hands, he gave them a brisk nod of acknowledgment. 'Would you mind excusing us for a few minutes?'
The men dispersed without question, one of them taking Quinn to cool the horse down for the boss. Beside him, Caitlan shifted on her feet, and when he looked at her he wondered at the intent way she studied Randal. Once the hands were out of earshot J.T. turned back to his cousin, whose face was now flushed.
'This is Caitlan Daniels,' J.T. explained. 'She's from Parson's Dude Ranch and happened to get lost on Rafferty property.'
'All the way from the dude ranch?' Randal's scowl deepened. 'Parson's is eight miles away. That's impossible!'
A wry smile tugged at J.T.'s mouth. 'About as impossible as the bridge over the American River collapsing, but it happened.'
'I was sightseeing on my own and lost my way,' Caitlan interrupted, striving to substantiate her presence.
'Stupid female,' Randal said, his gaze slurring over her as insolently as his words. 'Didn't you see the private property signs posted on the main road and fence posts? Maybe charges of trespassing would make you think twice before you wandered off on your own again.'
'Randal, cool it,' J.T. said in a deceptively mild voice that warned most people they were treading on very thin ice. J.T. was used to Randal's explosive temper-worse since Randal's father had died two months ago-but J.T. saw no justification in Randal's hostility toward Caitlan for an incident that had resulted in more good than bad.
Randal's fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, as if battling to contain the fury brewing in him. 'Don't you think it odd that she showed up out of nowhere-'
Lightning-fast, J.T. grabbed a fistful of Randal's shirt, jarring the other man into submission. He heard Caitlan's soft gasp at the aggressive move, but his only thought was to shut Randal up. 'Good God, man! Who the hell cares where she came from?' He gave Randal a slight shake, then let go of the wad of material in his hand. Randal stumbled back, eyes wide. 'Caitlan saved my life. Didn't Kirk and Frank tell you about my accident and how she found me?'
Caitlan watched Randal transform from raging madman to subdued composure in the blink of an eye. The abrupt change made her wary and cautious.
'Yeah. Sorry.' Discreetly straightening his shirt, he shoved his fingers into his hair, which did nothing to tame the thick, unwashed strands. 'I don't know what came over me. We've all been so worried about you. I'm glad to see you're okay.' He glanced at Caitlan and smiled, but she saw the resentment and bitterness banked in the depths of his eyes. 'I guess you're lucky this woman came along when she did. No telling what would have happened to you if she hadn't.'
Caitlan didn't miss the flash of challenge in his eyes, and gave him a demure smile in return. A muscle in his cheek twitched, and she saw the beginnings of that madman surface again.
Unaware of the turmoil between his cousin and Caitlan, J.T. sighed tiredly. 'I suggest you lay off the bottle, Randal. You know I'll do whatever I can to help you with your father's debts, but I won't put up with your mood swings.'
The fire in Randal's gaze blazed an infuriated molten gold, but J.T. didn't see it. He'd glanced beyond Randal, a warm smile teasing his mouth. Caitlan followed his line of vision to a willowy young girl running down a path from the main house toward them, her long mahogany hair streaming down her back in wild abandon. In her wake, a woman with shoulder-length blond hair followed at a more leisurely pace, and tagging along were two tow-headed girls bundled in jeans and jackets.
'Dad, you're home!' the young girl squealed, launching herself into J.T.'s arms. The expression on her pretty face brimmed with unconditional love.
J.T. laughed, a deep, rumbling chuckle, and swung her around in a big bear hug. 'Of course I am, Smidget.' He set her down, grinning as he chucked her affectionately under the chin.
She looked up at him, green eyes crowded with concern. 'I was so worried when Quinn came back last night without you. Uncle Kirk said you had an accident.'
'I'm fine, Laura,' he assured her gently. 'Just a little bump on my head, but it'll take more than that to get rid of your old man.'
Caitlan watched the reunion, a feeling of rightness ribboning through her. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a stiff movement from Randal, a slight bristling as he straightened his lanky frame. Randal watched J.T. with Laura, his eyes narrowing to menacing slits before he turned and stormed away. No one but Caitlan seemed to notice Randal's malevolence-or if they did, no one made mention of it.
A shiver of apprehension passed through Caitlan. J.T. seemed to treat Randal's animosity as a common occurrence, which made her wonder what kind of relationship the cousins shared. She knew without summoning her Superior that Randal was the man she had to protect J.T. from. The vibrations of evil and hatred emanating from Randal were so strong and gripping, Caitlan shuddered to think such a person was free to come and go at will. And why didn't J.T. see the threat Randal posed?
There was nothing she could do about Randal, except make sure he didn't harm her ward. One of the first lessons she'd learned as a guardian angel was that she was to interfere as little as possible with destiny-less for the Superiors to cover up or repair once the mission was complete. Her job was to protect and nothing more. J.T. had to learn for himself who stalked him.
'Uncle J.T.!' the two little blue-eyed girls chorused as they neared. A moment later they clamored around him, and J.T. obligingly squatted so they could smother him with hugs and wet, smacking kisses.
He grinned, receiving his penance for his absence with obvious relish. 'How are my favorite nieces?'
'Uncle J.T.,' one of the sprites chided, eyes sparkling. 'We're your only nieces!'
He tapped her on the nose and received a girlish giggle in response. 'You're getting too smart for me.'
Standing, he approached the other woman and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. 'Hi, Deb.'
'Hi yourself.' Tilting her head to the side, she shoved her fingers into the back pockets of her jeans. 'You really had everyone worried. When Kirk left at dawn to search for you I knew it was serious.'
His quick, devilish smile was meant to reassure. 'Your brother wouldn't dare leave you with a ranch to run and an extra hellion to raise.' He punctuated that statement with a wink to his daughter.
Debbie's mouth curved with sibling fondness. 'He'd better not.'
Caitlan marveled at how at ease J.T. was with his family, so openly caring and warm, a direct contrast to the temperamental man who'd just accompanied her from the line shack-the man with a melange of emotions churning within him.
'Who's that, Dad?' Laura asked, nodding toward Caitlan, her eyes shimmering with questions and blatant interest.
'This is Caitlan Daniels, and I'll explain the details once we get up to the main house,' he said, then began a round of introductions. 'Caitlan, I'd like you to meet my daughter Laura, my sister Debbie, and my two nieces, Brittany, who is eight, and Alisha, who just turned seven,' he added, pointing to the girls peeking at her curiously from his side.
Caitlan accepted each of their greetings of hello with a smile. 'It's nice to meet all of you.'
'You have pretty eyes,' Alisha said shyly, moving closer to her mother.
'Thank you,' Caitlan replied softly, too aware of J.T.'s eyes on her.
Brittany swept Caitlan with a head-to-toe inspection. 'Were you with my uncle last night?'
'Honey,' Debbie interrupted, trying not to grin at her young daughter's impudence, 'that's not a polite question to ask.'
Brittany frowned at her mother. 'Why not?'
'It's okay,' Caitlan said before Debbie could dredge up an appropriate answer to appease her daughter's innocent query. Addressing Brittany, she replied, 'Yes, I was with your uncle last night, but only because he needed my help.'
'Oh. Are you and my uncle getting married?' Brittany's delicate features were etched with solemn seriousness. 'Mom is always saying that Uncle J.T. needs a wife.'
Caitlan glanced at J.T. and found him staring at his niece as if he couldn't quite believe what he'd heard. Then he glanced at his sister, speculation glittering in the depths of those striking eyes. Laura giggled, and Debbie looked decidedly uncomfortable.
Brittany waited patiently for Caitlan's response, childishly ignorant of the discomfort she'd cast among the
