Nichole Harris-Shilo
Nichole smiled hello to the tall man beside her husband. He stood almost as tall as Merril, with light-colored hair and expressive blue-gray eyes.
He tipped his hat to her. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Shilo.” His attention returned to Merril. “You're married? I remember you as a hotheaded kid who had just learned to shoot straight.” Sam laughed again, then held out his arm toward the woman seated on the wagon. “This very patient young woman is my sister, Catherine. Cat, this is Merril Shilo, and his wife, Nichole.”
The woman beneath the parasol smiled at her brother then nodded to Merril and Nichole. “I’m pleased to meet you both.”
“Come inside.” Nichole released Merril’s hand and stepped onto the porch. “We’re about to have lunch. It would be great if you would join us.”
Sam stepped around the wagon and helped his sister down. “Thank you. Cat can join you while I see to the team.”
“Nonsense.” Merril picked up the rifle. “Our stablemen will see to your rig and horses.” Merril raised his arm and waved toward the barn.
Tom and Lloyd waved back and start toward them.
Nichole stopped beside the doorway and waited for the young woman. “After you.”
“Thank you.” Cat gave Nichole a shy smile and stepped inside.
Once inside, Nichole spotted Lawna setting the table. “Lawna, would you set two more places, please? We have guests for lunch.” Nichole smiled her thanks at Lawna, then looked with affection to Merril's animated face as he and his friend entered the house. She turned back to Catherine and tipped her head toward the stairs. “Come upstairs and you can wash off the dust before we eat. I’m familiar with the long ride from Denver.”
“Yes, thank you.” Cat rested her closed parasol on the entry table and followed Nichole up the stairs.
In her room, Nichole poured water into the bowl and pulled a clean washcloth from the drawer, then stepped aside.
“Thank you.” Cat wet the cloth and applied it to her face with a sigh. “I was not prepared for how dry and dusty it is.” She rinsed off her neck and then her face again.
“I know just what you mean.” Nichole sat on the end of the bed while Cat washed. “So, I take it you're not from Colorado.”
“No. We came up from N'Orleans by train.” Cat picked up Nichole's hairbrush and gave her a questioning look. “May I? Mine’s in the wagon.”
“I don’t mind,” Nichole said with a smile. “How does your brother know Merril?” Nichole stared at Catherine’s reflection in the mirror as she unbraided her long brown hair.
Cat’s brown mane swung around her face and she tugged the brush through her tangled strands.
Nichole felt dizzy with déjà vu. Cat’s rounded chin and almond-shaped eyes—Nichole had seen those reflected in a mirror before. The familiar stroke of a brush down fine, brown hair that snarled at the ends conjured a memory of the woman Nichole used to be. Nichole’s posture stiffened as she put a hand over her heart. Amazing. She knew Cat’s hair would glint like fire in the sunlight, just like Courtney’s, only Cat’s nose and the color of her eyes were different.
Who is Catherine Kline to me?
“I'm not sure how Sam knows your husband.” Cat tugged at a tangle then set the brush on the vanity. “Sam certainly didn’t expect to find him here.” She lifted her hair and twisted it at the nape of her neck. She paused when her gaze caught Nichole’s face in the mirror. “Is something amiss?”
Nichole shook her head. “No. Not at all. You just—seem very familiar to me.”
Cat stopped twisting her hair and considered Nichole. “Have you ever been to N'Orleans?”
Nichole shook her head. “No, I haven’t.” She leaned forward, opened the drawer, and set several hairpins on the vanity for Cat to use.
“Thank you.” Cat finished the twist and inserted a few hairpins. “Then I doubt we’re acquainted. I’ve never been this far from home.” Cat turned and smiled at Nichole. “I'm ready. Thank you for letting me freshen up.”
“You are certainly welcome, Miss Kline.”
“Please, call me Cat.”
“Only if you call me Nichole. Mrs. Shilo is too new, and I won't know you are talking to me.” Nichole instructed with a laugh over her shoulder as she left the room and started down the stairs.
“You’re newly-wed?” Cat asked.
“Very new. We’ve been married less than a week.”
“Oh, my! Congratulations and best wishes. Your husband is certainly a handsome man.”
“Thanks.” Nichole smiled back at Cat. “I think so too.”
As they descended the stairs, Nichole noticed Lawna had added two place settings for lunch. Usually, five ate at the main house since Nichole insisted Jim take his meals with the family. She had also insisted Merril sit at the head of the table. As far as Nichole was concerned, the place belonged to either herself or Merril.
Jason and Amy had yet to return from their morning ride. Jim, Sam, and Merril stood at the far side of the table. Their lively conversation appeared to be about something Merril had done in Albuquerque while learning to shoot.
Cat and Nichole stopped at the base of the stairs and watched their men laugh together.
