down. “This is a small town, and it was even more quiet ten years ago. Jack was a grade ahead of me, but I still remember the day he showed up at elementary school.”

“Love at first sight?” Jasmine teased.

Mei folded her arms over her chest. “Not then or now, young lady.”

“Please—go on.”

“His mother had just married my uncle Charley, and newcomers in school weren’t that common in this dusty ranching town back then. But although most new kids were withdrawn at first, Jack had a chip on his shoulder from the first day I saw him walk into Ms. Berkow-ski’s fourth-grade classroom. He made no effort to talk to anyone on the playground or anywhere else.” She released a breath. “Now that I’m a teacher, I realize he was probably trying to hide the fact that he was scared. He was facing a lot of changes in his life, with a new stepfather and a new school.”

Yawning, Jasmine swung her legs up onto the gurney and rested her head on the pillow. “Cade says Jack was mad about his mom’s marriage. He says Jack and Charley never got along.”

“I wouldn’t know about that. I just know that Lorelei’s marriage to Charley lasted only a few years—not much beyond Cade’s birth—but she and the kids stayed on in town nonetheless.”

“So did you and Jack ever get to be friends?”

Mei smiled. “Have you forgotten elementary school? Boys are a lower life-form at that age. Wrestling and yelling and being rowdy.”

“What about high school?”

“Different social circles, I guess.”

Jasmine levered herself up on one elbow to look at Mei. “Did you know Cade?”

“I saw him around town. He was the cutest little boy ever, with those big brown eyes.”

“Then why didn’t Charley try to be a good, attentive dad? He had shared custody, but Cade says he failed to show up most of the time and yelled a lot when he did have Cade with him. It’s so unfair.” Her expression clouded. “And it’s even unfair now.”

“Why is that?”

“You should hear the things he says about Cade and me getting married.”

“About how young you both are?”

Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Everyone has brought that up. He’s worse, saying crazy stuff about how I’m in cahoots with your grandpa George’s ‘clan’ since I’ve been living with Arabella. And how Cade has no business getting mixed up with the likes of them. Granted, Charley’s always been volatile, but these accusations are ridiculous!”

“There’s some bad history between the two sides of the family,” Mei said carefully.

Jasmine snorted. “Old history.”

“Painful, to some.”

“But it’s all in the past. I know about how your grandpa cheated his brother in some sort of land deal that left George rich and Samuel poor, and how Samuel has been mad ever since.”

It was hard coming up with a defense of anyone’s actions—but Samuel’s side of the family tree had found endless ways to cause trouble over the years in retaliation. “Maybe … Charley is only following his father’s lead, then.”

“But it shouldn’t drive Cade and me apart. It just isn’t fair.” She sighed. “That’s why I’m thinking about putting on a big Thanksgiving dinner all by myself for both sides of the family. If I can get everyone face to face, maybe they’ll finally grow up.”

Ah, the innocence of youth. “It might not work out quite that way.”

“But someone needs to try,” Jasmine said with a stubborn lift of her chin. “And because I have the most at stake right now, I guess it needs to be me.”

“What does Cade think of all this?”

Jasmine’s mouth twitched. “He doesn’t think anyone will show up, but I think they will. And he knows how much this means to me.”

“Just be careful to not pressure people too much, honey. I’m not saying you don’t have the right idea, but there’s a long, long history between some of these people, and what some of them have done to seek revenge against each other has left a lot of open wounds.” She shrugged. “Maybe some battles aren’t worth the cost.”

“Well, this one is.”

Mei arched a brow.

Jasmine yawned again and closed her eyes, and in a few minutes her breathing became deep and even. Poor thing—she had to be exhausted from all she’d been through.

Mei grabbed the only magazine in the cubicle—an old Sports Illustrated—and settled back in her chair with the magazine unopened in her lap. Life could sure change in a second. A dangerous landslide, the unexpected arrival of Jack McCord …

He’d been just another boy to her during elementary school, but she hadn’t shared the rest of the story with Jasmine. Things certainly changed in high school, when his dark, sun-streaked blond hair and tall, muscular physique reminded her of a Californian surfer and his reckless, defiant attitude promised trouble. His bad-boy allure had been undeniable.

But beneath that tough shell of his she’d glimpsed something else that had touched her heart. A flash of pain and loneliness in those mesmerizing blue eyes, coupled with an undercurrent of simmering anger that flashed fire if anyone mentioned the name of his former stepfather.

