Legend (Legend, Colorado 1)

“Me?” he asked innocently. “I’ve never—”

“Señora Jordan,” came Manuel’s voice from outside the door.

“Go away!” Cole shouted. “We don’t want to see anyone.”

“We haven’t seen anyone for three days now,” she reminded him. “What if the house is on fire?”

“Then call the fire brigade,” Cole answered, as he planted a kiss on Kady’s neck.

“What is it, Manuel?” Kady called.

“The Señora Ruth Jordan wants to meet with you in one hour at the Hanging Tree.”

It took Kady a few moments to digest this information. First of all, who was Ruth Jordan? Why did she want to meet with Kady? When she looked at Cole, she saw he was smiling at her as though he could read her mind.

“Tell him you won’t go,” he urged.

Ignoring him, she tried to solve the riddle. “Your grandmother!” she said, her face showing pride that she had remembered without any help from him. “I forgot that I sent her a letter pleading for help. Oh, heavens, but that will take some explaining. And the Hanging Tree is where I first met you, isn’t it?”

“Right on all counts,” he said, still smiling at her, but his eyes were eating her up, as though he were trying to memorize every curl of her hair, every curve of her face.

“I’ll be right there,” she called to Manuel, then heard the old man go down the hall.

“Kady,” Cole said, and she knew he was going to try to persuade her to stay with him.

“Why doesn’t your grandmother come here to the ranch? Why does she want me to meet her so far out of town?”

“She refuses to set foot in Legend. She hates the place.”

Cole said the words without any hint of anger, but Kady knew he must be hurt that his only living relative refused to have anything to do with the town that belonged to Cole. A town that Kady knew very well that Cole loved. She kissed the underside of his chin. “I shall try to persuade her to come home for supper.”

“Home,” Cole whispered, as he set Kady off of his lap and moved to stand before the window, his back to her as he stared sightlessly outside. “She doesn’t consider this her home, so she leaves it to be haunted by the spirits of people long dead.”

In spite of the warmth of the room, Kady shivered at his words. “You have to go with me,” she said. “I can’t very well meet your grandmother by myself. How long has it been since you two have seen each other?”

For a moment Cole turned toward her, a look of deep melancholy on his face; then his expression changed and he smiled. “Why don’t you go see her alone, then bring her back here? You can make something wonderful for supper. She’ll like having a granddaughter-in-law who can cook.”

His sadness seemed to have left him as he moved across the kitchen to stand before her, and he smiled warmly as he tucked a curl behind her ear. “She’ll love you, Kady. And she’ll be very happy that her wayward grandson has at last found a woman he can love for all eternity.”

Again, Kady had the feeling that something was wrong. “I don’t think I will go,” she said as she took one of his big hands in both of hers. “I’ll send Manuel to tell her that she must come here and visit both of us.”

Chuckling, Cole pulled away as he bent to look at her. “You’re the woman who faced down Juan Barela, and now you’re afraid of meeting my sweet little grandmother all by yourself?”

“But—”

“But nothing. She wants to see you first because she wants to tell you about all my bad habits. She’ll want to make sure you know what you’re in for with a spoiled brat like me. And she’ll want to talk to you about money.”

“Money?”

“Oh, yes, my grandmother believes a woman should have money of her own, so she’ll want to settle funds on you. And, besides, if I know my grandmother, she will show up with a ladies’ picnic.” At that he curled his lip in disgust. “Little teacups that break if you try to hold just four of them in one hand.”

“Know that from experience, do you?” she asked, laughing.

“All too well. She said I could break china by looking at it. And she won’t have any food worth eating, just little sandwiches and tiny cakes. You can put the whole meal in your mouth at one time.”

“And do you know that for a fact, too?” Her eyes were dancing with delight, as Cole’s memories were those of a child.

“Yep, sure do. Tarik and I tried it and did it.”