She’d read somewhere that scents easily pulled up specific people and places from memory, and she knew it was true. Gray’s scent had brought up times in the past that she’d prefer she never remember.
She was grateful when she reached the little barn with its smells of hay and grain and animal. As she worked to clean the area and replace foul hay with fresh, she thought about all the things that had happened in the past couple of months.
Yes, there had been terrible things going on. It seemed that when the three sisters had put into motion a plan to find their missing brother, Cole, the entire world had gone crazy.
However, good things had happened, too. Mia Sanders, who had worked as a nurse at the ranch infirmary, had left with Jagger McKnight, the investigative reporter who many had initially believed was the missing Cole. They moved away to begin a life of love and happiness together.
Levi, Jethro’s illegitimate son, had come home to help doctor the man he’d cut ties with years before and in the process had found love with pastry cook Katie McCord. Even Gabby had found true love with Trevor despite the drama of everything surrounding them.
Catherine preferred to focus on the positive than dwell on all the negative things that had taken place in recent months. Her sisters both accused her of being a Pollyanna, but Catherine didn’t care. She couldn’t control the bad things happening on and around the ranch, had no idea who was behind them and so chose to try to keep her head buried in the sand as much as possible.
After she’d finished at the barn, she went back to her suite to shower again and get dressed for the thirty-minute drive into Laramie to see the doctor.
She skipped the family lunch, deciding she’d make the drive leisurely and stop at a café for a quiet lunch alone and maybe even do a little shopping before her doctor’s appointment.
It was just after noon when she got into her red Jeep and headed toward Laramie. She had gone to Laramie and to the bigger city of Cheyenne often when she’d been dating Dirk and to attend a variety of charity events.
The town of Dead, Wyoming, was located only fifteen miles from the ranch, but offered little other than the basics of a small town.
For any real shopping or dining experience most people drove into Laramie or Cheyenne and it was well worth the drive to Laramie for Catherine to become a patient of the doctor who had seen Amanda through her pregnancy with Cheyenne.
Being away from the ranch eased some of the tension she’d carried with her for the past couple of months, tension she hadn’t realized she possessed. At least for the day she didn’t intend to think about the things happening at the ranch or her father’s health. Today she just intended to relax.
She ate a late lunch at a fashionable bistro and then browsed in a nice boutique that had not only clothing but also shoes and a jewelry counter.
It was at the jewelry counter that she saw it...a necklace that the clerk hooked at the nape of her neck. The aquamarine stone in the center was surrounded by sparkling diamonds and nestled as if it belonged on her between her collarbones. She loved it, bought it and wore it out of the store.
As she left to head to her doctor’s appointment, the necklace felt warm against her skin. She could tell her son or daughter that she’d bought it on the very day she’d officially confirmed her pregnancy.
If she had a little girl then the necklace would be a gift for her when she turned sixteen and if she had a boy, then it would be a gift to his bride on the day of his wedding.
She was pleased with her purchase and equally pleased with Dr. Victoria Kendall. The doctor was middle-aged, broad-faced with round glasses and brown eyes that appeared kind and calm enough to deal with any pregnancy jitters.
They began with a list of questions that Catherine answered, questions about her general health and the date of her last period. Blood was taken and then Catherine was set up for an ultrasound.
“I would guess that your due date is going to be around the first of April,” Dr. Kendall said as she squirted cold gel onto Catherine’s stomach. As she firmly moved the transducer around Catherine’s belly, Catherine watched the screen and gasped in surprise as she saw the little fetus inside her.
“Makes it real, doesn’t it?” Dr. Kendall said as she pointed out the head, the facial features that had begun to form and the heart beating strong and sure. “This sonogram confirms that you’re about nine weeks along and that would keep your due date correct.”
“April. It seems so far away,” Catherine said once she was redressed and Dr. Kendall was writing out a script for prenatal vitamins.
Dr. Kendall looked up and smiled. “About March you’ll be thinking April can’t get here fast enough for you. I’ll see you again in a month and in the meantime if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to give me a call.”
It was just after five-thirty when Catherine got back in her Jeep to head home. She sat for a moment, her fingers gripping the necklace around her throat as the wonder of the new life inside warmed her.
This was real. She’d actually seen the baby growing inside her. She was pregnant and she felt as if she’d been given the best gift in the whole world.
By the time she was halfway home she had to turn on her headlights against the darkness usurping the twilight. At this time of year nighttime came early.
Her head was filled with thoughts of names for a little girl or a boy, of visions of what the baby might look like considering Dirk had dark brown hair and brown eyes. It didn’t matter; she knew with certainty that her baby would be beautiful.
She’d filled her prescription for the vitamins and had a handful of pamphlets about pregnancy and she carried with her a sense of rightness, that this was what she was born to be...a mother.
It was completely dark by the time she reached the ranch and drove through the huge ornate gold gates that led onto the Colton property.
She was passing the petting barn when she thought she saw a light shining from within the wooden structure. She slowed and then braked to a halt and cut the engine. Had she turned on a light that morning and forgotten to turn it off? Or was the flicker of illumination just a trick of the moonlight overhead reflecting on one of the little windows in the back of the barn?
Although she was eager to get to the house and into her suite, she decided to check out the barn and see if she’d accidently left on a light. She got out of the car and pulled her jacket closer around her, grateful that she’d worn one since the temperature after sunset dropped considerably.
Usually after dark the animals were already bedded down, but tonight they were restlessly wandering their pen. “Hey, guys, what’s going on with you?” She leaned over the fence and petted the donkeys and goats and noted that there was no light shining from the open door of the barn.
Apparently the light she’d seen had simply been the moon, for the overhead lamp in the barn was not on. As she left the gate one of the ranch dogs barked in the distance and an unexpected chill suddenly raced up her spine.
It was definitely time to head inside. She wanted to get to her suite, change into her pajamas, avoid any family drama and focus only on all things baby.
She was about to get back in her Jeep when the faint crunch of dried grass behind her shot a warning off in her head at the same time a hand clasped over her mouth and a strong arm wrapped tight around her waist.
Panic exploded inside her as the person began to drag her away from her vehicle. She didn’t have time to wonder who had hold of her or what he wanted. The only thing she knew for sure was that she was in terrible trouble.
The attacker continued to drag her farther and farther away from her car and she tried to dig in her heels to make it more difficult for him. When that didn’t work she kicked her feet and violently twisted her body in an attempt to break his grip, but he was strong and obviously determined to get her into the wooded area in the distance.
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