C.J. ate her food with the others in the living room, watching them talk and laugh. Jed sat with Reade and some neighboring ranchers discussing the yearlings they had rounded up the day before after they'd slipped through an opening in the fence. They'd ridden out to look for them and found them picking through ice slicked dirt for shrubs of dead grass on the shore of the frozen lake.
"We'll go out and finish patching up the fence," Reade said, "Snow should be done and start to melt by late morning."
Jed nodded and C.J. planned to go out riding with them. She planned on carrying her weight while she hid out with Thea. Sienna would be itching for a ride after a day off spent in her stall and she'd be more than ready to leave the confines of the house.
The open wilderness which defined the unsettled part of the valley cleansed her mind of any memories that might plague her at least for a while. It reminded her of the years spent growing up in Texas on a ranch, one member of the same type of community. All tightly knit together as a family that banded together through the tough times and celebrated the good.
Days spent riding across the vastness of open ranch land with her friends including Matt. She sucked in her breath, just the memory of them riding through the tall grass, tipped with umber looking for strays took her back to a world she'd left behind.
A world so far away.
"So you think the lake will stay frozen into spring?"
Jed nodded at Bonnie who'd come over to join him. C.J. knew the woman was sweet on him but Jed lived in his own world much of the time, perhaps he had his own demons driving him. That was often the case of ranch hands that moved from job to job, never staying any place too long before packing up and moving again. But Jed had stayed long enough to become the foreman.
Bonnie sighed.
"Don't know if I'll ever get used to the winter but it's nice being warm inside like now."
Jed smiled, his eyes crinkling
"Eating great food with great company…"
C.J. listened to them, while eating her food. Her stomach had rumbled when she first smelled the aroma. Her appetite had picked up a lot recently.
"What about you Kelly?"
She hesitated slightly but she knew her new self by now. She covered for it by sipping from her glass.
"I…the winters were never this cold," she said, "but lots of snow…."
Bonnie continued eating glancing at C.J. every so often. C.J. knew that despite the cover story she remained curious about her.
"You missed ranching…before you came here?"
C.J. paused drawing a deep breath, carefully.
"I do…I miss my family growing up but it's nice being here with so many nice people. Reminds me of back then."
That seemed to satisfy Bonnie…for now and it was nothing but the truth after all. But thinking about them here and now wouldn't change anything.
Matt watched as the man approached him. Zeke had joined him with a dish of paella and also noticed him.
The man smiled slightly as he stopped in front of them. Matt raised a brow but didn't say anything. The man exuded more than just power. Hard lines etched his face and even though he smiled, his eyes didn't share in that.
"Good evening…lively party here tonight."
Matt and Zeke looked at each other. Matt tilted his face.
"You could say that. Saying goodbye to the old year and ringing in the new one…course it doesn't take much on this island to get people in the festive mood."
The man's smile widened.
"I can see that. I was looking for some place away from the grind of my work. This island fit perfectly."
Matt watched the man flex his arms a bit, muscular and fit. Someone who worked out in the field rather than behind a desk in an office. He fit in well with his surroundings, even as the party continued around them.
"Us too…we just got back from a job."
The man arched his brows.
"Oh? You're the group of mercs who are just south of here…I heard of your reputation…"
Matt nodded slightly.
"I'm just here helping some friends. But they do good work…and you're…"
The man smiled again, seemingly relaxed but Matt knew from watching that could change in an instant.
"I'm Cortez…I'm in that business myself," he said, sticking his hand out.
Matt shook it.
"I'm Matt…Houston…this is Zeke…"
The man digested that information and Matt noticed that his body relaxed. The man arched his brows.
"So you off assignments for how long?"
Matt glanced at Zeke and then back at Cortez.
"Why do you want to know?"
Cortez took a slow breath.
"I might have a job for you. If you really have the skills that I need…"
Matt folded his arms. He didn't know what kind of business the man ran but that hair on the back of his neck…he didn't think it'd be quite legal. Still…impressions could be wrong.
"What kind of job? The men I work with definitely are skilled at what they do."
Cortez nodded, flashing an indulgent grin.
"You do missing persons?"
Zeke spoke up.
"Sometimes...depending on who's missing. Who you looking for?"
Cortez paused.
"A young woman…she's…disappeared and my client wants to find her."
Matt frowned.
"This woman she wants to be found?"
Cortez shot him a piercing look.
"Why do you ask? Of course she's not missing of her own accord."
Matt sighed.
"Okay she's got family looking for her? Friends…"
"Something like that."
Matt shot Zeke a look. The man seemed interested listening intently. Something about Cortez…relaxed yet Matt wondered.
"A runaway…"
Cortez' eyes widened slightly.
"What makes you say that?"
Matt shrugged.
"Your face."
Cortez frowned and then nodded.
"Okay she ran away…from one of our houses and before she did she took something that didn't belong to her."
"Houses…you mean…."
"It's a business Mr. Houston. This woman, she's got something my client wants back. We just need to find her and retrieve it."
Matt rubbed the back of his neck.
"What about the woman? What happens to her?"
Cortez sighed.
"That's not your concern. That'll be handled in house."
Matt grimaced.
"It is my concern if any harm comes to someone just because I'm good at my job and found them."
Cortez appeared to think about it.
"No harm is intended. My client just wants his property back."
Matt narrowed his brows.
"Does that include the woman?"
The man just stared at him and Matt had his answer.
C.J. got up when the last guest arrived. She knew him on sight. He was after all the one who'd brought her here when she'd called him from a phone booth in the middle of nowhere in Washington state one night.
She got up with the blanket still wrapped around her to meet him.
"Jonathan…"
He stood still watching her. She knew he was assessing her just like a typical U.S. Marshal to see if she'd recovered from her injuries.
"Kelly…"
Like everyone else in the loop, careful enough to use her alias in front of others. She smiled at him.
"Good to see you…"
She almost meant it. Their relationship had always been so complicated since the night they met while working menial jobs in a forgotten eatery.
The night that forever bounded them together because of what they'd faced and what they'd escaped.
Just barely.
Theo came out of the kitchen and embraced her son. He tensed in her arms. Jonathan had never been comfortable with public displays of affection. She remembered that about him.
He looked a bit sheepish as she brushed the snow off of his coat.
"Plenty of food left in the kitchen. Good to see you."
She knew it had more about conducting business than reuniting with family.
"Thanks…but I need to talk with…Kelly here…"
He gestured for her to follow him and she wondered if the floor had fallen out from her once again. They stood in the hallway away from the warmth of the fire and she felt a draft. Pulling the blanket closer to her she stared at him, waiting.
"What is it you want now?"
He paused.
"I need the disk…it's time to find out what's on it."