Mei had known from the first moment of girlish attraction that, though he was far beyond the reach of a shy nobody like her, they were far more alike than anyone could’ve ever guessed. Soul mates, she’d thought then, with the naïveté of a young girl.

She’d tried to hide her secret, painful crush on him. Then she’d been humiliated beyond measure when her cousin Vincent somehow ferreted out her feelings and broadcast them throughout the school with vicious glee.

The gentle sympathy in Jack’s eyes when they bumped into each other in the school library a few weeks later had made her humiliation a thousand times worse because then she’d known that he’d heard the gossip and felt sorry for her.

Her one saving grace had been that he’d gone off to college somewhere on the West Coast and had shaken the dust of Clayton, Colorado, off his feet long ago, while Mei had headed for college in the opposite direction the following year. She hadn’t expected to ever run into him again.

Yet her traitorous heart had picked up an extra beat at just seeing him again. She’d been sure that he would’ve forgotten her—it would be no surprise. She’d been nearly invisible back in school, just an inconsequential shadow in a sea of boisterous students who’d excluded her.

Though if Jack had looked her way, there wouldn’t have been any chance to date him.

She shuddered, remembering once again the vehement dislike between the two branches of the Clayton family tree. Maybe Jasmine and Cade’s generation would finally bring peace to the family, but that hadn’t been a glimmer of a possibility before.

Grandpa George’s side was filled with good-hearted, hardworking folks, whereas his brother Samuel’s side was filled with resentful ne’er-do-wells who seemed to cause endless trouble … or so her parents had always said.

That Jack had once been associated—even briefly—with the family from the other side of the tracks had made him completely off-limits.

It felt good to be older now. Mature. Beyond caring about high school cliques and the subtle social structure that existed even within her own family. In twelve more months she could leave and never look back.

A young doctor with curly auburn hair slipped into the room, and Mei shook off her thoughts.

Jasmine immediately sat up straight. “Dr. Kerber—is something wrong? Is Cade all right?”

“First you, young lady.” A flicker of a smile softened the woman’s stern expression. “Your CT scans, X-rays and labs show no indication of internal bleeding, no fractures. Everything seems to be normal … other than a mild wrist sprain and some minor lacerations, scrapes and bruises.”

“I’m free to go?”

“Yes, but I still want someone to be with you for the next forty-eight hours. You experienced quite a fall, and head injuries can still fool us no matter what the tests say.”

“She lives with my cousin Arabella Michaels,” Mei interjected. “Supervision won’t be any problem at all.”

“Good, good.” Dr. Kerber looked down at the clipboard she held in the crook of her left arm. “The nurse will be here in a bit to give you a tetanus shot, Jasmine, some going-home instructions regarding your sutures and warning signs of any head injury complications. I’d guess that you are going to be pretty stiff and sore for a few weeks, and you will probably experience headaches. Do you have any questions for me?” “Just—”

“About Cade. I know.” The doctor smiled. “He signed a permission form so I could share his information with you.” She shook her head in wonder. “Given the distance of the fall and the massive weight of the boulders that went down with the two of you, it could’ve been so much worse. All I can say is that God must have been with you both. You not only survived but missed serious head and spinal cord injuries—all too common in this kind of accident.”

“God was with us.” Jasmine closed her eyes briefly. “I’ve never prayed so hard in my life—especially afterward when Cade was bleeding so much.”

Dr. Kerber glanced again at her clipboard. “He wasn’t quite as lucky as you, I’m afraid. He has a severely sprained ankle and significant, deep bruising. It took ten sutures to close up that laceration on his head and another eight on his arm. He also has a severe concussion and some mild confusion, so I’m keeping him here for observation for a day or two.”

“A concussion?” Jasmine paled and grabbed for Mei’s hand. “That sounds bad.”

“I think he’ll be fine, but I just don’t want to take any chances. After he’s discharged, I’d strongly recommend that he stay away from contact sports, rodeos or any other activity that might place him at risk for a second head injury.”

A tear trickled down Jasmine’s cheek. “We were supposed to get married next month on Christmas Eve.”

The doctor smiled gently. “Don’t worry. Give him a few weeks to heal and you’ll never guess that he’d had such a close call.”

