Shifting Calder Wind Read Online Free PDF

said.
    Quint’s voice came from the foyer. “It must be really raining hard out there. The rug’s all wet where you’re standing.”
    “Howdy, Sheriff.” The smaller voice belonged to Trey, who insisted on calling Logan by his official title rather than uncle. “Did ya catch any bad guys today?”
    “ ’Fraid not,” was Logan’s low reply.
    “Maybe tomorrow ya will,” Trey suggested, optimistic as always.
    “Maybe,” Logan agreed, then asked Quint, “Where’s your mom?”
    “In the den with Aunt Jessy and Mr. Markham.”
    Three sets of footsteps of varying weight approached the den. Flanked by two boys, one the spitting image of himself, Logan walked into the room, minus his hat and raincoat, with his face still wet from the rain.
    Seeing him, Laura grabbed up her coloring book and bounded off the chair. She ran up to him. “See the red dress I colored, Uncle Logan.”
    Gray eyes skimmed the three adults standing near the fireplace before he bent his head to look at the picture. “Good job, Laura.” The comment had a perfunctory ring. Turning, he laid a hand on Quint’s shoulder. “Take the twins in the other room, Quint, and keep them occupied for a while.”
    Alerted by something in his father’s tone, Quint tipped his head back and inspected his father’s face. When Quint was barely out of the toddler stage, the Triple C cowboys had dubbed him “little man” for his quietness and adultlike seriousness. His basic nature had changed little during the intervening years. As a result, Quint was quick to pick up subtleties that most nine-year-olds would have missed. His father’s somber expression made him uneasy.
    “Is something wrong, Dad?”
    Logan replied with a slow nod. “I’ll tell you about it later. Take the twins to the living room for me.”
    Quint knew something bad had happened. As much as he wanted to stay and find out, he understood that he had been given the responsibility of the twins, and he had been taught that a man shouldered his responsibility; he didn’t protest or try to wiggle out of it.
    Without another word, Quint herded the twins out of the den and into the hall. A short distance from the doorway, curiosity got the better of him. He steered the twins over to the wall and raised a finger to his mouth to shush them. Trey was quick to obey, certain it was the start of some new game. Laura twirled about, making the skirt of her sundress flare out.
    “Are we gonna sneak up on somebody?” Trey asked in a stage whisper, causing Quint to miss the question his mother asked.
    “Sssh,” he admonished and cocked his head to listen, grateful that his father hadn’t closed the doors to the den.
    The low timbre of his father’s voice responded in answer. “About an hour ago, I received a phone call from the Fort Worth police. The news isn’t good.”
    “Daddy.” There was fear in his mother’s voice. “Something happened to him.”
    “There was an accident . . .”
    The instant he heard the words, Quint felt all sick and scared inside. It was his grandfather, that big, tall man who had always seemed so rock-solid and strong. He had been hurt.
    “He’s all right, isn’t he?” his mother rushed the words, then never gave his father a chance to answer. “We’d better call and have the plane fueled so we can take off as soon as the storm lifts.”
    “Cat.” The name was spoken with firm command, and something died inside Quint. He didn’t even notice Trey making like a monster, teeth bared and fingers curled in menace as he stalked his pirouetting sister. “It’s no use. He was killed on impact.”
    Not wanting to hear any more, Quint swung blindly away from the den. It felt like there was a hand at his throat, choking off his air while not letting a single sound escape. In a kind of trance he moved toward the living room, barely aware of Trey racing to get there ahead of him while Laura skipped alongside him, blond curls bouncing.
    He threw himself onto the sofa,