“It is good to see Merril enjoying himself,” Nichole confided to Cat.
“Likewise, for my brother. He’s been so reserved these last few years.” Cat smiled at Nichole and tipped her head toward the men. “Sam opened up a bit with Hunter on the train, but nothing like this.”
“Someone travels with you and your brother?” Nichole asked as Cookie entered the room with a tray of sliced ham, followed by young Katy carrying a bowl of mashed yams.
“Not really with us,” Cat explained as they moved to the table. “Hunter and Sam are acquainted through Sam’s work. Hunter’s in Denver on his own business.” Cat’s eyes sparkled, and a blush rose on her cheeks. “I hope to see him again when we return to town.”
“I see.” Nichole smiled at the young woman’s excitement.
She likes this Hunter.
Merril held his arm toward the women. “Miss Kline, I’d like to introduce you to our foreman, Jimmy Leigh. Jim, this is Sam’s sister, Catherine Kline.”
Cat stepped forward and took Jim’s hand. “How do you do, Mr. Leigh?”
“Jim, please. Nice to meet you, Miss Kline.”
“Please, call me Cat.”
A burst of laughter preceded Jason and Amy through the kitchen doorway. They paused as they came into the dining room, and Amy pressed at the dampness on her skirt. “We have guests, Jason.” She smiled and nodded to Sam and Cat.
Jason stepped around Amy and held out his hand to Sam. “This is a surprise. We rarely have guests. Jason Harris. It’s nice to meet you.”
Merril made the introductions as everyone took their seats. Jason laid the napkin across his lap and smiled across at Sam. “What brings you to The Highlands, Mr. Kline?”
“Thank you.” Sam took a basket of rolls from Amy, set one on his plate and passed it to Cat. “Well, to be honest, you do.”
“I do?” Jason chuckled and glanced toward Merril. “I don’t understand.”
“It's true.” Sam looked around the table with an easy smile. “I admit my surprise when I found Merril at the front door. I didn’t recognize him at first, and thought he might be you,” Sam joked. “He’s grown a foot in eight years.”
“You’re acquainted with Merril,” Jason passed the bowl of yams to Amy, “but you’re here to speak with me?” His face paled as he stared at Sam, and his voice lowered. “What is it you want?”
Sam rested both forearms on the table, his hands empty and open. “There’s no need to discuss business during lunch, Mr. Harris.” His voice was soft and calm. “A private word after we eat would be fine.” Sam’s gaze never left Jason’s face.
“I’ve no secrets from my family, Mr. Kline.” Jason took a sip of water, perspiration beaded his brow. “You can tell Otis I don’t have his money.” The glass trembled as he set it back on the table.
Nichole glanced between Jason and Sam Kline.
What the hell?
She turned to Jim and Merril, relieved they were aware of the tension down the table.
“I’m not here for money, Mr. Harris.” The big blond man slid his chair back from the table.
Jason rose and stepped back, knocking his chair to the floor.
As the crash of wood on wood reverberated through the dining room, all the men at the table came to their feet.
“Please keep your hands where I can see them, Mr. Harris.” Sam held one hand toward Jason, the other edged toward his holster.
Amy spun in her chair and looked up at her husband. “Jason, what’s going on?”
Across the table, Cat gasped. “Oh my.” Her attention not on the men, but focused instead on the table.
Nichole followed Cat’s gaze.
Oh my, indeed.
The water in Cat’s glass spun, fast enough to create a vortex to the bottom of the glass. Nichole looked down the table. A tiny funnel descended in each water glass. She turned to Amy.
Is she doing this?
Amy looked only at Jason. She appeared unaware of the water’s peculiar behavior.
“No, Jim,” Merril stated.
Nichole turned to her right and looked up at her husband.
Merril had his hand on Jim’s shoulder, and he gave Jim a small shake of his head. His green eyes flashed down the table, between Jason and Sam. “Is there a problem, gentlemen?”
“No. Not at all.” Sam raised empty hands to Jason. “Mr. Harris has mistaken me for someone else.” Sam opened his jacket and withdrew his wallet. “I'm a U.S. Marshal.” He displayed his badge to Jason, then down the table to Merril and Jim. “I’m not here on behalf of Otis Pierce or P&P, and I am not going to harm you or your family.” He closed the wallet and replaced it in his jacket.
Jason picked up his chair, sat down, and rubbed his face with both hands. “I thought the worst.”
The vortexes slowed until the water became still in each glass.
Cat’s gaze rose from her glass to Nichole and her eyebrow arched. “Tell me you saw that,” she whispered across the table.
Nichole nodded and touched a finger to her lips.