Mei freshened up in the ladies’ room at the hospital, then drove to her mother’s home on Bluebird Lane, at the northwest edge of town, and parked out in front. Lisette Clayton stepped onto the wide porch of the two-story brick house before Mei could reach the front door.

“Hi, Mom.”

Widowed for years now, she still wore her silver hair in a short, perfectly coiffed style, and always dressed elegantly. Today, her gold necklace and hoop earrings picked up the subtle tones of her champagne cashmere sweater set and matching slacks. As usual, her French manicure was flawless.

She hugged Mei briefly, then scooped up Albert, the fluffy white Maltese dog at her feet. “I was surprised to hear you’d decided to come now instead of waiting until Christmas.”

“Change of plans,” Mei said, choosing her words carefully.

“Well, do come on in. I can’t believe it’s this cold already, and it’s only the first of November.” A wry smile briefly touched Lisette’s mouth. “I thought you’d arrive much earlier, so I had your cousin cater our lunch today. She dropped it off before she left for Denver.”

“Arabella?” Mei felt her stomach rumble in anticipation. “The pies she brought to Grandpa’s funeral luncheon were incredible.”

“I’m glad she opened a business that matches her talents.

I had her bring pastries for our breakfast, too. I’m not much of a cook anymore.”

“It’s a lot of bother when you’re on your own.” Mei shouldered out of her crimson down jacket as she stepped into the marble-floored entryway and tossed it onto the fanciful Victorian settee she’d loved as a child. She took off her shoes, and followed her mother down the central hall leading past the formal living room, parlor and dining room to the spacious kitchen. “I—oh, wow.” Nothing seemed familiar as she stepped into the room and surveyed the rich, dark cherry cabinets and granite countertops. French doors now opened up to a snow-covered patio and, beyond, a charming, snowy view of Silver Creek.

“When did you do all of this?”

“After your grandfather’s funeral in July.” Lisette shrugged. “Some of my investments have been doing quite well, so I thought I’d do a few upgrades.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Do you mind what I’ve done?” Lisette’s expression turned pensive. “I’ve kept the rest of the house the same since your father died.”

Remembering how distant and sad Lisette had been since Dad’s car accident, Mei smiled. “You deserve a home that makes you happy, Mom.”

“I don’t suppose Lucas will care either way.” Lisette’s voice still held a hint of bitterness at the mention of her son’s name, even after all this time.

Mei was already a college sophomore when Lucas hit his high school senior year, so she hadn’t been around for the rebellious phase that had put him and their parents at constant odds. As far as she knew, he hadn’t been home since their father’s funeral.

Lisette started a pot of hot water and set a basket of assorted teas on the counter. “Did you have car trouble?”

“No. I stopped to walk on one of the trails and came upon an accident. I lent a helping hand and it took longer than expected. So … what did Arabella make us?” Mei added with a bright smile, hoping to shift the topic away from a side of the family her mother had detested for years.

Lisette studied her closely. “What happened? Anyone we know?”

Mei held back a sigh. “Jasmine Turner. And … um, her fiancé, Cade.”

“Cade. Cade Clayton?” Lisette’s nostrils flared. “I heard about their so-called engagement over the summer and couldn’t believe such foolishness.”

Mei just shook her head slightly, knowing it would do no good to argue.

“Couldn’t Arabella go to the hospital and deal with them?”

“She left for Denver, remember?”

Lisette snorted. “If you ask me, your cousin needs a tighter rein on that girl.”

Mei closed her eyes briefly, wishing she hadn’t mentioned the accident up on the trail. When would she ever learn? She should’ve known it would set her mother off. “Jasmine is of legal age and Arabella has no say, really. It’s not like she’s her mom.”

“Well, Jasmine ought to respect the woman who took her in and kept a roof over her head these past few years. And of all people—letting her marry a son of Charley Clayton is just unbelievable.”

“I—” Mei faltered to a stop, unable to find any words to defend her infamous uncle Charley. He was widely known as a lazy, disagreeable man who had claimed to have “back injuries” for years to collect disability. If he’d ever had a long-term job, no one in town could remember it.

“Your great-uncle Samuel spawned a family of troublemakers, and his son Charley is one of the worst.”

Apparently the animosity between the two sides of the family hadn’t changed in all the years Mei had been away. “Cade and his half brother Jack aren’t anything like the others. Jack isn’t even a blood relation to the Claytons.”

