A Bride for Two Brothers Read Online Free Page B

She would be utterly on her own.
     
    * * *
     
    The next morning, the men enjoyed their breakfast, especially the blueberry muffins. The ranch hands had a taste for sweets. They devoured everything she put before them. She smiled as they grabbed the sack lunches she had prepared and hurried out of the house. A girl could do worse than live with ten handsome young men. Their tight jeans and muscular behinds piqued her interest.
     
    * * *
     
    Fourteen hundred miles to the east, Captain Carl Barker sat behind his desk, and Sergeant Sal Colombo sat across from him. “We traced her cell phone to Pittsburgh,” Sal said. “The railroad’s security police picked up a couple of tramps who had it. They said that a woman dropped it off of a bridge in Chicago into the gondola car they were riding in.”
    Carl drew in a noisy breath. “I see that little Kelsey is very clever. She knew we’d follow her phone, so she sent us chasing after it. Do you have any idea which direction she actually went?”
    “The airlines have nothing under her name. We’ve also reviewed the security video from the train and bus stations. There was nothing. We’ve also made up a wanted poster that we’ve sent everywhere, even Canada.”
    “What charges did you list?”
    “We said she is a material witness in the murder of a cop.”
    “That ought to get attention,” Carl said. “Did you put out a bulletin on her car?”
    “The DMV says she sold her car. We’ve checked with the rental companies.”
    “Damn!” Carl shouted and hammered his desk. “I doubt she’ll take the risk of driving. She knows that’s the best way for her to get caught. Any minor traffic stop will be the end for her.” He stood and paced around the room. “We’re going to catch her, and I’m going to make her very, very sorry when we do.” Sal gave an evil smile.
    “I’ll keep you informed,” Sal said. “She has to show up after a while. My God, it’s the twenty-first century. People can’t disappear anymore.”
    “Don’t be too sure. She’s a woman. All she has to do is find a man who’s willing to be her sugar daddy, and she can stay out of sight for a long time. We can’t let her get away. If she talks, you and I are going to have a lot to explain.”
    “Stop worrying. She’s just a cook; she’ll screw up, and we’ll have her soon,” Sal said.
    Carl took his seat again. “Which direction do you think she went?”
    “I’m guessing south. She liked Cajun cooking. I can see her working in some bistro in New Orleans.”

Chapter Three
     
     
    “I’ll be going into town,” Marcus remarked. “Do I need to pick up anything?”
    “No. The truck from the mercantile made a delivery yesterday,” Kelsey replied. “The pantry is very well stocked. We’ll be having roast turkey for supper.”
    “Be sure and fix some of your biscuits. I could eat a pan full of those damn things, and the boys love them too.” The door slammed behind him a moment later.
    She breathed a sigh of relief. Marcus had always treated her well, but ever since Alice Cummings’ warning, Kelsey had felt anxious whenever she was alone with Marcus. As soon as her kitchen chores were finished, she walked outside to get a little fresh air. The cloudless vista was spectacular. It was easy to see why Montana is called the “Big Sky State”. She was sure she could see all the way to Alberta, even though Canada was actually over twenty miles away.
    She watched Quinton motoring across a field on his four-wheeler. That fact that he was shirtless made that view far more interesting. He stopped to mend a fence, and she drank in the view. After a while, she returned to her kitchen to bake some cookies for the hands. They consumed the things by the dozen. When the baking was finished, she stepped outside again but was disappointed to find that Quinton was out of sight.
    A moment later, Kelsey heard Marcus’s pickup roaring up the dusty lane. When he caught sight of her, he did not park