“Mr. Harris, I’m here to investigate accusations of mismanagement, investment fraud, and other alleged crimes committed by P&P over the last few years.” Sam turned from Jason to Merril. “And yes, before you ask, I was a marshal eight years ago.”
“You didn't act like one.” Merril’s words were clipped and hard as he resumed his seat.
“I know.” Sam nodded. “I couldn’t tell anyone I was with the Marshal’s office. I’d been assigned to keep watch on a group of men, local ranchers, southeast of Albuquerque around Lincoln County.”
“You never said a word when you left. You just disappeared.”
“I’m sorry for that.” Sam sat and looked down at the table. “I received word our parents had contracted yellow fever. I had to return to New Orleans to take care of my sister. Cat had just turned twelve.” Sam glanced at Cat and then back to Merril. “After our parents passed, and Cat was placed in a boarding school, I went back to Albuquerque to find you, but you had already gone.”
Merril pressed his lips and nodded. “After you left I wasn't sure what to do. I traveled northwest, into California, and helped with a gold mining operation for a couple of years. I even laid track for the Union Pacific for a time. Eventually, I headed back to Texas to find my family had moved to Colorado.”
Nichole took Merril's hand and squeezed it.
Jason set his elbows on either side of his plate and leaned toward Sam. “You’re investigating P&P and you believe I might have information about them and how they operate?”
Sam looked from Merril to Jason. “Yes, I do. I hoped to interview you and get specifics—dates, names, investments you were offered—and any overt pressure they applied to involve you in their activities.” Sam picked up his fork and smiled at Jason. “But as I said, we can discuss all this after we eat.”
Jason turned to Nichole and smiled. “In that case, could you pass the rolls, Nicki?”
* * *
After lunch, Jason and Sam disappeared into the office and closed the door.
Nichole and Amy took Cat on a tour of the house and garden. They walked partway down the rows of knee-high tomato plants.
Amy pointed around the garden. “The carrots are in, and the scallions. The green beans are just about ready.”
Cat touched Amy’s shoulder. “It’s peaceful here, and your home is beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Amy smiled at Cat. “But the house and ranch belong to Nichole—or her new husband, I suppose.” Amy’s smile widened to a grin.
“I’m not sure Merril wants anything to do with the ranches right now. He keeps telling me 'I’m only a wrangler’.” Nichole laughed, and her gaze settled on Cat.
She’s so familiar.
“You should suggest to your brother to stay a few days. I know Merril would be pleased to spend time with Sam.”
“I’ll ask him.” Cat nodded. “Even though I’d like to get back to Denver—” Color blossomed on the young woman’s face. “A few nights in a bed would not go unappreciated.”
“Good.” Nichole grinned at Cat’s blush. “I hope Sam agrees.”
“One thing though—” Cat lowered her voice. “Do either of you know what made the water spin in the glasses?”
“What do you mean?” Amy looked from Cat to Nichole.
“I didn’t think you noticed,” Nichole said to Amy. “You had your attention on Jason.”
“But you saw it.” Cat turned to Nichole. “Have you ever seen anything like that?”
Nichole caught Amy’s gaze. “When the men stood up and you reached out to Jason, the water in the glasses spun like a flushed toilet.”
Amy’s eyebrows rose to her hairline.
“Like a what?” Cat stepped closer to the women.
Nichole shook her head. “I meant, like a drain in the tub.”
“Ah,” Cat nodded. “Yes, it was like that, only you could see it through the glass.”
Amy shook her head at Nichole, and cut her eyes toward Cat.
Nichole arched a brow at Amy, and smiled at Cat. “I heard tremors could cause water to spiral. Perhaps Jason’s chair—”
“Hey!” At the back of the house, June McKay stood on the stoop at the back door. She waved a dishtowel above her head, and then balled the towel into her fist on her hip. She tapped her foot and glared across the yard.
Amy waved at June. “We’d best head back and see what she needs.”
Near the house, Lawna played with Hope-Anne on a blanket beneath the raised tarp.
“Such a beautiful baby,” Cat said to Lawna as they passed into the shade.
June glowered at Lawna then cut her gaze to Amy. “I need a moment to speak with you.” Bitterness twisted her lips.
Nichole reached down and touched Lawna on the shoulder. “Would you mind escorting Miss Kline to the barn? She might enjoy seeing the puppies.”
Lawna stood and lifted her daughter to her hip. “We would love to. Wouldn’t we, baby girl?” She kissed Hope-Anne’s neck and the baby giggled.
“Can I hold her?” Cat asked as the women walked away from the house.
Nichole turned to June, and her smile faded as she followed Amy to the house. How Amy lived with the bitter and resentful woman for a year in Denver boggled Nichole’s mind.
Amy paused near the stoop smiled up at June. “What’s the difficulty, June?”
“I would prefer our conversation be private.” June sniffed and stared at Nichole.