“Blood relation or not, those boys are associated with Samuel’s side of the family.” Lisette’s voice turned to ice. “Jack was one of the boys who tried to ruin your brother’s reputation in high school, remember? Imagine, him daring to say Lucas got some lowlife girl pregnant.”

“I always figured Vincent was behind the rumors.”

“You can be very sure it wasn’t just him who spread those lies.” Lisette’s mouth twisted with distaste. “I shudder when I remember that you had a crush on Jack in high school. Of course, you were young and very foolish back then.”

Mei flinched. “You need to let go of the past, Mom. Whatever anyone did or didn’t do, it was a long time ago. High school–aged kids sometimes do stupid and thoughtless things.”

“Young or old, that family is wicked, from Samuel on down.” Lisette gave an unladylike snort. “Cade’s ridiculous wedding to that girl is just another case in point. Poor judgment, impetuous behavior. It just doesn’t end.”

“Jasmine says Arabella, Brooke and Vivienne were against it at first, but now they’ve come around and plan to help out with the wedding.”

“So none of your cousins are thinking straight, either.” Lisette offered a thin smile. “That’s one wedding I’ll be sure to miss.”

Probably a good thing, for all concerned.

His coat clipped in his usual fluffy puppy cut, Albert looked harmless, but he automatically bared his teeth when Mei inadvertently got a little too close. She darted back a step.

“Silly puppy,” Lisette crooned, giving the grumpy little furball an affectionate hug. “Albert doesn’t like company.”

“Or family members.” After attacking Grandpa George’s ankle during an Easter dinner, Albert had been dubbed “The Grandpa Bitin’ Dog.” With good reason. “Has he bitten anyone lately?”

“Only my last cleaning woman,” Lisette said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “And Albert was right about her because she certainly wasn’t very dedicated. She quit that very day.”

Mei smothered a laugh at her umbrage. “You’re just lucky the woman didn’t sue.”

“She’s lucky that I gave her a good reference.” Lisette ruffled her companion’s soft ears. “You’re welcome to your old room upstairs, or you could use one of the cottages. Aspen has already been winterized for the season, but Silver Bells has a better furnace.”

Mei’s heart lifted at the offer. “A cottage would be wonderful, Mom.”

The pretty little rental cottages were set in a stand of pines at the far end of the property along Silver Creek, barely visible from the main house. They’d been part of the quaint resort run by the previous owners, though the other cottages had been torn down long ago.

“You can have it for the year you’ll be here, if you like.”

Mei’s reason for coming early was to be supportive during her brother’s troubles, and being close by without sharing the same roof would be perfect. “I’ll be happy to pay the full lease.”

“I can’t take your money, dear,” Lisette protested. “You’re my daughter.”

“But you’ll be losing income from tourist rentals.”

Lisette fluttered her fingertips. “I hardly depend on that, as you must know. It’s mostly just a bit of a hobby for me.”

“At least let me pay half then.”

“Even that’s too much.” She frowned. “Do you even have a job? There aren’t many opportunities around here.”

“I called the principal here before I left San Francisco. I’ll be substitute teaching at the high school.”

“Really.” Lisette gave her a long, assessing look. “I can’t imagine that pays well.”

Mei sighed. Both of her parents had pushed so hard, wanting her to try for medical or dental school or even law school. That she’d followed her heart into teaching had been just one more disappointment for them … one more failed expectation. “I’ll be fine, really.”

“Okay, if you must—a hundred dollars a month. I’ll start a little savings account with it, and you can have it all back later.”

From the glint in her eye Mei knew it would do no good to argue, even though the cottages rented for more than that for a single night. “Deal. That’s awesome, Mom.”

“Stay here tonight, and tomorrow you can move into the cottage. One of your cousins called this morning and said she’d stop by to help you settle in.”

Surprised and touched, Mei cocked her head. “Vivienne?”

“I think so.” Lisette put Albert on a chair and withdrew containers marked Fresh Fruit Salad and Chicken Salad with Grapes and Pecans from the refrigerator, put them on the counter and opened a bakery box of fragrant croissants.

In a few minutes they were seated at opposite ends of the long oak table in the dining room, with the aroma of peach tea wafting in the air.

Mei glanced around at the ornate oak buffet, the lighted glass china hutch filled with fine crystal, the sparkling chandelier. Soft classical music provided a quiet backdrop, just as it had a lifetime ago, when she and Lucas had sat across from each other and their parents had taken the opposite ends of the table.