“Certainly, June. Let's go to the music room.” Amy included Nichole with a glance. “We won’t be interrupted there.”
June released a grunt with her sigh and disappeared through the kitchen.
Amy and Nichole followed her through the house and into the music room.
June waited beside the door for Amy and Nichole to enter, and then she closed the door and faced the two women. “As you know, I’ve been displeased with the situation at The Highlands since our return from Denver.” June turned her shoulder to Nichole and addressed Amy.
Amy nodded. “Go on.”
Nichole leaned her hip against the piano and rolled her eyes behind June’s back.
“I made my feelings known to you when that loathsome family was allowed to live in the same house as decent folk. We both know the reason those—people—moved into this home.” June paused in her tirade to glare at Nichole.
Nichole smiled at June and kept silent.
“The next thing I know, we take in those colored maids from The Shilo. I swear, she has elevated those people to the same place as white folk.” June pointed a finger at Nichole.
“Anything else?” Nichole murmured.
“Just yesterday,” June stabbed her finger into the palm of her hand, “Jeanne asked if I would bring down the sheets from the guest rooms so Lawna could wash them. She believed I would actually touch those filthy sheets. This type of expectation is beyond the pale.” June threw her arms in the air.
“You’re so full of crap.” Nichole pushed away from the piano and faced June.
“I made my complaint to Amy.” June pointed at Nichole. “I don't believe you’ve attained your rightful mind. You sleep with that Shilo boy and allowed him to take Mr. Jason's rightful place in this household.”
Nichole stepped forward. “No one cares what you believe, June. You’ve crossed one too many lines as far as I’m concerned. You no longer have a place in my household. Pack your things and move them to the bunkhouse. Arrangements will be made to take you to Kiowa Crossing or Denver at our earliest convenience.”
“Your father hired me when he built this house.” June’s lips pulled back from her teeth. “You don't honestly intend to turn me out?”
“It is time you moved on, and yes, I do intend to turn you out.” Nichole took another step forward and stood in front of the taller, older woman.
“I was Amy’s companion for a year.” June insisted.
“Add that to your résumé. You’ll need it. In fact, you should ask Mrs. Harris to provide your reference. I would only be able to describe you as a bigoted old bitch who only wants her own way.” Nichole shook her head as she watched June’s face.
What an old hag!
“Well, I never!” June gasped.
“And now you have. We’re done here. You have twenty minutes to pack your things and get them out of my house. Oh, and June, one last thing. If you bother anyone else with your nonsense, they’ll send you back to me.” Nichole indicated the closed door behind June. “Get moving.”
June spun on her heel and yanked opened the door. She stomped through the parlor and up the stairs.
Nichole and Amy listened to June march across the hallway upstairs, then the sound disappeared.
At least she didn’t break anything. Yet.
“Do you think you may have been too harsh with June?” Amy asked.
“No.” Nichole shook her head. “I don’t have to put up with her hateful attitude. I don’t trust her, and I won’t have her around decent folk.”
“It’s your decision, of course.” Amy leaned against the windowsill. “You no longer seem confused by conflicting memories.”
“Oh, I still am.” Nichole pointed to the photographs on the mantelpiece. “Although, I do know who they are now.”
Amy looked at the photographs and smiled. “So, your memory has returned.”
“Yes.” Nichole crossed to the baby grand and touched the red oil lamp. “Both memories.” She looked over her shoulder at Amy. “I still have two sets. Nichole’s—” she turned and leaned against the piano “—and all the recollections from my other life. Courtney Veau’s life.”
Wide-eyed, Amy took a step forward. “A life before this one?”
“After.” Nichole shrugged one shoulder. “Perspective is everything and explanations are hard.” She crossed the room and took Amy’s hand. “Let’s just say I chose to return to this life. Courtney’s life was in a future time.”
Amy gripped Nichole’s hand. “Why that—that’s a miracle.”
“It is.” Nichole nodded. “But I won’t lie. There are challenges. Merril says half the time he doesn’t know what I’m talking about.” She grinned at Amy. “Speaking of miracles, you did spin the water at lunch, right?”
Amy blushed. “I assume so. I knew Jason feared for our safety, and I—”
Nichole shook her head. “No explanations or excuses are necessary, dear friend. You have an amazing gift.” She paused and grinned into Amy’s frightened eyes. “Your sister will be here soon. There will be two beautiful and gifted women on my ranch. You have nothing to fear from anyone here.”
“Yes. Of course, you’re right.” Amy blinked rapidly and nodded.
“You also told me you saw something else. Something evil.”
Amy took a deep breath, closed her eyes. “Yes. It follows Alyse, or appeared to.”
Nichole’s voice softened. “You’ve no time left to deny who you are.”