It had been a time to discuss the day’s activities. Report cards. Test grades. Lucas had excelled at everything. He was their parents’ biological child, born two years after Mei’s adoption as an infant, and he’d been the golden child, the unexpected gift from above. The perfect one.

Intelligent and charming, he’d always been able to talk himself out of trouble. Even during his wild and rebellious phase, he’d been the one who fit in this world.

She might have been far more jealous, as a child longing for acceptance, had he not been so kind to her.

And now, after delaying the moment as long as she could, she had to deliver bad news about Lucas to her already fragile mother. Mei’s stomach wrenched, her first bite of Arabella’s wonderful chicken salad turning to sawdust in her mouth.

Lisette’s fork clattered against her plate, her eyes fixed on Mei’s face. “I have the most dreadful feeling that you’re going to tell me something I don’t want to hear.”

Mei had practiced this conversation a dozen times on her way to Colorado. But now the words flew from her thoughts and left her fumbling for a gentle way to deliver the message. “It’s about Lucas,” she began, moving to the chair next to her mother’s.

All color drained from Lisette’s face. “Is he …”

“He’s missing.” Mei took her mother’s shaking hands in her own. “But knowing Lucas, he’s probably just fine.”

“Missing?” Lisette echoed faintly, her eyes locked on Mei’s. “That can’t be. He called and said he was on some sort of mission in Florida so he wouldn’t be able to keep in touch. That’s probably it. He’s involved with some kind of church and … he’s just away.”

Mei took a long, steadying breath. “Not a church mission, Mom. Apparently a friend betrayed some drug dealers, so they kidnapped his little boy … trying to force the man’s cooperation. Luke is trying to help.”

Her eyes filled with pain, Lisette clenched her hands in her lap. “I don’t understand. Lucas can’t be involved in some drug crowd.”

“He’s not, Mom. But apparently he rescued the child and then disappeared into the Everglades. The police have no idea where Lucas is, and even a private investigator hasn’t had any luck. Maybe he’s afraid the local cops are dirty and doesn’t know who to trust.”

Lisette’s eyes welled with sudden tears. “Why doesn’t he just come home?”

“I don’t know. I just know that people are looking for him.”

Lisette closed her eyes and folded her hands, her lips moving in silent prayer.

An uncomfortable feeling crawled through Mei. Though often cool and distant, Mom was still a believer, whereas a childhood of weekly church attendance hadn’t instilled strong faith in Mei’s heart.

The pastor had often referred to God as Father and referred to God’s followers as His children. But with her demanding earthly father and the brusque, dismissive attitude of her grandfather, those images couldn’t have been less comforting.

Fathers were loving and kind and patient? Not in her world.

Chapter Four

Jack winced at the sight of his brother as he walked into Cade’s hospital room the next day. “Hey, there, buddy. You look like you were in quite a fight.”

“With a mountain,” Cade grumbled, shifting his weight. He bit back a moan at the painful effort. “But I should be outta here, not laying around like some pansy.”

Against the white sheets and blankets, propped up with a pile of pillows, the bruises and scrapes on Cade’s face and arms were vivid reminders of how close he’d come to being more seriously injured.

“How’s that hard head of yours?” Jack asked.

Cade rolled his eyes. “This is a waste of time. The nurses say they’re watching me for concussion symptoms. I could do that just fine at home. If I could find my clothes and my boots, I’d leave.”

“The doc says you have quite a concussion, bro. That’s nothing to fool around with. Yesterday you weren’t sure what day it was or where you were.” Jack pulled up a chair and straddled it. “And you can’t walk on that ankle for a few days, so you can hardly be working cattle out at the Circle C.”

“Cody needs every ranch hand he’s got. And I need the money. The wedding—”

“I’m sure he won’t let you back on a horse or a four-wheeler until you’re safe. Liability issues.” Jack tipped his head toward the doorway. “Though I expect you’ll be out of here and back in the saddle before you know it.”

Cade mumbled something and pulled the covers up to his chin at the sound of feminine voices coming down the hall.

“See,” Jack teased, angling a glance at the cartoons playing on the TV mounted on the wall. “If you checked yourself out, you’d miss out on all this fine educational TV and all the pretty nurses.”

The voices drifted past.

“Does Dad know I’m in here? Not that it matters.”

He’d known Cade would ask, with his usual bravado firmly in place, because the subject was still touchy after all these years. But there was no way Jack could make things right. Even a brother as loyal as Jack couldn’t replace a father who might not bother to check in on his son.

“You signed the privacy release forms when you were seen in the E.R. The social worker said she called both him and Mom when you were admitted.”

Cade closed his eyes briefly. “Neither one has called. Not that it’s a big surprise. Have you heard from Mom much since she got married again?”

“Just a brief email or two. She said she hated this town and wished she’d left it long ago for the brighter lights of Denver. Of course, when marriage number three ends, she probably won’t like Denver, either.”

“I sent her a message a while back, telling her about my upcoming wedding to Jasmine, and she never even replied.” Cade was now mature in many ways, but the hint of hurt in his voice over his thoughtless parents was unmistakable.

“I’m not sure what’s worse—a mom who’s too busy to be bothered or a dad who’s angry about who I’m marrying and wants me to call it off. He doesn’t care about me being happy.”

“Maybe he’s worried about you.”

“Are you kidding? It’s all about that same old stupid feud, and you know it as well as I do.” Cade scowled. “If Jasmine wasn’t living with one of George Clayton’s granddaughters, I’ll bet Dad wouldn’t say a word. He just flat doesn’t care about either of us.”

“I think he does in his own way. But it’s his loss if he doesn’t make an effort. You’re a good kid, and you deserve much better.”

Cade rolled his eyes. “At least Jasmine thinks so.”

“And you have me—world’s best brother, right?” Jack teased.

Cade barked out a laugh, then moaned and folded his arms over his belly. “Don’t make me laugh, man. These muscles hurt.”

The fact that Charley was such a lackadaisical father to Cade, his own flesh and blood, never failed to set Jack’s temper on edge.

He’d only been a temporary stepson from long ago, barely a blip on the man’s radar, and Jack had never been close to Charley. As a kid without a father figure in his life, he’d started out hoping Charley would be that man for him, but Charley hadn’t treated his mother well and had barely given Jack the time of day.

For Cade’s sake, Jack had always tried to keep his low opinion of Charley to himself. Was hunger for family one of the reasons Cade had chosen to get married so young?

Heavy footsteps clomped down the hall and pulled to a stop outside Cade’s room. At his brother’s startled expression, Jack turned toward the door.

Charley and Uncle Pauley walked into the room. Short and burly, with thick necks, heavy jowls and small, piercing eyes set deep in their florid faces, no one could mistake them for anything but brothers. But while Pauley held the part-time, unpaid position as town mayor, Charley laid no claim to a job of any sort and was entirely too proud of how he managed to remain on disability for no good reason.

“So, I hear you’re taking it easy here,” Charley boomed, nodding at Cade. He and Pauley settled their bulky frames into the two chairs in the room. “Pauley and me were just over at the Cowboy Café for some pie, and thought we’d check in on you.”

“Since everyone’s talking about the accident, we thought we’d better get the news firsthand,” Pauley added, his chest expanding with pride. “I need to know what’s going on in this town.”

No surprise, there. Pauley did almost nothing in his role as mayor, but he was definitely one for gossip, and he gladly shared it with his kin. When Samuel’s side of the family somehow managed to campaign him into office last year, they’d supplied themselves with a pipeline of information.

“I heard Mei Clayton was there on the trail.” Disappointment flickered to life in Charley’s beady eyes. “I didn’t know she’d come back to town.”

Jack reined in a surge of irritation. “She was the first one on the scene. She made a dangerous hundred-foot descent to get to Cade and Jasmine, and she provided initial first aid.”

“That’s a shame. Oh, not about you gettin’ rescued and all, boy.” He waved a hand dismissively. “But it’s real disappointing that she actually showed her face in town again. We hoped she mighta stayed in China, or wherever it is she moved to.”

“With George’s other grandchildren showing up right along, we were counting on her to skip out.” Pauley frowned, pursing his full lips. “Of course, there’s that fool brother of hers. I hear he’s got himself lost in some Florida swamp, so maybe he’ll be the one to break ole George’s will.”

“I don’t think you two ought to be planning on any windfall just yet.” Cade pulled himself up in bed. “George’s grandchildren are going to earn that inheritance because Arabella and all of the other cousins are planning to meet every stipulation of that will.”

Pauley chortled. “So they say. But things happen.”

Jack had heard rumors about a few of those “things” over the past few months—events that might have been designed to drive some of the cousins away from town before they fulfilled their required time here. He suspected none of them had been accidental.

“Just so you know, fellas, Mei is here to stay,” Jack said. “I’ll take great exception to anyone who tries to cause trouble for her. And—” he leveled a look at each of them in turn “—I’ll know who to come after.”

“I have no idea what you mean, boy.” Charley swiveled in his seat to look up at Jack, the veiled mockery in his voice coming across crystal clear. “Cause trouble? We only hope those spoiled, self-serving cousins slip up because they don’t deserve to have that inheritance given to them on a silver platter. By all rights, at least half of George’s wealth should have belonged to Samuel and to us.”

“But we surely aren’t going to do anything illegal to get it all back,” Pauley added with a smirk. “No sirree. That uppity side of the family always blames us for anything that goes wrong … but that just shows what kinda fools they are.”

At a soft knock on the door, they all looked toward the door.

Mei, nearly hidden by a giant bouquet of yellow, orange and white flowers of some kind, stepped inside. “Hi, Cade.” She shot a surprised look at the other three men. “I … um … see you have company.”

She dropped her gaze to the flowers as she settled them on a shelf under the window and adjusted the big yellow bow fastened to the vase.

Pauley elbowed his brother. “Maybe we’d better get on our way. I told Vincent I was gonna meet up with him about now.”

Pauley and Charley lumbered to their feet, nodded at Cade and shot a look of pure dislike toward Mei. They left without another word.

“Oh, my,” she murmured as their footsteps receded down the hall. “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Company’s a good thing,” Jack said, hoping he could make her smile. “Especially when it’s someone who risked her own safety to help my brother.”

“Anyone else would have done the same.”

“By rappelling down a cliff face? I doubt that.”

“I just happened to be at the right place at the right moment, I guess.” She darted a quick, uncertain glance at him, then turned her attention to Cade. “This is all they had in the grocery store floral section, so I hope you like Thanksgiving colors.” She pulled a green Randolph’s Pharmacy bag from her purse. “And here are some magazines.”

Her silky black hair swung forward when she leaned over the bed rail to rest a hand on one of Cade’s, hiding her expression from Jack’s view. “How are you doing, cowboy?”

He blushed. “I surely don’t need to be here. But thanks—that was real nice of you, coming by like this. Jasmine will love the flowers when she comes in.”

“I saw her after church, actually, with Arabella and the triplets. I told her that I’d stop by now, and she’ll be coming after she helps with Sunday dinner.”

“You are coming to the wedding, right?” he asked earnestly. “Jasmine said you hadn’t heard about it ‘til we saw you on the trail yesterday.”

“I guess I’ve been out of the loop. I … don’t make it back here much. My grandfather’s funeral was the last time.”

Digging his elbows into the mattress, Cade hiked himself higher in the bed. “Sorry about your grandpa.”

A shadow crossed her delicate features, though as far as Jack had seen of him, George Clayton Sr. hadn’t been a kindly man. Difficult, controlling and power hungry were the words most of the townsfolk used to describe him.

Mei nodded. “Thanks, Cade.”

“Hi, everyone. Doesn’t he look good? I can’t believe it!” Jasmine flitted through the doorway and hurried to the bed to drop a kiss on Cade’s cheek. “Arabella let me come over right away because I was just too nervous to stay home. Wow—look at those beautiful flowers.”

Cade chuckled, and Jack found himself smiling at the joy she emanated. No matter how foolhardy their marriage plans were, no one could deny that Cade and his young fiancée were hopelessly in love.

Jasmine slid her hand into his. “Did you tell them about our Thanksgiving dinner plans?”

“Uh … not yet.”

Mei tilted her head. “So you’re really going to go through with this?”

“Yep. We started working out the plans last night. Cade and I are putting on a huge Thanksgiving feast this year.”

“She still insists that it’ll be for both sides of the family,” Cade added with a rueful shake of his head. “I’m guessing that it just might be the most memorable holiday ever, if everyone shows up and they all survive.”

“What he means is that it’s high time everyone got together and got along, after all these years of feuding between the two branches of the Clayton family tree.” Jasmine’s mouth formed a firm line. “And for all those who think Cade and I are too immature to get married, putting on this dinner is going to prove to everyone that we are mature, capable adults.”

Mei’s eyes widened. “Oh, dear. Have you discussed this with Arabella?”

“Yes, and last night I called Brooke, Vivienne and Zach, too.”

“And they said …”

Jasmine’s cheeks flushed. “I admit it took some explaining. But honestly, it’s ridiculous to keep up all the hatred—as if the Claytons were the Colorado version of the Hatfields and McCoys, or something.” She took a deep breath. “Since I’ve been living with Arabella, I’m supposedly part of George’s ‘side,’ and Cade is part of Samuel’s. Our marriage is …”

“It’s going to be a bit like the Clayton version of Romeo and Juliet, to add another analogy,” Jack said dryly. “With a much better ending.”

“Exactly. But after this dinner I expect everyone to come to our Christmas wedding and behave.”

“Goodness.” Mei blinked and fell silent for a moment. “Have you thought about the expense of making such a dinner for so many people?”

“I’ve figured out the costs to a penny.” Jasmine grinned.

“We’re using a good share of our wedding money to pull it off, but we figure we’re investing in our future.”

As happy as she appeared to be, this was only going to lead to trouble, as far as Jack could see. Then again, she hadn’t been in the room a few minutes earlier. If she’d overhead Pauley and Charlie, she would be thinking twice about her whole scheme.

“Is this wise?” Jack said tactfully, not wanting to share those unfortunate insights and add fuel to the flames. “There must be a lot of expenses ahead with the wedding.”

“Not really. My uncle Jonathan bought my wedding dress, and with all of the poinsettias at the church every year, I won’t need to add any flowers there—just my bouquet. Zach’s fiancée, Kylie, wants to be a wedding planner, so she’s been helping me with a lot of the details for free. And I’m going to ask everyone to bring their digital cameras and take lots and lots of pictures. We can crop and edit them on Cade’s laptop and I’m sure we’ll end up with a wonderful album.”

Jack blinked. He’d spent the past few months trying to convince Cade to wait a few more years to get married. When had all of this transpired? “You two are more organized than I realized.”

“That’s what I want to prove. And we also want to be a part of both sides of the family and not ever feel we’re caught in the middle.”

“Still, everyone ought to contribute something to this dinner. Most families do it that way so one person isn’t stuck with all the work.” Mei bit her lower lip. “What did my cousins say?”

“Just what you said. Vivienne, Arabella and Brooke have all insisted on bringing food. Not only that, but Kylie’s bringing something, too.”

“That makes four, and you can count on Lucas and me, too. I’m not much of a cook, but he and I can buy some of Arabella’s wonderful pies.”

Concern flashed in Jasmine’s eyes. “Have … urn, have you heard from him yet?”

“No. But we will. I’m sure of it.”

Despite the determination in Mei’s voice, Jack could also hear a hint of worry, and from out of nowhere came the sudden impulse to go to her and give her a long, comforting hug.

He forced himself to stay put. “Lucas is one of the most intelligent, resourceful people I’ve met. He’ll probably show up any day now and wonder why on earth anyone worried about him.”

“That would be Lucas.” Mei gave him a grateful smile that wobbled a bit at the corners. “Though that streak of independence did get him in trouble a time or two when he was younger.”

He found himself glancing at her ring finger—no engagement or wedding rings there—and wondering what she’d been doing during the decade since high school. She’d been so beautiful, so shy back then, and though she’d been known as one of the smart kids, she hadn’t hung around with any of the cliques as far as he knew.

“I think I’ll leave these two kids for a while and have a cup of coffee,” he found himself saying. “Would you like to join me?”

Mei’s perfect, golden complexion suffused with delicate pink. “N-no … but thanks. I’d really better get going.”

She was gone in a flash, leaving a faint scent of lily of the valley in her wake.

Of course she’d say no. What had he been thinking? The past invaded Jack’s thoughts, tinged with the painful humiliation that had cut his pride so deeply back then.

The phone call from her hostile mother.

The visit from her father.

Both had been beyond irate after hearing an unfounded rumor about a relationship between Jack and their precious daughter.

No, he’d been put in his place back then, and the princess clearly felt she was out of his league still.

Maybe they’d bump into each other at Thanksgiving and Cade’s Christmas wedding, but even then he’d be sure to steer clear of her. Whatever small inkling of attraction he felt toward her was a complete waste of time.

“I’ll see you two later,” Jack said. A small envelope on the floor caught his eye as he stood. He scooped it up, turned it over. “Mei must’ve dropped this. It has her name on it.”

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